Chapter 716: Baize Entrusts the Youngling to...

Chu Liang followed Baize to Guardian Peak. Along the way, Baize observed the surrounding scenery and seemed to be moved by the sights.

As soon as they landed on Guardian Peak, a beam of white light shot toward them, accompanied by a cheerful cry, "

Hreeooorrh!!

"

Though it had been a long time since the Baize youngling last saw its mother, it immediately recognized her aura.

Baize's expression softened into a gentle smile. She stroked the Baize youngling's head and whispered a few words to it. Then she patted its back, sending it off to resume playing.

The Baize youngling turned toward Chu Liang and greeted him with its eyes before happily bounding away.

In the distance, the Baize youngling's two friends were waiting for it. Liu Xiaoyu'er stood with a flying disc in hand beside the Golden-Furred Hou.

When the Baize youngling approached, Liu Xiaoyu'er flung the flying disc into the air, and it spun off in another direction. The Baize youngling and the Golden-Furred Hou went pouncing after it, howling and roaring as they competed to catch it.

They looked just like a pair of large energetic dogs.

Seeing that, Chu Liang became a little nervous. He hurriedly cleared his throat. "

Ahem, ahem.

Xiaoyu, why don't you take them somewhere else to play?"

Liu Xiaoyu'er paused and then replied, "But it's almost mealtime, isn't it? Doesn't the Golden-Furred Hou come here every day to mooch off Little Baize's food?"

"

Uh…

" Chu Liang uttered, blinking anxiously. Then he said, "Have you finished your tasks for today? You can't play before you're done… You should get back to work."

"Red Cotton Peak is a mess right now. They told me to go." Liu Xiaoyu'er grinned. "It wasn't just me. They said Little Baize and the Golden-Furred Hou don't have to pull the flower carriage for now."

"

Haha…

" Chu Liang laughed sheepishly as he glanced at Baize. "The Golden-Furred Hou… sure, but when did we ever have Little Baize pull a flower carriage at Red Cotton Peak…"

"Every day, of course," Liu Xiaoyu'er replied earnestly. "Wasn't it something you arranged before you left? We've never slacked off!"

Chu Liang hurriedly waved her off. "Oh, just go play already!"

This kid really doesn't know how to read the situation at all.

When he turned back to Baize, she still wore a bright smile, radiating divine brilliance like a benevolent Bodhisattva statue in a temple.

Chu Liang felt quite uneasy. "Esteemed Senior Baize… Please, let me explain. This isn't—"

"I understand." Baize nodded slightly. "I can see how much my child adores you, and I know of the story between you two. My child was all alone… Meeting you has brought my child much joy."

Chu Liang recalled what had happened earlier when she landed on Red Cotton Peak. She had looked at Wang Xuanling, and his eyes lit up with silver light.

He thought,

Could it be that this noble celestial beast is capable of reading people's thoughts and memories at will? That's kind of terrifying.

"I cannot," Baize said.

Oh, that's a relief…

Chu Liang finally exhaled, feeling at ease.

Then he furrowed his brows, realizing something there had to be more to it than that.

Gazing at Baize, he uttered puzzledly, "

Huh?

"

"The innate mystical ability of a Baize is to comprehend the changes in the yin and yang and discern the chains of cause and effect in the world," Baize explained with a smile. "It is fundamentally different from probing someone's mind."

Hearing that, Chu Liang finally understood the difference.

For example, when Baize saw diabolical cultivators attacking Mount Shu, she discerned the cause and effect by observing those who were aware of the event. From there, she pieced together the whole story. Similarly, when Baize saw Chu Liang hesitate, she could understand the reason behind his hesitation.

However, if there was no effect, she could not trace the cause. It was indeed different from soul-probing skills that read memories directly.

Chu Liang smiled and praised Baize, "Esteemed Senior, your divine abilities are truly admirable."

He further concealed his fear of Baize, afraid she might sense it. That fear stemmed primarily from what Caiyi had told him.

Could it really be that Baize released the Demon God?

Nevertheless, Chu Liang did not dare to ask such a question, as it might easily expose the fact that he was harboring the Heaven-Devouring Bug. What if Baize truly intended to bring back the Demon God? She might even take action against Chu Liang.

With that complicated train of thought in his mind, Chu Liang worked hard to maintain a composed expression.

"I found out earlier that you slayed Taowu with one sword strike to protect Guardian Peak. You did a great service to me. I must thank you for that," Baize said softly. "It is unfortunate I couldn't continue my slumber until the Great Dao provided an opportunity for ascension."

Her "slumber" naturally referred to the dormant state she had entered because she was on the brink of ascending.

After the news spread that Baize had been sleeping inside Guardian Peak, Chu Liang did some research into that.

When the world's only Hallowed One, a ninth-realm cultivator, fell, the Great Dao of the Heavens and the Earth would provide an opportunity for there to be a new Hallowed One by making the one spot in the Profound Realm vacant.

All cultivators at the pinnacle of the eighth-realm would then have a chance to ascend to the ninth realm. It was just a matter of who would successfully fuse with the Great Dao first and stand at the top of the world. And the best method to achieve that was to enter a dormant state and seek enlightenment.

Before the opportunity arose, those eighth-realm cultivators would repeatedly attempt to fuse with the Great Dao. Then on the day when the opportunity suddenly arose, the eighth-realm Eminent One that ascended first would become the new Hallowed One.

Those eighth-realm Eminent Ones on the brink of ascension were like a group of people waiting outside a door to grab tickets. They would all try incessantly to open the door, vying to be the lucky one to enter first. If someone was slow or careless, they might miss their chance, even if their cultivation power was stronger than that of the others.

In terms of comprehending the Great Dao, humans always had an advantage over demonic beasts, as it was easier for them to enter an enlightened state. Thus, demonic beasts on the brink of ascending to the ninth realm typically choose to enter a long period of dormancy to seek enlightenment, whereas human cultivators at the same level rarely opted for the same approach.

Meanwhile, there were some people that believed eliminating their competition meant their success would be ensured. For example, Lu Chengchou had gone to Mount Shu to disturb Baize's slumber. The higher-ups of the Mount Shu Sect later speculated that it might have been orchestrated by someone else on the brink of ascending to the ninth realm.

"It's a pity that the members of the diabolical sect disrupted your slumber, Esteemed Senior."

"No." Baize shook her head. "I didn't wake up because of the diabolical sect's raid. In truth, if there had been a genuine opportunity for me to become a Hallowed One, I would never have prioritized the Mount Shu Sect. I would not have abandoned that chance for Mount Shu."

Chu Liang thought that made sense. If any Mount Shu disciple were given a choice between saving the sect and a chance to reach the ninth realm, they would undoubtedly choose the latter. It wasn't a surprise that Baize would do the same.

"I woke up because, for the time being, there simply won't be an opportunity for anyone to ascend to the ninth realm," Baize said. She fell silent for a moment before adding, "I just learned that the Demon God is not dead."

Her expression conveyed her disappointment.

Chu Liang, on the other hand, forced himself to remain calm; he was getting a bit nervous.

Did this guardian celestial beast ask me to stay behind because she already figured out the connection between the Demon God and the Heaven-Devouring Bug?

Baize continued, "My life force is running out. I may no longer have the chance to see that day."

At the mention of her approaching end, even this incredibly powerful being that stood at the top of the world looked quite sad and lonely.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Hearing Baize sigh deeply, Chu Liang wanted to offer her some solace, but he did not know what to say.

"Esteemed Senior…"

"The day of my passing is no more than two centuries away, maybe three at most. It's time that I make arrangements for what comes after."

This time, Chu Liang fell silent.

Uh, sure.

You're nearing the end of your lifespan, while I'm still in my prime. But if you put in a little effort, you may even outlive me.

What's the point of me comforting you? It's hard to say who will be arranging whose funeral affairs by the end.

Of course, Chu Liang understood where Baize was coming from. For a celestial beast that had lived for tens of thousands of years, two or three centuries would indeed go past in a flash. So, it was understandable that Baize felt that her life force was running out.

"Sometime later, I may enter the Divine Ruins to seek one final opportunity to ascend, even if there's only a sliver of hope that I will succeed," Baize said, gazing into the distance. "If I fail, I will likely perish there. Before that, I wish to leave the legacy of the Great Dao of Yin and Yang at Mount Shu."

So that's… what she wanted to talk to me about?

Chu Liang could roughly guess her intentions.

Perhaps in a few decades or a century, Baize would venture into the Divine Ruins. Before that, she would ensure that the Great Dao of Yin and Yang would remain with the Mount Shu Sect instead of being passed onto an outsider. However, it was unlikely the Baize youngling would have reached the pinnacle of the seventh realm by then, so that meant it was necessary for a disciple of Mount Shu to inherit that Great Dao.

"The Great Dao of Yin and Yang is one of the Great Dao that's most similar to the essence of the Heavenly Dao. Comprehending it is no easy task, and extraordinary talent is required," Baize said. "If you're okay with it, I hope you can try comprehending this Great Dao. That way, when I'm gone, Mount Shu's Great Dao of Yin and Yang will not be left without a Dao Master before my child grows up. When you reach the end of your lifespan, you can pass it back to my child."

Chu Liang quickly nodded. "I will do my utmost to comprehend it, Esteemed Senior. You've put such great trust in me—I do not dare to disappoint you."

He had advanced to the seventh realm using the Great Dao of Severing the Void. However, that path was traditionally dominated by the Endless Sword Sect, so the competition would be incredibly fierce. That meant he had to explore alternative paths. Why would he possibly refuse now that one was being offered to him?

Furthermore, the Great Dao in question was the Great Dao of Yin and Yang. Chu Liang had just witnessed Baize use it earlier. It had intimidated Lin Poyun, who possessed a legendary artifact. While Lin Poyun had likely been wary that the Mount Shu Sect's other powerful cultivators would return, there was no doubt that Baize's divine skill had frightened Lin Poyun into retreating.

Comprehending the Great Dao of Yin and Yang would undoubtedly be challenging, but that was the only disadvantage of cultivating this Great Dao. On the other hand, the only advantage of cultivating some of the simpler Great Daos was that they were easier to comprehend; all the other aspects were disadvantages.

Baize nodded and pointed her finger at Chu Liang. "All right."

Whoosh.

A thread of divine light shot over to his head, and a seed of the Great Dao appeared in Chu Liang's mind.

It was the Yin-Yang Seed.

This was one of the powers that a Dao Master possessed. It allowed them to plant a seed of their Great Dao in another person's mind. Nevertheless, it was merely a starting point for comprehending the Great Dao. The rest would depend on the person's efforts.

After finishing his conversation with Baize, Chu Liang returned to Red Cotton Peak to check on the situation. A cold wind blew as he walked, sending chills down his spine.

Although he had maintained his composure during that conversation, he had actually felt extremely nervous. He still couldn't fully trust Baize and did not dare to disclose much to her. It was better for him to wait for Venerable Wen Yuan to return and make the final decisions.

Before returning to Mount Shu earlier, Chu Liang had avoided announcing his return in the Circle of Immortal Friends out of fear that people from the Penglai Supreme Sect might discover his whereabouts. As a result, Venerable Wen Yuan and the others were also unaware of his whereabouts.

However, news of the diabolical sect's attack on Red Cotton Peak and Chu Liang's spectacular feat of slaying the Northern Abyss Hall Master had already spread to the immortal sects through the Circle of Immortal Friends. Since Venerable Wen Yuan and his esteemed teacher had tokens as well, they should now be aware of the situation and would likely return to Mount Shu soon.

Chu Liang had assumed that Venerable Wen Yuan would gather allies and make thorough preparations before heading to the Far West. He hadn't expected that Venerable Wen Yuan’s group would charge in alone, with their allies gradually rushing over after. It seemed Chu Liang had underestimated how important he was to Venerable Wen Yuan.

After some thought, Chu Liang took out his token and shared an official announcement.

I'm back.

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: LD