Upon arriving in the late Han world, Huang Tian felt an inexplicable sensation: here, he was supreme, paramount, and exalted beyond compare.
He was Heaven, yet at the same time he was not. It resembled the concept of "merging with the Dao" found in certain novels, yet he had not actually united with the Heavenly Dao.
*Still, I have an intuition that in this world, I can do anything—including traversing the long river of time to return to the primordial dawn when heaven and earth were first rent open!*
*Moreover—*
"Moo—"
Ahead on the narrow path, standing amid a patch of thick grass, was a green ox. Its horns curved in coils, its four hooves were solid and stout, and its large eyes clearly shone with blatant fawning.
A rare, bizarre expression crossed Huang Tian's face. He could "see" that this green ox was none other than the physical manifestation of this world's Heavenly Dao!
*I remember that during my first descent, this world had no consciousness. To think that upon my return, it has not only gained awareness, but quite a high degree of intelligence. Still, to see an honest, stout green ox wearing such a flattering expression is truly... cough, a bit comical.*
He shook his head and beckoned. "Come here, ox."
With a low call, the green ox trotted eagerly over. Huang Tian mounted its back and mused, "Since I have returned to the late Han world, I should first pay a visit to old acquaintances."
With that thought, he patted the ox's head gently. The green ox began ambling leisurely down the path, heading west.
***
Inside an elegantly simple chamber in Guangzong City, Ji Province.
"Second Brother, I broke through! Qi Gathering ninth level!" A middle-aged man trotted inside, his face beaming with joy.
The person he addressed as Second Brother possessed bright, open brows and a majestic bearing, yet looked like a young man.
"It is good that you broke through. You are forty-nine this year; you can spend a few more years refining your dharmic power and attempt to break through to the Dao Foundation realm before you reach sixty," the young man said with gratification.
The middle-aged man's smile faltered, replaced by slight dejection. "Second Brother, I truly have little confidence in attempting the Dao Foundation realm. Eldest Brother's talent and intellect far exceed mine, yet when he entered seclusion to break through last year, he still failed. Had the Great Virtuous Teacher not stood guard beside him, his dharmic power running rampant would have surely caused severe injuries."
He let out a deep sigh. "The Dao Foundation is hard! Far too hard! In the fifty-odd years since the Holy Venerable descended into this world, only a mere handful across the entire realm have attained a Dao Foundation. I am an ordinary man; how could I dare dream of becoming a Dao Foundation grand cultivator?"
The young man shook his head. "Not so. That you reached the ninth level of Qi Gathering before turning fifty shows your aptitude is by no means poor. What you lack right now is that conviction—that unyielding drive to seek the Dao without regret."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man fell silent and pressed his lips together. After a long while, he nodded heavily. "I will do my best!"
The young man nodded. Just as he was about to speak, his expression abruptly shifted. He strode swiftly out of the room, looking up toward the eastern sky. His expression flickered through several emotions, his eyes wide in disbelief, almost questioning reality itself. "How... how is this possible?!"
Puzzled and alarmed, the middle-aged man followed him outside. Looking in the direction his brother was staring, he saw only a clear, washed-blue sky with drifting clouds, and nothing else.
"How could this be..." the young man murmured softly, as though beholding an utter impossibility.
"Second Brother, what on earth is wrong? What do you see?" The middle-aged man was intensely curious. He knew how steady his second brother usually was; even if the sky collapsed, he would not flinch. Why was he acting as though talking in a dream?
"Second Brother? Second Brother!"
Only after several calls did the young man snap back to his senses. Yet even having recovered, the shock on his face had not faded in the slightest.
The middle-aged man asked again, "Second Brother, what did you actually see?"
Taking a deep breath, the young man said in a low voice, "Do you remember the Purple Mansion Qi Observation Art I created?"
The middle-aged man froze briefly, then realized. "I remember. You developed that observation art after stepping into the Dao Foundation realm."
"Do you know what I just saw with it?" The young man's voice was slow and deep.
The middle-aged man shook his head.
"Purple qi!"
"Purple qi?"
"Yes, purple qi!" The young man grew agitated. "Boundless! Like mountains, like oceans, blotting out the heavens and the sun! Across that entire canopy of the sky, no drifting clouds can be seen—only purple qi! At times it resembles a thousand-fathom azure dragon, and at others, countless billions of jade boughs!"
The middle-aged man was dumbfounded. He rubbed his eyes and looked once more toward the eastern sky, yet still saw nothing.
"You have not cultivated this art, so of course you cannot see it." The young man seized his hand tightly. "Hundreds of millions of li of purple qi sweeping across the heavens—a sage must have emerged! Come, join me in welcoming him personally!"
"Ah... all right, all right—" The middle-aged man was bewildered, but agreed without hesitation. Even if he could not see the purple qi, he believed his second brother would never deceive him, and he trusted the miraculous nature of the Purple Mansion Qi Observation Art.
For his second brother was named Zhuge Liang! He was a Dao Foundation grand cultivator appointed to oversee Guangzong, the sacred birthplace where the Holy Infant had descended, once praised by the first Great Virtuous Teacher, Zhang Jiao, as the foremost talent and intellect among contemporary cultivators!
*Whoosh—*
With a flick of Zhuge Liang's sleeve, a mass of white mist rose from the ground. Standing atop the mist, the two soared into the air, flying eastward. After flying for roughly a hundred breaths, Zhuge Liang brought the cloud down.
"Before a sage, one must not look down from above."
The mist touched the ground and dispersed with the wind. Zhuge Liang and his third brother, Zhuge Jun, stood beside a smooth official road, waiting by the wayside.
Yet as they waited, Zhuge Jun could not help repeatedly glancing toward the end of the road, pondering privately. *A sage? What manner of sage could stir the billions of spans of purple qi Second Brother spoke of? Could it be a great cultivator hidden away from the world? No, impossible. In our world, there were never any gods or ghosts until the Holy Venerable descended, broke the calamity, and imparted the Dao; only then did cultivators appear.*
*And that was barely fifty-odd years ago. How could anyone have cultivated into an almighty sage? Even the Holy Venerable's personal disciple, the Great Virtuous Teacher, is only at the late Dao Foundation realm.*
*If not a great cultivator, who else could it be? Could it be...*
A name suddenly flashed through his mind. His heart hammered wildly, his breath grew ragged, and he looked involuntarily toward his brother.
Zhuge Liang said in a solemn voice, "Steady your spirit and calm your mind!"
Zhuge Jun took a deep breath, trying his best not to lose his composure. Yet the mere thought of that name caused his face to flush and his body to tremble faintly with excitement.
"Moo—"
After less than half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a cattle cry came from the far end of the official road. Both men shuddered and looked up at the same time.
Sure enough, a green ox was ambling toward them unhurriedly. Its horns were curled, its four hooves were stout, and its large eyes were bright and lively. Astride its back sat a person.
That person looked like a boy, like a youth, like a white-haired elder...
Zhuge Jun blinked repeatedly, momentarily wondering if something was wrong with his vision. How could that figure keep shifting before his eyes?
Zhuge Liang's soul shook violently. In his eyes, the figure on the ox's back was not a human at all, but Heaven itself!
The supreme, most distant, most profound, and most divine Heaven!
"Moo—"
Another low cry pulled them both back from their daze. Composing themselves, they finally saw the figure clearly: a young Daoist wearing a green Daoist robe and a white jade crown. His expression was calm and leisurely, as though enjoying the scenery along the way, thoroughly content.
As the green ox drew near, Zhuge Liang knelt to the ground without the slightest hesitation. Zhuge Jun quickly followed suit.
"Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun pay respects to the Great Sage, Great Worthy, and Great Virtue!"
Hearing their voices, the green ox came to a halt. The Daoist atop its back cast a glance at the two and spoke with a clear voice: "I am no sage or worthy, merely a seeker of the Dao."
As the words fell, both men felt an inexplicable force gently lifting them up. Exchanging a glance, Zhuge Liang bowed with clasped hands. "May I boldly ask the Great Worthy's name?"
The Daoist gave a light chuckle. Rather than answering directly, he chanted leisurely:
"Once Primordial Origin opened, the five directions were anchored;
The Great Potter moved alone, establishing the mystic bounds.
If you would ask where lies the true source,
In the Great Beginning, the winds blew vast and dim."
He then gently patted the ox's head, and the beast resumed its forward stride.
Contemplating the poem's meaning, the Zhuge brothers hastened their steps, respectfully flanking the ox. Seeing this, the Daoist did not drive them away, and so the three men and one ox continued onward.
After a long silence, Zhuge Liang ventured, "May I ask, where are you headed?"
The Daoist replied, "To Luoyang, to see my disciple and witness the changes in the mortal world."
A shock ran through both brothers. They looked at each other, their suspicions confirmed.
*It must be the Holy Venerable Huang Tian! The god Zhonghuang Taiyi has returned to the world!* Zhuge Jun shouted internally, his expression growing ever more reverent.
Zhuge Liang offered, "This disciple is willing to guide your way."
The Daoist glanced at him, making no move to correct the word "disciple." After all, the lineage of cultivation in this late Han world had been passed down by him; every cultivator here could rightly be considered his disciple.
Huang Tian said placidly, "From here to Luoyang is a thousand li. Are you truly willing to weary your feet and walk alongside me?"
"This is what this disciple ought to do," Zhuge Liang replied. Zhuge Jun nodded repeatedly as well, not daring to speak lest he say something wrong and displease the Holy Venerable.
"In that case, I shall trouble you."
"I dare not call it trouble; it is my earnest wish."
After this exchange, the three men and one ox set off on the road to Luoyang. Starting from Guangzong, they traveled for about four days before reaching Yecheng, the provincial seat of Ji Province.
Yecheng was extraordinarily prosperous. Carriages and horses flowed like water, canvas canopies stood high, and streets crisscrossed one another. Everywhere one looked were jewels, antiques, silks, furs, calligraphy, paintings, brushes, and inkstones. Gold, fine silks, pearls, and jade piled high like mountains, while wine pavilions and music halls bustled ceaselessly from dawn to dusk!
*Fifty years have passed in the snap of a finger, yet the mortal world has changed so much,* Huang Tian mused from atop the ox.
During his first descent, the late Han world he saw had been rife with the smoke of war and strewn with bleached bones; human life was treated worse than that of dogs, and desolation reigned everywhere.
Now, it was completely different. Setting aside Yecheng before him, along the road he had seen many common folk wearing clean clothes, their faces ruddy with health. Cattle plowing was common across the fields, and iron farming tools were seen everywhere.
"The Gazette is out! The Gazette is out! The Daoist Court's spirit ship has reached Yindian! The spirit ship has reached Yindian!"
Just as Huang Tian was reminiscing, over a dozen children ran down the street holding stacks of paper, shouting in crisp voices.
Zhuge Liang beckoned one of the children over. "Give me a copy of the new Gazette."
Handing over the coins, he took the paper, unfurled it, and read aloud as he looked over the pages: "'...The Daoist Court's first spirit ship crossed the ocean, and after more than a year, has safely arrived in Yindian. General of Ocean Expeditions Deng Ai personally led the landing upon the lands of Yindian to seek out the local natives...'"
Finishing that piece, he continued down the page.
"'The Daoist Court's twenty-sixth Dao Examinations concluded successfully in Luoyang. A total of one thousand nine hundred and fifty individuals were admitted into the Three Courts: eight hundred and twenty into the Court of Administration, nine hundred and thirty into the Court of Science, and two hundred into the Court of the Dao...'"
"'Yingzhou Provincial Governor Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, submitted another memorial petitioning the Daoist Court to relocate three hundred thousand commoners to Yingzhou to replenish its population, while requesting retirement on grounds of old age and illness...'"
"'Academician of the Court of the Dao and Dao Foundation grand cultivator Zhou Yu has been commanded to lead a force to the southwest to eradicate miasma...'"
"'Major reshuffle in the Yu Province Court of Administration; five officials at or above commandery level reassigned...'"
"'General of Western Expeditions Cao Cao and Deputy General Jiang Wei led their army to defeat the final forces of the Great Qin Empire (who call themselves Roma), slaying seventeen thousand on the field, capturing over sixty thousand, erecting a display mound of corpses, executing their emperor Alexander Severus and hanging his body for public view, transforming their religion, and spreading the Dao of Zhonghuang Taiyi...'"
"'The Court of Science announced an extraordinary breakthrough in cultivating spiritual crops, raising crop yield per mu by one-tenth...'"
"'...Yuan Shao, courtesy name Benchu, First-Class Cultivator of the Court of the Dao, advanced to the Dao Foundation realm on the sixteenth of the third month. Bestowed the rank of Academician by the Great Virtuous Teacher, he subsequently volunteered to lead the Daoist Court's second spirit ship southward across the seas to various realms. Rumors in the capital of Luoyang claim he remarked privately: *I come to set the four seas ablaze with war...*'"
After reading the key information, Zhuge Liang folded the paper. Huang Tian gave a slight nod. "Let us continue."
And so the party did not linger, departing Yecheng, reaching Henei, crossing Mengjin, and finally arriving in Luoyang.
Upon entering Luoyang, the crowd surged even more intensely. Merchants were everywhere, shoulders brushed, carriage hubs clashed, and the din went on all day long.
Following the crowd at a leisurely pace, the three men and one ox arrived before the palace city.
Before they could step inside, Zhuge Liang had already released his divine sense and sent a voice transmission within. In the next moment, from Zhuolong Garden within the palace city, an escape light suddenly shot into the sky. As it drew near, it descended rapidly, revealing the figure of an old man with crane-white hair and a youthful complexion, dressed in blue robes, holding a nine-section staff, and looking thoroughly possessed of Daoist bones and immortal grace.
"The Great Virtuous Teacher!"
"Greetings, Great Virtuous Teacher!"
The moment the old man appeared, the guards stationed before the palace gates were all startled and bowed hastily.
Yet the old man had completely forgotten them. His eyes held only that figure seated astride the ox.
"Master, you... you have returned!" Zhang Jiao shuddered, his eyes welling with tears. He stumbled forward, fell to his knees with a thud, and wept, choked with emotion.
Seeing this, the guards were filled with horror. In their minds, the Great Virtuous Teacher was already a living immortal; yet now he was overcome with emotion, kneeling before someone else like a wandering child reuniting with his parents. Just who was this person...?
Their minds raced, and very quickly, a name came to them. Their breath caught in their throats, and they stared in disbelief at the Daoist upon the ox.
"Moo—"
The green ox lowered its front knees, allowing Huang Tian to dismount with ease. Taking two steps forward to stand before Zhang Jiao, he reached out to help him up, smiling faintly. "You have done well."
Zhang Jiao raised his sleeve and wiped his face, drying his tears. In a slightly hoarse voice, he said, "It is entirely thanks to Master pointing the way for this disciple. I have merely followed the course already charted."
Huang Tian said nothing more, only lightly patting his arm. That simple gesture alone filled Zhang Jiao with delight and invigorated his spirits.
"Holy Venerable, please come inside to rest," Zhuge Liang spoke up.
Only then did Zhang Jiao recover his senses and hurriedly invite Huang Tian into the palace to rest. Huang Tian did not refuse. Guided by them, he walked into the palace toward Zhuolong Garden, the green ox following closely behind him.
After they left, the guards at the palace gates exchanged looks, their eyes filled with shock and excitement. Only the constraints of duty kept them from crying out, or they would have erupted into impassioned discussion long ago...
Once Huang Tian settled in Zhuolong Garden, many came seeking an audience, including the third-generation Great Virtuous Teacher He Ting—the youngest son of the former qushuai He Yi—and several Dao Foundation cultivators from the Court of the Dao. Yet Huang Tian had no interest in meeting them. He had come to Luoyang only to see his sole disciple; the others meant nothing to him.
Seeing his disinclination, they naturally dared not press the matter and could only depart with regret.
Over the next few days, Huang Tian stayed in Zhuolong Garden, enjoying the scenery, listening to Zhang Jiao recount the changes across the world over the past fifty years, and occasionally giving guidance to Zhang Jiao and the Zhuge brothers, living in leisure and contentment.
*Whoosh—*
A gentle breeze swept past, rustling the garden's trees. Huang Tian stood with his hands behind his back before a serene stream and said, "Having stayed here for several days, it is time to depart."
Standing in attendance beside him, Zhang Jiao and Zhuge Liang turned pale. "Could it be that we disciples have served you poorly—"
Huang Tian shook his head. "It has nothing to do with that. I have seen the mortal realm and met old acquaintances; there is no reason to linger."
He turned to look at the anxious Zhang Jiao and said warmly, "When I speak of departing, I do not mean leaving this world. On the contrary, this strand of spiritual intent of mine may reside here permanently. Only, I shall not live upon the earth, but dwell within the years."
Zhang Jiao had been overjoyed to hear that his master might dwell permanently in this world, but upon hearing the rest, he looked utterly bewildered. Zhuge Liang was equally confused: *What does it mean to dwell within the years?*
Huang Tian offered no further explanation, saying only, "Cultivate diligently."
He then looked toward the green ox resting beneath the tree. The ox let out a "moo," walked over, and Huang Tian seated himself upon its back, whispering softly, "Let us go."
The green ox took a single step forward, and space-time instantly warped. Bearing Huang Tian, it stepped into the rift, vanishing entirely from the sight of Zhang Jiao and Zhuge Liang.
*Crash—*
The vast, mighty river of time surged endlessly. Every splash of foam represented an era of history or future filled with brilliant heroes. Rising hundreds of millions of fathoms tall, the man and ox walked within the river of time, heading toward the primordial dawn when heaven and earth were first opened—
Chapter 192