Chapter 754: Discussion on Hongjun (Part 2)

No!Subhuti… Junior Brother Chang Geng?What, what is this?

In the main hall of Spirit Mountain, the Dharma body of Duo Bao Buddha, piled high with spiritual treasures, remained expressionless. Yet, his true self, hidden within the Dharma body, wore a bitter expression, constantly patting his belly. He had previously seen Subhuti by the lotus pond, looking lonely and solitary, and had even gone over to tease him! Now, for some reason, he felt a strange sense of shame.

Duo Bao groaned inwardly, then turned his gaze to the figure soaring towards the sky, sensing the unique Dao charm of the Great Dao. He suddenly understood what "never left" truly meant. Feigning escape while secretly cultivating underground – a tactic he frequently used during ancient times when snatching treasures! Chang Geng must have replaced Subhuti long ago, using clever means to disguise himself as Subhuti.

However, it was truly astonishing how far Junior Brother Chang Geng's Dao of Emptiness had progressed. And then there was the matter of Wukong. As the lord of Buddhism, Duo Bao Daoist naturally understood the importance of the Monkey King and Golden Cicada, as the Heavenly Dao had already almost explicitly indicated. He calculated with his fingers, and the Heavenly Dao's arrangements for the Journey to the West unfolded before him.

What was the situation now? The protagonist of the Journey to the West calamity, on whom the Heavenly Dao had placed great hopes, had been cultivating with Patriarch Bodhi, which was Junior Brother Chang Geng, for hundreds of years! This was akin to two slaps across the Dao Ancestor's face. When had the Dao Ancestor, from ancient times to now, ever suffered such an indignity?

At this moment, Duo Bao Daoist could only distill a myriad of words into a single sigh: "Brilliant, Chang Geng!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't say it aloud at this moment. Chang Geng had instructed them not to interfere in the upcoming battle, but Duo Bao Daoist also had his own plans, such as finding an opportunity to rescue his master. However, upon careful consideration, Duo Bao felt that anything he did now would be wrong. If Chang Geng could defeat the Dao Ancestor, then all problems would cease to be problems. But if Chang Geng lost this battle, even if he found his master, he wouldn't be able to rescue him, and even if rescued, it wouldn't change anything. The fate of countless beings rested solely on Chang Shou.

The Dao of Emptiness… could it be to make the Heavenly Dao utterly empty? Duo Bao exhaled softly, feeling deeply moved and his thoughts quite complex. Duo Bao's gaze penetrated through his Dharma body, through the great hall, and through the Spirit Mountain array, looking at the shining star in the high sky, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Li Changshou's figure ascended rapidly. He could feel pressure coming from ahead, with layers of obstructions appearing: spiritual energy, heavenly might, Heavenly Dao power, and Dao principles… The higher he flew, the stronger the resistance he faced. The Dao Ancestor seemed… not yet ready to face him.

There was no need to hide anything now. Li Changshou's immortal sense unfolded, sweeping towards Flower Fruit Mountain. The battle there still raged, but the resistance of the demon race was already very weak, with only the final extermination remaining. Sun Wukong lay unconscious by the cliff, the spiritual energy tide within him having receded considerably, and a seven-colored glow appeared around him. The true Great Sage Equal to Heaven was about to be born under these circumstances. This monkey…

A vortex suddenly appeared above Li Changshou's head, emitting a strong pressure from the Heavenly Dao. He hesitated for a moment, looking left and right at the vortex, carefully calculating and observing its spiritual energy structure, pondering the various situations that might arise if he rushed into it. He couldn't just enter a teleportation portal opened by an enemy; what if it was a trap? That would be a huge loss. He absolutely could not underestimate any opponent, especially an existence like the Dao Ancestor, who was most likely to act unexpectedly.

Li Changshou carefully observed for a moment. Many mighty figures watching understood his caution and collectively raised their hands to their foreheads in exasperation. The Dao Ancestor's mouth twitched several times before he waved his hand, smoothing away the external appearance of the vortex and revealing the portal within. It was simple, clear, and directly exposed its internal structure to Li Changshou.

Li Changshou sensed it for a while before calmly smiling and stepping into it with an air of nonchalance, his figure disappearing.

The chirping of insects and birds came from ahead, and a faint fragrance drifted from the familiar bamboo forest, making him slightly dazed, as if he had returned to the last time he visited Zixiao Palace.

"Li Changshou."

A voice called from ahead. Li Changshou paused, and surrounding him, layers of mist appeared. The ground beneath his feet turned dark red, as if he were in an ancient ruin. He took half a step forward, and the scenery changed again. Noisy human voices approached from afar, and in a daze, he found himself in a bustling market town.

An illusion? Li Changshou smiled, not attempting to break the illusion. He simply walked slowly forward, pausing with each step. The world's allure may blind my eyes, but the Dao remains within my heart. If he were to break these illusions, it would prove their existence, and he would only trap himself within them. This was a very clever trap.

Li Changshou's Dao heart remained unshaken. He simply walked forward at a steady pace. After taking his thirty-third step, all the illusions dissipated, and before him was the small bamboo house. The burly old Daoist, his face dark, looked down at Li Changshou outside the door and grumbled, "Come in."

Li Changshou cupped his hands and walked directly to the low table in front of the Dao Ancestor. Without waiting for an invitation, he sat down cross-legged. One detail: the Creation Jade Slip that had always been on the low table was now gone. The Dao Ancestor narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Li Changshou, as if trying to confirm his identity.

Li Changshou slowly said, "Fellow Daoist, how have you been?"

"Hmph," the Dao Ancestor said coldly, "You have truly played this old Daoist for a fool! Where do you get such confidence to believe that this old Daoist would not harm your relatives and friends?"

Li Changshou said, "All beings in the Three Realms are but ants in your eyes, easily overturned. And precisely because of this, you would not stoop to quarrel with ants. The noisy clamor of mortals, whether righteous or evil, whether rebellious or submissive to Heaven, you would only find them noisy. This is a difference in life's strata; you reside high above and do not condescend, naturally you would not trouble them. Simply put, there is no need. If you truly used such means to coerce me, you would have already lost the constancy of your Dao heart, and thus already lost half the battle."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor's expression returned to its former calm, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He said, "Chang Shou, you seem to have a way to deal with this old Daoist."

"I certainly can't tell you that, Fellow Daoist," Li Changshou shook his head, then smiled, "Previously, you and I played three games. How about we make up two more today, and we'll decide the winner and loser by best of five?"

Hongjun slowly said, "Fellow Daoist seems to be trying to cheat."

Li Changshou did not yield in the slightest: "In the past, Fellow Daoist used the Heavenly Punishment to annihilate the Jie School, and secretly attacked Master Tongtian to bring the situation under your control. That seems to be the real cheating."

Hongjun fell silent, gazing at the young Daoist before him. This was only Li Changshou's false body. And this false body had been in the Primordial World for nearly a thousand years. What Li Changshou had done or arranged, the Heavenly Dao had no awareness of. This was the Dao Ancestor's current apprehension. Especially, Li Changshou's character…

"Does Fellow Daoist now have ninety-eight percent of the means to deal with this old Daoist?"

"More or less," Li Changshou's eyes flickered with a faint light. His direct admission made the Dao Ancestor even more uncertain.

Silence fell in the bamboo house. Li Changshou calmly took out a tea set from his sleeve and casually picked two bamboo leaves from outside, using them to brew tea. He quietly arranged everything, his demeanor composed and relaxed, without the slightest timidity or concern, as if he had simply come to brew tea for the Dao Ancestor. An empty fort strategy.

"Please, Fellow Daoist," Li Changshou slowly pushed a cup of tea forward.

Hongjun reached out and took it, placing it in front of him. Suddenly, he chuckled softly: "Since that's the case, let's talk, you and I."

"Where would Fellow Daoist like to start?" Li Changshou's face showed contemplation, "I seem to know a bit too much… I've pretty much figured out your origin."

"Information left by that fellow?"

"Half," Li Changshou said, "Or rather, a small part. The other half is written in this very world. A saying might not be entirely appropriate here: 'Humans act, Heaven watches.' Everything you have done, Fellow Daoist, is remembered in the Primordial World, inscribed within the Gate of Dao, existing upon those Great Daos. Oh, right, Fellow Daoist doesn't have a deep understanding of this aspect, after all, you possess the Creation Jade Slip, which you can use to deduce the Three Thousand Great Daos, and also to complete the Heavenly Dao while seizing its dominance."

Hongjun slowly nodded, a hint of understanding in his eyes. "It seems the Balance Dao has given you many benefits."

"No," Li Changshou calmly revealed a small secret, "It's Ling'e's Dao. Ling'e entered the Dao by copying the 'Stability Sutra,' but her Dao isn't closely related to it. Her Dao lies in the act of copying, in the insights gained from her resistance and helplessness, yet having to copy the scriptures every time I punished her. This Dao, I call it the Dao of Reading and Writing, or the Dao of Reading. But Ling'e's realm is too low; she hasn't discovered the profound mysteries of her own Dao. This Dao has a wondrous use: it can read the information carried by all things. I secretly cultivated her Dao, which allowed me to achieve such rapid breakthroughs in my Dao realm. This is actually one of my biggest trump cards."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor was somewhat amused and dismayed, sighing: "This old Daoist's passivity today actually stems from Ling'e's Dao? When did this old Daoist ever truly look at her? I only saw her as your attached being. To think… it is indeed you; you could even force your junior sister to cultivate such a Dao realm."

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist," Li Changshou showed a sincere smile, "Her comprehension is astonishing."

"Astonishing comprehension indeed," Hongjun narrowed his eyes slightly, "What about you? How do you perceive your own comprehension?"

Li Changshou was silent for a moment, then sighed: "Simple and unadorned. Many epiphanies before the Golden Immortal stage were actually guided by you, Fellow Daoist. After the Golden Immortal tribulation, many insights came from the Balance Dao itself aligning with me. If Fellow Daoist doesn't know what to talk about, why don't I start? Let's talk about Senior Wave. What was his name?"

"Since you call him Senior Wave, let's just call him Wave," Hongjun sighed, "He was an old friend of mine, though he was originally inside Fuxi in ancient times. Ah, yes, the Second Primordial Spirit method. You used the Second Primordial Spirit method and the Dao of Heavenly Demons to replace Subhuti."

"Actually, no," Li Changshou said, "I used a Mimicry Primordial Spirit method, similar to the Second Primordial Spirit method. This is also the secret of the Paper Daoist's Dao. I presume Fellow Daoist already knew this."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor laughed: "You truly understood it."

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow: "Fellow Daoist truly knew it long ago."

Then, the two Daoists chuckled to themselves, displaying a remarkable understanding.

Hongjun Dao Ancestor sighed softly and slowly said, "Chang Geng… Chang Shou, actually, you and I don't need to reach a point of endless conflict. You wish for balance between Heaven and Earth and all beings; these things can actually be discussed. As long as you can provide a bargaining chip that makes this old Daoist feel threatened, I will naturally retreat a few steps."

Li Changshou said seriously, "Fellow Daoist doesn't need to use such pretense. My trump card is laid out. This is merely to give you a final measure of dignity. If you release your connection to the origin of Heaven and Earth now, I will naturally spare your life."

Hongjun laughed: "Such grand words, are they merely to buy time?"

Li Changshou smiled: "What opportunity could delaying possibly bring? At this point, with this Dao of Emptiness, Fellow Daoist cannot completely erase me, only seal me, and this is merely a false body of mine. I do indeed have ample preparations to forcefully suppress you. This is merely… a consideration of old sentiments. Fellow Daoist is not truly wicked, merely accustomed to controlling Heaven and Earth, and has lost reverence for living beings."

"Reverence? What reverence is there to speak of? Living beings are but weeds, and this old Daoist is but a mayfly. Heaven and Earth are eternal. It is this Heaven and Earth that created living beings, providing them a place to reside, yet living beings constantly plunder Heaven and Earth with their selfish desires, making this Heaven and Earth overburdened."

"Fellow Daoist is the greatest plunderer, aren't you?"

"No," Hongjun stared at Li Changshou, "This old Daoist did not plunder."

"Merely controlled?"

"What is wrong with control?" Hongjun countered, then continued, "Heaven and Earth need a helmsman, and living beings need a guardian. What Heaven and Earth and living beings need is not balance, but clear boundaries and mutual respect. Without this old Daoist, this Heaven and Earth would have long gone out of control; there would be no today!"

Li Changshou argued: "Things that haven't happened are mere illusions. For Fellow Daoist to claim the current Heaven and Earth as your Dao fruit is perhaps too arrogant. While it is true that the current Heaven and Earth has followed the script you provided, everything that has happened, apart from the framework of this script, has been living beings moving forward. In fact, Heaven and Earth and the beings of the Three Realms had many opportunities to move towards a more harmonious coexistence, yet they were 'rectified' by you to this extent. This is not steering, nor is it guardianship. This is placing shackles upon Heaven and Earth and cages upon living beings, all to satisfy your desire for dominance, your selfish desires deep within your heart."

Hongjun said, "The power of living beings is like the Yellow River in your old home in ancient times; without dikes to consolidate it, it would have long since overflowed and caused disaster."

Li Changshou said, "But the Yellow River's dikes are built on flat ground downstream, suspended above the surface. If the Yellow River floods again, the consequences would be unimaginable. Instead of providing dikes, it would be better to protect the upstream soil and water."

Hongjun then said, "The turbidity of the Yellow River is inherently a consequence of the vigorous activity of living beings. The greed of living beings created that high, reddish-yellow plateau. And like that great river to the south, living beings settle near water, occupying fertile land near riverbeds. How can one blame the river for being unjust when floods invade?"

Li Changshou paused, then said, "But the Heavenly Dao is not a river dike, Fellow Daoist, you are changing the concept. Your Heavenly Dao protects Heaven and Earth, it protects the river itself. Whereas the existence of dikes is to protect the people along the river. A flood is both a natural disaster and a man-made calamity. When living beings plunder nature and receive nature's retaliation, this is also the principle of balance in the Dao of living beings. The relationship between living beings and nature is inherently difficult to summarize in a single sentence; this is also the answer that living beings should seek. Finding balance in dynamism, exploring paths in change. I do not believe that what living beings seek is always right, nor do I believe that what living beings do is always correct. Trial and error will inevitably incur a cost, but it is always better than stagnant water waiting to rot. Am I not right?"

Hongjun smiled, shaking his head: "You and I truly have different Daos."

"It's too early for a discussion of the Dao." Li Changshou made a gesture of invitation. Together, he and Hongjun raised their teacups, each taking a sip to clear their throats, and said, "Back to the previous question: how about we play two more rounds?"

"Oh?" The Dao Ancestor chuckled. "Which two rounds?"

"The fourth round, Sun Wukong's rampage in the Heavenly Palace," Li Changshou said, "Let's see if he can break into the Lingxiao Palace."

Hongjun calmly said, "That is of no great significance. You merely wish to use this method to protect Sun Wukong's life, so that this old Daoist does not directly destroy this broken chess piece. Fellow Daoist, you are truly a person of strong emotions. There is no need for a fourth round. This old Daoist will watch this play with you and observe how the situation in the Heavenly Court unfolds. If this old Daoist intervenes, then this old Daoist loses this round, how about that?"

Li Changshou smirked and said, "Then I shall take advantage of this."

Hongjun smiled without speaking, raising his hand and touching the tabletop in front of him. Ripples spread across it, revealing the scene of Sun Wukong sleeping. Silence returned to the bamboo house, waiting for the monkey to wake up.

After a moment, the Dao Ancestor slowly said, "You mentioned Wave just now. What kind of person do you think he is?"

"Hard to say," Li Changshou replied, "If I had met Wave in my previous life, I likely wouldn't have had any dealings with him."

Hongjun laughed: "Oh? Is it because of Xi He?"

"No," Li Changshou shook his head, "Among my friends in my previous life, there were also those with questionable private lives, but that was their personal privacy. Although I am a conservative in values, I would not cut off ties because of it. Fellow Daoist, if my conjecture is correct, Wave was somewhat discontent in his previous life, wasn't he?"

"One could say that," Hongjun sighed, "He once told me about his past life; he always had some lingering regrets."

Li Changshou asked, "So he committed suicide?"

"Oh?" Hongjun showed a thoughtful expression, "Suicide? This old Daoist was unaware of that."

Li Changshou laughed, "I meant Senior Wave's insistence on returning to the Primordial World to fight you, Fellow Daoist, and ultimately being shaken to death by your combined power with the Heavenly Dao. Isn't that equivalent to suicide?"

Hongjun chuckled and sighed, "He was the most troublesome enemy I ever encountered. In the end, he was defeated by his own momentary compassion."

"To you, Fellow Daoist, was Senior Wave even more troublesome than my teacher, Grand Pure One?"

"Indeed," Hongjun said, "I know Grand Pure One's temperament perfectly well, but Grand Pure One doesn't know this old Daoist. This old Daoist and Wave knew each other's roots and origins, which was what this old Daoist most dreaded."

Li Changshou slowly nodded, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.

Hongjun asked, "Why does this old Daoist always feel, Chang Geng, that you are playing tricks? Why don't you tell me some of the secrets about Wave, so this old Daoist can feel at ease continuing this game with you, rather than directly erasing you?"

It was time for the familiar trump card verification phase. Li Changshou calmly nodded and softly said, "There were actually three reasons why Senior Wave didn't want to live back then. Shall I tell you each reason, Fellow Daoist?"

The Dao Ancestor shifted his legs, settling into a more comfortable cross-legged position, and said, "Speak."

Li Changshou began, "This goes back quite a ways, we need to start with the Primordial Neighborhood Committee… Fellow Daoist should not be unfamiliar with this name."

The Dao Ancestor smiled and nodded, showing no surprise. Li Changshou glanced at Sun Wukong's condition and slowly continued, unhurriedly: "The Primordial Neighborhood Committee, also known as the Primordial Street Office, was likely a name Senior Wave chose casually, mostly for amusement. I cannot yet confirm when this name began to be used, nor can I fully determine who its members were; I will share my analysis on this later. But what is certain is that this Primordial Neighborhood Committee began deciding the direction of the Primordial World a very long time ago. According to the annals left by Senior Wave, the divergence between Senior Wave and Fellow Daoist should have occurred in the mid-to-late ancient era, before the decisive battle between the Human Race and the Demon Court. That was when your conflict erupted. This is the first reason why Senior Wave 'committed suicide' back then. Senior Wave and Fellow Daoist had a conflict, and it was irreconcilable."

Hongjun chuckled, "Specifically?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing his words. Hongjun continued, "Such a deduction is too shallow; anyone with a little superficial information could deduce that. It's not enough to surprise this old Daoist."

"The specifics are quite troublesome," Li Changshou said, "In that case, I'll combine my first and second reasons. Although they are two reasons, they are interdependent. If my guess is correct, Fellow Daoist proposed two things at that time. Firstly, to use the Investiture of Gods calamity and the minor Journey to the West calamity as the final tribulations for the Primordial World, using these two calamities to seal the selfish desires of living beings, turning the Six Sages into the cornerstones of Heaven and Earth, integrating the Primordial World into a whole, and endlessly developing the Chaos Sea. Secondly… to allow the Chaos Sea to devour the universe where Earth is located."

Hongjun's pupils contracted slightly, his expression somewhat complex. He stared at Li Changshou and said coldly, "He couldn't possibly have had the opportunity to tell you these things, nor could you have known these through any other means. Is Fellow Daoist trying to trick this old Daoist?"

Li Changshou smiled: "What is immortality? I have pondered this question for a long time. Immortality is actually endless lifespan. Immortality in the Primordial World isn't simply becoming a Golden Immortal; Golden Immortals are merely long-lived parasites attached to Heaven and Earth. True immortality in the Primordial World is transcendence. Living beings who achieve immortality will crave endless energy. But Fellow Daoist, you overlooked one point, which is also the point I have always mentioned as the loophole-ridden aspect of the system you designed."

"Oh? I'd like to hear more."

"The changes in the Chaos Sea." Li Changshou casually waved his hand, and a mass of gray mist appeared beside him. This gray mist seemed only palm-sized, yet contained the profound meaning of boundlessness.

Li Changshou slowly said, "Pangu created Heaven and Earth, and the Chaos Sea was no longer the chaotic, disordered Chaos Sea it once was, even if this world is only a small area within the Chaos Sea. The Chaos Sea began to evolve towards order, but this evolution was constantly disrupted by the Chaos Sea's own attributes. Fellow Daoist should already know about the second law of thermodynamics: everything always moves from order to disorder, i.e., entropy increase. The creation of Heaven and Earth was an anti-entropy process. The axe marks Pangu made were negative entropy notes carved for living beings. Simply put, Pangu accumulated enough energy by hunting Chaos Fiendgods and used this energy to create the ordered Primordial World within the disordered Chaos Sea. Since then, disorder has been eroding order, and the edges of Heaven and Earth will slowly become disordered. Unless there is a new energy source. In ancient times and the first half of the archaic period, Xuandu City flourished. The living beings in Heaven and Earth explored the Chaos Sea, trying to convert chaotic energy into spiritual energy. That was actually the instinct of life: to resist the law of entropy increase. But standing outside of all beings, outside the Great Dao, Fellow Daoist and Senior Wave understood these things and knew there were only two outcomes between the Primordial World and the Chaos Sea. Either the beings of the Primordial World successfully resist entropy increase, turning the Chaos Sea into a continuous source of spiritual energy for the Primordial World; or order returns to disorder, and the Primordial World reverts to chaos. Now, this Primordial World, enveloped by the Heavenly Dao barrier, is ready to devour the Chaos Sea. Fellow Daoist's first vision is largely complete. But Fellow Daoist not only planned this but also worried whether the Chaos Sea would be exhausted in the future, and the Primordial World would reach another end: annihilation. So, Fellow Daoist, with great foresight, thought of Senior Wave's hometown, a world parallel to the tangible realm where the Chaos Sea is located: the universe where Earth is."

Hongjun slowly sighed, raising his hand and waving his sleeve. Two blurry phantoms appeared around them, but their words reached Li Changshou's ears. The figure, seemingly Senior Wave, loudly reprimanded: "I disagree! Hongjun, you scoundrel! That's my hometown! Don't tell me you'll devour Earth; even if you steal a bit of matter, that universe won't be able to withstand the squeezing force of other parallel universes and will prematurely perish! I cannot do this! You come with me, come with me to the Chaos Sea! Leave the Primordial World! I cannot let you ruin the Primordial World left by old brother Pangu!"

Then came the sigh of Hongjun Daoist. Hongjun Dao Ancestor waved his sleeve again, and the phantoms instantly disappeared. A gentle breeze swept through, and the bamboo forest rustled. Hongjun Dao Ancestor's figure seemed to stoop a little.

Li Changshou nodded and said, "It's not far off from my guess. You and Senior Wave formally fell out around this time, didn't you?"

Hongjun laughed, "How did you guess these things?"

"It's actually very simple. I wondered why Senior Wave insisted on going to the Chaos Sea before his decisive battle with you? Eliminate all falsifiable possibilities, and whatever absurd conjecture remains, that is the truth."

Li Changshou slowly said, "There must be a mysterious rift in the Chaos Sea, a gate between planes, the path Senior Wave took to the Primordial World. Senior Wave went to the Chaos Sea back then precisely to conceal this portal, to hide it away. Similarly, this is also the main reason why, after Fellow Daoist discovered me, a fellow native of Senior Wave, you showed such preferential treatment and opened so many convenient doors for me. The main purpose of cultivating me into the 'one that got away' was not to stabilize Heaven and Earth, nor to evolve the Heavenly Dao. Rather, it was to have me exiled in the Chaos Sea, to decipher any clues Senior Wave might have left, and to have me complete what Senior Wave failed to complete: find the plane rift, descend into the universe where Earth is located, and devour that universe's energy! Using this energy, you could greatly extend the life of the Primordial World, which is destined for annihilation in the future, continuing to resist entropy increase at the end of the Primordial World. Of course, this chess piece of mine had several uses for the Dao Ancestor."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor fell silent for a moment, gazing at Li Changshou's clear eyes, unsure how to respond.

Li Changshou smiled, picked up his teacup and took a sip, then said, "I am a cautious person. I never believe in unearned benefits, nor do I believe that Fellow Daoist would truly favor a being like me so much. Your biggest flaw, Fellow Daoist, was leaving the Kunpeng to me. To say that Fellow Daoist couldn't deal with the Kunpeng is utterly unreasonable. You went to the Kunpeng, you knew all its secrets. You saw the Kunpeng as the future hope of the Primordial World, only lacking a navigator. You also examined the few ancient texts left within it and took the two most important ones. And that stone tablet in the main control room, that was also left by you, wasn't it?"

Hongjun Dao Ancestor showed a slightly puzzled expression and asked, "Since you already know these things, why didn't you make them public?"

"This cannot be made public. This was Fellow Daoist's consideration for the Primordial World. The beings of the Primordial World should stand on your side." Li Changshou shook his head somewhat helplessly and slowly said, "Actually, Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken."

"Oh?" Hongjun smiled. "Where am I mistaken?"

"Your perception is mistaken," Li Changshou whispered, "The tangible realm of the Chaos Sea and the world where Earth is located are not parallel universes, nor is there any squeezing between parallel universes. Fellow Daoist, you are too deeply influenced by Senior Wave, and Senior Wave's understanding was actually a product of some scientific imaginations from my hometown."

Hongjun said, "Fellow Daoist's enlightened view?"

"Yin and Yang, positive and negative." Li Changshou sighed, "The Dao gives birth to One; One signifies existence. One gives birth to Two; Two signifies the opposition of Yin and Yang. The void is inherently empty. Within the void, positive and negative particles emerge. Under accidental circumstances, these positive and negative particles trigger two distinct tides, and tangible realms are born between these tides. These two tangible realms are one positive and one negative, beautiful ripples born from the void."

The Dao Ancestor's face grew somewhat grim, and he said coldly, "Evidence."

Li Changshou said, "The yin and yang attributes of the two tangible realms are merely differences in definition and nomenclature. Their essence is thus; the matter and energy from my hometown cannot exist in this tangible realm. Forcibly bringing them over would only trigger annihilation."

"How do you explain your and Wave's traversal?"

"True spirits exist on the same level as the void," Li Changshou said, "In fact, I suspect that the void tides are caused by the mass self-dissolution of true spirits."

Hongjun fell silent for a moment, looking down at the teacup in front of him and its reflection.

"This is merely your conjecture," Hongjun said, "This old Daoist must witness the answer firsthand. Regardless, everything this old Daoist has done, it was all for the long-term existence of this Primordial World."

Li Changshou, however, chuckled coldly and slowly shook his head. "Don't deceive yourself, Fellow Daoist. If you truly wanted what was best for Heaven and Earth, you wouldn't have instigated the dragon-phoenix calamity to shatter the Primordial World. If you truly wanted what was best for Heaven and Earth, you would have stopped Rahu earlier, instead of becoming the savior at the end, activating the Heavenly Dao! You exposed a flaw in Pangu's Heavenly Dao defense system, then seized the opportunity to control the Heavenly Dao yourself!"

Li Changshou calmly said, "You merely wanted to prove that you were stronger than the true body, more suitable to exist, thereby justifying the erasure of the true body. Isn't that right, Senior? To be precise, you are Senior Wave's inner demon, Senior Wave's Dao predecessor, his good corpse, a false personality born from Senior Wave's struggles and submergence in the Chaos Sea. Dao Ancestor, Hongjun. The only single true spirit being in the Chaos Sea apart from Senior Wave himself."