Chapter 472: The Death of Taicang, the Rise of Dahuang

Chapter 472: The Death of Taicang, the Rise of Dahuang

Upon hearing this, Li Xuan knew that Tianzi was about to reveal the reason behind the changes in the world, as well as the fate of Taicang, the legendary figure.

Had such a renowned figure truly perished?

Li Xuan recalled the scenes that Xu Yan had witnessed across the wilderness, and that majestic figure that loomed large. Could that have been Taicang? If someone as formidable as Taicang had fallen, what kind of formidable foe could be responsible?

Furthermore, it was highly likely that even the combined might of Taicang and his six companions had failed to overcome this mysterious entity.

"Taicang and the others detected a powerful presence emanating from the deepest reaches of the Unchanging Earth, approaching their realm. However, it suddenly halted its advance and lingered within the Unchanging Earth," Tianzi continued. "At first, Taicang believed it to be a powerful Unchanging True Spirit lurking within, and thus, they didn't pay it much heed."

"Time passed, and one day, an immensely powerful force rippled through the outer reaches of the Unchanging Earth. Taicang immediately prepared to investigate."

"But then, the unexpected happened," Tianzi said, his expression turning solemn. "The Furnace Cloud realm was annihilated. Everything within it was devoured, including its ruler, Furnace Cloud himself. One of the Seven Great Realms, along with its multitude of powerful beings, simply ceased to exist."

"This shocked Taicang and his companions deeply. They realized the gravity of the situation and set out to track down the source of that powerful presence. But it seemed to be deliberately evading them."

Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat. The Furnace Cloud realm, one of the Seven Great Realms, had been obliterated just like that? And its ruler, Furnace Cloud, was gone as well?

"Perhaps," Li Xuan mused, "the destruction of the Furnace Cloud realm was part of a grander scheme?"

Tianzi continued with the tale.

Taicang and the others, frustrated in their attempts to track down the source of the powerful presence, returned to their realms. However, they remained vigilant, pledging to aid each other should any of their realms come under threat.

Time passed, and eventually, Wu Mo, second only to Taicang in strength, encountered a formidable foe and sustained severe injuries, barely escaping with his life.

But Wu Mo discovered something crucial—the remains of the fallen Furnace Cloud, and the one responsible for his demise.

Within the Unchanging Earth, a mysterious temple had appeared, known as the Temple of Unchanging. It seemed to have emerged from the depths of the Unchanging Earth and drifted aimlessly.

The annihilation of the Furnace Cloud realm was linked to the powerful beings within this temple. Their goal was to invade and devour the Seven Great Realms.

The Temple of Unchanging posed a formidable threat, and even Taicang could not guarantee victory against them.

As the situation escalated, the crisis facing the realms became increasingly dire. Eventually, Taicang and his allies, after thorough preparations, launched an assault on the Temple of Unchanging.

"Taicang knew he might not survive the battle," Tianzi said, his voice heavy with emotion. "He feared that his realm, the Taicang realm, would be invaded and annihilated, so he left some contingencies in place."

"Those scoundrels tricked me into coming here," Tianzi grumbled. "They fed me delicious food and entertained me, only to lock me away here, fearing that I might be discovered. They knew that due to my existence as the spirit of this realm, invading and conquering it would be exceedingly difficult unless I was eliminated."

"That battle was devastating," Tianzi continued, his voice cracking. "Even though I didn't participate, I know that Taicang is truly gone. He perished in that confrontation."

At this point, Tianzi couldn't hold back his tears any longer.

Even Li Xuan fell silent, overwhelmed by the realization that someone as mighty as Taicang had met his end.

Just how formidable were the adversaries from the Temple of Unchanging?

"I must not grow complacent or overconfident," Li Xuan thought to himself. "My current strength pales in comparison to Taicang's, let alone the might of the Temple of Unchanging. If I were to encounter them, my death would be certain."

"Although I have transcended the boundaries of this realm," he continued his internal monologue, "I will remain hidden within the Taicang realm until my strength surpasses that of Taicang and the adversaries from the Temple of Unchanging."

Li Xuan's heart was filled with trepidation.

However, despite Taicang's demise, the Taicang realm remained unscathed. Although there had been some disturbances, it had not suffered any catastrophic damage.

This was a testament to Taicang's prowess, and it suggested that the battle had likely taken a heavy toll on the invaders from the Temple of Unchanging as well.

Tianzi wiped away his tears and continued to grumble, his resentment toward Taicang evident. "That scoundrel Taicang, to protect the beings of this realm, locked me away for so long. He promised he would return soon, claiming that his opponent was no match for him. And now he's gone and left me here."

"I no longer believe that Taicang was invincible," Tianzi said bitterly. "He was useless! If this realm is destined to perish, so be it. Why did he have to sacrifice himself?"

Tianzi's heart was filled with anger and grief. "If I had the power, I would reshape this realm. Taicang is dead, and this realm no longer belongs to him!"

Tianzi's words carried a mix of anger and sorrow.

He continued to ramble on, recounting the details of that fateful battle and the subsequent changes that occurred within the Taicang realm.

Now, the remnants of the Wu Mo and Ming Yu realms were likely to have thrown their lot in with the Unchanging Temple, seeking to invade and occupy the Taicang realm.

Of course, Tianzi, locked away as he was, could not know the full details.

"After that battle, the Taicang realm was in turmoil for a long time, and some changes occurred. For example, my current location is at the border of the Taicang realm, where the spirit of the realm is absent, and the spiritual energy has become violent."

"I also know why Taicang made such a decision. By making the border seem like it had suffered a heavy blow, he diverted attention and ensured that no one would discover that I was being kept here..."

Tianzi sighed, then continued with resentment, "But Taicang was so cruel! All the things he left for me are gone, and now even my last bed is gone. How am I supposed to live like this from now on?"

Then, Tianzi looked at Li Xuan with pleading eyes and said, "Senior, is there anything you can do?"

Li Xuan smiled in surprise and said, "This may actually be a good thing for you. Since you're hidden here, why expose yourself?

"Setting you free would be easy for me, but you should consider this: after being hidden for so long, are you really willing to give up your secrecy?"

Even though the Taicang realm appeared to be safe for now, Li Xuan couldn't be sure if exposing Tianzi would attract the attention of the powerful being from the Unchanging Temple.

He was uncertain if he could defeat that enemy even with the full power of the Taicang realm at his disposal, despite his current level of attainment, his various divine abilities, and the Wuxijiedao Sword in his possession.

Therefore, he couldn't afford to let Tianzi go free just yet, but he could certainly plan for it.

"What choice do I have but to endure? I don't want to stay locked up here for another moment. Taicang is such a jerk; he just died and left me here to suffer," Tianzi complained bitterly.

"Of course, I know who I should really hate is that terrifying guy. But he's too strong; I can't beat him. Otherwise, I'd make him pay for what he's done to me.

"If it weren't for him, would I, Tianzi, have had to endure such suffering for so many years?"

The mere mention of the Unchanging Temple's powerful being filled Tianzi with resentment.

After all, in a sense, Taicang was like a father to him, having created him.

"Those who followed Taicang are all useless! After so many years, not a single one of them has broken through the limits and reached Taicang's level?" Tianzi grumbled angrily.

"The changes in the Taicang realm, the formation of the border wastelands, the inner realm, and the spirit realm—it's all to cultivate a new master of the realm. And those guys, they're either doing nothing or plotting their own schemes..."

"The core of the Taicang realm used to be the three hundred realms of the Dao Domain. And those realm lords are all jerks..." Tianzi's anger grew as he ranted, occasionally lamenting about his own miserable situation.

Li Xuan remained silent, knowing that Tianzi was trying to gain his sympathy.

"The three hundred realms of the Dao Domain... but there aren't that many left now," Li Xuan thought to himself.

Each of the three hundred realms was like a small world unto itself.

Undoubtedly, these realms had been created by the followers of Taicang, the previous masters of small worlds.

Li Xuan had also come to understand the extent of the Taicang realm's martial might.

"Tianhe, Shenzun, Zizun, and Realm Lord... Now, the Realm Lords are the strongest in the Taicang realm, while Taicang and the other six were Masters of the World.

"Realm Lords were once also known as Small World Masters.

"Taicang was the strongest among the Masters of the World, and the being from the Unchanging Temple surpasses even them."

Li Xuan assessed the situation in his mind.

"My martial arts have reached a level comparable to the Shenzun and Zizun stages of the Worldly Realm. If I achieve perfection in the Worldly Realm, I will have the power of a Zizun. My current Attainment State is equivalent to that of a Realm Lord.

"There is a huge gap between the Zizun and Realm Lord stages, and the power between the Worldly Realm and the Attainment State is also vastly different.

"If I achieve perfection or completion in the Attainment State, could I defeat Taicang?" Li Xuan asked himself.

Even if he reached the pinnacle of the Attainment State, he doubted he could defeat Taicang, but he should at least be able to match him. Among the other six Masters of the World, he should be able to slay the weakest one. Of course, there would also be varying degrees of strength among the Realm Lords.

At this moment, Li Xuan had a clear understanding of the situation.

Normally, the Establishment of the Dao Realm was equivalent to a Realm Lord, or perhaps slightly stronger. However, he wasn't an ordinary cultivator at this level, which was why he possessed such power within the Establishment of the Dao Realm.

"However, it's not impossible to find another path to enhance one's strength further before breaking through to the next realm."

With this thought, Li Xuan turned to Tianzi, who had been grumbling and crying, and said with a smile, "Little friend, you are the spirit of the Taicang world. Do you want to strengthen the Taicang world?

"Do you want to make it so that those who covet this world will not be able to lay a finger on it?"

Tianzi immediately became spirited at the mention of this.

"Senior, I want to! I dream of it!"

Li Xuan stood up and walked out of the small stone house, with Tianzi following him subconsciously. Astonishingly, Tianzi walked out of the small stone house and even passed through the palace that covered it.

At this moment, Tianzi's heart stirred, and the shackles that bound him seemed to loosen slightly!

Li Xuan looked up at the sky and said with a smile, "As I said, this world lacks something, and it is also too weak. But you can make up for what is missing."

"If I make up for what's missing, will I die?"

Tianzi couldn't help but shrink his neck.

"No."

Li Xuan smiled brilliantly, patting Tianzi's shoulder, and said, "I came to the Taicang world to travel, and my heart was moved. I took on a few disciples, and they are growing.

"The martial arts I teach is called the Great Wilderness Martial Arts, and the inner domain is now the Great Wilderness.

"What this world lacks must be made up for. Since Taicang is dead, only you can do it now."

Tianzi asked curiously, "Senior, you've been saying that this world lacks something. What is it that's missing?"

Li Xuan turned back and said, "The Dao!"

The Dao!

Tianzi was stunned, muttering, "The Dao?"

"That's right, the Dao!"

Li Xuan nodded and said, "The Taicang world only has the rules of the Dao, appearing orderly and operating smoothly. Yet, it ultimately lacks the Dao of Heaven. If the Dao of Heaven exists, it should govern the sun and the moon, and the world should continually strengthen, expand, and maintain balance..."

Li Xuan began to impart to Tianzi the concept of the Dao that he had contemplated.

"You are the spirit of this world, so you are suitable to merge with the Dao of this world and become the Dao itself. However, as you are new to the Dao, it's not advisable to operate the entire Taicang world just yet.

"Since Taicang is dead, this world is no longer the Taicang world, and it can also conceal your true identity. You can even shed the karma of your past..."

Li Xuan began to persuade Tianzi, explaining how powerful the Dao was, how it governed the world, how it was revered by all living beings, how it strengthened itself, and how it continued to strengthen the world.

Tianzi's eyes lit up as he listened, and he excitedly said, "Senior, I want to be the Dao! Please teach me!"

"Oh, you want to be the Dao? Then what kind of Dao do you want to be?"

Li Xuan asked with a smile.

Tianzi's expression turned solemn as he said earnestly, "Taicang is dead, and the Great Wilderness shall rise. I am the Great Wilderness Dao!"

Li Xuan secretly nodded, thinking that Tianzi was indeed quick-witted.

"It's good that you have such determination. Since that's the case, this Dao Ancestor will teach you the methods of the Dao, how to become the Dao itself. Of course, if you're too foolish to comprehend it, then it would mean that you are not destined for the Dao."

Li Xuan nodded.

"Rest assured, Senior Dao Ancestor, I have high talent!"

Tianzi boasted confidently.

"Let's hope so," Li Xuan said.

He didn't mention taking Tianzi as his disciple, but Tianzi's true strength within the Taicang world was stronger than those of the Realm Lords by a significant margin, after all, he was the spirit of the world.

"Dao Ancestor Senior, you're teaching me the methods of the Dao, so from now on, I am the Great Wilderness Dao, and you, Dao Ancestor, are the Great Wilderness Martial Ancestor! Then, does that make me, Tianzi, your disciple... errand boy?"

Tianzi scratched his head, choosing his words carefully.

"It's up to you!"

Li Xuan smiled wryly.

"Then it's settled. I, Tianzi, am the errand boy under Dao Ancestor!"

Tianzi said joyfully.

Li Xuan shook his head, amused by Tianzi's quick wit.

"As the spirit of this world, wanting to become the Dao is much simpler. The methods of the Dao are also straightforward. Initially, you will use the Dao rules of the Taicang world as your foundation, but you won't completely follow them..."

A book appeared in Li Xuan's hand.

It was the Taicang Book!

Tianzi was taken aback, and his expression suddenly became a bit dejected as he sighed, "Taicang indeed left a backup plan. He wants future cultivators to walk in his footsteps, become the new master of the Taicang world, and protect it!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end