Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 843 I
After accepting these disciples, Li Er began to preach and expound the Dharma in this wilderness, leading these disciples to truly embark on the path of cultivation.

Li Guo was merely a mortal, so he naturally needed to start from scratch. While the other birds and beasts had already developed intelligence and attempted to explore the path of cultivation, their achievements were ultimately insignificant given their background and level of intelligence.

Although Li Er had only recently become a saint, he was already able to create his own methods based on the various scriptures and supernatural powers he had acquired. Therefore, he could even teach according to individual aptitude, creating methods for each of them to practice.

However, Li Er pursued the Dao and followed the natural way. He would only guide these beings onto the path of cultivation and would not interfere too much with their cultivation progress. Therefore, the method he used to build their foundation was actually a foundation-building method derived from the Daoist scriptures.

After spending several years gradually getting their cultivation on the right track, Li Er began to travel the world again.

However, he only brought Li Guo, who had now regained her youth and become young again, while the birds and beasts remained here. However, with the scriptures and protective array left by Li Er, they had a better environment for cultivation.

After all, in the early stages of their cultivation, their talents and strength were naturally insufficient to continue Li Er's journey.

The reason Li Guo was allowed to follow was that the ancient star of the primordial world was now dominated by the human race. As a human, Li Guo could not only handle some miscellaneous matters but also avoid many problems by following him.

Of course, the main reason is that Li Guo's talent for cultivation is the highest among them, and his Dao heart is also the most resilient.

Having lived a century in the mortal world, Li Guo's yearning for the Dao, though not as pure as that of birds and beasts, was nonetheless unwavering. Even if his talent wasn't extraordinary, he still had hope of continuous progress and achieving remarkable success.

Li Er took him along in the hope that he could grow like himself and eventually achieve greater success.

During this journey, thanks to Li Er's continuous improvement in cultivation, the major powers of the ancient primordial star also began to pay attention to him.

Judging from his qi and blood, this mysterious cultivator was clearly a young man, but he seemed to be an old man, which naturally made them think of something unusual.

Whether it's a strong person rebuilding their skills or someone born with extraordinary abilities, it's not a simple matter.

Regardless of whether his background is legitimate or not, it is extremely rare for a prodigy to become a saint after only a few decades of cultivation, especially in an era that can be considered a low point.

Therefore, wherever Li Er went, there was little conflict, and Li Guo was able to continuously improve under Li Er's teachings and guidance.

However, unlike Li Er, who could maintain an extremely rapid pace of cultivation by letting things take their natural course, Li Guo, although he also adopted a natural and unforced attitude towards cultivation, made progress that was incredibly slow, to an appalling degree.

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't have allowed a cultivator as leisurely as Li Guo to be their attendant and disciple, but Li Er was quite satisfied with this.

Although their cultivation progressed at different paces, their thoughts and attitudes remained aligned. In this situation, sticking to one's own path was paramount. Since Li Guo remained unaffected by external factors, Li Er could confidently predict that his future achievements would be substantial. Thus, Li Er and Li Guo expanded their reach across the ancient primordial star, encountering and learning a wider variety of scriptures and supernatural abilities. Li Er grew increasingly powerful, his cultivation speed remaining remarkably rapid, while Li Guo, taking a slower, more meticulous approach, consistently maintained a lower level of cultivation.

Time flies, and nearly a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. Li Er did not leave the ancient star of the primordial world. He continued to cultivate and improve, and finally became a Great Sage when he was two hundred years old.

This cultivation speed is among the fastest in all the glorious eras of the past. Not to mention that Li Er's cultivation and combat power are incredibly high. Not to mention the geniuses of this generation of the ancient star, even the veteran cultivators find it difficult to see through Li Er's strength.

After all, he always made a move with ease and never experienced a tough battle, so it's impossible to see where his limits are.

Even during this process, due to the characteristics of the Bodhi Tree within Li Er's body, he would always intentionally or unintentionally cause countless cultivators to achieve enlightenment through their battles or discussions with him, or even just a fleeting glimpse, thus enabling them to break through in their own cultivation. Therefore, although Li Er rarely took the initiative to guide others in their cultivation, he still had a large number of self-proclaimed disciples and grand-disciples.

During this period, Li Guo, whom he had previously taught, and the birds and beasts all began to achieve success, which made Li Er's reputation spread even further.

He even started using the title "Laozi" (老子).

"Old" refers to his youthful appearance despite being quite young, while "son" is a respectful title bestowed upon him for his merit in inspiring countless people to cultivate themselves.

More and more cultivators were influenced by him, and his network of connections grew wider and wider. Eventually, Li Er was even granted the right to enter the various sects of the ancient primordial star and freely study their collections. Apart from the supreme secrets of each sect, all other books were open to him, and the only price was that he could preach the Dao and expound the Dharma, so that their disciples and even the higher-ups could benefit from it.

This is undoubtedly a win-win situation.

In the long run, Li Er's various actions have shown that he is the absolute protagonist of this era. Showing goodwill to him now is a way of doing him a favor, making things easier to talk to in the future.
Even from a practical point of view, Li Er naturally possessed a special aura that could help others attain enlightenment, and there were many people who had benefited from his kindness, so helping him could also bring benefits to oneself.

After Li Er became a Great Sage, he became even more unfathomable. Even cultivators who were also Great Sages seemed like apprentices in his presence. And in this era, there are only a handful of Quasi-Emperors on the ancient primordial stars.

Therefore, Li Er became the leader of this generation of cultivators on the ancient star of the primordial world, and the guide for most cultivators.

Even after witnessing these earth-shattering events, Li Guo remained true to his original aspirations and continued his cultivation at a leisurely pace. After a century of formal cultivation, he remained in the Four Extremes Secret Realm. According to Li Er's prediction, Li Guo would likely not be able to advance to the Immortal Platform until he was five hundred years old.

It would obviously be incredibly stressful for such an ordinary-looking cultivator to be working alongside the most renowned cultivator on the ancient primordial star, but he never seemed discouraged and remained completely undisturbed by the outside world. This was quite remarkable, which made Li Er value him even more.

Now that he has reached the Great Sage Realm, Li Er no longer intends to stay on the ancient primordial star, but to enter the starry sky.

(End of this chapter)