Chapter 374: The Clash of the New and the Old

Chapter 374: The Clash of the New and the Old

Qi Tian said in a deep voice, "With this person's talent, it's not impossible! When he was forging his body, he set a new upper limit for the Martial Path in the Yanhuang Federation."

"Are the two comparable?" The Scarlet-robed Woman laughed out loud, "Do you think this is a children's game? Let me ask you, how does a Celestial King become a Heavenly Venerable?"

Qi Tian frowned and said, "By passing through the five tribulations, the Illusory Great Dao is deduced into the True Dao, and finally, the Dao is merged with the heavens and earth."

"Exactly."

The Scarlet-robed Woman said coolly,

"To break through from a Heavenly Person to a Celestial King, one must either open a new path or follow the path of others, ultimately establishing an Illusory Great Dao within the Inner World. This is what defines a Celestial King."

"As one reaches the realm of Celestial King, with the continuous improvement of the Inner World, the Inner Universe begins to take shape, and the Illusory Great Dao also becomes more complete and real. Eventually, the Illusory Great Dao evolves into the True Great Dao, integrating into the fundamental rules of the universe, becoming an inseparable part of it."

"At this point, one achieves the position of Heavenly Venerable."

"For Ji Jingqiu to open a Great Dao that benefits the world, he must integrate his path into the fundamental rules of the universe. This means he must, as a Heavenly Person, perform the pinnacle feat of a Celestial King—"

"Do you think the gap can be bridged by mere Heavenly Genius?"

The Scarlet-robed Woman shook her head, "Even if he truly wants to and can achieve this, it won't be now. He must first reach higher, wait until his realm and Dao power are sufficiently high, for example, at least reaching the level of a Heavenly Venerable, and then have the surplus energy to plan for such a feat."

Qi Tian remained silent.

Through this journey, though he hadn't met Ji Jingqiu, he was willing to acknowledge his Heavenly Genius.

However, the gap the woman was talking about was indeed not something that talent alone could bridge.

A Celestial King unifies with a world to nourish their body.

A Heavenly Venerable unifies with a world to nourish their Dao.

Though they seem similar, the difference is vast, like the gap between heaven and earth.

A Celestial King merges with the Dao of the heavens and earth, the most traditional path, a way of being sheltered by the heavens, in harmony with the natural order.

A Heavenly Venerable, however, integrates their own "Dao" and "principles" into the heavens and earth, establishing new rules and Great Dao for the universe. In a sense, this is a path that defies the heavens.

The gap between the two is immeasurable.

The woman's subsequent words sent a chill down Qi Tian's spine.

"Before that, he had better not expose himself, otherwise, there will be Heavenly Venerable Dao Ancestors, and even True Emperors, who will take an interest in him."

"To be honest, I truly hope he has this capability."

The Scarlet-robed Woman smiled, "Opening a path for all living beings is such a great achievement that it might help a Divine Lord cross the final threshold."

Qi Tian looked at her deeply and said, "If he truly has the potential to open a path, will the Divine Lord still take his Dao?"

The woman before him came from the Taoyou Divine System.

The Scarlet-robed Woman's voice turned cold, "The return of the Divine Lord has been obstructed by others. To compete with the other four, a new path must be found."

"This matter was orchestrated by Ji Tianxing of the Yanhuang Federation. If Ji Jingqiu can truly transfer the achievement of path opening to the Divine Lord, it would also make up for the mistakes of their lineage."

"Moreover, we never intended to let Ji Jingqiu off. This boy is the disciple of Hedonghuang. Do you know where Hedonghuang's combat strength came from twenty years ago?"

Thinking of the battle twenty years ago, Qi Tian felt a burning passion in his heart.

In that battle, the Southern Emperor Hedonghuang displayed combat strength that was undoubtedly beyond the norm, almost sweeping through all the saints.

Many had already placed him above the Five Pillars, on par with the four demons who were not suppressed by the great universe.

The Scarlet-robed Woman said solemnly, "His ability to display such overwhelming power came entirely from the River of Time. This is our ultimate goal!"

...

Tian Sheng Lake.

"Junior Brother Wutian, the Ancestor has returned and summoned you."

Daoist Daozhang stepped aside, indicating for him to proceed to the inner depths of the Dao Palace.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Daoist Wutian nodded. With his current status as a Dao Ancestor in the Great Universe, he did not need to bow to this Senior Brother who served as the Dao Master, and even when he reached the Celestial King level, he would be slightly higher.

Twenty years ago, the three True Emperor ancestors from Tian Sheng Lake, Yin-Yang Dao Palace, and Wude Palace left together, and no one knew where they had gone until they returned just two years ago.

However, Wutian Daoist was well aware that the ancestors had journeyed along the River of Time, attempting to trace its source by traveling upstream.

Twenty years ago, the actions of General He had alerted the ancient ones among the Holy Beings to the abnormalities in the River of Time.

At this moment.

As Wutian Daoist walked along the path paved with blue stone toward the Dao Palace, he could faintly sense the changes in time.

He lowered his eyes.

In the blue stone pavement, faint ripples of water could be seen, ebbing and flowing.

This is...

The ripples of the River of Time?

Has the ancestor's Dao cultivation improved?

Entering the Dao Palace.

"Ancestor."

Wutian Daoist bowed. Although he now held the status of a Dao Ancestor, he did not need to kneel, but he still bowed his head to show respect.

"Three matters."

Shouzhen's voice came from deep within the Dao Palace, calm and to the point.

"First, I am about to head to Daluotian to attend the Holy Beings' conference. This meeting is hosted by the Five Pillars and concerns the future layout of this world. Do you have any questions?"

Wutian raised his head and asked, "Have all the Five Pillars returned?"

"Holy King and Void Emperor have returned, and the lines of Azure and Nether have nearly done so as well. Taiyin was supposed to return soon, but was delayed by at least a decade due to Ji Tianxing and Taiyi's combined efforts to ascend to the Demon King’s divine throne."

Wutian pondered and said, "Not long ago, I received orders to prepare for battle. Is this related to the matter?"

"It is."

Shouzhen did not elaborate but continued,

"Second, this time, Kong Xuan and I traveled upstream along the River of Time and found some clues. We suspect that someone among the Five Pillars has been ‘replaced’."

"If this suspicion is correct, it might explain why the Five Pillars failed to achieve enlightenment in the past."

Wutian frowned and asked, "What do you mean by being replaced?"

Shouzhen paused for a moment and said,

"In this world, the Rivers of Time and Fate can almost be considered as transcendent-grade divine weapons."

"We originally thought it was natural, but it wasn't until recently, through interactions with neighboring realms, that we discovered our situation is unique among many realms."

"In other realms, the Rivers of Time and Fate do not exceed the Eighth Realm and are at most equivalent to the peak True Emperor level in terms of power."

Wutian's expression turned solemn.

In other words, under normal circumstances, the powers of the Rivers of Time and Fate should not be so high?

"Ancestor, you suspect that these two rivers have been refined into... divine weapons?"

Wutian's voice was heavy.

The one who could refine these two rivers into transcendent-grade divine weapons...

Must be a Transcender!

"This matter is shrouded in mystery, and I dare not make hasty conclusions. We originally wanted to meet with He Donghuang, but we couldn't find him, suggesting his current state is not good."

Shouzhen spoke slowly,

"This is a secret, and you must not spread it. I am informing you to remind your true self to be cautious."

"If there is someone hiding behind the scenes, He Donghuang's merging with the River of Time could be seen as taking one of his divine weapons, and he will surely try to reclaim it."

Wutian furrowed his brow and asked, "Ancestor, do you think this person is... a Transcender?"

Shouzhen's expression was calm, "At most, he is like the Four Demons of the past. Otherwise, a true Transcender, even if incomplete, could crush us True Emperors."

"Of course..."

Shouzhen paused and said gravely, "If our suspicions are correct, his threat level will far exceed that of the Four Demons."

"Why?" Wutian asked, "Because of the two transcendent-grade divine weapons?"

"That's not the most terrifying part", Shouzhen sighed. "The most terrifying... involves the 'truth' of this realm."

"What do you mean?" Wutian's heart was shaken as he pursued the question.

But Shouzhen clearly harbored a great taboo and did not explain further, instead continuing,

"Third, Tian Sheng Lake will enter a state of preparation to welcome the imminent opening of the Greater Universe."

Wutian asked, "Who are we going to war with? Aren't all the Dao Academies focusing on Daluotian?"

As the Dao Ancestor of Tian Sheng Lake's Greater Universe, Wutian received the news before Ji Anquan and others.

Someone within the Five Pillars openly declared that the Greater Universe, entangled by the Misty Sea, should be abandoned, and all the core forces of the Dao Academies should migrate to Daluotian.

"This is the crux of the issue",

Shouzhen's eyes were deep with meaning,

"We cannot completely abandon everything we have now to gamble with them. The fifty-three Jambudvipas are the foundation of Tian Sheng Lake's past and present, and the Greater Universe will be the foundation of its future."

Wutian said solemnly, "I have heard that some want to refine the Greater Universe entirely into the foundation of Daluotian."

According to this, those people not only want to abandon the Greater Universe but also to completely drain its value.

If this plan is implemented, the Greater Universe will become a dead land, with all its "essence" condensed into Daluotian.

Shouzhen said coolly, "So, if necessary, there might be wars between the Holy Beings, and even among the Five Pillars."

Wutian: "There are Holy Beings who support this idea?"

"Of course."

Shouzhen nodded.

"The Five Pillars are not lacking in followers. They are still the most transcendent beings in this world."

"Now that the Five Pillars have gradually awakened, many ancient deities have also returned, but things are different from the past. The existence of the various Saints has occupied the territories they once held."

"So this will be the first war for influence after the awakening of the Grand Universe and the return of the Five Pillars."

Wutian immediately understood the essence of everything.

What about Daluotian, the Grand Universe...

It was all just an excuse.

The true nature of this war is a conflict between the new generation of powerful figures and the old generation, a struggle for future influence!

Among them, there are also unknown powerful figures who might be lurking behind the scenes.

Wutian suppressed his thoughts and said, "Master Ancestor, my main body needs your assistance."

Shouzhen raised his head and said, "The Taiyin lineage is putting pressure on your Yanhuang Federation?"

Wutian shook his head. "My main body hopes you can help protect its path."

"Oh?" Shouzhen couldn't help but feel pleased. "Finally breaking through to Celestial King, huh? You're not far off either, right?"

Wutian's accumulation reached its peak a decade ago, thanks to his status as the founder of a sect, and his speed surpassed the Divine Prohibitions of other sects. However, due to the limitations of his divided self, he couldn't take the final step.

"Perfect. Once you break through to Celestial King, this great battle will require your presence."

Suddenly, Shouzhen frowned slightly. "Your main body has a deeper foundation than you, right? Breaking through to Celestial King still requires my help to protect its path? What about Xuanji and Wanxiang?"

Although the alliance where the Yanhuang Federation is located is not united, there are still True Emperors who fully support them, such as the Xuanji True Emperor and the Wanxiang Divine Lord.

Wutian said, "We've already persuaded the Xuanji True Emperor and the Wanxiang Divine Lord, but it's still not enough. This time, my main body's breakthrough to Celestial King will be different from the traditional path."

"Different? Still not enough?"

Shouzhen's interest was unusually piqued.

One True Emperor protecting the path is not enough?

"What Great Dao is your main body preparing to establish? The Dao of Ten Thousand Phenomena, or directly to the Dao of No Phenomena? Or perhaps the already established Cause and Effect Great Dao?"

Ever since the battle twenty years ago, the Yanhuang Federation has been thoroughly investigated by all sides, and Ji Jingqiu was naturally included.

Many powerful figures believed that these three paths were the most likely for Ji Jingqiu to follow.

When Ji Jingqiu displayed the Cause and Effect Great Dao he had opened, many powerful figures thought he had already advanced to Celestial King.

But it was later proven that Ji Jingqiu did not choose the Cause and Effect Dao as the foundation for his Celestial King breakthrough.

"My main body is preparing to open a path", Wutian added. "A path that opens the heavens."

Shouzhen's expression remained calm at first, almost matter-of-factly, but his face suddenly changed when he heard the second part.

He stared intently at Wutian Daoist and said in a deep voice:

"Say that again!"

"My main body has opened a new step between Seated Oblivion and Fetal Breath, allowing Heavenly Persons to break through to Celestial King more perfectly. This mental cultivation is sufficient to support the Illusory Great Dao of Celestial King, eliminating the need for Unifying with a World to nourish oneself."

Upon hearing this, Shouzhen abruptly stood up.

"Another realm between Fetal Breath and Seated Oblivion?" Shouzhen murmured, looking at Wutian. "Does it have a name?"

"Guard Void and Stillness."

"Guard Void and Stillness... the Dao gathers the void, and the heart remains still?"

With Shouzhen's Daoist cultivation, just hearing Ji Jingqiu's name for this realm gave him a glimpse of its true meaning.

And if what Wutian said was true, the layout of Sanqian Yafuti would be significantly altered.

In the past, because Celestial Kings needed to Unify with a World to nourish themselves, most Celestial Kings were born within major powers.

Even within these powers, there were often not enough Celestial King positions, and many Heavenly Man Perfections with the potential to break through were held back before reaching Celestial King.

Even if they broke through forcefully, the lack of a world to support them meant they had no room for further advancement and faced disasters.

If Ji Jingqiu opened a Mental Realm that could free Celestial Kings from these 'shackles,' the number of Celestial Kings in various sects would not necessarily skyrocket, but it would at least increase by twenty to thirty percent.

And the upcoming war...

Shouzhen suddenly said, "How many Heavenly Man Perfections from the Xuanji Heaven and the Wanxiang Divine Kingdom are assisting your main body's Path Opening?"

Xuanji Heaven has seven Heavenly Man Perfections who have already grasped the true essence of Guard Void and Stillness. The Wanxiang Divine Kingdom has fewer, with only four. All eleven of them have a chance to advance to Guard Void and Stillness and become Celestial Kings.

Shouzhen nodded and said, "Have Wuju select the Heavenly Man Perfections within the sect, choosing those with clean backgrounds, and let them follow you to comprehend the true essence of this realm—can Celestial Kings also grasp it?"

"Of course they can."

Shouzhen nodded again, "Prepare the Celestial Kings within the sect who have yet to break through Seated Oblivion."

Wutian's eyes showed a hint of surprise, "Is this decision too hasty, Ancestor?"

Shouzhen smiled, "Isn't this what you came to seek from me? Why, now that I've agreed, you're complaining about how quickly I decided?"

Wutian was speechless.

To open a path for the world, the main entity must embed this realm into the foundational rules of the great universe.

Achieving this is difficult with the main entity's current realm.

Theoretically, this is the step for a Celestial King to advance to Heavenly Venerable.

This step might be even more challenging.

The main entity clearly cannot wait to reach the peak of Celestial King, let alone Heavenly Venerable, before planning to open a path.

Therefore, the best solution is to spread the teachings.

This means allowing more Martial Practitioners to reach this step.

Especially the Heavenly Man Perfections, who can grasp the true essence of Guard Void and Stillness in advance. When they step into the Celestial King realm and gain the approval of heaven and earth, they will subtly integrate this realm into the cosmic rules.

This will make the main entity's subsequent path opening much easier.

"I understand", Shouzhen nodded, already formulating a plan in his mind, "If he truly has the ambition to become the Dao Ancestor of the era, I will lend him a helping hand."

"Thank you, Ancestor."

Shouzhen gave one final reminder, "Tell Ji Jingqiu that his breakthrough might become a trigger for the rivalry among the powers. He must be well-prepared, at least to form a good relationship with one of the Five Pillars."

Wutian thought about it, and the most suitable one at the moment was the Holy King.

As for the other one who had already returned, the Void Emperor...

He seemed dissatisfied with the two void titans of the Yanhuang Federation.

This one was the first void titan born in the great universe's starry sky, truly named Six Heavens Ancestor Dragon.

All subsequent void titans can trace their origins to this one.

...

...

On this day.

The twenty years of peace promised by Mushi Tian had passed, and the great universe entered its second revival.

The Great Dao boomed, and in the vast, uninhabited depths of the endless starry sky, countless rays of light burst forth, with various strange lights dancing and countless black holes appearing and disappearing.

The sounds of sacrifices, chants, divine and demonic voices, the sounds of the Great Dao, and the sounds of heaven and earth...

All these ancient sounds, etched in history, rang out together, and boundless chaos energy surged.

Countless Martial Practitioners clearly sensed that an invisible shackle above their heads had been released.

On this day.

Celestial Kings from all realms flooded into the great universe, rushing deep into the starry sky to seek the opportunities that arose with the awakening of the Great Dao.

Ji Jingqiu, well-prepared, had already entered the depths of the universe, using the strange lights formed by various Great Dao to temper his body.

He sat cross-legged in the depths of the starry sky, his eyes closed, his black hair flowing, and his presence growing even more majestic. His body seemed to resonate with heaven and earth, with countless rays of light swirling around him.

In his body, the areas where his five major organs were located emitted the brightest light, exuding an immortal aura and showing signs of forming a small world.

In the depths of each of these worlds, a deity sat in meditation.

The five worlds merged into a clear, unified world, where a divine embryo had already been born, transforming into a vague, majestic figure.

Around Ji Jingqiu, thirteen beings of various forms sat in a circle, centered around him.

These were the beings Ji Jingqiu had rescued from the Sea of Burial.

Each of them was at least a Heavenly Man Perfection in their prime, and some were even Celestial Kings, but they had all fallen to the Heavenly Person realm.

At this moment.

They were all forced into a state of enlightenment.

Each one was intensely focused, fully grasping the true essence that Ji Jingqiu was teaching, not daring to relax for a moment.

This was because—

"I not only saved you but will also spread the teachings to you."

"But if you fail to meet my requirements, you will be my bait. With the karma and cause and effect from your past sins, I will gain much in the Misty Sea."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end