The Truth

Qi Yun hovered silently in the void, the murderous aura and destructive Sword Intent surging around him receding like the tide, and his eyes, which had transformed into a vast ocean of colorful light, returned to their deep and calm state.

His gaze fell upon the black-robed Daoist priest before him, whose aura was intact. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, his voice calm and even. "It seems—you have much to say to me."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Master Kunpeng's warm smile deepened.

He said no more, but simply waved his long sleeves gently at the shattered void around him, which had just been ravaged by two great formations and still retained the Daoist principles of destruction and life and death.

"Call"

An invisible wave, mysterious and unpredictable, mixed with the power of spatial folding and the smoothing of time, spread out.

In an instant, the shattered darkness, the annihilated turbulent currents, the remaining sword marks and array patterns all around, like sand paintings wiped away by an invisible giant hand, rapidly faded and reformed!

Light and shadow shift, time and space change.

A magnificent hall rose from the ground.

The hall has no roof; looking up, one sees a vast, illusory dome where billions of stars flow and evolve into the primordial chaos.

Beneath our feet lies a strange ground, warm and smooth like black jade, yet within which a galaxy flows gently.

All around stood towering pillars, their bodies neither gold nor stone, entwined with living cyan-gold vines and auspicious Dao patterns, exuding a heavy Daoist aura that seemed to support the heavens and earth.

A soft, bright light, the source of which was unknown, illuminated the entire hall, making it solemn and magnificent.

In the center of the hall, the Demon Master Kunpeng sat comfortably on a large wooden seat that had naturally grown from gnarled ancient wood.

Beside the wooden seat, another equally rustic and elegant wooden chair quietly appeared.

"Sit." Kunpeng gestured casually.

Qi Yun remained calm, took a step forward, and sat down steadily.

He calmly looked at Kunpeng, waiting for the other to continue.

Kunpeng picked up a cup of spiritual liquid imbued with chaotic energy that had naturally condensed on the armrest of the throne, took a small sip, and then slowly spoke, his voice echoing in the empty hall. "I presume—you have already met Canyi."

Qi Yun didn't even lift his eyelids, his expression remained calm, neither admitting nor denying.

This silence itself is an answer.

Seeing Qi Yun's reaction, Kunpeng revealed a half-smile, "You are his disciple and grand-disciple, born into the Holy Sect, secretly aided by him, and guided by him to come and find this Imperial Weapon— "

Logically speaking, you should trust him completely.

Qi Yun finally raised his eyes, looking at Kunpeng with a deep gaze. "If Senior continues to beat around the bush and test the waters like this—"

His voice was detached, yet carried an invisible pressure. "That would be wasting both of our time."

"Heh." Kunpeng was not annoyed at the words. Instead, he chuckled. He gradually put away his smile and his gaze became deep and sharp as he looked directly at Qi Yun: "You are quite different from that old fellow Canyi."

Less hypocrisy, more directness. Very good.

He leaned forward slightly, an indescribable air of heaviness and solemnity naturally spreading out. "In that case, I'll get straight to the point."

"Don't believe anything Canyi tells you!"

"He, along with those bald monks of the World-Honored One, and a few other hiding fellows, are all birds of a feather!"

"Believe him, follow their path—" Kunpeng's voice was resolute, carrying a chilling certainty accumulated over millennia, "Xuanhuang, is in grave danger!"

You, too, will be doomed!

Upon hearing this, the air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.

Qi Yun's eyes flashed with a perfectly timed hint of surprise, then a faint smile appeared on his lips, "Do you not believe in the Patriarch Canyi, who imparted knowledge and resolved my doubts—"

"Qi, should I trust you, senior—the Grand Tutor of the High Antiquity Demon Race?"

These words are extremely sharp, pointing directly to the fundamental contradiction in the positions and trust between the two sides.

However, Kunpeng was not angry upon hearing this, and there was not even the slightest sign of offense on his face.

He simply gave Qi Yun a deep look.

"Whether I believe or not is not up to me to decide."

Kunpeng said calmly, then flicked his sleeve lightly.

"Let you see for yourself."

"Hum one"

As his sleeve swept across the room, the void around them suddenly rippled violently!

Endless chaotic mist surged forth from nothingness, churning and gathering, rapidly solidifying and evolving.

The next moment, a magnificent and ancient scene, indescribable in its vastness and antiquity, slowly unfolded in the chaotic mist and appeared clearly before Qi Yun's eyes!

It was a place whose size could not be defined, a place that transcended the concept of space.

At the center of the picture is a precious tree rooted in a vast, thick soil that is deep and heavy, displaying the purest Xuanhuang color, and embodying infinite existence and the origin of matter!

From within this Xuanhuang earth grows a precious tree!

A supreme treasure tree that reaches to the heavens and the earth, stretches out into the endless void, and whose scale completely surpasses the concept of a tree!

Its trunk, thicker than anyone could imagine, is formed by countless surging galaxies, frozen time, and interwoven rules, exuding an aura of ancient vicissitudes and bearing everything. It rises from the thick earth and plunges straight into the highest place beyond sight!

The bark is mottled, each line like a winding ancient history, recording the grand changes since the beginning of time.

At the unreachable crown of the tree, beyond the highest dimension that all branches and leaves could touch, endless and mysterious wisps of purple qi descended!

A ceaseless Heaven and Earth's Long River of Time flows around the entire precious tree, its murmuring waters rumbling like thunder!

What is truly breathtaking are the branches, leaves, and fruits of this Xuanhuang Treasure Tree.

Its branches are numerous, extending into the endless void.

Each leaf—not merely a leaf, but a slowly rotating entity, within which the sun, moon, and stars are evolving.

The vast expanse of mountains, rivers, and even the faint shadows of civilization!

The veins of the leaf are the rules of the heavens and earth, and the leaf tissue is the foundation of all things!

At the top of some of the thicker trunks hang fruits of various shapes and sizes, each exuding a unique color and Daoist charm!

These fruits vary in their intensity: some are as fiery as the Great Sun, some as cool as the moon, some as substantial as mountains, and some as ethereal as clouds and smoke.

Within each fruit lies a complete, self-consistent, and uniquely Daoist world!

The entire Xuanhuang Treasure Tree stood quietly in the endless void, connected to the purple qi aura above and rooted in the thick Xuanhuang soil below. Its branches and leaves were lush and its fruits were plentiful, exuding an aura of supreme grandeur that nurtured all things, bore the heavens, and existed eternally!

Gazing at the Xuanhuang Treasure Tree before him, which had already brought a violent impact on the Divine Soul even though it was merely a manifestation of his image, Qi Yun's pupils involuntarily contracted slightly, and his mind was shocked like never before.

Is this the true appearance of the Xuanhuang Realm?

Kunpeng slowly rose from his throne, walking steadily to the manifested grand image. He raised his hand, pointing to the towering, boundless Xuanhuang Treasure Tree, his voice deep and solemn, as if revealing the ultimate truth of the universe. "This tree is Xuanhuang."

"Its root is the Tao, the universe, the mother of all things, the reality within the illusion."

"Matter, time, space, rules, and everything that can be defined and described"

All originate from this, and are tied to this tree.

His fingers slowly moved upwards, brushing over the countless Heavenly Boundary Leaves, like stars in the sky.

Ultimately, it pointed to one of the thickest and oldest core branches of the Xuanhuang Treasure Tree.

This branch, like the spine supporting heaven and earth, is more ancient and vigorous than other branches, exuding a unique Daoist charm that is both complete and compassionate, yet subtly exclusive.

At the very top of its branches hangs an enormous fruit, its entire body radiating a warm and peaceful golden hue!

This fruit is unlike any other.

Countless fine Sanskrit symbols naturally appear on its surface, while the sound of chanting and the fragrance of sandalwood faintly emanate from within. Furthermore, endless swastika symbols and Buddhist and Daoist True Intention circulate around it like ribbons of light.

It clings firmly to the branches, emitting a powerful suction force that draws in the thin purple qi that should have nourished the entire precious tree from the heights, drawing it into itself!

Because it was too large and heavy.

The ancient branch that supports it has been visibly bent under the weight.

The whole fruit was teetering on the verge of falling!

Qi Yun's gaze was fixed on this special golden fruit.

His eyes gleamed intensely, and the insight granted to him by the [Primordial Unity] Dao was operating wildly, analyzing the infinite information conveyed by the imagery before him.

Leaves are the boundary of heaven, fruits are the world.

Countless clues collided and connected in Qi Yun's mind, and an astonishing deduction that perfectly matched the scene before him flashed through his Sea of Consciousness like lightning!

"Could it be that the Dao King realm is about breaking away from the Xuanhuang Master trunk, using the Dao Fruit as the core, and bearing one's own fruit?"

"Clever!"

The Demon Master Kunpeng's eyes shone with astonishing brilliance, and he clapped his hands in praise.

"Instantly clear!"

He pointed to the golden fruit, his voice fervent. "The reason why the Dao King is called the Dao King is because his Dao has reached its ultimate state."

It can be its own domain, where one can rule as one!

Furthermore, because it is almost detached from the Xuanhuang Master, the fruit can directly absorb the profound mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, strengthening itself.

Hearing this, and looking again at the teetering golden fruit devouring the purple qi, and recalling the attitude of the World-Honored One and others towards Xuanhuang, and recalling Canyi's seemingly reasonable but ultimately untenable words—

Qi Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, and the last trace of confusion in his eyes completely dissipated.

He slowly raised his head, looked at the Demon Master Kunpeng, and spoke the truth, word by word: "So—"

"The World-Honored One and other Dao King have never been the new Dao King who might threaten their position, but rather the ones they have been plotting to destroy."

"What they truly want to destroy is the 'Mother Tree,' Xuanhuang —the very tree that provides them with sustenance but also binds their very roots!"

"Only by destroying Xuanhuang!"

Only then can their ripe Dao Fruit, still entangled by branches and unable to completely break free, truly break free of its constraints and fall from the branch.

"Make yourself the new— Xuanhuang!"