Ding Huan was still contemplating how to enter the Dao Tower when a cultivator passing by suddenly stopped.

As soon as Ding Huan's gaze fell on this cultivator, he heard the other party exclaim in surprise, "Ding Huan, is it really you?"

"Hou Yucheng?"

Although his tone carried a questioning note, once he said the name, Ding Huan knew he wasn't mistaken. The black-clothed cultivator in front of him truly was Hou Yucheng.

This delighted Ding Huan immensely; he hadn't expected to find a familiar face in this Exotic Realm.

And not just anyone, but someone he greatly admired.

It was no surprise to Ding Huan that Hou Yucheng could appear here without being detected.

Hou Yucheng had once transformed into a Dao Principle; such a method can only be achieved when one is ultimately familiar with the Heaven and Earth Rules.

Being able to transform into a Dao Principle means blending with the Heaven and Earth Rules of this Position Realm, hiding within them, naturally undetected by anyone.

Hou Yucheng thought he had seen two people who looked alike, after all, in the Vast Universe, two people looking exactly the same wasn't unusual.

Even he couldn't believe he had encountered Ding Huan here.

However, considering Qu Yi trapped in the Dao Tower, finding Ding Huan here didn't seem peculiar.

The only question was how Ding Huan knew Qu Yi was trapped here?

"Ding Huan, let's leave here first and head to Qianlong Tao City," Hou Yucheng said, turning to leave.

Without hesitation, Ding Huan immediately followed him.

Qu Yi had been trapped here for hundreds of thousands of years.

With strong forces gathered here, if not meticulously planned, losing this chance might mean never rescuing Qu Yi.

Thus, he had to be extremely cautious.

Qianlong Tao City was only half a day's journey from the Dao Tower, and it was relatively bustling.

Most cultivators coming to Qianlong Tao City aimed to enter the Dao Tower.

Hence, there's a cave mansion area here specifically set aside for visiting cultivators.

Hou Yucheng's rented cave mansion in Qianlong Tao City was in this area.

On the way to Qianlong Tao City with Hou Yucheng, Ding Huan felt there was something off about Hou Yucheng.

He did not alert Hou Yucheng.

Hou Yucheng, upon entering the cave mansion with Ding Huan, asked immediately:

"Ding Huan, you're here to rescue Dao companion Qu Yi, aren't you?"

"How do you know?"

Hou Yucheng sighed, "After knowing Qu Yi was your Dao partner, I sought ways to rescue her. But I've been here for years and haven't been able to perceive the Taoist Rhythm of the Dao Tower.

If I cannot perceive the Taoist Rhythm of the Dao Tower, I dare not enter it. Once inside, I would inevitably be caught."

"How did you know?" Ding Huan was even more puzzled.

"It's a long story. After perfecting my Great Dao in the Great Universe, I left with several friends, seeking a place with more refined Heaven and Earth Rules.

On my journey to find a higher-level Tao Universe, I met a strange guy who said his name was Zhu Sun..."

At Hou Yucheng's words, Ding Huan had already grasped the situation.

Hou Yucheng must have encountered Zhu Sun in the Void.

Ding Huan was relatively familiar with Zhu Sun.

This person was simple-minded, even more so than He Yan, whom he'd met.

Moreover, Zhu Sun was exceedingly kind. If he and Qu Yi came together and something happened to Qu Yi, Zhu Sun would surely try to rescue her.

Sure enough, Hou Yucheng continued:

"Zhu Sun told me his friends were swept into the Void Vortex, and he urgently wanted to go in to save them, worried he couldn't get the message out, so he asked me to help him communicate the message.

At that time, I was searching for Feng Pu; we arrived together, and he got lost with me in a Void Vortex storm."

"Do you know Feng Pu is pinned in the Void Square outside?"

Hou Yucheng nodded:

"Yes, I don't have the ability to rescue him. Zhu Sun recklessly handed me a Jade Scroll, and before I agreed, he entered the Void Vortex himself.

From the Jade Scroll, I learned that among those swept into the vortex was your Dao companion, Qu Yi. You helped me greatly back in the Great Universe; without you, the Great Universe would have become Tian Meng Clan's back garden.

I thought by the time I could relay the message back, it would be too late. Besides, I didn't know where you were, so I followed into the Void Vortex.

When I found this place, it was already tens of thousands of years later. I believed, having stepped into the Seventh Step of the Great Dao, I'd have the right to speak here.

Alas…"

Hou Yucheng sighed, and after a long pause, he continued, "If I weren't thoroughly versed in Heaven and Earth Dao Principles, changing my own Taoist Rhythm, I would certainly be in that Dao Tower."

"What's the meaning of locking people in the Dao Tower?"

"Top-tier Dao Bodies, cultivating top-tier Tao Techniques, these outsiders are detained in the Dao Tower. It strips their Dao Bodies and Techniques, integrating them into this realm's system.

The Dao Tower is a Chaos Treasure, enormously powerful.

The stripped Tao Techniques and various Dao Bodies are recorded within the tower, and when cultivators challenge the tower, these Tao Techniques become their opportunities.

Moreover, some cultivators can even alter their own Dao Body through the Dao Tower."

Listening to Hou Yucheng's words, Ding Huan's inner killing intent reached its peak.

Feeling Ding Huan's killing intent, Hou Yucheng hurriedly said, "Ding Huan, don't act recklessly. The strongest existence here almost overturns your perception.

I suspect that the strongest here is not at the Ninth Step of the Great Dao; even those at the Ninth Step can only look up."

Ding Huan looked at Hou Yucheng with doubt, "Are you mistaken? The Ninth Step of the Great Dao can only be looked up to? Can it exceed the Ninth Step of the Great Dao?"

Ding Huan indeed found it hard to believe.

He couldn't speak for other aspects.

But in understanding the Heaven and Earth Rules, he was sure that he was stronger than Hou Yucheng.

In Ding Huan's understanding of the Cosmic Law, this realm simply cannot bear an existence stronger than the Ninth Step of the Great Dao.

Although Ding Huan himself was unclear about what existence could surpass the Ninth Step of the Great Dao.

Hou Yucheng sighed, "I'm not sure, but I vaguely feel that, as someone at the Seventh Step of the Great Dao, I'm like a fish on a chopping board here.

I wish to comprehend the Great Dao Rules here and then prove my Dao anew; it's incredibly difficult.

Here, the Cultivation Resources are basically controlled by a small number of people, while everyone else must toil at the very bottom."

Ding Huan sighed, "Lao Hou, do you know that you have a Dao Thought Mark placed on you?"

"What? I have a Dao Thought Mark on me?" Hou Yucheng froze; how is that possible?

Ding Huan nodded, "When I returned here with you, I knew you had a Dao Thought Mark that doesn't belong to you. Moreover, the one who placed it is likely a native of this realm."

Hou Yucheng's face changed; he immediately operated his Tao Technique.

But no matter how he operated his own Taoist Circulation, he couldn't find where the Dao Thought Mark was on him.

"Let me help you," Ding Huan said, raising his hand to point to Hou Yucheng's brow.

Hou Yucheng didn't move, just looked at Ding Huan in confusion.

Ding Huan was indeed strong, but shouldn't he also be at the Seventh Step of the Great Dao?

He was also at the Seventh Step of the Great Dao, yet he couldn't strip away this Dao Mark...

No, he couldn't even find the Dao Mark on himself, how could Ding Huan strip it away?

Moreover, how could Ding Huan know he had a Dao Thought Mark on him?

But at this moment, Ding Huan's finger had already left his brow, bringing out a Dao Thought Mark, with Daoist Rhythm swirling around Ding Huan's fingertips.

Hou Yucheng was stunned, murmuring in disbelief after a while, "When did someone place a mark on me? Since they marked me, why not act directly?"

Ding Huan raised his hand and sealed the mark he held, saying, "I'm also puzzled. If the mark were just placed on you, that'd be one thing. In reality, this mark has been placed for at least several hundred years."

Hou Yucheng always knew Ding Huan was powerful and his Dao was truly outstanding.

But being able to tell at a glance that he had a mark on him suggested Ding Huan's Dao might be even more refined than last time they met.

"Lao Hou, how did you speculate that there's an existence beyond the Ninth Step of the Great Dao here?"

That's what Ding Huan cared about.

He was sure that there couldn't be an existence beyond the Ninth Step of the Great Dao here.

But what if he was wrong?

Ignorance is the most frightening.

Back then, he thought his Barrier was strong enough; who would've known there were Position Realms?

Who would've known there were Source Principles?

He saw someone at the Ninth Step of the Great Dao today; Ding Huan estimated that if they fought, he could likely handle them.

If someone exceeded the Ninth Step of the Great Dao, once fighting, there'd be too many uncertainties.

Hou Yucheng set aside his anxiety and recalled, saying:

"In the Dao Tower, there's a formidable Ninth Step of the Great Dao cultivator named Yan Yu, who never leaves the Dao Tower; no one knows exactly how strong he is..."

Upon hearing this, Ding Huan mused to himself, never leaving the Dao Tower?

Haha, that statement might only fool average people.

He was certain that the gray-clothed man he saw today was Yan Yu.

"Because I've always wanted to enter the Dao Tower, I've lingered around its outskirts for years. Once, I saw a very young Golden Robe Cultivator arrive at the Dao Tower.

He directly called Yan Yu out to see him, and Yan Yu did come out and was very courteous to this Golden Robe Cultivator..."

Ding Huan asked, "You judge that the other's cultivation surpasses Yan Yu just because Yan Yu was very courteous to them?"

Hou Yucheng shook his head, "I'm not that simplistic. Since I've always been outside the Dao Tower, I saw the Golden Robe Cultivator clearly when he arrived.

He stood on a giant rock about one square meter in size, outside the Dao Tower, which had existed there for untold ages.

When the Golden Robe Cultivator finished speaking and left, the area he stood on automatically vanished.

I've never seen such a Divine Skill; I'm sure even Yan Yu wouldn't know it. That's why I judge the Golden Robe might be an existence beyond the Ninth Step."

Ding Huan didn't believe such a means either.

He also couldn't move a piece of land without causing any ripple in the Heaven and Earth Rules.

Therefore, Ding Huan suspected that the person likely casually set up a hidden Position Realm.

"Lao Hou, you just said 'the yellow flowers have cooled', where did this saying come from?"

Hou Yucheng was startled; he hadn't expected Ding Huan to ask such an unrelated question.

(Good night, fellow Daoist!)