I have Taoism and can understand other worlds

Chapter 674 Trivial Matters of Baixi
Inside the hall, candlelight flickered, and an elderly man in hemp robes—an elder of the dragon race—sat alone by the window, gazing at the deepening twilight outside the tower.

"Elder Ao," Jiang Wen said softly.

The old man slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the scepter in Jiang Wen's hand, a complex look flashing in his eyes: "Sit down, Elder Jiang."

Jiang Wen sat down on the stone chair opposite him and took something out of his sleeve. It was an object wrapped in linen, the outer layer of which had yellowed, clearly quite old. He gently placed it on the low table between them.

“I found this in Fallen Immortal Lake,” Jiang Wen said calmly. “It belongs to your son, Emperor Ao.”

The old man's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. His withered fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the package, but paused for a moment just before touching it, before carefully opening it.

It was a stack of animal hides used as notes, recording various events that Ao Di had kept on the island. Jiang Wen brought this item back with him when he left Fallen Immortal Lake.

Beside the notebook was a silver scale that had lost its luster; it was a blessing scale given by a close relative during the coming-of-age ceremony of the dragon people.

The old man picked up the silver scale, gently tracing the familiar patterns on it with his fingertips, remaining silent for a long time. In the candlelight, the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen even further.

"More than ten years ago, he left..." The old man's voice was hoarse. "He stole a treasure from the Dragon Clan's secret realm, saying he was going to find a way to save Baixi. Since then, he has never returned. Although I have never acknowledged him, I still have some feelings for him. Alas, so be it."

Jiang Wen remained silent for a moment before saying, "Emperor Ao went to the Fallen Immortal Lake, the deepest part of the Holy Land. He believes that the secret to leaving the Land of Divine Blessing is hidden on the island in the middle of the lake."

The old man suddenly looked up, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes, which then dimmed again: "Then he..."

The sound faded away, and the old man knew the outcome. He didn't interrupt Jiang Wen again, but instead turned to listen.

“He went to the island in the lake,” Jiang Wen said in a low voice, “but that was not the way out, but the location of the Fallen Immortal’s heart. He eventually died trapped on the island.”

A long silence fell over the hall, broken only by the faint crackling of the flickering candlelight. The old man gripped the silver scale tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

"So that's how it is." After a long while, the old man sighed deeply, a sigh that carried both relief and endless sorrow. "At least, I know where he is now."

He carefully wrapped the notes and silver scales again and put them in his pocket. His gaze towards Jiang Wen was more sincere now: "Thank you for bringing these back."

"It was nothing." Jiang Wen paused, "Regarding the Path to Immortality..."

"Let's wait a while longer," the old man interjected. "This time, the opening of the Path to Immortality is different from the past. After the Holy Land was purified, all the tribes have felt the changes, and the competition will surely be even more intense."

He looked at Jiang Wen meaningfully and said, "Since you are an elder, you should prepare early."

Jiang Wen nodded: "I understand."

As he rose to take his leave, the old man suddenly said, "I will treasure the Emperor's notes. Perhaps Elder Jiang can see the path he couldn't complete on his behalf."

Jiang Wen turned around and saw that the old man had turned to look out the window, the twilight stretching his shadow long and lonely.

Leaving the side hall, Jiang Wen slowly descended the spiral stone steps. The elder's scepter in his hand felt warm to the touch, subtly blending with his aura.

Outside the tower, the capital of Baixi is already ablaze with lights from thousands of homes, and the songs and laughter of various ethnic groups drift on the wind, weaving together the unique rhythm of this land.

He recalled the last words Ao Di wrote on that animal skin, the slightly hasty yet still firm handwriting: "May future generations see the heavens beyond the heavens." Even a bird trapped in a cage always yearns for the outside world.

Back at his residence, Jiang Wen prepared to go into seclusion to continue his cultivation. Perhaps it was because he had temporarily cut off the source of the black water that the Divine Blessed Land had gained considerable spiritual energy. Green grass had begun to grow on the surrounding barren mountains, and the parched earth was slowly becoming moist.

The scenery of the capital city is becoming more and more vibrant, and even those impoverished ethnic groups are reaping considerable benefits.

Looking at everything that had happened in the capital, Jiang Wen felt a sense of satisfaction. Although the source hadn't been completely eradicated, at least for the next few hundred years, he wouldn't have to worry about the black water's erosion. Perhaps a hundred years from now, he would have a better solution, or perhaps the fallen immortal known as the Heavenly King of Growth would revive from his demise. In any case, there was always hope for the future.

Before going into seclusion, Jiang Wen returned the belongings of Rui and the other undead, during which he gained a considerable amount of merit points.

Since he rebuilt the Great Rift in the Holy Land, his merit points have been steadily increasing. Now, they've reached over 900,000. Even Jiang Wen, who had seen it all, was somewhat stunned when he saw the number on the stone tablet. He had never fought such a rewarding battle before; over 900,000 merit points must be incredibly impressive.

At least if he were to encounter that giant spirit again, he would not be afraid of it at all.

With the revival of the blessed land, Jiang Wen's reputation spread throughout the various tribes of Baixi. As the offerings and merits increased, his statue seemed to be undergoing subtle changes. He couldn't yet discern what those changes were. Perhaps only when quantitative changes led to qualitative changes would he be able to understand what was happening to the statue.

As for the statue of the Heavenly King of Growth that had crawled in, it still stands silently in the sea of ​​gods. Unmoved, without joy or sorrow, Jiang Wen even suspects it is merely a stone.

But thinking back, whose stone would get into someone else's ocean of knowledge?

Since his own statue was unaffected, it meant that the statue of the Heavenly King of Growth was still safe. Jiang Wen didn't dwell on these matters anymore; he had many important things to do.

He sat upright in the house, which was isolated by an array.

Protected by the Four Symbols Sword Formation, no one from the Baixi tribe could enter. Even Jiang Su, a sage, would find it difficult to break through his current formation.

Jiang Wen took out the black bead formed from the power of death and closed his eyes to concentrate.

He summoned the stone tablet and placed the black bead on it. He planned to use his merit points to refine the black bead and turn it into a treasure.

After all, the origin of this black bead is no simple matter; it was transformed from the power of a god-slayer. Even Jiang Wen was hesitant to deal with this black bead, given the extraordinary deathly power within it.

Even if he himself were to be tainted by a trace of the power of death, he would probably have to use merit points to remove it.

The merit points on the stone tablet decreased rapidly. After the 100,000 merit points dissipated, Jiang Wen endured the pain and looked at the black bead.

Golden light gathered within the black bead, gradually refining the deathly power. Looking at the ninety-day timeline displayed, Jiang Wen stopped paying attention to the black bead.

He retrieved the Four Symbols Sword Formation and used merit points to refine it again.

After consuming 200,000 merit points, the four array swords possessed an even greater spiritual aura than before.

The four array swords circled around Jiang Wen, cheering and jumping incessantly. A buzzing sound came from them, and Jiang Wen seemed to hear the array swords saying something.

With proper nurturing, he might soon obtain four array swords imbued with weapon spirits. At that time, the Four Symbols Sword Array will likely reach an even higher level.

(End of this chapter)