Chapter 94: Chapter 66: Making a Brazen Move
The Gang Wind scattered the cloud shadows as the sun drifted across the sky. Winter and summer came and went, yet the spring breeze always returned.
Within the Dharma Origin Grotto Heaven, mountain ranges stretched endlessly. But beneath the great central pillar, only five peaks remained, standing in a circle. Xuzhuang and Yan Renhe now stood in a pavilion atop one of them.
All five peaks were so high they pierced the clouds. Yet the central pillar soared even higher, its summit lost in a celestial sea of clouds far above.
Gazing down below the clouds revealed a bottomless abyss. It seemed the only connection between the central pillar and the five peaks was the Cloud Bridge just outside the pavilion.
But neither Xuzhuang nor Yan Renhe was in a hurry to cross. Yan Renhe sat meditating in the pavilion, while Xuzhuang stood at the cliff’s edge, admiring the swirling wind and clouds.
As far as the eye could see, only the peaks to his left and right were visible beyond the central pillar. The peak to his left, like the one beneath his feet, was capped with white snow. The one on his right, however, was a treacherous cliff of crimson rock. The others were obscured by the central pillar itself. If Xuzhuang was not mistaken, the peaks were arranged in a pattern of three yang and two yin. Looking toward the central pillar, however, he saw only a lush, green mountain.
’Harmonize water and fire, capture Kan to fill Li, and the dragon and tiger shall be formed.’ The layout of this Grotto Heaven seemed to hold some of the Dharma Origin Sect’s profound insights into the Daoist arts.
Just as Xuzhuang was lost in thought, a familiar laugh echoed from the mountain path. Sun Suzhen, clad in a moon-white Tai Su Daoist Robe, ascended the peak alongside Zhe Junyang. He called out with a smile, "Junior Brother Xu, Fellow Daoist Yan, it’s been a while!"
It turned out Xuzhuang and Yan Renhe hadn’t simply stopped; Yan Renhe had received a message from Sun Suzhen via a Decree to rendezvous here, which was why they were waiting.
Xuzhuang turned, offering a smiling, cupped-fist salute. "Senior Brother Sun, Senior Brother Jun Yang. Indeed, it has been over ten days."
Sun Suzhen laughed heartily. "Junior Brother Xu, I thought we might have to wait a few more days for you! Did you not stumble upon any fortuitous encounters along the way?"
"We had our share of gains," Xuzhuang replied with a slight smile.
Sun Suzhen chuckled, clearly in no rush. He and Zhe Junyang joined the others in the pavilion, and after another round of pleasantries, Sun Suzhen asked, "Fellow Daoist Yan, why isn’t Senior Sister Bu with you? Did you two not manage to rendezvous?"
"Hmm..." Yan Renhe stroked his long beard and glanced at Xuzhuang, who picked up the explanation. "Senior Sister Bu and Fellow Daoist Yan did indeed meet up. It’s just that..."
After listening to Xuzhuang’s explanation, Sun Suzhen gave a resigned smile. "Senior Sister Bu is the same as she’s always been. Ah well. She only promised me that she would ensure Fellow Daoist Yan’s safety; she never agreed to contend with anyone."
Zhe Junyang added with a smile, "Junior Sister Bu is someone for whom the Dao is everything. She must have reached a critical juncture in her cultivation and can’t be bothered with other matters."
Sun Suzhen laughed at that, agreeing. Then, his tone shifted abruptly. "Junior Brother, Fellow Daoist, as you’ve traveled here, you must have formed some speculations about this Grotto Heaven."
Xuzhuang remained impassive. "Perhaps Senior Brother has some insights you could share to enlighten me."
Sun Suzhen said, "I’m sure you both have realized it by now, Junior Brother Xu, Fellow Daoist Yan. This realm isn’t some hidden scripture repository; it’s the Dharma Source Mountain Gate of the Dharma Origin Sect. And what’s more, it shows no signs of decay at all."
Such an obvious fact couldn’t have escaped their notice. Sun Suzhen wasn’t bothered by the lack of response and continued, "This Dharma Origin Grotto Heaven doesn’t feel like it was designed to pass on an inheritance. It’s more like..."
"It’s waiting for the members of the Dharma Origin Sect to return and reclaim their home," Xuzhuang finished.
"Exactly!" Sun Suzhen said approvingly. "It seems we see eye to eye, Junior Brother. If I’m not mistaken, the inheritance left by the Dharma Origin Sect is meant for a specific, destined individual. It’s for either a reincarnated High-Achieving Cultivator from their sect or a Primordial Spirit True Man returning from a cycle of tribulation. Only such a person could obtain the inheritance of the five decrees, take control of this Grotto Heaven, and reopen the Dharma Source Mountain Gate!"
"However, even a Primordial Spirit True Man’s calculations can’t possibly predict the course of ten thousand years. Perhaps the Dharma Origin Sect’s fortune was ultimately exhausted, and the day for its reopening never came. That might be why we were able to enter this Grotto Heaven now."
Xuzhuang frowned and asked, "Senior Brother, when you opened this Grotto Heaven, did you truly not receive an order from the Master?"
’Sun Suzhen’s reasoning seemed sound, but he knew something the others didn’t: within this Dharma Origin Grotto Heaven, there was an ancient Primordial Spirit True Man who was still very much alive.’
’Granted, if what True Master Xu Chen said was true, he had been plagued by the three calamities for over ten thousand years and had no time for outside affairs. But as long as he still existed, the Dharma Origin Sect’s fortune could not be considered severed.’
’Why was it that in the eyes of an ordinary cultivator, a Primordial Spirit True Man was no different from the Immortal Gods?’
’It wasn’t just because of their unimaginable Divine Techniques, capable of sinking continents and overturning seas. It was because a Primordial Spirit True Man had transcended the Life and Death Profound Gate, truly escaping the constraints of mortality.’
’The very concept of lifespan was meaningless to a Primordial Spirit True Man. The only things preventing them from living eternally were the calamities that naturally arose as their cultivation and understanding of the Great Dao deepened: the wind calamity, the fire calamity, and the Thunder Tribulation. Together, they were known as the Three Calamities.’
’Though the Three Calamities were disastrous for a Primordial Spirit—failure meant perishing in both body and Dao—surviving them meant a great surge in cultivation and another ten thousand years of freedom. Furthermore, a Primordial Spirit True Man had many ways to delay or even evade these calamities.’
’Therefore, even a Primordial Spirit True Man threatened by the Three Calamities could hardly be considered to have their fate sealed. Xuzhuang refused to believe that the Dharma Origin Sect’s inheritance had appeared for such a simple reason. After all, the three Great Profound Demon Sects—Shangxuan, Tai Su, and Yinji—had all entered this Grotto Heaven. How could there not be the machinations of a Primordial Spirit True Man behind it all?’
That was why Xuzhuang had asked his question.
Sun Suzhen looked puzzled. "Of course I reported this matter to the Master, but he only said I could seek help from my fellow disciples. He gave no other instructions. You know this as well, Junior Brother."
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