Chapter 226: All Mortals Can Mend the Heavens

“Why has it come to this? How did matters become so serious?”

Li Shun furrowed his brows, finding it difficult to understand.

Zhao Cheng let out a long sigh, his expression filled with helplessness.

“The contention among the Hundred Schools has always been treacherous and unpredictable. Our Confucian School has occupied the pinnacle of the imperial court for a long time. The other schools have long envied and resented us, but they simply lacked an excuse to act.”

“Now, at this grand gathering of the Hundred Schools, our Confucian School has suffered such a grave blunder. How could the other schools possibly miss such an opportunity to kick us while we are down?”

“Fortunately, we have you…”

Zhao Cheng repeated those words softly, yet the worry churning in the depths of his eyes remained difficult to suppress.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Shun finally could not hold back his question.

“What exactly happened to He Wanbai and Xu Tingshen?”

“They were chosen as representatives for the grand gathering, so their attainments in Confucianism must have been extraordinary. How did they end up in such a state...?”

Zhao Cheng shook his head gloomily.

“There is still no definite conclusion regarding what exactly happened to them within the Primordial Wilderness Illusionary Realm. But there is one thing that can be established beyond doubt.”

“Among the participants of this grand gathering, someone must have discovered the existence of the Outer Gods beforehand. That was what attracted the Outer Gods to descend and manifest in such numbers.”

“That person must be among those five.”

“It is simply infuriating. They have all now become fanatical believers of the Outer Gods. Their minds are clouded, and there is no longer any possibility of communicating with them.”

“Enough about that. During your time in the Primordial Wilderness Illusionary Realm, did you encounter any opportunities or good fortune?”

Zhao Cheng abruptly changed the subject, his eyes burning as he looked toward Li Shun, filled with expectation.

Li Shun nodded slightly.

“When this disciple first entered the illusionary realm, I descended upon the Land of Wuqi. I then traveled westward and was fortunate enough to see the legendary Buzhou Divine Mountain.”

“Moreover, atop Buzhou Mountain, I had the honor of encountering the Metal God, Ru Shou, from mythology.”

With that, Li Shun slowly recounted everything he had experienced during the first half of his journey through the illusory realm. However, he concealed without a trace everything concerning how he passed the trial and entered the Buzhou Heavenly Gate.

“It is a pity that the Metal God Ru Shou was simply too powerful. Even after exhausting all my strength, this disciple was still unable to defeat him.”

Li Shun revealed a look of shame and sighed self-deprecatingly.

Upon hearing that Li Shun had actually climbed to the summit of Buzhou Mountain, Zhao Cheng's eyes suddenly erupted with brilliant light.

But when he heard that Li Shun had failed to pass the divine trial, he immediately clenched his fists in regret and let out a long sigh.

In the next moment, however, Zhao Cheng quickly composed himself and comforted him gently.

“You are only at the upper-tier Spirit Resonance realm. Trying to overcome a trial established by a deity would indeed be asking too much of you.”

“The fact that you were able to return safely and unharmed is already more than enough for us.”

This was only human nature.

If not for the disaster caused by the Outer Gods and the tragedy that had befallen the other two fellow disciples, Zhao Cheng would certainly have found it difficult to accept Li Shun missing such a rare opportunity for enlightenment.

But now, Li Shun had become the only remaining face and spark of hope for the Confucian School at the grand gathering.

He had safeguarded the legitimacy of Confucian doctrine.

Whether he had successfully attained enlightenment was secondary.

At this moment, however, Li Shun spoke again.

“Although I failed to overcome the trial and witness the so-called Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, this disciple did not gain nothing from his battle with the Metal God Ru Shou.”

With that, Li Shun slowly began to recount the countless thoughts and myriad insights that had accumulated within him after spending an eternity within the ruins of the Heavenly Court.

These insights were not fabricated nonsense.

They were genuine truths of the Great Dao, enhanced by the power of the Ancient Net.

For a moment, it seemed as though heavenly flowers were raining down within the room, while wondrous words flowed like pearls.

Various profound truths circulated through the air, already touching the very edge of the Great Dao.

The more Zhao Cheng listened, the more astonished he became.

The light in his eyes grew increasingly brilliant until, unable to restrain himself, he suddenly slapped his thigh.

“Good! Excellent!”

“To possess such thorough and penetrating enlightenment, its value is absolutely no less than an opportunity for direct Dao enlightenment!”

“Forget whether you can attain Creation in the future. With these insights alone, you are already virtually certain to break through your shackles and advance into the Celestial Phenomena realm someday!”

“The Tongtian Divine Mountain truly lives up to its reputation! Even without passing its trial, merely engaging in a battle with a deity has actually granted you such tremendous fortune.”

Zhao Cheng continued praising him, clearly attributing all of Li Shun's astonishing insights to that ancient and boundless Buzhou Divine Mountain.

“Martial Uncle, I just heard Senior Fu and Senior Jiang mention that this Primordial Wilderness Illusionary Realm is one of the few methods Great Qian possesses to come into contact with the complete Great Dao.”

“Could it be that the Great Dao of the world we currently inhabit is itself incomplete?”

Li Shun once again sought his guidance.

Zhao Cheng pondered for a moment but did not deny it.

“The territory of Great Qian is, in truth, merely one of the countless fragments left behind after the Primordial Wilderness shattered.”

“Although it has evolved independently into an entire world over the course of immeasurable ages, when it comes to the profundity and grandeur of the Great Dao, it ultimately cannot compare with the Primordial Wilderness of ancient times.”

“When you first entered the Primordial Wilderness Illusionary Realm, did you notice anything unusual? Especially when compared with the world of reality?”

Zhao Cheng turned the question back on him.

Li Shun carefully recalled the matter.

After all, from his perspective, it had already happened a very long time ago.

After a long while, he finally said thoughtfully,

“With my cultivation at the upper-tier Spirit Resonance realm, all my divine abilities and techniques seemed capable of displaying considerably greater power within the Primordial Wilderness Illusionary Realm.”

“Exactly!”

“Only the ancestral land of the Primordial Wilderness contains the flawless Great Dao. Naturally, someone at the same cultivation level can unleash strength within it that is incomparable to what they can display here.”

“By logical deduction, if the Primordial Wilderness were reforged, the strength of all cultivators like us would suddenly increase by a considerable degree.”

“Unfortunately…”

He let out a long sigh.

“The Primordial Wilderness has long since shattered beyond repair. Its return is destined to be impossible.”

“If we wish to break through into higher realms, we can only exhaust every possible means to seek out the remnants of the ancient Dao that have been scattered throughout the passage of time.”

“The Primordial Wilderness Illusionary Realm is one such path.”

“Furthermore…”

Zhao Cheng's voice paused, and a trace of hesitation appeared across his face.

Perhaps because Li Shun's performance at this grand gathering of the Hundred Schools had completely overturned his previous impression of him, Li Shun now held a vastly different position in Zhao Cheng's heart.

After weighing the matter repeatedly, Zhao Cheng finally lowered his voice and revealed a secret.

“Entering other fragments of the world, assimilating them and incorporating them into Great Qian's territory, can also achieve the same effect through a different path.”

“We were born within Heaven and Earth, and the Twelvefold Longevity Methods we cultivate further cause us to intertwine with the Dao and celestial energies of this world.”

“If we can cultivate the Great Dao that Great Qian itself lacks, it will likewise benefit Heaven and Earth.”

“As we grow stronger, Great Qian's Heaven will simultaneously gain traces of the Great Dao that it was missing.”

Zhao Cheng's expression suddenly became incomparably solemn.

He spoke each word slowly and distinctly.

“Such a feat is no different from the legendary act of refining divine stones to mend the heavens.”

“Therefore, all of us cultivators hope to glimpse the incomplete Great Dao of Great Qian's Heaven and use it to mend the heavens.”

“But unfortunately…”

Zhao Cheng let out a deep sigh.

“The worlds formed from fragments outside Great Qian are all incomparably dangerous. The slightest carelessness can result in death on the spot.”

“Moreover, after being separated for countless years, their flow of time may even differ from that of Great Qian.”

“One month in Great Qian may correspond to a hundred years spent on an expedition beyond its borders.”

Hearing this, Li Shun suddenly recalled the changes in Zhao Cheng's aura that he had sensed when they met previously.

His heart stirred, and he could not help asking,

“Could it be, Martial Uncle...”