Chapter 321 - 6: What If I Am Supreme Profound Clarity?
Douluo Palace... Supreme Laojun!!
The expressions on Yang Jian and the others changed abruptly. The Big Black Bull flinched, feeling the phantom sting of a slap on his face!
In Douluo Palace, besides the Golden Horned and Silver Horned who followed that figure... there seemed to be only...
Yang Jian and the others exchanged glances. ’No, it can’t be such a coincidence, can it?’
’How could that person possibly be connected to Master Fusheng?’
Chong Shanhu, prostrate on the ground, had no idea what Douluo Palace represented. He just murmured dazedly:
"As long as you’re all right, as long as you’re all right..."
Lu Xuan gently stroked Chong Shanhu’s forehead, a smile spreading across his face as he spoke calmly:
"Child, are you willing to become my disciple?"
He said this to Chong Shanhu, just as his own master had once said to him.
Chong Shanhu trembled. He understood the difference between being an "in-name" disciple and a "formal" one. He immediately kowtowed three times, his head hitting the ground with a series of THUDS.
"This disciple is willing!"
"Good."
Lu Xuan smiled and said calmly:
"In that case, you are now the first disciple under my tutelage. Three months from now, I will perform your capping ceremony and announce it to the world."
Chong Shanhu kowtowed again.
Lu Xuan gently helped him up, then tapped a drop of Divine Essence onto him, baptizing his body. He then said:
"For now, go inside the house."
"Yes... Master!"
With his eyes slightly red, Chong Shanhu bowed respectfully before walking down the quiet path to the wooden house. He pushed the door open, went inside, and made sure to close it behind him.
Inside, Xiaoyan was sitting on a cattail cushion, curiously examining the three profound bronze statues.
Hearing the noise, she glanced over in confusion:
"Oh, it’s you..."
Chong Shanhu quickly lowered his head and bowed deferentially to Yan Jiangxue:
"Disciple Chong Shanhu greets the Mistress."
Xiaoyan froze for a moment, then understood. Her little face flushed bright red in an instant.
"Y-y-you..."
The blush spread all the way to her ears, and she even stuttered a little, but she couldn’t hide the joyful look on her face.
"You are very good."
Xiaoyan nodded slightly, putting on an air of composure despite her red face.
「At the same time, outside the house, within the Ten Thousand Miles Daoist School.」
Listening to the ripples from the great lake formed by the convergence of Immortal Spiritual Qi and Divine Essence beside him,
Lu Xuan looked calmly at Yang Erlang and the others. He first gave a slight nod to Yang Jian, Nezha, and the Big Black Bull.
Then his gaze fell upon Li Changgeng, his expression profound.
"Taibai, long time no see."
Li Changgeng shuddered and quickly returned the gesture, forcing a smile.
"Venerable Fusheng must be joking. We just saw each other half a year ago..."
"I meant..."
Lu Xuan lifted his eyes and said nonchalantly:
"I meant, we haven’t seen each other since we parted in Yong City."
Yang Jian and the others didn’t understand, but Li Changgeng looked as if he’d been struck by lightning!!
Lu Xuan looked away from him, his gaze sweeping over the others as he began to speak at a deliberate pace:
"A new Great Era is upon us. When the world next recovers, the Immortals and Buddhas will return one by one, and the world will fall into chaos once more."
Yang Jian glanced at Li Changgeng, whose face was twisted in absolute terror. He had a vague guess as to why, but he didn’t dare believe it, let alone be certain. He just swallowed hard and said:
"Master Fusheng, we predict that the great recovery of the world will happen within the next year or two."
"I am aware."
The youth in the ancient black robes nodded and added:
"And before that, the limits of the Great Heaven and Earth will gradually rise, perhaps allowing beings of the Immortal Realm to exist."
After a pause, he continued:
"The Demon Race beyond the Great Wall is also watching like a predator, about to wage a great war against the Human World here. I plan to intervene and establish some rules before the Immortals and Buddhas return."
Aside from Li Changgeng, who was still dazed and trembling, the others all exchanged surprised looks.
Nezha worked up the courage to ask:
"What kind of rules does Master Fusheng intend to establish?"
He paused, then added:
"By the way, Master, there should be quite a few Immortal-level beings among those little demon brats outside the pass. You haven’t recovered to your peak, and neither have we. The Human World here might not be able to hold back the Demons..."
He put it delicately, but his meaning was clear.
Lu Xuan glanced at him and gave a faint nod.
"I know. But the Ancestor Star has quite a few Immortals as well. I can sense them. One in the East, one in the West, one in the North, and two in the South..."
"There’s one at Dragon Tiger Mountain, and another somewhere in the East Continent. If they join forces, they might just be able to hold them off."
Nezha and the others exchanged glances. Yang Erlang composed himself from his shock and couldn’t help but remind him:
"But Master Fusheng, those five Immortals in the East, West, North, and South are all connected to... connected to..."
"They’re all related to the Four Directions Celestial Court, right? To be precise, Three Celestial Courts and one Celestial Palace."
Lu Xuan’s eyes were downcast as he spoke calmly:
"That is precisely why I’m worried. Once the world can accommodate Immortals, there’s no telling what trouble those fellows will stir up."
He looked up and added:
"The rules I wish to establish are related to this. I want to dominate the current era, make all the Immortals swear an oath not to cause disaster or chaos, and to focus all their efforts on fighting the Demons. What do you think?"
"Well..." Nezha scratched his head. "Master Fusheng, you didn’t meddle in the Red Dust or worldly affairs during the Ancient Times, so you might not be aware."
He chose his words carefully for a moment before saying:
"The Life and Death Second Floors and the Upper Palace Earth Palace are contingency plans left behind by those Emperors. They might even be able to contact the temporarily missing Immortals, Buddhas, and Emperors. They won’t necessarily listen to you..."
Yang Erlang also spoke with a grave expression:
"Indeed, Master Fusheng. Although the Current World is far from what it was in Ancient Times, the waters run very deep. If you want to dominate this world... you are currently only a True Immortal. Even with this terrifying Daoist Temple as your backing, I’m afraid..."
He could tell that the Master Fusheng before them had only recovered to the True Immortal level.
Although he could use this Daoist Temple to trade blows with an Immortal, he was still a far cry from being able to face one head-on.
’And the restrictions on us are immense. We can’t draw too much attention, or we’ll have to go back to Gouxian Town...’
"I understand," Lu Xuan said, his face expressionless. "You think I’m still a bit too weak right now?"
As he spoke, he looked at Li Changgeng with a ghost of a smile.
"Taibai, what do you think?"
Li Changgeng shuddered violently, snapping back to his senses. He stammered:
"This lowly immortal wouldn’t dare presume to judge you."
Zhu Wuneng, Nezha, and the others were taken aback. They noticed that something was off with Li Changgeng. ’Why... why is he being so respectful?’
Nezha began to wonder. ’This Master Fusheng may be one of the Thirteen Immortals of Jade Void... but back in Ancient Times, Taibai was a close confidant of the Celestial Emperor. At his peak, he was an Upper Celestial Venerable of the Celestial Realms level. In truth, he wasn’t weaker than most of the Thirteen Immortals of Jade Void. Does he really need to be this deferential...?’
Just as they were feeling bewildered and confused,
Lu Xuan spoke slowly:
"We’ll take them one by one. I intend to ’visit’ those Immortals individually and force them to make an oath with me. I’ve gathered you here because I want you to accompany me."
After a pause, he continued:
"I know that for some reason, you’ve been hiding in Gouxian Town, lying low through the End of Dharma Era. According to what Erlang said last time, the ones you’re worried about are Supreme Profound Clarity and the Supreme Emperor Profound Yellow, correct?"
Li Changgeng’s eye twitched violently.
Nezha hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "In response to Master Fusheng, it is indeed related to those two. We cannot say more. Without the protection of the one buried outside Gouxian Town, speaking of it might invite great disaster!"
"Oh?"
Lu Xuan muttered to himself:
’Speaking of which, I’m truly curious who is buried beneath that Heaven-Reaching Stele... Right.’
He said with that same ghost of a smile:
"Taibai, why don’t you tell them who I am?"
Yang Jian, Zhu Wuneng, Nezha, and the Old Black Bull all turned to look at Li Changgeng in confusion.
’What in the world is going on?’
The latter had a miserable look on his face. He gave a trembling bow and said dryly:
"I... I’m not entirely certain..."
"Then how about now? Are you certain?"
Lu Xuan spoke lightly. At some point, a bloodstained Ancient Tree Branch had appeared in his right hand.
Yang Jian and the others didn’t recognize it at first. But a hundred thousand years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Years, Taibai had watched from up close as Lu Zi broke off that very branch, drew a line with it, and dispelled all calamities...
He shuddered violently, his face twisting into a smile that was uglier than a grimace.
"This lowly immortal, Taibai, greets... greets Lu Zi."
’Who?’
’Lu Zi?’
Yang Jian’s heart pounded wildly, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. The others were stunned, unable to process what they had just heard.
Zhu Wuneng was the most clueless of all. He asked curiously:
"Old Li, what’s gotten into you? Lu Zi... is there something wrong with that name?"
He was born after the Spring and Autumn Period and had not experienced that great cataclysm. The Immortals and Buddhas were all tight-lipped about it, so Old Zhu didn’t know the connection between Lu Zi and Supreme Profound Clarity.
Lu Xuan lifted his eyes and said flatly:
"You can assume I’ve only just reawakened and my memories are incomplete... so I’m genuinely curious. Why exactly are you all so afraid of me?"
"Let me reintroduce myself."
"This poor Daoist, Fusheng Lu Xuan, is also of the Taishang Lineage. I am Supreme Profound Clarity."
?
??!
Despite his earlier suspicions, Yang Jian still stumbled back several steps. The Old Black Bull snorted several times in a row, and Nezha was so frightened his hair stood on end, and he jumped three feet in the air!
Lu Xuan raised his eyes, his expression impassive.
"Therefore, on this trip of mine to ’visit’ the Immortals one by one, you will accompany me. Feel free to act boldly. You have nothing to fear."
He paused, shaking the Ancient Tree Branch in his hand. "This thing once whipped Emperor Gouchen nine thousand times. It is stained with Emperor’s Blood and imbued with my Virtue and Dao Rhyme. It has already become a Supreme Treasure. Is it enough to protect you?"
The hairs on Zhu Wuneng’s back stood straight up, and the back of his neck tingled. Hearing all this, how could he not understand? The person before him was the master of the very cataclysm that the Immortals and Buddhas spoke of only in hushed, fearful tones!
The one who deposed the Celestial Court and banished Emperor Gouchen to the Underworld!
And later... the calamity of the Immortals and Buddhas!
Seeing their silence, Lu Xuan frowned, thinking it wasn’t enough. A radiant light appeared in his hand.
"Then what if I add the Jade Void Glazed Lamp? Can that help you evade the disaster you spoke of?"
Yang Jian’s heart trembled. He wanted to speak, but his throat was dry, and for a moment, he couldn’t get any words out.
"Hm, still not enough? Then what about this?"
Lu Xuan furrowed his brow. Without their help, he might not truly be able to force all the Immortals to swear an oath.
Immediately, Lu Xuan put away the Ancient Tree Branch and the Jade Void Glazed Lamp. With a slight shake of his palm, a heavy, magnificent Treasure Pagoda materialized.
"This was bestowed by my master, the Supreme. The Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda. Is this enough to protect you now?"
Yang Jian and the others stared blankly at the Treasure Pagoda, utterly dazed.
’The one from Douluo Palace... gave him even this?’
’But...’
As one, they all began to nod furiously.
"Enough, enough, it’s more than enough!" Nezha forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
"Ma... Master Xuanqing, actually, just having you here is enough... We’re just saying, when your memory fully returns, you won’t turn on us, right?"
"Oh?"
Lu Xuan’s gaze turned dangerous. After a moment, he chuckled lightly.
"What’s past is past. I only need your help to dominate this world. All that happened before will be wiped clean."
The group let out a collective sigh of relief, nodding and bowing in unison.
Lu Xuan put the Exquisite Pagoda away. He gazed at the figures bowing before him and said calmly:
"I have reawakened some of my memories from the Spring and Autumn Years, and my station as a Human Saint has also returned, which is equivalent to the Immortal Realm. Therefore, I cannot leave the Sanqing Temple for now."
After a pause, he continued:
"First, we’ll make a trip to Gouxian Town. I want to meet the one beneath the stone stele. After that, you will accompany me to ’visit’ those Immortals... Let’s start with Dragon Tiger Mountain. I was planning on going there anyway."
The expressions on Yang Jian and the others changed again. ’Go see the one under the Heaven-Reaching Stele??’
They exchanged glances and remained silent for a long time, but in the end, they still bowed.
"Yes, Master Xuanqing/Supreme Venerable."
"You may also call me Fusheng."
