Why were they fighting?
When it came to this, Sisui showed a rare flicker of dissatisfaction: "It was that person's problem—he suddenly sought me out and said he wanted to take me into his Daoist sect."
"Ah."
As these words fell, Zhu Liuxian and Shan Qiu, as Pre-Ancient Dao Ancestors, exchanged glances, their expressions suggesting, "Well, that's not surprising."
"Indeed, that fellow Dan Qingjian is truly infuriating in this regard."
Shan Qiu shook his head, and seeing Lu Yang's confusion, he explained: "Dan Qingjian, this fellow is the one among us who most loves to take in disciples and spread his Dao."
"However, his Dao is problematic."
What is [Education]? And what books is he reading?
"In short, it is Dan Qingjian's own books. All his disciples read only the books he wrote, annotating the various Daoist scriptures and laws he authored."
At this, Sisui spoke up again: "The Great Dao is vast and myriad, yet that person holds only his own Dao as supreme. He calls it 'transmitting the Dao and teaching to the profession,' but in reality, it is merely letting others imitate him to increase his own stature."
"He is simply an incompetent teacher!"
Lu Yang began to understand.
As the saying goes, "Those who learn from me live; those who resemble me die." What the Dao Ancestor of [Education] called "transmitting the Dao" was essentially the latter—it was the obliteration of human nature.
In contrast, Sisui was the former. As the first Dao Lord of the Light Sea, when he transmitted the Dao in the Light Sea, he truly held nothing back, answering any questions asked. Whether it was the Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Myriad Laws, Du Xuan, or even the Primordial Saint—they had all received his guidance in the past.
This was a conflict of philosophy.
Lu Yang estimated that Sisui and the Dao Ancestor of [Education] might have initially enjoyed each other's company, but as they conversed, they discovered the differences between them.
Yet, neither could convince the other.
"In Dan Qingjian's view, since he attained the status of Dao Ancestor through [Education], it proves he is undoubtedly the highest in this Dao and allows no one to question him."
Zhu Liuxian shook his head: "Because he successfully walked this path."
"Therefore, as long as his juniors obediently follow his path, they can naturally become Dao Ancestors. If they harbor doubts or mess around, they will only go astray."
Sisui let out another cold snort at these words.
Clearly, he strongly disagreed.
Alas, the will of Dao Ancestors is equally firm. Words could not persuade them, so they could only resort to force, which is why the two parties ended up fighting, even sparking true, burning rage.
On the other side, Lu Yang was deep in thought.
'Another one.'
In the Pre-Ancient Divine Land, there were seventeen Dao Ancestors. He had now met nearly half of them. The philosophy of each Dao Ancestor was different, yet they were all equally obstinate in their own ways.
In the next second, Zhu Liuxian's gaze suddenly shifted, landing on the World Honored One who stood with palms pressed together: "Guiming, you have surprised me. Clearly, you had no True Spirit to awaken you, yet you seem to have awakened some memories of your past life. And you truly succeeded—crossing the Final Tribulation and reincarnating into the future era."
"Amitabha."
The World Honored One shook his head: "You have mistaken me for someone else, Fellow Daoist. I am not Guiming; I am the World Honored One. As for Guiming... he is already a thing of the past."
"Oh?" Zhu Liuxian's tone was profound: "So, you have abandoned your own path."
"Of course not."
The World Honored One said solemnly: "Although I am no longer Guiming, I will still walk his path. The great merit of saving the world may perhaps help me ascend to a higher level."
The World Honored One also had a heart that sought the Dao.
As long as this path could be walked and was viable, he would not refuse it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bounced left and right on the [Paramita] before finally jumping into the Netherworld.
"But my method differs from Guiming's."
Seeing the murderous intent gradually surface in Zhu Liuxian's eyes, the World Honored One hurriedly stepped in front of Lu Yang before speaking: "I do not need to slaughter everyone."
"I have my own marvelous method to save trillions of sentient beings and experience the Final Tribulation together."
With that, he took the initiative to demonstrate his "One Mind" and the Netherworld. Upon seeing them, both Zhu Liuxian and Shan Qiu's expressions shifted slightly.
Zhu Liuxian, naturally, needed no explanation. On the other side, Shan Qiu also sensed an aura extremely similar to his own [Nurturing Immortal Land] from the Netherworld. There was no doubt that this corroborated Lu Yang's claim and allowed him to breathe a long sigh of relief, completely abandoning certain thoughts he had held.
Of course, these were secondary.
More importantly, Lu Yang and Sisui, who stood on either side of the World Honored One—two Dao Lords who were in no way inferior, or even slightly superior, to them—were the keys.
"...Then, so be it."
After a moment, Zhu Liuxian shook his head: "You may save the sentient beings, but before my plan fails, you must not let them reincarnate."
His Feng Shui Grand Formation needed sentient beings.
"Agreed."
The World Honored One gladly promised.
On the other side, Shan Qiu approached with bright eyes: "I am very interested in that Netherworld... Perhaps we could have a discussion."
"You lead sentient beings to reincarnate, so you must be relying on this Netherworld, right? But I see it is not solid enough... However, if I personally integrate into it and merge my essence with it, perhaps I can improve its strength, making it capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility. Let's discuss the specific details..."
Shan Qiu's original plan was to integrate into the [Nurturing Immortal Land] and then enter [Carefree Wander] to head to the Light Sea era.
However, facts proved that this was not feasible.
That was why he chose to follow a "Noble Person" — Lu Yang, to see if he could find a more reliable method... And look at how long it had been? The method had arrived.
'Connect with a Noble Person, connect with a Noble Person.'
'I didn't study it for nothing back then!'
At this thought, Shan Qiu couldn't help but steal another glance at Lu Yang, his mind becoming increasingly clear: 'This person is likely the greatest "Noble Person" of the present age!'
In an instant, the atmosphere returned to harmony.
Lu Yang, meanwhile, silently observed all of this and then glanced at his [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], a sense of indescribable emotion suddenly rising in his heart.
In history, the Pre-Ancient Era perished.
All records related to the Pre-Ancient Era vanished, and karma could not be traced back. Only some fragmented inheritances remained. At first glance, the Pre-Ancient Era truly seemed to have perished.
But in reality?
There was no actual evidence that could prove the Pre-Ancient Era perished. It was like a black box—if it isn't opened, no one knows what is inside.
The Pre-Ancient Era might have perished, or it might have gained a new lease on life, having simply left the Light Sea and gone to the deeper reaches of the Dark Void. Who could say such a possibility didn't exist?
And now—
'I am personally experiencing this history!'
The struggle between Dao Lords and Dao Ancestors for the Seed of the Great Dao, and the act of saving the world, would directly determine the final ending of the Pre-Ancient Divine Land.
Destruction or rebirth?
That didn't matter. What mattered was:
'I can restart!'
'The anchor points are set. Whether it's Zhu Liuxian or the World Honored One, if their plans to save the Divine Land fail, or if the Primordial Saint is about to seize the Seed of the Great Dao, I can start over from the beginning.'
'Constantly testing, constantly adjusting.'
'Until success is achieved!'
At this thought, Lu Yang had a flash of inspiration: 'Perhaps this is why I can set anchor points here. That Deity Transformation practitioner wants me to find a good ending out of this black box?'
No, there was more.
Lu Yang thought of the Seed of the Great Dao. Compared to so-called "saving the world," the Seed of the Great Dao was a much more concrete opportunity that could allow one to attain Deity Transformation and transcend.
'Two paths.'
'Limited restart chance—should they be used to save the world, or to compete for the Seed of the Great Dao? That Deity Transformation practitioner, [Jun], has given me a choice.'
Do you want a good ending?
Or do you want to transcend alone?
(End of Chapter)