Taoist Master Xuanhuang

"We thank Master Sun for his guidance."

All the deities of the Martial Temple spoke in unison.

It can be said that those involved are often confused while bystanders see things clearly. As sacred beings, especially the sacred beings of the Martial Temple, they pursue freedom.

It is precisely because this pursuit is so intense that it becomes somewhat extreme.

In addition, since the Holy Ones are not cultivators of the main world, they are not very clear about some feelings, such as their feelings about the three great gods.

Sun Hui's reminder was timely and crucial.

If they can't recognize this, they will ultimately be the ones who suffer.

In a world centered around three supreme gods, it is dangerous to only think about how to be unrestrained and free, without considering the thoughts of the three supreme gods.

If you're so capable, why don't you go and build your own world?

If you don't have the ability, you have to accept the resulting shortcomings.

Just as Sun Hui described it as a world of cultivation, in a celestial realm there are conscientious immortals and carefree great immortals. They should simply align themselves with the identities of these great immortals.

"Haha, I'm glad you all understand, no need for thanks... In that case, I can go a little deeper."

The saints quickly clasped their hands in thanks, indicating that they would not refuse anyone who came.

"The Daoist Master has told us many times that the greatest constant is change. Don't be trapped by your circumstances. Self-pity and giving up on yourself are inferior ways. Only by accepting your predicament and changing yourself, and even changing your environment, can you find the right path. In the process of changing yourself, there will also be many opportunities. Being able to seize them and refine yourself is a form of cultivation."

This statement goes deeper.

It's telling them that the world isn't what they want it to be.

Even beings like the Dao Lord face circumstances beyond their control.

It is because the Daoist Master persevered and relentlessly strengthened himself and changed the environment that he has achieved what he has today.

If even the Lord of the Dao is like this, how can the Holy Ones escape it?

This is telling them not to pursue so-called freedom to an extreme, because freedom comes at a price.

The deities can certainly be unrestrained immortals, but they must also accept that your unrestrained nature is not as good as their seemingly helpless nature.

This is indirectly telling them not to be afraid of trouble, not to avoid the three gods, but to take the initiative to approach them and to make themselves 'less free'.

Once this happens, there will certainly be some trouble, but you will also find that there are more opportunities for progress.

This conclusion was drawn by Sun Hui based on his more than 100 years of experience.

Just like in the beginning, those who followed the Xuan Master's instructions to explore, struggle, and conquer have become the top tier.

This is the reward.

These words left the deities of the Martial Temple in deep thought for a long time.

They accepted the assessment, but they need some time to think it through.

“You are all military geniuses. You must know that a military genius who is not given important responsibilities is useless. Only a military genius who is given important responsibilities can leave a mark on history and demonstrate his ambitions,” Sun Hui concluded.

This example directly applied to themselves, and they understood it immediately.

Even teachers spend a long time fishing before being recruited and given important responsibilities, which is when their legendary careers begin.

Considering their own experiences, it all became clear in an instant.

The saints expressed their gratitude again, having largely figured things out.

Sun Hui thought his mission was over, since everything that needed to be discussed had been said, and all he had to do was act according to the plan.

Jiang Shang's next words left them speechless.

"Fellow Daoists, would you like to become a saint?" Jiang Shang asked, seemingly serious.

"Huh! What?" Sun Hui and the others were taken aback.

"I mean, do you all want to become saints?" Jiang Shang repeated.

"This? Lord Jiang, we don't quite understand?" Sun Hui said.

“It’s very simple. We holy beings can go to the main world to be conferred the title of god, so naturally, cultivators in the main world can also be conferred the title of god in the realm. Is that easy to understand?” Jiang Shang said.

"Wait, let me calm down!" Sun Hui waved his hand, trying to calm himself down.

He believed that this was not Lord Jiang humiliating him. For a true cultivator like himself to become a saint, and a disciple of a Xuan Master, this was indeed an insult.

But Lord Jiang has no reason to do this; there must be another reason.

He needs to calm down.

"Does Lord Jiang mean that we can also use the Divine Splitting Technique to nurture a Divine Splitting in the Martial Temple, and then accept the nurturing of the Martial Temple's domain, just like Fellow Daoist Tushan Holy Mother?" Sun Hui tried to understand.

"Master Sun is indeed exceptionally intelligent; that's exactly what I meant," Jiang Shang said with a smile.

When dealing with intelligent people, you understand their intentions without needing to explain them yourself.

"Hiss!" The members of the Martial Arts Alliance were surprised.

Wei Qiancheng is determined to seek retribution from the Martial Temple, the Confucian Temple, the Martial Alliance, and the Confucian School, as they were responsible for the warming of the Divine Kingdom's Heavenly Network.

The benefits are obvious; the Holy Mother of Tushan is the best proof of that.

It is said that it progresses according to the changes in the Dao Master's level.

No matter how strong the Dao Lord is, the Holy Mother of Tushan is only one level below him because of the source provided by the Divine Division of another realm.

It is only during the crucial period from the third to the fourth stage that a lot of insights are needed before progress is hindered.

Otherwise, the Holy Mother of Tushan would already be at the fourth rank.

Of course, if the Holy Mother of Tushan did not pursue more insights, there was no need to do this. Three thousand or even ten thousand insights would be enough to advance to the fourth rank.

However, the Holy Mother of Tushan would not do that; she would rather accumulate more insights.

"Is that okay?" Sun Hui asked.

"Of course, it's a kind of hedging, with many benefits... To be honest, it can speed up my control over the Martial Temple. You come with the fortune of cultivators from the main world, and with the causal fortune belonging to the Dao Lord. It's like injecting a different kind of change into the stable world. A small change can trigger a chain reaction, allowing me to refine the Martial Temple more effectively."

The principle is very simple: it's a form of hedging.

Jiang Shang was confident in refining the Martial Temple because his disciples would undergo fundamental changes after being conferred divine titles.

The sacredness within the realm originates from the realm's origin, and so does its fortune.

Once it splits into two entities in the main world, it becomes a being of the main world, meaning that the single origin of the realm becomes a dual identity possessing both the origin of the realm and the origin of the main world.

This is how he started to leverage small gains for big ones.

By disrupting the sacred authority of the realm's origin and preventing the realm's consciousness from controlling the main world's avatars, we can create a great deal of trouble.

Conversely, to accelerate this process, one must bring those with great fortune from the main world into the realm.

It can be used and leveraged in both directions.

"Is it really possible?" Sun Hui asked again.

Jiang Shang explained the reasons, and they understood them, but there were still some things they didn't understand.

“It really is possible. I know you are worried that the realm’s consciousness will not allow you to enter, but times have changed. I don’t know what the Dao Lord has gone through, but I can be sure that the realm’s original consciousness no longer has any ability to resist the Dao Lord’s intrusion, and the same is true for all of you who are closely related to the Dao Lord.”

"Hiss?" The members of the Martial Arts Alliance gasped again.

Jiang Shang had already discovered this, and he knew that it was possible to do so, though he didn't understand why it was possible.

It was as if entering the fourth-tier Dao Lord realm wasn't simply about reaching the fourth tier, but rather about directly stepping into an inconceivable level—so high that it was completely incomprehensible.

Even the highest realm origins that gave birth to it were as if they had been subjected to a dimensional reduction attack.

He really didn't understand why this was happening.

Is this the advancement to the fourth-tier True King, or the advancement to the seventh-tier True Saint?

Even a seventh-order True Saint wouldn't be this outrageous. A realm that could nurture a late-stage Venerable like myself must have a decent origin, at least a seventh-order world.

Why is this so outrageous?

He didn't know that Xuanhuang's attainment of sainthood was not just a matter of willpower, but also that he had stepped into the threshold of transcending the pursuit of emptiness through reduction. The known can deal with the unknown, and even the slightest bit of the unknown is better than the seemingly infinite known.

Xuanhuang is heading down an unknown path.

And what represents the known universe is beyond our control regarding what we don't know.

Conversely, Xuanhuang is also helpless against the Great Universe, because the Great Universe is the unknown of Xuanhuang.

Furthermore, comparing Xuanhuang to the Great Universe is inappropriate; it should be the Golden Divine Soul Master who is compared to the Great Universe.

However, Xuanhuang and the Golden Divine Soul Master are one entity. Xuanhuang's weakness only applies to a part of Xuanhuang, not the entire Xuanhuang.

For this reason, everything born from the vast universe is like a dimensional reduction attack when facing Xuanhuang.

In other words, Xuanhuang had no rivals at this moment.

The only thing that bothered him was the overall universe and its natural order.

It is unclear whether the golden divine soul separated from Xuanhuang or gave birth to Xuanhuang.

Regardless, Xuanhuang's cultivation level is getting stronger and stronger, which means that his fusion with the golden divine soul is becoming deeper and deeper.

Before reaching the fourth rank, Xuanhuang could not fuse with the golden divine soul. However, after his will reached the fourth rank of sainthood and he became king, Xuanhuang was slowly fusing with the golden divine soul.

This fusion is so subtle that even the most mysterious and profound elements cannot perceive it; it is a natural and mysterious fusion.

Once the fourth-order Xuanhuang begins to merge with the golden divine soul, it means that he himself will possess the ability of concepts.

Although he cannot use this conceptual ability, not being able to use it does not mean he does not have it. For example, the Great Universe Heavenly Dao understands it very well and was the first to react.

This includes granting Xuanhuang the ability to see the Dao of Heaven, such as finding ways to increase the causal relationship of the universe for Xuanhuang.

Although this Xuanhuang is weak compared to the top realms, its conceptual abilities have already begun to take effect.

This is evident in the fact that all the resistance and defenses of the realm are of no use to Xuanhuang.

The realm has become a place that Xuanhuang can come and go as he pleases, it's just that Xuanhuang has no interest in going into the realm.

Even the disciples of Xuanhuang, beings closely related to Xuanhuang, and those tainted by Xuanhuang's karma, all possessed such rights.

While it's not possible to enter openly, reincarnation within the realm is still possible.

Xuanhuang gained some understanding upon entering the fourth rank, which is why he neglected worldly affairs and entrusted everything to the three great gods.

I have become an indelible flaw in this world.

Wherever you go, it becomes a black hole, a state of disorder and absolute stagnation. What's the point of that?

It would be better to cultivate in seclusion, leaving everything outside to one's disciples.

To put it simply, Qingyun Mountain, where Xuanhuang resides, has become a black hole in this vast universe, a place that exists only in a conceptual sense.

It is a place that the Great Universe and Heavenly Dao want to conceal, a place they do not want any living being to know about.

It's just that it's impossible to do, but as time goes by and the world changes, apart from a very few people who are covered by the cause and effect of the universe, the remaining beings in the universe will gradually become unaware that such a place exists in the world.

This place will be forgotten, hidden, cause and effect will be detoured, and fate will be hard to cover.

What has been demonstrated so far is only the most insignificant of its capabilities.

With this much ability, the Xuanhuang disciples already felt as if they were being carried away, as if they were being led beyond the mundane world.

Whether this is good or bad for them is actually hard to say.

Leaving aside others, there are the twelve disciples with the greatest karmic connection to Xuanhuang, and Sun Tong.

Gradually, all so-called opportunities and good fortune will disappear, and the world will slowly erase all traces of their destinies, as if these thirteen people never existed at all.

These changes are not obvious now, after all, the world is still in the process of transformation, and the natural order is still in a state of chaotic integration.

Therefore, it is not yet obvious.

When the world advances and the Heavenly Dao returns in perfect harmony, the gap between these thirteen people will gradually widen.

It means that one's destiny has no trajectory whatsoever.

Closer to home!
"If possible, that would be wonderful. We would also like to try what it's like to be a saint."

After calming down for a long time, Sun Hui glanced at his fellow disciples and received an affirmative answer, which he then responded on their behalf.

"It's good that Sect Leader Sun agreed. Wait for my good news. However, there are some things I need to mention in advance. Your clones will definitely be located after our main clone world. I think you all understand?" Jiang Shang said.

“We understand, we understand!” Sun Hui said.

This needs no explanation; it's quite self-explanatory.

"Then it's settled!"

"Okay, it's settled."

The two groups reached an agreement, then crushed a jade slip, waiting for Wei Qiancheng to lead them away.

Wei Qiancheng seemed to be available whenever needed.

He sensed the moment the jade slip shattered, and in a flash, he arrived in front of the tightly closed door and politely knocked.

After receiving a response, he came in.

Within the divine realm's celestial network, he is omnipresent and can instantly teleport to any place he desires.

"Hmm, it's so cold!" Wei Qiancheng felt very cold as soon as he entered, just like the hall was particularly cold. He was also quite confused.

"It seems you have all reached an agreement. Judging from your expressions, you all seem very satisfied. Congratulations!" Wei Qiancheng said politely.

"Haha, we must thank Leader Wei for his generosity. Our Martial Arts Alliance is deeply grateful and will remember it forever," Sun Hui said politely, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Thank you for your kindness, Leader Wei," Jiang Shang and the others said.

Thank you for providing this occasion.

"Haha, no problem, no problem. I, a divine cultivator, am happy to help others achieve their goals. Besides, you are all old friends, not strangers. Haha..." Wei Qiancheng replied politely.

Just remember this kindness; currently, those who cultivate in the divine realm are free from desires and wants, which is quite special.

Having expanded to its extreme, Xia Guowai paid no heed whatsoever.

They are single-mindedly focused on strengthening themselves, and because of their unique cultivation path, they have very few conflicts with any other forces.

They were the most carefree and joyful of all.

Especially in recent decades, they have felt that all the conflicts and troubles seem to have gone away from them, which is somewhat puzzling.

However, through daily meditation and practice, and by feeling the divine light of the Dao Lord, I seemed to understand again.

...(End of chapter)