Chapter 1004: De Dao Liufang, Enjoy to the Fullest in the Future

Restoring the Mountain Consecration Talismans and then pouring all his strength into delineating the Celestial River boundary almost depleted Ji Yuan's Primordial Energy by more than half. Although a considerable amount still remained, he inevitably felt an immense sense of emptiness and weakness. This feeling was not physical but spiritual and mental.

After delineating the Celestial River boundary, Ji Yuan naturally did not leave immediately. Instead, he took time to recover. Since he wasn't injured, he didn't need to enter secluded meditation; a quiet rest at Cloud Mountain Temple was sufficient for him to quickly restore his magical power.

Two days later, in the old Cloud Mountain Temple, Ji Yuan sat on a low stool. On the table beside him was a pot of iced tea, which wasn't brewed by Ji Yuan but at Xiezhi's strong insistence. Xiezhi himself sat nearby.

He had just received news that Wei Wuwei had taken charge of the Lingbao Pavilion, becoming its master. This was unexpected yet entirely reasonable, and it was foreseeable that he would greatly flourish in the immortal realm and across all paths of cultivation.

While brewing tea, Xiezhi mumbled about how formidable Wei Wuwei was, regretting that he hadn't had a proper chat with him during their last meeting.

Ji Yuan sat quietly with his eyes closed, sensing the changes in the forces of heaven and earth, as well as the integration of the Celestial River boundary with the world. He only opened his eyes when he heard footsteps.

"Come in."

Outside the old temple courtyard, Bai Ruo, who had been about to knock, paused her hand. She looked at Sun Yaya, who was currently hiding behind the courtyard wall near the door. Behind Sun Yaya huddled the Seven Cloud Mountain Disciples, with two gray martens perched on Qi Wen's shoulders.

With a creak, Bai Ruo pushed open the courtyard gate. Before even stepping inside, she bowed.

"Greetings, Master, and Mr. Xiezhi! Master, whatever you need Bai Ruo for, your disciple will put forth her utmost effort!"

Ji Yuan looked at Bai Ruo, who appeared ethereal like a celestial being at the entrance, and nodded with a smile.

"Come in, and the others outside, please come in too."

Bai Ruo immediately smiled, nodded towards Sun Yaya and the others, and stepped into the courtyard first. Sun Yaya and the others then emerged from behind the wall, looking rather embarrassed.

"Greetings, Mr. Ji, and Mr. Xiezhi!"

"Sir, we just followed Sister Bai; we didn't mean to disturb you..."

Sun Yaya was the one who spoke, explaining their presence. Ji Yuan, of course, didn't mind. His reason for calling Bai Ruo wasn't private, and even if it were, the old Cloud Mountain Temple's interior and exterior were almost like two separate realms. No one could enter without knocking, and it was impossible to sense anything happening inside.

"It's alright, come in."

As Ji Yuan spoke, Bai Ruo and the others quickly walked up to him.

"Bai Ruo."

"Disciple is here!"

As Ji Yuan spoke, he made a summoning gesture, and several celestial texts, previously hidden within the star banner in the hall, flew out.

"As your master, I haven't really fulfilled my responsibilities. Today, I will expound on the Dao for you to make your cultivation path smoother in the future. Yaya, you all listen as well."

Besides Bai Ruo, Ji Yuan also gave Sun Yaya a significant look, then glanced at the Seven Cloud Mountain Disciples. He then waved his sleeve, and nine more meditation mats appeared in front of the main hall.

Although not all of them were Ji Yuan's direct disciples, they all cultivated the "Transformation of Heaven and Earth," and the underlying principles were universally applicable.

Xiezhi poured himself a cup of iced tea. After sniffing its aroma, he smiled at the others.

"Want some tea? One cup per person, but no refills."

After speaking, Xiezhi conjured nine teacups and poured iced tea into each, perfectly emptying the teapot. He then blew a breath, and the nine teacups flew towards Bai Ruo and the others. The seven people held their teacups, while the two small gray martens sat on their meditation mats, clutching cups larger than their own heads.

This iced tea was a rare treasure. While it was delicious for Xiezhi and Ji Yuan, its other effects were minimal for them. However, for Bai Ruo, and especially for Sun Yaya and the Seven Cloud Mountain Disciples, it was a profoundly nourishing and beneficial substance.

At that moment, the little paper crane flew out from Ji Yuan's embrace, transforming into a miniature crane. It landed by the teapot, wrapped its wings around the lid to lift it, and discovered there was no tea inside.

"Oh, I forgot about you," Xiezhi chuckled. "Never mind, take mine. Sigh, you barely look like a paper crane anymore..."

Xiezhi reluctantly pushed his teacup in front of the little paper crane. The crane rested its wings on the cup, took a small sip with its beak, and narrowed its eyes.

"Chirp..."

Ji Yuan glanced to the side, then looked at Bai Ruo and the others and said,

"Do you have any doubts in your cultivation?"

Bai Ruo didn't hesitate, revealing some of the cultivation doubts she had harbored.

"Master," Bai Ruo began, "I was originally an ordinary demon beast. Thanks to your enlightenment, I became a celestial beast cultivator, but in essence, I am still a demon. Yet now, my inner demon-spirit landscape has manifested immortal Dao concepts, even forming mountains and rivers within it. This... Bai Ruo finds it difficult to describe this feeling, and I hope Master can resolve my confusion."

Xiezhi, who had been feeling annoyed, suddenly looked at Bai Ruo in surprise upon hearing this. What Lady Bai described was no simple transformation; it was practically a transcendence of the principles of the Dao.

Ji Yuan did not answer immediately, speaking only after a moment of contemplation.

"How vast is your Dantian?"

"This disciple does not know how to describe it," she replied. "The misty Dantian spans across my inner landscape, surely more than a thousand *mu*, and there is also a golden bridge above it."

"Hmm, just as I thought..."

Ji Yuan nodded.

"All beings in heaven and earth can nurture spirits," Ji Yuan explained. "The Great Dao of Heaven and Earth makes all methods accessible, and it is the same for all paths of cultivation. You have truly cultivated an immortal foundation, which is exceptionally rare. In fact, the two gray Daoists are in a similar situation. It's just that they began their cultivation at Cloud Mountain Temple and are unaware of other demon cultivation methods, perhaps thinking this is normal. Is that right?"

The two small gray martens quickly nodded.

"Mr. Ji, you're right!" one of the gray martens said. "When Lady Bai asked about this just now, I was quite startled."

"Yes, yes, it is!" the other quickly added.

Bai Ruo looked at the two small gray martens in surprise; she had never actually shared this question with anyone.

"Besides physical cultivation," Ji Yuan continued, "the inner landscape of demon cultivators is somewhat similar to a Dharma form, but it also shares commonalities with the inner realm of one's mind. When demon cultivators' demonic energy surges, wanting to display their cultivation, those with deep cultivation often manifest terrifying illusory demon-spirit landscapes around them, even more frightening than their original forms. This is the projection of their inner landscape, much like the Dantian chamber of immortal cultivators, and can be considered a measure of the boundary of their magical power."

"As for you, whose original form is a white deer, cultivating the 'Transformation of Heaven and Earth' means you are nurturing heaven and earth within yourself again. This is truly precious and rare. There's no need to be troubled; just continue cultivating..."

Ji Yuan had intended to say more, but he suddenly stopped speaking at this point, and Bai Ruo's body visibly shifted.

"Thank you, Master, for dispelling my confusion."

Sun Yaya, who was on the side, nodded continuously.

"So that's how it is!" Sun Yaya exclaimed, nodding repeatedly. "No wonder people often praise others by saying 'boundless magical power.' So there really is such a concept as magical power boundaries!"

Ji Yuan nodded, then remembered something and added,

"Ordinary cultivators have limitations in their spiritual perception. Although they can look within themselves, they cannot manifest their spirit and truly enter. Demon cultivators cannot clearly see their inner landscape, and immortal cultivators cannot clearly see their own inner realm. Naturally, they cannot ascertain the exact size of their Dantian. They can only have a general sense of their magical power, much like ordinary people know roughly when their physical strength will run out, but this strength cannot be measured by objects."

Ji Yuan recalled a past event: when he demoted Min Xian to a mortal, it was his first and last time manifesting his spirit within his own inner realm, and Min Xian had been quite shocked then.

Xiezhi also laughed from the side.

"Heh heh," Xiezhi chuckled. "Those who talk about 'boundless magical power' probably don't even know what it truly means. They're just echoing what others say."

Sun Yaya scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed. If that was the case, she was precisely the type of person Xiezhi had just described.

"Since we've discussed this point," Ji Yuan said, "I will now use this as a basis to explain the fundamentals of the 'Transformation of Heaven and Earth'..."

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Ji Yuan's voice stopped. He and everyone else looked towards the courtyard gate, where Daoist Qingsong stood, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Uh, Mr. Ji, may this humble Daoist..."

"Daoist Qingsong, please come and sit with us."

Hearing Ji Yuan's permission, Daoist Qingsong's face lit up with delight, and he quickly entered.

"Yes, yes, coming right away!"

Xiezhi was about to quip, "Better to be lucky than early," but he immediately realized something. Did this old Daoist really just happen to stumble upon this? This fellow most likely had a sudden inspiration, calculated that he shouldn't miss today, and then rushed over, didn't he?

Thinking this, Xiezhi fixed his gaze on Daoist Qingsong and indeed saw him smiling broadly. "Good heavens," he thought, "this old Daoist's divination skills have truly reached perfection. It's a miracle he wasn't beaten to death in previous years!"

"What do you think," Ji Yuan asked, "how much does the heaven and earth I have depicted differ from the true heaven and earth?"

Ji Yuan stood up. This question was destined to be unanswerable by anyone present. He looked up at the sky, and his inner realm materialized at that moment.

Transformation of Heaven and Earth...

Earth, mountains, rivers, and lakes... Stars shifted, constellations changed, and the universe stirred!

"Observing the Way of Heaven, executing the actions of Heaven... what does it mean to attain the Dao of Heaven and Earth?"

Ji Yuan turned around. In front of everyone, he was now like a colossal giant, reaching the heavens and supporting the earth. Seeing Ji Yuan made them feel as minuscule as if they were facing heaven and earth itself...

Ji Yuan's lecture did not last very long, yet it still spanned three days. While it was only three days for the outside world, for those within Ji Yuan's inner realm, it was as if they had experienced the full cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, witnessing the transformation of wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and celestial stars.

When they regained consciousness, they realized that not much time had actually passed.

"I will add one last point," Ji Yuan said. "Sometimes one must still witness the ups and downs of the human world and empathize with the emotions and desires of all beings..."

"Sir, do you mean that if one is too close to heaven and too far from earth, one might appear too cold and ruthless?" Daoist Qingsong asked.

Daoist Qingsong asked this, but Ji Yuan suddenly smiled and shook his head.

"Not entirely so," Ji Yuan replied. "If one doesn't wander among mortals and witness the wonders of all corners of heaven and earth, cultivation would surely be somewhat boring, wouldn't it? All right, that's enough for today. I am tired."

Ji Yuan dismissed his guests. Although this was Cloud Mountain Temple, Daoist Qingsong and the others quickly stood up, bowed, and withdrew.

After everyone had left, Xiezhi quickly brewed another pot of tea and poured a cup for both himself and Ji Yuan.

"Thank you."

Ji Yuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then drained it in one gulp. In contrast, Xiezhi, in his heroic strongman appearance, savored his slowly.

"Ji Yuan, do you think you might not have much of a future left?"

Ji Yuan smiled, poured himself another cup, and instead of directly answering Xiezhi's question, he gave an unrelated response.

"Some once said that although my actions appear tranquil, I am actually arrogant," Ji Yuan began, "and that few things in heaven and earth truly catch my eye... Heh heh, that statement isn't entirely wrong..."

Ji Yuan finished his tea, pushed away the teapot Xiezhi had offered, and instead took out the Thousand-Measure Pot from his sleeve. He raised the wine pot, tilted his head slightly, and let the wine pour into his mouth.

"I am just thinking," Ji Yuan said, "the situation in heaven and earth is still clear to me, at least in part... To all of you—when the battle of the Heavenly Dao comes, regardless of the outcome, you must ensure I have my fill of enjoyment. Hahahahahahaha..."

Xiezhi's face showed surprise. He felt that Ji Yuan was slightly mad at this moment, but at the same time, he exuded an indescribable, astonishing aura. The latter half of his sentence seemed not to be directed at Xiezhi, but at...

At this moment, in several places across heaven and earth, several individuals either suddenly awoke from their meditation or stopped in their tracks, their faces showing fright. A faint sound echoed in their ears, at first somewhat blurry, then slowly becoming clear, finally transforming into a wild, unrestrained laugh.

"Is that... Ji Yuan?"

Yue Cang sat with a grim expression in a jade pavilion, one hand already clenched tightly. This inexplicable auditory sensation, suddenly emerging, subtly shifted his feelings from wariness to fear.

Yff Yggdrasil sat high on her divine throne, smiling as she looked at the players below:

"Welcome to the world of swords and magic."

This is a story about a transmigrator who reincarnated as a true god and, alongside the Fourth Calamity, creates a beautiful life in another world (truly).

Pseudo-DnD, a behind-the-scenes player style, and the protagonist is single!