"Old Senior! Old Senior!"
Gu Qingfeng called out twice, but the Old Senior gave no response. He looked him over—the man had truly fainted dead away.
"Well, damn. What to do now."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a bitter smile. Strictly speaking, it wasn't that he lacked cultivation or spiritual power. All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda was something he had conceived and nurtured from his Endless Taiji Primordial Spirit. In principle, the All Beings Pay Homage was a Dharma Form he had manifested. However, this thing had clearly transcended the category of a Dharma Form. As for what it actually was, even Gu Qingfeng himself couldn't say for sure.
Originally, he could have used the power of the Myriad Phenomena to perform a supernatural ability and heal the Old Senior's injuries. But this power of the Myriad Phenomena of All Beings... he still couldn't quite grasp it, nor could he absolutely control it. He didn't even understand what kind of power the Myriad Phenomena of All Beings truly was.
Under such circumstances, he naturally didn't dare to blindly attempt healing someone else.
Just as he was thinking about who to find to treat the Old Senior first, a Buddhist chant drifted over.
"Amitabha."
A monk in gray robes flashed into view, appearing alongside an elderly man.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't the least bit surprised by their appearance. He had already sensed their presence earlier. These two had been hiding in the distance, silently observing. They hadn't made a move, nor had they been affected by the Myriad Phenomena of All Beings.
The old monk's Buddhist aura was very dense. He was also a reincarnated master, likely a Buddha from the Western Paradise in his past life.
As for that elderly man, the spiritual aura around him was faint and indistinct, flickering between existence and non-existence, ethereal and blurred. He was precisely the one Gu Qingfeng had earlier suspected might be from the Age Without Dao.
"If it is inconvenient for Benefactor Gu, you may entrust him to this humble monk for treatment."
Gu Qingfeng nodded, handing the Old Senior over to the monk. He asked, "You know me?"
"Who in this world does not know the name of the Monarch?"
The old monk appeared kind and benevolent. After taking the Old Senior, he raised a hand, and a sacred golden light flashed forth, enveloping the Old Senior.
"Are you also cultivating at Shangqing Sect?"
Shangqing Sect truly was a mixed bag. Those thirty-plus experts from earlier, although they had all achieved physical immortality, the essence of their souls included demons, monsters, ghosts, and all sorts of other chaotic heretical paths. What puzzled Gu Qingfeng even more was that there were even monks among them.
And those thirty-plus experts, despite their souls being of demonic or monstrous essence, had at least achieved physical immortality. But this monk? He had blatantly achieved physical Buddhahood.
"There is no place for Buddhist cultivation in this world. This humble monk merely borrows a place at Shangqing Sect to cultivate the Buddha-Dharma."
"But you've already achieved physical Buddhahood. Why remain at Shangqing Sect?"
"The time is not yet right."
"The time is not yet right?"
Gu Qingfeng pulled out his wine gourd and took a swig. "I'm afraid that's not the whole story, is it? You must have other business to attend to in this world, right?"
The old monk did not conceal it, nodding in response. "This humble monk bears a Buddha Edict."
"So it really is like that."
Gu Qingfeng asked with a smile, "What Buddha Edict are you carrying? Tell me about it."
"Amitabha. This humble monk cannot disclose it."
"Hahaha! We've been chatting for so long, and I haven't asked for your name..."
"This humble monk is Zhenwu."
"Zhenwu?"
Gu Qingfeng repeated the name, finding it somewhat familiar. Suddenly remembering, he asked in surprise, "What is your relationship with my master, Zhenjue?"
"Zhenjue was once this humble monk's Senior Brother."
Good heavens!
Although he had been somewhat prepared, upon learning the truth, Gu Qingfeng's heart couldn't help but be greatly shaken.
He vaguely remembered hearing from True Sun Wine Immortal by chance years ago that among their fellow disciples, one had left home to become a monk. He never expected it to be true, and that this person was actually living in seclusion at Shangqing Sect.
Then, Gu Qingfeng turned his gaze to the elderly man beside them.
This elder was somewhat gaunt and had been staring at Gu Qingfeng the entire time.
"May I ask who this senior is..."
The mysterious elder did not speak. It was Monk Zhenwu who answered, "This is Senior Tai Gui."
"Tai Gui?"
Gu Qingfeng also stared at this so-called Senior Tai Gui. He couldn't see through him. Even when probing with his divine sense, the man's presence remained faint and indistinct. He asked, "May I ask where Senior Tai Gui hails from?"
"A place that never existed, yet exists."
Tai Gui's voice came, very plain.
"Oh?"
Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow. "Could it be Mount Without Dao?"
Tai Gui stared at Gu Qingfeng, his eyes showing no particular change. After a long silence, he finally shook his head and responded, "I do not know."
After saying this, he pressed further, "Young man, are you searching for Mount Without Dao?"
Gu Qingfeng also fell silent for a moment, then similarly shook his head and responded, "No."
For some reason, Tai Gui let out a sigh. "That is good..."
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the sky. Dawn was breaking. He stretched lazily and said, "It's getting late. If there's nothing else, this junior will go and rest first."
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to leave, Zhenwu called out to him again. "Benefactor Gu."
Gu Qingfeng turned to look.
Monk Zhenwu seemed to have something to say, but the words died on his lips. He only said, "It's nothing. You may go and rest."
Gu Qingfeng pondered for a moment, then vanished.
In the void.
Monk Zhenwu continued using great Buddhist methods to heal the Old Senior wreathed in turbid breath. Senior Tai Gui gazed in the direction where Gu Qingfeng had disappeared, frowning slightly as if lost in thought.
After a long while, he spoke. "With his arrival, who knows if it is a blessing or a curse."
Monk Zhenwu sighed. "Within misfortune lies fortune; within fortune lurks misfortune."
"Did you see clearly the Creation he displayed earlier?"
Monk Zhenwu nodded.
"What are your thoughts?"
Monk Zhenwu shook his head slightly, looking deeply troubled. "All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda, the Myriad Phenomena bow in worship. An ancient taboo, a Taiji legend."
"It seems the Human Dao is destined to see the light of day again in this Current Era."
"The Human Dao may be destined to reappear in this Current Era, but the Three Thousand Great Daos will absolutely not permit him to ascend as the Human King, nor will they allow him to preside over the Human Dao. They will inevitably spare no effort to eliminate him."
Tai Gui asked, "Is the Western Heaven's Buddha-Dao the same?"
Monk Zhenwu did not respond, seemingly tacitly agreeing.
"Back then, if not for your Senior Brother's stubborn insistence on teaching him the fundamentals of the Human Dao, he likely would not have achieved this ancient taboo, this Taiji legend, today. Even now, this old man cannot understand why your Senior Brother chose him, of all people—such an unknown variable, and one deeply entangled in a karmic black hole, treading the Age Without Dao."
"My Senior Brother sharpened his blade for millions of years..." Monk Zhenwu murmured. "In his entire life, he only swung it once. It's just unknown whether that swing was right or wrong."
"Your Senior Brother did more than just swing a blade. By choosing this person, he not only gambled his own fate, but also the fate of the entire Human Dao, and even the fate of heaven and earth, all on this one man."