In the Great Chaos.
The Dao Fruits had ceased their battle. They all gathered silently around the massive Chaos Chessboard, either staring at the incomparably brilliant, pure-white piece on the board or at the extra Great Dao ditation Mat that had appeared.
"How interesting."
Houtu’s brow furrowed. Her Divine Robe danced and swirled in the chaotic tides, her Dao Rhy extraordinary.
She mused aloud,
"A single piece, placed by that unknown person from before. I cannot see its origin, but the brilliance of this piece surpasses any that we have placed before."
The Blind Daoist was also clearly shocked and uncertain. Staring at the pure-white piece, he said,
"It is far too brilliant, outshining the pieces ford from the God-Sealing Years and the Years of the Westward Journey. Yet, looking through all of Ancient History, there has never been a grand event that could have ford such a piece."
He paused, thinking deeply.
"Even if this piece ca from the Current World, which lies beyond our sight, it makes no sense. The Current World is still in decline; it could never support a cataclysm great enough to form this piece."
Beside them, the La Daoist, while remaining wary of the two Buddhas and Houtu, examined the extra ditation mat and imdiately said,
"The most crucial part is that the person who placed the piece was able to manifest a ditation mat. This ans that with this single piece, they have earned the right to stand among us. It’s completely illogical."
For a mont, all the Dao Fruits began to discuss animatedly. They temporarily set aside their grievances, all of them trying to figure out who could have placed the piece.
The Supre, however, knew full well what was going on. And for that very reason, he was the most shocked of all.
’What has that little rascal gotten himself into now??’
’To be able to form such a brilliant piece...’
As he pondered, the Great Buddha, who held the Western Pure Land in his palm, glanced over and asked,
"Supre, what are your thoughts?"
The old Daoist ca back to his senses and cleared his throat.
"This matter is strange, and we cannot debate our way to a conclusion. But to be able to place such a montous piece, we can be certain it was not one of those Daluo."
He paused, then continued with a straight face,
"It was either the Buddha Mother or Shakyamuni. It could also have been the Celestial Emperor, Taiyi, or even... the Goddess?"
The expressions of the Dao Fruits turned grim.
But the Supre continued his bluff.
"But in my opinion, the most likely candidate is the Buddha Mother. She has only just secured her Dao Fruit Position and is most eager to make a move."
Several of the Dao Fruits glanced at each other but did not voice their opinions, lost in thought.
After a long while, the Blind Daoist seed to make up his mind. The shattered Three-Bejeweled Ruyi appeared in his hand, and he moved to strike the pure-white piece on the chessboard, wanting to see what event had ford this great piece.
But before he could strike, he was stopped by the Supre.
"You mustn’t. It violates the rules," the Supre said solemnly. "In the Dao Fruit chess ga, one cannot take back a move, nor can one interfere. These are the rules we established long ago."
At the side, Houtu frowned.
"Supre, why be so pedantic? An unknown entity has done this, and it already concerns us..."
"Silence." The Supre glanced over, his voice cool. "Whoever dares to break the rules, don’t bla this old Daoist for being rciless."
Once these words were spoken, none of the Dao Fruits said another word. This Great Celestial Venerable of Daoist Virtue, who revered tranquility, had spoken so gravely. To ignore him would be to reject his authority.
If he were to beco enraged, the consequences...
The two Great Buddhas exchanged a knowing glance, each seeing the apprehension in the other’s eyes.
The Supre, the number one Dao Fruit of the current age.
.........
「Dragon Tiger Peak.」
After Lu Xuan dismissed the crowd, each with their own thoughts, the vast platform suddenly grew quiet. Only Yan Huang and other familiar faces remained.
Old Yan looked completely baffled. He thought it over and over, and finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
"Xiaoxuan, isn’t your... progress... a little too fast??"
In the world today, only seniors like Old Yan and Wu Datong could still call Lu Xuan "Xiaoxuan."
Lu Xuan smiled and said,
"I’ve already spoken to Xiaoyan about this. She should be on Dragon Tiger Peak right now. I was just about to go find her."
At these words, everyone was rather taken aback.
’Dragon Tiger Peak?’
The Old Celestial Master’s expression flickered, and he said strangely,
"No wonder I didn’t see her in the Celestial Master’s Mansion after her return. So she went to the summit..."
He hesitated for a mont, then cleared his throat.
"Lu Zi, there is sothing you should probably know."
"Please, speak."
Lu Xuan nodded.
The Old Celestial Master glanced at Yan Huang, then chose his words carefully.
"During the Qin Dynasty years, we found the Dragon Tiger Mountain of the past. On our Dragon Tiger Peak stood two sky-bearing peach trees—one thriving, one dead."
He paused, then continued,
"But back in the Qin Dynasty, the tree that is dead in the Current World was also thriving. It even gained sentience and manifested a spirit. Its appearance..."
"...was identical to Yan Jiangxue’s. Exactly the sa."
Lu Xuan’s expression remained unchanged. He only pondered for a mont before suddenly asking,
"Celestial Master, do you know why that peach tree died?"
"I do not," the Celestial Master said bluntly. "Ti is fractured. Many ancient events were never passed down."
As he spoke, Yan Huang, who was standing to the side, ca to his senses. He hesitated and said,
"Oh, right, Xiaoxuan... speaking of which, did you know the Profound Yellow Emperor in your past life?"
He paused, then recounted the story of the Profound Yellow Emperor, including how the Little Peach Spirit, who looked exactly like Xiaoyan, was extrely close to the Profound Yellow Emperor, like a father and daughter.
Hearing this, Lu Xuan’s face darkened. He was silent for a mont before finally saying,
"We were acquainted, I suppose."
He couldn’t say much more, so he just waved his hand and added,
"Let’s not talk about this for now. I’m going up the mountain to see Xiaoyan. It seems sothing has happened to her."
Seeing this, the others said no more. Wang Zhiyao and the rest paid their respects and waited where they were. Li Yutong returned to Shengjing to handle Federation matters.
anwhile, the Old Celestial Master, Yan Huang, Li Changgeng, and Big Black Bull all followed Lu Xuan up the mountain.
After they left, Wang Zhiyao turned her head to look at the silent Cui Yin in the corner and suddenly asked,
"You seem to be very afraid of Lu Zi?"
Cui Yin snapped out of her daze, hesitated, and then snorted.
"What I know and have co into contact with from the Ancient Tis is far more than you. It is precisely because I understand more that I know to be reverent."
Lu Chongtong’s interest was piqued. He had been on fairly good terms with Cui Yin before, so he imdiately said,
"Shall we exchange information? You’ve spent the last century or so in the Celestial Court, while we’ve all been in the Human World."
Cui Yin thought for a mont and nodded.
"Alright, but you go first."
Lu Chongtong didn’t mince words and said readily,
"Regarding Lu Zi, we have gone through so records and t with so Historians from the Qin Dynasty. Although the information we gathered is far more than what is preserved in the Current World’s records, still..."
A look of confusion appeared on his face.
"A portion of the records is very unclear. According to a man from a family of hereditary Historians, soti after the Spring and Autumn Period, during the Warring States, people from the West Pole Celestial Palace descended into the Human World and obscured the records of all the Dukes States concerning that period."
At the side, Zhang Jifeng, who had been silent all this ti, also spoke up, a rare occurrence.
"During the Qin Dynasty, I heard a secret from the Old Celestial Master. In the Spring and Autumn Years, when Lu Zi was Preaching to the world, he was accompanied by two people. One of them was His Majesty the First Emperor, who was not very old at the ti!"
With the exception of Cui Yin, who hadn’t been to the Human World and had no particular feelings about the First Emperor, everyone else was shocked.
’When he was Preaching to the world, the First Emperor attended to him at his side??’
They all began to recount stories about Lu Zi recorded in the annals of the Qin Dynasty.
For example, the beginning and end of Lu Zi’s campaign of Invading Qi, and how in Yong City, Lu Zi called the heavens to account for their sins...
But all the records ca to an abrupt end after "Lu Zi departed Hangu Pass to the West."
Cui Yin then said softly,
"I have asked many Immortal Gods, including so Ancient Immortals from before the Shang Dynasty, but they all treat the topic of Lu Zi as taboo and are unwilling to speak of him."
As she spoke, Cui Yin recalled,
"The highest-ranking person I asked was the Tower-bearing Celestial King Li. His expression at the ti was extrely complicated and filled with apprehension. In the end, he told nothing, only pointing to the West."
’The West?’
The more they listened, the more confused they beca, and the more their hearts trembled with fear.
’What exactly did that Lu Zi do in the Ancient Tis?’
’To make even the Immortals and Buddhas this fearful??’
After a long silence, Wang Zhiyao let out a breath, her voice complex.
"I have a feeling that Lu Zi’s status during the Spring and Autumn Years was no less than that of the Profound Yellow Emperor during the Qin Dynasty. Respected in the Human World, and feared by the Immortals and Buddhas..."
No one spoke. But now that they had a point of reference, they were even more terrified.
This was especially true for Cui Yin. She had a vague idea of what happened at the Peach of Immortality banquet back then, so she understood even more clearly how terrifying ’her’ Profound Yellow Emperor was.
.........
「The edge of the Solar System.」
The jet-black Ancient Great Wall stretched across the front of the Solar System. A Profound and Mysterious light, invisible to the naked eye, emanated from it, shielding the rest of the system.
The invisible radiance enveloped the entire Fixed Star System like an eggshell. Anyone from the outside who wished to enter first had to shatter this mighty pass, which had stood for over a hundred thousand years.
And behind the Great Wall, at vast intervals, floated massive ancient cities. These cities were incredibly majestic, far larger than any tropolis on the Ancestor Star—ten, even a hundred tis the size of Shengjing.
Countless border guards and their families resided in these ancient cities. So guard families had even lived there for generations, stretching back sixty-eight hundred years.
「This day.」
On the wall, facing the boundless starry sky, so guards at the Grandmaster level were able to survive in the vacuum, thanks to the wall’s protection.
Today’s Rotating Guard General yawned, looked up at the mystical ancient tower, and chuckled.
"That tower seems to be the legendary ’Death Tower.’ An Immortal is said to reside within it, sent to govern the Great Wall under Lu Zi’s arrangent..."
The general paused, then added with another laugh,
"And I’ll tell you what, for the past month or so, with this Ancient Tower standing guard, those Demon Children haven’t dared to approach the border..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
From the depths of the starry sky, the heavy, muffled beat of a drum suddenly echoed, one beat after another, in rhythm with the cosmos itself. The vibrations caused the hearts of the Great Wall’s soldiers to pound and their ears to ring!
The general’s expression froze. He quickly looked up toward the boundless cosmos, and then sucked in a sharp breath.
A thin, black tide erged from the depths of space, led by ten towering figures. The muffled drumming was the sound of those ten figures taking one step after another!
Amidst the RUMBLING, the general’s face turned deathly pale, and he let out a hysterical roar,
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"
The entire border erupted into chaos!
Ten Grand Grades, billions from the Demon Race, a vast and mighty host!
At their head was a Minor Saint with dragon horns growing from his head. He stood amidst the stars, gazing at the blood-stained, majestic Great Wall, and grinned.
"I have co to challenge the pass."
His earth-shattering roar kicked up a massive wave that crashed violently against the Great Wall.
The next instant, the countless demons of at least the Celestial Human Level following behind the Dragon Horn Minor Saint surged forward like a tidal wave, their montum overwhelming!
"Present the Decree of the Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint!" the Dragon Horn Minor Saint bellowed. "The decree is here!"
A Golden Decree began to glow, transforming into a Celestial Sword that slashed toward the Great Wall. With a trendous BANG, the Great Wall trembled slightly, but that was all.
The defending general breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"Everyone, do not panic! The Decree did not break the great formation! They cannot get onto the wall. This should just be a harassnt raid, so every—"
Before he could finish his sentence.
Above the Great Wall, the Ancient Tower suddenly spun. A mighty force pressed down, and the formation protecting the Great Wall shattered with a BOOM.
The Great Wall fell deathly silent.
The massive Ancient Tower slowly drifted toward the depths of space.
And the tide of billions of demons, with a thunderous CRASH, slamd into the unprotected Great Wall!
With the formation’s protection gone, the demon tide sward onto the wall. Blood flashed, and the clang of weapons rang out!
"The Immortal Covenant?" a faint chuckle ca from within the Ancient Tower. "What can it do to ?"
The Dragon Horn Minor Saint bowed respectfully toward the Death Tower.
"Senior, the Heaven-Reaching Demon Saint awaits you at the edge of the Demon Tomb for a eting."
"Good."
The Ancient Tower continued to drift toward the depths of space. The Immortal seated within glanced sideways at the Great Wall, now embroiled in a bloody battle, and smiled.
"Lu Xuan... so what if you were the Human Saint of the Ancient Tis?"
"The Immortal Covenant... Hah!"
"Can you even make it to the Demon Tomb?"
"Since you cannot co, then I’ll just tear up this covenant!"
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