Chapter 398: Borrowing the False to Cultivate the True, Star Grave Sand Sea

'What a grand Daoist title!'

As the knowledge in his mind expanded, Wang Ping finally gained a clear understanding of his target: the Dao Monarch of that ancient Daoist lineage.

'A cultivator of the Qi Ingestion Method, and a practitioner from before true cultivation even existed. He even had ties to the Great Rebellion. Now he wants to cultivate the true, going so far as to directly seek an ultimate station of heaven and earth. That's why he came to cooperate with the water and fire qi. But which specific trigram does he intend to use to do it?'

He didn't know.

Beyond that, Wang Ping didn't know which ultimate station of heaven and earth the other party intended to seek, nor did he know what he was supposed to do as a mere pawn.

He was completely in the dark.

His own True Monarch had only given him a single task.

'Due to various historical issues, the Wuwei Buyi Dao Field is on the verge of collapse, so they need someone to help restore them to their former glory.'

There were no other hints.

'Borrowing the false to cultivate the true...'

Wang Ping pondered. After the Eight Trigrams Furnace event, he had gained a solid understanding of what True Persons and True Monarchs meant by "borrowing the false to cultivate the true."

'The first step is for a True Person or True Monarch to step down from a higher dimension and personally involve themselves in the mortal world, leaving behind events connected to themselves. Then, they guide the 'false' objects of the mortal realm—pawns like us—to drive an event forward and accomplish a specific great work.'

Take the Eight Trigrams Furnace, for example.

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan single-handedly forged Great Shun as a vessel and handed it over to Xianfu. He planned for the entire nation to ascend, allowing the human-yang wood to return to the natural order of heaven and earth.

This would reconnect the Dao pathway of wood qi.

This was one form of borrowing the false to cultivate the true, but a relatively crude one. It left obvious traces and lacked any connection to a higher Realm.

Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang was different.

He also borrowed the false to cultivate the true, but his approach leaned more toward manipulating Wang Ping—his pawn—into wiping out the Great Rebellion to resonate with the various concepts of the Mountain-Wind Gu hexagram.

Although he ultimately failed due to Wang Ping's active interference, pivoting midway from eradicating the Great Rebellion to eradicating the Brahma Nation still accomplished part of his objective.

Even though Wang Ping had previously hated Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang enough to gnash his teeth, he had to admire the man's capabilities. Strictly speaking, Danyang had been outmaneuvered by Wang Ping's own True Monarch, which caused the layout in the Eight Trigrams Furnace to collapse. Yet he still managed to hold the situation together and prevent a total loss.

Strictly speaking, he still came out ahead.

His methods were vastly superior to Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan's, which was why Wang Ping still acknowledged his approach.

Because of this...

'If that ancient Dao Monarch also intends to seek an ultimate station of heaven and earth, he will most likely choose the same method as Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang.'

He would use Wang Ping, or other lower-realm pawns, to drive a specific event forward, using it to resonate with and align himself with the ultimate station of heaven and earth he sought.

'Unfortunately, I don't know exactly which ultimate station that Dao Monarch wants to seek, and my True Monarch won't tell me either. Otherwise, I could figure out a lot of things.'

Of course, Wang Ping also knew this was unrealistic.

For entities seeking an ultimate station of heaven and earth, their target station was a crucial secret. It absolutely could not be easily exposed.

Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang was a prime example. He secretly cultivated the Xun Trigram avatar and played two roles at once to deceive others, ensuring no one would know his true target was the Mountain-Wind Gu hexagram. In fact, he had been quite successful; aside from Wang Ping's True Monarch, almost no one discovered his true intent.

The counterexample was Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan.

Not only did he expose the second avatar he was cultivating during the Eight Trigrams Furnace event, but he also exposed his target ultimate station of heaven and earth. He completely failed to keep his secret.

The result was his current predicament.

Let alone being watched by other True Persons and paralyzed from acting rashly, he was even being blackmailed by Xianfu, a mere lower-realm cultivator leveraging his status as a pawn.

'This is the drawback of borrowing the false to cultivate the true.'

'However, that is only a drawback for the higher-realm cultivators. For lower-realm cultivators, this is a thread of life as a pawn. Used well, it can cause one's cultivation to skyrocket.'

It was the same this time.

'The only thing I can be sure of is that the ancient Dao Monarch wants me to help his dao field achieve glory again. This definitely corresponds to the true meaning of a certain ultimate station of heaven and earth.'

As for which one specifically...

Perhaps only by diving deep into the layout, just like he had in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and taking it step by step to the endgame would he be able to truly see it clearly.

At that thought, a sudden sensation struck Wang Ping. He raised his eyes. In a daze, he seemed to see the torrential river of destiny roaring through the unseen void, revealing a profound mystery: 'That's it. It's this time... Two True Monarchs, an ancient Dao Monarch, and a Bodhisattva are all getting involved.'

This grand layout was his life tribulation!

"Rumble!"

In an instant, the tangible yet formless destiny began to collapse. The largest wave in recorded history began to spread outward into every corner of Cosmic Deep Space.

Almost no one could detect this change.

Only those majestic entities who had attained the Dao through true cultivation could detect the tug of destiny and sense that they had been swept into a special life tribulation.

Brahma Nation, Northern Crimson Silk Golden Pure Land.

Boundless Zen forests, endless Sanskrit chants. Deep within the myriad temples, a resplendent golden light flowed. It carried an infinite fullness, seemingly symbolizing the wealth of all living beings in heaven and earth. Various artifacts shaped like swords, spears, staffs, bells, pagodas, Tripod Cauldrons, and mirrors were arrayed within the light.

However, right in the midst of this resplendent brilliance...

A pair of eyes abruptly opened, looking up at destiny. There was no telling how vast and magnificent those eyes were; even stars would seem like grains of sand before them.

They stared blankly for a long time, seemingly lost in some memory, before slowly closing. All that remained was a slightly helpless sigh.

"A life tribulation."

"A lower-realm cultivator's life tribulation, yet it used destiny to drag me into it. The heavenly secrets cannot be examined, and karma is hard to avoid... Master, do you really want to kill me that badly?"

...

Wang Ping withdrew his gaze and pulled out of the unseen sensation. He let out a long breath and sighed inwardly. 'I knew nothing good would just fall into my lap.'

In the Eight Trigrams Furnace event, with multiple True Persons setting layouts, he had thought it was dangerous enough. After successfully escaping, he assumed his future life tribulations would surely be a bit easier. But his True Monarch had seen how useful he was and decided to work him to death! Now this life tribulation was playing out on an even bigger scale!

'This is taking years off my life.'

Wang Ping couldn't help but scratch his head. 'This time, it shouldn't be that every True Monarch is my enemy, right? If that's really the case, I might as well just lie down and wait for death.'

He also had a vague realization.

Beneath a life tribulation, everyone was equal—even True Persons and True Monarchs. His own True Monarch was using a plan to forcibly trigger his life tribulation.

As a result, everyone involved in the plan was swept into his life tribulation, including the target of the plan, that Master of Secret Traces Bodhisattva!

'So this is the True Monarch's real method for fishing that Bodhisattva out of the Brahma Nation. Makes sense. After all, even if that ancient Dao Monarch holds a supreme treasure, given that Bodhisattva's cautious mindset and survival-focused style, if he just refuses to come out and sits as steady as Mount Tai, no one could do a thing to him.'

However, destiny was different.

Under the pull of destiny, that Bodhisattva would have to walk out of the pure land and participate in this grand layout. Otherwise, he might face even greater danger.

It was truly too sinister.

'Good thing my True Monarch still feeds me grass, giving me one benefit after another. If she just whipped me without any reward, this horse would have stopped running a long time ago.'

'No, I need to drag someone down with me. This life tribulation is bound to be perilous, and given my current combat strength, punching up as a lower-realm cultivator is a pipe dream.'

His opponents would definitely all be at Qi Refining, at a minimum.

Thinking of this, he immediately looked at Kunyun.

"Senior Brother, I have a thrilling and exciting mission here. As long as we complete it, our cultivation will definitely skyrocket. How about it? Want to go with me?"

"..." Kunyun was speechless.

'Junior Brother, do you take me for a fool?'

The next second, Kunyun decisively waved his hand. "I have been a little busy lately, and I've gained a bit more enlightenment regarding the qi of heaven and earth. I've decided to enter secluded cultivation."

"Forget it, forget it."

"Sigh, fine."

Wang Ping shook his head with regret. "Then, Senior Brother, I'll be taking my leave."

Saying that, he got up to leave the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode and activated the True Monarch's oral decree in his sea of consciousness. A dim radiance immediately surfaced around his body.

This was also part of the profound mystery contained within the True Monarch's oral decree. It could silently transport him to his destination, the Star Grave Sand Sea. After all, given his immense popularity at the peak of the Immortal Gate right now, the moment he left the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he would definitely be watched by True Persons. If he traveled to the Star Grave Sand Sea then, unexpected accidents would inevitably arise.

The True Monarch had thought things through thoroughly.

With this departure, Wang Ping's figure sank into the boundless darkness. From beneath him came a soft sensation, as if he were being held in the palm of a slender, elegant jade hand.

He vanished without a trace, completely silently.

Meanwhile, Kunyun had initially been watching happily. But after Wang Ping left, he stood frozen in place. It took him a moment to realize what had just happened.

Wait, fuck!

I'm still inside the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode! You didn't send me out? This place is hidden away from the world. Without the cave abode's master operating it, how the hell am I supposed to get out?!

This Biyang's... you animal!