Chapter 42

Although Tai Cang was surprised, he did not decline. Just as Tongtian had said, even without the title of master and disciple, they still belonged to the same lineage. There was no need to remain at an impasse.

"Very good!"

Tongtian nodded slightly and stopped beating around the bush. With a wave of his hand, he set up a barrier that isolated Duobao and the others outside, then fixed Tai Cang with a burning gaze. "From the first time we met, I had already seen through what you were thinking."

"At the time, you had not truly wished to enter my sect. You had merely made that choice because circumstances forced your hand."

"I wish to know why you had lacked all confidence in the Jie Sect from the very beginning. I even vaguely glimpsed the image of the Jie Sect's destruction within your thoughts."

The moment those words were spoken, Laozi and Yuan Shi's expressions changed drastically, and they abruptly rose to their feet.

They had assumed Tongtian's question would concern some ordinary matter. Who would have thought it would involve such significant heavenly secrets?

Tai Cang had actually been pessimistic about Tongtian and the Jie Sect from the very beginning.

Even more shocking was the fact that his entry into the Jie Sect had been against his wishes.

But how could a Sage's lineage possibly be reduced to the point of annihilation?

Laozi and Yuan Shi immediately began divining with their fingers, only to discover that the heavenly secrets were muddled. They could not find even the slightest trace within the River of Destiny.

The two exchanged a glance, then looked solemnly at Tai Cang. "Tai Cang, how do you explain this?"

"Could it be that you possess the ability to glimpse the future?"

If that were true, Tai Cang's uniqueness might surpass even that of Sages.

At that moment, Tai Cang was inwardly alarmed.

He had never expected Tongtian to notice the thoughts he had harbored on Kunlun Mountains back then.

Thinking about it, it made sense. His cultivation had been too weak at the time. How could he possibly have resisted a Sage's inspection?

Fortunately, Tongtian had not discovered the system's existence. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

At that moment, Tai Cang truly understood what it meant that all beneath Sages were ants.

A Sage's abilities truly were unfathomable.

"I understand."

After a long while, Tai Cang steadied himself. Under the gazes of the Three Pure Ones, he solemnly bowed. "I would not dare conceal this from the three Sages. I do indeed possess a talent for foreseeing the future."

"On my way to Kunlun Mountains, I saw many fragments of the future. Among them, the Jie Sect's ending was the most tragic, which was why I hesitated."

"Later, I discovered that only Sage Tongtian was willing to accept me as a disciple. Though I knew the Jie Sect's future was uncertain, it was indeed the best choice at the time."

This half-truthful explanation revealed part of the matter while perfectly concealing the system's existence.

"So that was it! You could foresee the future! What extraordinary talent."

The Three Pure Ones all revealed shocked expressions as they watched Tai Cang with complicated looks.

Laozi secretly regretted having misjudged him back then.

Yuan Shi regretted it even more deeply. Had he spoken up back then, this youth should have become a member of the Chan Sect.

Tongtian, meanwhile, felt as though a burden had been lifted.

Now that he had his answer, the obsession in his heart vanished.

Although he knew the Jie Sect might face a calamity, he firmly believed that the Jie Sect's teachings of seizing a thread of life would surely allow it to resolve the crisis.

With that thought, Tongtian said, "Then I understand the reason. No wonder you stopped Duobao's plan at the first opportunity. In the future you foresaw, he must not have been a good person to the Jie Sect."

As he spoke, Tongtian's gaze fell on Duobao at the side. This disciple, once the one he valued most, now forced him to reassess him.

Tai Cang did not respond. He knew there was no benefit in saying more now. Since he had already left the Jie Sect, continuing to dwell on this matter would only create further variables, and that was not what he wanted.

"Tai Cang!" Laozi suddenly spoke. "Have you ever considered that the future you saw may have been wrong?"

"Wrong?"

Tai Cang frowned slightly and looked at Laozi in surprise, confusion flashing through his eyes. Yuan Shi and Tongtian were equally puzzled.

A mistaken future? Was such a thing truly possible?

"Indeed." Laozi's expression remained calm. "The Primordial World is not the only existence. It is composed of countless parallel worlds."

"I once traveled through the River of Destiny and witnessed many worlds similar to the Primordial World. The Sages in those worlds varied greatly in cultivation. Some were merely comparable to Grand Unity Golden Immortals here, and some were not even equal to Grand Unity Golden Immortals."

"More importantly, every world had a different ending. In some, Shen Ni dominated during the era of ferocious beasts. In some, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans each emerged victorious. In others, the Demon Ancestor won the war between Dao and Demon..."

"As for the Tribulation of Witch and Demon, its endings varied even more. Unfortunately, even with a Sage's power, it is difficult to glimpse the developments after the Witch and Demon era, as though something is blocking them."

Tai Cang could not help drawing in a sharp breath. Parallel worlds, a multiverse of Primordial Worlds—these concepts far exceeded his understanding. If Laozi was telling the truth, then his so-called foreknowledge was nothing more than a joke. The Tribulation of Witch and Demon, the Battle of the Investiture of the Gods, the rise of Journey to the West—everything was filled with variables.

What frightened him even more was whether those legendary beings—Shen Ni, Luohu, Yang Mei, and the others—had truly fallen as the records claimed. Or perhaps...

"Haha! So that was it!"

Yuan Shi and Tongtian's laughter broke the silence. The two had likewise let their divine senses wander through the River of Destiny and witnessed the wonders of countless worlds.

After exchanging glances, Tongtian said meaningfully, "The Three Pure Ones splitting apart, the Chan and Jie Sects fighting each other—it seems all of it was destined."

"Those low-level worlds are rather interesting. Their so-called Dao Ancestor and Heavenly Dao are not even equal to Quasi-Saints. How laughable."

"So that was it." Seeing this, Tai Cang was finally convinced.

Judging from Yuan Shi and Tongtian's reactions, there was no way the two would join hands to deceive him. The only explanation was that the powerful figures of this high-level Primordial World truly far surpassed what the records described.

"Grand Clarity Sage!"

Taking a deep breath, Tai Cang stepped forward and asked, "May I ask what became of Shen Ni, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans, Luohu, Five Elements, Yin Yang, Qian Kun, and the other great powers of our world?"

Tai Cang had to confirm this.

If this world was completely different from the one he knew, then he would need to make plans early. He could no longer rely on his so-called foreknowledge.

"Shen Ni has fallen."

Laozi glanced at Tai Cang, seeing through his intentions. "However, he has not truly perished. The Beast Realm is his incarnation, and it must contain arrangements for his resurrection."

"When he is reborn, he will be able to break through into the third realm of Grand Unity Golden Immortals—the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal."

"As for the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans, although they lost their struggle for supremacy, their foundations remained intact. Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Ancestral Qilin found three small Primordial Worlds similar to the Beast Realm. They moved away most of their clansmen and became rulers there. Their current cultivation is no weaker than that of Sages."

"Luohu lost to the Dao Ancestor back then, but he did not perish. He founded the Demon Realm and led his followers out of the struggle for the Primordial World."

"Ancient great powers such as Yang Mei, Qian Kun, Five Elements, and Yin Yang either fled into the chaos in search of breakthroughs or established minor worlds attached to the Primordial World to continue their lineages."

"Of course, some did fall. Though they were Grand Unity Immortals, they had stopped at the realm of True Grand Unity Immortals. Unable to touch the River of Destiny, they ultimately could not escape extinction."

This high-level Primordial World was far more complicated than he had imagined.

After hearing Laozi's account, Tai Cang's mouth twitched slightly.

The foreknowledge he had once believed in was actually meaningless. After all those twists and turns, it had become a joke instead.

"Wait!"

Tai Cang's pupils suddenly contracted as he seemed to realize something. Looking up, he asked, "True Grand Unity Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals are actually different realms?"

Laozi's final words had allowed him to grasp the key point.

Grand Unity had levels. The Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal Shen Ni had mentioned truly existed and was even the third realm. What kind of mechanism was this?

"Exactly."

The Three Pure Ones exchanged smiles. Laozi nodded. "It seems your talent is not omniscient after all. Instead, it has only caused you unnecessary worry."

"Still, it is not entirely useless. At least at present, even Sages cannot glimpse what comes after the Tribulation of Witch and Demon, yet you have sensed something."

After praising him, Tongtian gave a light cough and explained, "The highest existence in this world is the Great Dao, also known as the Primordial Realm."

"Below the Great Dao, Grand Unity reigns supreme. When Pangu opened the heavens, he had already reached the fifth level of Grand Unity. The other Chaos Demon Gods were all at the fourth level. Because he forcibly proved the Dao and slaughtered all gods, the methods of subsequent cultivation were lost."

"Shen Ni, Yin Yang, Luohu, Qian Kun, Hongjun, Five Elements, and the others were all reincarnations of remnant souls of Demon Gods. Although they knew the third and fourth levels existed, they had no cultivation methods."

"That was why the countless battles of the past had all been fought in pursuit of higher-dimensional power. At that time, Dao Ancestor Hongjun reached an agreement with the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World and, at the cost of himself, opened an entirely new path for all living beings of the Primordial World."

"The Dao Ancestor deduced the realms after True Grand Unity Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals, created the Path of the Quasi-Saint and the Path of the Sage, and established the Heavenly Dao Realm by using the Heavenly Dao as a reference."

"The Quasi-Saint realm surpasses Grand Unity Golden Immortals, yet it remains inferior to the third Grand Unity realm of old, the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Although Sages are stronger than Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals, they cannot touch the fourth realm. Only existences at the level of the Heavenly Dao can rival the fourth Grand Unity realm of the former Chaos Demon Gods. As for Pangu's fifth realm, it is impossibly distant unless one transcends the Heavenly Dao."

Gulp—

After hearing Tongtian's explanation, Tai Cang's mind was shaken, and his understanding was completely overturned.

This high-level Primordial World truly was unfathomable.

No wonder he had seen so many things within the Witch Clan that had never been recorded.

No wonder the Three Pure Ones sought to reclaim Pangu's Destiny instead of waiting for the Witch Clan to decline. Even if the Witch Clan lost, it would only withdraw from the struggle for the Primordial World's main world, just like the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans had done before.

"Thank you, three Sages, for clearing up my doubts!"

At that moment, Tai Cang deeply felt that his understanding of the Primordial World had been far too shallow. Yet he did not regret his decision today.

No matter what the Jie Sect's future held, its intrigue and scheming were not what he desired. Now that he had cast off the constraints of that identity, he instead felt incomparably relieved.

With that thought, endless anticipation surged within Tai Cang's heart.

The Grand Unity realm!

Only by stepping into Grand Unity would he have a chance to uncover the secrets of this world.

"Mm."

Laozi and the other two exchanged glances and nodded slightly. "Go. Break through as soon as possible. Only after achieving Grand Unity will you be able to truly appreciate the vastness of heaven and earth."

"Also, remember not to spread this matter. Only we and a small number of peak great powers know these secrets. Ordinary Grand Unity Immortals are not qualified to come into contact with them."

"Yes!"

Tai Cang solemnly agreed. He was not one to speak excessively, and he understood even more clearly that Grand Unity beings had factions of their own. Friend and foe were difficult to distinguish.

Thinking of this, he grew even more eager to condense the Supreme Three Flowers. He cupped his hands toward the Three Pure Ones and said, "Three Sages, Tai Cang has benefited greatly from today's explanations. Now that the matter is settled, I shall not disturb you further. Farewell!"

With those words, Tai Cang turned and left the Upper Clarity Palace. He used the Golden Crow Transformation Rainbow Technique and headed straight for the Nine Heavens Star Domain. He could not wait to gather the Essence of Heaven and perfect his Three Flowers.

Nine Heavens Star Domain, Sun Star.

Tai Cang returned and encountered no obstruction along the way. He went directly into the rear courtyard of the Sun Palace, where Di Yi and the others were gathered.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, you're back!"

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, did everything go smoothly?"

Seeing Tai Cang appear, Di Yi and the others hurried forward. Their smiles carried a trace of concern. Leaving the Jie Sect was no easy matter. How could Tongtian, as its sect leader, simply let someone go?

"Everything has been settled."

Tai Cang smiled calmly, understanding what they were thinking. He declared, "From this day onward, I am only a disciple of the Three Teachings, no longer an inner disciple of the Jie Sect."

At those words, Di Yi and the others were overjoyed. They stepped forward to congratulate him. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Tai Cang!"

"You have cast off that inferior status as a Jie Sect inner disciple. From now on, no one within the Three Teachings will dare show you disrespect!"

This was no exaggeration. In the past, Tai Cang had been constrained by others, and his greatest restriction had been his identity as a Jie Sect inner disciple.

Even though he had already become a disciple of the Cang lineage, those Jie Sect direct disciples could still call him junior brother and even issue orders to him as though it were only natural.

Now that he had broken free of this restraint, if Duobao and the others dared act presumptuously again in the future, matters would not end as easily as before.

"Thank you for your kind words!"

Having delayed everyone for so long, Tai Cang punished himself with three cups.

Tai Cang laughed heartily and drained his cup in one gulp.

"Wonderful!"

Di Yi and the other Golden Crow Princes raised their cups in response. "Today, we must celebrate properly!"

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, tonight, we will not return until we are drunk."