My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times

Chapter 498: Chapter 112: The Dao Is Born, the Path of Great Balance, the Path of Hongjun

The True Phoenix let out a long cry, finally landing on a lone island deep within the North Sea.

Lu Xuan led a terrified Cui Yin down from the phoenix. As his feet touched the soil, he emulated Houtu’s method of circulating Dao Rhyme and activated his status as the [Emperor Earth Deity].

In a single instant, the power of the earth surged into him, completely replenishing his utterly depleted body.

’Forcibly killing someone at the level of the Celestial Realms was still a bit of a stretch. Neither the Heavenly Official nor the Water Official had fully evolved their Acupoints into their own personal heavens and earths. Otherwise, even my full-powered strike might not have been enough to destroy them.’

Lu Xuan thought to himself,

’Even though I copied Houtu’s technique, it’s still just a copy. I can’t strike down a Daluo like she can...’

As he pondered, he felt something within him about to burst forth, and he understood. His status as an Innate Divine Demon was about to be complete.

The [Dao] that he symbolized was about to emerge!

Lu Xuan glanced to the side, instructing Cui Yin to wait, then walked into the dilapidated hut. He set down the Cyan Lamp and the Gloomy Lamp and summoned the Profound Yellow Pagoda to hover above his head, ensuring his absolute safety.

Then, he sat down cross-legged, his eyes tightly shut.

’Once my Dao emerges, I can begin to attest it throughout the Celestial Realms... It won’t be long now!’

Lu Xuan’s vision went dark.

.........

「The Current World」

"More than eleven years ago, the Sanqing Temple suddenly fell from the heavens and vanished. After that, the Immortal Gods began to return..."

"And two years ago, the Holy Land vanished as well..."

Now twenty-six years old, Zhou Xiaotong sighed softly and spoke to the young boy and girl beside her.

"Stay close to me, and keep an eye out for any Spiritual Medicines or Great Fruits."

The boy, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, nodded nervously.

"Aunt Zhou, Uncle Chong will be alright, won’t he?"

Though she was only twenty-four, streaks of white already graced Zhou Xiaotong’s temples. She didn’t have the energy to correct the boy’s form of address and sighed again.

"He’ll be fine... He’ll be fine!"

She led the boy and girl through the wilderness, carefully picking Immortal Elixirs and Great Fruits.

Meanwhile, the girl, who also looked about fifteen or sixteen, couldn’t help but ask,

"Aunt Zhou, where on earth did the Holy Land go?"

Zhou Xiaotong carefully plucked a Great Medicine that shone with a brilliant Immortal Light, then wearily shook her head.

"I don’t know either... That day, your Uncle Chong and I had left the Holy Land to guide some common people inside, but then..."

She became lost in her memories, a look of lingering terror appearing on her face.

"We had just stepped out of the Kongtong Holy Land when a green mountain at its edge cracked apart and transformed into a massive Stone Stele. We could vaguely see a pitch-black Long Spear pinning something beneath it."

"After that, the entire Stone Stele, along with the Kongtong Holy Land, began to shake violently before sinking into the Earth, vanishing without a trace."

The girl, Lin Yiyi, bit her lip and looked like she wanted to say more.

But beside her, the boy, Chen Lide, suddenly spoke up.

"Aunt Zhou, I heard the master of the Holy Land is an infant. Is that true?"

"It’s true." Zhou Xiaotong dug up an Immortal Ginseng. After carefully wrapping it, she let out a soft sigh.

She glanced to the side and said,

"The master of the Holy Land is Auntie Yan’s daughter. I heard she was supposed to have been born ten years ago, but she only arrived three years ago. That child is something else!"

Seeing that they had collected enough Great Medicines, Zhou Xiaotong breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Alright, this should be enough to treat your Uncle Chong. Let’s go. Be careful."

Chen Lide and Lin Yiyi nodded in unison. They followed the gray-templed Zhou Xiaotong out of the wild forest and headed toward a giant mountain a thousand miles away.

As they walked, Zhou Xiaotong said with a smile,

"When I was little, this forest was right at the foot of that mountain. Now, it’s a thousand miles away. Oh, how the world has changed!"

She shook her head gently, a nostalgic look on her face.

Lin Yiyi asked curiously,

"Oh, right, Aunt Zhou. I heard that East Sea City, ten thousand miles away, was once the home of a great figure of our Human Race. Is that true?"

"That’s right."

Zhou Xiaotong nodded, a desolate look in her eyes, but she quickly forced a smile.

"Alright, let’s hurry. Your Uncle Chong is waiting for these Great Medicines to save his life."

.........

「The Eastern Han, on the lone island」

’My Dao...’

Lu Xuan was dazzled.

He saw something within his physical body, inside his Divine Soul, breaking out of a shell. But just a second before it could emerge, it froze.

Then, Lu Xuan saw the [Dao] gestating inside the ’eggshell’ begin to take on many different forms. It seemed... they were for him to choose?

’Hmm?’

Lu Xuan’s spirits lifted. He carefully examined the many Great Daos rapidly transforming inside the ’eggshell,’ all waiting for his selection. To his surprise, he discovered that every one of these [Daos] was intimately connected to him!

For example, there was his First Master’s path of Existence, his Second Master’s path of the Beginning, his Third Master’s path of the End, as well as the Path of Reincarnation he had touched upon, the Path of Cause and Effect he deeply understood, and the Path of Time...

’This...’

Lu Xuan was stunned, then horrified.

’How can my Masters’ Daos be appearing here? I can choose... to walk the same path? To choose the very [Dao] that my Three Masters currently embody?’

In the next instant, a powerful premonition flooded his heart.

If he chose any of these three [Daos], it would bring about terrifying consequences!

For example, if he were to choose the [Dao] of [Existence], his Master... would perhaps fall from his Dao Fruit stage, lose this [Dao], lose half a Dao Fruit, and be reduced to a mere Ancient One!

’How could this be?!’

Horrified, Lu Xuan investigated carefully and soon made a discovery!

Wisps of a peculiar Dao Rhyme swirled around the ’eggshell.’ He had only ever seen this kind of Dao Rhyme on the Lady... ’Transcendent Dao Rhyme?’

Not only that, but scenes seemed to be floating on the ’eggshell’s’ surface. Upon closer inspection, he was stunned to see they were grand vistas from The Beginning of Ancient Times.

Within one scene, a small flame, Xiaohuo’Er, was asking in a loud voice,

"At The Beginning of Ancient Times, who was it that spread the Dao?"

And the countless Barbaric Creatures in the scene all turned, their gazes piercing through the illusory image to stare directly at Lu Xuan!

This made his heart skip a beat. He immediately realized that some extraordinary change had occurred to him,

something related to this suspected Transcendent Dao Rhyme and the spreading of the Dao at The Beginning of Ancient Times!

Lu Xuan immediately dismissed the idea of choosing his Masters’ [Daos]. Even though it would grant him immense benefits, still...

He chuckled, and his True Spirit reached out. It touched the concept of [Existence] within the ’eggshell,’ the one that symbolized his Master, and he spoke playfully.

"Master is the symbol of Existence, the very embodiment of this [Dao]. Does this count as me stroking my Master?"

At that exact moment, above the river of Years, within the Great Chaos...

"Hm?!"

Supreme abruptly looked up.

It wasn’t just him. Within the Chaos, Houtu, who was recuperating, the Demon Ancestor, the two Buddhas who were meeting with the Demon Ancestor, and other Dao Fruit holders all turned their heads in unison.

"That is..."

Amitabha Buddha was aghast.

"The Door of Transcendence?!"

An illusory portal had materialized above Supreme’s head. It seemed that if he simply stepped through it, he would achieve Transcendence!

"Supreme... is about to achieve Transcendence?!"

The Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist shot to their feet, energized. They looked at each other, their faces filled with ecstasy. ’Supreme is achieving Transcendence...’

The two of them spoke in unison, beaming with joy.

"Does that mean Xiaoxuan is ours now?"

But just as the entire Great Chaos was thrown into turmoil,

Supreme narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

’The possibility of my [Dao] being [stripped away] has appeared. Interesting. Is this related to Transcendence? No, that’s not right. This is not the orthodox path to Transcendence...’

After a pause, he glanced at the ecstatic Primordial and Spirit Treasure and smiled faintly.

"What I seek has never been Transcendence. It holds no benefit for me."

With that,

Supreme waved his sleeve. Before the astonished, uncomprehending, and deeply regretful eyes of the many Dao Fruit holders, he swatted the portal that seemed to hold the Great Secret of Transcendence, shattering it to bits!

Immediately after, Supreme rose gracefully and strode toward two particular Daoists whose smiles had frozen on their faces. He asked with a warm smile,

"I was on the verge of Transcendence. Why were you two so excited?"

The Blind Daoist cleared his throat.

"Transcendence is the true ultimate goal. Why wouldn’t we be happy for you?"

He then added regretfully,

"Supreme, what a terrible waste! The Great Secret of Transcendence was within your grasp, yet you just swatted it away..."

"Is that so?"

Supreme chuckled.

"First of all, I do not seek Transcendence. And second... did I perhaps hear you two mention Xiaoxuan?"

"Huh?!"

The expressions of the Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist froze. They laughed sheepishly.

"Not at all. You must have misheard..."

Supreme hefted Douluo Palace, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

"Are you saying I’m going deaf?"

The two Daoists turned and fled.

Meanwhile, Amitabha Buddha was in a daze.

"Supreme... cast aside Transcendence as if it were a worn-out sandal?"

"It’s more than that!" the Ancient Bodhi Buddha beside him said in horror. "He shattered the Door of Transcendence with a single wave of his hand..."

The two Buddhas gasped.

「Meanwhile, back on the lone island in the Eastern Han」

Within Lu Xuan’s Spiritual World,

the Dao symbolizing [Existence] suddenly erupted, violently knocking Lu Xuan’s finger away!

He stared in astonishment as the path within the ’eggshell’—the one symbolizing [Existence], [Process], and [Continuity]—slowly dissipated. He was completely baffled.

’How did the Dao just disappear?’

He hadn’t planned on absorbing that Dao, but this was still bizarre!

Lu Xuan shook his head, pushed the thought aside, and continued to study the many [Daos] within the ’eggshell’.

His gaze was drawn to one particular ’Dao’.

’This is...’

He stared at that ’Dao,’ and a term naturally surfaced in his mind.

[Jun]!

’Jun?’

’No, to be precise, it’s [Great Jun]... What is the meaning of this Dao?’

Lu Xuan’s interest was piqued. Inside the ’eggshell,’ this Dao was ranked on par with his Masters’ [Daos].

Yet at the same time, it was also ranked alongside much lower-level [Daos] like [Cause and Effect] and [Reincarnation]. It was incredibly strange!

’Great Jun... What is Great Jun?’

Lu Xuan immersed his consciousness into it to comprehend its Profound Mysteries, and he was astounded.

’Great Jun encompasses concepts like the equality of all things, the great unity of all creation, a world of the Great Dao...’

’Because it is [Great Jun], it is [equal] to all other Daos. It is the One, and it is the All!’

’Equal to the myriad Daos, and therefore, it *is* the myriad Daos...’

Lu Xuan gasped. This was unbelievable. This Dao was terrifying beyond measure, but he had never encountered it before. Why would it appear inside the ’eggshell’?

’Great Jun... Great Jun...’

He suddenly had an epiphany.

The ideals he pursued—[The Great Unity of All Creation], [Only Clarity Under Heaven], [A World of the Great Dao]—were all concepts subsumed under [Great Jun]!

"I see!"

"This is the will of heaven!"

A faint smile appeared on the face of Lu Xuan’s True Spirit.

"Great Jun. Equal to all things, and therefore *is* all things. And it is exactly what I seek..."

He reached out and selected this Dao.

CRACK!!

The eggshell shattered. In that single instant, the Dao merged with Lu Xuan. Or rather, Lu Xuan became the symbol of this Dao. He *was* the [Path of Great Balance]!

Although the fusion had just begun, although his connection to it was still faint, still...

His Innate Divine Demon Form was perfected. He had attested to the Innate Immortal stage and merged it with the Upper Grade Immortal stage!

With the Path of Great Balance now his own,

Lu Xuan opened his eyes and made a gentle gesture.

Time, Reincarnation, History, Existence, Beginnings, Endings...

The path of [Jun], being equal to all things, could naturally become all things!

Just from this initial fusion, having only grasped a sliver of [Great Jun], Lu Xuan was shocked to feel his power multiplying exponentially!

Comprehending the vast ocean of Profound Mysteries in his mind, he sighed softly.

"So that’s how it is."

"My Dao is decided!"

"Great Jun..."

Lu Xuan smiled as inspiration struck.

"My titles are Profound Clarity, Profound Yellow, Xuan Sheng, and Nine Nether. And now, they are also..."

"Great Jun!"

"I am Great Jun!"

’But the ’Great’ part sounds a bit plain... Hmm, the character for ’Hong’ also means ’Great.’ Yes, ’Hong’ means grand, vast...’

"Then it shall be... [Hongjun]!!"

(End of Volume) (Confetti) (Not the end of the novel)