The Mirror Legacy - Chapter 1458: The Method Of Seeking Dao (I)
Chapter 1458: The Method Of Seeking Dao (I)
Fuxuan fell briefly silent, seeming troubled. He lifted his cup, only to realize in his fluster he had not poured any tea. Daoist Master Chehong at his side stepped in to smooth things over. “I do not know where Grand Daoist Master obtained this information, but Penglai has been sealed off for many years with no news. Daoist Master Puyu is nowhere to be found either. Our Chunyi Dao Gate has little contact with Penglai…”
Chi Buzi shook his head. Since he had asked, he clearly had some confidence. He said softly, “As long as Senior Yuanshang[1] still lives, there must be a way.”
Fuxuan finally broke his silence and answered, “I do not know how you came by this information, but rebuilding one’s cultivation is no small matter. Let alone you, even when Senior Yuanwu personally went to Penglai to ask, Daoist Master Puyu still refused to act. It would be best not to place too much hope in it.”
He paused briefly, then looked seriously at the green-eyed man before him and said, “Moreover, attaining a divine ability, registering one’s name with the Underworld’s judiciary, then descending into the Nine Nether to restore life to those who died unnatural deaths comes at a tremendous cost. Without a dedicated Dao lineage, who could accomplish such a thing? The Daos of the [Supreme Shaman] and the [Merging Owl] have yet to return, and souls do not manifest. You know how difficult this is without me needing to say more…”
Chi Buzi smiled and shook his head as he replied, “You are mistaken, Fellow Daoist. Who knows what the future holds? Who can say whether these two Daos will return?”
He raised his brows, a relaxed look appearing on his face, and continued, “When Liang fell and Zhao rose, before the fruition of Yue Cultivating returned to its position, who ever thought much of formation plates? How fast was great void traversal then, and what is it now? Before Upper Azure Metal Transformation and before Golden One[2] attained the Dao, who could have imagined Geng and Dui Metals shifting once, and then shifting again? What about fifty years from now, or a hundred?”
Chi Buzi’s ambition was immense. He was determined to become a True Monarch, erase his name from all records, and let the world cultivate along the path he left behind. Only then would his life be complete. Even as he spoke of Yue Cultivating and Taiyuan[3] attaining the Dao, he restrained the restless, surging ambition within his heart.
Within a hundred years, there would surely be celestial signs of borrowing the mansion and slipping free from the Pristine Spring.
Chi Buzi smiled and said, “I cultivate Pristine Water, not Metal Virtue. I am myself, and Yuanwu is Yuanwu. Just let me meet him. Whether it succeeds or not, whatever I may ask, it will not involve you.”
Fuxuan looked at him deeply, but he could not find it in himself to agree with Chi Buzi’s predictions. He simply shook his head inwardly, Whether those two Daos return is not for anyone to decide. After all these years, has the Underworld’s judiciary never considered restoring them? The time simply has not come, and the right candidates have yet to appear!
Outwardly, however, he nodded and said, “Very well. I will have an answer within three months. If it fails, consider it as my Dao owing you a favor!”
At that, Chi Buzi readily released his grip. Chehong immediately stepped forward and presented the miniature cauldron and the string of ink-black beads. Having been apart from their master for a long time, both treasures shimmered with restless light.
Chi Buzi took back his [Rain-Viewing Precious Cauldron] and [Ink Jade] from Chehong. Meanwhile, Fuxuan picked up the jade box with great excitement, looking almost at a loss.
“Good… good…” Chi Buzi simply smiled as he watched Fuxuan and said, “I will wait nearby… I will come again in three months.”
With that, he flicked his sleeve. His form turned into a streak of light, passed through the formation, and vanished into the great void.
The moment Chi Buzi left, Fuxuan could no longer remain composed. He shot to his feet, clutching the jade box tightly as he headed into the cave dwelling, saying in a low voice, “Guard this place! Get everything clearly!”
Chehong immediately stood guard at the cave entrance, carefully questioning the elder about Chi Buzi’s secret realm. Fuxuan moved swiftly inward, going deeper and deeper until he soon reached the innermost chamber, where he saw a mirror gleaming with silver light.
It was the [Supreme Circuit Spirit Mirror]!
The silver light was reflected across the ground, forming a calm, moon-white illusion. It contained a pale expanse, no more than a dozen steps across, not even as large as the courtyard of a wealthy household. Inside, there was a single table and a chair.
An old man stood by the table, quietly studying the chessboard on the table. Hearing the disturbance, he lifted his silver-white eyes and nodded. “Lingjiao, you’ve come.”
Fuxuan immediately bowed.
The world only knew that Fuxuan possessed exceptional innate ability and had revitalized Chunyi Dao Gate. Very few knew that the one now in charge of Chunyi Dao Gate had not originally borne the surname Xii. After entering the sect, it was Daoist Master Yuanshang who personally bestowed his name, giving him the name Xii Lingjiao.
Only before this old man did Fuxuan need no concealment. Joy lit his face as he hurriedly placed the jade box on the table and said with a bow, “Congratulations, Master!”
Daoist Master Yuanshang’s expression slowly turned solemn. With a light flick of his finger, he opened the jade box, revealing the noble and mysterious spirit item within. He froze at once.
The old man’s eyes reddened, his voice hoarse as he said, “A Profound Supreme Yin spirit item!”
“Born from the waters of moonlight, grown in lands of Supreme Yin, a branch that wards off calamity, the [Profound Supreme Yin White Laurel Branch]! How did you obtain it?”
Fuxuan’s eyes filled with tears as he nodded quietly. He watched as the old man seemed to lose his strength bit by bit and sink back into his seat. His voice choked, “It has been found. Chi Buzi was the one who obtained it!”
Daoist Master Yuanshang lowered his gaze and let out a faint sigh. He muttered, “What does it matter that it’s been found? How many years have already passed… This body of mine… aside from barely clinging to life beneath the [Supreme Circuit Spirit Mirror], what use is it?”
He slowly raised his hand and rested it lightly on the box. His expression deepened, and with a slight movement of his finger, the lid closed. The scattered white blossoms and golden laurel branch vanished from sight. Gradually, his emotions settled, returning to their former calm.
Fuxuan said softly, urging him, “Master… please, at least try!”
Daoist Master Yuanshang silently shook his head and said, “This [Profound Radiant Illumination] spans sixteen steps from end to end, and not a single step may be taken beyond it. I have lingered here for fifty-six years. I no longer have any desire to strive to become a True Monarch. This item can only be left to you.”
Fuxuan frowned, but Yuanshang solemnly continued, “The ancestor once left an edict. He said that with the Supreme Yin sealed and spirit items cut off, he left us the [Profound Method of Seeking the Supreme Yin], to pursue the True Monarch. Back then, the ancestor used the [White Filament of Harmonized Radiance], but it failed. In truth, there are still two remaining…”
Fuxuan was startled and blurted out, “What?!”
He knew of the [Profound Method of Seeking the Supreme Yin].
The Supreme Yin was a supreme and exalted Fruition Attainment. Ever since it ceased to manifest in the world, attaining it had become almost impossible. Now, hardly anyone pursued it. Yet the confidence of Chunyi Dao Gate lay precisely in this secret technique of the Supreme Yang Dao lineage, the [Profound Method of Seeking the Supreme Yin].
This art was an extremely profound secret technique. To secure a sliver of survival from the Surplus Position, it used spirit items of exceedingly high inherent rank, connected to that Surplus Position, to reinforce the practitioner in their attempt to break through to True Monarch, resonating with the technique itself in hopes of achieving a better outcome…
The founding ancestor of Chunyi Dao Gate, [Jiequn], once encountered such an opportunity and obtained a strand of [White Filament of Harmonized Radiance], which he used in his breakthrough attempt.
Thus Fuxuan was naturally stunned to hear of more strands remaining, confusion rising thick within him.
“Then why, Master?!”
1. The most powerful Daoist Master among the four Daoist Masters in Chunyi Dao Gate. Appeared once in Chapter 1381. ☜
2. This is referring to the True Monarch of the Golden Feather Sect, Zhang Yuanyu. The full title of this True Monarch is Golden One Taiyuan Upper Azure True Monarch. ☜
3. Referring to the same True Monarch as mentioned before. ☜
