Chapter 644: The Eastern Sky Region Trembles

To describe the Great Dao simply as the laws of the universe was not entirely accurate. It was better understood that the patterns and truths that shaped existence were only the external expression of the Great Dao.

Daoist teachings emphasized following what was natural, and cultivators began by comprehending those patterns. They then cultivated step by step, grew closer to the Great Dao, uncovered the innate potential within themselves, and drew power from it so their realm could evolve. In the end, they would climb toward the summit of the Great Dao, take hold of it, and achieve the Grand Dao.

The Great Dao was constantly changing and had never appeared before living beings in a clear form. Hence, inherited cultivation techniques rarely described their corresponding Dao directly. They simply guided a cultivator to the threshold of that Dao and led them forward.

Wang Sheng's Pure Yang cultivation technique and Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent worked the same way. Both guided him toward mastering the Dao of Pure Yang and the Dao of the Stars.

Moreover, all Dao were equal. Every Great Dao in itself was an important and indispensable part of the universe.

However, every cultivator placed different values on each Dao based on the Dao's "characteristics" and the cultivator's strength relative to those at the same cultivation realm. Some were regarded as profound, others as ordinary. There were those held in high esteem, and those looked down upon.

Certain Great Dao were especially valued. Powerful figures of the Primal Era and Ancient Era had studied the Dao of Heaven and Earth. Others pursued the Dao of Karma, which permeated all existence; the Dao of Eternity, tied to the realm of immortality; and the Dao of Yin and Yang, which revealed the fundamental nature of all things.

Right now, the Dao that stirred the Eastern Sky Region was the Dao of Life.

The existence of living beings had always been the Great Dao's most basic expression. Its counterpart was the Dao of Death. Together, life and death formed the foundation of all living beings.

After Mu Wanxuan activated the restriction that Qinghua had left, the ninth ring released endless green light. The Dao of Life trembled, and living beings across the Eastern Sky Region felt it to different degrees.

The intensity of the vibration varied from one cultivator to another. The more "in tune" a cultivator was with the Dao of Life, the stronger the attraction they felt. This, too, was a matter of personal destiny.

Some cultivators who saw the green light had an image appear in their minds, showing them the location of Qinghua's Daoist heritage. Despite the vast distance, they glimpsed the immortal palace hidden within the sky-reaching divine tree and felt an urgent desire to go there.

Meanwhile, others saw the same light and felt nothing more than casual curiosity.

***

In a pavilion at Xinghai City.

Shi Qianzhang watched the streak of green light pass through the endless space, downed his wine, and remarked, "Where did that light come from? Looks pretty nice."

He felt rather pleased with the line.

"Looks pretty nice?" The round-faced Daoist beside him also looked up. "I thought I saw something inside that light just now. Maybe a spherical array?"

Liu Yunzhi frowned. "There was definitely something. Aside from seeing the grand array, I also heard bells and drums. It made me want to go take a look for a moment."

Huai Jing had already closed his eyes in thought.

Shi Qianzhang's mouth twitched. "What the hell is going on? Why did I feel nothing? Is that light playing favorites?"

Gao Shixing smiled faintly. "I sensed nothing either."

Zhang Zikuang remained sprawled on the table, snoring.

The green light lasted only a dozen seconds before fading completely. No trace remained. Still, that short moment had been enough. Great powers, masters of divine abilities, and most Heavenly Immortals and True Immortals who were not in seclusion had felt it. The higher the cultivation, the closer their connection to one's Dao, and the clearer the tremor had been for them.

Huai Jing suddenly opened his eyes and slapped his bald head. "This is bad!"

"What's wrong?"

"What is bad?"

He stood and began pacing, urgency showing on his face.

Shi Qianzhang grew anxious. "Buddhist Master, just tell us. You are making everyone nervous!"

"

Amitabha!

Great Buddha above! I may have caused trouble!" Huai Jing quickly explained. "That green light was a tremor of the Dao of Life, and it came bearing a message from the northwest of the Eastern Sky Region! It's inviting the cultivators in the region to its source! Considering Emperor Qinghua followed that Dao, his complete Daoist heritage is probably in that location!"

"Eh, strong cultivators can do things like that?" Shi Qianzhang laughed. "Anyway, that sounds like a good thing to me. If this is meant as a fated opportunity, then shouldn't we try our luck? We're talking about the complete Daoist heritage of a Heavenly Minister here. Whoever gets it would soar to the heavens!"

Fei Lianzi glared at him. "It isn't that simple! And stop dreaming about sudden leaps. Even if you obtained that heritage, you would still have to cultivate step by step. Is the Daoist heritage we use to cultivate not good enough?"

Shi Qianzhang raised his chin. "What if they left behind tens of thousands of years of cultivation, or some kind of treasure similar to the fruit of immortality?"

Liu Yunzhi shook his head. "Power earned through one's own cultivation is the most reliable. Hold on, where did Fei Yu and Bu Yu go?"

"That's the issue! They are probably at the source of the light!" Huai Jing rarely lost his composure like this. Now, guilt was evident on his face, and his words tumbled out in a jumble. "This is my fault. It truly is! I had only heard that the divine tree that gave birth to Hua Qing was in Emperor Qinghua's former residence. I never imagined he would arrange something like this.

"How could I have forgotten? The Five Heavenly Declines also afflicted him! If he knew he could not survive, and all his sect members and disciples had perished in the battle that destroyed the Heavenly Court, he would surely find a way to leave behind his Daoist heritage!

"That divine tree is a primordial spiritual root. It has gathered boundless vitality and spiritual power. What better vessel could there be to set a restriction and store the Great Dao of Life? Foolish! I have been truly foolish! I didn't investigate first before letting Fei Yu and Bu Yu go to such a dangerous place. Haven't I just led them to their deaths?!"

Fei Lianzi's eyes widened. He stood up immediately and grabbed a longsword. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go help them now!"

"Senior, please calm down," Liu Yunzhi replied. "We won't be of any help even if we rush over. We will only distract Fei Yu. Buddhist Master Huai Jing, you should take your golden body and support them."

"We do not have a teleportation array here. Even if we set out now, it would take a year or two to reach them." Huai Jing stopped pacing, softly intoned Buddha's name to steady himself, and then began thinking through possible solutions. "The range of that green light clearly covered the entire Eastern Sky Region, which means the news will soon spread across the rest of the endless space. Many experts will come even from the center of the Three Realms.

"Emperor Qinghua's Daoist heritage is the Dao of Life. Countless great powers would covet it! No no no, something's wrong. There seemed to be a warning hidden in the light, stating that Golden Immortals are forbidden from entering. Still, several extremely powerful beings can break the grand array from the outside if they join forces and strike together."

Shi Qianzhang said, "Emperor Qinghua probably dared do this because he left arrangements behind. How could outsiders easily shatter his array?"

Gao Shixing stroked his beard. "The problem is that we do not know what situation Fei Yu and Bu Yu are in. Let's try a message talisman first."

Huai Jing took out a message talisman and infused it with Buddhist power, but there was no response at all.

"Dang it." Fei Lianzi pressed a hand to his forehead. "They're probably inside. The signal is completely blocked!"

"Could they simply be too far away?" Liu Yunzhi asked.

Huai Jing shook his head at once. "They're still in the Eastern Sky Region. Experts of the Heavenly Court crafted this talisman. At such a distance, it will connect... under normal circumstances."

"Don't panic; let's stay calm," Gao Shixing said. "Fei Yu rarely acts rashly. He should have some countermeasures prepared. If that green light was caused by Fei Yu and Fairy Bu Yu made that green light spread, then nothing will change even if we rush over now."

Liu Yunzhi nodded. "That's right. Countless celestial sects will head there, and even major powers like the North-River Sword Sect will surely send people. A chaotic battle is very likely to occur.

"Powerful individuals will get involved in this matter. Among them, there will certainly be former experts of the Heavenly Court. That might be the key to breaking the situation."

"I still have to go and see for myself." Huai Jing sighed. "If only that light could attract Lu Dongbin. If he steps in, Fei Yu and Bu Yu would surely be protected. My cultivation has not recovered even halfway. Even if I forcefully exert my full strength with my golden body, I still won't be a match for those with supreme divine abilities..."

Gao Shixing asked, "Is there any way to contact experts of the Heavenly Court?"

Fei Lianzi replied at once, "Fei Yu took the jade disk with him, and we forgot to make a copy of it. Where are we supposed to find one?"

Liu Yunzhi forced a bitter smile to reassure everyone. "Does Fei Yu not have the protection of the Heavenly Court's fate? Perhaps this is his and Bu Yu's fated opportunity."

Huai Jing sighed once more. "The scale of this event will be immense. I do not know whether Fei Yu's fate can withstand it. Enough talk. I will inform Daoist Master Qinglin, then depart at once for the source of that light. It would be great if this turns out to be a false alarm. If not, then we'll just have to adapt to circumstances!"

Buddhist light shimmered around Huai Jing. He leaped upward, about to break through the array he had set. However, he had barely risen a few meters when he suddenly turned around and dropped back down, rushing toward his own quarters.

Shi Qianzhang blinked in confusion. "What did he go back for?"

"To get his golden body, I think," Liu Yunzhi replied. "I have seen it before. When we were in seclusion, Huai Jing often took it out and cast a small spell on it to make it... play video games with him."

A few among the group fell speechless.

Moments later, Huai Jing rushed back out, intoned Buddha's name at the group, and then leaped into the air in a single bound. He broke through his array, smashed through Xinghai City's defensive array, turned into a streak of golden light, and vanished into the dazzling starry sky.

Almost at the same time, across the Eastern Sky Region and on countless neighboring planets, beams of light wrapped around cultivators as they shot toward the primal qi passage leading to Qiling. Moreover, within less than half a day, teleportation arrays in innumerable immortal sects activated one after another, sending Daoist experts to the northwestern region of the Eastern Sky Region.

The situation had gone far beyond what Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan had anticipated. It had completely slipped out of their control.

By now, Mu Wanxuan had already entered the core of the divine tree and began cultivating. She could have even obtained the Daoist heritage that Qinghua had left behind already.

Nevertheless, all Wang Sheng could do was stand guard. If anyone arrived, he would intercept them. He was prepared to kill any formidable enemy who came, yet he was also well aware that only extraordinary people could reach this place.