Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

Chapter 114: Chapter 75: Past Karma

Deep within the clouds, two Daoist Children stood guard at the gates of the Cloud Palace, waiting quietly. Suddenly, they saw a streak of light burst through the thick clouds and descend.

The brilliant light dissipated, revealing Xuzhuang. With his wide sleeves fluttering, he strode forward. The Daoist Children hurried to greet him, bowing their heads. "Junior Martial Uncle Xu, the Master ordered us to wait for you here. Please follow us into the palace."

Xuzhuang nodded slightly and followed the Daoist Children into the palace.

The grand hall had changed somewhat since Master Yuanhua was in charge. A bronze censer had been added to the center, its smoke splitting into two colors: one azure and one white. The azure smoke curled upward, rising to the ceiling before dispersing, while the heavy white smoke rolled down to the floor, filling the entire room.

Daochen Zhenren was seated on a cloud bed, his eyes slightly closed. Behind his head, a seemingly boundless, brilliant light illuminated the void.

Xuzhuang took two steps forward and bowed. "Disciple Xuzhuang greets you, Master."

Although Daochen Zhenren had said they could simply address each other as martial brothers, there was in fact an age gap of nearly a thousand years between them.

Besides, without rules, there can be no order. Daochen Zhenren was now in charge of the sect, after all, and Xuzhuang had no desire to be overly familiar and break decorum.

Daochen Zhenren opened his eyes. The brilliant light behind his head vanished instantly, and in that same moment, his lofty, Zhenren-like demeanor softened into a peaceful one. "Junior Brother Xu," he said, "do you know why I have summoned you?"

Xuzhuang replied, "This disciple does not know."

Daochen Zhenren said, "During the ceremony earlier, did you see Venerable Moonlight?"

A flicker of understanding crossed Xuzhuang’s eyes. A guess began to form in his mind, but he simply answered in the affirmative.

Daochen Zhenren said slowly, "Then I imagine you have already guessed, Junior Brother. Xingyue Marketplace has now officially joined our Tai Su Sect and falls under our jurisdiction."

Xuzhuang couldn’t help but ask in surprise, "This disciple did have such a thought, but why did this matter proceed so smoothly?"

This was not Xuzhuang overreacting. Although Xingyue Marketplace had received support from the Tai Su Sect in the past, there was a vast difference between that and formally pledging allegiance to the sect.

Why had the Upper Profound Sect been prosperous for generations, producing a continuous stream of Top-grade Golden Cores and a host of Primordial Spirit True Men? Why was it hailed as the foremost of the three major sects, the self-proclaimed leader of all Daoist Sects? This was all inextricably linked to its control over the Central Plains.

The Profound Yellow Realm was known as a Great Thousand World, its heaven and earth complete. The Central Plains, situated at the foot of the Central Pillar of Shenzhou, enjoyed favorable weather and was free from any major natural disasters.

In contrast, the worlds on stars in the outer void, if not protected by the dao field of a Daoist Sect, had living conditions so harsh that mortals from a Great Thousand World could not even imagine them. Not only were they plagued by natural and man-made disasters, but a passing swarm of Celestial Demons could slaughter and devour every living thing on an entire star.

Therefore, it could be said that the innate karmic luck of those born in a Great Thousand World was incomparable to that of people from the outer stars. The probability of producing "cultivation seeds" was as different as heaven and earth.

This was true even for ordinary cultivation seeds, let alone for the heaven’s favored who possessed the potential for a Top-grade Golden Core. One only needed to look at the Tai Su Sect’s seven current core disciples—all of whom were born in the Profound Yellow Realm—to understand the disparity. As for cases like Daochen Zhenren, they were ultimately exceedingly rare.

The Central Plains were incomparably vast. A hundred nations vied for supremacy there, gathering the karmic luck of the Divine Continent and nurturing trillions of lives. The Upper Profound Sect occupied this land, and with its flourishing karmic luck, it produced countless cultivation seeds and heaven’s favored. This was why even with the billions upon billions of lives in the Tai Su Sect’s Celestial Dao Field, from which they could select the most gifted person in every ten thousand, they could still only barely compete.

Xingyue Marketplace formally pledging allegiance to the Tai Su Sect was by no means a matter concerning just a small market square. It represented the Tai Su Sect officially placing a piece on the board in the eastern Central Plains.

In the past, although the names of the three major sects were known throughout the Divine Continent, their influence did not extend to the Central Plains or the lands to its east. Even if a cultivator knew of the Tai Su Sect’s reputation and wished to join, crossing half the Divine Continent to reach Yunmeng was no easy feat. As for ordinary mortals aspiring to join the Tai Su Sect to seek the Dao, it was even more out of the question.

But with Xingyue Marketplace officially under the Tai Su Sect’s control, those who yearned for the sect now had a place to reach the Tai Su Orthodox Sect. It was equivalent to opening a breach in the Central Plains, invisibly encroaching upon and siphoning away its karmic luck.

This sounded wonderful, but it was something the Upper Profound Sect would never allow. Otherwise, never mind the Tai Su Orthodox Sect, but the Spirit Treasure Sect, the Celestial Fire Sect... even the Taixuan Sect’s Meteor Dojo would have long since made their moves in the Central Plains.

That was why Xuzhuang was baffled that Xingyue Marketplace could truly pledge its allegiance, serving as the Tai Su Orthodox Sect’s chess piece on the board of the Central Plains.

Daochen Zhenren naturally understood Xuzhuang’s confusion and explained slowly, "This relates to the unique situation of Xingyue Marketplace. It is said that two thousand years ago, a Zhenren from the Upper Profound Sect became karmically indebted to the master of both Moonlight and Xingxiu. This debt is what allowed the marketplace they established to flourish."

"Of course, now that Xingyue Marketplace has pledged allegiance to the Tai Su Sect, how much longer the Upper Profound Sect will honor that karmic debt is anyone’s guess."

With the explanation having reached this point, Xuzhuang finally understood the full story. However, he still had many doubts. ’What does Xingyue Marketplace gain from joining the Tai Su Sect? If they were seeking the protection of a major sect, and the Upper Profound Sect already has a karmic link with them, why didn’t they just join the Upper Profound Sect instead?’

Of course, Xuzhuang also knew that many of these minor details were not worth mentioning, so he tactfully refrained from asking further questions. Instead, he said, "This disciple now understands the reason for this matter. Does the Zhenren have any instructions for me?"

Daochen Zhenren nodded. "This matter, in fact, arose because of you, Junior Brother. It is thanks to you that our Tai Su Orthodox Sect was able to place this piece in the eastern Central Plains. This deed should be recorded as a great merit for you. But before that, you and Moonlight must bring this karmic cycle to a close."

Xuzhuang replied, "How should this disciple proceed?"

Daochen Zhenren said, "After returning to Xingyue Marketplace and handing things over to the disciples our Tai Su Sect is sending, Moonlight will officially reincarnate."

"Are you willing, Junior Brother, to take her as your disciple and guide her into the cultivation of our Tai Su Orthodox Sect?"

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