Chapter 1195: The Transformation Dao Stone Mother
Chapter 1195: The Transformation Dao Stone Mother
A peculiar glint flashed in Chen Tianhai's eyes.
"My Taiyan Sect has been secluded for millennia, with scarce contact with the outside world. For your master to know our hidden location is... quite telling."
"He must know a great deal about us. And despite that knowledge, he proactively sent you here to make contact..."
"He's certain that we would be interested in him, this 'factor beyond all variables'."
Sun Erlang froze at his words. "Is... is that so?" he stammered.
But then, remembering his master's enigmatic background and his seemingly omniscient powers, Sun Erlang felt a sense of relief wash over him.
"This world is not without its transcendent variables. Some have even profoundly influenced and altered the destiny of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"While our Nine Scrolls of Divination are said to be capable of calculating all things under heaven, when it comes to visitors from beyond the sky or the descent of a True Immortal—events that transcend the very fabric of this world..."
Chen Tianhai admitted without hesitation.
"However, we of the Taiyan Sect neither reject nor fear the appearance of such variables." His tone was cryptic, his words laden with unspoken meaning.
"A visitor from beyond the sky?" Sun Erlang murmured thoughtfully.
But he quickly suppressed the faint stirrings of doubt in his heart.
Whatever his master's origins, his current identity was that of the sole Heavenly Mandate Sage Emperor of Great Qi, the linchpin upon which the fates of countless lives rested.
And as his master's eldest disciple, he would always stand resolutely by his side.
"So, Senior, does this mean you've agreed to our proposal for an alliance?" Sun Erlang asked after a short silence.
"If there's a chance of victory, why would we refuse?" Chen Tianhai replied with a faint smile, not giving a direct answer.
"Then what are you suggesting, Senior?"
"Our simulation produced such a large deviation, so naturally, we must make corrections. Since the Sage Dynasty of Great Qi wishes to ally with us, you surely wouldn't refuse a visit from a prospective ally for a... closer look, would you?" Chen Tianhai said nonchalantly.
"Well..."
The request took Sun Erlang by surprise.
His master hadn't given him any instructions for a situation like this.
"Erlang, on this journey, you may make decisions as you see fit. The Taiyan Sect is important..."
"...and also not important."
Sun Erlang suddenly recalled the last words his master had spoken before he left.
"If you're timid and hesitant even when facing the insignificant Taiyan Sect, how will you ever contend with the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance for the Xuanhuang Realm in the future?"
A surge of pride welled up within him, and Sun Erlang declared, "The Sage Dynasty of Great Qi has a place of honor waiting. You of the Taiyan Sect are welcome anytime."
For a moment, an inexplicable blue light shimmered in Chen Tianhai's eyes.
He offered no reply, his thoughts unreadable.
"Since you've put it that way, young sir, the Taiyan Sect will dispatch an emissary to accompany you to Great Qi and investigate matters firsthand."
Chen Tianhai finally spoke after a long pause.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Sun Erlang suddenly let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, feeling as though he had just stepped back from the brink of death.
"Then, Senior, when shall we depart?"
"There is no hurry. A guest from afar is to be treasured. You've traveled a great distance to be here, young sir, and that is no small thing. The Taiyan Sect hasn't received a visitor in millennia."
"Besides, you also returned Yi Xing's remains."
After a moment's thought, Chen Tianhai asked, "Tell me, young sir, are you interested in our 'simulations'?"
"Of course. I'm very curious."
Chen Tianhai nodded, and in an instant, the surrounding ground and decorations vanished.
The two of them found themselves suspended in a void. Before them hovered a massive, azure crystal, pulsing with a captivating light.
"This is the Transformation Dao Stone Mother."
Chen Tianhai announced, his voice filled with an unreadable emotion.
"The Transformation Dao Stone Mother?" Sun Erlang echoed the name.
Gazing at the mysterious crystal, Sun Erlang was stunned to realize he couldn't distinguish any details on its surface.
It seemed to be infinitely divisible; every mirror-like facet, upon closer inspection, fractured into countless more microscopic surfaces.
After staring at it for only a few moments, Sun Erlang felt a wave of dizziness, his vision blurring.
He quickly averted his gaze.
"The Transformation Dao Stone Mother is the very foundation of our Taiyan Sect. Though the Grand Master passed down the Nine Scrolls of Divination, the art itself probes the depths of heaven and earth—far beyond what any ordinary person could hope to learn. Even a peerless genius, in striving to master the Nine Scrolls, would exhaust their very essence and find their life cut short." Chen Tianhai's form blurred, and he reappeared beside the enormous azure crystal, his figure almost seeming to merge into it.
"If cultivation is so arduous for a genius, what hope is there for an ordinary person? The very nature of the Nine Scrolls dictates that each generation of the Taiyan Sect can only have a handful of disciples. Our talent dwindled, and the sect could never expand. It was possible that one day, we would not even be able to hold on to our title as one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects."
"According to our own calculations, this was to be the fate of the Taiyan Sect."
"Had it not been for the Transformation Dao Stone Mother."
Chen Tianhai's tone changed abruptly.
"Even a small fragment of the Stone Mother can instantly grant a mortal the deductive power of a Dao Integration expert. What a magnificent creation this is!"
"Young sir," Chen Tianhai said, his gaze shifting back to Sun Erlang, "those white sheets of paper that Yi Xing carried with him before his death—did you bring them?"
The question jolted Sun Erlang's memory, and he hastily retrieved the sheets of paper.
"These sheets of paper have a name. They are called the Tribulation Reversal Treasure Box, a common training tool our disciples once used to practice their powers of deduction."
"There are forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine sheets in total. One must simply arrange them in their original sequence to restore the box to its true form."
"Would you care to try, young sir?" Chen Tianhai tossed the papers into the air, allowing them to drift about haphazardly. He then looked at Sun Erlang with a smile.
"Arrange them in sequence?"
Sun Erlang had studied the papers before; they were all identical, without any special markings.
"It's all down to luck, then? There's no special technique?" Sun Erlang ventured.
Looking at Chen Tianhai's expression, Sun Erlang made a quick mental calculation, and his face instantly turned pale.
He firmly declined.
"Exactly. For an ordinary person, this is a task that would be impossible to complete in a single lifetime. But for a Taiyan Sect disciple who possesses a Transformation Dao Stone..."
"...it takes but an instant!"
With a simple point of his finger, the papers scattering through the air began to fly about in a frenzy.
One by one, they arranged themselves in perfect order.
Finally, every sheet settled into place. After a blinding flash of light, the treasure box opened.
Inside lay a jade slip and a crystalline blue stone.
The appearance of the Transformation Dao Stone from within the box seemed to stir a resonance in the great Stone Mother.
Bathed in the light of the Stone Mother, the smaller stone's color seemed to grow even more profound.
Chen Tianhai first put away the jade slip, then gently caressed the blue gemstone.
He wore a wistful expression as he then turned to Sun Erlang and said, "Young sir, I gift this Transformation Dao Stone to you."
Only when the Transformation Dao Stone settled into his hand did Sun Erlang snap back to his senses.
"What?"
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