Chapter 682 - 2: Taiyi is Dead

Chapter 682: Chapter 2: Taiyi is Dead

After a moment, he gazed in the direction the Buddha Mother had left.

"I can feel it. The entire River of Time has drifted another fraction closer to the final calamity. Within this century, I am destined to fall... Xiaoxuan, you must be prepared."

Lu Xuan’s expression tightened. If his master fell, his side would lose its greatest deterrent. Without a Perfect Dao Fruit cultivator on their side...

’The Demon Ancestor and Bodhi would be manageable, but Taiyi has always been an unpredictable variable...’

’In that case, it’s time to make use of the Buddha. I’ll use him for as long as I can.’

With this in mind, Lu Xuan bowed to the Supreme. He then took his leave with the Lady, heading straight for the Human World.

"Is it about to begin?"

As they walked, the girl in green robes asked softly.

Lu Xuan didn’t answer directly. After a moment of thought, he said,

"The closer the final calamity looms, the deeper the mysteries become. Fu Xi, Taiyi, Qing Xuan, and that unknown, mysterious person who is constantly absorbing Transcendent Traits... I have a very bad feeling about all this."

He paused, took a deep breath, and continued,

"Besides, now that I have a Dao Fruit, many plans can finally be set in motion."

As he spoke, Lu Xuan’s gaze turned profound. He looked down upon the entire Great Heaven and Earth and coughed twice, the sound tinged with exhaustion.

’Journey to the West, Journey to the West...’

The ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger. At his level of cultivation, such premonitions were never baseless.

.........

"Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud, Lu Xuan has attained his Dao... no, his Transformation Dao. Taiyi remains as confident as ever. Can our cooperation now begin?"

In the Purple Cloud Palace, Fu Xi wore a calm expression as he took a small sip of tea.

"Taiyi claims he will seize the fruit at the conclusion of the Journey to the West, but my intuition tells me otherwise. I must ask you, Fellow Daoist, to keep a close watch and be prepared to suppress Taiyi at a moment’s notice."

Lu Xuan nodded calmly. Gazing at Fu Xi, he spoke softly,

"Fellow Daoist Fu Xi, do you know what Taiyi is truly relying on? That other Lu Xuan has achieved Transformation Dao, making him no weaker than an Enlightened One within the Great Heaven and Earth. Even if Taiyi truly is an Enlightened One, where does he get his confidence?"

Fu Xi mulled it over for a moment before replying calmly,

"I may as well tell you, Fellow Daoist. Of all the countless beings since ancient times, Taiyi is the only one I cannot see through. As for the others, whether it’s The Three Pristine Ones or Lu Xuan, I can glean a thing or two..."

He rose to his feet and began to pace.

"This Taiyi... in the most ancient of times, he was the Celestial Emperor. He devoured Emperor Jun, consumed Xi He, and slaughtered the Nine Suns. I once tried to probe his origins at The Beginning of Ancient Times, but..."

"But what?" Lu Xuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I cannot go into specifics. I can only tell you this, Fellow Daoist: the real Taiyi died a long time ago."

Lu Xuan’s pupils contracted sharply.

After a long moment, he seemed to realize something. He lowered his eyelids, concealing the flickering light in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Fu Xi, are you saying that this Taiyi... is no longer the original Taiyi?"

"Precisely. As for who he is now, I cannot say. He is hidden very, very deep."

"I understand. I will keep a close watch."

Lu Xuan let out a slow breath. After speaking with Fu Xi for a little while longer, he rose and escorted him out of the Daoist Palace.

After returning to his cushion,

Lu Xuan pondered for a moment, then glanced to the side and asked,

"Xiaohuo’Er, do you know Taiyi?"

"Taiyi? I do!" Xiaohuo’Er hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly. "In the Barbaric Wilderness, Taiyi was my friend..."

After a pause, Xiaohuo’Er asked with great concern,

"Master, what’s wrong with Taiyi? Why did that man just now say he was dead? Did something really happen to him?"

Lu Xuan’s brow furrowed. He gently stroked Xiaohuo’Er’s head without a word. Instead, he silently tore open the River of Time and, just as silently, stepped into The Beginning of Ancient Times.

His gaze swept across the era. He located the true Taiyi from The Beginning of Ancient Times, observed him for a long time, and then silently activated Body Transformation.

He saw it.

He saw the severance.

Silently, Lu Xuan draped Taiyi’s destiny, Cause and Effect, and more upon himself. He immediately sensed that this was simply another ’Fu Xi Incarnation’!

’No, that’s not right...’

Lu Xuan’s gaze was incredibly profound. ’Fu Xi doesn’t have the power to impersonate a Dao Fruit Cultivator, and neither do I.’

’In other words...’

’The Taiyi who is a Dao Fruit Cultivator is not the real Taiyi.’

’No wonder Fu Xi said the real Taiyi was long dead. He must have reached that conclusion after successfully impersonating him!’

’The Lady might have seen everything, but she’s unwilling to speak of it...’

Lu Xuan frowned in thought. The inconsistencies were piling up. He began to sort through the sequence of events, piece by piece, keenly aware that something was wrong.

’For Dao Fruit Cultivators, one who possesses half a fruit is considered to have attained the Dao, an Ancient One. One who possesses a whole fruit has achieved Enlightenment. One fruit is the limit.’

’If I remember correctly, Taiyi’s Lu Ya incarnation briefly occupied the position of the Celestial Emperor’s Dao Fruit, allowing Taiyi to return to the level of an Enlightened One. But at that time, the Buddha already possessed half a Dao Fruit!’

’But the problem is, one Dao Fruit is the absolute limit...’

The more Lu Xuan thought about it, the more wrong it felt. One Dao Fruit was the limit, yet during the time of the Qin Dynasty, Taiyi had briefly possessed one and a half Dao Fruits. That should have been utterly impossible!

And the Lady wouldn’t lie to him. The Buddha *is* Taiyi.

The more he thought, the more his head ached. He felt as if he was on the verge of grasping something, but when he tried to focus on it, the thread was lost, and he could only see a thick, obscuring mist...

’I have to obtain the Lady’s True Form of Transcendence as soon as possible. Once I do, I will also possess the Eye of Omniscience. Then I can see the truth of it all for myself...’

’Taiyi, oh Taiyi, who are you really?’

’One and a half Dao Fruits...’

Lu Xuan, in his guise as the Purple Cloud Palace Master, walked back into the Purple Cloud Palace. He sat cross-legged for a long, long time, pondering and contemplating, before finally turning to look at Xiaohuo’Er.

"Xiaohuo’Er, I need you to do me a favor."

"Master, just say the word! I promise I’ll do it!"

"In a little while, I intend to preach a new Dao at The Beginning of Ancient Times. When that happens, I want you to take this Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, suspend it above your head, and go into the depths of Chaos to meet someone..."

"Taiyi."

After a pause, Lu Xuan added softly,

"When you see him, drop your disguise. Meet him as Xiaohuo’Er, and as Emperor Jun. Remember, you must keep the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda suspended above your head."

"Yes, Master!"

.........

「Spirit Mountain.」

Sakyamuni Buddha slowly rose to his feet. To the astonishment of the many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas present, he walked out of Leiyin Temple without a word.

"Where does the Buddha intend to go?"

The Buddha Mother spoke in a cold voice, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He had already defected to the light, but this Shakyamuni was one of Bodhi’s people and needed to be watched closely.

Sakyamuni Buddha glanced to the side and replied with indifference,

"I am going to speak with Fellow Daoist Houtu."

"Houtu... *Fellow Daoist*?" The Buddha Mother repeated the title, his expression changing drastically as he stared deathly-still at Sakyamuni Buddha.

"You... have you stabilized your Dao Fruit?"

’If Shakyamuni were still a Fake Dao Fruit Cultivator, he would have to address Houtu as ’Senior’. But since he used ’Fellow Daoist’...’

"Indeed."

Sakyamuni Buddha gave an indifferent nod and vanished in a single step.

.........

「The Dao Dynasty.」

"National Preceptor, I observe that the West is barren and full of suffering. It pains my heart to see. I would ask that you lend your aid to the Western Buddha Land. What say you?"

"Of course." Lin Lingsu, the Buddha’s incarnation, bowed to the stooped figure of Lu Xuan. After a glance at the girl in green, he turned and departed.

"Go forth to the Buddha Land, and spread the glory of our Daoist Sect."