When Lu Zhou was at the Cloud Domain, he had been curious about Ouyang Ziyun. As expected, they knew each other. Not only that, but based on Ouyang Ziyun’s attitude and words, they did not just know each other, but they were good friends.
Since Lu Zhou had openly admitted his identity, Ouyang Ziyun also did not want to hide anymore.
Lan Xihe was shocked again. “Mr. Ouyang, you… You knew this all along?”
Lan Xihe respected Ouyang Ziyun more than Ming Xin. This was something everyone in Xihe Hall knew. He had helped her like a master and a father. From a young age, he had taken care of her and helped her deal with problems from big to small. He taught her about the profound mysteries of the universe, and she learned many things from him. In her eyes, not many people could compare to him. She did not expect him to be the Unholy One’s friend.
Ouyang Ziyun looked at Lan Xihe apologetically and said, “Holy Maiden, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. You know how it is in the Great Void.”
“But you didn’t have to hide it from me,” Lan Xihe said, confused.
“You’re the Holy Maiden, the successor of Emperor Chong Guang. You’re determined to bring glory to Xihe Hall. The Unholy One’s matter was all in the past so there was no need to mention it. I just didn’t expect him to really return,” Ouyang Ziyun said with a sigh. Then, he seemed to be slightly agitated as he said in a slightly trembling voice, “After all, no, no one… can live forever…”
This sentence contained many complicated emotions.
Lu Zhou sighed as well and said, “Well, I’ve returned to the Great Void. However, there are still many things I can’t remember clearly.”
Ouyang Ziyun calmed down. He glanced at Xuanyi and Lan Xihe.
Lu Zhou said, “We’re all on the same side. You can speak freely.”
Lan Xihe was still stunned.
On the other hand, Xuanyi was excited and filled with expectations. He looked at Ouyang Ziyun eagerly; he could not wait to hear about his teacher’s past with Ouyang Ziyun. It was just like when he was young and was quietly and eagerly listening to the elders’ stories.
Ouyang Ziyun’s eyes flashed with nostalgia as he said, “You juniors might not believe me, but Brother Lu, Jie Jin’an, and I should be one of the earliest humans to exist in the world…”
Xuanyi and Lan Xihe were shocked. They looked at Ouyang Ziyun incredulously. This was beyond shocking. There was no word that could describe their shock.
“We’ve witnessed humans develop and the dawn of civilization and the following glory,” Ouyang Ziyun said.
Xuanyi asked respectfully, “You’ve existed for such a long time… Isn’t this… immortality?”
Ouyang Ziyun shook his head. “The longer you live, you’ll be able to sense the end of your life. You’ll understand it in the future.”
In other words, when you were about to die, you would be able to feel it.
“…”
Ouyang Ziyun continued to say, “Mankind came up with cultivation, greatly increasing human lifespan. In ancient times, there was no difference between humans and fierce beasts. There were many hybrids, and their lifespan was even longer. Later on, living things absorbed the power from heaven and earth, growing stronger and stronger. At the same time, human civilization was slowly born, and things became more systematic…”
Xuanyi asked, “Since you and teacher are one of the earliest humans to exist, then isn’t the cultivation world created by all of you?”
Lu Zhou said, “I’m not that great. I’ve just lived for a long time. In the beginning, humans weren’t much different from beasts. The development of human intelligence slowly set them apart from beasts. With that, words, languages, and other means of communication were also created…”
Ouyang Ziyun nodded as he laughed. “The earliest cultivators were rather smart. The initial cultivation world was very diverse. It was also barbaric and chaotic. The strong were revered, and the weak were no better than meat. In order to become stronger faster, humans came up with all kinds of cultivation paths. Just like Brother Lu, they spent their lives focusing on cultivation. That’s how all the different schools of thought in the cultivation world came to be.”
“…”
Xuanyi was filled with awe.
“In the early days, we didn’t have names. Later on, when languages were created, we all came up with names for ourselves. Just like Brother Lu, I’ve used many names in the past,” Ouyang Ziyun said.
Xuanyi asked curiously like a good student, “Before that, how did you and teacher address each other?”
Ouyang Ziyun glanced at Lu Zhou before he said, “There were no words, just sounds. It’s like fierce beasts. Some special notes represented special meanings..” He paused for a moment before he continued to say, “Brother Lu’s first surname was Ji. Later on, he used many other surnames. The last surname he used was Lu. In the past, many cultivators, including me, called him ‘Di’.”
“Di?”
“Di means Supreme Ruler. Brother Lu was the strongest divine emperor back then,” Ouyang Ziyun said.
Xuanyi’s curiosity grew even stronger. He asked, “Teacher is so powerful… Then, why’s your cultivation…”
What Xuanyi wanted to ask was why his teacher was the strongest divine emperor back then but up until now, he was just a Great Dao Saint.
Ouyang Ziyun let out a long sigh and said, “It’s because I’m… old…”
This reminded Lu Zhou of Ji Tiandao’s difficulties in the past. Something stirred in his mind, and he wondered if everything was fated.
“When you’re reaching the end of your life, your cultivation will begin to decline,” Ouyang Ziyun said.
Lu Zhou said, “Jie Jin’an isn’t that old where his cultivation would begin to decline…”
Ouyang Ziyun sighed and said, “His cultivation didn’t decline because of age. In order to find you back then, he dove into the abyss and suffered a backlash from the power of the abyss, causing his cultivation to weaken greatly.”
Lu Zhou frowned slightly and recalled the scene of Jie Jin’an holding the Vast Sky Bag and Gou Chen’s life heart. ‘No wonder he had those things from the Unholy One…’
Ouyang Ziyun smiled and said, “No one in the world knows how long we’ve lived. We’ve changed our names countless times, and we can do it again at any time. We can start again when the world changes…”
At this point, Ouyang Ziyun let out a long sigh. “When the Great Void ascended to the sky, everything changed…”
Xuanyi asked, “You and teacher have been searching for the answer to the shackles of heaven and earth. Did you find it?”
Ouyang Ziyun shrugged. “You’ll have to ask your teacher. No one in the world knows better than him.”
Xuanyi turned to look at Lu Zhou immediately.
Even Lan Xihe, whose mind was in a mess, was gradually attracted by their conversation. She seemed to have forgotten her surprise and unhappiness as she listened to them.
Lu Zhou’s expression was extremely calm as he slowly rose to his feet. He looked at Ouyang Ziyun, Xuanyi, and Lan Xihe before he asked, “Who created the Pillars of Destruction? Why did they rise to the heavens?”
The trio shook their heads.
Lu Zhou said calmly, “Everything is a living thing. The world and the land are no exception. Do you know the White Emperor’s Lost Kingdom?”
Xuanyi said, “Yes! I’ve been there to talk to the White Emperor. It’s a great place for cultivation.”
“The Lost Kingdom is Zhi Ming,” Lu Zhou said.
The trio was surprised.
After a moment, Xuanyi said, filled with disbelief, “You mean to say… the land we’re standing on is some kind of behemoth?”
“…”
Although it was shocking, it made sense as well after they thought about it carefully.
Lu Zhou continued to say, “They used to call me Di. Do you know what ‘Di’ means?”
Xuanyi shook his head, indicating he did not know.
Lu Zhou said calmly, “Di means supreme ruler. However, Di also means earth. Earth is the origin of all things, and everything is one with the earth.” Then, he looked at the trio and calmly said, “One flower, one leaf, one world, one awareness.”
One flower, one leaf, one world, and one awareness meant that everything was one. No matter if it was the bacteria or humans, they were the same. For the bacteria on the flowers, the flowers were their earth. Just like how the soil underneath humans’ feet was the earth.
“…”
The answer had been revealed.
Humans often wondered about heaven and earth, and they questioned heaven and earth. Countless wisemen speculated about the origins of humans and their future. They were taught and taught others to fear heaven and earth. They came up with many answers that were hidden in seemingly meaningless poems and proverbs.
Xuanyi and Lan Xihe were the most outstanding cultivators among the younger generation. Their thinking was different from the older generation. They were more respectful and curious about heaven and earth. They had imagined heaven and earth being no bigger than a speck of dust in this vast and infinite universe.
Humans were small, but their imagination was boundless.
Suddenly…
Rumble!
A thunderous noise rang from the distant horizon, shattering the peace and calm in Xuanyi’s Dao hall.
Soon enough, the members of the Evil Sky Pavilion flew over to the entrance of the Dao hall.
Ouyang Ziyun frowned. He looked outside and muttered, “I wonder which pillar is going to collapse…”
Xuanyi said, unhappy at being interrupted, “It couldn’t wait, but it just has to collapse at such a time. Mr. Ouyang, please take a seat.”
Ouyang Ziyun shook his head and said, “Maybe next time. You can also ask Brother Lu if you have any more questions.”
Lu Zhou ignored everyone and looked outside for a moment before he said, “What’s Ming Xin doing?”
Ouyang Ziyun said, “I’m afraid only he knows the answer to that question.”
At this time, a Dark Guard appeared and said, “Your Majesty, Ping Dan’s Pillar of Destruction that corresponds with Xihe Hall has collapsed.”
Lan Xihe rose to her feet and asked, “What did you say?”
“Ping Dan’s Pillar of Destruction has collapsed.”
Upon hearing this, Lan Xihe staggered and almost lost her balance. She was stunned.
Ouyang Ziyun sighed heavily and said, “Perhaps, it’s just as Brother Lu predicted. The fall of the sky will usher in a new era. Holy Maiden, don’t worry too much.”
Xuanyi said, “I understand, but I still find it hard to accept. I think it’ll be my turn soon.”
With this, three Pillars of Destruction had collapsed. The more pillars collapsed, the fewer time humans had.
Lan Xihe said anxiously, “Mr. Ouyang, Pavilion… Senior Lu, Emperor Xuanyi, I, I… I’ll take my leave first.”
“Go. It’s also a good time to help Zhu Honggong comprehend the Great Dao as soon as possible,” Ouyang Ziyun said.
Lan Xihe nodded and left Xuanyi Palace.
Xuanyi asked, with a hint of eagerness and anticipation, “Then, can we resume our conversation?”
Lu Zhou said, “I need to go to Yan Feng Hall and Xuan Meng Hall.”
Apart from his third and fourth disciples whom he had yet to hear from, Lu Zhou was most concerned about his first and second disciples. The others had already comprehended the Great Dao while his two eldest disciples protected them.
Xuanyi was a little disappointed, but he still said, “Then, I’ll wait for teacher’s return at Xuanyi Palace.”
At this time, Ouyang Ziyun said, “Brother Lu, be careful of Ming Xin.”
