Chapter 109: The Prestige of the Purple Cloud Palace (First Update)

Chapter 109: The Weight of Zixiao Palace

In the world of "Under One Person," Luo Feng had harvested the Eight Miraculous Skills: the Tongtian Talisman, the Twin Palms, the Puppet Mastery, the Feng Hou Miracle Gate, the Divine Machine Refinement, the Origin of Qi, the Great Luo Cave Vision, and the Six-Storey Immortal Thief. Most of these profound arts had been integrated into his three great Dao paths, while the Feng Hou Miracle Gate, the Divine Machine Refinement, and the Tongtian Talisman were preserved separately.

During his time in that world, Luo Feng had been unable to fully grasp the Feng Hou Miracle Gate, managing only minor tricks of premonition. After attaining the status of an Immortal, he could have delved deeper, but he dared not attempt it after ascending to the Primordial World, fearing that calculating something forbidden would cost him his life. As for the Tongtian Talisman, having been a close friend of Zheng Zha, Luo Feng had mastered a portion of it. While Zheng Zha used it as a talisman, Luo Feng transformed it into the "Tongtian Array."

Of all the eight skills, he took the most pride in the Divine Machine Refinement. After attaining the status of an Immortal, his understanding of the heavens and the Great Dao underwent a complete transformation. He elevated the Divine Machine Refinement to its absolute peak, completing the metamorphosis from mortal to immortal. From then on, the puppets he forged were no longer mere mechanical constructs but extensions of his own self. Every puppet above the twentieth level of refinement housed a sliver of his divine consciousness. The Buddha had billions of incarnations, and Luo Feng had boundless puppets. How virtuous, how truly virtuous!

The Luo Tianyi currently paying homage to the Jade Emperor was a puppet of Earth Immortal rank. From head to toe, every detail was indistinguishable from a living person. Of course, this could not deceive the Jade Emperor. To gain the Heavenly Emperor's trust, Luo Feng had to appear in his true form.

Under the gaze of the Jade Emperor and Taibai Jinxing, the Luo Tianyi in the center of the hall smiled faintly. In an instant, her black and white pupils faded, replaced by a pale blue radiance—amber-like, glass-like, breathtakingly beautiful, and ethereal.

Not only did Luo Feng-Tianyi open these blue eyes within the Heavenly Palace, but 3.6 million miles outside the South Heaven Gate, a Daoist with a transcendent aura did the same. In the lower realm, within the Tai’er Sect, a sweeping monk looked up at the sky and opened his eyes. In the Huaqing Temple, the Youlong Sect, the Beihe Sword School... across the seas, on the islands, in the cities of the Yin and Shang dynasties... in the sky, in the ocean, on land, in small dimensions, and in the void—countless Luo Fengs opened their eyes. Countless incarnations and clones looked up at the firmament, sensing each other in a single, boundless connection.

Like starlight, slivers of divine consciousness converged and took shape. It all happened in a heartbeat before calm returned. Within the Heavenly Palace, Luo Tianyi vanished, replaced by a handsome Daoist, ethereal as the wind, with a white star mark between his brows. Luo Feng smiled slightly, stepped forward, and performed a Daoist salute: "Daoist Tianyi, pays respects to the Heavenly Emperor!"

When the real is treated as fake, the fake becomes real; where there is nothing, it becomes something. Luo Feng had countless incarnations. Each could be the true self, yet none were entirely the true self. Only when Luo Feng willed it did an incarnation become his true presence. Otherwise, killing an incarnation would yield nothing but a pile of discarded puppets.

Taibai Jinxing, watching from the side, asked with slight surprise, "Daoist Luo, are you perhaps under the tutelage of Old Ancestor Minghe?"

That figure from the Sea of Blood was said to possess 480 million Blood God clones; as long as the Sea of Blood did not dry, Minghe would not die. Luo Feng’s methods were somewhat similar. Luo Feng smiled, shook his head, and bowed his hands. "Old Star Lord, you have guessed wrong."

He was not under the Sea of Blood, and Luo Feng suspected the 480 million figure was just Minghe bluffing. Only a fool would believe it. In a few hundred years, his own puppet incarnations would surpass that number. If a great Primordial power like Minghe only had 480 million, it would be pathetic. Comparing them, he sighed at his own current weakness; such methods could only deal with beings of his own level. His path of caution was not yet complete; in the dangerous Primordial World, safety was paramount.

Taibai Jinxing’s eyes darkened. If not the Sea of Blood, then whose? The West? Or perhaps... In an instant, Taibai Jinxing imagined much—lurking evil gods, unspeakable conspiracies from the West, and more.

The hall was silent. Luo Feng smiled without speaking, only the light between his brows shimmering. Even the Jade Emperor had not anticipated this. Saintly lineages often took disciples, and Great Luo Immortals were frequently seen, but since the three lectures at Zixiao Palace, those from that realm rarely appeared unless a great calamity occurred. The probability of Luo Feng coming from Zixiao Palace was not zero, but so minuscule that even a Great Luo being like the Jade Emperor had subconsciously ignored it.

Gazing at the familiar aura between Luo Feng’s brows, the Jade Emperor felt a stir of memory. "Taibai, you may withdraw."

Though the voice was calm, Taibai Jinxing looked up sharply. He and the Emperor were of one mind; even if the Heavenly Court were to fall, the Emperor would not hide things from him. Now that he was being dismissed, there was only one possibility: the following matter was not for his ears. Taibai Jinxing made a few guesses, but kept his expression unchanged, bowed, and retreated.

Only the Jade Emperor and Luo Feng remained in the hall. The Jade Emperor asked with a hint of emotion, "How is Teacher?"

Luo Feng bowed towards the heavens: "The Dao Ancestor is boundless in his longevity, enduring through countless kalpas without decay. When I last saw him, he was playing chess under the peach trees."

The Jade Emperor nodded. Indeed, with the Dao Ancestor’s realm, even if the Primordial Universe were to collapse and countless beings were to perish, he would remain unharmed. Gazing at Luo Feng, the Jade Emperor smiled: "Junior Brother..."

Luo Feng knelt in trepidation: "I dare not accept such a title from Your Majesty. This humble Daoist merely had the fortune to meet the Dao Ancestor once."

The Jade Emperor nodded thoughtfully, saying calmly, "Sit, Daoist Luo."

He had hoped his rank among the second generation of the Xuan Sect might rise, but it was a hollow joy. Still, the ability to enter and exit Zixiao Palace said everything. The weight of Zixiao Palace was real. Barring any accidents, Luo Feng would at least attain the Great Luo fruit in the future. This was not about Luo Feng himself, but about the Dao Ancestor’s face. The three thousand red-dust guests of Zixiao were the most talented students in history. It was the highest institution in the Primordial World, with average graduates reaching Great Luo, and elite representatives like Minghe, Kunpeng, Zhenyuanzi, and the Jade Emperor himself.

Luo Feng sensed the shift in the Jade Emperor’s attitude but would not mistake this "Daoist" for true equality. Without attaining the Great Luo fruit, the future remained just that—the future. On the path of cultivation, filled with countless trials, one might perish at any moment. He sat straight, his tone remaining respectful.

The Jade Emperor smiled slightly: "After leaving Zixiao, why did you come to my Heavenly Court instead of visiting your other senior brothers and sisters?"

Luo Feng bowed: "Reporting to the Great Heavenly Emperor, it is naturally because..."