"To achieve the true Yuanshi Tianzun, all dispersed Yuqing cultivators will eventually return to one. Whoever can lead the thirteen Yuqing cultivators will be Yuanshi Tianzun."
Yuan Huang said this, but Ji Xiang recalled the initial situation when he was driven down to the mortal realm by the divine position of Yuanshi Tianzun.
"Was there no Yuanshi Tianzun in the past?" Ji Xiang inquired.
Yuan Huang paused slightly and replied, "Yuanshi Tianzun is a realm imagined by ancient cultivators, and also the supreme deity. As you know, heavenly gods are born from the wishes of the mortal world. Their divine tablets appeared in the Great Fulu Realm, which is the initial and greatest Dharma realm, encompassing all things."
"Some heavenly gods impersonate certain mortals. In reality, those mortals are transforming into those heavenly gods. They fabricate stories, claiming to be heavenly gods descended to earth or reincarnated stars. In this way, they acquire the characteristics of those heavenly gods and are also praised by people within the mortal faith, equating the two."
"During the Han Dynasty, it is said there was a path of man and god that could transform a person completely into a heavenly god. However, the secret art was lost and its whereabouts are unknown. The power of these heavenly gods is not solely contained within their divine tablets. It is linked to the worship and imagination of mortals."
Yuan Huang continued, "Therefore, achieving Yuanshi Tianzun means being omnipotent. And Yuqing cultivators are extremely special, so they are not like those cultivators who attempt to incarnate as heavenly gods."
"Our existence does not require the recognition of mortals. Although Yuanshi Tianzun was a supreme being imagined by some cultivators in the past, I do not even know when Yuqing cultivators were born. Mr. Gu is considered ancient, but as far as I know, his position within Yuqing is only fourth."
"The first and second individuals have never appeared, nor are their names known. The various ancient texts attributed to Yuanshi Tianzun record many names, but you do not know which Yuqing each of those names corresponds to. It is only that these texts were written by Yuqing cultivators."
"What Mr. Gu killed were the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth individuals."
Ji Xiang's gaze shifted.
The third and fifth were not mentioned.
"The third person is Qing Luo?"
"The fifth person is..."
Yuan Huang nodded, "Indeed, I am the fifth person."
"I killed the eleventh person, and then the twelfth person disappeared. The thirteenth person is you."
"There are thirteen Yuqing cultivators, and six have already died."
Yuan Huang sighed, "You fought with the Great Sun Tathagata and know that he wants to seize the characteristics of Yuanshi to achieve his Primordial Buddha in Buddhism. This is also a realm imagined by Buddhism. Neither the past nor the future has been achieved by the Buddha himself. Primordial represents the origin of the word 'Buddha.' It does not mean that Buddhism only existed after Shakyamuni attained enlightenment as the Buddha, but rather that it existed before the Buddha was recognized, though no one could call it by name."
"And the Dao, or the part of 'Dao' known as Yuanshi Tianzun, also exists in the same way."
"I do not know its name."
"I forcefully call it Dao."
"I do not know whose son it is."
"Before the Emperor of Heaven."
"You should have read the Tao Te Ching thoroughly. These words are the origin of the interpretation of Dao in later Taoism. Yuanshi Tianzun and Taishang Laojun are both imaginations of the supreme realm of Dao."
"Their origins can only be known by finding the first person. Even I cannot understand. I have been searching for the first or second person until now, but I have never seen them. Perhaps they are no longer in this world, or perhaps they are right beside us."
As Yuan Huang spoke, Ji Xiang felt a chill run down his spine and involuntarily exhaled a breath of clear air.
With the abilities of a Yuqing cultivator, transforming oneself into a phenomenon or a legend is possible. Having witnessed the hypocritical gospel of Christ, the reversal of the future by the Great Sun Tathagata, and Mr. Gu's Supreme Unification Method,
He realized that even in illusory worlds or uncertain futures, people could be hidden.
Malice is everywhere, and those people hide in places that mortals can never see.
"Afterward, we will talk about Qing Luo. Mr. Gu used Qing Luo's power to create 'yuan' (缘), which is his method of searching for Yuqing cultivators. Once entangled by that 'yuan', one will be targeted by Mr. Gu, but he will not assimilate you immediately..."
"He merely intends to use you as a sacrifice to carry Qing Luo."
Yuan Huang said, "The Yuqing evil is not Qing Luo, but it has an inseparable relationship with Qing Luo. Qing Luo's form may have dissipated, but it still exists in some form, which is the 'yuan' scattered throughout the world."
"Mr. Gu collects these 'yuan'. He wants to assimilate Qing Luo, and perhaps Qing Luo is also using these 'yuan' to assimilate us. Once enough 'yuan' is collected, one can become a vessel for Qing Luo's appearance. At that time, if he assimilates you, it will be as if he has directly consumed both you and Qing Luo."
Ji Xiang: "Qing Luo is older than him. It seems that besides assimilation, this 'yuan' has other uses. Isn't Mr. Gu afraid of becoming Qing Luo himself by doing this?"
Yuan Huang shook his head, "I don't know, I don't know. Mr. Gu is in the future, and I am only in the past. In the present, I make certain inferences. The information I have is limited. I cannot reverse the future or change the future, because a more distant future is our deathbed."
"Qing Luo's 'yuan' is useful. It will guide you to find opportunities unique to Yuqing. By accepting the 'yuan', you are gradually obtaining what Yuqing has left behind. The characteristics of Yuanshi Tianzun will become more prominent. To ignorant cultivators, they might think their true opportunity has arrived, their own unique secret treasure."
"As for whether Qing Luo is good or evil, and what kind of dharma he cultivates, one can glimpse it from the 'Eleven Great Luminaries Dispelling Calamities Divine Mantra Sutra'. He transmits scriptures and divine mantras to the world, which is to enhance his image as Yuanshi Tianzun. The extent of his involvement cannot be determined."
Ji Xiang suddenly had a doubt, "This scripture began to circulate during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Qing Luo was at most a person from the Tang Dynasty. Then you... you are the fifth person, but are you older than him? I remember you..."
He stopped mid-sentence, and Yuan Huang also nodded slightly, "You haven't forgotten what I said earlier."
"I killed a Yuqing cultivator and ate him, thus I could lock myself in the past. That's why I am older than Qing Luo."
"Remember, the time of appearance you know does not represent the time of their existence. Scriptures circulate in later generations, but the person themselves could have appeared in the Wei Jin or even Qin and Han dynasties. Just as Mr. Gu placed himself in the future forever, scriptures can also descend directly from the past to the afterlife."
"That is to say, if you can go back to the past now, you might see..."
See what? Naturally, the first and second individuals. However, Yuan Huang sighed again, indicating that he had traced back to before the Wei Jin period but had not yet seen those two people.
Could it be in an even more ancient past?
It is necessary to continue moving towards the past to find out.
This left Ji Xiang utterly stunned, as if struck by lightning.
Going to the past!
A journey against time, transmitting scriptures directly from the past to the afterlife. Compared to his own peering into the future, they operated on the future from the past. Whatever future they desired, they would directly add it in the past, and then a certain thing would suddenly appear in the future... m..oΓg
After a long period of contemplation, Ji Xiang asked again, "So, going to the past, or locking oneself in the future, is a divine ability that all Yuqing cultivators can obtain? Or, do you have to kill a Yuqing first?"
"Killing is not simply killing. I said 'eating', and Mr. Gu said 'assimilating', they are the same meaning. That is to return. You return to me, and at this moment, I am you, and you are me."
"Isn't the method of Christ in the West similar to this? Perhaps..." Yuan Huang suddenly made a stunning guess:
"Christ might be the first person, or the second person..."
"Or perhaps... the twelfth person."