Free Web NovelChapter 507: Chapter 5: Supreme Profound Qing Heavenly Venerate
"Who’s cursing me?"
Taishang rubbed his nose and muttered,
"How did I get cursed too...?"
Nearby, Lu Jianxue, who had been cultivating peacefully, looked up curiously and asked,
"Grandpa Li, what’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing." Taishang smiled faintly, rubbed his nose again, and instructed, "Just focus on your cultivation. I’m stepping out for a bit."
The moment he said this, the expressions of Lu Jianxue, who was sitting cross-legged on a cattail cushion, and Golden Horned and Silver Horned, who were fanning the Eight Trigrams Furnace, changed drastically.
Lu Jianxue gasped, her pupils constricting.
"You’re going out again??"
She recoiled, looking like she was about to cry.
"Grandpa Li, can we... not use the Douluo Palace this time?"
Taishang’s expression faltered, a hint of displeasure on his face.
"Does me going out always have to mean I’m going to beat someone up?"
Lu Jianxue asked worriedly,
"So... this time you’re going out to...?"
"Ahem."
Taishang grinned.
"Beat someone up."
Lu Jianxue facepalmed.
The old Daoist’s expression soured. Being unintentionally cursed along with his disciple’s wife reminded him of some unpleasantness.
’He wasn’t there for the wedding ceremony.’
’It would have been one thing if I wasn’t there, but Primordial was!’
Rubbing his nose again, the old Daoist clasped his hands behind his back, ambled out of the Daoist Palace, and sneezed.
"Primordial, let’s catch up!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Taishang, are you out of your mind?!"
.........
At the very end of the River of Time, in its lowest reaches.
「The Current World.」
Lin Yiyi stood cautiously atop the Qingyun, her face a mask of bewilderment as she stared at the vast, shattered Immortal Court.
’A single sneeze... caused all this?’
The withered old man coughed violently, unfolding three hundred and sixty-five shattered Innate Worlds and unleashing an Innate Wind Calamity. The effort aggravated the temporal fissures in his lungs, and the coughing fit left him annoyed.
Lu Xuan paid no mind to the dozen or so towering figures whose rage billowed to the heavens from within the ruins of the Immortal Court. Instead, he turned to Chong Shanhu with a gentle smile.
"Let us perform the ritual, right here and now."
Chong Shanhu glanced to the side, his gaze heavy as he looked at the dozen or so magnates. Their auras shook the heavens, and illusory spectacles of All Realms and worlds ebbed and flowed around each of them.
He murmured,
"Teacher, this..."
"Pay them no mind," the withered old man said cheerfully. "They won’t cause any trouble."
As he spoke, he waved a hand, channeling the Mediation of Creation to reconstruct matter. A large table and teacups materialized upon the cloud.
After brewing a pot of Earth Tea, Lu Xuan slowly took a seat in a grand chair.
"To enter my sect, you must pass ten trials: parting from the living, separation by death, rage, compassion, lust, greed, wealth, cowardice, and steadfastness. Only after achieving great purity may you receive the direct teachings."
As he spoke, in the distance...
’That is...’
A magnate from the Celestial Realms squinted, staring at the scene unfolding on the distant Qingyun. A withered old man was seated, with several juniors of the Human Race standing beside him.
A familiar Immortal Court Celestial Venerable lay prostrate nearby like a dead dog!
The thirteen magnates exchanged glances, their eyes sweeping over the shambles of the Immortal Court. Their expressions grew grim. One of them, a giant clad in golden armor, spoke in a deep voice,
"An old man we’ve never seen before, one foot in the grave, yet he acts so fearlessly. His origins are a mystery. What is he relying on?"
Another giant in red robes narrowed his eyes.
"I can’t get a clear read on him. The auspicious celestial timing just now was related to him. How should we proceed?"
For a moment, all the giants grew cautious. The group’s arrival was too bizarre, and their behavior was equally strange.
It was clearly a provocation, but a provocation without any rhyme or reason...
’Something isn’t right.’
The Golden Armor Giant said grimly,
"I will awaken the Supreme Venerable. This matter is too strange; let the Supreme Venerable decide what to do!"
Another hot-tempered giant of the Celestial Realms snorted.
"I’ll go test his mettle. Let’s see just who this character is that dares to come here looking for a fight."
While these giants of the Immortal Court were conversing,
In the distance, powerful beings were approaching.
The Ancient Buddha from the Buddha Land, a Yama from the Netherworld, the Great Saint of the Demon Country, and the master of the Dragon Tiger Holy Land all arrived, having heard the commotion.
「Meanwhile.」
Zhou Xiaotong’s expression was grim. As Lin Yiyi and Chen Lide felt one abyss-like aura descend after another, they couldn’t help but tremble.
’These are all the absolute biggest figures in the world today...’
’Lu Xuan remained unmoved. The giants of the Immortal Court were pathetically weak, like rootless duckweed.’
’They were similar to the legions of Immortals and Buddhas that Lu Ya had brought into existence from nothing; they had most likely been manifested by a Dao Fruit Cultivator.’
’Even if such beings entered the Celestial Realms, they were far from a match for a genuine magnate of that level.’
’Instead, they were more like the Five Mountains Emperor, a cultivator of the Weak Celestial Realms who had relied on the authority of Heaven and Earth to reach his station...’
’The four magnates who just arrived, however, were impressive. They had all accumulated power over time and achieved their status through strength, not conjured out of thin air. It’s just...’
A thoughtful expression crossed Lu Xuan’s face as his gaze drifted toward the master of the Dragon Tiger Holy Land, who was observing from the far horizon.
’The Old Celestial Master?’
’Doubts flooded his mind. Hadn’t the Dragon and Tiger Celestial Master been swept into the era of the Late Han Dynasty along with Uncle Yan and the others?’
’How could he have reappeared in the Current World?’
’And his aura... something was seriously wrong with it!’
As he pondered, Lu Xuan looked down at Chong Shanhu, who was still kneeling on the cloud. Ignoring the many surrounding giants, he spoke calmly,
"Since you have entered my sect, you shall be granted a title. As a third-generation disciple, you shall bear the character for ’Celestial’. You have weathered countless calamities and shirked no hardship.
"We first met during the Spring and Autumn Years of Ancient Times. During the great snow calamity, you carved flesh from your own body to feed others..."
The watching giants from the Immortal Court and the other four visiting beings from the Celestial Realms all had their expressions change. ’First met... during the Ancient Spring and Autumn Period?’
The Ancient Buddha from the Buddha Land narrowed his eyes, carefully scrutinizing the withered old man on the grand chair, but he couldn’t recognize him.
’He didn’t recognize him.’
’But there was a faint trace of familiarity about him.’
At that moment,
the hot-tempered giant from the Immortal Court had already arrived. Each step he took made the clouds tremble violently. Grand visions of myriad worlds ebbed and flowed around him, accompanied by the faint sounds of immortal music and the din of slaughter.
As he drew near, the hearts of Zhou Xiaotong and the other two youngsters pounded in their chests. They felt as if they were drowning, their breathing becoming impossibly difficult!
This was especially true for the two teenagers, Lin Yiyi for example. At only fourteen or fifteen, even an Earth Immortal was an incredible figure to them!
Let alone an Immortal Court giant, a being they had only ever heard of in legends!
Lu Xuan didn’t even glance at the Immortal Court giant, merely continuing to address Chong Shanhu,
"You do not shy from calamity and possess the will to do battle. For this, I grant you the character for ’Dipper’."
The words had barely left his lips when the giant interrupted,
"I wonder, Your Excellency..."
The four giants in the distance watched with rapt attention, also hoping to probe the mysterious old man’s origins. But in the next instant...
THUD!!
The withered old man pressed a hand down. Three hundred and sixty-five Innate Realms opened in unison as his broken Innate Divine Demon Body unleashed its might. A Form Acupoint opened slightly, and its divine will manifested!
The giant’s face changed drastically.
In his eyes, more than three hundred Great Realms ebbed and flowed upon that fist. Visions appeared: an Old Nong tilling the Celestial Realms, a woman enthroned in the Nine Nether, a decaying Emperor Corpse!
The giant’s foundation was simply too weak. His mind was captivated by the divine visions, and blood streamed from his eyes. He couldn’t even muster the will to resist...
...before the fist—wreathed in the Mother Qi of All Things and adrift with Innate Great Realms—smashed into his head!
The immense force was like an avalanche.
In the next instant, the probing giant was crushed. The massive fist shattered his Dao Foundation—already as fragile as rootless duckweed—causing it to collapse entirely. He was sent flying, coughing up blood!
"Cough, cough..."
The withered old man coughed violently, his voice raspy.
"Today is an auspicious day. I shall refrain from killing for now."
As he spoke, he began coughing again. Cracks seemed to appear on his fist, revealing the divine bones within, which shone with a splendid, treasured light!
The expressions of Zhou Xiaotong and the others changed drastically. Chong Shanhu’s heart clenched; he knew his teacher’s condition was dire!
The giants of the Immortal Court exchanged glances, murderous intent flaring from them all. The distant Ancient Buddha, Yama, and Great Saint all narrowed their eyes.
The next moment.
The withered old man ignored the many restless giants and smiled at Chong Shanhu.
"I therefore bestow upon you the Daoist name ’Celestial Dipper’. And as a direct disciple of my Taishang Lineage, you shall also bear the title ’Supreme’."
"Therefore, from this moment on, you shall be known as the Supreme Calamity-Overcoming Celestial Battle True Monarch. Do you understand?"
Chong Shanhu bowed deeply.
"Your disciple, Celestial Dipper, pays his respects to Master!"
He presented the tea. Lu Xuan accepted it and took a smiling sip.
The restless giants froze.
’Su... Supreme?’
’The Taishang Lineage?’
Those giants from the Immortal Court, created out of thin air and lacking any true foundation, were merely bewildered.
But the distant Ancient Buddha, Great Saint, Yama, and Old Celestial Master felt their heads spin!
’A direct disciple of Taishang...’
’As everyone knows, Taishang has two direct disciples.’
’One is Supreme Xuandu, and the other is Supreme Profound Clarity.’
’The withered old man couldn’t possibly be Taishang himself. And while Emperor Xuandu isn’t a Daluo, he has also surpassed the Celestial Realms and cannot enter the current world. That means this can only be...’
"Supreme... Profound Clarity?"
King Qin Guang muttered in a daze, his mind reeling as he remembered the Ancient Times!
’Wasn’t he destroyed by the Profound Yellow Emperor?’
「At the same time,」
Lu Xuan smiled. With a grasp of his hand, a Celestial Crown materialized. He personally placed it upon Chong Shanhu’s head. Then, he held out his palm, and a cloth containing two Infinite Great Realms descended into it.
He chuckled and said,
"This is called the Two Realms Cloth. I acquired it back in the Spring and Autumn Period, after I slayed the Maitreya Buddha."
"This cloth can obscure the heavens and hide the earth. It contains two Infinite Great Realms, each with its own complete systems of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, its own Celestial Dao and geography. When unfurled, not even a Dao Fruit cultivator could perceive what lies within without careful inspection."
"Since you have entered my tutelage, this treasure is now yours. I hope you live up to the name ’Celestial Dipper’. May you one day wield this artifact to fight the injustices of the world and embody the heavens yourself."
Chong Shanhu’s spirit trembled. He bowed deeply once more and accepted the Two Realms Cloth.
Nearby, however, Lin Yiyi was bewildered and whispered subconsciously,
"Maitreya Buddha... why does that sound so familiar..."
Suddenly, it dawned on her.
"The venerable one worshiped in the Buddha Land... I think she’s called the Maitreya Buddha Mother?"
"Mm."
Having accepted his first direct disciple, Lu Xuan was in high spirits. He glanced over with a smile.
"The Buddha Mother is a demon. She devoured the Maitreya Buddha, and the two became one. In my younger years, I was not privy to such secrets and mistakenly slew the Maitreya Buddha. In doing so, I inadvertently helped the Buddha Mother ascend to the Dao Fruit Position. Even now, thinking back on it, I still feel a measure of regret."
Lin Yiyi nodded blankly, her eyes glazed over.
The entire Celestial Vault fell deathly silent. The four great magnates watched the withered old man, listening in silence as he recounted a heaven-shaking secret, their bodies and souls trembling.
The Ancient Buddha from the Buddha Land actually stumbled, nearly toppling from the clouds.
The withered old man stretched, an action that seemed to aggravate the severe injury in his lungs. He began to cough violently until he spat out corrupted blood thick with a hazy, heavy Innate Material.
Only then did he wearily rise to his feet.
The moment he stood up, the Ancient Buddha turned to leave, King Qin Guang began to flee, and the Great Saint prepared to fly away.
"Since you’ve all come..."
Lu Xuan smiled.
"...you’re all old acquaintances."
At some unknown point, he had donned a Daoist Robe and Hat. His hands shot out, and a surging sea of blood swept up the three fleeing, true-born giants and dragged them back.
The withered old man coughed again. His body, seemingly overdrawn, began to crack, but a smile remained on his face.
"Bai Ze, Diting, Yama King Qin Guang... have you all been well?"
The illusory giants of the Immortal Court were dumbfounded.
The next moment, with bitter expressions, the three true-born giants performed a ritual bow.
"We greet the Supreme Profound Qing Heavenly Venerate."
The Celestial Vault was deathly silent.
