From a Zhengyi Taoist Child to a Master of All Laws

Chapter 605 Kunlun Tunnel
At this time, dusk was falling and the sky was shrouded in darkness. A bright moon hung over the sea, its clear light shining in all directions, reflecting one's eyebrows and hair.

Standing under the moonlight, Li Yang looked down at this fairy mountain in the sea, his thoughts churning.

Based on the information just compiled from the jade slip, Jiang Huan's claim of having a 'lineage of Dharma' as mentioned by the island master of Fangzhang Mountain is not an exaggeration.
Fangzhang Mountain, together with Yingzhou and Penglai, are all contingency plans left behind by ancient cultivators to protect this world. According to the jade slip, the origin of the three islands dates back to the ancient Zhuanxu period.

Zhuanxu, of the Ji clan and Gaoyang clan, was the grandson of the Yellow Emperor and one of the Five Emperors in ancient times. He is referred to as the Northern Emperor on jade slips.

That was the time when the Yan and Huang Emperors vied for supremacy and the human race was at its peak. Great cultivators emerged one after another in the ancient lands of China, including the Wind God, Rain Master, Yinglong, and Drought Demon. Many of these great cultivators left behind legends in later generations and were once deified as gods, worshipped by future generations.

In this context, Emperor Zhuanxu, as the human emperor of his time, led the cultivation world to a decisive victory against the invasion of the True Realm army.

This was the first time Li Yang had learned about the stories of that era, which were five thousand years ago. These yellowed jade slips were not the only evidence; those stories had been buried in the long river of history.

This is also a true record of how Earth defeated the invasion of the Realm of Ultimate Truth!

However, even though the Northern Emperor's era was filled with many experts and countless gods and demons under his command, winning this battle still resulted in heavy losses.

However, after winning the war against the Realm of Ultimate Truth, the Blue Star was in high spirits, and some even suggested that Zhuanxu launch a counterattack and invade the Realm of Ultimate Truth to end this once-in-a-millennium catastrophe.

However, Zhuanxu keenly perceived that there was still a gap in combat power between the two realms, and given the heavy losses suffered by this side, he rejected the request.

"In the beginning, when the universe was first divided, the gods and men were in disarray, and the royal order was about to collapse!"

"Zhuanxu inherited the legacy of the Yellow Emperor. Fearing that evil spirits would cause chaos among the people and that the unruly people would climb the steep and dangerous Kunlun Mountains, he once again wielded his black halberd, together with Yinglong, to cut off the ladder of Jianmu and sever the tunnel of Kunlun; to destroy the mountain of Dengbao and bury the ford of Juling!"

"From this point on, mountain spirits wept in the wilderness; demons fled to the deep sea, and the human emperor alone held the jade tablet. From this point on, the way of heaven was distant and mysterious, and only the sage king could receive the mandate of heaven; the mortal world was far away, and only virtue could touch the profound mystery."

The description on the jade slip was very obscure. After reading countless jade slips, Li Yang finally figured out what had happened.

The so-called "Jianmu Ladder", "Kunlun Tunnel", "Dengbao Mountain", and "Gathering Spirit Passage" were very likely the passages between Blue Star and the Realm of Ultimate Truth at that time, and not just one place.

Zhuanxu destroyed or sealed these four passages, preventing cultivators from both realms from traveling freely. From then on, Blue Star entered a long period of recuperation.

However, it now seems that even Zhuanxu could not completely destroy the four passages; he could only seal them. For example, the so-called "Mount Dengbao" is very likely the present-day Penglai, which is the boundary gate floating at sea.

In order to protect the gate to the sea and to resist the future invasion of the Realm of Ultimate Truth, Zhuanxu used his great magic to create two immortal mountains, Fangzhang and Yingzhou, similar to the Fire Seed Project set by China four years ago, and moved a batch of cultivation seeds, as well as countless rare and exotic herbs, birds and beasts, to the islands.

The two immortal mountains are extremely special. They were hidden in a mustard seed space by Emperor Zhuanxu with great supernatural powers. There is an array that can absorb and isolate spiritual energy, similar to a power bank. It can ensure that even when the spiritual energy in the outside world is exhausted, there will be enough spiritual energy on the island to support a thousand years of cultivation until the next spiritual energy tide.

This is the origin of the Three Mountains at Sea!

Then, Zhuanxu passed away, and the spiritual energy began to decline and disappear. The history recorded on the jade slip is the development of Fangzhang Island over the thousand years after Zhuanxu established it.

Having weathered one surge of spiritual energy, the next two thousand years later, during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, saw another resurgence of spiritual energy, which is the legendary Investiture of the Gods in Taoism.

When Li Yang saw the contents engraved on the jade slip, his mind was shaken; it was like a thunderbolt from the blue.

He had also studied that period of history and, with Zhang Daoling's information as evidence, had pieced together some information.

According to Taoist legend, the Great Calamity of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties was mainly a battle between the Jie Sect on the side of the Shang Emperor and the Chan Sect on the side of the Zhou Emperor. The Chan Sect behind the Zhou Emperor was very likely the same one that invaded the Blue Star at that time. In the battle, the Blue Star's native forces were defeated, and the Human Emperor was demoted to the Son of Heaven.

Li Yang was puzzled at the time. According to calculations, the spiritual energy had only been recovering for less than a hundred years at the end of the Shang Dynasty. How could so many powerful experts have emerged who could engage in a protracted battle with the Extreme True Realm? Although they ultimately failed, it also showed that there was no overwhelming gap in the combat power between the two sides.

Now, Li Yang has found the answer in the jade slip!
Fangzhang Mountain and Yingzhou Island, two sacred mountains, are very likely the prototypes of Biyou Palace and Jin'ao Island, the legendary dojo of Tongtian Jiaozhu of the Jie Sect!

At that time, there was a group of masters lying dormant on Fangzhang Mountain and Yingzhou Island. They survived the spiritual tides of a thousand years and emerged during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, representing the Shang emperor and fighting against the Zhou emperor supported by the forces of the Jizhen Realm.

The jade slip describes the outcome of that battle in a very obscure way, but Li Yang was still able to reconstruct it from the few words he gleaned. The two mountains suffered a crushing defeat and were subsequently purged.

At that time, Yingzhou Island was very likely found by experts from the Realm of Ultimate Truth, and it had already sunk. Fangzhang Mountain had not heard any news from Yingzhou Island for a long time, and in order to protect itself, it had no choice but to close the mountain, and this closure lasted for another thousand years.

What Li Yang regrets is that, over the course of a thousand years, all the masters on Fangzhang Mountain who participated in the Shang-Zhou War were seriously injured and died one after another on the island, leaving only the current island master.

The island was severely weakened as a result, but a thousand years later, when the First Emperor unified the six kingdoms, another catastrophe struck. Li Yang deduced that this was why Qin Shi Huang, who had a premonition, was unable to find the three mountains in the sea.
One reason is that the power structure of Fangzhang Mountain has been reshuffled, and it is no longer purely a remnant of the original Emperor Zhuanxu. Another reason is that there were no more masters on the island at that time, as they had all perished in the Shang-Zhou War.

The information on the jade slip then abruptly ended, and no one recorded the subsequent history. The Ming Tower, which recorded the rise and fall of civilization on the island, was thus melted down and became a forbidden area on the island for thousands of years, until Li Yang's arrival.

"Drawing the knife to become one piece, I will not fail my youthful ideals."

"Unfortunately, the immortal mountain at sea that was the source of the lineage of gods and demons thousands of years ago is a thing of the past. What remains now is just Fangzhang Mountain, which is inhabited by a few cowardly and timid people."

Li Yang spoke in a deep voice, feeling both fascinated by the past of this fairy mountain at sea and saddened by its current behavior.

The island lord seemed to consider himself the legitimate successor of Fangzhang Mountain and was proud of his past history, so he did not cover it up or embellish it, and generously allowed Li Yang to view all the jade slips in the Ming Pagoda.

"The green hills remain, how many sunsets have they witnessed?"

Li Yang looked up at the Bright Moon Mountain peak on the island and sighed again.

Feng Yun, who was guarding outside the tower, was puzzled but did not understand the emotions in Li Yang's words. He looked Li Yang up and down but did not see the Zhuyin Sword. Disappointed, he turned his head away without saying a word.

"Take me to meet your island lord."

Li Yang stood with his hands behind his back, bathed in the bright moonlight, and spoke softly.

Feng Yun remained silent, standing outside the tower, as still as a statue.

“Your island lord will see me if he doesn’t want me to stay on the island for long.”

Li Yang spoke up, but Feng Yun remained silent, his eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.

"Take me to see your island lord, and I might consider returning the Zhuyin Sword to you."

A flicker of emotion finally appeared in Feng Yun's lifeless, empty eyes. He turned around, his gaze questioning, and after receiving an affirmative answer from Li Yang, he slowly nodded.
"follow me."

With just two simple words, Feng Yun soared into the sky. The severed lacerations on his arms had healed, leaving only a faint red line.

Li Yang followed behind, overlooking the panoramic view of Fangzhang Island.

"How old are you?"

The two flew among the clouds. When Li Yang asked him a question, Feng Yun did not respond, as if he had not heard him.

Li Yang sighed: "If you don't answer, don't even think about taking the Zhuyin Sword back from me."

Feng Yun, who was flying ahead, trembled and finally spoke slowly:
"Two hundred and eighty-six years old." Looking at Feng Yun's awkward expression, Li Yang suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he were bullying a child.

"Such a young Dao Immortal? Not bad, I'm almost fifty-two years old this year."

Li Yang spoke softly, his voice light and cheerful, perhaps because he had finally found something he had been searching for.

Upon hearing "fifty-two years old," Feng Yun's pupils visibly contracted, and he couldn't help but glance back again, his eyes filled with confusion and shock.

In his understanding, there was never a concept of a fifty-year-old immortal.

But from Li Yang's eyes, Feng Yun understood that this outsider had no reason to lie to him.

Feng Yun turned around and fell silent again.

Do you have a wife? That is, a spouse.

"No."

"So you're saying you're a bachelor in your two-hundreds-years? A pure yang body?"

Feng Yun frowned, not understanding the meaning behind Li Yang's words.

Have you lived on the island your whole life?

"Before he could fly... he was on the outer island. After he could fly... he was promoted by the island lord to... the inner island."

Do you have anything you like?

What is... liking?

"Is it something that makes you feel happy just by seeing or thinking about it?"

Faced with Li Yang's question, Feng Yun remained silent for a very long time.

It wasn't until they saw the Daoist temple floating in the center of the island and landed at its entrance that Feng Yun finally spoke.

"No."

Li Yang put his hand on his shoulder: "But you are a human being. As a human being, you should have things you like, whether they are grand and upright or obscure and dark."

"It is because of what we love that we have the courage to fight against pain and despair."

“Your name is Feng Yun. Clouds are the freest thing in the sky. You shouldn’t stay on this isolated island.”

He patted Li Yang on the shoulder with a meaningful pat, smiled faintly, and then casually walked into the Dao Hall.

Feng Yun did not enter the hall. He stood frozen in place for a long time under the moonlight, then stood silently in front of the Dao Hall, like a sculpture hidden in the night.

Inside the main hall, the abbot of Fangzhang Mountain Island, whom he had met three days prior, appeared to be refining elixirs. A bronze alchemy furnace with beast-shaped handles in the center of the hall was glowing red-hot. Upon seeing Li Yang enter, the furnace's brow furrowed immediately.
"Fellow Daoist, all your requests have been fulfilled, why aren't you leaving yet?"

Li Yang looked at the alchemy furnace in the center of the hall with great interest, and said without looking up, "I would like to ask the island lord a question."

The island owner frowned and stopped what he was doing: "Speak."

Where is the Kunlun Tunnel? How do I open it?

"I do not know."

Without the slightest hesitation, the island owner waved his sleeve and refused outright.

Li Yang shook his head, his gaze shifting from the alchemy furnace in the center of the hall to the island lord's face: "No, no, no, everyone on this planet may not know, but you definitely do."

"Hmph! Cultivator from outside the island, don't be too arrogant! This island lord only pities your impending death; it's not that I lack the means to kill you!!"

The abbot of Fangzhang Island stood up abruptly, his hair and beard flying wildly, believing that Li Yang was being rude and provocative.

“I need to know everything about the ‘Kunlun Tunnel,’ there’s no room for discussion. Information about the four passages is top secret; even the jade slips in the Ming Pagoda don’t record it. You originated from Zhuanxu, so there must be something passed down orally.”

Li Yang shook his head, his attitude firm, unconcerned about the coldness in the island owner's words.

"Hmph! You've certainly grasped the essence of Mingta!"

Ignoring the island lord's mention of Yin and Yang, Li Yang remained calm and continued, "Of the four passages between the two realms, 'Dengbao Mountain' should be Penglai Mountain, which has been the entrance and exit for communication between the two realms for thousands of years."

I've already seen the 'Gathering Spirit Passage,' it's a pair of Yin-Yang jade ornaments. The 'Jianmu Ladder' is quite special, but all the known remains of the Jianmu tree are in the Realm of Ultimate Truth. This passage should have been completely destroyed and fallen into the hands of the Realm of Ultimate Truth.

Li Yang began to explain his analysis, which was mostly speculation. The so-called "Gathering Spirit Essence" can be understood literally as gathering spiritual energy, which is very similar to the Yin-Yang Jade Pair of the Liu Sect at that time.

The Yin-Yang jade pendants had been absorbing and gathering spiritual energy. In the end, Li Yang buried them in Lop Nur and set up an array, but it was still impossible to completely suppress them. Finally, the jade pendants opened a passage, allowing Yan Jin, a master of the Earth Immortal realm from the Ultimate True Realm, to cross over and come over. This marked the beginning of the modern society's fight against the invasion of the Ultimate True Realm.

As for the 'Jianmu Ladder', based on information gathered from the jade slip and Zhang Daoling, it is known that there is only one Jianmu divine tree from ancient times to the present. The fragments that exist in the present world are all in the Realm of Ultimate Truth. Therefore, Li Yang speculates that this passage has been destroyed and that the Realm of Ultimate Truth seized all the remains during several wars.

Therefore, the only passage that has not yet been revealed is the other passage mentioned in the jade slip, the 'Kunlun Tunnel'.

The island master of Fangzhang Mountain's pupils shrank instantly, and he looked at Li Yang with some surprise and uncertainty, but after a moment he quickly suppressed all his emotional fluctuations.

"I don't know what you're talking about, cultivator from outside the island. I have fulfilled all your previous requests. Please keep your promise and leave the island as soon as possible!"

With a wave of his hand, the island lord's voice, amplified by spiritual energy and terrifying cultivation, resounded like a great bell in Li Yang's ears.

Li Yang stared at the island owner with a calm expression and a half-smile: "Our previous agreement never stated that I would leave the island on my own after you agreed to my two requests."

"You're forcing me to take action! I'll kill you right here!!"

The island lord narrowed his eyes, a murderous aura gradually emerging in them.

"Then let's fight! I've lived through countless battles, and even as a Human Immortal, I dared to fight against and defy Earth Immortals. At worst, I'll sink your Fangzhang Mountain!"

Seeing that the old man was unyielding, Li Yang's anger flared up. He summoned the Nanming Sword and held it in his hand, pointing it at the island lord like a deity.

(End of this chapter)