Chapter 687 - 6: The Truth of Taiyi? A Major Upheaval

Chapter 687: Chapter 6: The Truth of Taiyi? A Major Upheaval

"One of them transformed from the first wisp of fire at the Creation of Heaven and Earth into the Innate Root Sun, while the other transformed from the first wisp of moonlight into the Innate Root Taiyin. So long as the heavens and earth do not die, the Eras do not end, and the final calamity does not arrive, they will be unending and indestructible..."

Lu Xuan listened with a furrowed brow as the Goddess spoke with ease, recounting everything she had seen and learned:

"Afterward, when Emperor Jun and Xi He were swallowed by the real Taiyi, the two of them merged into one. Emperor Jun became Xi He, and Xi He became Emperor Jun. Leveraging their unending nature, they turned the tables, overwhelming and killing the Taiyi of that time, who only possessed an Illusory Dao Fruit."

"Emperor Jun obtained half of the real Taiyi’s Illusory Dao Fruit, turning it from illusory to real. Xi He, for her part, became the Buddha. After plotting for many years and with Emperor Jun’s help, she also achieved the Dao Fruit just a few days ago."

Lu Xuan was somewhat dazed and asked softly:

"And... and what else?"

The Goddess sighed.

"I also saw, within the Taiyi that Emperor Jun had become, that when he fell into the great conflict of Years caused by that unknown Transcendent Trait, he glimpsed a vague, great calamity destined to befall you. For this reason, he wishes to use himself to... bring you to Perfection."

"Bring me to Perfection??"

Lu Xuan’s eyebrow twitched.

"Yes."

The Goddess nodded slightly and continued:

"When he spoke of devouring you, he actually meant for you to devour him. He wants to use his own being to complete you and help you survive that unknown, great calamity destined to befall you. When that happens, you will ascend to the heavens and achieve Perfection in a single step."

Lu Xuan’s brow furrowed deeply.

"I won’t agree to that."

’How could I possibly let my disciple sacrifice his life to resolve my own great calamity?’

The Goddess sighed softly.

"I know. But I also saw within Taiyi that if things don’t go this way, you are destined to truly perish in that great calamity, even as a Dao Fruit Cultivator... That’s why I was always reluctant to tell you the truth. I knew you would never let Xiaohuo’Er sacrifice his life to bring you to Perfection."

As she spoke, her expression turned solemn.

"But now, I am no longer certain if what I saw in Taiyi was real."

A thousand thoughts raced through Lu Xuan’s mind. He closed his eyes slightly, trying to sort through everything.

’Dao Fruit Cultivators have already leaped out of the River of Time. They should be unaffected by Years and Time, unburdened by history.’

’But according to the Lady, a certain unknown Transcendent Trait can interfere with the Time and Years of a Dao Fruit Cultivator.’

’If Wa Huang truly only possesses the Nine Relics, then the only one unknown to me is Elder Haotian’s Transcendent Trait. And Elder Haotian’s Transcendent Trait has been lost, taken by some mysterious person...’

’Suppose Elder Haotian’s Transcendent Trait is related to Time—defying common sense, subverting logic, and causing a great conflict of Years that enveloped even Dao Fruit Cultivators.’

’That would explain how my disciple was able to turn the tables and kill the real Taiyi, becoming a Dao Fruit Cultivator. It would even explain how, within that great conflict of Years, he saw the inescapable doom destined to befall me.’

’If that were the case, then everything that followed would seem logical. There would be no problems, no flaws. It would be a seamless explanation.’

’It would even explain how Taiyi had already died at The Beginning of Ancient Times, and how Xiaohuo’Er was once able to unleash the might of a Dao Fruit Cultivator to scare off Fu Xi! Everything would make sense!’

’But...’

’But this entire premise rests on the assumption that the Lady has not been deceived.’

"A great conflict of Years caused by some unknown Transcendent Trait..."

Lu Xuan muttered to himself.

"If this is true, then it forms a closed loop. Xiaohuo’Er gave me the fragment of the Donghuang Bell, and his incarnation, Chu Tai, adopted me, which allowed me to dream my way back to the Ancient Times. That’s what led to everything that happened later."

"And after I grew powerful, I took Xiaohuo’Er as my disciple, allowing him to escape his original fate. He was no longer devoured by Taiyi. Instead, he caused the real Taiyi to fall and die, and he himself became Taiyi, protecting me when I was still truly weak..."

The Goddess nodded gently.

"Correct. It’s a perfect closed loop, all under the influence of that time-related Transcendent Trait. That’s why I’m inclined to believe it’s all true... Xiaoxuan, what do you think?"

"Me?"

Lu Xuan’s brow furrowed tightly. After a long silence, he asked:

"First, I want to know, what’s the deal with the Qing Xuan Daoist?"

"I can’t tell you that. Qing Xuan is absolutely not a problem."

The Goddess refused flatly.

"Don’t go probing. Knowing will bring you no benefit; it might even bring disaster."

After a pause, she added:

"Truthfully, I can’t see much about Qing Xuan myself. He has the ability to obscure my vision. But you can rest assured, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Qing Xuan."

Lu Xuan was confused. ’Why is the Lady so certain?’

’She has her doubts about the seemingly flawless, seamless, and perfectly looped story of Taiyi, yet she has absolute faith in this Qing Xuan Daoist?’

After a long period of contemplation,

Lu Xuan let out a slow breath.

"I find it difficult to discern the truth about Taiyi. But if the story is true, I will not let Xiaohuo complete me. If it’s false, then by refusing, I won’t fall into the trap."

With that, he gave the Goddess a solemn bow.

"Lady, I am endlessly grateful for you clearing up my confusion!"

"You are my child."

The Goddess smiled.

"When Xiaoyan was studying parenting manuals back then, I took a look as well. They said that, in the end, important decisions must be left for the child to make themselves... I think there’s some truth to that."

Lu Xuan nodded lightly. He thought for a long, long time before finally asking two questions.

"Lady, I would like to ask about two last things."

"Please, go ahead."

"First, you said you can’t see through the Qing Xuan Daoist, but how much can you see, specifically?"

The Goddess paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Are you still uneasy? While it’s true I can’t see him clearly—I can’t even penetrate the mist that shrouds him or make out his face—the tiny bit I *can* see is enough to prove a great deal. You can rest assured. He is... harmless."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan’s expression grew even more grave as he posed his second question:

"One last question, Lady. You said that the current Taiyi is Emperor Jun and the Buddha is Xi He, and that they have merged. One is the Innate Root Sun, and the other is the Innate Root Taiyin. As long as the Eras do not end, they are indestructible. If that’s the case..."

"If that’s the case, how could Taiyi possibly complete me? After truly completing me, what would become of the Innate Root Sun and the Innate Root Taiyin?"

The Goddess sighed softly.

"That, I did see. If, in the future, Taiyi and the Buddha merge and truly bring you to Perfection by allowing you to devour them, that would happen during the final calamity. At that point, the Great Sun can dissipate, and the Taiyin can be extinguished... They would then truly die."

"I see."

Lu Xuan closed his eyes and nodded gently.

"So, you’re saying that during the final calamity, if this truly happens, the Innate Root Sun will cease to exist, and the Innate Root Taiyin will also dissipate? But..."

He opened his eyes. He was perfectly calm, his gaze profound.

"But I have seen the Qing Xuan Daoist’s eyes."

The Goddess froze, a little confused.

"You saw Qing Xuan’s eyes? What about them?"

Lu Xuan calmly stood up and paced back and forth. After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke softly:

"Daoist Qing Xuan is blind. He has no eyes. In his left eye socket is the Innate Root Sun, and in his right is the Innate Root Taiyin."

"How is that possible!" The Goddess’s expression changed as she shot to her feet.

"Indeed..."

Lu Xuan sighed softly.

"If that’s the case, then how could Taiyi be the Innate Root Sun? And how could the Buddha be the Innate Root Taiyin?"

He turned around, his gaze fixed on the void.

"What do you say, Taiyi?"

"Me?"

Under the Goddess’s stunned gaze, Taiyi emerged from the void. The radiance of the Innate Root Sun emanated from his body as he spoke with a smile:

"I also have two questions. First, how did you discover me? Second... I’m starting to get curious. Who is this Qing Xuan you speak of? And where is he?"

He paused, his expression troubled.

"This part... is not something I had accounted for..."