Chapter 694 - 11: Comprehending Taiqing, Traversing the Years, Preaching the Dao Again in Suigu

Chapter 694: Chapter 11: Comprehending Taiqing, Traversing the Years, Preaching the Dao Again in Suigu

The Era was slowly collapsing.

Taiqing Supreme Taoist Venerable was [The Foundation of All], and [The Foundation of All] was also his True Dao Fruit.

Now that the Supreme had dispersed, it directly caused [The Foundation of All] to shatter as well. In turn, the entire Era began an unavoidable, unstoppable, and unsalvageable descent into ruin.

Even the concept of [Existence] was gradually fading...

However, this scene did not faze the three supreme existences. Not a flicker of change crossed their expressions.

"Taiyi’s usurped Dao Fruit has been scattered by Master. He’s no cause for concern in the short term. The only one we must face now is Fu Xi."

Lu Xuan murmured to himself. He bowed to the Lame Daoist and the Lady, his gaze, profound and deep, fixed on the direction where his master had vanished.

After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh.

"Xiaoxuan, it’s alright! No need to be sad!"

The Lame Daoist consoled him boisterously.

"So what if those two old geezers are gone? It’s not like we’ll never see them again. Besides, with the final calamity approaching, they wouldn’t be my match even if they teamed up. With me here, that’s all you need!"

Lu Xuan gave a wry smile.

"Three Masters, you really are..."

"What’s this ’Three Masters’ nonsense?" the Lame Daoist glared, displeased. "Didn’t I tell you? From now on, at this very moment, you are to call me First Master!"

He became smug, his face breaking into a delighted grin. After reveling in his own cheer for a long time, he finally waved his hand.

"Alright, go on and do what you need to do... What are your plans now?"

Lu Xuan’s expression turned solemn. He looked at the comatose [Emperor Jun] and [Xi He] and sighed softly.

"They are severely injured. I can faintly see that their Origins have been extracted by Taiyi and their True Spirits have scattered. They are no different from the living dead..."

After a moment of thought, Lu Xuan continued,

"My plan is to first secure Master’s position as Taiqing. Then, I’ll take advantage of this perfect opportunity—with Taiyi weakened, Fu Xi grievously wounded, and the Demon Ancestor fallen—to quietly spread the Dao in The Beginning of Ancient Times. I’ll also see if I can find a way to revive [Emperor Jun] and [Xi He]."

As he spoke, his expression grew heavy. He was secretly alarmed; Taiyi’s methods were far too profound...

A Dao Fruit can die but is never truly extinguished. Yet, Taiyi had somehow used an unknown Dharma to strip away the Origins of [Emperor Jun] and [Xi He] and absorb them for his own use.

Beside them, the Goddess spoke softly.

"Xiaoxuan, don’t be sad. Although I cannot see through that Taiyi as the Supreme can, I can faintly make out some clues."

"Taiyi possesses this ability because his, Emperor Jun’s, and Xi He’s very foundations became entangled during the time of the first Taiyi. Against other Dao Fruits, Taiyi would not have such power."

She paused, then gazed again at the slumbering [Emperor Jun] and [Xi He] and smiled.

"Now, the Innate Root Sun has returned to [Emperor Jun], and the Innate Root Taiyin has returned to [Xi He]. The method to revive them is quite simple. Take them to The Beginning of Ancient Times and let them slumber for a while. They will slowly recover."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. His gaze softened, and he nodded gently.

"I understand."

After speaking, he looked at the body of [Taiqing the Lord of Tao and Virtue] that he had severed from himself and said slowly,

"Let’s begin."

"As it should be." Taiqing the Lord of Tao and Virtue nodded calmly. The two faced each other, stepped forward, and merged into one.

VMMMM!

Lu Xuan attempted to completely merge [Nature], [Existence], and [Daoist Virtue] into himself. He barely managed to create a semblance of [The Foundation of All], temporarily halting the Era’s collapse and destruction.

Immediately after, in a trance, Lu Xuan seemed to appear in the Hongmeng. He held the Taiji Diagram, assisting [Primordial] with the Creation of Heaven and Earth...

No, to be precise, he was assisting [Yuqing Fu Sheng Heavenly Venerate] with the Creation of Heaven and Earth.

The heavens and earth were created.

Yuqing Fusheng Heavenly Venerate and Taiqing the Lord of Tao and Virtue shared a smile, their minds connected. Both stepped into the River of Time.

Lu Xuan’s primary consciousness resided within the body of [Taiqing the Lord of Tao and Virtue], experiencing the past and future, and living through history.

During the age when Wa Huang created the Human Race, Lu Xuan took in the very first human from the Creation of Heaven and Earth as his first disciple, naming him Xuandu.

In the era before the Eight Sceneries Palace was shattered, he saw the Ancestral Dragon from the early days of the Great Qin dynasty cross the River of Time, intending to reverse-slay his own first disciple.

Lu Xuan couldn’t help but laugh. He sent a slap over, knocking it senseless and terrifying it so badly that it turned tail and fled.

Later, he personally witnessed Haotian establish the Celestial Court, experienced the war of Divine Enthronement, and finally comprehended [Existence].

Immediately after, using the True Self Incarnation of [Taiqing the Lord of Tao and Virtue] and borrowing the origin of [Existence], Lu Xuan severed another True Self Incarnation from himself. It became [Supreme Laojun] and established Douluo Palace.

Then came the Spring and Autumn Years. Lu Xuan became the Old Master and traveled the world, taking in many Registered Disciples. The most outstanding among them was named [Zhang Ling].

He accepted an invitation from the Celestial Son of Zhou and entered the Guardian Storage Room, becoming the seventeenth Keeper of the Records. His life was peaceful—sipping tea, reading books, and roughing up Zhang Ling. What more could one ask for?

「Until this day.」

"Where is this?"

A nine-year-old child appeared out of thin air. He looked around cautiously, his eyes filled with nervousness, but he was very polite.

"This is the Guardian Storage Room. Where did you pop out from, little guy?"

Zhang Ling glanced over curiously and poked Little Lu Xuan’s cheek. The latter jumped in fright and instinctively backed away.

Lu Xuan, in his Old Master guise, felt a headache coming on. He let fly a hearty slap that sent Zhang Ling sprawling to the ground.

Ignoring Zhang Ling’s pained, grimacing cry, Lu Xuan stared at Little Lu Xuan, at this imprint of history, and was lost in thought for a moment, overcome with emotion.

"Since you’ve come, it must be fate. You can stay here."

"...Alright!" Little Lu Xuan bowed meticulously.

And so, there was one more person in the Guardian Storage Room.

「Seven years passed in a flash.」

"You have served me for seven years, which counts as a fated connection, a strand of Cause and Effect. Today, I will bestow a Dharma upon you. If you can grasp even a fraction of it, you can achieve Longevity."

Lu Xuan handed the [Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits Techniques] to Little Lu Xuan and said gently,

"From this scripture, you may choose one technique, and I shall teach it to you."

The sixteen-year-old Little Lu Xuan pointed lightly, indicating the very first of the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits Techniques: [Mediation of Creation].

Zhang Ling exclaimed in astonishment,

"Are you crazy, little guy? That’s..." ℴℴ𝘮

Before he could finish, BANG!

With a habitual slap, Lu Xuan sent Zhang Ling face-planting into the dirt, cutting him off. He said with a smile,

"Then Mediation of Creation it is."

Little Lu Xuan bowed in thanks, while Zhang Ling lifted his head, his eyes welling with tears.

"Master, why did you hit me again?"

"Because I felt like it."

History continued to advance. Lu Xuan eventually comprehended [Daoist Virtue] and, borrowing from [Daoist Virtue], completely severed the body of the [Old Master] from himself.

Thus, [Existence] had the Old Lord, and [Daoist Virtue] had the Old Master.

In the late Spring and Autumn Period, he sought to comprehend the final origin, to comprehend [Nature]. He transformed into an old farmer and traveled the world with his disciple.

He lived through the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the years of the Great Qin, residing for a long time on Taishan. Then one day, the old farmer had a great epiphany.

"This is [Nature]."

He gazed at the myriad things, the mountains and rivers. He gazed at the sun and moon’s passage, the changing of the four seasons, a smile on his face. Borrowing from [Nature], he severed his third True Self Incarnation, naming it...

[Old Nong].

Old Nong spent his whole life tilling the land. He worked from sunrise to sunset, knew the changing of the seasons, witnessed the transformations of Yin and Yang, experienced the life and death of the rice crops, and watched the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Old Nong best understood the nature of all things, having personally experienced it. Therefore, the very personification of the nature of all things was simply an [Old Nong].

’The Dao of Taiqing...’

Lu Xuan’s original consciousness returned to himself. He now fully understood what [Taiqing] was, his face holding a smile of natural tranquility.

He fell into a state of enlightenment. His eyes slowly closed, and his vision plunged into darkness then burst into light. Countless things flickered, flowed, faded, and flourished before his eyes.

He saw the vastness of the Nine Nether, witnessed the myriad futures, gazed upon the Creation of Heaven and Earth, and looked down upon the nature of all things.

He saw figure after figure standing upon the great sea of his mind. These figures gradually solidified, arranged from left to right, from earliest to latest.

Profound Clarity, Profound Yellow, Nine Nether, Hongjun Daoist...

Purple Cloud, Yuqing Fusheng Heavenly Venerate, Pangu Daoist, Primordial Celestial King, Jade Void Ancestor...

Taiqing the Lord of Tao and Virtue, Supreme Laojun, the Old Master, Old Nong...

All of them, every single one, appeared before his eyes.

"Thirteen bodies stand across the ages, each body a Dao form, each form a true foundation..."

"I am enlightened. I am enlightened."

He saw the past and future clearly, his insight piercing through all Daos. With every breath, he could effortlessly grasp the foundation of the five great realms and create the corresponding basic Dharmas. All that was missing was a sermon to preach them.

Now, the only true foundation Lu Xuan had yet to comprehend was that of the [Dao Fruit] realm. He had not even reached [Integration Dao], nor could he match the realm of [Enlightenment], so he could not fathom the essence of a [Dao Fruit] on his own.

But...

For now, it was enough.

"The Beginning of Ancient Times..."

Lu Xuan looked back, gazing toward The Beginning of Ancient Times with a soft sigh. He silently transformed into the likeness of the [Daoist Ancestor], took the bodies of [Emperor Jun] and [Xi He] with him, and quietly walked toward The Beginning of Ancient Times.

Taiyi has lost his Dao Fruit, Fu Xi’s whereabouts are unknown, the Demon Ancestor is dead, Bodhi is severely wounded, and Amitabha is lying low...

This was the best opportunity.

Although he had yet to comprehend the foundation of the [Dao Fruit], once he had expounded on all the realms before it, he himself could become...

The [Daluo Ancestor].

A smile bloomed on Lu Xuan’s face, his gaze growing deeper. As he walked, he murmured,

"Fu Xi, where are you? What are you doing?"

"And what about you, Taiyi?"

...

「In the depths of Chaos.」

"Cough, cough..."

Taiyi looked haggard, yet a smile appeared on his face. He extended his hand, his eyes shining brightly.

Three origins materialized in his hand: [Nature], [Existence], and [Daoist Virtue].

"You have grown stronger, and so have I."

He murmured gently, his gaze profound.

"The stronger you become, the stronger I become. When the day comes that you return to me, I will achieve Perfection, and I will achieve Transcendence."

Taiyi rose gracefully, gazing at the vast, deep, and boundless Chaos.

"Taiqing and Yuqing have returned to you, and thus returned to me. Only Shangqing is missing."

"With the final calamity’s arrival, Shangqing is becoming ever more perfect..."

As he mused, he toyed with the Nine Bead Pearls in his hand. His smile widened as he spoke serenely,

"Everything..."

"...is within my grasp."

Taiyi smiled and closed his eyes, but then he suddenly frowned. He opened them again, staring into the unknown, lost in thought.

’Fu Xi has been quiet for a long time...’

’That guy is trouble. The only obstacle. What... is he doing?’

As Taiyi muttered to himself, elsewhere...

「In a certain Ancient Realm.」

"I’ve found you."

Fu Xi slowly walked out and looked at the bewildered girl before him, sighing sorrowfully.

"I have waited for countless years in the Red Dust. Finally, I have awaited your return."

As he spoke, he reached out and gently stroked the dazed little girl, feeling the endless Magical Power and limitless Cultivation within her...

Fu Xi said softly,

"Little sister, have you forgotten your big brother? It’s alright. Come, come into my arms, and you will understand everything."

He used brutal force, viciously pulling the young girl into his embrace, into his very body.

Two Transcendence Origins collided!