The Great Sage felt a deep sense of regret. Losing even one person—especially an important supporting character with so much screen time—meant they had lost a portion of the payment that might have bought a wealth of valuable knowledge.
That was truth! The ultimate truth that the myriad worlds sought but could never obtain!
Watching the truth that was practically in his grasp fly away right before his eyes made the Great Sage's face twist in sheer agony.
“Sigh.”
The Great Sage sighed once more, shook his head in frustration, and clapped his hands before turning his gaze toward the other Dao Lords.
“Everyone, the logic behind these questions and answers is now clear, and the path forward lies right before us. Therefore, I propose that I organize the questions, and then distribute them among you all to ask. What do you think?”
The Great Sage's proposal was met with absolute silence; not a single person replied.
It seemed that no matter how high their cultivation realm or what race they belonged to, no one had any patience for a riddle-monger like the Great Sage, who was accustomed to hiding in the shadows, pulling strings, and stirring up trouble.
But the Great Sage did not care in the slightest. Compared to the truth, the opinions of others were not even worth mentioning.
For the sake of truth and higher realms of existence, the lives of countless beings across the myriad worlds were nothing more than lab rats sacrificed in an experiment.
Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, the Great Sage did not get angry. Instead, he quickly found a way to break the deadlock.
He turned to look at Chen Xu and said,
“Of course, if you all are unwilling to trust me, we can also have His Excellency Chen Xu organize the questions. I have no objections and support this with both hands.”
With that, the Great Sage actually raised both hands and looked at Chen Xu with a smile.
In the Great Sage's eyes, Chen Xu was a fellow traveler—someone who understood the truths of the world and pursued them just as he did.
Because the two of them shared a similar way of thinking, he believed that even if there had been some friction between them before, everything could be set aside in the face of truth.
However, reality was bound to disappoint the Great Sage.
Chen Xu was not the kind of person the Great Sage imagined him to be. He was merely an ordinary cheater who had relied on his outstanding talents to walk this path step by step to where he was today.
To Chen Xu, truth was not some unreachable goal; it was easily within his grasp.
Sprinting all the way to the Unique Rank, Chen Xu had never known what a bottleneck or a barrier even felt like.
The only reason he had waded into this muddy water was because he had been pushed too far.
Otherwise, he would currently be cozily snuggled up in his Undead Dao Court, comprehending Dao principles while browsing the Undead Network.
When he felt like moving around, he would ride Kunpeng to travel the myriad worlds, living a leisurely and carefree life.
Thus, seeing the Great Sage's self-righteous expression only made Chen Xu feel a wave of disgust, bringing back unpleasant memories of his corporate job in his past life.
I worked hard just so I could get off work early and play video games, yet my unscrupulous boss thought I was passionate about the hustle and was a loyal corporate dog.
Pah, disgusting.
“I don't have anything I want to ask. This payment was earned by everyone themselves, and I have no right to make decisions on your behalf. You should all ask whatever you wish.”
“His Excellency Chen Xu, you...”
Without waiting for the Great Sage to finish, Chen Xu turned to Li Taiji and continued,
“Fellow Daoist Li, the previous test using you should be on my tab. If there is anything you wish to ask, I will ask it on your behalf.”
“Oh, alright.”
Li Taiji's eyes darted around. After thinking for a moment, he actually came up with something.
“Fellow Daoist Chen, could you help me ask if there is any way to remove the corruption from my disciples? Uh, preferably at a relatively low cost, like not having to turn into the undead or elements.”
Chen Xu nodded and repeated Li Taiji's request.
In the next instant, Chen Xu felt an invisible hand take something away from him.
Then, the grand voice echoed once more.
“I have three methods. The superior method is the most stable: find a Saint of Existence to take action and strip away the Dao principles, and they will be safe and sound.”
“The mediocre method is stable: find a Unique Dao Lord of the corresponding Dao principles to extract them. However, this method risks leaving behind hidden traps, so it requires a trustworthy person.”
“The inferior method is extreme, like dancing on a knife's edge: find two additional Dao principles to inject into the body, creating a three-way opposition that balances mutual generation and restriction. Though the Dao principles are not removed, they will be sealed.”
Hearing these three methods, Li Taiji opened his mouth to say something but found himself at a loss for words.
These three methods were essentially useless to him.
The Existence Rank went without saying. If Li Taiji could actually get in touch with such an existence, he wouldn't have needed to ask here in the first place.
As for the mediocre method, finding the corresponding Dao principles... where was he supposed to find them? In the armor lying on the ground behind them? There was no Rat Talisman here. Besides, even Chen Xu couldn't catalyze it, let alone utilize other abilities.
As for the inferior method, sigh, it was better to keep them frozen. A bad life was still better than a good death.
Seeing the deep worry written all over Li Taiji's face, Chen Xu offered some comfort.
“Fellow Daoist Li, there's no need to be anxious. Since controlling the Dao principles can cure your disciples, there is still hope.”
“Fellow Daoist Chen, that may be true, but sigh, where in the myriad worlds can we find another Dao Lord who entered the Unique Rank through corruption?”
“Haha, Fellow Daoist Li, if you aren't in a hurry and trust me, I can give it a try.”
“Fellow Daoist Chen, you must be joking...”
The final word caught in Li Taiji's throat, and he stopped himself.
When he thought about it, he realized that what Chen Xu said actually seemed somewhat possible.
Given Fellow Daoist Chen's age and comprehension, gaining insights into the Dao principles of corruption might not actually be an issue for him.
With that, Li Taiji immediately cupped his fists, preparing to bow deeply.
Chen Xu stopped him at once.
“Fellow Daoist Li, wait until I actually cure your disciples. I won't stop you from bowing then, but that is for the future, not now.”
“Very well! I will personally warm the wine for you at the Universe Daoist Academy.”
With Chen Xu setting the example, the Hunyuan Dao Lord also voiced his own question.
“Great Venerable, magnificent Saint, I wish to ask: how does one ascend from the Unique Rank to the Existence Rank?”
However, the Hunyuan Dao Lord's question received no reply.
It appeared that the payment on the Hunyuan Dao Lord was not sufficient to exchange for this knowledge.
The Hunyuan Dao Lord shook his head and switched to another question.
“Great Venerable, magnificent Saint, I wish to ask: how can I continue to improve my cultivation?”
This time, there was a response.
“Comprehend the Dao to condense it; gather the Dao to refine it.”
The response was very brief, only eight characters in length, but the Hunyuan Dao Lord repeated it constantly, committing it to memory.
The other Dao Lords also asked the questions they wanted answered. The Tianta Dao Lord inquired about the future path of his Tianta Dao artifact.
Huangtian and Qingming asked if there was a combined attack method for the Existence Rank, but only received a single word in response: “Yes.”
The Taihao Dao Lord's question was the same as the Hunyuan Dao Lord's, and he received the exact same answer.
On the yokai side, most asked about bloodlines, but the Black Tortoise alone asked about the difference between humans and yokai.
“All living beings in the world are no different.”
Soon, only Chen Xu and the Great Sage remained to ask their questions.
Chen Xu was in no hurry to ask, but the Great Sage could no longer contain himself. He immediately stepped forward and asked in a trembling voice,
“O Great Saint of Existence, how can I obtain the truth and ascend to Existence?”
The Great Sage was full of confidence, but the grand voice did not respond.
In an instant, the Great Sage froze in place.
Chen Xu seized the opportunity to chime in.
“Oh ho.”
At this, the Great Sage could no longer keep his composure. He whipped his head around and glared fiercely at Chen Xu.
“O Great Saint of Existence, can you tell me what the difference is between the Unique Rank and the Existence Rank?”
Since he couldn't get a direct answer, he would reverse-engineer it from the results. As long as he knew the differences, the Great Sage was confident he could deduce the rest himself!
This time, the Saint of Existence answered.
“The Unique Rank controls Dao principles; the Existence Rank governs Dao principles. A Dao Lord draws the threads into lines; a Saint spins the threads into garments.”
Rate on N.U.
