Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 348 - 219 Gu Wen Prolongs Life for a Thousand Years_2

Chapter 348: Chapter 219 Gu Wen Prolongs Life for a Thousand Years_2

Beneath Qingcang’s feet was a rough, paper-like gray, with trillions of neatly arranged characters, each line seemingly representing the birth and death, heavenly life, and fate diagram of a living being.

"Li Yunshang, future Saint, why have you come?"

A majestic voice came from the sky.

Qingcang looked up and said, "I seek to extend my disciple’s life for a thousand years."

"The Great Dao is ever-present, life and death are determined by heaven."

The Lord’s rejection was expected; Qingcang was not new to the Saints. If the Spirit Ancestor weren’t a special case, then this Lord should be like the Spirit Ancestor from before.

The Saint wraps the heavens and earth in the Great Dao, existing effortlessly.

It was impossible to ask Him to take back the disaster of decreased lifespan, much less to extend Gu Wen’s life, but equally, He would not stop her either.

She said, "If you won’t change, then I will enforce the change."

A sonorous mystical sound followed, "The importance of life and death, the authority of Saints, it would be timely even after ten thousand years."

"Why wait a thousand years when every moment counts?"

Qingcang bit her fingertip and leaned down, her finger drawing the characters "Gu Wen" on the Book of Life and Death. Subsequently, a line of characters emerged, forming Gu Wen’s life story, fate diagram, and the continuously waning lifespan.

She scanned it quickly, slightly startled, then without hesitation continued to alter the lifespan.

Gu Wen, alone in human transformation, granted life for a thousand years.

A thousand years of lifespan took but a few strokes, as if costing her half a lifetime.

When Qingcang rose again, only an empty sleeve remained on her right arm.

A finger descended from the firmament, gently touched the line of blood-written characters, golden light flowing through the text.

"Granted."

-----------------

A stick of incense later, Qingcang walked out of the mansion, promptly greeted by the Fox Fairy, who noticed her empty sleeve and slightly graying hair.

Without much ado, she waved her hand, taking the Fox Fairy with her as they turned into a streak of light, vanishing into the void and instantly returning to her physical body in the cultivation world.

Crack!

A crisp sound came from her right arm as it shattered bit by bit, her vitality rapidly weakening.

"Swallow this."

The Fox Fairy stepped forward, offering a pill, but Qingcang gently waved her hand to refuse.

"This is not a wound, but a price, the price for altering life and death."

She left part of her Dao in the Book of Life and Death, serving as ink to extend Gu Wen’s life by a thousand years. This severed arm was the price, not something a pill could heal.

"Will this affect you?"

"It won’t kill me, I’ve extended my disciple’s life by a thousand years. Consequently, my time to become a Little Saint will have to be postponed, though I might not even make it to that time."

Qingcang’s voice was weak, yet a smile curled at her lips, a significant load lifted from her chest.

Indeed, at least she hadn’t died, an inexplicable sense of relief mixed emotions within the Fox Fairy.

From the beginning, she worried that Qingcang would sacrifice herself, like swapping her left hand for her right to bring her disciple back. Now it seemed Qingcang wasn’t so weak or foolish; she had preserved herself and bought time for her disciple.

But she was like Jianmu, seriously weakened, perhaps even more significantly.

This meant they couldn’t launch a major counteroffensive while Jianmu was healing, thus failing to weaken Jianmu.

In the battle of the Great Dao, the slightest distinction marks life or death.

"Was it worth it? You could have directly triumphed, yet now it’s come to this."

The Fox Fairy grimaced slightly, her breathing heavy, wanting to scold but feeling it pointless and unnecessary.

"You could have become a Little Saint within a thousand years, now with an arm missing, it’s uncertain if you can still become one. Gu Wen will live a thousand years, but ultimately it just inadvertently gives Jianmu time to recover."

"Moreover, he has to die after a thousand years; do you expect him to emerge on his own?"

"It is my fault, but please allow me this one selfishness."

Qingcang did not argue, her eyelids heavily drooping, and said, "Jianmu will make a mistake eventually, but can my disciple still be alive after a million years? Miaomiao, he is my only disciple, and I will never let him go no matter what."

The Fox Fairy clenched her teeth and said, "You so blatantly favor him, where has the resolve gone that once made you sever ties with me?"

Back then, she advised Qingcang to join Jianmu as the master of Grotto Heaven, but after their philosophies diverged, they cut ties for three thousand years.

"..."

Qingcang fell silent.

Just as Jianmu had said, she had lost the invincible might she once had, yet willingly fell into this very trap.

Fox Fairy gave a cold snort upon seeing her demeanor and turned away, brooding in silence.

It’s not the scarcity but the uneven distribution that causes worry. It would have been fine if she had remained ruthless, but now, for the sake of a successor, she had become indecisive.

At that moment, a message from Wu Kong arrived.

"Qingcang, Fellow Daoist, she’s going to enter the Immortal Land again. Are you really not going to stop her?"

"Let her go. She can’t be alone forever, or she’ll lose her humanity."

-----------------

Immortal Land, Spring.

Yu Hua had returned once more. Due to the Transformation Law present in the Immortal Land, the Qiankun Bag also became ineffective, and she carried a yellow bag larger than her own body.

Gu Wen curiously asked, "Why are you bringing so much stuff?"

"Others entrusted me to deliver these."

Yu Hua took out four letters, respectively from Chi Yu Zi, Xiao Yunyi, Lan Yongning, and Hee Huan.

Gu Wen opened the envelopes to read. Xiao Yunyi’s letter was brief and cordial, Lan Yongning’s flowed with abundant ink, Hee Huan’s resembled daily chatter, while Chi Yu Zi’s contained only a single query, "Where should I go?"

She first brought out a stack of white paper, exquisitely soft to touch, within which one could faintly see shimmering patterns drifting like clouds.

"This is from Lan Yongning for you, Cloud Pattern Paper unique to Wenkui Continent, capable of storing mana and a cultivator’s artistic conception. Typically used for making talismans and drafting cultivation techniques. In the Immortal Land, its effectiveness is reduced to a mere fraction, yet this type of paper alone can retain its functionality."

"It sounds quite expensive; how much does one sheet cost?"

Gu Wen asked curiously, his interest piqued by this type of consumable frequently used by cultivators, thus revealing the everyday routines of most cultivators.

He had seen plenty of prodigies, but never an ordinary cultivator.

"The value of the Cloud Pattern Paper in spirit stones is equivalent to what a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator needs for a year, usually used by major cultivators at the Golden Core Stage and above," Yu Hua replied. "These are top-grade, only usable by True Monarchs. One sheet is something an ordinary cultivator couldn’t afford even if they spent a lifetime cultivating spirit fields."

"A lifetime? That seems excessively expensive."

Gu Wen looked bewilderedly at the stack of papers as thick as his fist, easily amounting to several hundred sheets.

Was it that the Cloud Pattern Paper was worth the price, or were ordinary cultivators exploited too harshly?

A lifetime in the fields and still unable to afford one sheet; converted to his previous life, that would be equivalent to millions per sheet, far beyond what most people earn in a lifetime.

Brother Lan seemed to have really made his fortune.

"These were never meant for the masses; ordinary cultivators, even with the money, might not be able to buy it. Top-grade Cloud Pattern Paper is specially supplied to Heavenly Venerates, True Monarchs can only obtain it through the black market."

Yu Hua felt no issue with this; she wasn’t Qingcang, nor did she possess the non-Cultivation–related knowledge that Gu Wen did.

As a Yuqing Heavenly Venerate, you are naturally one of the top rulers of the Human Race," she stated matter-of-factly.

Yu Hua, my fellow Daoist, you seem somewhat out of touch with the masses.

Gu Wen inquired, "How are they all doing now?"

"Chi Yu Zi is recuperating at my Yuqing Peak, Xiao Yunyi has been chosen as the next Sword Master for the Sword Sect, and both Lan Yongning and Hee Huan have become candidates for Heavenly Venerate."

Yu Hua answered without hesitation.

"Those who emerge from Immortal Land and are among the top ten prodigies are typically groomed as potential Heavenly Venerates. Besides power, becoming a Heavenly Venerate also requires recognition from all sects, large and small, across the entire state."

Only the top-tier sects can secure a permanent Heavenly Venerate position, such as the Sanqing Taoist Sect, Buddhist Sumeru’s Holy One, the Demon Lord of the Demon Sect, and Sword Master of Broken Sword Mountain. They represent the peak forces of the Buddhist, demon, and eclectic paths.

All other Heavenly Venerates are leaders of an entire state and not specifically tied to any sect. In a sense, these are the sects that cannot guarantee a Dao Realm powerhouse in each generation, unlike the Saint Lands such as the Sanqing Taoist Sect.

"For instance, Wen Kui State’s title of Saint has been vacant for years; now Lan Yongning is being trained as a Heavenly Venerate, and as soon as his cultivation breaks through to the Dao Realm, he will take power."

"How large is one state?"

"They vary, but all are immensely larger than the Immortal Land. Lan Yongning’s Wen Kui State is among the top ten in the Human Race, filled with countless great powers. There are numerous potential candidates for Heavenly Venerate, yet they’ve reserved this position for him, clearly harboring ulterior motives."

Several times larger?

Gu Wen looked around, the landscape of Daxia reminiscent of ancient Central to Southern China, including territories of the Devil Clan and Barbarian Clan, equivalent to the East Asia region, or even all of Asia.

"Like the previous division within the Three Pure Dao, when you chose Xuanhuang State, as soon as Yuqing Mountain settles there, you become the Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang State, and all sects, large and small, within that territory must heed your command."

"It seems the Cultivation World is not as loosely organized as I imagined."

Gu Wen had initially thought it to be countless fragmented sects ruling vast territories, not interfering with each other; he had not expected that a Heavenly Venerate had the authority to command other sects.

"In fact, the ones who most desire the existence of Heavenly Venerates are often the smaller sects, because a Heavenly Venerate brings about a strong and potent order."

Gu Wen finished reading the letters and then carefully folded them back and tucked them into his robe.

"How is Master doing recently?"

"Like the mythical dragon, our Spirit Ancestor makes rare appearances. I haven’t seen him for seven or eight years."