Chapter 313: The First Meeting of Xuan and Xu Xing

The Method of Building the Heavenly Pass!

Hearing this, Gu Xinshen stirred slightly, and then heard Xuan continue:

"Hun Tian Yi arises from all paths of the cosmos, embracing all things."

"Just as the human race awakens to the ultimate Dao, knocks on the Immortal Pass, and attains immortality—this method devours 'Hun Tian Yi' to build the Heavenly Pass; though still hard to awaken to the ultimate Dao, it allows one to awaken to the vast Dao and attain realization."

"Those who awaken to the vast Dao and attain realization shall be called 'Primordial Ancestral Gods'."

Primordial Ancestral Gods!

Just as the human race's attained Dao is called 'Immortal'.

With this single statement, Xuan has named the future Dao-attainers of the Cang race.

"..." Gu fell into thought for a while, then spoke slowly, "This method carries great risks. The Great Dao is boundless, let alone the vastness of awakening to it—such Dao-attainers will struggle to preserve their 'True Self'."

From His perspective, it was impossible not to see the flaws.

Simply put, attaining Dao through the 'Building the Heavenly Pass' method not only makes one prone to losing oneself in the boundless Great Dao, becoming a 'Slave of the Dao' or similar existence.

Even after attaining Dao, further advancement is extremely difficult, and the sheer breadth of one's awakening may cause the 'True Self' to vanish entirely.

"This method is newly created, and I alone have refined it—oversights are inevitable." Xuan's tone remained calm, not denying the flaws of the 'Building the Heavenly Pass' method, "Its perfection must be left to future generations to accomplish."

"..." Gu frowned again.

He felt again that Xuan was discriminating against Him.

But it's clearly you who didn't explain clearly...

This feeling was deeply frustrating.

Xuan said no more, and with the free hand, gently sliced away one-third of the invisible, weighty object He had been holding.

With a flick, the invisible 'Hun Tian Yi' floated gently toward Gu.

"One-third is yours—choose suitable ones to transmit it to."

Gu hurried to catch it, but though it floated softly, the moment it entered His grasp, the boundless weight of the Tai Xuan Realm crashed down upon Him.

Even with His current form, He staggered, nearly falling.

A faint laugh seemed to echo in His ears, but when He looked up, Xuan had already turned and walked out of the hall.

"..."

As 'Hun Tian Yi' entered His grasp, a supreme technique of boundless creation, subtle and profound, unfolded within His heart—the Method of Building the Heavenly Pass.

Formless, yet infinite.

No written characters, no runes carved to carry it—like a pure, illusory thread of Dao-trace, or the resonant voice of cosmic Dao-patterns.

Ethereal, elusive, impossible to grasp.

Yet it was undeniably a supreme technique.

Only those who attain Dao can wield a supreme technique! But Gu paid no mind to that—he looked outward. Xuan had already left the hall, gone without a trace.

Strange...

Yet Xuan has always been solitary—even during the height of the ancient Cang race, He was this way. It was normal to find Him unfathomable.

Arriving outside the Hall of Ages.

The mass of Hun Tian Yi in Xuan's hand had vanished. He looked up at the sky, seeing only dim light and endless drizzle.

He shook His head slightly, then swept His sleeve.

Hu~!

The heavens seemed to respond.

The thick clouds parted, revealing boundless darkness—far darker, even, than the heavy clouds had been.

This ancient Tai Xuan Tian, existing within the domain of time, was founded upon Gu's own being.

The sun and moon, the starry sky—all drawn from fragments of history. Now, as Gu sought to heal His wounds, He had no interest in maintaining such scenery, so behind the clouds lay only gloom.

"Not good."

He raised His hand and lightly tapped before Him.

Fine ripples spread outward; a thread of purple qi rose from the ripples in empty space, drifting upward.

It seemed slow, yet was astonishingly swift.

In an instant, it reached the gap between the parted clouds and vanished.

Soon, the space between the clouds grew brighter.

Light seeped through the cracks, uneven in thickness, shapeless and shifting.

Many Cang race members looked up, gazing at the brilliant sky-light descending, their hearts swelling with joy.

Xuan seemed to smile, but due to His indistinct face, it was hard to tell.

After restoring light to the ancient Tai Xuan Tian, He took a step forward, walking into the boundary of light and shadow, toward the distance.

Since He did not conceal His form, some elder Cang race members with sufficient cultivation noticed and recognized Him, their expressions filled with excitement.

Some young Cang race members, born and never having left the ancient Tai Xuan Tian, stared blankly at their elders' excited expressions.

Yet Xuan paid no attention, continuing forward without pause.

The dark clouds dissipated, and the sky grew steadily clearer with time.

When the sky was completely clear, bright and unobstructed,

Xuan had reached a place far from the center of heaven and earth.

Surrounded by mountains lay a lake, poetic and picturesque, its waters blue as jade, shimmering like a mirror, reflecting the washed-blue sky and rows of flying green birds.

The dense forest by the lake was lush green, dew still clinging to the blades of grass.

Several young Cang clansmen stepped out from a hut built of earth and wood beside the lake; some gazed at the clear sky, chatting among themselves, while others snapped off branches to whip the water's surface, sending the fish swimming away in all directions.

But a few others, long accustomed to overcast rain, now suddenly beheld the sunlight and gained insight, so they sat right where they were to cultivate Qi and assimilate their revelations.

Xuan also broke a branch from a tree by the lake.

Its new buds had not yet sprouted; after removing the tiny side branches, He extended a finger and summoned a slender purple thread.

The thread drifted lazily forward and hung from the branch's tip.

Then Xuan walked to the lakeside, heedless of the dew-soaked grass and damp mud, and sat down just like that.

With a flick of the branch, the thread sank beneath the lake's clear surface. "Hu…"

The one who had single-handedly banished the Four Immortals of the Human Race, and who had calmly taken "Hun Tian Yi" despite the interference of countless Immortals—Xuan, whose divine might was boundless—now let out a long breath, as if expelling endless exhaustion.

Too long…

For too long, far too long, He had dared not slacken for a moment, for too many tasks awaited Him.

Arranging the Wuliang Realm, standing alone against the starry void…

Even He could no longer recall how long it had been since He last paused properly to rest.

"Perhaps this is the retribution for my past laziness," He said, self-mocking.

In ancient times, Gu and Tai were at odds, often clashing; Tian plotted heavily and frequently stirred up storms and tempests.

But Xuan himself was a carefree soul, whose greatest joy was traveling the continent, admiring all manner of sights, and if He encountered a young Cang clansman He took to, He would offer a few words of guidance.

Many of His celestial generals came because of this.

Even His first meeting with the Master Jianzu occurred merely by chance during one of His continental wanderings.

At that time, beside this very lake, the Master Jianzu was still very weak, having just begun his cultivation path, and He was fishing merely to fill his stomach.

But because what He said was quite interesting, Xuan chatted with Him for a while longer.

Back then, He had taken it as idle amusement; He never truly believed any of the things He said—yet…

"All of it came true…"

With a long sigh, He leaned back, hands clasped behind his head.

The grass leaves were cold with dew, the mud heavy with dampness.

Gazing at the sky, Xuan felt a strange unease in His heart.

He still remembered the few words the Master Jianzu had spoken before they parted.

"Elder is a man of immortal aura; surely your Dao cultivation is profound."

When He asked Him what "immortal" meant, He pondered long but gave no answer, only saying He himself could not understand it.

Even today, Xuan did not know whether the Master Jianzu had realized that the one he met back then was none other than Himself.

Yet even if he had known, nothing would have changed.

…………

Beyond the Realm, the Chaotic Sea.

Xu Xing was still being relentlessly pushed farther away by the terrifying repulsion from the Tai Xuan Realm.

But he had successfully established contact with Hong Zun.

"Brother Dao, Brother Dao, can you hear me?"

This phrase had been repeated several times.

"I'm here. Brother, have you found a way to counter this repulsion?"

Hong Zun repeated it again; Xu Xing had no choice but to respond once more.

After several more repetitions, Hong Zun finally heard him, and his reply now carried a different tone.

"No, the Tai Xuan Realm is too vast; I have no good solution." The voice gradually grew clearer, "I can only contact you because of the identity granted to me by the Tai Xuan Realm."

As for this identity…

Naturally, it was the identity of "gift" and "guest."

It was somewhat embarrassing, but he himself was precisely the "gift" bestowed upon him by the master of the house—that is, the Tai Xuan Realm.

"Even you have no solution?"

"None," Xu Xing said helplessly.

Immediately, he stirred his mind, attempting through the mysterious connection to speak with his senior sister and Xiang Yuanjun.

Hong Zun was still complaining.

"Brother, shouldn't the third person be Ling Zu? If not, even Master Mei Zu would do!"

"Of the four of us, I'm the only one married—how could I possibly be suitable?"

"Xuan really has a screw loose…"

Though they had not met, the bitterness in these words was unmistakable.

Yet at the same time, he was also discussing viable solutions with Xu Xing.

For a True Immortal, multitasking was quite simple—even achieving it across different time flows, as Xu Xing had done with his sword-intent spiritual bodies sent to various realms.

Zeng zeng~!

Amidst the churning chaotic energy, streams of sword-light rose, fluttering behind Xu Xing like ribbons.

But it was useless; the moment they touched the repulsive force, all the sword-light ribbons snapped instantly, and the speed of his being pushed away showed no sign of slowing.

The disparity in scale was too great! Yet during this process, Xu Xing did establish contact with his senior sister and Xiang Yuanjun.

"Senior sister, Yuanjun, are you both alright?"

"I'm fine. How about you, younger brother?"

"Brother, rest assured, I'm unharmed."

After all, they were both "gifts"; the Tai Xuan Realm had merely sent them away alongside him, and in this Chaotic Sea, there was nothing capable of threatening them.

I'm fine, but the current situation is hard to resolve.

After confirming everyone was unharmed, the group began discussing ways to resolve the current situation.

Attempting to steal authority like Xuan was useless.

Attempting to sever the connection on Hong Zun's body was useless.

Attempting to use the Hun Tian Yi refined within oneself as a rope to resist the repelling force.

This time it had some effect, but the rate of retreat still did not slow much.

At that moment!

"Brother Dao, I have reached the vicinity of the Beast God Realm," said Hong Zun. (End of chapter)