Chapter 301: Chapter 226: The Prophesied Great Opportunity, The Stunning Jueyin Maiden

The Changming Celestial Pool was divided into nine inner and outer layers. The main hall where Jiang Yi resided was located in its very heart, a place where Spiritual Energy was pure and abundant.

It was connected to the cosmos and myriad heavens, protected by the most formidable magical wards, making it a veritable imperial sanctum.

Beyond it lay thousands of miles of fertile land with rich earth-veins, all shrouded and protected by layers of grand formations.

It was just that its many pavilions, halls, Cave Mansions, and private courtyards had gone untended for years and had nearly fallen into ruin.

Even with Chang Jing and True Master Xuanmiao working day and night to restore the place, they had only managed to sort out two of the layers. Vast swathes of the landscape had yet to be "reclaimed."

On this day, Jiang Yi sat cross-legged atop a cliff. His hair was tied in a Daoist topknot and he was clad in a Daoist Robe, giving him the air of a solitary crane among the clouds.

The cliff was high, allowing it to gather the dense Spiritual Truth of the six yin and six yang, making it a superb place for Cultivation.

He had gathered the complete Great Medicine of the Six Harmonies and condensed paramount True Qi. His foundation was so profound it could not be deepened further. He no longer needed to absorb external Spiritual Energy and could be completely self-sufficient.

But the human body is a microcosm, and ultimately limited. One must achieve Sympathy with the Great Dao and connect with the universe to deepen one’s understanding.

As the saying goes, knowledge gained from paper always feels shallow.

Even if the Celestial Book’s explanations were thorough and insightful, the Dao itself is abstruse and ethereal. In the end, it all comes down to "practical proof."

The Qi Cultivation Realm is the foundation of the Dao. Only by ascending the Twelfth Layer Floors step-by-step can one soar to the heavens and undergo Body Transformation and Essence Refining.

The Foundation Establishment Realm, then, is the "Gateway to the Dao." Cross it, and one becomes a True Master.

Through the Perfection of Life Essence Cultivation, one attests to the Great Dao, which then becomes externally manifest.

’Killing Power is turbid; it grinds away the Primordial Essence. Gang Qi is clear and pure; it can bestow a spiritual nature.

When the two merge in Gang Sha Unity, it is like the dawn of primordial chaos, when the pure and turbid first separated. Thus, a Dao Foundation can be formed...’

Jiang Yi opened his eyes. A great wind howled, whipping at his robes. It seemed as though the slightest sway would send him tumbling into the abyss below, where he would be smashed to pieces.

His expression remained unchanged, his Heart Spirit focused and steady, as if he were suspended in the void, utterly immovable.

A Fire Jiao, a fire dragon, a fire crow, and a Fire Phoenix manifested and shifted around him in sequence. Vast, boundless Magical Power condensed into these spiritual forms, refining the Profound Light around him until it glowed a brilliant, translucent red.

’Xiao Jiang is really starting to look the part of a Daoist from an Ancestral Sect.’

True Master Xuanmiao munched on a gourdful of Yunsheng Pills as if they were soybeans, treating them like simple Snacks.

He saw the Qi Mechanism emanating from Jiang Yi’s body soar straight up, as majestic as a pillar of smoke spanning the sky. Its shimmering radiance spread for miles, forming a haze like iridescent clouds.

If you told someone this magnificent display was the work of a "minor cultivator" in the Qi Cultivation Realm performing his Cultivation, no one would believe you.

’Life’s going to be good from now on.’

True Master Xuanmiao gloated, thinking of the day Xiao Jiang would command the eight peaks, assume the title of Crown Prince, and represent the Innate Sect in battle against the many Daoists of the Nanzhan Continent.

’The Taifu Sect, the Hunlun Sect, the Wuxing Sect... Xiao Jiang’s future accomplishments on his Dao path will be in no way inferior to the Daoists from these Ancestral Sects.

Hmm, Zhang Yuansheng of the Taifu Sect has already ascended, so he probably won’t appear at the next Daoist banquet.’

True Master Xuanmiao grumbled internally. ’That Mincang Crown Prince is the slyest of them all. He stays in seclusion deep within the Great Marsh year-round, always avoiding the full might of[Shao Yang].

My previous master wreaked havoc across the Nanzhan Continent back in the day, causing plenty of trouble for the ruling Eight Sects and even making enemies of several Ancestral Sects.

Figures like Lin Ru, the previous Daoist of the Hunlun Sect, and Pei Fangxiu of the Wuxing Sect were all old nemeses.

The one who had it worst, and held the deepest grudge, was the Juechen Sect.

Two of their Daoists in a row died at my previous master’s hands. That was why he was forced to flee to the Ximizhou Continent and deal with those bald-donkey monks for a few hundred years.

’Speaking of which, my previous master never had the chance to attend the Daoist banquet, so his foundation was always a step behind... If he’d had the destiny of the Eight Sects supporting him back then, he might not have been forced by Ji Fuyao to fight at White Jade City.’

True Master Xuanmiao’s ears drooped. Watching Jiang Yi’s Cultivation climb steadily higher, it felt a surge of gratification.

’As long as Xiao Jiang can rightfully take his place as the Daoist of the Innate Sect, the Crown Prince of Changming, there’s a sliver of a chance he can re-attain[Shao Yang].’

Reaching the Golden Position and being revered by heaven and earth as a True Monarch within a mere sixty years—that was an unprecedented achievement in the history of Cultivation.

It had little to do with innate talent or Dao Wisdom at that point.

To do so, one had to be able to influence their own destiny, stand out from all the other Daoists of the Ancestral Sects, and become the prophesied champion of the Ancient Demon Tribulation.

’Of all the Daoists of the Eight Sects in the Nanzhan Continent, who wouldn’t want to be the one to fulfill the prophecy and become Ji Fuyao’s destined Human Tribulation?

Xiao Jiang has the attention of[Shao Yang], and their Dao paths are in direct conflict. Compared to the Daoists from the other Ancestral Sects, that gives him an extra twenty percent chance.’

True Master Xuanmiao went CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH on the Yunsheng Pills, and before long, its belly was round and bulging.

As a veteran among Foundation Establishment True Masters, it was perfectly clear on the benefits of fulfilling the prophecy.

Ji Fuyao embodied the ten-thousand-year destiny of the [Immortal Dao], allowing [Tai Yang] to manifest in the world for five thousand years.

It was no exaggeration to call him the person with the most prosperous destiny in the entire Yanfu Vast Land.

But destiny is not something that can be monopolized. The more one possesses, the greater the suppression one will face.

The Celestial Lord naturally follows the changes of the Great Dao, and in response to this, will bring forth someone who can "overpower" him.

Furthermore, the renowned Grandmaster Taiwei of the Demon Dao had set forth a prophecy, unleashing the Ancient Demon Tribulation and causing [Tai Yang] to lose its luster.

If a Daoist from the Eight Sects could fulfill the prophecy, destiny would instantly be bestowed upon them. They could smoothly seize the Golden Position, attain great merit, and have a chance to step into the realm of Dominating the Dao.

Who wouldn’t want such a grand Opportunity, one that comes only once in ten thousand ages?

"The ever-burning lamp in Yuanchu Hall... it seemed to stir just now."

Jiang Yi halted his Cultivation. His gaze was profound as his Divine Sense, emanating from his Primordial Gate, detected a faint probing intent.

’Who in the world is scrying me?’

He furrowed his brow, his thoughts racing. His mind quickly turned to the trip to [Jukuzhou].

’If the ruling Eight Sects of the Nanzhan Continent have opened that grotto-heaven, I will inevitably become the center of attention.’

’Fortunately, my life lamp burns bright, my karma has been cleansed, and all ties to my past have been severed. Even a Daoist Monarch would find it difficult to deduce my whereabouts.