"Mengmeng, won't your teeth hurt from eating so many candied hawthorns?"
"Mengmeng, how can you eat so much? You scared me when we were eating just now."
Inside the palace, there is a newly built playground with slides, swings, and many different kinds of wooden toys. The Empress ordered them to be made in three days so that Mengmeng would have a place to play.
At this moment, Song Yuzhi was lying on the slide and asked Mengmeng, who was sitting on top eating candied hawthorns.
Several palace maids beside the two were struggling to carry the candied hawthorn skewers. Mengmeng quickly finished one skewer and then went to get another.
"No way! Candied hawthorns are so delicious! Look, I've already eaten more than half of them," Mengmeng said, pointing to the candied hawthorn stand that was already half empty.
Song Yuzhi's eyes showed envy as she looked at the little girl who opened her mouth, revealing that she was missing two teeth.
"Look, I have two bad teeth. My older sister pulled them for me last time, and it hurt so much."
"Giggle giggle..."
Seeing this, Mengmeng laughed, and then opened her mouth, revealing a set of neat, white teeth.
"I'm fine!" the little girl boasted.
Not far away, Li Daoyi, Yang Guang, and Song Que sat around a stone table, with Yuwen Huaji and Pei Ju standing behind them.
"I've also heard a little about the He Shi Bi jade. Legend has it that whenever the world is in chaos, the He Shi Bi jade will appear and choose a wise ruler to establish a new dynasty," Song Que said, looking at Yang Guang with a meaningful expression.
"Hmph, outrageous! Who spread these rumors? It's truly despicable!" Yang Guang roared, his face darkening instantly.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. This is just a rumor spread by people in the martial arts world; it is not to be believed," Pei Ju quickly said.
Li Daoyi looked up at Pei Ju and smiled.
“The rumors circulating in the martial arts world are not entirely unfounded. After all, the He Shi Bi (a famous jade disc) represents royal power, and it has appeared in every period of chaos over the past few centuries. This is not a coincidence, but rather something deliberately done by someone,” Li Daoyi said, gently tapping the stone table.
Song nodded, indicating a slight deficiency.
"What the Daoist says is absolutely right. Alas, these Buddhist monks are starting to stir up trouble again." After saying this, Song Que seemed to have thought of something and stopped talking.
"Cihang Jingzhai," Pei Ju said, deliberately looking at Song Que.
As expected, Song Que's expression changed. He had a relationship with Fan Qinghui when he was young, but he left her after discovering Cihang Jingzhai's ambition. However, decades later, Fan Qinghui still held a certain place in his heart.
“It’s them again…” Yang Guang murmured.
"Back then, these nuns approached the late emperor, wanting to elevate the status of Buddhism. However, the late emperor was wary of Buddhism's power and did not agree. Even so, over the decades, Buddhism's power has continued to grow, and now it has become the leading force in the orthodox path, even surpassing Taoism." Yuwen Huaji said from the side, observing Li Daoyi's reaction as he spoke. To his disappointment, Li Daoyi remained expressionless.
"Fan Qinghui and Bi Xiuxin, you must all be familiar with them, right?" Li Daoyi said slowly.
Song Que and Pei Ju couldn't help but stiffen for a moment.
Neither of them spoke.
“These women are quite cunning, using their looks and status to achieve their ulterior motives. Now, even Grandmaster Ning Daoqi has to listen to Cihang Jingzhai. They are truly remarkable.” As he spoke, Li Daoyi looked at Song Que and Pei Ju, only to see that the two of them had very ugly expressions.
"Buddhism, humph. These people do not engage in production, rely on the support of the people, yet they do not care about the court, but instead cause trouble everywhere. They are truly despicable," Yang Guang said coldly.
"ah…"
Just then, Song Yuzhi's scream came from the side.
Everyone turned around and saw the little girl flying rapidly into the sky.
"Yu Zhi!" Song Que exclaimed in surprise, then leaped into the sky.
"Hehe! I think I used too much force," Mengmeng said with a grin as she sat on one end of the seesaw.
Song Que moved with incredible speed, leaping into the air and grabbing Song Yuzhi in his arms before slowly descending. The little girl, terrified, tightly closed her eyes and clung to her father's embrace.
"Mengmeng, you're so naughty." Li Daoyi stepped forward and rubbed Mengmeng's little head.
"Hahaha, last time I was also driven to the heavens by Mengmeng on a whim, but luckily Minister Yuwen reacted quickly," Yang Guangda laughed.
"This child is truly amazing. I've met countless people in my life, but this is the first time I've seen a child like this." Song Que, who was holding his daughter, landed from the air and looked at Mengmeng, and couldn't help but say this. He wasn't angry.
“Master Li is no ordinary person, and this Mengmeng is naturally no ordinary person either,” Yang Guang continued.
Song Que put his daughter down, and soon Song Yuzhi ran up to the seesaw again. This time, Mengmeng controlled her strength, and the two little ones had a great time playing.
"Daoist Master, I have a question for you," Song Que said.
"What is it?"
"What's the difference between martial artists and cultivators?" Song Que asked.
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Huaji and Pei Ju also looked at Li Daoyi.
"Martial artists pursue the improvement of their own martial strength, moves, and lethality, focusing on combat skills and understanding the essence of cultivation techniques. Immortal cultivators, on the other hand, pursue physical transcendence, immortality, and the elevation of their spiritual realm, focusing on cultivation and the use of spiritual power. Immortal cultivators can use spells, talismans, and magical treasures to fight during their cultivation process, while martial artists can fight using their own true essence."
Li Daoyi paused for a moment at this point.
He stretched out his palm, and a fireball the size of a human head suddenly appeared on it.
Song Que watched this scene in amazement.
"These are basic cultivation techniques. Of course, some martial arts can also produce similar effects, such as fire-attribute techniques, like how Lord Yuwen can transform his true energy into ice out of thin air."
"But the power of cultivators does not lie in this, but in their self-cultivation. We have a stage called Foundation Building, which is the watershed between a mortal and a cultivator. Just like a martial artist transforms from a grandmaster to a great grandmaster, in addition to strength, lifespan will also increase."
"I know what you want to know next is what the end of a martial artist is," Li Daoyi said, looking at the group.
Sure enough, Song Que and the others' eyes lit up.
However, Li Daoyi simply shook his head.
"You all know about breaking through the void. After breaking through, you go to another world. There are countless worlds in this universe, and the titles of martial arts ranks are different in many worlds. For example, the realm that begins after breaking through is called the Celestial Realm in some places, the Venerable Realm or the Martial King Realm in others."
"No matter what it's called, the path after becoming a martial artist is long, but the final path is still the path to immortality," Li Daoyi said slowly.
"Can we also become immortals?" Pei Ju asked hurriedly.
"Among cultivators, there is a lineage that achieves godhood or sainthood through physical cultivation. This lineage evolved from martial artists and is extremely powerful. With a wave of their hand, they can pluck stars from the sky and seize the moon, carry mountains and drive seas with ease," Li Daoyi said with a smile.
"Hiss..." The group gasped upon hearing this.
"This is truly an eye-opener. Daoist's explanation has enlightened me greatly," Song Que said, bowing respectfully to Li Daoyi. At this moment, his resolve to pursue martial arts deepened even further.
In the dead of night, the palace was quiet. Outside the walls, soldiers patrolled in formation.
At that moment, a dark figure silently flew out of the palace, moving with incredible speed, and disappeared into the night in an instant.
After the shadowy figure disappeared, two figures appeared in the garden: Li Daoyi and Song Que. They were looking in the direction the figure had vanished.
“I never expected that Pei Ju was Shi Zhixuan,” Song Que sighed.
During the day, Li Daoyi transmitted his voice to him, telling him about Pei Ju's identity, which he was somewhat skeptical at the time.
"Shi Zhixuan is a talented man. He has served in both the demonic and Buddhist sects, and now he has even entered the imperial court. He is truly admirable," Li Daoyi said slowly.
"Where is this guy going so late?" Song Que asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Want to know?" Li Daoyi smiled knowingly.
"Hmm?" Song Que was slightly taken aback.
Li Daoyi said softly.
"Evil Emperor, Xiang Yutian."
"What?" Song Que's expression changed drastically.
Inside a cave, Xiang Yutian's eyes were closed. Bao Yuan Shouyi sat on a white jade bed, his body emitting bursts of purple light.
At that moment, a pink butterfly sat quietly beside him.
"Click-clack..."
Just then, the sound of machinery could be heard outside.
Xiang Yutian slowly opened his eyes.
The butterfly quickly flew up and landed on his shoulder.
A moment later, footsteps could be heard coming from the cave entrance.
Shi Zhixuan walked in slowly.
“Senior,” Shi Zhixuan said.
"You've arrived." Xiang Yutian nodded.
"Yes, I came as soon as I received your message," Shi Zhixuan said.
After speaking, Shi Zhixuan looked up and was surprised to see a butterfly on Xiang Yutian's shoulder.
"Is that Taoist priest currently at the emperor's temporary palace?"
"Exactly."
What is your opinion of him?
"Mysterious and unpredictable, I can't see through him, and I dare not test him. Every time I'm in front of him, I feel like I have no secrets left." Shi Zhixuan gave a wry smile.
“Tell me about it,” Xiang Yutian said.
Shi Zhixuan then shared his views on martial arts and immortality after meeting Li Daoyi, including his views today.
“Yes, he’s right. There is indeed a higher realm after the shattering. I did sense many powerful auras in that world back then,” Xiang Yutian said after listening.
"Senior, why did you..." Shi Zhixuan asked after a moment's hesitation.
"Why didn't you choose to leave?" Xiang Yutian smiled slightly.
"yes."
"Alas, at that time, my Dao Heart Demon Seed had not yet reached perfection, and I had just obtained the Evil Emperor Relic. I simply could not part with this supreme treasure, so I stopped my ascension," Xiang Yutian sighed.
Upon hearing about the Evil Emperor's Relic, Shi Zhixuan's pupils constricted sharply, and he quickly lowered his head.
"Haha, what, you're interested in this too?" Xiang Yutian laughed when he saw Shi Zhixuan's actions.
"Such a treasure of the demonic sects, I'm afraid no one can resist its allure," Shi Zhixuan said honestly.
“Hmm, the Evil Emperor’s Relic isn’t with me right now, otherwise I could give it to you. It’s useless to me now. I originally planned to break it and leave, but the appearance of that Taoist priest Li piqued my interest.” After saying that, Xiang Yutian sensed something and turned to look at his shoulder.
Then, the butterfly that had been perched on his shoulder emitted a faint red glow, and a smile immediately appeared on Xiang Yutian's face.
"Senior, what is this?" Shi Zhixuan exclaimed in surprise.
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