It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 574: Entering the Great Dao, Lan Shihuai Has a Bold Idea

She wants to see me alone…?

If it weren’t for the Lan Clan ancestor being a proper lady, Mu Zhian would have suspected she wanted to try the taste of a Soul Transformation Innate Celestial Furnace after seeing him reach Soul Transformation.

Although he hadn’t comprehended a Dao Rhyme yet, Mu Zhian was indeed at the Soul Transformation Realm.

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment and said, “Then I’ll go in and see her now.”

Mu Wange nodded gently, then reminded him, “Remember to protect yourself first.”

That ancient ship is full of great powers’ spiritual senses, without even physical bodies, why would I need to protect myself…?

Mu Zhian looked at Mu Wange’s gentle and beautiful face, the tenderness in her eyes, and nodded slightly.

Then, he couldn’t help but recall his conversation with Mu Wange last night, his gaze lingering on her face.

Mu Wange was also looking at the young man, clearly thinking the same thing.

Her heart trembled, and she said softly, “You… you go ahead. The Jade Empress and I are here, don’t worry about being disturbed.”

Yao Meng’s beautiful eyes flickered slightly, her gaze discreetly sweeping over the two, a meaningful glint within.

As Mu Zhian turned and walked towards the depths of the ancestral land, her spiritual sense quietly locked onto the alluring and mature woman beside her.

Mu Wange gazed tenderly in the direction where Mu Zhian disappeared, “Is there something you need, Jade Empress?”

“Earlier, at the Two Polarities Sect, when he said he would take me to meet his parents, I was quite surprised.”

Yao Meng’s voice was soft, “I’ve been wondering why such an outstanding young man spent his past ten-plus years so unremarkably in Tianxuan City, without any news of him being a genius or anything.”

Mu Wange said calmly, “Didn’t you hear that he indulged in a life of debauchery in Tianxuan City for a while before finally coming to his senses and starting to cultivate diligently?”

“And after he started cultivating seriously, his luck gradually increased. Although he didn’t obtain any heavenly materials and earthly treasures, he always managed to meet various great powers… He could even obtain their techniques somehow, right?”

A smile appeared on Yao Meng’s cool face, “Gong Lianyue’s Sword Immortal Physique, Ye Lingxuan’s Innate Spiritual Body, and even my Innate Dao Body, he must have found a way to replicate them for his own use, right?”

Having been with Mu Zhian for so long, even without seeing his personal interface, Yao Meng could more or less sense the abnormality of his constitution.

Moreover, when he went to the Forbidden Zone for the physique test earlier, the result was the Chaos Body.

And this Chaos Body contained many powerful constitutions, including Yao Meng’s.

Mu Wange remained silent.

The more she said, the more mistakes she might make. The Jade Empress was too clever; she was worried that continuing this conversation would reveal more secrets.

However, Yao Meng continued, “So I’ve been thinking, could he convert the constitutions of those close to him for his own use… But because of one person, I temporarily dismissed this idea.”

She gazed at Mu Wange’s beautiful side profile and said softly, “Among the people he knows, there are four whose constitutions he hasn’t been able to replicate.”

“The Spirit Dragon and the Princess, naturally, go without saying. The Great Dao transcends all things in the universe. Besides them, there are two others whose constitutions I still can’t quite understand.”

“Wei Mengrou.”

As Yao Meng spoke the name, Mu Wange’s eyes changed slightly.

“And Shang Yanfei,” she added.

Mu Wange’s eyes flickered. She couldn’t help but glance at Yao Meng, trying to discern something from the Jade Empress’s eyes.

However, this woman’s nature was too gentle, her watery, peach blossom eyes too soft and innocent. Staring at Yao Meng, she was the first to look away, slightly embarrassed.

Yao Meng studied Mu Wange’s veiled face. Her face was round, somewhat similar to Lin Ling’s, but the latter was more innocent and dazed, always looking at you with her clear, untainted red eyes.

Mu Wange, on the other hand, was the reserved, mature beauty type, her peach blossom eyes always gentle.

Seeing Yao Meng staring at her silently, Mu Wange sighed softly, “Why does Mu’er always like to get close to such clever women…?”

Beauty was enough for a woman, being too clever wasn’t always a good thing… At least, for Mu Zhian, being close to too many clever women wasn’t a good thing.

He thought he was clever, raising fish in his pond, but he didn’t even know who was truly raising whom.

Perhaps one day, while feeding the fish, he would be swallowed whole by one of the sharks in his pond.

“You’re not his parent either, are you?” Yao Meng asked with a smile.

Before meeting Mu Wange, she wasn’t sure, but after seeing her, it wasn’t difficult to tell whether she and Mu Zhian were blood-related.

Mu Wange’s eyes changed slightly, “Whether I am or not isn’t important. No matter what, I only see him as a child.”

“You see him as a child… Then what about Shang Yanfei?”

Yao Meng snorted softly, “Does she also see my husband as a child? If so, then I’m relieved.”

Mu Wange’s eyes flickered, and she subconsciously looked away, “W-why do you suddenly mention Sect Master Shang?”

Yao Meng looked at Mu Wange with a half-smile, her eyes as if saying, “Why I mentioned Sect Master Shang, don’t you know better than I do?”

The Jade Empress is indeed suspicious of my identity… Mu Wange’s heart trembled.

“You must know, or at least be connected to, Shang Yanfei, right?” Yao Meng asked with an expressionless face.

Yao Meng had been puzzled before. Why was Shang Yanfei so kind to Mu Zhian, a disciple who had just entered the sect…? At first, she didn’t suspect anything, but after spending a long time in Mu Zhian’s body, she found that the Sect Master seemed to be behind everything Mu Zhian experienced.

“My meeting with Mu Lang probably wasn’t a coincidence either, was it?”

Mu Wange raised a delicate eyebrow and said softly, “Do you think she deliberately arranged for you to meet Mu’er?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Yao Meng’s eyes remained gentle, but her aura locked onto Mu Wange.

“Shang Yanfei knew long ago that Mu Lang could obtain part of other people’s constitutions through some ability, so she secretly arranged for him to approach the Pilgrimage Palace and rescue my spiritual sense,” Yao Meng said softly.

Mu Wange: “If you’re hoping to get the answers you seek from me, then I apologize… The main body’s memories aren’t shared with the clones, so I don’t know much about her past actions.”

She continued, “Then what? What does the Jade Empress plan to do after learning about this? Confront her and ask about her grand scheme, or… leave Mu’er?”

Yao Meng glanced at Mu Wange and said calmly, “I don’t know Shang Yanfei’s purpose, and I’m not interested in her past entanglements with Mu Zhian.”

“But in this life, he’s mine.”

Hearing this, a gentle smile appeared on Mu Wange’s face.

The Jade Empress’s reaction after learning the truth was exactly as Shang Yanfei predicted.

After all, Shang Yanfei was the one playing the villain in all these schemes, while Mu Zhian was completely unaware.

Although Mu Zhian saved Yao Meng partly because he was attracted to her beauty, to Yao Meng, this wasn’t a demerit.

There were countless people in this world who fell for the Jade Empress at first sight; Mu Zhian was just one of them.

It was just that this young man was more straightforward, and also more sincere.

“It’s good that you understand. No matter what, Mu’er is sincere towards you,” Mu Wange said softly.

“I know,” Yao Meng smiled.

Even so, being schemed against still felt unpleasant…

Yao Meng narrowed her eyes, a playful glint in her beautiful green eyes, “By the way, can she also sense our conversation?”

Mu Wange hesitated slightly, but under Yao Meng’s gaze, she nodded gently.

“She can hear now… and even see everything this clone sees,” Mu Wange said, “Do you have anything you want to tell her?”

Yao Meng hummed softly in agreement and said to herself, “When I was at the Two Polarities Sect before, my husband said he would take us to meet his parents. I was a bit apprehensive at the time… After all, if his parents were just little cultivators with lifespans of less than a few thousand years, calling them ‘parents’ would be a bit strange.”

“I just didn’t expect he didn’t actually have parents…”

She paused, then continued casually, “But it seems your husband respects you very much, right?”

If it were before last night, Mu Wange could have answered with a definite yes.

However… recalling last night’s events, a complex look appeared in the woman’s eyes.

“Mmm… sort of,” after a while, Mu Wange said with a faint smile.

“In that case, you must be the elder he trusts the most.”

Under Mu Wange’s gentle gaze, Yao Meng smiled brightly, bowed slightly, and said softly, “Mother, your daughter-in-law greets you.”

Mu Wange’s smile froze.

Deep within Two Polarities Peak, Shang Yanfei looked at the bronze mirror in her hand with a slightly stunned expression. After a while, she silently turned the mirror over and gently placed it on the table.

…

“It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve seen Senior Sister and Sister Feiying. The last time I pampered them seems to have been…”

At this moment, Mu Zhian was walking through the ancient ship left behind by the Primordial Mother.

Seeing this Lan Clan’s ancient ship, he couldn’t help but think of the cool beauty in the white dress and the alluring cheongsam-wearing milf.

He wondered if they were still cultivating in the Two Polarities Sect…

The ancient ship was filled with all sorts of strange objects: bamboo slips, tattered scriptures, and other items floating from the void.

Mu Zhian even saw characters not belonging to this era of the Nine Provinces, complex and incomprehensible.

“You’ve come a bit early, Mu Zhian.”

Just then, a cool and pleasant voice echoed in Mu Zhian’s mind.

A spatial rift silently tore open within the ancient ship, a tall and slender figure faintly visible within.

The ancestor of the Lan Clan, also the Ice Empress of the Nine Provinces in the past.

“You saying that means you knew I would come to see you in the future, right?” Mu Zhian asked, voicing his confusion.

Lan Shihuai nodded gently.

“I knew you would come, I just didn’t expect Mu Wange to bring you here.”

She stepped out of the spatial rift, a chilling air seemingly emanating from her with every step.

Lan Shihuai gazed at Mu Zhian, then said, “So… you’ve reached Soul Transformation Realm? Your cultivation speed is much faster than I imagined.”

“That’s just this junior’s good fortune, encountering some opportunities. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to reach Soul Transformation in such a short time,” Mu Zhian said humbly.

“Yes, I know. It must be because the Pill Emperor of Yu State bedded you,” Lan Shihuai nodded slightly and said calmly.

Mu Zhian: “…”

Although he knew she wasn’t deliberately teasing him, her words still sounded strange.

“What did you mean earlier by ‘you’ve come a bit early’?” Mu Zhian asked.

“The Second Ark isn’t ready yet. Even if you’ve come now, you won’t be able to see its true form,” Lan Shihuai said calmly.

What is the Second Ark…?

A flicker of doubt crossed Mu Zhian’s mind, and he subconsciously asked, “Are you referring to this ancient ship beneath our feet? Is this the Second Ark?”

“Legend has it that in the beginning of time, the Second Ark was a gift from the Primordial Mother’s lover. It was originally just a small paper boat, but in her hands, it became one of the ‘divine traces’ she left in this world,” Lan Shihuai explained.

“What’s the purpose of the Second Ark…? There seem to be many remnant souls of ancient great powers within this ship,” Mu Zhian asked further.

Lan Shihuai’s beautiful eyes gazed into Mu Zhian’s and she asked softly, “Young friend, do you believe in reincarnation?”

Mu Zhian hesitated slightly, then nodded gently.

Having met a reincarnator before, he couldn’t possibly not believe it now.

“Those who believe in the afterlife, even after their spiritual sense is extinguished, can be gathered by the Second Ark. However, these fallen great powers only retain a wisp of their will,” Lan Shihuai said with a smile.

“Then are you also…?” Mu Zhian asked.

Lan Shihuai: “Not exactly. I still possess my own spiritual sense. If I wish, I can rebuild my physical body in the future.”

So, the Lan Clan ancestor has been waiting for an opportunity to rebuild her body, which is why she’s been staying on the Second Ark?

Mu Zhian’s mind raced.

Lan Shihuai continued, “Actually, the great powers within the Second Ark can choose to reincarnate anytime, if they wish. However, some still have unfulfilled wishes from their past lives, some are unwilling to recultivate.”

“Reaching Dao Integration requires not only talent, but also opportunity. It’s not guaranteed just because one achieved it in a past life.”

Mu Zhian could understand this. It was like, after painstakingly raising all the fish in his pond, he could finally relax and enjoy a comfortable life, eating soft rice.

If he was suddenly asked to reincarnate and start over, he wouldn’t be willing either.

Mu Zhian collected his thoughts slightly, “So, according to you, the Second Ark isn’t ready yet, which is why you can’t tell me why the Sect Master went through so much trouble to shield destiny, even sending me to Tianxuan City?”

Lan Shihuai nodded silently, “This is my oath… Mu Wange brought you to see me, she wouldn’t want me to break it.”

She walked to the edge of the ancient ship, bent down, and picked up a black paper crane floating in the river outside.

“What is this…?”

Mu Zhian frowned slightly.

He felt this paper crane was somewhat familiar… His gaze lingered on it in Lan Shihuai’s hand.

Then, Mu Zhian’s eyes widened slightly, as if recalling something important, a thought flashing through his mind: The Heavenly Court!

Indeed, he had seen similar paper cranes in the ‘Heavenly Palace’ deep within the Heavenly Court.

He remembered a sealed door in the deepest part of that Heavenly Palace.

Even now, he didn’t know what was behind that door.

“Open it and see,” Lan Shihuai said with a smile.

Mu Zhian took the black paper crane and carefully unfolded it.

Inside, were two brilliant golden characters.

‘Soul Transformation’.

Rumble!

As if possessing some kind of magic, the two characters on the paper crane were like a thunderclap in Mu Zhian’s mind, a beam of light piercing through a closed door, and the final barrier between the peak of Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation completely shattered.

Unlike Lin Ling’s Words Manifest Reality, these two characters involved causality, more like ‘creating something from nothing’.

Mu Zhian hadn’t figured out his own Dao or how to comprehend it, but just seeing these two words, his mind suddenly cleared, as if someone had unlocked a lock in his head.

This was beyond the scope of a cultivator’s techniques, as it could create something from nothing.

This was the divine ability of the paper crane’s owner, the power of creation.

The Heavenly Dao’s will had said before that because Mu Zhian didn’t believe in the three Daos of Heaven, Earth, and Human, nor the Great Dao, and didn’t respect the New Heavenly Dao, he couldn’t comprehend any Dao Rhyme.

Mu Zhian only believed in himself.

He had hit a dead end, stubbornly thinking that since he didn’t believe in any ‘Dao’, he needed to create his own.

But there was no need for that.

He had been with the Heavenly Dao’s will, was protected by the New Heavenly Dao, and had even indirectly connected with the Great Dao several times through the Princess… He had been intimate with the Heavenly Dao, the New Heavenly Dao, and even the Great Dao.

No one in this world understood them better than Mu Zhian.

Therefore, he would comprehend three different Daos, just like the path he took when he first became a cultivator.

Build a fishpond, then raise fish!

Of course, comprehending the Dao like this required the approval of the Heavenly Dao, the New Heavenly Dao, and the Great Dao.

Lan Shihuai, sensing the change in Mu Zhian, her usually cold and indifferent eyes softened.

She hadn’t known the content of the paper crane earlier, but seeing Mu Zhian’s current state, she understood that the paper crane was a means to help him ‘resonate with the Dao’.

“Is this… the Heavenly Dao?”

Lan Shihuai saw a faint white light suddenly appear, a hint of surprise in her eyes as she looked at Mu Zhian.

He clearly knew the Heavenly Dao was ailing, yet he still chose the Heavenly Dao for his Dao Comprehension, like most cultivators in the Nine Provinces?

Although the Heavenly Dao was powerful, resonating with it meant being controlled by it in the future…

“Acknowledged, Heavenly Dao’s will.”

A cold and emotionless voice silently echoed through the void. Above the ancient ship, a soft white light appeared, and within the light, the faint figure of a woman could be seen, gazing indifferently at Mu Zhian on the ancient ship.

Then, unnoticed by anyone, she subconsciously licked her lips.

Mmm… Master, after comprehending the Dao Rhyme, will taste even more delicious, right?

I can’t wait to try… Miss Heavenly Dao thought silently.

She was the Heavenly Dao’s executor in the mortal world. Any cultivator’s Dao Comprehension required her acknowledgement. Mu Zhian wanting to resonate with her, Miss Heavenly Dao was naturally overjoyed.

However, because of her settings, she had to maintain a cold and aloof demeanor and couldn’t casually descend to the mortal world…

What a pity.

At the same time, within the Heavenly Court, a small and delicate silver-haired loli slowly opened her eyes and snorted softly, “Such a greedy fellow… Not satisfied even after having so many already?”

She said faintly, “Acknowledged, New Heavenly Dao.”

Hearing the second resonance echoing within Mu Zhian’s body, Lan Shihuai’s usual coldness melted away, and she looked at the young man in astonishment.

He comprehended two Daos… ?

“Ancestor, what’s happening outside? Why is there such a commotion?”

Just then, a cool voice suddenly came. Lan Mulian, dressed in a beautiful white dress, walked out from below the ancient ship. The moment she spoke, her gaze instinctively fell on the young man standing on the deck.

“Why is he here?”

Lan Shihuai had told the two sisters that she needed to return to the ancestral land every so often to study the ancient scriptures. Lan Mulian had been in the ancestral land for more than half a month, immersed in those scriptures.

She didn’t expect Junior Brother to also come to the ancestral land.

And it seemed he was resonating with the ‘Dao’…?

“Your Junior Brother has already resonated with two different Daos,” Lan Shihuai, snapping out of her daze, said calmly. “He’s truly bold. Normally, the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t allow such an absurd method of Dao Comprehension, resonating with another Dao Rhyme.”

Simply put, the Daos were mutually exclusive. After resonating with one Dao Rhyme, another Dao wouldn’t accept that cultivator.

And the Heavenly Dao was even more domineering. If it sensed someone resonating with another Dao after resonating with it, it would directly send down Heavenly Punishment and reclaim the Heavenly Dao laws they comprehended.

In a sense, the Heavenly Dao was like a ‘yandere’, incredibly possessive.

However… from just now until now, the Heavenly Dao hadn’t sent down any punishment.

This meant that the Heavenly Dao’s will tacitly approved of Mu Zhian’s greedy actions.

Could it be that the rules of heaven and earth outside had changed, and cultivators could now resonate with two different Daos…?

Even Lan Shihuai couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt.

“What do you think of his talent, Ancestor?” Lan Mulian suddenly asked.

Lan Shihuai had told her before that Mu Zhian’s talent was indeed outstanding, but only outstanding… Lan Mulian had always been slightly unconvinced, but couldn’t find a chance to refute.

And now… she could change her ancestor’s impression of Junior Brother.

If she could win over her ancestor, who in the Lan Clan would dare object to her and Junior Brother being together in the future?

Lan Shihuai naturally didn’t know what Lan Mulian was thinking. She just silently looked at the young man and nodded slightly, “Mmm… Resonating with two Daos simultaneously does require some courage.”

Even she, incredibly confident in the past, had never resonated with two Daos.

Or rather, in the entire Nine Provinces, only two or three people had ever succeeded.

Resonating with two Dao Rhymes, Mu Zhian’s strength during Dao Integration would be much stronger than great powers of the same realm.

Becoming Dao Companions with her two descendants was acceptable…

Just as Lan Shihuai thought of this, a booming sound suddenly echoed in her ears.

She was slightly stunned, then quickly reacted, and abruptly looked up at the sky.

From the depths of the alien starry sky, a soft light quietly shone upon the Nine Provinces, like sunlight piercing through dark clouds, falling upon the Lan Clan Ancestral Land.

Then, the light condensed into the figure of a woman.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Lan Shihuai subconsciously murmured, “The Great Dao’s embodiment… Why is she here?”

Then, as if realizing something, her gaze fixed on Mu Zhian.

Not satisfied with resonating with two Daos, he was actually aiming for the Great Dao?!

The Great Dao, which transcended all things in the universe. In the entire Nine Provinces, only her two daughters had ever resonated with it.

It wasn’t that other Soul Transformation cultivators hadn’t tried to connect with the Great Dao, but they never received a response.

Lan Shihuai subconsciously took half a step forward, icy air silently spreading around her.

The Great Dao’s embodiment appearing here was probably because Mu Zhian had somehow alarmed it, incurring the Great Dao’s ‘punishment’.

No matter what, she had to protect him…

“Acknowledged.”

The woman quietly gazed at Mu Zhian, her cold, emotionless voice echoing, interrupting Lan Shihuai’s thoughts.

She looked at the illusory figure of the Great Dao’s embodiment with uncertainty, then her gaze at Mu Zhian changed.

The Great Dao… actually acknowledged his resonance?

Mu Zhian had already comprehended two different Daos, yet the Great Dao still agreed…?

Neither Lan Shihuai nor Lan Mulian knew that, to the Great Dao, all of this was cause and effect.

Mu Zhian had spared no effort in helping Lin Ling and the Princess transcend. As a reward, the Great Dao acknowledged this seemingly absurd method of Dao Comprehension.

Three different Dao Rhymes, if Mu Zhian reached Dao Integration in the future, his combat power would be unimaginable.

Not only that, being intimate with Mu Zhian, who comprehended three Dao Rhymes… one could also experience three different sensations through the Innate Celestial Furnace.

Lan Mulian’s lips curved slightly upwards, but her face remained cold and indifferent as she calmly asked, “Ancestor, are you satisfied with Junior Brother’s performance this time?”

Lan Shihuai stared at Mu Zhian for a long time, a faint light flickering in her eyes.

After a while, she came back to her senses, looked at Lan Mulian with gentle eyes, and said softly, “Yes, you’re right… He is a remarkable young man.”