"All Daoist arts under heaven came from one man-Blessed Life, Boundless Heavenly Worthy!"
Li Qingyuan had heard those words many times in his previous life.
On Earth in his previous life, whenever Daoists met, they would invariably say, "Blessed Life, Boundless Heavenly Worthy."
This was Daoist etiquette, a greeting and a blessing, not the name of any deity.
Yet the old Daoist before him, with his immortal bearing and Daoist grace, actually called himself "Blessed Life, Boundless Heavenly Worthy."
Li Qingyuan's mind churned with countless intermingling thoughts, but for a moment, he did not know where to begin.
"As I am now, I have long since ceased to be my complete self."
The old Daoist's form changed. His nine-leaf lotus crown melted away, his robe bearing the primordial eight trigrams dissolved into streaming light, and his aged face, with its crane-white hair and youthful complexion, grew young again, returning to the appearance of a refined young man in green robes carrying a sword.
His eyes remained as fathomless as the starry sky, and his manner remained as gentle as jade, only now with a barely perceptible trace of loneliness.
Li Qingyuan steadied himself and bowed with clasped hands. "Then, senior, how exactly should I address you?"
The sword-bearing man in green smiled faintly. "This humble Daoist is Shangqing Lingbao Heavenly Venerable."
Li Qingyuan's expression changed abruptly, as though he had been struck by lightning.
Shangqing Lingbao Heavenly Venerable!
Those seven characters exploded like seven thunderclaps in his Sea of Consciousness, shaking his Primordial Spirit violently.
Memories of his previous life surged forth like the tide.
The Three Pure Ones of Daoism-Yuqing Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable, Shangqing Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, and Taiqing Daode Heavenly Venerable-were the supreme deities of the Daoist faith, enshrined through the ages and worshipped for countless generations.
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