Chapter 290: Tianqu, Wood Daoist Master?

Even so, Wang Ping maintained a calm exterior.

The reason was simple. Tiangong wasn't the only one who believed the Heavenly Yin Metal path was viable. Although the recently awakened Tianshuang had immediately rejected it, she hadn't denied the feasibility of the qi itself.

Instead, she had refused on the grounds that Heavenly Yin Metal was the Ancient Qi of the Six Heavens and could not be revived. She had also changed her tune shortly afterward, which only deepened Wang Ping's doubts.

'If I assume Tiangong harbors malicious intentions, does that mean Tianshuang, who awakened right after him, does as well? What do I even have that's worth plotting over?'

The Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart again?

Thinking of this, Wang Ping suddenly smiled. He looked toward Tianshuang. "Alright. I accept your condition, Senior. I ask for your guidance."

He had thought it through.

Regardless of whether Heavenly Yin Metal was truly viable, securing it as a trump card first was definitely the right move. He could always verify the truth later.

"May I ask where your Cave Abode is located, Senior?"

In response, Tianshuang pointed at the sky.

"Yin metal is Xin; in the sky, it is frost. The Five Elements' yin wood is extinguished here. Yin wood is Yi; in the sky, it is wind. Therefore, my Cave Abode is in the Windless Land."

Wang Ping blanked for a moment before realizing her meaning. 'As long as air exists on a planet, there can't be a completely windless place unless one leaves the planet entirely... So she means Cosmic Deep Space. The Heavenly Frost Cave Abode is in outer space?'

With this in mind, Wang Ping probed, "Beyond the sky?"

Tianshuang gave a slight nod, a trace of satisfaction appearing on her cold face. "Not bad. You are quite perceptive. My Cave Abode is indeed located in deep space."

"As for exactly where, that will depend on your own abilities."

Tianshuang let out a sigh. "We are trapped within this Treasure Cauldron Grotto-Heaven and have no understanding of the outside world, so I cannot help you with much."

"...I understand."

Wang Ping took a deep breath, then looked at Tiangong. "Senior, please invite the next few out as well. I also wish to see my current limits."

"As you wish."

Tiangong smiled faintly before rapidly fading away. Tianshuang closely followed suit, disappearing until the multicolored light above the firmament crashed down once more.

...........

The remaining three phantom echoes in the Cauldron Interior Grotto-Heaven were Tianxu, Tianzhu, and Tianqu. Although their cultivation realms were successively higher, they were all ultimately at the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer with Divine Powers cultivation. Naturally, Wang Ping held nothing back. He immediately unleashed the Fourfold War God and hacked away with one blade strike after another.

None of them could put up a fight.

The only slightly troublesome one was Tianqu, who appeared last. He actually managed to last a full three breaths under Wang Ping's blade light before being decapitated by a single slash.

And this was only with his Divine Powers cultivation.

Wang Ping had no doubt that if Tianqu had been restored to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer, Wang Ping would have been the one instantly killed—which also indirectly proved Tianqu's identity.

'According to the Treasure Cauldron Spirit, he is the one among the five qi-ingesting practitioners who single-handedly wielded two streams of heaven and earth qi, the one whose cultivation was closest to a True Person!'

Judging by his name, his primary cultivation path should be Heavenly Yin Wood.

After all, the Daoist title "Tianqu" originated from Heavenly Yin Wood, specifically the Tianqu Wind-Riding Soaring Qi. This naming convention was a distinct characteristic of these qi-ingesting practitioners.

Tiangong came from the Heavenly Craft Supreme Yang Nine Smeltings Qi.

Tianshuang came from the heavenly frost seasonal slaughter premier qi.

This seemed to be some sort of thematic resonance—somewhat similar to a Corpse Dissolution Immortal, but fundamentally different. It was clearly a method distinct from that of Qi Refining practitioners.

"Mhm..."

While Wang Ping was deep in thought, Tianqu—the last phantom he had defeated—opened his eyes. The brief confusion in his gaze quickly dissipated, replaced by clarity.

"What year is it now?"

"To answer Senior," Wang Ping stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting, "the Great Rebellion has already fallen."

Hearing this, Tianqu showed no shock. Instead, he remained extremely calm. He glanced at Tiangong and the others, then at Wang Ping, before giving a slight nod.

"I see."

"It is the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron that engraved our remnants into the world. It seems the great endeavor of Purging the Stale Qi of the Six Heavens was highly successful."

"As for this little friend..."

Tianqu paused. He had clearly already received voice transmissions from Tiangong and Tianshuang and understood the situation. He smiled. "Our Cave Abodes are indeed a hidden danger."

"For you to be willing to lend a hand is the good fortune of my Great Rebellion."

Wang Ping remained silent.

He offered no rebuttal.

Although his face was filled with respect, Wang Ping's heart sank. The exact same situation had occurred with Tianxu and Tianzhu; their attitudes had been identical to Tiangong's.

And now, Tianqu was acting the same way.

That left only two possibilities: either all five qi-ingesting practitioners had joined forces to deceive him, or Heavenly Yin Metal truly was a viable path for him.

Wang Ping really wanted it to be the second option.

However, he couldn't shake his previous doubts. Especially if the first possibility was true—just thinking about it made his scalp tingle with dread.

Thinking of this, he suddenly spoke.

"May I ask, Senior, do you know of any True Person from the Great Rebellion who cultivated the Xun Trigram?"

"The Xun Trigram?"

Tianqu was momentarily stumped by the question, his brows furrowing slightly. "Why do you ask?"

Seeing his reaction, Wang Ping simply laid everything bare, explaining how he had previously attempted to break through and how the Mysterious Wood Qi Daoist Master had aided him with the Xun Trigram, nearly resulting in success.

The very next second, however, Tianqu gave him a surprising answer.

"There was no such person."

Tianqu shook his head.

"During the Great Rebellion, although there were quite a few Qi Refining practitioners who cultivated Heavenly Yin Wood, none successfully cultivated the Xun Trigram to become a True Person. I was the one who came closest."

Wang Ping was taken aback. "You? That can't be right, can it?"

"If I am not mistaken, your primary cultivation is Heavenly Yin Wood, and you also wielded Earth Yin Wood. The two yin energies of heaven and earth don't seem to align with the Xun Trigram, do they?"

Wang Ping narrowed his eyes.

Yet Tianqu calmly shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with it. The yin and yang attributes of heaven and earth qi are not absolute; it is merely that your cultivation is insufficient to see it."

"I cultivated Heavenly Yin Wood and Earth Yin Wood, and together with His Majesty, I accomplished the great deed of detaching human qi from the sequence of heaven and earth. Originally, as long as I cultivated a stream of Human Yin Wood—the Adapting to Changes and Yielding for Wholeness Qi—I would have been able to achieve the Xun Trigram. I could have then used the Xun Trigram to become a True Person, but an error occurred at the very end..."

Only as he reached the end of his explanation did Tianqu reveal a hint of anger.

For a time, he seemed lost in his memories, saying nothing at all. It was only after a long while that he slowly spoke again, his words extremely abrupt:

"With this, do you understand?"

Ah? Understand what?

Wang Ping's pupils instantly shrank. He said in a deep voice, "Senior, from my perspective, you didn't say a single word after mentioning that an error occurred."

Tianqu was immediately rendered speechless.

After a long pause, he let out a faint sigh. "So that's how it is. It remains a hidden secret, does it? Then let it be. You only need to know that an error occurred in the end."

Then, Tianqu provided his answer: "In short, I was forced to participate in the endeavor of Purging the Stale Qi of the Six Heavens. Back then, His Majesty promised me that I would undoubtedly have a chance to revive and become a True Person in the future. So, if that Wood Qi Daoist Master you spoke of is a remnant of the Great Rebellion, then perhaps he is me."

"He is you, Senior!?"

Wang Ping was stunned. Frowning, he quickly asked another question, "If the Wood Qi Daoist Master outside is the real you, Senior, then who are you in here?"

"We are both me."

Tianqu laughed. "If you must make a distinction, the me you see now is the fake one. I am merely a reflected trace left behind in the world by the me from the era of the Great Rebellion."

"I was simply hidden away by the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron."

"In any case, I can't speak for the others, but as for me, I have His Majesty's guarantee. After countless years have passed, there should be a very high possibility that I attained the Dao and became a True Person."

Pausing there, Tianqu offered a proposition with keen interest. "Of course, I am not entirely certain about this either. However, I can teach you a technique of my own creation. You can find a way to meet that Wood Qi Daoist Master and cast this technique. If he truly is me, he will definitely speak to you candidly."

"How could a junior like me manage to meet a True Person?" Wang Ping shook his head.

"There is always a way."

Tianqu thought for a moment before continuing, "If things really are as I suspect, then I should have been hiding inside my Cave Abode all these years, not daring to step outside."

"As old manors of the Six Heavens, the Cave Abodes of the five of us are actually connected in secret. Didn't you say Tiangong's Cave Abode has appeared in the world? You only need to find a way inside it and execute the technique I teach you. The me outside will definitely be able to see it and take the initiative to contact you."

"That includes the Heavenly Frost Cave Abode."

"If you want to enter Tianshuang's Cave Abode, the best way would also be through the outside me, who could quietly send you directly in from Tiangong's Cave Abode."

"Otherwise, the risks will be immense."

"Moreover, this way, you can stealthily enter the Cave Abode alone. There will be no need for the Cave Abode to truly emerge into the world, which would ruin the endeavor of Purging the Stale Qi of the Six Heavens."

At the very end, Tianqu didn't forget to emphasize, "Of course, this is all under the premise that the Wood Qi Daoist Master you spoke of truly hails from the Great Rebellion and is indeed me."