Chapter 696 - 13: The Clam and Crane’s Dispute, the Final Transcendent Trait

"Who in the world is this being?"

Deep within the Chaos, Taiyi wearily lifted his eyelids and gazed toward The Beginning of Ancient Times. His brow furrowed slightly as he muttered to himself,

'I can't see through him, I can't see him clearly... Could it be that Qing Xuan? That's actually possible... Hmm?'

He let out a soft sound of surprise and fixed his gaze, just in time to see a familiar figure strolling toward The Beginning of Ancient Times.

'Fu Xi...'

Taiyi's brow knotted, a look of wariness flashing in his eyes as he mumbled,

'No, Fu Xi seems to have... become one? This is troublesome...'

Although he had lost his Dao Fruit, his own body was the same as Lu Xuan's. He directly used the Transcendent Dao Body that came from Lu Xuan. As he slightly opened his eyes, he supplemented its power with the residual Dao Rhyme from the previous Great Era.

Instantly, Taiyi perceived many things about Fu Xi.

'This guy hides his true strength well. He'll be the only obstacle on my path forward... Does he want to form an alliance with that mysterious being?'

After a long moment of contemplation, Taiyi gave a faint smile.

'Lu Xuan is still too weak. He needs a push. Fu Xi, oh, Fu Xi...'

His figure grew faint as his gaze swept across the entire Era. He was searching for the so-called Qing Xuan, but also for Fu Xi's final trump card.

He didn't find Qing Xuan, but he found Fu Xi's trump card.

'Caught you.'

Taiyi laughed again, muttering to himself,

'What's yours will become Lu Xuan's, and what's Lu Xuan's...'

'...is mine.'

'Everything is under control.'

He lifted his foot and moved silently toward the Great Heaven and Earth.

.........

「The Borderlands of The Beginning of Ancient Times.」

Fu Xi paused for a long time before finally walking inside, coming face-to-face with that unbelievably majestic figure.

On Jade Capital Mountain, the Daluo Ancestor glanced over, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he spoke in a placid tone,

"Fellow Daoist Fu Xi, for what purpose have you come?"

The sermon had just ended. Aside from the Dao Fruit Dao, which he himself had yet to comprehend, Lu Xuan had reshaped all other realms. The many Barbaric Creatures who had come to listen to the Dao had also been dismissed.

Fu Xi ambled over and slowly descended upon Jade Capital Mountain. He bowed in greeting.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Sheng, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you..."

Lu Xuan stared at Fu Xi, inwardly startled. 'This guy...'

He had already absorbed nearly half of the Lady's Transcendence Origin. In other words, he now possessed nearly half a True Form of Transcendence.

Now, with his piercing gaze, he could clearly see the endless Cultivation and countless True Spirits within Fu Xi's body!

'The origin that escaped after the Demon Ancestor's death... did he devour it?'

Despite feeling the subtle warning from his Innate Spiritual Light, Lu Xuan's expression remained unchanged. He acted as if nothing was amiss and simply said in a placid tone,

"I do not believe we have met, Fellow Daoist Fu Xi. May I ask the purpose of your visit? Have you come to stand in my way?"

As he spoke, a faint radiance enveloped him, and his seven great true forms materialized behind him.

Refining Essence and Transforming Qi, Qi Cultivation and Divinity Transformation... all the way to the Taiyi Fruit Position and the Daluo Fruit Position. Seven realms, seven fruits, manifested as seven true forms, each one representing an infinite power.

Fu Xi's expression grew solemn, a flicker of apprehension crossing his face. He then spoke calmly,

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Sheng has misunderstood. I have no past grievances or recent enmity with you. I seek Transcendence, while you seek the position of Daoist Ancestor. Our goals do not conflict."

"Is that so?" Lu Xuan replied calmly, though his heart was reeling. He secretly used the Transcendent Trait of Occupying the Future and the Cause of All Fruits to run a calculation.

'If I were to fight Fu Xi to the death right now...'

'I would undoubtedly lose.'

'After unifying Wa Huang's Qi and Wa Huang's God, what level of power has Fu Xi reached?'

'Is he comparable to someone with a Perfect Dao Fruit?'

As a thousand thoughts spun in his mind, Lu Xuan sat down cross-legged.

"Fellow Daoist Fu Xi, let's get straight to the point. If you have business with me, please speak plainly."

Fu Xi readily sat down cross-legged and said with a smile,

"I won't hide it from you, Fellow Daoist. Our goals are different, and we have no conflicts of interest. Therefore, I have come to propose a collaboration."

"Collaboration?"

'This guy is relentless. Does he get a kick out of trying to partner with all my different identities?'

He pretended to ponder this for a moment before asking,

"And what kind of collaboration did you have in mind?"

Fu Xi's eyes gleamed.

"I will help you become the Daoist Ancestor, and you will help me suppress Taiyi. How does that sound? Fellow Daoist, don't be so quick to refuse. Hear me out..."

He spoke with confidence, laying out the situation and placing heavy emphasis on the great threat that Taiyi posed.

"We can now confirm that the Purple Cloud Palace Master is one of Taiyi's True Self Incarnations. This is a massive problem. If we let him continue, things might end badly for all of us."

Lu Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He said impassively,

"If I help you, what do I get out of it?"

Fu Xi looked up, his expression turning serious.

"I will, of course, do everything in my power to help you become the Daoist Ancestor. And in the future, if I achieve Transcendence, what's to stop me from simply giving you the position of Daoist Ancestor...?"

Before he could finish, Lu Xuan cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Don't bother with the empty promises, Fellow Daoist Fu Xi. I want something tangible, something I can see and touch."

Fu Xi was taken aback. He pondered for a moment, and then spoke tentatively,

"What about the Journey to the West? I can help you obtain everything that comes from its completion."

"Would Amitabha and Bodhi agree to that?"

"They will," Fu Xi replied with absolute certainty.

Lu Xuan's heart skipped a beat. He appeared lost in thought for a moment, then asked,

"But that raises another problem. The Journey to the West... is of no use to me."

"Is that so? Let me think..."

After a moment of thought, Fu Xi asked, again tentatively,

"Since you wish to become the Daoist Ancestor, then Dao Fruits must be useful to you, correct?"

A flicker of interest crossed Lu Xuan's face.

"They are indeed useful. What do you mean by this, Fellow Daoist Fu Xi?"

"To be frank, Fellow Daoist..." Fu Xi gave a brilliant smile. "I hold three great Dao Fruit positions."

Lu Xuan's expression faltered, but he quickly composed himself, though his mind was still reeling.

'Three great Dao Fruit positions?!'

'His thoughts raced. The great Dao Fruit positions... throughout all of history, there have only been nine and a half. Of those, seven and a half were claimed.'

'My three masters, Bodhi, and Elder Haotian each hold a complete one. Amitabha, the Buddha Mother, Emperor Jun, and Xi He each hold half. And then there's Houtu, who I know Fu Xi controls...'

'So where did Fu Xi get three great positions from?'

'And which Dao Fruit holders has he... replaced?!'

Though his mind was racing, a smile blossomed on Lu Xuan's face.

"If what you say is true, Fellow Daoist, then of course we can work together. Should you come into conflict with Taiyi, I will lend my aid. As for those three great Dao Fruit positions..."

Fu Xi waved his hand magnanimously.

"For each time you assist me, Fellow Daoist Xuan Sheng, I will give you half a Dao Fruit. What do you say?"

"Deal."

The two exchanged a smile. After chatting idly for a while longer, Fu Xi rose and took his leave.

After Fu Xi was gone, Lu Xuan remained seated on Jade Capital Mountain, his brow deeply furrowed. He muttered to himself,

'Fu Xi...'

He lowered his eyelids, and his figure dissolved into nothingness. He quietly found a place within The Beginning of Ancient Times and buried the remains of both Emperor Jun and Xi He there.

He then guided the unique Dao Rhyme of The Beginning of Ancient Times to slowly nurture them. Only then did he feel relieved.

Lu Xuan gazed at Emperor Jun's form and said softly,

"Little one, I have failed you as your master."

He sighed softly and departed, making sure to take the young Xi He with him before he left.

By taking the young Xi He, the ancient Dao Rhyme that had been nourishing her would be completely focused on the original Xi He's remains. Only then could she revive and awaken in the future.

"It must be fate. You'll be good company for Xiaohuo'Er."

.........

「After Leaving The Beginning of Ancient Times.」

Fu Xi ambled alone through the Great Chaos, deep in thought.

'I'm still not sure what this Fellow Daoist Xuan Sheng is thinking. I need to test him a little... I've got it.'

A faint smile touched his lips. He was now certain that the Purple Cloud Palace Master was an incarnation of Taiyi, or something of the sort.

If that was the case, then determining whether Xuan Sheng had any connection to Taiyi would be simple.

'Only Xuan Sheng knows that I control three great Dao Fruit positions. If he tells Taiyi—or Purple Cloud—they'll naturally guess that Houtu is no longer Houtu...'

'I'll have Houtu continue to help Purple Cloud with his Integration Dao. If Purple Cloud refuses, heh heh...'

A faint smile spread across Fu Xi's face, and he grew excited in spite of himself.

'If... if Xuan Sheng isn't a problem, and if Purple Cloud truly achieves Integration Dao only to be replaced by me...'

'Taiyi's defeat will be certain.'

.........

「Douluo Palace.」

Lu Xuan's true body, in the guise of the Lord of the Dao Dynasty, slowly approached. He nodded to Supreme Laojun and, under the bewildered gazes of Golden Horned, Silver Horned, and Lu Jianxue, summoned the Eight Trigrams Furnace and leaped inside.

Immediately, his primary consciousness descended upon Supreme Laojun. Glancing sideways, he commanded,

"Add fire. Make it hotter."

Golden Horned and Silver Horned didn't dare hesitate and immediately complied. Lu Jianxue, however, couldn't help but ask,

"Grandpa Li, what is Grandpa Lu doing...?"

Lu Xuan stroked Lu Jianxue's head and smiled warmly.

"It's a form of cultivation."

He offered no further explanation. He even acted personally, stoking the flames of the Eight Trigrams Furnace until the entire furnace was humming and blazing fiercely.

Lu Xuan stared at the Eight Trigrams Furnace, somewhat lost in thought. 'Master...'

He sighed softly.

"Bad news! Bad news!"

A Celestial Soldier rushed in from outside Douluo Palace and reported in a panic,

"Old Lord! Sun Wukong has broken into the Celestial Court! He's defeated a hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals and is now fighting his way here!"

Before Lu Xuan could answer, Lu Jianxue shot to her feet in anger.

"That insolent Monkey again! The nerve of him! Grandpa Li, I'll go and capture him!"

"Go on, then."

Lu Xuan nodded slightly. With a flick of his hand, the Vajra Scepter landed in Lu Jianxue's palm. He watched as the young woman stormed out in a huff.

He let out a long breath and paid no mind to the chaos outside. He simply closed his eyes to rest his spirit, meticulously sorting through his current state.

'The four incarnations of my true body's lineage are now all unified. They are being tempered in the Eight Trigrams Furnace as a final contingency, an attempt to sever my connection to Taiyi.'

'My four Yuqing bodies command the Jade Void Palace and wield the Heaven-Opening Banner, the Three-Bejeweled Ruyi, and other treasures. When unified, and without using the Realm of Transformation, the Daoist Ancestor Fruit Position, or my various Transcendent Traits, their power is roughly comparable to an ordinary Ancient One.'

'My four Supreme bodies reside in Douluo Palace. They command the Eight Trigrams Furnace, wield the Taiji Diagram, and possess the Vajra Scepter, the Purple Gold Gourd, the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, and more.'

'Again, without factoring in my Transcendent Traits or the position of Daoist Ancestor, they are likely stronger than an ordinary Ancient One.'

'My Purple Cloud incarnation is the First Patriarch of Buddhism, and Xuan Sheng is my hidden ace. Now, they too have been thrown into the Eight Trigrams Furnace to burn alongside my true body. Whether or not I can turn the tables and break this impasse all depends on this.'

'As he pondered, Lu Xuan's gaze grew profound. The position of Daoist Ancestor, the re-establishment of the seven realms... all that was left was to fully comprehend the Dao Fruit Great Realm...'

'My cultivation is too jumbled and chaotic. I need to unify it...'

As he muttered to himself, he recalled his previous battle with Taiyi. Taiyi had harmonized various powers so perfectly that he unleashed a might even greater than what Lu Xuan himself could achieve with them!

'If I could achieve that, and then add the Realm of Transformation and the position of Daoist Ancestor, an ordinary Enlightened One would be no match for me!'

'Taiyi... Fu Xi...'

'Master said not to confront either of them head-on. I must wait for the clam and the crane to fight so the fisherman can reap the rewards. The clam has already come looking for me. Now, what will the crane do?'

The thought had barely passed when the gates of Douluo Palace were knocked upon once more. Lu Xuan looked up to see Taiyi strolling in.

"Xiaoxuan, long time no see. I've come today to give you a fortuitous opportunity..."

Before he could finish, the Heaven-Opening Banner, Eight Trigrams Furnace, Taiji Diagram, Four Immortal Slaying Swords, and more flew toward Taiyi all at once.

Taiyi let out a laugh and said unhurriedly,

"Don't you want to obtain the final Transcendent Trait? The one related to the Years, connected to Time itself, a Trait that surpasses even the Dao Fruit? Don't you want to know where Fu Xi is hiding his final trump card?"

Lu Xuan froze for a second. Then, the Eight Trigrams Furnace smashed down, the Heaven-Opening Banner slashed down, the Taiji Diagram bore down, and the Four Immortal Slaying Swords pierced forward.

"First, I kill you."

he said coolly, his heart resolute.

'The crane has arrived.'