Chapter 954: 共尊

Ancient pine trees, verdant and soaring towards the sky like coiled green dragons, stood within the thousand-year-old Taoist temple. Beneath them, a group of old Taoist priests sat cross-legged on prayer mats, all turning their gaze towards them.

Guo Zhen felt quite nervous. He was facing none other than the masters of the Lingbao School, one of the strongest branches of Taoism. As a lone cultivator, he had never witnessed such a spectacle; to him, they were like terrestrial immortals.

Ye Fan patted his shoulder and said, "It's nothing, just a few stone steps. Go up four of them."

"Just a few stone steps? What arrogance!" A core disciple stood up, a sneer playing on his lips. He truly looked down on these two rogue cultivators, finding such words particularly grating.

As a core disciple, he possessed remarkable cultivation, having reached the Life Spring realm. Many disciples deferred to him, and some stepped forward to agree with him.

Guo Zhen gritted his teeth, took out a bluish-green metal shard that glowed with a soft blue light in his hand, and braced himself to walk forward, intending to ascend the stone steps and attempt the trial.

"Wait, with such meager cultivation, you dare to ascend the Taoist platform of the Sect Master? That's blasphemy. How about this, pass my test first." The core disciple said, changing his mind.

Guo Zhen had only opened his Sea of Suffering, with just a few wisps of essence qi overflowing from his Life Spring; he hadn't truly entered the second minor realm yet. However, being underestimated in such a way was a disgrace, and he had no choice but to accept the challenge.

"I'll test you." The core disciple finished speaking, and a divine chain, emitting brilliant light, shot out from his Wheel Sea, slicing towards Guo Zhen's waist.

Guo Zhen, merely at the perfected Sea of Suffering stage and with no divine abilities yet, could only passively dodge, appearing extremely flustered. Occasionally, he used the blue-gold shard in his hand to resist, emitting a burst of light.

"You're far too weak, truly useless. To think you could ascend the stone steps with such methods; you two really don't know your place." The core disciple shook his head, adopting the demeanor of someone lecturing a junior.

Guo Zhen's face flushed then paled. He was in a difficult position; although he held the blue-gold shard, continuing this way would only lead to defeat and regret. He wanted to stop but saw no way out without further humiliation, making the insult unbearable.

Ye Fan stood up, and a stream of essence energy flowed from beneath the ground towards Guo Zhen. Instantly, Guo Zhen's pores dilated, filling him with divine radiance. The blue-gold shard in his hand blazed with light, and with a clang, it swept away the divine chain.

With a whoosh, Guo Zhen stepped forward. He waved the blue-gold shard, and a wave of aquamarine light flew out. In an instant, the core disciple was sent flying backward, landing on the ground and struggling for a few moments before losing consciousness.

"How is this possible!" "Senior Brother Nine lost? He's a cultivator in the Life Spring realm; how could he be defeated by someone who just opened their Sea of Suffering?" The group stared in disbelief, dumbfounded by the sight. The core disciple had been defeated, cleanly and decisively, with almost no suspense, and had fallen unconscious.

An old Taoist priest stepped forward, felt the core disciple's pulse, and said, "He hasn't been harmed."

This outcome was hard to accept, especially for the four acquaintances who had previously ridiculed Guo Zhen. They were dumbfounded, their hearts pounding; it was simply unbelievable.

"What kind of treasure was that?" Someone speculated it was the power of the blue-gold shard.

Guo Zhen involuntarily approached the stone steps, moving forward one step at a time. Everyone was astonished, never imagining he would dare to ascend the "Heavenly Ladder." Even after defeating a core disciple, he surely didn't possess such strength.

"Isn't that too arrogant? A mere cultivator of the Wheel Sea realm dares to ascend that Taoist platform? Unthinkable!" "These two really don't know their place. Do they truly believe they can compare themselves to the ancient Sect Masters?" Many whispered among themselves, simply refusing to believe that a lone cultivator could ascend it; it was unrealistic.

However, Guo Zhen's next actions left them dumbfounded. He took six continuous steps, each one causing a tremor, ascending six tiers in a row and astonishing many of the older generation.

"What's going on?" Everyone was stunned and utterly confused, nearly dropping their jaws. Those who had been preparing to mock him immediately fell silent, swallowing hard, and wishing they could rub their eyes. It was utterly unbelievable.

"He's just a rogue cultivator who opened his Sea of Suffering. How could he possibly ascend six stone steps?"

The core disciple who had just regained consciousness happened to witness this scene and nearly fainted again, half from anger and half from shock. How utterly humiliating for him.

Guo Zhen seemed to be sleepwalking; his legs moved uncontrollably, and he stepped back down. He himself was inexplicably dizzy and disoriented, feeling somewhat unsteady on his feet once he reached the ground.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan had long since risen and was wandering through the temple grounds, releasing his powerful divine sense to scan every inch of the land, searching for the traces of Tao left by ancient sages. He didn't want to miss anything in such a precious place.

"How did you do that? Who are you, venerable master?" An old Taoist priest stared at Guo Zhen. The group of young people exchanged glances, all equally astonished, no longer daring to show the slightest hint of disdain. They all fixated on Guo Zhen, wanting to understand what had just happened.

However, Guo Zhen himself was utterly bewildered, standing there blankly, unsure how to explain. He stared at the faintly glowing blue metal shard in his hand, then looked down at his own feet.

"Hey, what's going on with you? When did you go up? How did you get onto the Taoist platform?" A group of young people exclaimed in surprise, having not noticed Ye Fan ascending the Venerable Master's preaching platform and standing there.

Ye Fan had been moving about this celestial platform, searching every corner. He had thoroughly explored the entire temple but found nothing significant, ultimately discovering that only the Taoist platform had traces of Taoist fluctuations, which led him to ascend it.

"You ascended from the back steps?" More than a dozen old Taoists shot to their feet, utterly shocked. On the other side, there were also stone steps, all made of green jade, also thirty-three tiers high, but far more difficult to ascend, as it was a path to heaven prepared for Dao Slayers. "Where are such great cultivators now?" Seeing this, these old Taoist priests were dumbfounded; they simply couldn't believe it.

Ye Fan paid them no mind. Standing on the Taoist platform, he extended his powerful divine sense to carefully perceive his surroundings. In a trance, he saw ancient scripture characters imprinted in the void.

"Right, this is where their successive Venerable Masters preached; these are the Taoist ripples from years past, imprinted within the platform." After a long time, Ye Fan nodded, muttering to himself as he understood the situation. In a sense, this platform was a precious treasure.

"He ascended from... the thirty-three jade steps? That represents the celestial position of becoming an immortal, passing through thirty-three heavens. Even ancient great cultivators might not have been able to achieve that!" Once the young people understood the situation, they felt chills run down their spines. This was truly terrifying; what profound cultivation must one possess to accomplish such a feat?

Everyone looked utterly stunned. Who exactly was this rogue cultivator before them? How could he accomplish all of this without changing his expression, as if simply taking a leisurely stroll?

Ye Fan descended the stone steps on his side, taking thirty-three steps in total to reach the ground. This time, people saw it clearly, all left speechless and dumbfounded.

He paid them no attention, circling the Taoist platform with his eyes closed, listening for voices from a thousand years past, hoping to capture the Nine Secrets scriptures. However, he was disappointed; although many cultivation techniques were imprinted within the platform, this specific secret art was not among them.

"Greetings, Senior!" An old Taoist priest was the first to regain his senses, bowing deeply in respectful homage, his expression a mix of excitement and unease. In this era, encountering a great cultivator was exceedingly rare, and he wondered if it was a blessing or a curse. The other old Taoists quickly stepped forward, bowing together, their hearts filled with trepidation. A great cultivator so young appearing before them was like something out of a fairy tale. His vital energy was undeniably real, without the slightest hint of decay. It was hard to imagine how he achieved this—had he reached a profound state and reverted to youth, or was he truly not very old? Everyone speculated in their minds. Normally, in this age of declining Dharma, achieving such feats at his age was as unrealistic as finding proof of ascending to immortality.

The sight of more than a dozen old Taoists acting this way left the group of young people even more bewildered. They dared not breathe loudly and all bowed deeply in unison. In their eyes, this was a living ancestor.

Guo Zhen was somewhat dazed. How had his fellow rogue cultivator friend, who had traveled with him, suddenly become so unfamiliar, giving off an unapproachable aura? Even the masters of the Lingbao School were awed, making him feel as if he were in a dream.

Meanwhile, the four young men who had known him earlier turned pale, their bodies trembling. They had mocked him several times, and now they felt they had brought immense disaster upon themselves. At the same time, they were filled with profound regret. Back at Mount Tai, Ye Fan had initially wanted to travel with them, but they had disdained him and left him to Guo Zhen, thereby missing a great opportunity, a true stroke of good fortune. The four regretted and resented themselves, but it was too late for anything now. They could only tremble nervously, awaiting their unknown fate, terrified that Ye Fan would bring down calamity and strike them all dead.

Naturally, their worries were excessive. How could Ye Fan bother with them? Having left the Taoist platform and fully regained his composure, he saw their state and said, "All of you... stand up."

"Whoosh." Just then, the little squirrel, Xiaosong, who had been hidden in Ye Fan's spatial artifact, saw the atmosphere had relaxed. It playfully leaped out and climbed an ancient pine tree in the courtyard, searching for pine nuts.

"A purple squirrel!" "A small squirrel, shimmering with purple light and crystal clear all over, is... that person's pet, the great cultivator!" Everyone was stunned; both the older generation and the young people were equally shocked. They immediately recalled a recent rumor: the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow clan had four branches, and not long ago, one person nearly wiped out an entire branch. Recently, various sects in the Central Plains had been discussing it, causing a great stir. It was said that an immortal old demon had emerged from the main lineage of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow clan and was specifically investigating this matter. A nimble purple squirrel and a mysterious young man—all matched the characteristics of that great cultivator. These people felt a wave of dizziness; indeed, a truly significant figure had arrived here.

They once again performed a grand bow of respect, which made Ye Fan feel somewhat uncomfortable. These old Taoist priests were far older than him, and when he had traversed the Big Dipper, he had never received such treatment.

He told them all to rise and then instructed Guo Zhen to continue their friendship as before, with no need for apprehension, as he was not some ancient relic who had lived for an eternity. Hearing this, everyone immediately understood. He was clearly a modern person, not a great cultivator who had survived from ancient times, which made his achievements even more astounding.

Guo Zhen gradually relaxed, while the four acquaintances sighed inwardly. They deeply understood that sometimes opportunity was just a turn away, and they had simply missed it.

More than a dozen old Taoists unanimously stepped forward, requesting Ye Fan to preach, resolve their doubts, and impart some cultivation methods. Ye Fan was repeatedly addressed as "Senior," especially by those who were two or three hundred years old, making him feel quite awkward.

Therefore, he ascended the Taoist platform and began to preach diligently. Drawing on his recent observations, he carved the traces of Tao he had just perceived into the void. Scriptures filled the air, every character shimmering with divine radiance.

"Is this the fifth volume of the 'Spiritual Treasure Scarlet Book Jade Art Marvelous Scripture'? How is it clearer and more complete than what's recorded in our sect's secret ground?" The people of the Lingbao School were astonished, a tumultuous wave rising in their hearts, unable to calm down.

Ye Fan frankly stated that these were imprints he found within the Taoist platform, and that they originally belonged to them, left behind by their ancient Venerable Masters during their preachings.

"Senior, please be sure to visit our sect's secret ground and impart the lost cultivation methods." Several Taoists bowed excitedly.

Ye Fan nodded. He indeed had this intention. This place did not contain the Nine Secrets; he had already searched thoroughly. Perhaps they truly existed within the Lingbao secret ground. At the same time, he wished to consult these individuals about the Demon God's bloodline. This time, he was determined to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the real and fake Pang Bo, no matter what!