Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 166 Second Ascension
Soon, the Underworld Lord was the first to arrive. He had already sent his main body out of the Underworld after his clone discovered the Thunder Swamp Dao Embryo, and came to the ancient star of the Primordial World to carefully study its mysteries under the Thunder Swamp, paving the way for a more thorough rebirth in the next life.

Seeing that this place was of great significance to him, Liang Yu temporarily released control over the array patterns here, allowing him to cultivate in seclusion within it.

Therefore, since he was the closest, he was naturally the first to arrive.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure before him, Yuanshi Tianzun revealed a complex expression and said, "Master, so you are the Underworld Lord."

At this moment, he finally understood why he had acted impulsively during his tribulation, and why Duan De knew the Netherworld Lord's source technique, which hadn't been widely spread yet. He even figured out the Netherworld Lord's method of resurrecting a body during their first meeting.

The Underworld Lord said, “Fellow Daoist Yuanshi, now that you have become a Heavenly Venerable, we can address each other as fellow Daoists. Besides, I have never agreed to be your master.”

Yuanshi Tianzun sighed and said, "I said back then that anyone who can impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts can be my teacher. You, Master, have taught me the Dao Scriptures, the Wheel Sea Realm, and the Origin Technique, and you have also taught me archaeology. Of course, you are my teacher."

The Underworld Lord shook his head and said, "Then why did you show a hint of killing intent towards me just now?"

Yuanshi Tianzun said, "Because I thought of the Corpse Calamity."

The Underworld Lord was also embarrassed upon hearing this; he couldn't completely shake off the blame for the corpse calamity. However, he was always thick-skinned, so he continued with a smile, "If I really were the one who caused the corpse calamity, would you then refuse to acknowledge me as your master?"

Yuanshi Tianzun said, "Perhaps."

The Underworld Lord said, "Now I understand why you so easily recognize people as your masters, but in the end, very few people truly remain your masters. However, how can you be sure I haven't caused any trouble?"

Yuanshi Tianzun laughed and said, "Firstly, it's because of my understanding of you, Master, and secondly, it's because of my trust in Wuji Tianzun. After all, he wouldn't choose someone who brings chaos to the world as his Daoist friend."

The Underworld Lord chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoist Yuanshi, since we are now on the same path, there's no need to call me Master anymore. Just address me as Fellow Daoist."

He then entered and sat down, saying, "Fellow Daoist Wuji, the Enlightenment Tea is all ready, yet you don't even take a sip. What a waste!"

As they were talking, two more figures arrived together. One was an immortal-like figure with white hair and a youthful face, none other than the Celestial Venerable of Morality; the other had a stern face and looked like a young man or a middle-aged man, none other than the Celestial Venerable of Spiritual Treasure.

Even after confirming their identities, Yuanshi Tianzun still felt a slight sense of unreality. After all, these two were ancestral figures from ancient primordial stars, and he had often heard various rumors about them since the beginning of his cultivation.

He stood up, bowed, and said, "Greetings to the two patriarchs."

The Celestial Venerable of Morality said slowly, “Fellow Daoist Yuanshi, you are too polite. We are all seekers on the path to immortality, so there is no need to be formal. We can simply address each other as fellow Daoists.”

Lingbao Tianzun also nodded in approval.

Yuanshi Tianzun looked at these four unfathomable predecessors and couldn't help but feel immense pressure. After all, each of them was stronger than him now and had gone much further on the path to immortality.

Fortunately, he was only a thousand years old, while the youngest of the four, the Limitless Celestial Venerable, was over ten thousand years old. So, he simply started late; it didn't mean he wouldn't be as good as them in the future. Although the Primordial Celestial Venerable felt a sense of defeat and pressure, his fighting spirit only intensified. After all, he had always wanted to surpass these predecessors, and now that they were not only alive but had even surpassed him, he was determined to prove himself no less capable. Previously, those who attained enlightenment rarely met in pairs, unlike him who met four at once—and not just any four. This could be considered a kind of luck.

Lingbao Tianzun asked, "Fellow Daoist Wuji, you didn't summon us here just to have tea and reminisce, did you?"

Liang Yu laughed and said, "The Immortal Treasure Map that Fellow Daoist Yuanshi obtained contains the correct coordinates for the journey from the strange world to the Immortal Realm. Only then can our ascension plan truly be considered a success."

Liang Yu had already told Yuanshi Tianzun about the ascension plan and the forbidden zone supreme reincarnation plan before the other three arrived, so he was not shocked.

The original ascension plan was merely to allow future Daoists to enter the strange world in order to eradicate the forbidden zone, but this was ultimately only a stopgap measure. Although the strange world contained substances that could prolong life, true immortality was still impossible.

Although achieving immortality through cultivation within this realm is slightly less difficult than transformation in the mortal world, it remains a path that only a very few can succeed at. Therefore, it still carries inherent risks, though these risks have been transferred to this strange world.

To truly and completely solve this problem, three immortals are needed to guide them into the true immortal realm before their long lifespans after entering the strange world end.

This is a continuation of the Ascension Plan; the second ascension is when one truly enters the Immortal Realm.

The coordinates in the Immortal Treasure Map perfectly complete the second phase of the ascension plan. After all, the Undying Emperor himself came from the Immortal Realm, so he knew the correct coordinates. But these people did not.

Now, all they need to do is become immortals in the mortal world, and the plan will be complete.

Moreover, Liang Yu had actually begun to have a more advanced idea. If, in these several eras, every three immortal beings born in the mortal world could bring the ascendants accumulated in the strange world into the true immortal realm, and after several rounds of this, almost all the Dao-proving beings who would appear in later generations of Shrouding the Heavens could be brought into the immortal realm.

But that's incredibly difficult. After all, becoming a Mortal Immortal isn't easy. Even if all of them succeeded, it would probably be the mid-Primordial Era by then. The time it takes to become a Mortal Immortal varies, but it's at least hundreds of thousands, even close to a million years. Many Mortal Immortals, due to issues with the transformation method, might not even achieve it in millions of years. For example, the Undying Emperor and the God Emperor.

They might be able to bring all the ancient emperors into the Immortal Realm, but the Dao Prodigies of later generations might have to wait until the time of Ye Fan and his trio.

But it doesn't really matter, since maybe some of them will become Celestial Kings by then. Why bother with an ascension plan then? Let's just rebuild the glory of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and restore the human universe to its former glory, a time when Celestial Kings could be born.

The group began to study the Immortal Treasure Map together, attempting to decipher the coordinates of the Immortal Realm. With their combined efforts, the secret of these coordinates was quickly revealed.

However, Liang Yu's heart stirred slightly. The imprint of the human universe was actually quite useful to him and the Underworld Lord. If they continued down the path of the Source Arts, the way of the Lord of Heaven and Earth, they might truly be able to control and manipulate the fundamental Dao of the entire human universe.

If they could thoroughly study the imprints of this human universe, wouldn't they be able to reach this point much faster?

Above the Lord of Heaven and Earth, could it be the Lord of the Universe?

(End of this chapter)