After a short while, the immortal deity with ancient and primal tattoos on his face returned and bowed to the two of them, saying, “The Dao Venerable invites you inside.”
Meng Qi chuckled but said nothing more. Hand in hand with Gu Xiaosang, he stepped into the sea of auspicious clouds.
Would the Heavenly Dao monster or the Demon Buddha A-nan truly dare to face him now?
Or was there another arrangement within the Purple Heaven Palace, with “It” planning to act using the remnants left by the Dao Venerable?
Or was this merely the instinctive reaction of an illusory imprint?
As the auspicious energy surged and the clouds parted, Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang saw a palace seemingly enveloped in chaos, its purple hues subtly hidden within its ancient and unadorned structure. The Five Virtues and Five Elements manifested as divine beasts and celestial birds encircling it. Above the grand entrance, a plaque bore two large characters written in Daoist script:
“Purple” and “Heaven”!
Each character contained myriad laws, each capable of forming a tome unto itself, profound and meaningful.
At this moment, the grand doors swung open, revealing a vast and deep inner hall. Rows of candles burned eternally, illuminating the darkness.
The ancient tattooed deity walked silently ahead, leading Meng Qi and his wife up the steps and into the hall. Then, with solemn reverence, he bowed toward the front and announced, “Reporting to the Dao Venerable, the two guests have arrived.”
Meng Qi lifted his gaze, piercing through the layers of candlelight and dimness. At the far end of the hall, atop the main seat, there was only an empty cushion—no sign of the Dao Venerable!
“Is the Dao Venerable here?” he asked in a puzzled tone.
The tattooed immortal looked at him blankly, then turned his gaze to the empty cushion. “Is the Dao Venerable not seated there? He is inviting you to take your seats.”
The state of this immortal was reflected clearly in Meng Qi’s eyes—no trace of deceit, nor any level of cultivation that could evade the scrutiny of a Nirvana-level being.
How interesting… Meng Qi smiled and stepped forward, casually choosing a cushion to sit on with Gu Xiaosang. The ancient immortal bowed and withdrew without delay.
The deep hall fell into utter silence, the passage of time seeming to slow. Apart from Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang, the space was empty, with no trace of the Dao Venerable’s presence.
“Has even the imprint vanished? Can the course of history still be maintained?” Meng Qi spoke without hesitation, openly discussing the matter with Gu Xiaosang.
Gu Xiaosang sat cross-legged, her dimpled smile charming. “Isn’t this the Dao Fruit? Speak of it, and you err; think of it, and you err. My husband must have expected to encounter the Heavenly Dao monster, the Demon Buddha A-nan, or one of the imprints, yet all your guesses were wrong.”
Her eyes swept the surroundings playfully. Her words were both teasing and speculation—during their last encounter with the Buddha’s imprint in the Nine Nethers, nothing like this had happened.
Of course, back then, her husband had known nothing and thus had no basis for conjecture.
Meng Qi pondered for a moment before smiling leisurely. “If that’s the case, I shall first consult with other fellow Daoists.”
An ancient crown materialized above his head, and a stream of pure qi surged from his Niwan Palace, transforming into the white-robed, youthful monk Zhen Ding. With each step, lotus flowers bloomed beneath his feet as he traversed the void, leaving the Purple Heaven Palace—since they were in a past epoch, those below Nirvana would be rejected by the convergence of history. Moreover, being so distant from the current node, the repulsion was overwhelmingly strong. Without sending out the Tathagata Zhen Ding, the others would be flung back to the “present” within moments.
Bathed in Buddha light, Zhen Ding Tathagata flashed into existence in the Western Pure Land, where he beheld the seemingly slumbering Amitabha Buddha—the ancient Buddha who had guided souls across epochs.
After exchanging greetings, Amitabha placed his hands in a mudra upon his knees, embodying the vow to save all beings.
“Fellow Daoist, you come from the Purple Heaven Palace?”
“Indeed,” Zhen Ding Tathagata Meng Qi replied with a smile. “I came specifically to inquire: Who is the other product of the Dao Venerable’s ‘Reduction to Emptiness’? Could it be the Demon Buddha?”
Amitabha’s voice was grand and solemn. “Well said, well said. Yet, Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. Before attaining the Dao, the Dao Venerable severed Huanglao Jun in that epoch.”
“Huanglao Jun?” Meng Qi was familiar with the name, having encountered it in certain Earth texts—likely influenced by residual imprints in the world. But he hadn’t known Huanglao Jun was a product of the Dao Venerable’s Reduction to Emptiness.
“In the epoch before Fellow Daoist Haotian, the celestial realm and the Nine Nethers were undivided, merged within the Real World. Humans, gods, ghosts, demons, and immortals coexisted. Huanglao Jun was the foremost of the Five Emperors of that time. In truth, Fellow Daoist is no stranger to Him—indeed, you are well acquainted.”
“Acquainted?” As a Nirvana-level being, even without knowing that history, Meng Qi grasped the implication instantly. Smiling, he asked, “Was Huanglao Jun’s Dao attainment object the Tree of the Great Dao?”
Amitabha nodded gently. “The Tree of the Great Dao accompanied Huanglao Jun’s birth, seemingly condensed from the Dao Venerable’s essence. At that time, the Real World was both the celestial realm and the Nine Nethers—a dim, underworld-like place where immortals, demons, and ghosts roamed freely. At its center stood this Tree of the Great Dao, shaped like a peach tree. It could devour the Great Dao, sprouting leaves that transformed into deities wielding corresponding authorities. Thus, ghosts and gods feared it greatly. It was Huanglao Jun’s Dao attainment object. When that epoch ended, Huanglao Jun inevitably perished. From His remains emerged the Heavenly Dao monster, while a fragment of His spirit reincarnated in the next epoch, becoming the one you know well. When He reached Nirvana, the Dao Venerable transcended.”
“Donghuang Taiyi,” Meng Qi stated calmly and assuredly. In the world with the “Chart of Divine Immortals,” Donghuang Taiyi was also called “Zhonghuang Taiyi”—Zhonghuang referring to the Central Emperor Huanglao Jun. “The Azure Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise!”
No wonder He knew all the Heavenly Dao monster’s secrets and could even merge with it dominantly, escaping the fate of perishing at the hands of Haotian Shangdi. At that time, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign and others were still observing the Dao Venerable’s transcendence method and lacked full understanding of the changes in the products of Reduction to Emptiness, making it possible for them to be deceived.
The Demon Buddha’s knowledge of Earth’s whereabouts and the Dao Venerable’s Ark of Salvation stemmed from Donghuang Taiyi’s fusion with the Heavenly Dao monster.
Thus, the question returned to the beginning: How could the Demon Buddha, merely a Great Divine Ability practitioner at the time, control the Heavenly Dao monster? Who was the great enemy He constantly feared and obsessed over? What benefits did His repeated betrayals bring, and what was His ultimate goal?
Amitabha’s face was full of compassion. “Well said, well said.”
“At that time, the Tree of the Great Dao withered with Huanglao Jun’s fall, leaving behind two saplings. One vanished mysteriously and was later bestowed by the Dao Venerable upon Fellow Daoist Zhenwu, who received your karmic connection. The other followed His fragmented spirit into reincarnation. After His defeat by Fellow Daoist Haotian, it fell into the latter’s hands and was planted at the eastern sea’s end, becoming today’s Fusang Ancient Tree.”
Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully. Only now did he fully grasp the origins and connections of the Tree of the Great Dao and the Fusang Ancient Tree.
Normally, at the start of an epoch, a World Tree-like entity would naturally emerge, supporting the celestial realm, the Nine Nethers, and the myriad worlds. As the epoch neared its end, this entity would absorb the various Great Daos, bear a single fruit, then wither and collapse, bringing about the epoch’s destruction. This fruit might then become the source of the next epoch’s World Tree.
But this epoch was the Final Calamity, meaning that after the World Tree’s death, due to the fruit being taken by the Buddha or other reasons, no such entity would arise again—no next epoch, only utter desolation. Meng Qi leaned toward the latter explanation, as the Buddha couldn’t have taken the fruit so easily otherwise.
The Tree of the Great Dao and the Fusang Ancient Tree were exceptions, perhaps capable of replacing the World Tree to support the next epoch. Hence, Haotian Shangdi planted the ancient tree, attempting a substitution, while the Golden Emperor and others referred to the Tree of the Great Dao as the “Epoch.”
They represented the hope of the next epoch!
And all this began with the first transcendent—the Dao Venerable!
“I see. Thank you, Fellow Daoist.” Zhen Ding Tathagata pressed his palms together and dissipated into the Pure Land, returning as a stream of pure qi to Meng Qi’s Niwan Palace.
He smiled at Gu Xiaosang. “So the Dao origin within Donghuang’s flesh and blood lay in the Seven Swords of Heaven Interception. Pity I refined only a limited amount and quality back then—otherwise, I could have severed ‘Su Meng Heavenly Sovereign.'”
“So the Dao Venerable’s other Reduction to Emptiness product was Donghuang Taiyi. No wonder the Demon Buddha knew so much.” Gu Xiaosang, ever sharp, grasped the implications instantly.
As the illusory River of Time manifested around them, Meng Qi said leisurely, “Let us return to the current node within the Purple Heaven Palace and see where it now ‘resides,’ and whether we can find other gains.”
Time flowed swiftly. Meng Qi witnessed the Dao Venerable’s attendant passing from old age, a youthful Daoist boy in a turtle-snake patterned robe, and the myriad changes the Purple Heaven Palace underwent over epochs—yet never did he see the Dao Venerable’s imprint.
After an indeterminable period, the River of Time slowed, and they returned to Earth’s current node. The Purple Heaven Palace had already retreated into the true chaos.
Outside, Tan Ping, the reincarnation of the Water Ancestor, had finally attained Dharmakaya, unlocking another secret trove and obtaining a treasure—preparing to explore the Dao Venerable’s hidden abode within the chaos!
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