Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 469 The Old Heavenly Court Takes the Initiative
In the distance, deep within the vast border sea.

Wu Tian suddenly turned around and looked back. Although he was only a Heavenly King, he was still of the same origin.

That great tremor, after passing through the sea of ​​boundaries and all the worlds, became extremely faint, yet it still resonated loudly in his ears.

"What's wrong?" Shouzhen turned around and noticed that Wutian was experiencing a violent emotional fluctuation, which was very rare.

"My true form has been promoted to Heavenly Venerable." Wutian let out a soft breath, his brows and eyes relaxing.

This time, Shouzhen looked slightly taken aback.

Ascending to the Heavenly Venerable Realm?

Who?
Ji Jingqiu?
It's only been a short time since we left the Dawn Realm!

What benefits did this kid gain in the Dawn Realm that allowed him to accumulate the Heavenly King stage so quickly?

"Really?!" Shouzhen said in a deep voice, even though he knew Wutian wouldn't make things up on this topic, he still wanted to confirm it again.

Wu Tian nodded.

"Can you sense his approximate location?" Shouzhen pressed.

Wu Tian pondered for a moment, then pointed to a spot in the Boundary Sea.

Shouzhen whispered, "Thankfully, it's not the direction of the Netherworld."

They were standing on the outer edge of a chaotic sea.

In the Boundary Sea, this place is called "Old Heaven," a vast chaotic sea. Powerful figures often lead their disciples to the outer perimeter to comprehend the evolution of chaos, but few dare to venture deep into it.

The number of True Saints who disappeared into the depths of the Chaos Sea, even if they were countable, would have long exceeded two hands. The place that returned alive was a veritable forbidden land of the Boundary Sea.

It is said that someone once saw a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Old Heaven" deep within this place, hence the name.

Some have speculated that this place is a "lost" ancestral land of the Great Dao.

A year ago, the Void Emperor led the saints of the Netherworld to this place.

At the forefront, the Void Emperor gazed into the depths of chaos. He had been standing there for over a year without making a sound, whether waiting or hesitating, it was unclear.

For all the sages, this year felt like an eternity, as they all awaited the final answer from the Void Emperor.

"call!"

Suddenly, everyone either opened their eyes or stared intently at the Void Emperor's raised hand. Even with the composure of these saints, they couldn't help but hold their breath and concentrate.

The Void Emperor pointed towards the depths of chaos.

As the fingertip fell, chaos surged violently, and divine light appeared and intertwined behind it.

hum!
Where the chaotic sea surged, a gap appeared, leading straight into the depths. As everyone strained their eyes, a dilapidated palace complex came into view.

The first palace swallowed chaos, repaired itself, and exuded a desolate aura that had stood majestically for eternity.

With the appearance of this palace complex, a sacred realm, which had been silent for countless years in the depths of the chaotic sea, suddenly opened up!

The group of saints from the Netherworld behind the Void Emperor immediately stirred, with some exclaiming in surprise.

"There really is a hidden world here?!"

"That man didn't lie to us back then!"

"The rumors are true! That person must be a disciple of the Transcendent Sect!"

"Otherwise, it might be the traces of a transcendent being left behind in the world, as you and I have heard before."

A vast realm located deep within the Chaos Sea slowly unfolded, with a massive white jade tablet bearing three characters:
[The Old Heavenly Court]

The first "old" character was clearly added later, appearing extremely hasty and unrestrained, like a victor who conquered this world adding the word "old" before the name of the former holy land with a wave of his halberd, as a form of humiliation.

The saints who had heard of the origin of the name "Old Heaven" narrowed their eyes slightly.

It's not the old heaven, but the old heavenly court!
"This really is the Heavenly Court... I always felt something was off when I heard this place was called 'Old Heaven' before," Kong Xuan murmured absentmindedly. "Now the last link fits."

Throughout the history of the Netherworld, two groups of people have entered the Netherworld, each having a profound impact on it.

After making contact with the Nether Sea, the sages worked backwards and discovered that the first wave of visitors from outside the boundary could be traced back to three eras ago, while the second wave came from two eras ago.

The first wave of visitors were driven out of the Netherworld by the innate deities led by the five pillars.

The second wave of visitors brought many methods to the Netherworld, including some incomplete transcendent scriptures, such as the "Eternal History".

There was even a time when someone opened an altar to preach, explaining the wonders of transcendence to the beings of the Netherworld, and proposing the idea that "the perfect man has no self, the divine man has no merit, and the sage has no name." This had a profound influence, and even Chi Yinghuo did not hesitate to sever his previous body and reincarnate to cultivate again.

It was this being who, before leaving, mentioned to the innate deities, including the five pillars, that if the realm were to suffer calamity and had nowhere to go, they could seek him out in a certain place.

The innate deities of the Netherworld initially did not take these words to heart.

But as they entered the Boundary Sea, learned more secrets, and faced the pressure of the allied forces of the four transcendent sects, they had to recall the past and find the key to breaking the deadlock.

Led by the Void Emperor, the group found this place.

At this moment, chaos opened up, and a brand new world unfolded.

An intense Daoist aura, accumulated over an unknown period of time, swept over us. Among the saints of the Netherworld, some couldn't wait and took a step forward, taking the lead.

The Emperor did not stop her, his gaze shifting between light and shadow. Even now, she was still hesitant, unsure whether taking this step would bring misfortune or fortune.

The saints halted their restless steps and quietly observed the pioneer.

"Everyone, come and see! This place is truly the Heavenly Court!"

From the depths of the chaotic void came the excited voice of that True Saint.
"The divine court is majestic, bathed in radiant light, and divine beings stroll among the magnificent palaces. This place is definitely the Heavenly Court!"

The Void Emperor suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist, please come out first."

"What are you doing out here?! You all come in and pay your respects to the Heavenly Emperor!"

Deep within the void, the voice was loud and rapid, revealing an barely suppressed excitement.

The Emperor's expression shifted constantly.

The saints behind them also noticed the abnormality, and their expressions became solemn.

"Emperor Xu, what do you say? Are we going in or not?" Jiushan said coldly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

In previous years, when they surrounded and killed several disciples who had transcended the sect, they also encountered a counter-encirclement and killing. All the saints who have reached the present day have fought their way out.

The Void Emperor took a deep breath and said, "Cang Qing was very opposed to my coming here. This guy's intuition has always been stronger than mine. Every time I have a dispute with him, he usually ends up being right."

Jiushan frowned, about to say something, when Shouzhen spoke up: "We don't necessarily have to go in. We can lead someone here to scout the way for us."

Jiushan's brow furrowed. Was this place a trap to distract those families and lure them in?

The Void Emperor stared into the depths of the chaotic void, his gaze dark, and said softly, "Everyone, I dare not gamble with you all."

The saints gradually nodded and accepted Shouzhen's suggestion.

Deep within the chaotic void, the excited invitation from the True Saint from before continued to echo. Golden light shone everywhere, and jade pavilions and golden palaces rose and fell in the glow of the sunset. Within them, one could vaguely see the blurry figures of gods strolling about...

The saints felt increasingly uneasy. Despite it being a sacred scene, they felt a chill run down their spines, a feeling they couldn't quite put their finger on.

"Release the news that... a lost ancestral land of the Great Dao has appeared, attracting the attention of all parties. I don't believe those few families won't take it seriously."

The Emperor of Emptiness made the final decision.

"By the way, select some people to return to the Netherworld to guard it; the pressure there is too great."

Shouzhen said, "I'll go back for a bit."

The Void Emperor glanced at Shouzhen and said meaningfully, "Fellow Daoist, your ambition is great, but the merging of two bodies may not be the path to transcendence."

Shouzhen said calmly, "It is nothing more than dying for the Dao."

The Emperor said no more and turned to look at the saints:
"Let's take action. The Taixu Realm has already diverted the focus of many sects, and this area should be no exception. If we make proper arrangements, we might be able to inflict heavy losses on those four families!"

……

……

The Celestial Venerable was originally hailed as the supreme being of the universe, the primordial chaos, and the darkness of heaven and earth.

It is the beginning of the Eight Realms, and also the starting point of immortality.

The evolution of the true way has led them to become the sanctification of the way at different levels of personality.

In ordinary realms, even a Celestial Venerable can roam freely between heaven and earth, transcend fate, and make initial inroads into the less powerful river of time.

In other words, realms like the Netherworld are forbidden places throughout the entire sea of ​​realms, second only to a few ancestral lands of the Great Dao, which is why even True Saints cannot roam freely. And when one reaches the Dao Ancestor realm, one has reached the end of the Great Dao, the true Great Dao has been nurtured to the point where there is nowhere left to go, hence the title Ancestor, which is also the same as Lord, the Lord of the Great Dao, pursuing the rudimentary form of the Dao Fruit.

Once you reach this level of understanding the Great Dao, the next step is to become the Great Dao Ancestor, so there is no further path to take.

In the earliest period, the Dao Ancestor was at the peak of the Eight Realms.

Such a scene, where several Dao Ancestors jointly visit a newly promoted Celestial Venerable, is extremely rare in the world.

At this stage, let alone being one level higher, even being slightly higher is considered high.

But at the moment, the Dao Ancestors were all smiles and quite proactive, creating an atmosphere of "guests enjoying themselves."

"So you are a esteemed disciple of the Ferocious Ancestor of the Primordial Palace! I am Tianyin, from the Treasure Pavilion."

“I am Yuan Ying. I was just saying that a strong person like Fellow Daoist Ji could not be unknown. It turns out that he is a disciple of the Transcendent Sect like us. Speaking of which, my Eternal Pavilion once hosted Ancestor Ning. You and I should get closer.”

A dignified female Taoist priest smiled and spoke, with halos of divine light shining behind her head, making her appear sacred and transcendent.

These were the same people who had witnessed Fellow Daoist Luo of the Star Alliance being chased and struck by heavenly lightning earlier, and who were the first to notice the anomaly in the starry sky and trace it back.

After witnessing the astonishing aura of Ji Jingqiu's enlightenment, the group wanted to befriend him. Coincidentally, Ji Jingqiu also wanted to make friends and seek his help, so the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

"I am Poxu, may I ask how you, Brother Ji, attained the Dao?"

"I, Ji, was the first to attain the Dao through cause and effect." At this point, Ji Jingqiu changed the subject at the right time, and said seriously, "To be honest, after my breakthrough, I resonated with the Great Dao, and the net of cause and effect trembled. I sensed that someone was plotting against the entire Taixu Realm behind the scenes!"

The three men looked at each other differently, finding it somewhat ridiculous. Who would dare to covet this Taixu Realm? But these were Ji Jingqiu's words after all, so they listened patiently.

The next two words made them look serious.

"The name 'This Shore' should be familiar to you all."

Through his previous conversation with Shouji, Ji Jingqiu could clearly sense that the forces led by the Pantheon were not going to be polite to [This Shore].

as predicted.

The female Taoist priest, whose Taoist name was Yuan Ying, suddenly sharpened her gaze upon hearing the name "This Shore".

The man named Po Xu's expression darkened, and he coldly snorted:

"So this is the kind of people. No wonder. With the ancestors about to return, there's nothing in this world they wouldn't dare to do now. This is their final celebration."

Yuan Ying's eyes flickered as he said, "Yuan Chu Palace has been living in seclusion for a long time, so I'm afraid they don't know the extent to which [This Shore] has progressed."

Ji Jingqiu said, "We've clashed twice before, and I've heard a bit about it now."

Yuan Ying whispered:
"The power of [This Shore] is so great that it covers one-third of the known World Seas, making it a behemoth. There are no fewer than three invincible individuals among them. Even if these three leave the Dao Integration Realm, they still possess the strength of a half-step transcendent."

"If it weren't for the Pantheon standing in the way all these years, countless families would have been forced into seclusion, or would have been swallowed up and wiped out!"

Po Xu said calmly, "A bunch of rats in the gutter, hiding their heads and tails. Even though they have the upper hand now, these people still don't dare to stand in the open. Only a few of them have exposed themselves."

Ji Jingqiu looked serious, never expecting that the power of [This Shore] had grown to such an extent.

Given such immense power, why would they still "hide their heads and show their tails"? Is it due to prejudice, or is there something else going on?
Perhaps sensing Ji Jingqiu's confusion, Po Xu took the initiative to explain:

"Fellow Daoist may not know, but [This Shore] has planted people in many sects. The true core of this organization is suspected to be members of various sects, so it is difficult to encircle and destroy them. The only ones that are on the surface are those three invincible ones."

What is meant by "invincible"?

"Beyond transcendence, suppressing the realm of true saints, there are three people in this realm on [this shore]. The first person is known as Red Lotus, the second person calls himself the Heavenly Emperor, and the third person is the legendary Master of the Four Demons."

Ji Jingqiu's gaze sharpened: "The Four Demon Masters?!"

The inner world.

Hela raised her head and sneered, "When did I gain a teacher?"

Wu Zhou frowned, and a cold look appeared on his face, as if he had guessed the answer.

Po Xu slowly said, "It is said that the four demons were all guided by this person in the past, and in the end they destroyed their own domains and fled into the Nether Sea."

Ji Jingqiu's gaze sharpened, and he inwardly questioned the two of them, but to no avail.

Both of them had extremely cold eyes, clearly understanding who Po Xu was referring to.

What's the situation regarding the traitors within each household?

Ji Jingqiu continued to inquire, somewhat unable to understand, what did it mean that the core members of [This Shore] were disciples of various families?!

How did you, the true saints, manage to plant traitors within the Transcendental Sect?
Or perhaps... they can plant a traitor at the level of a True Saint?!

Yuan Ying said quietly, "[This shore] lures us with the path of transcendence."

Ji Jingqiu was momentarily stunned, but also found it difficult to understand.

Lured by the path of transcendence, it's no wonder even a true saint would become an internal traitor.

These people all come from transcendent families. Is it because the family lacks a suitable method for transcendence, or is the future promised by "This Shore" too dazzling, making them willing to betray their families?
The scene fell silent for a moment.

Ji Jingqiu was shocked by the power structure of [This Shore].

He never imagined that "This Shore" would exist in the Boundary Sea in this way, running rampant for many years.

Fortunately, Yuan Chu Palace has been in seclusion for many years, and there should be no one within its ranks who has come into contact with [this shore].

Ji Jingqiu spoke again: "No wonder, I encountered a member of the [This Shore] sect before, who seemed to be a member of the [Heavenly Prison Palace]. I thought he was deliberately impersonating someone, but now it seems..."

He shook his head.

Po Xu's expression was grim as he said, "The Heavenly Prison Palace, a sacred site of the Great Dao, has actually been infiltrated by this shore?"

"What exactly is the purpose of [This Shore]?" Ji Jingqiu asked. "I heard that the destruction of the Dawn Realm not long ago was related to [This Shore]."

The three exchanged glances, and Yuan Ying slowly said:
"As far as we know, one of their goals is to cut off all the paths for the patriarchs to return, and the other is to find the path to transcendence."

They believed that the reason why there were fewer and fewer transcendent beings in later generations was because the patriarchs occupied the invisible 'positions' between heaven and earth. Only by completely severing the connection between the patriarchs and the Boundary Sea could the Boundary Sea restore its 'positions'.

Ji Jingqiu remained silent for a moment, closed his eyes, examined his own karmic web, and said:
"Gentlemen, I have located the approximate location of [This Shore] in the Void Realm. One of them is very likely related to [Heavenly Prison Palace]. Do you wish to join forces?"

Po Xu said in a deep voice, "Give me some time, I'll go and inform my fellow disciples! This time we must capture those disciples from the Heavenly Prison Palace and send them there, so those arrogant fools can see what we're made of!"

Yuan Ying said calmly:
"The Heavenly Prison Palace is used to being high and mighty. After all, it is the ancestral land of the Great Dao, and even the various families don't really look up to it."

"Even if it's true that you capture that person and send him over, the Heavenly Prison Palace won't admit it. They might even turn around and accuse you. So it's best to just kill him directly. That's the most straightforward way."

"Fellow Daoist Ji, please give us some time so we can gather our fellow disciples."

"Okay!" Ji Jingqiu readily agreed, successfully completing the unification of the battle lines and also gaining a glimpse into the true nature of [This Shore].

This force...

It was completely different from his initial idea.

They could practically be called a traitorous alliance; no wonder that even with the combined strength of their respective factions, they couldn't complete the encirclement and suppression immediately.

The problem doesn't come from outside, it comes from inside!

In the end, only Tianyin Daoren, who came from Duobaoge, did not participate. He came from Duobaoge, and his patriarch had never participated in any disputes when he was alive. After his departure, Duobaoge has always maintained permanent neutrality.

Ji Jingqiu shook his head and said, "Brother Tianyin, since your esteemed patriarch has chosen to embark on the journey to the Path of Return to Truth, will he still maintain neutrality?"

Daoist Tianyin said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Brother Ji. Although our patriarch has departed, it is for the sake of all living beings in the Boundary Sea, and he does not participate in the internal struggles of the Boundary Sea."

Po Xu and Yuan Ying, who were standing to the side, shook their heads. They strongly agreed with Ji Jingqiu's stance.

[This Shore] has indeed not made a move against Duobaoge in recent years, but once the Pantheon and other sects fall, can Duobaoge be spared?
What those guys are trying to destroy is the path of return for all the patriarchs!

Ji Jingqiu didn't say anything more. He had met the Daoist Duobao on his journey back to the truth. This Daoist did indeed dislike fighting, a trait he had successfully passed on to his disciples.

After agreeing on a place to meet again with the two, he returned to Qingping Mountain, found Shouji, and explained his goal.

Shouji agreed without much hesitation after confirming that Ji Jingqiu was the one who had recently advanced to the Heavenly Venerable realm, and then turned to inform the others.

Ji Jingqiu used the Karma Net to pinpoint the two people who had been chasing him not long ago.

In the initial web of cause and effect he saw, he perceived signs of both deadly crisis and great opportunity.

With his current strength, he could escape even if he couldn't win, but he felt a deadly crisis, which means that the opponent is now definitely not just the two people from before.

Fortunately.

As fellow Daoists from various sects gathered, united in their battlefront, and launched a proactive attack against the people of "This Shore," Ji Jingqiu's attempt to probe fate through the Dao of Cause and Effect had reached a point of utter calm, like a stagnant pool.

The other party's future is stagnant.

(End of this chapter)