Chapter 28: A Deal Struck, A Gesture from Laojun

"Inner Heaven and Earth?"

"Opening up a world within the body, inhaling and exhaling the Heaven and Earth Essence and various substances of the Real World, and then deriving a magnificent world within one's own body..."

Taishang Laojun, standing before the massive alchemy furnace, fell silent.

He very much wanted to say that this path was purely courting death; in any world, if one were to practice this method, they would be repelled and viewed with hostility by the will of that Real World.

Often, before those practicing such a method could become truly powerful, they would be killed and erased by the world, and all the substances within the practitioner's body would return to the Real World.

Theoretically speaking, if one could become powerful through this method, they would be supremely powerful, even capable of becoming the Basis of the Existing World.

If one could coordinate it with the corresponding methods of manipulating laws, they would not even need to endure many tribulations; they would only need to achieve Creation.

They would not even need to experience terrifying setbacks and hardships, or be tested by countless Existences of the Other Shore; they could simply rely on the essence of their own existence to achieve the Other Shore.

But this path is fundamentally impassable. With him, a Basis of the Existing World, present, would he just watch as a practitioner ate the Real World, ate him as the Basis of the Existing World, and then let the other party achieve the Other Shore? This is a joke.

Taishang Laojun felt this was a joke, but at this moment, he could not laugh; his expression turned serious, and he began to calculate earnestly.

Under normal circumstances, of course, no fool would feed themselves to another.

But these are not normal circumstances.

After achieving the Other Shore and becoming the most Ancient One, what they must do is Reducing to Emptiness.

And the most critical part of Reducing to Emptiness is the need for someone to replace and inherit one's own karma, orthodoxy, and even everything else.

The more they inherit, the better; the faster, the better.

In Taishang Laojun's view, the method of Inner Heaven and Earth, though silly, indeed has its merits.

A snake trying to swallow an elephant certainly cannot succeed, but if the elephant is willing to cut itself into small pieces and feed them to the snake slowly, then the snake can certainly succeed.

It is most difficult for the Basis of the Existing World to perform Reducing to Emptiness; one must wait for the right opportunity.

But if there were such an existence practicing Inner Heaven and Earth.

With Taishang Laojun feeding them bit by bit, he could absolutely nurture the other party.

"And it is not just the Basis of the Existing World; swallowing the entire Real World and opening up another magnificent world is already Opening Heaven and Earth..."

"... When they are alive, they are the Basis of the Existing World; when they are destroyed, it is naturally the end of the epoch..."

Taishang Laojun's heart stirred; he was truly tempted.

The difficulty for the Opening Heaven and Earth Three Brothers to transcend lies in the fact that they must be three-in-one; the three need to find the same person to act as a fish. In the early stages, they can still try their best to conceal it, not revealing their own traces.

But in the later stages, when a person appears who simultaneously possesses the inheritances of the Moral Heavenly Venerable, the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, and the Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable, even a fool would know something is wrong.

Inner Heaven and Earth points out another path for him.

Feed the Real World to the other party, and the other party will naturally become the Basis of the Existing World, become the Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable, and at the same time, naturally become the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable.

As long as the corresponding orthodox inheritances are supplemented for the other party during this period.

"What a brilliant and talented idea..."

Laojun could not help but clap his hands in praise.

The key is that this idea is not just a fantasy, but something that can truly be put into practice.

The Opening Heaven and Earth Three Brothers are basically invincible in the world; one-on-one, perhaps none of them can find an opponent in heaven or on earth.

But they are three-in-one; when the three join forces, and the other Existences of the Other Shore do not cooperate with each other, no one can beat them.

However, becoming a Dao Fruit does not rely entirely on force; it requires more planning and various kinds of clever operations.

Yet for figures at the level of the Other Shore, everything on the entire world line is transparent.

All characters on the entire timeline are clearly visible; their experiences, their pasts, their futures—when they are dissatisfied, they can even overturn everything and start over at any time, letting the chess game develop from another direction.

Even the three-in-one of the Moral Heavenly Venerable, the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, and the Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable cannot change this.

Everything is an open hand.

As long as one is in the world of the Existences of the Other Shore, all divine arts and techniques, all top-tier methods, and all divine weapons are clearly displayed and public on the poker table.

To win, one must have more schemes and strength than everyone else.

And now, Taishang Laojun looked up at the mysterious person before him, who was dim and obscure, making it difficult to see the situation inside, and a smile could not help but appear on his face.

The figure before him is not an Existence of the Other Shore, but surpasses one; the destiny around his body forms a circle, and everything about him is unexplorable and unknowable.

The methods coming from him are naturally mysterious and unpredictable, possessing incredible abilities.

The most critical thing is that other Existences of the Other Shore have no way of knowing this method.

This is a hidden card; Taishang Laojun admits he is tempted.

"What do you want to trade with me?"

Taishang Laojun's words were neither loud nor excited, but his words were enough; a smile appeared on Zhang Xuan's face.

"Equivalent exchange. Stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one. Someone is very curious about the top-tier methods of this world."

Taishang Laojun was silent for a moment, seemingly pondering. "Good!"

As the words fell, a bundle of bamboo slips already appeared in his hand.

The four ancient seal characters above made Zhang Xuan's heart jump wildly.

【Eight/Nine Mysterious Technique】.

This was not the end; in the time it took Zhang Xuan to blink, a whole pile of bamboo slips had appeared before him.

【Primordial Beginning Golden Chapter】

【Tathagata Palm】

【Seven Swords of Heaven Cutting】

Methods that drive countless people in the world crazy seemed worthless before Taishang Laojun, piled up on the ground casually.

Indeed, for Taishang Laojun, this most Ancient One, these top-tier methods in the world are not very valuable.

Reaching his level, the only thing he truly values is Reducing to Emptiness; everything else is vanity.

No matter how powerful a technique is in the world, it is meaningless to him; no matter how formidable the technique, it is impossible for it to make this Ancient One any stronger.

Zhang Xuan exhaled gently; having reached this step, he knew his planning and his schemes were truly and completely finished.

But he still told himself to guard against arrogance and impetuosity; he represented the face of the Chat Group Owner, and he had to maintain this image at all times, not being too frivolous.

After hinting to himself multiple times in his heart, he then calmly said: "Then, are you certain you wish to proceed with the exchange?"

"Of course!"

Taishang Laojun nodded slightly, and Zhang Xuan likewise nodded gently; as he waved his palm, a piece of jade appeared in the center of his hand.

Unique characters from the Shenmu World appeared on the surface of the jade—"Supreme Forgetting Emotion Record."

Hmm, selling the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Record to Taishang Laojun, this trade is truly interesting.

A strange thought arose in Zhang Xuan's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

Looking at the bamboo slips piled up in front of Taishang Laojun, he thought for a moment; he was more inclined to choose the Primordial Beginning Golden Chapter, as the Primordial Beginning Golden Chapter was very profound and could connect to all the heavens and myriad worlds.

It possessed unfathomable power and was the method by which Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi attained the Dao.

But the technique, after all, came from Dugu Baitian, and he still had to consider the thoughts of Dugu Baitian and the others; after hesitating for a moment, he still chose the Eight-Nine Profound Art.

After all, everyone in the Shenmu World had an invincible physical body and primordial spirit, and were peerless in combat.

Every supreme powerhouse was inclined toward methods of combat, and the Eight-Nine Profound Art better met their requirements.

Laojun did not mind; as his thoughts turned, that scroll of bamboo slips unfolded, revealing all the mysteries of the Eight-Nine Profound Art before Zhang Xuan's eyes.

And with a movement of Zhang Xuan's thoughts, through the translation of the Chat Group, the many characters of the Shenmu World and Dugu Baitian's explanation of the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Record were all translated and appeared bit by bit in Tushita Palace.

Laojun looked at the characters that appeared; in his eyes, the Universe flowed and all things lived and died. In a trance, Zhang Xuan saw a grand Universe being generated within the eyes of Taishang Laojun.

There was a Multiverse flickering within it, and in the blink of an eye, galaxies rose and fell.

Within the grand Universe, Zhang Xuan seemed to see the many histories of the Shenmu World emerge, especially a segment of experience regarding Taishang.

"Evolving a Universe out of thin air, using the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Record to deduce the Shenmu World..."

Zhang Xuan felt an inexplicable shock in his heart as he watched, gaining a clear understanding of the capabilities of an Existence of the Other Shore.

Fortunately, Taishang Laojun's eyes returned to normal quickly; relying solely on the scroll of the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Record, he also had no way to fully deduce the past and future of the Shenmu World.

But relying on the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Record, Taishang Laojun could already see that what this mysterious figure before him said was true.

"It is truly a marvelous path, turning the world into a pill and refining it into the abdomen; it has the power to create the world, serves as the Basis of the Existing World, and can also destroy the heavens and the earth..."

Laojun clapped his hands in praise.

As for the flaws, loopholes, and hidden dangers within the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Record, Laojun did not mention a single word.

For such an Ancient One among those of the Other Shore, the most critical thing was that he could see a new, unique path. Once he saw the path, he could perfect this path based on himself; the key was the thought, not this specific technique.

Knowing this path, with a single thought, he could create countless similar techniques.

"It seems Laojun is very satisfied with this technique; then, has this round of trading come to a successful conclusion?"

Zhang Xuan watched Laojun perform the relevant actions without speaking; in reality, Zhang Xuan also silently used the Chat Group to confirm the Eight-Nine Profound Art.

Relatively speaking, the Chat Group's detection was simple and clear, responding directly with the corresponding rules.

True and correct!

Compared to the magnificent and heaven-startling abilities displayed by Laojun, that scene was much less impressive.

But Zhang Xuan cared little; no matter what ability was displayed, it was enough to confirm it was real.

"Of course, I must thank you, fellow Daoist!"

In the Tushita Palace of the Thirty-Three Heavens, Laojun stood up and performed a greeting for a fellow Daoist.

And before his greeting was even finished, the shadow before him had already disappeared, just as traceless as it was before he arrived.

And in the Journey to the West World, at this very instant, no one knew how many gazes fell upon Tushita Palace.

Was there really such a person in the world who could make Laojun stand up and offer a greeting?

(End of this chapter)