“Of all the Yin Dao Fruits, all revere Taiyin; yet Taiyang is the foremost manifestation of the day, and all yang aspects follow it.”
Chi Buzi’s spirit aperture had manifested earlier than ordinary mortals; he was already able to cultivate at the age of five. When Chi Wei taught him cultivation, his very first lesson began with the Dao Fruits, and among them, he began with Yin and Yang. Chi Wei had read this passage within a hall of the Mifan Sect; it was an ancient cultivator’s view on the Yin-Yang Dao Fruits. Following it was another line: “Taiyin Mysterious Radiance, falling upon the Bingzi Water, forms the Lake Moon hue, guiding the two positions of Lu and He, meaning the True Chi seeking the Dao; Sun Heavenly Essence, blending with Renchen Water, forms the Sun-Splitting Hairpin, melting away the two yangs of Shao and Ming, which is Yingze dividing Kuai.”
Chi Wei had recited these words expressionlessly back then, but only later did Chi Buzi realize that he had used this very passage as the basis to consume Li Chijing! Setting aside the different terms various lineages used for spiritual items, “Lake Moon Autumn” could guide Lu and He, while the Sun-Splitting Hairpin could dissolve the two yangs—it was stated with utmost clarity.
Yet since modern antiquity, Yin and Yang had long ceased to manifest. Spiritual items withered, Daoist lineages were lost. There were few even at Foundation Establishment with Yin-Yang Dao Fruits, to say nothing of the Violet Palace. Furthermore, the few figures who had attained Yin-Yang Dao Fruits in the past were each more formidable and terrifying than the last, so ambitious people throughout the world never dared covet this path.
Most Violet Palace masters set it aside; only a few like Chi Wei utilized some shifts of Yin and Yang to achieve their aims. As for those who sought to advance along these two paths, perhaps only a few obstinate, intractable clans remained.
It was precisely because of this profound background that when Chi Buzi’s gaze fell upon that Yin-Yang pattern, his eyes dared not linger for even an instant. As if scalded, he dropped his gaze swiftly to the floor, his forehead pressed tightly against the array patterns on the ground. All the plans and calculations in his heart were shattered to pieces, leaving only boundless panic and disorientation:
*He is actually... He is that Immortal Lord! What Pin Water! What Mansion Water! It is actually Yin and Yang!*
*Yingze!*
Who was the figure before him? How overpowering had the Shaoyang Demon Lord Kuai Li been in those ancient days? Yingze had first sent someone before Tuoba Xuan to recite an immortal edict before stepping in to capture Kuai Li, and True Monarch Tiancheng Tuoba Xuan had not dared utter a single word in protest! Kuai Li had been divided into three, and each of the three was no weaker than an ordinary Golden Core—this alone showed how terrifying that demon lord’s might had been back then. Chi Buzi was terrified, at a complete loss for what to do.
In modern times, the era of immortals manifesting was gone. Aside from Mount Luoxia and the Netherworld, which were universally acknowledged to be presided over by immortals, those great figures who attained immortality in antiquity had either fallen or ascended beyond the boundless heavens. Since modern antiquity, only a few renowned names remained, and those holding Yin-Yang Dao Fruits were pitifully few.
Who was Yingze? Master of Qingsong Abbey, a great cultivator who practiced both Yin and Yang and attained the Taiyang Dao Fruit!
Even if Lushui True Monarch came in person, he would have to stand to the side, perform disciple courtesies, and address him as Master or Martial Uncle...
If Chi Buzi had been born over a thousand years earlier, before the Heavenly Change when the Heavenly Dao maintained order, even exchanging a word with the true Yingze would be laughed off as an impossible boast if told to others. Now, facing an ancient immortal in person, Chi Buzi was completely subdued; not a shred of scheming remained in his mind.
Knowing that the ancient immortal before him could almost certainly perceive his thoughts, Chi Buzi possessed a meticulous mind and immense self-control. Under his deliberate guidance, his heart became filled entirely with awe and veneration—to the point of deceiving even himself.
Chi Buzi pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice raspy and as low and humble as could be:
“Junior cultivator Buzi greets the Immortal Lord.”
“Junior cultivator... to behold the immortal countenance, is grateful beyond measure... I had wished to receive the immortal edict and serve with all my life, never expecting to trouble Your Immortal Presence, I am terrified and deeply honored...”
Chi Buzi spoke smoothly, his tone humble and reverent. He never felt that lowering his posture was demeaning. The entity before him had attained the Dao Fruit; to this day, whether laying arrays, casting spells, alchemy, or artifact refining, traces of him remained in every shift between Yin and Yang. What harm was there in speaking a few subservient words?
Lu Jiangxian calmly measured Chi Buzi’s overflowing emotions, remaining silent for a brief moment. He naturally did not believe Chi Buzi had any means to deceive him.
The immortal’s voice drifted down, cool and indifferent:
“This Venerable One passed by this place, not for you, but because of a karmic entanglement of life and fate; you came to seek This Venerable One yourself.”
He paused for a moment, as if turning toward someone else:
“Dangjiang, come out and see This Venerable One.”
Chi Buzi was still kneeling, not daring to lift his head, when these words made his head spin.
As if his soul had been pulled from his body, Chi Buzi watched from the side as his own physical body moved! Chi Buzi watched his body leap up and perform a bizarre, grotesque prostration. An unfamiliar, fawning expression surfaced on that familiar face:
“Dangjiang... it’s good... good that you were fooled by me...”
The person occupying his body was none other than that evil spirit that had sprung from the Li family! Chi Buzi had matched wits and struggled with him for decades, thinking he had finally slain him, consumed the treasure within his soul, and advanced his cultivation greatly. Never had he imagined that this cursed thing was still inside him!
Dangjiang flapped his lips ceaselessly, weeping bitterly and wailing aloud:
“Mansion Lord! Mansion Lord! This servant suffered so terribly in this turbid mortal world! What... what kind of world is this! Small god... small god...”
“Small god greets Mansion Lord! Welcoming Mansion Lord’s grand arrival! Small god... small god congratulates Mansion Lord on emerging from the Immortal Mansion once more, protecting the peace of this realm... all the yellow-crowned Daoists under heaven have joyous tidings!”
Inside, Dangjiang sneered at Chi Buzi: *I’ve fought with you for decades, as if I didn't know what kind of thing you are! Righteous in speech, but lustful, cowardly, and greedy to the bone... and you still put on airs!*
Lu Jiangxian watched him flap his lips, secretly nursing a headache. He had acted his way here with great difficulty, and he truly feared this fellow would babble too much and give the game away:
*I didn't recall Gelian being so talkative; how did he fashion someone as noisy as Dangjiang?*
Lu Jiangxian did not wish to speak further with Dangjiang. With a thought, he silenced the water mansion immortal official. He shook his head gently and said in a mild voice:
“You deserted your post without permission for many years; naturally, punishment awaits you. Return to your place.”
“That day, This Venerable One was in seclusion cultivating, not in the mansion, yet you traced the connection and fled.”
With those words, Chi Buzi suddenly felt sensation return to his limbs, and the boulder hanging over his heart finally dropped. Feeling the cool floor beneath him, he thought: *Indeed, he did not seize my body... He truly is an immortal...*
Lu Jiangxian then spoke to Chi Buzi:
“You used your body as a cage to trap Dangjiang, preventing Dangjiang from revealing his tracks. This can also be counted as a meritorious deed.”
“It saved your life.”
Chi Buzi gave a cold shudder, naturally understanding the immortal was addressing him. Fear seized his heart:
*So when I searched that junior cultivator's memories back then, it triggered some connection that nearly killed me... It turns out Dangjiang's escape happened to coincide with it, shielding me and saving my life!*
*So this fool had deserted his post from some grotto-heaven secret realm... No wonder an evil spirit barged in out of nowhere!*
Chi Buzi had originally thought Dangjiang was sent by some True Monarch to seize his body, which was why he had gone to Zongquan Island and ventured to speak all those words... Now the causes and consequences were finally laid bare, and Chi Buzi felt both envy and relief:
*That fool truly has a fool's luck.*
Chi Buzi paused, realizing that this Immortal Lord—suspected to be Yingze—was merely here to retrieve the evil spirit. He was likely about to return to some immortal realm. A surge of anxiety welled in Chi Buzi’s heart.
He, Chi Buzi, had finally obtained a chance at the Golden Core; how could he let it slip away like this? The figure before him was at least approachable. Gritting his teeth, he kowtowed forcefully and said in a deep voice:
“Having beheld the Immortal Lord’s countenance... Buzi’s heart yearns for it, yet I fear my Great Dao lacks harmony. Meeting an immortal is like gazing upon the truth of the Dao; I beg the Immortal Lord to point out a Golden Core Great Dao!”
The immortal seated above listened quietly, his voice drifting down:
“You possess the heart to cultivate your own nature, which in today's world is already rare. Since you ask for a clear path, I shall point one out to you. Take care of yourself.”
Chi Buzi felt a sudden emptiness in his chest, biting his teeth so that his lips wouldn't tremble. He already had his answer:
Was it “not enough”?
“I only fear it is not high enough!”
Chi Buzi’s mind buzzed as if ten thousand great bells were clanging, heavy reverberations echoing through his head. The momentary surge of disbelief flashed through his mind, and then he felt everything drift away, dissolving into boundless silence.
He looked ahead: floating before him was a snow-white token.
The blue-robed man stepped forward and lightly grasped it. A thunderous roar exploded in his mind, and the token dissolved into his sea of consciousness!
Countless technique formulas surged forth like a torrent. Chi Buzi slowly lifted his head, his eyes brightening, as several large characters surfaced in his heart:
*Tianzhuan Mingxuan Sacrificial Method*!
Chi Buzi was both astonished and delighted, pressing close to the ground. The radiance before his eyes receded like an ebbing tide, disappearing bit by bit, leaving behind only a long sigh.
Chi Buzi knelt quietly until the light before him vanished completely, and only then did he raise his head bit by bit.
Everything before his eyes remained frozen in endless quiet, peaceful and serene.
He suddenly looked up: the white light had vanished without a trace. The clinking of jade pendants reached his ears once more, and the flow of spiritual energy reappeared in his perception. In Chi Buzi’s hand, he still gripped that azure jade slip, cool and delicate.
If not for Si Boxiu still standing nearby like a statue, Chi Buzi would almost have believed everything just now was merely a dream. He stood up little by little, looked around, and prepared to leave for Yuehua Yuan Mansion!
*I must examine this technique carefully when I return... But since it was bestowed by an immortal, nine times out of ten I won't be able to decipher anything anyway... Still, I shall try...*
Chi Buzi quickly searched once more, but as expected, the Lu Water technique *Dew-Washing Origin Canon* still lacked the subsequent parts. With a face full of disappointment, he returned to Si Boxiu's side, who had just unfrozen, and said softly:
“Still only at the Foundation Establishment level.”
Si Boxiu’s mouth twitched, and he shook his head silently.
Chi Buzi’s gaze swept across this ocean of Dao methods, and he asked casually:
“Did you make any gains? What a pity! Has martial uncle already taken the technique formula you desired?”
Si Boxiu shook his head:
“Naturally, I found nothing worth taking.”
Chi Buzi looked up with ease and composure, an expression of helplessness surfacing on his face. He shook his head slightly, frowning:
“These cultivation methods seem more suited for ordinary disciples to consult... What I seek is more profound talisman-array arts. Although the things here are somewhat interesting, they are not enough.”
“More profound talisman-array arts?” Si Boxiu asked.
The central ones were all Violet Palace methods of the True Qi path. The arrays guarding them were exceptionally tight; there might even be restrictive seals upon them, taking at least an hour to breach.
Since neither of them needed these, and every second counted within the grotto-heaven, spending an hour to dismantle a single method was simply not worth it. Yet leaving them here to benefit other families was out of the question.
Chi Buzi’s expression was natural, showing no hint of the upheaval he had just experienced. He smiled and said:
“Since martial uncle has already retrieved what you need, let us strike together, activate the arrays in this hall, and destroy all these things!”
“This Wendao Palace is the best possible source! Who knows what secret methods were hidden inside? Burn it all to the ground with a fire; in the end, with no evidence left, who can say anything?”
In his heart, Chi Buzi thought: *When I cast the Tianzhuan Mingxuan Sacrificial Method, I must keep it strictly secret. But if it ever catches someone's eye one day, I must have an origin for it...*
Si Boxiu frowned, finding some sense in his words: “Good... what a ruthless fellow...”
Si Boxiu was an adept in this Dao, so Chi Buzi naturally left the task in his hands, floating backward.
Si Boxiu urged his Huangdao Mysterious Talisman, landing it upon the grand array at the exact center, and said in a low voice:
“Take cover for a moment. Breaking this grand array is difficult, but triggering its self-destruction is exceedingly easy!”
“Sacrifice!”
Chi Buzi had retreated barely half a li when a dazzling pillar of fire shot into the sky!
Golden-red and grey-white mingled together—True Fire and Combined Fire erupting simultaneously!
All the magnificent colors in the grand hall slowly faded away. The stone steps, jade slips, array runes... everything dissipated slowly like sand in the wind, leaving only boundless ash and flame.
“Now, no matter how good the cultivation methods inside were, they are all burned clean.”
Chi Buzi stood with both hands behind his back, his green robes flickering bright and dark amid the soaring flames. He struggled to suppress the wild ecstasy and suspicion in his heart, thinking to himself:
*The Li family... who would have thought that behind the Li family stood that immortal!*
Chi Buzi was inherently a person who revered strength and used any means necessary. His dissatisfaction with Lushui was because that True Monarch kept secrets and passed down headless, tailless methods for breakthrough, lacking the generosity of a True Monarch while blocking Chi Buzi’s path, naturally earning his enmity.
*But this ancient immortal!*
Chi Buzi’s face was flushed slightly red by the billowing, scorching flames before him. A genial smile appeared on his face, thoroughly satisfied.
Chapter 598