Heavenly Clouds Establish the Order: Qingyan, True Lord of Wondrous Existence at the Firmament's Zenith
If Su Yao were here, he would recognize that this was the dilapidated temple he had mistakenly entered when he first set foot Mount Zhongnan Mount Zhongnan more than three hundred years ago.
At this moment, two figures faced each other in front of the temple. One was wearing a purple robe and Three Powers crown, with a peach wood sword hanging at his waist and a white lotus lantern in his hand. His face was shrouded in a thin mist. This was none other than True Lord Xicheng.
The old man in the gray robe stood with his hands behind his back, his face covered with holes, each hole emitting a faint glow of light intertwined with the Wu Earth.
"Xicheng, what brings you down the mountain to see me today?" the gray-robed elder asked. "Could it be... that you're curious why I didn't attack your son earlier?"
True Lord Xicheng tightened his grip on the peach wood sword, his expression remaining impassive, and simply said:
"Old Devil, if you dare to make a move, see how sharp my peach wood sword is."
"Profit." The gray-robed old man nodded, then thought seriously for a moment. "Back then, it was profitable; it could harm me. But now..." He stretched out a withered finger and pointed it at the peach wood sword, saying, "This sword was casually forged by Yun Zhongzi back then. Even though it has passed through the hands of many immortals, Dao Lord, and Heavenly Venerable Venerables, it is ultimately just Law Treasure. It was fine before, but now Law Treasure can no longer harm me."
Upon hearing this, Xicheng drew his sword.
The sword tip pointed downwards, but it wasn't pointed at him.
"Xicheng, do not be afraid." The gray-robed old man laughed, a smile spreading across his tattered face, indescribably strange. "I have lived in Zhongnan for hundreds of thousands of years, yet I have never truly witnessed anyone attain the Rainbow Cloud Fruition stage. Among your Qixia Ancestors, apart from Yun Zhongzi and Caiche, everyone else, including you, held Subsidiary Rank. When Yun Zhongzi attained the Rainbow Clouds, I was in seclusion in the Blood Sea; when Caiche enlightenment, I was asleep at the Mount Zhongnan, and thus I missed both."
He paused, and the light from the hole flickered:
"Now that I have this opportunity, I must carefully observe the signs of Rainbow Cloud Fruition's ascension to the throne. After all, there is the Wu Earth Cloud-Reception Formation up by Yun Zhongzi on Mount Zhongnan, which has been perfected by Caiche. Even if there is a problem with the formation, I cannot break it or do anything to it."
He finished speaking and burst into laughter.
The laughter crashed against the dilapidated temple walls, shattering into a buzzing echo.
True Lord Xicheng's face was obscured by the mist, but the knuckles of his fingers gripping the sword hilt were white.
The gray-robed elder continued, "I see that your lad possesses an extraordinary aura. However, by fully revealing his cultivation, he transformed the spiritual atmosphere 'Sujin Ningshuang,' which they had created over the years to deal with me and which Mount Zhongnan, into ' Crimson Firmament Liujin.' This is unprecedented in history."
"I was a God-King when the Three Pure Ones established the Immortal Dao. Later, I jumped from the Divine Dao to the Immortal Dao and comprehended the Blood Qi Path, but I have never seen such Purple Mansion... Even the Wood Duke of yesteryear was not as good as it..."
Before the True Lord could reply, He continued:
"Xicheng, that kid is about to ask for gold, aren't you going back to keep an eye on him? What, are you planning to stay here overnight?"
The True Lord looked at the sky. Even though it was night, the glow that had been shining over the thousands of miles of Zhongnan grew brighter and brighter, as if someone had lit an inextinguishable lamp in front of the clouds.
So He said:
"Senior, please stay at the foot of the mountain. If you dare to come up..." He paused, "... then you shall wait for the Divine Fire Pillar, the pledged immortal artifact of the Wu Earth Cloud-Reception Formation, to be reduced to ashes along with you."
After saying that, he turned around and headed straight up the mountain without lingering.
Behind them, the gray-robed old man laughed heartily, thinking to himself:
It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon.
Once I have absorbed the Rainbow Cloud Fruition and attained the True Lord status, I can take another step forward.
Xicheng, Xicheng, if it weren't for the Rainbow Cloud Fruition, you and that two generations in the thatched hut on the mountain would have been in my belly long ago.
Fortunately, knowing he would inevitably lose to Yun Zhongzi, who wielded the Chaos Banner, he concealed his true abilities, which allowed him to deceive these people more than three hundred years ago and secretly work on that kid at Qixia Temple.
Furthermore, the immortal artifacts of Qixia Mountain, the Heaven-Piercing Pillar and the Immortal Sword Ask Amid the Clouds, are now located on Qixia Mountain on the coast of the South Sea.
The Daoist priest of Qixia Temple Daozheng and the Dao Lord of Jieshi are currently hiding in the thatched hut where the three Daoist ancestors once preached. A few years ago, when they passed by this place, he specifically investigated and found that they were carrying the Qixia Mountain array as collateral for the immortal artifact Flying Cloud Crossing.
Therefore, Ask Amid the Clouds should temporarily replace Flying Cloud Crossing in Qixia Mountain, and no Heaven-Piercing Pillar has been found there.
Even if that kid succeeds in ascending the throne, and his own backup plans fail to come into play, with only the Flying Cloud Crossing, the Purple Rosy Cloud Robe, the Divine Fire Pillar pledged in the Mount Zhongnan Wu Earth Cloud-Reception Formation, and the Jieshi artifact brought by that Dao Lord —with only these, even if He is still under suppression, He is confident that He can devour Su Yao, who has just formed the Golden Core.
After all, if the opponent has reached the Golden Core stage, they must only be at the Early Golden Core Stage.
If Ask Amid the Clouds and Heaven-Piercing Pillar were also present, the Rainbow Cloud Fruition would allow them to unleash the full power of this sword.
At the same time, if Su Yao were to become True Lord and possess the Ask Amid the Clouds, he could immediately travel to the Jade Pillar Grotto-Heaven on the mountain. If the other party were to stand in front of the cave heaven's entrance, holding the Ask Amid the Clouds Heaven-Piercing Pillar, he might not be able to devour them.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
Thinking of this, He turned and went toward the ruined temple, singing as He did so:
"The bed is full of official tablets, the bed is full of official tablets, a pillow of riches and glory is but a dream."
At dawn, the imperial palace resounds with music and song; at dusk, the golden steps are overgrown with weeds and trees.
Do not rush, do not rush, the moon shines like frost on the road to Handan.
Only after achieving fame and success do people realize that tranquility is a paradise.
For the past two weeks, Su Yao has been sitting in front of the Jade Palace Lotus Pond in front of his thatched cottage, studying the Secret Method and insights of seeking gold throughout the ages.
Master Yun Zhongzi said in the "Book of Words on the Mysterious":
The path of cultivation begins with the Mystery Opening, which opens the Sea of Qi. Those who Qi Refinement absorb the spirit of the Great Dao into their Sea of Qi, not merely breathing in mortal air. Those who Foundation Establishment condense their essence, Qi, and spirit into Immortal Foundation for immortality. Once this Immortal Foundation is established, self-cultivation begins.
The Purple Mansion is the Mysterious Pass gateway, the location of the Heavenly Heart, and the pivot of creation.
Once the foundation is solid, the refinement of the foundation becomes the fundamental Daoist Divine Ability, which is placed in the Spirit Platform of the Rising Yang Mansion; the five Divine Ability combine, and the essence, qi, and spirit are forged, returning to the origin and condensing into the Golden Nature.
Golden Nature indestructible and immortal, hence the name "gold"; however, gold can last a long time, but its form cannot; its nature can solidify, but it cannot be placed in a position of power.
When the mind seizes the opportunity, the roles of host and guest are reversed, and metal becomes the servant.
Therefore, the problem with gold is not that it is not strong, but that it has no adornment.
The application of elixir involves uniting the five Divine Ability in the Spirit Platform, regulating essence, qi, and spirit in the dantian, using heaven and earth as the cauldron, essence and qi as the medicine, and circulating qi throughout the body as the control of the fire.
Refining essence into qi, Qi Refinement Spirit Transformation, refining spirit into emptiness—once the three gates are cleared, the Golden Nature finds its home.
The one who returns does not return to himself, but to the Heaven and Earth Rank.
If one's position is in harmony, then one's actions will be firm and secure; if one's actions are firm and secure, then one will not fall into ruin.
Those who do not fall into depravity are not those whose physical form is imperishable, but those whose nature has a place to reside and who do not follow the flow of desire.
If the positions are not aligned, even if the Mysterious Pass is opened, the elixir will still be in vain; Fruition Position is not established, even if the Golden Nature is firm, it will ultimately be driven by the consciousness.
Therefore, those who refine the elixir refine the position of sending gold, and those who seek the result seek the balance of the elixir, not just condensing the essence and energy.
The True Lord ascends to the throne has four paths: Fruit, Follower, Intercalary, and Remainder.
The fruit is the highest and most revered manifestation of the Great Dao, which is the convergence of Heaven and Earth.
What Su Yao sought was the Fruition Position of the Rainbow Clouds Path.
The "fruit" in "Fruition Position" signifies "converging to a single point"—there is only one "fruit" in the Heaven and Earth Rank, and all cultivators who walk this path ultimately point to this one point.
The Rainbow Clouds lineage has only established the Fruition Position and Subsidiary Rank, without any remainder or leap year. Even the patriarch Yun Zhongzi attained enlightenment through emptiness.
What Su Yao wanted to ask for was this one point.
After a long while, Su Yao opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.
After the Heavenly Clouds clouds and rainbows, the eastern horizon began to lighten with the first light of dawn.
He laughed:
"The Patriarch attained enlightenment upon observing the first light of dawn on a fish's belly and the graying sky, thus realizing the Rainbow Cloud Fruition. Today, witnessing this scene, I too shall ascend to the throne at this very moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, the profound voice of True Lord Xicheng resounded from ahead:
"So, you're certain you're going to seek wealth and power in Mount Zhongnan?"
Su Yao stood up, looked at the True Lord, and nodded:
"Your True Lord, my mind is made up."
The True Lord stopped speaking, turned around, and scolded Gui Hong, who was squatting on the steps leading up the mountain:
"Look at Su Yao, and then look at yourself! You came to Zhongnan before you even figured out how to seek gold. Su Yao didn't even want the gold-seeking method I wrote; instead, he created his own method to seek gold."
He paused, then continued:
"It's a shame that Su Yao was taught by you, and you're eight thousand years older than Su Yao! Never again say that you were born from the Rainbow Clouds Golden Nature I spat out when I was injured."
Gui Hong stood up, about to explain, when True Lord looked at Su Yao:
"Now that you're grown up, if you were to ascend to the throne, that Old Devil would surely come to devour you. You'd better decide what to do."
After saying this, the True Lord tossed the white lotus lantern in his hand over and said:
"This item hangs at the waist. It was used by the Law Treasure Master Yun Zhongzi to practice on a failed attempt to refine a white lotus from the Jade Void Palace Heavenly Venerable Taiyi Palace. It should be able to hold out for a while."
Su Yao caught the lotus lantern and laughed:
"Thank you, True Lord."
Upon hearing this, True Lord remained silent, but retreated towards Gui Hong, his purple Daoist robe radiating bursts of light that enveloped him and Gui Hong.
Then, Su Yao rose to a height of a hundred feet above the thatched hut and stopped.
He faced the eastern horizon where the first light of dawn was breaking, and silently thought to himself:
"The rosy clouds are not the light of the sky, nor are the rainbows the patterns of the sky."
Above the rosy clouds lies the root of heaven.
With the four directions as witnesses and the heavens as proof,
I do not offer empty proof, nor do I follow others.
A single line of purple light pierces the sky, opening a solitary path to immortality.
I testify to Heaven's will, and establish order as supreme.
After reciting it, a light shone between his brows.
The Rising Yang Mansion slowly emerged from between his brows, enveloping his Spirit Platform, like a blue-gold bead, hanging a hundred feet above his head.
Within the Spirit Platform, the five Divine Ability resided like five pillars.
At this moment, countless gazes were fixed on this place from afar within the Great Void.
Nearby, the escape lights of about a hundred Purple Mansion True Person hovered around the outer edge of Zhongnan. Yang Xiu stood there, his expressionless face as his gray-purple Profound Qi surged, simply watching. Ying Qi stood beside him, his silver robes fluttering, his brows furrowed. Xuan Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his lips pressed into a thin line. All three of them had rushed over after receiving the news; none of them had expected Su Yao to be seeking gold in Zhongnan.
Further away, the True Lord's divine sense was as deep as an abyss, and the immortal's aura was hidden above the clouds like an unmoving sun. The gazes of the Dao Lord and the Heavenly Venerable were so faint as to be almost imperceptible.
A Purple Mansion True Person looked at it for a long time, then frowned and said:
"Is this the Innate One Qi Gold-Seeking Method?"
The person next to him shook his head. "I don't understand it, but it's not one of the mainstream methods for making money."
Above, Su Yao activated his Spirit Platform—
"Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer" -- a person with Fate Divine Ability, radiant light, and immortality.
A ray of light spread out from the Spirit Platform, like a feathered robe falling. The robe was empty, yet the outline of a person was vaguely visible, resembling Su Yao, but not Su Yao.
Then, Xia Yi headed south, each step treading on the traces of heaven and earth.
Above the South Sea, the oppressive aura of the three-year-old demon-slaying technique surged forth like a tidal wave, which Xia Yi swallowed whole.
At the edge of South Pole, the momentum from the battle in which the True Lord's soul was divided was also withdrawn.
The rosy clouds, shrouding this atmosphere, hung motionless in the south.
"They've taken it back and aren't going to bring it back?" someone whispered.
He finished speaking, but there was no reply.
"Rosy Clouds Red City" -- Divine Ability destiny, morning glow and the Dao Homeland.
The city rose abruptly from the Spirit Platform, its gates opening wide to the west. Within the city, countless Daoist priests could be faintly seen meditating, discussing scriptures, and preaching.
Chicheng headed west, and the remaining Sword Intent and sharpness from where Lu Chuan had fallen in the far western Great Void were swallowed up by the city gate.
Chicheng withdrew from this momentum and stopped in the far west.
"Half Farewell to Heaven" -- Divine Ability powers, evening glow.
The sky darkened suddenly, and dusk spread eastward.
Half Farewell to Heaven from the heavens and headed north. The traces of the fallen divine son on the far northern ice plains were illuminated by the twilight, and that majestic and awe-inspiring aura was revealed and drawn into the Divine Ability.
"Color Pierces the Thoroughfare" -- a magical Divine Ability, a rainbow.
A rainbow of light shot out from the Spirit Platform, like a bridge connecting heaven and earth.
The Rainbow Bridge leads eastward to the place where Zhenwu, the master of the Zhenwu Sect, perished. A wisp of warm and enduring virtuous energy is drawn by the Rainbow Bridge and flows back to Zhongnan along the bridge surface.
The Color Pierces the Thoroughfare paused briefly in the far east, its surface spreading out to paint the eastern sky into a Rainbow Bridge spanning thousands of miles.
"Heaven-Weaving Shuttle" -- a Divine Ability technique, Heavenly Clouds.
Thousands of rosy threads surged from the Spirit Platform), weaving into a net in the Great Void. The Heaven-Weaving Shuttle wove net after net above Luoyi, gathering all the traces left by Su Yao during his breakthrough.
After the five Divine Ability left their bodies, they did not return.
They hang suspended between the four cardinal directions and the Central Plains, each embodying its own unique atmosphere, like five nails driven into the four corners of the world and the Central Plains.
In the Great Void, a Purple Mansion True Person finally couldn't hold back any longer:
What is he waiting for?
No one answered him.
Yang Xiu watched Su Yao's actions, remaining rooted to the spot. Ying Qi paced back and forth beside him. Xuan Yan closed his eyes several times and opened them again, each time seeing the five Divine Ability still suspended in the four corners of heaven and earth and the Central Plains.
Until the sky began to lighten again.
The sky was ablaze with rosy clouds and rainbows.
A Purple Mansion True Person said in a low voice, "I don't understand, but I can see that he is using several Divine Ability to rush back, yet he seems quite leisurely."
An older man standing nearby remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
"It's as if he's... asking heaven and earth to acknowledge him."
As a faint ray of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.
The five Divine Ability finally arrived.
The rosy clouds drape the might of the South Sea, the crimson city drapes the sharpness of the far west, the Half Farewell to Heaven drapes the power of the far north, the Color Pierces the Thoroughfare drapes the virtue of the far east, Heaven-Weaving Shuttle drapes the pioneering spirit of the Central Plains.
As the five Divine Ability returned to their proper places, the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit within Su Yao's body began to burn.
The body of the deity was burned.
The Law Power burned up.
The soul burned.
The physical body that sat upright in the void remained unchanged in appearance, but its interior was now empty, with only the fire formed from essence, energy, and spirit rising from the top of its head and burning towards the Rising Yang.
Then, the five Divine Ability gathered and stood between the Rising Yang and the firelight.
The five Divine Ability tumbled and merged in the fire.
The Golden Nature slowly took shape in the fire. Then, a drop of black dew, shimmering with a seven-colored halo, hung directly below the Rising Yang Mansion, before rising above Rising Yang.
The moment the Golden Nature was first formed, the world suddenly darkened.
In the Great Void, countless gazes simultaneously focused—they saw a star suddenly emerge from the void a hundred feet above Su Yao's head, where there had previously been nothing.
The star was extremely small, yet incredibly bright, so bright it seemed to have absorbed all the surrounding light into its belly.
Its color was strange—neither the white of ordinary stars nor the red, but an indescribable rainbow, like a bead formed from crushed rainbow fragments.
The star hung there, and for a moment, it seemed to suppress the spiritual energy of the entire Mount Zhongnan.
Immediately afterwards, a crow appeared out of nowhere next to the stars.
It was completely black, so black that it seemed to absorb all the light around it. Yet, on its black feathers, there was a very faint and fine halo of seven colors, which flowed like ripples on water with each slight tremor of the raven feathers.
The crow was small, its wingspan no more than three feet, yet it hung there, alongside the Dark-Feathered Rainbow Crow and the seven-colored star, as if heaven and earth had simultaneously opened their two eyes.
The crow neither cawed nor flew; it simply hovered above the Golden Nature, its head bowed, as if gazing at a drop of black dew.
After watching for a moment, it slowly opened its beak and released a wisp of extremely faint light, which landed on the Golden Nature.
The Golden Nature trembled slightly, and the iridescent halo on its surface brightened.
Then the crow closed its beak and quietly perched in the void.
The star rotated slowly beside it, its seven-colored light flashing and dimming, perfectly synchronized with the pulse of the Golden Nature.
An old Purple Mansion True Person in the Great Void suddenly gasped:
"Black feathers shimmering with seven colors... and that star... Ancient books say that when the Rainbow Clouds Sect was first established, a ' Dark-Feathered Rainbow Crow ' appeared in the world, which was heaven and earth confirming that the Rainbow Cloud Fruition had a master! It seems it's about to be established!"
The person next to him suddenly turned to look at him.
The old Purple Mansion True Person's voice was somewhat strained:
"Heaven and earth seem to recognize Him."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Golden Nature began to sway.
In that instant, Su Yao sensed the arrival of an unparalleled and noble being born from the depths of his remaining true spirit!
He consumed his Daoxing and devoured his achievements, and descended from nowhere as if to devour all of him.
Su Yao's true spirit and Golden Nature were swallowed by Him in one gulp, like a seed being buried in the soil.
The Golden Nature appeared out of nowhere and fell into the Fruition Position, where it was fixed.
Just as Golden Nature entered the Fruition Position, someone in the Great Void made a move.
A grayish-white light shot out silently from the depths of the Great Void surrounding Zhongnan Mountain, heading straight for Su Yao's Rising Yang Mansion.
The light was so fast that even True Lord Xicheng only had time to raise his peach wood sword.
But just as the grayish-white light entered Zhongnan by a hundred miles, a layer of Jade Pure One Immortal Light suddenly surged into the world, and then the grayish-white light disappeared. At the same time, a muffled groan came from the Great Void.
True Lord Xicheng said coldly:
"Court death!"
No one answered.
Just then, the Prism that had been hidden within Su Yao's true spirit moved.
Deep within the Qi Sea, the forty-eight restrictions on the Prism dimmed simultaneously for a moment.
That moment was extremely brief and quiet, so brief that even Su Yao himself almost didn't notice it.
But in that instant, the Prism reduced the "shaping" and "being shaped" between the Heaven and Earth Rank and the Golden Nature to its lowest level.
The rank remains, Golden Nature is still fixed, but the "rewriting" of the rank on Su Yao himself is blocked by the Prism, while his humanity continues.
Purple Ultimate Immortal Clarity flashed deep within the Spirit Platform.
Su Yao's heart skipped a beat: the Prism wasn't helping him secure a position.
The Prism helped him reduce the cost of his rank. Even Heavenly Venerable, unless they leave the celestial realm and travel beyond it, is still affected by their rank... But now?
Then, nothing more happened; Su Yao's aura suddenly surged.
The aura of Golden Core True Lord does not increase little by little; it is filled in an instant.
Suddenly, a divine spirit appeared within that empty shell.
A burst of rosy light, rainbow patterns, and purple hues emerged, as if a dried-up riverbed had suddenly been filled with spring water.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Above Zhongnan, eighty-one rays of light and seven rainbows spread out from His body, like a brocade woven from Rainbow Clouds unfolding on the sky, from the mountain peak to the foot of the mountain, from the thatched hut to the sea of clouds. The light spread very quickly, covering the entire world in the blink of an eye!
And above these eighty-eight rays of light, a very pale and pure purple light hangs at the highest point, like the first stroke of the word "" that has just been lit.
The Dark-Feathered Rainbow Crow flapped its wings and let out a clear, melodious cry that shook the heavens.
The seven-colored star next to it suddenly brightened, then slowly sank into the depths of the Great Void, leaving only a very faint rainbow pattern on the sky that lingered for a long time.
At that moment, the whole world saw it.
Over the East Sea, the glow of dawn spreads from the sea surface all the way to the tops of the clouds. In the deserts of the Western Regions, a Rainbow Bridge spans the sky. On the ice plains of the north, dusk and dawn appear simultaneously. In the wheat fields of the Central Plains, each grain of wheat is tinged with a very faint iridescent sheen.
In the Great Void--
Yang Xiu gazed at the Heavenly Clouds, remaining silent, though his lips twitched slightly.
Ying Qi lowered his head and remained silent.
Xuan Yan didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.
Deep within the Great Void, a True Lord whose appearance was obscured remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
"I remember Xicheng had seventy-two marks back then."
Another True Lord whispered:
"Excessive weather may not be a good thing."
But before he finished speaking, Su Yao's Golden Core aura continued to rise. It surged from the Early Golden Core Stage, with the radiant glow becoming more intense, the rainbow patterns becoming denser, and the purple aura becoming deeper, until it slowly stopped at the Peak Golden Core.
Gui Hong opened his mouth, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence:
"... Is this the peak?"
True Lord Xicheng did not answer.
He gazed at the lingering purple tinge between Su Yao's brows, and beneath that tinge lay a faint, almost imperceptible "order" mark. He remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a single sentence:
"On the Rainbow Cloud Fruition, there is something that has never been seen before. It is not surplus, not leap year, not from, nor moisten."
He paused, then changed his tone, no longer treating Su Yao as a junior, and said:
"It was He who, in His Fruition Position, opened a 'prelude'."
At the foot of the mountain, in front of a dilapidated temple, an old man in a gray robe looked up at the Heavenly Clouds, his face Wu Earth with holes, reflecting the shimmering sunlight.
He suddenly chuckled.
Above, He stood in mid-air, looking down at His hands, which were no longer of mortal form.
He raised his head and glanced down the mountain.
The Old Devil is still down the mountain.
A corner of the great formation was broken, but He was still waiting.
He straightened the white lotus lantern at his waist.
Then He spoke, His voice not loud, yet like the grandest of bells, emanating from Mount Zhongnan, piercing the Great Void, and resounding throughout the world:
"I, Qingyan, have today attained the Rainbow Cloud Fruition at the former site of Qixia Temple in Mount Zhongnan, and am thus—"
He paused.
His entire body was enveloped in a surge of rosy light, rainbow radiance, and purple aura, echoing the Rainbow Cloud Fruition between heaven and earth.
At that moment, everyone present clearly felt that an extremely ancient and primordial aura was slowly opening its eyes in the world.
He said:
"The Heavenly Clouds Establish Order, the Azure Dome Qingyan, the True Lord!"
His profound message continued to spread:
"The rosy clouds are the light of heaven, the rainbow is the pattern of heaven. Above the light and pattern of heaven, I establish the celestial order again; this is my palace. From this day forward, the path of the Rainbow Clouds clouds will no longer be merely 'close to immortality' --"
"Instead, it's 'the rosy clouds and the immortals'."
"Wherever the radiance and rainbow patterns of the heavens reach, whether on mountain peaks, at the bottom of the sea, or in the Netherworld grottoes, all fall under the jurisdiction of my Rainbow Clouds Heavenly Order. In spring mornings and autumn evenings, the radiance rises and falls, the rainbow appears and disappears, each according to its own order and its own faith. All those who cultivate the path of the Rainbow Clouds, regardless of their level of cultivation, may follow my Heavenly Order."
"The Rainbow Clouds's path governs the order of celestial light and patterns, and the sign of dawn and dusk. Now that I have ascended to the throne, the Rainbow Clouds's energy of heaven and earth has a master, and all rainbows under heaven have their place. With a master for the celestial light, with a time for the rainbow's patterns, with the celestial order in order, and with a ladder to the immortal path."
"From this day forward, the rainbows of the world have their masters, the celestial order of the world has its appointed time, and the path to immortality has its steps. The shade of the Rainbow Clouds will extend to all living beings; the virtue of the celestial order will continue forever!"
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the hidden True Lord deep within the Great Void, and continued:
"From this day forward, the Rainbow Clouds became [Heavenly Clouds]!"
It is said, "The Heavenly Clouds establish an order without any trigram nature!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a fleeting phantom of countless rays of light and rainbow spread across the sky, Heavenly Clouds fell like rain.
When the rays of the sunset touched the grass and trees, a faint rainbow appeared in the veins of the leaves; when they touched ordinary people, they felt a sudden brightness before their eyes.
In the Great Void, those watching gazes finally stirred.
Yang Xiu bowed first, his voice solemn:
"Greetings to the True Lord of Heavenly Clouds Establishing Order, Azure Qingyan!"
Ying Qi Xuan Yan followed closely behind.
Immediately afterwards, True Person in the Great Void bowed in unison.
Further away, the divine senses of immortals and Dao Lord descended, and a sound like a tidal wave echoed from the depths of the Great Void:
"Congratulations on your ascension, fellow Daoist! I now have another fellow Daoist."
Those who had previously sneered or frowned were now silent.
Only one voice murmured, "Eighty-one rays of light, seven rainbows... How exactly did He cultivate them?"
But no one answered Him.
He looked up, straightened the white lotus lantern at his waist, and looked down again.
"Come," He said.
Before the dilapidated temple at the foot of the mountain, an old man in a gray robe looked up at the Heavenly Clouds filling the sky. His face, Wu Earth with holes, reflected the shimmering sunlight, and he suddenly chuckled. His voice was soft, yet seemed to seep from the earth itself.
"Good. What a fine 'preface'."
After laughing, He looked down at his hands—the few strands of crimson Qi that had been wrapped around them Orthodox Unity.
He frowned.
The rosy light was drawing upon His vital energy.
Not much, extremely slow, but definitely a real draw.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
The laughter started softly, like an underground river flowing through a crevice in the rocks, but it grew louder and deeper until the entire ruined temple trembled and rubble began to fall.
In the hole on His face, the Wu Earth and the rosy light surged and then extinguished simultaneously, leaving only pure, thick blood.
"What a magnificent display of Heavenly Clouds in perfect order," He murmured. "What a perfect 'celestial clouds in harmony with immortals'!"
He raised his head, gazing at the lingering purple aura on the mountaintop, a flash of bloodlust in his eyes:
"You've set the order, but I haven't eaten yet."
Having said that, He took a step forward.
As this step was taken, the entire Mount Zhongnan suddenly fell silent for a moment.
The wind stopped, the chirping of insects ceased, and even the rosy clouds and rainbow patterns in the sky seemed to be pressed down by something invisible.
Then, a crack appeared in the ground of the dilapidated temple—and what gushed out of the crack was not water, but blood. Thick, dark red blood with a black sheen seeped from the ground, from the cracks in the rocks, from every inch of soil, and in the blink of an eye, it gathered into streams, into rivers, into a vast sea of blood.
The sea of blood started as a mere few feet high, but it doubled in size with each breath. After three breaths, it had overflowed the dilapidated temple; after five breaths, it had swallowed half the foot of the mountain; and after ten breaths, the entire Mount Zhongnan was a vast sea of blood.
Amidst the surging waves of blood, countless distorted faces could be vaguely seen rising and falling within them—some human, some beastly, and others indistinguishable—all enveloped by the blood waves, screaming silently.
Above the sea of blood, a layer of grayish-white mist rose up, and wherever it passed, the grass and trees withered instantly, the rocks crumbled inch by inch, and even the air was corroded and made a hissing sound.
The figure of the gray-robed old man had disappeared into the center of the sea of blood, leaving only his eyes visible. Blood light and Wu Earth intertwined in the hole, coldly gazing at the mountaintop.
"Su Yao, no, Heavenly Clouds!" His voice came from the sea of blood, deep and muffled, as if the entire sea of blood was speaking, "You and your Fruition Position, I accept."
Before the words were even finished, a sea of blood erupted.
A wave of blood shot into the sky, towering over ten thousand feet high. The crest of the wave condensed into a giant hand with its five fingers spread wide, slamming down fiercely towards where Su Yao was.
Before the palm strike even arrived, the pungent, scorching aura had already caused the thatched hut to bend over in unison, and the water in the Jade Palace Lotus Pond bubbled and churned with bloody bubbles.
Su Yao stood in mid-air, the purple aura between his brows still lingering. He watched the blood-red palm that blotted out the sky descend, but his face showed no panic.
He straightened the white lotus lantern at his waist and held it forward.
The wick ignited spontaneously without a flame, and a Gang Qi rose from the lamp.
The Qi was extremely faint, almost transparent. As it rose into the air, it dispersed into a faint Qi curtain, which enveloped the blood palm.
The moment the bloody palm struck the Qi barrier, it silently dissolved—the thick blood seemed to be soothed by some extremely peaceful force, the stench faded, the black light dissipated, and it turned into a pale red mist, which was dispersed by the mountain breeze.
"Gang Qi." A muffled voice echoed from the sea of blood, unhurried and deliberate, "The Dao of Taiyi transforms all evil into peace and harmony, adapting its teachings to all circumstances; it is truly remarkable."
He paused, and suddenly a giant wave surged in the sea of blood, from which a sneer echoed:
"Pity."
"But Law Treasure are useless."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sea of blood rose again. This time, it was not a blood palm, but the entire sea of blood surging up at the same time, surrounding the mountaintop from all directions. The blood waves piled up one after another, each wave higher than the last, like countless walls of blood pushing towards Su Yao at the same time.
The Gang Qi was pushed inward by the blood waves. Although it was still dissolving the blood, the blood waves came too fast, too thick, and too densely. As one layer dissolved, three more layers surged up, and the protective barrier of qi visibly thinned.
At that moment, True Lord Xicheng made his move.
He first threw Gui Hong into the thatched hut, then closed the door and sealed it completely with the light of the Three Pure Ones.
Then He turned around, his purple Daoist robe billowing with purple light, and raised his peach wood sword, the tip pointing forward, aimed directly at the sea of blood.
"Old Devil."
He uttered only these three words, and then his form dissipated.
His entire being transformed into a radiant glow, purple tinged with gold and gold tinged with white. With the peach wood sword leading the way, the glow enveloped the sword, and the sword drew the glow, like a purple-gold meteor, crashing straight into the center of the sea of blood.
A cold snort echoed from the sea of blood. A blood-red hand emerged from the waves, its five fingers clenching to grasp the purple-gold radiance in its palm. The radiance thrashed about in the blood-red hand, the peach wood sword piercing through a layer of blood membrane only to sink deeper. The purple radiance and blood light intertwined on the sword, emitting a sizzling sound. But the blood-red hand gripped tighter and tighter, the purple-gold radiance being suppressed inch by inch, its light gradually dimming.
At the same time, two muffled thuds came from the thatched hut.
A burst of Wu Earth Qi burst through the roof and shot into the sky, throwing out a beam of light. It landed and transformed into a flying chariot. The chariot was entirely earthen yellow and covered with patterns of light. As the wheels turned, a myriad of rays of light spread out. It was the immortal artifact, Flying Cloud Crossing.
Another stream of Wu Earth Qi followed closely behind, condensing into a long staff. The staff was earthy yellow, with shimmering light flowing from both ends. When the staff swept through the air, it created a muffled thunderclap.
Flying Cloud Crossing and Wu Earth Long Staff rushed towards the Sea of Blood simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right.
Above the sea of blood, the radiant light of the Wu Earth suddenly condensed into countless chains, rising from the base of the mountain. With a loud crash, the chains stretched across the sky, each several feet thick, with the Wu Earth and radiant light intertwined on them, binding the sea of blood.
For every foot the sea of blood rises, the chains grow ten feet longer; for every mile the sea of blood expands, the chains stretch ten miles.
But the sea of blood was too vast and too thick. Chains were entangled in one layer of blood waves, and three more layers of blood waves had already spread over. The chains were soaked in blood and hissed and smoked. The Wu Earth peeled off inch by inch, and the rosy light gradually dimmed.
Flying Cloud Crossing plunged into the sea of blood. Where the wheels rolled, the blood waves receded several feet, but the receding blood waves closed up again in the blink of an eye, squeezing up from all directions, making the carriage creak and groan, and the rosy light flashed wildly.
The long staff of the Wu Earth swept horizontally, scattering a wave of blood with a single blow. However, the staff's momentum had worn off, and new waves of blood had already washed over the staff, turning the earthy yellow aura black.
Just then, the purple-gold light formed by the peach wood sword finally gave way. Blood Hand exerted force, and the purple-gold light shattered with a "bang." The peach wood sword flew out, its blade humming mournfully, the purple light dimming, and a fine crack appearing on its tip.
True Lord Xicheng's figure re-emerged outside the thatched hut, staggered a step, and a trickle of purplish-gold blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
The four items— the Gang Qi Curtain, the Peach Wood Sword, the Flying Cloud Crossing, and the Wu Earth Staff—were swept away by the sea of blood and scattered across the mountaintop. Their Qi light dimmed, and they could not be revived for a time.
With no more obstacles, the sea of blood surged forward, reaching within ten feet of Su Yao's feet.
The entire Mount Zhongnan was completely enveloped in a sea of blood. From the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, and from the mountainside to the summit, except for the small patch of Wu Earth glow at the thatched hut and the Jade Palace Lotus Pond that was still struggling to hold on, the rest of the area was completely submerged in blood.
Above the mountains, countless beams of light, Law Treasure, and immortal artifacts were flying towards this place—swords, pagodas, flying shuttles, and jade seals, densely packed like locusts passing by.
They could fly to the outer edge of Zhongnan, Wu Earth Cloud-Reception Formation suddenly lit up, and a layer of earth-yellow light curtain Spanning the Heavens, blocking all the foreign immortal light and Law Treasure.
The celestial artifacts crashed into the light barrier, causing it to shake violently and scattering Wu Earth light, but they couldn't penetrate it.
Amidst the sea of blood, the gray-robed old man's laughter rang out again:
"Look, look—none of your fellow practitioners can get in. This formation was set up by Yun Zhongzi, Caiche and perfect. Even if there's a problem inside, I can't break it. I can only barely use a fraction of my strength thanks to years of comprehension. Yet they can't get in. You're all alone now, what can you use to stop me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the wave of blood surged another three zhang.
Su Yao looked down at the white lotus lamp in his hand. The Gang Qi from the lamp had weakened, and the wick was now just a tiny flame.
He looked up again at the peach wood sword, the Flying Cloud Crossing, and the Wu Earth Staff scattered around; their Qi light was dim, and he couldn't recover for a while.
The wave of blood surged another two zhang, its crest almost licking the hem of his clothes.
Just then, Su Yao's heart skipped a beat, as if something extremely far away was calling to him.
His gaze swept across the sea of blood, towards the South Sea, and then further afield. A flash of purple light appeared between his brows, and suddenly, as if struck by inspiration, he spoke, his voice low yet clear and resonant like a bell:
"Sword, come!"
As the two words fell, the world fell silent for a moment.
Then, in the center of the sea of blood—no, right in the center!
A light suddenly shone from the place furthest from Su Yao, where the blood was thickest and the Old Devil was hidden deepest.
The light shone up from the deepest part of the sea of blood, starting as a single point, then stretching into a line in the blink of an eye, and then with a "boom," the entire sea of blood was pierced through.
A Rainbow Bridge soared into the sky from the center of the sea of blood. The bridge surface was woven from countless rainbow patterns of light, flowing with seven colors and shining brightly. It stretched straight from the heart of the sea to Su Yao's front, with the bridgehead landing three feet in front of Su Yao's feet.
There are two things on the bridge.
On the left is a pillar, entirely yellowish-brown, with rosy patterns coiled around its body. Within these patterns, the energy of the Wu Earth flows continuously; this is none other than the Heavenly Heaven-Piercing Pillar Qixia Mountain.
On the right is a long sword with a blue scabbard adorned with flowing cloud patterns, and the hilt is engraved with three ancient seal characters: "Ask Amid the Clouds" (Wen Yun Jian).
He looked at the two celestial artifacts on the bridge and smiled.
He reached out and drew his sword.
Ask Amid the Clouds, its blade was as blue as water, and its clear, melodious sound was like the cry of a crane. As soon as it was drawn, a rainbow of light shot out from the tip of the sword, soaring straight towards the heavens.
He held the sword in his left hand and raised his right. The Heaven-Piercing Pillar rose from the ground with a "hum," and the earthen-yellow light surged. The Wu Earth energy around the pillar condensed into layers of rosy patterns, echoing the Wu Earth Cloud-Reception Formation of Mount Zhongnan. The dim chains in the array suddenly lit up again.
He stood with his sword in hand, laughing as he looked towards the sea of blood:
"Senior, Heaven-Piercing Pillar and Ask Amid the Clouds have arrived. Why don't you retreat?"
A moment of silence fell over the sea of blood.
Then the gray-robed old man's voice rang out, filled with boundless rage:
"Caiche! It was actually Caiche! He actually left behind a celestial artifact! Caiche, you've deceived me so badly! No, that's not right, Zhegui must have also made a move, otherwise Caiche alone couldn't have fooled me! These two juniors, they were already on guard against me!"
Su Yao did not answer, but simply raised Ask Amid the Clouds, sword tip pointing forward, without any extra frills, and gently thrust it.
That thrust was extremely slow, as slow as the morning light slowly seeping through the clouds.
Wherever the sword tip passed, the sea of blood seemed to be struck by lightning. Starting from three feet in front of the sword tip, the blood hissed and receded, and the blood waves rolled back layer by layer, revealing the scorched black mountain rocks below.
Wherever the sword tip pointed, a sea of blood made way. They retreated ten miles, then twenty miles, until they finally stopped before reaching the dilapidated temple at the foot of the mountain.
The sea of blood only retreated a certain distance, but it didn't retreat completely.
Blood surged at the foot of the mountain. The waves were lowered, but the area covered was even larger. The dark red blood spread along the ground, completely surrounding the foot of Mount Zhongnan, like a coiled venomous snake whose head was temporarily held down.
The gray-robed old man's voice came from the sea of blood, devoid of laughter, cold as iron:
"Excellent! Excellent! What a magnificent ' Ask Amid the Clouds,' what a magnificent 'Heaven-Piercing Pillar.'"
He paused, and suddenly a low, cold laugh, as if squeezed out from between clenched teeth, echoed from the sea of blood:
"Since you've forced me—"
"Then it's a fight to the death."
As soon as he finished speaking, the rhythm of the churning sea of blood changed.
It was no longer the ebb and flow of the tide, but a highly regular, rhythmic pulse, like the beating of a giant heart. With each beat, the sea of blood thickened, became more pungent, and the waves rose higher.
The faces in the blood stopped screaming. Instead, they all turned to the mountaintop, their millions of empty eye sockets staring at Su Yao at the same time. Then they opened their mouths and made the same sound, a very low and deep tune, like countless people humming at the same time.
The melody gradually became clearer, and it turned out to be a folk song:
"The bed is filled with official tablets, the bed is filled with official tablets, all the glory and wealth are but a dream."
The waves of blood rose and fell with the song, each rise and fall more violent than the last.
"At dawn, the imperial palace resounds with music and song; at dusk, the golden steps are overgrown with weeds and trees."
Countless bloody hands reached out from the sea of blood, slowly grabbing towards the mountaintop, unhurried yet densely packed, blotting out the sky and the sun.
"Don't rush, don't rush, the moon shines like frost on the road to Handan."
Blood flooded the mountainside, submerging half of Zhongnan. The light curtain of the Wu Earth Cloud-Reception Formation was squeezed from the inside, and the yellowish-brown light wall caved inward, making a muffled "creaking" sound.
"When I have achieved success and fame--"
The sea of blood suddenly shrank, then with a "boom" it expanded violently. This time it no longer tested or held back. The entire sea of blood transformed into a towering wave, its crest rising a hundred feet above the mountain peak, covering the sky and crashing down on Su Yao.
"--Only then did I realize that tranquility is a paradise."
As the song fades, another wave of blood surges forth.