Chapter 1 Glimmers of Sunset

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, a Daoist priest arrived on an ox cart.

An Qisheng stood before the mountain forest, his gaze rippling with emotion.

Having lived two lives and traversed three realms, his knowledge was extremely diverse and extensive. But at its core, he was most deeply influenced by Daoism. It could be said that he was half a Daoist himself.

Seeing the ancestor of Daoism, even with his state of mind, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

If it were an ordinary Daoist, they would probably be prostrating themselves in worship by now, just like his disciples and grand-disciples in the Jiu Fu Realm when they saw him.

But he simply bowed respectfully and remained so for a long time before rising.

Grumble...

The ox cart rolled over the deep weeds, passing An Qisheng by. It seemed that neither the scholar leading the ox nor the old man sitting cross-legged had noticed his presence.

The ox, however, subconsciously veered slightly as it passed An Qisheng.

This, of course, did not escape An Qisheng's notice.

His eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent, simply watching. Here, he was non-existent, yet he was also existent.

It was just that ordinary people couldn't see him.

But these two people and one ox were clearly not ordinary people, and might not even be human.

"Stupid ox, stupid ox."

As the ox veered, the refined middle-aged scholar shook his head and pretended to pat the ox's head twice.

Moo~

The ox let out a long cry, deep and melodious, yet carrying a hint of puzzlement.

"Let's stop here."

The old man spoke softly, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, yet it overshadowed the ox's cry.

"Yes."

The refined middle-aged man bowed respectfully, and the ox trembled slightly.

The old man sat cross-legged on the ox cart, his gaze falling on An Qisheng, and nodded slightly.

"Why does the elder look, yet not see?"

An Qisheng's gaze was solemn, sensing that the old man before him was a mortal, without any hint of divinity.

But to be able to leave behind such a word, and to be able to see him, he could not possibly be an ordinary person.

The old man shook his head slightly: "All of heaven and earth enter my eyes, what is there that I do not see?"

"Does the elder know what I seek?"

Looking at the old man, An Qisheng suddenly understood the true meaning of the *Dao De Jing*'s "The Great Dao is broad, flowing to the left and to the right. The myriad things depend on it for their production, yet it lays no claim to them. It accomplishes its task, yet it does not dwell on it."

The world says that my Dao is so great that it is unparalleled, but it is merely the formless Great Elephant. Any great form is ultimately small.

The Great Elephant is formless, the Dao is formless, only the Dao is formless.

"Since you have come, then be at peace."

The old man only said one sentence before slowly closing his eyes and beginning to preach the Dao.

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and there were no flowery words, only plain and unadorned words, yet they contained an indescribable wonder. They caused the refined middle-aged man to sit down in meditation, and the ox to prostrate its front legs.

An Qisheng also sat down, closed his eyes, and quietly listened to the old man's preaching.

Familiar words, when spoken by different people, would have completely different effects. The old man's straightforward narration was more captivating than any dramatic intonation.

The sweeping five thousand words, each word seemingly having many interpretations, combined to create different meanings.

Different people heard different meanings.

The refined middle-aged man listened with rapt attention, the ox listened drowsily, but An Qisheng listened with a furrowed brow.

In the sweeping five thousand words, the refined middle-aged man heard non-action, the ox heard nagging, but An Qisheng sensed the old man's incomparable domineering spirit.

No, more accurately, it was an incomparable magnanimity.

Having lived two lives and traversed three realms, An Qisheng had seen too many classics, historical texts, philosophical works, cultivation manuals, and secret inheritances.

Countless classic formulas contained the intent of instruction, taught martial arts, transmitted Daoist techniques, bestowed longevity, taught how to become immortals, and taught how to be a person...

But only the old man was teaching you how to be a 'sage'!

Hu!

At a certain moment, the sound of preaching stopped.

The refined middle-aged man had a surprised expression, and the ox opened its eyes in astonishment. Both man and ox looked at the old man.

"The Dao cannot be entirely heard."

The old man looked at An Qisheng: "You came seeking the word 'Dao', having obtained 'Dao' you should also leave."

"I dare not refuse what the elder bestows."

An Qisheng bowed respectfully.

The old man was a man of the supreme Dao, his teachings were all his understanding of the universe, nature, and creation, without any subjective elements.

The subtle and profound aspects could not be described in words.

What anyone comprehended from it would only be themselves.

The refined middle-aged man saw non-action, the ox drowsed off, while he saw domineering spirit and magnanimity. This was not what the old man intended to impart.

But the Great Dao was like a mirror, reflecting only one's own heart.

It wasn't that the old man wanted to teach 'sages', but that he himself wanted to teach himself to become a 'sage'!

"You still have questions?"

The old man saw through An Qisheng's thoughts.

"I still have a few doubts, and I ask the elder to resolve them."

An Qisheng straightened his body.

The old man nodded slightly and smiled.

"Did the elder know I was coming?"

An Qisheng looked at the old man, his mind racing. Was the Lao Tzu of his previous life the same as the Lao Dan of this life, or were they different?

"I did not know."

The old man shook his head, indicating that he did not know: "But since you have come, I know."

"I do not know where the elder comes from, nor where he is going?"

An Qisheng stared at the old man.

Outside his enlightened mind was still a mortal body, without any hint of divinity. It was as if he was a truly ordinary old man.

But, was it really so?

"I come from the Depository of Books, and I wish to wander the world."

The old man replied calmly.

He seemed to know what An Qisheng wanted to ask, but he denied it.

"Wander the world..."

An Qisheng chewed over these words.

What he really wanted to ask was whether this person came from beyond the heavens, and his answer was very direct: no.

But if not...

Cutting off the thoughts in his mind, An Qisheng bowed and said, "I am grateful for what the elder has bestowed upon me. I have gained much today, but I have nothing of value to offer, only three bows to thank you for your guidance."

The old man smiled and simply shook his head: "You listened to my Dao, and I heard your Dharma, so there is no need to thank me."

"I must thank you."

An Qisheng still bowed three times, regardless of whether the old man accepted it or not.

"Only by slaying all desires and demons can you form a divine embryo."

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard the old man's voice behind him.

Looking back, he saw the old man with a calm expression, smiling and nodding in the moonlight.

But before he could say anything, everything behind him had already shattered and disappeared into nothingness with a speed that was both slow and fast.

In less than a tenth of a second, it had vanished without a trace.

......

Rumble~

A muffled thunderclap echoed in the sky, and faint lightning streaked across the night sky, filling the air with a dampness.

A storm was brewing.

In the silent Xue Manor, Su Jie, who had not yet fallen asleep, felt a faint stirring in his heart. He turned over, got out of bed, and, draped in a coat, went to the artificial lake in the back garden.

He saw streaks of lightning snaking like dragons, occasionally tearing across the sky, and thunder rolling like a tide, deafening at times.

But his attention was not on the lightning in the sky, but on An Qisheng, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation in the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Faintly, the black and white Taiji diagram he had seen that day appeared in his eyes, but it was different.

At that time, the black and white Taiji diagram had almost enveloped the entire planet, but now, the black and white colors only flowed around An Qisheng's body.

"Did Mr. An bring this thunder?"

Su Jie's eyes narrowed, his heart racing.

He could feel that with An Qisheng's breathing, the entire artificial lake, Yangming Mountain, and even the entire world, were moving with his breath.

The lightning in the sky was not descending to strike him, but was being drawn by his breathing!

"It's thundering?"

"This thunderstorm is strange, why is it so close? If this lightning strikes, won't it be fatal?"

"The weather forecast didn't say there would be rain? This weather forecast is getting more and more unreliable..."

Such a thunderstorm naturally attracted the attention of others in Xue Manor, but most people simply pushed open their windows or stepped outside for a glance.

Although this thunderstorm was a bit strange, no one really took it seriously.

"This is..."

On the other hand, Xue Zheng seemed to sense something and forcibly withdrew from his dream, feeling the unusual atmosphere around him.

He put on his clothes and went out.

As soon as he stepped outside, a lightning bolt happened to streak across the sky. Xue Zheng's heart skipped a beat as he stepped forward. Behind him, a lightning bolt struck down, leaving a strong burning smell in the air.

"Oh?"

Xue Zheng was slightly surprised.

After achieving the Baodan state, crossing the threshold and reaching the level where the spirit can't be broken, a person's aura becomes so powerful that it will imperceptibly interact with the heavens and earth, sometimes attracting lightning strikes.

But he had some means of concealing his qi and blood, usually appearing frail and decrepit, with all vitality reduced to a minimum.

Moreover, his Xue Manor had various disaster prevention and lightning protection measures.

He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he had been struck by lightning, so he was naturally a bit surprised.

Hu~

With a thought, he had already arrived at the edge of the artificial lake.

His perception was extremely strong. He could faintly feel invisible concentric circles spreading outward from An Qisheng, causing ripples on the lake surface and subtle wrinkles in the void.

An invisible qi mechanism was brewing between heaven and earth. It was this qi mechanism that triggered the resonance of heaven and earth, the changes in celestial phenomena, and at the same time, it also triggered the thunderstorm.

Strangely, however, Xue Manor was surrounded by lightning, but not a single bolt struck the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Instead, the houses everywhere suffered.

People were running out of their houses in alarm from time to time.

Before long, the entire Xue Manor, except for Bai Hu, Xu Hongyun, Jing Xiaolou, and others who had entered the dream realm of Wang Quan and were sleeping soundly, had been alarmed.

All were shocked and horrified as they watched the pavilion in the middle of the lake, surrounded by countless lightning snakes, which could be shattered at any moment.

What was happening?

"Has the Feng Shui changed?"

Xue Zheng's eyes narrowed.

Xue Manor was of course not built casually. In order to build this manor, he had invited countless Feng Shui masters decades ago, including Xu Hongyun and his teacher.

It was both a manor and a disaster shelter.

Therefore, he was most familiar with the aura and Feng Shui of Xue Manor. Even slight changes could be detected.

Not to mention such a big scene now!

He could faintly feel that what was being covered by the thunderstorm at this time was not just their Xue Manor. What was being changed by this Feng Shui transformation was not just Yangming Mountain.

In fact, the entire island of Taiwan was experiencing thunder and lightning, and the vast sea was also experiencing raging winds and thunder, with howling waves.

Moreover, it was not just Taiwan. The mainland across the sea was also experiencing howling winds and thunder.

The invisible waves were still spreading towards Europe, and even towards the Gold Eagle Country across the sea, and even the glaciers and ice oceans at the two poles of the world!

It seemed to be enveloping the entire world!

Hu~

Suck~

In the pavilion in the middle of the lake, surrounded by many lightning bolts, An Qisheng's spirit returned to the void, his breath merged with the surrounding environment, interacting with the heavens and earth.

The old man did not transmit any substantial spells or cultivation methods, nor was it a lineage like the study of mind.

Rather, it was like a mirror, reflecting his own shortcomings, flaws, and also reflecting his own path forward. Its meaning could be great or small.

A bright mirror hung high in his heart, with various essences flowing and rotating on it.

He had learned too many things, too many things. The martial arts and secret techniques accumulated over thousands of years in the Jiu Fu Realm, the magical powers and spells passed down for countless years in the human realm.

The vast amount of knowledge on Xuanxing, the witchcraft secrets obtained from the Three Hearts Blue Spirit Boy...

No one could integrate the things accumulated by countless creatures over thousands of years in three worlds in a short period of time, not even An Qisheng.

The Grand Thousand Dream Incarnation Technique was not omnipotent. The experiences of countless different dreams were also a huge burden on his mind.

As a result, distracting thoughts sometimes fluttered in his mind, requiring constant wiping, like an invisible veil covering it, until now, a corner of that veil was torn.

Seeing the truth.

"There is a thing confusedly formed, born before heaven and earth..."

"The way of heaven..."

"The Dao that can be told..."

An Qisheng muttered in his heart, chanting unconsciously: "Taiji is born from Wuji, it is the source of movement and stillness, the mother of yin and yang. When it moves, it divides, when it is still, it unites..."

Buzz~

Then, black and white colors leaped into the sky from his body, like two heavenly swords tearing through the heavy thunderclouds, outlining a rapidly rotating Taiji diagram in the infinite darkness.

The human body is a small Taiji, the heavens and earth are a large Taiji.

At this moment, they faintly merged!