Chapter 2096: Kong Shi Turns Dark

“Detach from the Library?”

“Precisely. The Way of Heaven is beyond human control. If you don't find a way to separate from it and let it remain within you, you'll eventually become its puppet!” Master Kong said. “It’s like this: you clearly comprehend ‘The Imperfection of Heaven,’ so why are the cultivation techniques you practice flawless? That is obviously the biggest flaw!”

Zhang Xuan froze.

Indeed!

The Way of Heaven was clearly imperfect, with flaws inherent in it, so why were his cultivation techniques flawless?

This was clearly a false premise.

“No... present perfection doesn't imply future perfection, nor perfection in other worlds...”

A thought sparked in his mind.

He had once suffered qi deviation because of this, and the pendant Luo Ruoxi gave him saved his life.

So-called perfection was merely limited to one world. When advancing to higher worlds, the laws differed, and naturally, what was considered a flaw changed.

Therefore... the perfect cultivation techniques he practiced were not truly perfect; they merely aligned better with the Way of Heaven in *this* world.

Without voicing these thoughts, Zhang Xuan asked, “Master Kong, have you... detached the Ordered Way of Heaven from your body?”

“That's right. I've already detached it from my body, just as I gave up my identity as a Celestial-Acknowledged Master back then. You must give something up to gain something; only through sacrifice can you step into a higher realm!”

Master Kong's gaze was serene as he looked at him again. “Well, you should understand how to make your choice now, shouldn't you?”

Zhang Xuan fell silent.

If he hadn't given up his identity as a Celestial-Acknowledged Master then, he wouldn't have been able to successfully break through to Ancient Sage, enter higher realms, or possess his current strength.

Could it be that what the other party said was true?

Only by abandoning the Library could he go further and not be limited by the Way of Heaven?

Zhang Xuan asked, “The Library is connected to my spirit. How can I abandon it?”

It was fused with his soul, which was why his Soul of the Sorcerer could also access the Library to inspect flaws... While the soul could be split, the Library would still remain. How then could it be abandoned?

“I have experienced abandonment, so I know how to do it!”

Master Kong smiled. “It sounds difficult, but it's actually very simple. It requires... a sacrificial ritual!”

“Are you saying... the same method as the Temple's leader?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Yes!” Master Kong nodded. “This method is what I used when I detached from the Ordered Way of Heaven. The people of the Temple must have learned about it, which is why they want to take the Imperfect Way of Heaven from you...”

“If the Way of Heaven has such major loopholes and flaws, why would he try to snatch mine?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Master Kong had just said that carrying the Way of Heaven would eventually cause one to lose oneself and become a part of it, and they were already in a hurry to detach from it. So why would the Temple's leader go to such lengths to obtain it?

“What one cannot obtain always seems desirable. Furthermore... everyone's pursuits are different! You and I pursue the true Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, entering the God Realm to become a sovereign. The other party merely wishes to be the master of the Temple. Different perspectives lead to different aspirations.”

Master Kong explained.

“That's true!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

One's breadth of vision determines one's future achievements.

A broader vision leads to greater accomplishments, while a narrow one will ultimately limit oneself, preventing one from going further.

“Detaching it requires an altar, but now the altar is in the Temple's hands... I'm afraid it might be difficult to accomplish!”

After expressing his thoughts, Zhang Xuan frowned.

Since it was the same method as the Temple leader used, it would require the Starchaser Palace's altar and Palace Master Du Qingyuan to perform the sacrifice.

Both of these were currently controlled by the Temple, so detaching it would likely be impossible in the short term.

“You don't need to worry about that. Look at this...”

With a soft chuckle, Master Kong shook his hand.

Immediately, an altar appeared in the hall, quietly suspended in the air.

“You brought... the altar?”

Zhang Xuan was filled with disbelief.

Not only did the other party block the attacks of eight pseudo-god experts and save him with a single move, but he also managed to take the altar along the way... This level of power was simply terrifying!

“An altar alone isn't enough. Without Palace Master Du's sacrificial ritual, it still can't be done!”

“I specifically studied Palace Master Du's sacrificial method back then, and I can perform it even more smoothly than her!” Master Kong chuckled.

“Alright then, let's begin now!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Mhm!”

Responding with a nod, Master Kong gently waved his hand, and a pile of treasures landed on top of the altar. Through abstruse sacrificial incantations, a ball of flame suddenly erupted, just like in the Temple.

“Go ahead...”

After doing all this, Master Kong said.

Zhang Xuan nodded and flew directly towards the altar. He hadn't flown far when Master Kong's voice rang out: “Don't be hasty. Give me the pendant from your chest...”

“The pendant?”

Zhang Xuan stopped.

“I saw it just now during the Temple's ritual; your pendant is somewhat strange. It's sealing the Library, preventing it from leaving your body. I'll hold onto it for you, and return it once you've detached from the Library!”

Master Kong said.

“Alright then...”

Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan unfastened the pendant and tossed it over.

Taking the pendant, Master Kong's eyes flickered. He smiled faintly, put it into his storage ring, and gestured again, “Please, go ahead!”

Taking a step forward, Zhang Xuan stopped again, a hint of worry showing. “Will I be alright after losing the Library?”

The Library had already fused with him. Although the other party was making grand promises, he was still uneasy.

“Looking at my current state, you should know that nothing will happen!”

Master Kong said, “I lost the Ordered Way of Heaven, and aren't I living perfectly well?”

After a moment's pause, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated. With a gentle sway, he moved above the flames.

“To prevent any accidents, I will fix you in place there. Don't worry, it's just to prevent a backlash from the Way of Heaven...”

Seeing him settle into place, Master Kong breathed a sigh of relief and grasped at the air.

Boom!

A powerful force descended from the sky. Simultaneously, an iron chain, identical to one in the Temple, completely enveloped Zhang Xuan, locking him tightly above the altar, rendering him unable to move.

To his surprise, he was to be locked up. Zhang Xuan frowned.

“It begins!”

With a soft laugh, Master Kong waved his hand forward. Another altar appeared beneath his feet, and a ball of flame erupted, enveloping him.

“No... you're trying to seize my Library for yourself...” Seeing the other party's actions, Zhang Xuan instantly understood. His body tensed, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

“It's too late to realize that now...”

With a cold laugh, Master Kong muttered to himself. The abstruse incantations resonated once more, and the flames on the altar grew increasingly dazzling.

“Why? Didn't you say that the Way of Heaven would affect one's self and eventually turn one into a puppet?”

He struggled a few times, but finding himself completely trapped and unable to escape, Zhang Xuan's eyes nearly burst with fury.

“It will affect oneself, but... without this, how can one achieve greater heights? Do you truly believe that you can become a true god, break through the shackles of the realms, and enter the God Realm, relying solely on personal talent?”

Master Kong gave a cold laugh. “Don't dream about it!”

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

Master Kong sneered, “Humbly hand over the Imperfect Way of Heaven to me. Back then, I left a wisp of my consciousness in Qiuwu Palace, intending to capture and strip you of it. You were very weak then, and it would have been easy, but unfortunately, Luo Ruoxi ruined it...”

“Qiuwu Palace?”

Zhang Xuan was startled as past memories resurfaced in his mind.

In Qiuwu Palace back then, he encountered a wisp of Master Kong's consciousness within a crystal ball, which gave him advice. Before it could finish speaking, it raised its hand... Luo Ruoxi called out to him, causing the other party's consciousness to collapse.

At the time, he felt she had done it intentionally, but out of trust, he didn't question it further.

Now it seemed she had been saving him!

If she hadn't called him awake, it was highly likely he would have been stripped of it by this person right then... After all, with a wisp of consciousness entering the crystal ball, stripping it away would have been quite easy.

If that had been the case, the final outcome would have been obvious.

With his cultivation back then, he might very well have been utterly annihilated, never to recover.

“So, if that's the case... the Ancient Sage Fourth-realm Immortal Envoy who crossed space from Kunxu Realm was your subordinate?”

As he understood this, more memories flooded into Zhang Xuan's mind, and he couldn't help but ask.

In Kunxu Realm, within the folded space of the Hundred Schools of Thought, an Ancient Sage Fourth-realm Immortal Envoy descended from the Firmament. What that person said then was “Sect Master.”

Later, he learned about the Six Grand Sects and had always suspected if it was someone from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion. He later found they had no connection. Then he suspected Starchaser Palace, but that also seemed unrelated. Only now did he realize it was highly likely someone from the Tongshentian Palace!

Because Master Kong came from the Master Teacher Continent, he would certainly know the location of that passage!

This was also why that Immortal Envoy, upon seeing Kong Shiyao, desired to obtain her bloodline.

The latter possessed Master Kong's purest lineage. If the other party obtained it, their talent would undoubtedly become extraordinarily profound, and they would consequently gain the attention of this person before him!

“That's right, I've always had people guarding that passage...”

Master Kong did not deny it.

“Those on the other side of the passage are all your students and descendants. Don't you... care about their lives?”

Zhang Xuan still couldn't believe it.

This person, when he was on the Master Teacher Continent, had not hesitated to use students' corpses to suppress the mercury true qi from the Firmament to prevent massive damage, and he had even made the people of the Hundred Schools of Thought guard the folded space, forbidding them from leaving...

He did this so that humanity could develop better...

Why, after arriving in the Firmament, would he send people down, even going so far as to kill Kong Shiyao?

Dealing with him was understandable; after all, the Imperfect Way of Heaven, when combined with the Ordered Way of Heaven, even if not the complete Way of Heaven, would certainly be very close!

As long as this person before him gathered them both, he would definitely be able to break through to a higher realm, perhaps even directly shattering the shackles of the Firmament and entering the God Realm...

But his own descendants, and the descendants of his many disciples—he disregards them all?

How could the Master Teacher of All Ages, who was compassionate and broad-minded on the Master Teacher Continent, have changed so much upon reaching the Firmament?

He seemed to have completely transformed into someone else.

“You... are not Master Kong!”

Narrowing his eyes, Zhang Xuan said.