"A letter? What letter?"

Wu Wang asked aloud, his voice probing the air as tension gripped the poised masters within the pavilion, their gazes sweeping back and forth.

Only when Wu Wang revealed a faint outline of himself and deliberately added a light yellow hue did the group sigh in relief.

Xiao Jian Daoist lowered his Longsword, and the others sheathed their Weapons. They descended from the roof of the pavilion and leaped back from distant rooftops, then offered Wu Wang clasped-fist salutes.

In no time, calls of "Wu Wang" and "Hall Master" were heard incessantly.

Wu Wang responded with a cordial smile and a few pleasantries before getting straight to the point, "Daoist Brother, what were you saying just now? The Heavenly Emperor has sent me letters, three in one year?"

"Ah, that..." Xiao Jian Daoist cleared his throat and spoke in a transmitted voice, "This matter has not been made public, as the teacher suppressed it."

Wu Wang's expression instantly became slightly troubled. Then what were you shouting about here for no reason? This pavilion has no concealment whatsoever, and you didn't even bother to set up an immortal power Barrier!

"What exactly is going on?" Wu Wang expressed his concern appropriately.

"It is that envoys from the Heaven Palace have delivered letters," Xiao Jian Daoist said in a transmitted voice. "Starting from five years ago, a total of twelve letters have been sent, with three arriving in the last year alone. Considering you were in seclusion, Wu Wang, and that these letters were written by the Heavenly Emperor..."

Wu Wang's lips twitched slightly. "Daoist Brother, have you read them?"

"How could that be!" Xiao Jian Daoist couldn't help but straighten his chest and declared aloud, "I cultivate the sword, adhering to its uncompromising righteousness to discipline myself; how could I peek into another's letters! However, given the significance of this matter, we have presented the letters to His Majesty for a glance. His Majesty simply instructed us to keep the letters safe and hand them to you after your emergence."

The speech was punctuated with a soft mutter from Xiao Jian. "Mainly because it carries the Heavenly Emperor's Dao Rhyme, which no one in the Human Domain can decipher except for His Majesty. Of course, he would not peek at your letters."

Wu Wang truly breathed a sigh of relief. If the Heavenly Emperor had said something unusual in those letters and others had seen it, then Wu Wangzi's reputation could be considered 'at an end.'

"Daoist Brother, please have those letters sent to my residence later. I will prepare myself to come out of seclusion."

"Certainly, I will send someone to fetch them right away!" Xiao Jian agreed, hesitated as if he wanted to say more, and seeing Wu Wang turning to leave, he added, "That... what Divine Skill is this you've used? Why could we not sense your approach at all? When you spoke earlier, it truly gave us a fright."

Wu Wang smiled calmly, his faint silhouette gradually 'melting' away, turning into a gentle breeze that dissipated around the pavilion. His voice echoed in the area, "Just a little technique in using Divine Thought."

The several masters inside the pavilion exchanged looks and expressed their admiration aloud.

Wu Wang had intended to ride the wind leisurely, to truly feel this world, but this sudden discovery compelled him to curb his enthusiasm. This Divine Skill had no name; it was simply a knack he 'learned' on his own when he was accepting the enlightenment of Emperor Fuxi. Wu Wang took the phrase 'Riding the Wind with Abandon' for himself, and henceforth, as long as he was in seclusion for cultivation, he could use this method to traverse heaven and earth. Quite interesting.

His consciousness returned with the wind, effortlessly penetrating layers of Formations. Wu Wang, who was meditating in the quiet room, slowly opened his eyes. At first, there was a blur of light spots before his normal vision restored, allowing him to see the interior of the room.

It was the same as before, unchanged. The floor was covered with a thin layer of dust, and through the open window beside him, laughter and conversation between the Qingqiu fox woman and the women of the Feather Country drifted in.

"HUFF—"

Wu Wang exhaled the turbid air from his mouth, his Daoist heart transparent and bright, as his Primordial Spirit absorbed and stored all insights, tallying the rich 'gift' left by Emperor Fuxi.

The most precious was, naturally, the Eight Trigrams Dao of Yin and Yang.

Wu Wang had yet to delve into this Dao, but it had already benefited his own Dao Realm significantly.

This Dao could be regarded as Emperor Fuxi's interpretation of the concept of 'Heaven and Earth' or as Emperor Fuxi guiding posterity to find the path to the 'ultimate truth.' Its existence did not conflict with the Star Dao. On the contrary, it was more general and wide-ranging, encompassing the Star Dao within it, and could be complemented and filled by it.

Wu Wang spent six years to confirm one thing. — Could he take the Eight Trigrams Dao of Yin and Yang as his main cultivation path?

The answer was no.

It was simply because this was Fu Xi's 'personal Dao,' his understanding of the Dao.

Wu Wang was free to seek understanding, to interpret twice over, and even to use his newfound insights to compensate for his own deficiencies, but he could not take it as his main Great Dao.

"Those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die."

Following the teachings left by Emperor Fuxi, the cultivation of beings is not about the Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, the Taiji, the Sword Dao, and so on.

The true pursuit of cultivation has always been the 'self'.

To grasp those pre-existing rules is to integrate the 'self' with 'heaven and earth'.

Those who primarily absorb the power of heaven and earth to strengthen the body are pursuing Body Cultivation; those who primarily comprehend the changes of heaven and earth to enhance their Divine Thought are pursuing Spiritual Cultivation.

The former seeks the sublimation of the self, the pursuit of ultimate strength.

The latter, while pursuing their own sublimation, must gain the recognition of heaven and earth in order to in turn control more of the power of heaven and earth.

Both are not separate from each other, and it is difficult to say which is superior between body and spirit.

As Wu Wang absorbed the insights of Emperor Fuxi, he had solidified his original idea—to walk the path of dual cultivation of body and spirit!

The path of the [Body] relies on Divine Power to create, with the Star God's bloodline as the foundation, integrating the power of the Stars to temper the body, forging oneself into a top-notch warrior.

The path of the [Spirit], with the Yin Yang Eight Trigrams Dao and the Dao of Fire as supplements, continues to construct the Star Dao, overturning the Star God's interpretation rights of the Stars, and truly replacing the Star God.

Both paths would advance side by side. In the shortest time possible, he would reach his own limits and, like Suiren and Fu Xi, challenge and break through them.

To become a person as stunning and peerless as Emperor Fuxi!

And then... Er, then what? Retire to a life of leisure, picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, or explore the ultimate mysteries of the universe? It seems that what I truly look forward to is to journey with beauty, shamelessly living a happy and sweet life. On second thought, if I can cure this strange illness, can't I live such a life? Then why am I still striving so hard?

Wu Wang: ...

He suddenly thought of that 'fishing joke' he had heard in his previous life. Actually, these two scenarios are not the same. My current peaceful life is thanks to my mother's protection and the environment of the Human Domain. It's not secure and can't withstand storms and rain. Only when I possess enough powerful strength to deter others from coveting, even to transcend the Great Wilderness, will I have true peace.

"People should always have some aspirations," Wu Wang murmured, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Even if such pursuits are a bit... unorthodox."

「A moment later.」

In the transparent ground-floor room of Wu Wang's attic.

Wu Wang sat behind the desk, looking at the twelve similarly shaped Jade Talismans laid out before him, his expression quite animated. There was a little anticipation, and also some nervousness. Of course, there was more confusion and curiosity.

Xiao Jian Daoist and several experts from the Human Emperor Pavilion were seated in two rows of wooden chairs not far away, all appearing calm and collected, but their gazes would occasionally fall on Wu Wang.

A message from the Heavenly Emperor! This was a message from the Heavenly Emperor to the creatures of the realm! Even though the Heavenly Emperor is the mortal enemy of the Human Domain, the enemy of all beings, it doesn't prevent the experts from admiring and respecting such a formidable opponent. Consequently, the way they looked at Wu Wang was tinged with more reverence.

"Ahem," Wu Wang cleared his throat, his left hand hesitating for a while before returning to its original position. What did the Heavenly Emperor want with him, to catch up on old times? Their relationship could only be described as passing acquaintances at best, not close enough for 'messages by Hongyan'. In fact, they had already declared hostility openly and were avowed enemies.

There must be a trick, definitely a trick. Wu Wang hummed softly and inspected the twelve diamond-shaped Jade Talismans closely, indeed sensing the mark of the Dao of Order on them. Immortal Consciousness couldn't penetrate them.

Maybe just don't open them and send a reply instead, saying, "Please don't send any more messages, I'm worried His Majesty Shennong might misunderstand"? Wu Wang raised his hand to scratch the corner of his eyebrow, almost laughing at his own joke.

These letters would truly be better left unopened. All I need to do is open the Jade Talisman and see the handwritten message from the Heavenly Emperor, and I will inevitably receive the information he wants me to know, leading to a series of unverifiable conjectures. It would only add to the bother. But... Wu Wang was indeed curious and wanted to know what kind of mystery was contained in the letter from the Heavenly Emperor to himself. Should I pick a Jade Talisman at random and take a peek at it?

Wu Wang leaned sideways on the armrest of the wooden chair, looking somewhat distracted. Not far away, Lin Suqing was busy instructing three Maidens, arranging an Innate Water Sprite to boil water, instructing the little Princess from Feather Country to clean the meditation room, and telling the Qingqiu fox girl to retract her inadvertently released enticing Divine Power.

"What's wrong, Wu Wang?" Xiao Jian Daoist asked with a smile.

"Nothing, just wondering why the Heavenly Emperor suddenly wrote to me, and why there are twelve letters all at once." Wu Wang asked, "How have things been outside these past few years?"

"The Heaven Palace has made frequent moves, continuously launching surprise attacks from the north, affecting the entire Northern Region, but the harm isn't considered large." Xiao Jian offered a brief introduction. "Central Mountain has also been experiencing some turbulence, with successive rumors about Emperor Shun. Some say Emperor Shun was defeated by our Majesty and as a result underwent a great mental change. There are also rumors that Emperor Shun faced issues due to constructing the Dao of Order. The constant conflict between order and personal consciousness has led to different speculations..."

Wu Wang wondered, "Aren't these the rumors we released?"

"That, I haven't heard of any arrangements for such a matter." Xiao Jian Daoist winked at Wu Wang and immediately changed the subject, then said seriously, "Those Innate Gods who are harassing our Northern Region have engaged us in over ten large battles and dozens of smaller ones. Our losses are small, and the other side seems to have some internal strife. Furthermore, with many tribes from the Eastern and Western Wildernesses announcing their neutral stance between the Human Domain and Heaven Palace, their suppression by Heaven Palace troops caused an uproar. In the short term, Heaven Palace probably doesn't pose too much of a threat to us."

Wu Wang nodded slightly, looking at the twelve Jade Talismans with a decision already forming in his eyes. I'll just open them and see. Let's see what Emperor Shun, the Heavenly Emperor, has to say to me! First, I'll assume his position—there's definitely some calculation hidden within. There's no choice, the traps set by the Heavenly Emperor have simply been too numerous.

At that moment, Blue Bird flew back through the window flapping its wings, landed in front of Wu Wang, and let out two CHIRPS.

Wu Wang paused his actions, showing a slight smile to Blue Bird, and spoke in a gentle voice, "It's been years, has your injury gotten any better, senior?"

"CHIRP... AHEM!" Blue Bird replied in an old voice, "It's a bit better, but who knows when it'll fully heal."

"That's good," Wu Wang smiled, "Senior always appears as a Blue Bird, just don't let people mistake you for an actual bird."

Blue Bird nodded lightly, pointing a claw at the Jade Talismans placed before Wu Wang.

"This is a letter from the Heavenly Emperor," Wu Wang said slowly. "I was still in retreat when I heard about it and came out to see what these letters were about. I'll need to go back and sort out my own revelations soon."

Blue Bird let out two soft CHIRPS as if to say 'you're busy then.'

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Wu Wang picked up the first Jade Talisman that was sent to him. His Immortal Consciousness entered it, and the Jade Talisman made a faint clicking sound of a Mechanism, revealing a few lines of text from the Human Domain.

Wu Wang took a close look, and slowly several lines of frustration appeared on his forehead.

[Wu Wang, my young friend, receiving this letter is as good as meeting in person.

Since our separation in the Southeastern Region, I have missed you greatly and would like to invite you to the Heaven Palace for a visit, where we can engage in a lengthy conversation by candlelight, discussing the situation of heaven and earth and the structure of all spirits.

I wonder how you feel about this.

The Emperor, Shun.]

Beside him, Xiao Jian and the others started to look... intrigued.

Wu Wang said sternly, "Emperor Shun and I are not well acquainted, don't overthink it." With that, he, with a head full of question marks, opened the second Jade Talisman.

[I'm not sure if you received my previous letters, but I am currently in the Heaven Palace, deeply troubled.

The Gods each have their intentions, and the Heaven and Earth Seal is not stable.

Although I am the Heavenly Emperor, I lack the ability to separate my own mixed thoughts. Whenever I am troubled, I always want to consult with you.

Our relationship need not be tied to the conflict between Heaven Palace and the Human Domain.]

Wu Wang's brows furrowed deeply; meanwhile, Blue Bird also cocked its head to the side, full of confusion.

Lin Suqing didn't know when she had already stood behind Wu Wang and whispered, "Young Master, is this really a letter from the Heavenly Emperor?"

"You'll have to ask Daoist Xiao Jian."

"Absolutely! And it's impossible for anyone to have seen or altered it!" Xiao Jian immediately declared, "Emperor Shun's Dao Rhyme is one of a kind, and only Emperor Shun can use the Dao of Order. This Jade Talisman was completely sealed from before. His Majesty also said, if not forcibly opened, only you, Wu Wang, touching the Jade Talisman, could reveal the letter within."

"Young Master, is this really the Heavenly Emperor? This feeling, it's like, like..." Lin Suqing was at a loss for words for a moment.

A middle-aged General muttered softly, "Why do I feel that it has almost the same tone as letters from my master?"

The tone of an old Daoist... Sanxian?

Wu Wang's spirit was shocked, and he took the remaining ten Jade Talismans into his sleeve with a wave of his hand. He laughed and said, "This Heavenly Emperor must have developed hysteria. You all shouldn't overthink it; I have no involvement with the Heaven Palace."

Xiao Jian Daoist laughed and said, "Wu Wang, you worry too much. Although this matter is a bit unorthodox, I and the other fellow Daoists are not fools. If you had any connection with Heaven Palace, the Heavenly Emperor wouldn't personally contact you."

Wu Wang winked at Xiao Jian.

"Ah, right," Xiao Jian Daoist immediately stood up, signaling to those accompanying him. "Wu Wang has just exited seclusion. He surely has some private and intimate things to discuss with Miss Suqing and the others. Let's not stand here and be torches."

Everyone understood his intent, got up with half-mocking words, and took their leave.

"CHIRP! CHIRP CHIRP!"

After everyone left, Mingshe took measures to seal the attic, and Blue Bird urged a few times from the side.

Wu Wang took out the remaining Jade Talismans and revealed the letters inside one by one, glancing over them... The third, fourth, and fifth letters had content that was more of the same: grievances and complaints. The sixth letter was particularly interesting. It read:

[Wu Wang, how should I face Xihe and the others?

Xihe is aware of all the developments of this matter. She watches over me every day, setting aside her duties of driving the carriage of the sun. Thankfully, the Heavenly rules keep turning and nothing goes awry.

I have now let go of my anger towards the Human Domain, and my emotions are incredibly complicated.

If you could come to Heaven Palace and have a talk with me, I would be greatly comforted.]

Wu Wang was speechless for a while. Is the Heavenly Emperor airing his family disputes publicly? What does he take me for, a Northern Wilderness bear Young Master?

"Why," Lin Suqing said softly, "does the Heavenly Emperor seem to really take you, Young Master, as a confidant, to say such things to you?"

Wu Wang said, "There are restrictions from the Heavenly Emperor on this Jade Talisman that no one but I can unlock. This must be Emperor Shun scheming against me." After thinking for a moment, he stated more firmly, "This is definitely Emperor Shun scheming against me!"

Then, Wu Wang continued reading. Grievances, melancholy, tedium, annoyance. These twelve letters clearly conveyed Emperor Shun's mentality over the past six years, and the familiarity Wu Wang felt as he read between the lines grew increasingly clear. It was strikingly similar to the character of the Old Daoist Sanxian!

But, when Wu Wang saw the twelfth letter:

[Wu Wang, I do not know if you received the previous letters.

Indeed, I am no longer the original Emperor Shun. The various experiences in the Human Domain have long changed my temperament.

In the end, Fu Xi still won.

But while he gave me humanity, he overlooked one thing—human nature is not purely good.

Humans are the most complex creatures in the world, born weak yet able to comprehend the Great Dao, driven by greed and desire, each person a slave to their desires—including those who pursue freedom, yet are bound by the very word 'freedom.'

Fu Xi giving me humanity only destroyed my impartiality and justice before the order.

I have decided to take revenge on the Human Domain.

That is the hatred Fu Xi gave to me!]

Wu Wang slowly leaned back, the light in his eyes flickering. He gestured with his hand, and a piece of paper unfolded before him. Lin Suqing quickly ground the ink and moistened the brush. Wu Wang took it and wrote two large characters with vigorous strokes.

[Just woke up.]

Then he threw down the brush and called out loudly, "Daoist Brother! Find a way to send my reply to Heaven Palace!"

Xiao Jian, who hadn't gone far, immediately returned.

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