Chapter 383: Water and Fire Stirring Up Trouble Together!

This was it!

Before Mingde could finish, Wang Ping immediately thought of the *Qi Nourishing, Forgetting Words, and Guarding the One Scripture*. It recorded exactly how the Qi Nourishing Method had been eliminated.

The birth of the first True Person.

Absolute power had utterly crushed the Qi Nourishing Method, which offered no path to cultivating the Truth, cementing the Qi Ingestion Method as the orthodox path—but looking at it now...

There were more secrets hidden within?

"Tribulation Transcending, Qi Nourishing, and cultivating the Dao to ascend to immortality."

"When the Immortal Dao developed to this stage, 'Tribulation Transcending' as a Realm was already perfect. With no further progress possible, the cultivators decided to forge a new path upward," Mingde explained.

"Cultivators were extremely passionate about improving the Immortal Dao system because it was a monumental endeavor that offered immense benefits to their own cultivation. However, most lacked the necessary Dao attainment. They tampered blindly, making fools of themselves and taking many wrong turns."

"In the end, that gave birth to the Qi Ingestion Method."

"That sparked a far more violent Dao struggle. It wasn't just the qi-ingesting practitioners and the qi-nourishing practitioners—many higher-level Daoists also chose to participate."

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow. "Daoists... the True Persons of the ancient methods?"

Mingde nodded. "Correct. Back then, it was still 'cultivating the Dao', not 'cultivating the Truth'. Therefore, those who achieved success were all called Daoists."

"Those who reached perfection were called Dao Lords."

"As higher-realm experts entered the fray, the Dao struggle gradually escalated into an irreconcilable war. Over eighty percent of cultivators joined in."

"That lasted until one Dao Lord at a higher Realm suddenly used the Qi Ingestion Method as a foundation to propose an entirely new concept—'cultivating the Truth.' He transformed his Realm, becoming the first True Person in the world, and defeated all the other Dao Lords to finally end the war."

"After all, everyone saw the advantages of the Qi Ingestion Method."

"It was something the Qi Nourishing Method could never hope to match."

"Under those circumstances, the cultivators who originally supported the Qi Nourishing Method defected in droves, becoming the straw that broke the camel's back. The Qi Ingestion Method became the undeniable trend."

"After that upheaval, 'nourishing qi' shifted to 'ingesting qi', and 'cultivating the Dao' shifted to 'cultivating the Truth'. As a result, both 'nourishing' and the 'Dao' were phased out."

Wang Ping sighed softly.

"Unfortunately, 'ingesting qi' didn't last very long either."

"Indeed."

Mingde nodded. "The emergence of Qi Refining sparked yet another Dao struggle, and the legacy of the Great Rebellion on the side of Qi Ingestion has not fully dissipated to this day."

"Regardless, with the destruction of the Great Rebellion, 'ingesting' was still eliminated. After two Dao struggles, Qi Refining thoroughly established its orthodox status."

"Finally, there is the word 'And'."

Wang Ping asked curiously, "The original Nine-Word Mantra of the Heavenly Honored One used the word 'Then', but it was changed to 'And'. Is there a difference between the two?"

"Of course there is," Mingde chuckled. "'Then' simply indicates a sequence of events, but 'And' represents a progression. The True Monarchs joined forces to change this single word in order to forge a progressive path upward from 'cultivating the Truth' to 'ascending to immortality.' It was only after this that True Monarchs began ascending to immortality."

"...What?"

Wang Ping froze at those words. "True Monarchs ascending to immortality actually happened after the Great Rebellion? Then where did the Immortal Decree inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace come from?"

Mingde shook his head.

"That is beyond my knowledge. Perhaps it appeared after a True Monarch became an immortal due to the alteration of the word 'And,' or perhaps there is another reason entirely."

"Besides... the historical records might not be completely accurate."

At this point, Mingde spoke with considerable apprehension, his voice unconsciously dropping much lower. "Junior Brother, you must always remember: immortals are different."

"The deeds of True Monarchs and True Persons can still be recorded."

"However, immortals are not the same."

"For example, with immortals hidden from the world today, can you name how many immortals the Immortal Gate has had? What their respective titles are? What deeds they left behind, or what great legacies they built?"

You cannot.

Even though water qi had vanished, its title still remained; the Daoist name of the Mingxing Xuanyi Primordial Sovereign was known to everyone. But as for immortals, no one knew their specific titles.

At most, people could only guess from the structure of the Immortal Gate's Three Great Academies that there was an immortal behind earth qi, metal qi, and wood qi respectively. Yet, if you were to ask the True Persons and True Monarchs of the Three Great Academies, they probably wouldn't be able to name their own immortals either—if not for the fact that things like Immortal Decrees still existed in the world as proof.

The very existence of the immortal Realm would probably be called into question.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, a thought struck Wang Ping. "Now that you mention it, none of these upheavals seem to involve the Brahma Nation. Did the Brahma Nation not undergo any reforms at all?"

"The Brahma Nation..."

Mentioning the entity that made the fire qi faction grind their teeth in hatred caused Mingde's expression to darken slightly, but he still spoke fairly. "The Living Buddha's ambitions were far higher."

"His establishment of an independent sect was exactly that—independent in the truest sense. He didn't even bother trying to alter the Heavenly Honored One's Nine-Word Mantra. Instead, he intended to create his own system and a corresponding mantra. You shouldn't be unfamiliar with the Brahma Nation's Six-Word Mantra, Junior Brother: 'Meditate, Awaken to Emptiness, and Prove the Fruit'."

Wang Ping did indeed know of it.

"Ascetic Monks meditate, arhats awaken to emptiness, and Bodhisattvas prove the fruit... It doesn't seem complete. It only reaches the Bodhisattva level, with no further mantra for immortals."

"That is how it stands at present."

Mingde shook his head. "However, it's hard to say what will happen in the future... That is why my lord decided to make a move after seeing that Immortal Decree."

Before the Immortal Decree emerged from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, with the immortals hidden from the world, almost all True Monarchs suspected they had met with some accident. The Living Buddha naturally assumed the same. However, when an arhat was slain by that decree—proving the might of immortals remained intact—it stood to reason that the Living Buddha's own condition might not be as poor as everyone thought.

In that case, they had to seize the opportunity.

If they continued to wait like this until the Living Buddha broke through or returned to the world, the fire qi faction would probably have no choice but to surrender and welcome the Brahma Nation's army with open arms.

'The waters run deep here.'

Wang Ping couldn't help but bare his teeth. He decisively changed the subject, asking, "Senior Brother, you've shared so many secrets, but what does any of this have to do with dealing with the Master of Secret Traces?"

Hearing this, Mingde went along with the flow and shifted the conversation as well.

"Naturally, it is because these eliminated Dao orthodoxies possess something that the Master of Secret Traces covets. It would greatly benefit His path, making it an excellent piece of bait."

"Oh?"

Wang Ping was somewhat surprised. "These eliminated Dao orthodoxies actually still have treasures capable of tempting a Bodhisattva?"

"Not only do they have them,"

Mingde smiled, "But after so many years of generation upon generation of accumulation, the influence of these eliminated ancient Dao orthodoxies can no longer be considered small."

At this, a hint of envy seeped into Mingde's tone. "Fellow Daoist, do not forget—although these ancient Dao orthodoxies each have their flaws, whether it be a hopeless future or combat strength inferior to Qi Refining practitioners, they still hold one advantage that would make today's Qi Refining practitioners red-eyed with envy."

Wang Ping thought for a moment before sudden realization dawned on him.

"Lifespan!"

Qi-nourishing practitioners and qi-ingesting practitioners might fall significantly short when compared to Qi Refining practitioners, but precisely because their Dao orthodoxies were eliminated, they also managed to avoid a massive tribulation.

The Wood Qi True Lord stealing the lifespan of Qi Refiners!

Just as the Ascetic Monks of the Brahma Nation were completely unaffected by the theft of lifespan, the qi-nourishing practitioners and qi-ingesting practitioners similarly did not suffer a reduction in their lifespans. They were still immortal!

"Exactly," Mingde clapped his hands and laughed. "The qi-nourishing practitioners from the Dao struggles of the past, the qi-ingesting practitioners left behind by the Great Rebellion, and some Daoists—even Dao Lords—who refused to cultivate the Truth... The vast majority of them are actually still alive! They were merely driven out of the mainstream Immortal Dao; they are far from being completely extinct!"

"That truly is a blessing in disguise..."

Wang Ping stroked his chin.

Looking at it this way, the Great Rebellion of the Qi Ingestion lineage was truly ruthless, striking a fatal blow. It showed just how tragic and brutal these struggles over the foundation of the Immortal Dao truly were.

"Are these ancient Dao orthodoxies... located in the Heavenly Market Enclosure?"

Wang Ping thought back to his previous conversation with Kunyun.

Mingde nodded at his words. "That is why, although the Master of Secret Traces covets what they have, He does not dare to go there. After all, to get there, one cannot avoid passing through water qi's domain."

"However, there are exceptions to everything."

Mingde continued, "For example, the emergence of the Heaven Defiance Palace. As the final ruin of the Great Rebellion, those ancient Dao orthodoxies have placed tremendous hope in it."

"Therefore, every time the Heaven Defiance Palace appears, Daoists—and even Dao Lords—from these ancient Dao orthodoxies will take action to participate in its exploration. The heavy treasure that the Master of Secret Traces covets is in the hands of one of those Dao Lords, and this will be His only opportunity to strike."

Wang Ping understood.

"The lords intend to use that ancient Dao Lord as bait to lure out the Master of Secret Traces, and then join forces to trap and kill Him outside the Brahma Nation?"

Mingde nodded.

Hearing this, Wang Ping let out a long breath, yet he couldn't help but ask, "Does that ancient Dao Lord know about this? You would probably need his cooperation."

"Of course he knows."

Mingde smiled. "His condition was already poor, and he was being watched by the Master of Secret Traces on top of that. Who would tolerate an enemy sleeping right beside their own bed? Naturally, he also wants to eliminate this hidden danger."

"In that case... what can I do?"

Wang Ping asked again.

Since the lords had already arranged everything and were just waiting to make their move, what need did they have for a lowly cultivator like him? It couldn't possibly be to have him go kill a Bodhisattva.

Mingde gave him the answer.

"That lord is also a top-tier Dao Lord among the ancient Dao orthodoxies. He wants to cultivate the Truth, and he intends to jump directly from a Dao Lord to the True Monarch Pinnacle Station."

"To do this, he needs the assistance of a lower-level cultivator."

"To cultivate the True through the false."

As he finished speaking, Mingde's gaze toward Wang Ping was full of sincerity. "And in this matter, the lords unanimously agree that water qi is the most suitable."

"After all, you are the most insidious."

"Moreover, cultivating the True through the false inevitably requires scheming, as well as some underhanded tricks... In this regard, water qi has undoubtedly been widely recognized for many years. With a Dao Child of water qi personally undertaking this task, that lord can rest assured, and it will also promote our cooperation with him."

Wang Ping didn't like the sound of that.

What did he mean, saying that because it inevitably required underhanded tricks, having a water qi Dao Child handle it was the most reassuring? He made it sound as if they were demonic cultivators.

"Senior Brother, you may have some misunderstandings."

For the sake of his own reputation, Wang Ping decided to clarify, "Although I am a water qi Dao Child, I joined halfway through my journey. I am absolutely not some insidious villain."

"Please do not project your stereotypes of water qi onto me."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Looking at Wang Ping, who had tilted his head with a face full of innocence, Mingde immediately clapped his hands and said excitedly, "That's exactly it! Junior Brother, you will definitely be up to the task!"

Wang Ping: "..."