Chapter 139: Who is Dao Sovereign Wuhuo?

Dao Sovereign Wuhuo?

Qingyang Miaodao Heavenly Lord always felt that this name sounded somewhat familiar. Stroking his beard in thought for a moment, he suddenly remembered where he had heard the name “Dao Sovereign Wuhuo” before—

Wasn’t that the very name claimed by the one who left behind the simplified remnant of the [Round Light Manifestation Technique]?

And there was also that cultivation method which had spread widely among many female disciples and even a handful of male cultivators. Upon cultivation, it rendered the skin smooth and the eyes bright as stars. If memory served, that too had been authored by [Dao Sovereign Wuhuo]. The old Heavenly Lord pondered a moment longer and recalled—wasn’t that manual titled [Dao Sovereign Wuhuo’s Sublime Arts Profound Chapter]?

The old Heavenly Lord was always idle and had even acquired two copies of the text from that Old Yellow Ox, which he perused carefully.

He had paid for it, even parting with some Heavenly Emperor Coins.

After all, that Old Yellow Ox was not one to be swayed by reason or sentiment.

Even uttering phrases like, “This old ox knows who you are, but these hands of mine only recognize Old Yellow Ox”, was par for the course for him. The old Heavenly Lord could only shake his head with a sigh, admit defeat, and fork over the coins in exchange for the manual, which he then read—only to find it rather immature.

In the old Heavenly Lord’s judgment, this Dao Sovereign Wuhuo was most likely someone from the present age crafting works in imitation of antiquity.

As for how one might age a jade slip and make it appear ancient—

Why, in just one corner of the Shangqing Library Pavilion alone, there were no less than one thousand three hundred and sixty-five such methods.

Some of them could even produce jade slips that appeared older still, not only bearing the wear and traces of ages past, but even etched with special imprints left behind by the unique spiritual fluctuations of secret realms in which they had supposedly been stored for centuries.

When the Shangqing Lingbao Great Heavenly Venerable accepts disciples, he has never been bound by convention.

All manner of characters gather under his tutelage.

Thus, such eccentric techniques are not uncommon even on the first floor of the Shangqing Library Pavilion.

In contrast, the library of the Yuqing Sect mostly contains upright and orthodox classics expounding on the Great Dao. Even techniques and arts are few and far between—let alone these curious things. Such things would certainly draw a scolding from the Yuqing Great Heavenly Venerable.

Taiqing?

In the Heavenly Realm, everyone knows—

The Taiqing lineage has no need for a library pavilion.

That one individual alone, carrying the Purple-Gold Eight Trigram Furnace, simply moves into the Palace of Eight Views and reads as he pleases.

“But, previously, this old man thought it was merely the forgery of someone from this age. Yet now, with even a scripture of the caliber of this [Sword Canon] appearing, could it be that the Dao Sovereign Wuhuo truly exists after all? Or is it that the tone was simply too arrogant, and so he titled it himself with the name Sword Canon?” The old Heavenly Lord stroked his beard with suspicion, then unfurled the wooden slip—and the moment his eyes fell upon the characters, he could feel sword Qi weaving through the strokes.

There was a sharp and piercing air to it all.

Reading further, though there remained a hint of rawness in parts, the intent behind it soared loftily and profoundly.

Without question, it already possessed the bearing of “speaking Dao through the sword, and proving the self through the Dao.”

It held a trace of transcendence, surpassing not only technique (shu) and method (fa), but even rising above the confines of swordsmanship itself, into a domain of majestic composure and effortless grace.

To expound the Dao through the sword, and prove the self through the Dao.

Qingyang Miaodao Heavenly Lord had dwelled within the Shangqing Library Pavilion for countless years, having perused a vast array of scriptures and thus possessing extremely discerning eyes—yet even so, he was deeply entranced. Pressing a finger to the cloud seal script, he read word by word. Just as the section expounding on the Innate Qi concluded, and the writing turned to hint at an even more exalted realm, his finger suddenly hovered in empty space. There was nothing further.

He froze instinctively, then muttered: “Hm??”

“Where is the rest of it?”

“That’s it?”

The old Heavenly Lord opened his mouth slightly, struck by a sharp feeling of dissatisfaction.

Just when the Sword Canon had drawn him into such deep immersion, to have it abruptly cut off like this—how it stirred an itch in the heart and left one longing. He sighed for a long while before finally rolling up the bamboo slip and storing it away. By then, he had no more doubts about the authenticity of the writing on the slip—

To possess such breadth and depth of vision, this bamboo slip truly deserved to be counted among the scriptures of the [True Scripture] tier.

The old Heavenly Lord thought for a moment, then retrieved [Dao Sovereign Wuhuo’s Sublime Arts Profound Chapter].

He compared the calligraphy on it.

Though one had been inscribed with a steady hand and the other penned with the flourish of a sword wielder, the four characters “Dao Sovereign Wuhuo” and the short autobiographical passage upon the Profound Chapter bore an identical hand to the Sword Canon. Stroking his beard, the old Heavenly Lord said: “So it would seem, there truly is such a person as Dao Sovereign Wuhuo.”

“To be able to compose the Sword Canon—I wonder what realm they’ve reached by now?”

“Surely, they must have attained the title of True Lord at the very least?”

“Perhaps, thinking boldly—could it be that some Great Emperor or Heavenly Venerable is concealing their true identity and composing under a false name? That wouldn’t be impossible. But has anyone ever used the name [Dongxuan Wuhuo] before? This old man is not without experience—disciples of the Dongxuan Division, followers of the Shangqing Lineage, I’ve seen them all. Yet, I have no recollection of such a person…”

“This… shouldn’t be the case, should it?”

“Could it be that he is not of my Shangqing lineage?”

The old Heavenly Lord pondered for a long time, but in the end could not reach a conclusion. He shook his head and set the matter aside for the time being.

After a moment of thought, the old Heavenly Lord rose from his meditation mat. With a sweep of his sleeve, countless streams of flowing light gathered. In but a single thought, utilizing the Lingbao methods of the Shangqing lineage, tempering all things and forging laws, he first tore open the void with sword Qi, then reconstituted earth, water, wind, and fire, and thus opened up a brand-new cave-heaven world within the Shangqing Library Pavilion.

With another sweep of his sleeve, he first sent the jade slip of the [Dao Sovereign Wuhuo’s Sublime Arts Profound Chapter] into that newly created world.

Then, by further means, he also sent in the scroll of the [Taishang Dongxuan Dao Sovereign Wuhuo’s Sword Canon].

This small world now held only these two volumes of Daoist scriptures.

The old Heavenly Lord fetched a jade plaque. Upon it, in cloud-seal script and thunder markings, he inscribed: [Dao Lineage of Dao Sovereign Wuhuo]

With a final sweep of his sleeve, the jade plaque descended into the small world and transformed into a seal, marking this inheritance as restricted. Though the Shangqing Library Pavilion was open to all disciples of the Shangqing lineage, such profound inheritances were available only to disciples of the corresponding Dao lineage.

Though there were only two scrolls of Daoist scriptures, which in principle did not warrant a separate small world and lineage classification—

They were, after all, of the [True Scripture] tier.

Such treatment was deserved.

What’s more, the Dao Sovereign Wuhuo himself had written in the Mysterious Chapter that he composed it in his youth. As for this Sword Canon, how old might he have been when he completed it? It must have been sometime between eight hundred and a thousand years of age at the earliest, surely? Could he truly still call that “youth”?

The old Heavenly Lord mused to himself as he lifted a brush of cinnabar and opened a scroll.

This was the catalogue of top-tier Daoist scriptures within the entire Shangqing Library Pavilion.

Each name recorded therein—

Was a Dao method of [True Scripture] classification.

Flipping through the pages, he reached the section on sword arts. After dipping his brush in ink once more, he added the Sword Canon of Dao Sovereign Wuhuo to the end of the list. He placed the brush aside, as was his usual habit, and laid the scroll upon the desk. From it radiated threads of flowing light; the faint sound of sword cries drifted forth. Everyone within and without the Library Pavilion lifted their heads slightly—some in delight, others in astonishment.

“This is…”

“Nine sword cries? Echoing through the Nine Heavens?”

“Has a Dao lineage added a [True Scripture]-level sword technique?!”

“Which lineage is it?”

“Hmm? Let me take a look… Dao Lineage of Dao Sovereign Wuhuo? What lineage is that? I’ve never heard of it…”

“Nor have I.”

“Then how are we to consult it?”

The many immortals within the Shangqing Library Pavilion—whether celestial officials or cultivators of the Shangqing lineage—glanced at one another, momentarily at a loss. To peruse such a true transmission of a Dao lineage, one must either be a direct descendant of that lineage, or one’s own lineage must possess a True Scripture-level scroll to exchange, allowing disciples of both sides to mutually study and comprehend each other’s teachings.

After all, all of them ultimately belonged to the greater Shangqing lineage. Such exchanges were not uncommon.

Yet even among them, some old hands who had dwelled in the Heavenly Realm for countless ages, not one had ever heard of a Dao Lineage of [Dao Sovereign Wuhuo]. Inquiries spread like wildfire, but all were blind to the truth. None could do more than gaze helplessly at that newly added line in the scroll: “Sword Canon of Dao Sovereign Wuhuo.”

And beneath it, two lines of cinnabar commentary—inscribed by that very old Heavenly Lord who had read through countless Daoist scriptures and treasures of the major lineages—read thus: [Without Dao, only self remains. Sharp and lofty beyond measure, yet bearing vast and majestic poise. Three parts Yuqing discipline, seven parts Taishang composure.]

The Sword Canon was now here.

But none could read it.

And they knew, all the more, just how exceptional and sublime it was.

Their hearts itched as if a thousand cats scratched at once—restless, agitated, anxious. In every direction, inquiries flew, yet no answers came.

They turned to one another, dazed, without a clue what to do.

At last, someone set their scroll aside and said, “I shall go and ask my master.”

“I shall go too!”

“Let’s go together!”

In the blink of an eye, large swaths of cultivators vanished from the Shangqing Library Pavilion.

Qingyang Miaodao Heavenly Lord couldn’t help but let out a helpless chuckle and shake his head. But on second thought, he found it only natural.

The Shangqing Lingbao lineage had always held two great inheritances—one was the refining of Lingbao; the other, the sword techniques of calamity and annihilation. And now, with the appearance of a Sword Canon at the level of the True Scripture, of course it would stir every household’s disciples. Yet these disciples, seeking out their respective masters, found that even their masters did not know who this Dao Sovereign Wuhuo was.

Masters turned to their own elders, and eventually, the matter reached the ears of True Lords and Celestial Monarchs.

But even these True Lords and Celestial Monarchs, already true inheritors of the Shangqing Lingbao Great Heavenly Venerable, had never once heard of Dao Sovereign Wuhuo. They, too, could only look at each other blankly, helpless. And it was precisely because this was a matter concerning the inheritance of the Lingbao Great Heavenly Venerable that even they dared not make presumptions about whether this Dao Sovereign Wuhuo was truly of the Shangqing lineage.

There was no particular reason—only that there were simply too many fellow disciples. Even he himself could no longer distinguish them all clearly.

But when the True Lords and Celestial Monarchs began to inquire amongst themselves, not a single answer emerged. Even they had grown curious.

Yet by now, this curiosity was no longer solely about the contents of the Sword Canon.

It had shifted—to the figure of Dao Sovereign Wuhuo himself.

After another round of fruitless discussion, it was the ever-cold and rarely-speaking [Celestial Monarch Danhua Fuying] who set down the scroll in her hands. After a moment’s contemplation, she rose to her feet. Someone nearby, intrigued, asked him, “Danhua Fuying, have you perhaps thought of something?”

“No.”

“But I know a place—perhaps someone there might know.”

“Eh? And where is that?”

[Celestial Monarch Danhua Fuying] lowered her gaze and replied lightly: “Naturally, one of the most well-informed figures in all the Three Realms…”

“The Deputy of the Ox Constellation Star Lord among the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions.”

“That Old Yellow Ox.”

Meanwhile, Qi Wuhuo had just finished cleaning the Lianyang Temple, and with a basket of herbs slung over his back, first visited the medicine sheds to treat the ill and needy. Afterward, he made his way to the Mingzhen Dao Alliance, where he pored over ancient texts. Day after day, this had become his quiet rhythm. Even the cultivators of the Dao Alliance now knew that the young Daoist who had once answered difficult questions here often came by of late.

And he perused only the most ordinary of sword manuals.

Yet the strangest thing was this: though they were but ordinary sword techniques, that Daoist still observed them with deep concentration and utmost seriousness, as though these sword formulas were truly arcane and precious treasures. Aside from that, he would also borrow various treatises on the Human Dao to read. Several days passed, and just as Qi Wuhuo was perusing one such text, a middle-aged man came to seek him out on his own initiative.

He said that someone wished to meet Qi Wuhuo.

At that time—

The young Daoist was leafing through a sword technique titled Cloud and Rain Sword Formula. It belonged to the tier of Innate Qi, emphasizing sword control like falling rain—ethereal yet fierce—carrying a certain profound brilliance. Ever since the day he awakened to his own sword path, he had felt that his foundation was still lacking, still too shallow.

That he had gained such an epiphany was thanks in part to the foundation laid by Senior Sister’s Hunyuan Sword Canon, and in part to the guidance from that Great Dao Sovereign.

If he truly wished for his sword Dao to manifest the vast and awe-inspiring grandeur of a great vista…

He would need to observe more sword techniques and study more methods.

Every sword formula embodied the life’s journey of a swordsman—an accumulation of their experiences. One could not simply judge their worth by cultivation realm: just because a technique came from a high realm did not mean it was always wondrous, nor did a lower realm’s method lack value. Whether they were high-grade methods controlling swords through Qi, or ruthless killing arts from the martial world, he would take them all in, let them all be digested within him.

Over these past few days of reading, he had already reaped considerable gains.

The middle-aged Daoist saw Qi Wuhuo close the tome, and said: “A distinguished guest has arrived at our Dao Alliance, seeking to gather treasures of heaven and earth. Upon hearing of your actions in dispelling confusion, he expressed a desire to meet you, saying he has a few questions he would like to ask in person.”

The young Daoist lifted his eyes and looked at the middle-aged Daoist.

The latter, knowing that Qi Wuhuo had previously perused the records of Jinzhou, gave a soft sigh and said quietly:

“It is the Crown Prince.”

“He is searching for a worthy gift for the Sage in honor of the New Year festival. He came, cloaking his presence.”

The young Daoist rose and said: “I understand.”

As they brushed past one another, the middle-aged man reached out a hand and pressed against Qi Wuhuo’s shoulder, saying:

“Daoist Master, do not act rashly…”