Devour

Cheng Bai looked at his serious expression and thought to himself, "According to the murals in the treasure palace of Floating Ice City, Venerable Bai Lian left the sect because he fell in love with a beautiful woman, which was against the teachings of the sect."

Then he thought again, "But in this state of communication, even the Master can't lie to me. Unless... there's something else going on, and even he's been kept in the dark."

Master Li continued, "Even the immortal world couldn't ignore Venerable Bai Lian's extraordinary achievements! Legend has it that a special envoy from Venus came to guide him, guiding him through the path to immortality and ascending to heaven. He is now revered and worshipped by countless generations."

Cheng Bai was not completely convinced and kept asking, "Wu Can Mountain's collapse was caused by Wang Xiongwu seizing the sealed power of the Ancient Emperor Taowu, causing the formation to mutate?"

"That's right," Master Li said confidently. "It seems Wang Xiongwu was defeated in the internal struggle of Jingtao Sect. Embittered by resentment, he obtained the ancient sage's legacy, making him an extremely dangerous figure. Coupled with the Sun Chaser's invasion, Confucian scholars must quickly seek out the right kind of power to combat the impending calamity."

Cheng Bai thought of the question that had troubled him since he was in Qiongqi Continent, and asked, "Master, do you understand the Taotie body?"

Master Li twirled his green beard lightly and said slowly, "I know a little bit. To be honest, this is the main reason why the Confucian scholars invited the White Emperor Saint Lord to participate in the Immortal Fate Elegant Gathering."

Cheng Bai was secretly shocked. "I usually use the Dissipation Technique to hide my talent, but the Master can still see through it. His double pupil cultivation is far superior to that of Dean Sibao. He must have advanced to a higher level!"

Master Li spoke freely, "You are from Qiongqi Continent. I believe you came here specifically to seek instruction through Sibao's introduction. He was once a disciple of the academy, but unfortunately, he could not survive the calamity that befell him."

In fact, it was Shi Ziyu who recommended it. Cheng Bai didn't want to argue about the details, so he said respectfully, "I have a question. It is said that there are incomplete and perfect Taotie bodies. What is the right and wrong?"

Master Li said frankly, "Every two hundred reincarnation eras, which would take twelve thousand years in the mortal world, or the equivalent of six thousand years on Mount Sumeru, a Taotie body would be born in the Cloud Realm Star Sea. However, it would only be a fragmented image of the original ancestor of the ferocious beast. Parts like the beast's head, claws, or torso, if they were to reach a complete state, would be a supernatural physique on par with the Chaos Body."

Cheng Bai humbly asked, "Master, could you explain the whole process and how to achieve a complete vision?"

Master Li elaborated, "The academy's collection of ancient documents contains only a few records. From the beginning of the ancient times to the present, over millions of reincarnation cycles, the perfect Taotie body has only appeared three times. Each time it displayed its ultimate miraculous power, it became the key to victory in the imperial war..."

Seeing him pause in deep thought, Cheng Bai couldn't help but ask, "Did it appear after the Archaic Era? Wasn't there an earlier period?"

"There is no evidence of this happening in the earlier ancient times." Master Li shook his head in denial, glanced at Cheng Bai and continued his story.

"It's a long story with far-reaching implications, so let's start with the basic concepts. In the eyes of ordinary immortals and gods, the Cloud Realm is considered a single universe. And there are as many as twenty-eight such single universes that are parallel to each other, such as the Transparent Realm, the Underworld, and so on."

"Immortals and gods who comprehend the deeper laws of heaven and earth naturally understand that the multiverse is a structural feature of the universe's advancement and extension, and thus simply refer to each individual universe as a 'star realm.' These twenty-eight star realms are closely connected to the mortal world, both independently self-contained and connected to the higher realms of the celestial realms."

"And beyond the Heavens lie four sacred realms, untouchable and unreachable to mortal beings—the Dragon Realm, the God Realm, the Dharma Realm, the Demon Realm, and the lofty Immortal Realm. Thirty-three heavens in total constitute the vast and boundless metaverse, collectively known as the 'Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man.'"

Taking advantage of Master Li's pause, Cheng Bai interrupted, "There must be other vast worlds beyond the Heavens, such as the Underworld?"

Master Li agreed, nodding his head. "Your knowledge and experience surpass my expectations. Legend has it that beyond the heavens lies the Underworld, a gateway to the even more mysterious and unfathomable One True Realm. It's so ethereal that even immortals and gods cannot fathom it, and even Confucian scholars lack answers."

Cheng Bai said excitedly, "We've come a long way, let's talk about the Taotie body."

Master Li continued, "Don't worry, I was just about to say that. Various physiques of genius emerged, appearing alternately in any of the Thirty-Three Heavens. However, this Taotie body is a powerful creature unique to the Cloud Realm Star Sea. Its characteristic is that it can devour everything in the world, even its own kind, to achieve perfection."

Cheng Bai was stunned and asked, "Does this mean that I have to search everywhere for and devour other Taotie bodies?"

Master Li spoke frankly, "It can only be this way. Confucian scholars have learned that a thousand reincarnation eras ago, a Taotie body appeared on the Purple Star Emperor Star, ranking high among the saints on the Emperor Star's 'Immortal Saint List'. Logically, it should be incomplete."

Cheng Bai muttered, "In the final analysis, they can't escape the fate of killing each other, just like a cursed bloodline."

Master Li smiled unconcernedly, "You're far from those troubles. At least in the area around Mount Xumi... there's no other Taotie body to be found right now. With the participation of the White Emperor Saint, this Immortal Fate Elegant Gathering is sure to be a resounding success!"

Cheng Bai was secretly surprised: "He seems to be hesitant to speak. This is only the present, so what about the past?"

Master Li, looking down at the mountains and rivers beyond Feijia, suggested, "We've just passed Qian'an City. There's an extremely diligent student from the academy in Talin City up ahead. I've been very impressed. We haven't seen him in a few years, and I don't know how he's doing. Let's go visit him."

"I've also traveled to Tallinn City once." Cheng Bai controlled the Black Blade Flying Armor to slow down and landed towards the familiar venue.

The loess gate and walls are peeling off by the wind, and the old friends of the past are scattered like smoke.

The Canghai Kingdom changed its ruler, and Talin City was too small, so the new organization was downgraded from the county level to the county level. The former prefectural government office was also replaced by the county government office of the Beiwei Kingdom.

Upon hearing that the three immortal masters had arrived, the current county magistrate dared not neglect them in the slightest. He personally led his troops to greet them and offered them a warm welcome: "The immortal masters, your presence is a great honor to our humble county!"

"Where did Mu Yan go?" Cheng Bai recognized this man as the yamen runner who was on duty near the notice wall. He didn't expect that the world is so unpredictable and he has been promoted to a county official.

The county magistrate recognized Cheng Bai as the leading immortal who had helped dredge the river and cast the rain spell. He said flatteringly, "Master, Lord Mu Yan is a member of the royal Mu family and, of course, cannot serve as an official in the Northern Wei Kingdom. However, the people of the city support him, so he has been allowed to occupy the empty room in the mansion."

Cheng Bai ordered, "Take us to see Mu Yan."

"Master, please come this way." The county magistrate, his skill in reading people's expressions having greatly improved, led the way with a smile on his face, and carefully struck up a conversation: "Lord Mu Yan is a man of insight, both moral and learned. I am a dull-witted official, and I often seek his advice on how to be diligent in my work..."

It turned out that in order to make a living, Mu Yan had to change his career and become a steward in the mansion.

Hearing that a distinguished guest was coming, he hurried out to greet him, bowed and humbly said, "Student Mu Yan greets the Master and the two immortal masters."

Cheng Bai was moved by this. "He's quite adaptable and has some of the same carefree spirit I had back then. It seems like all his training hasn't been wasted."

Mu Xian welcomed everyone into the hall and, noticing the county magistrate still standing nearby, politely ordered him to leave: "The county government must always be clear-minded. How dare I trouble the county magistrate to accompany me? It's really embarrassing for me."

"I am very busy with my duties and cannot stay for long. I will take my leave for now." The county magistrate was quite understanding. He smiled hurriedly and said goodbye.

Cheng Bai watched the county magistrate leave and thought to himself, "The magistrate is just an ordinary person. It seems he still needs to rely on Mu Yan's cover."

Master Li smiled and said, "Officialdom is truly a testament to one's character. I am much more tactful in my words and actions now."

"Thanks to the careful teaching of several gentlemen, I have a skill to rely on." Mu Yan took out his private collection of rare tea from the cabinet, poured it into the teapot on the table with skillful hands, boiled the water in an orderly manner, and let it sit for a while before steeping.

For a moment, the house was filled with the refreshing aroma of tea that was refreshing and pleasant.

While busy, Mu Yan respectfully introduced: "Students use shredded Cuixia melon and Yueying viburnum flowers picked locally in Tallinn to carefully brew this Cuixia viburnum tea. The fruity and floral aromas blend harmoniously, and the quality is even better than the Wojing tea from Yanbo Tower!"

"It's wonderful to come all the way here and enjoy a feast!" Master Li smiled and invited Cheng Bai and Bei Tingjun to sit together.

Mu Yan respectfully served the brewed tea and asked softly, "Are the three teachers satisfied with the taste?"

Master Li picked up the teacup, sniffed the fragrant aroma, then took a sip, savoring it carefully. He praised it with delight, "The fragrance of the tea is long-lasting, and the taste is sweet and refreshing. After drinking it, I feel all my fatigue disappear!"