Chapter 339: Letter from the Tai Xuan Realm

The night was deep.

Snow began falling again, swirling through the sky.

Since winter arrived, this had been the case everywhere on earth—snow rarely ceased.

If not for the appearance of the Tai Ping Dan, countless souls would have been buried in this cruel winter.

Above, the clouds were thick, but if one pierced through them to reach higher, one would see the bright Taiyin Star suspended above the sea of clouds.

Ordinary mortals could never reach it; even among the myriad gods, few were fortunate enough to ascend to the Taiyin Star.

Gazing out, one saw—

Cold clouds, clear radiance entwining the osmanthus; jade splendor congealed into frost, forming a green stream.

Aside from the murmuring green stream, only the crisp, tinkling sound of the osmanthus tree's jade-like branches colliding remained.

Three osmanthus fruits hung from the branches, while six buds on adjacent twigs hovered between closing and blooming.

The osmanthus tree, born of the Taiyin Dao of heaven and earth, was the companion spirit of the Taiyin Star Lord.

At most, nine fruits could coexist on the tree; only after they were plucked would new ones grow.

Moreover, once plucked, the fruits' efficacy gradually faded—their power was greatest immediately after harvest.

Beneath the osmanthus tree stood the Taiyin Jade Mansion, as if carved from colored glaze, translucent and gleaming.

Within the jade mansion, beside the osmanthus—

Court ladies in gauzy robes, holding jade flasks and waving palm fans, moved about, their rainbow silks and feather garments graceful and lovely, all infused with lunar essence, worthy of being called the Taiyin Star Lord's "attendants."

The Taiyin Star Lord was eternal and ever-present.

Among mortals, what ordinary people called the "Moon Goddess" in their rare encounters were mostly such lunar essences.

Just as one cannot stare directly at the great sun, how could mortals glimpse the "Great Deity"?

And now, deep within the jade mansion—

A forbidden zone no lunar essence or court lady could approach.

The Taiyin Star Lord sat within, her long hair cascading beside her, her eyes like autumn waters fixed ahead, lost in thought.

"Taiyin purifies the spirit… Marvelous Dao unites…"

This phrase had been repeated countless times.

Since returning from this morning, she had been contemplating two cultivation methods.

But the result was even smoother than expected.

These two true methods seemed tailor-made for her, perfectly aligned with her current state.

Though she had not fully penetrated them, using them slightly was no problem.

That is to say, if she wished, she could at any moment use the Tui Shen Zhen Fa to cleanse her divine position!

Should she abandon the Taiyin authority… or attempt to seize the Sun authority?

After an unknown length of time, the Taiyin Star Lord's eyes regained their glow.

Secretly activating the Miao Dao He Yi Kai Hua Zhen Jing, through the true method's power, she pierced through the thick veils—gradually, brilliant Jin Guang emerged.

Li!

In the ancient, sacred cry, she saw a golden eye as large as a star, within which flowing flames intertwined, as if containing an entire world of fire.

As its full form gradually appeared, it was unmistakably a three-legged golden crow, wreathed in roaring golden flames, with three legs beneath its belly.

Crimson-gold flames danced as the golden crow bathed within them.

Suddenly, the three-legged golden crow seemed to sense something, glancing around, then locking its gaze directly upon her.

Hong!

Terrifying heat, following his gaze, ignored spatial barriers and struck directly upon her.

"Tian Zun…"

The surging heat warped the air, even melting the jade mansion, dripping droplets of seven-colored luminous jade fluid.

The Taiyin Star Lord's long hair lifted, her brow furrowed; she immediately ceased the Miao Dao He Yi Kai Hua Zhen Jing, and the terrifying heat vanished entirely.

The ground, ceiling, and even the surrounding walls bore traces of melting.

"…."

No wonder he wields the Sun authority.

If I truly faced him, even with the true method's aid, my chance of victory would likely be no more than thirty percent…

And that's being generous!

Seizing the Sun authority…

If conflict truly arose, who would seize whose authority remains uncertain.

Previously, this golden crow's "adoration" of me was unhidden; I assumed it was mere courtship.

But now, having obtained the Miao Dao He Yi Kai Hua Zhen Jing and reconsidering…

Perhaps there were other reasons.

'But why did he mention Tian Zun at the end?'

The Taiyin Star Lord pondered; streams of lunar radiance spread, slowly restoring the melted traces.

She closed her eyes, and an extraordinary, profound Dao essence emanated from her body.

At this point, she could only make a choice!

…

…

By the waterfall, a small cottage.

A warm golden light glowed through the window, the pane slightly hazy, as if veiled by mist.

Inside the room, the warmth from dinner had not yet dissipated, making the space appear slightly hazy.

Around the square table sat Xu Xing, Bie Xuening, and Xiang Yuanjun; Yue Ling, too short to reach, stood atop her chair.

She was enthusiastically boasting about how she taught that Emperor Sui Zu a lesson.

But after speaking for a long while, only Xu Xing replied to her a few times, so she soon grew bored, jumped off the chair, and ran off to another room.

"I'm going to play a game!"

No one responded, except Xu Xing, who smiled and replied to her.

"Go ahead."

She ran far away.

Xiang Yuanjun watched her vanish beyond the doorway, then turned her gaze back to Xu Xing. "Brother Dao, won't you let Yue Ying come out and relax a bit?"

"I asked. She said no."

For the vast majority of time—especially when others were present—Yue Ying disliked appearing.

This was very different from Yue Ling, who particularly loved lively places.

"The Taiyin Star Lord who received your True Law has begun her attempt," Bie Xuening suddenly said.

"Mm." Xiang Yuanjun gazed out the window. "Her choice aligns with what I and Brother Dao anticipated."

The mist on the window quietly dispersed with her gaze, and even the thick clouds in the sky parted to reveal the bright, clear moon.

Moonlight poured down, and even the scenes within the Taiyin Jade Palace were fully captured within her sight.

Good.

The Taiyin Star Lord ultimately chose the "Taiyin Cleansing Spirit, Shedding Divine Truth," preparing to wash away her divine position and abandon the Taiyin authority.

Please... collect 6... 9... books....!

"After abandoning her divine position and authority, she should qualify as a pseudo-Union with the Dao," Xu Xing said.

As the name implies, she would be stronger than a typical Return to Void realm, yet still fall short of true Union with the Dao.

But as the long-standing holder of the Taiyin authority, after shedding her divine bonds through Taiyin Cleansing Spirit, she might yet attain enlightenment in the Immortal Dao and restore her full Union with the Dao capability.

Still, the Taiyin Star Lord now only seeks to avoid disaster—she has no intention of reclaiming the Taiyin authority.

"As for the young disciple who received the Seeing Hong Zun's transmission, catching up to him won't be easy."

Speaking of which, after Xu Xing informed Seeing Hong Zun today about the connection to the Tai Xuan Realm, he had invited him to join them for a gathering—but Seeing Hong Zun, after a long silence, declined.

Hmm…

He said he had no time.

He only asked Xu Xing to notify him once news arrived from the Tai Xuan Realm.

"Union with the Dao and Jin Dan are fundamentally incomparable," Bie Xuening said coolly.

Jiang Lin is still only a Jin Dan.

He has not rushed to break through; instead, he chose to solidify his foundation and contemplate the method of crafting the Tai Ping Dan.

Along the way, he encountered the Cangyun Yaojun, who is now hunting him.

The outcome, needless to say, is obvious.

A Jin Dan realm at peak, in this era where none of the Immortal Dao catalysts have yet matured, is practically a dimensional crushing blow.

Had it not been for the Shanhe Pearl's aid, Jiang Lin would have killed him in a single glance.

Of course, even with the Shanhe Pearl, he could only flee in disarray.

He can be called the unluckiest of all the Immortal Dao catalysts.

Xiang Yuanjun, hearing Bie Xuening's words, merely smiled faintly and said nothing.

Hummm~

The three fell silent, their gazes fixed on the Ascension Platform slowly rotating at the center of the table, emitting a vibration utterly unlike before.

"Big Brother Xu, I'm glad you're all safe—I've received your reply."

"I don't know when you'll receive this reply, but I'll use this Ascension Platform's link to locate your coordinates and attempt to establish a stable communication platform."

"At that time, Elder You will send a thread of power over."

"Xiang Yuanjun can assist me in this process, but everything still depends on your own condition—if there's any risk, I'll handle it alone."

"The situation in the Tai Xuan Realm has stabilized completely; since that day, Xuan Cong has not appeared again—you can rest easy."

"After receiving your reply, I had each sect gather recent events within their ranks; I'll now detail them one by one."

"First, the Xiang Jianzong…"

This reply contained a great deal of information.

The status of each sect, the condition of the Xiang Jianzong and Tai Shang Dao disciples, and the state of the sealed Hun Tian Yi…

Upon hearing that the remaining "Hun Tian Yi" of the Xiang Jianzong had been taken over by Min, the three showed no reaction.

After all, it was expected.

But upon hearing that the remaining "Hun Tian Yi" of the Tai Shang Dao had been taken over by Master Mei Zu, Xiang Yuanjun exclaimed in surprise: "Master Mei Zu's progress is truly rapid."

Bie Xuening said nothing, but the slight arch of her slender brows revealed she too was somewhat astonished.

That demonic woman who stole her diagram back on that day had reached this level.

Then came the many wives, children, disciples, and followers of Seeing Hong Zun—all described in great detail.

And now, the Xiang Jianzong.

Xu Xing had many disciples, all of high cultivation, so each was mentioned in a single sentence.

But the two disciples of the Sword Sovereign, both very young, were given special attention.

Especially when mentioning Chi Jiuyu's advancement to Soul Transformation, Xiang Yuanjun quietly observed Bie Xuening.

Though her expression changed little, the slight arch of her brows had now smoothed back.

But as a long-time friend, she could still sense Bie Xuening's inner satisfaction and pride.

"I remember your disciple was still very young?"

"Mm." Bie Xuening replied flatly, "According to the time of the Xuan Realm, she should still be twenty-two."

Twenty-two years old and already Soul Transformation…

If she were still in the Xuan Realm, the group would surely explode with shock.

Xiang Yuanjun said nothing further, causing Bie Xuening to glance at her a few times.

That's it? No more?

Xu Xing understood her meaning: "Jiuyu, I thought she'd reach this later—apparently she's even more outstanding than I expected."

"Not bad."

It's just playing along, that's all.

If my senior sister is happy, I'm happy too.

And Jiuyu really did well this time. (End of chapter)