hotmtlnovel Chapter 80 Even among those who ascend, there are distinctions between dragons and snakes.
Chapter 80 Even among those who ascend, there are distinctions between dragons and snakes.
Chapter 80 Even among those who ascend, there are distinctions between dragons and snakes.
The next day, Wang Ye felt that with the strength Lu Linglong had displayed the previous night, she no longer needed his protection. In addition, he had many doubts in his mind, so he returned to Wudang Mountain with a belly full of questions, wanting to ask his advisor Zhou Meng for clarification.
The deathly silence within the interior last night felt like tiny thorns pricking his heart. A multitude of unanswered questions swirled around him, making him restless and uneasy.
After much thought, if there was anyone in this world who could answer his questions, it would probably be his own advisor, who seemed detached from worldly affairs but possessed keen insight.
Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated and set off straight back to Wudang Mountain.
After a long and dusty journey, when he finally climbed the steps and saw the familiar red walls and green tiles, and the ancient pines and cypresses again, the mountain mist had not yet dissipated, and the faint sound of bells and chimes came from the depths of the clouds, washing away the disturbances of the world.
As soon as he arrived at the mountain, he encountered his master, Zhong Yunlong.
Zhong Yunlong has now taken over the Wudang sect.
He wore a simple blue Taoist robe, yet he possessed a dignified and composed demeanor, and his brows showed an added sense of composure and authority as if he were in charge of a region.
But when he looked up and saw that lazy figure swaying up the mountain, the familiar, smiling glimmer deep in his eyes remained unchanged.
Wang Ye's eyes lit up, and he familiarly moved closer, a teasing smile on his face: "Hey, Master! Long time no see, how does it feel to be the Sect Leader? I bet you're walking with a bit more of a swagger than usual."
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Upon hearing this, the two young disciples behind Zhong Yunlong couldn't help but want to laugh, but quickly suppressed it and secretly sized up this "Senior Brother Wang Ye" whom they had heard of but rarely saw.
Zhong Yunlong feigned anger, raising his hand as if to strike: "You brat! You've been acting all high and mighty ever since you got back! The wind down the mountain didn't really put you down properly, but it's made your mouth even smoother!"
He looked Wang Ye up and down, a flash of concern crossing his eyes. "Why did you suddenly come back? Did you get into some trouble again and I have to clean up your mess?"
"Oh, look at you, can't you remember anything good about me?" Wang Ye waved his hand. "I haven't been back for too long, so I came back to see you and, by the way—pay my respects to the old clerk and ask for a cup of tea."
"I knew you weren't up to anything. Now look what you've done, you've gotten yourself into trouble that even I can't handle!"
Zhong Yunlong was no ordinary man. Seeing that although the young man was joking around, there was a hint of seriousness in his brows, he knew that this young man must be carrying something on his mind, and it was something significant.
He didn't ask any more questions, but simply nodded and followed Wang Ye's words, saying, "The Master is currently in seclusion at Wangji Rock in the back mountains, and has instructed that no one should disturb him. However, if you go—he might see you."
"Okay, okay," Wang Ye replied with a grin, bowing slightly. "Then I'll go now, and play chess with you again later, Master!"
Wang Ye bid farewell to his master and hurried to the back mountain.
Before even approaching the familiar stone cave, one could hear the howling sound of waves of heat surging within, mixed with the cracking of rocks...
The booming sound of clashing Qi—clearly someone was fiercely performing magic here.
Wang Ye's heart tightened, thinking to himself, "It must be that Master Lu having another episode!"
He quickly hurried into the cave.
As expected, the cave was a scene of utter chaos. A roar filled with pain and confusion shook the stone walls, sending dust flying: "Primordial Ruler of the Heavens! Transform me into King!!!"
"Senior brother!" Zhou Meng's voice was filled with helplessness and anxiety.
"Cover the changes of the heavens! Make me king!!!" Lord Lu's roar became even more frenzied, filled with a kind of violence that was an enemy of the whole world.
Inside the wide stone cave, the power of Qimen violently disturbed the earth's energy, and several huge rocks weighing thousands of kilograms collapsed from the cave ceiling, crashing down on Zhou Meng's head!
Zhou Meng moved with lightning speed, quickly dodging the boulder, which crashed to the ground, creating a deep crater.
"Senior Brother Lu, it's me! Your junior brother Zhou Meng!" Zhou Meng tried to rouse the other person's senses.
"Xiao Meng?" Master Lu's bloodshot eyes widened in confusion for a moment. The wildly swirling, radiant Qimen Domain beneath his feet paused slightly, only to be swallowed by even deeper chaos. "Is this how it is? This world—even Xiao Meng has materialized before me? Trying to confuse my mind!"
"The character 'Kun'—Earth River Chariot!"
Before he finished speaking, an earth elemental force several times stronger than the one Wang Ye had used erupted!
Instead of rising up in waves, the ground exploded open, and countless sharp rock spikes and heavy stalagmites shot towards Zhou Meng as if hurled by an invisible giant hand!
Each piece contained immense power capable of splitting stone and shattering rocks, producing a piercing and ear-piercing sound as it tore through the air.
Zhou Meng darted and weaved in the narrow space, his clothes torn by the sharp force of the stone blades, making him look quite disheveled.
Seeing this, Master Lu's chaotic thoughts seemed to find an outlet, and the Qimen Dunjia formation began to spin wildly once again!
"Wooden Technique - Earth Binding of the Netherworld!"
The hard ground inside the cave softened instantly, and countless thick wooden strips, as hard as steel and with an iron-blue luster, burst out of the ground. Like living giant pythons and vines, they twisted and coiled, chasing, whipping, and entwining Zhou Meng with a whistling sound!
The wooden planks struck the stone wall with a continuous booming sound, sending fragments of rock flying and causing the entire cave to tremble slightly.
Zhou Meng was forced to retreat repeatedly by this chaotic yet incredibly powerful attack until he was backed against the stone wall, trapped in mid-air with nowhere to go.
Seeing several thick wooden planks closing in like a giant python, his expression turned serious. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest and slowly pulled them apart.
A black and white Tai Chi diagram, with its exquisitely refined form and slowly rotating yin-yang eyes, appeared out of thin air!
Although the Tai Chi symbol is not large, it seems to contain the ultimate principle of resolving all problems.
The violent wooden strips that came crashing down touched the image, and like ice and snow meeting the spring sun, they quickly stiffened and softened. The violent wood energy contained within them was rapidly decomposed and neutralized by the yin and yang energies, and then broke apart inch by inch and turned into dust!
Along with the extremely unstable Qimen domain beneath Master Lu's feet, it also resembled a balloon punctured by a needle, exhibiting obvious disorder and contraction after violent fluctuations.
"Senior brother! Look carefully! This is not your inner vision! It really is me, Zhou Meng! You're really back!" Zhou Meng shouted again, his voice carrying internal energy that penetrated the other's mind.
"You lied to me—you liar! You can't fool me!!" Master Lu clutched his head, roaring in anguish. His chaotic gaze swept across the cave, then suddenly fixed on the boulder where Wang Ye was hiding. "You! You! And you!!"
Zhou Meng then noticed Wang Ye's presence and exclaimed in surprise, "Wang Ye?!"
"Hehehe, Master Zhou—" Wang Ye scratched his head and walked out from behind the boulder, his face showing undisguised worry about Master Lu's condition.
"I have mastered all the changes in this world, I am the king!" As if provoked, Lord Lu roared again, his body erupting with reckless force. His already extremely unstable Qimen domain suddenly expanded, instantly covering most of the cave space, and the violent flow of Qi stirred up flying sand and stones.
But the expansion came to an abrupt halt the next moment.
"Impossible—impossible! Why, why can't it expand any further?!" Master Lu waved his hands wildly, like a madman. "The world is already under my control! My Qimen should be able to cover the universe—cover everything!"
He looked around blankly, the last glimmer of clarity in his eyes seemingly swallowed up by the chaos, replaced by bottomless despair and self-doubt.
"Impossible—impossible—this isn't my world—it isn't—"
As he muttered to himself, he seemed to lose all his strength and fighting spirit in an instant. He turned around abruptly and, like a frightened wild beast, leaped back to the stone platform deep in the cave where he had been sitting cross-legged, and curled up to sit down.
Beside him, another senior brother, also immersed in the inner vision, remained seated as still as a stone statue.
Master Lu lowered his head, and the turbulent Qi around him quickly calmed down. He fell back into a deathly calm, as if the earth-shattering madness had never happened.
"Sigh—" Zhou Meng sighed deeply, looking at his senior brother's seated figure, a look of exhaustion creeping onto his brow. He turned to Wang Ye, noticing that he didn't look well either, and asked, "Little Wang Ye, why did you suddenly come back?"
Wang Ye composed himself and said seriously, "Master, I encountered a very strange thing in the capital, which puzzles me greatly. I have come back to ask you for your advice."
The two left the back mountain and returned to Zhou Meng's quiet residence on the front mountain.
Wang Ye didn't reveal much specific information about Lu Linglong, but instead used a more vague term, saying that he had a "friend". However, when he tried to ask some key questions about this friend in the inner world, the inner world was completely silent and unresponsive.
After listening, Zhou Meng remained calm, as if he had expected it. He simply picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.
Upon seeing this, Wang Ye's heart leaped with joy, knowing that he had asked the right person; the advisor must know something.
As expected, Zhou Meng took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Back then, I was just like you."
"Has the advisor also encountered such a situation?" Wang Ye pressed.
"It's not just us," Zhou Meng put down his teacup, his gaze distant, "it can be said that all the sorcerers, diviners, and fortune tellers still alive today, who have reached a certain level of mastery and attempted to explore certain specific beings," have encountered such situations.
Wang Ye's appetite was completely whetted, and his body unconsciously leaned forward slightly.
Zhou Meng stopped beating around the bush and stated directly, "There's only one possibility for this 'inner silence'—it's because the core cause and effect of your question directly or indirectly involves an entity."
"An existence?" Wang Ye pondered the word.
Zhou Meng raised his hand and gestured roughly to the south, "The famous Three Truths School, that founder of the school."
Wang was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! No wonder—is it because it involves that only ascended being in modern times? Does the inner vision automatically block out anything involving an ascended being?"
"You've got it wrong." Zhou Meng seemed to see right through him, suddenly interrupting his train of thought. "Are you thinking that whenever it involves ascendants, the inner realm will remain silent?"
"Could it be—that's not how it is?" Wang Ye wondered.
"Of course not." Zhou Meng shook his head and asked in return, "If that were the case, wouldn't others also get no response when they ask you, Wang Ye, questions in the inner realm? You are, after all, a direct disciple of the founder of Wudang, and the karma involved is not light."
"Why is that?" Wang was stumped by the question.
Zhou Meng sighed again, this time with a complex emotion, a mixture of awe and indescribable感慨: "Although I hate to admit it—before that senior brother appeared, everyone thought that ascensionists, even if there were differences in strength, should be on the same level, at least in terms of their 'rank' in the Great Dao, there shouldn't be any vast difference."
He paused, lowering his voice as if revealing a shocking secret: "But it wasn't until that senior brother appeared that people gradually came to understand a fact in shock: there is a world of difference between ascendants, a distinction between dragons and snakes."
He looked into Wang Ye's shocked eyes and continued, "Let alone the friends you speak of, even any formal disciple of the entire Three Truths Sect, or even just someone with a close connection to them—if you try to explore their core secrets or important causes within their inner vision, the result will most likely be nothing."
Wang Ye was secretly shocked and gasped. Was this the only being to successfully ascend in the last few centuries? Could his influence really cover and obscure the secrets of the entire lineage and all those involved?
"That person's influence is so great—is it domineering?" Wang murmured to himself.
"It surpasses it, and is even more so," Zhou Meng affirmed, his tone extremely serious. "That person's status" is so high that it is unbelievable, so high that it is perhaps beyond the comprehension, or even the reach, of us ordinary mortals.
To merely attempt to inquire about the relevant causal relationships is already an act bordering on presumption, so the inner world naturally does not respond, or rather—"dares not" respond.
"So that's how it is—she's from the Three Truths Sect." Wang Ye muttered to himself, as some clues in his mind seemed to connect.
Zhou Meng glanced at him and warned, "Since you guessed it, don't meddle. Although Wudang is a thousand-year-old sect, it's still a bit weak compared to a behemoth like the Three True Sects. Don't end up getting yourself killed while they're safe."
"Don't worry, sir," Wang Ye quickly waved his hand, revealing his signature lazy smile, "I'm just curious and want to find out. I have absolutely no intention of getting involved. Last night's lesson was profound enough."
"Yes, it's good that you know what's going on." Zhou Meng nodded. He knew that Wang Ye seemed carefree, but in reality, he had a sense of justice and knew how to assess the situation.
"But Master," Wang Ye's curiosity was not completely satisfied, so he leaned closer and asked, "At your age, you must have witnessed that person with your own eyes back then, right? Including the scene of his ascension? I heard that he ascended to heaven in broad daylight on the shore of the East Sea in full view of everyone."
"What do you want to ask?" Zhou Meng glanced at him, his eyes deep.
"Hey, it's nothing, I'm just curious," Wang Ye said, rubbing his hands together as if listening to a story. "Just tell me about it, even if it's just a casual chat, to broaden my horizons. What was it like when that person ascended to heaven? Was it really filled with rays of light and celestial music?"
Zhou Meng remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in distant memories, the wrinkles on his face appearing particularly deep in the light and shadow.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying an indescribable sense of vicissitude and reverence: "Actually—there's not much to say. You were born at the wrong time; you can't even imagine, much less understand, that senior brother—"
How magnificent they were back then!
He paused, seemingly searching for the right words, and finally just shook his head: "Can you imagine? The eyes of the entire world, good and evil, friend and foe, above and below ground, at some point, are forced to focus on one person?"
"Can you imagine? A divine power that reaches the heavens and the earth, instantly annihilating tens of millions of demons and cleansing the universe?"
His voice grew softer and softer, until it almost turned into a sigh. His eyes seemed to flash back to fragmented images of the earth-shattering events of the past, which ultimately led to his ascension to heaven. Finally, these images condensed into a single sentence, seemingly etched deep in his memory and imbued with supreme majesty: "I, Zhou Yi, today—attain the Dao in the East Sea."
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My laptop, which I bought four years ago for 900 yuan, stopped working today. The screen went completely black and it wouldn't respond.
It took a little time.
I'll write another chapter or two later, working through the night.
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