Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 43 Secret
"At first, I thought it was because I was too violent and had affected my mind, but I couldn't erase these negative emotions no matter what I did."

"One day, as I was traveling through the universe, an ancient planet with life happened to be in my path. Driven by a sliver of malice, I actually unleashed a sword aura of immortal slaying at this ancient planet."

"At that moment, I finally realized that I must have made a big mistake. Although I managed to block that sword energy, I might not be able to do it again next time."

“I dared not walk in the human world anymore, so I came here, set up array patterns to seal myself, and began to study it carefully. It was at this time that I discovered that I had actually begun to generate another primordial spirit, a more extreme and darker fallen primordial spirit.”

No wonder the fourth incarnation of Lingbao Tianzun only existed for a few thousand years before disappearing without a trace; it turns out that's why.

Liang Yu frowned. Moreover, could this symptom really be that kind of dark power? But it seems that the concentration should be very low.

After all, the speed at which the Dark Primordial Spirit is generated is not fast, and this Dark Primordial Spirit actually retains a considerable part of the nature of the Spirit Treasure Celestial Venerable, and is not completely dark.

Lingbao Tianzun continued, “In my battle with this dark primordial spirit, I discovered that he was completely another version of myself. In the ongoing battle, in order to prevent this power from spreading further, I ultimately ended my fourth incarnation prematurely, using the method of transforming into a holy spirit to turn my body into a stone statue. This was both a transformation and a way to trap this dark primordial spirit.”

Originally, the stone statue shouldn't have been this large. Lingbao Tianzun's transformation was hasty, and the enormous power and vitality within him couldn't be fully contained, which is why this stone statue is so incredibly large.

"In the ensuing struggle, I fought with it for hundreds of thousands of years, finally forcing it to concentrate all its dark power on its primordial spirit. Due to the transformation, we sometimes slumber and sometimes awaken. Perhaps because we share the same origin, we always awaken at the same time."

"As soon as we wake up, we immediately engage in battle, each seeking to annihilate the other, but after hundreds of battles, the outcome remains uncertain. No matter what insights or changes I gain, he can keep pace with me. I have no more tricks up my sleeve when it comes to the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Technique and the Secret of Word Formation."

"Therefore, I had no choice but to take a risky approach. So, while I was only using a portion of my energy to maintain the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Technique and the array patterns, I began to try to create a new supreme technique to break the deadlock."

“During this process, I was multitasking, so I could only keep retreating. With each defeat, I would disintegrate a part of myself and let it escape to another place to prevent it from being controlled by the dark primordial spirit. In the end, only my head remained as the final battlefield.”

“In this process, we have also been vying for control of the Zhuxian Sword Formation. Although I have a slight advantage, I have changed direction and started to study the Jietian Sword Technique; while the Dark Primordial Spirit has gone further and further down the path of the Zhuxian Sword Technique and the Word Combination Secret, so the Zhuxian Sword Formation has been slowly encroached upon by it.”

"Just now, I sensed that the Dark Primordial God's Immortal Slaughtering Sword Technique and Word Combination Secret had improved once again. In order to prevent him from completely mastering the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, I had no choice but to do my best to throw it out into the outside world to prevent the balance from being broken."

"You will know what happened after that, fellow Daoist."

Liang Yu said, "To prevent it from bringing disaster to the world, Fellow Daoist is willing to destroy himself to eliminate the Dark Primordial Spirit, which is truly admirable."

Lingbao Tianzun sighed, “Because of the Corpse Calamity, I have witnessed too much separation and death, too many human tragedies in my life. Therefore, in the very end, I must not allow myself to become a Corpse Calamity.”

Lingbao Tianzun changed the subject, saying, "Fellow Daoist, what are your thoughts on this dark power? Although I have encountered this calamity, I do not know much about it either."

Liang Yu shook his head and said, "I've only heard about it, so how can I have any insights? This thing comes from before our time, even before the Desolate Heavenly Emperor established the Ancient Heavenly Court. It is said that the Immortal Realm was damaged because of this power, which led to the severance of our path to immortality. As for its effects, you have already experienced it firsthand. This power will erode the primordial spirit of living beings, causing them to fall and thus giving birth to a dark primordial spirit."

Liang Yu could only speak briefly, as some things were indeed not suitable to be revealed too early. He could say more to someone like Lingbao Tianzun, who had the potential to become a mortal immortal, but not everything. Upon hearing this, Lingbao Tianzun pondered, "This thing actually has such a great origin? Truly terrifying. Even this barely perceptible trace is enough to make me split off a dark primordial spirit; if there were a large swath, the entire universe would probably be plunged into eternal darkness."

Liang Yu said, "This thing is, after all, a relic from prehistoric times. The immortal corpse came from the depths of the underworld, so it may be related to that era. Therefore, it is not surprising that it has a trace of it. But there probably is no such thing in the universe today. Fellow Daoist, there is no need to worry."

Lingbao Tianzun said, “That is indeed the case. Thanks to your help, fellow Daoist, I can finally continue to transform. These hundreds of thousands of years of battles have given birth to a brand new Dao Fruit. The fifth incarnation should no longer be a problem, and I even have some confidence in the sixth incarnation.”

Liang Yu sighed, "In that case, Fellow Daoist is probably the person with the best chance of becoming an immortal right now."

Lingbao Tianzun asked, "Why do you say that?"

Liang Yu said, “I once discussed the Dao with the Underworld Lord, who believed that the human world contained the secrets to becoming an immortal, and I wholeheartedly agree. Fellow Daoist, you have already undergone a transformation, so you should know that living a second life without relying on external objects such as immortality elixirs or Nine-Turn Immortal Pills will bring about a qualitative change in both your lifespan and strength. If you undergo such transformations many times, you might be able to become an immortal in the human world and live forever.”

Lingbao Tianzun said, "Fellow Daoist's words have cleared the fog for me. Although I had a vague premonition, only now do I dare to believe that I am on the right path. However, is the Underworld Lord still alive?"

Seeing that Lingbao Tianzun's tone was unfriendly, he said, "Yes, Mingzun is still undergoing transformation. In my opinion, he will return to his peak in tens of thousands of years, or even reach a higher level."

Lingbao Tianzun sneered, "He stirred up chaos in the world, while he hid in the underworld, sleeping soundly, untouched by any karma. If it weren't for the circumstances back then, I would have really wanted to test his Heaven-Reaching Underworld Treasure."

Seeing that Lingbao Tianzun had a lot of opinions about Mingzun, Liang Yu continued, "Fellow Daoist, have you studied Mingzun's magic?"

Lingbao Tianzun shook his head and said, "The core of the Underworld Lord's Dharma is this Reincarnation Seal. This thing has many mysteries, which I cannot fully understand. However, if we want to deal with him, I have a few ideas that I would like to test."

Looking at Lingbao Tianzun's resentful expression, as if he were about to rush into the underworld to cause trouble, Liang Yu was speechless.

However, Lingbao Tianzun was indeed badly tricked by Mingzun.

From the moment he began his spiritual practice, he lived in the shadow of the Corpse Calamity. In his first and second incarnations, he was constantly on the move because of the Corpse Calamity, never having a peaceful day.

Furthermore, his third life ended prematurely because of that immortal corpse, shortening his life by thousands or tens of thousands of years; and that's not all, his fourth life was also caused by that immortal corpse, which required him to spend most of his time fighting against the dark primordial spirit, and he even had to end his life prematurely, just like his third life.

If Liang Yu hadn't intervened, Lingbao Tianzun would have died just like in the original timeline.

Therefore, it's perfectly normal for Lingbao Tianzun to be so hostile towards Mingzun. After all, all these misfortunes stemmed from Mingzun's creation of the Underworld and the dissemination of his own teachings.

(End of this chapter)