Chapter 536 - 459: Huyan 2

If they took all the spots, it would be nearly impossible for anyone else to achieve Divinity Communication.

'Achieve enlightenment through pure strength?'

That path was far too difficult. Even someone as strong as Big Beard had ultimately absorbed a wisp of destiny to finally achieve Divinity Communication.

Big Beard gave Bai Yuan an impassive glance.

He sighed internally.

'Breaking through to Divinity Communication in just two years... It's just too difficult.'

'If Dong Wanjun had a sliver of a chance, then Bai Yuan had virtually none.'

'A Divinity Grandmaster under the age of forty... Unthinkable.'

His coming south was merely to give Bai Yuan and Dong Wanjun a warning. Whether or not they could seize the first opportunity would depend on their own individual destinies.

Big Beard finished speaking and turned his body. "Alright, I've said what I needed to. That Yuan fellow told me not to come south, and I've already broken the rule. It's time for me to head back."

Just as he turned to leave—

Bai Yuan suddenly stopped Big Beard. "Elder Huyan, I've recently perfected a few new dishes. I originally planned to have someone send them your way, but the Demon Sect has blocked the southern trade routes, so they can't get through. Since we're here, why not just stay in the city for a few more days? There's no time like the present."

"Well..."

Big Beard scratched his head in conflict.

Logically, he shouldn't linger in Ling Province. Even if he wasn't afraid of whatever countermeasures Mr. Yuan might have left behind, a barbarian's word is his bond. Since he had made a promise, he couldn't break it.

But the glutton in him was simply insatiable.

Ever since eating Bai's cooking, even the meat from the Northern Plains had lost its savor, much to his prolonged dismay.

Soon, his craving for delicious food won out.

"Damn it all. I wasn't afraid of that Yuan fellow when he was alive, so why the hell should I be afraid of him now that he's dead?"

Big Beard steeled himself.

"There's no one in this world who can tell me what to do!"

"Bai, get cooking!"

Bai Yuan's eyes narrowed into slits.

'It worked.'

'Big Beard is a Divinity Grandmaster. With a Divinity Grandmaster stationed in Ling Province, its safety will be absolutely guaranteed.'

The situation was growing increasingly tense.

His entire family was in Huanglong Prefecture. If some madman were to harm his wife and children, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Although Old Dong was already there on guard, Bai Yuan still felt uneasy.

But with Big Beard around, no one under the heavens would dare to cause trouble in Ling Province.

In terms of raw combat strength, Big Beard was one of the fiercest even among those who had crossed the Divinity Communication Barrier.

He wouldn't fear a move from a Divine Communication Powerhouse, either.

...

Dragon Tiger Sect.

Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei stood side-by-side on a cliff overlooking a verdant landscape. A waterfall cascaded from the mountaintop, roaring as it fell.

Shi Yan stood obediently to one side.

Like the two old Daoists, he also tilted his head back, gazing upward.

Elder Pei stroked his beard, his eyes fixed on a faint golden light flickering in the middle of the waterfall.

"Senior Brother, could it be that the story Master told me is actually true?"

Sect Leader Li narrowed his eyes slightly. "We'll know soon enough."

The Dragon Tiger Sect had existed for ten thousand years, and in that time, it had accumulated countless legends.

Most were buried away in the Library Pavilion.

The more interesting ones, however, were passed down by word of mouth.

At first, the two of them had found it amusing, and they even personally investigated many of the legends.

Without exception, nearly all of them turned out to be false.

Tales of an old Daoist who meditated in the Dragon Tiger Sect's Danxia Cave for a hundred years and ascended to immortality on the spot, or a Golden Core in the Demon Suppression Hall that could grant eternal life...

All false. Every last one of them.

Many truths had also been lost to the vast expanse of time.

Like the Qilin Demon in the forbidden grounds of the back mountain, for instance.

If not for Bai Yuan, Elder Pei might have gone his entire life without ever witnessing the Divine Power of the "Sumeru mustard seed."

Sect Leader Li glanced at his junior brother, who was starting to look more and more like an old monk. "Junior Brother, let me ask you... do you absolutely have to cultivate this Buddhist Technique?"

Ever since that kid Bai had visited the Dragon Tiger Sect, Elder Pei, a dignified Grand Celestial Master of the Daoist Sect, had been spending his days studying Buddhist Scriptures.

He had to expend considerable effort to keep the matter quiet.

Otherwise, if those bald bastards from Xuankong Temple found out, the Dragon Tiger Sect wouldn't be able to show its face for a hundred years.

Elder Pei looked unconcerned. "Senior Brother, your thinking is too narrow. All the myriad paths under heaven lead to the same goal. The Buddhist Dao is still a Dao."

"..."

Sect Leader Li shot his junior brother a look.

His expression clearly said, 'Go on, keep making things up. I'm listening.'

Elder Pei didn't bother to explain further.

Initially, he had practiced the Buddhist Technique purely to pursue the state of "Sumeru mustard seed" that Bai Yuan had described, hoping it would allow him to enter the Immortal Realm.

But as he continued to practice, he discovered it was actually having an effect.

Since he began cultivating the Buddhist Technique, he found that cross-referencing it with his own Taoist Technique revealed and patched up flaws he'd never noticed before.

The more Elder Pei practiced, the more invigorated he became.

He had even secretly stockpiled a good number of books from the Confucian Family, just waiting for the day he could visit Bailu Academy and have a proper discussion with those two old masters there.

As the two old Celestial Masters were speaking—

The golden light in the middle of the waterfall suddenly dimmed.

A golden light flared in the eyes of both Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei.

They had sensed a life force from behind the waterfall.

"Could it be..."

Before Sect Leader Li could finish, a young figure slowly emerged from behind the cascade.

Seeing the man appear, Shi Yan's pupils contracted.

"A person?!"

He couldn't believe it. The waterfall where he meditated every day had a person hidden behind it!

Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei exchanged a look, each seeing the gravity in the other's eyes.

But what happened next shocked Shi Yan even more.

Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei both took a deep breath, then bowed deeply. "Disciples of the 378th generation, Li Sansheng and Pei Cai, pay our respects to the Ancestral Master."

Ancestral Master?!

Shi Yan's shock was absolute.

The young man before them looked to be about his own age, yet Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei were calling him "Ancestral Master."

The young man smiled faintly. "There is no need for such ceremony. My generation did not have such rules."

Hearing this, Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei slowly straightened up.

"Legend has it that long, long ago, the first Celestial Master of our Dragon Tiger Sect took on a brilliant disciple named Ji Feng. He was exceptionally talented and held lofty ambitions, hoping to achieve what the Celestial Master could not and step into the supreme realm."

"Unfortunately, the destiny of the world had not yet settled, and he could see no path forward."

"Thus, he asked the Celestial Master to seal him away, to await a future age when destiny shifted, so that he might reach the Grand Celestial Master Realm."

The Grand Celestial Master Realm of the Daoist Sect is equivalent to the Martial Saint Pass.

All this time, Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei had assumed it was merely a legend.

They never, ever imagined it was actually true!

This young man was the disciple of the very first Grand Celestial Master. By all rights, even calling him "Ancestral Master" was technically promoting themselves a generation.

A quick mental calculation...

Eleven thousand years!

The thought of that number made even Sect Leader Li and Elder Pei's scalps tingle with dread.

The gap between those at the Divinity Communication level could also be immense.

The two of them knew they were incapable of performing such a feat—a seal that could last ten thousand years.

Legend held that the first Ancestral Master was close to the Grand Celestial Master Realm. Perhaps only a figure of that caliber could perform such a heaven-defying feat.

"It seems Elder Demon Yuan shattering destiny is what allowed the Ancestral Master to emerge."

Elder Pei speculated.

Sect Leader Li nodded in agreement.

He thought so as well.

At this, Ji Feng looked intrigued.

"Shattering destiny?"

Elder Pei then recounted Mr. Yuan's past deeds.

After listening, Ji Feng sighed.

"To think that such a person existed in a later age. My only regret is not breaking my seal sooner; otherwise, I would have had to meet this Mr. Yuan."

Elder Pei's expression grew odd.

'Setting aside the issue of causality for a moment... It was Mr. Yuan shattering destiny that allowed Ji Feng to awaken.'

'And taking a huge step back, even if Ji Feng had met Mr. Yuan, the most likely outcome would have been them drawing swords on each other.'

'Some people are best left as legends.'

'At least, Elder Pei thought Mr. Yuan was a tenacious, cold-blooded, treacherous bastard.'

'If Mr. Yuan were to come back to life, he'd still cut him down without a second thought.'

Understanding the sequence of events, Ji Feng narrowed his eyes.

"No wonder I felt a stirring in my heart."

If he had broken free of his seal, then perhaps it was time for others to break free of theirs as well.

Ji Feng's mood brightened considerably at the thought of seeing some of his old friends again in this new era.

When old friends meet, it's only natural to exchange a few sword strikes.