As if seeing right through his thoughts, the Holy Venerable shook his head and said, "You are already capable of wielding the Dao weeping at will. Moreover, you have gone even further, already able to utilize the framework represented by the Dao weeping to assemble divine abilities. You are a hen capable of laying golden eggs—and far more than just one. I will not kill the hen to take the eggs."
Xu Ying's left eyebrow twitched; the analogy made him feel somewhat uneasy. Lou Mingyu studied him with curiosity, eyeing that twitching brow, wondering to himself: *Is he preparing to lie when his left eyebrow twitches, or when his right one twitches?*
When Xu Ying clashed with Emperor Changsheng, he had indeed used a zang divine ability. However, the zang divine ability he had employed was exceedingly simple—merely transforming "li" into wings, nothing more than a wing-type technique. Yet despite being simple beyond measure, it had parried and blocked Emperor Changsheng's proudest Twelve Dao Wheels and the Purple Nether Ming Saber. Beyond that, it had allowed Xu Ying to seize an opening and blast Emperor Changsheng's physical body and Primordial Spirit into oblivion. Xu Ying's strike had been over in an instant, so the zang divine ability had hardly attracted any notice.
Its radiance had been overshadowed by his three seal techniques—Taiqing, Mortal Realm, and Heavenly Immortal—yet it had not escaped the Holy Venerable's eyes.
"I have indeed begun to comprehend zang divine abilities," Xu Ying said, concealing nothing and candidly telling the Holy Venerable. "The Holy Venerable's conjecture is correct. The Dao weeping represents an entirely different framework, which I call the Li framework."
"Zang divine abilities? The Li framework?" The Holy Venerable could not help being moved.
Though he had seen Xu Ying display a zang divine ability, he had not expected Xu Ying to have researched it so deeply. That Xu Ying had already deciphered its framework filled him with unexpected joy. He pressed, "What is this Li framework? And what is the true nature of the Dao weeping?"
Xu Ying thought for a moment, weighing his words before saying, "The so-called Dao weeping is a phenomenon caused when the Great Dao framework of cultivators, divine beings, immortals, and the world itself is dismantled at its very roots and replaced by the Li framework, causing the original Great Dao to collapse and wail."
He continued, "This dismantling and replacement is an invasion of a lower Great Dao framework by a higher Great Dao framework.
"The Dragon Court era also suffered an invasion by the Emerald Rock. The foundation of the Great Dao framework in the Dragon Court era was dragon script. If the dragon script framework was replaced by the Li framework, then whether Qi Refiners or immortals, their cultivation, their Dao methods, and their Dao attainments would collapse in a single instant. This tendency of a higher Great Dao framework dismantling and replacing a lower Great Dao framework spreads like a plague—one infects ten, ten infect a hundred—ultimately plunging the entire Mortal Realm into the Dao weeping.
"The so-called Dao weeping is very much like a cultivator transforming into the Dao. Cultivators are flesh-and-blood mortals by nature; they themselves are not the Great Dao. When one comprehends some profound Dao method, their physical body and Primordial Spirit may disintegrate and assimilate into the Dao. This phenomenon of being assimilated by the Dao is known as Dao-transformation. After transforming into the Dao, the cultivator dies, devoid of self-awareness, their very existence becoming part of the Dao and thoroughly erased. The Dao weeping, on the other hand, is the process where Qi Refiners, immortals, and even the world's Great Dao are all transformed into that higher Great Dao. One's original self ceases to exist, becoming merely a part of the Li framework.
"The most peculiar aspect of this is that mortals do not understand cultivation and know nothing of Dao methods. Before the Dao weeping, they have no power to resist, yet the Dao weeping does not perturb them either, allowing them to survive instead. As for the experts of the Mortal Realm, they were plagued by the Dao weeping and died beneath it in droves. Meanwhile, the surviving mortals, through their feeble strength within a world ruled by the Li framework, managed over tens of millions of years to hold up a sky of their own—the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao."
Thinking up to this point, Xu Ying suddenly froze.
*The Li framework is immensely powerful, having destroyed the Dragon Court era. Yet under the crushing oppression of the Li framework, the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao managed to revive and steadily grow stronger. Does this indicate that native heavenly dao can grow even stronger without changing its framework, perhaps even surpassing the alien Li framework?*
The Holy Venerable's voice broke in, rousing him. "Continue."
Xu Ying said, "Suppose we wish to annihilate a civilization at its zenith—to destroy the Dragon Court era, for instance. We would need no overwhelming martial might, no earth-shattering treasures, and no armies of conquest and invasion. All we would need to do is undermine the very foundation of the Dragon Court's Dao methods and divine abilities, replacing the dragon script that forms their Dao methods with 'li.' In doing so, the dragon script framework becomes the Li framework, which would wipe out the entire dragon race, killing every Qi Refiner and immortal without leaving a single survivor. And all we would have to do is..."
He suddenly remembered that emerald stone: *...merely cast over an emerald stone inscribed with the Dao methods of the Li framework.*
"The Emerald Rock," the Holy Venerable murmured, immediately making the connection, still finding it somewhat hard to believe.
To destroy an era at the height of its glory required nothing more than a single Emerald Rock, without the need to exert any divine ability. He had some understanding of the Dragon Court era, but not much; he only knew it had been a glorious epoch that far surpassed subsequent ages. How that civilization had been annihilated, he had known nothing about. From Xu Ying's description, this had been the destruction of an inferior civilization of Qi Refiners by a superior one. It was just that the means of destruction was too simple—so simple it was almost inconceivable.
A single stone had laid waste to the Dragon Court era when it was at the peak of its radiance.
The Holy Venerable pondered and said, "Yet the Emerald Rock also brought cave abysses. Sovereign Haotian comprehended the Taiyi Enlightenment from the Emerald Rock and disseminated it. From then on, people continually summoned cave abysses to benefit the world. Mastering the power of the Emerald Rock was actually a boon brought by its invasion."
In today's world, most cave abysses were linked to the Emerald Rock. For instance, among the ten Heavenly Monarch-grade cave abysses, aside from the Yingzhou cave abyss—which was refined from the Immortal Realm's own blessed mountain sanctuaries—the other cave abysses were all summoned by cultivators practicing the Taiyi Enlightenment. Among the Supreme-grade cave abysses, only one was native to the Immortal Realm; the rest had all been summoned through the Taiyi Enlightenment. The Emerald Rock had once ushered in an era of resplendent glory for that ancient age.
Only after a moment did the Holy Venerable accept the fact that a single stone had destroyed the dragon civilization. "Continue," he said.
Xu Ying continued, "If your cultivation is too strong, your Great Dao will not immediately transform into the Li framework, nor will you perish right away. It may take a very long time for the replacement to be complete. Liu Guanyi termed this process 'zangification,' and those who underwent zangification were called 'zang.'"
At this point, he could not help but think of his two disciples, Jingming the Old Zang and Ming Wangsun. The two of them had taken several million years to be assimilated by the Li framework. Yet because they knew very little of "li," they could only barely manage one or two rudimentary Li framework divine abilities—and even that was the result of listening to Xu Ying's lectures for some time.
Waves stirred once more in the Holy Venerable's heart. "Ten Discards Heavenly Monarch discovered the zang and zangification?"
Xu Ying nodded.
The Holy Venerable praised, "He was a renowned polymath under Qingxuan's banner back then, fond of digging up graves and unearthing tombs to study ancient divine abilities and Dao methods. His mastery of divine abilities was exceptionally comprehensive; no matter what sort of technique you desired, he could design it for you. I admire him greatly."
He paused, then asked, "How long does it take for a being of the Supreme realm to become completely zangified?"
Xu Ying conjectured, "Probably several million years."
The Holy Venerable's gaze flickered. "If even a Supreme requires several million years to become zangified, then my zangification would take even longer. Direct zangification is out of the question. Xu Ying, pass your comprehension of the Li framework to me."
Xu Ying agreed readily. "Very well! But does the Holy Venerable not worry that I might transmit a false Li framework to you?"
The Holy Venerable glanced at him and said flatly, "You have witnessed my Dao attainment. Do you think I care whether what you teach is real or fake?"
His Dao attainment was exceedingly high—the greatest Xu Ying had ever seen, second only to the Primordial Ancestor Big Dragon. However, though the Primordial Ancestor Big Dragon possessed immense Dao attainment, he could not match the Holy Venerable in breadth. Given the Holy Venerable's depth of vision and experience, if Xu Ying gave him a fraudulent Li framework, he would see through it in no time.
Xu Ying pondered and said, "What if the Li framework I impart to you is seven parts true and three parts false? Could you still tell the difference?"
The Holy Venerable frowned slightly. "Seven parts true and three parts false... that would indeed be difficult to discern."
"What if it is nine parts true and one part false?" Xu Ying asked again.
The Holy Venerable's brow furrowed even deeper.
Xu Ying said, "What if I first give you something genuine mixed with one or two falsehoods, then impart seven parts truth and three parts falsehood, then nine parts truth and one part falsehood? Could you still tell them apart? Or what if everything I transmit to you is completely real, yet conceals one or two almost undetectable flaws, lying in wait to harvest you like chives—"
"Enough!" Veins throbbed along the Holy Venerable's forehead as he forcefully suppressed his unease. "I have no need for you to impart the Li framework to me. You only need to tell me how you comprehended it in the first place."
Xu Ying said hastily, "Holy Venerable, I was only joking. If the Holy Venerable wishes to learn, I will gladly teach everything I know without hiding a thing."
The Holy Venerable shook his head. "Even if you were to genuinely teach me, I would not dare learn. Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. You only need to tell me how you gained that comprehension."
Xu Ying straightened his expression and said, "To learn the Li framework, one must first study the Taiyi Enlightenment and possess an Emerald Rock inscription."
The Holy Venerable nodded gently. "I have both."
Xu Ying said, "The next step is to go to the Mortal Realm and seek out the Shiquan Dao Sect."
The Holy Venerable asked in confusion, "The Shiquan Dao Sect?"
"The first-generation Dao Ancestor of the Shiquan Dao Sect is Ten Discards Heavenly Monarch Liu Guanyi. Unworthy as I am, this disciple humbly serves as the second-generation Dao Ancestor. The Emerald Rock is precisely our sect's foundational treasure. This disciple will write a letter; once the Holy Venerable arrives at the Shiquan Dao Sect, simply deliver my letter to Jingming and Ming Wangsun, and you may comprehend the Emerald Rock within the Shiquan Dao Sect."
The Holy Venerable looked deeply at him and said, "Your influence in the Mortal Realm is far from small."
Lowering his head to write, Xu Ying said, "Whether it is the Immortal Realm, the Mortal Realm, or the future Heavenly Immortal Realm, all are in the Holy Venerable's palm. This disciple merely stepped into the Mortal Realm one step earlier."
He took out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, swiftly penning the letter. In it, he informed Jingming the Old Zang and Ming Wangsun that the Holy Venerable was extraordinarily formidable, the strongest existence in the current world—at the pinnacle of the Supreme realm, having even set half a foot beyond—and instructed them to receive him with great hospitality and deference, without making any misstep.
Xu Ying did not conceal the letter's contents from the Holy Venerable, allowing him to watch as he wrote. When he finished, he handed the letter to the Holy Venerable.
Accepting the letter, the Holy Venerable gazed toward the Mortal Realm and said, "The Ancestral God is also in the Mortal Realm. If I go there, I will inevitably cross paths with him."
Xu Ying remained silent. The Holy Venerable's eyes flickered, and he said calmly, "So be it. I shall go meet the Ancestral God. But before that, I need to see someone first."
Xu Ying's heart stirred, instantly guessing whom he intended to see: *Does he truly dare go see Qingxuan? If he goes to see Qingxuan, he will definitely discover that he is not Qingxuan at all, but rather the stray thoughts Qingxuan severed from himself!*
The Holy Venerable said, "Xu Ying, you may return. Mingyu, escort him back."
Xu Ying was startled. *He isn't going to kill me?*
Lou Mingyu bowed and said, "Junior Brother Xu, this way, please."
Xu Ying bowed slightly and followed him out of Daming Palace. He could continuously feel a pair of eyes staring at his back. He could not tell whether that gaze held good or ill intent, but it filled him with the sensation that his life and death were entirely out of his own hands. Only when he walked out of the Great Luo Heaven did this uneasy feeling finally dissipate.
The Holy Venerable withdrew his gaze and murmured softly, "No wonder Mingzun chose you. Your talent is indeed extraordinarily high, surpassing even Mingzun. Only you could perfect Qingxuan's offensive arts and allow Mingzun to mend his flaws; only you could help Mingzun summon the Taiyi cave abyss. What a pity that this crop of yours has already ripened."
Having obtained what he wanted from Xu Ying, with a faint stir of his mind, he stowed away the three great cave abysses and strode out of the Great Luo Heaven.
Xu Ying descended from the Great Luo Heaven. After remaining silent for a long time, he inquired, "Senior Brother Lou, why didn't the Holy Venerable kill me?"
Lou Mingyu asked in surprise, "Why would Junior Brother Xu say such a thing? Why would the Holy Venerable want to kill you?"
Xu Ying said, "A being such as the Holy Venerable holds all worldly power in his grasp; even the life and death of Immortal Emperor Mingzun rests on his whim. He commands such boundless resources and has deduced the Dao weeping for so long without ever making a breakthrough, yet I managed to unravel it. Wouldn't he want to kill me?"
Lou Mingyu chuckled and said, "The Holy Venerable is not the kind of person who envies the worthy and resents the talented. That the Holy Venerable seized the world was not out of jealousy or envy, but because of the trend of the times—he was compelled to seize it. If he hadn't, he would have been destroyed by others. In that environment, no one could remain aloof and preserve themselves. What is more, the Holy Venerable's talent and aptitude will only ever be higher than yours, never lower. Why would he harm you?"
He added, "The Holy Venerable also understands the Taiyi Enlightenment and possesses Emerald Rock inscriptions. Had he encountered the Emerald Rock before you, he would have discovered the Li framework and the secret of the Dao weeping before you did. With his talents, he was more than capable of doing so."
Recalling the forest of Dao trees and the innumerable Dao flowers and Dao fruits he had seen in Daming Palace, Xu Ying could not help but nod. The Holy Venerable's talent and intellect were indeed extraordinarily high.
Lou Mingyu continued, "Only if he goes to the Emerald Rock and discovers that what he comprehends is truly inferior to yours might he develop the urge to kill you. For now, he will not. Moreover, Mingzun will be harvesting you; you might not even live until the Holy Venerable returns from the Mortal Realm. Why would he need to lift a finger against you?"
Xu Ying praised, "Senior Brother Lou, you certainly speak delightfully. Truly a talent! But what if I manage to survive until the Holy Venerable returns from the Mortal Realm?"
Lou Mingyu smiled faintly. "Virtually impossible. The Holy Venerable has already granted Mingzun permission to use the Supreme cave abyss to heal. In just a few days, when Mingzun's injuries are cured and his cultivation restored to its peak, Junior Brother Xu will likely ride a crane to the Western Paradise."
Xu Ying once again praised, "Senior Brother Lou, you truly speak so pleasantly!"
A sharp sense of crisis flared in his heart.
*Then again, why was the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao able to revive under the oppression of the dark heavenly dao of the Li framework? By all logic, the strong should grow stronger; the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao should have been completely crushed, never to stand a chance of turning the tide. Could the Mortal Realm's Heavenly Dao be stronger than the Li framework?*
He was deeply perplexed. There had to be something here that he had overlooked or failed to discover, and that detail might be critically important.
The Immortal Realm, the Dao Sea.
Carrying a jar of wine, the Holy Venerable arrived at Tianlu Island in the center of the Dao Sea. Wisps of cooking smoke curled above the island; Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan was currently roasting True Person Nanji's mount, a sika deer, just as the aroma was at its most tantalizing.
"Qingxuan, are you still short a jar of wine?"
The Holy Venerable stepped forward, lifting the wine jar into view. Good-for-Nothing Qingxuan's eyes lit up. His gaze rested on the Holy Venerable's face for a moment, and he smiled. "You're Senior Brother Yuan Yu! Long time no see."
The Holy Venerable, Yuan Yu, walked to his side, looking him up and down. Instantly discerning his origins, a great stone dropped from his heart. He smiled and said, "Long time no see. How have you been? In the six hundred thousand years since you left, I have missed you dearly."
Chapter 605