Chapter 480: Entering the Dao through Celestial Phenomena

Chu Qiushan glanced at the dejected Ge Rusong and sighed, "Rusong, with your status, why go to the trouble of attacking a junior?"

A look of bewilderment welled up in Chu Qiushan's eyes.

He had already read the documents regarding the Taihe Tower incident after they were sent to the Sect. However, Yang Sixuan had not yet had the chance to report to him about Pei Du and Jiang Zhe surrounding and killing Duan Rong.

In Chu Qiushan's view, Ge Rusong's actions in the Taihe Tower incident, while overstepping his bounds, would at most result in him being stripped of his position as Head of the Office of Transmission; he might even retain his position as an Elder of the Elder Council.

Therefore, he was quite puzzled as to why Ge Rusong had suddenly launched an attack, intending to kill Duan Rong himself.

Seeing Chu Qiushan speak, Zhu He stood to the side and remained silent, merely watching Ge Rusong with an expressionless face.

Upon hearing this, Ge Rusong sneered, let out a long sigh toward the sky, and then his gaze turned cold as he swept it over Chu Qiushan and Zhu He, saying, "Sect Master Chu, old thief Zhu, the winner is king and the loser is the villain; there is no need for more words!"

"This time, I, Ge, admit defeat! But don't you dream of making me surrender without a fight!"

After Ge Rusong finished speaking, his sleeves and hair began to flutter without any wind, and the spatial ripples above his head surged and churned violently...

Zhu He frowned and said coldly, "Ge Rusong, Zhu and you are both at the early stage of the Dongming Realm; I dare not say I can necessarily defeat you in terms of cultivation. But Sect Master Chu is at the middle stage of the Dongming Realm. With the two of us joining forces, what chance of victory do you have? Why bring humiliation upon yourself?"

"Zhu He, stop your hypocritical posturing. Have you not humiliated me enough?" Ge Rusong said angrily. As he spoke, he had already made a grasping motion into the void with his large hand, and the spatial ripples above his head spread out like waves, enveloping Zhu He.

Zhu He glanced at Chu Qiushan beside him, and seeing that Chu Qiushan had no intention of acting, he raised one hand, ripples surging in his palm, and grabbed at the incoming spatial ripples.

Just as Ge Rusong and Zhu He were exchanging blows, Duan Rong suddenly moved and stood not far from Chu Qiushan. Chu Qiushan glanced at Duan Rong but did not speak.

Duan Rong knew very well that since Chu Qiushan was the person with the highest cultivation in the scene, the place beside him was the safest.

When Ge Rusong saw Duan Rong suddenly flash to Chu Qiushan's side, his eyelids could not help but twitch. However, as this was a matter of life and death for him, he dared not hesitate any longer; he suddenly shook his sleeve, and it seemed something flew out from it.

It was unknown what that object was, but as soon as it flew out, it flashed with flickering firefly-like light, and amidst the intermittent flickering, it shot out a faint golden glow, actually enveloping both Zhu He and Chu Qiushan within it.

Because Duan Rong had just flashed to Chu Qiushan's side, he was also enveloped by that golden light.

Everything happened in a flash; Zhu He and Ge Rusong were in the middle of a battle, and when Ge Rusong shook his sleeve, both Chu Qiushan and Zhu He thought he was about to attack Zhu He. By the time they realized an object had flown out from his sleeve, they were already trapped by the golden light.

Looking at the thin, flickering golden light surrounding them, both Chu Qiushan and Zhu He were astonished.

"It is actually the Mani Bead!?"

Zhu He glared at Ge Rusong through the golden light with a cold, grim face and said, "So it was you who killed Elder Chu!"

Ge Rusong laughed with a cackle and said, "That is an old matter..."

Chu Qiushan's expression was also ugly; ripples surged in his palm, and he struck the thin golden light with a palm. The golden light bulged with a palm print and trembled on its own, but it remained firmly in place, showing no signs of breaking or falling apart.

Ge Rusong sneered, "Sect Master Chu, although you are at the middle stage of the Dongming Realm, this Mani Bead is a treasure that Elder Chu accidentally obtained from the ruins of the Ancient God-Demon Battlefield. Its defense is as solid as metal; how could it be broken so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Qiushan kept a cold face and continued to strike the thin golden light with one palm after another. Following his palm force, one palm print after another rose on the golden light barrier, appearing and disappearing like a game of whack-a-mole.

Ge Rusong's expression changed. Although he had used this Mani Bead to trap Chu Qiushan and Zhu He, he could not be sure how long he could keep them trapped. After all, although Chu Qiushan was the Sect Master, he had been hiding in Changliu Mountain, focusing on profound cultivation, and would never show his face if there was nothing to do. After all these years, it was impossible to predict what level his cultivation had reached.

Ge Rusong knew he could not stay here for long, so he prepared to leave. Before he left, he cast a piercing glance at Duan Rong, who was beside Chu Qiushan.

If it weren't for this brat being clever and flashing to Chu Qiushan's side just now, if he had wanted to trap Chu Qiushan, he would have had to trap this brat in the golden light as well.

Otherwise, he had intended to use the Mani Bead to trap Chu Qiushan and Zhu He, and then personally kill Duan Rong in front of Zhu He, so that the old thief Zhu could watch his beloved disciple die by his own hands—a tit for tat.

However, it seemed this plan could no longer be implemented; his own life was more important.

Ge Rusong suddenly turned into a black streak of light and soared into the high sky.

Just as he soared into the sky, a figure suddenly leaped out from the dense forest on the other side of the mountain hollow, also streaking toward the horizon like a black ray of light.

The two black streaks of light crossed in the sky, like two colliding meteorites.

Inside the thin golden light barrier, Duan Rong watched the change in the sky with focused eyes.

Chu Qiushan and Zhu He naturally noticed the change in the sky outside as well, but both of them did not stop their hands, continuing to strike the golden light barrier with one palm after another.

Ge Rusong fell to the ground with a boom, blood splattering from the corner of his mouth, his face deathly pale. "Gu Daoling!?"

A middle-aged man with refined features was seen hovering in mid-air, looking at Ge Rusong with clear, steady eyes, and said indifferently, "Elder Ge, we haven't seen each other for so many years, why be in such a hurry to leave?"

"Old thief Zhu He, you actually schemed against me like this!?" Ge Rusong yelled with his eyes splitting, turning his head to glare at Zhu He inside the golden light barrier.

He naturally knew that Gu Daoling was Zhu He's Disciple, who had been cultivating in seclusion at the Star-Gazing Tower in Shenyun Prefecture, ignoring worldly affairs. Decades had passed, and many people had almost forgotten his existence.

Seeing Ge Rusong's wild rage, Gu Daoling's eyes suddenly moved. In mid-air, he pointed a finger into the void, and a strange, visible ripple struck Ge Rusong's dantian with the speed of lightning.

At that instant, Ge Rusong was stunned. He did not feel pain, but he could clearly perceive that Gu Daoling had just struck a strand of Law Power into the Dongming within his dantian. With that external force, he suppressed the surging of the Law within his Dongming.

At this moment, he could not even perceive the existence of his own Dongming.

Although he was at the Dongming Realm, if he could not mobilize the Law surging within his Dongming, he was practically no different from a cripple.

Only then did Gu Daoling slowly descend from mid-air.

Ge Rusong looked at Gu Daoling with terror in his eyes. To be able to suppress the Law surging within his Dongming with a single strand of Law Power, what level of cultivation had this Gu Daoling reached?

Although Duan Rong had his eyes wide open inside the golden light barrier, he could not understand a battle of this level at all. He only knew that Gu Daoling pointed into the void, Ge Rusong was hit by a wave of energy, and then stood there like a wooden chicken. He had no idea that Ge Rusong's cultivation had already been suppressed by Gu Daoling, rendering him a cripple.

Gu Daoling glanced at the stunned Ge Rusong and walked slowly past his side. He looked at Chu Qiushan and the others trapped in the thin golden light, his eyes lifting slightly to fixate on the flickering bead that had released the golden light barrier.

A strange look clearly flashed in Gu Daoling's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and walked slowly to the front of the golden light barrier, preparing to help Chu Qiushan and the others break it.

Just as Gu Daoling reached the front of the golden light barrier and before he could act, Chu Qiushan used both hands to strike the thin golden light before him.

The golden light barrier suddenly brightened and then vanished on its own. The next moment, the flickering Mani Bead also stopped flashing and fell from above Chu Qiushan and the others.

Chu Qiushan reached out and swept his hand, and the falling Mani Bead flew into his palm.

Duan Rong had long been curious about the bead, so he took this opportunity to steal a glance. He saw it appeared to be a dim-colored stone bead, which did not look particularly special at first glance.

As soon as the Mani Bead was in his hand, Chu Qiushan tucked it into his sleeve.

A look of disappointment flashed in the eyes of Gu Daoling and Zhu He almost simultaneously.

Duan Rong's eyes shifted, having already taken in the expressions of the two. These two were both deep-thinking old monsters, yet they could not hide their covetousness for that Mani Bead.

It was evident that the Mani Bead was indeed an extraordinary object. Otherwise, with the cultivation of Chu Qiushan and Zhu He, the fact that they were trapped by this bead for such a long time was enough to show its extraordinary nature.

Chu Qiushan merely glanced at Ge Rusong not far away, then turned his gaze to Gu Daoling and said, "So Disciple Gu was here; I was blind and did not notice before."

As Chu Qiushan spoke, he glanced at Zhu He beside him.

A sheepish look appeared on Zhu He's face.

He had called Chu Qiushan to come as a witness, but he also had the intention of scheming against Chu Qiushan.

Zhu He dared to do this naturally because Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan are both gentlemen; there is a saying that it is better to offend a villain than to offend a gentleman.

Even if he offended Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan, the two would not settle scores with him later, nor would they stab him in the back; at most, he would simply owe them a favor. Furthermore, although he had his schemes, the fact that Ge Rusong murdered a personal disciple of the Sect remained an indisputable fact.

However, the opponent faced this time was, after all, Ge Rusong, who was also in the early stage of the Dongming Realm. Zhu He suspected that Chu Qiushan, blaming him for his schemes, would be unwilling to act easily. Zhu He was afraid that some mishap would occur during his fight with Ge Rusong, so he instructed Gu Daoling to lie in ambush nearby and act when the opportunity arose to be prepared for any contingency. In any case, he had such a convenient Disciple, so he might as well make use of him.

Gu Daoling said, "Sect Master Chu, it is Daoling who has been discourteous. This was my Senior Brother's idea, ordering this Gu to lurk in that dense forest and act when the opportunity arose."

Zhu He's expression froze, and he glared at Gu Daoling. This Disciple was truly unscrupulous; the moment he opened his mouth, he sold out his Senior Brother without even a hint of hesitation.

What Chu Qiushan cared about was not etiquette; he cared about the fact that Gu Daoling had hidden in that dense forest without even him noticing, and just now, Gu Daoling had used the power of a single finger to suppress the surging laws within Ge Rusong's Dongming Realm. He asked himself if he could achieve such a feat.

"It has been decades; has Disciple Gu already advanced to the late stage of the Dongming Realm?" Chu Qiushan's gaze shifted as he tentatively asked.

Seeing Chu Qiushan ask this, Zhu He's expression also shifted slightly. Because Zhu He was only in the early stage of the Dongming Realm, he did not actually understand the differences in realms between the middle and late stages. Hearing Chu Qiushan's question, he also looked at Gu Daoling with some surprise. He had always assumed Gu Daoling was in the middle stage of the Dongming Realm.

Gu Daoling smiled slightly and said, "Three years ago, while observing the Celestial Phenomena at night, I had a sudden realization and broke through."

"Broken through!?"

Gu Daoling spoke lightly, but Chu Qiushan and Zhu He almost cried out in surprise at the same time.

Gu Daoling nodded.

Zhu He said happily, "You brat, you broke through and didn't even tell your Senior Brother. You were actually hiding it from me here..."

Gu Daoling's gaze flickered; Zhu He's tone and expression were genuinely happy for him.

Chu Qiushan, however, looked at Gu Daoling with a gloomy expression. Decades had passed, and Gu Daoling had actually broken through his predicament and advanced to the late stage of the Dongming Realm, while he had struggled in vain for decades, still trapped in a bottleneck, unable to see any direction for a breakthrough.

Chu Qiushan sighed deeply and said, "Congratulations, Disciple Gu! Disciple Gu just said that you broke through the shackles because you observed the Celestial Phenomena at night and had a sudden realization?"

Gu Daoling said, "Exactly!"

The Elders and veterans within the Taiyi Sect all knew that Gu Daoling did not concern himself with worldly affairs at the Star-Gazing Tower in Shenyun Prefecture. They all thought he was tired of the various disputes within the Sect, and the Elders and veterans of the Sect all knew that his relationship with the Sect Ancestor, Lv Yinlin, had always been poor, and the two often quarreled when they met.

Who could have imagined that Gu Daoling was actually cultivating in the Star-Gazing Tower by observing the stars?

Chu Qiushan looked up at the bright moon and sparse stars in the high sky and sighed, "Could it be that the method of cultivation is truly hidden within these star patterns?"

Gu Daoling said, "The star patterns naturally contain profound mysteries."

Chu Qiushan looked at Gu Daoling, his gaze shifting, and said, "Could I trouble Disciple Gu to deconstruct the profound meaning of the star-pattern cultivation method you have realized?"

"If Sect Master Chu wishes to hear it, naturally I can." Gu Daoling smiled faintly and said, "The earth has its murderous intent, and dragons and snakes rise from the land; the heavens have their murderous intent, and the constellations change abnormally. The ancients once wrote in a poem: 'Suddenly a madman sharpens his blade at night, the Emperor Star sways and Mars shines high.' Within the Celestial Phenomena, there are also myriad omens. Can one peer into them? Can one not? Although I have a shallow understanding, it is difficult to delve deep, and I often fall into a state of confusion within the illusory dreams of the galaxy."

As Gu Daoling spoke, a touch of solemnity flashed in his eyes.

Duan Rong stood there, listening to Gu Daoling's words, staring blankly at the sparse stars in the Cangqiong; the cold radiance of the stars and moon seemed to fall into the depths of his eyes... He murmured, repeating Gu Daoling's words. "Can one peer into them? Can one not?..."

Hearing this, Chu Qiushan's expression also became dazed. Gu Daoling had Entered the Dao by comprehending the Celestial Phenomena, a feat of decades of effort; how could he understand it in a moment? "Disciple Gu has no reliance and creates his own path; to be able to Enter the Dao by comprehending the Celestial Phenomena, he is truly a talent of the ages!"

Chu Qiushan's words were heartfelt praise. One must know that even the Sect Ancestor, Lv Yinlin, did not approve of Gu Daoling's cultivation method; if not for this, the two would not have argued every time they met. Although the Sect Ancestor opposed it, Gu Daoling went his own way, and in the end, he was able to break through the Mysterious Barrier, overcome his shackles, and advance to the late stage of the Dongming Realm. If he progressed further, he would have a chance to achieve the Nascent Soul.

Hearing this, Gu Daoling's expression turned bitter. "The Great Dao is formless; the deeper one advances, the harder it is to find!"

As Gu Daoling spoke, he even sighed up at the sky. His demeanor was not an affectation; it was only in the three years since he advanced to the late stage of the Dongming Realm that he had gradually realized why Ancestor Lv Yinlin had so fiercely opposed him.

In those years, he had gradually begun to understand some of what Lv Yinlin had said, and he had gradually understood why Lv Yinlin opposed his cultivation method.

The path he had chosen was truly a bit too ethereal...

(End of this chapter)