Cultivating Immortality in Two Realms

Chapter 360 Bai Ze's Secrets

"How could a hermit cultivator from the countryside possibly call himself 'Master Xuming Xuansha Earth'?"

A pure white mythical beast, resembling both a sheep and a deer, leaped up the steps, accompanied by mugwort and white jade as it walked. Its tone carried a hint of amusement: "However... you can call me 'Bai Ze'! I know everything that happened in the Xuanji Immortal Palace."

"It's Bai Ze?"

"However, their appearances, and their control over the Xuanxu Heaven, are indeed quite fitting..."

Fang Qing nodded to himself: "So it's Fellow Daoist Bai Ze. May I ask about our past relationship?"

Bai Ze's voice carried a hint of solemnity: "Bai Ze, a divine attendant under the Taiyi Xuanmen Great Dao, the Taixu Dao Lineage, and the Xuanxu Miaowei True Lord, greets fellow Daoist!"

Fang Qing: "...I've heard of the Eastern Taiyi Xuanmen, but I really don't know anything about its Daoist principles..."

Bai Ze glanced at him suspiciously, his clear eyes revealing nothing. He could only explain, "The Taiyi Xuanmen is the lineage of my ancestor's ancestor. He attained enlightenment in ancient times, debated with the Buddha, and even made the Phoenix King lower his head. He authored the *Taiyi Jinhua Secret Canon* and the *Complete Elixir Secret Essentials*... The Taiyi Ancestor later took in three disciples, known as the Three Friends of One Dao. The eldest disciple was named Dong Hezi, skilled in fire magic; the second disciple was Wu Yue, skilled in swordsmanship; and the third disciple was Taixu Daoren, who learned the Taiyi Ancestor's water and wood magic... Later, these three disciples each branched out. The disciples of the first two mostly attained enlightenment in the metal and fire realms. Taixu Daoren passed on his teachings to seven disciples, and each of the seven disciples had their own successors, most of whom reached the Purple Mansion realm. A few died seeking the Dao. Xuanxu Miaomiao Zhenjun was a third-generation disciple, yet he was exceptionally talented, achieving the status of Zhenjun and establishing the 'Xuanxu Heaven'..."

"I see. But if a Golden Core True Monarch has an endless lifespan, I wonder where that Grandmaster Taiyi is?"

Fang Qing was genuinely curious.

"I don't know..." Bai Ze shook his head: "Our patriarch disappeared without a trace, and his three disciples turned against each other to seize the rightful place of the lineage... My True Lord was so bothered by this that he hid in the Xuanxu Heaven to enjoy some peace and quiet..."

"Why did so many True Lords fall into a deep slumber at the end of ancient times?"

Fang Qing quickly asked the question that concerned her the most.

"Because... a certain [official in charge] has made a preliminary recovery!"

Fear and confusion flickered in Bai Ze's eyes: "I've forgotten everything that happened after that. I was just asleep and only recently woke up."

"Well, although this Bai Ze seems a bit silly and you can't completely believe everything he says, you can't completely disregard him either... at least regarding the Daoist lineage, there's no point in fabricating lies."

Fang Qing thought to himself, deliberately chatting about things from recent times, and discovered that this Bai Ze was indeed knowledgeable about everything under the heavens.

Even if they didn't know before, as long as they mentioned it, He would remain silent for a moment, His bright eyes seeming to communicate with this grotto, and He would immediately understand.

"Is this... searching for information left behind in the Xuanji Undying Palace? Bai Ze knows everything without leaving his home?"

He grumbled inwardly as they talked about the esoteric monks' journey to the East.

Clearly, Bai Ze still suspected that he was from the secret monks or the Yin Corpse Sect, and was equally interested in the important matter of the Golden Core cultivator making a move, and was also trying to steer the conversation in that direction.

"The Great Roc King, descendant of the [Dangerous Moon]..."

Bai Ze was stunned for a moment, then spoke: "It is indeed a major event... Fortunately, the one from the Hehuan Sect is in the guest position of [Fang Ri], and as for [Wei Yue]... he should be in the host position, otherwise the power of conception would not be so vast. In short, since it is not a vacancy, it is a good thing!"

"Hmm? It seems this Bai Ze also knows a little about the [Yearly Duty] system? Even if it doesn't know the secrets of the Four Gold Positions' [Yearly Duty], it does know that a certain position is quite unfavorable... for example—the [Dangerous Moon] position is missing?"

Fang Qing had actually made this deduction in his mind. At least in the fourth month of the lunar calendar, the [Zhang Yue] is a full moon, which is suspected to be the main position of the lunar calendar. Therefore, if the lunar calendar is to be in charge of the year, it must be in the main position of the [Zhang Yue], while the [Wei Yue] is the shadow of the moon, which is just right to be in a vacant position!

This level of "cultivation" and "great secret" is already considered to be at the Golden Core level.

"Wait... Even if one is the master of [Dangerous Moon], one can still usurp the throne, posing a hidden danger..."

Fang Qing frowned; he had just witnessed the change of the Wood element to the rightful place.

What if the [Dangerous Moon] usurps the proper position of the Moon?

Bai Ze glanced at him indifferently: "Since ancient times, we have only heard of 'the stomach usurping Liu De' and 'the water of Zhen displacing the wall'... When have we ever heard of the manifestation of the world's way changing its proper position?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Qing trembled, suddenly realizing something: "Indeed! Just as the three ancient [Yearly Officials] established the symbol for the twelfth month... and later the True Lord found it difficult to change, it seems... besides this symbol, the proper symbol is also difficult to change? Because this is determined by the true [Yearly Officials]?"

"It's not that it can't be changed. As long as you have the power and achievements to surpass the [Yearly Duty], you can naturally change it at will..."

Bai Ze smiled.

Fang Qing, however, let out a long sigh, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts:

"The so-called eastward journey of esoteric monks has finally been completely deciphered after so long..."

"The purpose of 'Mahavairocana' is to examine the true nature of the two figures behind the Buyeo Queen and the Women's Kingdom..."

"This is a question, and [Dangerous Moon] has already answered it: He is the master! Though His power is boundless, He has walked a path of certain death... The path of [Yearly Duty] is severed! Even with boundless power, He can no longer threaten the Great Sun Tathagata and the Phoenix..."

"There's still a small question about the fall of the Women's Kingdom..."

"As for Buyeo, there's no need to mention it; it's just a mere guest seat... Well, even a single guest seat would be enough to crush an ant like me..."

"This illustrious lineage has its pros and cons... At least, the Lord of [Dangerous Moon] can no longer guide himself onto the right path by altering the proper position of the Moon."

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"Of course, there are advantages too, namely that the impact of the [Yearly Ruler] is less than the absence of the [Dangerous Month]..."

"Is this the true power of the 'Yearly Deity'? It fixes the path to achieving the Golden Core, limiting one to only those four positions… But their remnants, their golden positions, even this world itself, are calling upon them… When someone truly reaches the Golden Core perfection, no, even the late Golden Core stage… who will sit in that position? Is this some kind of 'destiny'?"

Fang Qing felt a chill run down her spine.

"Alright...it's your turn. You say you're a rogue cultivator? Then how did you obtain your metal element?"

Bai Ze's eyes shone.

"Naturally, it was obtained through murder and robbery."

Fang Qing answered frankly, then added, "I wonder where the Mysterious and Subtle True Lord is? Now that I have entered the grotto heaven, I should naturally pay my respects..."

Mentioning this, the white zeolite's eyes lit up. She looked as if she was about to cry: "True Lord...True Lord is not here...I can't find Him..."

But the next moment, a dangerous aura rose up.

On the ground, the white jade turned black, and the mugwort began to burn, bringing a rich aroma of smoke.

In front of Fang Qing, the pure white fur of this Bai Ze servant god instantly turned pitch black, transforming into a 'Black Ze' in the blink of an eye!

"You're lying to me?"

"You're trying to find out information about your master? Damn it!"

The black Bai Ze's voice also became extremely sinister. With a stomp of its foot, it seemed to activate the power of the celestial realm, and the mysteries of heaven and earth were suppressed with a thunderous roar.

But Fang Qing had already disappeared.

After all, he didn't come here in his true form, and even this wisp of thought wasn't his own.

……

Qi Refining Path, Copper Immortal Island, in the cave.

Fang Qing casually extinguished the disciple's true spirit, cutting off all clues and possibilities for finding him, and chuckled: "What's this? Darkening? A second personality?"

"But isn't that Mysterious and Subtle True Lord sleeping within the cave heaven?"

His smile vanished as he thought of the strange, seemingly schizophrenic, and half-mad Bai Ze.

"These celestial beings, divine servants, Buddhist disciples... in short, all subordinates who have been promoted by the metal element or have come into contact with the Golden Core rank should have a status closely related to their master of the metal rank..."

"If Bai Ze has a tendency towards split personality, doesn't that mean his master is probably in a similarly poor state... If he's not asleep in the cave, where is he?"

"Never mind... Next time, I'll transform into another destined person and go to the Mysterious Void Heaven to play with Him..."

"The whereabouts of the Grandmaster Taiyi are also highly questionable. How could such a powerful being simply disappear without a trace?"

However, the eldest disciple and the second disciple... are highly suspected to be the founders of the Nine Heavens Fire Palace and the Wu-Yue Sword Pavilion.

"As the Golden Elixir manifests one by one, the origins and lineage of this Daoist tradition are gradually coming to light..."

Fang Qing murmured to himself, silently recalling what he had gained today, and combining it with his understanding of the "Tai Su Jin Shu".

"Those two sets of [Doumu] and [Zhenshui] inheritances aren't really anything special; they just give you two more Grand Master identities in the future..."

"Only this lineage, this golden elixir, and the secrets of the [Yearly Duty] can allow me to see the path ahead..."

"Admittedly, Bai Ze may be lying, and there may be pitfalls in the Tai Su Golden Book... But so what? With my cultivation, I don't sense any major errors, which means the general direction is correct... It's just that a trap might be laid in the details."

"In that case, is there any point in continuing down the path of thunder?"

According to Fang Qing's speculation, even if the Primordial Heaven contains a Thunder Fruit position, there is probably only one.

Like [Xunfeng] and [Wuzhu], they are isolated positions. No matter how they attain them, they are destined to remain at the early stage of the Golden Core realm for life, which is even worse than being imprisoned by a guest position!

"Unless... you cross the path to control metal? Although the Tai Su Jin Shu says this is a deadly path with extremely serious consequences, it's not impossible to give it a try. It's just that it will be extremely dangerous... but this book may not be entirely accurate..."

"Perhaps, first prove Thunder, then try to push in Wood Virtue, using Wood to devour Thunder in exchange for the Wood Virtue Gold position? Thunder and Wood are quite a good match..."

"These are all worth trying, but the real main focus remains on proving the Dao of [Ji Shui], and proving it even in its vacancy! After all, I don't even know if [Zhen Shui] has a master Golden Core. Am I supposed to prove the master position of [Ji Shui] first, and then go and murder the air? Or should I personally support a master of [Zhen Shui]?"

If there are no problems with the "Tai Su Jin Shu", then everything will naturally go smoothly, and the next step is simply to control other water-element metal positions.

If there are problems with the "Tai Su Jin Shu", one should at least first become a True Lord and enjoy endless lifespan, and then see what great power the "Dao Sheng Zhu" (a cheat code) unlocks.

Once one reaches the Golden Core stage, one's status will be higher, allowing for deeper refinement of the 'Dao-Born Pearl' and the unleashing of its full power. Perhaps there will even be a way to exploit it!

After all, the difficulty of obtaining the [Ji Shui] is the lowest. Since this is my first time seeking gold, I have no experience and shouldn't have too high expectations. Just getting a Golden Core is enough.

Even the worst Golden Core cultivator is still a True Monarch!

Even if you fall into a trap, you can always reincarnate!

As the master of Little Snow Mountain, after reaching the Golden Core stage, he still possesses the ability to create his own private server and assist in reincarnation.

"At that time, things like 'wood swallowing thunder,' 'water virtue four proofs,' 'all five elements proof,' and 'sun and moon in balance'... perhaps we could try all of those?"