After collecting the twelve Sea-Calming Divine Beads, Li Yi gave up on searching for more treasures. He planned to climb to the summit of Buzhou Mountain and experience what it felt like to stand atop the highest peak in the Primordial World. While he was there, he would also check whether the Heavenly Court Small World at the summit had appeared.
As he walked and rested along the way, Li Yi came across several places where powerful cultivators were in seclusion. He carefully skirted around them to avoid causing any misunderstandings. Although he wasn't afraid of them, there was no need to invite pointless trouble.
After several decades, Li Yi finally reached the summit of Buzhou Mountain. Gazing at the endless sea of clouds below, his heart surged with emotion and his chest swelled with pride. "This is how life should be: standing above all beings." At that thought, he couldn't help reciting a poem from a later age:
I fear not the clouds that veil my sight, For I stand at the highest height!
"Fellow Daoist, what lofty aspirations!" A dignified-looking Daoist holding an ancient zither appeared before Li Yi. A graceful, beautiful woman with arched brows and phoenix eyes followed behind him. The two approached Li Yi with warm smiles.
"According to later generations, Fu Xi and Nuwa once lived in seclusion on Buzhou Mountain. Could they really be them?" Li Yi had a faint suspicion.
With that thought, Li Yi dared not be remiss. "You flatter me, fellow Daoists. I am Li Yi. Greetings to you both." After speaking, he took a careful look at them and saw that both were at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm.
"I am Fu Xi, and this is my younger sister, Nuwa," Fu Xi replied with a salute.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist." Nuwa smiled gently.
"So it really is the two of them." Li Yi hadn't expected to meet these two renowned deities from later generations here.
"Since fate brought us together, why don't we discuss the mysteries of the Dao?" Fu Xi invited Li Yi.
Ever since taking form, Fu Xi and Nuwa had felt that the Primordial World was perilous and unpredictable, with countless powerful beings. They hadn't dared venture down the mountain lightly, and spent most of their time cultivating in seclusion on Buzhou Mountain, rarely speaking with anyone.
The two truly lived up to their later fame as great deities. With extraordinary talent, they had managed to devise their own cultivation methods from a few rudimentary teachings and cultivate all the way to the peak of the Golden Immortal realm.
Now they had finally met Li Yi, and since their cultivation levels were similar, they couldn't help wanting to exchange insights. So they had appeared and invited him.
As it happened, Li Yi also wanted to discuss the Dao with a few fellow cultivators, so he didn't decline. "You're quite right, fellow Daoist. We should exchange ideas more often. As the saying goes, the sea embraces a hundred rivers, and that is what makes it great!"
Afterward, Li Yi followed Fu Xi and Nuwa back to the cave where they cultivated in seclusion.
Fu Xi and Nuwa truly were devoted cultivators. Their cave was simple, with just two meditation cushions and nothing else. It was clear how firmly they were committed to seeking the Dao.
Once they had seated themselves, Fu Xi smiled at Li Yi. "As the host, I'll start us off!"
"My Dao lies in calculation and formations." Fu Xi paused slightly. "I calculate the heavens, the earth, myself, and all things. The heavens are a formation, the earth is a formation, you are a formation, and I am a formation. Everything can become a formation..."
Fu Xi's explanation grew more profound. "The One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things. The One, the Two Principles, the Three Powers, the Four Images, the Five Elements, the Six Directions, the Seven Stars, the Eight Trigrams, the Nine Palaces..."
As he spoke, Fu Xi pointed into the air, conjuring a scene. "A hazy mass of primordial chaos gradually divides into the black and white forces of yin and yang. Yin and yang then evolve into earth, wind, fire, and water. Next, earth, wind, fire, and water give rise to the land, mountains, living beings, the sun, the moon, and the stars..."
"So he really is the creator of the Innate Eight Trigrams. His attainments in the Dao of formations are profound indeed," Li Yi couldn't help thinking.
When Fu Xi finished, Nuwa continued. "My Dao lies in creation. All beings possess the great potential for creation, as does heaven and earth. The Dao of creation is mysterious beyond compare. Fate, fortune, achievement—everything comes down to creation..."
Nuwa, too, conjured a scene. "A barren land gradually sprouts patches of grass. Before long, countless tall trees rise up, and birds begin to play among their branches. Tigers, eagles, serpents, deer... Countless living beings appear, and the barren land is transformed into a paradise for all life..."
After listening to Fu Xi and Nuwa discuss their Daos, Li Yi was deeply moved. "Your mastery of the Dao is truly profound, fellow Daoists. Allow me to share my own humble insights!"
"My Dao lies in intent and in the sword." Li Yi's expression grew slightly more serious. "The sword is intent, intent is the law, and the law is the Dao. I wield the sword through intent, manifest the law through the sword, and prove the Dao through the law..."
Li Yi lightly pressed a hand against the Green Lotus Ancient Sword behind him. A glimmer of sword light flashed, and a lotus began to grow, reaching one zhang, then two, then three, until it stood ten zhang tall. Two buds gradually appeared on its stem, one black and one green, swaying gently. The buds slowly opened, revealing a serene and noble twin lotus in full bloom.
"Life, death, annihilation, reincarnation... I use the sword to break through annihilation and the sword to manifest reincarnation..."
As Li Yi spoke, he used sword energy to demonstrate.
Gradually, the twin lotus burst apart, and a hazy Taiji Diagram appeared in midair, emanating the aura of life, death, annihilation, and eternity. It was unfathomable and profound.
"Your mastery of the Dao is truly profound and unfathomable, fellow Daoist," Fu Xi said admiringly. Nuwa also praised Li Yi without reservation.
All three gained insights from this discussion of the Dao, with Li Yi and Nuwa benefiting the most. Li Yi's Dao of annihilation involved life and death, deepening Nuwa's understanding of the Dao of creation. Meanwhile, the emphasis of Nuwa's Dao of creation lay in evolution, which deepened Li Yi's understanding of the cycle of life, death, and reincarnation.
"Likewise, likewise. Your Daos are just as profound, fellow Daoists." Praised by the two of them, Li Yi couldn't help feeling secretly pleased.
"Hehe, all right. Let's stop praising each other," Nuwa said with a faint smile.
Li Yi's face reddened slightly. How embarrassing. "Have you two always cultivated in seclusion on Buzhou Mountain?" he asked, though he already knew the answer, quickly changing the subject.
"Mm. With our cultivation, the outside world is still rather dangerous," Nuwa said, furrowing her brows slightly in frustration.
"It's a little better now. The Primordial World has become much more peaceful!" Remembering the terrible scenes from the Great Tribulation of All Beings, Fu Xi shuddered. Even he and his sister had encountered danger several times while hiding on Buzhou Mountain, and things out in the Primordial World had been even worse.
"You two may have been too focused on improving your cultivation. If you paid a little more attention to combat skills, you should be able to protect yourselves in the Primordial World," Li Yi suggested, having noticed that the two seemed to lack offensive techniques.
"Hehe, you're right. We neglected that," Fu Xi readily admitted. They both preferred quiet cultivation and hadn't paid much attention to combat techniques. Li Yi, by contrast, was practically a mass murderer.
Afterward, the three discussed the major events that had taken place in the Primordial World in recent years. In truth, Li Yi did most of the talking, while Fu Xi and Nuwa listened, since they rarely went down the mountain and knew little about the outside world.
Flowers bloomed and fell, and a thousand years passed unnoticed as the three discussed the Dao and chatted.
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