"Chief Eunuch Allen, what exactly is so extraordinary about this Sword Sect Master to make you praise him so highly?"

Allen’s face was full of strict solemnity.

Finally, he slowly spat out a few words. "This person has already stepped into the Proving the Dao realm."

"What did you say? This person has actually stepped into the Proving the Dao realm?"

Hearing Allen’s words, the Thirteenth Elder’s expression changed drastically. He froze in place like a wooden post, unable to speak for a long time, clearly numbed by the sheer shock of the revelation.

After a long while, he finally awoke from his shock, a complex look flashing through his eyes.

"To think that in this Dharma-Ending Age, there is actually someone who can step into the Proving the Dao realm. Such a figure, even when placed in the era of the Third Heaven and Earth Upheaval, is more than worthy of being called a peerless Heaven’s Chosen."

The Ancient Ash Clan had risen to power during the Third Heaven and Earth Upheaval. Their heritage was ancient, far beyond what a power like Silver Willow Dynasty, which had existed for only a millennium, could ever compare to.

In the eyes of the secular world, the deeper into the Dharma-Ending Age one went, the harder it became to prove the Dao, let alone become a Heaven and Earth Deity.

Being able to step into the Proving the Dao realm during the Dharma-Ending Age was indeed a heaven-defying feat.

However, a millennium-old dynasty like Silver Willow had a limited inheritance after all. They only knew the level of difficulty involved but did not know what it truly meant.

As the Thirteenth Elder of the Ancient Ash Clan, the secrets he knew naturally far exceeded those known to Silver Willow.

Prospering to the extreme leads to decline, and declining to the extreme leads to prosperity. Endlessly repeating in a cycle, this was the eternal, unchanging law of heaven and earth’s evolution.

When a prosperous era arrived, heaven and earth spiritual tides would surge like oceans, and the Great Dao would frequently manifest in the world.

This was the golden age cultivators dreamed of.

In such an era, cultivating was as easy as drinking water.

Anyone with even a little talent could fall into an epiphany just by sensing the Great Dao.

But spiritual energy between heaven and earth was not inexhaustible. Out of self-preservation, after heaven and earth evolved to its absolute peak, shackles would appear in the world.

Spiritual energy would recede, and the Great Dao would hide itself. This signaled the arrival of the Dharma-Ending Age.

As the Dharma-Ending Age intensified, spiritual energy would grow increasingly thin, making the path of the Great Dao exceedingly difficult to tread. This was a scenario no cultivator wished to see.

However, within great adversity also lay great opportunities.

The first was that during the Dharma-Ending Age, the average cultivator’s cultivation base and realm were much more solidly consolidated, making them less prone to cultivation deviation.

The second was the ability to step into the Proving the Dao realm and brand the Dao one cultivated directly into the Great Dao itself.

No one knew why stepping into the Proving the Dao realm during the Dharma-Ending Age brought such massive opportunities.

But ancient texts recorded that the deeper into the Dharma-Ending Age one stepped into this realm, the more powerful they would become at the Heaven and Earth Deity level, and the further they could walk on the path of the Great Dao.

Back then, when the Third Dharma-Ending Age evolved into its depths, several peerless Heaven’s Chosen stepped into the Proving the Dao realm.

After these individuals became Heaven and Earth Deities, they advanced by leaps and bounds. Their combat prowess was unfathomably terrifying, and they walked extremely far on the path of the Great Dao.

The one who founded the Ancient Ash Clan was one of them.

According to the Ash Clan’s ancient records, in that era, a peerless Heaven’s Chosen successfully stepped into the Proving the Dao realm right when the Dharma-Ending Age had evolved to its absolute extreme.

This person was the most powerful among that group, with cultivation enough to rival the various Emperors of ancient history.

Now, the Dharma-Ending Age had evolved to such an extent, and spiritual energy was extremely thin. Yet this Sword Sect Master could still step into the Proving the Dao realm.

If he did not perish prematurely, his future achievements would, at the very least, likely rival those of Patriarch Silas.

No wonder Allen was so wary of the Sword Sect. Relying on this Sword Sect Master’s strength alone, it was likely that no one in all of Silver Willow could be his match.

"No matter. Even if the Sword Sect Master is a peerless powerhouse in the Proving the Dao realm, so what? In front of my Ancient Ash Clan, how could he possibly have the strength to resist?"

"Take me to the Sword Sect. I will personally capture Desolate Sword and interrogate him regarding the whereabouts of the Innate Dao Body."

To successfully step into the Proving the Dao realm in a Dharma-Ending Age evolved to its extreme, the Sword Sect Master’s potential was unquestionable.

However, potential was just potential.

To transform it into monstrous strength like the Ash Clan founder required a long stretch of time. To the current Sword Sect Master, the Ancient Ash Clan was still a behemoth.

After instructing Allen, the Thirteenth Elder suddenly remembered something. "Chief Eunuch Allen, I remember that this Innate Dao Body was a maidservant in a secular household. She grew up with her master since childhood, and they share a deep bond. Am I mistaken?"

Allen confirmed, "That is correct. This girl indeed shares a very good relationship with Adam."

A fierce glint flashed in the Thirteenth Elder’s eyes. "Send people to arrest him and guard him strictly."

"Since the Innate Dao Body shares such a deep bond with this person, she surely would not leave him to die."

"If that Innate Dao Body truly is in the Sword Sect, perhaps this person might just come in handy!"

"Inappropriate. This is absolutely inappropriate. Thirteenth Elder, this action will easily alert the enemy."

Allen did not agree with the Thirteenth Elder’s suggestion.

Despite his suggestion being rejected, the Thirteenth Elder did not get angry. Instead, he proactively asked, "Chief Eunuch Allen, why is it inappropriate?"