“Can all of them be chosen?” Meng Qi expressed his confusion, because among those that didn’t emit cyan light were three Daoist Heavenly Venerables and many ancient immortals, clearly stronger than many of the available titles. If so, why hadn’t previous members selected them? Could it be that there was a difference in selection range between formal and probationary members?
“The Bei Min Emperor huffed, “Do I look like I’m trying to deceive you?”
She paused before continuing, “Some titles require very specific cultivation techniques that don’t match well with the person selecting, whether as a primary or secondary cultivation path, so they were left behind. Some titles have similar alternatives that are more suitable for the selector. Some titles have incomplete cultivation methods without deeper advanced content, making them unsuitable as a primary cultivation path, hence being left behind.”
“There are also some titles that became available because their previous owners perished, such as ‘Taiyi Heavenly Venerable.'”
“Taiyi Heavenly Venerable?” Meng Qi knew of this title’s previous owner, reportedly a major figure from the primary world, unfortunately captured by Abbot Kongwen of Shaolin. Though his life was extinguished, his corpse couldn’t be destroyed, so Meng Qi definitely wouldn’t choose such an inauspicious title.
Thinking Meng Qi was interested in “Taiyi Heavenly Venerable,” the Bei Min Emperor pointed at that compartment and said, “Taiyi Saviour of Suffering, one of the Nine Daoist Venerables. You must already know the common knowledge about him, so I won’t repeat it. Let me mainly tell you some secret details.”
Meng Qi had originally intended to explain that he looked down upon this “inauspicious title,” but upon hearing there were secret details, he closed his mouth and looked at the Bei Min Emperor with bright eyes: “Please continue, Venerable.”
“The cultivation inheritances of ancient great beings often carry corresponding fortune, not particularly strong, but enough to make you encounter certain events. The more complete the cultivation method, the more pronounced this fortune becomes. Therefore, titles of great beings with simple backgrounds and few secrets are more popular. This way, the events encountered will be relatively fewer and easier to handle. However, immortals shrouded in mystery might lead those accepting their inheritances into a series of puzzles, offering great rewards but also extreme danger.” The Bei Min Emperor looked at Meng Qi with her dark bright eyes, her expression hinting at an exaggeration meant to intimidate.
Meng Qi could tell she was trying to scare him, but he also knew that what the Bei Min Emperor said wasn’t entirely false, just somewhat exaggerated.
After all, he had personal experience with this!
Seeing Meng Qi’s expression remain unchanged, the Bei Min Emperor felt disappointed and said with some frustration, “Don’t you think the Taiyi Heavenly Venerable’s cultivation method resembles that of a certain great being?”
Meng Qi focused his gaze and saw several jade slips with seal script inscriptions: “The Taiyi Longevity Sutra,” “The Taiyi Saviour’s True Manual,” and “The Azure Brilliance Spirit Text.”
“The ‘Taiyi Longevity Sutra’ is the fundamental great method of the Taiyi Heavenly Venerable, while ‘The Taiyi Saviour’s True Manual’ and ‘The Azure Brilliance Spirit Text’ are ‘practical applications,’ focusing respectively on martial arts techniques and talisman techniques. Don’t you think these resemble a certain great being?” The Bei Min Emperor introduced while asking Meng Qi again.
“Longevity… Azure Brilliance…” Meng Qi murmured, “It does seem to fit the Azure Emperor…”
The Bei Min Emperor clicked her tongue: “Not bad, you do have some discernment. Legend has it that the Taiyi Saviour of Suffering is the Daoist incarnation of the Azure Emperor.”
“The Daoist incarnation of the Azure Emperor, like the True Martial Emperor who subdues demons?” Meng Qi exclaimed in surprise. This truly was a secret indeed!
The Bei Min Emperor shook her head: “No, the True Martial Emperor was genuinely born into Daoism, with ‘Subduing Demons’ being his fundamental title. ‘True Martial’ and ‘Black Emperor’ were merely titles granted by the heavenly court. The Azure Emperor, however, was a naturally born divine being, controlling partial authority over heaven and earth, yet restricted by this very authority, never reaching equality with the Celestial Emperor.”
Therefore, legend has it that he secretly severed his true form, embraced Daoism, transformed into Taiyi, and sought transcendence through the Daoist path. Of course, this is primarily a conclusion drawn by later generations based on the similarities between their cultivation methods and certain clues. The actual circumstances remain unclear. In any case, both coexisted for an extensive period in ancient times. After the demise of the Azure Emperor, the Taiyi Heavenly Venerable remained active until he gradually faded from view following his retreat into the Nine Nether Realms.
The Bei Min Emperor looked at Meng Qi and saw his solemn expression, then sneered: “Already frightened? There’s also a legend that the Azure Emperor severed more than just one body, with another entering Buddhism, becoming Bhaisajyaguru Tathagata, one of the Three World Honored Ones in the Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Land.”
Wow, the Azure Emperor is truly powerful. These ancient great beings are more terrifying than one another… Meng Qi couldn’t help but grit his teeth, wondering whether this emperor who transcended the divine, Buddhist, and Daoist realms was still alive…
“So, will you choose the Taiyi Heavenly Venerable?” The Bei Min Emperor asked with a smile, pleased that she had successfully startled Meng Qi.
Didn’t I never consider choosing the “Taiyi Heavenly Venerable” in the first place? Meng Qi, feigning contemplation with an excellent acting performance, said, “Although the cultivation methods of the Nine Daoist Venerables are indeed tempting, the Azure Emperor is too mysterious and terrifying. I think I’ll keep my distance.”
This title is inauspicious—the previous owner met a violent death—and the Azure Emperor’s connection to Buddhism makes this title even less suitable!
“Good, very self-aware,” the Bei Min Emperor laughed, her voice crisp yet slightly magnetic, a mark of a mature woman.
Meng Qi then turned his gaze toward “Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun,” this was the title he truly longed for! Unfortunately, it had already been chosen!
Otherwise, wearing a fan-shaped cloud crown, dressed in flowing water robes, with a silk sash around his waist and hemp shoes on his feet, his handsome face exuding a carefree and unrestrained aura, and in the future, he could freely obtain the “External Manifestation Chapter” of the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art!
“Didn’t I tell you this title has already been taken? If it weren’t for ‘Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun’ cultivating the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, how would we have known about its mimicking ability? We deliberately separated the superficial energy circulation routes and aura gathering methods from part of the technique, letting him practice them? Do you think I would mysteriously know about the related techniques of the Reversal Heaven Seal without reason?” The Bei Min Emperor replied impatiently.
She was completely unaware of Meng Qi’s deep regret at failing to obtain this title.
Meng Qi coughed slightly: “Venerable, I was just wondering why I’ve never heard of ‘Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun’ before?”
“The ancient immortals—you expect to know them all?” The Bei Min Emperor replied.
As she said this, she seemed afraid Meng Qi wouldn’t believe her and added with a touch of nostalgia: “The Venerable Lingbao once said that a long period of ancient history might have been lost, with only faint traces remaining in the cycle world. Even he doesn’t know much about it, let alone you?”
“Oh…” Meng Qi’s thoughts drifted.
The Bei Min Emperor then said, “Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun also has a divine name, called ‘Erlang Manifesting Sage Zhenjun.’ If you were in ‘Mythos,’ you could choose this title. Take the Azure Emperor for example; in ‘Mythos,’ he is known as the Azure Emperor Dongwanggong, while in our world, he is the Azure Dao Taiyi Saviour of Suffering. Unfortunately, they don’t have the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, so choosing this title would be useless.”
This… the high-level figures in Mythos and Xianji are all related to the Azure Emperor! Could it be a coincidence? Meng Qi was deeply shaken but maintained an outwardly calm expression, nodded slightly, and then turned his gaze toward the Jade Cauldron Immortal, thinking that if the disciple had the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, the master should also possess it, right?
“Ah, ‘The Ninefold Mysterious Art’? ‘The Jade Cauldron Demon-Slaying Sword’?” Meng Qi exclaimed in surprise.
“What’s wrong?” The Bei Min Emperor didn’t understand Meng Qi’s surprise.
Meng Qi exhaled: “When I saw the name ‘Ninefold Mysterious Art,’ it reminded me of the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, so I blurted it out.”
“You do have some discernment. The Ninefold Mysterious Art is indeed similar to the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, both authentic Daoist techniques. Incidentally, the Jade Cauldron Immortal is actually the master of Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun. If you choose this title, Qingyuan’s expression might turn quite dark for a while.” The Bei Min Emperor smiled slightly at the thought of what might happen, clearly looking forward to it.
Hmph, that’s exactly what I’m thinking—I’m just that petty! Meng Qi chuckled: “But if the disciple has the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, why wouldn’t the master have it?”
The Bei Min Emperor pondered for a moment before replying, “Legend has it that the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art was passed down by the Primordial Heavenly Venerable through the Jade Cauldron Immortal to Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun. This technique is said to rival the Buddha Ruyi’s Heaven-Sealing Art in power—do you think it’s something easily obtained? However, no one knows exactly who created this technique.”
“You’d better not choose the Jade Cauldron Immortal. The Ninefold Mysterious Art bears similarities to the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, making it easy for others to mistake your identity, which might inadvertently expose you. When choosing a title, try to pick one that’s significantly different. Anyway, since you already possess the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art, you can directly mimic techniques without needing secondary cultivation, avoiding contradictions and wasted effort.”
Meng Qi nodded slightly and followed the Bei Min Emperor’s introduction to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable—was the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art also related to him?
“The Primordial Heavenly Venerable is the beginning of all things, holding the secret of ‘nonexistence’ before the creation of heaven and earth. He is the cause of all consequences. His cultivation methods are mighty and terrifying, said to rival the Buddha Ruyi’s Heaven-Sealing Art. However, Six Paths doesn’t have this technique, and we only have the Qi Opening and External Manifestation sections, with the rest missing. Therefore, no one chooses it.” The Bei Min Emperor explained, otherwise it would be strange that no one had selected the Primordial Heavenly Venerable’s techniques, being the first among the Nine Daoist Venerables.
She casually added, “Initially, the Venerable Lingbao and others only obtained dozens of titles through fortuitous encounters. The others were gathered and exchanged through various missions, which led to our current prosperous situation. However, some techniques are incomplete, such as the Primordial Heavenly Venerable’s, and we only have the first part of the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art. Some techniques are entirely missing, such as those of the Morality Heavenly Venerable, the Multitreasure Heavenly Venerable, and the Demon Subduing Heavenly Venerable.”
Meng Qi listened carefully while looking at the Primordial Heavenly Venerable’s cultivation methods.
There was only one jade slip in the compartment, inscribed with words that seemed both ancient and modern, yet directly recognizable from the depths of one’s mind:
“The Primordial Golden Chapter.”
“Also known as ‘The Jade Void True Sutra,’ we prefer to call it ‘The Jade Void Creation Art.'” The Bei Min Emperor casually mentioned, then proceeded to introduce the cultivation methods of the Vast Law Heavenly Venerable, the Compassionate Ferry Immortal, the Purple Emptiness Venerable, and the Golden Mother Venerable (the Daoist title for the Queen Mother of the West, Xiwangmu), finally saying, “You should consider it yourself. Try to choose a title whose cultivation methods and martial techniques differ significantly from those you displayed in the primary world, to serve as a cover.”
Meng Qi nodded and began considering his options. He had also glanced at the Venerable Lingbao’s techniques earlier, which were indeed the “Sword Sutra of Absolute Immortality,” the “Sword Sutra of Entangling Immortality,” and others, including the “Sword Sutra of Annihilation,” which Six Paths lacked. However, all of them noted, “Missing the second part of the Dharmakaya section onwards.”
Then, he set aside other thoughts and carefully considered the available titles:
The title definitely couldn’t be female!
Nor could it have obvious ties to Buddhism!
Preferably, it should have fewer secrets, and incomplete cultivation methods would carry less fortune than complete ones—after all, my primary cultivation is the Ba Jiu Mysterious Art…
Of course, under the condition of meeting the above requirements, the title should also sound impressive!
After a long while, he took a deep breath and said, “Venerable, I’ve decided.”
“Which title?” The Bei Min Emperor immediately showed interest.
Meng Qi slightly lifted his head and uttered four words:
“The Primordial Heavenly Venerable!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage