Chapter 146: The Swan

The wind rises suddenly.

The shadows of pines, cypresses, and bamboo sway, brushing against the surrounding misty, clear light of clouds and water; layer upon layer, fold upon fold, back and forth, delicate and limpid.

Further away, the sound of wind wails, drifting from afar, carrying a sense of clarity and penetration that makes the surroundings increasingly quiet and profound.

Fang Longye's eyes flicker slightly, and he ponders in his heart: "It seems that the eldest son of Feng Mu is actually quite interested in me!"

"What is the reason for this?"

Whether it is because of the special relationship between dragons and phoenixes, or the extensive accounts of him within the books of the Demon Master Mansion.

He naturally knows quite a bit about this great figure who was already famous in his past life.

Although it cannot compare to the level of understanding that an almighty being at the very pinnacle of heaven and earth like Randeng Gu Fo has of Kong Xuan, it is not shallow either.

Therefore, in Fang Longye's view, given the pride and strength of this big shot Kong Xuan, he really shouldn't be looking at him with favor just because of some karmic connection he has with the big shot Hongyun.

There must be a point he hasn't figured out.

"Regardless, I have already taken the benefits anyway," Fang Longye thinks to himself, deciding not to dwell on what he cannot understand.

Let the water come and the earth block it, let the earth come and the water flood it!

The Five-Colored Divine Light is not just some simple supernatural power.

Strictly speaking, this is a Great Dao that leads directly to the supreme, containing all the essential meanings from the mundane up to the Taiyi Realm and beyond.

The supernatural power of the Five-Colored Divine Light, under the painstaking deduction of the big shot Kong Xuan, has long since transcended the category of a pure supernatural power.

It is more like a Dharma method for the supernatural power to manifest the Dao.

The supernatural power is the Dharma, the supernatural power is the Dao, the supernatural power is everything.

A single Five-Colored Divine Light manifests thousands of variations, containing everything.

It can be said that the content in the Jade Pendant that the big shot Kong Xuan bestowed upon him is equivalent to displaying his own foundation and the Great Dao he cultivates before Fang Longye without reservation.

That is why Fang Longye calls it a grand gesture.

Such breadth of mind and such spirit are truly worthy of his great reputation.

Fang Longye comes back to his senses and shakes his head with a smile.

Regardless of what purpose this big shot might have, at the moment he can only comprehend a little bit of the surface of the Five-Colored Divine Light, so what qualifications does he have to worry about this? Setting aside his thoughts, Fang Longye stands up, stretches, and says lazily to Qingli and Ao Ying who are waiting on the side: "Let's go~ Let us first go to that treasury specifically left behind to collect the good intentions of the True Monarch of Protecting the Saint. Then we shall attend to the main business of this trip!"

Heading to the place where that Taiyi Realm swan perished.

……

Doushuai Gong.

Thin pines sway their shadows, and Divine Light shines on the windows.

Spiritual birds fly past, leaving shadows all over the ground.

Further away, clouds flow in layers, waves shimmer with green, intersecting like a painting.

Zhenwu steps into this place, takes a deep breath, and thinks: it is still most free and comfortable here!

"Senior Brother Zhenwu!" A Daoist boy named Jin Jiao comes out, bows to him, and leads him into the back chamber of the palace.

The Daoist sits on a meditation cushion, with the Eight Trigrams furnace in front, the small furnace fire burning and making a faint sound.

Behind the Daoist are layers upon layers of light, supporting the sky above and connecting to the earth below, with dense seal script characters surging in from all directions.

They converge into different information, like flowing water, endless and inexhaustible.

"Master~"

Seeing this, Zhenwu immediately steps forward to pay his respects.

"Hmm, it seems you have gained something this time?" Taishang Laojun's eyes flicker slightly; he does not turn back, but with his back to his disciple, he says indifferently.

"Today, this disciple has finally realized that the road ahead is rugged and that achieving the Dao is difficult."

Thinking of the obstacles the Fomen placed in his way, whether intentional or unintentional, Zhenwu immediately smiles bitterly.

"Difficult? Hahaha—" Taishang Laojun laughs heartily.

"What do these hardships count for? For you, who carries the mandate of heaven, compared to ordinary people, you are already far luckier than you know."

"Master's instruction is correct—"

Clang—Taishang Laojun points his finger, and a gentle force of Yin and Yang like water is emitted; the lid of the elixir furnace opens, and flames rush out. Along with—

A sheet of golden radiance as bright as brilliance.

A gourd flies over wobblingly to collect the Golden Elixir, then sways and lands in Zhenwu's hand.

"The Fomen did not intentionally target you; in essence, they just want to take more. They are merely trying to seize more Merit and Luck during this Calamity."

Taishang Laojun says calmly.

"Hmph! Is it not enough that they have the Journey to the West? That is the event with the most concentrated Merit and Luck in this Calamity. They still want to come here to my disciple to get a share?"

Taishang Laojun smiles and says: "Isn't this human nature? Does it mean only we are allowed to interfere in the Fomen's Journey to the West, and they are not allowed to return the favor?"

He turns his head to look at Zhenwu and says: "Do not lose your composure. The key and the obstacle to your achievement of the Dao are not in the Fomen, but have always been the Demon Clan."

"Do not forget, no matter what, Beiju Luzhou is still dominated by the forces of the Demon Clan."

"In the final analysis, your future journey to achieve the Dao is essentially about seizing the Merit and Luck of the Demon Clan in Beiju Luzhou."

"This disciple understands—"

Upon hearing this, Zhenwu's eyes shift, lost in thought.

"By the way, what do you think of that little dragon?" Seeing that Zhenwu has gained some insight, Taishang Laojun nods and then shifts the topic to Fang Longye.

"To say nothing else, he does have natural talent, and most importantly, his determination is also quite rare." Zhenwu recalls the words and deeds of Fang Longye he witnessed and replies.

Taishang Laojun nods upon hearing his disciple's evaluation, but does not respond further.

He merely raises his fire fan and fans the furnace.

Seeing his master act this way, Zhenwu remains silent and quietly exits the elixir room.

……

Deep within the mountain gate of the Yuanyang Sect, amidst a cliff face.

Fang Longye stood there, bringing Qingli and Ao Ying with him.

Before their eyes, it was ordinary, without the slightest abnormality.

Only Fang Longye, who had refined that Xun Wood sapling into a Companion Spiritual Root, could sense an Aura emanating from here, resonating with his own Companion Spiritual Root, the "Third Generation Xun Wood."

"It seems we have found the place."

Fang Longye said softly, staring at the cliff before him; vaguely, he felt a gurgling sound within his body, warm and moist, spreading throughout his entire being.

This was the reaction triggered by the Companion Spiritual Root, the "Third Generation Xun Wood," that he carried with him.

This place was precisely the location where that Taiyi Realm Honghu had fallen, and it was an interface with the present world.

Previously, he and the two women, Qingli and Ao Ying, had opened the treasure vault that Zhenwu had left behind by borrowing flowers to offer to the Buddhist.

After counting and storing the various treasures, he calmed his heart and, with the help of the special connection between the "Third Generation Xun Wood" he carried and the "Second Generation Xun Wood," continuously searched for the specific location where the Taiyi Realm Honghu had fallen.

Fortunately, with both the divine ability of Heavenly Secrets calculation and the special sensing, it did not take much effort for Fang Longye to find the destination of this trip.

"It's just—" Fang Longye frowned, muttering to himself: "It seems it is not that easy to enter!"

He mobilized his power, augmenting it with the "Barrier-Piercing Insight" divine ability and his Sun and Moon Golden Pupils, revealing every detail and penetrating the subtle.

He saw the ram-horn-like patterns on the cliff before him suddenly shine brightly from a perspective invisible to the naked eye.

Immediately, it expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming into a world projection that slowly approached.

The shadow of a world shone upon Fang Longye's brow; faintly, one could see the sun, moon, and stars, mountains and rivers, flowers, birds, fish, and insects, the mundane world, immortals, gods, Demons,... and so on and so forth.

A very intense sense of oppression rushed toward him, heavy and substantial, as if it were real.

"A Middle Thousand World!"

Fang Longye said hoarsely.

In fact, he had long expected that with the cultivation realm of that Taiyi Realm Honghu, after falling, it would inevitably Dao-transform into a world to nourish the Primordial World.

But, it was very obvious.

This world, I fear, is not very friendly to me, a member of the Dragon Clan! Fang Longye thought to himself, watching the tumultuous reaction of this Middle Thousand World toward him.

(End of this chapter)