Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 242 - 169 Immortal Sword from the East

Chapter 242: Chapter 169 Immortal Sword from the East

Under the Heavenly Altar, everyone gathered with rapt attention to watch the duel.

Such pure Body Cultivation fistfights were hard to come by in the outside world, not to mention between two who were contending for the Immortal Skill.

"Yun Li’s talent is not inferior to her sister’s; it’s just a pity she was born at an inopportune time."

Xuan Yue, the Demi Immortal, stood with his hands behind his back, watching the platform with a slightly somber expression as the figures of the two contenders seemed to merge in his vision.

Chi Ling’s strength had dwindled to one-tenth of what it once was, and she was an incarnation of an Immortal Soul that had been nurtured within the Earth Core Crystal for thousands of years. Yet even so, ordinary people could not compete against her. That Chi Yu Zi could fight her to a draw highlights his extraordinary talent.

The distinction of geniuses often lies in surpassing their own level; the surface appears to take the lesser and defeat the greater, but the essence is merely a matter of time.

Cultivating for ten thousand years, cultivating for a hundred years—the gap between them is her talent.

Perhaps the elder sister didn’t strike with all her might. After all, she’s the kind who could postpone her chance at Immortality for a thousand years, so indulging a bit more is not out of the ordinary.

With a great tribulation approaching in ten thousand years, Xuan Yue wondered what confidence the elder sister had to postpone it for a millennium.

Pain flashed through Xuan Yue’s chest; nine thousand years ago, he had dueled with her and was nearly killed.

"Senior, could you lend me your assistance?"

Gu Wen’s voice reached him, and Xuan Yue turned around with a smile to explain, "I can only intervene once, and it must be at the moment of seizing the Heavenly Soul. The same technique won’t work on my elder sister. Do you know about the relationship between the Earth Core Crystal and these two sisters under the Heavenly Altar?"

"I am unaware."

Gu Wen bowed with a modest look.

He could guess a general idea based on the information at hand: the key to these three was Immortality, and the nine secret realms of the Sword Control Sect should be Chi Ling’s cultivation grounds.

Chi Yu Zi was left with but a soul and a spirit, while Chi Ling’s secondary soul and seven spirits were stored within the Earth Core Crystal. The latter was supposed to be devoured by the former, but because of Xuan Yue, Chi Yu Zi had been successfully born.

However, Chi Ling had a strong sense of personal rights and did not continue to operate ruthlessly to completely devour Chi Yu Zi.

Discussing who was right or wrong, Gu Wen wholeheartedly supported Chi Yu Zi. Daoists always take the side of their kin, and furthermore, in his rudimentary view, Chi Yu Zi was also in the right.

To stop at nothing for Immortality is perhaps normal in this world; Gu Wen wouldn’t say he was not tempted if given such an opportunity. But having taken the benefits, one cannot deny victims the right to state their case.

Murder and sophistry are two different matters.

Once the Heavenly Altar is opened, it transforms into its own realm, and outsiders cannot intervene—any forced intervention would make both the Earth Core Crystal and Heavenly Altar cease to exist.

Just as Cultivators must follow laws when circulating their Cultivation Techniques rather than recklessly throwing mana together.

Drawing a talisman requires creating rules and boundaries, for "without standards and regulations, there can be no square circles."

"Heavenly mandate, the principle of life, Fate Diagram."

Xuan Yue sequentially uttered these three words, all expressing the same idea.

"The mandate of becoming an Immortal is to be acknowledged by heaven and earth, establishing a cultivation ground with one’s own principle of life, and then condensing the Fate Diagram from the cultivation ground—this is the path to Immortality."

Gu Wen’s eyes changed, gaining a new luster.

The term Fate Diagram is not uncommon in cultivation texts, but Cultivators seldom mention it as it is exceedingly mysterious and few can comprehend it.

It was the first time someone had linked the Fate Diagram with becoming an Immortal and reflected it upon his own Fate Diagram.

"Do you need a Fate Diagram to become an Immortal?"

Xuan Yue shook his head to correct, "Those who can become Immortals possess a Fate Diagram. Cultivating the Immortal Skill is for the heavenly mandate, but such a mandate is unique. Unless the originator dies, successors cannot use it to achieve Immortality."

Jun Yan and Chan Xi were all ears—what Cultivator would not wish for Immortality, especially those who were already cultivating the Immortal Skill?

Then Gu Wen asked the question they were all most concerned about.

"Do you mean that the number of Immortals is predetermined, and successors must blaze new trails?"

"Immortals can fall, too. In the billions of years since the world’s creation, many positions have been vacated. It is hardest to forge a new path, while the next best is to follow the ways vacated by predecessors. The Golden Core Skill is such, and Chi Ling was not the first."

As Xuan Yue spoke, the balance on the Heavenly Altar began to tilt, with Chi Yu Zi’s presence ascending yet another level.

Gu Wen realized this was due to the use of Xuanpin Tongshen. If it truly was Chi Yu Zi’s own creation, then this variable would be something that Chi Ling, the Demi Immortal incarnation, could not counter.

Xuan Yue continued in an unhurried tone, "The Qi Cultivation Techniques where we cultivate are not our creation either. Those who reach the apex are often the ones who synthesize others’ achievements. As mighty as the Sword Master, who forged his way by amalgamating the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Sword, as invincible as the Qingcang Immortal, who integrated countless Human Race techniques."

With a thunderous roar, the Grotto Heaven trembled faintly as the blood-red Glazed Golden Man’s fist landed heavily on the face of the Glazed Golden Man.

"Successors need not be inferior to their predecessors, nor are predecessors necessarily stronger than those who follow. In hearing the Dao, there are those who come before and after, and strengths vary accordingly. That’s all there is to it."

As his words fell, the outcome was decided.

The two golden figures emerged, one clad in red gold gripping the Glazed Golden Man and forcefully slamming it into the Heavenly Altar.

The ground shook slightly, and Gu Wen asked, "Is Chi Yu Zi stronger than Chi Ling?"

He did not know Chi Ling’s exact strength, and his understanding of Demi Immortals was minimal.

Yet, Gu Wen understood the value of accumulation; he could surpass levels continuously through talent and Fate Diagram, but isn’t it the same for these mediocre talents to stand shoulder to shoulder with him through their own accumulation?

If they both cultivated for less than a year, then that Ao Heng would be nothing more than a snack to him.

"No, Chi Yu Zi is still not as strong as Chi Ling, at least not now. A person’s talent can be enhanced over time, and those who synthesize the works of others often don’t require exceptional innate talent. Perhaps in five or eight thousand years, there might be a way to determine who is superior, but unfortunately, Yun Li will not live that long."

Xuan Yue shook his head, and then with a change of tone, he said: