The Potential of Becoming One with the Dao / The Netherworld and the Game of Go

If it weren't for the fact that the war had just ended, the elders of the Profound Sky Sect would have planned to close the mountain immediately. After all Profound Sky Sect had suffered too many losses, and unlike other sects, it was not willing to accept rogue cultivators and small sects. They still insisted on their own practice of recruiting disciples based solely on their character and temperament. However, they did declare that anyone with the intention could join the Profound Sky Sect through sect trials, regardless of age or cultivation level.

Because of this, the foot of the Profound Sky Sect Mountain was unusually lively.

The area down the mountain was bustling, but the scene up the mountain was quite different.

The Supreme Elder of the Profound Sky Sect recently tidied up the planted tea trees to prevent them from withering due to the sudden thinning of spiritual energy. Fortunately, these mortal plants were not as pampered as spiritual creatures, and they were still thriving even without spiritual energy. In fact, they even sprouted a new bud during the days he was not at the Profound Sky Sect.

So the old man picked these new buds, brewed them into tea, and drank it.

He didn't have many ambitions. After the war against the Heavenly Demons ended, his mind became more and more peaceful. However, because of the current scarcity of spiritual energy, he had never considered the idea of cultivation. He only focused on sitting in meditation these days, or discussing the Dao with the Demon Prison Hall Master who came out of the meditation room of the Profound Sky Sect, and exchanging views on the mysteries of the Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding.

This Demon Prison Hall Master was quite enthusiastic about the Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding. The Supreme Elder sometimes wondered if this person had come to the Profound Sky Sect as a guest elder because of this Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding. However, her own Demon Prison Purgatory Scripture was already extremely domineering, so why would she need his Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding?

On this day, he still sat in the pavilion, playing chess with himself, completely at ease.

Or perhaps he was tired, so he would glance at the clear sky and white clouds, and then place another piece.

Just as the black piece landed on the chessboard and finally won against the white piece, the Demon Prison Hall Master suddenly appeared in front of him, poured himself a cup of tea from a teacup he had never used before.

"Elder, it seems Zhang Qiudao has indeed misunderstood the Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding."

"Oh?"

The Supreme Elder raised his eyes and glanced at her, then gathered up his scattered black and white pieces, intending to start a new game.

"What discoveries has the Palace Master made?"

He didn't pay much attention to the Demon Prison Hall Master's words. After all, he had learned from discussing the Dao with this person these past few days that this person's talent was extraordinary, probably not much inferior to Zhang Qiudao, the Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable. He even marveled at the heavens' blessing upon demon cultivators. Otherwise, why would the demon cultivation world produce figures like the Demon Prison Hall Master and Zhang Qiudao? Even with the accumulation of demon cultivators in the Xuanhui Realm over many years, it probably never reached the level of contribution these two made to demon cultivation and the matter of cultivation.

"Zhang Qiudao said that the Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding is the unity of heaven and man, merging the True Spirit into the heavenly way, thereby transcending and comprehending the Enlightenment Realm. However, this actually obliterates the True Spirit, to the point that it is no longer the true self."

The Demon Prison Hall Master smiled, unaware that he had even spilled some tea.

Now, she no longer hides herself with a black robe and mask, but wears a black robe with gold trim, exuding a majestic and dignified aura.

"He's wrong! Terribly wrong! The Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding Cultivation Technique isn't just about that; it's about achieving true unity between heaven and man, so that the will of heaven and man are both contained within it! It's just that this technique lacks the final part, which is why forcibly cultivating it will lead to the annihilation of the True Spirit, the loss of human will, and the dominance of the will of heaven!"

"But now, I've finally come up with a way to save her, and it should be enough."

As he spoke, he suddenly summoned a Spirit Embodiment Stage inner demon from in front of him; it was not a physical body, but a soul.

"Save her?"

The Supreme Elder was puzzled, but seeing that the Demon Prison Hall Master did not seem to want to hide anything from him, he knew that she wanted him to protect her. So he threw down the chess piece in his hand and unleashed his Enlightenment Realm, extinguishing the auras of the three of them.

This place was originally his property, the foundation of the Profound Sky Sect, and was further enhanced by countless arrays. Under the full power of this Enlightenment Cultivator, no one could detect any movement here.

"How to save them?"

After finishing all this, he looked at the soul of this Spirit Manifestation Inner Devil and glimpsed a human-like appearance in its form, noticing the resemblance between this demon and the Demon Prison Hall Master.

"Naturally, it's to allow the remnants of the Heavenly Dao within her to fight against the aura of the Heavenly Demon once more."

"The Demon Prison Hall Master —no, it should be said that another 'Yotsuya Miko' —answered, his white jade index finger suddenly pointing towards the inner demon's brow."

"Since you, Zhang Qiudao, possess the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record to contain the aura of the Heavenly Demon, then I will have her cultivate another technique to counteract your Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record. This will serve as a vessel for the remnants of the Heavenly Dao, confronting your current transformation! Elder, I entrust the rest to you."

As soon as she finished speaking, a bright light suddenly shone from between her index fingers, accompanied by the fierce howls of countless demons. These demons were imprisoned within the Spiritual Sense of this Demon Prison Hall Master, and many of them had reached the Nascent Soul Enlightenment Realm and attained enlightenment. Now, they had all turned to ashes, which would serve as support for the great power between her index fingers.

Such a grand gesture naturally generated tremendous momentum. A powerful aura emanated from her body and spread in all directions. The Supreme Elder, who was directly affected by this aura, was even unable to move. He knew that the strength of this Demon Prison Hall Master far exceeded that of the Nascent Soul Enlightenment Realm and had reached an extremely terrifying level.

He chanted several incantations, activating many of the Profound Sky Sect's formations, barely managing to withstand the aura. Only then did he use his profound Enlightenment Realm to prevent the aura from dissipating into the outside world; otherwise, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would suffer severe damage from this aura alone.

What is she going to do?

The Supreme Elder struggled to hold on, but due to the current scarcity of spiritual energy in the world, the Profound Sky Sect's formation had long been weakened, and his strength was not enough to withstand the attack for long. He could only hope that the Demon Prison Hall Master could act a little faster, and he was also curious about what could be so worthy of such power from this person.

With such formidable strength, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that one person could single-handedly sweep through the Heavenly Demon War.

However, the Heavenly Demon Army was not the most important thing.

Thinking of this, the Supreme Elder of the Profound Sky Sect suddenly felt a sense of frustration.

Despite his leisurely demeanor and lack of cultivation these past few days, it wasn't that he was unaware of the true crisis the Xuanhui Realm was about to face; rather, it was that he was utterly powerless in the face of such a crisis.

We can only wait for what the Demon Prison Hall Master has said to happen.

Chapter 339 The Potential of Transformation

"The Tao that can be spoken of is known because the things it manifests externally are real and detailed, and are understood through practice in people's hearts. They know what the Tao is and where it comes from. Therefore, the Tao is the law of all things, natural and unhurried, seeking and generating from within."

A murmured voice faintly rang in his ears, suddenly making the sleeping person feel a bit annoyed, irritated by being woken up from his sleep.

"The Way of Heaven is without emotion, yet it follows reason because of its lack of emotion. The Way of Humanity is without knowledge, yet it seeks knowledge because of its lack of knowledge. Only the Way of Earth has never had any reason to know, and it cannot obtain it by force. Therefore, the three ways are lacking, and thus the Way of Earth is the foundation."

"An underground tunnel practitioner?"

The man asked vaguely, inquiring about the three points in those words.

What is that?

However, such inquiries received no response; even the words that should have been repeated beside her vanished, leaving only silence.

But the silence did not last long, and then white light shone into the murky, dark world, revealing the shape of a person.

The person appeared to be a young human woman with long, jet-black hair and eyes that were tinged with a golden hue. She exuded an aura that quickly dissipated and disappeared, never to reappear.

After the white light, another voice rang out, but this time it was no longer the soft murmur of before; instead, it was a bright and clear shout that invigorated her, and finally, the scenery appeared before her eyes.

"Wake up!"

The scenery was a landscape of mountains and rivers, with two people in front of them: a woman and an old man.

Before she could do anything, a series of fragments flashed through her mind. By piecing together these bits and pieces, she finally found a connection— Yotsuya Miko.

"... You saved me again."

Yotsuya Miko sighed, finally understanding the cause and effect; she recognized the woman before her.

That was the monster from the Nightmare Refining Art, created by the Mountain God, another version of her, now the Demon Prison Hall Master.

"Really."

The Demon Prison Hall Master only managed to utter two words before looking at her, Shan, who was in the shape of Ling Qi Er 4 Ba Si Yue/Yi. He lowered his index finger, which had been pointing at her forehead, and withdrew all his cultivation.

I thought the revived original was unaware of what had happened, and I was going to remind him, but now it seems there's no need.

"It seems that alienation has not prevented your will from existing."

"No,"

Yotsuya Miko shook her head.

"It blocked it, but I didn't expect the measures I had planned beforehand would actually work."

Her eyes fell upon the Demon Prison Hall Master before her. This near-death experience wasn't as fortunate as she had imagined, or perhaps she simply had no desire for such things in the first place.

"Because the mutation was caused by the Heavenly Demon, I recorded a memory into my eye, and then used another eye to observe my actions after the mutation. Although this pair of eyes was mutated by the power of the Heavenly Demon, it still retains some World Consciousness, that is, the remnants of the power of the Heavenly Dao. This power is quite targeted at the Heavenly Demon, and it can deceive everyone. But... that's all."

After saying that, she sighed again.

"I left another backup plan on Kyosuke. He has a protective talisman on him, a product I crafted using my heart and a small part of my own soul. If I truly cannot return, and this body is still alive, then there is hope. However, it goes without saying how long that will take, at least several decades. I just never considered you, because after all, the Nightmare Refining Art was ultimately created by Zhang Qiudao, so I remained quite cautious and never thought of you."

The Demon Prison Hall Master narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of surprise in his expression, but he quickly regained his composure.

"That's quite interesting... But now that you've awakened, what do you plan to do?"

Her tone carried a hint of amusement.

"Since you have such considerations, you naturally know how I saved your life. I can also explain it to the Supreme Elder of the Profound Sky Sect beside me: You originally cultivated Zhang Qiudao's Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record, but due to Zhang Qiudao's scheming, this technique was used as a vessel for the power of the Heavenly Demon, thus mutating everything about you. Fortunately, the power within you is not that of the Heavenly Demon. Your eyes are the authority of the Heavenly Dao, a part of the power of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, I used the Demon Prison Purgatory Scripture as a vessel for this power of the Heavenly Dao, so that these two forces can once again counterbalance each other."

"Of course, this approach won't free you from the alienation. After all, the struggle between the two cannot reverse the alienation within you. Therefore, my final step was to modify the Profound Sky Forgetting World Understanding, borrowing its true essence to seek an opportunity to solidify humanity. Fortunately, we are all of the same origin and share the same True Spirit, which allowed me to incorporate my humanity into your body, thus erasing the alienation."

"However, the expected result should have been the erasure of all your memories and cognition, leaving you like a blank sheet of paper between heaven and earth. I never imagined that you would have such considerations, and that you would have managed to retrieve your original memories and cognition from them. I thought that these memories had also been corrupted by the demonic transformation."

"I cherish those memories, so I don't want to abandon them."

Yotsuya Miko spoke softly, looking at the other version of herself before her.

"After creating you, I encountered many things, many things that never happened in the Xuanhui Realm, some good and some bad, but these experiences have made me understand more and more what it means to be true to myself. So, are you going to tell me your plans?"

"You're not going back to your little world to continue enjoying your life? Before, you were quite unwilling to become a cultivator, always thinking about returning to a normal life."

The Demon Prison Hall Master didn't reply, but instead asked her about her own affairs. She pointed to her head.

"Thanks to you, after you came to the Xuanhui Realm, all these things that happened rushed into my head at once, causing me to delay some of the things I originally planned to do. It's just that mutation can't interfere with the transformation of the True Spirit, since there's really nothing good about it to change, otherwise I would have mutated into a Heavenly Demon along with you."

"I'm really sorry."

Yotsuya Miko smiled. When she saw another version of herself again, she no longer felt the trepidation she had when she first used the Refining Nightmare Refining Art to create this monster. Instead, she suddenly felt much better.

"However, even though we are the same entity, the memories are continuously being transferred to you instead of to me. That's quite biased."

"Huh? You still want my memories?"

The Demon Prison Hall Master was quite displeased.

"Leaving aside your temperament, you clearly received Zhang Qiudao's inheritance, yet you've turned out like this. Don't you understand the principle of modifying your cultivation method? Did you really think this Myriad Transformation Devil Venerable would be so kind as to let you accept his inheritance? Everything he gives you is mixed with his own personal biases; you should at least learn to discern some of them. Your aptitude isn't that bad. Someone like me has long since reached the limit that this world can withstand, but what about you? You're still Spirit Embodiment Stage Realm, and that's because the power of the Heavenly Demon's mutation forcibly piled up to that level."

"Doesn't that just demonstrate my potential?"

"What potential?"

"The potential of the Dao."

Chapter 340 The Netherworld and the Chess Game

Since the Demon Prison Hall Master left, the Demon Prison Hall has declined to a certain extent. It is only because there is an Enlightenment Cultivator that it is still somewhat functioning.

This Enlightenment Cultivator was named Zhao Zuoyi. He was originally Supreme Elder of a Demonic Path sect. Later, after being approached by the Demon Prison Hall Master, he abandoned his sect after a conversation and resolutely followed the Demon Prison Hall Master to establish the Demon Prison Hall.

His complete disregard for the consequences stemmed not only from his knowledge of the extraordinary power of the Demon Prison Hall Master, but also from the captivating grand vision the Lord had described to him. However, such a grand vision could not be known to others, which was why he remained silent. Otherwise, how could the Demon Prison Hall have fallen to such a state?

Just as he was diligently managing the affairs of the Demon Prison Hall according to the Demon Prison Hall Master's instructions, waiting for the opportunity the Lord had mentioned, the unpredictable Lord suddenly appeared before him.

"Greetings, Lord Palace Master. May I ask what your orders are?"

Zhao Zuoyi clasped his hands in a salute, glancing at the girl next to the Wrathful Ghost Mask, Black Robed Person. Judging from her aura, the girl was only at the Spirit Embodiment Stage and didn't seem particularly unusual.

However, the Demon Prison Hall Master's next words surprised him.

"She's going to the Netherworld, so take her with you. She can decide when to go."

"But... such a grand undertaking..."

"Da Ye... why don't you go and spar with him? In the end, it all comes down to proving your strength."

The Demon Prison Hall Master spoke with a hint of helplessness, addressing Yotsuya Miko, who was only at the Spirit Embodiment Stage beside him.

"Given this appearance, Sect Master Zhao probably won't agree to your orders. You see, the Demonic Path operates in such a simple and straightforward way; many things can actually be achieved through fighting and killing."

"... Don't you think this is putting people in a difficult position?"

Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but rub her forehead and look at the old man before her. His appearance was somewhat different from that of the Supreme Elder of the Profound Sky Sect; he looked like a villain, and all his skills were acquired through killing. It would be strange if she, a Spirit Embodiment Stage cultivator, could defeat such an Enlightenment Cultivator.

"There's absolutely no need for this, is there?"

The conversation between the two left Zhao Zuoyi confused. He couldn't figure out what the Demon Prison Hall Master was up to, but judging from his appearance and the girl beside him, they must have a close relationship. He was a quick-witted person, so he finally stopped hesitating and decided to take care of the Demon Prison Hall Master's family.

"That makes sense. Since it was the Palace Master who spoke, then this old man should naturally take good care of this... fellow Daoist. However, I apologize for the Palace Master's previous eagerness regarding the Demon Prison Hall's plans."

"Not at all, it's I who have bothered Sect Leader Zhao by coming here."

Someone offered her a way out, so Miko it. Originally, she had planned to ask the other version of herself in front of her for a guide, regardless of their level, since her current cultivation was sufficient.

However, he never expected that his other self would directly approach this Enlightenment Cultivator in the Demon Prison Hall, which was truly unnecessary.

The original plan still required the participation of this Enlightenment Cultivator, so how could it be delayed because of her? Besides, her ideas might not be useful; she was just having some thoughts and decided to do it this way.

"Since it's the Palace Master's order, how can it be considered an intrusion? I just wonder what business you have in the Netherworld?"

At this point, Zhao Zuoyi suddenly became a little curious.

The Netherworld is arguably the best-preserved region in the Xuanhui Realm. However, due to its nature, few living people are willing to go there, and many powerful Ghosts occupy it, making it a dangerous place.

Although it was dangerous, it wasn't too dangerous for Enlightenment Cultivator like him. The area was unremarkable and unremarkable. As a result, he escaped from Zhang Qiudao's clutches and suffered no losses in this war against the Heavenly Demons.

He truly couldn't understand why they would mention the Netherworld at this time.

"If you, fellow Daoist, are unwilling to recount the story, then so be it..."

"There's nothing wrong with that; it's simply about seeking Enlightenment Realm."

Yotsuya Miko shook her head, feeling that the statement was too vague, so she revised her wording.

"To be precise, it is entering the realm of the Enlightenment Realm."