Chapter 655: Chapter 259: Where He Stands in the Pouring Heavenly Light (Part 2)
Fan Wubing squinted his eyes as he saw this scene,
"Tianren Ganying..."
This was knowledge learned from Pei Weiyi.
Heaven and man are two independent, yet interconnected existences.
Heaven is not the Heavenly Dao, but the heavenly principles governed by the Destiny Dao, the predestined and undetermined fate of everything in the world; it is abstract.
Humans are all living things, concrete in form.
In the philosophy of the Yin Yang School, Tianren Ganying is essentially a way to view the world by balancing the abstract and the concrete, through a third perspective. After integrating with cultivation, it became an ability to communicate with all things.
This ability is very hard to learn.
Even Fan Wubing, after following Pei Weiyi for half a year, was still quite rough.
But judging by Gu Lan’s performance, she was very skilled.
He thought for a moment, it might be related to her mastery of the Evolutionary Dao. The Evolutionary Dao itself is a Dao that touches upon the change of all things, the rise and fall, life, and death.
As Gu Lan finished striking the Dusk Immortal Drum for the hundredth time and reciting the 3000 words of the "Luo God’s Decree,"
a giant earth-colored dragon soared out from the suspended Luo River in the sky.
"Luo God Totem!"
The crowd rejoiced, shouting in unison.
They gazed with utmost devotion at the earth dragon spiraling in the sky.
That was the Luo God Totem, a will of the Dao that has protected the land of the East Continent for millennia.
The "Luo God" is not a deity from the era of the Jade Emperor or Emperor Zhenwu, but a unique will belonging solely to the East Continent and all living things along the Luo River. This will was formed during the upheaval of the earth and the evolution of life.
It is not a true earth dragon, nor a real life form.
Yet at this moment, Fan Wubing fully recognized it as a true "dragon."
And not like those horned dragons living on the Demon Continent.
Just as Bixi said, dragons and the Dragon Race are two entirely different concepts.
The former is spirit, will, thought, whereas the latter is merely a non-special race.
In the Purple Mansion, the Supreme Dharma Orbiting Device spun madly,
Fan Wubing finally understood something.
Among the crowd,
an ordinary-looking elderly lady dressed plainly gazed at the earth dragon hovering over the altar, her mind pondering, "To achieve Tianren Ganying so effortlessly, she must indeed have heavenly help, bolstered by all beings."
"Daiyue Dafeng Immortal, you may begin." The voice of Taozhu Da Feng Immortal resonated in the old lady’s mind.
"Alright."
An intangible and formless Dao spread out from the old lady’s body, undetectable by others.
This kind of Dao, like a gentle breeze, enveloped the altar from below.
Then, a vital force, accompanied by this Dao, materialized in the air as a gigantic human-shaped phantom, connecting with the earth dragon.
Daiyue Dafeng Immortal attempted, as in the past, to guide the Luo God Totem to descend onto the altar.
This task she had done numerous times over the centuries, and it was second nature to her, as swift and effortless as turning one’s hand.
But an unexpected turn occurred.
Just as the earth dragon was about to anchor on the altar, it suddenly became stiff, then started rampaging like an untamed wild horse, rushing towards the Luo River as if wanting to return.
"Huh? Why is the Luo God Totem different from before?"
"Has there ever been a situation where it started returning to the Luo River before descending?"
"This... it seems like there’s a refusal to acknowledge this Luo God ritual."
The crowd started getting anxious, discussing in fragmented sentences.
Not being acknowledged by the Luo God was their greatest fear.
It felt like having one’s faith challenged for lack of piety.
On the altar, Gu Lan’s slender neck was tense, her eyes shut tight as she struggled with Tianren Ganying, showing signs of distress on her face.
Beside her, Taozhu Da Feng Immortal quickly sent a voice transmission to ask, "Daiyue Dafeng Immortal, what’s happening?"
In the crowd, Daiyue Dafeng Immortal furrowed her brows, a light sweat formed on her forehead,
"The Luo God Totem suddenly became unruly and refuses to descend."
"Why is that?"
Daiyue Dafeng Immortal gritted her teeth, "I tried to communicate with the Luo God Totem, but for some reason, it refused."
"How can this be? Did we mess up the procedure somewhere?"
"No, I’m certain. It’s the same procedure as before: guiding, appeasing, showing, and returning. Could it be that child is the issue?"
Taozhu Da Feng Immortal quickly looked at Gu Lan, seeing her pained expression, he hastily asked,
"Good child, how are you doing?"
Gu Lan’s lips were somewhat pale, "The Luo God seems... angry. Did I make a mistake somewhere?"
Daiyue Dafeng Immortal asked, "What do we do?"
Taozhu Da Feng Immortal swiftly made a decision, gritting his teeth, "We must give up! If this continues, her spirit will collapse."
"But how do we explain it to everyone? The Luo God Totem failing to descend is unprecedented. Gu Lan will be seen as an ill omen! What about her reputation?"
Taozhu Da Feng Immortal’s body trembled, his face paling, speaking bitterly,
"Daiyue, we were too eager, not even understanding the causalities. But at this point, there’s no alternative. Everything must prioritize Gu Lan’s safety. As for reputation, we can just say it was my lack of sincerity that offended the Luo God."
"This... alas." Daiyue Dafeng Immortal sighed, unable to say more.
Gu Lan opened her eyes, her blue eyes shimmering with a tragic brightness,
"Is it the end?"
"It won’t end."
"But..." Gu Lan suddenly realized, the voice speaking these words seemed to be neither Taozhu Da Feng Immortal nor Daiyue Dafeng Immortal, but rather... her heart began to stir restlessly, like the turbulent Luo River above. She quickly looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of that familiar figure.
