Chapter 1242: The Details of Transmitting the Dharma

The Saint Sovereign’s golden chain moved slightly, pulling one of the paper figures before Li Ping.

Unlike the others, this paper figure’s face showed little fear. Instead, it appeared listless and weak. Its thick, bristling eyebrows gave it a rather comical appearance.

"Survival?" the Saint Sovereign said coldly. "If there’s no skin, where will the fur attach? If the Xuanhuang World is destroyed, where will you find life?"

The thick-browed paper figure smiled bitterly. "Our Du'e Sect's strength is unremarkable. If the Xuanhuang World is truly destroyed, what can we do? We can only accept it."

"Would Your Excellency blame the mortals of this world for not stepping forward to save the Xuanhuang World? One can only do as much as one is capable of..."

Li Ping did not argue with the Du'e Sect paper figure. The golden chain tightened slightly again. "Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, even at death's door."

Golden light slowly condensed, gradually thinning from chain-like thickness to mere thread-like fineness. It wrapped around the thick-browed paper figure in coils.

The other captured paper figures screamed in extreme terror. Only the thick-browed paper figure, however, sat as if formally upright, its expression becoming solemn. It murmured incantations: "Time turns to void, calamity is eternal. A hundred lifetimes, a thousand calamities, forge my golden body..."

The Saint Sovereign's golden source energy, hitherto unfailing, lost its effectiveness for the first time. Li Ping felt that the power he applied to the thick-browed paper figure was subtly dissipated by an invisible force. It was even absorbed by the opponent, becoming part of its essence. The golden threads slowly dissolved, and the thick-browed paper figure remained motionless. However, the color of its body gradually changed from an old yellowish-white to a brilliant gold, resembling the essence of the source energy.

The stone tablet, which had been observing all along, instantly grew serious. "Be careful, fellow Daoist," it warned. "This is precisely the Du'e Sect's ultimate skill, 'Eternal Calamity World,' which can transform all calamitous powers in the world into sustenance for one's own cultivation."

Li Ping sneered, "Nothing but a coward. You want to cultivate using my power? Then I'll grant your wish!"

Dazzling golden light, like raging flames, erupted from the Saint Sovereign. The light and flames blazed intensely, illuminating the entire Du'e Sect space with a golden glow. The golden flames, as if solidified into a tangible form, flowed along the remaining chains and were all poured into the paper figure's golden body. The many other paper figures, not the Saint Sovereign's primary targets but merely caught in the periphery, all let out earth-shattering wails as if being scorched by fierce flames. One could imagine the immense pressure exerted on the golden-bodied paper figure itself. It appeared distorted, as if about to melt.

Yet, the thick-browed paper figure remained perfectly still, its expression serene. This sight secretly startled the stone tablet. Although their original appearances could not be discerned after transforming into paper figures, remaining calm and unharmed under the Saint Sovereign's immense power was a rare feat, even during the Du'e Sect's heyday. The stone tablet pondered the thick-browed paper figure's identity.

Meanwhile, the Faceless Saint Sovereign did not ease the torment of the Du'e Sect paper figures. The golden flames burned ever more intensely; while they did not completely incinerate the paper figures, they slowly coated them with an indelible golden layer. The thick-browed paper figure, in particular, was engulfed in fierce flames, and the golden light emanating from its body became even more striking.

"You wish to retreat from the world and evade disaster, but I will not permit it!"

"When Xuanhuang rises or falls, you all bear responsibility!"

The Saint Sovereign's voice was like thunder, and the essence of the source energy erupted fiercely. It shone into every corner of the space, its brilliance so intense that even the stone tablet had to close its eyes to avoid it. When the light receded, the darkness in the Du'e Sect's main hall completely faded away. The unsettling dark aura also vanished.

The paper figures, now free from the chains, fell to the ground in a chaotic heap. Compared to before, they seemed to have gained some vitality. The thick-browed paper figure at the forefront had even transformed directly into a "small golden figure."

The golden figure still looked listless and dejected. He sighed, "Your Excellency wasted so much source energy essence on us useless beings—it's truly a terrible waste!"

"It's not worth it at all!"

Li Ping said in a deep voice, "If all matters in the world were decided by pure rationality, the Xuanhuang World would probably have perished long ago! You wouldn't even be able to chatter here!"

Before his words had fully fallen, a large "X" suddenly appeared on the golden paper figure's face, sealing its mouth. Immediately afterward, the same happened to the other paper figures. The Du'e Sect's main hall, which had been like a bustling marketplace, instantly fell silent.

"Fellow Daoist Yijue?" At this moment, the stone tablet looked at the golden paper figure and asked tentatively. The golden paper figure, unable to speak, merely blinked at the stone tablet. It was unclear whether it was an acknowledgment or a denial.

The two had no time to catch up, as this space slowly became unstable after losing the support of the source energy essence. "Let's go out first," Li Ping said.

Li Ping, taking the stone tablet and the multitude of self-lost paper figures, teleported outside the Du'e Sect. This ancient immortal sect, suppressed by Chuanfa's seal, also revealed its true form at this moment. It was a book, opened from its center. The book contained no words, only relief-like mountains and desolate architectural landscapes. As the book's pages turned naturally, the scenes within also changed. However, they were all mere silhouettes, looking comical yet eerie.

Li Ping's giant hand grasped the Book of Du'e, and the magnificent mountains and rivers within instantly took on a golden hue. "Gather!" the Saint Sovereign let out a low cry, and the dense, stacked paper figures, including the thick-browed golden figure, all flew uncontrollably into the Book of Du'e. Li Ping pressed down with his right hand, closing the book. All anomalies vanished in an instant.

"It's not advisable to stay here long. Although my method for breaking Chuanfa's seal was very clever, and I restored the restriction while breaking it, I cannot guarantee that the unusual state here won't be discovered by Chuanfa."

"Follow me," Li Ping said in a deep voice, his figure already vanishing from the sealed space.

The stone tablet followed the Saint Sovereign, passing through the Xuanhuang World's spatial passage and arriving in a vast void. Despite their speed, they flew through the void for quite some time before sensing the aura of a world ahead.

"That is..." The stone tablet was slightly startled.

"The One Origin Sect's Five Elements Grotto-heaven? It's actually here. Doesn't that mean the Immortal realm expert who moved the Grotto-heaven back then..."

While the stone tablet was still pondering, Baihua had already come to greet them. After her gaze lingered on the stone tablet for a moment, Baihua then secretly communicated something to Li Ping. Li Ping nodded slightly. Then Baihua nodded to the stone tablet before flying back into the Five Elements Grotto-heaven.

"This place is where I rest and recuperate. What do you think, fellow Daoist, compared to the main Xuanhuang World?" Li Ping said as he brought the stone tablet into the Great Qi Small World. With a sweep of his divine sense, the general landscape of the small world appeared in the stone tablet's mind. Even though some areas were concealed by mysterious forces, preventing him from full knowledge, what was revealed on the surface alone greatly shocked the stone tablet. Although the Primordial Stone Tablet was reputed to record all things in the world, this reputation was now somewhat undeserved. Yet, the stone tablet was perfectly clear about what happened in the original Xuanhuang World's domains.

However, compared to this Great Qi Small World, it seemed centuries, even an era, behind. The stone tablet itself couldn't comprehend many things within it. Furthermore, he also sensed the auras of old acquaintances here, such as the ancient geomantic tree and that member of the Beast Taming Sect.

After following all the way to the Saint Sovereign's seat, the stone tablet's shocked emotions slowly began to calm. "I have carried this stone tablet for so many years, believing that all matters under heaven were within my mind," the stone tablet said with a sense of loss. "I never expected that what I saw and heard today would make me realize that the world's affairs have long surpassed my expectations..."

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be disheartened," Li Ping replied. "Constant change and renewal are the true path. If the world were to stagnate for thousands of years... wouldn't that merely show our incompetence?" Li Ping said with a slight smile.

The stone tablet was momentarily unsure how to respond and remained silent. Since interacting with this "Heavenly Dao Incarnation," the impact he had received was truly immense. Compared to the scenes he now witnessed, the Xuanhuang World in his mind felt like a mere play staged on a theatrical stage—a false image purely performed for him! This subtly left the stone tablet feeling somewhat dispirited.

"I've always known that the Council of Five Elders, the Myriad Immortal Alliance, and even other supreme experts in the Xuanhuang World who were aware of the stone tablet behind me, would try every means to avoid its records," the stone tablet mused. "But I never expected that the truth of the world had already developed to this extent..."

Li Ping, vaguely perceiving the stone tablet's thoughts, slowly said, "The Xuanhuang World is the last haven of survival in the Darkest Star Sea. The main Xuanhuang World, fragments of other worlds, survivors from the Star Sea—these are the forces beyond the high wall..."

"All converge here. Its complexity is such that not only you, fellow Daoist, but even Chuanfa and the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao itself cannot fully comprehend it."

"Indeed..." The stone tablet sighed and nodded. He then thought of the fishing pond he had seen earlier. How many such hidden treasures were there in the Xuanhuang World? He, this ancient survivor of the Xuanhuang World, now finally experienced a sense of being out of touch with the times.

"Things are the same, but people have changed; the old stories are no more." Scenes from the original Xuanhuang World, from a long time ago, floated into the stone tablet's mind, making him slightly lost in thought.

It was the Saint Sovereign's voice that interrupted him.

"The merging of realms is a foregone conclusion," the Saint Sovereign said. "There will inevitably be a battle between me and Chuanfa. However, regardless of who wins or loses, it will not change the fact that the Xuanhuang World will be reborn amidst destruction."

Li Ping did not mention helping the stone tablet resolve its mental overload, but suddenly spoke thus. The stone tablet's thoughts converged, and it focused on Li Ping.

"The key to the problem lies in the new orthodoxy of the Xuanhuang World."

"Do you know Chuanfa's background, fellow Daoist?" Li Ping asked in a deep voice, his divine sense locked onto the stone tablet.

The stone tablet pondered for a moment before replying, "When Chuanfa first appeared, our Ten Immortal Sects investigated him. This person was indeed a native cultivator of the Xuanhuang World. His life trajectory, from childhood to adulthood, was entirely clear and on record."

"Chuanfa's name is Xuanyuan Zituo. He lived in a rural village from childhood, and because he was often sickly in his youth, his parents gave him the nickname 'Dog Egg'."

"Before the age of fifty, his life trajectory was no different from that of an ordinary farmer. It wasn't until he was fifty-one that he suddenly achieved enlightenment and rose to prominence."

"Precisely for this reason, the Ten Immortal Sects' initial investigations could not uncover his origins, because he genuinely achieved Dao suddenly."

The stone tablet slowly narrated. Scenes from those years also appeared within the Saint Sovereign's seat.

"Xuanyuan Zituo," Li Ping murmured, watching the image of the somewhat naive and foolish youth slowly transform into a quiet, middle-aged farmer, and then gradually into a white-haired old man.

"It is indeed possible for a mortal to achieve enlightenment overnight," Li Ping said. "However, this usually happens in their youth. Chuanfa's evolution, appearing almost at the end of his lifespan... is truly puzzling and raises suspicion," Li Ping commented.

The stone tablet nodded. "The Ten Sects also had such suspicions back then. However, we used secret arts and Heavenly Dao verification to confirm that there was no soul-snatching or external beings impersonating him."

"But Chuanfa is truly exceptionally mysterious," the stone tablet continued with a hint of lament. "Like an innate knower, he somehow managed to resolve the ambush by several Immortal realm experts from the Ten Sects back then. From then on, he completely escaped our control. Perhaps, if the Ten Sects had launched an all-out attack back then, the outcome might have been different..."

The main hall suddenly fell silent.

After a long while, Li Ping suddenly asked aloud, "Heavenly Dao verification... what if the means by which the other party stole his identity transcended the Heavenly Dao?"

The stone tablet was stunned. At first glance, this statement seemed unreasonable. But as the stone tablet thought it over carefully, it realized that precisely because the Ten Sects had placed too much faith in their methods back then, it led to a conclusion that had been believed without doubt for thousands of years.

"Now that things have come to this, what good is it to question Chuanfa's background?" Filled with confusion, he looked at the Saint Sovereign again.

The Saint Sovereign's voice, like thunder, echoed through the main hall: "As I said before, the key to the newly reborn Xuanhuang World lies in the word 'orthodoxy'."

"It's like a new body assembled from severed limbs; who acts as its brain is crucial."

"Currently, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao still considers itself the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao. But soon, that might not be the case..." Li Ping's voice was faint but significant.

The stone tablet knew the other was a Heavenly Dao incarnation and wouldn't speak without reason. Its expression changed. "Please elaborate, fellow Daoist."

"When you observe matters on the stone tablet, you can remain detached, viewing them from an outsider's perspective. However, with world fusion, memories become like personal experiences, real yet illusory. Over time, one can no longer distinguish between false and true, between self and other."

"Especially..." Li Ping's gaze shifted to the main Xuanhuang World, millions of miles away.

"Today, the Heavenly Dao is weak, and its resistance is already negligible."

"If one day, the remaining wills of all realms' Heavenly Daos were to surge forth like a collapsing flood..."

"I fear the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao would immediately be overwhelmed, becoming deranged and losing its true self," Li Ping said with a hint of self-mockery.

"After this, if someone were to guide and infiltrate with a relatively complete Heavenly Dao will, they could secretly change the order of things and alter Xuanhuang's orthodoxy. By then, although it would still be called the Xuanhuang World, from inside out, it would no longer be the original Xuanhuang."

Upon hearing this, the stone tablet fell into deep thought. The target of the Saint Sovereign's words was clearly Chuanfa.