Chapter 181

Chapter 181: The Three Thousand Grand Dao Arts!

Of course, he knew it would never be that easy, but he wanted to try.

Roads are made by those who walk them!

He didn’t just want to refine the Second Law of the Law of All Beings once more — he wanted to forge an entirely new path, a path that belonged solely to him, Ye Tianming.

As for the Third Law of the Law of All Beings —

That was his last resort. Unless he was pushed to the very edge between life and death, he would never use it.

Cultivate in reverse!

The monk looked at Ye Tianming and said, “What do you need me to do?”

Ye Tianming looked at the monk and smiled, “My Tianming Sword once followed both the Master of Guanxuan Sword and the Master of the Human World Sword. I already understand their cultivation processes, but my sword never followed them through ‘comprehending true intent and seeing the true self.’ So I’d like to witness that process.”

Although he had witnessed the previous sect master of the Buddha-Demon Sect “seeing the true self” in the Blood Moon Secret Realm, it wasn’t enough — he still needed a spark of inspiration.

The monk nodded, “I understand. Follow me.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Ye Tianming rose and followed.

Before long, the two of them arrived in a vast and unknown starry expanse. Beneath their feet stretched a brilliant river of stars, a great celestial road that ran straight toward the deepest reaches of the universe’s end.

Ye Tianming suddenly looked down at the starry road beneath him, and was stunned to discover that it was actually a true Great Dao.

Ye Tianming turned to the monk, “Senior, this is…?”

The monk smiled, “This is a genuine True Dao, left behind by the Lord of Truth from long ago. He deliberately left it here for those who came after to contemplate. Of course, I didn’t bring you here to comprehend this True Dao — I brought you here to show you another side of this world.”

Another side of the world!

Ye Tianming grew curious.

The monk gazed down at the True Dao beneath their feet, “A very, very long time ago, there was no such thing as ‘comprehending true intent and seeing the true self.’ The cultivation path of our universe, measured against the entirety of civilizations across the cosmos, could only be considered ‘low-level martial arts.’ It wasn’t until the Lord of Truth appeared out of nowhere that our martial civilization made a true qualitative leap.”

As he said this, a flicker of complex emotion crossed his eyes, though what shone through most was admiration, “After the Lord of Truth forged his own Great Dao, he did not keep it to himself. Instead, he shared it, so that those who came after could continue walking along his path.”

Ye Tianming nodded, “Such an act is truly admirable.”

The monk smiled, “Indeed. The emergence of this True Dao undoubtedly brought new hope to those below at the time. Of course, the path of cultivation is much like this mortal world — the higher you climb, the smaller you feel. The Great Dao has no end, so when will it ever reach its peak?”

Ye Tianming said, “Senior, is the Lord of Truth still around?”

The monk shook his head, “Unknown.”

Ye Tianming looked at the monk, who said softly, “He appeared out of nowhere back then, but later vanished just as suddenly, leaving behind only legends. Some say he went to a higher civilization in the cosmos, others say he has already fallen, and still others say he chose to reincarnate and start anew, to forge another path for all living beings……”

At that, he suddenly turned to look at Ye Tianming.

Ye Tianming smiled, “Surely Senior doesn’t think I’m the reincarnation of the Lord of Truth?”

The monk laughed, “The thought did cross my mind! After all, aren’t you trying to forge a new Great Dao for all living beings?”

Ye Tianming shook his head with a smile, “I definitely have no connection whatsoever to the Lord of Truth.”

The monk smiled, “But you certainly have the chance to reach his level of achievement, or even surpass it.”

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the end of the starry road. At its end stood a stone gate.

The monk looked at the stone gate before him with a sense of deep feeling, “When I first walked to this point, it took me tens of millions of years.”

Saying that, he pushed open the stone gate and led Ye Tianming inside.

Beyond the stone gate was a great hall. The hall contained nine meditation cushions and nothing else.

Ye Tianming was somewhat puzzled.

The monk pointed to a cushion not far away, “This one is mine.”

Ye Tianming was still a little puzzled.

The monk then pointed to the one at the very front and center, “This one belongs to the Lord of Truth. The ones beside it belong to: the Three Ancient Sages, the Martial Ancestor, the Lord of the Divine Path, the First Lord of the Heavenly Court, and later, the End of the Dao.”

Ye Tianming said, “The greatest powerhouses in the history of the True World have all been here?”

The monk nodded, “This is the most mysterious place in the True World: the Dao Alliance. Every order and rule of the True World was established here, including every subsequent rotation of order — all conducted right here.”

Ye Tianming said softly, “So every great war that has broken out below was, in truth, just a proxy war?”

The monk smiled, “Yes.”

Ye Tianming nodded, “I see. It’s like wars between small nations in the mortal world — the true masterminds behind them are the great powers, and behind those great powers are the various vested interests pulling the strings…… Simply put, the countless conflicts in this world are essentially all proxy wars.”

The monk gave a slight nod, “Whether it’s a clash of ideals or a clash of Daos, at our level, no one truly fights to the death. Yet some conflicts are unavoidable. So we establish lineages and let those below do the fighting. This way, we avoid having to act ourselves, while also cultivating our own lineages…….”

At that, he turned to look at Ye Tianming, “Do you think we’re cruel?”

Ye Tianming shook his head, “Not fighting would actually be worse. You need to gain something, and those below need to gain something too. So the struggle is necessary — and perhaps it’s also their only chance to change their fate.”

The monk smiled. He had actually been a little worried at first — worried that Ye Tianming might be too fixated on a certain ideal. Whether you seek to build a great dominion or truly act for all living beings, the prerequisite is seeing the true nature of this world. Only on that foundation can you genuinely solve problems.

If you don’t even know where the problem comes from, how can you change anything?

The monk said, “According to the rules, all who come here may observe each other’s Great Daos. These cushions hold the Dao inheritances left behind by their owners — a sharing of the Great Dao, done in tribute to the Lord of Truth.”

Ye Tianming’s eyes immediately lit up, “Dao sharing?”

The monk smiled, “Yes. The greatest powerhouses in the history of the True World have all left their Dao inheritances here. Of course, we come here only to observe each other’s Great Daos — no one truly inherits another’s Dao. Those who can reach this place all have their own ideals and their own Dao. So it is purely observation and reference.”

Ye Tianming said, “Then I owe this opportunity to Senior’s grace.”

“Wrong!”

The monk smiled, “Do you think you’re here because of me?”

Ye Tianming said, “Of course it’s because of Senior…….”

The monk shook his head, “Do you know what that True Dao outside is for? It is actually a test. The moment you stepped onto that True Dao, the test had already begun. You made it here not because of me, but because of yourself. Your own ideals and your own Dao have earned the recognition of the Lord of Truth, and the recognition of every supreme powerhouse throughout the ages gathered in this hall!”

Saying that, he laughed, “If we could bring anyone here whenever we pleased, what value would this place hold?”

Ye Tianming said softly, “I see.”

The monk said, “After you have observed and learned here, you must also leave your own Dao lineage and ideals behind, for those who come after to study and observe.”

Ye Tianming nodded, “Understood.”

The monk glanced at the cushions in the hall, then smiled, “Who would you like to start with?”

Ye Tianming thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s start with Senior, then.”

The monk laughed, “To be honest, my strength is still a bit lacking compared to theirs.”

Ye Tianming shook his head, “I have my own ideals regarding the Dao of good and evil, but my understanding of good and evil is still somewhat shallow. Senior sees through the Dao of good and evil with perfect clarity — that is precisely what I wish to learn. This is not a matter of social courtesy, but my most sincere and genuine desire.”

The monk smiled, “I’ve met many scholars in my time, but you are one of the rare few I find truly fascinating. Please, go ahead!”

Ye Tianming nodded. He walked toward the monk’s cushion, and the moment he sat down, his eyes instantly turned — one black, one white. At the same time, both Buddha-nature and demon-nature emerged within him simultaneously —

In this moment, he was the monk!

This was Dao inheritance!

You are me!

I am you!

My life is your life in this moment!

The monk looked at Ye Tianming, undisguised admiration shining in his eyes. As if thinking of something, he glanced at the cushions of the Three Ancient Sages nearby and smiled, “Though this old monk’s strength falls short of yours, and my intellect falls short of yours, my eye for talent surpasses yours……. It seems that intelligence really shouldn’t be concentrated at the top — a full vessel overflows, intelligence needs to be spread evenly…….”

Saying that, he rubbed his own head and chuckled to himself, “I’m genuinely impressive!”

Meanwhile, in the endless sea of stars.

A young man with two longswords at his side walked at an unhurried pace. Wherever he passed, the Great Daos resonated and the stars trembled and swayed —

This person was Yang Jia!

“Congratulations, Young Master, on successfully cultivating the First Lord of the Heavenly Dao’s ‘Three Thousand Great Dao Arts.'”

A voice suddenly came from nearby.

Yang Jia slowly closed his eyes, “What a formidable Three Thousand Great Dao Arts…….”

The signature technique of the First Lord of the Heavenly Dao — once the number one technique in the True World!

Beside him, that voice suddenly spoke again, “Young Master, the Hall Master arranged everything in advance. Now that you’re here, you are to be taken to a special place, where an inheritance awaits you…….”

Yang Jia asked, “Where?”

The voice replied, “The Dao Alliance.”