'Why do young people nowadays always think about this kind of thing?'

Upon exiting the Scripture Hall, the expression on Liu Baiyi's face, the Pavilion Master, was... indescribable.

Having lived so many years, he had seen countless Human Domain cultivators react to the relics of Emperor Fuxi and Suiren. Most would bow spontaneously and express their willingness to fight for, and protect, the Human race with words like this.

Even those who performed poorly, due to being too proud, would pay their respects to the relics and then declare:

'Leave the future of the Human Domain to me!'

But Wu Wangzi, this fellow!

What kind of wish is it to hold a woman's hand sooner?

With his status, can he not find a Dao companion? Does he need the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion to arrange a Fate Matching Convention for him? Or should they directly assign him a charming and lovely Dao companion?

Really!

Can Emperor Fuxi protect him in this matter?

Liu Baiyi snorted coldly, his internal assessment of Wu Wang dropping by half a star.

He was just about to stroll around the Immortal Mortal Hall to see how the various areas of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion were running when he saw several high-ranking stewards coming hurriedly, each bowing to him.

One of them said, "Pavilion Master, Wuwang Palace Lord's subordinates were attacked. One was captured, and one escaped and came to us."

Liu Baiyi raised his eyebrows. "Is that so? Could it have been a stealth attack by Qiong Qi?"

"The person has passed out, and we don't know yet."

"Pavilion Master, the Grand Elder of Annihilation Sect, the newly advanced Transcendent Blood Hand Demon Lord, has already looked into it. It's indeed a True Immortal from their Annihilation Sect, also a close guard of Wuwang Palace Lord."

"Oh?"

Liu Baiyi pondered briefly and said,

"Keep an eye on this matter. When the unconscious person wakes up, ask him clearly about the details and report back to me.

"All four of you must pay close attention throughout and ensure you do not neglect anything.

"Wu Wangzi is not only valued by me, but he is also young and prone to being hot-headed and impulsive. His close guards must also be treated with care, to avoid affecting Wu Wangzi's Dao heart."

"Yes!"

The stewards answered in unison, took a few steps back, then turned and flew back the way they came.

Liu Baiyi swept his Immortal Consciousness over them, said nothing more, then turned and continued to wander towards the Immortal Mortal Hall.

As the Pavilion Master of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, he could not show up directly in every situation. Sometimes, giving an instruction or letting his subordinates know he took the matter seriously was already giving Wu Wang enough respect.

But Liu Baiyi never imagined that not only was Wu Wang a counter to the Ten Evils Hall, but Wu Wang's subordinates... also had a strong, fateful connection with the Ten Evils Hall.

Zhang Moshan quickly regained consciousness. Upon seeing the Grand Elder before him, tears streamed down his face.

The Grand Elder's face was stern as he stepped forward with several Benevolent Emperor Pavilion stewards to ask Zhang Moshan what had happened. Zhang Moshan, with a long sigh, relayed all the events he had experienced on his way there.

"I said we shouldn't hide our cultivation, we shouldn't hide our cultivation! Just release the aura of the True Immortal Realm, and there would have been no problems!"

「Half a month ago」

Zhang Moshan and Yang Wudi disguised themselves as Yuanxian Realm Body Cultivation cultivators who had just stepped into the Immortal Realm, leaving from Annihilation Sect and heading straight for the Main Hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion.

Unexpectedly, halfway through their journey, they were suddenly caught in a black wind, and two Heavenly Immortals took them down directly.

Because the opponents' cultivation was profound, Zhang Moshan and Yang Wudi didn't dare to resist rashly but instead watched the situation evolve.

Soon they realized that these two Heavenly Immortals were continually capturing Demon Path cultivators, specifically targeting those in the early stages of the True Immortal Realm and Yuanxian Realm cultivators of modest strength.

They would capture a few, move to a new location, and soon had abducted over a dozen, returning to a Demonic Sect stronghold not more than a few thousand miles from Annihilation Sect.

Zhang Moshan sighed, "They threw us into a Blood Pool, and we heard some chanting. Our Primordial Spirits started to get dizzy, and we couldn't discern anything around us."

"Blood Pool?"

"Yes, a Blood Pool, just like those rumored to be created by the Ten Evils Hall!"

Zhang Moshan gritted his teeth. "It's the Ten Evils Hall capturing fighters! They are specifically targeting Yuanxian Realm independent cultivators, and all the ones they target are Demonic Cultivators!

"Seizing the opportunity while our consciousness was not yet invaded, Yang Wudi and I discussed how to escape. Wudi said we must report the location of the Demonic Sect stronghold to the Sect Master, so we decided to make a break for it separately, directly burning our Divine Souls to see if one of us could get out.

"We waited for the right moment to act together. I managed to break out, but Wudi..."

The Grand Elder asked in a cold voice, "What happened?"

"He was recaptured."

Zhang Moshan sighed. "I saw him being brutally beaten by the two Heavenly Immortals. In the end, he even blocked them to allow me to escape. Now I fear for his life; those two Heavenly Immortals were extremely vicious."

The veins on the back of the Grand Elder's hands bulged. "Where is this Demonic Sect?"

Zhang Moshan quickly said, "Three thousand miles to the northwest from our Sect. It should be that Sect known as Qian Ding!"

The Grand Elder took a deep breath, vanished from the spot in a flash, and reappeared outside the meeting hall. Then, turning into a streak of bloody light, he rushed out of the Main Hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion.

The four stewards were also decisive. One went to inform the Pavilion Master, another went to mobilize the inspection immortal envoy closest to the place, a third went to command troops outside the Main Hall, and the last one continued to console Zhang Moshan, assuring him that his companion would be fine.

Zhang Moshan, looking pale, let out a sigh and closed his eyes to recover, knowing his task was complete and what was to come was for the Grand Elder and Sect Master to deal with.

「Half a day later.」

With some hesitation, Liu Baiyi still decided to share the news he had just heard with Wu Wang.

"Pavilion Master, by the time we arrived, the place was deserted, with only some unburned tainted blood remaining. The air was disrupted, and there was no way to trace their tracks."

"Judging by their methods, it indeed corresponds with the Ten Evils Hall."

"The Ten Evils Hall has not been hiding for long, yet they have already begun capturing Demonic Cultivators to feed the Blood Pool. Their nefarious intentions persist; truly a substantial threat!"

"In that place, the Annihilation Sect's Grand Elder, Blood Hand Demon Lord, found a stone with a simple drawing scraped onto it with a fingernail. From this, it was concluded that the True Immortal named Yang Wudi was still alive."

Liu Baiyi also got a chance to look at the drawing. It was a simple circle with a smiling face inside.

After being reminded by a steward that Yang Wudi was a nine-foot-tall bald and muscular man, Liu Baiyi instantly grasped the meaning behind the drawing.

Indeed, it was quite lifelike.

Liu Baiyi could not help but chuckle inwardly. Wu Wangzi truly has many capable people around him. They managed to escape detection, successfully cover for their companion's escape, and impressively, weren't even killed by the enemy. Indeed, a display of quick-wittedness.

As he reached the Scripture Hall, Liu Baiyi leaped up and went straight into the grand formation on the top floor.

He hadn't even called out before he saw the situation inside.

Wu Wang was sitting cross-legged in front of Emperor Fuxi's portrait, surrounded by several dozen stone tablets floating in the air, with threads of Immortal Light weaving around them.

The bottom hem of the portrait of Emperor Fuxi seemed to jut forward ever so slightly, as if he was imparting wisdom to Wu Wang.

This scene left Liu Baiyi somewhat astounded.

Has he already gained some insight?

Ling Xiaolan sat quietly on the other side, encircled by rainbow-colored Immortal Light, her cool and detached face shining with a touch of sacred luster.

This…

Liu Baiyi quietly backed out, unable to suppress a rueful smile.

Here I am, the Pavilion Master of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, the Human Emperor's right-hand man, the leading figure in the Human Domain's internal affairs, running around for such a trivial matter, specifically to notify Wu Wangzi. There's something about Wu Wangzi, an inexplicable quality similar to His Majesty's, that makes people subconsciously value his opinions. Is the Little Golden Dragon truly not the perfect choice in His Majesty's heart?

Liu Baiyi pondered for a moment, recalling the solemn words of caution the Human Emperor had imparted to them before their journey to the Northern Region.

Within a hundred years, the Human Domain might suffer a surprise attack from Heaven Palace. The current peace within the Human Domain is partly because the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion has deliberately concealed the true strength of the Heaven Palace forces, equating them simply with the gods. And no one knows this better than I, the Pavilion Master of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion. The Human race is but one of the Hundred Races. Heaven Palace represents an order, one where gods reign supreme over all living beings. The Hundred Races rely on Divine Spirits, worship them, serve them, and are willing to be driven by them. Within the forces of Heaven Palace, the truly troublesome ones are those experts from the Hundred Races who can contend with lesser gods and have been granted long lifespans by Heaven Palace. The previous offensive in the Northern Region was merely a probe by Heaven Palace's Head Manager and its Divine Spirits, aimed only at demoralizing the Human Domain and inciting internal conflict. When the true offensive arrives, the Divine Spirits will assemble their wings, unfurl their claws, and grasp their weapons. The Human Domain's defense will still rely on these experts, as well as countless bodies of flesh and blood.

"Sigh..."

Liu Baiyi sighed softly, hands clasped behind his back, humming an ancient human war song.

The melody was haunting, the meaning profoundly lonely.

At the top floor of the Scripture Hall, Wu Wang entered meditation for the first time. When he opened his eyes, half a month had passed.

At his Spirit Platform, an Eight Trigrams Picture of Fu Xi was slowly rotating.

This picture was no longer a simple 'flat' image but had transformed into a spherical shape, containing sixty-four hexagrams, perfectly enclosing the 'three-dimensional' Yin and Yang fishes.

This is the foundation of cultivation in the present Human Domain.

Fu Xi delineated the Eight Trigrams, from which all matters of heaven and earth could be understood.

The Human Domain's cultivation methods, which cultivate essence, qi, and spirit in unison, were developed by the ancestors under the guidance of Emperor Fuxi. They created countless such methods, thereby acquiring the strength to oppose Heaven Palace.

Although he emerged from meditation, Wu Wang did not awaken; his spiritual mind was immersed in his Nascent Soul, deeply contemplating.

There's an issue I had considered before, later deemed too complicated, but now I can no longer avoid addressing it. What exactly is the relationship between the Great Wilderness and Blue Star? The wormhole connecting the Great Wilderness with Blue Star proves an undeniable link between the two. And I myself am the strange connection point between them. My body entered the wormhole, but as the spaceship exploded, my consciousness was preserved, and I was reborn. In other words, setting aside myths, cultivation, Divine Spirits, souls, and a series of 'unfalsifiable' unscientific phenomena, the underlying rules of both worlds are similar. Following this line of thought... Is the Great Wilderness destined to experience some great calamity in the future, leading to the collapse of its Nine Wildernesses, and the Human Domain shrinking down into Blue Star? No, that reasoning is too full of holes. Not to mention anything else, the concept of stars in the Great Wilderness is completely different from the concept of the starry sky in the universe where Blue Star is located. But no matter what, the myths on Blue Star and the concepts in ancient scriptures do correspond with the Great Wilderness. Previously, when I was practicing Tai Chi, I had already realized that I seemed to be able to touch a trace of the Dao.

—The Tai Chi I practiced was learned from an instructor; the bit about the old folks in the park was just a joke.

With just a slight application of this Dao, I made Master Liu misjudge his attack, and he beat me until I almost vomited blood. Afterward, I had a somewhat bold idea. Which is more "profound," the cultivation methods of the Human Domain, or the Daoist and Yin Yang Family concepts from Blue Star? After seeing Fu Xi's Eight Trigrams Picture, I suddenly had an epiphany. This is an extension of a concept! It should be said that the Human Domain's current cultivation concepts are still at the stage of Fu Xi's Eight Trigrams, while the Tao Te Ching and the philosophy of Zhuangzi in my mind seem more like an extension of these current concepts. The question returns to the original point—what exactly is the connection between the Great Wilderness and Blue Star? The vast time spans in the Great Wilderness, often tens of thousands of years, are clearly far beyond what my home civilization ever achieved. Thinking of this, I felt that if I continued down this path, I would only fall into an endless loop. I decisively skipped this question and began to consider what impact the concepts carried by the Tao Te Ching might have if they were introduced to the Human Domain's current cultivation system. The impact would definitely not be small. But a new problem arose. I... couldn't recite the entire Tao Te Ching!

In meditation, Wu Wang couldn't help but slap his forehead, gritting his teeth and sighing profoundly.

In my last life, although I encountered the Tao Te Ching during cultural studies, I only remembered the more famous passages. A young man's dream is to explore the sea of stars and pilot a spaceship; who knew I'd be reborn to drift through my days in the Great Wilderness!

"Brother Wuwang?"

Ling Xiaolan's voice came from the corner, asking softly, "What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing."

Wu Wang quickly sat upright, continuing to let the stone slabs rotate around him, making himself look more imposing.

He said seriously, "I've just had an insight, got a bit excited."

Ling Xiaolan's eyes showed a hint of admiration as she softly sighed,

"I wouldn't have thought that my understanding is ultimately a bit weaker than Brother Wuwang's. Continue as you were; I won't disturb you."

"Please, Fairy Immortal."

Wu Wang took a deep breath to calm his mind and invited more stone slabs to his side, reading the chapters left by Emperor Fu Xi.

Master Liu had previously mentioned that most of the important scriptures personally written by Emperor Fu Xi were lost during the dark and chaotic era. However, some who had received Emperor Fu Xi's teachings managed to restore much of the content from his lectures on the Dao.

The stone slabs personally engraved by Emperor Fu Xi here could sporadically show Emperor Fu Xi's understanding of the Great Dao.

This was the process of Fu Xi's enlightenment, revealing several conceptual metamorphoses of Emperor Fu Xi.

The many scriptures stored in the corner could supplement this process, allowing Wu Wang to observe the continuous changes in Emperor Fu Xi's understanding of the Dao.

At this moment, what Wu Wang wanted to do was to get a glimpse of Emperor Fu Xi's cultivation path through these fragments and incomplete chapters, to feel the elder's concepts, and then standing on the high tower built by Emperor Fu Xi, to introduce the wisdom of Laozi and Zhuangzi that he knew into the cultivation methods of the Human Domain.

This matter is of great importance, and I also can't be sure where it would lead the Human Domain. The chance of a negative impact is small, as is the chance of it playing a positive role. Most likely, nothing will happen—such ideas might not be able to keep pace with the Human Domain's current cultivation practices. After all, Emperor Fu Xi's era ended too long ago, and I can't determine how far the Human Domain's cultivation methods have developed since then. I'll just do my best.

Wu Wang clenched his fist, beginning to arrange the stone slabs before him.

For the time being, I won't worry about the betrothal gifts. If I really can gain something, the biggest beneficiary should be me... probably.

「Time flew, and half a year passed in a blink.」

The news of Wu Wang and Ling Xiaolan entering the top level of the Scripture Hall had also spread within a small circle at the top of the Human Domain, but such news obviously couldn't be leaked out.

It's not scarcity that causes discontent, but uneven distribution—how would the younger generation of the Human Domain feel if they knew about this?

What Wu Wang didn't know was that during this half-year, many things had happened, and he missed quite a few exciting events.

First was Ji Mo's happy occasion.

As Wu Wang had predicted, merely a month after Ji Mo and Le Yao returned to the Ji Family, the Ji Family sent out a wide array of invitations announcing that the Ji Family's young master, Ji Mo, was to marry Le Yao, the precious daughter of the Sect Master of the Sun Demon Sect, which ranked sixth among the Demon Path sects.

When Ji Mo heard the news that Wu Wang and Ling Xiaolan were in 'epiphany and secluded cultivation' at the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, he wanted to postpone the wedding date, not wanting his most important life event to be missing his two most important friends.

But the invitations had already been sent out, and to postpone the wedding date would be a disrespect to the bride's family.

After much hesitation, Ji Mo could ultimately only allow for a hint of regret in his grand wedding.

Coincidentally, just as Lin Qi received Ji Mo's message, he broke through and became an Immortal, successfully enduring the Heavenly Punishment that accompanied Immortal Ascension.

The Annihilation Sect Immortals witnessed his ascension and offered Lin Qi numerous congratulations. Lin Qi responded with a smile, bowing with clasped hands to return their salutations.

Once the crowd dispersed, Lin Qi summoned a family general, his hands clasped behind his back, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

"Where's the teacher? Hasn't he returned from the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion yet?"

"Sect Master Wuwang is said to have had an epiphany and has entered seclusion."

"The teacher is also going to break through to Immortality? Brother Ji went to the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion too?"

"He should be at the Ji Family."

"In that case..."

Lin Qi made a bowing gesture in the direction of the Main Hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion and ordered, "Someone go to the Ji Family and deliver a letter to Brother Ji, telling him, 'I have become an Immortal, joyfully without bounds!'"

The family general hurriedly said, "Young master, the wedding invitation from Young Master Ji arrived just the day before yesterday. He's, he's getting married and starting a family."

"What?"

The smile instantly froze on Lin Qi's face, his brows furrowed deeply as he stood in midair, the Immortal Light flickering around him uncertainly. He had just broken through and was unable to completely conceal his aura when he clenched his right fist tight.

"When is his wedding date?"

"In a month..."

"Tell me, if I were to meet a lady I admired, feel love at first sight, fall further upon our second meeting, and with both parents' blessings proceed with the betrothal gifts, engagement feast, signing of marriage contract, and preparation for the wedding – is there a chance I could marry before Brother Ji does?"

The surrounding family generals looked at each other, speechless.

This... this too? He wants to compete in this as well?

"Young General, do you have a lady in mind? This isn't child's play."

Lin Qi thought carefully for a moment, glancing at four flower-like beauties in the distance. They had similar appearances and stood with chests out and heads high, their postures quite dignified.

"Not yet." Lin Qi shook his head. "I haven't formed a deep impression of any lady. Never mind, how could I possibly get married before my teacher does?"

The family generals of the Lin Family breathed a sigh of relief indeed.

Then Lin Qi added, "Prepare a generous gift. If the teacher doesn't have time to attend Brother Ji's wedding, I certainly can't let Brother Ji lack grandeur."

The family generals accepted the order with a roar.

For Ji Mo's wedding, a stack of invitations was sent to Annihilation Sect, with the names left blank, so that Annihilation Sect could send anyone, and the more who came, the merrier.

Lin Suqing also received an invitation from Ji Mo. Ji Mo wanted the "auntie" to represent Wu Wang at the event. Lin Suqing graciously declined, instead sending a pile of Treasure Mines as a gift and entrusted the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion with delivering a letter of congratulations.

Thankfully, the congratulatory letter did not contain 'definitely next time'.

Ji Mo's wedding caused a stir among half of the Human Domain. It was indeed a pity that Wu Wang missed such a grand event.

But there was nothing to be done; at that time, Wu Wang had delved into the cultivation techniques left by Emperor Fuxi, sinking deeper and becoming unable to extricate himself.

During that half-year period, another figure who was sinking ever deeper was Yang Wudi, whom Wu Wang 'favored' among the four guards.

This man had already made initial contacts with the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion. It was unclear how he had achieved it, but he had even secured a minor position within the Ten Evils Hall, having been dispatched before to 'recruit' new members.

Yang Wudi was truly not foolish, aware that the Ten Evils Hall held no good end. With all his wit, leveraging Wu Wang's influence in the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, he voluntarily became the Pavilion's 'informant.'

This was the first informant the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion had planted in the Ten Evils Hall, a key piece in the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion's partial control of initiatives against the Ten Evils Hall!

Even Master Liu personally inquired about this matter, tightly concealing the news. Guided by the secret marks Yang Wudi left, they located several dens where the Ten Evils Hall cultivated their fiends.

In order not to alarm them prematurely, the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion did not strike these individuals but instead increased patrols across the regions to restrict the Ten Evils Hall's scope of activity.

They were waiting for Yang Wudi to climb higher within the Ten Evils Hall, to obtain the location of one of their main halls.

They were planning a big hit!

A year after Wu Wang entered seclusion in the Scripture Hall, Yang Wudi's new secret signal had reached the Main Hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion and was handed over to the Grand Elder and a few stewards.

"Grand Elder, what does this mean?"

"Hmm..."

The Grand Elder slightly furrowed his brow, studying the simple drawing that had been carved into the stone for a while.

This 'drawing' was simple to the extreme, such that even if intercepted by the Ten Evils Hall, the meaning would be difficult to discern.

It depicted a woman with a red bridal veil, with a 'monarch' character drawn beside her.

"Grand Elder, could it be that our comrade Yang Wudi has found true love within the Ten Evils Hall?"

"No," the Grand Elder shook his head slightly. "This fellow has progressed from the pinnacle of the Yuanxian Realm, breaking through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm."

"Oh?"

"How can you tell?"

"The 'monarch' character is to the side. The woman with the red bridal veil represents a married woman. Such a woman would address her lord as her husband. The written character for 'husband' is formed by taking the character for 'heaven' and adding a stroke that 'breaks through' it. This imagery of 'breaking through heaven' signifies a breakthrough to the Heavenly Immortal Realm."

The Grand Elder stroked his beard with a light chuckle. "It seems that his securing of trust from the Ten Evils Hall is not far off."

The assembled cultivators nodded in agreement.

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