Chapter 693 - 10: All Revealed, the Supreme’s Stillness, the Lame Daoist’s Victory (Part 2)

Chapter 693: Chapter 10: All Revealed, the Supreme’s Stillness, the Lame Daoist’s Victory (Part 2)

The end of the Era was fast approaching, and it was also the weakest Supreme had ever been. Yet, he had still forced his true body to emerge, suffering grievous injuries.

The old Supreme, hunched and frail, shook his groggy head and gazed kindly at Lu Xuan:

"Xiaoxuan, I know you have many questions, but... let’s take this slow."

"The secret of Taiyi... it’s actually quite simple. I saw certain things in him. We are not, in fact, living in the first Great Era. To be precise, this is the second..."

"A second Great Era?" The Lame Daoist’s expression tensed, his face a mask of disbelief.

A Great Era spans from the Creation of Heaven and Earth to the descent of its final calamity. That is one complete cycle.

Until today, all holders of a Dao Fruit had verified that theirs was the first, the original Era. They never imagined that Supreme would be the one to overturn that conclusion!

The old Supreme nodded weakly, his voice serene.

"The previous Great Era was the true first one. However, a great cataclysm occurred. During that Era’s final calamity, Taiyi sacrificed all living beings—including those who had achieved a Dao Fruit—in a bid for his own Transcendence. But..."

He gave a small, cheerful laugh.

"He took the wrong path. He pushed open a false Door of Transcendence and met his own Nirvana. His body became the Hongmeng, and only a single wisp of his True Spirit managed to cling to life."

Lu Xuan was stunned, the Goddess looked bewildered, and the Lame Daoist’s expression grew solemn.

’So that’s how it is...’

Lu Xuan muttered to himself. That would explain it. Everything from the last Great Era was sacrificed by Taiyi. No living being besides him survived to see this new one...

No wonder the holders of the Dao Fruits couldn’t find any trace of the previous Era and assumed theirs was the very first.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Xuan asked quietly,

"Then what, exactly, is the relationship between Taiyi and me?"

"It’s a long story..."

The old Supreme was wracked by a violent cough, his body growing translucent. He whispered,

"I didn’t see everything. That Taiyi had also touched the verge of Transcendence. And the sequence of events... your guess was actually correct."

Just moments ago, when his true body had emerged, he had nearly become the Great Era itself. Almost nothing could escape his gaze, and he had perceived nearly every cause and effect. He continued his weary narration:

"The current Taiyi is the one who ambushed Wa Huang during her attempt at Transcendence, causing her to fail. Her legacy was scattered across the world..."

The Goddess looked utterly perplexed. She opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

The old Supreme continued,

"One of the Transcendent Traits Wa Huang left behind was of Time itself, capable of enveloping even a Dao Fruit. After the great conflict of Years that this trait caused, everything proceeded as you know."

"Xiaohuo’Er merged with Xi He, killed the first-generation Taiyi who had devoured them, and became the new Taiyi. He intended to guide everything to empower you in return. Chu Tai’s actions, and Lu Ya’s as well, were all for this purpose..."

"Then, not long ago, on the eve of the Journey to the West, that same entity who has been clinging to life since the last Era used the various Transcendent Traits he’d gained from you. He seized control of Emperor Jun and Xi He, absorbed them into himself to forge his own Dao Fruit, and became the third-generation Taiyi."

Lu Xuan’s expression was grim. Slowly, his thoughts began to clear, and a single, coherent timeline emerged. There had been three generations of Taiyi. The first devoured Emperor Jun and consumed Xi He.

The second-generation Taiyi was Xiaohuo’Er, who had survived the great conflict of Years thanks to him. This was what the Goddess had witnessed.

And the third-generation Taiyi was the sole survivor of the previous Era, the one who had failed his own bid for Transcendence and had ambushed Wa Huang...

Lu Xuan couldn’t help but ask again:

"But Master, why does the third-generation Taiyi know everything I have gained, learned, and understood?"

"You already know the answer, don’t you?"

the old Supreme said slowly.

"In the beginning, your body was formed by the Goddess, and your name and spirit were bestowed by Qing Xuan. But in truth, the very essence of your soul originates from Taiyi..."

COUGH, COUGH... "In other words, Xiaoxuan... you *are* Taiyi."

Lu Xuan’s mouth fell open, his heart seized with horror. His master’s words had been veiled, but he understood perfectly.

’I am the third-generation Taiyi’s True Self Incarnation.’

’Everything I gained, Taiyi also gained. Every ounce of power I acquired, he acquired as well!’

’This... isn’t this a dead end?’

A dejected look fell over Lu Xuan’s face. The old Supreme, now nearly transparent, seemed to read his thoughts:

"My child, how could this be a dead end? The Realm of Transformation, the seat of the Daoist Ancestor... Taiyi has never obtained those things..."

Lu Xuan froze, then understanding dawned.

’That’s right... of course...’

’So the key to breaking this deadlock... is the seat of the Daoist Ancestor?’

As a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, he asked quietly,

"Master, about Qing Xuan..."

"Don’t ask."

The old Supreme coughed a few times. As his true body was one with the Era, his eyes could see everything:

"Qing Xuan is harmless. You can trust him. But do not seek him out. Knowing too soon might cause you to lose your only chance to break this stalemate."

"You will find out soon enough..."

"Oh, and one more thing—Fu Xi. Be wary of him. Avoid him. Remember the saying: while the snipe and the clam are locked in battle, the fisherman reaps the rewards. Fu Xi and Taiyi are mortal enemies..."

He had no time to say more.

The old Supreme’s figure grew ever fainter, his form increasingly ethereal. He spoke one last time:

"I’m going to take a nap... just a little nap. Xiaoxuan, from now on, you’ll have to walk the path alone. Spirit Treasure is utterly useless..."

The Lame Daoist’s eyes widened in a glare, while Lu Xuan’s own eyes began to well up with tears.

The old Supreme, mustering his final dregs of strength, gave a gentle push.

"Xiaoxuan, catch. Whatever that bastard Primordial can give, I, your Master, can give as well..."

With the exception of the ’Foundation of All,’ which had already solidified as Supreme’s own Dao Fruit, three origins manifested: Nature, Existence, and Daoist Virtue. They floated slowly toward Lu Xuan.

Tears streamed down Lu Xuan’s face. His voice trembled as he spoke:

"Master..."

The Goddess sighed, and even the Lame Daoist’s eyes were rimmed with red.

"It’s alright. All this crying and sniveling... what a sorry sight."

The old Supreme chuckled, then suddenly rose to his feet. Mustering every last bit of his strength, he stood tall and proud, and thrust out a hand.

SLAP!!

He landed a vicious slap across the face of the red-eyed Lame Daoist, sending him reeling in a daze and crying out in pain.

"Supreme!!"

The Lame Daoist hopped in fury, only to see the old Supreme roaring with laughter.

"That’ll teach you to try and steal my disciple, you old dog!"

He slowly faded away, his voice echoing after him.

"Xiaoxuan, until we meet again."

His final words echoed through the Great Chaos. In the Human World, the seated Earth Duke Xuandu suddenly clutched at a pain in his heart. In Douluo Palace, Golden Horned, Silver Horned, and Lu Jianxue began to weep for reasons they could not comprehend.

Throughout the Chaos, his other forms—Supreme Laojun, Old Master, and more—all dissipated. The Eight Trigrams Furnace grew dim and plummeted into the Great Heaven and Earth...

"Master."

Lu Xuan called out in a daze, but this time, no one answered.

He remained silent for a long, long time, his shoulders slumping as if hunched with grief. Beside him, the Lame Daoist wore an even more complex expression—a mixture of anger and sorrow, but also a hint of... joy.

’That old coot’s finally gone...’

The Lame Daoist’s thoughts suddenly cleared, and he grinned foolishly.

’Then, until he and Primordial come back, doesn’t that mean...’

He spun around, overjoyed, and slapped Lu Xuan heavily on the shoulder, nearly knocking the tears from his face.

"My good disciple, why don’t you call me Grand Master, just once?"

The breath caught in Lu Xuan’s chest. He didn’t know whether to say it or not. In the end, all he could manage was a sigh that turned into a wry smile:

"Oh, you..."

He just shook his head silently. Cupping the origins of Nature, Existence, and Daoist Virtue, he stared blankly for a long time before finally merging them into his body.

The Chaos trembled, an unending hum filling the air. The Three Pristine Ones were complete once more.

"I am..."

Lu Xuan severed a True Self Incarnation from his being. The incarnation smiled, radiant and resplendent:

"I am Taiqing the Great Venerable."