Lu Xuan nodded, then imdiately shook his head and said:
"It’s more than that. Within the vision of the Nine Nether and Yellow Springs, there seed to be a Pure Lotus Pool. Within the image of vibrant life, there was also the rumbling of heavenly thunder. Above the chaos of Weapons and war, there was a scene of countless spirits and immortals. That decisiveness in Slaughter was also strange. It seed to be about more than just slaughter; it also involved Cause and Effect, fortune and misfortune, rits and derits, rewards and punishnts..."
As he spoke, a trace of horror appeared on his face.
"What puzzled the most was the final word. A sky full of Buddhist light, and a sky full of demonic qi..."
Lu Xuan was perplexed. Recalling that single word now, he was still filled with doubt and horror. Demon and Buddha—these seed to be two completely unrelated things.
Yet, not only did the two coexist within that word, but they both seed to be expressed to their absolute peak. It was the zenith of the Demonic, and also the zenith of the Buddhist.
The conceptual resonance within it, in particular, was scarcely inferior to the Master’s Token. In other words...
The person who wrote this word was very likely on the sa level as the Three Masters.
Qing Ping and Qing He exchanged a look, each seeing the gravity in the other’s eyes. The three of them said no more and gradually approached Gouxian Town, finally landing together at the town entrance.
Now, with the enhancent of the Innate Ancestral Qi, Lu Xuan looked at the Stone Stele in Gouxian Town again and noticed sothing different...
It was shimring with a colorful light, an immortal radiance, yet it also held a scene of decay and desolation.
The Old Black Dog was still lying at the town entrance, but now it stood up, staring intently at the three of them and backing away instinctively.
"There’s sothing wrong with this dog." Qing Ping Daoist narrowed his eyes slightly. "It’s very ordinary, too ordinary. It looks like a common stray, but I can see a Spiritual Light on it."
Lu Xuan stared at the Old Black Dog for a long while but couldn’t make anything of it. Just as he was about to step into the town, he suddenly froze.
A few townspeople had appeared at the entrance, he didn’t know when. They looked very familiar—they were the sa ones who had been watching from a distance at the breakfast stall.
There was the fat old man who had received them, a farr carrying a shoulder pole, an amiable-looking old man with a long, flowing beard, and the young child.
The Big Black Bull, a slap mark still on its face, was also beside the four of them. Lu Xuan could actually see perplexity and suspicion in its large, bell-like eyes...
"Greetings." He took a step forward and bowed slightly. He was almost certain these people were anything but ordinary. Perhaps they were the anomaly Qing Xuan Daoist had ntioned...
Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes and said:
"I am Lu Xuan. I’ve co to trouble you again."
The farr carrying the shoulder pole set it on the ground. His gaze swept past the two Daoists, Qing He and Qing Ping, before finally landing on the young man nad Lu Xuan.
A look of uncertain suspicion flashed in Yang Erlang’s eyes. After this young man had walked out of Guangcheng Palace, he seed to have gained a kind of profound qi and presence. It was as if... as if...
Grand Master.
He was terrified by this thought, and the grim expression on his face deepened. He spoke slowly:
"This town has been peaceful for many, many years, isolated from the outside world. I must ask the three of you... not to disturb the tranquility here."
Lu Xuan was silent for a mont. After so thought, without lifting his eyes to look, he simply used his senses to point toward the towering green mountain and the Heaven-Reaching Stele, and asked:
"I just want to know what the deal is with this Stone Stele."
As soon as he spoke, the gazes of the four townspeople—old and young alike—sharpened. The white-haired old man narrowed his eyes and said:
"It seems you are indeed extraordinary... May I ask who your master is?"
As he spoke, he slowly perford a bow.
The most impetuous of them, Li Nezha, also took a step forward and asked:
"Have you co from Reincarnation?"
Lu Xuan was stunned. ’From Reincarnation?’
A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, and he quickly ford a few conjectures. He then shook his head and answered honestly:
"I don’t know anything about Reincarnation, but if you’re asking about my master..."
He thought for a mont and said:
"There are three of them, but they are also one. To be honest, I don’t really know who or what they are myself."
Lu Xuan was telling the truth. His second and third masters always said that The Three Pristine Ones are fundantally one, but he still didn’t know what The Three Pristine Ones were...
The various ancient texts and fragnts he could find online contained only a sparse record of The Three Pristine Ones, comprising just two words.
And those were...
"Sanqing Daiost."
Lu Xuan was not surprised or shocked by this. Whether it was his teacher, his second master, or his third master, the status they displayed was terrifyingly high. The title of Daoist Ancestor, while grand, seed fitting.
At this mont, both Qing He and Qing Ping moved to Lu Xuan’s side. Although the four people, one bull, and one dog before them looked very ordinary, with weak vitality and no trace of Primordial Qi or the Power of Heaven and Earth swirling around them, they remained vigilant, dutifully protecting their little ancestor.
The two sides reached a stalemate, falling into silence.
After a long mont, the fat old man gave a light cough, his face wreathed in smiles.
"Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth... Let’s return to the original topic. May I ask what business brings the three of you to Gouxian Town this ti?"
Lu Xuan thought for a mont, shook his head, and said frankly:
"I don’t know. Soone just told that this place might be able to answer my questions."
’Answer his questions?’
Yang Erlang and the others were slightly taken aback. Li Changgeng imdiately spoke up:
"And what questions might you have, sir?"
"Well..."
That question actually stumped Lu Xuan. ’What questions do I have?’
’There are too many to count.’
’Who was the mastermind behind the great ritual in Qianlong City? What exactly are the Life and Death Second Floors? Who is behind the Evil Cult? What’s the deal with the Outer Demon Race? What was the heaven-spanning war the Three Masters spoke of? What happened in Ancient Tis? The Immortals and Buddhas have vanished, and the Years have been severed... Where did the Immortals and Buddhas go?’
Lu Xuan’s questions were simply far, far too nurous.
After a long silence, he looked up and said frankly:
"I’m curious about many things. I don’t know which of my questions this place can answer."
Li Changgeng’s eyelid twitched. Then, he took a deep breath.
"Then, before we answer your questions, could you perhaps first clear up a confusion of ours?"
Lu Xuan was slightly taken aback, but he still nodded and said:
"Please, go ahead."
"It’s this..." It was Yang Erlang who spoke. He stared intently at Lu Xuan and asked, "What is your relationship with Guangcheng Palace? And do you know of ’Jade Void’?"
The mont he finished speaking, the expressions of Qing He Daoist and Qing Ping Daoist changed drastically. A vast aura erupted from their bodies. Guangcheng Palace was one thing, but the words "Jade Void"...
That was considered a secret of Guangcheng Palace.
Lu Xuan, however, just looked slightly stunned. He thought for a mont, then said softly:
"Since I wish to ask you all for answers, it is only right that I answer your questions. As for my connection to Guangcheng Palace, you could say I am of the sa lineage. As for ’Jade Void’..."
He tilted his head, thinking of the Jade Void Glazed Lamp and of his second master, the Jade Void Ancestor. He had a rough idea of what Jade Void was.
And so, Lu Xuan looked up and answered crisply and clearly:
"I suppose I can be considered a disciple of Jade Void. The master I serve is..."
"The Jade Void Ancestor."
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