Chapter 1832: Seeking the Way

In the vast, boundless darkness, no matter where one stood or how one observed, only thousands of fist-sized stars could be seen drifting in the distant reaches.

And sprawling within this starry sky, bearing these thousands of stars on its back, was an ancient, colossal *yuan*.

"The *yuan* carries the starry sky, named Gan Shi. The Dao originates from within, ceaseless through eternity"—this was the Gan Shi Emperor Realm!

The Gan Shi Emperor Realm was never a single spatial plane; among the thousands of stars on the *yuan*'s back, each presented a different scene.

Some appeared as picturesque landscapes, where cultivators diligently pursued their practice; some were magnificent golden palaces, where a dozen or so elders debated matters; still others were lakes immersed in mist, where old and young alike practiced sword forms and martial arts.

Stars shifted, and different planes occasionally converged, leading to new encounters.

The migration of these planes did not follow the will of the star's master or the ancient *yuan*; rather, it moved according to the evolution of people and things within each star, and the subsequent changes in their destinies and wills.

In one of those thousands of stars, a tragic scene was currently unfolding.

"Ah—"

Jian Ren was still wailing.

The massive influx of memories, like a bursting dam, had no possibility of stopping once it broke.

He had struggled, he had resisted, but all his efforts were futile.

The little boy on the *yuan*'s back had clearly lost the desire to communicate, leaving only torment and retaliation.

"I am helping you," he still said with a smile, yet his methods were devilish.

Whenever the person beneath him weathered a wave of assault, the boy would flick his sleeve again, scattering a sky full of starlight.

"When Rao Yaoyao underwent her mortal world training, she consumed an enormous amount of resources. Her perseverance was quite good; she lasted for half a year."

"Actually, half a year wasn't enough to fully digest the insights of the mortal world, but her aptitude was, after all, mediocre. To be able to accept seventy to eighty percent of it was already extraordinary."

The little boy said, jumping down from the *yuan*'s back.

He leisurely put his hands behind his back, pacing around Xu Xiaoshou's external incarnation, who was hunched over like a shrimp in pain:

"You're different."

"Your foundation in the Way of Intent is solid, and you possess a tenacious will, no less than anyone in this world, allowing you to endure more."

"I estimated about a month!"

He held up a finger, pointing virtually at Xu Xiaoshou's external incarnation, and said with a slight chuckle:

"In a month, you'll gain what Rao Yaoyao did in the past, helping you solidify your mortal world insights. If your comprehension is good enough, you might even grasp some principles of 'reincarnation'."

"You've been to the Wailing Emperor Realm, right?"

His only reply was Jian Ren's crimson-eyed roar.

The little boy, not even reaching Jian Ren's chest, jumped up and flicked his forehead:

"Why are you glaring? This is for your own good!"

"Do you really think the Wailing Emperor Realm is a good place, or that the Ghost Ancestor had good intentions towards you? It's all just for the sake of the Dao."

He walked around, again coming to stand in front of Jian Ren, raising his head to earnestly admonish him:

"I am the good guy!"

"Since you call me Dao Ancestor, I shall bestow some benefits upon you."

"Soon, all parties will awaken, and the God War is upon us. With your meager cultivation, an Ancestral God could just blow a breath, and you'd be disintegrated into who knows where."

"Listen to me, avoid it!"

Jian Ren still had a sliver of consciousness, and he could sense that his connection to his main body was intermittent.

When he heard this, he had already discerned something.

Could this "Dao Ancestor" be trying to transmit the memories of the mortal world's myriad forms, which he was currently enduring, to his main body, allowing him to attain enlightenment—thereby indirectly helping the main body avoid the direct battlefield?

What was the motive?

"Of course, it's because I'm a good person... I told you that your current suffering will surely bring gratitude in the future." The little boy seemed to know what he was thinking, and tutted again: "I don't expect much in return from you. Just don't retaliate against me, don't interfere with me then, and the Dao Ancestor will bless you."

Dao Ancestor?

Aren't you the Dao Ancestor? And you're asking for the Dao Ancestor's blessing?

Jian Ren knew that "A Jie" in front of him wasn't the Dao Ancestor, at most a Half-Ancestor.

So, did this Dao Ancestor truly exist, or was it merely a "hope" for the *yuan* child and Dao Qiongcang's Daoist clan?

After all, if Dao Qiongcang sought to deify the Heavenly Secret, his ultimate goal would likely be the title "Dao Ancestor."

There was already a Heavenly Ancestor; he couldn't be called "Machine Ancestor," could he?

But this contradicted the *yuan* child's Dao, unless the two were essentially the same person...

It was already hard to maintain sanity, and Jian Ren could barely utter a sound, let alone think seriously.

The little boy stared at him for a long time, then suddenly leaned closer and cackled:

"Actually, there's another option."

He seemed to enjoy pointing at people. Amidst Jian Ren's agonizing wails, he rudely pointed at him and said:

"Going back to what I said before, if you show me Xu Xiaoshou's item, I can help you slow down the pace."

"At least, you won't have to suffer as much as you do now."

Jian Ren, while fighting the memory influx in his mind, reconsidered the *yuan* child's actions from beginning to end, including his habitual, guiding gestures, all of which led him toward Dao Qiongcang.

He behaved too much like Dao Qiongcang!

He was practically trapping himself in the Gan Shi Emperor Realm, creating a Heavenly Secret puppet named "Jian Ren right in front of him, and throwing it onto the Saint God Continent to stir up trouble.

Doing so, anyone would suspect he was Dao Qiongcang's Heavenly Secret puppet, or that Dao Qiongcang was merely an incarnation of the *yuan* child's will.

But the more it seemed so, the less credible it was.

Jian Ren largely knew he wouldn't die. He deeply ingrained everything he was experiencing and the conclusions he drew.

He believed he would one day meet his main body again.

The Way of Intent could counter the Way of Memory; although he couldn't withstand the crushing memory infusion at the moment, it wouldn't be easy for the *yuan* child to erase his memories.

When Jian Ren died and his main body gave birth again, or when he was freed from the Gan Shi Emperor Realm and returned to his main body's side,

Everything that happened here would be fully known to his main body.

At that time, there would be no need for him to think; he believed his main body would arrive at an accurate answer.

"But that's a month from now."

The *yuan* child was like a parasite in Jian Ren's stomach, seemingly able to truly read his thoughts, actually responding to his unspoken words.

He shook his head, looking somewhat regretful, and asked again:

"How about it? My suggestion."

Jian Ren made no reply, nor could he, only screaming in agony.

The *yuan* child could only sigh, then leaped back onto the old *yuan*'s back, resting his hands on its shell and gazing up at the stars in the sky:

"Then just stay here obediently for a month."

"After a month, whether you live or die, stay or go, we'll see how I feel."

A chilling wind accompanied him, and sword intent raged.

Ba Zun'an, in a white robe, danced fiercely in the wind at the peak of the desolate mountain. His eyes were serene as he looked north.

North of the Central Yuan Realm lay Gui Zhe Sacred Mountain, home of the Ghost Buddha.

In that seldom-seen place, he could perceive half-saint level ghost spirits quietly vanishing throughout the Ghost Buddha Realm.

Each time a ghost spirit disappeared, wisps of residual consciousness converged into the cinnabar mark on the Ghost Buddha's brow.

That was a familiar aura.

His old opponent, Hua Changdeng.

Several days passed in a flash, and the power of death on the Ghost Buddha became increasingly apparent, its sword intent growing stronger.

The aura belonging to Hua Changdeng overflowed from the cinnabar mark, almost filling the entire body of the Ghost Buddha.

It was just like his own body half a year ago, filled with Hua Changdeng's endless sword qi.

"Half a day."

Ba Zun'an murmured silently, lowering his gaze to look at his hands, one, two, three, four... ten fingers.

Against the light, he curled his eight previous fingers, leaving only the two newly grown thumbs, which he raised to examine carefully.

If an outsider were there, they would witness Ba Zun'an double-thumb-upping the distant Gui Zhe ruins and Ghost Buddha at dusk.

"It's back," Ba Zun'an whispered, his thoughts stirring slightly.

He had been scattering his sword intent here for nearly half a year.

In half a year, he had successively lost his sight, hearing, smell, taste...

Until all five senses and six consciousnesses were lost, and all seven emotions and six desires had vanished, then came the turning point: everything that had been lost was recovered.

Ba Zun'an had returned to being Ba Zun'an.

His body was no longer crisscrossed with sword qi; in its place were newly refined sword tendons and sword bones.

The scar on his neck disappeared, his eight fingers returned to ten, as if he had gone from the self-inflicted decrepitude of thirty years later back to the spirited vigor of thirty years ago overnight.

And the truth was, it was indeed so.

Ba Zun'an no longer had silver threads in his temples, and his murky yellow eyes reverted to pristine black and white, as if he had aged thirty years in reverse.

But the weathered sense of vicissitude had not disappeared.

He stood on the desolate mountain like an ancient rock that had stood since primeval times, remaining immovable through wind and rain, even as moss stained his true form anew.

But no one peeled off the moss from his body.

So he carried the self who had traversed the land for thirty years, silently waiting on this mountain for Hua Changdeng's arrival.

He was all that was left of himself.

The several swords that once followed him were gone, broken, or parted, no longer by his side.

Yet, he was not alone.

Standing on the desolate mountain peak, the surrounding area was desolate only within a hundred-zhang radius, which bore the ceaseless ravages of sword intent.

Looking further out, one could see mulberry and elm trees stretching across the distant mountain ranges, faintly tinged with orange in the setting sun.

The mountains were still there, the water was still there.

This heaven and earth were still there, the Great Dao was still there, inexhaustible, like sword, like me, waiting to knock open the Heavenly Gate.

"Ba Zun'an."

Several figures quickly appeared from the mulberry and elm forest.

Ba Zun'an, following the sound, lowered the hands he had used to "like" the Ghost Buddha, turned, and saw Elder Mei, Elder Yang, and a person he had met twice before...

That unremarkable person, truly had no memorable points.

At this moment, he was carrying Xu Xiaoshou, who was sitting cross-legged with closed eyes, his body rippling with Dao charm, clearly in a state of enlightenment.

"Way of the Mortal World?" Ba Zun'an's eyes widened in surprise, immediately discerning the profound truth.

Li Fugui followed the two elders here, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.

For half a year, he had only seen Master Ba Zun'an twice. Both times, Master Xu was practicing his sword, and he had urgent matters to report.

He had simply done his duty.

Therefore, Li Fugui had never exchanged a single word with this legendary Eighth Sword Immortal, the leader of the Saint Servant.

But Li Fugui had yearned for this person for too long.

Earlier, when working at the Flower and Grass Pavilion, Master Ba Zun'an was already a legend, a great figure whom even the two Pavilion Masters, Hei Bai Ye Zi, constantly thought of.

The massive Flower and Grass Pavilion, dominating Half Moon Bay, with its intelligence network radiating across the entire Southern Domain's criminal territory, was essentially just a tentacle of the Saint Servant, working for Master Ba Zun'an.

Now, directly facing the inquiring gaze of the Saint Servant's leader,

What Li Fugui felt was not just the terrifying pressure of the renowned Eighth Sword Immortal, but a genuine, intense pain, as if he were being sharply cut, like facing an Ancestral God.

Ba Zun'an was like a sword.

A sword standing on a mountain peak, rendering a hundred-zhang radius desolate; those who approached inevitably bled, unable to meet his gaze or contend with him.

But in an instant, that terrifying pressure vanished like smoke.

Ba Zun'an was just Ba Zun'an.

He was so unpretentious that he seemed like a mortal, with not a trace of sword intent around him, not a speck of spiritual energy within him, so frail that Li Fugui felt if he slapped him, the Saint Servant would collapse, and the Eighth Sword Immortal would be decapitated.

What am I thinking... Li Fugui panicked, quickly reining in his thoughts, and reported:

"Master Xu said his fragmented consciousness went up the Heavenly Staircase, visited the five great Holy Emperor families, and encountered an anomaly after entering Gan Shi."

"But it doesn't seem to be a bad thing, but a good thing. He gained insight into the myriad forms of the mortal world, and his Sword Dao has advanced further. He is trying to... merge phases."

Ba Zun'an's gaze shifted from Xu Xiaoshou to him: "Merge phases?"

Li Fugui's heart immediately pounded, his face flushed, his head began to hum, and smoke seemed to rise from his crown.

He was just a small figure; even though he had earlier called himself "Master Li" in front of the Ancestral Tree and others, he still felt inferior, still insignificant.

Even though he had previously been tasked by Master Xu and communicated with Master Ba Zun'an a few times via communication bead, he was not unfamiliar with that voice, yet he still felt terrified and apprehensive.

"Yes, merging phases is, is..."

Li Fugui was furious with himself.

It wasn't as if he hadn't met the Ten Seats, or "Love All Beings"; he had even witnessed their demise with his own eyes.

How could he perform so poorly in front of Master Ba Zun'an?

But after stammering "is" for a long time, he suddenly realized that he hadn't known what Master Xu was comprehending from the beginning. He immediately awkwardly turned his gaze to Elder Mei.

Mei Siren, while calmly choosing a paper fan from his ring, said with an utterly indifferent expression:

"My student says you're quite dull; after cultivating more than ten phases, you only arrived at the common conclusion that all phases are equal."

"He's different; as soon as he encountered the Aspects of All Beings in the Way of the Mortal World, he thought of 'forging the foundation of this world's Dao with the myriad forms of the mortal world, and determining past life's roots with a myriad of reincarnations'."

His words ended there.

Mei Siren forcefully flicked open his paper fan, slowly fanning it with a light touch that felt heavy, swaying, swaying.

Ba Zun'an glanced at it; the fan read:

"Incomparable."

He couldn't help but smile: "Your student is indeed quite remarkable."

"Hahaha." Mei Siren laughed without humor, then proudly strode a few steps, not really going anywhere, just showing off, "See? I'm not worse than You Tu, am I?"

Ba Zun'an no longer paid attention to this proud old peacock and looked back at Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou's state was indeed peculiar; he seemed to be in enlightenment yet also awake, as if not fully immersed. Ba Zun'an said:

"Phases have no inherent superiority or inferiority, but rather equality at the ultimate end."

"Under similar cultivation conditions, the Aspects of All Beings and Aspects of Two Lives have a natural suppressive force over other aspects."

"You have already achieved something in the Renowned Sword Art. Indeed, you can further refine the Way of Merging Phases, but I am also not proficient in this path. Its prospects depend on your own exploration."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly opened his eyes, clearly having been feigning sleep: "I know all that, tell me something useful."

Ba Zun'an had long been accustomed to Xu Xiaoshou's straightforward way of speaking, and with a smile, he said:

"The stones of other hills may serve to polish jade, but they can only be used as reference."

"What I'm thinking is, while the Aspects of All Beings in the Way of the Mortal World can indeed broaden your path of the Aspects of Two Lives and solidify your foundation, using Mountain and Sea Attestation to overcome your Reincarnation Attestation might be a bit difficult."

Li Fugui understood not a single word, listening with wide eyes, feeling like he was gaining much.

His scalp felt itchy; he must be about to comprehend the Innate Sword Intent.

Seeing Master Xu's ardent gaze, he said: "As long as it's the Aspects of All Beings of the Mortal World Sword, without the Mountain and Sea Attestation of the Forgetfulness Sword, and then transforming the myriad forms of the mortal world into myriad reincarnations, enhancing my Reincarnation Attestation, how about that?"

Ba Zun'an nodded: "Feasible."

"How is it feasible, and can it be used to knock open the Profound Gate?" Xu Xiaoshou pressed.

Li Fugui's pupils instantly dilated.

After confirming that Master Xu wasn't joking, but seriously asking this question, his heart pounded again.

What, I'm still just a Great Void, and they're already discussing the third realm of the Emotional Sword Art, the Profound Gate?

Isn't that the path to deification and becoming an Ancestor?

Once this Profound Gate opens, isn't it like becoming the Sword Master reborn?

And if even Master Xu, with such a rough understanding of the Dao, could already reach the Profound Gate, what realm must his previously acknowledged Renowned Sword Art have reached?

If Master Xu was like this, what about Master Ba Zun'an?

No one answered Li Fugui's questions; even the two elders waited for Ba Zun'an's answer, seeing him shake his head:

"Difficult."

Difficult to open the Profound Gate! Li Fugui understood this sentence.

Ba Zun'an said: "You've only experienced one cycle of reincarnation, and only briefly touched upon it during your enlightenment. If you take the path of Myriad Lives Aspect, Reincarnation Attestation, and the Profound Gate, it would be better to properly complete your path of Renowned, Superior Renowned, and Supreme Renowned."

This is the Renowned Sword Art? Li Fugui also understood this.

Master Ba Zun'an's words sounded very reasonable, though he didn't know what Dao or principle it was, but Master Xu disagreed:

"Ba Zun'an, your perspective is too narrow."

"I will walk the path of the Renowned Sword Art, and this path of the Emotional Sword Art—the Sword Master's path—is by no means weak."

"What I want to ask is, after merging phases, then merging the Dao, can it go from two to one, and from one back to zero?"

Two-one-zero? Li Fugui didn't understand this now, but he still wanted to listen.

Master Ba Zun'an paid no attention to Master Xu's sarcasm, but he seemed genuinely stumped by Master Xu's question, and a bewildered look appeared in his gaze fixed on the distance.

Li Fugui once heard Pavilion Master Hei Bai Ye Zi say:

Master Ba Zun'an is the answer; when one is lost, ask him, and he will always give a decisive reply.

He is never ambiguous, nor does he ever have doubts.

This time, face-to-face, after Master Xu's question, Li Fugui actually heard Master Ba Zun'an's uncertain reply:

"You, try it?"