Chapter 58: The Dao Ancestor Is Here?

Jiang Li didn’t have to actively search for the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal—it was simply too conspicuous.

A large seal was flying across the sky, wailing loudly. The cries were so piercing that they could be heard from hundreds of miles away. And it was flying so slowly, as if searching for something.

As soon as it entered his divine sense range, Jiang Li could hear it shouting:
“Master, I miss you so much!”
“Someone bullied me!”
“Senior Brother Changcun just watched from the side!”
“I’m going to tell Master!”
“Master, where are you?”

Judging by this, it had been crying nonstop ever since it fled the Nine Provinces.

If time flowed at the same rate here as in the Nine Provinces, then this seal had been crying like this for five days.

Jiang Li flew over, positioned himself beside it, and said with a stern face, “Stop crying!”

The moment the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal saw Jiang Li, it was so terrified that it bolted.

But unlike the Brahma Tower, it couldn’t traverse space. Jiang Li easily caught up and grabbed it in his hand.

“You demon! Bastard! Let me go!”

The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal cursed, but it only had those three insults, repeating them over and over.

Now that he had found it, Jiang Li planned to take it straight back to the Nine Provinces. As for this world, he could explore it later—after all, the world wouldn’t run away.

Sensing Jiang Li’s intent to take it back, the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal threatened, “Just you wait! When I find Master, I’ll make sure he punishes you!”

Jiang Li frowned. Something was off in its words. He asked, “Are you saying the Dao Ancestor is in this world?”

The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal replied smugly, “Heh, did you think I let Little Tower pick a world at random? I already used the power of karma to trace Master’s whereabouts—he’s in this world!”

“Scared now? If you’re scared, let me go! I won’t talk bad about you when I see Master!”

“You don’t understand how much Master adored me. After refining me, he held me in his hands every day, never letting me go!”

Jiang Li thought, Well, right now, I’m also holding you in my hand and not letting go.

He coldly crushed its hopes. “You’ve been crying for five days, and yet the Dao Ancestor hasn’t come for you.”

The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal slumped like a defeated soldier. In a small voice, it muttered, “M-maybe he’s in seclusion…”

“If you can sense his karma, can’t you pinpoint his exact location?”

The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal sounded troubled. “It might be because I left the Nine Provinces… My control over karma isn’t as precise. Right now, it feels like Master’s karma is everywhere!”

“Could it be that only something belonging to the Dao Ancestor is here, making you mistake it for him?”

“Impossible! It’s definitely Master himself! That’s one thing I wouldn’t get wrong!” The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal’s tone was firm.

“Where do you sense the Dao Ancestor’s karma?”

“The entire continent,” it replied. Then, it started crying again. “I was planning to cry across the whole land, but I barely got halfway before you caught me!”

Jiang Li shook his head. “Your method is useless. The Dao Ancestor’s cultivation is unfathomable. If he wanted to see you, he would’ve done so already. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to meet you.”

“Then what do we do?” The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal knew Jiang Li had a point but didn’t want to admit it.

“Luckily, my cultivation is profound enough to help you find the Dao Ancestor.”

Even if the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal hadn’t sought him out, Jiang Li would have searched for the Dao Ancestor anyway.

The Dao Ancestor was supposed to have ascended to the Celestial Realm—why was he here? Even if he had chosen to retire like Immortal Changcun, he should have returned to the Nine Provinces. The Dao Ancestor was born and raised there, after all.

Unless… had he mistaken this place for the Nine Provinces because his eyesight had deteriorated with age?

More importantly, Jiang Li had a gut feeling that the Dao Ancestor knew where the Celestial Realm was—and what had happened to it.

According to Immortal Changcun, the Outer World Demons were originally dealt with by the Celestial Realm. But now that they had appeared in the Nine Provinces, something must have gone terribly wrong with the Celestial Realm.

The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal knew Jiang Li’s strength. Although it didn’t believe he was on par with the Dao Ancestor, it figured that having his help was better than searching aimlessly by itself.

“If we find the Dao Ancestor, you’ll come back to the Nine Provinces with me.”

The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal agreed instantly. But in its heart, it thought, Once I find Master, there’s no way this guy can take me back under Master’s watch!

…

Jiang Li and the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal made no effort to hide themselves. They casually landed in a bustling metropolis.

Strangely, neither the flying man nor the floating, talking seal attracted any attention.

Jiang Li scanned the area with his divine sense and quickly realized something strange—the people of this world were emotionless.

Everyone was strictly performing their duties, completely uninterested in anything beyond their work. Their conversations only revolved around improving efficiency. They showed no concern for gossip, national affairs, or even leisure activities.

Even when resting, it was only to improve their productivity. They didn’t play immersive games, watch immersive movies, or read novels, comics, or dramas.

Doctors performed surgeries with absolute focus, unconcerned with whether their patients lived or died—simply fulfilling their duties as doctors. Actors displayed rich emotions while filming, yet once the cameras stopped rolling, their faces became expressionless, as if the vibrant person in the movie had never been them.

Nurses carried newborns out of incubation chambers with neither joy for new life nor irritation at their cries.

People walking down the street thought only about reaching their destinations. It didn’t matter if someone was flying or committing murder nearby—they simply didn’t care.

Their attire was also uniform. Everyone wore silver-white bodysuits embedded with complex circuitry. Jiang Li’s divine sense revealed that these suits enhanced physical strength, regulated temperature, and alleviated fatigue.

As for food, they only consumed tasteless nutrient packs—one meal a day was enough to meet all their needs.

A cold, emotionless technological world. That was Jiang Li’s first impression.

Can living beings truly lack emotions? Jiang Li didn’t believe it.

Using his divine sense, he examined several individuals more closely. Then, he observed the process of childbirth.

Finally, he discovered the reason behind their lack of emotions.

People donated their reproductive cells to hospitals. The hospitals then genetically modified these cells, suppressing emotional genes before selecting the best pairings and nurturing embryos in nutrient solutions.

These newborns were born without emotions. The only reason they cried at birth was to clear their airways.

Jiang Li couldn’t understand why this world deliberately erased emotions from its people. There had to be a deeper reason behind it.

“Why would Master be in a world like this?” The Yin-Yang Heaven Seal was baffled.

Even before gaining sentience, it had a vague awareness of the outside world—otherwise, it wouldn’t have recognized Immortal Changcun.

From what it remembered, Master was a man of true passion, never hiding his laughter or rage. This world’s ideals were the complete opposite of his!

“Let’s go to the library.”

Jiang Li knew that as long as he could find a library, he could scan all the books with his divine sense and fully understand this world.

He spread his divine sense across the entire city.

There was no library.