In the world of Journey to the West, Meng Qi’s figure emerged, and his perspective ascended to the level of his innate spiritual light. He saw overlapping voids everywhere, with no distance between any two points, only the illusory river of time flowing silently, ceaselessly.
In this state, he directly “saw” the remnants of the fallen Celestial Court, the destruction and disappearance of the Nine Heavens, and the traces of the scattered Twenty-Four Heavens. With a leap, he soared above them, as if about to break free from the river of time and enter the true Primordial Chaos.
As this sensation grew stronger and more tangible, Meng Qi’s vision suddenly brightened, filled by a misty, ethereal paradise. Here, the sky was bright without a sun, and beneath his feet, the sea of clouds was loose yet firm, making him feel as if he walked beyond the heavens. Everywhere he looked, there were auspicious beasts and divine birds, spiritual herbs and exotic flowers—all long extinct in the mortal world, as if the mythical era of antiquity had descended into the present.
At the center of this paradise stood an ordinary palace, inscribed with three characters that were illegible yet instantly comprehensible:
“Tushita Palace!”
As soon as Meng Qi entered this paradise, he felt his self-condensed illusory Dao losing its foundation, as if he had arrived in a “realm” that did not acknowledge it.
Here, there was its own virtue, its own rules, its own Dao!
“Elder Su, what brings you here?” Just as Meng Qi was contemplating his surroundings and sensing the subtle differences, a silver-robed boy emerged from the Tushita Palace, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting.
Silver Horn King… Meng Qi thought to himself, returning the gesture with a smile. “I have presided over the Jade Void Palace for some time now and should have paid my respects to Uncle-Master Daode long ago. However, I had yet to achieve the Creation Realm and felt too ashamed to face my elders, hence the delay until today.”
Silver Horn King chuckled. “Elder Su, you are too courteous. The Great Lord has already instructed that if you come, you are to be welcomed inside.”
With that, he turned slightly and gestured for Meng Qi to enter.
Meng Qi stepped forward with a smile and said politely, “Since you are Uncle-Master Daode’s attendant and far older than I, I shall boldly address you as senior brother.”
Silver Horn King looked somewhat pleased. “Very well, very well. Call me Senior Brother Silver Horn, to avoid confusion with Senior Brother Golden Horn.”
Amid the pleasantries, the two crossed the threshold and entered the Tushita Palace, passing through numerous halls before arriving at a simple yet elegant room.
Inside, there was only a low table with a few golden pages placed upon it. Behind it sat a Daoist elder with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in plain robes. Before him was an embroidered Taiji diagram of black and white yin-yang fish. The rest was utterly ordinary, as if he were just a common man—or the natural laws of heaven and earth that everyone took for granted.
Is this one of the oldest Nirvana Realm beings? The Daode Tianzun of the Three Pure Ones? Suppressing his emotions, Meng Qi bowed respectfully. “Disciple pays respects to Uncle-Master Daode.”
The white-haired elder’s eyes were half-open, his voice aged yet unremarkable:
“Since you have paid your respects, it is time to return.”
Meng Qi was taken aback, his thoughts racing. He ventured cautiously, “Uncle-Master Daode, I must thank you for bestowing upon me the *Daodejing* and allowing me to impersonate Laozi to spread the Dao. Only then did I comprehend the true principles, sever my past and future lives, and break free from the Demon Buddha’s control.”
One can never be too courteous—gratitude is never wrong!
At that moment, Daode Tianzun opened his eyes. They were like mirrors reflecting the myriad realms, even distinguishing the Nine Heavens and the Netherworld, places close to the Dao. Upon closer inspection, they revealed swirling black-and-white yin-yang fish, slowly rotating as if about to form a profound vortex leading to other epochs, other realms.
He spoke slowly, his voice deep:
“Who is Laozi?”
Who is Laozi? Meng Qi froze, bewildered. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he laughed heartily. “I am Laozi!”
“Then why thank me?” Daode Tianzun flicked his sleeve, stood, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Meng Qi did not stop him or give chase. Instead, a smile spread across his face as he leisurely tapped the back of his left hand with the fingers of his right, feeling as if he had consumed a divine fruit—every pore in his body opening in blissful clarity.
So that’s how it is… So that’s how it is!
He rose slowly and approached the low table where Daode Tianzun had sat. Looking down, he saw that the golden pages were titled *Seventy-Two Transformations*!
These must be the chapters beyond the Legendary Realm… Meng Qi nodded slightly and picked them up, probing them with his divine sense to absorb the contents written in Chiyu Jade Script—a script derived from Dao patterns, most suited for describing high-level techniques. Of course, the Nirvana and Dao Fruit Embryo chapters of *Seventy-Two Transformations* were directly expressed through corresponding Dao patterns.
Just then, Silver Horn King entered the room. Seeing Meng Qi reading the golden pages, he asked, half-doubtful and half-confused, “Upon seeing this, you didn’t just laugh and destroy it? Aren’t you afraid of disrupting your own path, of taking another’s Dao as your own?”
This was why Yang Jian had only left the first three chapters of *Seventy-Two Transformations* in the Jade Void Palace, while the *Primordial Golden Chapter* contained only the general outline, with the Nine Seals to be explored and comprehended independently.
Meng Qi withdrew his divine sense, stroking the golden pages with his right hand. He shook his head and chuckled. “If I dared not face it, I would be the lesser for it. The core of both the *Primordial Golden Chapter* and *Seventy-Two Transformations* is to encompass all things, to embrace all possibilities. If I dare not even look at or understand another’s Dao, how is that different from harboring inner demons?”
“Stones from other hills may polish jade. As long as I hold fast to my true self and comprehend my own Dao, what harm is there in learning from others without becoming them?”
With that, he indeed laughed aloud, tucked away the golden pages, and strode proudly out of the Tushita Palace, descending from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens back to the real world and his own Dao sanctuary.
Silver Horn King stood dumbfounded, muttering to himself after a long while, “Not looking has its reasons, and looking has its justifications. Who is right and who is wrong…”
Meng Qi descended and sat once more on the meditation cloud-bed in his quiet chamber, closing his eyes as the Chiyu Jade Script flowed through his mind.
Had he not cultivated the *Primordial Golden Chapter* and *Seventy-Two Transformations*, which emphasized encompassing all possibilities to return to the origin, he truly could not have dared to look at another’s Dao.
Had he not already condensed the concept of Infinite Chaos into an illusory Dao, he likewise would not have dared to read the later chapters of *Seventy-Two Transformations* left by Yang Jian in the Tushita Palace.
“Not looking” is the constant principle, but exceptions exist in all things.
…
He Mu sheathed the Li Xian Sword and spent several days refining it. Only after gaining a preliminary grasp did he begin considering how to reach the Demon Star Domain.
Though with the return of great powers and mighty figures, this star domain was no longer distant—traveling via a mechanical airship crafted by the Mo Palace would take just over half a month—the Demon Star Domain was unlike the domains of the Buddhist Star Nation, the “Ancient Celestial Court,” the Jade Void Star Sea, or the Lingbao Dao Ruins. These factions had no life-or-death conflicts with humanity; whether allies or enemies of the Great Zhou, low-level exchanges were unimpeded. In contrast, demons and humans were in outright hostility, with no airships permitted near their territory.
And He Mu himself had yet to attain the Human Immortal Realm, unable to traverse the void or roam the stars.
“It seems I can only rely on the power of the Li Xian Sword…” Trusting his master’s guidance implicitly, He Mu wasted no time and began making preparations.
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