Hearing Sun Erlang's words, the white-haired Daoist smiled faintly.
"Indeed. Every individual possesses an independent character and mind. When disaster strikes, scattering to save oneself is the instinct of living beings. Getting everyone to unite in purpose and spirit is truly difficult. The manifold events that have occurred throughout the history of the Xuanhuang Realm bear witness to this."
The white-haired Daoist gently waved his fly-whisk, and countless images instantly materialized within the pure white space before Sun Erlang.
A black shadow symbolizing the end times hovered above the Xuanhuang Realm, poised to descend at any moment. Yet when it came to confronting this calamity, the various sects and factions throughout the realm maintained wildly disparate attitudes.
Some resolved to abandon the realm and flee; some chose to tuck in their heads like turtles; some rushed about frantically, calling for everyone to unite.
There were even those who looted amid the chaos, satisfying their own selfish desires.
None of the myriad living beings in the images possessed distinct features, represented instead by faceless silhouettes.
Yet the absurd farces unfolding before him were unmistakably real.
"But that was the Xuanhuang Realm of the past."
The white-haired Daoist flicked his whisk once more, and the scenery shifted abruptly.
"Ten thousand minds as one, defying fate with unyielding will; openly channeling divine power, fearless without worry; a promise as solemn as the sacred cauldrons..."
Accompanied by the words of Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi, vignettes depicting the daily lives of humans across the territories of the Five Elders Association spread out before Sun Erlang.
"Compared to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, what do you think of this place?" Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi asked.
"Naturally, it is far superior to the Alliance," Sun Erlang replied without hesitation.
Immediately after, he added, "A pity that all of this is founded upon the great supernatural powers of the five Heavenly Venerables. Everything is as ephemeral as flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon on water. If, one day, misfortune suddenly befell any of the five, this seemingly wonderful scene would instantly crumble."
To openly discuss the demise of a Heavenly Venerable on the territory of the Five Elders Association was treasonous in the extreme. Yet the white-haired Daoist before him, suspected to be Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi, showed no wrath.
Instead, he nodded in approval. "There is indeed some truth to what you say, yet there is also no truth in it."
Sun Erlang paused, then cupped his hands solemnly. "Please enlighten me, Heavenly Venerable."
"I say you have a point because, seen from the perspective of ordinary, outside cultivators, that is indeed how it appears. The order here exists because of the five Heavenly Venerables. Should the Heavenly Venerables pass away, the order would cease to exist.
"And I say you have no point because you do not understand the true meaning of the Longevity realm in this world."
Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi stroked his beard and spoke slowly: "Defying the principles of Heaven and Earth to attain longevity.
"Once a cultivator defies the principles, they naturally become part of the world's principles. Just like sunlight, raindrops, and air, they collectively compose the 'world' itself.
"A person is not an isolated individual. It is meaningless to deny the existence of the Longevity realm and then discuss the cultivators living beneath its shroud."
Sun Erlang did not fully grasp the Heavenly Venerable's words.
To him, it sounded somewhat like sophisticated sophistry.
Yet a Longevity Heavenly Venerable, an existence standing at the very peak of this realm, would clearly not bother to wrangle over words with a junior like him.
Sun Erlang thus furrowed his brows and pondered deeply.
After a long while, he murmured thoughtfully, "What we are discussing are the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm. That is the foundational premise. And a Longevity Heavenly Venerable has already become an inseparable part of the Xuanhuang Realm, so..."
"Wait, that's not right." Sun Erlang suddenly grew alert. "The key point is that your power does not appear to encompass the entire Xuanhuang Realm. It is confined merely to this territory."
Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi asked, "Have you ever perceived the presence of Heavenly Venerable Wuyou's divine power?"
Sun Erlang nodded. "Naturally, I am aware of it."
"As fellow members of the Longevity realm, Wuyou's strength is not substantially greater than the rest of ours. What he can accomplish..."
"We, naturally, can accomplish as well," Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi said slowly.
Hearing this, Sun Erlang's instinctive reaction was skepticism.
Yet as he considered it, his expression gradually turned solemn.
"Then why?" he could not resist asking.
"Naturally, because the time has not yet come." The white-haired Daoist smiled softly and waved his whisk once more.
The pure white expanse of the Tree of Truth gradually dissolved.
Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi's figure also slowly blurred.
"Heavenly Venerable!"
Only then did Sun Erlang suddenly recall his master's instructions. He hastily called out, "Does the Heavenly Venerable know anything regarding Heavenly Venerable Dongji?"
"Look, and you shall see."
The white space detonated with a roar.
Countless rays of light and shadow burst forth, blossoming within Sun Erlang's mind.
He returned to reality, yet his consciousness remained submerged in the visions transmitted by Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi.
"Re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth? Are you insane? You've already come this far; you're just one step away from defying the principles. As long as you follow the standard path step by step, it will suffice to attain longevity! Why must you do this?" A younger version of the Daoist spoke with utter bewilderment and agitated vehemence.
"Longevity? Nothing more than transforming one's body into the Dao." The shadowy figure opposite him was obscured, his tone dripping with disdain for the 'Longevity realm.'
He continued, "If not for that existence, it would be fine for us to transform into the Dao and attain longevity. But the entire cultivation system is built entirely upon the framework he devised...
"Xinghan, do you understand what consequences that brings?"
The young Daoist remained silent.
"The Xuanhuang Realm is being reborn through destruction. That is the only thing he cares about right now. Whether someone attains longevity is utterly irrelevant to him. In fact, he is eager for Longevity realm cultivators who align with his desires to be born. Do you know why?"
The young Daoist kept his head bowed, saying nothing.
"Your talent is not inferior to mine. How could you not understand? You are merely clinging to wishful thinking.
"Let me spell it out. The day the Xuanhuang Realm is reborn and its metamorphosis is complete, the so-called Longevity Heavenly Venerables will become entirely part of the new world's Heavenly Dao... living a life worse than death, or rather, where life and death cease to matter.
"They are all merely tools to reshape the world."
The shadowy figure sneered.
"That is merely your wild imagination, your speculation..." After a long pause, the young Daoist offered a feeble rebuttal.
The hazy figure paid him no heed, muttering to himself, "I don't believe it! I intend to fight him!
"Defying the principles of Heaven and Earth to attain longevity. That is the foundation of his attainment, but it is also his greatest flaw. If one can re-defy those principles, one can instantly seize all of his fortune and creations, replacing him entirely..."
"Dongji! You..." The young Daoist looked left and right in panic, terrified that this blasphemous declaration might be overheard.
Yet the hazy figure radiated boundless ambition, his eyes burning with resolve.
"Xinghan, do not be nervous. On this path, I am not alone," Dongji suddenly said in reassurance.
"Hidden within the immortal-mortal miasma is the secret to re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth. It originates from the previous, deceased Great Heavenly Venerable Xuanhuang...
"I have already uncovered some clues recently. As long as..."
Boom!
Before Dongji could finish speaking, the vision abruptly shattered.
When the scene cleared once more, Dongji's figure was still there.
However...
The once proud and spirited Dongji now looked terrifyingly bizarre.
His head hung low, his body stripped bare.
Long hair hung disheveled, and countless threads emerged from within his flesh, extending out into the boundless, unseen void.
"Dongji!"
Accompanied by Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi's cry of horror, this chilling tableau abruptly broke apart and vanished.
...
"What was that?" Sun Erlang's mind trembled.
Though it was merely a brief exchange, every secret revealed was utterly earth-shattering.
Sun Erlang first surveyed his surroundings and found that very little time had elapsed since he entered the Tree of Truth's world-creation illusion.
At this moment, there were still cultivators sitting on the fruit with closed eyes, undergoing the trial.
Yet Sun Erlang had no desire to linger here any longer.
He had to return as quickly as possible to report everything he had seen and heard to his master.
Fortunately, the attention of the city's cultivators was focused entirely on the 'prodigies' still within the illusion.
They paid little heed to Sun Erlang, an apparent failure.
He slipped out of the city without a sound, heading straight for the entrance to the Daqi pocket world.
As he flew, his thoughts raced.
*Did Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi notice my presence long ago?*
*That's why he appeared in the illusion to meet me.*
*They already knew of Heavenly Venerable Dongji's plight, and since I came here on my master's orders, he used me to pass these images to Master...*
*What deeper meaning lies behind this?*
Though Sun Erlang considered himself someone who had seen great things, he could hardly maintain his composure when confronted with secrets concerning the ultimate truths of the Xuanhuang Realm.
He could not help accelerating further.
...
In truth, there was no need for him to return to the Daqi pocket world in person.
Through the vast golden net woven from Source Power Essence, the Faceless Sacred Emperor had perceived everything that happened to Sun Erlang the moment he entered the illusion of truth.
Likewise, Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi had not truly been speaking to an insignificant cultivator who had not even attained Dao Integration.
He had been conversing with the Faceless Sacred Emperor.
Li Ping repeatedly examined the images transmitted by Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi.
At the same time, the profound words echoed continuously in his mind.
"Tools for Chuanfa to reshape the new world?"
"It seems they do possess some self-awareness. Seeing me emerge to vie with Chuanfa, they subtly extended goodwill..."
"Yet they cannot be fully trusted."
Li Ping snorted softly.
The five Heavenly Venerables had indeed transformed their bodies into the Dao.
Yet under Chuanfa's pressure, Li Ping did not believe for a second that over all these years, they had merely sat waiting for death without doing anything.
"The Carefree Paradise formed its own world."
"The Country of Truth evolves countless worlds."
"And the others adopt an attitude of watching the tigers fight from the mountain."
"Only those truly driven into a corner—like the present Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao—would impatiently seize any glimmer of life that appears."
Li Ping's thoughts remained calm, unaffected by the horrifying imagery transmitted by Heavenly Venerable Zhenshi.
"Yet Heavenly Venerable Dongji's claim that the secret to re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth lies hidden within the immortal-mortal miasma... might be true."
"Dongji's Purifying Spirit Pool, just like the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation, can dissolve the principle that Su Bai defied."
"Re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth..."
Li Ping pondered, turning those words over in his mind.
"I cannot place all my hopes on it, yet it remains a viable method to shake Chuanfa's strength."
With this thought, Li Ping's figure flickered, arriving beside Master Yin.
Xu Ke was also there.
They were observing an exquisitely sculpted little girl, murmuring in amazement.
Seeing Li Ping arrive, Master Yin was the first to speak. "You've come at the perfect time. Come look at this little one."
The Sacred Emperor's majestic aura and faceless visage made the little girl slightly nervous.
Yet she summoned her courage and looked directly at Li Ping.
His divine sense swept through the girl's body in an instant. Li Ping paused slightly, sending a voice transmission: "Weren't they all supposed to practice the new-new method?
"Why is this child cultivating the method of Chuanfa?"
Xu Ke answered with deep emotion, "Please do not misunderstand, Sacred Emperor. No one taught her this cultivation method; she figured it out on her own.
"What is more, she is not the only one like this among this batch of children."
Master Yin's tone was equally peculiar. "When driven to a dead end, one seeks another path. They failed to establish their foundation with themselves. Seeing their peers continually progressing, she panicked and instinctively stumbled upon an alternate path of cultivation.
"To avoid influencing the other children cultivating the new-new method, we had no choice but to separate them."
The Faceless Sacred Emperor remained silent.
This time, Source Power Essence swept through, thoroughly examining the conditions within these children.
"It is no coincidence."
"The method of Chuanfa has already become part of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao."
"Like a path naturally existing in the world, even if one is blindfolded, one will instinctively step onto it."
Li Ping recalled the situation in the world Sun Erlang had created not long ago.
"This is Xuanhuang's 'Dao.' The supreme Dao, which even the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao itself cannot escape."
"Conforming to this Dao allows one to attain the realm's supremacy—longevity."
"To defy it..."
"Is a struggle to the death."
Dongji's bizarre, puppet-like body surfaced before Li Ping's eyes.
Yet not a trace of timidity or hesitation stirred in Li Ping's heart.
"Su Bai and Dongji failed..."
"That does not mean I will!"
"Though Chuanfa is powerful, he is not invincible."
Li Ping's strategy had never changed from the start.
"To successfully defy the Dao, the first approach is to re-defy its principles and disrupt its foundation.
"The second is to meet force with force, shattering the impasse through sheer might. Chuanfa's Dao is indeed supreme within the Xuanhuang Realm. Yet this realm is not the only one in existence. Beyond this world lies the sea of stars. Beyond the sea of stars lies the High Wall..."
As Li Ping's thoughts churned, he stated his purpose to Master Yin and Xu Ke.
"The immortal-mortal miasma?"
Master Yin found it strange that Li Ping would suddenly bring up his former subject of research.
"Mr. Bai succeeded in defying the principle only at the cost of his own life. Because he was deeply favored by the Heavenly Dao, the greater the entanglement, the greater the backlash. In the end, he could not escape returning his Dao to Heaven..." Master Yin explained.
"Since it is already a defied principle, why can it be dispersed?"
"Does that not mean that every instance of expelling the immortal-mortal miasma is equivalent to re-defying the principles of Heaven and Earth?" Li Ping asked coolly.
This was a question Master Yin had never once considered, and he froze on the spot.
Chapter 1248