The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 233 The Heaven of Separation from Hatred, the Tushita Palace (4k)

In an instant, the cultivators in the arena were thrown into chaos, with screams rising and falling incessantly.

After the chaos subsided, it was actually the old patriarch of the enemy family, and the two people who were fighting him, who were the most unharmed in the entire scene.

After all, the other cultivators either plummeted straight down from the sky, breaking their bones and tendons, or were buried in the ground, eventually suffocating to death. Only the three of them, because they had been locked in a fierce battle, remained firmly on the ground, unaffected by the fall.

Now that the "Forbidden Word Technique" has been applied, although the three of them have lost all their spiritual power, they have not suffered any additional damage.

Even so, the old patriarch of the enemy family still showed no sign of a smile. Looking at his two opponents who had clearly lost their supernatural powers but still refused to stop, he was so angry that his face turned ashen, and he cursed loudly:
"You two are insane! Even now, you still want to fight?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the two exchanged a glance and spoke in unison, their words filled with a resolute determination to fight to the death:

"Today, we must settle this with a fight to the death!"

Before the words were even finished, the two of them rushed towards the old patriarch of the enemy family.

Having been cultivators and immortals for so long, they had long been accustomed to fighting with magic. Now, suddenly reduced to mortal bodies, they had even forgotten how to use proper fists and feet. Relying only on a fierce impulse, they pounced on each other, wanting to strangle each other's necks tightly.

"Madmen! What a bunch of madmen!"

The old patriarch of the enemy family was both angry and anxious, but he had no way to defend himself. He was already at his limit and was barely holding on. Now, facing the two of them working together, how could he possibly stop them?
In the blink of an eye, they were both tackled to the ground, their necks were tightly strangled, and their faces turned purplish-blue at a visible speed, and they were about to die.

Fortunately, at that moment, another loud crashing sound drew their attention, causing the old patriarch of the enemy to kick one of them away and scramble away.

Just as the two realized what was happening and were about to give chase, they heard the Taoist priest speak.

They were all horrified and stopped in their tracks, too afraid to move.

In this respect, the old patriarch of the enemy family was much the same, but fearing that the two would continue to go mad, he quietly crawled away a little further.

He looked at the man who had crashed down in front of him.

Du Yuan, realizing that he wouldn't live much longer, softened his tone slightly.

Although this person is not a good person, he is truly loyal to his lord, which is quite rare.

"Now that your time is up, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

He should have died instantly from falling from such a height, but at the last moment, the Heaven-Turning Seal still retained a trace of Buddhist power to protect him.

Judging from the appearance, the person who gave out this seal is indeed quite remarkable.

As she spoke, Du Yuan placed the Heaven-Turning Seal that had landed in his palm in front of him.

"Rest assured, since I have promised you, I will naturally return this Heaven-Turning Seal properly."

Upon hearing this, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief and lay down on the ground.

"In that case, I am relieved. However, I have one last question that I would like to ask you in person." His voice was broken, and each word he spoke pulled at his wounds, making his face as pale as paper from the pain.

Du Yuan nodded slightly: "Ask away. I will not hide anything from you that I can tell you."

At this point, the man, who had been thrown and was covered in blood, finally managed to prop himself up on one side. His eyes were filled with confusion as he looked at Du Yuan, and the questions that had been building up for so long finally found an outlet:

"Who exactly are you? In the ancestral temple of Taoism, the seniors with your level of cultivation are all renowned figures, yet I have searched through my memories and found not a single one who matches your name."

Who exactly is Du Yuan? Ever since he appeared, this question has followed him like a shadow, troubling every cultivator present.

Initially, only a handful of cultivators who had met him secretly pondered—even if they sensed that this person's cultivation was extraordinary, they would only consider him a fellow cultivator who was hidden in the world and did not show off his abilities. Although he was powerful, he might not be able to break out of the category of ordinary cultivators.

But as his actions grew more and more tumultuous, cultivators throughout the entire southwest region were drawn into the storm, discussing this mysterious Daoist master.

At that time, they privately speculated that this person's cultivation level was at most comparable to that of the Dragon King, and they still dared not think of him as the "Ancestor of the Three Religions".

To this day, the situation has completely affected the world. All the cultivators who have noticed the commotion here have the same persistent thought in their minds: to defy the laws of heaven and forcefully push forward the heavenly tribulation, such a person must hold a high position. But why does it feel like there is no one in the Taoist lineage who can match him?
For a moment, no matter how hard they searched through the names, deeds, and cultivation paths of the various Taoist patriarchs in their minds, none of them could match Du Yuan in front of them.

If this were before a great calamity, one could barely convince oneself—Taoism is one of the three religions, and it is inherently a place where hidden talents abound. Perhaps there is an unrevealed ancestor hidden on that mountain, who has always kept his secrets hidden and has never revealed a single detail to outsiders.

After all, they still remember that in the past, two great demons gathered at Songshan and wreaked havoc in all directions, but in the end, they both perished in a small temple in the mountains.

Ultimately, the reason is that a Bodhisattva was hidden in that small, dilapidated temple that no one had ever heard of before!
Even the Bodhisattva wasn't the abbot of that temple; he was just a sweeping monk.

After this incident, people couldn't help but murmur to themselves whenever they saw the monk sweeping the ground at the entrance of the small temple.

But now we are in the aftermath of a great calamity!
After experiencing that catastrophe that nearly severed the lineage of all cultivators, everyone knows that anyone who hides people or things is simply keeping something in reserve in dire circumstances, hoping it can play a role in an unexpected moment and preserve the sect's roots.

The great calamity itself is a life-or-death moment that forces all forces to exhaust their resources and reveal their last trump cards in order to protect their bottom line!
If there really was an ancestor with cultivation level like Du Yuan, why would he have remained inactive during the most dangerous time of the great calamity, only to appear today?

This is fundamentally unreasonable!
The only possibility is...
The few cultivators who had been huddled to the side, not daring to even breathe, suddenly felt a jolt in their hearts!
At this moment, they all thought of the same unbelievable place: Could it be that this Taoist priest cultivated against the odds after the great calamity when everyone was undergoing tribulations?

The moment the thought crossed their minds, the hairs on their bodies stood on end, and a chill ran from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads—making them feel utterly terrified!
You should know that this is nothing short of a fantasy, even for all cultivators in the world!
In the Dharma-ending Age, spiritual energy is depleted and the laws of heaven and earth are incomplete. To be able to grit one's teeth and cultivate to enlightenment in such a desperate situation is already a rare occurrence.

And what was before that? Before that was a great calamity far worse than the Dharma-ending Age!
At that time, the heavens and earth collapsed and the universe was turned upside down. Even surviving was a gamble with a slim chance of life or death, let alone cultivating against the odds and breaking through to such an unfathomable realm amidst the calamity.

This is a thousand times more outrageous than attaining enlightenment in the Dharma-ending Age; it completely overturns the "common sense of cultivation" in the minds of all cultivators!
But then they thought, if it weren't for such a person, how could they leave the Taoist ancestral temple at such a time to come and rescue this person?
Du Yuan was completely unaware of their brainstorming session; he was simply thinking about how to answer the man.

After a moment of contemplation, Du Yuan finally spoke slowly, her voice not loud, but carrying a calmness that pierced through the surrounding silence: "Lihentian, Tushita Palace."

His words trailed off abruptly, without a single extra word. He looked down at the man whose breath was fading, his eyes calm and undisturbed—Du Yuan knew that this world most likely did not belong to Laozi, nor did it contain Laozi's alchemy furnace or the Green Ox.

But it was precisely because of this "blank space" that this place became the most suitable place for him.

After all, he was not part of the Taoist lineage of this world; he was neither a direct descendant of any sect nor the founding patriarch of any mountain.

No matter who searches through the classics of various Taoist schools or consults senior elders, they will never find a trace of this 'stranger,' as if he had never existed in this world.

In this way, instead of letting these people make wild guesses and speculate wildly—guessing that he is a new anomaly created after the calamity, or a trump card that some family has been hiding until now, it is better to simply give a source that you know by heart and that does not require much explanation.

The six characters “Lihentian Tushita Palace” are etched into his very being; there is no need to fabricate or lie about them.

Even if the name sounds unfamiliar to others, based on his observations along the way, he found that they would also feel that the name had an ancient and distant feel to it, and dare not take it lightly, which saved them a lot of trouble in digging deeper later.

However, due to the vast difference in their understanding, Du Yuan's attempt to save trouble resulted in a completely terrifying sight for all the cultivators present.

The cultivators who were already trembling with fear and barely daring to breathe were struck dumb when they heard the words "Lihentian, Doushuai Palace," their blood freezing instantly.

At this moment, two people with slightly weaker willpower, even if they had higher cultivation levels, almost collapsed to their knees with a "thud," only managing to steady themselves thanks to the quiet support of those around them.

'To establish a separate palace?'

It turns out they weren't from the ancestral temple; they actually wanted to start anew and open a separate branch!
At that moment, they were first stunned and then horrified as they looked at the owner of the plain white robe who had been standing behind the Taoist priest.

No wonder, no wonder this person, who has always been at odds with the Taoist lineage, is willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Taoist master; and no wonder that in such a chaotic world, an ancestor would spare no expense to cross other realms to come and rescue him.

With these two factors combined, it seems this Taoist priest is quite dissatisfied with the ancestral court, to the point that he intends to openly challenge it!
They even felt they had a hunch about the reason for their parting ways—it was probably related to the factors that had influenced this person's cultivation during his tribulations!

How could I, with my weak arms and legs, have gotten involved in such a big thing?

Among the crowd, the patriarch of the Qiu family cried out in alarm:
"May I ask, senior, when you reprimanded King Wu Jingwei, did you tell him about your origins?"

Du Yuan looked at the old ghost, then nodded slowly.

Upon hearing this nod, almost every surviving cultivator from the various sects in the southwest was furious, their lungs practically about to explode with rage—that scoundrel King Wei had known all along! Yet he refused to utter a single word!
Alright! It turns out he had already figured out how incredibly powerful this senior was, and deliberately tricked them, a bunch of idiots, into covering for him so he could easily escape and run away!
These days, this guy is probably trying to sneak into Buddhist territory!
It's pathetic that these idiots are risking their lives for him.

Seeing Du Yuan nod, the old patriarch of the Qiu family first let out a muffled thud in his throat, then burst into a self-mocking laugh that sounded utterly miserable.

"Hahaha--!"

He was already crying his eyes out when he first laughed and pointed at the people around him, then pointed at himself with a sorrowful expression, his trembling fingertips filled with unspeakable resentment and mockery.

"I'm actually a member of the demonic path! I'm actually a member of the demonic path! Who is evil here, and who is demonic?!"

After saying that, his expression froze, and then he collapsed on the spot, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

After glancing at Du Yuan and seeing that the Taoist priest didn't react, the two cautiously approached him, only to be startled.

That old devil actually angered himself to death!

Looking at the old man's corpse lying stiffly on the ground, the man couldn't help but let out a laugh that was both funny and sad:

"Hahaha—! So that's how it is, so this is how it ended up!"

Lihentian, Tushita Palace.

First, he bumped into a great bodhisattva who dared to proclaim himself the Western Paradise, and then he ran into another ancestor who wanted to establish a separate palace—the things in this world are truly a cruel twist of fate!

But the laughter didn't last long. His smile suddenly froze, and like the old enemy who had just died, his face contorted in shock.

Didn't this Taoist priest who wants to establish a separate palace previously state that he often discusses the Dharma with that Buddhist priest, and that they have both won and lost against each other?

If one can truly be on par with such a Taoist master in discussing the Dharma, then how could the Buddha not be merely a Bodhisattva? He should clearly be a Buddha!
His thoughts swirled deeper and deeper, and cold sweat mixed with blood streamed down his temples. At this moment, he unearthed another layer of cause and effect that he had not yet grasped.

He immediately supported his trembling body and looked with difficulty toward the owner of the plain white robe—

Wasn't the great era that was about to arrive forcibly pried open a crack by that Buddha? Although the commotion back then was far less earth-shattering than it is today, it was truly the "first" step that paved the way for all things and broke the deadlock.

If the Taoist priest today risked everything to cross the barrier to save this person, then was the Buddha priest back then, who exhausted his power to create a boundary and stirred up heaven and earth, the one he saved?
A myriad of thoughts surged through his mind. Realizing something, the man hurriedly turned to the others, wanting to ask them to pass on a message to him.

But he was nearing his end, and no matter how he tried to speak, he could only spit out blood and hiss.

Then his body stiffened, and he fell down with a look of resentment in his eyes.

My lord, I have failed you!

Looking at the man lying on the ground, Du Yuan shook her head and said:
"If only this kind of thinking were used for the right thing."

Although Du Yuan did not feel that his death was a pity, the tragic death of a loyal person was indeed lamentable.

(End of this chapter)