The 42nd Chapter

Although Tai Cang felt surprised, he did not refuse. As Tongtian had said, even without the title of master and disciple, both parties ultimately belonged to the Cang Gate, and there was no need to continue this stalemate.

"Very good!"

Nodding slightly, Tongtian stopped beating around the bush. He waved his hand and set up a barrier, isolating Duobao and the others. He looked intently at Tai Cang, "When I first met you, I had already seen through your thoughts."

"At that time, you were unwilling to join my sect, and only made this choice due to the circumstances."

"I want to know why you had no confidence in the Intercepting Sect from the very beginning. I even vaguely glimpsed the destruction of the Intercepting Sect in your thoughts."

As soon as these words were spoken, Laozi and Yuanshi's expressions changed drastically, and they suddenly stood up.

They had originally thought that Tongtian's question was a trivial matter, but they never expected it to involve such significant heavenly secrets.

Tai Cang had not been optimistic about Tongtian and the Intercepting Sect from the very beginning.

What was even more shocking was that his joining the Intercepting Sect was out of necessity.

And how could the lineage of a Sage fall to the point of destruction?

Laozi and Yuanshi immediately began to deduce with their fingers, only to find that the heavenly secrets were chaotic, and not a single clue could be found in the River of Destiny.

The two looked at each other and then at Tai Cang with solemn expressions: "Tai Cang, what is your explanation for this matter?"

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

If this were true, Tai Cang's specialness might be beyond even the reach of a Sage.

At this moment, Tai Cang was secretly alarmed.

He never expected that his thoughts on Kunlun Mountains back then would be perceived by Tongtian.

He supposed it made sense; with his low cultivation at the time, how could he resist a Sage's probing?

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

At this moment, Tai Cang truly understood the meaning of "everyone below a Sage is an ant."

The abilities of a Sage were indeed unfathomable.

"I understand."

After a long while, Tai Cang calmed his mind and, under the gaze of the Three Pure Ones, bowed solemnly: "I dare not hide it from the three Sages. I do indeed have a talent for foreseeing the future."

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

"Later, I found that only Sage Tongtian was willing to accept me as a disciple. Although I knew the future of the Intercepting Sect was uncertain, it was indeed the best choice at the time."

This semi-true, semi-false explanation not only accounted for some of the facts but also perfectly concealed the existence of the System.

"So that's how it is!"

"Foreseeing the future!"

"Truly gifted."

The Three Pure Ones were all astonished upon hearing this, and they looked at Tai Cang with mixed emotions.

Laozi secretly regretted that he had misjudged him back then.

Yuanshi regretted it even more—if he had spoken up earlier, this child should have been a disciple of the Heavenly Origin Sect.

Tongtian, on the other hand, felt relieved.

With the answer obtained, the obsession in his heart was dispelled.

Although he knew that the Intercepting Sect might face tribulations, he deeply believed that the Intercepting Sect's doctrine of "intercepting a sliver of life" would surely resolve the crisis.

Thinking of this, Tongtian spoke: "In that case, I understand the reason. No wonder you stopped Duobao's plan at the first opportunity. You must have foreseen in your future that he was not a benevolent person to the Intercepting Sect."

As he spoke, Tongtian's gaze fell upon Duobao, who was standing by the side. This disciple, once his most valued, now made him have to re-examine him.

Tai Cang did not reply. He knew that saying more at this moment would be useless. Since he had already left the Intercepting Sect, getting entangled in this matter again would only increase variables, which was absolutely not what he wanted.

"Tai Cang!" Laozi suddenly spoke, "Have you ever considered that the future you saw might not be the only one?"

"Not the only one?"

Tai Cang frowned slightly, looking at Laozi in surprise, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. Yuanshi and Tongtian also looked puzzled.

"A false future? Is that truly possible?"

"Indeed." Laozi said calmly, "The Primordial World is not the only existence; it is composed of countless parallel worlds."

"I have traveled through the River of Destiny and witnessed many worlds similar to the Primordial World. In those worlds, the cultivation of Sages varies; some are only equivalent to our Grand Unity Golden Immortals, or even less than Grand Unity Golden Immortals."

"More importantly, the endings of each world are different. Some are dominated by Shen Ni during the era of fierce beasts, some are won by the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes respectively, and some are won by the Demon Ancestor in the battle between Dao and Demon..."

"As for the Tribulation of Witch and Demon, the endings are even more varied. Unfortunately, the subsequent evolution after the Witch and Demon era is difficult to glimpse even with the power of a Sage, as if blocked by some kind of obstruction."

Tai Cang couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this. Parallel worlds, multiple Primordial Worlds—these were far beyond his understanding. If Laozi's words were true, wouldn't the so-called prophets and those with foresight become a joke? The Tribulation of Witch and Demon, the Battle of the Investiture of the Gods, the great prosperity of the Westward Journey—everything was full of variables.

What shocked him even more was, did those legendary existences—Shen Ni, Luohu, Yang Mei, and others—truly perish as recorded in the ancient texts? Or was it...

"Hahaha!"

"So that's how it is!"

The laughter of Yuanshi and Tongtian broke the silence. Both of them had also wandered through the River of Destiny and witnessed the wondrous mysteries of the myriad worlds.

After exchanging a glance, Tongtian said meaningfully, "The Three Pure Ones splitting up, the conflict between the Heavenly Origin Sect and the Intercepting Sect, it seems it's all destined."

"These low-level worlds are quite interesting. The so-called Dao Ancestor and Heavenly Dao are not even as good as a Quasi-Saint. It's truly laughable."

So that's how it is!

Witnessing this scene, Tai Cang finally felt certain.

Given the reactions of Yuan Shi and Tongtian, there was no way they could have colluded to deceive him. The only explanation was that the powerhouses of the high-end Primordial World were indeed far beyond what the ancient texts recorded.

"Grand Clarity Sage!"

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

Tai Cang had to confirm.

If this world was drastically different from what he knew, he would need to make plans early and could no longer rely on his supposed foreknowledge.

"Shen Ni has perished."

Laozi glanced at Tai Cang, understanding his intent, and said calmly, "However, he has not truly vanished. The Beast Realm is his avatar, and it must contain a posthumous plan for resurrection."

"When the day of his rebirth comes, he will be able to break through to the third realm of Grand Unity Golden Immortal—Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal."

"As for the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes, although they lost the battle for supremacy, their foundations remain intact. Ancestral Dragon, Ancestral Phoenix, and Ancestral Kirin found three minor primordial worlds similar to the Beast Realm, moved the majority of their tribes, and now reign supreme. Their cultivation is no less than that of a Sage."

"Luohu was defeated by the Dao Ancestor back then but did not perish. He founded the Demon Realm and led his followers to withdraw from the Primordial World's conflict."

"Yang Mei, Qian Kun, Five Elements, Yin Yang, and other ancient great beings either fled into chaos seeking breakthroughs or created small worlds attached to the Primordial World to continue their Dao lineage."

"Of course, there were also those who perished. Although they were Grand Unity Immortals, they were stuck in the realm of True Grand Unity Immortal, unable to touch the River of Destiny, and ultimately could not escape annihilation."

!

This high-end Primordial World was far more complex than imagined.

After listening to Laozi's account, Tai Cang's mouth twitched.

His supposed foreknowledge was utterly meaningless, and in the end, he had become a laughingstock.

"Wait a moment!"

Tai Cang's pupils suddenly constricted, as if he had realized something. He looked up and asked, "Are True Grand Unity Immortal and Grand Unity Golden Immortal actually different realms?"

Laozi's silence allowed him to grasp the key point.

Grand Unity had tiers? The Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal that Shen Ni spoke of was indeed real, and it was the third realm. What was this hidden scheme?

"Precisely."

The Three Pure Ones exchanged glances and smiled. Laozi nodded, "It seems your talent is not omniscience, but rather it has caused you to worry unnecessarily."

"However, it's not entirely useless. At least for now, even a Sage cannot foresee the events after the Tribulation of Witch and Demon, yet you have some premonition."

After his praise, Tongtian coughed lightly 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. In the past, Pangu reached the fifth level of Grand Unity when he opened the heavens. The other Chaos Demon Gods were all at the fourth level. Because he forcefully proved the Great Dao and annihilated all gods, the subsequent cultivation methods were lost."

"Shen Ni, Yin Yang, Luohu, Qian Kun, Hongjun, Five Elements, and others were all reincarnations of remnant souls of Demon Gods. Although they knew of the existence of the third and fourth levels of Grand Unity, they lacked the methods to cultivate."

"It is precisely because of this that countless fierce battles in the past were all in pursuit of higher dimensional power. At this very moment, Dao Ancestor Hongjun reached an agreement with the Primordial World's Heavenly Dao. At the cost of himself, he opened up a brand-new path for all beings in the Primordial World."

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

"The realm of Quasi-Saint surpasses Grand Unity Golden Immortal, yet it is still inferior to the third realm of Grand Unity in the past, Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Although Sages are stronger than Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals, they cannot reach the fourth realm. Only Heavenly Dao-level existences can be compared to the fourth level of Grand Unity of the Chaos Demon Gods back then. As for the fifth level where Pangu resided, it is unreachable unless one transcends the Heavenly Dao."

Gulp--

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

The high-end Primordial World was indeed unfathomable.

No wonder he had seen many unrecorded things among the Witch Clan.

No wonder the Three Pure Ones were plotting to reclaim Pangu's Destiny instead of waiting for the Witch Clan to decline. Because even if the Witch Clan failed, they would only withdraw from the competition for the main Primordial World, just like the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes of the past.

"Thank you, Three Sages, for clearing my doubts!"

At this moment, Tai Cang deeply felt that his understanding of the Primordial World was too superficial. But he did not regret his decision today.

No matter what the future held for the Intercepting Sect, the deceit and trickery within it were not what he desired. Now that he was free from the constraints of his identity, he felt incredibly relaxed.

Thinking of this, boundless anticipation surged in Tai Cang's heart.

The realm of Grand Unity!

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 when you achieve Grand Unity will you be able to truly appreciate the vastness of heaven and earth."

"Furthermore, remember that this matter cannot be spread. These secrets are known only to us and a few top great divine abilities. Ordinary Grand Unity cultivators are not qualified to access them."

"Yes!"

Tai Cang solemnly agreed. He was not one to gossip and understood even better that there were factions among Grand Unity cultivators, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe.

With this in mind, he yearned even more to condense the Supreme Three Flowers. He cupped his hands towards the Three Sages and said, "Three Sages, your explanations today have benefited me greatly. Since everything is settled, I shall not impose further and take my leave!"

As the words fell, Tai Cang turned and left the Upper Clarity Palace, casting the Golden Crow Transformation Rainbow Technique and heading straight for the Nine Heavens Star Domain. He was eager to gather the essence of the heavens to perfect his own Three Flowers.

Nine Heavens Star Domain, Sun Star.

Tai Cang returned, his path unimpeded, and strode directly into the backyard of the Sun Palace where Di Yi and the others were located.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, you've returned!"

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

Seeing Tai Cang appear, Di Yi and the others rushed forward, their smiles tinged with concern. After all, leaving the Intercepting Sect was no easy feat; would Tongtian, as the Sect Master, let them go so easily?

"Everything is settled."

Tai Cang smiled calmly, understanding their thoughts, and announced loudly, "From now on, I am only a disciple of the Three Sects, no longer an inner disciple of the Intercepting Sect."

Upon hearing this, Di Yi and the others beamed with joy and stepped forward to congratulate him, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Tai Cang!"

"Freed from that inferior status as an inner disciple of the Intercepting Sect, no one in the Three Sects will dare to disrespect you anymore!"

These words were not untrue. In the past, Tai Cang's greatest constraint was his identity as an inner disciple of the Intercepting Sect.

Even though he was already a distinguished member of the Cang Gate, those direct disciples of the Intercepting Sect could still call him junior brother and even issue commands to him as a matter of course.

Now that this shackle was broken, if Duobao and the others dared to act presumptuously again in the future, it wouldn't be resolved as easily as before.

"Thank you all for your kind words!"

Having been delayed for so long, Tai Cang imposed a penalty of three cups on himself.

Tai Cang laughed heartily and drank his cup in one go.

This is the life!

Seeing this, Di Yi and the other Golden Crow Princes raised their cups in response: Tonight, we must celebrate properly!

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, we won't return until we're drunk tonight."