Chapter 549: Ten Thousand Ages (23)

Ren Yidao was still a bit bewildered when he heard the unfamiliar name "Ten Thousand Ages Art," but the moment the other party mentioned the "merging of the three bodies," he reacted completely.

The Three-Life Bodies—the implication was very clear.

The "Ten Thousand Daos Merging Thought Art" and the "Ten Thousand Demon Incarnation Art," along with one final unknown part—the three merged into one would be the ultimate "Ten Thousand Ages Art."

So that was the name of the true collection!

Once mastered, one would also automatically obtain a title called "Walker of the Ten Thousand Ages."

Ren Yidao sighed inwardly, thinking it truly was a case of "the flowers planted with intent fail to bloom, while the willow branch stuck in without intent grows into shade"; he had searched deliberately for clues to no avail, yet here it was mentioned casually by someone else.

"... I have indeed mastered the Present Self and the Past Self, but I have no leads on the Future Self."

Seeing that the other party had spoken with such certainty, Ren Yidao found it difficult to keep playing dumb. He continued by nodding with a look of feigned embarrassment and gave two light coughs: "However, is my aura really that obvious? I thought I had hidden it quite well."

As soon as he said this, the crowd was stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.

In an instant, smiles appeared on everyone's faces, and the entire Taoyuan was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"You say you've hidden it? Pfft, hahahaha!"

"Hahaha! Fellow Daoist Ren is proficient in a hundred Daos, yet unexpectedly lacks skill in the Dao of concealment. This is truly..."

"No, this is no longer a question of whether the concealment is good or not; the aura on him is as dazzling as a torch in the dark of night. This isn't concealment at all; it's clearly exposing oneself on purpose!"

After the crowd laughed for a good while, a woman wearing a purple-black gauze dress finally took the initiative to pass a Secret Technique to Ren Yidao: "This is a method of concealment my father realized; it should be of some help to you, allowing you to hide better... Pfft! Ahem, apologies, I didn't mean to mock you."

But you are mocking me by acting like that!

Ren Yidao smiled awkwardly while complaining incessantly in his heart.

Of course, although he appeared embarrassed, he honestly accepted it and thanked the young lady who had generously extended a helping hand.

He glanced over it and mastered it quickly, then operated the technique after a moment. Upon opening his eyes, he asked the others: "How is it now?"

"No change. Also, Fellow Daoist, aren't you too impatient? You just got it and want to master it already? Hahaha."

"Tsk, isn't it because you all keep laughing? Stop laughing, everyone!" Ren Yidao sat down, feigning sulkiness, which made the crowd laugh once more.

However, in Ren Yidao's heart, he already had some deductions as to why he had appeared here.

"I have learned that technique and am operating it normally; logically, I shouldn't be discovered, or at least it shouldn't have zero effect."

"But in their eyes, my appearance still hasn't changed at all... That means it's not that I'm bad at hiding, but that no matter how I hide, I cannot change the exposure of my aura."

"So, the dream return to the ancient times must be related to the Ten Thousand Ages Art!" Ren Yidao lowered his eyelids, hiding the sharp glint that had surged in his eyes.

"After mastering the Present Self, I dreamed back to the ancient times and arrived in Zhongzhou, and now I have dreamed into this place again. What exactly does this technique want to show me?"

What kind of guidance is it trying to give me?

Is it related to that title of "Walker of the Ten Thousand Ages"?

While Ren Yidao pondered, the others began chatting about him, the person in question.

"I see that Fellow Daoist Ren's Great Dao is already set, and his realm remains at the Earth Realm, which must be a deliberate suppression. At a glance, one can tell he has grand designs. I fear he originally intended to emulate Tian Jiangjun Zixiao and step into the Ask Dao Peak in one go on the day he breaks through?"

"Who would dare underestimate a figure like him? Who among those present has the qualifications? And he is still there feigning ignorance... Heh, men."

"To have achieved such accomplishments before even stepping into the Heaven Realm—in my view, Fellow Daoist Ren's future achievements might have a chance to touch the threshold of a Tian Jiangjun!"

"A Tian Jiangjun! That is far too distant for the likes of us."

Ren Yidao raised his head upon hearing the somewhat familiar term "Tian Jiangjun."

The last time he heard it, it seemed to have been revealed inadvertently by Ren Huan, who treated the Tian Jiangjun as a major threat to the Demon Race at the time...

But now, Ren Yidao silently scanned everyone's expressions and found that, apart from envy and admiration, there was no resentment or anger.

Even those Great Demons who were clearly in human form were the same!

That's right.

In this Taoyuan banquet, there were quite a few Great Demons.

They retained the characteristics of their various races, not avoiding their identities in the slightest, appearing here in a dignified manner.

Humans and demons coexisting peacefully, sitting and discussing the Dao!

A scene almost impossible to see in later generations was commonplace here, and absolutely no one felt there was anything amiss.

Ren Yidao, like everyone else, had subconsciously assumed this Ancient Heavenly Court was a Heavenly Court of the Human Race, but now it seemed the reality was not so.

It was not just the Human Race, but a Heavenly Court for all spirits!

"What happened later? Why did humans and demons break apart? Why did the Tian Jiangjun become a major threat in the words of the Demon God?"

"And why would such a powerful Heavenly Court be destroyed? Why are the Immortal Gods nowhere to be seen? Why is the world incomplete?"

"What exactly happened back then?"

The more he understood and the more he knew, the more doubts arose, and the more lost he felt.

Damn it, what on earth did the pangolin say!?

"Difficult, difficult, difficult! Ascension is difficult, and becoming a Tian Jiangjun is even more difficult! How many Immortal Gods have there been in the world, yet how many Heavenly Generals? Even now, there are only four, guarding the Four Great Divine Continents, resisting the Great Calamity..."

The Great Calamity.

What Great Calamity?

Ren Yidao's brows twitched. He wanted to listen a while longer to see if he could hear more information, but the atmosphere here changed the moment the term was mentioned.

From the previous carefree state, it suddenly became heavy.

"However... it is a pity, Fellow Daoist Ren was truly born at the wrong time."

"Sigh! Indeed, if it were a bit earlier, or a bit later, perhaps..."

Just as Ren Yidao frowned in thought, trying to piece together a truth from the clues obtained today, someone suddenly let out a long sigh, attracting everyone's gaze.

"Sigh!"

A young man who looked to be around thirty sighed under the eyes of the crowd and raised his cup with a long sigh: "Time changes, eras flow, and even Immortal Gods fall in the recurring Great Calamities; why must we consider so much?"

"Normally, we are trapped before the Ascension Tribulation; if we pass this tribulation, we can enjoy longevity for one era, but if we cannot pass it... Heh, there is no need to consider so much, is there?"

"But now, regardless of whether we can cross the Ascension Tribulation, this era is coming to an end. When the day the era truly ends arrives and the Great Calamity descends, we will all eventually dissipate. What is the use of struggling now?"

Although his words sounded somewhat pessimistic, and even a bit grating, they were indeed the truth.

Although everyone here was a heaven-gifted talent in their own right, not everyone held optimistic expectations for the future.

Whether they admitted it or not, the Ascension Tribulation would block a vast majority of people.

In the future, if even one-tenth of the people here could cross that hurdle, it would already be a blessing from the heavens.

"No, Fellow Daoist Liang, I feel that there is actually no need to be so pessimistic."

Ren Yidao suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's gaze to himself.

In truth, even Ren Yidao himself had not expected these words to slip out subconsciously, but since they were already spoken, there was nothing to shrink back from.

Ren Yidao thought for only a moment before continuing earnestly: "I will not deny what Fellow Daoist Liang said, nor will I argue sophistically that we will definitely succeed and that everyone present can achieve Ascension; I only wish to say..."

He took a deep breath and slowly spoke the eight characters that had surfaced in his mind:

"Immortal Gods may decay, only the Dao remains eternal."

The Taoyuan Secret Realm fell silent; in the vast space, one could only hear the sound of the stream flowing and some faint, rapid breathing.

They might not have understood Ren Yidao's meaning immediately, but they felt a powerful impact from these eight characters.

"Have you all ever studied the techniques left behind by those before us? Although some of those people have long since passed away, the techniques they created remained, for later generations to study."

"Some people have passed away, but they have not truly passed away; instead, they live on in another way."

"In my view, they are immortal."

"Immortal Gods are not necessarily immortal, nor are Immortal Gods the only ones who can be immortal!"

"In this world, no one stays young forever, but there are always people who are currently young."

"As long as our Dao is left behind, as long as there are still people in the future, even if we pass away at this moment, there will certainly be later generations in the future who will take up the Dao from our hands and continue to walk forward."

"We may eventually fail and perish in the past, but no one can deny that we truly existed."

Ren Yidao's train of thought became smoother as he spoke, and his entire aura grew stronger, gradually resonating with the others.

He did not use the ability of Fox Speech, but his ability to stir people's hearts was more exaggerated than any time before.

One, three, ten, a hundred... until everyone present.

Even the previously pessimistic young man surnamed Liang had exceptionally bright eyes at this moment, his throat bobbing slightly.

They saw a path.

A path never seen before, yet one that truly led to immortality!

"Generation after generation of inheritance, generation after generation of passing it on; our thoughts, our will, our names, everything of ours... will eventually become immortal!"

When Ren Yidao finished the last word, the entire Taoyuan Secret Realm fell into a deep silence.

Then, after a moment of quiet, an astonishing aura erupted from this place.

Boom!

Over a dozen people broke through their barriers with a roar, directly entering the next realm, and many more had bright eyes, feeling their cultivation had improved, and could not help but erupt as well.

Boom!!!

The peach blossoms on the peach trees were blown away by these waves of aura, dancing across the sky like a sea of flowers falling from the horizon.

And Ren Yidao stood quietly in this scene, watching the petals land on his shoulders, watching the heaven-gifted talents bow and thank him.

"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for the enlightenment today!"

"Fellow Daoist is truly a great talent, thank you!"

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your guidance; it has cleared my confusion, and I have a few more degrees of certainty for the Ascension Tribulation!"

The sounds of thanks and exclamations left Ren Yidao feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.

He actually hadn't said anything.

Really.

What he said really didn't count for much.

They felt pessimistic because they were the ones involved, unable to see the future clearly.

And he was merely speaking from the perspective of a later-generation person who knew the ending, nothing more.

Those involved are confused, while the bystander is clear.

He was not only a bystander but even a "Zhuge" after the fact; he was not an insider, so it was perfectly normal for him to be able to see things clearly.

But why were these people able to let go instantly after he finished speaking, being so free and easy?

No, they hadn't just let go.

From the beginning, why were this group of people able to have such a big heart to hold a banquet and discuss the Dao when the catastrophe was near!

That was it...

They had already let go from the very beginning.

Regarding the approaching catastrophe, they were powerless to resist, but they did not feel despair; instead, they chose to face it calmly.

Rather than being hysterical, it was better to maintain oneself at the end.

They were heaven-gifted talents with their own pride, not a group of dying madmen.

Therefore, they held this Dao-discussing banquet at this moment to share selflessly with others.

They only wanted to put down all prejudices at the very end and leave something behind.

And now, they had been shown a bright path by Ren Yidao.

A method to pass on their own lives and laws to later generations, to the next epoch.

Without Ren Yidao needing to speak again, these heaven-gifted talents had already begun to act on their own.

"Since that is the case, why don't we leave behind some marks that belong to us here! What do you all think?"

"Good! What kind of mark would be good? Jade Talisman? Jade Slip?"

"How about this, why don't we each set up a stele and record what we have thought and realized today? We can also leave behind our own Dao, allowing those with affinity in later generations to study it."

"Good idea! I think we shouldn't go looking for materials elsewhere; why don't we just use what's here in this peach forest, felling trees to make steles? I happen to have a technique here that can turn wood into stone."

"I also have a method that can make the stone steles last for eternity! It can be passed down for one generation, two generations, and even ten thousand generations!"

"Good, since that is the case, I will set up a protective array. Is there anyone who will join me?"

"Then what should this place be named? Using peach wood for steles, with the stele inscriptions like a forest, then let's call it... Tao Fa Lin?"

"No, the artistic conception of that name is a bit lacking. How about this: although we have not yet achieved Ascension, since we all desire Ascension, why not name this place directly after Immortals? What do you all think?"

"Hahaha, good!"

"A place where an Immortal leaves behind their techniques, then let's call it..."

"Xian Fa Lin!"