Old Land and Outer Domain

Three Grandmaster cultivation methods, three silver papers as thin as cicada wings, floated quietly, emitting different auras.

The silver paper on the left exuded a leisurely aura, like an old man who had seen the myriad changes of the world, the rise and fall of humanity, and had retired to the mountains and forests.

The silver paper in the middle exuded a sharp aura. As soon as Li Jiusheng touched it, he felt as if he had fallen into an ocean of sword energy, with tens of thousands of long swords slashing towards him.

The aura emanating from the silver paper on the right was the most complex and changeable, sometimes overbearing, sometimes cold, sometimes sinister, sometimes grand...

"If I'm not mistaken, the silver paper on the left is a Grandmaster cultivation method from the Old Land," Li Jiusheng said to Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan nodded and praised, "Senior Brother has sharp eyes. The one on the left is a cultivation method created by a former Grandmaster of the Old Land, called the Great Dream Spring and Autumn. It integrates the supreme skills of both the Daoist and Buddhist schools. It allows one to cultivate in a dream for a hundred years, achieving twice the result with half the effort, which is marvelous. However, it also carries danger; if one loses their original heart and becomes lost in the dream, they will never wake up, their existence vanishing with the beautiful dream."

"Great Dream Spring and Autumn, what a name, what a cultivation method," Li Jiusheng nodded. The method sounded indeed good, following the path of enlightenment through dreams.

"Where did the other two cultivation methods come from?" Li Jiusheng asked curiously.

"The silver paper in the middle comes from the Sword Tomb, a land very far from the Old Land. Everyone there practices swordsmanship and forges swords, treating the sword as their hope for life. Thus, their combat power is immense. This cultivation method was created by a Grandmaster from the Sword Tomb, named the Sword Intent Four Symbols Art!" Li Qingshan said.

"Sword Tomb, Sword Intent Four Symbols Art, quite interesting," Li Jiusheng mused and asked, "I don't know much about the Old Land, let alone matters concerning the Outer Domain. Could you tell me about it?"

Li Qingshan poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. "Of course. Senior Brother, you've been detached from worldly affairs and focused on your cultivation, so it's normal you don't know these things. To understand the relationship between the Old Land and the Outer Domain, we have to trace back three thousand years."

"I'm eager to hear more!" Li Jiusheng listened intently. In the past, with his low cultivation, he focused solely on improving himself. By the time he despaired, he was already old and had lost the desire to explore, let alone ask questions.

Now, after two new beginnings, his state of mind and cultivation were completely different. Li Jiusheng's perspective on things had changed, and he actively wanted to understand the relationship between the Old Land and the Outer Domain.

Li Qingshan continued, "Three thousand years ago, the Old Land wasn't called the Old Land; it was called the Central Land, the center of a vast and boundless world."

"Central Land!" Li Jiusheng exclaimed in surprise.

Li Qingshan went on, "At that time, an unparalleled expert emerged in the Central Land, whose cultivation reached the heavens. Legend has it that he had already touched the realm of immortals. He established a great power called Heavenly Emperor City."

"Heavenly Emperor City stood high in the sky, radiating its influence in all directions. Surrounding regions had to bow in submission, offer tribute, and pay homage. It was a magnificent sight."

"Alas, good times don't last. The Heavenly Emperor's reign was extremely short, lasting only a little over a hundred and twenty years. The Heavenly Emperor perished, Heavenly Emperor City shattered, collapsed, and fell into the Central Land, its whereabouts unknown."

"Without the Heavenly Emperor's oppressive might, the subjugated territories rebelled and invaded our Central Land, seeking the ruins of Heavenly Emperor City. Within the Central Land itself, ambition flared, and chaos erupted everywhere. For a time, war raged, causing countless casualties. Even Grandmasters, if slightly careless, could perish at any moment."

"That period of chaos lasted for three hundred years, until later, a high monk from the Buddhist Sect, Faming, discovered the ruins of Heavenly Emperor City. He obtained forty-nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams from it and used them to suppress the edges of the Central Land, forming a protective barrier against the invasion of other forces and experts. Only then did the Central Land usher in peace."

"However, that high monk Faming was severely wounded at the ruins of Heavenly Emperor City. He passed away not long after completing this task, and the forty-nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams fell into the hands of the Buddhist Sect."

Li Qingshan paused after speaking so much, lifting his teacup to moisten his throat.

Li Jiusheng pondered, "The forty-nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams fell into the hands of Buddhist disciples. Did further turmoil occur afterward?"

Li Qingshan nodded. "The actions of the high monk Faming were admirable, but after his passing, other Buddhist disciples, believing they controlled the forty-nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams, became increasingly reckless. They vigorously promoted Buddhist doctrines, misled people, and built numerous temples across the Central Land, igniting a nationwide fervor for Buddhism."

"At that time, the Jiangnan region alone had hundreds of thousands of Buddhist temples, with flourishing incense and countless believers. Among them, those who became monks numbered in the tens of millions!"

"Among them were evildoers fearing judgment who joined the Buddhist sect, greedy individuals who used their status as Buddhist disciples to deceive for wealth and lust, and even ancient demons who had killed countless people. Upon hearing the phrase 'lay down your butcher's knife and become a Buddha instantly,' they entered the monastic life and transformed into revered Buddhist masters."

"These actions had angered both heaven and man, provoking universal condemnation. A Grandmaster once wrote: 'Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty, how many towers in the misty rain,' referring to the remote Southern Dynasty, with a population of no more than thirty thousand, having four hundred and eighty temples – how absurd." Li Qingshan frowned.

Li Jiusheng also frowned and said gravely, "What happened next?"

"Naturally, a grand anti-Buddhist campaign followed. Dynasties of the Human World, sects of the cultivation world, millennia-old families, and hidden sacred lands all joined forces to encircle and suppress the Buddhist Sect."

"This grand anti-Buddhist campaign lasted for a long time. In the end, the Buddhist Sect was defeated and could no longer sustain itself. The forty-nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams were also divided among the major powers and jointly held by Grandmasters."

"The Buddhist Sect was severely weakened by this battle, and internal voices diverged. Some believed in regrouping, while others felt that practicing Buddhism should focus more on the inner self. Gradually, the Buddhist Sect split into three, becoming the Great Forest Temple, Little Spirit Mountain, and Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect of today," Li Qingshan recounted.

Li Jiusheng's brow twitched. He had heard of the Great Forest Temple. The Great Sun Nirvana Scripture he cultivated was a supreme skill of the Great Forest Temple, so he knew something about it. The monks Li Qingshan mentioned who focused more on the inner self should be the current Great Forest Temple.

"After the anti-Buddhist campaign, the Central Land world underwent a new reshuffling. No single power dominated. Although there were conflicts, they remained within controllable limits, ushering in a long period of peace."

"However, this period of peace was entirely isolated from the outside world, with no contact with others, like a closed-door endeavor. It wasn't until a thousand years later that an accident occurred with the forty-nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams; a corner cracked. The wolves, tigers, jackals, and leopards of the Outer Domain set their sights on the Central Land's rich resources and cultivation methods. Of course, their primary target was the ruins of Heavenly Emperor City, and they began to invade relentlessly," Li Qingshan said with a heavy tone.

Li Jiusheng listened silently.

"The Central Land world, which had been at peace for over a thousand years, descended into great chaos. A catastrophe arose. It was an era of fervor, where countless predecessors died in battle, and countless juniors emerged, upholding the prestige of the Central Land world."

"But the consequence of closing oneself off ultimately caused the cultivators of the Central Land to suffer greatly. In the great battles against the experts of the Outer Domain, they suffered successive defeats, heavy casualties, and were forced to retreat steadily. The Central Land, once hailed as the center of the world, was even contemptuously referred to as the Old Land by the experts of the Outer Domain," Li Qingshan sighed.

Li Jiusheng was stunned. So that's how the name "Old Land" came about, carrying such a strong sense of humiliation. Why did those predecessors widely use it?

"The transformation of the Central Land into the Old Land truly spurred a generation. My sect's Grandmaster was one of them. He had just begun cultivating at the time and vowed to expel the wolves, tigers, jackals, and leopards from the Outer Domain. He continued to fight, eventually breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, becoming one of the peak combat powers of the Old Land, and successfully taking control of nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams."

"The battles against the beings from the Outer Domain led them to change their cultivation methods. Various astonishing ultimate moves were created, and prodigies emerged from all sides, pushing back the Outer Domain beings repeatedly. They successfully reversed the tide of the war, eventually driving all these invaders out and reactivating the forty-nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams, re-establishing the sealing formation."

"Later generations, to commemorate this bloody battle, changed the name of the Central Land to the Old Land. Although this derogatory term carried a sense of humiliation, the cultivators of the Central Land were spurred to strive for strength and were reborn from the ashes, not caring about it at all." At this point, Li Qingshan's tone became impassioned, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

Li Jiusheng suddenly understood. So the change from Central Land to Old Land had this layer of meaning, and it was quite fitting.

"You just said that my sect's Grandmaster also controlled nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams?" Li Jiusheng asked curiously.

Li Qingshan nodded.

"Where are they? Why haven't I seen them after being in Shangqing Palace for so long?" Li Jiusheng asked.

Li Qingshan sighed. "Speaking of which, it's another past event, and a rather embarrassing one."

Li Jiusheng frowned but said nothing, quietly looking at Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan took a deep breath. "After the great war ended, the Grandmaster founded Shangqing Palace, intending to pass on his lifelong supreme skills. Unfortunately, he ascended to immortality not long after. The second Grandmaster, eager for revenge, took the Grandmaster's cultivation method and went far away, his whereabouts unknown. Shangqing Palace suddenly lost its backbone. At that time, the Heavenly Dao Sect took the opportunity to seize the control method for the Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams, claiming that Shangqing Palace, without a Grandmaster, could not activate them and would keep them safe for the time being, to be returned when Shangqing Palace had a Grandmaster."

Li Jiusheng's expression turned cold. "Nonsense! Utter rubbish! When did it become the Heavenly Dao Sect's turn to keep our Shangqing Palace's possessions for us?"

This "safekeeping" lasted for over nine hundred years and has not been returned to this day.

Heavenly Dao Sect, the foremost sect in the Daoist path, with an unbroken lineage and a constant succession of Grandmasters, almost one in every generation, always holding themselves as the premier Daoist sect, their conduct quite overbearing.

Compared to Shangqing Palace, Luochuan Sect was merely a small fry.

Perhaps only Emperor Wu of Zhou's style was comparable to Shangqing Palace.

Li Qingshan was also filled with resentment. This information was only revealed to him after he took over as Sect Master. The previous Sect Masters had deemed it too humiliating and chose to seal it away.

"Senior Brother, although I have now broken through to Grandmaster and am initially qualified, the Heavenly Dao Sect has always prided itself on being the leader of the Daoist path. They will absolutely not hand over the nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams. This matter requires a long-term plan," Li Qingshan said.

After his initial anger, Li Jiusheng calmed down and nodded, "You speak sense. You have only just broken through. Though you are a Sword Cultivator with extraordinary combat power, the Heavenly Dao Sect is not Luochuan Sect. Their profound heritage is far beyond what we can match now. We cannot act rashly. You should focus on your cultivation. Once I break through to Grandmaster, we will make plans."

Li Qingshan said with confidence, "Senior Brother, standing at the Great Grandmaster realm, you can already fight against Venerable peak experts. When you break through to Grandmaster, how powerful will you be? I eagerly anticipate it. These nine Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beams must be returned in our hands, yours and mine."

"We will. Whether it's for the Grandmaster's dying wish or the sect's honor, we must get them back," Li Jiusheng said firmly.

To have something seized by a Grandmaster kept in someone else's possession for over nine hundred years was simply outrageous.

Li Qingshan drained his cup of tea. The story was finished. He stood up to take his leave, "Senior Brother, please cultivate here with peace of mind. Junior Brother will take his leave and attend to other matters."

Li Jiusheng nodded, watching Li Qingshan depart. Then, his gaze fell upon the three Grandmaster-level techniques.

Great Dream Spring and Autumn, Sword Intent Four Symbols Art, and another nameless cultivation method filled with chaos.

Li Jiusheng set aside Great Dream Spring and Autumn and Sword Intent Four Symbols Art, and picked up the nameless cultivation method filled with chaos.

A thin page, like a cicada's wing, exuded Dao Rhyme, unlike the other books.

This was the legendary "true transmission is a single page, while false transmissions fill thousands of pages."

The core of a cultivation method was the Dao it condensed. All myriad Daos in the world could be imprinted on a single page. Those who could comprehend it were destined; for those who were not, even a thick manual would yield nothing.

"Where did this cultivation method come from? It's truly peculiar, filled with contradictions and impossibilities," Li Jiusheng marveled. Such a chaotic cultivation method would cause mental derangement in ordinary people with just a glance. Even cultivators with firm willpower would be drawn into it, their minds corrupted, ultimately leading to their downfall.

However, Li Jiusheng was not afraid. His comprehension was astonishing; a small Grandmaster technique would not be a challenge for him.

Li Jiusheng stared intently at the single page of true transmission, his comprehension spreading out, absorbing the diffused Dao Rhyme bit by bit, categorizing, summarizing, and comprehending. Slowly, he began to grasp the essence.

During this time, this Grandmaster cultivation method continuously devoured his comprehension and spirituality, almost greedily. Anyone else would have been drained dry by this method, but Li Jiusheng remained unmoved, letting it absorb. He wanted to see just how much this cultivation method would consume.

One day and one night!

In the tea room, little trace of time remained. Only withered tea leaves and stains, along with the ashes of burnt incense, proved that time had passed here.

The Little Fox watched silently, glancing at Li Jiusheng one moment and the silver paper the next, full of curiosity.

She knew Li Jiusheng was comprehending the Dao.

She wondered if she could do it too?

But upon a slight contact with the silver paper, a chaotic, sinister, cold, and terrifying aura rushed towards her, scaring the Little Fox into shaking her head immediately, casting these thoughts out of her mind, not daring to look again.

"Li Jiusheng is so strong! I felt dizzy just by looking at it, and he's been looking for a day and a night without any apparent reaction," the Little Fox admired Li Jiusheng even more.

In her eyes, there was nothing in the world that Li Jiusheng couldn't accomplish.