Chapter 570

Chapter 570: Origins

"Does the Hongmeng Dao Realm also have the Dao De Jing?" Ye Li muttered under his breath.

The words on this ancient stone tablet in the Dao Clan’s ancestral land came from the Dao De Jing, revealing the origin of all things. Could it hold the same principle here?

"What does this mean?" The Battle Dao Sovereign frowned.

Bi’an pondered for a moment. "Taken literally, it means all things originated and evolved from the Great Dao."

"Yet any cultivator understands this foundational principle. Would the Lord of the Dao Clan erect a stone tablet here solely to impart such a rudimentary truth to posterity?"

"Perhaps there’s a deeper meaning." Ying Ziyu murmured.

"If interpreted literally," Li Ruoyu mused, his gaze shifting thoughtfully, "if ‘Dao creates one’, what does ‘one’ represent? The Dao of Heaven? Or the Dao Clan itself?"

"Once we comprehend ‘one’, everything that follows becomes clear."

"Daoist friend," Bi’an exclaimed, enlightenment dawning. "Your insight is truly profound!"

Even Ying Ziyu’s eyes flickered with surprise.

Though this man lacked cultivation strength, his discernment was exceptional.

Ye Li’s gaze deepened, becoming unfathomable.

If Li Ruoyu’s reasoning held true, Ye Li thought, "then the ‘one’ birthed by the Dao couldn’t possibly be the Dao Clan. It was far more likely the Dao of Heaven… or the entire Hongmeng Dao Realm itself."

"And what of ‘two’?" Ye Li pondered silently within his heart.

"The Hongmeng Dao Realm’s… yin and yang realms?"

Suddenly, as if blessed by a revelation, Ye Li instantly thought of the yin realm and the yang realm.

It was essential to remember.

The complete Hongmeng Dao Realm had split into yin and yang. If ‘two’ corresponded to this division, then the subsequent ‘two creates three’ also fell into place.

‘Three’ represented the Three Ancient Clans.

So it might unfold: The ‘Dao of Heaven’ gives birth to the Hongmeng Dao Realm. This realm then splits into the yin and yang realms. From these realms arose the Three Ancient Clans, embodying essence (jing), energy (qi), and spirit (shen). Everything else in existence followed in their wake.

Of course, this entire chain remained mere speculation. Ye Li couldn’t be certain.

"In truth," a clear voice rang out just then, "the Hongmeng Dao Realm was a single entity throughout ancient times." A young woman appeared, a graceful phoenix feather adorning her hair. Her eyes were bright, her teeth pearly white, exuding an air of spirited vitality.

She wore a short skirt of jade-green and pristine white boots, bouncing lightly with each step. "The world we inhabit now, while still called the Hongmeng Dao Realm, is only a part of it."

"This part," she stated, "is known as the yang realm."

"Senior Sister Huang…" Bi’an exclaimed, recognizing the newcomer. He hastily clasped his hands in greeting.

She was Huang Yinyue, the inheritor of Yuanfeng.

"The yang realm?"

Huang Yinyue’s words caused many Dao Sovereigns to show shocked expressions, but some remained expressionless, clearly having heard before.

"Senior sister, I’ve also heard about it." Ying Ziyu smiled lightly, gently smoothing the hair beside her ear, saying, "The yin and yang realms have been separated for a long time, likely tracing back to the first epoch."

Ye Li’s expression turned peculiar.

These fellows each knew the inside story of both realms, yet all kept it secret, instead letting Li Ruoyu be the first to expose it.

"Cunning," Ye Li thought to himself.

"Since we’re idle, why not share information together to explore the origin of the world?" Huang Yinyue said with a flowery smile, "Dear friends, are you interested?"

"Good idea."

Bi’an nodded, "Enhancing one’s knowledge isn’t a bad thing."

"Hahaha… makes sense." Several more people descended from the sky.

In the blink of an eye.

Dozens arrived one after another.

Every newcomer was an elite of the major powers, a prodigy likely to cultivate into heavenly sovereigns in the future.

"If one is the heavenly way, two are the yin and yang realms, what is three?" a Dao Sovereign asked aloud.

"Rumors say there are Three Ancient Clans; we only know of the Dao Clan, but not the names of the other two ancient clans." Bi’an looked at Ye Li, saying, "Brother Ye comes from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, so he surely knows."

Ye Li remained composed.

"Dear friends, your secrets aren’t secrets at all to me," he said lightly, "But the information I hold can shatter your perceptions."

"Ahem…"

Li Ruoyu coughed twice, saying, "Honorable Daoist brothers, let me interpret it."

"If you want to know more, you need to pay extra."

Ye Li glanced at him with satisfaction.

"……"

Their faces twisted unpleasantly.

Were all people of the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion obsessed with money? Opening and closing their mouths only talking about money.

"I’m aware some of you doubt it, and anyway, I don’t care to hear your secrets," Ye Li added.

This was truly honest.

Among his peers regarding the secrets of the Hongmeng Dao Realm, no one knew more than him.

"In truth, the Three Ancient Clans are mere trifles; dear friends, do you know who Shen You and Shen Le really are?" Ye Li deliberately teased to heighten their anticipation.

"Do they have origins too?"

Battle Dao Sovereign felt a chill in his heart.

Shen You and Shen Le could casually mobilize the power of divine punishment and master the Heavenly Divine Ability, making their backgrounds extremely terrifying.

"Nonsense." Ye Li rolled his eyes.

"Senior Brother Ye, your price should be a bit lower; if it’s too high, I’m afraid we might not be able to afford it." Huang Yinyue smiled playfully.

"Naturally." Ye Li laughed: "Everyone is a friend; I won’t ask for too high a price either."

In their hearts, everyone secretly criticized him.

"Fifty trillion, then." Ye Li said, "I’ll tell you all the secrets I know." "Everyone can chip in together."

"Senior Brother, what do you think?" Members of the Immortal Palace of All Laws almost all looked toward Battle Dao Sovereign; he was the strongest of the younger generation in the Immortal Palace of All Laws; everyone looked up to him.

On the other side, Fangcun Mountain and Yuling Sect members were also waiting for Ying Ziyu’s response.

"Senior Brother Ye, this is six hundred billion divine stones; please check them." Without another word, Huang Yinyue presented six hundred billion divine stones.

"Junior Sister is generous!" Ye Li praised and immediately accepted Huang Yinyue’s portion.

Seeing Huang Yinyue pay, everyone no longer hesitated and brought out their divine stones one after another.

Half an hour later.

Fifty trillion divine stones were obtained.

"This trip was truly profitable." Ye Li was overjoyed in his heart; from the trip to the Dao Clan’s ancestral land, he had already gained eighty trillion divine stones and a Primordial Spirit Flower. Conservatively estimated, it was at least one hundred fifty trillion. The money for this clone had already been recouped.

"Senior Brother, please speak." Everyone looked at Ye Li with curiosity.

"The Three Ancient Clans represent the three paths of essence, energy, and spirit." Ye Li solemnly said, "The Dao Clan is forged from primordial essence; its ancestral land is the place where Primordial Qi resides." "And the other clan is the Witch Clan." "Nowadays, the Witch Path cultivators spread throughout the Hongmeng Dao Realm are the method passed down from the Witch Clan lineage; they possess extremely high attainments in the physical body." "As for the other lineage, I need not say more, right?" Mainly because the name of the Spirit lineage was unclear to Ye Li. After all, when the ancestral dragon went to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, only information about the Haotian lineage and Dao Clan was obtained; even about the Witch Clan, it was only at Dao Yuan Palace when Wu Tianyue came, that he knew.

"No problem." The group didn’t mind. This speech by Ye Li indeed broadened their horizons.

"And the origins of Shen You and Shen Le, I guarantee you haven’t heard of them before." Ye Li smiled as he watched them, but he delayed unraveling the mystery for everyone. Everyone clenched their fists, barely restraining the impulse to beat Ye Li severely.

"They are also the most ancient clan." Ye Li’s smile gradually faded, his voice becoming slightly solemn: "Pure Land, Haotian Divine Offspring." "Haotian?" Upon hearing this, the expressions of Ying Ziyu, Huang Yinyue, Battle Dao Sovereign, and others instantly became grave. What the words ‘Haotian’ represented was self-evident. "No wonder they possess the Heavenly Divine Ability and can even summon heavenly punishment." Battle Dao Sovereign shuddered in fear; thankfully he was relatively weak, otherwise facing a heavenly punishment would be perilous. "Senior Brother Ye knows so much." Huang Yinyue praised. Ye Li said proudly, "Of course." "All who come from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion are erudite and knowledgeable?" Dao Sovereign Qingyuan silently turned his head.

"There’s one more question; could Senior Brother shed some light on it?" Huang Yinyue asked. "Speak." "Is this stone tablet with writings describing the origin of the Hongmeng Dao Realm?" Huang Yinyue’s gaze was deep, seemingly able to penetrate a person’s heart: "One is the Hongmeng Dao Realm, two is yin and yang; so is three the Three Ancient Clans represented by the Dao Clan?"