Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

Chapter 128: Chapter 83: Verifying the Gains, Thunder World

The land is high in the north, sloping down toward the South Sea.

The waters of the Heaven-Reaching River flow from North Ming, passing through Taoyuan and cleaving the Central Plains. Mighty and vast, it journeys all the way to Yunmeng Marsh, one of the primary waterways that feed the great marsh.

Downstream, still a fair distance from Yunmeng Marsh, the river runs through a stretch of wetland. Here, its banks suddenly spread wide, separated by several miles, and the terrain flattens.

As the river reaches this point, it abruptly fans out. The current slows, and at its shallowest, the water is less than half a zhang deep, revealing numerous smooth stones that rise from the surface like tiny, isolated islands.

At the end of this stretch, however, the banks abruptly narrow and the current quickens. At a sharp bend, a cliff looms over the riverbed. The surging water plummets, its power immense and its roar like thunder. Countless streams of water, like jade dragons descending from the heavens, plunge into a swirling pool over a hundred zhang deep. Finally, like a great flood dragon twisting its body, the river continues its course downstream toward Yunmeng Marsh.

Unfortunately, this magnificent vista was situated in a remote and seldom-visited location. It lacked any significant spiritual energy, so few cultivators ever passed through. Only among scenery enthusiasts did it possess a faint reputation as the "Jade Dragon Waterfall of Celestial Water Gorge."

A lone cloud-raft glided slowly through the low-hanging sky, following the river’s current downstream.

A young man and woman sat upon it, nestled together as they admired the view. The man was recounting the history of the Celestial Water Gorge waterfall, and a look of anticipation filled the woman’s eyes as she gazed toward it.

Seeing this, the man smiled faintly and urged the cloud-raft to accelerate downstream. Suddenly, however, a soft exclamation of surprise drifted down from high above.

Immediately after, the cloud-raft shuddered and was enveloped by a formless, immense power, halting its advance.

The couple’s expressions changed. They channeled all their Magical Power, but it was useless—they couldn’t resist in the slightest as they were drawn up into the cloudy sky.

There, they saw an old beggar in tattered robes sitting atop a cloud. He had his feet, shod in cloth shoes with his toes poking out, propped up. A hand-rolled cigarette dangled from his mouth, and he exhaled a perfect ring of smoke through a gap between his front teeth.

The man’s expression was one of shock. "The Immoral Taoist!" he cried.

Only then did the Immoral Taoist’s gaze fall upon them. He looked them over, made a few quick calculations with his fingers, and mumbled, ’So, you have some fate with this old Daoist, do you?’

"Hey, kid," he said. "You two had better not go any further. If you do, I’m afraid you’re in for some bad luck."

The man hailed from a small, nearby sect. Though not large, it had a respectable lineage, and its founder had some connection to the Immoral Taoist. He knew this master was a legendary figure, one who could divine the secrets of yin and yang, hold the sun and moon in his palm, and know all the affairs of the world. He was about to agree instantly.

Just then, however, a streak of rainbow light shot in from the heavens and landed on the cloud, revealing the Ancient Taoist. The Immoral Taoist lost all interest in the young couple and called out, "Senior Brother, if you’d arrived a moment later, you would’ve missed the show!"

The Ancient Taoist replied with utter composure, "I naturally calculated that arriving at this very moment would be perfect timing."

The two exchanged no more words, their gazes turning in unison toward Celestial Water Gorge.

’The Immoral Taoist only said we’d have bad luck if we went forward,’ the young man thought. ’He never said we couldn’t stay here. What danger could there possibly be next to a Primordial Spirit True Man?’

With this in mind, he snuck a few glances at the Immoral Taoist and his companion. Seeing that the two were ignoring him and his junior sister, he relaxed. His curiosity about the "show" the Immoral Taoist had mentioned was now piqued. He tried to follow their line of sight, but his view was obscured by thick clouds and mist.

After a moment’s thought, the man whispered to the woman, "Junior Sister, take out the Thousand-Mile Observation Mirror."

The woman obediently retrieved a treasured mirror from her pouch. The man took it in his hands and, seeing that the Immoral Taoist and the Ancient Taoist were still paying them no mind, rejoiced inwardly. He gave the mirror a little shake. Its surface rippled like water, and an image of the scene within Celestial Water Gorge appeared.

The image showed streams like jade dragons plunging downward, kicking up a sky-spanning mist that made the gorge look like an earthly Immortal Realm.

A White Jade Floating Platform hovered within Celestial Water Gorge. Two Daoists sat facing each other upon it. One wore a star-patterned crown and a Crane Robe; the other, a wide robe with a sword-shaped hairpin. Both possessed an otherworldly bearing and a sublime, immortal air.

"Zhong Shenxiu...?" the man murmured. Suddenly, a rumor that had recently spread like wildfire across the Divine Continent sprang to his mind.

The two Daoists in Celestial Water Gorge were, without a doubt, Zhong Shenxiu and Xuzhuang.

The two had arranged to meet in Celestial Water Gorge seven days prior. Contrary to the rumors sweeping the Divine Continent, they hadn’t immediately begun a duel to determine who was superior. Instead, they had sat down to discuss the profound nature of the Dao, speaking of heaven, earth, and the supreme mysteries of the universe. Now, their discussion was finally drawing to a close.

Zhong Shenxiu smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist, I have one last question."

Xuzhuang replied, "Please, ask."

Zhong Shenxiu asked, "Fellow Daoist, what do you believe to be existence, and what to be nothingness?"

Xuzhuang replied, "The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of heaven and earth. All things under heaven are born from existence, and existence is born from nothingness."

Zhong Shenxiu shook his head. "The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of the ten thousand things. They both arise from the same source, yet are different in name. This we call the profound. Profound and again profound."

Xuzhuang fell into a thoughtful silence, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

This was a matter of their respective interpretations of the Dao, not a question of right or wrong. After a moment of contemplation, Xuzhuang simply said, "Well said."

Zhong Shenxiu smiled. "Discussing the Dao with you has been truly exhilarating."

Xuzhuang replied, "I, too, have gained a great deal."

Zhong Shenxiu said, "Though our discussion of the Dao has concluded, I believe there is still one small matter left between us."

Xuzhuang rose to his feet, a brilliant light gleaming in his eyes. "Indeed," he said. "It is time to test the insights we have gained from our discussion."

Zhong Shenxiu asked, "How shall we compete? Do you wish to set the terms, Fellow Daoist?"

Xuzhuang replied, "Since this is a test of our insights, why set any terms? Daoist arts, Divine Techniques, magical treasures—anything is permissible. You need only act according to your own judgment, Brother."

Zhong Shenxiu laughed heartily. "Excellent! In that case, allow me to witness your Divine Techniques, Fellow Daoist!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!