Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 283 A grand feast, then what are we?
Incense smoke filled the Three Immortals Pavilion.
The old beggar played with Chen Gou'er for a while, then got up and lit three more sticks of incense on the altar.

Seeing this, Li Wushou collected his thoughts and said to the old beggar who had sat back down:
"I want to know the specific details about the great changes in the world."

The old beggar nodded, and without hiding anything, replied directly:
"It's not really a secret; most people in this world with connections know it. Oh, I found it on a piece of toilet paper I used to wipe my butt."

Li Wushou was listening intently to the old beggar's story when he heard this, and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

The old beggar laughed when he saw this. He thought that Li Wushou would be fine no matter what after he grew a brain, except that he was prone to overthinking.

Thinking more is not wrong; in many cases, it can even help prevent mistakes.

But it depends on the situation. Thinking too much about some things is just mentally exhausting and doesn't really help.

Seeing that Li Wushou's emotions had calmed down a bit, the old beggar continued:
"The so-called great change should actually start with the Great Venerable and the True God."

The Great One created heaven and earth; the True God created the divine realm.

Logically speaking, both the heavens and the divine realm should be high above the sky.

But as you've seen, the reality is that these great realms and true god realms still exist within the heavens. Some are called holy domains, and others are called divine domains.

For example, the Suspended Mountain General Sect and the Immortal Mountain should be located in such a sacred or divine realm.

There are many cultivators in this world, whether they follow the path of gods or immortals. Some seek longevity, while others seek freedom and ease.

Looking solely at the immortal path, the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator is two thousand years, that of a Deity Transformation cultivator is three thousand years, with a maximum of five thousand years, and that of a Great Venerable is even more than ten thousand years. Throughout history, how many Great Venerables do you think there have been in this world?

How many true gods are there?

Although the Holy Realm and the Divine Realm are hidden within a mustard seed of Mount Sumeru and do not occupy the mortal realm, the spiritual resources of this world are limited, and how many such Holy Realms and Divine Realms can they supply?
Therefore, this so-called great change occurs. With each great change, a large number of holy domains or divine domains are destroyed, and new holy domains or divine domains are born.

With a cycle of three thousand years, the sacred or divine realms that survived the last time will be sealed within a mustard seed of the universe and will not be allowed to enter the mortal world. When the time of great change arrives, this seal will be lifted.

These sacred realms and divine realms, after entering the mortal world, have no choice but to fight for survival in order to avoid being destroyed!

After a long period of time, another group of great beings, true gods, emerged, who lived through one great upheaval after another.

Some of them submitted to the heavens and earth, so they united to hunt down other great beings as sacrifices during times of great upheaval, thus gaining long-term existence. Forces like the Immortal Mountain are examples of this.

Another group, like the Xuan Kong Shan Zong Zong, is still actively searching for a way to escape from the world. They believe that only by truly escaping the world can one achieve true longevity and freedom.

In order to deal with the hunting by forces like the Immortal Mountain, they gradually banded together.

After the great changes, these forces will leave behind their lineages in the world, but due to the limitations of heaven and earth, their cultivation levels are generally not high, at most reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Even those like Kong Wu only broke through to the Divine Transformation stage later.

Similarly, Zhenhai Dazun and Que Zun, among others, are also rising stars who have broken through within three thousand years.

Such people are exceptionally talented. After a major upheaval, they will either be fought over by various parties, be killed early on, or rise from adversity to create a new holy realm.

This is what is meant by great change; it is a struggle, but also a grand feast!

Listening to the old beggar's long-winded explanation, Chen Gou'er was once again confused. But upon hearing the last sentence, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly interjected with a question:
"Can we join the feast?"

The old beggar grinned: "It's possible, but it depends on our skills!"

Chen Gou'er was overjoyed, while Li Wushou, his mind racing, finally asked the old beggar after a long pause:
"So this world really does have a master, and that immortal really exists? And no one has ever rebelled against it all these years?"

The old beggar stopped smiling, looked at Li Wushou seriously, and replied solemnly:

“Cultivators don’t care about any particular path. Who doesn’t defy the heavens? Throughout history, there have been countless rebellions, but in the end, they never even saw who they were rebelling against. Heaven and earth? Immortals? Gods? But there must be such an existence that has severed everyone’s path!”

The old beggar had been confused and doubtful before, but after meeting Li Wushou, he became firm again and was absolutely certain!

Looking at the old beggar's solemn expression, Li Wushou thought to himself that the old beggar knew so much about the divine path, which must mean he was no ordinary person.

Li Wushou guessed that the old beggar was very likely a true god in the past.

Moreover, he should at least be a true god whose destiny star hangs high above the seventh heaven, which is why he felt somewhat disdainful of Chi Xiu's origin from the seventh heaven of the divine realm.

Maybe back then it really was true, just like the old beggar boasted, that he carried the banner and rebelled!

But the outcome was what Li Wushou faced. He must have been in a terrible state back then, which is why he felt resentful that He had cut off everyone's path!

Just then, the old beggar spoke again:
"So whether you cultivate immortality or the path of gods, just do it for fun. The most important thing is to find the path to the heavens. If you want to become an immortal through cultivation, you definitely can't do it without dealing with Him. But in this world, who can deal with Him without becoming an immortal?"

Li Wushou's expression changed slightly. No wonder the old beggar always looked down on his cultivation. It turned out that he had already seen through this path and it was a dead end.

Throughout history, so many unparalleled sages have been blocked before the gates of immortality; Li Wushou did not believe he could be an exception.

This cast a shadow over his heart.

But he is determined to become an immortal!

"So, all these years, hasn't anyone found any clues about outer space?"

The old beggar chuckled, stretched, and slowly rose from the square table. He pointed to himself and said:

"No one has found it before, but I will find it in the future, and then I will lead you all to immortality!"

Setting aside the old beggar's disheveled face, if one only looked at his eyes, they inexplicably exuded an aura of authority.

Chen Gou'er, who was standing to the side, let out a strange cry and jumped up from the bench.

"Wow! Old beggar, you have to take me with you!"

The old beggar crossed his arms and smiled at Chen Gou'er:
"Haha, don't worry, I'll definitely take you. Give me a hundred white bone cicadas, and I'll take you first, how about that?"

"what"

Chen Gou'er's face fell, and he painfully cracked his knuckles, asking with a pained expression:

"How about thirty?"

The old beggar looked at Chen Gou'er with disbelief.

"Dog, this is practically becoming an immortal! Only thirty of them?"

Chen Gou'er's lips twitched a few times, and after a long while, he said resentfully:

"At most fifty, me."

"make a deal!"

"Ok?"

Chen Gou'er was still thinking about how to lower the price when he heard that the deal had been made, and he froze on the spot.
Watching the old beggar and Chen Gou'er play around, Li Wushou couldn't tell whether the old beggar was bragging or deliberately trying to trick Chen Gou'er into eating the white bone cicada.

Just then, he suddenly remembered another problem.

The old beggar had previously said that the thing chasing them was some kind of Dharma body of rules.

Once someone or something breaks the existing rules, the other party will step in and eliminate any existence that poses a threat to that "immortal".

But does Sanxian Pavilion do such a thing?

The old beggar had only eaten a little incense.

I've only eaten some flesh-and-blood monsters and evil spirits, does that mean I've broken the rules and am a threat to the "immortals"?
This is utterly absurd!
Leaving aside the distant case of the Sparrow Lord who would massacre entire cities at the drop of a hat, just recently, ten days ago the Dragon King entered the Land of Misfortune and devoured two cities. The golden elixir was fake, but the people of the two cities were real.

Going back a bit, the artist used the entire town of Wushi to refine the Moth Queen. Which of these things is not far more intense than the Three Immortals Pavilion?

The food served at the Three Immortals Restaurant was really insignificant compared to what they were eating.

Why can they succeed while Sanxianguan cannot?

Could it be that the old beggar really possessed some method to travel to the heavens?
But even if the old beggar knew the way to go to the heavens, what did it have to do with me? It's really unfair that I would be chased for eating some evil spirits.

So this so-called method of going to outer space is definitely a lie!

If the old beggar had truly known, he wouldn't have been so agitated when he encountered Chi Xiu claiming to be a true god from beyond the realm.

So what is so special about the Three Immortals Pavilion that could truly threaten that "immortal"?
Looking at the old beggar who was still collecting "immortality fees" from Chen Gou'er, Li Wushou really couldn't see anything special about the two of them.

There are countless other supernatural beings in this world more mysterious than the old beggar. Compared to them, apart from being particularly dirty and knowing how to beg, Li Wushou really couldn't see anything different about the old beggar.

Moreover, even if the old beggar was a true god in the past, even a true god in the Ninth Heaven, in his current state, he might not be able to defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator. Is he really worth the other party's attention?
According to the old beggar, all the great venerable ones and true gods in this world are manipulated by that "immortal," and the deities of this world have never been high above the heavens. So what is the other party afraid of?

Chen Gou'er was even worse; he didn't even have the brains of an average child.

Aside from being able to eat a lot, there doesn't seem to be anything special about him. You can't say he can eat his way to "immortality," can you?

And as for himself, it makes even less sense.

He doesn't eat people, and even his cultivation of immortality is pieced together from scratch.

It makes no sense that the Dragon King could so brazenly hatch dragon seedlings, even using them to devour two cities, while his Golden Core dragon seedlings hadn't even hatched, only being used to strengthen his physical body, yet the other party eagerly chased him to the outskirts of the Land of Misfortune. Originally, upon hearing the old beggar's words, Li Wushou subconsciously assumed that this so-called cleansing rule applied to everyone.

Now that I think about it, this was so targeted!
Li Wushou couldn't understand why the Three Immortals Pavilion, compared to the likes of Sparrow Master, could be considered a model of law-abiding behavior, yet it was treated so differently.

Composing himself, Li Wushou asked the old beggar:
"Then what are we?"

Chen Gou'er, who was still counting the white-bone cicadas, scratched his head when he heard Li Wushou's question. He felt that Li Wushou was having another episode, so he quickly replied:
"Li Wushou, we are human beings."

Li Wushou glanced at Chen Gou'er and said in an annoyed tone:

"Of course I know we are human. I'm asking what's so special about us? We eat very little at the Three Immortals Pavilion and don't act recklessly. Why does that so-called Rule Body keep chasing after us to erase us?"

After he finished speaking, Li Wushou stared intently at the old beggar.

The old beggar, without even looking up, replied to Chen Gou'er, who was recounting the white bone cicadas:

"Who knows? Maybe he can tell at a glance that Chen Gou'er has the potential to become an immortal!"

Chen Gou'er, who was still counting the white bone cicadas, grinned and couldn't help but chime in, "Exactly! Exactly!"

Just as he finished agreeing, Chen Gou'er's face fell again; he had forgotten where he was counting.

Seeing that Chen Gou'er had started counting again, the old beggar was so anxious that he kept scratching his head. He glanced at Li Wushou and indicated that Li Wushou could ask him anything later.

Finally, after counting several times, Chen Gou'er counted forty-five white-bone cicadas and gave them to the old beggar.

The old beggar said he was missing five, but Chen Gou'er insisted that there were fifty!

Furthermore, in front of the old beggar and Li Wushou, Chen Gou'er actually counted forty-five white bone cicadas as fifty.

The method is very simple: skip the ones with the number nine!
This method of counting, which clearly treats people like idiots, is unacceptable to anyone!

The old beggar accepted!

After making a few feigned protests, and seeing Chen Gou'er begin to bare his teeth, the old beggar put away the white bone cicada with satisfaction.

He originally thought that he could be lucky to swindle twenty white bone cicadas, but he didn't expect Chen Gou'er to offer thirty. The old beggar almost grinned from ear to ear.

Thinking to himself, it seems that becoming an immortal is indeed the greatest obsession, even for someone as brainless as Chen Gou'er.

After putting away the white bone cicada, the old beggar thumped his chest loudly, looking as if he was determined to help Chen Gou'er become an immortal.

Chen Gou'er was also very satisfied. After realizing that the deal had been made in a daze, he also realized that he had overpaid. So he racked his brains and came up with this counting method.

He originally intended to count only forty, but fearing the old beggar wouldn't help him become an immortal, he counted forty-five.

However, he was quite satisfied, having saved a total of five!
Everyone was overjoyed.

Li Wushou was speechless. He felt that if there really was an immortal, then the other party was truly blind, and staring at the Three Immortals Pavilion made no sense at all.

Seeing that the deal was done, Li Wushou suddenly asked:
"Old beggar, what about your divine realm?"

"My divine realm is not yet..."

The old beggar, who had answered instinctively, suddenly paused, and changed the subject:

"Where do I have a divine realm?"

The old beggar glanced at Li Wushou, who had a half-smile on his face, and his heart skipped a beat.

Oh no! These people are getting more and more troublesome; I almost got tricked into revealing anything.

Seeing the old beggar's appearance, Li Wushou was basically certain of his guess: this old beggar was indeed a true god in the past, and his divine realm still existed.

The other party, who kept it quiet, really did have a large sum of money hidden away!

Seeing that the old beggar was unwilling to say more, Li Wushou did not ask any further questions.

Judging from the other person's stingy attitude, if I keep asking, I'll probably have to pretend to be deaf and dumb for a long time.

Little did he know that even if Li Wushou hadn't asked, the old beggar didn't want to talk about it anymore. Taking advantage of Li Wushou's silence, he simply pulled Chen Gou'er to bed.

Seeing this, Li Wushou was also somewhat speechless.

After calming his mind and leaving the Three Immortals Pavilion, Li Wushou slowly opened his eyes in the study.

After the internal meeting at the Three Immortals Pavilion, Li Wushou was also somewhat unsettled.

He had actually realized long ago that the old beggar was no ordinary person, as had he and Chen Gou'er.

But Li Wushou always believed that they were just a little different from ordinary people.

Compared to spiritual practitioners and those in the Shinto world, they are actually just ordinary people.

In retrospect, they are still somewhat special.

Although the old beggar was unwilling to explain what was special about it, judging from the actions of those Dharma bodies, this specialness was something He wanted to eliminate.

how to say?

Amidst his resentment, Li Wushou also felt a faint sense of excitement.

The other party wants to eliminate them, which is precisely because they feel threatened, isn't it?

Doesn't that mean that compared to people like the Sparrow Master, they are the ones who are truly likely to become immortals?
So this is all a little bird spirit has to offer!

Li Wushou muttered to himself, thinking that he finally looked somewhat like the protagonist in Wu Zhuangyuan's storybooks.

Before he had a proper conversation with the old beggar, Li Wushou was always a little unsure of himself, but now he felt much more at ease.

From the current perspective, if I want to become an immortal, one option is to find the otherworldly realm the old beggar mentioned, and the other is to kill the "immortal" who controls heaven and earth.

If the heavens were so ethereal and easy to find, then so many great beings throughout history wouldn't have been vying to cross them.

In Li Wushou's view, it might be more practical to just kill that "immortal".

To achieve this, Li Wushou's cultivation cannot stop.

Even if cultivation can't make him an immortal, killing a few of his lackeys who are chasing him shouldn't be a problem.

Only by getting close to the immortals will he have a chance.

Otherwise, you wouldn't even have the right to stand in front of the other party, let alone kill Him.
Therefore, spiritual practice should never be something the old beggar described as casual practice.

The old beggar has his own thoughts; he has his own ideas.

If the old beggar is right about everything, he wouldn't be an old beggar today; he might be sitting high in the heavens!
Now the path facing Li Wushou is very clear.

After completing his duties as the Heavenly God, Li Wushou must clear away the eerie fog in Huazhou before the twelve Heavenly Gods gather in Zhenhai City at the end of the year.

Chi Xiu had his own reasons for announcing this matter to everyone on Mount Xuankong before raising the Heavenly God, as well as Li Wushou's intentions.

Regardless of whether the world changes drastically, a unified Huazhou is in Li Wushou's interest.

Therefore, besides making the most of his gains during this period, he also needs to do his best to support the Tree Goddess. The Tree Goddess will be the key to his ability to quickly dispel the mysterious fog over Huazhou.

This is his top priority for the next two weeks.

A month and a half later, Chi Xiu will lead the main force in launching a full-scale attack on the Land of Misfortune. If the plan goes smoothly, half a month will be enough to clear away the mysterious fog.

With the mysterious fog removed, the remaining subjugated and rebellious Suspended Mountain forces can be directly suppressed.

The great change has not yet begun, and Master Kongwu, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, is sufficient to support the situation in Huazhou.

By then, recovering Huazhou will be a piece of cake, and I won't need to worry about it anymore. I can leave it to Xuankong Mountain to work on.

After dealing with these matters, he can also go to Zhenhai City with Chi Xiu.

The fact that the Great Lord of Zhenhai has mobilized so many celestial beings and summoned them all to Zhenhai City suggests that something significant is about to happen, likely related to a major upheaval.

Li Wushou also wanted to see how the Great Venerable Zhenhai prepared for the great change.

Although Chen Gou'er didn't say much and was tricked out of forty-five white bone cicadas, there was one thing he said that resonated with Li Wushou.

Li Wushou did not want to miss such a grand feast.

For him, if he could consume a few more True Gods and Great Venerables, becoming an Immortal might not be impossible.

Therefore, this grand feast must also be served at the Three Immortals Pavilion.

Let's see who ends up eating whom!
(End of this chapter)