Chapter 756: Unrivaled Contribution
In the thatch house, the Cloud Ancestor stared at Tang Jie, his gaze carrying the weight of a mountain range, pressing down on Tang Jie such that he couldn't even raise his head.
Anxious, Ling Xiao was about to rebuke Tang Jie, but the Cloud Ancestor waved a hand to stop him. He then asked Tang Jie, "Why do you say this?"
Tang Jie calmly replied, "If the world really had a Heavenly Dao, why has no one comprehended the Heavenly Dao"
An entire argument spilled forth from his mouth, the answer that Immortal Ji Yao had given back then.
This theory had come from a Boundless Gold Immortal, and it was like a resounding clap to the Cloud Ancestor, waking him from a deep stupor and leaving him stunned and awed.
He naturally wouldn't be so easily convinced by Tang Jie's words, so he began to question him. However, Tang Jie had stayed with Immortal Ji Yao for three years, and they had discussed the topic of the Heavenly Dao numerous times, so he was well-studied on the subject.
He answered all of the Cloud Ancestor's questions, with most of his answers being the ones Immortal Ji Yao had given him.
The Cloud Ancestor had started with an almost inquisitorial attitude, but he grew more and more shocked as their conversation went on, and his expression followed in going from solemnity to surprise, and then to glowing with excitement, and finally nodding his head as if he had been enlightened. Thus, a supreme grandmaster had become an earnest student.
Poor Ling Xiao had never seen such a thing before.
Ever since he had taken up the post of Sect Master, whenever he came to see his martial uncle, he would always be greeted by this taciturn and solemn old fellow who was devoted to the Dao, completely unconcerned for the world. When Feng Muyuan had led the Blue Sky Demon Wolves in raiding the Basking Moon Sect, the Cloud Ancestor had known about this matter, but he hadn't even issued a warning, such was his aloof attitude to the ways of the world.
Unexpectedly, Tang Jie's words had completely upset his demeanor, and he was throwing out question after question without regard for his dignity.
Tang Jie had been instructed by Immortal Ji Yao, so his vision had been greatly broadened such that he did not fear a discussion with the Cloud Ancestor.
Thus, the two began to discuss the Dao in the thatch house, going on for three days and nights. As for Sect Master Ling Xiao, he was utterly ignored. Fortunately, as this discussion was not hidden from him, he was able to greatly benefit just by listening.
But the feeling of benefiting from a discussion of the Dao between his disciple and his martial uncle was not particularly pleasant.
Three days later, the Dao discussion finally ended.
It ended because Tang Jie could no longer answer the Cloud Ancestor's questions.
While he had learned a lot from his conversations with Immortal Ji Yao, because of his personal cultivation level, there were some questions that he couldn't even think of, as they would only occur to him once he actually got that high. It was the same difference as between reading a book and actually doing what was said in the book.
Cultivation level limited Tang Jie's vision, which meant that the questions he had asked back then would inevitably be lacking. Thus, when the Cloud Ancestor asked him these questions, Tang Jie didn't even understand what he was talking about.
After three days, the Cloud Ancestor had seemingly identified Tang Jie's weak spot, his every question leaving Tang Jie confused and unable to reply.
But rather than pleased, the Cloud Ancestor seemed deeply disappointed.
With his wisdom and experience, he could tell that Tang Jie was just copying someone else's words, but given how thorough the arguments were, he could also see that Tang Jie had spent some time with this person.
This made the Cloud Ancestor deeply interested in Tang Jie. "Tang Jie, tell me: who is the person who taught you all this?"
"It's a rather long story." Tang Jie gave a brief summary of how he had come to know Immortal Ji Yao. Since they had already guessed at his connection to the Martial Lord, there was no need to hide this matter from them.
The Cloud Ancestor gave a melancholy sigh after hearing of the tragic romance between Immortal Ji Yao and the Martial Lord. "So the Court of Myriad Domains was destroyed by the Martial Lord who had gone mad over the loss of Immortal Ji Yao. I really couldn't have imagined it. Alas, it is not my destiny to meet this Boundless Gold Immortal and seek instruction from her."
Tang Jie quickly said, "Martial Uncle, there's no need to worry about this. The extreme long-distance teleportation formation is already complete, so you can still go if you want. But as the distance is so great, it requires an astonishing amount of energy, and the round trip is also rather time-consuming."
Ling Xiao immediately said, "This is no problem. My Basking Moon Sect is more than capable of providing such resources."
Meeting a Boundless Gold Immortal was also an immense opportunity for Ling Xiao.
But the Cloud Ancestor shook his head. "It's not as easy as you think. Tang Jie, you don't know this, but when you ascend to Immortal Platform, spiritual energy transforms into Immortal Essence and the soul attains godhood, so every action you take will influence the world around you. If I were to enter a teleportation formation, the teleportation formation would instantly explode under the load, and I would be tossed into the void."
"Oh, really?" Tang Jie was astonished. He really didn't know that Immortal Platform cultivators couldn't use teleportation formations.
In truth, this was not the case, but a teleportation formation that could tolerate their power had even greater requirements and costs, more than the resources of Rosecloud, Blood River, and Verdant Cloud combined could provide.
As for the one Tang Jie had made, as he had to settle for substitutes, let alone the Cloud Ancestor, even Ling Xiao would be rather risky.
Ling Xiao was rather disappointed to learn that he couldn't go.
Tang Jie said, "If that's the case, then this disciple will relay Master's and Ancestor's questions."
"That will have to do," the Cloud Ancestor and Ling Xiao agreed.
At this moment, Tang Jie slapped his head in realization. "Right, I forgot about that guy."
Tang Jie pulled out the Mountain River State Diagram and then took out the Eternity Sarcophagus from it.
"A small world?" Ling Xiao exclaimed in surprise. He recognized the Mountain River State Diagram, but he hadn't realized that Tang Jie had managed to develop the diagram into an independent small world. Moreover, he could also sense a sliver of the Space Crystal's power from the diagram.
"A Dao armament?" The Cloud Ancestor had more of his attention on the Eternity Sarcophagus and its occupant. "This woman has an extremely powerful Divine Soul."
"Martial Ancestor is correct!" Tang Jie answered. He then retold the story of switching souls.
Tang Jie concluded, "The Azure Dragon's soul is currently in this woman's body. Although it isn't a Boundless Gold Immortal, it's still a Supreme True Immortal. Ancestor can directly ask it any questions you might have. Just remember to put it back into the sarcophagus when you're done."
While the Azure Dragon's soul could alter the body and gradually grow stronger, that was a matter of years. Letting it out for a short while wouldn't pose a problem.
The Cloud Ancestor nodded. "I will greatly benefit from the personal instruction of a Supreme True Immortal, and with you also helping me convey my questions to that Boundless Gold Immortal, I am sure that many of my confusions will be cleared and the day I advance will not be far off. Tang Jie, this is all thanks to you. I did not think that your fortune could even benefit this old man."
Ling Xiao was delighted.
The Cloud Ancestor was the anchor of the Basking Moon Sect. With him around, even if all the other experts of the Basking Moon Sect died, the sect would remain standing.
And an expert reaching True Immortal was what every major sect craved, for once it happened, that sect would shatter the power balance of the six major sects.
This was exactly why Tang Jie's contributions were so great. It was such an unprecedented achievement that if it were converted to contribution points, the Basking Moon Sect would have to give him all the resources it had.
"Martial Uncle, on the matter we discussed earlier?" Ling Xiao asked.
The Cloud Ancestor chuckled. "Although the Immortal Ji Yao this child received instruction from is not at all inferior to me, Immortal Ji Yao has already become a demon, and the two of us cannot meet. In addition, Tang Jie originates from my Basking Moon Sect and has inherited my lineage of arts, so this old man should be able to instruct him on a few points. Tang Jie, starting from today, you can come here whenever you want, and you may ask me whatever questions you have. Of course, if I have my own questions, I will pass them on to you. At set intervals, you will take a trip to the Verdant Cloud Domain and seek answers on my behalf. As for the Eternity Sarcophagus, I will take temporary custody of it."
"This disciple will obey!" Tang Jie replied.
He had no qualms about leaving the Eternity Sarcophagus here. The Basking Moon Sect had even let him have the Martial Lord's hidden realm, so he was sure that the Cloud Ancestor wouldn't try and steal his possessions. Moreover, this item had come from a great demon, and Tang Jie was worried that there was something wrong with it. Although the Cloud Ancestor had already given it a thorough inspection, Tang Jie still hoped that it could be kept by someone more powerful.
After saying all this, the Cloud Ancestor dismissed the pair.
As they exited the courtyard, they saw that elderly boy standing outside, smiling at Tang Jie. "Ever since my master entered seclusion, he has rarely met with outsiders, and even the Sect Master has to make several requests before he is granted an audience. I did not think that you would gain the right to visit whenever you wanted. This is truly something worth celebrating. Sect Master has truly brought a talent this time."
Now that Tang Jie had the right to visit at any time, the elderly boy had become much more polite.
After exchanging polite words, Ling Xiao and Tang Jie left. As they were heading back, Tang Jie learned that this elderly boy was called the Mountain Shatter Boy. In his early years, he had been a ruthless wandering cultivator bandit, but the Cloud Ancestor subdued him and made him his boy servant. While he had the body of a boy, he was actually a Soul Projection cultivator, a hidden Violet Palace Titan of the Basking Moon Sect. It was no wonder Ling Xiao had treated him with such respect.
In truth, all the sects had a hidden expert. If the Basking Moon Sect had a Violet Palace hidden expert, the other five sects probably had one too, or else the number of Violet Palace experts wouldn't have remained so static for so long. As for why Ming Yekong hadn't been kept a secret, that was because he was already a famous individual in the world. Since it was impossible to hide him, they might as well announce the news so as to raise the prestige of the sect.
"In truth, in the cultivation world, strength is king. A hidden Violet Palace expert might be able to play a key role at a critical moment, but it still won't mean as much as an Earth Immortal ascending to True Immortal. Tang Jie, you did very well this time. Even raising Martial Uncle's chances of ascension by one thousandth of a percent is an unparalleled contribution."
Tang Jie curiously asked, "The process of ascension is extremely dangerous. If Martial Ancestor fails, then won't I be a great sinner that not even ten thousand deaths can redeem?"
Ling Xiao laughed. "How could that be? When one reaches Earth Immortal, the body becomes like a dragon, and the soul becomes divine. One is essentially undying, and it becomes very hard to die. The only possibility is to have one's life force worn away from wounds sustained in neverending battle. This is why Earth Immortals are loath to intervene in conflicts, preferring to stand guard instead. Of course, advancing to the next tier is extremely difficult, and trying to ascend to the next level after having achieved an undying body is even more difficult! Just look at that Azure Dragon. To become Boundless, he was even willing to lie dead for ten thousand years for a single opportunity."
Tang Jie was enlightened.
"Since you have made such an enormous contribution, as Sect Master, I must reward you properly. Although Martial Uncle has already let you visit him whenever you want, it is not an official reward. So, Tang Jie, tell me what it is you want."
What do I want?
Tang Jie was taken aback. Looking at Ling Xiao's face, he suddenly realized that this was the opportunity to make his outrageous offering price!
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