"Is it... a Taishang?"
Taishang. By now, Ji Xiang knew that the path of Taishang and the path of Yuanshi were fundamentally different. It was like how, since ancient times, there had been many old epochs, and many who had glimpsed the profound phenomena, even ascended to the profound, reaching the "Formless Realm."
In this world beyond worlds, there were also many "Taishang." But when it came to the Lord of Taiqing Xuanyuan, it was a different matter entirely.
Ji Xiang was filled with curiosity. This was another matter he had heard, capable of shaking the world.
"The Taiqing lineage. Taiqing, in the most ancient times, its original meaning was actually another name for the Heavenly Dao. And the art of Taiqing Xuanyuan should be the voice of the Heavenly Dao. Taiqing Xuanyuan, and the resonance of the heavens, should be similar things."
"Although the Great Dao indeed has intent, and that Heaven of Heavens is indeed unreachable, which mortals call Shenxiao, are you saying there is a ruler within Shenxiao, or that it *is* Shenxiao itself?"
"Does Shenxiao not only have intent, but also 'consciousness'?"
"If Shenxiao has consciousness, why did it seal you here? You don't seem to be worthy of such an existence's attention."
Intent leads to thought. All phenomena in the world, and even the great epochs, have their own thoughts. These are thoughts born from their own existence, grand thoughts lacking strong cognition. But once consciousness is possessed, it becomes "awareness," meaning it possesses self and subjectivity.
A laugh emanated from the demon immortal's indistinct face:
"No."
"The resonance of heaven and man is the resonance between the Heaven of Heavens and the immortals, one prays, one responds. And the path passed down by the Heaven of Heavens to all old epochs has only two: Taishang and Yuanshi."
"And this leads to the origin of those Taishang. This is not a title, but an identity."
"Taishang are not things within or outside the Heaven of Heavens. In other words, they are not paths born from this world's Dao. They do not need to 'prove' phenomena, because... they themselves come from the formless, naturally evolving all phenomena."
"They came here, passed down their methods in all the old epochs, and then continued to depart. Where they go, no one knows. Legend has it that the first Taishang was actually a fixed number, the number of Taishang who came here."
The demon immortal sighed, saying, "At this point, these words can finally be spoken, rather than being forcibly sealed. The secrets of the world were once unspeakable."
The Dao within the great epochs was actually something continuously evolved by the Nine Nether Heavenly Venerate. For this great phenomenon to evolve to its extreme, giving rise to terrifying figures like Mr. Gu, it must possess the power to derive all Daos, and all Daos, in turn, derive countless methods, countless worlds, and countless beings.
Born from the formless, naturally evolving all phenomena, it means that upon appearance, Taishang had at least reached the "Great Phenomenon Realm."
"Zhang Ling of Peiguo received the art of Taiqing Xuanyuan in Shu. The one who received the art became the manifestation of that Taishang. That was not a true resonance of heaven and man, not a response from the Heaven of Heavens, but a Taishang noticed him. However, compared to Taishang and the cultivators of the world, the former seems no different from the true Heaven of Heavens."
Taishang is equivalent to the formless, which is equivalent to Yuanshi. At this level, they have long surpassed the extremity of time. For cultivators still struggling in the world, they are indeed no different from the Heaven of Heavens.
"To go to the Heaven of Heavens, one must prove the Great Phenomenon, and only by obtaining the Great Phenomenon can one see the Profound Phenomenon, and then ascend to the profound and enter the formless. This realm is to be constantly with the Dao, without trace, without specific form, profoundly empty and formless, without beginning or end, continuous yet unnameable."
"But Taishang is not the path to liberation. Compared to the path of Yuanshi, it is more difficult. This is not a matter of a name, but... there must also be corresponding methods. A Taishang without method is not a Taishang."
"I am a Taishang method not yet fully formed, evolved from residual phenomena in other epochs."
"Taiqing Xuanyuan replaced the sacrifices to Qingqiang. Qingyang is the source of demonic energy, it is a Dao, it is something worshipped by all beings. This should have belonged to something below Yuanshi, but in the Daoist lineage of your epoch, the one who first tampered with it was naturally Zhang Ling."
"Therefore, the tampered Qingyang should have been something prepared for me, but later, everything failed. Qingyang was also suppressed by the Lord of Great Phenomena. You should know the existence of the Lord of Great Phenomena... Taishang uses the Dao within this Great Phenomenon to nurture a new phenomenon, passing down a lineage, and then combining it with my own residual phenomena, it becomes one yin and one yang."
Ji Xiang: "So, you can be considered the Patriarch of Taiqing."
"Patriarch? I am merely a prisoner. Qingyang was born for me, and I, as the art of Taishang, was also born for others. I was born to be a stepping stone for others. This body, untouched by epochs, is destined to be erased by another. This surging demonic energy is merely fuel for evolving a new phenomenon. The form, energy, and phenomena of all distorted things in the world gather to become demons."
Ji Xiang recalled the words the Jiajing Emperor often muttered, which he had seen in the world of destiny.
All demons and monsters, those not favored by heaven and earth, would be burned as firewood in the new era, serving as vast external fortune to support the cycle of heaven and man.
"Besides the supreme being of the Yuanshi path leaving, is another Taishang about to be born here?"
"Is it the Jiajing Emperor?"
Ji Xiang said, looking at the demon immortal. The demon immortal shook his head:
"Indeed, a successor of Taishang has appeared in the world, and has already walked the correct path. But whether the person you speak of, that former emperor, can achieve Taishang, I cannot say. Because he is only half a Taishang successor. The other half has not yet manifested in him. Taking the form of Taishang Laojun means accepting Zhang Ling's destiny. Do you think the methods of Taishang are so easily obtained by others?"
"Perhaps, he too will become someone's stepping stone."
"And I... wish to make a deal with you..."
The demon immortal said, then gave a self-mocking laugh:
"Besides this body, I have no other bargaining chips to offer you."
"I surmise you are the next Lord of Great Phenomena."
Ji Xiang said, "I also wish to see the path of Taishang."
As he spoke, his tone was only curious, not indifferent. The demon immortal followed his words: "I hope, in return for telling you so much, you can preserve one of my thoughts. In return, you can have my body. Although it is not the complete path of Taishang, it should be able to help you."
"Send my thought into the new epoch, and it will be proof that I once existed."
Wishful thoughts are profound and mysterious. Even if thoughts have limitations, if they can be intertwined with life, they can still create incredible things.
Ji Xiang is the Lord of Great Phenomena.
As long as there is the power of the Lord of Great Phenomena, one can travel to the next epoch.
Ji Xiang grasped the demon immortal's lingering thought, helping him to disappear from the world. Thus, the foreign residual phenomenon here was completely eliminated, and that unfinished Taishang method was obtained by Ji Xiang.
Yuanshi Tianmo.
Lingbao Zhenxing.
Taishang Huashen.
A radiance, never before seen in the old epochs, surged from Ji Xiang's body.
It was the radiance of the Three Pure Ones merging.