The Quest for Immortality

Mo Hua suddenly thought of another question:

”Master, is Earth Sect a very large sect?”

”Yes,” Mr. Zhuang nodded.

”How large is it?”

Mr. Zhuang said, ”Earth Sect is one of the largest sects in Kun State, but as for how large it actually is, you don’t need to worry about that now. It’s not something you can come into contact with at your current level of cultivation. When you encounter it, you will naturally understand.”

Mo Hua nodded and then asked:

”Is the Old Ancestor of Sun Family also someone from Earth Sect?”

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze became slightly heavy as he pondered:

”Even if he is not a member of Earth Sect, he is related to it.”

”Then how did Earth Sect comprehend the Thick Earth Formation? Also through Divine Sense, communicating with the essence of the earth?”

Mo Hua voiced his doubt.

He wanted to know if there were other methods to comprehend the Taoist Meaning.

Although one can comprehend Taoist Meaning for a short period using a Taoist Stele, it places a great burden on the stele.

Unless absolutely necessary, Mo Hua did not plan to do so in the future.

And the cultivators of Earth Sect presumably all lack a Taoist Stele.

Without the assistance of a Taoist Stele, what methods do they use to contemplate the Taoist Meaning?

After all, Earth Sect is named after ”earth,” so its core formation must be related to the earth; thus, it is also closely tied to the earth’s Taoist Meaning.

Mr. Zhuang did not explain in detail, simply hinting:

”Taoist Meaning needs Divine Sense to ’contemplate’...”

Mo Hua was startled and then understood, ”A Contemplation Map?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded, ”Earth Sect possesses a Contemplation Map that has been passed down for ten thousand years, known as the ’Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram.’”

Mo Hua was inwardly shocked.

Emperor Heaven and Earth!

Just by hearing the name, he felt its vast and majestic presence.

”Do you remember what I told you about Contemplation Maps?” Mr. Zhuang asked.

Mo Hua nodded.

He remembered Mr. Zhuang saying:

Contemplation Maps reflect another’s Divine Sense and their understanding of the Heavenly Dao; in other words, what is contemplated is someone else’s ”Dao” or perhaps the ”Dao” of something non-human...

After thinking for a while, Mo Hua then said:

”Then does this Taoist Meaning belong to ’non-human’s Dao’?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded and said, ”Exactly, non-human’s Dao can be good or evil, righteous or nefarious. Some may seem good, but in essence, they are evil; others may appear righteous, yet their true nature is nefarious...”

”With your limited experience in Tao Cultivation, you might not be able to discern the right from the wrong. Rushing into contemplation can easily lead you to be deceived by appearances and fall into dangerous territory.”

”That’s why at the beginning, I told you not to touch or even think about Contemplation Maps.”

Mo Hua couldn’t help but nod.

Just like the Landscape Taoist Child Painting he saw.

On the surface, it was an innocent Taoist Child, but in reality, it was a green-faced fanged Evil Ghost.

If it weren’t for his ability to manifest Divine Sense and Drawing Formation, and the fact that his Sea of Consciousness contained a Taoist Stele, he might have been possessed by the Evil Ghost’s malevolence, losing control of himself and no longer being the same person.

Mo Hua then asked, ”Is the Contemplation Map of Earth Sect a map of righteous Divine Thought?”

”It should be,” Mr. Zhuang considered his words.

Mo Hua was taken aback, ”It should be?”

Explore new worlds at

Mr. Zhuang nodded, ”I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know the details, hence I say it should be.”

”But this diagram has been passed down by the ancestors of Earth Sect, and they have been contemplating it for many years without any issues. So there shouldn’t be any problems.”

”Even if there are problems, Earth Sect would not inform outsiders.”

”We are all cultivators, not having become immortals, so we are humans, not celestials. As humans, our Divine Sense is limited, and what we perceive as the true form may still only be an appearance.”

”The knowledge at the level of Divine Sense is the most elusive and difficult to grasp, especially for a Contemplation Map that has been passed down for over ten thousand years...”

”Thus, what the true nature of this map is, is difficult to say.”

Mr. Zhuang furrowed his brows, expressing his sentiment.

Mo Hua understood somewhat, nodded slightly, and then quietly asked:

”Master, if one day I come across this Contemplation Map, may I take a look at it?”

This question left Mr. Zhuang speechless.

Normally speaking, since Mo Hua could contemplate the Earth Dao Meaning, taking a look at Earth Sect’s Contemplation Map seemed harmless.

But Mo Hua’s Divine Sense was different from ordinary people’s, and if he really looked at this Contemplation Map, it was uncertain what he might perceive.

The most important thing was, Mr. Zhuang feared unexpected complications might arise.

Just like with the Landscape Taoist Child Painting, where the Taoist Child turned into a ghost taking residence in the Sea of Consciousness.

The Divine Thought of the Taoist Child was not strong, so Mo Hua was unharmed and even managed to ”devour” the Evil Ghost that the Taoist Child had become, refining its Divine Thought.

But Earth Sect’s ”Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram” was different.

The Divine Thought inside there was terrifying to the extreme.

When the time comes, it’s hard to say who will ”eat” whom...

Mr. Zhuang then cautioned:

”If you can avoid looking, it’s best not to look, but if you do look, be careful not to look too long, just steal a glance or two.”

Mo Hua expressed his confusion, ”Isn’t the Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram sealed with the Earth Dao Meaning of the great land?”

Since it is the Earth Dao Meaning from heaven and earth, it should be the Divine Thought of the Righteous Dao...

Mr. Zhuang corrected:

”It’s the Dao Meaning that’s sealed, and the Earth Sect uses it to contemplate, to gain insight into Formation...”

”But whether the sealed content is truly the Earth Dao Meaning, that’s hard to tell, after all, outsiders have not seen it, and even if they have seen it, they might not be able to perceive the true nature...”

Mo Hua felt a slight chill in his heart and nodded his head.

”Moreover, you won’t be able to see the complete ’Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram,’” Mr. Zhuang added with a sigh.

Mo Hua was somewhat taken aback, ”Why not?”

Mr. Zhuang explained, ”The problem lies with the four characters ’Emperor Heaven and Earth’.”

”You are from the Earth Sect, so the two characters ’after earth’ are suitable for use...”

Mr. Zhuang pointed towards the sky, ”But the two characters ’Emperor Heaven,’ can you afford to use them?”

Mo Hua was startled.

If the Earth Sect could not afford the ”Emperor Heaven,” then who could?

Mo Hua was slightly shocked, ”Taoist Court?”

Mr. Zhuang nodded, ”That ’Heaven’ is not something they from the Earth Sect can contemplate, so the diagram was split in two by the Taoist Court, the Earth Diagram is kept in the Earth Sect, and the Emperor Heaven Diagram is kept in the Taoist Court.”

”If you go to the Earth Sect, you can at most only see the ’Earth Diagram,’ you can’t see the ’Emperor Heaven Diagram,’ let alone the complete ’Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram.’”

Mo Hua opened his mouth, then softly said:

”Is the Taoist Court... robbing them?”

Mr. Zhuang raised an eyebrow, appearing to smile but not smiling:

”The matters of the Taoist Court, when described from above, are called ’requisition,’ and when described from below, they are called ’tribute,’ if it’s a ’mutual consent,’ how can it be called robbing?”

Mo Hua frowned, somewhat surprised:

”The Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram has been passed down for ten thousand years, the Divine Thought within must be terrifying, right? Can it really be forcibly divided?”

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze grew sharp, and there was a hint of wariness in his expression:

”The Divine Thought inside the Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram is indeed terrifying, but within the Taoist Court, those who have lived for ten thousand years, whose Cultivation reaches the heavens, those old demons are even more terrifying...”

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart and quietly asked:

”Those old demons... elders, what realm have they reached?”

Mr. Zhuang merely rubbed Mo Hua’s head and said gently:

”Don’t aim too high and think about these matters; they are still too far from you.”

Mo Hua nodded his head, then thought it over and felt it made sense.

He hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet and had only been cultivating for about a decade; to think about these things was indeed too premature.

Immediately he felt a bit of regret:

”Doesn’t that mean I’ll never get to see the full Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram?”

”That’s not necessarily so,” said Mr. Zhuang.

Mo Hua’s eyes brightened.

Mr. Zhuang said with evident amusement:

”If you can make the Earth Sect bow down and pay homage, stand shoulder to shoulder with the Taoist Court, and combine the Emperor Heaven Diagram with the Earth Diagram into one, then naturally you will be able to contemplate the true Emperor Heaven and Earth Diagram.”

Mo Hua gave an embarrassed laugh.

To be that powerful, one would surely have to become an immortal...

Mr. Zhuang was right.

One should not aim too high in the pursuit of Tao Cultivation.

It’s better to be down-to-earth and take things step by step, first figuring out a way to achieve Foundation Establishment.

...

After saying goodbye to Mr. Zhuang, Mo Hua began to think about what to do next.

He had already learned the Thick Earth Formation with its eleven Patterns, and after grasping the Dao Meaning, he could paint it on the ground, integrating the Formation Patterns with the earth and aligning the Spiritual Power with it.

What Mo Hua wanted to do next was to use the Thick Earth Formation to reconstruct the hundred acres of Spirit Field in Thousand Families Town.

Firstly, he intended to use the Thick Earth Formation to enrich the soil so that the Loose Cultivators of Thousand Families Town could have enough to eat.

Secondly, it was to apply what he learned by constructing the Formation within heaven and earth, to truly understand the mysteries of the Thick Earth Formation’s application.

Third, it was for the Earth Dao Meaning.

Man imitates the earth.

Through the Taoist Stele, he had contemplated the Earth Dao Meaning, becoming ”acquainted” with it and having a bit of ”rapport;” he could paint a Formation on the earth and merge the Patterns with it.

In return, he would also have to reciprocate, bringing the Formation comprehended from his own Dao Meaning to the earth, enriching it so that it would thrive and endure endlessly.