Chapter 716: Winning the Dao Ancestor for a While!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“What’s wrong, Sister Zhong? Why did you suddenly cover me? I didn’t want to win just now.”

In the Chaos Bell, Ling’e asked carefully.

The Chaos Bell trembled twice and sent out a panicked spiritual perception.

“Shh! Don’t say anything! Our Little Qiong Peak is in trouble! The Dao Ancestor is here… Who said that the Dao Ancestor cannot leave the Purple Cloud Palace!? It’s over, it’s over. If your senior brother can’t deal with it this time, I can only bring you away quickly. The Dao Ancestor is the most ruthless person in the Primordial World, the winner of ancient times. Apart from the Grand Pure One, the other four Saints have to respectfully call him Teacher!”

Ling’e’s face was filled with fake shock.

“Sister Zhong, don’t panic. I don’t think it’s that simple. If the Dao Ancestor was omnipotent, he should know the Senior Brother like the back of his hand. Based on Senior Brother’s personality, he must be confident if he still doesn’t leave in such a situation.”

“What confidence? How confident can you be when facing the Dao Ancestor?”

Sister Zhong’s spiritual perception continued to tremble.

“Do you understand the concept of such an opponent? He can kill you with a scheme he devises and smack you to death with his martial arts skills! Normally, he could settle the entire Three Realms with all kinds of schemes because it was not challenging to attack directly! If your senior brother had neglected the Dao Ancestor’s strength previously, it would have been terrible today.”

Ling’e blinked and hurriedly asked, “What’s the situation now?”

“Now…”

The Chaos Bell maintained its power and looked outside. It fell into deep thought.

It was baffled.

“It’s calm for now, but under this calmness, there are surging waves!”

“Don’t repeat the voice-over!”

“Uh, that’s about it. It looks calm, but it’s actually extremely dangerous!”

Zhong Ling pondered for a while. “Why don’t I escape with you first?”

“No.” Ling’e clenched her fists nervously. “Help my senior brother at the crucial moment. Sister Zhong, you are as famous as Boss Tu. You will definitely be able to help.”

“Although what you said does make sense… Hehe, leave it to me!”

Zhong Ling smiled smugly. The power of the Chaos Bell could slowly increase. She was prepared to bring Ling’e over to fish Li Changshou out at any time.

Crash…

In the tea room in the forest, the burly Daoist smiled at Li Changshou.

Li Changshou leaned forward and smiled humbly.

If the Chaos Bell did not know that they had opposing stands, it would have thought that they were a pair of grandfather and grandson who shared a close relationship!

Li Changshou flicked his sleeve and swept away the fallen leaves on the seat in front of him. He smiled and said, “Since Grandmaster likes this place, why don’t you stay for a few more days? I can ask some questions about cultivation.”

“Hahaha!”

Hong Jun stroked his beard and chuckled. He naturally sat on the tree stump and said, “Can you still have any doubts? The Heavenly Dao is almost stolen by you. Your essence soul imitating technique is not inferior to your senior’s second essence soul technique. It’s impressive. Before you took the initiative to reveal the wisp of Primordial Violet Qi and gave it to Zhao Gongming, I sensed that the Primordial Violet Qi had always been in Kun Peng’s essence soul. I never expected that I would be tricked by you in the end.”

Li Changshou said, “My Dao is far inferior to Grandmaster’s Dao.”

“That sounds familiar.”

Hong Jun sighed softly. “I thought that I could see the shadows of that good friend of mine on you, but I realized that you are completely different from him.”

Li Changshou said, “All living beings have their own unique characteristics. That’s also the charm of living beings. Grandmaster has been away from the Purple Cloud Palace for too long. Is everything alright?”

“It’s fine.” Dao Ancestor Hong Jun smiled and said, “It’s actually just a casual remark made by me in ancient times. It’s to make some schemes easier to push forward. After all, sometimes, if you want to use the selfish desires and evil thoughts of living beings, you can’t give them too much pressure and deterrence. Stand outside the Three Realms and look down at the side of the world. As long as you push at the crucial moment, it will be effective. It’s just a little fun for me.”

Li Changshou smiled and shook his head. “Grandmaster’s preferences are really… I don’t agree.”

Dao Ancestor Hong Jun said warmly, “Let’s not talk about these ideological disputes. Changshou, do you know why I came today?”

“I naturally don’t know.”

“I still want to persuade you again,” Dao Ancestor Hong Jun said slowly. “I know your trump cards very well. You also know my goal. It’s nothing more than the relationship between living beings and the world. In the words of your hometown, it is how humans and nature get along harmoniously. Humans destroy nature and attract natural revenge. That is all. If we fight head-on, it will not benefit the world and living beings. Changgeng, leave. Bring Yun Xiao, Ling’e, and anyone else you want. I will arrange for Yun Xiao to transcend the tribulation later and let her give an explanation to Jie School. In that case, I can return with you in peace. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Li Changshou’s eyes were filled with gratitude. Just as he was about to speak, he was stopped by the Dao Ancestor.

The Dao Ancestor smiled and said, “Don’t act. You and I are more sincere.”

1

Li Changshou instantly regained his cold expression and smiled politely.

“Grandmaster, I’m afraid that’s not appropriate. I haven’t played my cards yet. Why did Grandmaster have to eliminate me?”

“You mean you want to fight me?”

The smile in Dao Ancestor Hong Jun’s eyes was rather warm, as if he was talking about some ordinary matters.

However, when he said that, Li Changshou did not feel any mockery or disdain. He even felt that he… had obtained the Dao Ancestor’s full respect.

Li Changshou was secretly alarmed.

“Grandmaster, you must be joking. How would I dare to fight with you?”

“Changgeng, I’m indeed afraid of you. Just the secrets of the Heavenly Dao in your hands can make me extremely passive. Yet, you became the one who escaped. I also miscalculated. I thought that you were timid and afraid of death. I didn’t expect… Hahaha! Wonderful, wonderful. You are the first living being to be able to make me misjudge you.”

Li Changshou was rendered speechless.

“Grandmaster, I’m really afraid of death.”

Li Changshou pondered for a while and continued, “However, the education I received since I was young does not allow me to not help. Cultivation is the pursuit of transcendence. Only one living being could completely transcend in the Primordial World and enter the realm of the Primordial Chaos Limitless Saint. I naturally have my eyes on that position.”

“Hahahaha! Transcendence is just a lie!”

Dao Ancestor Hong Jun stroked his beard and smiled. “I’ve always felt that you don’t want to transcend. In fact, your original goal should only be to cultivate to the Zenith Heaven realm. Then, you will go to the Chaos Sea and find a place to squat down. You will not be noticed. You will live until there is no meaning in living.”

“Grandmaster, you know me well. I did think so for a while.”

Li Changshou said seriously, “What about you, Grandmaster? You are now bound to the Heavenly Dao and have merged with the essence of the world. Grandmaster, you have now become the incarnation of this world. The Heavenly Dao has to obey your will. Are you still looking for Transcendence?”

“The so-called Transcendence is just a dream left behind by the Pangu God for us followers.”

Hong Jun sighed.

“Everyone says that I’m the winner. In fact, the real winner can only be your teacher. Your teacher is transformed from the Essence Soul of the Pangu God. He controls the Great Dao of Yin and Yang Limitless and is the leader of the Three Pure Ones. If I did not suppress him back then, your teacher would have walked to the Grand Pure One Limitless Realm. Now, your teacher has a disciple like you who has jumped out of my control. Countless years. Ever since the creation of the world, countless years of scheming and guarding have been destroyed by a brat like you at the crucial moment. Why should I be happy?”

Li Changshou smiled and said, “Grandmaster, you think too highly of me. I’m just standing on the shoulders of philosophy giants.”

Hong Jun was silent. He stared at Li Changshou quietly and suddenly took out a jade token from his sleeve.

“The Great Tribulation prevents death. The highest authority of the Heavenly Dao can protect Yun Xiao from death.”

Hong Jun said, “Let’s use this as a wager. We will fight out of thin air today. If you win, this item will belong to you. I can’t violate this promise.”

Li Changshou pondered for a while and asked, “How do we fight out of thin air?”

“Just tell me your trump card. There’s no need to do it.”

Hong Jun smiled and said, “If you can make me feel abnormally uncomfortable and fall into an absolute passive state, I will admit defeat and fight you for nothing.”

Li Changshou was rendered speechless.

“I believe that after Senior Lang died, no one has played cards with you for a long time, Grandmaster.”

Hong Jun was speechless.

“There’s no need to fight.”

“Ah, Grandmaster.” Li Changshou raised his hand and took the jade token into his hand. He sensed the Heavenly Dao rules contained in it and smiled as he put it into his treasure pouch.

Hong Jun smiled and said, “Are you that confident?”

“Since you want to test my trump card, if I retreat, it will not be just a problem with a jade token.”

Li Changshou said seriously, “I want you to know that I’m not bluffing, Grandmaster.”

“Speak.”

Li Changshou deliberated for a while and said, “The first trump card that I can use to deal with the Heavenly Dao is the Nine Polluted Spring.”

Hong Jun was silent. Li Changshou slowly said, “I can’t be sure if the Nine Polluted Spring’s theory started from the ancient times or if it suddenly appeared in the ancient times. However, all the mighty figures and great mystical abilities know about the Nine Polluted Spring. Sometimes, they can even sense the power of the Nine Polluted Spring. According to the rumors, the Nine Polluted Spring accepted the filth of living beings’ selfish desires. The greater the selfish desires of living beings, the harder it is to suppress the Nine Polluted Springs. Therefore, the Heavenly Dao sent down a great calamity to restrict the power of living beings. Otherwise, the Nine Polluted Springs would overturn the entire world. That is something everyone in the Primordial World knows.However, this is actually fake news that you deliberately released to confuse the others.”

Li Changshou casually summoned a wisp of water vapor. His fingers were stained with water vapor. He drew a line on the stone slab in front of him and drew nine small circles below. On them, he drew a larger circle.

“There are many loopholes in the Nine Polluted Springs’ theory. However, most Qi Refinement cultivators will feel that their realm is insufficient and that they cannot comprehend it. There’s a fatal flaw in this. Ever since the ancient battle that shattered the Primordial World, the power of living beings has been declining. If the Nine Polluted Spring absorbs the power of selfish desires of living beings, why are there more and more?”

The Dao Ancestor said in a low voice, “That’s because the Nine Polluted Spring’s resentment hasn’t dissipated. It has been accumulating.”

“If that’s the case, Grandmaster, the path you chose is from the standpoint of the world. Grandmaster will definitely let the Nine Polluted Springs be released once before the power of the Nine Polluted Springs is no longer sufficient to destroy the world. Previously, you had already admitted that living beings are just projections of True Spirits in your eyes. One batch can be reborn after another. Time is meaningless to you. What you see is just waves on the river of time.”

Li Changshou mercilessly exposed the Dao Ancestor’s words. “Grandmaster, let’s be honest today. Listen to me.”

“Alright.” The Dao Ancestor closed his eyes and focused. His expression was calm as he listened to Li Changshou continue.

Li Changshou said, “Hence, I began to compare. I used the small amount of information I could confirm to try to restore the truth. Soon, I realized that there were indeed some living beings who had selfish desires and evil thoughts gathered into a filthy spring. However, everyone in the Primordial World knows that place. Blood Sea. It had once been extremely prosperous in ancient times. It is because the tainted power corresponding to the power of living beings had gathered in the deepest part of the earth. The power of living beings has reached its peak at the end of ancient times and exceeded the limits of the world. After the battle with Patriarch Nether River, the sea of blood was evaporated by the Heavenly Punishment. However, the sea of blood can no longer continue to expand. It can only barely maintain its original state. The reason is that the power of living beings is far inferior to that of the ancient times and cannot produce such a huge sea of blood. The filthy spring formed by the selfish desires and evil thoughts of living beings was a sea of blood. The problem is whether the sea of blood is the Nine Polluted Spring. Clearly, the sea of blood can only be considered a small portion of the Nine Polluted Springs. How can the sea of blood destroy the Primordial World? It’s a part of the Primordial World.”

Li Changshou paused and looked in the direction of the chess room. Then, he pointed at the simple pattern that he had drawn on the stone table.

“The other clue of the Nine Polluted Springs is the Sea Eyes of the four oceans. The dragon race clearly knew something, but the dragon race did not mention it. They did not dare to say anything. This portion of the books had also been burned. What is suppressed under the Sea Eye? Why are there only four holes in the Nine Polluted Spring? These questions had always troubled me. When I entered the Zenith Heaven realm and gained a deeper understanding of the world, I immediately understood everything. The Sea Eye is a disguise. If the Nine Polluted Springs can destroy the Primordial World, even if it can only destroy half of the five continents, the power it contains is far from what the dragon race can suppress. There is a difference in levels.”

“The Sea Eye of the Four Seas is just an evidence that you, Dao Ancestor, had set up to remind living beings that the Nine Polluted Spring is hanging above the heads of all living beings at any time. That is to explain the need for the Heavenly Dao to descend from the Great Tribulation. At the same time, the Four Seas Eye could also help Dao Ancestor deal with the followers of the ancient times, the Azure Dragon Clan. The real thing that made me understand what the Nine Polluted Spring is is the leap of the Jade Emperor’s Merit Golden Body when the Sea Eye of the East Ocean was broken. At that time, Dao Ancestor, you had arranged it very cleverly. The Jade Emperor, I, Ksitigarbha, and the Western Sect had all become your pawns. At that time, I was weak and you did not mind. You guided the Jade Emperor’s incarnation to reach a suitable position at the appropriate time. You jumped and used the Golden Body of Merit to fill the Sea Eye, allowing the Jade Emperor to obtain the loyalty of the dragon race. However, I did not know that the disciples who witnessed that scene would use it as a clue to reveal the true appearance of the Nine Polluted Spring.”

Li Changshou tapped his fingers on the table, but the Dao Ancestor did not have the intention to open his eyes.

Li Changshou’s voice gradually became clear and louder.

“There are four problems here. It’s considered an equation that I thought of back then. Firstly, why must you stop me from condensing the Golden Body of Merit? Secondly, why can the Golden Body of Merit fill the Sea-Calming Eye? After being suppressed, the Sea Eye of the East Ocean became a part of the water cycle of the Primordial World. Water-type spiritual energy was used to fill the seawater of the four seas and it evaporated, restoring the appearance of the Sea Eye. That proved that the Sea Eye had been contaminated by some power. How could the gap in the Nine Polluted Spring be so easily blocked!?! Thirdly, why can the Heavenly Dao help the two Saints of the Western Sect become Saints directly? Why does the Heavenly Dao merit have many wonderful uses that can allow treasures to advance?

Fourthly, what’s the difference between incense offerings and Heavenly Dao merit? I thought about these questions and quickly came to an absurd conclusion. The Heavenly Dao merit is essentially pure incense offerings. The merit of incense offerings is the power of prayers for living beings. In other words, it is the weak light produced when the faith of the True Spirit is burned! This touches the essence of the Heavenly Dao Saint. The Heavenly Dao’s control over the Saint. That’s the conclusion.”

Li Changshou pointed at the Pill Chamber casually, causing it to be hidden by the array formation and preventing him from hearing the conversation.

Then, he stared at the Dao Ancestor, who had opened his eyes slightly, and said firmly, “In order to maintain his extraordinary status and prevent the Primordial Chaos Limitless Saint from appearing, the Dao Ancestor not only promoted the script of the world, but also set up a system. A system of merit and negative karma is the reward and punishment of the Heavenly Dao. According to the low-level Great Dao of the Heavenly Dao, Yin and Yang coexist and are generally stable. If merit and negative karma could cancel each other out, the total amount of merit in the world should be equal to the total amount of negative karma. In reality? Without looking at the six Saints, the merit in the world is far greater than the negative karma even if the merit from incense offerings is not included! Why is the merit of incense offerings mottled? It is because it is not only mixed with the wishes of living beings, but also the resentment of living beings. Why is the Heavenly Dao merit pure? It is because the merit was directly produced by the Heavenly Dao. The price was to produce a Heavenly Dao merit. It had to produce a corresponding Heavenly Dao negative karma! The Heavenly Dao used the Heavenly Dao merit to create the six Saints and the Heavenly Courts to promote their dignity.”

“In fact, every Heavenly Dao Saint that was created would create a huge amount of Heavenly Dao negative karma! However, the Heavenly Dao merit and the Primordial Violet Qi could lock up a Heavenly Dao Saint like Teacher!”

“The main body of the Nine Polluted Spring was not the selfish desires of living beings, but the selfish desires of the Heavenly Dao!”

“Through burning the endless True Spirits that were attracted by the Primordial World, the Heavenly Dao broke down the power of the True Spirit and divided it into the Heavenly Dao merit and the negative karma of the Heavenly Dao.”

“The Nine Polluted Spring would naturally expand because Dao Ancestor, you are continuously sending out the Heavenly Dao merit.”

“When the Nine Polluted Springs have to be suppressed, Dao Ancestor, you will activate the Great Tribulation and release the negative karma of the Heavenly Dao. You will turn the negative karma of the Heavenly Dao into the tribulation. Then, through the death of living beings, you will resolve the negative karma.”

“Therefore, the Sixth Saint’s death released a large amount of Heavenly Dao merit. This Heavenly Dao merit could fill the corresponding Heavenly Dao negative karma.”

“The power of the Great Tribulation dissipated because of that! Dao Ancestor, you did not give me the Golden Body of Merit because you were afraid that I would jump into the remaining Three Sea Eyes and expose the secret of the Nine Polluted Springs. Of course, these are all speculations. I need evidence. Therefore, I went to investigate how to create the Heavenly Dao merit.”

Li Changshou paused and the Dao Ancestor opened his eyes.

Li Changshou waved his left hand gently, and a ball of flames appeared in his palm. He drew a seal out of thin air. Flowing light that looked like fireflies flew over and were devoured by the demonic flame in his palm.

After a while, it turned into a wisp of golden light, a wisp of black aura, and a faint gray aura.

The golden light was the Heavenly Dao merit.

“My trump card is the Nine Polluted Spring.”

Li Changshou took a deep breath and said, “I can now accumulate the negative karma of the Heavenly Dao and trigger the power of the Nine Polluted Spring to descend into the world. The power of the Nine Polluted Spring will not destroy any innocent living beings, but it will destroy the current Heavenly Courts system. At that time, those who had the Heavenly Dao merit would suffer the five degradations of the Heavenly Humans and suffer the hatred of the True Spirit. Grandmaster, what do you think of this trump card?”