Chapter 200: Chapter 43: The Title of Taiqing, Immortal Gods are Thieves, Return to the Current World

“He’s dead?” he asked, shocked and uncertain.

The Old Master sat calmly and spoke with composure:

“It is, in truth, still a bit too early for you to know these things… But it matters not. At your rate of cultivation, it won’t be long before you achieve the rank of True Immortal.”

After a pause, he stroked his long beard and added nonchalantly:

“The Jade Emperor, who stands above the Four Celestial Lords, is a Resident Dao Fruit Cultivator. He currently occupies half of one of the great Nine Directions Dao Fruit positions. At this level, one transcends life and death. Death is merely a state of being; it does not mean he cannot act or speak. You are still too far from this level, so there is no need to ponder it.”

Lu Xuan was dumbfounded.

’Death… is just a state of being?’

’Even in death, one can walk the world and rule the Celestial Vault?’

He was a little bewildered, but he didn’t press further about the Celestial Emperor. Instead, he asked doubtfully:

“With the Four Emperors acting as they are, aren’t you… going to do something about it?”

Supreme was silent for a long moment before speaking softly:

“Did I not tell you? I and your two other senior uncles are in the midst of a war. A war that started tens of thousands of years in the future, raged back to the Creation of Heaven and Earth, and continues into the era you now inhabit.”

*GULP*

Lu Xuan swallowed again, feeling that all of this was somewhat beyond his comprehension.

After pondering for a good while, he asked again:

“Master, why were those Four Emperors injured? What exactly happened tens of thousands of years in the future?”

Supreme gently shook his head.

“For now, you need not know all of this. Besides, knowing would be useless. In the past, they may have been critically injured and near death for that reason, but some fellows have recently taken a liking to ’revising the game.’ Who’s to say they won’t change the reason in the next moment? It is better for you to investigate this yourself.”

Lu Xuan was baffled. ’Revising the game?’

He recalled the changes that had occurred in the history of the Current World: the chant at Dragon Tiger Mountain changing from “Supreme Profound Clarity, Fusheng Lu Xuan” to “Supreme Emperor Profound Yellow,” and those strange characters in Gouxian Town…

Lu Xuan was about to ask another question but suddenly remembered his two senior uncles’ warning and swallowed his words.

At this moment, Supreme let out a soft sigh.

“It is enough for you to have a slight understanding of these matters for now. As for the deeper things, you will have to wait and explore them yourself… Child, what are your thoughts on all this?”

Lu Xuan clutched the Jade Box tightly. After a long time, he spoke with a solemn expression:

“The Immortal Gods rule the Human World, but they do not benefit it… The Immortal Gods are thieves!”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

“I still wish for Only I Am Venerable, to bring World Clarity! But before that…” Lu Xuan’s gaze grew profound. “I want to see if it’s possible for the Human Dao to rule the heavens!”

Supreme spoke calmly:

“Human Dao Dominating Celestial Realm? A fine idea, but the difficulties and obstacles are endless. If you truly wish to walk this path, you will be entering a great calamity. And once you have entered it, I will not protect you… Do you still wish to proceed?”

“I do!” Lu Xuan’s voice was resolute, his expression firm. “Those Immortals, those Gods… their virtue is not worthy of their station!”

“Good.” Supreme smiled. “Then go and do it…”

After a pause, he glanced to the side and asked:

“Do you remember what I instructed you to do before?”

Lu Xuan calmed his agitated feelings, took a deep breath, and asked tentatively:

“Master, are you referring to… spreading the Five Thousand Words of Dao and De throughout the world?”

“Indeed.”

Supreme nodded.

“After you complete this task, you may go and do what you wish, just like your Senior Brother Zhang… However, your Senior Brother Zhang died. So long as his True Spirit was not extinguished, I did not protect him, nor did I avenge him. For you, it will be the same.”

As he spoke, he touched his nose, looking a bit guilty. ’Well, a sneeze or something like that can only be considered following the course of Nature…’

Lu Xuan nodded resolutely.

“Master, I understand.”

“Good.” Supreme rose gracefully. With a light wave of his hand, the void in the Guardian Storage Room rippled, and a large Cyan Bull with a completely bewildered look on its face appeared within.

The Cyan Bull looked around, and upon seeing the old man, it shivered in fright. Bending its two front hooves, it knelt on the ground.

“Great Lord!”

Supreme nodded, then said to Lu Xuan:

“When you spread the Five Thousand Words of Dao and De, you are to wear a Daoist Robe, a Daoist Crown, and ride this bull.”

He paused, his expression turning solemn, and said very seriously:

“The Cyan Bull is my mount, and the Daoist Robe and Hat are my attire. To wear my attire and ride my Niu’Er is to represent me. Therefore, when you ride the bull across the world, remember this well. You must not lose your virtue or your decorum.”

Lu Xuan nodded quickly, his gaze turning curiously to the large Cyan Bull.

The Cyan Bull sensed the young man’s gaze, turned to the side, and knelt again.

“Young Lord.”

Lu Xuan was taken aback for a moment and scratched his head.

At this moment, Supreme’s figure gradually became illusory, and his faint voice drifted over:

“Alright, I will take the Jade Box. I shall see to Zhang Ling’s burial myself… As for the Cultivation Skill for the Heaven Ascending Gate level, it is hidden within the scroll of the Five Thousand Words of Dao and De that I gave you. Go back now, go back…”

“When you return to this world, riding the bull and carrying the scripture to spread the Dao, you may temporarily bear…”

“You may temporarily bear the title of Taiqing.”

As the voice faded, the Jade Box in Lu Xuan’s hands, containing the head of Senior Brother Zhang, flew away. He performed a ritual bow, but his vision suddenly blurred.

The Ninefold Supreme Jade Steps resonated, and his five orifices of [Form, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch] opened wide. He saw the vast and turbulent River of Time and felt a pulling force from downstream, yanking him along.

As he flew back downstream, Lu Xuan looked down at the surging river. The scenes within were indistinct, shrouded in Chaos Qi, making it impossible to see clearly.

But…

His pupils suddenly contracted. He discovered that near the end of the downstream section, a terrifying chasm cut across the River of Time!

The chasm was boundlessly deep. A single glance nearly caused his Soul to leave his body and fall into it!

Fortunately, Supreme Treasures like the Fishing Drum and the Cyan Lamp in his Spiritual World suppressed it, preventing him from being swallowed by the [Ruin] above the river.

Soon, Lu Xuan leaped over the [Ruin] and, in a daze, fell into the end of the downstream current, back into the Current World.

……..

In the void, two towering Daoist Palaces seemed to cross paths briefly, as if by chance.

And in that fleeting instant of their crossing, two Daoists within the palaces began to converse.

The lame young Daoist narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Something’s wrong. Very, very wrong… Why would Supreme take the initiative to let that little rascal bear the title of Taiqing? Even if it’s only temporary…”

The one-eyed, middle-aged Daoist also looked suspicious.

“Could Supreme have sensed something? I clearly concealed it well. Lingbao, was it you?”

“Bullshit!” Lingbao snapped, jumping to his feet. “It had nothing to do with me!”

After a pause, he continued:

“No, this move by Supreme is just too strange. Even if Xiaoxuan only bears the title of Taiqing for that brief period of time, it’s still… How about we pull the same trick?”

“If we do that, Supreme will definitely find out!”

The middle-aged Daoist said irritably:

“Supreme probably just grew suspicious. He wants to place his mark on the boy, declare his ownership, and warn the two of us… This Supreme, why is he acting like a little child?”

As he spoke, he looked pained, as if he had a toothache, and muttered to himself:

“You and your petty games, Supreme!”

The young Daoist also nodded indignantly. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said:

“How about… we take another beating? Or we could team up and give Supreme a beating?”

The middle-aged Daoist pointed to the young Daoist’s lame leg, then to his own blind eye, and said in a muffled voice:

“We’re not at Perfection. Even together, we might not win… Forget it. Let’s just take it one step at a time. If it really comes to it, we’ll risk another beating and place our own mark!”

As he said this, he guiltily touched his face, and the young Daoist guiltily touched his leg.

…..

「Langya City, Sanqing Temple.」

The elderly-looking Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes and stretched lazily.

His Physique trembled, and a brilliant Immortal Light radiated from his body, accompanied by a faint sense of loss.

It was the sense of loss from having lost the Unity of Virtue and Conduct.

Lu Xuan glanced at the time. He had experienced seventy days in the dream, but only half a day had passed in the Current World. It seemed that manipulating the flow of Time within the Bronze Fragment really worked…

’Huh?’

’The Bronze Fragment?’

He abruptly slapped his forehead.

’How could I have forgotten about that? I was supposed to ask Master…’

Muttering to himself, Lu Xuan realized something, and his expression suddenly darkened.

’Something’s wrong.’

’How could I possibly forget something like that?’

’It makes no sense, no sense at all…’

After pondering for a long while to no avail, he imprinted information about the Bronze Fragment onto his spirit and True Spirit, ensuring he wouldn’t forget to ask his master the next time he saw him.

Then, he began to silently assess his current condition.

During the seventy days of travel by chariot in the Ancient Times of his dream, besides comprehending the Unity of Virtue and Conduct and Reasonable Words, he had spent most of his time completely focused on understanding Dao Generating One.

He had originally planned to use Cause and Effect to kill Duke Huan of Qi if he proved to be an unbeatable foe, but it turned out to be unnecessary…

Still, it wasn’t a total loss. He had comprehended another forty-three from Dao Generating One, bringing the total to ninety-four. This had shortened the gap between it and Mediation of Creation and the Immortal Slaying Sword Form.

’It’s just a pity that I lost the Position of Great Virtue upon returning to the Current World… I wonder what the root of the Position of Great Virtue’s existence is. If only I could bring the Unity of Virtue and Conduct to the Current World…’

While lost in thought, Lu Xuan scanned his body with his Divine Thought and was suddenly stunned.

“What is this…”

He was startled to find that some new, profound and mysterious patterns had appeared on his Ninefold Supreme Jade Steps. Upon careful inspection, he saw they were closely related to the Truths of Heaven and Earth.

’Could this be what Master was talking about? That the Supreme Celestial Human Chapter can connect with the Truths of Heaven and Earth ahead of time?’

As he pondered, Lu Xuan focused his mind to inspect them more closely, only to become even more astonished.

The principles explained by the marvelous patterns engraved on the Ninefold Supreme Jade Steps were something he was extremely familiar with!

It was the miraculous ability possessed by a Great Sage… Reasonable Words!

Lu Xuan’s breathing grew ragged. Although Reasonable Words was far inferior to the Unity of Virtue and Conduct…

…as the symbol of a Great Sage, it still possessed an incredible power, the specifics of which he had already tested in the Ancient Times of his dream.

As long as what was said had [reason], things that weren’t too outrageous could become true!

Although it was not as powerful as a top-tier Great Divine Technique like Words Become Law, it was somewhat similar…

Lu Xuan’s heart pounded. With a shift in his thoughts, he decided to test it. He looked at the soil in the courtyard outside, which was suffused with Immortal Spiritual Qi, and said:

“Since this land is nourished by Immortal Spiritual Qi and is fertile, it should grow Immortal Herbs and wondrous flowers in lush abundance.”

He paused, then nodded again and muttered to himself:

“Mm, Reasonable Words.”

As his voice fell, the soil in the courtyard trembled slightly. Sure enough, Immortal Flowers and stalks of Immortal Herbs broke through the earth. A breath later, they were all fully grown, forming a lush and flourishing patch!

The Immortal Spirit Qi throughout the entire Daoist School also became much richer.

“It actually works!” Lu Xuan gasped, a look of excitement in his eyes. Once a Great Sage mastered Reasonable Words, with proper application, they could fight an Earth Immortal even with no cultivation of their own!

’In that case, I don’t need to rush to push open the Celestial Gate. I can first try to achieve Unity of Heaven and Man and step into the Extreme Realm of the Climbing the Divine Ladder stage…’

As he muttered to himself, Lu Xuan’s expression flickered.

’Huh? Why are they here?’

Then, he realized.

’I almost forgot… I promised to teach them Magic and Technique every ten days, and ten days have passed.’

Outside the Daoist School, on the bustling street, Chong Shanhu and Zhuge Ke stood awkwardly, looking around in a daze as they tried to walk toward the Sanqing Temple.

They could clearly see the Sanqing Temple, but it was a sight that didn’t register in their minds, and they had no idea how to approach the Daoist School’s gate.

This abrupt sense of unreality made the two of them slightly nauseous, but they were helpless.

Inside the Daoist School, Lu Xuan gently exhaled a breath of turbid air. Composing his expression, he had a thought, and the courtyard gate opened on its own.

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