Traversing countless worlds from the primordial era

Chapter 68 Lao Tzu's Guidance

Lei Ming quickly said, "Young friend, you mustn't do that. I am unworthy to be your master!"

Lei Ming was indeed frightened. Xuan Du was a disciple of the Taiqing Sage, though he didn't know if it was ordained by Heaven. But regardless, the other party had extraordinary fortune, and he would have to bear great karmic consequences for being addressed as his master by him.

Lei Ming had to persuade Xuan Du to give up the idea of ​​becoming his disciple.

"To be honest, young friend, I only know some basic cultivation methods. In fact, I am also looking for a great master to become my disciple. Today, we are fortunate to meet, so why don't we seek the Dao together?" Lei Ming said.

"That's for the best." Xuan Du was also very pleased.

Lei Ming then taught Xuan Du some cultivation techniques. To his surprise, Xuan Du's aptitude was astonishing. He only needed to cultivate the techniques of the mortal world to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in half a day, the Core Formation stage in three days, the Nascent Soul stage in five days, and the Deity Transformation stage in ten days. In less than half a month, Xuan Du's cultivation level caught up with his.

"This..." Lei Ming had always thought he had a cheat code, that he was the chosen one, but after seeing Xuan Du, he realized that he was really nothing.

"My aptitude is indeed inferior to Xuandu's, but I have the Kunlun Mirror and the Five Elements Origin..." Lei Ming could only comfort himself like this, but he didn't think about how dazzling Xuandu's spiritual treasures would be when he became Taiqing's disciple!

After Xuandu consolidated his cultivation, the two left. Xuandu still bowed to every mountain he encountered, while Leiming, knowing he couldn't do that, stood aside. While traveling, Leiming discussed cultivation techniques with Xuandu, attempting to perfect the Five Elements Technique. However, at the Nascent Soul stage, cultivation techniques couldn't be easily deduced.

A century passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Lei Ming and Xuan Du arrived at the foot of a desolate mountain. Xuan Du, as always, paid homage to the mountain, just as he had a century ago. His unwavering resolve and devout attitude made Lei Ming feel ashamed of his own.

Xuandu bowed 129,600 times in front of the desolate mountain. Lei Ming didn't realize it at first, but when Xuandu reached the mountainside, he suddenly became alert.

This desolate mountain wasn't very high to begin with, and Xuandu had been praying for three months, yet he still hadn't finished. Looking further up, the summit had barely moved.

"Disciple Xuandu of the human race, wholeheartedly seeking the Dao, humbly requesting the senior to impart the Dao!" When Xuandu bowed for the 129,600th time, the originally barren mountain suddenly changed dramatically. Time and space shifted, and an ancient and simple green mountain appeared in front of the two.

The two somehow ended up at the mountaintop, where a simple palace stood, its gates slowly opening.

Lei Ming looked up and saw a plaque hanging above the palace, with three characters written on it. Those three characters were written in Daoist script, which any living being could recognize at a glance.

"Hachigami Palace!"

Lei Ming's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. The myths and legends had indeed remained unchanged. He followed Xuan Du to the Taoist temple of the Taiqing Sage!

Xuan didn't notice the change in Lei Ming's expression. He straightened his clothes and respectfully entered the palace, with Lei Ming quickly following. The palace didn't seem large, but it was actually a hidden world. The two had barely stepped into the palace and hadn't even had a chance to see clearly when they came to an old man.

The old man sat there, seemingly lifeless like a stone, yet upon closer inspection, he appeared as if he were the entire universe, encompassing everything.

"Xuandu greets Senior!" Xuandu knelt down and said.

"Lei Ming greets Senior!" Lei Ming knelt beside Xuan Du.

Laozi glanced at Xuandu and nodded slightly. Xuandu was his chosen disciple and the senior disciple of the Xuanmen sect.

"Xuan Du, I admire your unwavering pursuit of the Dao, so I will accept you as my disciple and transmit to you the Huangting Daojing." Laozi's voice was extremely calm.

"Disciple greets Master!" Xuandu bowed again.

Laozi nodded, raised his hand slightly, and a yellow light fell into Xuandu's spiritual platform. Xuandu closed his eyes to comprehend it, and soon his nascent soul dissipated. His realm dropped from the peak of the Nascent Soul stage to that of a mortal, and his magical power was also dissipated.

"This..." Lei Ming was shocked. Could it be that he had given Xuan Du the wrong teachings?

After Laozi accepted Xuandu, he closed his eyes and remained silent. After a long while, Leiming mustered up his courage and spoke.

"Disciple Lei Ming of the human race yearns for the Great Dao and humbly requests that senior impart the Dharma to me and accept me as your disciple!" Lei Ming bowed and said.

Laozi then opened his eyes and looked at Lei Ming. Under the old man's gaze, Lei Ming felt as if he had entered a strange world, where everything about him was within the old man's sight.

"You have other opportunities, and you cannot pass on my teachings," Lao Tzu said.

Lei Ming panicked; this was a direct rejection from me.

"Senior, I can also disperse this magical power and cultivate your Dao," Lei Ming said hurriedly.

Lao Tzu shook his head slightly: "There is no master-disciple relationship between us, why force it?"

Lei Ming was heartbroken; in fact, he had long anticipated this outcome. Laozi was detached from worldly affairs and focused on predestined relationships. Among the Three Pure Ones, he had the fewest disciples, and his only direct disciple was Grand Master Xuandu.

"Senior, I have come this far in my pursuit of the Dao. Although I cannot become your disciple, I humbly request your guidance." Lei Ming settled for second best.

Laozi saw through Lei Ming's thoughts and remained silent. Lei Ming was anxious and lay on the ground, refusing to get up.

Xuandu had already woken up. He sighed and said, "Master, Leiming is a member of my clan, and his desire for the Dao is no less than mine. I beg you to have mercy and guide him."

Lao Tzu's eyes held neither sorrow nor joy, like the calm surface of a lake.

"Your opportunity lies in the south." With that, Laozi flicked his sleeve, and Lei Ming felt dizzy and disoriented, realizing that he had already left Shouyang Mountain.

Lei Ming felt both disappointed and angry, but he remained calm and bowed respectfully towards Shouyang Mountain. Afterward, Lei Ming took a deep look at Shouyang Mountain and resolutely headed south.

After Lei Ming left, Lao Tzu said, "Your karmic ties with this person will be settled when you have achieved mastery in your cultivation. You will become my disciple, and I will bestow upon you the Daoist title of Grand Master Xuandu."

The Grand Master Xuandu's eyes held a complex expression, and he silently nodded.

Lei Ming left Shouyang Mountain and traveled south day and night, believing that Lao Tzu would not deceive him. The sage is high above, and all others are but ants; how could they possibly deceive ants?

Lei Ming was gone for over 100 years. He firmly believed that Lao Tzu wouldn't lie to him, and he dared not stop for over a century. Sometimes Lei Ming would have doubts, but he still forced himself to believe.

On the East Sea, with the sound of a golden bell, the Tongtian Sect Leader, who was preaching, quietly disappeared, and many disciples of the Jie Sect returned to their residences.

"Elder brother, we haven't been to Mount Emei for tens of thousands of years. Why don't we go with you this time?" said Bixiao, one of the Three Immortals.

"Of course I welcome my three younger sisters," Zhao Gongming said. "I wonder what my eldest sister thinks?"

"I also want to go and see Mount Emei," Yunxiao said with a smile.

The four chatted and laughed as they left the East China Sea and arrived at Mount Emei.

"Brother, the scenery of your Mount Emei is better than that of my Three Immortal Islands," Bixiao said with a smile as she arrived at the foot of the mountain.

"Mount Emei has beautiful scenery and is a rare paradise in the primordial world," Yunxiao said.

Zhao Gongming laughed and said, "Although my Mount Emei is good, the Three Immortals Island of my three sisters corresponds to the Three Talents and is no less than Mount Emei."

The four of them arrived at Zhao Gongming's cave while chatting and laughing. Along the way, Yunxiao discovered that there were many demon cultivators on Mount Emei. These demons had not changed their ferocity and continued to increase their killings, destroying the scenery of the mountain.

"Brother, if you preach to these demons, who don't cultivate morality, it will easily ruin your luck," Yunxiao advised.

Zhao Gongming disagreed: "The demons on the mountain only listen to my sermons; they are not even my nominal disciples. Besides, our master has opened the mountain gates wide, accepting disciples to spread the Dharma, teaching without discrimination. We should do the same."

Yunxiao frowned and said nothing more.

The four of them discussed the Dao in the grotto, and a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Zhao Gongming, who was originally lecturing, suddenly stopped. He made hand seals and kept calculating.

"Big brother, what happened?" asked Bixiao, who was the most impatient.

Zhao Gongming frowned: "I was just feeling uneasy, but unfortunately I'm not good at divination."

Yunxiao immediately performed some calculations but found nothing. The four of them discussed it and decided to put the matter aside for the time being. Three days later, a powerful energy erupted, affecting Mount Emei, causing the entire mountain to shake.

"A treasure has appeared!" Zhao Gongming and the Three Immortals immediately left Mount Emei. They had all cultivated to become Golden Immortals and learned the Shangqing Immortal Techniques, so their speed of flight was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye they were a thousand miles away.

Ahead of Zhao Gongming and his group, five-colored light shone from a valley, growing brighter and brighter until it illuminated half the sky.

Spiritual energy gathered above the valley, transforming into golden flowers that fell to the ground. Auspicious omens rose in the air, and celestial music lingered. A five-colored seal slowly rose from the valley.

"A Primordial Spiritual Treasure has been born!" Zhao Gongming and the Three Immortals were overjoyed. Judging from the commotion before them, it was at least a high-grade Primordial Spiritual Treasure. There were only a handful of Primordial Spiritual Treasures of this caliber in the entire prehistoric world.

"Attack!" Zhao Gongming shouted, unleashing a burst of magical power at the seal. The Three Immortals immediately cooperated, with four streams of Shangqing magical power suppressing the seal.

(End of this chapter)