Chapter 372: The Way of Tranquility and the Path to the World

Chapter 372: The Way of Tranquility and the Path to the World

"Daoist An, what Great Dao do you cultivate?"

"Daoist friend, you are a bit too hasty. The root of the Great Dao is not something to be easily shared."

"What's the harm? Daoist An and I feel like old friends at first sight. In front of Daoist An, the Great Dao is nothing to hide."

"Ji Daoist, are you saying that in your eyes, the glory of the Great Dao is less important than me?" Xuran An smiled faintly. "Then, can Daoist Ji tell me which path your lineage follows?"

In her territory, matters concerning the root of the Great Dao were rarely disclosed, even between father and son.

Ji Anquan's expression was sincere as he transmitted his thoughts telepathically: "What can't be said in front of Miss An? I won't hide it from you, Miss An. I follow the Divine Path."

Xuran An was taken aback.

Her eyes flickered with a strange light.

He really said it?

The Divine Path? Is it real or a trick?

Isn't the Yanhuang Federation known for the Martial Path? Does Ji Tianxing follow a path that combines the divine and martial?

Perhaps... I can really get some information about the path Ji Tianxing follows from him?

Even if it's just a small piece, it would still earn me considerable recognition when I return to the palace.

The Demon King Throne Swap twenty years ago caused a sensation in the Realm Sea.

The commotion was no less than when the Death Demon and the former Demon King suffered a major setback.

Demon Kings are hard to kill, and even in the vast Realm Sea, it is widely acknowledged that seizing their divine throne and usurping their position is nearly impossible.

Even after it was revealed that this incident was actually the Demon King Wu Zhou's "self-dug grave", many transcendental beings who had reached the end of their paths remained highly interested.

After all, even in the Realm Sea, where countless powerful beings exist, the Four Demons of the Misty Sea are worthy of the title "great."

"Actually, I have some insights into the Divine Path. My ancestor was once a revered Divine Lord, ruling over an endless divine domain, before joining the ranks of the Fleeting Palace."

Xuran An raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes twinkling, and her attitude visibly changed.

"Then it seems we are truly fated, Miss An." Ji Anquan's smile was so bright that Qingchuan You's temples throbbed.

Seeing Ji Anquan openly flirting with Xuran An in front of him, even Qingchuan You, who was usually composed, couldn't help but frown.

This person's attitude exceeded his expectations.

He didn't expect this guy to remain calm and composed, even after revealing one of his trump cards, ignoring the senior figures of the Federation and instead trying to pry information from Xuran An.

And he even mentioned the ancestors of the Ji family!

Such ambition and composure—it seemed the rumors were true. This seemingly superficial young man had indeed been the one leading the Yanhuang Federation to its current position through years of strategic alliances and negotiations.

Qingchuan You finally couldn't hold back and interrupted:

"Brother Ji, aren't you at all worried about the senior figures of the Yanhuang Federation?"

Ji Anquan's gaze never left Xuran An as he responded nonchalantly:

"A bunch of old men who claimed they would stand on their own feet and rely on their descendants less than themselves—why should a junior like me worry? Let them work harder."

"If they don't, we juniors will catch up, and then who will protect whom?"

This comment made Xuran An cover her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Xuran, do you know that the transformation of Divinity involves the foundation of the self?" Ji Anquan said with a warm smile. "In our lineage, to enter the path, one must first cultivate a certain subtlety."

This statement made Qingchuan You's ears prick up. He couldn't bear to interrupt and wanted this guy to continue.

Xuran An's expression was moved, and she didn't even mind his presumptuousness as she continued to probe.

"Brother Ji, when you refined your Divinity, did you uncover the Divine Subtleties? What kind of subtlety, and at which realm? Was it before the Heavenly Person stage?"

Xuran An fired off several questions in quick succession.

Ji Anquan smiled and replied, "I thank Xuran for your concern, but with so many questions, which one should I answer first?"

Qingchuan You cursed the shameless brat in his heart, who cares about you!

Xuran An looked deeply at Ji Anquan, her tone sincere:

"Brother Ji, you jest. Although the Divinity is said to have many subtleties, those who can uncover even one or two are all world-shaking geniuses."

"Your lineage's legacy requires the cultivation of Divine Subtleties as a threshold. No wonder, whether it's your ancestor or you, Brother Ji, you are both unparalleled geniuses."

Hearing this woman, who had previously looked down on everyone, now showing such keen interest in his great-uncle, Mo Naihe couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

Truly worthy of being Senior Uncle Ji, to unintentionally take the lead like that.

Speaking of which, what is Divine Subtleties? What makes it so impressive that this woman is so impressed? Why has the Ancestor and the other senior disciples never mentioned it?

Mo Naihe pondered, perhaps the senior disciples have been keeping it to themselves.

Once this matter is resolved, he would go back and ask them thoroughly.

"Xuran, you are truly flattering me", Ji Anquan chuckled. "If someone else were to ask, I wouldn't reveal a single detail, but since it's you..."

He paused briefly, then sent a mental message to Xuran An, keeping it a secret from the others.

This move made Qingchuan You, who had been waiting patiently, take a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions.

He came this time mainly for Ji Jingqiu.

But if it were for his own sake, he would be more interested in Ji Anquan, and the entire Ji family.

Because he was from the Taiyin lineage!

Not long ago, [Taiyi] teamed up with the newly ascended Demon King Ji Tianxing for some unknown reason, significantly delaying the return of the Taiyin Divine Lord!

If he could find out what Divine Subtleties Ji Tianxing had comprehended, he could deduce his Great Dao and lineage, which would greatly increase his chances of dealing with him in the future.

He had heard that Ji Anquan's profound comprehension was called [Fate Veins], and the light in Xuran An's eyes grew even more brilliant.

"Brother Ji, do you know where Ji Jingqiu is?" Qingchuan You asked, his voice cold and hard. "We have important matters to discuss with him, and one of the two returning Divine Lords also wishes to see him!"

Ji Anquan looked somewhat worried. "Xuran, did Brother Ji accidentally offend someone? From Brother You's attitude, it seems like you're here to demand an explanation."

Xuran An explained, "Brother Ji, you misunderstand. We are not here to make things difficult for Ji Jingqiu, but to offer him a great blessing."

"A great blessing?" Ji Anquan blinked. "Could it be greater than our meeting today?"

Qingchuan You cursed inwardly, what a shameless scoundrel!

"Brother Ji, with your wisdom, you should have already guessed my origin", Xuran An said with a low laugh. "The transcendent forces of the World Sea rarely recruit many disciples, but the Palace Master of my [Fuyou Palace] heard of your federation's great feat twenty years ago and is very interested in meeting the descendants of those two, including Ji Jingqiu."

Ji Anquan suddenly said, "I heard that transcendent beings do not interfere in realms where transcendent beings are about to be born."

Xuran An nodded. "That's correct, it's a World Sea convention."

"Does that mean... transcendent beings themselves won't interfere, but their subordinate forces might?" Ji Anquan looked into Xuran An's eyes, praising, "Xuran, your eyes are like a luminous light, surpassing even the sun and moon, truly beautiful."

Xuran An's eyebrows curved like willow branches swaying in the spring breeze, and she laughed softly.

"Usually, we wouldn't interfere in those realms, as provoking the 'hatred' of a future transcendent being would be a loss no matter what."

"But this time is different. The five Divine Lords of this realm have invited us, hoping to use our hands to resolve the entanglements of the Misty Sea."

Ji Anquan seemed to be deep in thought.

There was a lot of information hidden in those words.

Xuran An's backing force seemed to have determined that the transcendent being to be born in this realm was one of the five Divine Lords?

Additionally, their attitude toward the Misty Sea.

Resolving the entanglements of the Misty Sea wasn't the issue; the problem lay in the method and cost of resolution, which was the core of the disagreement among the five divine systems.

Thinking of this, Ji Anquan smiled. "Why call him for such a good thing? Why don't I go with Xuran to [Fuyou Palace]?"

Xuran An smiled, revealing her teeth. "If a Heavenly Genius like Brother Ji is willing to join, my [Fuyou Palace] would be more than happy to welcome you."

Qingchuan You's heart suddenly sank. Let this Ji Anquan join [Fuyou Palace]?!

He had already made Xuran An seem like she was losing her mind before joining. If he were to join, who knows what chaos he could stir up!

Xuran An said softly, "But if Brother Ji knows Ji Jingqiu's whereabouts, please inform us. We truly have important matters to discuss with him."

Ji Anquan smiled bitterly. "Xuran, you misunderstand me. I'm willing to share my Great Dao with you, so how could I not tell you about Brother Ji's whereabouts? Unfortunately, he didn't tell me where he was going before he left, only leaving me a message."

He pointed to a piece of calligraphy in the room and sighed.

"That's it."

Xuran An apologized first. "I expressed myself poorly, causing Brother Ji to misunderstand."

After explaining everything, she finally turned her gaze to the inscription on the wall.

"If one forgets all emotions, extinguishes love and hate, are they not like wood and stone? Freedom is not the withered tree or the dead ash."

Upon reading these words, Xuran An's eyes immediately sparkled, and she couldn't help but ask:

"Has Ji Jingqiu already transcended to the Dao Realm?"

She quickly realized something and quickly explained:

"The cultivation method in my [Fuyou Palace] differs from the mental cultivation of this realm, but they ultimately converge on the same essence: the understanding of the 'Dao' itself."

"The 'Dao Realm' I mentioned earlier is equivalent to the 'Seated Oblivion' of this realm, which is the proof of a Heavenly Venerable."

Ji Anquan, curious, asked: "Can the mental cultivation system of our realm be directly compared to the Dao Realm cultivation in the palace?"

Xuran An nodded: "Certainly."

Qingchuan You closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was already "the palace"?

"Who can the earliest cultivation system in the Boundary Sea be traced back to?" Ji Anquan suddenly asked.

This question was a bit strange, but Xuran An still provided an answer: "To the best of my knowledge, it can be traced back to the [Sui Ancient Realm]."

"Was the framework of the cultivation system, similar to the Dao Realm, established after that?"

Xuran An thought for a moment:

"You could say that. Even if there are additions or deletions of realms, such as multiple transitional 'buffer' realms, they are still matters within each individual transcendent system."

"But the cultivation of the Dao Realm and the transcendent system... it's different from your Martial Path. It's very difficult to make changes to it."

She gave another example: "For instance, the cultivation of Divinity has yet to form a proper system. No one has explored the various Divine Subtleties, and even a Heavenly Genius needs... luck!"

As she spoke, her gaze toward Ji Anquan was clearly filled with admiration.

Ji Anquan nodded, his eyes losing focus for the first time.

Brother Ji, your ambition is truly great.

Xuran An suddenly asked a question:

"Brother Ji, may I ask, what is your relationship with your ancestor?"

Ji Anquan's smile vanished, and he resumed a calm expression, like the stillness before a storm, exuding a heavy sense of oppression.

When he finally smiled again, he coldly replied with two words:

"Dao Enemy."

An enemy of the Great Dao!

This answer was given to him by Ji Tianxing.

Upon hearing this, Qingchuan You's pupils constricted in disbelief as he stared at Ji Anquan, seeing no trace of a joke.

"Unfortunately, Xuran still has important tasks to attend to and cannot stay long. Once Xuran completes the mission, I will come to meet with Brother Ji again."

In the end, Qingchuan You felt frustrated, as this trip seemed to yield nothing. The only gain was learning about Ji Anquan's relationship with Ji Tianxing, which was not as straightforward as he had thought, and might be exploitable.

After all, in the face of the Great Dao, blood ties and ancestry become insignificant.

Before leaving, Mo Naihe noticed that not only Xuran An, but also Qingchuan You, who claimed to come from the Taoyou Divine System and viewed his great-uncle as an enemy, had a noticeable change in attitude. They no longer saw his great-uncle as a thorn in their side.

Could it be that because of the "Dao Enemy" label, this person now believed they could win over Uncle Ji?

Mo Naihe shook his head.

How to deal with the newly ascended Demon King.

Uncle Ji had once had a conversation with the founding master about this.

And the final conclusion was—

"The philosophical debates and confrontations between me and my ancestor are none of others' business. How can they meddle in it?"

After seeing off the two unexpected visitors, Ji Anquan stood by the window, gazing into the distance at the portal of the Heavenly Path, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

"Uncle, are you really planning to go to the Boundary Sea and visit the [Fuyou Palace]?"

Mo Naihe couldn't help but ask, wondering if he could accompany his uncle.

Even as a servant would be fine; after all, the work he was doing now was no different from being a servant.

Ji Anquan said coolly, "Why the rush? We haven't even been promised the benefits of joining yet. Let's compare our options first."

Mo Naihe was taken aback. Joining a Transcendent Power wasn't the greatest benefit?

He suddenly realized: "Uncle, you mean... more than one Transcendent Power will be involved?"

"Do you think who or what they are targeting?" Ji Anquan suddenly asked.

Mo Naihe fell silent for a moment and said, "The Four Devils' true bodies? Are these Transcendent Powers also coveting the true bodies of the Four Devils?"

"The Four Devils were once Transcendents themselves."

Ji Anquan's eyes were deep and profound as he said,

"I believe that even among Transcendents, it's rare to obtain the body of a peer."

"Furthermore, their targeting of Brother Ji is likely also due to the World Venerable Legacy and the Legacy of General He."

"Transcender factions?"

Ji Anquan sneered, "If it weren't for the Four Demons, wouldn't our Federation be one as well?"

Mo Naihe felt a heavy weight in his heart. Had the people of the Boundary Sea seen through it and realized that the Flame Splendor Federation had at least two lineages with the potential to transcend?

When their Xuanji Heaven's founding ancestor broke through to True Emperor, he had a premonition and sighed that he would never achieve transcendence in this life.

The path to transcendence was not just about the person, but also about the path they walked.

"You contact my senior brother and ask which of the Five Pillars wants to meet Brother Ji", Ji Anquan suddenly turned around. "I have some matters to attend to."

"Understood."

Mo Naihe promptly contacted his own founding ancestor.

After listening to Mo Naihe's account of the day's events, the Xuanji True Emperor, far away in Daluotian, sneered and said, "I'm aware of the matter. It seems that someone in the Five Pillars believes they are a sure bet to transcend and is starting to make their moves, courting various sides."

"Tell Anquan that the one who wants to meet Ji Jingqiu is the Holy King of the Five Pillars. Let them decide whether to meet or not."

"As for joining a transcender faction, there's no rush. Heh, setting aside other considerations, given Ji Jingqiu's brilliance and the path he is on, do the Five Pillars really want to let him go?"

"Considering just this point, it might be better for Ji Jingqiu to head to the Boundary Sea sooner."

Before disconnecting, Mo Naihe suddenly asked, "Grandmaster, what are Divine Subtleties? I noticed that the woman from the Boundary Sea was very interested in them. When she heard that Senior Uncle possessed Divine Subtleties, she looked at him with newfound respect! But I've never heard of them in our sect."

Feeling Mo Naihe's frustration, the Xuanji True Emperor chuckled, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to think you were special and start harboring foolish thoughts. After all, whether I told you or not, it wouldn't affect your ability to find the Divine Subtleties."

"And from the current outcome, not telling you was indeed the right choice."

Mo Naihe: "..."

...

...

Sanqian Yafuti.

Sea of Burial.

Many decayed, destroyed, or devoured worlds, except for those that had completely vanished, had almost all 'sunk' to the bottom of this boundless abyss known as the Sea of Burial.

Even when a plane of existence was devoured by the Misty Sea, it would leave behind some 'residue' that would fall into the Sea of Burial.

Throughout the years, numerous powerful figures had fished out treasures from the Sea of Burial. The most significant find, according to records, was when the ancestors of the Sacred Temple excavated an ancient deity of True Emperor level from the Sea of Burial.

At that moment.

The Old Ancestor of the Sacred Temple, revisiting an old haunt, looked up at a young man not far away.

The young man, rather casually, held a broken bamboo rod, using a strand of the illusory Cause and Effect Great Dao as a fishing line, and cast it into the boundless Sea of Burial.

The Old Ancestor of the Sacred Temple glanced at the well-polished divine fishing rod in his hand, then at the young man with the broken bamboo rod, who was reeling in catches one after another.

Cheating, huh?!

The old man couldn't help but fly into a rage, his voice merging with the Heavenly Dao and piercing straight to the core:

"Young scoundrel, I ask you, how many times have you stayed in Seated Oblivion, and how many times have you sacrificed yourself? What is it that you seek?"

The young man looked up, his Qi Aura like a return to simplicity, a tranquil sea surface hiding a surging undercurrent. Even though it couldn't be seen or touched, one could faintly sense the vast expanse behind it.

He said only three words:

"Guard the Void and Silence."

The old ancestor of the Sacred Temple praised, "Truly, you have the bearing of our kind!"

As one of the three pathfinders on par with the Green Lotus Daoist.

The old man's 'bearing' referred to the aura of one who would open a path for all living beings.

The Void is not emptiness, but a vastness that can contain all things.

Silence is not stillness, but a state that can harbor the cycles of life and death.

To guard the Void and Silence is to wander alongside heaven and earth, to breathe in harmony with creation.

Above the Fetal Breath, below the Seated Oblivion.

A Celestial King opens his own path and walks it.

Now, someone seeks to open a path for the world!

What a magnificent feat!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end