Taoist Myth: I am the last true immortal in the world

Chapter 826 Goodbye, Mentor
The Hunyuan Dao Fruit is truly extremely mysterious.

After listening to the lecture, many of Chen Yun's confusions suddenly became clear.

In addition to the gains, he also gained some doubts from listening to Yuanshi Tianzun's explanation of Hunyuan Daoguo.

For example, what kind of existence is "True Qi"?

This question seems to be nonsense. After all, Yuanshi Tianzun directly pointed out that the true Qi is the root and origin of the Great Dao.

Knowing what the true Qi is is one thing.

Another matter is what kind of "thing" the True Qi is.

Chen Yun suddenly recalled one thing. When he sensed the first avenue before, he saw a group of magical jade-colored essence, which contained endless purple smoke, bright jade light, golden reflection, and beautiful formation.

He wondered, could that jade-colored ball of vital energy be the true vital energy?

Although he felt that this was possible, Chen Yun was still not sure.

Since that time, he has never sensed that ball of energy again, nor could he observe the situation.

This made Chen Yun feel very sorry.

If I could sense it again, perhaps I would be able to tell whether that ball of jade-colored essence is the true essence of the Great Dao.

We just arrived at the "parking lot".

Chen Yun and Lu Dongbin were preparing to leave in the golden divine chariot.

Suddenly, the voice of Emperor Ziwei came from behind, "Emperor Chen."

Chen Yun turned around and saluted, saying, "Greetings to the Great Emperor Ziwei."

Lu Dongbin saluted and said, "Greetings to the Purple Star Emperor."

Emperor Ziwei nodded to Lü Dongbin, and then said softly: "Your mentor is imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, don't you want to visit him?"

Chen Yun was startled. "Can I visit the prisoner in the prison?"

Lu Dongbin, who was standing aside, looked a little strange.

As the Internal Minister of Yuqing, his status and position were very high, but he had been denied visits to the prison before.

The reason for the rejection was entirely because Zhongli Quan's crime was relatively serious and he was a "death row prisoner."

If it were the mortal world, death row prisoners could be visited in prison.

For example, the "jail system for listening to one's wife" lasted for two thousand years and only disappeared in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China.

This is heaven. The reason why visitors are not allowed to see "death row prisoners" is very simple: they are afraid of collusion between inside and outside.

Generally speaking, the "death row prisoners" who are imprisoned in heaven are often those with great supernatural powers and magical powers. If given a chance, they are very likely to escape from the heavenly prison, and then it is hard to say what will happen to them.

Therefore, "death row prisoners" in heaven are often not allowed to be visited.

Even though Lü Dongbin was the inner minister of Yuqing, he was not given special treatment to visit his mentor in prison.

So, why did Emperor Ziwei take the initiative to ask Chen Yun to visit him in prison this time?

The reason is very simple. Chen Yun is already half a step away from becoming a Daluo and was even named the Great Emperor by Laojun.

To put it bluntly, with Chen Yun's current strength, there are not many people who can compete with him in robbing the Heavenly Prison.

Therefore, it is unlikely that he would do anything to collude with others.

On the one hand, it is impossible to do something that is coordinated internally and externally.

On the other hand, Emperor Ziwei was using this method to win over and show goodwill.

Therefore, the other party asked Chen Yun whether he wanted to go to Tianlao to visit Zhongli Quan.

Lu Dongbin actually knew what Ziwei Emperor's intention was.

But he didn't know whether Chen Yun would accept this favor.

So, he couldn't help but look at Chen Yun's face.

Naturally, Chen Yun could also think of what Lu Dongbin could think of.

He agreed without much hesitation, "Thank you, Emperor Tian."

Emperor Ziwei smiled and waved his hand, "Since you guys respect your teacher, I will naturally let you go."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, and a token instantly appeared in his palm. "Take this token to the Heavenly Prison and explain your reasons. The jailer will naturally take you to see Zhongli Quan."

Chen Yun took the token and thanked him again.

Lu Dongbin also followed suit and expressed a few words of thanks.

Afterwards, the Emperor of Ziwei left without saying anything more, riding on the Seven-Scented Chariot.

Chen Yun hadn't seen his mentor for many years. Now that he had the opportunity to visit him in prison and meet him again, he couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

Lu Dongbin looked very happy and seemed to want to meet Zhongli Quan as soon as possible.

The two boarded the golden chariot.

At the command, Jiufeng immediately pulled the divine chariot towards Daluotian.

In the divine car, Chen Yun couldn't help but sigh: "Yuanshi Tianzun's explanation of the 'Hunyuan Dao Fruit' is really mysterious. It makes me feel like I have entered a state of innate nothingness, where only the Dao is hanging above. Brother, you..."

Before he could finish his words, Lu Dongbin looked at him in astonishment, "Junior brother, what are you talking about?"

Chen Yun was confused and said, "When I was listening to Yuanshi Tianzun explaining the 'Huanyuan Daoguo', I seemed to have entered the innate void. What happened?"

Hearing this, Lv Dongbin's eyes turned strange. "I have listened to the lecture of 'Huanyuan Daoguo' many times, but none of them were like what you described. Tianzun was just preaching normally, and he didn't use any magic power at all. So there were no strange phenomena when he preached. In Tianzun's words, this is called returning to the original nature. If you can understand it, it is your own ability. If you can't understand it, there is nothing you can do."

Huh?
You have heard about the "Hunyuan Daoguo" many times, but there has never been such a scene?
Chen Yun was very surprised, wondering if it was because he had entered the half-step Daluo stage, so Yuanshi Tianzun explained the "Hunyuan Dao Fruit" and was able to enter into the scene of innate nothingness?
He felt that this was a possibility.

However, Chen Yun had another guess in his mind, that is, Yuanshi Tianzun was particularly fond of him and secretly gave him special treatment when explaining the "Hunyuan Daoguo".

Although this possibility exists, Chen Yun thinks it is not the case.

Why?

Because he was very sure that, except for the last time when the King of Fengdu died and he saw Yuanshi Tianzun appear in the form of "Dharma Image", he had never had any contact with Yuanshi Tianzun.

In short, he and Yuanshi Tianzun have no relationship at all, so how could the other party give him special treatment?
Furthermore, whether it is Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, or Taishang Laojun, they are all the "personification" of the Tao.

The Tao is ruthless, it moves the sun and the moon, and everything is in the operation of the Tao. It will not show special favor to anyone.

As the saying goes, great love means no love. As the Tao itself, how could Yuanshi Tianzun treat himself differently?

Chen Yun understood these principles, so he thought it was unlikely that Yuanshi Tianzun would give him special treatment.

"When I have a chance to ask the Grandmaster, I will know the situation."

Chen Yun did not dwell too much on this matter.

The most important thing for him now is to see his mentor who is imprisoned in the Sky Prison as soon as possible.

……

Not long after, the golden chariot landed outside the sky prison.

Just like before in Daluo Heaven, when the divine chariot landed, immortal officials and clerks immediately came to pull it.

"Meet Emperor Chen."

"Meet Prime Minister Lu."

A group of immortal officials and officials saluted. Chen Yun looked at the Immortal Official of the Court of Justice and knew that this was a senior immortal official of the Heavenly Prison, who was mainly responsible for judicial trials and prison management.

He stretched out his hand and handed over the token given by Emperor Ziwei, "Please take us to see Mr. Zhongli."

He is a disciple, so he certainly cannot call his master by his name, but if he says "master", others may not understand, so he says "Mr. Zhongli".

Zhongli is Zhongli Quan’s last name, which most people can understand.

The Immortal Official of the Imperial Court hurriedly said, "Good."

Afterwards, he personally led the way and took Chen Yun and Lu Dongbin into the Heavenly Prison.

The Heavenly Prison is very different from the prisons on earth. It is not just a series of cells.

This is a place of nothingness, with balls of light all around.

After being introduced by the Immortal Official of the Court of Justice, Chen Yun realized that those lights were "prison cells".

These cells are all condensed from magical instruments, and are filled with extremely powerful "evil spirits". Once an immortal is infected with them, in addition to feeling heart-wrenching pain, his immortal energy will also be polluted, causing him to be injured at the very least, and his cultivation level to regress at the worst.

In addition, there are some powerful prisons that torture prisoners all the time.

For example, in some prisons, thousands of arrows would gather every once in a while to pierce the prisoners' hearts as punishment.

This was once described in "Journey to the West". After Monk Sha was demoted to the mortal world, he had to endure the pain of being pierced by thousands of arrows every day, but the location was not in the sky prison, but in the Quicksand River.

In addition to being pierced by thousands of arrows, some cells also have other tortures such as being struck by thunder and being burned by fire.

Chen Yun asked the Immortal Official of the Court of Justice, and only then did he know that although his mentor was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, he did not suffer any torture because of his good attitude towards admitting his guilt.

Well, he actually sensed his mentor’s condition as soon as he came in, so there was no need for the Immortal Official of the Court to say anything.

But this prison is strange. I have clearly cultivated to the Half-Step Daluo realm, but I can't sense the situation inside from the outside.

Chen Yun estimated that this sky prison was actually a very powerful magical instrument or treasure, and even a half-step Daluo could not easily spy on the situation inside.

While they were thinking secretly, the Immortal Official of the Court of Justice led Chen Yun and Lu Dongbin to a bright light.

Inside this round light, Zhongli Quan was already standing there, looking out with a smile on his face.

I haven't seen my mentor for decades.

When Chen Yun saw his mentor smiling, he couldn't help but feel a little sad and excited. He quickly knelt down and saluted, saying, "I am Chen Pu, your humble disciple, and I pay my respects to you, my mentor."

Lu Dongbin did not do so. After all, he had already become a master. He bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, Master."

"No need to be so polite." Zhongli Quan said to Lu Dongbin in a very calm tone, then looked at Chen Yun with a sigh and said: "Chongyong, stand up."

Although he didn't say anything overly sentimental, the expression on his face betrayed his inner thoughts.

When Zhongli Quan saw Chen Yun appear here, he was filled with mixed emotions.

Thinking back to those days, he watched the skinny-looking Chen Yun become his disciple. Because of his high talent, he trained him as his last disciple and taught him carefully in every detail.

Unexpectedly, after only a few decades, the skinny boy had grown into a Half-Step Daluo, one of the masters of heaven and earth, and his cultivation level surpassed that of his master.

As the saying goes, the disciple surpasses the master.

Zhongli Quan felt deeply moved.

Chen Yun had no idea what his mentor was lamenting in his heart.

After hearing his master asking him to stand up, he stood up and asked with concern, "Master, you have been imprisoned in the prison for decades. Are you okay?"

Zhongli Quan laughed dumbly and said, "Decades have passed in the mortal world, but I have only been in the prison for dozens of days, and I have not been tortured. What's wrong with that?"

Lü Dongbin smiled and said, "Brother Chen, you are so concerned that you have forgotten that heaven is different from the mortal world."

Chen Yun, who was a little sad at first, suddenly became cheerful after hearing what his mentor and senior brother said. "Yes, caring too much can lead to confusion. I almost forgot this."

Zhongli Quan looked at his beloved disciple's face and said with a sigh, "Chongyong, I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a few days, you have already cultivated to the half-step Daluo realm. Good, very good, really good."

He did not use too many words to praise his disciple for such a rapid breakthrough in his cultivation level, but the three sentences "good", "very good", and "really good" were enough to show how satisfied he was.

Chen Yun still respected his teacher as before, and said respectfully: "It is all thanks to Master's great method that I can cultivate to this level."

Zhongli Quan said sternly, "Although I taught you the 'Song of the Right Path to Break the Mystery' back then, you figured out the 'Mr. Chen's Inner Alchemy Secret' on your own. Your achievements today are due to your own ability."

Chen Yun hurriedly said, "Thank you for the compliment, Master."

Lu Dongbin smiled and said, "Junior Brother Chen is so respectful and strict, and his personality is very similar to that of our Master."

Zhongli Quan smiled and shook his head, "Chong Yong is respectful to his teacher, why don't you do the same?"

Lü Dongbin laughed and said, "Master, if you need me, I can kowtow to you right now."

The two were obviously joking.

Chen Yun was amused by the conversation between his mentor and Lu Dongbin.

We chatted a little here.

Zhongli Quan suddenly said, "Use it."

Chen Yun said: "Master, what's the matter?"

Zhongli Quan looked at him seriously and said, "Your cultivation is now higher than my master's, and you are also one of the masters of heaven and earth. It seems inappropriate for you to continue to be my disciple. You... can leave as my apprentice."

He said it very clearly, it was about becoming a master, not becoming an apprentice.

To some extent, "chu shi" and "chu si" have similar meanings, both indicating that the apprentice has completed the learning stage and is qualified to work independently, but there are actually some subtle differences in meaning between the two.

The term "apprenticeship" means that when an apprentice completes his apprenticeship and masters the skills, he can leave his master and work on his own.

It focuses on the inheritance of skills and the completion of the learning process.

"Leaving the master" means that the apprentice has achieved some skills and knowledge under the guidance of the master, can act independently, and even surpass the master.

It emphasizes the achievement of learning outcomes and the acquisition of independent abilities.

In short, "becoming an apprentice" marks the end of learning a skill, while "becoming a master" is the embodiment of ability and achievement.

Normally, it would be nothing if a master told his disciple that he had become a master, but Zhongli Quan made it very clear that Chen Yun no longer needed to be a disciple in the Ningyang Cave Taoist Temple in Zhongnan Mountain. The general meaning was that he could now establish his own sect.

Although he had long anticipated that such a day would come, Chen Yun still felt mixed emotions when he heard his mentor say this in person.

He knew that this was recognition from his master. However, ever since he started practicing Taoism, he had always regarded himself as a disciple of the Ningyang Cave Taoist Temple in Zhongnan Mountain, and had long had a strong sense of belonging.

Now that his mentor asked him to leave his school, he felt very reluctant.

Yes, from the perspective of master-disciple relationship, he is still Zhongli Quan's disciple, but that is only in name, just like Lu Dongbin and Zhongli Quan. After leaving the master, even if you do not recognize this master, at most you will be condemned on a moral level, but you will not receive any other punishment.

Naturally, the rules of the sect no longer apply to oneself.

In Chen Yun’s mind, his mentor has always been like a strict father.

Now that the time has come for the "family division", of course he will feel reluctant.

Despite this, Chen Yun still knelt on the ground and kowtowed again, saying, "Disciple obeys your command."

Zhongli Quan said meaningfully: "Master, I will receive your kneeling ceremony one last time. Now that you are one of the rulers of heaven and earth, you don't need to kneel to anyone anymore. Even heaven and earth are not worthy of your kneeling anymore."

Chen Yun understood what his master meant. He bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, just like when he became his disciple. Then he stood up and said, "I will remember your teachings. I will never kneel to anyone again."

Hearing this, Zhongli Quan was very pleased and said with a smile on his face: "Very good, this is very good."

Lü Dongbin laughed and said, "Congratulations, Junior Brother, you have graduated and can start your own sect."

Chen Yun couldn't help but smile. Yes, he had finally become a master and could establish his own school!
(End of this chapter)