Ming looked at the white-haired Daoist before him with a complex expression, lost in thought. One moment, he saw a daring and arrogant swordsman who had kidnapped the emperor's consort. The next, he saw the powerful and domineering white-haired Daoist who had taught him skills from the hands of the Lord of Guipo.

Was this Daoist a reincarnation after his fall, or had he concealed himself in the face of a great calamity, subtly influencing the era from the shadows, gradually revealing his power until he broke through and became one of the Ten Great Peaks, finally choosing to emerge?

With pale face and eyes constantly closed, the Lord of Years, Xi Ming, was overwhelmed with thoughts, unsure how to organize them, a stark contrast to his usual calm and composed demeanor.

Zhang Ruosu watched the Dao Ancestor leave, his heart filled with complex emotions. He felt that his own strength might be greater than that of the old man who, in history, probably only lived to be a hundred years old. However, in terms of comprehending the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, he was still a latecomer.

The two viewed the concept of the "Dao" from different angles.

Worthy of being called the Dao Ancestor.

The old Daoist sighed, and then a hint of pride rose in his heart. In any case, he was someone who had been called "old brother" by the Dao Ancestor!

This alone would be a glorious event for the family if he ever met his ancestors!

Turning around, he saw Wei Yuan and Ye Ming's "confrontation." Wei Yuan and the others had protected Nuwa for ten days and ten nights, and the old Daoist had already learned about Ye Ming's identity – a legendary ancient deity from the extreme west of the Great Wilderness, who governed the movements of the sun, moon, and stars!

A child created by Houtu, the Earth Mother!

The Deputy Lord of Heaven of the Great Wilderness Divine System!

An existence in the first echelon below the Ten Great Peaks, and a notoriously difficult one to deal with.

Could it be that they knew each other?

Zhang Ruosu stroked his beard in confusion. He felt that although this Deputy Lord of Heaven seemed cold and didn't like to talk much, his nature wasn't bad. He had even had some exchanges with him in the past ten days, building a certain harmonious relationship.

Could it be that they had a past grievance?

How does Wei Yuan always manage to stir up trouble?

Alas, it seems this old Daoist has to step in and be a peacemaker.

Alas, who asked me to be called "little old brother" by the Dao Ancestor?

The faint sadness in Zhang Ruosu's heart didn't linger for long before he returned to his carefree self. He immediately smiled and said, "Venerable Ye Ming, do you know Fellow Daoist Wei from the past? It's a rare meeting today, why not sit down and have a good drink?"

"It's always a rare encounter, ha ha, no grudges are insurmountable!"

Zhang Ruosu, drawing on his years of experience of making a living around the world when he was young, prepared to start resolving the conflict. Suddenly, the old Daoist noticed something was off. He saw that the usually calm Ye Ming's tone had a rare fluctuation as he said, "You, have you finally returned?"

The white-haired Daoist looked at Ye Ming.

Having experienced the previous memories, he could still see the outline of that rebellious child in his eyes. He sighed, reached out and patted Ye Ming's head, saying with gentle warmth, "I have returned."

"I won't leave again."

The expression on Zhang Ruosu's face froze.

??!

This, this isn't right!

He looked at Wei Yuan, then at Ye Ming.

Suddenly realizing something was amiss, he saw that this Deputy Lord of Heaven was dressed in white robes, with white hair hanging down his temples, hair tied up, and a sword at his waist. And that Daoist was dressed in a blue robe, also with white hair, hair tied up, and a sword at his waist. On closer inspection, even the style of their clothing was somewhat similar.

This, this is…

The old Daoist's expression was blank, and his mouth twitched.

Wei Yuan reached out and pinched a strand of karma on Ye Ming, or rather, the part of his power representing the memories sealed by Dijun. Then, he sighed and, with a little force, casually crushed this strand of karma that had sealed his memories, and looked at the Heavenly Emperor beside him, saying:

"Then, Ming will stay here with me?"

The Heavenly Emperor glanced at him and said calmly, "Whether or not he is a disciple of the Jade Void Sect, he is also the Deputy Lord of my Great Wilderness."

"He still needs to fulfill his corresponding duties. Other than that, do as you please." The white-haired Daoist nodded and said, "Thank you for taking care of him for me during this time."

The Heavenly Emperor nodded, not saying much, only watching the direction in which the old Daoist left, his expression still not showing much emotion. Wei Yuan said, "It seems that the reason you came here wasn't just to protect Nuwa, but also to see him."

The Heavenly Emperor said calmly, "This seat only came here to play chess."

Wei Yuan: …

Ah, right, right, right.

You just came to play chess, right, right, right.

The Heavenly Emperor said calmly:

"I knew him for eighty years. For humans, that may be a very long time, but for me, it's just a tiny moment that passes in a blink of an eye. The time I spend wandering among the stars is more than that."

"The length of a star's change, its death, is far beyond the years humans can observe."

"Actually, this seat doesn't understand him at all, nor do I know him. Perhaps because I've seen too many eternally existing stars, this seat is rather slow and casual when it comes to understanding things. For humans,"

"Some things have to be done. Once you delay even slightly, you'll completely lose the opportunity."

"But it's different for me."

"If I don't want to do something, postponing it for ten or a hundred years doesn't matter."

"Even if I only think about solving it after a thousand years, there won't be any problems. In such a situation, my actions become arbitrary, and indifference is natural."

"In that short time, I didn't understand him, nor did I want to do anything. I just calmly watched him grow, marry, have children, lose his wife, and grow old, like flowers blooming and falling, winter snow melting in the spring. These are all natural changes, I was just an observer."

"Just watching him walk towards his own destiny, this seat still feels a bit of regret."

For the first time, Wei Yuan felt the true voice of a so-called immortal being. The Daoist's white hair fell down, some of it falling on his shoulders. He said gently, "Does the Heavenly Emperor feel sorrow?"

The Heavenly Emperor, dressed in black robes, stepped forward and disappeared.

"No, of course not."

"The starlight that fell on him that year will be reflected back into the vast universe. The memories carried by the light will not be annihilated. So, even if he has left, he will always be in my memories,"

"As bright and eternal as a star."

Wei Yuan watched the black-robed Heavenly Emperor disappear, returning to the vast sky.

If every star in the infinite galaxy represents a remembrance of an old friend, then the Heavenly Emperor's past must be too sorrowful. Wei Yuan retracted his gaze. The old Daoist beside him had already started drinking heavily, trying to escape reality and numb himself.

Damn it!

How did this bastard's seniority get higher and higher?!

What are you?

A single-celled organism from the Triassic period that cultivated into a spirit, right?!

Wei Yuan said, "To participate in the creation of Heaven and Earth, rather than seize it, do you have any insights?" Zhang Ruosu rolled his eyes, took a sip of wine, and still replied, "I have some. Participating and seizing are two extremes."

"One is to be with Heaven and Earth, to participate in their creation, cultivating the Dao and comprehending the Dharma."

"This way, you won't absorb and plunder the creation of Heaven and Earth. On the contrary, you'll make Heaven and Earth more abundant, and you can also use the power of Heaven and Earth."

"The other is to frantically absorb all spirituality to replenish yourself."

"You want to gather the power of all things in one body, and you can also use the power of Heaven and Earth to move mountains and fill seas."

"But this will damage the root of the world, making all things wither like locusts, leaving no opportunity or foundation for future generations to cultivate. It's like draining the pond to catch the fish."

The old Daoist said with a bitter smile: "And I've calculated that, generally speaking, participating in the creation of Heaven and Earth has a higher upper limit of strength than seizing it. Because even if you crazily swallow the entire world, without any loss or waste, the limit is the same as participating in the creation of Heaven and Earth."

"This is still with a premise."

"That is, the path of participating in the creation of Heaven and Earth doesn't give back to Heaven and Earth to make them stronger."

"And the so-called tribulation, seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth, when the spiritual essence compressed within you reaches a certain balance with the outside world's foundation and Great Dao, then wanting to plunder will encounter a violent backlash from Heaven and Earth. All kinds of spiritual energy will become tyrannical. This is the counterattack and resistance of all things and living beings against those who plunder their future."

"But actually, the first type of cultivation doesn't have such tribulations."

Wei Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Doesn't have?"

The old Daoist took a swig of strong liquor and said, "I'm just recalling the records of the [Tribulation] in the Daoist scriptures. Actually, it's not the lightning tribulation that's widely spread now. In the past, lightning tribulations were for demons and beasts, because they were taking the path of seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth."

"Oh right, seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth, there's a good analogy."

Zhang Ruosu patted his forehead and said, "That's cancer."

"The path of frantically supplementing oneself by seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth, if you compare Heaven and Earth to a person, then it's like cancer cells frantically seizing the nutrients of the entire body. The stronger they become, the weaker the person becomes. And the heavenly tribulation, lightning tribulation, and the like are the body's immune system counterattacking."

The white-haired Daoist looked at Zhang Ruosu with disdain: "Fellow Daoist, can you not describe such mysterious things in such a modern and mundane way?"

Zhang Ruosu choked.

He was furious.

"Isn't this what I learned from you?"

The white-haired Daoist said confidently: "Me?"

"I definitely wouldn't do that. I am the Yuanshi Tianzun!"

"Then what are the orthodox tribulations mentioned in the Daoist scriptures?"

Zhang Ruosu pondered, "Actually, they're not considered tribulations. What that Daoist scripture says is actually ten demonic trials and nine tribulations. The so-called ten demonic trials test the heart of the Dao, and the nine tribulations examine cultivation. It's a fragmented text. After I go back, I need to carefully search again to see if I can transform the path of modern cultivation."

While Wei Yuan and Zhang Ruosu were chatting, they also casually discussed when to take Ah Xuan as a disciple.

Zhang Ruosu patted his forehead and said, "Oh right, also, Buddha carelessly fell down the mountain before. Now that the Dao Ancestor has left, what about Buddha? I remember they came together."

The white-haired Daoist shook his head and said, "No need to worry."

"The starting point is the same, and the ending point is the same."

"No matter how long they choose to spend here, they will eventually return to when they first arrived." He held a fallen leaf in his hand, his voice gentle and calm: "So don't worry, don't rush. Eventually, we will meet again in the passage of time."

Meet again in the passage of time?

Zhang Ruosu was stunned. He subconsciously raised his eyes and saw that the Daoist's expression was gentle and calm, with a blue robe and white hair, and a gentle demeanor. He saw that his face was young, but his eyes seemed old and ancient, vaguely showing the aura of the true Yuanshi Tianzun of the Jade Void Sect, who had traversed countless ages. His scalp tingled.

Do you even know what terrifying things you're saying?

Wei Yuan looked at the man beside him who was no longer young and dressed in a Tang Dynasty round-collared robe, and said, "What about you? Do you plan to stay here for a while longer?"

Li Taibai sighed and said, "I originally wanted to, but after thinking about it, if I stay too long, I'll still have to go back eventually. So I might as well go back sooner, and save myself from regretting it for the rest of my life. I'll just treat it as a sweet and fulfilling dream."

Wei Yuan nodded with a smile.

Li Taibai sighed and said, "I just don't know if there will be a chance to come again." The white-haired Daoist replied gently, "The Dao is originally green. If there is green in the future, there will be a time for reunion."

"I will keep the wine here, and you will always come back to see it."

The Qinglian Hermit was slightly stunned, then bowed and laughed heartily:

"Is that so? Then I will wait for the time to leave. I have one more request."

His eyes were bright as he looked at the white-haired Daoist and said, "I have already been able to see this immortal scenery, to see this peerless scene. I wonder if I can witness the demeanor of the Yuanshi Tianzun!"

The white-haired Daoist was stunned, then burst out laughing.

Li Taibai of Chang'an, Tang Dynasty.

As expected, he was a wild, unrestrained, arrogant, yet bold and romantic person.

"Alright." The Daoist nodded in agreement.

He reached out his hand, his five fingers fair and slender, like the world's beautiful jade. But those five fingers suddenly became tall and distant, directly entering the mountains and clouds, causing Li Taibai, who was shrouded within, to widen his eyes and feel his scalp tingle. He vaguely felt a sense of divine soul trembling, only feeling that the heaven and earth had become towering and magnificent, making himself seem even more insignificant. Suddenly, the heaven and earth shook and collapsed with a bang!

The power to turn the world upside down!

The northwest sky tilted, and the southeast ground sank!

"Ah!!!"

Li Taibai suddenly opened his eyes, only feeling a splitting headache, as if he had been slapped on the forehead by the Yuanshi Tianzun. No, it could hardly be considered being slapped on the forehead by a palm… It was more like the illusion of the heavens and earth collapsing all at once.

But looking around, he only saw his friends raising their glasses to each other, the lights swaying, and the maids offering wine.

It was a prosperous scene of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty.

Was it a drunken dream, or an immortal in a dream?

Li Taibai seemed drunk and awake. Over there, a scholar laughed loudly: "Taibai is awake, Taibai is awake, hahaha, come, come, let's continue drinking!"

"Nonsense, nonsense!"

"The more drunk Brother Taibai is, the more inspired he becomes. How can he not compose two poems?" Everyone clamored. Li Taibai laughed loudly, picked up a wine jar with one hand, drank with his head raised, his demeanor unrestrained, and pointed at a person next to him, as if without thinking, he opened his mouth and said: "The seafarer speaks of Yingzhou, the misty waves are vast, and it is difficult to believe!"

That was a person who had gone to sea and returned, seeking immortals.

When everyone heard Li Taibai speak, they all fell silent.

The drunk man then pointed to a person from Baiyue, running and staggering:

"The Yue people speak of Mount Tianmu, the clouds and mist flicker, perhaps it can be tasted!"

"Mount Tianmu connects to the sky and lies across the sky, its momentum surpassing the Five Peaks and overshadowing Chicheng."

He fell drunk on his seat, his eyes vacant, recalling the scene of the white-haired Daoist reaching out his hand, where all things suddenly became huge and then collapsed, the northwest sky tilting, and the southeast ground sinking, murmuring to himself:

"Mount Tiantai is forty-eight thousand zhang high, facing this, it wants to fall to the southeast!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, only some began to write down these verses with great enthusiasm.

Their hearts were shaken and moved by this poetic talent, only feeling that this person had truly seen the scenery of the immortals, and had this extraordinary talent to describe it. After the final romantic and magnificent verses,

Qinglian, the Immortal of Drunkenness, slumped on the table:

"Suddenly my soul trembled and moved, as if startled awake and sighing deeply."

"I only feel that the pillows and mats of the world have lost the smoke and clouds of the past." Finally, his voice became more and more casual, regretting and murmuring: "The joys of the world are like this, all things of ancient times flow eastward with the water." "When will I return after saying goodbye to you?"

"When will I return after saying goodbye to you."

ps: Second update today… Four thousand four hundred words…