Chapter 688: Entering the Heavens by Three Inches

Linkang.

The capital of the Southern Jin.

Like most cities in the world, it contains both the wealthiest and most powerful people, as well as the poorest and most ordinary.

After passing through that straight, opulent Imperial Street, one enters a maze of low-lying alleys. The streets are extremely narrow and largely occupied by makeshift sheds built by the residents, making them incredibly crowded. Walking through them requires constant dodging of protruding iron scraps and wood, while also guarding against the dirty water splashed out by people in the sheds—a task that is by no means easy for many.

Ye Su stepped on old bricks laid in the sewage, moving forward amidst the murky air and noisy cursing.

He was dressed in rags, his hair unkempt and face filthy, his body emitting a nauseating, sour stench; his expression was indifferent, yet his eyes were incomparably clear.

Since the autumn at Lanke Temple, his Snow Mountain Qi Sea had been sealed by Yu Liancheng. Once a peak powerhouse of the Knowing Destiny Realm, he had fallen into a mortal in a single night.

After pondering Yu Liancheng's words, he did not seek help from the Xiling Divine Palace or that unknowable Daoist temple, but instead traveled the human world to observe the myriad states of life.

Until today.

Soon, Ye Su arrived at a dilapidated grass hut.

"Brother Ye Su."

"Brother Ye Su, you're back."

Inside the grass hut were two children, also dressed in rags, who revealed bright and happy smiles upon seeing Ye Su.

Ye Su divided the two steamed buns from his bosom, giving one to each child, but the two children only took one to share, stubbornly refusing to accept the other, insisting that Brother Ye Su eat it.

A faint smile appeared on Ye Su's face; his stomach rumbled, and he was indeed quite hungry, so he did not decline further.

He looked up at the firmament, holding the bun, and began to gnaw on it, his mind involuntarily recalling the scenes he had witnessed during this period.

A cowherd boy playing a flute while riding on a cow's back formed a beautiful landscape painting with the pastoral scenery. Yet, because he returned late, he was whipped by a local squire, losing not only his month's wages but also ending up covered in wounds.

An old man, already at the age to have grandchildren around his knees and enjoy his twilight years, still operated a tiny noodle stall. This was not out of love, but because his wife had died early and his children were unfilial; not only did they refuse to support him, they often beat and kicked him, looting his meager savings.

A beggar on the street was chased and bitten by vicious dogs released by a fop, merely for the sake of a dull gamble. The beggar, not knowing how to unleash his potential, picked up a stone and smashed the vicious dogs to death, causing the fop to fly into a rage from shame. He made the beggar wear mourning clothes for the dogs and parade around the street for three days, suffering every humiliation.

A Divine Palace instructor kicked away a believer who had come to seek help, feeling that the person's face had insulted his holy shoe soles; he disgustedly changed his shoes and punished the Divine Palace knight who had failed to guard the entrance, ordering that from now on, any such lowly commoner who came to the door should be beaten to death.

A Cave Profound Realm practitioner slaughtered an entire family, yet remained high and mighty, with no one daring to arrest him—not only because of his profound cultivation but also because of his connection to a certain noble in the palace.

"Those who do good rarely receive their due reward, while those who do evil live long and prosperous lives."

Scene after scene flashed before Ye Su's eyes, and he gradually understood Yu Liancheng's meaning, letting out a long, soft sigh: "Haotian is a collection of rules, but Haotian also has flaws. Of the fifty Great Daos, the Heavens evolve forty-nine; the one that escaped should have been filled by the Xiling Divine Palace, but the current Xiling Divine Palace has already rotted to the extreme..."

"People living in this world perhaps need faith to sustain them. But Haotian is a rule; people should not worship rules, but rather hold the rules in their own hands, allowing people to interpret the doctrines themselves..."

At this moment, Ye Su understood many things.

Unknowingly, the seal within his Snow Mountain Qi Sea was lifted.

No, to be more precise, this seal transformed into a strand of pure power, merging into his Snow Mountain Qi Sea.

This caused Ye Su, who had not practiced for several months, to not only see his strength recover but actually ascend to a higher level.

But at this moment, Ye Su did not care about this, as he was immersed in his own thoughts.

His eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he had already planned to establish a New Religion, using the doctrines of the New Religion to replace those of the Xiling Divine Palace.

He wanted to change this world!

"Right, there is also it..."

Ye Su took out a scroll of books from under a table behind the grass hut, which had been used to prop up a table leg.

——The Sha Scroll of the Heavenly Book.

This was what Yu Liancheng had given him at Washan.

To tell the truth, as a Daoist Sect Walker, he had long ago read the six volumes of the Heavenly Book, but since Yu Liancheng had given the Heavenly Book to him again, there must surely be some mystery within.

In the past, Ye Su had flipped through the Sha Scroll many times, but he could never open it, as if it were sealed by some mysterious power.

At this moment, he mobilized the strand of pure Mind Power that had merged into his Snow Mountain Qi Sea, and the Sha Scroll was easily opened.

And the Sha Scroll had been re-edited by Yu Liancheng; appearing on the first page was a line of text that shook the soul.

——Heaven and Earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs.

"This, this is..."

And the text that followed made even Ye Su's breathing grow heavy.

Datang.

The most powerful empire in the world.

A thousand years ago, Datang was founded.

Due to issues of faith, the Xiling Divine Palace manipulated seventeen kingdoms to attack Tang from behind the scenes, but they were miserably defeated.

After this battle, the Tang Empire established its status as the eternal hegemon of the world, and even the Xiling Divine Palace had to swallow its pride and acknowledge it.

To this day, the Haotian Dao is still widely spread throughout the Tang Empire, but this does not mean the Xiling Divine Palace possesses the same holy and lofty status as it does in other kingdoms.

And the one conveying the will of Haotian in Datang is no longer the Xiling Divine Palace, but the Haotian Dao Southern Gate.

Although the Haotian Dao Southern Gate is effectively a subordinate institution of the Xiling Divine Palace and practices the Haotian Dao laws, after hundreds of years of propagation, the Haotian Dao Southern Gate has stood firmly on the side of the Tang Kingdom in both emotional inclination and stance.

It is precisely because of this that some paranoid Daoists of the Xiling Divine Palace have always considered the members of the Southern Gate to be even more detestable rebels than the Demon Sect.

Based on the same reason, the Tang Empire places equal trust in the Haotian Dao Southern Gate.

The Haotian Dao Southern Gate is located within Chang'an City, outside the South Gate of the Imperial City.

It is a Daoist temple shaded by countless green trees, beautiful and tranquil, without much of a holy or solemn feeling.

In a side hall deep within the temple, at the end of dark wooden floorboards, sat two Daoists.

One of them wore a dark Daoist robe with an imperial-bestowed bright yellow sash tied around his waist, looking every bit the image of an enlightened master; this person was the Southern Gate Divine Official, and the Datang National Master officially appointed by the Emperor, Li Qingshan.

Sitting opposite him was a tall, thin old man wearing a filthy Daoist robe, the countless grease stains on the robe clashing with the lewd gaze in his triangular eyes. Facing the high-ranking Datang National Master, he had his legs propped up high, showing not a shred of respect. I fear that even the current Datang Emperor would not be treated with such rudeness.

And the only person in the entire Tang Kingdom capable of such a frivolous act would be the only Divine Talisman Master of the Haotian Dao Southern Gate, Yan Se.

This Divine Talisman Master, who is world-renowned in the cultivation world, once shaved off Liu Bai's eyebrows; he is Li Qingshan's senior brother and also the guardian of the entire Chang'an City.

Li Qingshan looked at the teacup on the table and said, "Senior Brother, how have things been lately?"

"The same as always." The old Daoist replied casually, leering at a beautiful middle-aged female Daoist official passing by the corridor, watching until she walked away in shyness.

Li Qingshan smiled bitterly repeatedly. This Senior Brother appeared to be a lecher, but in reality, he had entered the Dao through Pure Yang and dared not break his vow to be intimate with women, yet he insisted on maintaining this dissolute demeanor. Recalling two recent events, the National Master's expression turned serious, and he said, "Senior Brother, have you heard? Over in Southern Jin, our Daoist Sect Walker has created a New Religion, infuriating the Xiling Divine Palace."

Yan Se said in a slovenly manner, "Oh, is that so? Is the New Religion really that formidable?"

Li Qingshan said solemnly, "The New Religion didn't have much movement at first, but then it swept through most of Southern Jin in a short time, with astonishing speed. I had people collect the doctrines of the New Religion; those doctrines are full of seduction. They appear similar to the Divine Palace's doctrines, but in reality, they make people cast Haotian aside, suggesting that seeking Haotian is not as good as seeking oneself."

Yan Se chuckled, "Haotian is indeed useless sometimes."

"Senior Brother." Li Qingshan slapped the table and reprimanded him angrily.

"Senior Brother was wrong, Senior Brother was wrong, you continue." Yan Se surrendered decisively.

Li Qingshan said, "Besides rewriting and interpreting the doctrines, more importantly, the New Religion is also spreading Demon Sect techniques."

"Demon Sect techniques?" Yan Se's brows furrowed slightly, and he became slightly serious.

"Correct, it is indeed Demon Sect techniques. However, it is different from the true Demon Sect techniques."

Li Qingshan said, "Firstly, the techniques spread by the New Religion have a very small chance of causing one to go into a cultivation deviation, unlike the old Demon Sect techniques where fewer than one in ten practitioners survived. Secondly, this technique does not directly absorb Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, but rather generates something called Internal Force within one's own body, which is equivalent to Mind Power. After cultivating True Qi, one is considered to have entered the Post-Heaven Realm, and the Post-Heaven Realm has ten levels. After crossing the Post-Heaven, one reaches the Innate. The Innate is about communicating with the Heaven and Earth Two Bridges and absorbing Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi into the body; that is the true entry into the Demon, and it is said there are still some realms after that..."

"In addition, the New Religion's doctrines also propose the saying, 'People come from Haotian and will also return to Haotian's embrace.' That is to say, after a practitioner dies, regardless of whether they were a Demon Sect cultivator in life, their Mind Power or Internal Force will all re-merge into Haotian after death, fundamentally resolving the argument regarding the illegitimacy of Demon Sect cultivators."

Yan Se shook his head and said, "I fear the people of the Xiling Divine Palace are going to be jumping with rage. With the New Religion, who would still believe in them?"

Li Qingshan said, "The Divine Palace has already dispatched ten thousand Temple Cavalry to encircle and suppress the New Religion, and Ye Su, this Daoist Sect Walker, has also become the number one wanted criminal. However, the Temple Cavalry will likely return in defeat. Not to mention the numerous followers of the New Religion, Ye Su himself is a great cultivator at the Knowing Destiny Peak, and it is said he has also gained the support of the Sword Pavilion."

Yan Se smiled and said, "Junior Brother, rest assured. If the New Religion wants to develop, it must first ask the Haotian Taoist Temple behind Taoshan. Even if it could truly sweep into the Tang Kingdom, there is still Fuzi standing above. If he does not allow the New Religion to preach in the Tang Kingdom, who would dare to disobey? Conversely, if Fuzi tacitly approves the spread of the New Religion, the torrent is surging; how could you or I stop it?"

"Senior Brother, you really are as broad-minded as ever." Li Qingshan shook his head with a bitter smile: "However, the next matter concerns you."

"Oh?"

Li Qingshan's expression became increasingly serious: "According to news from the Xiling Divine Palace, Yu Liancheng has already descended from Mogan Mountain and is coming toward the Tang Kingdom. If there are no accidents, I fear his goal is Chang'an."

"Coming again!?" Yan Se clutched his head in pain: "A Wei Guangming came last year; that guy is very cunning, and he still hasn't been found. Now another Yu Liancheng comes. One after another, do they really treat Chang'an as their own home? They only know how to cause trouble for others." Having said this, he stood up, intending to leave.

"Senior Brother, are you leaving?"

"Going to check the Jingshen Array. One Wei Guangming is already enough of a headache; this Yu Liancheng is ten times more troublesome than Wei Guangming." Yan Se said with impatience, leaving the South Gate Taoist Temple.

"Chang'an is not peaceful, and the Imperial Palace is not peaceful either." Watching his Senior Brother leave, Li Qingshan sighed leisurely, his gaze looking toward the direction of the Imperial Palace: "An eventful autumn."

Spring of the 13th year of Tianqi of the Tang Empire.

Princess Li Yu, who was married off to the grasslands, has returned.

This princess has always been at odds with the Empress.

The fundamental reason for their discord is that Li Yu wants to push her younger brother to the position of Crown Prince, while the Empress also has a son. This infighting involves the very foundation of the nation...

Of course, everything must wait for the Emperor's decision.

The Emperor appears to be in his prime, but he has been suffering from illness for many years.

Few people know that the Princess's return to Chang'an this time was fraught with difficulties, and much of it relied on the help of a small soldier from a border town.

This small soldier is named Ning Que, and he has a maid named Sang Sang.

Chang'an is the number one majestic city in the world.

Yu Liancheng is right in this number one majestic city in the world.

The light rain on Tianjie is as moist as cream; looking from afar, the grass seems to be there, but up close, it is not.

Chang'an was shrouded in this hazy spring rain, but even so, it was still incomparably lively. Pedestrians on the street were like a weave, holding oil-paper umbrellas, or even walking on the street with their hands behind their backs, letting the rain soak their clothes; it was truly incomparably dashing.

Of course, most of those doing this were men. The women's clothes were light and thin; if they were soaked by the rain and clung tightly to their delicate bodies, tsk tsk, it was indescribably wonderful, indescribably wonderful...

The attire of Tang men was particularly simple; a short shirt with tight sleeves and flat shoes looked exceptionally neat.

Of course, Yu Liancheng swept past the men; the main focus was those Chang'an women.

Their outfits were very cool, to the point that they could be described as revealing. Even though there had been several days of spring rain, one could still see wives and young girls with their arms exposed outside their gauze sleeves, and some charming young wives were even wearing tube tops on the street, the white and tender cleavage on their chests being very eye-catching.

At this moment, Yu Liancheng fell in love with Chang'an.

He paced along the long street, admiring the scenery of Chang'an.

Soon, Yu Liancheng saw an acquaintance.

That person was coming from the other end of the long street; he was an old man with withered hair draped over his shoulders, his cheeks thin, his gaze calm, yet it seemed to contain the most holy radiance in the world.

——Great Divine Official of Light, Wei Guangming.

There seemed to be a faint radiance on his body; the whole person was unstained by dust, as if he were a Divine Official who had walked down from the Haotian Divine Kingdom.

And such a brilliantly radiant Great Divine Official of Light walking in the bustling market, yet it seemed no one felt surprised.

Yu Liancheng walked up to Wei Guangming. Seeing that the other party was not holding an umbrella, he kindly handed over the black umbrella transformed from 'Ten Thousand Daos Boundless' and smiled: "Why not hold an umbrella? With your old bones out in the rain, be careful of catching a cold."

"Rainwater descends from the Divine Kingdom in the sky to wash away the filth of the human world; why should one hold an umbrella?" Wei Guangming said calmly, with no intention of taking the umbrella at all.

"Fine, if you don't want to hold it, don't hold it, so many words." Yu Liancheng shrugged.

Wei Guangming's brows furrowed; he always felt this sentence had other implications.

A moment later, he shook his head, his expression turning serious: "You asked me to come to Chang'an back then, but I have not found the existence I wanted to find."

"That is because the timing has not arrived." Yu Liancheng smiled.

"Then when will the timing arrive?" Wei Guangming said.

"Now."

Yu Liancheng casually stopped a passerby to ask for the location of Linjie 47th Lane, called out to Wei Guangming: "Follow me." Then he took a large step forward.

Wei Guangming pondered for a moment, and in the end, he followed behind Yu Liancheng.

Not long after, the two arrived at Linjie 47th Lane. After seeing that the door with the "Old Brush Studio" plaque hanging on it was tightly closed, Yu Liancheng sat down at a noodle stall nearby, ordered two bowls of hot and sour noodle soup, told the boss to put more chili in one of the bowls, and turned to Wei Guangming: "We can be considered old acquaintances meeting; I will treat you to this bowl of hot and sour noodle soup."

Wei Guangming's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

"Alright, stop standing there like a fool, sit down. You've already stayed in Chang'an City for so long, what's the harm in waiting a little longer?"

Helpless, Wei Guangming finally sat down.

Yu Liancheng ignored Wei Guangming and watched the noodle stall owner cook the noodles with curiosity.

The owner was a middle-aged man, but he had at least a dozen years of experience making hot and sour noodle soup.

The kitchen knife landed on the not-so-clean cutting board, mincing the green onions and cilantro extremely fine, and he began to add seasonings like soy sauce and vinegar into the bowl.

After the clear water in the pot boiled, he tore the dough from the basin into irregular shapes, threw them into the boiling water one by one, where they quickly took shape and began to rise and fall incessantly.

The large ladle reached into the pot to stir, and when it was pulled out, it was filled with the cooked noodles, white and springy like fish fat; not a single piece was left in the pot, and the ladle held exactly one-third of the soup.

The entire movement was clean and efficient.

Just one word: professional.

The soup and noodles were poured into a large bowl, and an exceptionally rich yet fragrant hot and sour aroma appeared on the slightly grimy tabletop, followed immediately by the scent of cilantro and green onions wafting to the nose.

Yu Liancheng took a big bite; the taste was indeed quite good, and because he had added extra chili to his bowl, it was especially refreshing to eat.

Wei Guangming hesitated for a moment, tasted two bites, and then could not stop his chopsticks.

Slap!

Slap! Slap!

Just then, a series of urgent and chaotic sounds rang out; it was the sound of thick-soled shoes stepping into rainwater.

Exclamations rose along the long street as a dark figure burst into Forty-Seventh Lane.

It was a very young man, his face, which had been like charcoal, now appearing somewhat pale due to excessive blood loss. Looking closely, he was covered in blood, his wounds shocking to the eye, and the most conspicuous and miserable one was between his chest and abdomen; his black clothes were Broken, blood flowed across, bones were cracked and organs exposed—it was likely that even the legendary cultivators could not save him.

"The military is pursuing a spy, bystanders move aside!"

A moment later, a burst of rapid footsteps sounded, and dozens of Datang Imperial Guards rushed into the street through the rain, surrounding the dark-faced man under the corner of the wall; the general leading them clearly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the man's injuries.

The Great Divine Official of Light just buried his head in eating the hot and sour noodle soup, as if everything in this human world had nothing to do with him.

Suddenly, Wei Guangming raised his head and looked toward the other end of the street.

He saw a young man and woman watching the commotion.

The youth was about fifteen or sixteen years old, his black hair—whether naturally so or because it hadn't been washed in years—was somewhat curly and greasy, yet his face was washed clean and hygienic, making his brows and eyes exceptionally clear, and the few freckles on his cheeks were also very distinct. At this moment, he was staring at the Imperial Guards and the injured dark-faced man, his fists clenched tight, as if suppressing something.

Wei Guangming only swept a glance over the youth's face, but his focus was on the maid beside him.

That girl was only twelve or thirteen, short and thin, with dark skin and ordinary features, one hand carrying a bundle of books tied with rope, the other carrying a powder box from Chen Jin Ji.

And in the eyes of Wei Guangming.

This girl was so pure.

Pure as if she were a sheet of light, without a speck of ink.

Even Wei Guangming, as the Great Divine Official of Light, could not compare to her by a long shot.

Wei Guangming could not help but put down his chopsticks and walk toward the girl. His expression was pious and respectful, as if he were a devout believer in pursuit.

Yu Liancheng ignored him, finished his bowl of hot and sour noodle soup, casually tossed down two pieces of broken silver, and left the noodle stall. His gaze glanced inadvertently toward the Imperial Guards, his sleeves seemed to wave casually, and then he walked toward the direction of the Great Divine Official of Light.

"What's going on?"

"Where is the person? Gone?"

On the other side, the Imperial Guards who had already lifted the man in black were stunned.

Because that person had just vanished before their eyes, without any warning, more inconceivable than the most incredible magic trick.

Yet that man in black was clearly injured and on the verge of death.

But the person was indeed gone, vanished right under their noses.

The leader of the Imperial Guards had an extremely ugly expression; he scanned the surroundings and shouted: "Search!"

"Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find him; surely he couldn't have flown into the sky or escaped into the earth."

"Right, someone else come here and report what just happened to the Haotian Dao Southern Gate."

Thus, the Imperial Guards scattered, and the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed, but this bizarre scene that happened today was destined to spread.

Ning Que had also seen the earlier scene and felt a slight sense of relief in his heart; although he didn't know why Xiao Hei had disappeared, it was at least better than falling into the hands of this group of Imperial Guards.

Ning Que had intended to take Sang Sang and disperse with the neighbors, but before he could take a step, an old man blocked his path, staring fixedly at his maid named Sang Sang.

"This damn old man, is he blind? Even if he's a lecher, he shouldn't be setting his sights on Sang Sang..." Ning Que cursed in his heart, and just as he was about to push the old man away, the old man said in a trembling voice: "Are, are you the messenger of Light? Did you come from the Divine Kingdom?"

"What the hell? Did I run into an old madman?"

Ning Que went to push the old thing, but the old thing remained unmoved, like a towering Divine Mountain, yet filled with infinite light.

"Hey, Wei Guangming, be careful not to scare the child." Yu Liancheng walked over with a smile and patted Lao Wei on the shoulder: "This old man has something wrong with his head, you all should be more patient."

Then he looked at Ning Que and smiled: "I know you want to enter the Academy, and preferably become a student of Fuzi. Fuzi is as tall as several stories, but there is one thing you will be able to do in the future that Fuzi can never do; you are the strongest person."

"What?"

Ning Que frowned, not understanding what was going on with the two guys in front of him.

"This is the world of Haotian; no matter how powerful Fuzi is, he cannot surpass Haotian, at most he can be equal to the sky, but you, you can enter three inches into the sky." Yu Liancheng gave Ning Que a thumbs up: "On this point, I must learn from you."

Ning Que: "..."

Could it be that I didn't check the date when I went out today and ran into two guys with brain damage?

"Alright, you guys chat slowly, I have things to do, so I'll be leaving first."

Yu Liancheng left with a smile, leaving two sentences for Wei Guangming at the end.

"Absolute light is absolute Darkness."

"The debt you owed back then, it is time to pay it back."