Soon, two men arrived at Laozi’s courtyard. One was a barefoot, burly Indian. However, the Indian man was immaculate despite that. The other was a somewhat skinny Caucasian. The Caucasian wore white clothes and radiated a gentle, white light.
When the two arrived at the courtyard, they immediately sized up Gu Hai with surprise and curiosity. Although Laozi had described the situation very casually in the video call, the two still felt incredibly shocked. Another perfect immortal firmament? The two tossed aside their computers and immediately rushed over at nearly the same time.
“From another immortal firmament? Gu Hai?” the burly Indian asked with a smile.
“Other immortal firmaments truly exist?” the white-clad Caucasian asked curiously.
Before Gu Hai could speak, Zang Yulian raised her eyebrows. “The Present Buddha’s, Gautama’s, aura? Oh? The Supreme Genesis’s aura?”
“Gu Hai greets Mister Siddhārtha and Mister Jesus. This is Zang Yulian, the Supreme Ascendant from the Six Paths Immortal Firmament.” Gu Hai bowed politely.
“Gu Hai? Zang Yulian? The Six Paths Immortal Firmament?” The two’s expressions changed.
“Alright, we can speak later. Did you bring the things?” Laozi asked.
“Naturally.” Siddhārtha nodded while smiling.
Jesus nodded as well.
“Let’s go!” Laozi waved.
Buzz!
A spatial door suddenly appeared in front of the group.
“This is?” Zang Yulian appeared slightly suspicious.
Laozi, the altar boy, Siddhārtha, and Jesus had already entered. Gu Hai followed after them with Zang Yulian.
Buzz!
The spatial door vanished.
In the next moment, the group appeared above a sea of clouds.
They were on a large floating island with many palaces on it. A sea of clouds lay outside, and many immortal cranes flew about in the distance. With sunlight shining down, it looked incredibly dreamy.
“A floating island? This isn’t Earth anymore? Is this another immortal firmament?” Zang Yulian marveled at the surroundings.
“It is not an immortal firmament. It is just an independent world that we forged together, a common place of refuge.” Laozi showed a faint, bitter smile.
When Gu Hai looked at the largest palace on the floating island, he saw a signboard on it.
“Tusita Palace? The Supreme Ascendant Sovereign’s residence?” Gu Hai was startled to see that signboard.
[TL Note: Tusita means contented or joyous in Sanskrit. In one of the Buddhist interpretations, it is the fourth of the six heavenly realms. Tusita is a Buddhist concept, while the Supreme Ascendant Sovereign is a Taoist deity; this makes it appear rather strange. It was Journey to the West that claimed that the Supreme Ascendant Sovereign stayed in Tusita Palace.]
Creak!
The doors of that palace opened.
Many Daoist altar boys poured out from inside. The person leading them was an old man who resembled Laozi somewhat.
“It really is the Supreme Ascendant Sovereign?” Gu Hai said with a strange expression.
The Supreme Ascendant Sovereign walked over to Laozi and bowed respectfully. “Grand Pure One, the Lord of the Dao and the Virtue, salutes my true body, Laozi!”
Laozi nodded. “Supreme Ascendant, can I trouble you to go to Nuwa Palace and bring Nuwa’s holy blood over? Bring all of it.”
“Yes!” the Supreme Ascendant Sovereign answered.
The Supreme Ascendant Sovereign’s figure flashed and vanished from where he was.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As though sensing the arrival of the group, many beams of light shot over from a distance.
Whoosh!
The first to arrive was a black-robed man. This person emanated overwhelming sword qi.
“Sect Master Heavenly Access? Why is the aura so similar?” Zang Yulian goggled in shock.
The black-robed man glanced at Zang Yulian with puzzlement. Then, he turned to Laozi and bowed. “Supreme Pure One, the Lord of the Numinous Treasure, salutes my true body, Laozi!”
The white-clad man at the side said respectfully, “Jade Pure One, the Lord of Primordial Beginning, salutes my true body, Laozi!”
“Myriad Age Mountain’s Zhenyuanzi salutes Senior Laozi!”
[TL Note: Zhenyuanzi is worshiped in Chinese folk religion and is also a character in Journey to the West. Here is the Wikipedia entry on him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhenyuan_Daxian.]
The Daoist experts respectfully saluted Laozi.
Whoosh!
A beam of golden light approached from a distance.
“Gautama salutes my true body, Venerable Siddhārtha!” a man who looked somewhat similar to Siddhārtha saluted respectfully.
[TL Note: Many Buddhist and Hindu deities have the concept of having incarnations. They appear in the world in different forms and names, often showing different aspects and appearing like different people. So while Gautama and Siddhārtha refer to the same deity, they are different incarnations. However, in this novel, it seems like the incarnation becomes a separate person and exists together with the original.]
More beams of golden light shot over. Various buddhas and arhats appeared and respectfully saluted Siddhārtha.
Siddhārtha nodded.
Whoosh!
Now, beams of white light shot over.
A white-Confucian-robed man appeared and said, “Confucianism’s Kong Qiu greets the various sages!”
“Mohism’s Mo Di greets the various sages!”
“Legalism’s Han Fei greets the various sages!”
[TL Note: Kong Qiu is another name for Confucius. Mo Di also goes by Mozi or Micius. Confucianism, Mohism, and Legalism are classical schools of thought in Chinese philosophy. Here are the various Wikipedia entries for the characters and schools of thought: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozi, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Fei, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohism, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legalism_(Chinese_philosophy).]
Notable characters that Gu Hai knew from history flew over.
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Gu Hai looked at everyone with curiosity but did not ask any questions. This was not the time.
Whoosh! The Supreme Ascendant Sovereign suddenly flew back with a group of women. Then, he bowed respectfully to Laozi.
“True body, Nuwa died in a calamity, and her blood is all here. Didn’t you say that there is no way for Nuwa to revive?” the Supreme Ascendant Sovereign asked out of curiosity.
Laozi shook his head and did not explain.
Then, Laozi waved his hand and moved out the Eight Trigram Pill Furnace from Tusita Palace. The Supreme Ascendant Sovereign began assisting from the side.
Laozi looked at Gu Hai. “Mister Gu, who shall we start with?”
After some silence, Gu Hai said, “Let’s start with Long Zhanguo.
“Alright!” Laozi nodded.
Creak! The pill furnace opened.
“Siddhārtha and Jesus, I’ll have to trouble you here!” Laozi looked at the two.
Siddhārtha nodded, then extended his hand and took out a golden lotus flower. Jesus took out a golden chalice filled with liquid.
“The Reincarnation Golden Lotus and Holy Water, please pour them into the Eight Trigram Pill Furnace!” Laozi instructed seriously.
Whoosh!
The two quickly poured their items into the pill furnace. Then, Laozi extended his hand and tossed in a pile of materials.
Laozi looked at Gu Hai. “Mister Gu, Long Zhanguo’s three spiritual souls!”
Zang Yulian looked at Gu Hai with curiosity.
“Hah!”
Gu Hai opened his mouth and spat out a clump of white energy.
Long Zhanguo’s three spiritual souls? As Gu Hai cultivated the Worldly Sorrowful Endowment, he had the Karmic Energy Mending Heaven pool in his dantian. The sins and three spiritual souls of anyone Gu Hai killed would be pulled into the Karmic Energy pool to be refined into Mending Heaven Energy. Once the spiritual souls entered the Karmic Energy Pool, he had full control over the three spiritual souls, with the choice of refining them or preserving them.
Laozi extended his hand and waved.
Whoosh!
Long Zhanguo’s three spiritual souls, inside the clump of white energy, immediately entered the pill furnace.
“Start the fire!” Laozi said seriously.
Boom! The Supreme Ascendant Sovereign immediately brought out the Samādhi True Flame and started the refinement.
Intense flames covered the Eight Trigram Pill Furnace. The materials for reforging the body melted within it.
“Long Zhanguo can reforge his physical body after forty-nine days,” Laozi said seriously.
“Forty-nine days? That long?” Gu Hai opened his eyes wide, revealing a trace of concern.
“There’s no need to worry. One day on Earth is one year in this world,” Laozi said with a smile.
Gu Hai’s expression changed as he nodded.
Given this, Gu Hai waited patiently. He could afford to wait for one or two days.
Forty-nine days passed in a flash. More experts had shown up around Tusita Palace. These were mythological figures and people from history that Gu Hai had heard of, coming from various places. When they arrived, they simply bowed, not interrupting.
“Hah!”
A loud shout came from the pill furnace.
Boom!
The lid of the Eight Trigram Pill Furnace burst open. Two beams of golden light immediately shot into the sky.
“Withdraw!”
The Supreme Ascendant Sovereign waved his hand, and the intense flame suddenly vanished, revealing a muscular man within.
This man walked out of the pill furnace naked. His eyes flashed with golden light that shone in all directions.
“The Fiery Golden Eyes?” Gu Hai smiled.
[TL Note: The Fiery Golden Eyes is an ability that the Monkey King has. The Monkey King gained it when he got captured and the Chinese pantheon tried to refine him into a pill with this furnace to kill him. However, the Monkey King survived and gained this ability instead. These eyes grant the ability to discern truth from illusions.]
Gu Hai immediately recognized the man that appeared.
“Where is this? Why are we here? Gu Hai?” The man raised his eyebrows when he saw Gu Hai.
“Qian Heavenly Emperor, congratulations on your rebirth!” Gu Hai said with a smile.
As Gu Hai smiled, he took out a set of imperial robes for the man to wear.
This man was Long Zhanguo.
Long Zhanguo narrowed his eyes and surveyed the surroundings as he held the dragon robes. He did not recognize anyone here but Gu Hai and Zang Yulian. Where am I?
Long Zhanguo had lost all his cultivation. Even so, he still gave off a regal air, as though he feared nothing. This effulgent regal air caused the expressions of several of the deities and buddhas in the surroundings to change.
This was the air of absolute superiority.
The Qian Heavenly Emperor? Who is that? Why have we not heard of him before? Only the fallen Jade Emperor had such a regal air.
“Remember, I mentioned that there might be other perfect immortal firmaments aside from the Six Paths Immortal Firmament?” Gu Hai prompted seriously.
“Another perfect immortal firmament?” Long Zhanguo narrowed his eyes.
“This is the place of my birth,” Gu Hai said seriously.
Laozi looked at Long Zhanguo. “A mighty air refusing to submit to Heaven. The strongest person in the world of the Six Paths Immortal Firmament. Long Zhanguo, it took forty-nine days to reforge your physical body. During this time, Mister Gu has told me about it. This old one is in awe!”
“Oh?” Long Zhanguo looked at Laozi.
“These are the seniors who are fighting against Heaven and protecting all life in my immortal firmament,” Gu Hai explained.
“Li Er greets Mister Long Zhanguo!”
“Siddhārtha greets Mister Long Zhanguo!”
“Jesus greets Mister Long Zhanguo!”
“Kong Qiu greets Mister Long Zhanguo!”
The surrounding people bowed politely. Although curiosity filled Long Zhanguo’s eyes, he bowed back to everyone.
After returning the courtesy, Long Zhanguo suddenly laughed, “Hahaha! It looks like my life did not end! Gu Hai, our spiritual light once pointed to us that you are trustworthy. You are indeed a great variable!”
“Qian Heavenly Emperor is too generous with praise,” Gu Hai said with a bitter smile.
“The Qian Nation no longer exists. There is no need to address me as Qian Heavenly Emperor anymore. Just address me by name; call me Long Zhanguo,” Long Zhanguo sighed.
“Alright.” Gu Hai nodded.
“These are? Oh? The Present Buddha? Sect Master Heavenly Access? Their auras?” Long Zhanguo looked at Gautama and the Supreme Pure One, the Lord of the Numinous Treasure.
It was not just these two people. Long Zhanguo found some of the others very familiar as well.
“Immortal firmaments have similar origins, so there will always be parallels in the process.” Laozi nodded.
Surprise flashed in Long Zhanguo’s eyes, but he did not pursue the question. He only nodded gently.
“Now that Long Zhanguo has revived, I would like to ask Mister Laozi to assist me in reviving the Supreme Wa next,” Gu Hai said gravely.
As Gu Hai spoke, he took out a large coffin. The Supreme Wa he had killed lay inside. Over the past few days, he had used Mending Heaven Energy to mend the hole in her forehead.
“With her physical body here, it will be much easier.” Laozi nodded.
When the coffin was opened, it caused a commotion in the surroundings.
“Lady Nuwa’s physical body still exists?!” some of the immortals and deities at the side cried out in shock.
