Chapter 1289: The State of the Celestial Venerable

Main Text Volume

Chen Mobai solemnly opened the scroll he had just received. After all, in the Celestial River Realm, he was portraying himself as the Heavenly Venerable's successor, so he had to appear serious about information concerning his grand-master. Upon opening the seventh scroll, Chen Mobai found that his choice seemed both right and wrong. This was because it contained information about the Heavenly Venerable's Grand Dao. Clearly, from the Celestial River Realm's perspective, the Grand Dao was paramount, which was why it had its own dedicated scroll.

The scroll stated that the Heavenly Venerable was a spirit plant transformed into human form, naturally a sixth-rank being, possessing the Grand Dao of Life, with an infinite lifespan. Unfortunately, the authority over life and death in this world was controlled by the Ghost Mother, so the Heavenly Venerable had never been able to perfectly integrate with the Dao. After the Ghost Mother foolishly challenged the Water Mother and died, the Grand Dao of Life and Death became vacant. If the Heavenly Venerable had been willing to integrate with the Grand Dao of Life, they would have likely succeeded and might now be a powerful True Immortal overseeing a part of the immortal realm.

However, before integrating with the Dao, the Heavenly Venerable inquired of the Water Mother and learned that the Grand Dao of Life was merely a Post-natal Dao. Moreover, because the Grand Dao of Life and Death in this world was incomplete, after integration, further advancement would be impossible until the Dao was fully restored. To achieve greater accomplishments, the Heavenly Venerable decided to take a decisive step, directly integrating with the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death and taking over the Ghost Mother's authority. But this step immediately plunged them into a peculiar state of neither life nor death.

Others might not fully understand this, but the Impermanence Sect was a ghost cultivation force. Although Patriarch Mingluo was raised by the Water Mother, he often ventured deep into the Netherworld to communicate with the other children of the Ghost Mother, thus learning the key to this situation. Although the Ghost Mother was dead, the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death had been gradually evolved by her as a Pre-natal deity. Therefore, after the Heavenly Venerable integrated with the Dao, they needed to absorb the scattered remnant souls and true spirits of the Ghost Mother from various places, transforming themselves into a second Ghost Mother to truly wield this Grand Dao. However, if that were to happen, it was unknown how much self-awareness the Heavenly Venerable would retain.

Therefore, the Heavenly Venerable chose another path: to use their own being over a long period to change the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death. This was akin to reshaping the Grand Dao itself, something even the Heavenly Emperor could not achieve. It was precisely for this reason that the Heavenly Venerable had fallen silent and disappeared deep within the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death. What would happen next as time passed, even Patriarch Mingluo of the Impermanence Sect did not know. It could be that the Heavenly Venerable would return after reshaping the Grand Dao, or they might be completely assimilated by the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death. Since no one could enter the Grand Dao of Life and Death to observe the Heavenly Venerable's current state, it was recorded as the peculiar state of neither life nor death.

This was the content recorded in the first half of the scroll. After reading it, Chen Mobai thought it was worth it. True to his nature, every choice he made seemed to yield the best outcome. The Grand Dao of Sacred Virtue was exceptionally reliable in this regard.

"Fellow Daoist's luck is truly good," Dong Tai said. "The latter half of this scroll also details Patriarch Mingluo's conjectures about how to help perfect the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death, which might help the Heavenly Venerable escape this state..." Dong Tai clearly intended to befriend Chen Mobai; after handing over the scroll, he smiled and waited for him to finish reading. Upon hearing this, although Chen Mobai certainly wouldn't help the Heavenly Venerable escape when the relationship between them was unclear, curiosity still prompted him to continue reading.

The latter half of the scroll contained information about the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death. No wonder it required seventh-rank knowledge for exchange; from the Celestial River Realm's perspective, this was the most valuable knowledge among seventh-rank insights. All information about the Grand Dao in the Celestial River Realm was passed down by the Water Mother, and all of Mingluo's conjectures were based on this foundation. Of the three thousand Grand Daos, forty-nine were Pre-natal Daos, and all other Post-natal Daos evolved from these Pre-natal Daos. Using a simple mathematical principle, approximately each Pre-natal Grand Dao could branch out into 60 Post-natal Grand Daos, like a tree diagram. This meant that a Dao Monarch who had integrated with a Pre-natal Grand Dao could control 60 True Immortals.

Of course, the actual situation was not always like this, as some Pre-natal Grand Daos had more branches, while others had fewer. Moreover, many Post-natal Grand Daos emerged from the entanglement and fusion of several Pre-natal Grand Daos, meaning there might be more than one Dao Monarch overseeing them. However, for cultivation at the highest level in this world, this was the current state of affairs. Originally, when only the Celestial River Realm existed and not the Spirit Void Immortal Realm, those who integrated with Post-natal Daos were merely called "True Immortals," while only those with Pre-natal Daos could be titled "Dao Monarchs." But after the Heavenly Emperor ascended, aided by numerous True Immortals, he directly conferred many titles, and the patriarchs of many great sects and sacred lands directly received the title of Dao Monarch. In fact, because these titles were conferred by the Heavenly Emperor, they were considered more legitimate than self-proclaimed ones. So after that, the distinction between True Immortal and Dao Monarch blurred, with only a few of the most ancient forces maintaining this division.

While a Pre-natal Grand Dao could control related Post-natal Grand Daos, there was little they could do if a True Immortal refused to be governed. After all, once integrated with the Dao, they were immortal and indestructible; at most, they could be suppressed. Currently, none of the Dao Monarchs in the Spirit Void Immortal Realm possessed the thunderous means of the Water Mother, who could slay Dao-integrated beings. However, even so, being suppressed was not good. No living being wanted to endure such dark, sunless days, so True Immortals generally maintained due respect when facing Dao Monarchs. Scenes of openly confronting them and resorting to physical combat with magical artifacts rarely occurred. It was under these circumstances that Dao Monarchs could control the True Immortals associated with their respective Grand Daos.

Why was the Qiangqiu Pen and Ink Forest the opinion leader among the sacred lands of the Central Continent? It was precisely because Saint Qianqiu had integrated with the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Sacred Virtue, and several of his disciples were seventh-rank True Immortals, making their power formidable. As for the Grand Void Ethereal Palace, it went without saying: Grand Void True King was an eighth-rank Pure Yang being, and the number of seventh-rank True Immortals derived from their two Pre-natal Grand Daos was even greater. However, because the Pre-natal Grand Daos were occupied by the Grand Void True King, there were no permanent Dao Monarch-level beings. This reflected in the Celestial River Realm as the Qiangqiu Pen and Ink Forest becoming the leader of the Central Continent.

The relationship between Pre-natal and Post-natal Grand Daos was also reciprocal. For example, although the Ghost Mother had perished, several of her elder nine children had already been pre-arranged with Post-natal Grand Daos related to life and death. After lying dormant for thousands of years in the depths of the Netherworld, they now possessed seventh-rank strength. These seventh-rank children of the Ghost Mother could use their own Grand Daos to supplement and influence the associated Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death. In the past, the Water Mother ruthlessly killed the Ghost Mother, which, however, caused damage to this world's Grand Dao of Life and Death, making the Six Paths of Reincarnation incomplete. It was precisely for this reason that, to avoid further calamity, the Water Mother did not completely annihilate the Ghost Mother's nine children. If all were killed, the cycle of life and death in this world would completely collapse. Without reincarnation, it would quickly become a netherworld of only undead spirits, and creation would naturally fail. In addition, the Water Mother also guided the Heavenly Venerable to integrate with the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death. With these two forces working together, the cycle of life and death, which she had broken, could be repaired and completed at the fastest possible speed.

Chen Mobai read through the entire content without missing a single detail. "So, the Heavenly Venerable was actually tricked by the Water Mother!" Upon seeing this, Chen Mobai suddenly understood. This made him even more relieved. What level was the Water Mother at? She was the one who inherited the mantle from Master Zixiao. The Heavenly Venerable certainly couldn't escape her calculations. Chen Mobai, full of confidence in his senior sister, no longer had any worries about the Heavenly Venerable's situation.

However, when he finished reading the last part of the scroll, his scalp tingled. It stated that when the Wheel of Life and Death was reassembled and the Six Paths of Reincarnation completed, the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death, which had been broken and damaged by the Water Mother in the past, would also be restored to perfection at that time. Under these circumstances, it was very likely that the Heavenly Venerable would awaken. However, the one who awakened could be the Heavenly Venerable, or the Heavenly Venerable influenced by the Ghost Mother's remnant spirit, or perhaps even the Ghost Mother reborn directly. None of these three scenarios could be considered good for Chen Mobai. The Heavenly Venerable's situation was complicated; they might have even consumed the entire Longevity Sect to maintain their own lucidity. As for the Ghost Mother, she was purely a villain. Chen Mobai and the Water Mother were both disciples of Zixiao. If conditions allowed, he would definitely strike hard against the Ghost Mother. "Why is my senior sister's work so messy?" Chen Mobai muttered a few words to himself, then reread the scroll from beginning to end. After confirming he had missed nothing, he solemnly rolled it up again and handed it back to Dong Tai.

"So, what do you think?" Dong Tai took the scroll and then pointed to the other six scrolls, which contained more information about the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death, and even numerous associated Post-natal Grand Daos. Throughout the entire Celestial River Realm, only the Impermanence Sect possessed such knowledge about the Grand Daos. Dong Tai believed this was an irresistible temptation for all cultivators. After all, Chen Mobai was the Heavenly Venerable's successor. With the Grand Dao of Sacred Virtue already occupied by Saint Qianqiu, the best and fastest way to cultivate into a seventh-rank True Immortal was undoubtedly through this opportunity of the Wheel of Life and Death's reassembly. As long as Chen Mobai could help the Heavenly Venerable awaken and return, the latter would certainly not be stingy with a Post-natal Grand Dao. If not for the rules and oaths binding the Impermanence Sect, Dong Tai would have long since chosen to side with the rising power after learning this information. However, it was not too late to place his bets on Chen Mobai now.

Moreover, three sides of the Six Paths Sub-Disc had fallen into the hands of this Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation. It seemed this was the Water Mother's will, protecting the Heavenly Venerable in the depths of the unseen, wishing them to replace the Ghost Mother and become the master of the Pre-natal Grand Dao of Life and Death. If the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Desolation prospered in the future, he would likely lend a hand, given the favor of revealing so much information today. Dong Tai's demands were not high; being able to reach the Void Refinement stage would suffice. Of course, if a Post-natal Grand Dao were left for him, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

"As a successor, I will naturally do my best to assist the Heavenly Venerable in transcending and returning!" Chen Mobai could only maintain his persona, siding with the Heavenly Venerable. But deep down, he hoped that when the reincarnation cycle was reassembled, the Heavenly Venerable would not awaken, nor would the Ghost Mother return.