Chapter 257

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Protagonist:

Jiang Xuan

Night fell, the surroundings returned to tranquility, and the Boy unrestrainedly released the medicinal power within his body, slowly drifting into sleep.

Shi Yunfeng frowned tightly, his heart full of doubt.

He perceived that this medicinal bath process seemed to have triggered some changes difficult to explain with common sense.

However, reviewing the entire operation process, every step strictly followed established procedure, without any error appearing.

Fortunately, the Boy was not only safe and sound; judging from his current state, the benefits he gained from the medicinal bath even far exceeded expectations.

After pondering to no avail, Shi Yunfeng looked deeply toward the stone house where Jiang Xuan resided, the waves in his heart unable to calm for a long time.

Jiang Xuan sat on the stone bed, the bits and pieces of today's events emerging in his mind, the corner of his mouth unconsciously curling up, revealing a faint smile.

Although the time since stepping into this world was short, this brief experience made him feel incomparably fulfilled.

"The Ancient Era and later generations have significant differences in many aspects."

He shook his head slightly, extended a hand, and in an instant, as his thoughts surged, a rune appeared out of thin air in his palm, blooming with dazzling light.

Immediately after, the rune in his palm began to continuously transform according to a marvelous pattern; runes of various shapes, distinctly different, emerged one after another like a revolving lantern.

If a truly powerful cultivator witnessed this scene, they would surely be shocked by the sight before them.

Because at this moment, all known basic bone texts were presented one by one in Jiang Xuan's hands; even more astonishing, among them were mixed some mysterious basic bone texts that had never appeared in the world and were known to no one.

Jiang Xuan had once mentioned that regarding the field of bone text cultivation, he had a certain understanding.

And in reality, all bone texts, Jiang Xuan could now easily display. What was hard to believe was that this outstanding achievement was merely what he had accomplished within a single year.

For Jiang Xuan, comprehending bone texts was as natural and simple as breathing. He only needed to inadvertently glance at the grass by the roadside, or drink a mouthful of ordinary water, to comprehend the profound mysteries of bone texts from them. A moment later, Jiang Xuan shook his head, and the runes in his palm gradually dissipated with his movement.

The Ancient Law held no secrets whatsoever for Jiang Xuan.

Bone texts, Dao patterns — there is no essential difference; they are merely different forms of interpreting the laws of heaven and earth.

Absorbing the endless Dao rules of all living beings in the Zhe Tian Jie, Jiang Xuan's understanding of Dao rules was even not weaker than an Immortal King.

Early on in later generations, Jiang Xuan, relying on his own outstanding wisdom and unremitting effort, had researched this cultivation system extremely thoroughly.

This enabled him to deeply understand every detail of this system.

Without exaggeration, Jiang Xuan's current talent could be called first-rate in the entire Boundary Sea.

At the start of the transmigration, Jiang Xuan still needed various schemes; later the general trend was set, and he displayed peerless talent.

On the Emperor Road journey, relying on his extraordinary strength he led far ahead all the way; numerous Heaven's Prides with outstanding talent could not even catch sight of his back.

Not long after, he successfully proved the Dao.

As time passed, experiencing countless years of precipitation and tempering, Jiang Xuan's cultivation realm continuously rose; his talent and comprehension also underwent further sublimation in this process.

In addition, Jiang Xuan opened up the Hongmeng Realm, possessing unique properties, as well as the profound knowledge, rich experience, and profound foundation he accumulated over the long years.

Everything in the entire Zhe Tian Jie became resources for his cultivation path; his cultivation wisdom reached a height difficult for others to reach.

Judging purely from current-stage talent, Jiang Xuan's aptitude could even be called unrivaled throughout all ages.

Jiang Xuan's gaze pierced through the Void, looking toward that seemingly ordinary willow tree at the village entrance.

She still appeared extremely ordinary, not revealing the slightest trace of the divine or strange, blending as one with the surrounding environment.

At the Shi Cun village entrance, the Willow Deity sensed something; willow branches swayed, emitting emerald green light, probing for abnormalities.

Jiang Xuan's changes entered her divine sense, shocking her.

The Willow Deity had long discovered Jiang Xuan's abnormality, and had been constantly guessing his identity.

Her current strength was weak, memory lost; although she could perceive Jiang Xuan was extraordinary, it was difficult to precisely cognize him.

She faintly felt Jiang Xuan might be similar to herself — a powerful expert re-cultivating?

Not right!

This person's essence, energy, and spirit are terrifyingly vigorous; how could he possibly be an expert re-cultivating?

A powerful enemy pursued to here?

Also not right.

……

"Where do you come from?" a voice transmission, ethereal yet profound.

Jiang Xuan slowly turned, looked toward the Willow Deity, and calmly said with a smile: "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on Nirvana Rebirth!"

"As for where I come from, naturally I come from the place I should come from."

With the Willow Deity's current cognition, rashly speaking it out would undoubtedly be regarded as absurd ravings, and might even attract unpredictable consequences.

"Come from the place I should come from..." the Willow Deity murmured softly; she did not feel Jiang Xuan was perfunctory.

Merely in these brief words, she seemed to have captured a trace of a different meaning.

Jiang Xuan's expression was calm, and he spoke: "I observe Fellow Daoist's current state is not at its peak; though you have experienced countless life-and-death desperate situations, you can be reborn from the flames time and again, each transformation seemingly a challenge to the rules of heaven and earth — this resilience and strength truly inspire awe."

He knew the Willow Deity's origin; she was the Ancestral Sacrificial Spirit of the Xian Gu era.

In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Xian Gu era, the Willow Deity's name was the symbol of invincibility, worthy of being called the number one strongest.

The Willow Deity is a Fellow Daoist worthy of respect and befriending; in the future, she will surely join hands with the Boy side by side, together guarding this heaven and earth.

But to make Jiang Xuan display a posture of fear and trepidation before the Willow Deity — that is absolutely impossible.

He has his own pride; even facing such a powerful existence, he can maintain an equal posture.

"Although not completely perished from this heaven and earth, the myriad things of the past have gradually flowed away in the long river of years; too much, too much has been lost..." the Willow Deity sighed softly.

"Don't know what Fellow Daoist's current situation is?"

"Cultivation realm extremely high, but the method cultivated..."

Willow Deity's gaze held doubt as she looked at Jiang Xuan, somewhat puzzled by his state.

She addressed Jiang Xuan as Fellow Daoist; though she had lost her former realm, her vision remained, and this Fellow Daoist seemed not to cultivate the laws of this world, yet his Great Dao aura could not be concealed.

Willow Deity's current recovery level, compared to her past peak, was not even a drop in the bucket, and her memory had also lost much to the erosion of years. Even so, she held the methods Jiang Xuan displayed in extremely high regard.

"What I seek is the Dao!" Jiang Xuan spoke slowly.

The Dao?

Upon hearing this, Willow Deity fell silent.

She was curious in her heart, yet did not continue to press the question.

To probe deeper would obviously touch upon another's secrets.

"Fellow Daoist, what is your view on Boy?" Jiang Xuan suddenly asked Willow Deity.

Willow Deity pondered slightly, and after a moment said: "He may not lack the chance for phoenix nirvana; when the time ripens, he will surely shed his mortal form and become a true Supreme."

Ever since Boy was sent to Stone Village, Willow Deity had silently watched his every move; his entire growth journey was in her eyes.

"A mere bone, yet it triggered such a tragic calamity."

Willow Deity sighed with emotion, "The powerful one is not the bone, but the person."

"Double Pupils are already an invincible road; more bones, more roads!" Jiang Xuan mocked.

Willow Deity:???

Willow Deity did not respond, her expression full of disdain.

Though she had never carefully investigated Boy's past, from his outward behavior alone she could roughly deduce the ins and outs of the matter.

"Fellow Daoist, I observe you have undergone Nirvana Rebirth, but your former realm has vanished entirely; I wish to make a deal with you, wonder if you are willing?" Jiang Xuan's gaze was solemn.

Willow Deity's expression was calm as she replied indifferently: "Fellow Daoist, just speak freely."

"I will help Fellow Daoist return to the peak; in exchange, I hope Fellow Daoist will permit me to observe Fellow Daoist's Dao." Jiang Xuan's words were sincere.

Though Willow Deity's current recovery level was not high, an Immortal King re-cultivating would certainly take an incomparably short time to return to the Immortal King Realm.

As for this so-called deal...

In truth Jiang Xuan did not entirely want a deal; he mainly wished to help Willow Deity, but giving outright without any reason would inevitably arouse her suspicion.

"What method is bestowed?"

"Fellow Daoist, open your mind and spirit."

Hongmeng Realm enveloped Willow Deity.

This is?

World Tree?

The endless branches and leaves on the World Tree were actually condensed from countless Daojie.

Willow Deity's breathing grew rapid.

"Deal." Willow Deity responded briefly and forcefully.

The corner of Jiang Xuan's mouth curved up slightly; affection and trust between people are often gradually built through just such back-and-forth interactions.

Jiang Xuan was naturally not one to get something for nothing; the countless texts, countless Daojie, even resources within Hongmeng Realm — Willow Deity could use them all at will.

All Willow Deity needed to do was frequently enter Hongmeng Realm and manifest her own Dao.

As master of Hongmeng Realm, manifesting the Dao path within the realm was equivalent to feeding her own Dao to Jiang Xuan for absorption.

This deal would cause Willow Deity not the slightest loss, while Jiang Xuan would achieve his wish — truly a win-win.

A hidden deal was thus concluded; the connection between Jiang Xuan and Willow Deity was quietly established.

Willow Deity received Hongmeng Realm permissions and immediately entered closed-door cultivation to research, hoping to return to the peak soon.

At the same time, she told Jiang Xuan that if he encountered difficulty, he could summon her to assist at any time.

Kindness exchanged for kindness's

"Wonder if I can help Willow Deity break through to become a Quasi-Immortal Emperor before the final battle." Jiang Xuan pondered in his heart.

He thought this not because he had designs on Willow Deity, but from his experience in Zhe Tian Jie: the stronger the beings recorded in Hongmeng Realm, the stronger Jiang Xuan became.

In Zhe Tian right now there is only he, a single Immortal; Ye Fan, Wu Shi, and the Ruthless One are stunning, but they have not yet grown up, and their help to him exists but is already not great.

Endless beings pushing his cultivation to the peak of Red Dust Immortal is already the limit; it is hard to have any stronger boost.

Quantitative change can cause qualitative change, but in cultivation it is not a simple additive relationship.

Jiang Xuan once planned to invite ancient Emperors and Kings to return; at that time Supreme experts would gather, Heaven's Prides would emerge in droves, the World Tree would surely surge instantly, and Jiang Xuan would reap enormous gains.

Only this plan had not yet been implemented when he arrived first at Perfect World.

If Hongmeng Realm could record a Quasi-Immortal Emperor's Dao, Jiang Xuan's gains would certainly be even greater — one might even say cultivation by rocket.

However, this is currently only Jiang Xuan's thought; whether to implement it and how to implement it is still too early.

Night fell like ink, passing in a flash; the rising sun ascended in the east, morning light sprinkling over Stone Village.

The children who underwent medicinal baths last night were all full of energy this morning, their strength also increased; this primitive body-tempering method's effect was truly remarkable.

In Shi Yunfeng's courtyard, bursts of milky fragrance wafted out. Shi Yunfeng was intently simmering beast milk, while Jiang Xuan held Boy and watched from the side.

Boy's eyes were wide and round, bright and sparkling; he swallowed saliva from time to time, his appearance full of anticipation.

Jiang Xuan found it amusing; one moment he pinched Boy's cheek, the next he rubbed his head, as if playing with a beloved toy. He thought to himself: playing with a child must be done while they're small; once the child grows up, it won't be this fun anymore.

If in the future facing the youthful Shi Hao he still went around pinching faces, that would be far too strange.

Before long, the beast milk was done; Shi Yunfeng added many precious medicinal ingredients into it.

Boy hugged the bowl and "glug glug" — in the blink of an eye he drank the beast milk clean.

"Truly fragrant!"

Milk stains still clung to the corner of his mouth as he smacked his lips, his face full of happiness and contentment.

But soon, the medicinal effects of the beast milk with added ingredients took hold.

Boy felt his whole body grow hot, a force surging violently within him, making him restless, twisting and turning.

Jiang Xuan saw this and set Boy down on the ground.

Boy called out in baby talk, like a colt that had broken its reins, charging out of the room and running and playing wildly through the village.

He climbed onto roofs and tore off tiles, the tiles clattering beneath his hands; then he ran to the vegetable patch and pulled up vegetables, the tender green seedlings suffering for it; he also grabbed the big yellow dog's tail and pulled hard, the big yellow dog yelping as it was dragged along.

The whole Stone Village was thrown into chaos by him, and he was like a complete little demon king of the mortal world, with inexhaustible force, causing trouble everywhere.

Other little brats saw Boy's wanton, gleeful appearance, each one excited beyond measure, all joining in and making mischief together with Boy.

The village instantly descended into utter chaos, the scene of pandemonium growing increasingly out of control.

However, this joyful "chaos" could not last long; the children's parents soon arrived, grabbed their own mischievous brats, and gave their little bottoms a sound "slap-slap" lesson.

The villagers smiled as they watched Boy turn the village "upside down," all knowing in their hearts that the beast milk medicine this little fellow had just taken was potent, and he had gained great benefit.

A few tiles, a few vegetables—in their eyes truly amounted to nothing, not worth mentioning.

……

"At the beginning of chaos, before heaven and earth were divided, what existed first?"

"When yin and yang were first separated, before the Five Elements appeared, where did vitality come from?"

Sentence after sentence containing the supreme truths of heaven and earth drifted out slowly from an open space in Stone Village.

The Stone Village people watching from outside, though they only half-understood these words, still could not help but nod frequently, their hearts full of awe for this profound learning.

"Clan Chief, Hongmeng Teacher's learning is truly so vast!"

Shi Linhu listened to the voices drifting out, his face full of astonishment, unable to hide his excitement,

"The principles hidden in these words, I have never heard in over half my life, but hearing them, I feel my whole body has become clear and open."

"Indeed."

Shi Yunfeng's eyes were likewise full of shock, and he slowly said, "I traveled the four directions in my youth and can be considered to have some knowledge, but a figure like Hongmeng Teacher is truly unheard of and unseen. Even the few words he says casually seem to contain endless mysteries."

What the people outside thought and pondered, Jiang Xuan naturally knew nothing of, and even if he knew, he probably would not care.

At this moment, he was looking at the little brats below with pained expressions, his heart full of exasperation.

For these children, listening to these profound supreme truths of heaven and earth—how could that be as interesting as learning archery and fist techniques from their elders?

However, Boy was an exception, listening with exceptional seriousness.

Though he could not understand, deep in his heart he was filled with strong interest in these mysterious things; this might be the unique quality of the Born Supreme—an innate desire for knowledge and curiosity far beyond ordinary people.

Every word and deed of Jiang Xuan could become part of the Dao canon, settling in Boy's heart; when he later gains insight, those teachings would automatically emerge.

Other children with talent were the same.

They were not as clever as Boy, and having long lived in the free and unrestrained environment of the Great Wilderness, found it hard to calm down for long periods to focus on study.

The somewhat older children, however, were all listening seriously, even though they likewise did not understand what Jiang Xuan was saying. (Chapter End)