Volume One: Youthful Encounters in Subtle Times Chapter One Hundred Thirteen: The Sage Takes Action

The Daoist stood in opposition to them, aligned with the Heavenly Gate. After listening to the conversation among the five, he responded, "So, do you still believe that what I am doing is wrong?"

A scholar, with a book tied at his waist, replied, "We have never considered you wrong. It is simply that we each hold our own positions. When positions differ, choices naturally diverge."

The woman in white clothes added, "If we were not the versions of ourselves from countless ages ago, perhaps our stance today would be consistent with yours. It is a pity, however, that we are the true spirits of that bygone era, and the mission left to us by that age is what we must uphold."

The Daoist did not appear particularly surprised or disappointed upon hearing this. He laughed self-deprecatingly, saying, "Although I had already guessed as much, I still couldn't resist asking. Now, I can at least be at peace."

He then flicked his sleeves and declared with a touch of heroic spirit, "Then bring it on! Let me see what the true strength of the sages from countless ages ago is really like!"

The true spirits of these five sages were remnants left behind by the sages of that era to guard the Heavenly Gate. They existed in tandem with the Heavenly Gate itself, surviving under the seal of five divine decrees to preserve their peak power. The sages of the past had intended to prevent anyone from prying into the existence of the Heavenly Gate or harboring ulterior motives for it. They had left these five spirits to handle such contingencies, but they never imagined that, years later, people would indeed covet the gate, splitting into two factions: one wishing to open it, the other determined to destroy it.

In truth, the woman was correct; if they were not ancient spirits bound by the mission entrusted to them, their position might well have aligned with the Daoist’s. Their charge was to protect the gate, and if faced with conflicting objectives, their priority was to ensure the gate remained intact. They understood the Daoist’s words—the necessity of the Heavenly Gate's existence was indeed worth reconsidering. To the people of that era, the gate was a path left by the sages, a possibility for ascension, yet one that could never be verified. For all these years, these five spirits had secretly longed for someone who could prove the gate’s reality.

However, times had changed, and hearts were no longer as simple as they once were. Modern people harbored too much obsession; they no longer sought ascension to prove a truth, but rather treated the path as a necessary means to extend their own lifespans. The Heavenly Gate was no longer a gateway, but a pill of immortality that risked satisfying thirst with poison.

The five spirits struggled to comprehend the Daoist’s intent. To the Sword Saint among them, the idea of destroying the Heavenly Gate for the sake of another extreme possibility was even more uncompromising than the ways of a sword cultivator. Before the fighting truly began, he asked, "Can you tell me why you are willing to risk your life to destroy the Heavenly Gate?"

The Daoist glanced at the sky and then at the hostile figures surrounding him. He cast a sound barrier and asked, "Then why did you destroy so many other gates of ascension in your time?"

The Old Daoist replied, "Naturally, because we discovered that so-called ascension was a scam."

The Daoist continued, "Exactly. Ascension is a scam. We share this view, and that is precisely why I wish to destroy this gate—for the very same reason."

The woman in white shook her head. "We can be certain that the other gates were scams, but there truly exists one gate in this world that leads to ascension. What we cannot be sure of is whether this is that one." She paused, her gaze deep, and asked the Daoist, "So, on what grounds do you claim that this gate is not it?"

The Daoist did not expect them to offer him a chance to argue. Just as he was about to speak, a strange ripple descended from the sky, reaching directly into his consciousness.

After a moment, he rolled his eyes at the sky and muttered to himself, "Damn them for meddling so much."

No one knew what the Daoist had heard; even the five sage spirits did not notice the anomaly. Having been true spirits for countless eons, their sensitivity was limited; they lacked the keen perception of a true practitioner.

Li Yu, watching from below, saw everything stall. A glimmer of hope stirred in him, thinking that perhaps these beings were willing to give his master a chance. If so, he prayed, "Master, please, do not hold anything back anymore. I beg you!"

But Li Yu was destined for disappointment. The Daoist remained silent.

"This is my answer. Only by completely severing their hope of ascension can they be freed from this delusion."

The old monk shook his head with a bitter expression. "If that is the case, then you cannot blame us."

With that, he made the first move. A Buddhist swastika symbol flew from his hand, spinning incessantly toward the Daoist, finally erupting into a mass of golden light that tightly enveloped him.

Feeling the pressure of this Buddhist light, the Daoist felt a twinge of nervousness for the first time. It was his first time testing his strength against a peer at the fifteenth realm. As soon as the monk moved, he realized the saying that "each of the final realms is a chasm" was indeed true. In the past, he had acted with the poise of a king before other cultivators, but against someone at the same fifteenth realm, he held little advantage. At the very least, the monk’s swastika had temporarily suppressed his cultivation.

The old monk then pressed his palms together and recited the six-character mantra. The mantra descended like a great mountain, attempting to suppress the Daoist in the most direct manner. However, just as the mantra bore down, the Daoist broke free from the golden light. He watched the mantra, formed a seal with one hand, and countered with the Daoist "Six Jia Secret Incantations." The two divine powers collided and neutralized each other, the resulting energy waves pouring into the surrounding Time Sword Formation.

The others noticed this anomaly, though they did not yet grasp its significance. The Old Daoist, seeing his opponent wield the Six Jia Secret Incantations, grew even more curious. They secretly planned for the Old Daoist to engage while the others continued to observe the Time Sword Formation to decipher its nature.

The Old Daoist, harboring a measure of appreciation, nodded and smiled. "To think that in the current Daoist lineage, someone has reached the fifteenth realm. It seems our path remains ever-prosperous!"

The Daoist did not accept the praise, waving his hands. "No, no. The current Daoist sect cannot compare to the one you knew. In fact, the sect on this continent is no longer what it once was."

The Old Daoist asked, "What do you mean?"

The Daoist explained, "The current inheritance of the Daoist sect resides on the Qingming Continent. I am merely a Daoist exiled from there."

The others, as if hearing the name for the first time, repeated softly, "Qingming Continent?"

Seeing their reaction, the Daoist guessed something but chose not to elaborate. Instead, he decided to strike first. Forming a seal, he unleashed one of the Eight Great Divine Incantations: the Golden Light Incantation.

"Heaven and Earth, the mysterious sect, the root of all energy. Cultivated through eons, proving my divine power. Within and without the three realms, the Dao alone is supreme. With golden light in my body, it covers and protects me... Wisdom and clarity intersect, the five energies surge. May the golden light appear swiftly, to shield the true man."

As the Daoist recited the incantation, the Old Daoist’s appreciation deepened. Watching the golden light emerge and feeling the resonance of the heavens, he nodded. "The primordial Dao is formless, relying on man to take shape. To have golden light manifest, it must be full within and radiate without. Not bad, not bad."

Once the golden light fully manifested, the Daoist condensed it into a golden sword and struck toward the Old Daoist. The Old Daoist responded with the same hand seal and incantation, and before long, he too was cloaked in the same golden light. He condensed his light into a sword, and the two blades collided, forming a powerful wave of energy that surged toward the Time Sword Formation.

Finally, they discovered the anomaly.

The woman looked at the Daoist and praised, "To think that among the people of this age, someone could enter the Dao through sheer magical technique. Truly remarkable."

The others looked at her, confused. She waved her hand, and a field of starry space appeared beneath their feet. "This is his method of entering the Dao through magical technique."

The Daoist, feeling a sense of pride, smiled. "After all these years, you are the first to recognize my path. As expected, a sage’s insight is far superior to that of ordinary people."

The woman laughed. "You are a sage yourself now. Does that mean you are praising yourself?"

The Daoist smiled. "It only counts if it is appreciated by someone with a discerning eye."

The others, still puzzled, waited for her explanation.

She continued, "I do not know the name of his technique, but it must be his own creation. Its brilliance lies in placing oneself at the center of the world. The world rests in his palm; its changes—the cycle of yin and yang, life and death, the flow of time—all obey his arrangement."

The Sword Saint said dismissively, "If that is all, it doesn't seem so remarkable. We, too, can establish an independent world with our own Dao."

The woman added, "You are right. But the difference in his technique is that the world continues to operate within it, covering the changes of the heavens, transforming the finite nature of oneself into the infinite nature of the cosmos."

After her explanation, the other four finally held the Daoist’s technique in high regard. The Old Daoist remarked, "Indeed, quite impressive. And more importantly, he has achieved this without even integrating his own Dao into the technique. To encompass the universe with mere magical arts is truly extraordinary."