Chapter 390 : Great Luo Heaven Stirred
Chapter 390: Great Luo Heaven Stirred
“Speaking of which, there has always been a question in Yunzhi’s heart. It may be somewhat presumptuous.”
Mu Yunzhi’s eyes shifted as her gaze fell on Chen Beiwu, and she spoke softly：“I’m not sure whether I should ask.”
“Since it is presumptuous, True Monarch Mu can simply not ask.”
As soon as Chen Beiwu said this, everyone present, including Mo Yuan, was somewhat surprised.
‘Interesting. With such a straightforward personality, how exactly did this person become Chief Disciple!’
Mo Yuan’s eyes brightened slightly, and the appreciation in his gaze toward Chen Beiwu deepened.
Straightforward was good. Straightforward was excellent.
Prodigies who were unmoved by feminine charms and possessed frank temperaments were often the most suitable people to interact and discuss the Dao with.
Conversely, those cultivators whose attitudes were warm and friendly and who chatted merrily on the surface were often duplicitous and unsuitable for deep friendship.
‘The way Chief Disciple handles things really is difficult to evaluate!’ A Yuqing prodigy’s expression stiffened slightly, wishing he could take Chen Beiwu’s place.
True Monarch Myriad Threads Mu Yunzhi possessed profound cultivation. She was both a major figure of lofty status and a peerless beauty of extraordinary grace who inspired admiration in countless cultivators.
Faced with such a powerhouse, such a beauty, who had voluntarily lowered her posture and asked with a radiant smile, Chen Beiwu, as Chief Disciple of the Immortal Sect, should reasonably have humored her with a few words, even if only out of courtesy.
But Chen Beiwu was something else entirely. He gave her no face whatsoever and directly threw back a single sentence of ‘if it’s presumptuous, don’t ask’.
Hearing this, the faint smile at the corners of Mu Yunzhi’s lips stiffened slightly before quickly returning to normal.
Her thoughts were exquisite, and she had experienced many storms. Before speaking, she had already anticipated all kinds of answers Chen Beiwu might give, yet who could have imagined that this young prodigy would be so arrogant and so utterly oblivious to romance.
But Mu Yunzhi did not become embarrassed or angry like an ordinary cultivator. Instead, she nodded slightly, her smile becoming even gentler：“Chief Chen is right. Yunzhi was indeed being presumptuous.”
This response once again stunned several Yuqing prodigies watching the show.
That was it?
Where was the dignity of a Nascent Soul True Monarch? Why not use guidance and Dao discussion as an excuse to have a spar and immediately start fighting!
This seemed somewhat inconsistent with the rumored temperament of True Monarch Myriad Threads?
Chen Beiwu gave Mu Yunzhi a deep look and was not surprised.
Nascent Soul True Monarchs possessed lifespans exceeding two thousand years and held lofty status, already counting as middle-to-high-ranking figures of the Immortal Alliance.
Leaving everything else aside, their ability to maintain composure certainly could not be shallow.
Most powerhouses capable of becoming Nascent Soul True Monarchs within the Immortal Alliance had experienced many great storms, and their mental acuity and depth of thought far exceeded ordinary people.
Ordinary verbal clashes were probably no different from children playing in the eyes of old Nascent Soul monsters and could not shake their emotions in the slightest.
However, newly advanced True Monarch prodigies like Mu Yunzhi could not quite achieve the same unfathomable depth of mind as those old Nascent Soul monsters, and occasionally a trace of almost imperceptible emotional fluctuation would still appear.
There was only one point Chen Beiwu found somewhat strange, even difficult to understand.
Clearly, Mu Yunzhi’s Fate was quite good. Even though her chances of becoming a Divine Transformation True Venerable in the future were slim, she was still a peerless prodigy rarely found within an Immortal Sect.
Yet after interacting with her at close range, a sense of vigilance inexplicably arose in his heart：
‘It would be best to avoid this person and not form a deep friendship!’
Otherwise, Chen Beiwu would not have made Mu Yunzhi understand what ‘presumptuous’ meant with a single sentence.
“Since that’s the case, Yunzhi will ask a different question.”
Mu Yunzhi paused slightly before continuing：“As far as I know, advanced-study slots in the Grotto-Heavens are extraordinarily precious. I wonder how Chief Chen obtained an advanced-study slot in Supreme Yin Grotto-Heaven?”
“I’m not clear about that either.” Chen Beiwu answered concisely：“If True Monarch Mu has the leisure, you can ask the Holy Maiden of Supreme Yin and resolve the doubt in my heart as well.”
Mu Yunzhi was immediately rendered speechless.
This person truly was impervious to both soft and hard approaches.
If she were capable of establishing a relationship with the Holy Maiden of Supreme Yin, why would she have come to Yuqing Immortal Sect for advanced study?
“Buzz!”
Just then, a cultivator sitting on a meditation cushion opened his eyes, confusion showing within them.
Immediately afterward, he came back to his senses and voluntarily stood up to yield his place.
Chen Beiwu took a step forward, his intent moving slightly as he activated the Cleansing Technique to clean the meditation cushion before slowly sitting down.
‘Have you offended Chen Beiwu before?’
Mo Yuan transmitted through Divine Sense, sounding rather interested.
‘How could that be possible? Today is the first time we’ve met.’ Mu Yunzhi was equally puzzled inwardly.
No matter what, she was still a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
Even if Chen Beiwu was Chief Disciple of Yuqing Immortal Sect with boundless prospects, there was no reason for his attitude to be this cold.
In the next second, another cultivator stood up.
‘Fellow Daoist Mo, let me observe first. I’ll owe you a small favor.’
Before Mo Yuan could answer, Mu Yunzhi’s figure flashed and landed upon the meditation cushion.
Seeing this, Mo Yuan helplessly shook his head.
Without question, Chen Beiwu’s earlier words and actions had aroused Mu Yunzhi’s competitive spirit, and she wanted to use this opportunity for observation to determine who was superior.
But cultivation belonged to oneself. In Mo Yuan’s view, this kind of competition actually held little meaning.
……
Day after day passed, and soon half a month had gone by.
“Buzz!”
A Dao sound that seemed both real and unreal suddenly rang out.
The cultivators present were startled and immediately looked toward Chen Beiwu.
When a stele produced an unusual sound, it was a sign that the Dao was being transmitted.
Could it be that Chen Beiwu was about to comprehend the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele and realize a Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene?
But gradually, everyone discovered that the strange Dao sound did not come from Chen Beiwu, but from Mu Yunzhi, whose eyes were tightly closed, whose aura had entered meditation, and who was faintly resonating with the Scenic Stele.
‘Hiss, how is that possible!’
A Yuqing prodigy took a deep breath, unable to conceal the shock on his face.
Among the fifty-four Supreme Scenic Steles, the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele was the undisputed foremost.
Countless astonishingly talented prodigies of the sect had sat before this stele, attempting to observe the Dao Rhythm of the Supreme Scenic Stele of Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao, yet ultimately returned in defeat.
Without exaggeration, those capable of observing this stele without suffering backlash from its Scenic Artistic Conception were already prodigies as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns within the sect；
Those capable of causing this stele to produce a Dao sound appeared perhaps once every several generations and could be called peerless prodigies；
Those capable of understanding even a little of this stele’s True Intent and obtaining a few traces of its profundity were mostly powerhouses who had reached Nascent Soul Great Perfection and were listed in the Yuqing Sequence Golden Register；
Those capable of triggering a phenomenon from this stele, gaining its recognition, entering the State of Enlightenment, and obtaining the Yuanshi Heavenly-Gang Dao Source were mostly Divine Transformation True Venerables of the sect.
However, although Heavenly-Gang Dao Source was profound and unfathomable and possessed inconceivable power, allowing Golden Core Great Perfection cultivators to forge Dao-Seed Nascent Souls and Nascent Soul True Monarchs to repair the foundations of their Yang Spirits and develop Heavenly-Gang characteristics, it was useless to existences like Divine Transformation True Venerables.
‘Fairy Mu has only recently advanced to True Monarch yet can already make the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele produce a Dao sound. If her cultivation reaches True Monarch Great Perfection, wouldn’t she be able to comprehend the True Intent of the Chaos Stele and obtain its profundities?’
A subtle emotion arose in the heart of one Yuqing cultivator.
If an advanced-study True Monarch from another sect were allowed to shine brilliantly in the Taiyuan Heavenly Realm and suppress Yuqing’s Chief Disciple, wouldn’t that prove Yuqing Immortal Sect had no one capable?
Sensing the thoughts of the surrounding cultivators, Mo Yuan remained calm. His gaze passed over Mu Yunzhi and landed on Chen Beiwu.
Deep wariness filled his eyes, along with even a few traces of almost imperceptible admiration.
How laughable. These cultivators with shallow cultivation could not even properly observe intent, mistaking green leaves for spirit flowers!
Those capable of inducing unusual sounds from the Dao Stele were indeed rare, but those capable of understanding the True Intent of the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele and obtaining its profundities were even more extraordinary.
At this very moment, within Mo Yuan’s Divine Sense perception, Chen Beiwu’s figure had already vanished, transforming into an intangible, formless, unfathomable object of chaos.
‘The younger generation truly inspires awe!’ Mo Yuan sighed inwardly.
Throughout his long cultivation life, he had seen countless astonishingly talented cultivation prodigies.
For Chen Beiwu to achieve this much and forge a Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene ahead of time while still in the Golden Core realm already placed him among the top ten prodigies Mo Yuan had ever seen.
One should not underestimate this ranking!
The Grotto-Heaven Grand Competition was held once every three hundred years and divided participating prodigies into Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul levels for Dao discussions.
Mo Yuan had once participated in the Grotto-Heaven Grand Competition（Foundation Establishment Level）Dao discussion and had also been a live spectator, watching the Golden Core and Nascent Soul level Dao discussions.
For Chen Beiwu, as Yuqing Chief Disciple, to rank among the top ten meant that in terms of talent and aptitude, he had already surpassed the vast majority of prodigies from the Five Great Grotto-Heavens.
While everyone’s thoughts raced, Chen Beiwu’s mind had already completely merged into the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele. The Yuanshi Golden Core within his body and the Embryonic Yang Spirit at his Spirit Platform also blossomed with unprecedented radiance.
At this moment, the Mustard Spirit Ring trembled slightly and summoned three figures.
Reacting exactly like Chen Beiwu, after Golden Egg, Iron Egg, and the Five Qi Vine appeared, their eyelids grew heavy and their eyes slowly closed.
They appeared to have their souls leave their bodies and wander beyond the heavens, but in reality, through the resonance of the Companion Contract, they were helping Chen Beiwu forge his Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
In an instant, deafening rumbling sounds simultaneously echoed within the hearts of every cultivator present, making their minds tremble slightly.
Immediately afterward, a Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene impossible to describe with words slowly unfolded and imprinted itself into everyone’s minds.
Within the Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene, a Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Tree rooted itself in the Nine Netherworlds, its trunk supporting the heavens. With supreme Dao Rhythm, it suppressed the four extremities of heaven and earth and the Innate Five Elements Qi, causing them to mutually generate and evolve in an endless cycle.
At the summit of the Five-Elements Ancestral Tree, a Three-Aspect True Dragon with three majestic dragon heads divided the Three Realms, using Primordial Yuanshi Qi to evolve the Three Treasures of heaven and earth and construct countless forms of life such as mountains, rivers, peaks, valleys, vegetation, insects, and fish.
Then the scene abruptly changed as day and night reversed.
A Great Sun containing endless light and heat occupied the Heavenly Realm, radiating majestic divine might that illuminated all spirits and cleansed away Yin filth.
Facing this Great Sun, those with profound cultivation could faintly see within it an enormous hound filled with divinity.
But some cultivators harboring filthy thoughts changed expression slightly and subconsciously retreated several steps, afraid they might be reduced to ashes beneath the Great Sun’s divine might.
Yet when they reacted, they felt ashamed that they had actually been intimidated by a mere Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene.
‘Yuanshi as the foundation, the Five Elements revolving, dividing the Three Realms, independently establishing sun and moon. How is this the Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene of a Golden Core True Person? This is clearly a complete minor world, or perhaps the embryonic form of a Yuanshi Dharma Aspect!’
Mo Yuan’s breath caught as stormy waves surged through his heart.
Heavenly-Gang meant harmonizing with the Heavenly-Gang of the great celestial cycle, comprehending the principles of stars shifting in the heavens, commanding thunder and lightning, summoning wind and rain, and creating a True Realm.
Such True Realms appeared to be worlds opened by Nascent Soul True Monarchs, but in reality they were merely Secret Realms created and divided by Nascent Soul True Monarchs using the Great Dao of heaven and earth. They were born dependent on heaven and earth and would also perish because of heaven and earth, so they could not be considered complete worlds.
The Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene evolved by Chen Beiwu appeared illusory, yet in reality it used the heart as a mirror to reflect the two Landscapes and used the spirit as a brush, borrowing the power of the Companions to construct an integrated heaven-and-earth cosmos.
The conception of this cosmos was extremely profound, taking the myriad Daos as fuel and Chen Beiwu’s own will as the guide. It could already be called the embryonic form of a Supreme Scenic Landscape.
‘Extraordinary, truly extraordinary!’
Mo Yuan took a deep breath, and his expression gradually returned to calm.
Chen Beiwu’s heart was far too ambitious. He walked a domineering path, taking heaven and earth themselves as his Dharma Aspect.
If he succeeded, even if he never became a Divine Transformation True Venerable, he could still leave a profound mark upon the history of the Immortal Alliance.
That was right. The moment Mo Yuan saw Chen Beiwu’s Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene, he concluded that Chen Beiwu would find it difficult to attain the Dao as a Divine Transformation True Venerable.
Even though Chen Beiwu was publicly recognized by the Immortal Alliance as possessing the potential for Divine Transformation!
There was no other reason. Attaining the Dao as a Divine Transformation True Venerable required both illuminating karma completely and unifying with the Dharma Aspect, grasping the power of Law-Heaven Realm and reaching the terrifying state of “I am the Law, and the Law is me”.
But the Dharma Aspect Chen Beiwu comprehended was heaven and earth evolved from Primordial Chaos Yuanshi. In that case, no matter how powerful an individual became, how could he anchor the entirety of heaven and earth, merge with the entirety of heaven and earth, make himself become heaven and earth, and make heaven and earth become himself?
At least at this moment, Mo Yuan could not imagine how Chen Beiwu could possibly accomplish this in the future.
Even so, Mo Yuan still had not the slightest thought of looking down on Chen Beiwu, and his expression instead became increasingly solemn.
The reason was simple. If Chen Beiwu could successfully take this step in the future, he would have hope of attaining the position of Yuqing Sect Master and becoming an undisputed cultivation giant of the Immortal Alliance.
‘Fortunately, fortunately!’
Seeing this, several Yuqing prodigies breathed sighs of relief inwardly, looking toward Chen Beiwu with reverence.
True Monarch Myriad Threads inducing a Dao sound was certainly impressive, but such a phenomenon was still far from comparable to Chief Senior Brother’s.
It was secure!
Yet while everyone was satisfied and full of praise, Chen Beiwu’s eyes remained tightly closed.
Was inducing True Intent and obtaining the profundity of the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele enough?
What kind of joke was that? Seek high and obtain high, seek low and obtain low.
From beginning to end, Chen Beiwu had only one objective—the Heavenly-Gang Dao Source within the Supreme Scenic Stele.
‘Nine Breaths of Qi Absorption：Gather, Fortune, Dissolve, Suppress, Calamity, Position, Seal, Edict, Immortal!’
Chen Beiwu’s thoughts moved slightly as he activated the ‘Suppress’ Divine Ability to elevate his own fortune.
In the next instant, Chen Beiwu’s mind blurred. The Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele before him suddenly trembled and drew his Divine Sense inside.
At the same time, outside.
Yuqing Immortal Sect, Teaching Department.
Water vapor boiled as the fragrance of tea filled the air.
Jiang Chuan and He Zhengyu were discussing Yuqing Immortal Sect’s cross-realm conquest of an outer domain.
Suddenly, He Zhengyu frowned slightly and looked outside the window.
“Minister, what is it?”
Jiang Chuan noticed something and followed He Zhengyu’s gaze outside.
The clear and pristine sky suddenly began filling with faint purple clouds.
These purple clouds silently spread, and in merely an instant, they dyed the entire heavens an incomparably noble purple.
Under the illumination of the purple Qi filling the sky, countless dazzling golden lotuses appeared out of thin air throughout the entire mountain gate of Yuqing Immortal Sect.
These golden lotuses were not illusory objects, but had naturally condensed from the Dao Rhythm of heaven and earth.
Both the lotus platforms and petals were engraved with Dao patterns and emitted an intoxicating fragrance.
“Hiss, Purple Qi manifesting, golden lotuses descending to receive someone, could this be！”
Jiang Chuan’s pupils contracted slightly as he recalled a rumor known among the middle and upper echelons of Yuqing Immortal Sect.
“Correct. A sect prodigy has comprehended the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele and startled Great Luo Heaven.”
He Zhengyu took a sip of tea, unable to conceal the delight in his eyes.
He was the Minister of the Teaching Department.
For Yuqing Immortal Sect to produce such a prodigy could also be considered evidence that his supervision had been effective, allowing him to show his face before a Dao Venerable and gain some merit.
“Congratulations, Minister.” Jiang Chuan offered his congratulations.
“Congratulations to us both.” He Zhengyu did not use Mana. He picked up the teapot and personally poured Jiang Chuan a cup of tea.
He had not forgotten that Chen Beiwu had personally been recruited into the sect by True Monarch Jiang Chuan, so Jiang Chuan could also be counted as having earned some merit.
‘Could it be?’
True Monarch Jiang Chuan reacted, staring blankly at Minister He.
“Correct. It is exactly what you are thinking.”
He Zhengyu smiled, revealing a meaningful expression.