Taoist Master Xuanhuang

"My dear brother, your question is quite embarrassing for me. I am truly ashamed. I just said that it was unnecessary and that I didn't need to worry about what others thought, but it seems that I still do. Hehe."

As he spoke, Bai Xiaosheng laughed self-deprecatingly.

That's a good question. Can I take on this big job for the Taoist sect?

I'm afraid not. Even if I had some inside information, I wouldn't dare to say it. If I did, I'd be in deep trouble.

The Taoist sect's big move is easy to guess; they just want to know exactly what happened to the Confucian sect.

Although Bai Xiaosheng's knowledge was not detailed, it was still more comprehensive than that of the Daoist sect.

It could easily be sold to the public, but unfortunately he didn't dare.

"Oh? Is it that serious?" the Gao brothers, Gao Ming and Gao Jue, asked.

"It's more serious than my two brothers think. It involves the top levels of the Confucian Temple, the plans of the Confucian school, and changes in the situation. You mustn't speak carelessly, you mustn't speak carelessly!"

"Although my two brothers are gifted with supernatural abilities, their strength is still a bit lacking. If your strength reaches a certain level, you will see the Temple of Literature change color and hear it wailing silently."

"Hiss?" The two brothers were startled when they heard him say that.

This is related to their supernatural talents; they transformed the strange phenomena they each controlled into supernatural abilities, specifically the kind that are innate seeds of supernatural abilities.

Once one reaches the fourth rank, it is possible to attain innate supernatural powers.

However, that's in the future, not now.

At this moment, their divine eyes and divine ears could not see that deep.

Bai Xiaosheng, after all, specializes in predicting fortune and misfortune, and uses the Eight Trigrams for divination, so his abilities are more profound than the other two.

Another point is that, as mentioned at the beginning, Bai Xiaosheng's abilities are not just his own, but also backed by the Jianmu tree and suppressed by Qingyun Mountain.

This is the most important component of his ability.

When he was very weak, Xuanhuang made this decision.

At that time, Bai Xiaosheng was not even at the first level, so how could he have the ability to deduce and calculate? If it weren't for Jianmu and Qingyun Mountain as a stable field, it would be similar to a huge Bagua array.

Otherwise, Bai Xiaosheng would have no ability to predict good or bad fortune.

Xuanhuang did not reclaim this ability; it was well preserved, even though Baixiaosheng already had the ability to calculate the stable field himself.

However, some things that are difficult to predict and understand still require the help of Jianmu and Qingyun Mountain.

It can be understood as a huge field, or as a giant radar telescope.

A person can only see with their eyes and hear with their ears, but how can they see or hear as far as the divine eye or Weber could?

The same applies to eavesdropping; no human can eavesdrop as much as radar.

"The Confucian Temple Realm is wailing? Impossible! Who could threaten them? Unless the Dao Lord personally intervenes, otherwise?" The two brothers couldn't understand who had such power.

Instead of answering directly, Bai Xiaosheng said, "Do you remember what happened to Brother Gao Jue two years ago? You heard a mournful roar that sounded like an ancient beast coming from the depths of hell. Do you remember that?"

The two brothers were taken aback.

In particular, Gao Jue suddenly recalled that it was an adventure.

He wanted to create a more powerful secret technique, or rather, develop his own divine hearing ability, so he planned to listen to the Nine Netherworlds and the Abyss of Bitterness.

But he gained nothing. Although the outside world said that he had explored the heavens and the netherworld, he knew that it was all fake, just praise from the outside world, something he couldn't do.

However, an unexpected event occurred: when he listened to the Yellow Springs, it was as if he heard the roar of a wild beast, mournful and fierce, terrifying to the soul.

He was directly knocked unconscious, thanks to the supernatural power's self-protection and the elimination of all dangers in the entire Qingyun Mountain area.

If I hadn't been on Qingyun Mountain, I would have been killed by the shockwave, my soul scattered to the winds.

Even their souls would be shattered.

Fortunately, I am on Qingyun Mountain. Although Qingyun Mountain keeps a low profile, it can still react quickly in case of crisis.

His divine hearing was blocked, and Gao Jue fell into a coma.

It took him a month to wake up. After waking up, he was deaf for three months and it took a long time to recover.

"How could I forget!" Gao Jue still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it now.

If it weren't for Qingyun Mountain, I would have been truly dead.

"Later you asked me why? I saw the miserable state of Brother Gao Jue, so I naturally dared not speculate wildly. I couldn't afford to offend this cause and effect. But I went to ask Lord Jianmu. Lord Jianmu's general idea was: it's a good thing. The True Lord has taken a liking to Huang Quan and intends to take over Huang Quan. That ancient roar should be the unwillingness of Huang Quan's old consciousness."

"What?" The two were taken aback; they really didn't know about this.

"Don't blame me for not telling you. You know, this thing is about cause and effect!"

Bai Xiaosheng smiled wryly.

This is not meant to be fabricated; some things are better left unknown, because once you know them, they can have enormous consequences.

Especially for minor cultivators like them, many karmic burdens are exceptionally heavy, and a moment of carelessness can crush them.

Knowing this, Bai Xiaosheng became somewhat restless.

So, I thought, if I can't afford to offend the Yellow Springs Realm, can't I at least not offend the Realm of the Realm?

Since the heavens and the celestial realms all exhibit the manifestation of fate and cause and effect, does this mean that all living beings, in a broader sense, can also infer fate and cause and effect?
He had a complete breakthrough in his thinking.

"You can't afford to offend the Realm Heaven, so look at the Realm Domain. And once you look, things don't look good."

I started very carefully, examining the smallest details, but I couldn't see anything different.

After all, it's rare for a realm to experience problems; it's impossible that the realm was experiencing problems when he looked at it.

At first, the all-knowing scholar didn't understand, thinking that his method was wrong or that his ability was insufficient.

So I became bolder and started looking at medium-sized realms, only to find that they were the same. The same was true for large realms: they were stable and unchanging, with occasional minor disturbances but the reasons for them were hard to determine.

Until he began to boldly calculate the fate and cause and effect of the top realm.

The situation was close but without incident; all the top-tier realms remained as calm as ever, without the slightest disturbance.

As long as there are no disturbances, it means that the fate and cause of this realm are as stable as a rock, and a stable fate and cause of this realm will not harm people.

For example, looking at the sun from Earth won't hurt you.

It is possible to deduce the cause and effect of fate, which is equivalent to looking at the sun from the side of the sun or from the sun itself.

This is very different; with the stable sun, who can stand on it safely and observe it closely?

Only by not fearing the crisis facing the sun can one see the cause and effect of its fate and speculate that this is indeed the case.

He found that all realms, large, medium, and small, were the same and incredibly boring.

After the initial excitement wore off, I became much more indifferent. I would only occasionally look at the photos when I had some free time to compare whether I was truly unmoved or if my understanding was simply insufficient to see cause and effect and destiny.

Not long ago, he went through his routine meditation and then glanced at the Confucian Temple.

Good heavens, he exclaimed.

I saw a giant dragon, beset by misfortune, struggling headlessly.

It's not that I'm truly headless, but rather that I can't understand why I'm plagued by misfortune, or why I have this feeling of impending demise.

Unable to pinpoint the source of the crisis, they could only scream and distort in panic.

The causal fluctuations caused by the twists and turns, along with the entangled misfortune, directly entered Bai Xiaosheng's soul, frightening him.

It was only under the protection of Qingyun Mountain that things went well; otherwise, even if he hadn't suffered as badly as Gao Jue, it wouldn't have been easy for him.

They are different after all; one is a realm of heaven, and the other is a realm of domains. That is the biggest difference.

Even so, he was seriously injured.

The reason he didn't say it was because he was afraid of losing face. That's the wonder of cause and effect; some things are better left unknown. He knew about Gao Jue's ordeal, which is why he was so eager to know.

Then he got injured, and not only that, he was also struck by the misfortune that came from the dragon in the Confucian temple.

It was thanks to the shielding provided by Qingyun Mountain that he was able to escape.

They paid a considerable price to exchange merit at the Hall of Merit, which finally dispelled the misfortune of blocking the gate.

Too bizarre, too embarrassing, he told no one.

Back to the topic.

Upon hearing what Bai Xiaosheng said, the two brothers regretted their decision.

Damn it, why did you ask such a stupid question? Now you know something you shouldn't know.

"Does the poster mean that the Confucian Temple, like the Underworld, is going to be destroyed?" Gao Jue asked.

Since things have already come to this, there's no harm in asking; you can't lose by asking, since you've already brought this upon yourself.

“That’s right. After hearing about what happened to you, Brother Gao Jue… you can probably guess what happened next. Fortunately, it was a realm, and the ordeal at the Confucian Temple should have just begun, not as severe as the Yellow Springs Realm. The backlash I suffered was less severe. Even so, I lost five years’ worth of savings, all of which were converted into merit.”

Merit can be purchased at the Merit Hall, but the cost is high and there are limits.

He had accumulated five years' worth of merit, but he hadn't dared to use it, and now it was all wasted.

"Honestly, OP, we shouldn't be so curious in our line of work," Gao Jue said, unsure of what to say.

What seemed like blame was actually concern for him, and Bai Xiaosheng could sense it.

Don't doubt their feelings; they are completely genuine.

After all, the existence of the Listening Tower was accidental. Only when the three of them work together and develop the Listening Tower well will they benefit.

Don't fantasize about seizing power like you would in the Small World Alliance; that's impossible here at the Listening Tower.

Seize power? I think you're asking for it.
Have you consulted the two major departments of the major shareholder?
Therefore, there is no power struggle here. If the Listening Tower is developed well, all three will benefit. If it is not developed well, not only will they not benefit, but they will also be punished.

This situation is highly stable, and the three of them genuinely want to work together to develop the Listening Tower well.

Their concern is genuine, without any pretense.

“Ah, I was indeed quite reckless, but it was a close call… A similar incident at the Confucian Temple might be part of a plan by the Confucian school and the sacred Confucian Temple, so it’s best not to say,” said Bai Xiaosheng.

"As expected of the Confucian Temple, as expected of a top-tier realm, as expected of the essence of human wisdom!" What else could Gao Ming say but exclaim in such a way?

Because they discovered the situation in the Yellow Springs Heaven, they tried to replicate it step by step.

Two of the three brothers were injured after just one glance; the Confucian Temple had actually started to resemble the Underworld.

"Can it succeed?" Gao Jue asked curiously.

"It should be possible, after all, you all know how powerful the deities inside are," said Bai Xiaosheng.

That one awe-inspiring existence alone speaks volumes.

And there are quite a few of these.

"It makes sense. The sudden split within the Confucian school must be related to this. They must have had a detailed plan. They're truly remarkable! No wonder they've been the number one power in the world for a century," Gao Ming said.

“Such a big secret, how could I dare sell it to the Taoist sect? The Confucian sect and the Temple of Literature would eat me alive. And what about the Temple of Martial Arts?” Bai Xiaoyi said meaningfully.

"Hiss!" The two brothers made outstanding contributions to the cooling climate of Qingyun Mountain.

Yes, what about the Temple of Martial Arts?

If you can see it in the Confucian Temple, how could those brilliant strategists in the Martial Temple, who turned war into art and legend, and whose various military books have been passed down through the ages, not have thought of it?

If you can think of it, how can you not do it?

"I never imagined that the two most powerful realms would meet such an end. Is this their future?" Gao Jue exclaimed.

"The law of cause and effect is not something to be trifled with. The Temples of Literature and Martial Arts have received countless offerings from humans and cultivators. They were already top-tier, but because of humans, they are among the most top-tier. Since they have taken so much, they must repay it and spit it out," Bai Xiaosheng suddenly said with this realization.

"Huh?!" The two brothers thought about it carefully, and it really was true.

The two temples, Wenwu and Wenwu, are among the most prestigious. Because of their sacred status, they have never been suppressed and have continued to grow stronger.

But what's the price?

Don't forget who represents this destiny; it's the Dao Lord.

It's like eating the Lord of the Dao and benefiting from him.

I've never heard of anyone being able to take advantage of the Dao Lord.

You're dumbfounded, aren't you? You've eaten so much of the incense and offerings from humans, and now look what you've done, fattening yourselves up and then offering yourselves up.

The Heavenly Dao of this realm dislikes the Dao Lord, so it must both appease him and carefully scheme against him.

You guys are really something, eating and drinking what the Dao Master has to offer, without any regard for the consequences.

"This is a good thing for us; it represents the strength of our cultivators." Bai Xiaosheng knew earlier, so his reaction wasn't as intense as the two brothers'.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's a good thing, it's a good thing."

"You should know that turning enemies into friends without them even realizing it is also a great supernatural power of the Dao Lord!"

"Ha ha……"

They laughed when this was mentioned, saying that countless cases had already occurred.

They started as creatures of a small world, but they became friends.

Later, he became a spiritual master, and they turned from enemies into friends.

Now it's the Holy One's turn; it seems they'll have to turn enemies into friends.

They all submitted to the Dao Lord's "great supernatural power to turn enemies into friends".

The realm will also become another home for cultivators.

……

The split within Confucianism was most acute in Taoism, followed by Buddhism.

Those who were scammed and felt indignant were a small number of people who believed the lies.

They may not have experienced the 'locust era'.

The "locust era" is a colloquial term referring to a period when the Big Four accounting firms were reported and complained about, leading to their temporary withdrawal from the limelight and the handover to the Big Eight.

Just when everyone thought they had found hope, the eight major powers swept everything away like locusts.

It was even more brutal than when the four superpowers were in power.

A well-fed tiger is different from a newly arrived, hungry tiger.

The cultivators dared not openly call the Eight Greats locusts, but secretly they all referred to that special period as the 'Locust Era'!
The eight major political parties are also intentionally suppressing this view, after all, it's not a glorious past.

Those who have experienced it know that no one would believe that the absence of the four superpowers means it's the best of times.

Young people who haven't experienced this suffer the consequences of a short life.

Those who have experienced it don't believe that they would have an easier time without the Four Supers.

I was fooled by you when I was young, what if I get fooled by you again when I'm old?

Haven't I lived in vain?

...(End of chapter)