If planned properly, Wang Xuan could completely follow the same path as Emperor Zhuanxu in the Water Margin world, gathering the will of all living beings to challenge the world's will and directly cripple this world's will.
At that time, he will use the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao within the Heavenly Dao Talisman to replace it, refine the Sui and Tang world, and transform the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao into the true Heavenly Dao!
If Wang Xuan can control a Heavenly Dao, then he will truly deserve the title of Dao Ancestor!
Although countless thoughts flashed through Wang Xuan's mind, they all actually happened in just a few breaths.
He didn't keep Yang Guang waiting long, after all, that tyrant didn't have much patience, and if he waited too long, Yang Guang might change his mind.
He pointed down the mountain, and the Heavenly Dao talisman floating above his head trembled, emitting an invisible wave.
Suddenly, hundreds of flowers bloomed all over the hill, and purple mist filled the air, making it seem like a fairyland in the heavens.
Before Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, a path paved with flowers appeared, leading straight to the top of the mountain.
Even Yang Guang, the current emperor who possessed the entire realm, was utterly astonished and speechless. Had they ever witnessed such a scene? This was no ordinary illusion, but the work of a true god or saint!
The resentment Yang Guang felt from bowing down earlier vanished without a trace. He was so happy he almost laughed out loud. Without hesitation, he strode up the flower-lined path towards the mountaintop.
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Chengdu quickly followed behind Yang Guang, not forgetting to bring along a team of elite guards.
After all, Yang Guang was the emperor, and he needed to be properly guarded. Otherwise, if he let his guard down, there would be no shortage of people who wanted to kill him.
But as soon as they stepped onto the flower-lined path, a purple glow swept in, obscuring their way.
Surrounded by the purple mist, they felt as if they had entered a void, instantly losing their way. They didn't know how far they had wandered; after circling around several times, they returned to the foot of the mountain, but Emperor Yang Guang was nowhere to be found.
"Oh no! We've lost His Majesty!!"
Chapter Sixty-Eight: Yang Guang Takes on Disciples
Wang Xuan glanced at Yuwen Huaji and the others before looking away, ignoring them completely: "If I had transmigrated to this world the first time, I would definitely have taken Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Chengdu as my disciples. It's just a pity that this is my second time transmigrating."
When Wang Xuan first transmigrated, he was not very capable and lacked the initial capital to start his business. Therefore, he was not afraid of anyone who came to take on disciples. As long as they had great fortune, he would accept them all.
But now that Wang Xuan has appeared with unparalleled strength in this world, and possesses the Heavenly Dao Talisman, his prestige has naturally increased, and the threshold for accepting disciples has also risen accordingly.
If he were to take Yuwen Huaji as a disciple as well, and rumors were later spread that "the treacherous minister Yuwen Huaji, who murdered the emperor and usurped the throne, was a disciple taught by the Xuan Tian Dao Ancestor," where would Wang Xuan put his old face?!
Ignoring Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Chengdu, Wang Xuan withdrew his gaze and looked back at Emperor Yang Guang of Sui. Upon seeing him, Wang Xuan instantly felt a chill run down his spine.
Yang Guang was already panting heavily when he reached the halfway point of the mountain, so he found a patch of grass to sit down and rest.
"Is this the disciple I'm going to take on? Isn't he a bit too useless?" Wang Xuan looked up at the sky speechlessly.
The small hill he was on was no more than a hundred meters high and its slope was not very steep. Any healthy adult man could easily walk to the top of the hill, but Yang Guang collapsed from exhaustion halfway up the hill.
In fact, Yang Guang was also a man of extraordinary martial arts skills when he was young. He once led an army of 500,000 to cross the Yangtze River and destroy the Southern Chen Dynasty, helping the Sui Dynasty to unify the world.
Unfortunately, years of royal life had left Yang Guang without any exercise, and he even traveled by sedan chair. Coupled with the detriment of wine and women, it would be strange if he were still healthy.
Wang Xuan looked at Yang Guang, this weakling, with some disdain, and sighed helplessly: "Fine, fine. Although I haven't accepted you as my disciple yet, I'll give you the benefits of becoming my master first."
He flicked his finger at the Heavenly Dao talisman, and instantly countless purple clouds condensed into a purple dragon, which rushed towards Yang Guang.
This dragon is formed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered by the Heavenly Dao talismans. Wang Xuan usually absorbs it to improve his cultivation, but now it's going to benefit Yang Guang.
Yang Guang had just stopped to rest for a moment when he saw a purple dragon several meters long rushing towards him. He was instantly terrified and dodged to the side with a look of horror on his face.
But no matter how he dodged, he couldn't avoid the purple dragon. After two or three breaths, the purple dragon crashed directly into Yang Guang's chest.
"My life is over!" Yang Guang cried out in agony, but the excruciating pain he had imagined did not come. Instead, his body felt inexplicably comfortable, as if a traveler in the desert had eaten an ice-cold watermelon, or drunk celestial dew.
The next moment, Yang Guang felt a warm current coursing through his entire body. As the warm current continued to flow, he felt as if he had returned to his youth, strong and healthy, with no more backache or leg pain.
"Truly divine intervention!" Yang Guang was overjoyed and continued climbing up the mountain.
Not long after, he saw a deity standing gracefully atop the mountain.
The holy figure, dressed in white robes, stood aloof from the world, as if the entire world trembled beneath his feet!
"Is this a celestial being or a saint!" Yang Guang's legs went weak, as if filled with lead, and he couldn't help but kneel on the ground, his heart filled with extreme horror.
For the emperor to kneel before someone today is an utter disgrace.
However, after a flash of shame and indignation on Yang Guang's face, he suppressed it and kowtowed three times.
An ancient saying goes: "One should kowtow three times to one's parents and nine times to one's sovereign."
There's another saying: "A teacher for a day is a father for life!"
Therefore, bowing three times is an ancient custom to show respect to parents and teachers.
Emperor Yang Guang kowtowed to Wang Xuan three times, which undoubtedly indicated his desire to become his disciple.
Sure enough, Yang Guang said, "I, Yang Guang, the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty, deeply admire your divine wisdom and revere you..."
As Wang Xuan listened, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Why didn't Yang Guang just say he wanted to become Wang Xuan's disciple? Instead, he recited an ancient text that Wang Xuan could only half understand.
Could it be that Yang Guang wanted to show off his literary talent in order to expose Wang Xuan's ignorance?
Wang Xuan cursed Yang Guang in his heart, but on his face he still pretended to be calm and listened quietly as Yang Guang finished speaking his lines.
After a while, Yang Guang finally stopped his long-winded rambling. Wang Xuan glanced at him indifferently and said, "As the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty, you possess great fortune. You can become my disciple and inherit a volume of 'Ziyang Zhenjie'."
Yang Guang was overjoyed upon hearing Wang Xuan's answer, but quickly came to his senses. The status of a nominal disciple seemed rather low. Moreover, all he could obtain was one volume of "Ziyang Zhenjie" (True Explanation of Ziyang). How many volumes did this unheard-of cultivation method actually have?
"Teacher, I wonder if you still accept disciples?" Yang Guang asked with a shameless grin.
"Only if you can unify the universe and become the true Human Emperor will you be qualified to be my disciple." Wang Xuan didn't like Yang Guang very much, so he set extremely high tests for him.
"To unify the universe and the eight wastelands, and become the true human emperor"—to put it simply, this means to unify the entire world and become an emperor revered by all humankind.
Throughout thousands of years of human history, no one has ever been able to achieve this, not even the Mongol Empire of yesteryear. Wang Xuan didn't believe Yang Guang could accomplish that.
Yang Guang, of course, had no idea how vast the world truly was. In his mind, all land under heaven belonged to the emperor. Apart from the Turks in the north and Goryeo in the northeast, all other places were either territory of the Sui Empire or paid tribute to the Sui Empire.
He made up his mind that he would launch a third campaign against Goguryeo next spring, and then spend a few more years wiping out the Turks in the north. At that time, he would come to Wang Xuan to ask for the other volumes of "Ziyang Zhenjie".
After a brief delay, Wang Xuan sat cross-legged and began reciting the cultivation methods of the first volume of "Ziyang Zhenjie," captivating Yang Guang completely.
Yang Guang's martial arts talent may be average, but his comprehension is quite good. After Wang Xuan explained it for about half a day, he had thoroughly understood the first volume of "Ziyang Zhenjie", which surprised Wang Xuan.
As dusk approached, Wang Xuan had no intention of continuing to teach Yang Guang. He leaped into the air, using the Lingxu Step to traverse the void from the mountaintop, disappearing from Yang Guang's sight moments later.
Yang Guang watched Wang Xuan cross the void and disappear, feeling both envy and awe.
"When will I be able to fly?"
Just as Yang Guang had this thought, he suddenly heard a long echo in his ear: "I am the Ancestor of the Xuantian Dao, and I have already attained godhood. Two months from now, I will be expounding the Xuantian Dao at the Golden Summit of Zhongnan Mountain. Those who are destined are welcome to come and listen to my teachings!"
Chapter Sixty-Nine Zhongnan Mountain
Wang Xuan accepted Emperor Yang Guang of Sui as his disciple, taught him the "True Explanation of Ziyang" for half a day, and then left without a trace.
Before leaving, he mustered his innate true energy and shouted loudly, spreading the news that he would be preaching at the Golden Summit of Zhongnan Mountain.
Given the commotion Wang Xuan has caused, there are quite a few people secretly watching this place. If he reveals this news here, it will surely spread throughout the entire world.
After doing all this, he didn't linger and headed straight for Zhongnan Mountain.
Before he knew it, a month had passed since Wang Xuan first met Li Yuan and his son, as well as Qin Qiong.
In other words, it will be two months before he is scheduled to preach at the Golden Summit of Zhongnan Mountain, so he naturally needs to rush there to make some preparations in advance.
The straight-line distance between Zhongnan Mountain and Luoyang, the eastern capital, is about 800 li, and the road is winding, so the actual distance that needs to be traveled is probably more than 1,000 li.
With Wang Xuan's current cultivation level at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm, he can run as fast as a steed, and his endurance is even stronger than that of a thoroughbred. If he runs at full speed, it is not impossible for him to travel a thousand miles a day.
Of course, there were still two months before the actual sermon, so Wang Xuan didn't need to rush. Even so, he arrived at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain in just three days.
The majestic Qinling Mountains and the ancient Zhongnan Mountains stretch for hundreds of miles, their charm unparalleled in the world!
The Taoist lineage of Zhongnan Mountain is profound and has a long history, which can be traced back to the time when Laozi entered Guanzhong to spread his teachings.
On the western section of Zhongnan Mountain is Louguantai. Legend has it that Yin Xi, the Zhou dynasty official in charge of Hangu Pass, first built a thatched tower here to observe the stars and qi, hence the name Caolouguan (Thatched Tower Pavilion), which was later shortened to Louguan. Laozi built a platform south of Louguan to teach and expound the classics to Yin Xi, hence the platform was called "Shuojingtai" (Platform for Explaining the Classics), and later named "Louguantai" because of its location in Louguan.
Lao Tzu taught and expounded on Taoism at Louguan Temple, which led to the creation of the Tao Te Ching, a classic text revered by later generations of Taoism. This text nurtured and promoted the birth and development of Chinese Taoist thought.
This is why Zhongnan Mountain has earned the title of "Holy Land of Taoism, Ancestral Temple of the World," and now it has caught the eye of Wang Xuan.
Since he wanted to establish a sect in this world, he naturally had to choose the best place as his mountain gate. Was there a better place than Zhongnan Mountain, the first Taoist grotto heaven?
What? You mean Kunlun Mountain?
I'm sorry, but Kunlun Mountain is located in the Western Regions and is sparsely populated. How many people are willing to travel all the way to Kunlun Mountain to listen to the teachings?
As Wang Xuan climbed towards the summit of Zhongnan Mountain, he looked around and became more and more satisfied.
He could sense that the spiritual energy in Zhongnan Mountain was much richer than in other places. In some places where spiritual energy gathered, the spiritual energy was two or three times richer than in the outside world!
"Huh?" As he walked, Wang Xuan suddenly stopped. He let out a soft exclamation and fixed his gaze on the left front.
The spiritual energy there was much richer than anywhere else Wang Xuan had seen along his journey, estimated to be five times that of the outside world!
Such a blessed place naturally attracted Wang Xuan's attention. What surprised him even more was that there was actually a large-scale Taoist temple built there.
"I originally planned to make some preparations in Zhongnan Mountain in advance, but I didn't expect there to be a ready-made place here, which saved me a lot of effort." Wang Xuan chuckled and walked towards the Taoist temple without hesitation.
As he approached, Wang Xuan was astonished to see two large characters engraved on the plaque above the Taoist temple: Louguan!
"Is this the place where the Sage Taiqing preached back then, now the ancestral temple of Louguan Taoism?" Wang Xuan couldn't help but feel a little strange. Could it be that his destiny clashed with that of the Sage Taiqing Daode Tianzun?
Not only does he want to compete for the position of Dao Ancestor, but he also wants to seize the place where the Supreme Sage preaches...
Just as Wang Xuan was lost in thought, the gates of the Taoist temple suddenly opened, and hundreds of Taoist priests walked out, standing in two rows, with the sound of bells ringing behind them.
A Taoist priest of about thirty years old stepped forward from the crowd, performed a Taoist salute to Wang Xuan, and said, "Today, a sage has descended upon our Louguan Taoist sect. This humble Taoist priest, Yuan Tiangang, has led all the disciples of Louguan Taoist sect to welcome him!"
On the surface, Wang Xuan appeared calm and collected, but in reality, he was filled with dread.
Since leaving Luoyang, he hadn't deliberately created any unusual phenomena, appearing outwardly no different from an ordinary person. However, the other party recognized him and had been waiting there, as if they had anticipated his arrival!
"Yuan Tiangang, is that the Taoist priest who wrote the Tui Bei Tu with Li Chunfeng? Truly extraordinary!"
Legend has it that the two Taoist priests, Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, predicted the history of the next two thousand years. Wang Xuan initially thought it was nonsense, but now he was starting to believe it.
He combined his divine sense with the Heavenly Dao talisman, using the power of the nascent Heavenly Dao to observe Yuan Tiangang, and instantly saw through the opponent's true strength and weakness.