Chapter 391 : Dao Venerable Yuanshi
Chapter 391: Dao Venerable Yuanshi
Yuqing Immortal Sect, Vermilion Radiance Grotto-Heaven.
After Yu Zhaohua finished her cultivation, the Flintrock Coiled Dragon in front of her suddenly revealed a strange look in its eyes, faintly showing signs of restlessness.
“What a familiar fluctuation of the world's spiritual energy!”
Yu Zhaohua abruptly raised her head, her cold gaze instantly piercing through the restrictions of the cave residence.
Seeing the phenomenon of naturally born purple clouds and golden lotuses surging from the earth, a look of reminiscence appeared in Yu Zhaohua’s eyes.
Yu Zhaohua had personally witnessed this kind of phenomenon twice before. One time was during her full moon ceremony banquet, and the other was during her coming-of-age ceremony.
Precisely because of this, she knew very clearly what this scene represented.
Void-Refining Dao Venerables usually resided in Daluo Heaven, and their divine sense would never easily descend into the lower realms.
Once one appeared, it was either because they had encountered someone with destiny, intending to take them as a disciple and pass down their Dao lineage, or because they wished to enlighten a peerless prodigy within the sect who had the potential to achieve Void Refinement in the future.
Regardless of which possibility it was, it meant that a prodigy within the sect with the qualifications for Void Refinement had emerged.
‘Could it be him?’
For some unknown reason, Chen Beiwu’s figure suddenly surfaced in Yu Zhaohua’s mind, but she immediately rejected the thought subconsciously.
Chen Beiwu was indeed powerful, capable of suppressing her by a level and deserving the title of the foremost among Yuqing’s younger generation of the current era. He had the potential to achieve Divine Transformation in the future, but calling him someone with the qualifications for Void Refinement was still somewhat too exaggerated.
“Phew.”
Thinking of this, Yu Zhaohua exhaled a breath of turbid air, suppressing the thought of going over to investigate.
“Roar.”
The Flintrock Coiled Dragon extended its dragon claw and lightly touched the purple qi golden lotus. A profound and mysterious Dao’s Rhythm surged into its heart, yet it failed to gain even the slightest insight.
Seeing the confusion in the Flintrock Coiled Dragon’s eyes, Yu Zhaohua smiled and was not surprised.
What kind of existence was a Void-Refining Dao Venerable?
Even if the Flintrock Coiled Dragon was an outstanding existence among Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts, it was still extremely difficult for it to comprehend even a trace of a Dao Venerable’s Dao through the Dao’s Rhythm contained within the phenomenon.
“Hum!”
In the next instant, the restrictions of the cave residence were triggered, and a graceful female cultivator dressed in a plain white flowing cloud skirt, with picturesque brows and eyes, appeared before Yu Zhaohua.
“Mother, why have you come?” Yu Zhaohua hurriedly stood up, her eyes filled with surprise.
“With Chen Beiwu creating such a huge disturbance, how could your mother possibly not be alarmed?” Moonlight True Venerable’s tone was calm.
Yu Zhaohua’s eyelids twitched as she stared at Moonlight True Venerable without blinking.
“Mother, what do you mean?”
Yu Zhaohua took a deep breath. Without needing much conversation, she already understood what her mother was thinking.
“Purple qi comes from the east for thirty thousand miles, and golden lotuses illuminate Daluo Heaven.”
At this point, Moonlight True Venerable’s gaze became profound. “Yuqing Immortal Sect has not seen such a phenomenon for many years.”
“At this moment, it is not only your mother. Even those ancient existences within the sect who have been in seclusion for many years, seeking to achieve Void Refinement, have all been alarmed.”
After saying this, Moonlight True Venerable looked at Yu Zhaohua, her tone unable to conceal its seriousness. “Little Zhao, are you certain you do not want to reconsider?”
Yu Zhaohua stood frozen in place for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “Mother, my answer remains unchanged.”
“Chen Beiwu may be able to surpass your daughter for a moment, but he absolutely cannot surpass your daughter for a lifetime!”
Hearing this, Moonlight True Venerable’s brows slightly furrowed. “There are some things that, once missed, may be difficult to have another chance at.”
With Chen Beiwu’s current displayed aptitude, the Divine Transformation True Venerables within the sect would absolutely not mind pushing things along and helping the clan’s direct descendant form a destined marriage.
“Mother.” Yu Zhaohua replied without hesitation, “In my heart, there is only the Great Dao.”
“Foolish child, do as you see fit.” Moonlight True Venerable’s figure slowly faded away.
No one understood a daughter better than her mother.
If Yu Zhaohua truly had no intention, then even if Chen Beiwu’s talent and aptitude were stronger, and even if he could attract the favor of a Void-Refining Dao Venerable, she would not repeatedly bring up this matter.
……
As the range covered by the purple qi golden lotus phenomenon gradually expanded, figures within Yuqing Immortal Sect soared into the sky one after another, all revealing expressions of uncertainty and shock.
Taiyuan Heavenly Realm, within the Archives.
‘Good kid, I truly did not misjudge you!’
Yu Yuanlong chuckled, revealing a hint of pride.
‘Senior Brother Yu truly has a discerning eye.’
Han Zhongli offered a word of praise, his gaze directed toward the center of the vast purple qi. His tone changed as he said, “However, I wonder which existence from Daluo Heaven has descended into the lower realm at this moment?”
Hearing this, Yu Yuanlong’s expression became solemn. After pondering for a moment, he transmitted his divine sense: ‘It should be ** Dao Venerable.’
There were two Void-Refining Dao Venerables who had left supreme scenic landscape concepts on the Chaos Stele. One was the Southern Pole Dao Venerable, and the other was Dao Venerable Yuanshi. Both were ancient existences belonging to the source lineage of the Yuqing Dao Ancestor.
However, Southern Pole Dao Venerable had not involved himself in sect affairs for many years. Furthermore, Chen Beiwu had forged the Yuanshi Golden Core, making it easy to narrow down the possibilities.
Of course, to avoid being sensed for directly calling a Dao Venerable’s title and committing a taboo, Yu Yuanlong’s divine sense transmission used ** to replace Dao Venerable Yuanshi.
‘It is actually that Dao Venerable!’ Han Zhongli’s heart was shaken.
Among the sect’s Void-Refining Dao Venerables, Dao Venerable Yuanshi was undoubtedly the most supreme and honored.
If it truly was Dao Venerable Yuanshi’s divine sense descending into the lower realm, then even if Chen Beiwu was born from a humble background and only had the Dongming Changqing lineage supporting him from behind, he would still be able to effortlessly rank within the Yuqing Golden Register in the future.
Regarding this, Yu Yuanlong merely smiled calmly and remained silent.
Chen Beiwu had already become a disciple under True Venerable Changqing, and True Venerable Changqing himself inherited from Guangcheng Dao Venerable.
Considering Guangcheng Dao Venerable’s face, even if Dao Venerable Yuanshi personally descended this time, he would not possibly accept Chen Beiwu as his disciple. At most, he would simply offer some guidance.
In a certain sense, Chen Beiwu could also be said to have missed an opportunity, losing the chance to become Dao Venerable Yuanshi’s disciple.
Of course, gains and losses were determined by fate.
If Chen Beiwu had not become a disciple under True Venerable Changqing, he likely would not have been able to reach this step today.
Meanwhile, Han Zhongli stared blankly at the vast purple qi, his thoughts stirring slightly.
In the eyes of ordinary cultivators, a Divine Transformation True Venerable was already an existence standing at the peak of the Immortal Alliance, holding great authority.
Yet only those powerful beings who had reached the realm of Divine Transformation True Venerable knew that before a Void-Refining Dao Venerable, a Divine Transformation True Venerable was not an ant, but merely a slightly larger grasshopper. Normally, obtaining guidance from a Void-Refining Dao Venerable was already extremely difficult, let alone from an unparalleled existence like Dao Venerable Yuanshi.
Without exaggeration, if he could fortunately receive guidance from Dao Venerable Yuanshi even once, Han Zhongli would even be willing to pay five hundred years of lifespan as the price.
‘What a pity!’ Han Zhongli sighed inwardly.
Although he could also, like Chen Beiwu, trigger the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele and gain recognition from the phenomenon, he had relied on his powerful cultivation to accomplish it and was unable to obtain guidance from a Dao Venerable of the sect.
Otherwise, the fifty-four supreme scenic landscape steles within Taiyuan Heavenly Realm would not be available for later-generation prodigies to comprehend. Instead, they would be occupied by all the Divine Transformation True Venerables of the sect.
……
On the other side, at the summit of Yuqing Mountain, Yuqing Hall.
The Yuqing Sect Master sat upon a cloud seat, playing chess with True Venerable Xuanyuan.
“Junior Brother Xuanyuan, if you advance this move another three parts, I fear even your final retreat will be cut off.”
The Sect Master placed down a white piece, and the entire chessboard suddenly lit up. “Why not retreat one step? The sea and sky will become vast.”
“Senior Brother Sect Master is joking.” True Venerable Xuanyuan raised his head to look toward the sky outside the hall and placed down his piece.
The Tianyuan Xiao Clan also had a Void-Refining Dao Venerable presiding over it.
Considering Guangcheng Dao Venerable’s face, he could heavily punish Xiao Yu, but that did not mean the Xiao Clan would fear Chen Beiwu, a mere Golden Core cultivator.
In his view, the Xiao Clan had already made enough concessions.
As for Dao Venerable Yuanshi descending personally, True Venerable Xuanyuan did not care much.
He had already learned from his Senior Brother Sect Master that Chen Beiwu possessed the qualifications for Void Refinement.
Now that Chen Beiwu could trigger the Chaos Stele phenomenon and alarm Dao Venerable Yuanshi’s divine sense to descend into the lower realm, it was not particularly strange.
Of course, more importantly, True Venerable Xuanyuan understood one point very clearly: regardless of which Dao Venerable descended into the lower realm, the probability of accepting Chen Beiwu as a disciple was extremely low.
The reason was simple. For a cultivator to achieve a Void-Refining Dao Venerable realm, they had to refine and grasp control over a Great Dao.
And Chen Beiwu walked the path of the Yuanshi Great Dao. One Dao could not have two masters. Unless Dao Venerable Yuanshi perished and the position of the Yuanshi Great Dao became vacant, then no matter how extraordinary Chen Beiwu’s talent was, it would absolutely be impossible for him to achieve Yuanshi and inherit the name of Dao Venerable Yuanshi.
Of course, True Venerable Xuanyuan would not underestimate Chen Beiwu too much either.
The Dao of Yuanshi encompassed all things. Even among the Three Thousand Great Daos, it ranked near the forefront, deserving to be called the source of the Great Dao and the ancestor of the Supreme Void.
Even if Chen Beiwu could not achieve Yuanshi in the future, he might not necessarily be unable to control a branch of the Yuanshi Great Dao later on, or perhaps take another path and discover and establish an entirely new Great Dao.
Of course, the prerequisite was that Chen Beiwu could successfully prove the Dao and become a Divine Transformation True Venerable. Otherwise, he would never enter True Venerable Xuanyuan’s eyes.
Seeing that True Venerable Xuanyuan remained silent, the Yuqing Sect Master could roughly understand that the former valued the Xiao Clan’s reputation and was unwilling to take a step back. Thus, he no longer spoke further and continued playing chess.
……
Taiyuan Heavenly Realm.
Before the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele, a place watched by the divine senses of many sect True Venerables.
Chen Beiwu stood dazed, only feeling that the scene before him had suddenly changed. He was already within an endless expanse of Supreme Void and boundless chaos.
In the next instant, a gaze impossible to describe with words descended with a boom.
“What is Dao?”
As this grand voice that echoed through his soul resounded, Chen Beiwu’s mind trembled violently.
The Tai Xuan Guarding the One Mirror flashed, and Chen Beiwu’s Spirit Platform Sea of Consciousness suddenly revealed all his insights and doubts from the beginning of his cultivation until now.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Like great waves washing away sand, these insights and doubts continuously collided and purified one another, causing Chen Beiwu to suddenly gain enlightenment and instinctively produce realization.
“Dao is one! One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things! My Dao is to grasp this one, derive all existences, return all things back to one, and govern everything. This is the Yuanshi Great Dao.”
The instant his thought fell, the Yuanshi Golden Core within Chen Beiwu’s dantian qi sea trembled violently, releasing unprecedented radiance.
Deep within the Golden Core, the power of the Dharma Body that had originally been continuously nurtured and brewing yet not awakened suddenly separated and disintegrated. It began returning to its origin, transforming into endless surging golden attributes that repeatedly tempered the Yuanshi Golden Core.
In the eyes of the vast majority of Immortal Alliance cultivators, an undying Dharma Body was the result of a cultivator and their Companion Beast cultivating their lives together. It was the external manifestation of one’s cultivation and also a killing technique used to protect the Dao and subdue demons, possessing boundless might.
Before this moment, Chen Beiwu had thought the same.
However, after entering the state of Dao comprehension, he suddenly discovered that Golden Core True Persons clinging to the power of an undying Dharma Body was abandoning the root for the branches, ultimately falling into a lower path.
Stillness was the foundation, and inaction was the principle.
Although an undying Dharma Body was indeed a powerful killing technique, it was still a side path. It was better to remove impurities and preserve essence, return to the origin, and give birth to a true Yuanshi Golden Core.
With this thought, the Golden Core within Chen Beiwu’s dantian shone brilliantly. Countless undying golden attributes condensed and gathered together, forming a chaotic seed that seemed both illusory and real, containing endless mysteries.
This was the Yuanshi True Seed!
Once the True Seed was formed, Chen Beiwu immediately felt his mind become clear. He understood that only now had he truly stepped onto the proper path of Yuanshi and obtained the qualification to refine the Yuanshi Dao Source (Heavenly-Gang Clear Qi).
Not only that, a vague intuition emerged in Chen Beiwu’s heart.
Even if he did not cultivate 《Purple Mansion Heaven-Opening Nascent Soul Secret Record》, he could still use the Yuanshi Golden Core as the foundation to refine Heavenly-Gang Qi and forge a high-grade Pure Yang Nascent Soul.
Of course, to increase the grade of his Nascent Soul, Chen Beiwu definitely would not abandon continuing to cultivate the Purple Mansion Heaven-Opening Nascent Soul Secret Record.
The reason was simple. After being enlightened by that grand voice, Chen Beiwu understood that the four conditions his master had mentioned back then could actually ignore the final one.
Those who cultivated the Yuanshi Great Dao treated Dharma Bodies and Dharma Aspects as external objects of arts and techniques.
Once the realm was reached, the Dharma Aspect would naturally be born.
Chen Beiwu was an exception among countless cultivators. After forging the Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene, he did not need to forge a Heavenly-Gang Dharma Aspect and could still cultivate the Purple Mansion Secret Record.
“‘What is the Dao of Yuanshi?’”
Suddenly, the grand voice sounded again.
“Before chaos was divided, Yuanshi already existed. Before heaven and earth were established, Yuanshi was already present.”
Chen Beiwu instinctively visualized the Yuanshi True Seed condensed within his Golden Core and summarized with his divine sense: “Yuanshi is the beginning of all techniques, the ancestor of all Daos!”
After the thought fell, Chen Beiwu received no judgment or response from the grand voice. The boundless chaos around him suddenly shattered.
‘Was my answer wrong?’
Chen Beiwu thought inwardly.
In his view, the Dao he cultivated was naturally the strongest Dao in the world.
Calling the Yuanshi Great Dao the ancestor of all Daos was also completely justified.
Unexpectedly, in the next instant, a strand of Heavenly-Gang Dao Source that was neither clear nor turbid and contained the transformations of Yuanshi Heavenly-Gang pierced through chaos and descended with a boom, startling him awake from his Dao comprehension state.
The moment Chen Beiwu opened his eyes, he saw the gentle-looking True Monarch Severing Karma.
“Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen, for comprehending the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele and obtaining the Yuanshi Dao Source, greatly advancing your cultivation.”
Mo Yuan quietly changed his form of address, replacing Chen Chief Disciple with Junior Brother Chen, no longer carrying his previous coldness.
Chen Beiwu’s thoughts turned, but he did not reject Mo Yuan’s closeness.
Even Mu Yunzhi, who had become competitive and wanted to determine victory or defeat with Chen Beiwu, pressed her lips together and stepped forward, sincerely convinced as she said: “Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen, on comprehending the Heaven-Bestowed Ultimate Scene. Yunzhi admires you.”
Chen Beiwu slightly nodded. He did not care about the praise and shock of the surrounding cultivators, directly standing up and leaving, as if the phenomenon of the Primordial Chaos Yuanshi Uniting with the Dao Stele had nothing to do with him.
“Senior Brother Chen!”
Watching Chen Beiwu’s departing figure, a Yuqing prodigy subconsciously spoke, wanting to stop him and ask for guidance.
However, before he could finish speaking, a companion transmitted divine sense to stop him.
‘Are you crazy? After Senior Brother Chen comprehended the Dao, his aura has changed greatly and he already has the signs of forming a Nascent Soul. He is most likely going to find a place for secluded cultivation and comprehend further. Speaking now is practically rushing over to offend the Chief Disciple!’
Hearing this, the prodigy who had been reminded came back to his senses, a trace of lingering fear flashing in his eyes.
Indeed, the Chief Disciple Senior Brother did not show mercy even when facing an unparalleled beauty like True Monarch Myriad Threads Mu Yunzhi, let alone a newly advanced Golden Core True Person like him.
After leaving Taiyuan Heavenly Realm, Chen Beiwu immediately headed toward Yuqing Mountain.
The matter of forming a Nascent Soul was no trivial matter.
Before proving the Dao and becoming a True Monarch, he needed to request leave from the Sect Master, return to his hometown to meet his family, adjust his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak state, prepare for secluded cultivation before forming his Nascent Soul, and at the same time purchase some Fourth-Tier Mystic Medicines or Fourth-Tier Mystic Pills to prevent failure during Nascent Soul formation.
There was no helping it, Chen Beiwu’s personality was relatively cautious, even though he had been granted the Purple Mansion Nurturing Nascent Soul Pill by the sect, and his probability of proving the Dao and becoming a True Monarch was as high as eighty to ninety percent, he still needed to make several additional preparations before he could feel at ease.