Chapter 708 - 23: Old World, Old Things, Old Faces, Yet None Recognize Me

'The Great Era is distorted, the Years are in great conflict, and I stand within it, so this is... a period of time without me? Or rather, the period of time before Lu Xuan was born?'

The Daoist, shrouded in the mists of Chaos, slowly emerged. He stood tall within Chaos, silently looking down.

He had activated all his backup plans. He used the devoured 'Lu Xuan' to influence Taiyi. Then, he used the 'Xuan Sheng Dao Ancestor'—a being replicated via the [Path of Great Balance] and later swallowed by Fu Xi—to affect Fu Xi in turn.

Finally, he triggered the complete Transcendent Trait, [Era Essence], within himself and those two other beings. The three [Era Essences] collided, causing a great conflict of Years and distorting the Great Era...

He had successfully taken the crucial step to break the stalemate, stepping into the [Past] in its truest sense.

This segment of the [True Past] encompassed the Great Era and All Daoist Fruits. In this period of Years, [Lu Xuan] had not yet been born!

At this very moment, the overall progression of time and space—the very end of the River of Time—was still the Spring and Autumn Period.

In other words, the Spring and Autumn Period was the [Current World]. As for Great Qin, Great Han, and so on, they were all part of a [Future] that had not yet occurred, a future unreachable by any Dao Fruit.

In these Spring and Autumn Years, there was a Guardian Storage Room, there was an Old Master, and there was a Zhang Ling, but the Little Lu Xuan who tended the fires and cooked was gone.

'So it's this period of time...'

Lu Xuan sat cross-legged in Chaos, silently gazing upon the Great Heaven and Earth. He looked at the familiar Emperor Gouchen, Emperor Ziwei, and the others, and at Emperor Haotian seated high above in the Celestial Court, feeling a little lost.

He then saw Senior Brother Zhang being beheaded by a single sword strike from Duke Huan of Qi. He immediately wanted to intervene but forcefully stopped himself.

'I only have nine chances to interfere.'

He did not belong here. He was a product of the great conflict of Years. Every act of interference would trigger a backlash from the Era, a backlash from the [Era Essence].

Sighing, Lu Xuan's form gradually solidified. Shrouded in the mists of Chaos, he fully materialized within this past of the Era.

The instant he appeared...

"Hm??"

...cries of surprise and doubt echoed from all corners of Chaos.

"Who is it?"

A Great Buddha holding a giant tree with eighty-one branches glanced aside. His gaze swept across Chaos, but he detected nothing, merely muttering to himself in confusion:

"Who is it? I seem to have felt a wisp of an indescribable, ineffable aura emerge. It is profound, transcending all else... Is it that Supreme?"

"No, it doesn't feel like him."

Another majestic Buddha, who was holding up the Western Pure Land, was also puzzled. He looked toward the cool and distant woman beside him.

"Houtu, what do you think?"

The cool and distant woman lifted her eyelids slightly, toying with the Six Paths of Reincarnation in her hand.

"I have no clue either. It seems it was just an illusion... But how could beings like us have illusions?"

The three Supreme Beings looked at each other, none of them able to make sense of it.

After a long while, the Ancient Buddha holding the giant tree shook his head and spoke again:

"For now, let's just remain vigilant... By the way, I've sensed that the Demon Ancestor seems to have sent the Peacock Great Ming King to contact the Four Extremes Emperor. I suspect she wants the Four Extremes Emperor to rebel against Haotian. What are your thoughts?"

The three Supreme Beings began to discuss this among themselves. Meanwhile, on the other side of Chaos.

"Supreme, did you sense anything?"

The Blind Daoist frowned slightly, his expression grave. He had clearly also sensed that incomparably profound aura, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.

Beside him, the Lame Daoist, who had always been at odds with him, let out a cold snort and said mockingly:

"Primordial, aren't you the Cause of All Fruits? You can't even perceive this? I say you should just give up that title and let me have it!"

The Blind Daoist shot him a cold glare, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he stroked his Three-Bejeweled Ruyi.

"Spirit Treasure, are you itching for another fight? If I bring this Jade Ruyi down, I'm afraid I'll break your other leg too!"

"Oh yeah?!"

The Lame Daoist's temper flared. His Four Immortal Slaying Swords bobbed in the air as he glared with eyes as wide as bronze bells.

"Old Primordial, do you want to test how sharp my Immortal Slaying Swords are?!"

"My sword is just as sharp!" the Blind Daoist retorted tit for tat.

The two Supreme Existences began to roll up their sleeves, looking like they were about to brawl. Supreme, who had been frowning the whole time, held out a hand to stop them.

"Silence!"

The Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist glared viciously at each other, then, mutually disgusted, they both turned their heads away and spat on the ground.

The Supreme sighed helplessly and said no more. He just continued to sense his surroundings quietly, even cracking open his Eight Trigrams Furnace a sliver!

After a long time, the old Daoist's eyes snapped open. His gaze was incredibly profound as he looked into the void and said in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist, since you have arrived, why not show yourself?"

Hearing this, both the Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist were taken aback. They turned to follow Supreme's gaze, but saw nothing.

There was nothing there. The Lame Daoist was baffled. "Supreme, are your eyes playing tricks on you or something? There's no one there. I think..."

Before he could finish speaking, the void twisted and converged, and a figure shrouded in the deep mists of Chaos slowly walked out.

The Lame Daoist's words died in his throat, and his expression changed drastically.

'He... hadn't sensed a thing.'

'How is that possible??'

The Blind Daoist's face also changed, his heart trembling. He was, after all, the Cause of All Fruits. When it came to perceptive abilities, no one could surpass him. And yet...

He focused his gaze on the figure shrouded in the mists of Chaos, pushing the [Cause of All Fruits] to its absolute limit. And finally... he saw.

He saw eighty-four thousand Great Daos shining brilliantly. He saw infinite transformations, infinite Profound Mysteries, and infinite principles. He saw pioneering, progression, and conclusion!

He saw that the unknown, mysterious person shrouded in Chaos was enthroned on a high place—a place even higher than his own. All causes and all fruits revered this person as supreme!

The Blind Daoist was stunned. He took three steps back, each step shaking his heart with shock!

The only one who remained relatively calm was Supreme.

The old Supreme placed both hands on the lid of his Eight Trigrams Furnace, seemingly ready to open it at any moment, and spoke in a solemn voice:

"May I ask who you are, Fellow Daoist? And from where have you come?"

Lu Xuan stared blankly at his three masters, his lips trembling. He wanted to bow, to call out to them, but he sensed the danger of the Era's backlash. In the end, he only said softly:

"I am the humble Daoist, Qing Xuan."

Supreme narrowed his eyes, his heart filled with astonishment. He sensed that this person... was at most only half a step weaker than him.

In fact, he might not be weaker at all, but his equal!

'Qing Xuan?'

'Where did this Qing Xuan Daoist pop out from??'

After a moment of contemplation, Supreme asked again:

"Then may I ask, Fellow Daoist, what is your purpose in coming here?"

Lu Xuan sighed softly. So many words were caught in his throat, but he couldn't say them. He could reveal everything, but such interference would result in an indelible, grievous injury...

'I can only interfere nine times, and each time must be used at the most critical moment. One wrong step, and the entire game is lost.'

After all, even if he could withstand the backlash and forcibly interfere—to slay Taiyi and Fu Xi in this timeline—it would be useless. The Taiyi and Fu Xi in the True Node also possessed [Era Essence] and would not be affected by the great historical changes brought about by the conflict of Years...

'So, what I must do is use my nine chances to interfere to complete my own Self, not to change the grand course of history.'

With this in mind, Lu Xuan spoke again:

"This humble Daoist has come only... to see the three of you."

He paused, looking at the Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist who were regarding each other with mutual loathing. Finding the situation both funny and exasperating, he added:

"If you must ask who I am, the three of you will see me in the future, and you will know me in the future. There is no need to be hasty."

The Three Pristine Ones looked at each other, confused. This mysterious Qing Xuan had appeared so abruptly, only to... look at them?

They couldn't figure it out.

Just as Supreme was about to ask another question, his vision blurred. The Qing Xuan Daoist had turned and left, looking desolate. In an instant, he vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.

The Blind Daoist frowned and asked in a low voice:

"Supreme, what is the origin of that Qing Xuan Daoist? Did you see anything?"

"I did not."

Supreme shook his head, his expression solemn.

"Unless my true body emerges, I might be able to comprehend it, but there's no need for that right now... That Qing Xuan is very strange.

I can sense that even my true body within the furnace might not be able to secure a definite victory against him. At best, it would be a sixty-forty split."

Hearing this, the Lame Daoist asked curiously:

"You sixty, him forty?"

Supreme gave him a surprised look.

"What else? But since I can't suppress him anyway, why bother? Can't I just properly nurture my body in the furnace? Don't worry, even if the two of you get beaten to a pulp one day, my furnace body won't come out..."

The Lame Daoist didn't seem to mind and laughed.

"That's how it should be. Nurture that true body in your furnace. As long as the true body doesn't emerge, if you can nurture it until the next Era, the three of us might be able to achieve Transcendence together... But let's be clear, Supreme, you're not allowed to sneak off and achieve Transcendence on your own!"

"Who would want to achieve Transcendence with a guy like you?" the Blind Daoist curled his lip in disgust. The Lame Daoist flew into a rage and raised his sword to strike.

The two Supreme Beings began to scuffle.

Watching this scene, Supreme was speechless. He shook his head slightly and paid them no more mind, simply withdrawing quietly.

'Qing Xuan...'

A look of confusion still lingered in his eyes. In the back of his mind, he felt that Qing Xuan seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Recalling the Qing Xuan Daoist's desolate figure as he left, Supreme suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

......

Lu Xuan walked silently through Chaos, then entered the Great Heaven and Earth, passing quietly through the mountains.

He let out a soft sigh.

He was in this world, yet he didn't belong. Nothing and no one had anything to do with him.

In the heavens and on earth, within and without, no one recognized him. His old acquaintances were still his old acquaintances, but he was a stranger to them.

'Old affairs, old things, an old world, yet not a single old friend recognizes me...'

'Such solitude... this is the deepest solitude of all...'

And so, Lu Xuan walked through the Spring and Autumn Years for many years, remaining Nameless. He saw Fierce Demons devouring people, Evil Gods causing chaos, and Evil Flood Dragons unleashing great floods.

He also saw a past life of Chong Shanhu in the heavy snow, carving off his own flesh to feed his little sister—the one who would become Lu Jianxue. When all his flesh was gone, he died. Then, Lu Jianxue was thrown into a pot by bandits, cooked, and eaten.

This was what was supposed to happen in a history without Lu Xuan.

But Lu Xuan only passed by. He just passed by, never stopping, never intervening.

Yet his heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife.

This wasn't a pain in the body, but an anguish in the heart.

He could see it, he could watch it, but he could not help.

'Nine chances...'

Lu Xuan sighed softly, the Great Sun in his eyes dimming and the Taiyin losing its luster.

'My purpose here is to sever my shackles and cut off my connection to Taiyi. This must be my top priority.'

'Secondly, I must complete my Self here, step into the realm of [Enlightenment], and comprehend the essence of the Dao Fruit...'

'To comprehend the essence of the Dao Fruit, I must personally experience and understand the various Dao Fruits that exist. I have already comprehended the Three Pristine Dao Fruit. I have also held the Western Pure Land and understood Amitabha's Dao Fruit. Xiaohuo'Er and Xi He are within my sight, and I have already analyzed those two half-Dao Fruits...'

Lu Xuan muttered to himself, sorting through his thoughts.

'In that case, all that's left are Haotian, Houtu, Bodhi, and the Buddha Mother. If I can comprehend all of their Dao Fruits as well, I might be able to achieve [Enlightenment].'

'Before that, however, I need a suitable identity. It's not sustainable to just wander the world like an outsider forever.'

With another sigh, he continued his journey, wandering through mountains and rivers. He watched the Dukes contend during the Spring and Autumn Period, watched Confucius spread his teachings, and watched Zheng'Er's birth, but he only ever watched.

Confucius did not know him. Ying Zheng did not know him.

No one knew him.

As the Spring and Autumn Period neared its end, he met Guangcheng Zi in the mountains—a fateful encounter born of karma.

"Since you have met me, it must be fate."

Guangcheng Zi, with his immortal bearing and transcendent aura, was wreathed in auspicious omens as Qingyun clouds drifted around him. He looked with great interest at the Daoist shrouded in the mists of Chaos.

On a whim, he decided to bestow a fortuitous opportunity. Clasping his hands behind his back, he spoke lightly:

"Are you willing to become a Jade Void's Disciple, serve as the Master of Guangcheng Palace for me, and guard the Daoist temple on Kongtong Mountain?"