Chapter 385: Chapter 42: Integrating the Dao of the Nine Nethers, Celestial Realms Level Avatar

Near the Origin was a place of absolute emptiness and tranquility.

There was no up or down, no cardinal directions; the very concept of space was absent. The concept of time was frighteningly faint. Even a Daluo would be unable to summon the River of Time here, and the line between life and death blurred.

After a long, deathly silence, Xuandu was the first to recover. He looked at his junior brother and remarked with a sigh,

"Junior Brother, your talent is so extraordinary... I fear only the Innate beings who have existed since before the Creation of Heaven and Earth could possibly compare..."

He exhaled a clear breath, his expression turning solemn.

"Junior Brother, you should now begin trying to comprehend One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones. After you sever your True Self Incarnation, it will likely take some time to integrate this portion of the Nine Nether’s authority. There is no time to waste."

Lu Xuan nodded earnestly.

"Yes, Senior Brother."

With that, he and Xuandu just stared at each other, the atmosphere suddenly growing awkward.

Lamp Buddha could no longer bear it and asked,

"Profound Yellow Emperor, what are you doing...?"

Lu Xuan glanced over in surprise.

"I’m in the process of comprehending that Supreme Divine Technique, Senior. Is something the matter?"

"???"

Both Lamp Buddha and Xuandu were taken aback, utterly confused. Lu Xuan seemed to catch on and explained with a smile,

"I can multitask. It’s no problem for me to comprehend things while taking action. It’s what I normally do."

The Past Buddha and the Ancient Daoist exchanged a look. ’Talent on this level...’ they both thought. ’No wonder our masters prize him so highly!’

Lu Xuan simply smiled and said no more, sinking his consciousness into his Spiritual World.

While analyzing One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones, he also began to methodically take stock of his current state.

He hadn’t slacked off at all lately. Even when facing the Ancestral Dragon or bluffing Emperor Fengdu, he had never once neglected his cultivation, always dedicating a portion of his mind to comprehending the Dao.

To this day, he had comprehended a total of one thousand two hundred and sixty Great Dao Texts for the Mediation of Creation.

For the Slaying and Slaughter Swords—which contained only one thousand Great Dao Texts in total—he had analyzed seven hundred for each.

His greatest progress, however, was with the Primordial Body and Dao Generating One. He had long since achieved initial mastery of the former, and of the latter’s eight hundred Great Dao Texts, he had analyzed five hundred and sixty.

One could say that when it came to understanding the path of Cause and Effect, many Celestial Realms Level Great Divine Power Users probably couldn’t compare to the current Lu Xuan.

He had a feeling that once his Primordial Body progressed further, he might be able to create a profound divine technique comparable to Dao Generating One!

Time trickled by. Lu Xuan was dedicating the vast majority of his focus to analyzing One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones, leaving him no spare attention for his other Divine Techniques for the time being.

Overcome with boredom, he opened his eyes. After glancing at Lamp Buddha, he hesitated for a moment before speaking to Xuandu.

"Senior Brother."

Lu Xuan, seated cross-legged in the empty void, asked,

"Speaking of which, what is the story behind this True Self Incarnation of yours? It seems... to have a heavy murderous intent."

Xuandu, who had been meditating, also opened his eyes and glanced at Lamp Buddha. The Buddha sighed a chant and then said,

"If this is something I should not hear, I can seal my six senses."

Xuandu fell silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"That won’t be necessary."

Then, he slowly began his tale.

"My main body was the first one shaped by Wa Huang. In a way, you could consider my main body her firstborn son."

Lamp Buddha nodded slightly, evidently already aware of this.

Xuandu sighed.

"After the Three Emperors of the Human Race had governed the world, I remember the day a great catastrophe struck. Wa Huang fell from the sky, her body coming to rest upon the Earth, lifeless. The realm was thrown into chaos."

"Another hundred thousand years passed. I personally witnessed the East Emperor, who ruled the Ancient Celestial Court at the time, attempt to desecrate Wa Huang’s corpse. He struck with his sword, seeking to draw her blood. I moved to stop him, but I was no match for him."

Lu Xuan’s expression tensed. ’This is clearly a great secret, one that involves Wa Huang and Taiyi... Wa Huang falling from the heavens... could that be the Transcendence Teacher spoke of? Leaving behind nothing but a shed skin, a corpse? Did it happen when all Three Emperors had emerged? What is the connection between that and Transcendence? And Wa Huang’s blood... There’s a drop of it lying in my own sea of consciousness!’

At that moment, Xuandu continued,

"Taiyi struck Wa Huang’s body with his sword, but failed to even break the skin, leaving only a faint white mark. He then mobilized the Immortal Gods of the Ancient Celestial Court to attack her body in unison, but that too was fruitless."

His gaze grew distant and profound.

"I considered Wa Huang my own mother. Witnessing that scene, I was so enraged my eyes felt as if they would split, and I was consumed by a burning fury. But I was powerless. Afterward, an inner demon was born within me, and my murderous urges became uncontrollable. Master had me cultivate my mind and abstain from killing for countless years."

Lu Xuan looked thoughtful and asked out of curiosity,

"Then what happened, Senior Brother?"

"What happened later?"

Xuandu smiled, once again lost in his memories.

"I lived through the age of the Five Emperors and witnessed the rise and fall of the Xia Dynasty. It was not until the time of the Profound Bird birthing the Shang that I finally managed to suppress my inner demon. Following my Master’s instructions, I entered the Red Dust to walk the mortal world."

"Everything was peaceful for a long time. From the beginning of the Shang Dynasty, I walked the Human World for a million years without killing, without giving in to anger. But then, in the Late Shang Dynasty, Emperor Xin wrote a poem insulting Wa Huang. The mental state I had cultivated for millions of years was once again assailed by my inner demon."

Xuandu’s expression darkened.

"Fortunately, Master imparted to me the Dharma of One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones. I used it to sever that inner demon from myself, turning it into this Luo Hou Body. Only then did I avoid making a grave error."

Lu Xuan fell silent, then sighed.

"I see... But why did Taiyi want Wa Huang’s blood?"

"I do not know." Xuandu shook his head and turned his gaze to Lamp Buddha. "Buddha, you are also a being born at the dawn of creation, one of the most ancient. Do you know the reason?"

Lamp Buddha gave Lu Xuan a meaningful glance before shaking his head.

"I do not know either. I only know that the East Emperor was not the only one who sought Wa Huang’s blood."

He seemed to get lost in his memories.

"In those days, the East Emperor held sway over all the Immortal Gods. He was domineering, an embodiment of the principle ’Only I Am Venerable.’ Things were fine at first, but his nature gradually soured. It was after he struck Wa Huang’s body that the long-simmering resentment against him finally erupted, and he was cast down from the Celestial Court..."