Chapter 1567 — A Pilgrimage to the Sage

" Venerable Xu said with keen interest, "Does Taiyi know my Youdu Great Dao?

" Jiang Yunjian looked at her, and saw that one of the horns on her head was missing, as though it had been cut off, and laughed.

"You are Venerable Xu? Where did the horn on your head go?

" Venerable Xu gave a humph. She had not the least liking for this brat, and promptly employed a great divine ability of the demonic path, saying coolly, "Your foster father cut it off.

Can you not recognize the sword wound on my horn?

" "I never learned swordsmanship from my foster father," Jiang Yunjian said cautiously.

He studied Venerable Xu's divine ability, and after a moment broke that one as well.

Venerable Xu praised him: "The one who taught you is truly beyond compare! " Suddenly the Sun Ancient God said, "I would like to try a little myself.

" One after another they employed their divine abilities to test Jiang Yunjian, and without exception he broke them all; even when Venerable Hao and Venerable Xiao tested him in person, they could not stump him, and only then were the several Venerables and ancient gods convinced wholeheartedly. "A disciple of Taiyi should have such ability as this.

" There was no longer any doubt in their hearts.

Jiang Yunjian glanced at the sky and said abruptly, "You have tested me for so long; now let me test you, and see what metal these Venerables are made of!

" Everyone laughed.

The Ancestral God King laughed.

"It is only because you are Taiyi's disciple. Had anyone else spoken to me like that, I would have beaten him to death long ago! " Jiang Yunjian said with a cold smile, "So even so-called Venerables dare not accept a test?

What I will use to test you is an array of dao patterns drawn by my master.

It stumped me. If you can unravel it, I will naturally kowtow to you and beg your pardon!

If you have the courage, then follow me!

" The Venerables were stirred. "An array of dao patterns drawn by Taiyi?

That is not to be missed! " They followed Jiang Yunjian to a cliff in the Hundred Thousand Black Mountains, and saw that dao patterns had been drawn and carved upon the cliff face, forming an array — truly of unfathomable subtlety! Venerable Hao's and Venerable Xiao's gazes fell upon that array, and their expressions changed despite themselves. They thought, "Taiyi's divine abilities are indeed unfathomable.

This array of dao patterns — even I cannot make it out at a glance!

" The Venerables and the ancient gods pondered deeply. The moment their eyes fell upon those dao patterns, they were drawn in against their will by the wonder within, sinking deeper and deeper, feeling that within lay inexhaustible marvels and endless transformations, intoxicating to behold.

Taisu saw the Way of Taisu in it; the Sun Ancient God saw the Way of Taiji in it; and the others likewise each saw his own Dao. The more closely they looked, the more deeply they were lost.

Jiang Yunjian let out a breath of relief and thought, "My foster father told me to bring them here and use the array of dao patterns on the cliff to hold them until evening — it seems it will succeed. Strange, what exactly are these dao patterns? Why should even Venerables be stumped by them?

" The array of dao patterns on the cliff face had been carved there by Shen Mu himself; Shen Mu had instructed him not to look at it, and to wait until the sun was about to set, then rouse the Venerables and lead them to the foot of the World Tree. So he did not quite understand what exactly the array of dao patterns on the cliff was.

But his master Lan Yutian had come here and seen the array upon the cliff, and told him it was a variant of Hongmeng primordial qi runes, and also warned him not to look at it, lest he be lost within it. After who knew how long, Jiang Yunjian caught sight of the sun sinking in the west and hastily coughed, then said loudly, "Venerables all, have you unraveled the mystery of this array of dao patterns? " Venerable Hao, Venerable Xiao and the rest came to, one after another, and saw that the sun had set in the western sky.

Standing there, they had let more than half a day slip by without noticing! Venerable Xiao said in admiration, "Dao-brother Taiyi is truly no small matter.

This array of dao patterns I could not make out, and I cannot help but hold Dao-brother Taiyi in awe.

" Jiang Yunjian said with a cold smile, "You tested me for no reason at all; now you know what I am worth, do you not? Hurry and come along — you came to see my master, yet you dawdle and waste so much time, and make my master wait on you.

That is simply outrageous! " The Ancestral God King was furious, thinking, "This little wretch has a sharp tongue.

Can he really not be Venerable Mu in disguise? " Everyone followed Jiang Yunjian toward the World Tree.

The World Tree drew nearer and nearer ahead, and the matchless grandeur of that precious tree grew ever more apparent. "This tree looks like the one in Venerable Mu's divine treasury!

" The Venerables and the ancient gods looked upon that tree and praised it again and again, thinking, "But it is far larger than Venerable Mu's. This tree is the grandfather; the one Venerable Mu has is the grandson! " They came beneath the tree.

The sun in the western sky slowly sank below the mountains, and the sun that revolved around the World Tree likewise began to lose its light and dim.

Just then a tremendous roar came, as though heaven were collapsing and the earth splitting, shaking the Venerables so that they could not keep their footing! Everyone's expression changed greatly, and they saw that the quaking came from beyond the Hundred Thousand Black Mountains.

They looked outward, and beyond the Hundred Thousand Black Mountains all was as if a universe were being annihilated!

The heavens and the ten thousand worlds were crumbling and collapsing; everything was utterly gone! Everyone's faces went ghastly pale in an instant.

The sight was too shocking, and at the same time bewildering — for a moment they thought the entire universe had truly been destroyed. They came back to their senses, and suddenly the sound of the Dao echoed, lingering, drifting down from the heavens.

Everyone raised their heads, and saw the Ultimate Void emerge from the sky, and a Dao Tree with a thousand branches and ten thousand twigs appearing above them, now visible, now hidden.

That Dao Tree was lush and verdant, brimming with vitality, more vigorous even than the Dao Tree they had seen in Jade Capital City. Upon the Dao Tree hung a Hunyuan Dao Fruit, inspiring awe in all who beheld it!

Just as their gazes fell upon that Dao Fruit, golden light suddenly coiled and swirled below, and a glittering golden hall appeared before them, so abruptly!

The doors of the golden hall boomed open. Within, the qi of primal chaos surged and drifted, and a figure could faintly be seen sitting in the hall.

Venerable Hao gathered his vision, trying to make out that figure; he could just barely tell it was an old man, and said in a low voice, "Auntie, is that Taiyi?

" The Goddess Taisu said, "The last time I saw him, he was a woman. " The Sun Ancient God said, "Yi means a thousand transformations, ten thousand changes.

Taiyi can be man or woman, can take the form of living beings, can become all things. This is what a Dao-achiever of unfathomable depth truly is!

" So saying, he bowed low to the ground toward the hall. "Taiji pays his respects to Dao-brother!

" "No need for ceremony. " From within the hall, Shen Mu's mouth issued an aged voice: "You have come to see me.

For what purpose? "