Perfected Chuhe held a boundary stone in his hands, walking step by step through the air. With every step he took, lotus blossoms bloomed beneath his feet.
His eyes gleamed as he continuously calculated the step count on his fingers, finally arriving at a picturesque place of lucid waters and verdant hills.
Here stood a hillock less than a hundred zhang high. A clear spring naturally welled up on the hill, gathering into a small pool whose bottom was clearly visible. The pool's waters cascaded down the cliff on the opposite side into a hanging waterfall, which caught the glow of the sunset and cast a brilliant rainbow.
One look was enough to tell that the earth qi converged here, naturally endowed with spiritual grace. If a city were built around this hillock, it would rank among the world's finest spectacles.
Old Daoist Chuhe's eyes sparkled at the sight. Stroking his beard, he muttered to himself, "Ah, if I could only build a thatched hut and spend the rest of my days cultivating here, what a joy in the mortal world that would be!"
However, Old Daoist Chuhe was no longer the man he used to be. Thinking a little deeper, endless thoughts crowded his mind: "I'd need to set up a bronze pot, boil up some water, and drop in a few slices of marbled pork... But where would the pork come from? Would this old daoist have to slice it myself?
"I'd have to raise a litter anyway. To raise a litter, I'd have to build a shed, and I'd usually have to take them out to till fields so the meat would taste delicious. The land would need to be rather large, with a medicine garden, so that the meat would carry the aroma of medicinal herbs...
"...An alchemy workshop would have to be set up... With so much meat, the cold storage would need to be bigger... How could I possibly eat so much by myself? Besides, with so many goods produced, they'd have to be shipped out. Would I have to pave a road as well??"
The more the old daoist thought, the more complicated it grew, until he realized that living alone to cultivate while maintaining his quality of life seemed rather unfeasible. Finally, a flash of insight struck him. He spat several times in disdain and scoffed, "This old daoist has accomplished so much after all—why on earth must I manufacture suffering for myself when there's none to be had?"
With that, the old daoist flipped his hand, and the boundary stone fell, landing atop the hill beside the spring. A faint glow swiftly spread in all directions, subtly tuning the surrounding heaven and earth.
Chuhe chuckled and said, "Such a beautiful scene is honestly rather boring to look at alone. Far better for millions of people to enjoy it together—shared joy is the true joy."
This was the final boundary stone in the rearrangement across the eight commanderies. Once it was placed, the eight commanderies became a unified whole. All the boundary stones resonated in unison, the Heavenly Dao shifted, earth veins surged, and countless new, subtle earth veins took shape. Every living creature between this heaven and earth felt it, an inexplicable joy welling up in their hearts.
A faint radiance appeared between Perfected Chuhe's brows, and his dharma idol manifested above his head. Eight immortal swords transformed into eight sky-propping pillars. Inside the world, everything was a chaotic jumble: a patch of woods here, clusters of flowers there. There were many strange terrains and bizarre creatures throughout the land, and even broken walls and crumbling ruins could be seen, with several brocade-furred mice darting back and forth across the world. Beneath the woods and flowers were countless other living things, all lively and nimble.
The entire world was teeming with wild, untamed vibrancy, like a heaven and earth before immortals and buddhas were ever born. Only one place at the very center was rather peculiar: a towering parasol tree, upon which sat a chicken coop.
At this moment, the sunset clouds at the horizon turned a purplish crimson as vast swathes of dark clouds gathered. A heavenly tribulation had arrived!
Perfected Chuhe froze in surprise, then gave a helpless smile. Straightening his robes and cap, he prepared to face it calmly.
He knew his own circumstances better than anyone. Though blessed with good fortune, his physical body was ordinary, his nascent soul was ordinary, and his soul possessed nothing extraordinary. His mindscape world was a chaotic mess, devoid of spirit arrays or immortal items to anchor it. There was absolutely no way he could survive the Scenery Command heavenly tribulation. The moment he broke through to Scenery Command would be the moment this old daoist perished.
Having stayed in Qingming for a long time, Chuhe had watched with his own eyes as Wei Yuan turned a poisoned wasteland into today's flourishing realm, and watched how karmic luck had gathered upon Wei Yuan.
Chuhe had therefore conceived a plan: reclaim a hundred million mu of farmland, save countless lives, wait for the immortal chicken to ascend, accumulate sufficient karmic luck, borrow an immortal sword from Zhang Sheng to anchor his world, have Ji Liuli divine the auspicious hour and heavenly mechanics, take Xu Henshui's pills to sustain his life, and finally have Sun Yu pull him back from death's door at the final gasp. By pooling everyone's efforts and wisdom like this, he might just manage to scrape through the Scenery Command heavenly tribulation.
Originally, Chuhe's cultivation was still some distance from dharma idol perfection. He didn't cultivate very quickly either, estimating that it would take at least thirty to fifty years to bridge that final gap, so he had never even considered preparing for the tribulation yet. He had never expected that the sudden influx of the origin qi of heaven and earth just now would directly push him past the threshold of tribulation.
Now that the moment had arrived, Chuhe felt no fear. Looking back on his life, he felt it had been quite splendid—he had contributed to heaven and earth, to the human race, and to chickens. With no regrets left, he gazed into the distance, calmly awaiting death.
The tribulation clouds loomed overhead, flickering with purple and azure lightning. Then, a gentle pitter-patter of drizzle began to fall, descending straight into Chuhe's dharma idol.
The fine rain was like silk, swiftly permeating every corner. Within the rain were minute sparks of azure thunder, washing away impurities and nurturing both nascent soul and mortal flesh. In the end, the myriad spiritualities between heaven and earth blended into a single whole while remaining independent of one another, forming a self-contained world of their own.
Old Daoist Chuhe looked at himself, then looked at his surroundings. Feeling his divine sense abruptly expand dozens of times over, he thought for a moment that he was dreaming.
The heavenly tribulation was over just like that? This tribulation was truly considerate: not only had it nourished and perfected his mindscape world, but it had also supplied just the right amount of lightning to temper his dharmic body and mortal flesh.
Still, Chuhe's innate bone structure and aptitude were mediocre. Though the tribulation was considerate, his physical body remained ordinary, and his mindscape world remained ordinary as well—both exceedingly common among Scenery Command cultivators, save for an extraordinary harmony with heaven and earth.
The old daoist suddenly became thoughtful. It was just like the mineral veins between heaven and earth: they were far less tough and solid than refined metal. Yet mineral veins were the original form of heaven and earth, whereas refined metal was an artificial product. Which was better and which was worse was actually hard to say.
The old daoist felt as though he had understood something, yet also felt as though he hadn't. Just then, a premonition struck him. Looking up at the sky, he saw two pairs of utterly callous eyes beyond the heavens.
Old Daoist Chuhe was taken aback, then chuckled. "So, after the heavenly tribulation, there is still a killing tribulation. Since you have let me see you today, I fear I won't be surviving this tribulation. I have only one request: this body came from heaven and earth, and should return to heaven and earth. After I die, leave me a sliver of obsession so my physical body can fly back to Qingming on its own to pass away in meditation and return to its old home. If you do, I won't hold a grudge against you."
The two pairs of eyes looked coldly at Chuhe, neither agreeing nor saying anything else. Suddenly, one pair shifted slightly, gazing toward the west.
In the Qingming Medicine Garden, an aura of crimson tinged with bright yellow suddenly surged into the sky. Its killing intent boiling over, the immortal chicken charged out of the formation, taking massive strides with the feathers bristling on its mountain-like body!
It was furious beyond measure. A loud crow echoed through heaven and earth; even the setting sun seemed to brighten a little, as though tugged back upward by the crowing!
With its wings slightly spread, the immortal chicken broke into a bounding sprint, crossing a mountain crest with every stride as it charged eastward.
Wei Yuan had originally been in his study preparing for tomorrow's Dao Foundation Grand Ceremony when he suddenly rose to his feet and flew into midair. A fleck of azure light gleamed at his fingertip, and countless specks of azure light converged from every direction, forming an azure spear.
This single spear carried the fortune of at least tens of millions of people. Lifting it as if hoisting a mountain range, Wei Yuan raised his hand with great effort, preparing to hurl it into the distance.
Beyond the firmament, that pair of eyes withdrew its gaze and settled back upon Chuhe. At this moment, a pillar of clear, bright light rose from Chuhe, completely distinct from the luster of ordinary karmic luck.
In the void of the heavens, two obscure divine wills were conversing.
"It turns out he too is a pivotal figure, no lesser than that one. If we eliminate him now, this matter will already be half accomplished."
"However, this man mends heaven and earth and nurtures living beings; his merit flows like a quiet, endless stream. Even if we eliminate him, the grand mansion will not immediately collapse, yet the price we must pay would hardly be any less than striking that one. Do you truly wish to act?"
The two pairs of eyes gazed at the clear light of merit upon Chuhe before gradually fading away, leaving only a divine thought echoing in the void of the heavens:
"To think that someone in this world could reopen the path of attaining sainthood through merit. Truly..."
The second half of the sentence vanished into thin air; no one knew what it was.
The change had occurred in merely an instant. To Chuhe, it felt as though heaven and earth had simply darkened for a moment, and nothing had happened at all.
Heaven and earth returned to normal, while the immortal chicken had just rushed out of Qingming, not even a thousand li away. It snapped its head up, only to see dense layers of tribulation clouds and lightning like a prison in the sky—a terrifying heavenly tribulation was forming right above its head!
Frightened out of its wits, the immortal chicken let out a loud squawk, flapped its wings, turned tail, and fled in a flash back to Qingming. Deprived of its target, the heavenly tribulation circled back and forth for a long time before dissipating grudgingly.
The figure of a Liao man emerged in midair—it was none other than the Lesser State Preceptor of Northern Liao. He reached out a hand, and a pure white feather gently drifted down from the sky, landing in his palm. It was a feather the immortal chicken had shed in its frantic flapping while fleeing in terror.
The Lesser State Preceptor let out a faint sigh and murmured softly, "Eaten so much you can't even fly! Is staying here really that delightful?"
He stamped his foot and gritted his teeth, turning to leave. But seeing that pure white feather in his palm, after hesitating over and over, his gaze softened. Instead of throwing it away, he muttered to himself, "You even knew to leave me a keepsake. Could it be you still care for me in your heart? Fine... If something happens to you in the future, I... I'll help you one more time. The very last time! Absolutely!"
The Lesser State Preceptor turned and stepped into the void, his departing silhouette desolate yet touched with a sliver of hope.
Wei Yuan had also sensed the shift in heaven and earth. The source of the crisis had receded, causing his retaliatory spear to lose its karmic link and making it impossible to unleash. Wei Yuan finally let out a sigh of relief. The only reason he had sensed anything at all was that he had just surveyed the earth veins and rearranged the boundary stones together with Chuhe. Bound by such immense karma, Wei Yuan had sensed Chuhe's killing tribulation. This spear was locked entirely through karmic cause and effect, designed to be thrown only after Chuhe perished. Not having to launch it was good news.
Just then, the massive immortal chicken dashed back in a flurry. Its strides were bold and its footing powerful, though not a single step fell on beat, giving it an especially rhythmic flair.
Seeing this, even Wei Yuan couldn't help marveling, "What a fine free-range immortal chicken!"
The immortal chicken had already plunged headfirst into its coop, but hearing those words, it appeared before Wei Yuan in an instant. Cocking its head, it fixed Wei Yuan with an eye the size of a carriage, pressing almost right up against his face.
Its eye brimmed with murderous intent as it demanded, "Explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by 'free-range chicken'?!"
Wei Yuan was thoroughly baffled, having no idea why the immortal chicken was so sensitive to those words.
Just then, Old Daoist Chuhe's figure materialized. Having ascended to the heavens in a single step to become a Scenery Command cultivator, his speed was barely slower than the free-range immortal chicken. Seeing the old daoist appear, the immortal chicken's killing intent vanished completely. It went back to rest in its coop, waiting for dinner.
Wei Yuan stepped forward to greet Chuhe, looking him up and down for a good while before a smile finally broke out on his face. "Congratulations, Martial Uncle Chuhe!"
True Monarch Chuhe burst out laughing. "I passed the tribulations without even knowing what happened—first a heavenly tribulation, then a killing tribulation, and I didn't even understand how I got through either. Here, this is for you."
Wei Yuan looked at the shadow-recording orb the old daoist thrust into his hands and asked, "What is this?"
"These are this old daoist's insights from undergoing the Scenery Command heavenly tribulation, meant as a reference for you. If you have time, take a good look."
Wei Yuan swept his divine sense through it, and the moment he saw the drizzling, pitter-pattering gentle rain of a heavenly tribulation, his face turned green. This is a heavenly tribulation? Can this thing even be called a heavenly tribulation?! Wei Yuan felt that even his own demeanor when facing a major financial benefactor had never been so impeccably polite and proper!
Seeing Wei Yuan's expression, True Monarch Chuhe's Dao heart instantly became thoroughly clear. Not only did his cultivation advance slightly, but an extra measure of the clear light of merit actually manifested upon him! One had to admit, the Tianqing secret art yielded truly wonderful results.
Amidst his delight, the old daoist began to wonder where this newly added merit had even come from.
Chapter 1001