Dao Ye is going to ascend

Chapter 763 The Mysterious Old Man
Qin Qian naturally had some understanding of the Xuanhuang Great World, and far more than the cultivators of the present world.

In fact, countless dimensional worlds deep within the Ruins of Return are searching for information about the Nine Supreme Heavens, and the Northern Star Realm is just one of them.

The relationship between the Xuanhuang World Tree and the Three Sages of Xuanhuang is no secret at all deep within the Ruins of Return.

'This legal system is probably a real threat to this old tree...'

As soon as Qin Qian had this thought, he saw an old man suddenly appear under the divine tree.

It was an elderly man with a thin face and a full head of gray hair, sitting cross-legged under the tree, seemingly playing with a chessboard, or perhaps sipping tea in deep thought.

"This is……"

Qin Qian's heart skipped a beat, and the light and shadow before his eyes shifted. In less than an instant, he found himself under the tree.

"sit."

The old man didn't even raise his head, but Qin Qian couldn't help but sit down.

"senior……"

Qin Qian was unable to move and could only bow in greeting, but the old man did not utter a word and just lowered his head in deep thought.

He dared not utter a sound, but merely glanced at the World Tree out of the corner of his eye.

Viewing the World Tree from this place, one feels that the tree contains infinite profound mysteries, as if it were right in front of one's eyes, yet also as if it were billions of miles away, as if it were in the present, yet also as if it were at the end of ancient times.

One by one, the 'World Fruits' rise and fall among the branches and leaves. If you focus your attention on a particular fruit, you can even vaguely sense the mountains, rivers, plants, sun, moon and stars contained within it.

Among the branches and leaves, he saw a bird's nest...

Legend has it that the Immortal Phoenix once resided atop the Xuanhuang World Tree…

Qin Qian gazed greedily at the innate spiritual root. After only a moment of concentration, he felt his mind become extremely active, as if all sorts of profound mysteries were emerging in his mind, as if he were about to comprehend a great divine technique.

"The aura of the Northern Star Realm..."

The old man held a chess piece in his hand and glanced up at Qin Qian.

With just one glance, the latter felt a chill run down his spine, as if an irresistible force was emanating from the outside in, as if tracing back to the source of his birth.

"Senior..."

Qin Qian suddenly snapped back to his senses, his mind reeling.

He was a manifestation of the Heavenly Heart of the Northern Star Realm, and was guided by three Dao Lords to be born in the Samsara Pool of the Mother of Ten Thousand Kun. Even the Heavenly Lord could not discern his origins.

This old guy...

“I have seen you in the past, but you probably don’t remember me.”

The old man casually placed a piece, and a dazzling divine light shone from the chessboard.

"That is?!"

Qin Qian's pupils contracted.

Within that divine light, he sensed a strong aura of the Dharma Net, the flow of dimensions, and the Daoist principles derived from the heavens.

Is this chessboard perhaps a legal net?

"Yes and no."

The old man seemed to have heard Qin Qian's thoughts and answered calmly.

"what?"

Qin Qian was taken aback and stared intently at the chessboard.

He vaguely saw the outline of the magic net he had sensed when he was conferred the talisman, with countless stars and extremely complex divine patterns inside.

What does "yes and no" mean?

"This chessboard is the net of law, and I am also the net of law. The three thousand worlds of Xuanhuang, all kinds of laws and paths, qi and spirit, are all the net of law."

The old man looked at the chessboard.

The various patterns crisscross and intertwine, and the endless divine patterns interweave and flow, faintly reflecting the shadows of countless worlds.

"Hongmeng truly lives up to his reputation as my beloved son; the legal network he created is something everyone wants..."

The old man seemed to be implying something.

Qin Qian's heart stirred slightly. Despite the discomfort caused by the changing light and shadow, he forced himself to focus on the chessboard.

In the dim light, he saw chess pieces of varying colors among the intersecting divine runes, and the piece the old man was holding seemed to be just one of them...

Who is he playing chess with?

The Three Sages of Xuanhuang?

'No, he said everyone wants it…'

Qin Qian grunted, realizing that peeking into even a corner of the chessboard was beyond his tolerance.

But he had a vague suspicion in his heart.

There are probably more people playing this game than he imagined...

"What does the senior want me to do?"

With many thoughts swirling in his mind, Qin Qian already understood why he had been able to communicate with this old tree so easily.

"very smart."

The old man gave him an approving look and said calmly, "That depends on what you want."

what do you want?
Qin Qian was taken aback, but dared not say anything.

As far as he knew, this old tree relied on the dimensional world for sustenance. If it knew that he was after its 'fruit', it would probably refine him on the spot.
The old man, however, knew perfectly well what was going on and asked:

Which fruit have you set your sights on?

"This……"

Qin Qian shook his head with a wry smile.

"The Realm of Sin, how about it?"

"what?"

Qin Qian suddenly looked up.

"Although I bear the weight of countless dimensional worlds, given your background and talents, what you desire is nothing more than the Three Holy Heavens, the Five Emperor Heavens, and the Twelve Realms of Xuanhuang..."

The old man gave him a deep look:
“I am burdened by the law and cannot take the fruit from you, but if you have the ability, you are free to take it yourself, and I will not stop you.”

"Of course, you have to do something for me."

"This……"

Qin Qian was a little dizzy, and both surprised and doubtful: "Senior, you are joking."

Although the Xuanhuang Great World contains countless dimensional worlds, there are not many that can support the Dao Lord status. The Sin Realm is among the top in the Twelve Realms of Xuanhuang, almost no less than the Beichen Realm at this time.

Regardless of whether this old fellow is truly generous, even if he is, he probably wouldn't have the ability to make this old tree promise to leave the realm of sin.

"I never joke."

The old man didn't say much, but raised his hand and pointed a finger at the man's forehead.

"Om~"

Qin Qian felt a blur before his eyes, and a series of trembling sounds originating from the net of justice resounded in his heart.

[Advanced to Level 3 of the Legal Network]

[Advanced to Level 4 of the Legal Network]

[Advanced to the fifth rank of the Law Network] [Gained 100 Xuanhuang Great Merit Points and 30,000 Minor Merit Points...]

"Go!"

Qin Qian was completely stunned and before he could react, he had already fallen.

He strained his eyes and could only vaguely see the old man sitting motionless beneath the Xuanhuang World Tree, while opposite him, a figure seemed to materialize from the ethereal...

……

“The cultivators of the Northern Star Realm actually came from the Great Luo Diagram…”

Beneath the World Tree, the Old Man Xuanhuang held a chess piece in his hand. A phoenix with nine colors flew out from the tree branches and landed on his shoulder.
"It seems like I can still smell that woman's scent..."

"That Reincarnation Pool is a treasure."

The old man Xuanhuang didn't seem to care much: "Although Wan Kun has not yet achieved perfection, she has already thoroughly understood the mysteries of reincarnation. After being washed by the waters of her Reincarnation Pool, very few people in the Yin and Yang realms can even begin to see through it."

"Tsk, tsk."

The phoenix flicked its tail: "In the Weitian Dao Sect, are there not many cultivators who have returned to the Void?"

"When has it ever been less?"

The old man Xuanhuang chuckled and shook his head: "From ancient times to the present, the Yin and Yang realms have always been intertwined, only now it's even more so."

As he spoke, he placed the chess piece in his hand.

In a flash of light, the phoenix caught a glimpse of the cultivator from the Northern Star Realm, but shook its head.
"Old man, although these lads you've chosen have good talent, their cultivation level is far too low; I'm afraid they're not up to much use..."

"If the talent is high enough, it can be used; if the cultivation level is high enough, it can be initiated..."

The old man Xuanhuang looked at the chessboard, a complex light flashing in his eyes: "This legal network is not just Hongmeng's doing..."

"Ok?"

The phoenix keenly sensed something amiss: "Not just Hongmeng? Could it be that there are other old guys from other dimensional realms with their methods?"

"It cannot be spoken, it cannot be recited..."

The old man Xuanhuang remained tight-lipped, and the phoenix also kept silent, disappearing into the shadows of the trees, coldly watching the other side of the chessboard.

There, a figure materialized from the ethereal.

"Um?!"

The moment his senses returned, Li Yuan had already gathered his mind and emptied his thoughts. Then, he looked at the old man in front of him and the innate spiritual root.

"The Mysterious Old Man!"

Even with his calm and composed nature, Li Yuan felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the old man before him.

The Mysterious Old Man is none other than the Mysterious World Tree!

Legend has it that he attained enlightenment before the Primordial Era!
"Greetings, senior..."

Li Yuan bowed deeply, composed himself, and dared not even entertain a single distracting thought.

With the blessing of the Military Commander's Talisman, he vaguely sensed an invisible aura permeating the surroundings, as if it could see through him completely, inside and out.

"Om~"

In that instant, Li Yuan even sent his mind into the space where he controlled the weapon, fearing that his whereabouts would be discovered.

"what?"

The old man suddenly raised an eyebrow.

The phoenix in the shadows of the tree was also somewhat surprised. This kid's cultivation level and talent were clearly much lower than the previous ones, yet he had a very familiar aura.

"The Great Elixir takes form, the power of the Primordial Chaos?"

The phoenix thought to itself, this kid's aura is somewhat similar to the old man's.

"sit."

The old man Xuanhuang spoke.

Sword Lotus instantly collapsed and sat down in front of the chessboard.

"Which Taoist sect are you a disciple of?"

"what?"

Without a single distracting thought arising, Jian Lian, his face blank, replied, "Reporting to Senior, this disciple is a member of the Calamity Sect, a branch of the Spirit Realm..."

"is it?"

The old man Xuanhuang remained noncommittal, only saying, "I am Xuanhuang, as you know, the World Tree. If you are truly the Holy Spirit nurtured by the Great Medicine, then I am your ancestor."

"Greetings to the ancestor!"

Jian Lian hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects, her face full of joy and admiration.

"..."

The old man suddenly smiled: "You're a good child. Get up and sit down."

"Thank you, ancestor."

Jianlian bowed first and then sat down.

The old man smiled slightly:
“Good child, the ancestor has summoned you here today because he has a very important matter for you to do.”

"..."

Jian Lian's smile froze, and he immediately knelt down in fear: "Disciple, disciple's cultivation is shallow. What should I do if I delay the ancestor's important matter?"

"It doesn't matter."

The old man with the dark complexion smiled warmly:

"Do your best."

This old guy...

Inside the space where he controlled the troops, Li Yuan was quite speechless.

He had only a sliver of his mind left in the weapon-controlling space, and his sword lotus body only possessed a third of his instincts, so how could it possibly compete with this old guy?

He had a strong premonition.

This old fellow has already seen through his true nature, at least part of it...

"This disciple will do his utmost!"

Jian Lian solemnly agreed.

The old man Xuanhuang gave the Wood Elemental Saint before him a deep look, but didn't reveal anything, only smiling and nodding:

"Good boy."

"What important matter is the ancestor referring to?"

Sword Lotus asked.

Do you know about the River Styx in the Yellow Springs?

"Ok?"

Li Yuan was startled, and his interest was greatly piqued.

Beneath the World Tree, the Old Man Xuanhuang sighed: "Many years ago, the Yellow Springs stopped flowing..."

(End of this chapter)