The young Taoist opened his mouth and his first words were directed at the Supreme God.

The old man seemed to know his disciple very well, and was not surprised at all. He just stroked his beard calmly and said, "The Three Pure Ones and the Four Imperial Gods are all called the Supreme Gods. Imperial God, Wuhuo, when I accepted you, I did not expect that you would be involved in the catastrophe as soon as you left the mountain."

"The Four Gods?"

"Last time, we talked about the realm of cultivation, do you still remember it?"

The young Taoist replied calmly, "Gathering the Qi inside and taking back the treasure of life is the innate Qi. If the innate Qi breaks through again, you will become a real person. The real person will practice and cultivate until the four correct ways are broken and the three enlightenments are obtained. My essence, energy and spirit will all reach the extreme, and the two will become one. The three flowers will gather at the top of the head, and I will become an immortal."

"After becoming an immortal, cultivate the five energies in your chest and enter the eight difficulties to become an earthly immortal. If your heart is free of faults, you will break through the eight difficulties and become a true lord."

"True Lord, continue to cultivate until you reach the ultimate of the Tao, and then you will make another breakthrough."

"In heaven he is the Emperor, in Taoism he is the Heavenly Lord, in Buddhism he is the Buddhas, in demons he is the Great Sage."

"It is called the highest."

The old man stroked his beard and said, "The ordinary emperor is called He Dao. Although he is called He Dao, he actually only realizes Dao."

"It's not in accordance with the Tao."

"Every move he makes has great magical power and supernatural powers. It seems that his thoughts are in harmony with the Great Dao. If he lets go of his restraints and attacks with all his strength, all the places in the six realms of heaven and earth that are involved in this Great Dao will respond. It seems that he can control the Great Dao, but in fact, he is using his own power to move the Great Dao to achieve his own goals."

"Although he is the Emperor, the Supreme God, he is still just an ordinary person after all."

"Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, and their heights and depths vary, but most of them fall into this category. It's nothing more than having a stronger force. When a certain avenue is shaken, it can stimulate stronger force and feedback."

"Like Donghua who died under your sword."

"It is just like the Five Ghost Emperors you see now, and Zhu Ling in the South Pole, they are all the same."

"Whether your foundation is strong or weak, you cannot escape this prison."

The old man stroked his beard and changed the subject, saying: "In fact, such an emperor is normal."

"The innate god has reached perfection. His state is the perfection bred by the great way of heaven and earth."

"However, perfection is ultimately regrettable."

"To go one step higher, one needs to break through the perfection of creation and surpass the Dao power of heaven and earth."

"If you do what you did today, based on the foundation of Fengdu, the five innate Yin creatures, the seventy-two chief masters, and countless ghosts and spirits, and guided by the Taichi Lingwen you created, you can create a huge ritual that has never been done before and will never be repeated. Then you can surpass these innate gods born from the creation of heaven and earth."

"This is the harmony with the Tao. My thoughts and movements are the rhythm of the Tao. My gestures and movements are the wrath of the Tao."

"When this mind changes, everything changes with it; if this mind kills, everything becomes rigid and dead."

"Such an emperor is also an emperor. In the practice of Taoism, he is also ranked as a celestial being along with heaven, earth, man, gods and ghosts. However, he is very different from the previous one. The difference between the two is like the difference between heaven and earth. This can be called good."

"Like your senior brother Xuandu, like Tianpeng from Yuqing Sect, and Taiyi from Shangqing Sect."

“They are all in this realm.”

Qi Wuhuo said: "So-called, the middle level."

The old man stroked his beard and shook his head, saying: "It cannot be called the middle level, it should be called the [great level]."

“The Greatest is the highest good, but it is ultimately inferior to the Supreme and cannot be called the Great.”

Qi Wuhuo seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "The real best way is [control]?"

The old man did not answer, but asked:

"Wuhuo thinks, what is the meaning of this word [御]?"

Qi Wuhuo replied, "My disciple thinks there are two interpretations. One is that the "Yu" in "Yufeng" means to control the Great Dao. The second is to show its nobleness and supremacy, so it is called "Yu" and respected as a god." The old man sighed and said, "Is "Yu" the same as "Yu"? That's right and it's not right. Yes, to control the Great Dao must be above the "He Dao".

"Like Hou Tu ruling the earth, like Gou Chen ruling all kinds of weapons."

"It is the same. With human strength, being able to reach the Great Grade is already the most powerful. The realms of Gou Chen and Hou Tu are almost impossible to reach through cultivation. The Great Dao is controlled by them. It is impossible to imagine that there is another person whose attainments in the profound Dao of the earth are superior to those of Hou Tu, the Emperor of the Earth?"

"This is the realm of Hou Tu and Gou Chen."

"It is to control the Great Dao. Your brothers, Tian Peng and Tai Yi, have already reached the realm of Great Celestial Immortals. However, if they were to fight against Hou Tu and Gou Chen with all their strength, we can only say that they still have a chance of surviving."

Qi Wuhuo was shocked and silent for a long time before asking calmly:

"Teacher, what you mean is that the realms of the other two are stronger than that of Hou Tu Huang Di Ji Niangniang and Emperor Gou Chen?"

The old man's eyes were kind, and he answered gently, "Yes."

"Wu Huo, have you ever thought about why among the Four Imperial Gods, only two of them have the honorific title of [Extreme]?"

"So that the emperors and true lords under his command are qualified to possess [Extreme]?"

Seeing Qi Wuhuo was deep in thought, the old man smiled and explained, "The meaning of '极' is - [limit]."

"One of their realms is above mine, the pinnacle of the world, so it is called [Pole]. Therefore, for Nan Ji Chang Sheng and Bei Ji Zi Wei, the word "Yu" does not mean to control the avenue, but to restrain."

Qi Wuhuo's pupils shrank slightly: "Restraint!"

The old man looked at him and said gently, "Yes."

"The control of the South Pole and the North Pole can [restrain] the Tao, and the way they choose to restrain is one for life, the other for death. The order of the North Emperor, the vitality of the South Pole."

"Since they are already called the best, their foundations are actually very different from mine."

"However, they did not seek perfection, but chose to go to the extreme, using their own existence to suppress and restrain part of the Tao, while we chose to break away from it and are no longer bound by the Tao."

"They gave up [Qing] and chose [Ji]."

"Instead of being unable to [clear]."

"Because the way to achieve our goal is not in the Three Realms, nor in the Five Elements, all things cannot bless us, and we cannot easily interfere with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, otherwise there will be all kinds of unpredictable consequences. The South Pole and the North Pole do not have this problem. Their way is to restrain the people of the Six Realms and the Great Dao."

Antarctica, Arctic.

Shangqing, Taiqing, Yuqing.

The young Taoist closed his eyes slightly, and among the six realms, the most powerful name emerged.

The Supreme General explained all the differences above the Emperor Realm, and then stroked his beard and said:

"In comparison, [Ji] all have their own ideals and strong desires to change the six realms. This is different from the direction of the Great Dao and the like. Although they are called the Four Imperials, the gap between the two Taoist friends Hou Tu and Gou Chen and the North Pole and the South Pole may be greater than the gap between ordinary emperors and imperials."

The young Taoist was able to glimpse one side of this highest truth. He sat there for a long time and said:

"Then, is the Bipolar Three Pure Ones the strongest?"

The old man looked at him, shook his head and said, "No."

"The strongest one was Haotian of that era."

"With his own strength, he melted all things into order, killed Taiyi, shattered the demon court, expelled Zhulong, defeated Beidi, Nanji, Houtu, and Fuxi, and selected the strongest four emperors as his subordinates. Then, he fought against the three of us alone, and we shared the title of [Great Celestial Lord]. After that, Haotian's celestial court system was established and he was revered as the supreme."

Tai Shang's tone was peaceful and serene, but it seemed to depict an unrivaled [Emperor].

With his own strength, he defeated all the heroes and was unrivaled in all six realms.

The Supreme Daoist Patriarch spoke in a calm and regretful tone:

"However, the price of his strength was too great. When the order of the Heavenly Court was established and the six realms had just entered a period when there were no strong people running rampant, he fell. Although he fell, his spirit was immortal. Hou Tu protected him and made him reincarnate through the calamities. In that chaotic era, the North Pole and the South Pole joined forces to suppress the six realms until the Jade Emperor returned."

"He is pursuing the Tao. If practicing his Tao requires death, then if he does not practice it, he is not a practitioner of the Tao."

Qi Wuhuo was silent for a long time, but the old man did not rush him, he just stroked his beard and said:

"Above the Great Emperor, there are three paths."

The young Taoist was quiet.

He and the old man sat opposite each other, with their wide sleeves hanging down, creating ripples on the dark "water surface", pure and tranquil, as if it had existed forever and never changed. The ripples spread out, swaying in front, transforming into three roads. Tai Shang is always like this, he will not give his disciples supernatural powers, nor teach them methods, he will only point out the direction.

Go on your own.

The old man looked at the young Taoist in front of him and said gently:

"The way of control is for me, reaching the extreme, for [control], for [extreme]."

"The Tao cannot be limited, the law cannot be bound, it is [purity], it is [ancestor]."

"One who relies on force to conquer others does not seek immortality, but seeks to defeat all heroes, exterminate all evildoers, and establish order in one lifetime. The one who is unrivaled and virtuous is the Emperor."

"Your senior brother Xuan Zhen took the last path, paving the way, not seeking immortality, but shining like fire."

"It has the style of the ancient Heavenly Emperor."

"Now, it's your choice."

Qi Wuhuo looked at the teacher in front of him, and at the path he pointed out. He suddenly asked, "Teacher, you said that if I die after experiencing a catastrophe, you will help me enter the Tao. So, teacher, do you think that the me in that life that you help me return to will still be me?"

The Supreme has a kind look in his eyes.

"What do you think?"

The young Taoist sat cross-legged with his black hair hanging down. The winter plum blossoms swayed without wind, and the petals fell.

The young man replied, "It is me, not me."

"That may be my primordial spirit, my soul, but it is no longer just Qi Wuhuo."

"If my soul and memory are revived, will they destroy the person that was created by my various experiences in that life?"

"So, teacher, you don't need to break the rules."

The old man was stunned. He looked at the young Taoist in front of him, but he saw another figure. They were all so resolute, so persistent, and so kind. It was because of the resoluteness that I practiced cultivation, and it was because of the kindness that I would never use my own tyranny to invade my reincarnated body.

“Sir, I’m afraid my soul is immortal. After reincarnation, I won’t be called Haotian anymore…”

"Why?"

"Because Haotian is me, just me. In these nine heavens and ten earths, three realms and six paths, from ancient times to the present, there is only me, Haotian."

"It is enough to enjoy the life in this world."

"The me in the next life will not be me after all."

The old friend's voice faded away. The young Taoist in front of him was not him, but there was a trace of similarity. The old man was absent-minded and nostalgic for only a moment. He smiled gently and said, "Then, the two of us are only destined to be together in this life. I have no doubts and have made a choice. What do you think? Which way should I take?"

Qi Wuhuo replied: "I haven't thought it through yet."

The old man smiled and said, "No doubt, is it possible to have no doubt?"

The young Taoist was quiet for a while, then said, "There is some clue, but I know a master named Ran Deng who said that there is no need to speak out the great wish that has not been fulfilled. If you speak it out, it will always sound like bragging, which is really too arrogant."

The old man couldn't help laughing and said, "You, you, why are you so humble even to your teacher?"

"It's okay, it's okay!"

"Let's try to explain it."

The young Taoist refused several times, but the old man still persuaded him. Qi Wuhuo thought for a while and said, "I have seen a lot of things since I came out of the mountains. The understanding of the Tao depends on what you see, hear and know, not on time. There are those who come out of the mountains at a young age and become famous all over the world, and there are also those who study the classics for a lifetime and achieve nothing."

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, "Yes."

The young Taoist lowered his eyes. This place was neither outside the Three Realms nor within the Five Elements. Only Purity could reach it. It was a state of chaos without beginning or end. Qi Wuhuo saw ripples beneath him. He was walking in the heavens, seeing layers of clouds, and seeing gods arranged on the thirty-six jade steps. In the picture, the heaven and earth were magnificent, a huge sun fell with a loud bang, and then the people suffered.

See the wars among men, the fights among ghost kings, see the kinds of things, and see the hearts of those who seek the truth.

I saw Ao Wulie changing the rain as a joke; I saw Qing Jingwei sacrificing lives in order to seek the truth.

And these gods, heroes, and those with strong hearts of Tao, came and went, and finally dissipated, leaving only ripples that spread out, layer by layer. Qi Wuhuo saw his own eyes, he raised his head, and said, "I saw the gods high above, fearless of life and death; I saw the great emperor destroying the world at will, just to seek Tao; I saw the conquests and battles in the human world, which were extremely tragic."

"Seeing the land is just because of the mind, it causes the land of a state to fall into trouble."

"Seeing the emperor allow the people to die and be injured for the sake of his own power."

"Seeing the Ghost Emperors fighting, seeing all the ghosts howling, seeing the netherworld, all of them wanted to fight back to the world of the living."

The young Taoist spoke word by word, his voice was calm, but it seemed as if countless images emerged.

The Supreme's expression gradually became serious.

Finally, after Qi Wuhuo finished saying all this, he looked at the teacher in front of him and said, "So, Lord Taishan is not my choice." Tai Shang looked at the young Taoist in front of him. The old man's eyes were clear. He had been guiding his disciple to think about his own path and to open the way forward for his disciple, but he would not interfere in the slightest.

The road is right there.

Go ahead! Go ahead!

Broaden it with the Tao, restrain it with the law, do nothing and yet do it; this is the supreme way.

So he looked at his disciple, whose mind was firm and seemed to have made his own choice. He looked at him sitting upright, with a restrained expression and a straight back. He looked at the wisps of energy rising behind him, the ripples on the water, and a dark and silent mountain range appearing behind Qi Wuhuo.

It’s as if I can see this towering mountain, which is neither a mountain nor a peak, reaching its highest and deepest point.

It makes the young Taoist look profound, peaceful, calm and calm.

Seeing his disciple slowly raising his hand, his five fingers slightly white and spread out, slightly curled, his sleeves hanging down, his voice quiet, as if he was still thinking, but he had already found his direction, the real direction:

"sky."

I have seen all the gods and creatures in heaven, high above.

"land."

It is known that the gods of the land are arbitrary and can change the rain and the ground veins at will.

"people."

It is known that people go to war and seek power, even at the cost of sacrificing common people.

"god."

I have seen Emperor Donghua and Lord Yinyao, who act as they please.

"ghost."

I have seen the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld and the evil gods of the underworld. Their hearts are still burning with desire, and they are still inciting endless killings.

So, you've seen this, you've lived this, walked this, what is your path?

"Not pure, not imperial, not extreme."

The young Taoist raised his right hand, from one side to his forehead, his sleeves fluttering like flowing wind, his thumb clasped his little finger and ring finger to form a sword finger, standing in front of himself, accompanied by silent but vast changes, which only Tai Shang could "see". Behind the young Taoist, strange phenomena rose, this mountain was endless, and there was endless killing and endless death on the road, and it was in a trance, as if it was alive and dead.

It can't be seen at a glance.

It seemed as if there was a strong wind blowing down. The young Taoist pointed his sword in front of him, his eyes were calm, and his black hair at the temples was slightly raised. He said:

"The five directions and five realms are connected as one."

"I."

【Lord of Mount Tai】

"For one."

[To suppress the gods, ghosts and people of heaven and earth]!

So Tai Shang was stunned and lost in thought.