Chapter 448: Secrets of the Ancient Cultivators (10,000 Words)

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!"

Wang Ping fled practically nonstop all the way back to the Dao Tomb. Not out of fear, of course—he mainly just missed the ancient cultivator seniors and wanted to return for a bit of secluded cultivation.

'This life tribulation came way too fast!'

He had assumed that after surviving the last life tribulation, he would have at least three to five years before the next one. Instead, not even three to five months had passed before another started brewing.

The only silver lining was that it was still brewing and hadn't erupted outright yet. Just like before, though, this was the stage where he had to start lining up opponents and allies for the life tribulation. Under the circumstances, his first stop naturally had to be the faction he considered the most reliable: the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy.

The moment he stepped into the Dao Tomb, the world spun around him. A second later, he stood inside the familiar hall, where a mountain-high sand sculpture slowly lowered its massive face toward him.

"Senior, another life tribulation is coming!" Wang Ping blurted out.

"I know."

[Yang] let out a sigh. Wang Ping didn't need to explain; the thick tribulation qi clinging to the kid was visible from a mile away.

"The root cause should be the [dharma body path]."

"You, honestly."

Looking at Wang Ping, [Yang] didn't know whether to feel pleased or exasperated, and in the end could only shake his head. "You really always manage to come up with some new trick for me."

"As a path-opener, you would have had a real shot at reaching the summit if you'd just stayed hidden and acted with caution. Instead, you practically wished the whole world knew. Now look—never mind the other orthodoxies, those demon Daoists of Fire Qi alone will definitely make you their prime target."

"Times have changed, my lord."

Wang Ping gave a sheepish grin, completely unbothered. The bigger the storm, the pricier the fish. Put bluntly, the whole point of borrowing the false to cultivate the true was stirring up trouble.

If you didn't stir up trouble, how were you supposed to advance?

The ancient cultivators were simply too comfortable, holing up in this corner of the Cosmos all day, eating and sleeping and sleeping and eating without stirring up any trouble at all. No wonder they'd been eliminated in the end...

"All right, you always have an answer for everything."

[Yang] shook his head. "Still, the life tribulation has only just begun to brew. With the right methods, we might be able to break it up and stall it for a while longer."

Wang Ping understood immediately. It was probably just like the stunt he had pulled back at the [Eight Trigrams Furnace], faking his death to escape [True Person Hanguang Danyang]—forcibly interrupting the life tribulation so the conditions for its formation no longer held, knocking it back into a reset state.

Still... could that actually be done?

"Senior, this life tribulation is different. It involves the [Heaven Defiance Palace]. Once that thing fully descends into the mortal world, there's no escaping it no matter what."

"Who says there's no chance?"

[Yang] raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you build [Bright Light City] and even surround the [Heaven Defiance Palace] with a Grotto-Heaven? There's always a chance."

"Please don't tease me, Senior."

Wang Ping smiled bitterly. After narrowly escaping death at the hands of Earth Qi, how could he not see that a True Monarch didn't take his blockade seriously at all?

That included the [Star Grave], too. He had figured it out now: a gentleman can be deceived by his own principles, and the ancient cultivators had never actually intended to detonate that thing for real.

Or rather, the situation hadn't deteriorated to the point where these ancient cultivators felt forced to detonate the [Star Grave], so They chose to endure.

In Wang Ping's eyes, however, that was a colossal mistake. The Immortal Gate had clearly seen through this as well and was now using salami tactics, boiling the frog in warm water to suppress the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy bit by bit. At this rate, by the time the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy finally decided to risk everything, they wouldn't have the strength left to do it.

Under those circumstances, what could they possibly use to reset the life tribulation?

"There is a chance."

[Yang] could naturally tell what Wang Ping was thinking and said in a low, distant voice, "When all is said and done, the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy simply lacks sufficient deterrence against the Immortal Gate."

That was why they could only use the [Star Grave] as a deterrent, and why any True Monarch dared look down on them—a problem that was at once unsolvable and easy to solve.

After all, it came down purely to strength. If you lacked strength, you lacked strength, and no amount of maneuvering could fix that. Yet if you had the strength and simply struggled to bring it to bear, things were much simpler—and the ancient cultivators fell into the second category. Right now, at least [Yang] had made up his mind.

"[Fu] and I already have an idea."

With that, [Yang] held nothing back and laid out his plan directly. Wang Ping blinked as he listened, and his legs instantly went weak.

With a thud, he dropped straight to his knees.

'You're saying you can have an Ancient Cultivator Dao Lord comparable to a True Monarch make a move—blocking True Monarchs when True Monarchs appear, killing True Persons when True Persons appear—all just to back me up?'

'Holy shit!'

In that moment, Wang Ping felt the word "Senior" was no longer enough for [Yang]. 'How are you a senior? You're clearly my dad.'

'My own flesh-and-blood dad!'

"Get up... Don't celebrate too early."

[Yang] hurriedly told Wang Ping to rise, then continued, "This is more about deterrence—showing the Immortal Gate our resolve to fight."

"If possible, it would be best to use a True Person's life as a warning. That way, your [Bright Light City] can maintain a measure of stability."

"Our [Bright Light City]!" Wang Ping put in.

"...Mm, ours."

Even though [Yang] knew Wang Ping was probably just flattering him, it still sounded pleasing to the ear. He smiled and said, "In short, we make the Immortal Gate wary."

"Then many of their schemes won't unfold right away."

"Once you also take control of entry, exit, and exploration at the [Heaven Defiance Palace], so long as you handle it properly, you should be able to stall this life tribulation for a while."

"Of course, the prerequisite is that you cannot leak the secret of the [dharma body path]." Here, [Yang]'s tone grew especially solemn as he enunciated every word: "This Great Dao is far too extraordinary... and the threshold to cultivate it is simply too low. Frankly, the only reason it hasn't caused an uproar yet is that it's incomplete and cannot be used to cultivate true nature or ascend to immortality."

"Otherwise, it would be enough to spark a tenth Dao contention."

"Many True Persons and True Monarchs would even start cultivating your [dharma body path] themselves, and play the cuckoo stealing the magpie's nest—snatching away your merit and karma as the path-opener..."

Before he could finish, a voice rang out:

"Indeed. Just like what happened to me."

Wang Ping looked toward the sound and saw a second figure materialize in the hall. It was [Fu]. Recognizing a golden patron, Wang Ping immediately bowed deeply on the spot.

"Greetings, Senior! Thank you for your aid, Senior!"

"Dispense with the formalities."

[Fu] waved a hand and said in a deep voice, "This is also what I wanted to warn you about. Once your identity as the Dharma Body Dao Lord is exposed, there will be no end of trouble."

"Because along this path, there truly is a way to become an immortal. Back then, the Fire Qi immortal played the cuckoo stealing the magpie's nest and snatched away the Qi Ingestion Method I pioneered, using it as the foundation to ascend to immortality. Every surviving True Person and True Monarch knows this. Once your identity is exposed, you will inevitably meet the exact same end."

Wang Ping's eyes flew wide at those words.

He pioneered the Qi Ingestion Method?

Hiss... No wonder [Yang] regarded this one as the strongest among the Ancient Cultivator Dao Monarchs. This was no ordinary figure—he was a pivotal player in the revolutions of the Immortal Dao.

"Senior's guidance is wise."

Wang Ping cupped his hands. "This junior will be careful to keep it hidden."

"Good."

[Fu] nodded.

"We will also help cover for you on our end. Whether it is the [dharma body path] or our protecting your Dao this time, only [Yang] and I know of it."

"Oh?" Wang Ping blinked in surprise, his expression immediately turning serious. "The other six seniors... Could it be that some of them cannot be trusted?"

"Of course they can all be trusted."

At this, [Fu] looked somewhat helpless himself. "However, you must understand that although we are collectively called ancient cultivators, our ideals are actually different."

Wang Ping understood at once. True enough, though the eight Dao Monarchs represented eliminated orthodoxies now and had spent countless years locked up together as fellow sufferers, back in the day they had fought their way up step by step through Dao contentions. Having battled each other so fiercely, they were bound to have massive differences in philosophy.

After all, every one of them was a Dao Monarch.

At their Realm, their own orthodoxies and cultivation philosophies could never be shaken; right now, survival simply mattered more than ideals.

"You don't need to worry too much, either."

Seeing the thoughtful look on Wang Ping's face, [Fu] continued, "Everyone's resolve against the Immortal Gate is rock-solid. There is no question about that."

"The issue... lies with the Great Rebellion."

"Some among us lean more toward the Great Rebellion than toward supporting you, so there are subtle differences in how they view your current predicament."

'My predicament?'

Wang Ping mulled it over briefly and immediately realized what he meant.

"The [Heaven Defiance Palace]?"

"Correct."

[Fu] nodded. "You are currently at the [Heaven Defiance Palace], and it is obvious the True Monarchs are using you as a pawn, trying to use your hands to bring the [Heaven Defiance Palace] down into the mortal world."

"Some of us are actually not pleased about that."

For the [Heaven Defiance Palace] to descend completely into the present world meant the collapse of the Great Rebellion's greatest ruin, which would very likely affect the Human Emperor's grand enterprise and return.

"So some of them would rather you didn't enter this game... After all, as a pawn, you are a little too useful. In their view, rather than letting you help the Immortal Gate's True Monarchs bring down the [Heaven Defiance Palace], it would be better to let you die once and pull you off the grand board altogether. You can resurrect anyway."

"Of course, that is merely a thought they hold."

Here, [Fu] made a point of emphasizing, "In practice, no one has actually set a trap for you over this. At most, they might hold back a little when lending you a hand."

[Fu] valued Wang Ping no less than [Yang] did now, and didn't want him misunderstanding and developing a rift with the Ancient Cultivator Dao Monarchs.

Wang Ping caught his meaning immediately and shook his head with a smile.

"Rest assured, Senior. I understand."

Internal disagreements among the ancient cultivators?

Nothing could be more normal!

Even the fucking Immortal Gate was split into One Palace, Three Academies, and Eight Immortal Peaks, plus the Five Phases orthodoxies of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—how could the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy possibly remain a single monolith forever?

Besides, whatever disagreements existed, [Fu] and [Yang] had still decided to help him now with complete sincerity, so he didn't take it to heart at all.

Still, there was one thing he needed to make sure of.

"May I ask, Senior," Wang Ping raised his head and asked in a low voice, "which of the seniors lean toward the Great Rebellion? This junior won't hold a grudge—I just want to have a clear picture."

"...Three of them."

[Fu] had no intention of hiding it. With matters like this, being open and aboveboard was the only way to avoid bad blood later.

"[Ze], [Zai], and [Transformation]."

All three names were True Words of the Heavenly Venerates. The moment they left [Fu]'s mouth, they crashed into the hall like mountains, threatening to stir up profound resonances.

Before that could happen, however, [Fu] swept his wide sleeve and quelled the anomalies, then continued, "Each of these three has his own reasons. Among them, [Transformation] is the simplest. He and [Zai] are close friends, so he supports [Zai] purely out of friendship, with no entanglement of interests."

"[Zai] and [Ze], however, are different."

"Let's start with [Ze]."

Bringing up the past added a touch of nostalgia to [Fu]'s voice as he continued unhurriedly, "[Ze] was the last among us to enter the Dao Tomb."

"Counting the years, he was eliminated during the era after Qi Refining rose to prominence, defeated Qi Consumption for the first time in the Dao contention, and became the orthodox Immortal Dao."

Here, a sudden surge of resentment crept into [Fu]'s tone. "Which is to say, the era of that Fire Qi immortal. [Ze], like me, was eliminated by Him. After eliminating [Ze], that immortal formally opened the path to immortality, and before long, succeeded in ascending as an immortal."

Whenever that Fire Qi immortal came up, [Fu]'s feelings were complicated. Though he resented Him deeply, he also felt a profound helplessness, because back then he really had been played for a fool by the other party. And not just him—cultivators across generations of Immortal Dao revolutions had all been played in circles by Him. In every single Dao contention, that prodigy of Fire had ended up the undisputed victor.

What left him even more helpless was—

"I don't even remember that Fire Qi immortal's title or deeds... Everything vanished when He became an immortal, unrecorded by the mortal world."

So he didn't even know how he had lost back then. Knowing only the outcome while knowing nothing of how it happened was undoubtedly the hardest part to stomach.

He had lost without even knowing how.

After a brief silence, [Fu] changed the subject. "In any case, [Ze] lived in that era, and because of that, he became acquainted with two people."

"One was the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch]."

"The other was the Living Buddha."

'What the fuck?'

Wang Ping's eyes widened at once. Each of those two was a bigger heavyweight than the last. What cultivation level had [Ze] possessed to be acquainted with two mighty figures like them?

"Only when they were young."

[Fu] shook his head. "Even the Living Buddha and the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] grew step by step. They were not born immortals or True Monarchs."

"Nor were they like the Human Emperor, who ascended to the Pinnacle Station in a mere thirty years... Take the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch], for example. In [Ze]'s era, he was only a rising lower-rank Qi Refining cultivator, and the Living Buddha had only just begun cultivating true nature. Both cultivated for tens of thousands of years afterward before attaining the cultivation of an immortal and a True Monarch."

"So that's how it was..."

Only then did Wang Ping understand.

"Back then, [Ze] didn't have much interaction with the Living Buddha, but he had a very deep friendship with the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch]. The two of them even drank and talked merrily together."

"So when Yi Shentong came on behalf of the Great Rebellion to invite us out of seclusion, [Ze] was the most proactive—he even left the rest of us behind and went to the Great Rebellion alone."

"...Alone?" Wang Ping raised a brow.

"Correct," [Fu] nodded.

"Then how did he deal with the twilight qi of his orthodoxy on him?" Wang Ping was puzzled. As far as he knew, those of the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy couldn't just run around freely.

That was especially true at the Dao Monarch level. Burdened with eliminated True Words of the Heavenly Venerates, they could barely neutralize the twilight qi of their orthodoxies even with the [Star Grave].

Under those circumstances, if [Ze] wanted to go to the Great Rebellion, he would have had to bring the [Star Grave] along—but if he took it away, what would the other seven Dao Monarchs who stayed behind do? Turning it over in his mind, Wang Ping saw only one possibility: [Ze] had a way to handle his orthodoxy's twilight qi on his own.

"Because of the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch]."

The next second, [Fu] gave the answer: "At that time, he handed the Heavenly Venerate's True Word of [Ze] over to the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] to bear."

"The [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] had founded the Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy and was at his absolute peak back then, while the Qi Ingestion Method had returned to the orthodox Immortal Dao at the Human Emperor's push."

"On that foundation, the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] was able to neutralize [Ze]'s twilight qi. Later on, however, when full-scale war broke out between the Great Rebellion and the Immortal Gate, he needed to maintain his peak condition—after all, a peak True Monarch was far more crucial than a Dao Monarch—so he returned [Ze] to him."

"And in the end, the Great Rebellion fell."

"The Human Emperor went missing, and the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] was besieged and slain by the True Monarchs of the Immortal Gate. [Ze] has taken that to heart ever since, which is why he remains so deeply invested in the Great Rebellion."

Wang Ping stroked his chin, lost in thought.

[Fu], meanwhile, continued:

"As for [Zai], that is another matter entirely. If [Ze] is motivated by personal friendship, then [Zai]'s inclination toward the Great Rebellion is purely out of self-interest."

"Back then, with [Ze] acting as the go-between, the Human Emperor and [Zai] struck a deal. The Human Emperor took action to help [Zai] reclaim an orthodox position, while the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] assisted from the side... Judging by the outcome, they succeeded halfway. Do you know what method they used?"

Here, [Fu] looked at Wang Ping and blinked.

'Testing me?'

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow slightly, his mind racing as one piece of information after another surfaced: [Zai], the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch], the Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy...

'I've got it!'

"It's [Heavenly Thunder]!" Wang Ping looked up and said with certainty.

[Fu]: "..."

Incredible.

Right then, even with all his experience, [Fu] couldn't help baring his teeth slightly. He glanced at [Yang], who looked inexplicably smug beside him, and marveled inwardly. 'He even figured that out?'

'That takes the fun out of it.'

"That's right—it is [Heavenly Thunder] among the Three Calamities. The Human Emperor intended to use the orthodoxies of [Zai] and the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] to replace the original Three Calamities."

At the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer, one had to cross the Three Calamities.

"Previously, those Three Calamities were the Water Calamity, Fire Calamity, and Wind Calamity."

"However, the Human Emperor stepped in and replaced the Water Calamity with the [Heavenly Thunder] of the Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy, and [Zai] put a great deal of effort into that undertaking."

"Their plan was to use the monumental merit of altering the original Three Calamities to let [Zai]'s orthodoxy claim a seat within the orthodox Immortal Dao."

"Unfortunately, it fell short at the very last step."

"It failed?"

Wang Ping was somewhat surprised. "It should have succeeded, though. The Water Calamity was replaced by [Heavenly Thunder], and [Yin Fire] and [Bi Wind] also replaced the Fire Calamity and Wind Calamity."

"Only the names changed."

[Fu] shook his head. "Their essence was never replaced with [Zai]'s orthodoxy. It was only one step away, yet it fell short at the final moment, which is why [Zai] leans toward the Great Rebellion."

"After all, just as that grand enterprise was about to be completed, the Human Emperor suddenly vanished, the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] died, and the Great Rebellion was destroyed right on their heels... No one could accept something like that. Viewed in that light, [Zai]'s desire to restore the Great Rebellion is probably even stronger than [Ze]'s."

"So right now, they have no intention of clashing with the Immortal Gate."

[Fu] delivered his conclusion:

"In their view, even if we are to clash and risk our lives, it has to wait until the Human Emperor returns. Toward that end, it does no real harm if you make a small sacrifice, little friend."

Wang Ping fell silent at that.

Immediately after, he quickly pieced together a timeline in his mind.

'After Qi Refining defeated Qi Consumption, Fire Qi ascended to become an immortal. Right after that, the Living Buddha emerged and founded the separate Brahma Nation, both immortals passed from the world, and then the Great Rebellion descended.'

"I see."

After a moment, Wang Ping let out a long breath of foul air and said, "So what Senior means is that those three are wavering, and might ruin our plans?"

For instance, tipping off the Immortal Gate in advance so that [Fu] and [Yang] came back empty-handed.

"They might, or they might not."

"After all, everyone shares the same stance toward the Immortal Gate. Even if they really wanted to spoil things, I don't think the odds of them tipping off the Immortal Gate are very high."

[Fu] spread his hands.

"Still, why take that risk? Besides, even if we told them, adding a few more combatants at the True Person level wouldn't make much difference to the outcome."

That was true enough.

Still, according to [Yang], when letting [Fu] strike at peak strength had come up earlier, he had spoken of it right in front of everyone.

So considering the worst-case scenario—

'It's possible [Fu]'s intention has already leaked, and the Immortal Gate's True Monarchs will be on guard against [Fu]. Hunting down a True Person might not be a sure thing after all.'

They might even walk into a counter-trap!

Of course, that was the most pessimistic view.

Yet having cultivated this far, Wang Ping was already intimately familiar with those bitch-born upper cultivators of the Immortal Gate. So long as there was even the tiniest possibility, it had to be nipped in the bud.

'We have to guard against it...'

At that thought, a glint flickered in Wang Ping's eyes, and he looked up at [Fu]. "Senior mentioned just now that [Ze] handed his Heavenly Venerate's True Word to someone else to bear."

"And Senior [Yang] also intends to bear your [Fu] so you can recover your peak state. May I ask, Senior, what the conditions are for bearing one?" With that, Wang Ping pointed at himself.

"Look at me—do I have a shot?"

'The [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] could bear [Ze] because he founded the Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy. I have the dharma body path too, so maybe I can do it as well?'

Hearing this, [Fu] was at a loss for words.

"You really dare to think big!"

Wang Ping gave an obliging smile. "Do I have a shot?"

Seeing him like that, [Fu] chuckled. "To bear a Heavenly Venerate's True Word, you first need an orthodoxy capable of bearing it. Yet cultivating a Dao is already an eliminated system today."

"Even back in the day, only the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] had a Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy. As for the other True Monarchs, their so-called orthodoxies inside the Immortal Realm were just minor tinkering—never truly independent, and incapable of bearing a Heavenly Venerate's True Word." At this point, a trace of pride appeared on both Dao Monarchs' faces.

After all, they both bore Heavenly Venerates' True Words.

Those who cultivated true nature merely relied on the raw stats and mechanics of the Pinnacle Stations of heaven and earth. In terms of comprehension, they weren't necessarily any higher than us—what we do takes real skill!

Naturally, the threshold was a bit higher because of it.

"And after the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch], no one has been able to do that anymore."

"Do I not count?"

Wang Ping was a little surprised. "I think my dharma body path is pretty good! Leaving strength aside, if the Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy could do it, I feel like I can too!"

[Yang] suddenly felt a pang of tightness in his chest.

After all, however stubbornly he talked, he had to admit the superiority of the dharma body path. It was far stronger than his own orthodoxy and could definitely bear a Heavenly Venerate's True Word.

[Fu], on the other hand, remained quite calm. 'It's just the dharma body path, nothing worth making a fuss over. When I pioneered the Qi Ingestion Method back then, that was an unprecedented miracle too.'

"The dharma body path can bear it, but you are too weak."

[Fu] shook his head. "Your cultivation isn't high enough. At the Qi Refining Second Layer, even the slightest leak of twilight qi would kill you on the spot."

"Moreover, the reason the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] could bear a Heavenly Venerate's True Word was that the Human Emperor had revived the Qi Ingestion Method at the time, giving it the blessing of the orthodox Immortal Dao."

"Compared to him, you..."

"I have that too!"

Before [Fu] could finish, Wang Ping raised his palm like a blade and slashed downward, manifesting the Long River of Memory on the spot. Rolling waters and surging waves of time immediately roared to life.

"I comprehended this in passing when I pioneered the dharma body path."

"At first it only held my own memories, but now it merges everyone who cultivates the dharma body path, effectively linking all of them to me."

Although the vast majority of them were independent cultivators, even independent cultivators belonged to today's orthodox Immortal Dao. With those independent cultivators as its foundation, the Long River of Memory was essentially borrowing the light of today's Qi Refining methods and the orthodox Immortal Dao—wasn't that more or less the same as the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] being backed by the Qi Ingestion Method back then?

[Fu]: "..."

He suddenly felt a pang of tightness in his chest too.

'What the fuck, so it's not just the dharma body path—you have another one on top of that? And from the looks of it, its potential isn't the least bit inferior to the dharma body path.'

'You comprehended this in passing?'

'You're not even human.'

For a moment, [Fu] felt slightly dazed, as if he were watching Wang Ping hold the dharma body path in his left hand and the Long River of Memory in his right, slamming both down right in his face.

'This plus this—can it bear a Heavenly Venerate's True Word?'

'Fine, you're awesome.'

Coming back to his senses, [Fu] pressed down the turbulence within him and finally said in a low voice, "How about... we try? I'll give [Fu] to you so you can get a feel for it first."

"Great! Let's try!"

Wang Ping rubbed his hands together eagerly.

In his view, this step was critically important. If he could also bear a Heavenly Venerate's True Word briefly like [Yang], it would definitely catch the enemy completely off guard.

After all, there were three Dao Lords inside the Dao Tomb. A single Dao Lord like [Fu] might get schemed against, but adding a second Dao Lord would change the situation entirely. Used well, forget killing a True Person—even those high-and-mighty True Monarchs might be made to suffer a heavy loss!

No sooner thought than done. The next second, [Fu] stepped up to Wang Ping's side and slowly pressed a hand to the center of his brow. Instantly, Wang Ping held his breath.

"Hiss...!"

In an instant, Wang Ping felt like a lone reef standing beneath waves ten thousand zhang high, the roaring ocean threatening to smash him to pieces!

All that met his eyes was a mass of black qi.

Within that black qi, Wang Ping seemed to witness the end and demise of all things, everything returning to its starting point and sinking into dead stillness. Was this the twilight qi of an orthodoxy?

The next second, Wang Ping clenched his jaw as the dharma body path and the Long River of Memory roared into motion, taking on this black qi-mechanism of universal end. At first he was somewhat surprised, because receiving it wasn't all that difficult, but before long, he realized the black qi wasn't stopping.

'Right, Senior is deliberately controlling it...'

[Fu] naturally couldn't dump the Heavenly Venerate's True Word onto Wang Ping all at once; if Wang Ping couldn't hold up and even a sliver leaked out, he would drop dead on the spot.

So it could only be shifted over bit by bit.

Seeing that Wang Ping was handling it with ease, [Fu] felt somewhat surprised as well. Relaxing slightly, he let an even stronger tide of black qi surge in.

"Crack!"

By the time Wang Ping snapped back to his senses, both of his feet had taken on an ashen, lime-like color and turned into the likeness of a sand sculpture as well.

'I can still hold on!'

Wang Ping took a deep breath. Rather than calling out a safe word to stop, he let [Fu] continue slowly feeding the Heavenly Venerate's True Word into his body.

Throughout the process, the sand-sculpture hue across his body grew heavier and heavier. Yet unlike the Ancient Cultivator Dao Monarchs, who could still move freely in sand-sculpture form, once he turned into a sand sculpture he was practically frozen in place; forget moving around, even twitching a single finger took everything he had.

Seeing this, [Fu] grew even more delighted.

He had already sent nearly two-thirds of the Heavenly Venerate's True Word into Wang Ping's body, yet judging by how Wang Ping looked, he still hadn't hit his limit?

Maybe this really could work!

"Get ready, I'm sending all of it in."

[Fu] took a deep breath, mustering the utmost caution, while [Yang] beside him also stood at full readiness, prepared to step in and rescue him at any moment.

The next second, [Fu] exerted his strength!

"Boom!"

In an instant, Wang Ping's vision was swallowed by overwhelming black qi, and deep within that darkness, an ancient talisman gradually revealed its outlines in light and shadow.

It was none other than [Fu].

At that moment, even his consciousness seemed to freeze over as the sand-sculpture hue finally crept up across his face, encasing his entire body.

Only a single speck of flesh-colored skin remained at the center of his brow.

Even time vanished from Wang Ping's perception. It felt as though only an instant had passed, and yet as though countless years had gone by, before he finally came back to his senses.

"Thud!"

Wang Ping slumped straight to the ground. At some unknown point, the sand-sculpture coloring had faded away, and the Heavenly Venerate's True Word that had rested on him was already back with [Fu].

"...Did I fail?"

"No," [Fu] shook his head. "You succeeded."

Beside them, [Yang]'s voice was equally filled with amazement: "One incense stick's time! You actually held out for a full incense stick of time—that's simply incredible!"

True, that was still a far cry from him. Relying on his Extreme Dao Immortal Physique, he could bear the two Heavenly Venerate's True Words of [Yang] and [Fu] simultaneously for over half a shichen at the mere cost of shaving off a bit of his lifespan. But he was a Dao Monarch, whereas what was Wang Ping? The Qi Refining Second Layer! The gap between the two was practically immeasurable.

And yet Wang Ping had pulled it off all the same. This would definitely surpass everyone's expectations!

Meanwhile, [Fu] delivered his verdict with a grave expression:

"Within the span of one incense stick, bearing [Fu] will not damage your lifespan; you'll only need a short rest afterward. Beyond one incense stick, however, there will be some risk."

Wang Ping raised his eyes. "Is that enough?"

"...It's enough!" [Fu] gave a cold laugh. "Even if I acted alone, one incense stick's time would be more than enough to kill an ordinary True Person—let alone with a second Dao Lord joining in."

"Come. I'll take you to see [Li]."

"[Li]?"

Hearing this, [Yang] was somewhat surprised. "Why go see that one? If we're picking another helper, wouldn't [Dao] be more suitable?"

"[Dao] won't do."

[Fu] waved a hand. "He isn't skilled in combat. His methods lie more in crafts like artifact refining, pill refining, and Deploying Formation. Giving this chance to him would be a waste."

"We need [Li] to make a move."

Here, [Fu] looked at Wang Ping and weighted his tone: "Just from the name, you should understand—[Li] is the oldest among us."

"Unlike juniors like us, he has truly laid eyes on immortals and lived through that glorious era when immortals dwelled in the world and Heavenly Venerates preached the Dao. Leaving everything else aside, the mere fact that he has endured from that era all the way until now should tell you his strength. He isn't much weaker than I am."

"Moreover, he bears the greatest amount of twilight qi."

"Back when [Transformation], [Zai], and [Po] first entered the Dao Tomb and could barely hold on, it was [Li] who stepped in to shoulder part of the burden for them."

"Of course, [Li] may not necessarily agree to act."

At this point, [Fu] gave Wang Ping fair warning: "[Zai] once tried to win [Li] over and persuade him to come out of seclusion and join the Great Rebellion."

"It's said he even brought a letter from the Human Emperor and promised quite a few benefits, yet [Li] still refused. So there's no telling with matters like this."

"Still, there's no harm in trying."

[Fu] said in a deep voice, "So let's go find [Li] first. If he's willing to act, this matter is as good as settled. If he refuses, we can talk it over with [Dao] then."

Wang Ping got it right away—a backup plan!

-

Before long, led secretly by [Fu], Wang Ping arrived at another hall within the Dao Tomb, where a towering sand sculpture stood right before them.

"Greetings, Senior," Wang Ping hurriedly bowed.

To his surprise, however, the sand sculpture inside the hall showed no sign of responding, not even twitching a fraction, as though it were an inanimate object.

"This is only [Li]'s avatar."

The figures of [Fu] and [Yang] quietly appeared to Wang Ping's left and right, explaining softly, "[Li]'s true body is usually in a state of slumber."

"Only when needed do we wake him, and then he takes control of this avatar to walk alongside us. The [Li] you saw before was actually always this avatar... This time is different, though. If we want combat strength at the Dao Lord level, [Li]'s true body has to make a move."

With that, [Fu] stepped in front of the sand sculpture.

"Senior, please awaken and meet with us."

The moment his voice fell, the sand sculpture seemed about to quake with a thunderous roar as some vast consciousness began to stir awake. Seeing this, [Fu] hurriedly pressed it back down.

"Gently, gently!"

Seeing the commotion growing too large, he quickly suppressed it while whispering, "Don't make too much noise, Senior! We're here for a secret talk about something important this time!"

"...Oh."

The next second, the rumbling roar turned into a soft crack like shattering glass, and a fissure split open across the chest of the sand sculpture inside the hall.

"Follow me."

Only then did [Fu] relax. He beckoned for Wang Ping and [Yang] to keep up, and the three of them walked straight into the fissure in the sand sculpture's chest.

Deep darkness met their eyes. After walking for a long time, Wang Ping realized he had arrived at the edge of a sheer cliff. Below lay a bottomless abyss where deposits of profound light could faintly be seen, making his scalp prickle. Without a doubt, all of it was the twilight qi of an orthodoxy.

Right at that moment, down in the abyss, a single eye opened like a blazing sun and a golden rainbow, instantly tearing apart the surrounding twilight qi and illuminating the pitch-black depths until they were crystal clear.

'Holy shit...' Wang Ping sucked in a sharp breath.

Only then did it hit him: 'Not human... [Li]'s true body is actually a demon! Down at the bottom of this abyss is his true demon body!'

A single eye alone was as magnificent as the blazing sun; it was hard to imagine what the body behind that eye looked like—no worse than the profound body of a True Monarch!

"Don't be afraid."

[Yang]'s voice transmission sounded right on cue: "Although [Li] is a demon, it wasn't by his own choice. Back then, he was also set up by that Fire Qi immortal..."

Wang Ping was instantly speechless. Why was that Fire Qi immortal's shadow everywhere he looked, like a shit-stirring stick? No wonder Fire Qi had fallen to such a state today—it had simply committed too many sins in the past and was now paying off all its debts... At that thought, he hurriedly asked, "Which orthodoxy transformed into a demon?"

Up to now, he only knew of one demon born from an orthodoxy—the Dragon Monarch personally slain by the Sovereign Lord—and knew very little about the others.

"Wood Qi."

[Yang] explained, "Wood Qi is famous for the Dao of survival at all costs, excelling most at clinging to life and preserving oneself... Originally, the demon [Li] transformed into was like that as well."

"However, because he fell victim to Fire Qi's secret scheme, a demon that should have been the pure essence of wood was tainted by Fire Qi. Borrowing the transformation of Wood generating Fire, he ended up becoming a demon that heralds fire instead."

"He is called the [Bifang]."

The next second, a muffled voice rang out like distant thunder rolling across the sky, echoing through the abyss—yet rather than sounding fierce, it carried a trace of laziness: "What is it now? Another fight? Things seem pretty lively lately, going out to fight every few days. Could the age of Dao contention have returned?"

"Close enough."

[Fu] smiled. "Senior has slept for too long and only knows half the story on many things. Do you still remember the immortal cultivator we protected before? We've come because of him."

With that, he sent out a strand of divine sense.

The divine sense fell into that single golden eye and instantly split into countless scenes, revealing all of Wang Ping's information and their previous conversation.

"...Oh?"

A light sound of surprise drifted up from the abyss.

Immediately after, Wang Ping saw that golden eye—illuminating the abyss and scattering the twilight qi—swivel sharply, its pupil brimming with ten thousand splendors locking straight onto him.

"Ming Feng's Dao Child, a path-opener—and of two paths at that—stole the Mandate of Heaven, currently crossing a life tribulation, and inside the [Heaven Defiance Palace]... You're actually not dead yet?"

His voice was full of amazement!

"From ancient times until now, Ming Feng has had at least eight thousand Dao Children if not ten thousand, and the vast majority were played to death by her. Path-openers go without saying; across the countless years of the Cosmos, there have actually been quite a few path-openers as pure as you, creating something practically out of nothing, yet only the Living Buddha had the last laugh."

"As for stealing the Mandate of Heaven,"

"The Human Emperor pioneered that method back then, and after he succeeded, plenty of people tried to imitate him. Not a single one survived—every last one of them fell during their life tribulations."

"And then there is the [Heaven Defiance Palace]."

"The Immortal Gate has plotted over it for tens of thousands of years, just waiting to break open that ruin and uncover the mystery of the Human Emperor's disappearance back then. Countless scouting pawns have died or been maimed in the process."

"To have survived until today... you're really something."

Wang Ping was momentarily left speechless.

Still, he felt he was pretty impressive too, having managed not to die up to now and carving a path to survival through the cracks of every seemingly certain-death situation.

Right at that moment, however—

"...Huh?"

All of a sudden, the bright golden eye dimmed, the radiance within its pupil contracting to a single point, as though it had spotted something utterly inconceivable.

"The Human Emperor?"