Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 317 - 205: The Taoist Lord Becomes an Immortal_2

Chapter 317: Chapter 205: The Taoist Lord Becomes an Immortal_2

"If one can become Immortal, why not gamble on it once more?"

The Lord Emperor is indisputably cold-blooded, not unlike a devil, growing more devil-like by the moment.

The words of Qingcang just now, "He who cultivates the path without cultivating virtue is no different from a devil," seemed particularly appropriate.

He continued to speak:

"After the younger generation unified the Immortal Land, without yet employing human and material resources to search for the Immortality Pill, it actively presented itself to me, wishing to use the power of the dynasty to gather Spiritual Objects from all over the world."

Qingcang felt a faint sound stir beside his ear but paid no attention, gesturing for the Lord Emperor to go on.

"I realized there was something amiss with the Alchemy method, so I took action first, but unexpectedly, it escaped. You should know what happened next. Its false body escaped while the true body entered the cauldron, which I hadn’t considered. It wasn’t until the Heavenly Girl got the Immortality Pill and you didn’t resurrect that it dawned on me."

Throughout his words, the Lord Emperor was filled with boundless confusion and perplexity.

If it had not been the Heavenly Girl scaring me in disguise, then Qingcang’s refusal to rely on the Immortality Pill for revival was probably his last burst of radiance. Otherwise, the Daoist Sect would not have encountered the various tribulations it had faced.

But on the other hand, Immortals inherently have the potential to revive, so why have this last burst of radiance now?

The Lord Emperor’s gaze drifted unconsciously toward Gu Wen, with restrained essence, well-proportioned features, and a foundation of eighty-seven cycles.

He praised generously:

"In just one year, to reach a foundation of eighty-seven cycles is truly peerless and unrivaled in this world. Had you arrived a few days later, I could have completely refined the Longevity Pill."

Gu Wen, with the Immortal Sword in hand, said coldly, "Why don’t you say you should have killed me five years earlier?"

"Had I foreseen today five years ago, I would not have killed you; instead, I would have killed Fenger."

The Lord Emperor casually summoned a strand of True Fire, his eyes as indifferent as the Void, the opposite of the blazing flame’s intensity.

"Even if we were to go back one year, I would not kill you, for your talent is high enough, high enough to instill fear in the Devil Clan. The future you will be a major threat to the Devil Clan, and a great fortune for our Human Race."

"It seems you hold great hatred for me now, but one day, we shall reconcile."

"Why should I ever associate with a swine like you?"

Gu Wen could not help but laugh in anger, cursing straightforwardly. He was neither a cultured scholar nor a lofty disciple from a Major Sect.

Before he was a Cultivator, he was a human being.

"It seems you and I are unable to communicate at present, though perhaps if the Qingcang Immortal were alive, he might understand me."

The Lord Emperor did not argue.

With these words, Qingcang remained undisturbed, but Ao Tang could no longer sit still.

"Understand you for killing a million people? You little scamp, your heart is malevolent enough, and now you dare to cast aspersions on Qingcang?"

"Not so," the Lord Emperor shook his head, "years ago, the Qingcang Immortal single-handedly halted the Devil Clan’s onslaught, willingly sacrificing his life for it. He once said that for the proliferation of our race, everything can be sacrificed, for being human lies in sacrifice alone."

"That’s a load of crap! Qingcang never blood-sacrificed any mortal."

"Indeed, but I am not the Qingcang Immortal, and all I do stems from my own will. I dare to ask the protector of the Daoist Sect, without the Qingcang Immortal, is there any other Immortal willing to die in battle for the Human Race?"

The Lord Emperor asserted himself with unwavering conviction, "I am, I swear by the Dao, I place the proliferation of our race above my own life."

Gu Wen’s frown deepened.

This was undoubtedly sophistry by the Lord Emperor. If sacrificing mortals counts as a sacrifice, even if it’s to fight the Devil Clan, then the distinction between good and evil that Master Qingcang upheld would become meaningless, making the Human Race no different from the Devil Clan.

The clash between substantive justice and procedural justice.

Reality was undoubtedly the former; annihilation meant losing everything, failure tolerates no rebuttal.

Then Qingcang spoke up, her voice indifferent, "This one sentence of mine can be interpreted in a million ways by you all. When I say ’save people,’ you would use it as an excuse to kill."

Ao Tang had been complaining that she left no cultivation manuals or records of certain events, yet this was precisely Qingcang’s intentional doing.

Because she knew the weight her words and actions could carry.

Qingcang did not wish to become an uncontested deity, to be enshrined and then have all her actions twisted by future generations, her words turned into blades against others.

She could only speak seldom and quietly, and gradually, there were none left around her who could speak.

"We lack your grace and can only resort to extreme measures to ensure the survival of our race. If this displeases you, Elder, please forgive us, for this is all we can do with our exhausted might."

The Lord Emperor could not dispute; he held immense respect for Qingcang, absolutely, and was unwavering in his belief against a coexistence of humans and devils.

But as a being on the brink of attaining Immortality, he harbored not the slightest doubt about his conduct.

Seated atop the Fire Dragon, the aged Taoist revealed more of the aura of an Immortal, saying proudly, "As your junior, I will become your only assistance, an Immortal-level ally, never leaving you alone as you were three thousand years ago."

In those times, there were no Immortals in the Human Race; otherwise, they would not have been reduced to an eighth-rank race during the Jianmu era. Any race that hosted an Immortal invariably ranked among the top three tiers.

If there were more than one, they would be on par with the Four Symbols.

Now the golden age of the Human Race has arrived, this once in ten thousand years opportunity to become Immortal has seen two Immortals emerge among our kind, plus himself makes three.

Had there been three Immortals back then, the Human Race might already be the leader of all spirits.

The Lord Emperor once fantasized about standing alongside the figure who sustained the heavens.

Although the Qingcang Immortal in front of him wore the appearance of the Heavenly Girl, her eyes serene as the night sky, seemed to contain the Dao of the Cycle.

In the hearts of that generation, Imperial Cang was undoubtedly sacred and flawless.