Chapter 932: Asking the Toad and Seeking the Way from Humans

Dan Fenglai's hands and feet were icy cold, and a beast-like roar escaped his throat. Ancestral God King, the Ancestral Heavenly Venerate among the Ten Heavenly Venerates, had many disciples, and Dan Fenglai was responsible for teaching his younger fellow disciples.

Dan Fenglai had bestowed upon them the kindness of a teacher, and they, in turn, held him in immense respect—a bond difficult for ordinary people to comprehend. Seeing so many of his fellow disciples from Ancestral King Palace perish, his heart ached as if pierced by a knife. Yet, he steeled himself, suppressing the roar and swallowing it back down.

Ancestral God King's gaze fell upon him. "Heavenly Venerate Mu committed many evil deeds, taking advantage of my absence from the palace to kill over two hundred of my disciples. My disciple Fenglai witnessed this with his own eyes. Is that right, Fenglai?"

Dan Fenglai bowed, his voice numb. "That is correct. Your disciple witnessed it firsthand."

Ancestral God King nodded in satisfaction. He stepped down from the Abyssal Platform and patted Dan Fenglai's shoulder. "Reforming the Dharma is a rebellious act. You may have heard about the Heavenly River Divine Treasure, but your cultivation is already very high. I trust you understand the advantages and disadvantages and will not act rashly."

Dan Fenglai affirmed, his voice wooden. "Your disciple understands. Reforming the Dharma goes against the ancestral laws and is a rebellious act. Your disciple detests such shameless behavior and wishes to eradicate it swiftly."

Ancestral God King walked past him, leisurely saying, "That scoundrel Heavenly Venerate Mu, after harming Divine Emperor Lang Xuan, now comes to harm me. Who will be the next Heavenly Venerate he intends to harm? When this young man arrived at the Celestial Heavens, many thought he was doomed to die, yet he has become increasingly active... Fenglai, ensure these fellow disciples and their families are properly settled and handsomely rewarded."

"Your disciple obeys."

Dan Fenglai raised his head and watched Ancestral God King depart, silently thinking, "My fellow disciples died because of Heavenly Venerate Mu. If he had not spread his teachings, Master would not have killed them! Heavenly Venerate Mu, I bear a profound and irreconcilable hatred for you!"

He dared not resent Ancestral God King, so this hatred could only be transferred to Qin Mu.

"Heavenly Venerate Mu, Heavenly Venerate Hong is in seclusion. My Hong Heavenly Palace has been sealed and does not receive outside guests."

Yun Chuxiu led Qin Mu and his group to Hong Heavenly Palace. The deity guarding the palace gate apologetically said, "Regarding Heavenly Venerate Mu's visit, my humble self will inform Heavenly Venerate Hong once he emerges from seclusion, and Heavenly Venerate Hong will surely return the visit. Heavenly Venerate Mu, please return."

Qin Mu and his companions had no choice but to leave.

Yun Chuxiu then led them to Heavenly Venerate Xiao's residence, where they received the same reply.

They arrived at Heavenly Venerate Fire's Heavenly Palace. The deity guarding the palace gate said, "There's an anomaly in the Primordial Realm. Heavenly Venerate Fire has taken his disciples to travel the Primordial Realm to investigate the cause. We don't know when he will return."

At Heavenly Venerate Xiao's place, a divine being said, "Heavenly Venerate Xiao and Heavenly Venerate Fire have gone traveling in the Primordial Realm with their disciples. They are not in the palace. Heavenly Venerate Mu, please return."

Yun Chuxiu sighed, puzzled. "Have all the Heavenly Venerates run off?"

Yun Jianli's eyes flickered, and he chuckled. "How about we go see Heavenly Venerate Yan and Heavenly Venerate Qiang?"

Yun Chuxiu glanced at him, smiling sweetly. "Brother, have you forgotten? Those two Heavenly Venerates are Celestial Consorts and reside in the imperial harem. How could we possibly see them? How about we visit Heavenly Venerate Hao? Surely, Heavenly Venerate Hao wouldn't be out too, would he?"

Yun Jianli smiled without speaking, thinking, "Which Heavenly Venerate is she, after all? Among the Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Celestial Heavens, besides Heavenly Venerate Qiang and Heavenly Venerate Yan, there are also Heavenly Venerate Gong and Heavenly Venerate Xu, who are women. But these two Heavenly Venerates also avoided us. I wonder who Yun Chuxiu's true identity is. Is it possible that the Empress sisters have transformed into men?"

Qin Mu said, "Let's not see Heavenly Venerate Hao. There's some unpleasantness between us; we don't get along, and he would only kick me out. I heard that Dao Ancestor has returned to the Celestial Heavens, so let's go to the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect and pay a visit to that old Daoist."

Yun Chuxiu usually delighted in chaos, but when Qin Mu mentioned visiting the Dao Ancestor, she seemed less enthusiastic.

Qin Mu's original purpose was to meet the Dao Ancestor, but he hadn't expected so many things to happen, turning Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's palace and Ancestral King Palace upside down, and causing other Heavenly Venerates to avoid him.

However, his visit to the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect to see the Dao Ancestor would now not seem so abrupt.

Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect.

The Dao Sect did not seem to expect Qin Mu to visit. The old Daoist guarding the mountain gate and the divine beast guarding the entrance stared blankly as Qin Mu and his group approached. Only when they reached the gate did they snap back to reality and rush back into the Dao Sect to report.

A short while later, an old Daoist, leading many Dao Sect disciples, came forward to greet them, apologizing, "Heavenly Venerate, you have come from afar, and we failed to greet you. Please forgive us."

Qin Mu scrutinized the old Daoist. He was not the Dao Ancestor he had met during the Dragon Han era, but judging by his voice, he was likely the old Daoist who had entered the Storage Pavilion with Heavenly Venerate Fire.

"Heavenly Venerate, this is the Dao Master of the Dao Sect," Yun Jianli reminded him.

"Is the Dao Ancestor here?" Qin Mu asked.

The Celestial Heavens' Dao Master hurriedly replied, "The Dao Ancestor returned to the Dao Sect a few days ago and is currently in seclusion. Perhaps Heavenly Venerate could visit another day?"

Qin Mu smiled. "No matter. I can wait for him to emerge from seclusion."

The Celestial Heavens' Dao Master, left with no choice, invited him into the mountain.

The Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect occupied a vast area, far more luxurious than the Eternal Peace Dao Sect. It was a Heavenly Palace called Jade Purity Heavenly Palace.

The Dao Sect governed by Dao Master Lin Xuan, despite the entire Kunlun Realm being its territory, only occupied one mountain peak with a few scattered Daoist temples, receiving little incense.

However, the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect was an epitome of luxury, with magnificent palaces and halls, thousands of towers and pavilions. The Daoists here did not wear simple robes; their attire was lavish, and they lacked the austere appearance of Daoists. They even had servants and attendants to cater to their every need.

In truth, those who entered the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect were not true Daoists. True Daoists cultivated the Dao and had few worldly desires. The disciples in the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect merely came to learn Daoist cultivation methods and arithmetic, treating it as a place to acquire Daoist arts and divine powers.

As for the core teachings of the Dao Sect, they cared not at all.

They were not genuine Daoists but rather the descendants of Celestial Heaven dignitaries sent here to gain prestige.

In contrast, the Eternal Peace Dao Sect still preserved the core teachings established by the Dao Ancestor when he founded the sect, and both the former old Dao Master and the current Dao Master Lin Xuan had upheld them admirably.

Of course, there were also some Daoists in the Celestial Heavens' Dao Sect who wore Daoist robes and possessed an immortal aura, but their numbers were exceedingly small.

As Qin Mu walked, he felt a surge of emotions.

Just as there were true and false monks, there were true and false Daoists. If one merely wore the outer garb without inner cultivation, it was nothing more than a deception.

"The true inheritance of the Dao Sect is not within the Celestial Heavens," Qin Mu thought, observing the young men and women in their lavish attire. "No wonder the Dao Ancestor doesn't often return to the Dao Sect."

Just then, a Daoist rushed over and whispered a few words to the Celestial Heavens' Dao Master.

The Celestial Heavens' Dao Master nodded slightly and smiled. "Heavenly Venerate, gentlemen, the Dao Ancestor has emerged from seclusion. Hearing of Heavenly Venerate's visit, he has asked me to invite you over. Please follow me."

Qin Mu's heart rejoiced. He followed the Dao Master forward, with the others trailing behind.

Yun Chuxiu chuckled, "Heavenly Venerate Mu visited all the Heavenly Venerates, and none dared to receive him. The Dao Ancestor is quite bold, daring to meet Heavenly Venerate Mu."

The Celestial Heavens' Dao Master quickly replied with a subservient smile, "The Dao Ancestor is merely the Dao Ancestor of my Dao Sect. How could he presume to be on equal footing with Heavenly Venerate Mu? When Heavenly Venerate visits, how could the Dao Ancestor dare not to see him?"

They arrived at the main hall of the Dao Sect. This main hall was located where the Jade Purity Heavenly Palace's High Heaven Hall should be, but it was not built according to the High Heaven Hall's grand design.

Instead, this main hall was unexpectedly humble—a Daoist temple constructed from a thatched hut, roughly six or seven feet square. There were no divine beasts guarding the entrance. Qin Mu saw two toad-like creatures squatting on the stone steps, one on the left, one on the right.

The two toads seemed to possess sentience. Hearing footsteps, they slowly pushed their eyes out of their heads, lazily opened their eyelids, glanced at them, and croaked.

Then the two toads slowly retracted their eyes back into their heads, sealing them tightly and smoothly.

Yan'er leaped from Qin Mu's shoulder and tapped one of the toads on the head with her beak.

The toad slowly pushed its eyes out again and drawled, "What is it?"

"It can talk!"

Yan'er jumped back two steps, startled, and said cautiously, "Are you monsters?"

The toad rolled its eyes, displeased. "Can't you talk too?"

"I'm different. I'm a demigod. You're a toad!"

Yan'er hopped forward, smiling. "If you were an ordinary toad, you wouldn't be able to talk, unless you became a demon."

The toad said, "I am the Dao, not a toad. Of course, I can talk."

Yan'er was astonished. Dragon Qilin's large head leaned closer, curious. "You are the Dao? Who told you that?"

"The old Daoist said so," the toad replied with a serious expression. "He said the Dao is a toad. He wanted to seek the Dao and had something to ask of us, so he brought us here to spruce up his entrance. You don't understand. Be gone."

Yan'er and Dragon Qilin exchanged wide-eyed stares.

Qin Mu followed the Celestial Heavens' Dao Master into the small, dilapidated temple. The Celestial Heavens' Dao Master turned and apologetically said to Yun Jianli, Qi Jiuyi, and the others, "Sirs, the Dao Ancestor wishes to see only Heavenly Venerate Mu. Please remain here."

Yun Jianli and Qi Jiuyi quickly said, "Of course. Dao Master, please proceed."

They knew that while the Celestial Heavens' Dao Master appeared to be a subservient old Daoist with no strong opinions, his true strength was unfathomable, second only to the Dao Ancestor in the Dao Sect.

Only Yun Chuxiu was somewhat displeased. She also wanted to go in and listen to what the Dao Ancestor and Qin Mu would discuss, but the Celestial Heavens' Dao Master stood smiling at the door, clearly intending to let no one but Qin Mu enter.

"What is this scruffy, secretive, sneaking Daoist up to?" Yun Chuxiu snorted.

Qin Mu stepped into the thatched hut and saw a disheveled old Daoist sitting under a dim lamp. Seeing him, the old Daoist rose and smiled. "Heavenly Venerate Mu, long time no see."

Qin Mu smiled. "Long time no see."

The old Daoist removed his wooden hairpin, adjusted the lamp wick, and said with a smile, "With so many ears around, Heavenly Venerate, let us speak inside the lamp."

The green lamp suddenly burst into a brilliant flame, its light dazzling. When the light returned to normal, the old Daoist and Qin Mu had vanished without a trace!

When Qin Mu's vision returned, he found himself in a realm within the lamp wick. The entrance to this realm appeared to be a flame-shaped light, a towering flame thousands of feet high, truly astonishing.

The Dao Ancestor stood beside him, leisurely saying, "When the Eternal Peace calamity erupted, and the Eternal Peace reforms were interrupted, Heavenly Venerate Mu ventured alone into the Celestial Heavens. Upon hearing this news, this old Daoist rushed back, intending to help, to repay the favor of your past guidance. Unexpectedly, Heavenly Venerate Mu's methods were exceptional; he effortlessly resolved his own crisis. However, Heavenly Venerate's way of handling matters is rather harmful to harmony. Heavenly Venerate, you have disrupted the Celestial Heavens. Do you know how many people, how many gods and devils, will die because of your actions?"

Qin Mu sneered, "Benevolent Dao Ancestor, do you know how many people died in the Eternal Peace calamity? Less than one in ten survived! Billions of lives turned to dust! Did Dao Ancestor ever sympathize with them?"

The Dao Ancestor sighed. "When the Eternal Peace calamity erupted, I was helpless."

Qin Mu said, "The Dao Sect advocates non-action, but in the current world, non-action leads to death! You cannot save all living beings, yet you would blame me because some Heavenly Venerate disciples died when I disrupted the Celestial Heavens?"

"I wouldn't dare."

The Dao Ancestor said, "It's just that all plants and trees have lives..."

"Ignorant! Hypocritical!"

Qin Mu shook his head. "Dao Ancestor, how many people died because you helped the Celestial Heavens research ancient god grand Dao divine powers? You are also guilty for the deaths of so many people in the Eternal Peace calamity. Are these lives less valuable than the plants and trees you speak of? I merely caused trouble in Divine Emperor Lang Xuan's palace and Ancestral King Palace, and you come to question me. Who will question you? You say the Dao is a toad, but toads don't understand the Dao; humans do! Humans not only understand but also create the Dao."

"Dao Ancestor, you are asking the blind for directions! To obtain the Dao, you shouldn't learn or seek the Dao from others; you should create your own Dao! One who can create the Dao is the Dao!"

He shouted, "Seeking the Dao from the Dao is inferior to seeking the Dao from people!"

A resounding realization struck the Dao Ancestor's mind. He said solemnly, "This Daoist once received guidance from Heavenly Venerate Mu, and today I have received guidance again. I am enlightened."

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