Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 524 Heavenly River Righteous Law, Seamless and Perfect

After criticizing his own disciple, Venerable Tianhe looked at Zheng Fa with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

"Anymore?"

The exploration of the essence of living beings is of utmost importance. As Zheng Fa said, since cultivating immortality is the evolution of life, understanding what life is is the key to knowing which direction to evolve in.

Under the gaze of Venerable Tianhe, Zheng Fa paused, pondering in his heart. He did indeed have some immature ideas, but they had never been systematic. Now that Venerable Tianhe was in person, it was a good opportunity to ask for his advice.

"And..." Zheng Fa saw Venerable Tianhe listening attentively and continued, "This is the essence of life, but for humans and cultivators, intelligence may be even more important."

Venerable Tianhe's eyes lit up, and he said impatiently, "Continue!"

"In my view, intelligence itself is the highest and most exquisite order."

Zheng Fa carefully considered his words.

What he calls order here is actually an algorithm, or a structure.

In the human body, this order is rooted in the structure of the nervous system.

In the field of computer science, this kind of order manifests as the algorithmic construction of artificial intelligence.

“But this order can in turn analyze its own order, and even understand the rules of heaven and earth…” Zheng Fa paused for a moment, then continued, “This is a miracle.”

Einstein famously said: "The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it can be understood."

Wisdom is a peculiar thing that is difficult to explain.

Of course, Zheng Fa hadn't come to discuss philosophy with Venerable Tianhe, so he changed the subject and said:

"Even intelligence seems to exhibit a kind of vitality—for example, when cultivators refine spiritual treasures, isn't that intelligence generating intelligence?"

"And as you said, Venerable One, the Golden Immortals who control creation and create worlds are more like a kind of reproduction."

The disciples of Tianhe were confused, feeling that there was some profound meaning in it, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what it was.

But Venerable Tianhe laughed:

"What do you want to say?"

"If Your Excellency asks me about the essence of cultivating immortality or the Tao—I will venture a word: the Tao gave me life, I attained the Tao, and cultivating the Tao is the propagation and growth of the Heavenly Tao."

If Zheng Fa's words are interpreted in modern terms, they mean that intelligent life forms are the offspring of the universe, just as silkworms are the larvae of moths. Humans also begin as larvae, and only after cultivating the Tao can they grow into the universe.

The observatory was silent for a moment.

Starlight poured in through the hole, sprinkling onto Zheng Fa and giving him a dazzling silver edge.

Venerable Tianhe stared at Zheng Fa for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, took three steps to the right, pointed to the blue bricks beside him, and said, "Come here."

Zheng Fa paused for a moment, then stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Venerable Tianhe.

Venerable Tianhe pressed on his shoulder and gave him a gentle push, making Zheng Fa stand facing the disciples.

Zheng Fa then noticed that these Tianhe disciples were all in perfect unison, respectfully bowing to him as if they were his master.

He tried to raise his hand to stop him, but Venerable Tianhe pressed down on his shoulder and said, "You deserve this courtesy for those words just now."

Venerable Tianhe paused for a moment, then said, "I have nothing more to say."

The disciples of Tianhe raised their heads, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Zheng Fa.

"Well? He has inherited my Heavenly River Dao lineage. Do any of you have any objections?"

"none!"

Zheng Fa turned his head to look at Venerable Tianhe, and opened his mouth to speak.

Venerable Tianhe asked, "What do you want to ask?"

"May I ask, what is spiritual energy?"

This was the question Zheng Fa was most curious about, and it also concerned the future decline of Xuanwei's spiritual energy.

Venerable Tianhe laughed, seemingly unsurprised: "Look at those stars."

Looking at the holes in Zheng Fa's book, he couldn't quite grasp the meaning.

“Look closely, look at the chaos beside the stars.”

Zheng Fa's heart stirred, and his gaze fell on the boundary between the stars and the chaos, his eyes suddenly widening.

"Spiritual energy originates from chaos?"

Venerable Tianhe nodded and said:

"Chaos is the origin of all things, the place where the Dao exists, and all laws are hidden within it."

Zheng Fa looked at the darkness, not quite understanding.

"When living beings comprehend the law with wisdom, the spirit interacts with chaos, dividing into yin and yang, and transforming into the five elements, thus generating spiritual energy."

This……

Zheng Fa became more and more confused as he listened.

He could understand what Venerable Tianhe was saying.

To use a somewhat inaccurate analogy, chaos is like an endless mine containing all sorts of rules.

The spirit and soul of all things are like mining machines. Knowing the rules is like having an instruction manual, allowing you to extract the corresponding spiritual energy from chaos.

To put it simply, knowledge generates inspiration!

"The so-called nameless is the origin of all things, and the named is the mother of all things," Venerable Tianhe said leisurely. "That is so."

Zheng Fa frowned and asked, "What about the decline of spiritual energy?"

"do not know."

"..."

Venerable Tianhe looked at Zheng Fa and said confidently, "If I knew everything, would things have turned out like this?"

...That makes sense.

"Back then, I was trying to perfect the Heavenly River Law while also thinking about how to resolve the threat from the Four Sects. As for matters of spiritual energy, I was simply unable to explore them."

Zheng Fa asked in confusion, "Then back then, Venerable One, you raised your sword to strike down the heavens..."

"It's for the Heavenly River Dharma, and also to leave behind a legacy." Venerable Heavenly River pointed at him, "Waiting for you."

"The inheritance of the Heavenly River Law?"

Zheng Fa's heart skipped a beat, and he could hardly contain his excitement.

Venerable Tianhe conjured a jade tube in his hand and handed it to Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa took the jade tube and listened to Venerable Tianhe's explanation.

"The limitation of the Heavenly River Law lies in attachment to self."

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

"Compared to the Yang Shen and the Dharma Body, the Heavenly River Dharma has a major weakness—it cannot draw upon the wisdom of sentient beings."

"Back then, I destroyed mountains and temples partly because they were all from the Four Sects, which were hostile to my Tianhe Sect. On the other hand, it was also to improve the Tianhe Law."

When talking about this bloody and turbulent period, Venerable Tianhe spoke lightly.

Zheng Fa was able to understand.

Back then, the Tianhe Sect and the four major sects were outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds.

At some unknown time, the four sects cultivated many traitors within the Tianhe Sect.

It's only natural that Venerable Tianhe would attack various sects, collect resources and techniques, and simultaneously eliminate the four major sects' allies.

This venerable one has a kind heart, but to say that the Xuanwei Overlord is a person who has never shed blood and is kind-hearted would be laughable.

"Later, I finally took the next step in the Tianhe Law, but I had to face a choice."

"What choice?"

"I could only save one of the Tianhe Sect and the Tianhe Law at that time."

"why?"

"You'll understand once you see it."

Zheng Fa placed the jade tube on his forehead, channeling his divine sense to read the incantations within.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and exclaimed in surprise:
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation? To kill me?"

Venerable Tianhe seemed even more surprised and asked in return:
"You understood it so quickly?"

Zheng Fa nodded: "It's quite easy to understand."

Venerable Tianhe paused for a moment, then turned his head and glanced at the disciples.

Honestly, the Heavenly River Method was much easier for Zheng Fa to understand than the Yang God Method or the Dharma Body Method.

The next step for the Heavenly River Method can be summed up in eight words: network open source, decentralization. The Mysterious Array Dao uses spirit stones as the primary element for array formation, supplemented by various magical artifacts.

Venerable Tianhe then used his natal magic treasure to set up the formation.

This is somewhat similar to how Zheng Fa used the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government) to establish the internet.

If the disciples of the Tianhe Sect practice the same method, they can easily unite by setting up an array using their natal magic treasures.

Zheng Fa looked down at the Tianhe disciples.

"Fellow senior brothers, you have cultivated the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation?"

"Set up the formation!"

Tens of thousands of Tianhe disciples shouted at the same time, and countless immortal swords pointed at Zheng Fa in mid-air. Their fierce aura even surpassed that of a rogue immortal!
You should know that among these disciples, the one with the highest cultivation level is only at the Integration stage!
Regardless of how beneficial the Myriad Immortals Formation is to cultivation, its ability to enhance a cultivator's combat power is undeniable.

Zheng Fa looked at the group of disciples, his eyes sparkling with admiration, and he thought of the Jiushan Military Academy.

The Jiushan Military Academy has been researching immortal arrays, but immortal arrays require cultivators to use spells to communicate with each other. How can that be as fast as connecting with one's natal magic treasure?

The Myriad Immortals Formation seems to combine the strengths of both Immortal Formation and Profound Mystery Formation!
Bringing back the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation technique and improving the immortal formation will undoubtedly boost the combat power of the cultivators from the Nine Mountains!

Seeing Zheng Fa's eyes light up, Venerable Tianhe also curled the corners of his mouth, unable to help but feel a little smug.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation was the essence of his Dao, and the fact that Zheng Fa, a successor of this lineage, recognized its value was somewhat comforting to him.

But Zheng Fa's next words made him pause in surprise.

"While the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation can be considered an unprecedented innovation in the Dao of Formations by the Venerable One," Zheng Fa said sincerely, "in my opinion, killing me is the act that would earn the Venerable One the respect of future generations!"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Tianhe looked at Zheng Fa and remained silent for a long time. Then, with a wave of his hand, two bronze wine cups appeared out of thin air between the two of them.

"It is a pity that we were unable to drink together in the hall just now."

Zheng Fa accepted a cup of wine, but his attitude was firm: "Just for this path that cut me down, I should offer a cup to the Venerable One."

Having said that, Zheng Fa raised the wine cup to his lips and drank it all in one gulp.

He wasn't just pretending to flatter him.

If it were only the Myriad Immortals Formation, Zheng Fa would be amazed, but he wouldn't admire it this much.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation is already quite wondrous.

On one hand, this method is extremely powerful in combat, and it would be the ultimate method of protection for any sect.

On the other hand, cultivators within the formation share the same mind and techniques, naturally absorbing the essence of others' cultivation to improve themselves.

With just these two advantages, the Heavenly River Technique is already on par with the Yang God Technique and the Dharma Body Technique.

But what is most admirable about Venerable Tianhe is that he "cut off his ego," breaking free from attachment to self.

Simply put, it is decentralization and equality between the Taoist and Buddhist schools of thought.

Anyone who practices the Heavenly River Method can see the complete set of methods and even modify them at will.

When later practitioners improve their cultivation and their techniques become more profound, their methods become the orthodox ones.

Compared to the Yang Shen Method and the Dharma Body Method, which prioritize the source of Daoist teachings, the Heavenly River Method of Venerable Heavenly River is truly... far too equal.

Looking at the jade tube in his hand again, Zheng Fa felt a heaviness in his palm, finally realizing the weight of this inheritance.

Has this Venerable Tianhe broken free from attachment to self?

Perhaps not, but his obsession was so great that he himself became insignificant.

If the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation reflects the Heavenly River Venerable's talent.

The phrase "cut me" deeply impressed Zheng Fa with the magnanimity of this venerable one.

He remained silent for a long time before finally asking:
"Back then, Venerable One, you raised your sword to split the heavens, was it to slay me?"

“Partly yes.” Venerable Tianhe nodded. “As I just said, only one of the Tianhe Sect and the Tianhe Law can exist.”

"Many disciples of the Tianhe Sect are unwilling to follow me."

Zheng Fa remained silent upon hearing this.

He used to think that Venerable Tianhe was not good at cultivating fellow practitioners, but now he understands that this Venerable simply had no other choice:
It's important to know that the Tianhe Sect and the Four Sects had a honeymoon period.

There was even a lot of exchange of techniques between the two sides.

Even Venerable Tianhe himself probably doesn't realize how different the Tianhe Dharma is from the various Dao Fruits.

When cracks appear between the two sides, it's too late.

From the perspective of someone who came after him, Zheng Fa certainly knew where the problem lay with the Tianhe School.

But if he were in the same situation as Venerable Tianhe, he asked himself honestly, he could never possibly have the ability to foresee the future.

The Tianhe Sect cannot inherit the Tianhe Law; the more the Tianhe Law develops, the more the Tianhe Sect splits.

This is why Venerable Tianhe said that only one of the two can exist.

"I gave up the Tianhe Sect."

Venerable Tianhe's tone was somewhat low.

He probably understood that although there were traitors within the Tianhe Sect, there were also many disciples loyal to him...

"That sword strike was naturally for testing the Heavenly River Technique."

"The Venerable One succeeded?"

Venerable Tianhe nodded gently.

"Then why did you, Venerable One, perish?"

Zheng Fazhen became more and more confused as he listened. "Slaying myself" was just a cultivation method. How could Venerable Tianhe really die?

"I have discovered Lu Yao's identity, and he is about to attain enlightenment."

"..."

Zheng Fa was startled: "It's not three reincarnations..."

"This has happened three times already."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa felt as if lightning had struck his mind, and he finally realized what he had overlooked:
Lu Yao has already undergone three tribulations!
The first one was the Demon Emperor, who, as the ruler of the demon race, was naturally a Golden Immortal!
The third incarnation was the Primordial Demon Ancestor, the founder of the Dharma Body Technique, equivalent to the ancestor of the Demonic Sect. It was no surprise that he cultivated to become a Golden Immortal.

The only problem is the second incarnation, the one as the first ancestor of Haori.

Zheng Fa had always heard people talk about Lu Zhenxian, and he thought that this first ancestor had only cultivated to the level of a true immortal.

But now we realize it's unreasonable:
Hao Ri Mountain was the overlord of the Divine Path Era, but its ancestor was only a True Immortal, which was far too low.

On the other hand, Haori Mountain appeared earlier than the Demon Ancestor.

According to the method of reincarnation, the first incarnation of the First Ancestor of the Sun appeared first, followed by the first incarnation of the Primordial Demon Ancestor.

It's impossible for Lu Yao to have reincarnated and cultivated demonic techniques in his second life without having achieved the Golden Immortal status!

therefore……

"Lu Yao has already obtained the three Golden Immortal certifications?"

"He had already reached the point of merging the three tribulations, but his ambition was too great. He wanted to achieve the Great Luo status in the Book of Life and Death, which held him back."

"Da Luo?"

Above the Golden Immortal realm, there are two more realms: Taiyi and Daluo.

"Is Da Luo stronger than Tai Yi?"

"Strong is certainly strong, but in reality there is no distinction between high and low realms. It's just that the Great Luo is the orthodox lineage of the Heavenly Dao and the ultimate Dao fruit."

"orthodox……"

Zheng Fa was secretly alarmed. If the ultimate goal of cultivators is to become the Heavenly Dao, then the so-called Great Luo is the highest Heavenly Dao.

He could imagine that when Venerable Tianhe discovered Lu Yao's identity back then, he was probably quite surprised.

"So back then, Venerable One..."

"Lu Yao's second incarnation was to attain enlightenment through the Fusang tree and transform into the Great Sun."

"...Hibiscus?"

Zheng Fa felt a jolt of fear run down his spine.

That's right. The Demon Emperor was able to attain enlightenment thanks to the Fusang Wood, so naturally he wouldn't let go of such a top-tier spiritual root of heaven and earth...

His second incarnation, achieved enlightenment through the hibiscus tree, was all too natural.

"At the time, I wanted to see what a world without spiritual energy would be like, but I didn't want Lu Yao to achieve enlightenment, so I killed the Great Sun with a sword."

No wonder the hibiscus wood fits so perfectly in the modern world... Turns out it's a disassembled original part!

(End of this chapter)