Chapter 604: Set a Small Goal First

Yaoyun pressed, "So?"

"It's nothing more than a small celestial sect. Considering it doesn't even have a Golden Immortal, it would be somewhat improper for me to eliminate it." Chun Yangzi glanced at Wang Sheng. "Isn't it more fitting to leave this to Fei Yu?"

Yaoyun frowned. "You can destroy the Celestial Wind Sect with a snap of your fingers. Since you're already here, why wait for him?"

"Thirteenth, you're taking this matter too lightly." Chun Yangzi opened his right hand. Traces of black and red lights intertwined in his palm as he sighed. "This is placed on me using an ancient curse technique from the Primal Era. The moment I take action, the one who inflicted me with this curse will discover my location. Dozens or even hundreds of experts will swarm over in the span of a few days. Not only is this place far too exposed, but it's also far too likely to affect the Small Immortal Realm and that celestial body near it."

Wang Sheng hurriedly replied, "Forefather, please rest assured. I will handle the Celestial Wind Sect myself."

"Good." Chun Yangzi took a sip of celestial wine. "It's not that I can't do anything, but I should only take matters into my own hands when we're facing a suitable opponent, and we've weighed the pros and cons. A celestial sect like that truly is not worth the price."

Yaoyun stared at the black-red glow in Chun Yangzi's palm. With a slightly trembling voice, she asked, "How many survived back then?"

"Morale collapsed on the same day the emperor fell. Armies scattered in all directions and broke out separately. Some should have managed to fight their way out, but I don't know how many exactly."

Chun Yangzi gave Yaoyun a gentle look. He then softly said, "Thirteenth, the Heavenly Court is already gone. That's an undeniable fact. Even if the survivors were to rally again, we'll be facing enemies hundreds or thousands of times our number. We can't stir waves anymore.

"The Four Heavenly Ministers and the elders of the Five Elements have all fallen, while the rest of us have since scattered. Those foreign races have also divided and occupied the Immortal Realm. Not only are the Three Realms no longer peaceful, but the world has fallen back into the chaos of ancient times. Considering we can't reverse this outcome anymore, you should let go of your heart's obsession while you still can."

"It wouldn't be an obsession if it could be let go of that easily, would it?"

"Since you've already acknowledged what it is, then all you need now is to truly understand it. Once you have, letting go of it shouldn't be a problem anymore."

Yaoyun and Chun Yangzi looked at each other. The weariness and loneliness in Chun Yangzi's eyes softened Yaoyun's heart as well.

"Do you have news about anyone else?"

Chun Yangzi took out a jade disk and handed it to Yaoyun. However, Yaoyun shook her head and signaled for him to give it to Wang Sheng instead.

"I am now his sword spirit."

"Oh?" Chun Yangzi stroked his beard and looked at Wang Sheng. After handing the disk over, he even secretly raised a thumb and gave Wang Sheng a look that seemed to say, "You remind me of myself when I was young."

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

Within the disk was a great deal of information, including the hiding places of several hundred Heavenly Court experts. They were scattered all over the four sky regions, staying in extremely well-concealed locations.

"Those are the old friends I've managed to find over the past tens of thousands of years. I didn't record the location of those unwilling to mention the past again," Chun Yangzi said. "If you encounter difficulties in the future, you may seek out those who are nearby. As long as Thirteenth is with you, you can ask them to take action.

"But within the unseen, there is the Dao of Causality restraining all things. Anyway, why haven't you ascended to immortality yet, Goddess?"

Mu Wanxuan felt embarrassed.

Yaoyun snorted. "Not everyone is like that great-grand disciple of yours! He has strange comprehension and insight, and he's advancing in his cultivation with unstoppable momentum! Meanwhile, Hua Qing just came out here recently, and she has only been cultivating for merely several decades in total!

"You wanted to pass on Emperor Ziwei's Daoist heritage to him earlier, yet you're completely unaware that when he broke through to the True Immortal Realm, he had already gone into Chaos and met Emperor Ziwei's Dao traces. He gained quite a lot from it."

Chun Yangzi stroked his beard and laughed. He didn't seem surprised at all. "As they say, when things reach their extreme, they reverse; after calamity comes peace. Likewise, when the Heavenly Court fell, a resurgence became inevitable. It is only natural for a child of fortune or two to rise with that tide.

"The fact that the Daoist heritage I passed down ended up creating a disciple like Fei Yu brings me great comfort. If my old friends were still around, I would have certainly boasted to them a few times."

"How did we lose the great war?" Yaoyun asked. "Who could even defeat the emperor?"

Chun Yangzi's expression dimmed somewhat. The light faded from his eyes as he looked at the wine cup before him, momentarily unsure of what to say.

Yaoyun pressed on. "Why aren't you talking? Are you hiding something? Since I survived, I naturally have to figure out what happened back then."

"Knowing about it won't benefit you." The old man sighed slowly. "I don't want to talk about that war. It was far too brutal, and there were far too many heartbreaking incidents. Still, I can at least tell you that the emperor has slain many of our foes, and the battle closed the book on the Heavenly Court's fate. What more is there to say now?"

Yaoyun looked anxious. "Who were we up against?"

"The whole world."

"Who fought the emperor?"

"Powerful beings from the Ancient Era and many great divine ability wielders who rose to prominence in later generations."

"I want to know who they are!"

Chun Yangzi emitted a trace of Dao Rhythm as he lightly exclaimed, "Thirteenth!"

Yaoyun trembled slightly as she fell to the side. Mu Wanxuan reached out, grabbed Yaoyun's arm, and half-embraced her.

Wang Sheng said, "Yaoyun, stop forcing Forefather. He's not deliberately keeping information from us; he simply does not wish for us to take risks."

Looking lost, Yaoyun sat in complete silence for a long time.

Chun Yangzi raised his eyebrows at Wang Sheng. "Your words carry more weight than mine.

Tsk,

this is truly a case of new generations replacing the old."

Wang Sheng didn't dare respond. It was obvious that the forefather was teasing him. Instead, he simply changed the subject. "Forefather, do you still suffer from old injuries?"

"Old injuries?" Chun Yangzi laughed helplessly. A gentle glow spread around him as he reverted to how he looked at his peak. His white hair instantly turned jet black, and his originally weathered face turned warm and lustrous.

As rumored, the immortal was exceptionally handsome. He radiated a warm aura, while the Dao of Pure Yang constantly influenced his surroundings.

Chun Yangzi stroked his beard once more. He instantly reverted to his aged appearance, sighed, and then answered quite frankly, "These days, I've been hiding my name and identity while traveling. Using this disguise is naturally the best way to avoid attention."

Yaoyun snorted softly at the side, but she didn't mock him.

Wang Sheng never forgot the matter at hand. He briefly explained Mu Wanxuan's long-standing inability to speak as she wished, then asked the forefather if there was a good solution.

Chun Yangzi didn't even need a closer look. With a smile, he exposed the root of the problem. "Since the Plant Goddess's ethereal soul and corporeal soul have been scattered, her true spirit remains incomplete. There's no need to worry, though. Just keep cultivating for now. Once you reach the True Immortal Realm and come to understand the Dao of the True Spirit, you'll naturally find your true spirit's missing part."

After asking quite a few "experts," Wang Sheng finally received a clear answer. He immediately felt much more at ease.

"True Immortal..."

Mu Wanxuan gave it a thought and instead felt an even stronger urgency to achieve a breakthrough.

Wang Sheng asked a few more questions regarding difficulties in the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra. Chun Yangzi always replied lightly, yet each answer precisely pierced through Wang Sheng's doubts, causing his comprehension to surge again and again.

Before they realized it, they had finished all the wine.

Chun Yangzi smiled at Wang Sheng. "Having a junior like you means my efforts back then were not in vain. However, although your cultivation technique comes from my lineage, you also train in Emperor Ziwei's Daoist heritage and received recognition from his Dao traces.

"From now on, you should regard yourself as his disciple. It would be quite the tale if his Daoist heritage could flourish in your hands, allowing you to restore the glory of the Sovereign of Ten Thousand Stars[1]."

Wang Sheng didn't know what to say.

Did I really just get expelled from the sect?

Soon, he solemnly replied, "As you command, Forefather. Though the emperor will now be my master, you will always be my forefather. I see no conflict in that."

Chun Yangzi stroked his beard and chuckled softly. The more he looked at the young True Immortal, the more pleasing he found him.

"If not for my difficult circumstances and the pressing matters at hand, I would have truly wanted to keep you by my side and temper you for tens of thousands of years."

Yaoyun asked, "Pressing matters?"

Chun Yangzi's gaze grew somewhat complex. He shook his head slightly. "The entanglements are too great for me to tell you about it. Perhaps the day I uncover the answer will also be the day my life ends and my soul disperses. Anyway, what are your plans for the future, Thirteenth?"

"Me?" Yaoyun looked at Wang Sheng, then smiled faintly. "The sword follows its master. Wherever he goes, I go."

Chun Yangzi's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Good, good. Husband sings, wife... Well then, Fei Yu, what plans do you have for the future?"

Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. "I don't have any great ambition, so I'm not sure either. Honestly, all I wish for is the strength to guard the great Buddha statue properly, allowing our cultivators to emerge sooner."

"With such a mindset, the road ahead of you may be rather difficult," Chun Yangzi said seriously. "You still have to go out more and see the world. Set a small goal first, like reaching the Golden Immortal Realm, then pursue Taiyi and seek Grand Dao. These steps are still necessary for you to take."

Wang Sheng didn't know how to respond. If he shouted such slogans too many times, he feared that he'd become restless.

"Let's end today's gathering here!"

Chun Yangzi brushed his sleeve. The half jug of celestial wine had already vanished. The forefather looked at Wang Sheng, thought for a moment, then took out a thumb ring from his sleeve.

"I can't just accept your hospitality for free. Accept this small meeting gift."

"Thank you, Forefather."

Wang Sheng did not stand on ceremony. He took the ring and held it in his palm, but he didn't check what treasure it hid within.

Chun Yangzi smiled and nodded. He then telepathically said, "

You have an exceptional temperament. I know the Plant Goddess well enough to say that she would never place her trust in the wrong person. In the future, I hope you take good care of Thirteenth.

"

She can be quite lofty, and she never stops thinking about the Heavenly Court. With her noble background, she is bound to be a bit stubborn at times. Still, please be patient with her.

"Anyway, are you facing any difficulties? Given your aptitude and fortune, I don't have to worry about your cultivation. If you encounter any troublesome enemies, I can go and erase them, then deliberately reveal my whereabouts in other sky regions.

"

Wang Sheng felt quite moved, yet he gently shook his head.

Chun Yangzi was in a perilous situation. Moreover, there was no need for him to take risks. Wang Sheng had to destroy the Celestial Wind Sect with his own hands.

Of course, if Chun Yangzi had no concerns and could take matters into his own hands, Wang Sheng would certainly ask him to erase the enemy. However, the forefather had concerns, and Wang Sheng was strong enough to fight. Moreover, there was no reason to rush.

"Good."

Chun Yangzi sighed softly, gazed at Yaoyun, then gradually disappeared.

A poem echoed in Wang Sheng's and Mu Wanxuan's hearts.

"

I was once a carefree wanderer of the mortal world, once an immortal beyond the Nine Heavens.

"

Now I drift among stars and dust, ten thousand ages passing in a snap of the fingers.

"

It's hard to be an immortal.

"

It's hard to be an immortal.

"

When one stands high, one yearns for the ethereal, yet turning back, one sees mountains beyond mountains."

When they came back to their senses, the white-robed elder was already gone.

Layers of comprehension arose again in Wang Sheng's heart.

Before leaving, Chun Yangzi had used a trace of Pure Yang Dao Rhythm to enlighten Wang Sheng, causing his Daoist realm to rapidly rise and even surpass much of his cultivation realm.

Yaoyun stood up and stared blankly for a while. She didn't know where to seek the old acquaintance again.

The incense burner on the square table had vanished at some point. Chun Yangzi's profound, transcendent Dao had quietly dispersed as well, making Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan feel as though it had all been a dream.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Only the wine cup remained, with a faint trace of lingering aura.

1. One of Ziwei's titles. ☜