Chapter 247: Chapter 185: The Grotto Heaven is Breached, Return to the Imperial Capital, the End of the Little World Journey

Lu Yunhuang’s pupils shrank the moment he heard this.

He never imagined that the incredibly arrogant Lu Guangjing would suddenly meet a violent end.

It could be said that the person he had envied most was Lu Guangjing.

To be able to rival the Eldest Prince for years, with both his methods and talent being of the highest caliber… how could he have just perished, his Dao extinguished?

“He’s dead? Can we find out who did it?”

Xun Yu’s voice seemed to carry a hint of a sigh. “This person was part of the game, yet the results of my deductions were surprisingly unremarkable. The only explanation is that someone covered his tracks. It seems someone has their eyes on the Endless Pavilion after all.”

“No matter what, Lu Guangjing was my disciple. Although he was always trying to escape my control, he contributed a great deal of effort and merit while taking over the Endless Pavilion these past years. I was training him as my successor.”

“This vengeance must be exacted. I may not have evidence, but I already have my suspicions about the mastermind behind this.”

“Lu Guangjing schemed endlessly, but he was still careless in the end and paid with his life.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yunhuang’s expression turned worried.

“Then what should we do? Without my second Imperial Brother, who will keep my eighth Imperial Brother in check? If he’s the only one left standing, won’t the Emperor’s Throne be his?”

Xun Yu chuckled. “Do you really think things are as simple as you imagine?”

“Prince Huai’an and Prince Langya are still around. How would Lu Yunqing dare to act so presumptuously?”

Lu Yunhuang looked hesitant. “Just them alone…”

Xun Yu shook his head. “It seems you still underestimate Lu Mingyuan and Lu Yunwan. Why do I always say it’s better to crush the spirit than to kill the man? Because if their will isn’t broken, even if they’ve lost the right to fight for the throne, they will still pose a threat.”

“Obviously, Lu Mingyuan and Lu Yunwan are both losers in the grand scheme of things; this is undeniable. But are they truly out of the game? Lu Mingyuan’s current power is incomparable to what it was a year ago. If someone weren’t holding him back, he would have likely had his name cleared long ago.”

“The best part of the show is only just reaching its climax.”

Xun Yu’s tone was playful.

“Without the Prince Jin’s Mansion suppressing him, Lu Mingyuan is not far from having his name cleared. And what’s interesting is, is the current Lu Yunqing still worthy of the Confucian Temple’s support? Does the Court still want to support a Prince with an unstable Daoxin?”

Realization dawned on Lu Yunhuang. “Sir, are you saying that the stage now belongs to… my Sixth Brother?”

“Correct. This is a grand play staged by Prince Huai’an.”

…

「At that moment, Lu Mingyuan returned to the Grand Thousand Canglan Map.」

Within the black-and-white Scroll World.

“I never thought your strength would have reached such a level.”

The Yuqing Ancestor Master laughed heartily, clicking his tongue in amazement.

“Lu Guangjing tried to harm me first, attempted to go after my mother, and murdered many innocent people. I will not rest until one of us is dead!” Lu Mingyuan said, his voice ice-cold.

The Yuqing Ancestor Master nodded slightly and smiled. “I performed a divination. You will face a great deal of trouble after leaving this Little World.”

Lu Mingyuan, having been warned, asked curiously, “What kind of trouble?”

The Yuqing Ancestor Master spoke cryptically, “The Celestial Secret cannot be revealed. With your abilities, resolving it shouldn’t be a problem, but the path will be fraught with hardships.”

’I wonder who’s going to cause trouble for me,’ Lu Mingyuan guessed inwardly.

“Calculating the time, it should be about right. It’s time for the people of the Three Religions to end all of this.”

The Yuqing Ancestor Master stroked his beard and smiled.

Lu Mingyuan asked in surprise, “Ancestor Master, are you saying the Grotto Heaven has changed owners, or that the journey to the Little World is about to end?”

The Yuqing Ancestor Master nodded. “This Grotto Heaven already had traces of the Taoist Sect. With the Eighth Throne’s intervention, this Grotto Heaven’s aura was further exposed, so divining its fate was not difficult. It’s just that those Throne Great Demons were rather annoying. Now that victory and defeat have been decided, it’s all about to end.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Lu Mingyuan nodded his head.

The Yuqing Ancestor Master smiled. “Before you go, I have one last question for you. What are your thoughts on the Taoist Sect? Or rather, what is the Great Dao in your heart? I would like to hear your opinion.”

Lu Mingyuan heard this metaphysical question.

He was immediately at a loss.

’What do I know about grand principles?’

’But when it came to discussing the Dao, only a few sentences came to mind, ones he had memorized back in elementary school.’

“This junior’s understanding of the Taoist Sect is still shallow. I wouldn’t dare display my meager skills before the Ancestor Master,” Lu Mingyuan said humbly.

The Yuqing Ancestor Master laughed and waved his hand. “No matter, no matter. I am simply interested in your attitude toward the Taoist Sect. Feel free to speak your mind. You don’t need to be so serious.”

In truth, a person’s words and actions can reflect their potential and future achievements. This was no exaggeration.

’Since he’s insisting I speak…’

Lu Mingyuan had no choice. He wracked his brain, recalling and thinking, then cupped his hands and said, “This junior believes the Dao is not constant, but is like the light of the sun. Like a chime from within a vessel, its sound comes from within. Like the sun’s light, its brilliance knows no bounds. It is said that one who has the Dao does not merely perfect himself on a single peak, but reaches out to all the nations.”

The meaning of these words was that the Great Dao is not absolute. Like a treasure within an object, all value and meaning is relative, depending on people’s perception and use. The principles of the Great Dao are not absolute; like the brilliance of the sun, it emphasizes the universality and omnipresence of reason. It can illuminate all things, and it allows both darkness and light to exist.

A person of true moral wisdom does not exist in isolation, but is able to move and influence the people of all nations.

“To summarize, it is: The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao.”

“The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”

“The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of all things.”

As soon as he said this, a look of surprise appeared in the Yuqing Ancestor Master’s eyes, followed by a hearty burst of laughter.

“HAHAHA! Good, very good, exceptionally good!”

Three “goods” in a row were more than enough to show the Yuqing Ancestor Master’s attitude.

He was very satisfied.

He couldn’t be more satisfied.

The Yuqing Ancestor Master looked at Lu Mingyuan with a gaze of extreme appreciation, stroking his beard as he smiled. “You truly are the fated one the Taoist Sect has been looking for.”

“Yes… ’The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao.’ That is precisely the principle. The Great Dao is profoundly simple; the Dao itself is not complex at all. It embraces all in the world, bears all. Tranquility and non-action, the Natural Dao Skill—this is the ideal world that the Taoist Sect pursues.”

The Yuqing Ancestor Master was still savoring Lu Mingyuan’s words.

Suddenly, he glanced at the sky and murmured,

“It seems the time has come.”

He looked at Lu Mingyuan and smiled. “Little friend, we will meet again someday.”

With that said, he waved his large sleeve.

Lu Mingyuan felt the world spin around him.

Before he knew it, he appeared in the Great Wilderness Tomb Canyon.

But this time, the first person he saw was a mature Immortal Lady holding a duster!

“Your Highness? Your Highness!”

A melodious, slightly husky voice called out, tinged with anxiety.

“Prince Huai’an, where are you?”

“Sixth Brother! If you can hear me, answer!”

It seemed everyone was looking for Lu Mingyuan.

’Looks like a lot happened while I was gone.’

“I’m over here!”

As Lu Mingyuan appeared before everyone,

Sui Yuqing’s Divine Sense instantly locked onto him. She patted her heaving chest and breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me to death! They said you just vanished, and no one knew where you went.”

Lu Mingyuan sheepishly took out a Jade Lotus and explained, “I just saw a Jade Pearl Lotus, so I followed it to a Blessed Land to pick it and got separated.”

“I see. Don’t go running off like that again,” Sui Yuqing warned.

Although she had many questions, like why she couldn’t sense the marker she had placed on Lu Mingyuan.

But for now, she didn’t ask what had happened to him.

There were more important things to do at the moment.

“It’s time to leave the Little World,” Sui Yuqing instructed.

“Have the Three Religions’ Saints come to save us?” Lu Mingyuan asked, feigning ignorance.

“Mm, the great battle is over. Just watch. This whole world is about to fall back to earth.” Sui Yuqing pointed a slender finger toward the discolored sky.

A sky-covering hand appeared, plunging the entire world into darkness.

The distant mountain ranges that pierced the clouds seemed to be pushed up from the ground, slowly rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Grotto Heaven shattered, was demoted to a Blessed Land, and returned to the dominion of the Great Yan.

At the same time, all the Cultivators from the various Dynasties were escorted back to the Imperial Capital by Teleportation Arrays.

The moment he left the Grotto Heaven,

Lu Mingyuan saw a colossal, majestic Dharma Aspect in the sky above the Great Yan Imperial Palace. It was as if countless Immortals, Saints, and Great Powers were ensuring their safety.

The Grotto Heaven had shattered, and its ten-thousand-year-long day had turned to night.

Even Lu Mingyuan himself didn’t know just how long he had spent inside that bead.

…

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