Chapter 980: Attaining One Dao Body
Zhongnan Mountain had a perilous terrain with rugged paths, featuring five major valleys and over a hundred minor ones, majestic and imposing, stretching for several hundred li.
The morning glow was brilliant, mist and haze flowing through the mountain forest, glowing red under the dawn light, then shifting into a myriad of colors, presenting a scene of peace and tranquility.
Ye Fan and his group began their descent, about to leave this ancestral court of Daoism. After the fierce battle the previous night, he had slain all the intruders and found the Quanzhen Sect Daoists, asking them to pass along a message: if anyone sought him, they could travel westward, as he was already on the road.
"No wonder this is considered a sacred land of Daoism. It's no surprise that many people come here to pilgrimage every year," Long Yuxuan remarked, speaking a rare few words.
The ancestral mountain of Daoism was shrouded in steaming clouds and radiant mists, enveloped by an inexplicable divine radiance. Walking here brought peace to body and mind, with a strange power flowing through the air.
More than twenty years ago, before Ye Fan had left Earth, he had seen some reports claiming that even in modern times, there were no fewer than five thousand recluses deep within Zhongnan Mountain.
Back then, Ye Fan had searched online and specifically asked someone to verify this. A friend living in Shaanxi Province told him it was true.
These people lived as they had thousands of years ago, staying deep in the mountains and rarely venturing out. Seeking a spiritual peace through seclusion, they willingly hid in the mountains, all of them ordinary mortals.
Now, walking along the mountain path, Ye Fan couldn't help but extend his divine sense to scan the mountain range. He really did see some such people and couldn't help but sigh.
They walked along the mountain road for a while, then began to cross the mountains directly, abandoning the path, and arrived at the northern foothills of Zhongnan Mountain. In a daze, Ye Fan heard the sound of scripture chanting.
"Master, why have you stopped?" Little Heavenly Master Zhang Qingyang asked.
"Did you hear that?" Ye Fan murmured, standing still without moving, quietly rooted to the spot, listening to an ancient Dao sound—someone was expounding the scriptures.
The others looked at each other, none of them speaking. They hadn't sensed anything, but dared not say much. They noticed that Ye Fan had entered a state of stillness, merging with the Dao, falling into a unity of heaven and man.
In his eyes, the entire Zhongnan Mountain became majestic, a wild, primeval aura rushing toward him, the peaks towering tens of thousands of zhang high, filled with a sense of oppression.
He looked into the distance, where there was a massive stone engraved with three ancient characters: Lou Guan Tai.
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name..."
He heard the sound of ancient scripture chanting, arriving across time and space. An old man sat cross-legged on a stone platform, expounding the scriptures.
Ye Fan instantly entered the Dao, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on that blurry, hazy figure. It was an ancient Dao body, composing texts and writing.
Legend has it that when Laozi traveled westward, he entered Shaanxi and expounded the Dao at Zhongnan Mountain, leaving behind two parts of the Dao De Jing. That place was Lou Guan Tai.
The ancestral land of Daoism, nestled against mountains and rivers, with lush bamboo groves and green shade covering the sky. Lou Guan Tai, also known as the Scripture-Expounding Platform. That blurry Dao body was without joy or sorrow, detached from the world, reciting scriptures there, as if everything he spoke had nothing to do with himself.
Ye Fan entered stillness. He had long heard that the Dao De Jing had two parts: one circulated in the world for mortals to read, while the other was not revealed to the world, containing heaven-defying Dao techniques.
He listened intently, hoping to obtain the other part. Although he knew the hope was slim, he still held some expectation. Yet, in the end, he was disappointed.
On that Dao platform, the blurry figure finished expounding the scriptures, handed out the other part without reciting it, gave it to someone, and then vanished.
Ye Fan let out a long sigh and woke up. The sky was still the sky, the earth was still the earth. The blurry Dao body of Laozi was gone, and he ultimately failed to obtain the lower part of the Dao De Jing.
He looked up at the sky, lost in thought. Laozi had left a Dao lineage in the Ziwei Ancient Star Domain, and Yin Tiande had obtained his inheritance, which filled him with regret.
"Master, what's wrong?" Only then did the several disciples dare to ask, having been afraid to disturb his train of thought earlier.
"I want to be quiet here for a while," Ye Fan said to himself.
He sat cross-legged on a green stone, beginning to seriously comprehend and ponder. Around the Dao body he had just seen, there were traces of the Dao. He hadn't heard the lower scripture, but he had seen the trajectory of that Dao, which stirred something within him.
For a day and a night, Ye Fan didn't move. Another two days and nights passed before he opened his eyes. All the disciples were startled, for they saw several Ye Fans standing up, all identical.
Laozi's One Qi Transforms into Three Purities!
This was a secret art Ye Fan greatly yearned for, capable of manifesting three additional selves—not simple avatars, but something with profound and mysterious uses.
"Master, what secret art is this?"
Ye Fan sighed softly. The several figures dispersed, leaving only one true body and one Dao body that wouldn't dissipate. For now, he could only achieve this step.
"Difficult, difficult, difficult!"
He had listened to the Dao sound and seen the ancient Laozi sitting cross-legged on the scripture-expounding platform. Through this, he had comprehended the Dao, but could only transform out one Dao body in the true sense.
"Will there be a day when I face Yin Tiande?"
Putting aside his thoughts, his mind calmed down. After lingering here for a few days, he had comprehended a Dao body—this was already an enormous gain!
In a short time, manifesting a Dao body could double his Dao power. This was no different from his true body, and was far more terrifying than simply doubling the combat power of one body.
In the past, he had used the Battle Saint Art to simulate this technique, but he hadn't grasped its true essence, and it had no significant effect. Now, he had finally achieved a Dao body.
When the disciples learned of this, they were all greatly shaken and eagerly asked him to teach them. Ye Fan nodded. As he was about to travel westward, he needed to teach them some methods of protecting the Dao body.
"How miraculous! Instantly gaining another self is even more important than multiplying one's own magical power several times!"
All the disciples were stunned, urging Ye Fan to continue comprehending the Dao, striving to figure out the true method of One Qi Transforms into Three Purities. As for themselves, they didn't even dare to think about it—their realms weren't sufficient to comprehend such Dao fruits.
"Everyone has their own different Dao. Comprehending one Dao body is already a tremendous Dao fruit. If I could comprehend a second Dao body out of thin air, then I would be the true Laozi," Ye Fan shook his head.
To comprehend another Dao body was harder than ascending the nine heavens. Only by seeing the true scripture could it be possible.
"Master, you said you killed Yin Tiande's younger brother, the inheritor of Laozi. If you face him in the future, do you have the confidence to deal with him?" Zhan Yifan asked.
"Whether we'll meet in this life is hard to say," Ye Fan sighed softly, looking up at the hazy sky, as if trying to pierce through the star domains to see his great enemies: the Celestial Prince, Holy Son Yao Guang, Yin Tiande, and others.
This time, Ye Fan and his group truly began their westward journey, leaving Zhongnan Mountain far behind. They first entered Ningxia, then Qinghai, and finally stepped into the Tibetan region.
Ye Fan led them at a slow pace, not using the ancient divine ability of shrinking the earth to an inch. They traveled leisurely westward, comprehending the Dao while journeying.
They entered the Tibetan region to visit Little Pine's home. The little one was nostalgic; ever since starting the westward journey, he had been a bit listless, missing his little nest.
And it was in the Tibetan region that someone caught up with them. It was an old Daoist from Zhongnan Mountain, who brought them a Dao talisman letter.
After Ye Fan took it and read it, he frowned. The so-called Crusade's judgment against him was just an excuse. There was another true purpose: to seize the ancestral artifacts of the Central Land.
Back then, when Mount Tai split and the altar appeared, various major forces emerged. The Western Dao lineages came in force, taking advantage of the chaos to steal the foundation of the largest altar, on which was engraved half of a heavenly book, recording ancient secrets.
Over the years, they had studied it thoroughly and wanted to complete the ancient heavenly book, as it seemed to contain a shocking secret.
"No matter. They must first pass through me. If they can't get past, I'll send them all on their way, then travel westward to retrieve the ancestral artifact."
Ye Fan asked the old Daoist to rest assured, and also told him to have some sect leaders inform the Western Dao lineages through channels that he had already slain a batch of Temple Knights at Zhongnan Mountain and was now on the road.
That very day, Jerusalem and the Vatican were greatly shaken. For several days, there was no news, but now they learned that dozens of powerful cultivators had all died, not a single one surviving.
"The heretic is too arrogant. He killed everyone and even had some Central Land sect leaders deliver messages for him, as if he doesn't take us seriously at all."
A great archbishop from the Western Dao lineage issued a call to arms. The Crusade was imminent, to crush the demon, pass judgment on him, and carry out the final trial.
Of course, the expeditionary force was already being prepared, as they intended to seize the remaining parts of the ancient altar. This time, they would take the opportunity to eradicate the heretic.
However, they also carefully considered the matter. The demon of the Central Land must have surpassed the Dragon Transformation Great Perfection realm. The intelligence they had obtained earlier was inaccurate.
"Immortal Platform first-layer realm—rare in this world. He should be such a great divine ability practitioner!"
"Could he really be an ancient sect leader?"
The Crusade this time was a great army, all of them Dao cultivation experts. A great archbishop of the Holy See issued orders, conscripting many powerful warriors to join the holy war.
On that day, five hundred knights set out on the eastern expedition. Although the Pope did not appear personally, he secretly bestowed the Holy Cross, which would record their merits and honors.
"Master, I just received a message from my sect. The Crusade has already set out eastward, with clouds of experts and rains of masters!" Little Heavenly Master Zhang Qingyang said.
"No matter," Ye Fan stroked two black arrow feathers, then manifested a Dao body. This would be his important reliance on the westward journey to transform the ancient—even if a true god appeared, he would have no fear!
Two days later, Ye Fan encountered a group in the Tibetan region. The Crusade had scattered into smaller groups, but after discovering their trail, they quickly gathered together.
"Are you the heretic?"
Five hundred knights came roaring in, all clad in medieval armor, their bodies gleaming with cold light. Some held great swords, others war spears, their blood energy flowing.
These people were all powerful cultivators. The three knight commanders at the lead were all at the Immortal Platform first-layer great perfection realm. This time, they led the top knights of various ancient families.
The five hundred knights shouted, their voices shaking the clouds. Their blood energy covered the sky, like a flood overwhelming the heavens, shaking this uninhabited region. Many mountain ranges rumbled and shook.
"Since the divine art of 'God Descends to the Mortal World' exists, there must be an extremely terrifying powerful being behind it. If he doesn't come, no matter how many of you there are, it's useless," Ye Fan said softly.
"Boom!"
He unleashed his aura without concealment. A pillar of golden blood shot up from his crown, piercing the sky, reaching the clouds above and the earth below, connecting heaven and earth.
Ye Fan's golden blood energy surged like a vast ocean, suppressing the blood energy of all five hundred eastern expedition knights. He stood alone against the multitude like a god or demon.
"You... who exactly are you?" The three knight commanders trembled. They knew they were in big trouble. For someone like this to appear in the current age was absolutely a great calamity!
Perhaps only a few beings from the sacred lands of the Western Dao lineages could slay this man.
"Ye Fan, Lord of the Heavenly Court." The calm words rang out, and then his entire body surged with golden blood energy, charging forward like a demon god, beginning a great slaughter.
"Bang"
Blood light flashed!
One punch—just one punch—and one of the three knight commanders had his head shattered, falling backward to the ground, dead on the spot.
The Immortal Platform first-layer great perfection knight commander was utterly vulnerable!
The remaining ones were thrown into chaos but did not retreat. They gathered together, forming an ancient battle formation, and began to charge forward again.
"Puff"
Blood light flickered. Ye Fan displayed the sword Dao profound art of Red Pine Master—the divine technique of a speck of dust turning into a sword to fill the sea reappeared in the mortal world!
A flash of red light appeared, countless mists of blood rose up, and the ground was covered with broken bones and flying blood. This place turned into a Shura field.
"Over a hundred years ago, when our mountains and rivers were shattered, you stole the ancestral artifacts of the Central Land. Now you dare to come again? You will be killed without return!"
That day, all five hundred knights were annihilated. The entire eastern expedition Crusade fell in the Tibetan region. When this news reached the West, it sparked a massive uproar!
This was a shocking piece of news. Both the Holy City of Jerusalem and the Holy Land of the Vatican experienced a magnitude-12 earthquake. All the major figures were alarmed.
"The first batch of the eastern expedition Crusade has been wiped out. God, did I hear that correctly?!"
"The Central Land has produced a great demon. This is a nightmare!"
"His name is Ye Fan, calling himself the Lord of the Heavenly Court. Is he trying to stand on equal footing with God?!"
The West was greatly shaken. The Pope began to conscript holy knights who had survived from ancient times, and even sought to mobilize divine knights, preparing for another eastern expedition.