The ancient and sacred beast, the Phoenix, soared into the firmament, its form merging with the highest celestial realm.
Eighty-four thousand steps of the Dao ladder stretched upwards towards the clouds, the immense pressure of the Great Dao awe-inspiring all beings.
Taiyi realm powerhouses ascended one by one, observing this sacred ritual.
No being who had attained the Dao of Da Luo would refuse to be witnessed on their path to enlightenment.
In this regard, the ancient customs of the Primordial World, forged in primal times, were gradually being reshaped and altered by the "Dao."
This "Dao" was the immortal Dao, the heavenly Dao.
As Taiyi realm cultivators arrived, upon seeing Qu, they exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this the blind one? So, he wasn't blind but someone on the verge of attaining Da Luo."
"Where is that green-robed wandering soul? Weren't the two of them always together?"
"Look quickly! There's the green-robed wandering soul!"
The mountain lords looked in the direction indicated, only to see a Daoist in green robes sitting cross-legged beside the eighty-four thousand steps of the Dao ladder, completely unaffected by its imposing presence.
One mountain lord asked doubtfully, "Could this person truly be a Da Luo supreme being?"
"That can't be right; this person doesn't exude Da Luo aura. Even if they possess a hint of Da Luo's transcendence, it doesn't necessarily mean they are Da Luo."
"What do you know? Some supreme beings enjoy walking the world through various avatars. This person might just be an avatar of some great being."
Amidst the murmurs, Qu straightened up and stepped onto the celestial ladder, his movements steady and unhurried, showing no hesitation.
He was, after all, a divine thought of Taiyi, a fragment of a Da Luo supreme being. Though their paths differed, he had already ascended the Da Luo ladder once and experienced the process of becoming Da Luo, making his primordial spirit far superior to that of ordinary Taiyi realm cultivators.
Moreover, he had not hesitated to part with his primordial spirit, risking the usurpation of a Phoenix clan’s holy son, hidden within the Phoenix clan for hundreds of thousands of years, all for the sake of the Dao of Sound.
Taiyi was a born solar deity, a powerful being who commanded the brilliance of the great sun and its Dao. However, he was not a born master of the Dao of Sound, and indeed, was not well-versed in it.
The reason for his willingness to bear such risks was for a single treasure.
That treasure was a Congenital Supreme Treasure, and that Dao was his future Great Dao.
Pangu had once split the heavens, and the Hong Meng Supreme Treasure, the Heaven-Splitting Axe, had split into three, one of which was the Chaos Bell, a true Congenital Supreme Treasure.
Although Taiyi was a prodigy of heaven, he was not the son of this world, and his abilities had limits. The heavens had opened a door to the Dao of the Great Sun for him, but they had also closed the door to the Dao of Music.
Yet, Taiyi, with his heaven-defying strength, had forcefully pried open that door.
The melodies played, and the myriad sounds of heaven and earth flowed like water across the firmament.
The music continued, and his footsteps did not falter.
Only when he reached the sixty-seven thousandth step did Qu's pace falter.
His three flowers bloomed and gathered atop his head, his five energies manifested, and the divine form of a phoenix appeared, flames raging before him. His steps once again ascended the celestial ladder, one after another.
With each lift and placement of his foot, it was as if a sound echoed in his heart, resonating in his ears, granting his primordial spirit a profound sensation.
The Great Dao of Sound manifested across the heavens, the divine bird Phoenix spread its wings across the world, and the Daoist ascended the steps, reaching the eighty-fourth thousandth.
"Clang~"
"Zheng~"
...
Notes sounded, and rhythms reverberated.
All beings in heaven and earth marveled at the exquisite beauty of music, lost in the cosmic Dao sounds.
Qu's five energies and three flowers atop his head were perfected, the divine phoenix coiled, and his sea of Qi transformed into auspicious clouds, covering vast expanses of land.
With the Dao of Sound integrated, infinite melodies manifested in Qu's eyes, and the myriad sounds of the heavens circled around him. Thus, the Dao of Sound gained another supreme being!
The eighty-four thousand steps of the Dao ladder vanished, and the Da Luo pressure spread for a million miles.
The Taiyi realm observers, who had been watching, bowed and said, "Congratulations, senior, on attaining Da Luo and achieving transcendence."
Qu waved his hand, and a shocking divine sound echoed in the hearts of all present. Their faces turned pale. None were foolish, and they quickly fled, daring not to linger.
Qu descended from the void and approached Qing Ling.
Bai Fu trembled in fear at the side, watching him warily.
Qing Ling slowly opened his eyes, ignoring the imposing figure standing before him, and said with a sigh, "The poison has been resolved. You should leave now."
Qu smiled faintly and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll sever this karma? There's no Luoshen Hua anymore."
"Then strike me," Qing Ling slowly closed his eyes, as if truly awaiting death.
Qu chuckled and reached out, lifting his chin. "Rest assured, I am a god who repays kindness.
I hope that when we meet again, you can keep pace with me."
Qu turned abruptly and stepped into the firmament, returning to Tian Nan.
Qing Ling silently opened his eyes and chuckled, "What an arrogant god."
He knew that Qu would never lay a hand on him. Because Qu's identity was too critical; if Qing Ling were to let even a whisper escape, it would arouse suspicion from the Phoenix clan, with terrifyingly severe consequences.
To eliminate this possibility entirely, they maintained the current situation: Qing Ling feared death and would not speak, while Qu feared exposure and thus dared not kill him.
Qing Ling looked at Bai Fu and said with a smile, "You've been troubled."
Bai Fu stood up, scratching his head with a sheepish laugh, "Not at all, not at all. This humble deity couldn't help much."
Seeing him like this, Qing Ling pointed a finger, and the powers of life and death intertwined. With the conversion of withering and flourishing, life and death, it entered Bai Fu's body, instantly mending his damaged form.
Bai Fu looked at the faint white light emanating from him with joy. The vital energy was as profound as growing wood, inexhaustible. His internal vitality was immense, while deathly energy swirled around his body, the convergence of life and death, radiating an aura of calamity.
He fell into a deep slumber once more.
Qing Ling smiled and closed his eyes again.
The energies of life and death within him merged. After losing the suppression of the Tong Tian Green Vine, the Dao of Wood fused with the Dao of Life and Death, and the boundaries between life and death gradually dissolved within Qing Ling's Dao.
Life and death transformed, while the Dao of Wood maintained fundamental balance, placing him in a state of flourishing wood.
In the earth behind him, a seed broke through the soil, having been bathed by the Da Luo Dao sounds.
Above Qing Ling, the Spring Wind and Rain Banner swayed. Wind and rain arrived together, and the green vine gradually grew. From sprouts, it became an inch-long grass, then a foot-long vine. The vine grew three inches more, the great sun moved south, and it grew another three feet. By the time the sun set, it grew another three feet. When the moon rose to its zenith, it grew another three inches.
A day and a night constituted one day, and the green vine grew to a length of ten feet.
This ten-foot green vine was his comprehension of the Dao of Wood, a manifestation of its power, blessed by the magic and authority of the Spring God.
As the stars and moon shifted, the great sun rose again.
As the morning sun rose in the east, purple energy ascended the vine. The purple energy from a million miles around was absorbed into this ten-foot green vine, causing it to grow another three feet and three inches.
The green vine continued to grow, and Qing Ling's figure gradually appeared smaller.
Day after day, year after year, the green vine never stopped growing. It grew three feet and three inches at sunrise, another three feet and three inches from midday to sunset, and another three feet and three inches from moonrise to its zenith.
Nine feet, nine inches, and nine-ninths of a foot per day, totaling one Zhang. In one hundred days, it grew nine hundred and ninety-nine feet and nine-ninths of a foot, reaching one hundred Zhang.
At any time, it never ceased its growth.
The green vine grew higher and higher, gradually reaching the height of the mountains and levels with the clouds.