After a brief confrontation, both sides have a basic measure of each other.

The Daoist Lord couldn't retain the Awakened's spiritual thought, and the Awakened couldn't do anything to the Daoist Lord either. Taibai True Monarch couldn't handle Jiang Li, and Jiang Li wasn't confident in breaking the World's Number One Sword.

Thus, the Awakened and Jiang Li straightforwardly took their leave.

After they left, Li Qinglian also bowed to the Daoist Lord and left the Daoist Temple.

Regarding this, Taibai True Monarch didn't stop them, seemingly ignoring his independent incarnation, merely holding his sword while gazing in the direction Jiang Li departed.

"What do you think of this Fellow Daoist Jiang?" The Daoist Lord also looked in the same direction, his voice gentle as he asked.

"His Sword Dao is not as good as mine, yet he can engage with me. The so-called 'Heaven and earth are as one finger, all things are as one horse' is not mere boasting." Taibai True Monarch's eyes glimmered as he replied.

Anyone can boast; if one's insight is sufficient, even claiming one's cultivation of the Chaotic Dao can create heavens and transform all things is no problem. However, Dao practice and foundation are fought for, not boasted about.

No matter how extravagant the boast, without strength to show, it's just empty talk.

Jiang Li's Sword Dao indeed does not compare to Taibai True Monarch; it is still far inferior. But he grasps the commonality of all laws and ways, his own Dao practice is a finger, and Sword Dao is also a finger, with no difference between them. He can perfectly display his cultivation and Dao practice with the sword.

To him, Sword Dao is like this, and replacing it with knives, spears, halberds and other weapons can also demonstrate equivalent power.

Therefore, Taibai True Monarch can be certain that Jiang Li's words are not boasting.

"Indeed, not boasting; the waves of the Yangtze River drive the waves before," the Daoist Lord shook his head and said, "The Awakened found a good helper. His future Star Constellation Tribulation will become more refined, having already seen the potential of Fellow Daoist Jiang early on and made an investment."

In those years, the Awakened also perceived the Daoist Lord's purpose through the Star Constellation Tribulation of the future, revealing Ji Jiji's identity, prompting a great battle with the Daoist Lord, resulting in Ji Jiji's physical body being destroyed, the arrangements in Buddha Country being wiped clean, and the Daoist Lord being injured.

Yet the Awakened did not expect the Daoist Lord, even when wounded, to win a round, causing the Awakened to enter seclusion and emerge again due to a Karma Tathagata.

The Ji Jiji of those years, now the Heavenly Monarch, can no longer be exploited by the Awakened, but the Awakened found new assistance, even achieving a small victory today.

Taibai True Monarch said calmly, "His Dao practice is not below mine, but in reality, killing him is not difficult."

[Daoism Rules the World, its ghost is not divine] is a nondiscriminatory divine skill, affecting even the Daoist Lord himself and the approaching Taibai True Monarch, which is why Taibai True Monarch's previous actions weren't at full strength.

Even if he fell at a disadvantage under that one sword, at this moment, Taibai True Monarch still has the confidence to slay Jiang Li.

His force is fierce, just like his sword.

"Having too many enemies is not the Righteous Path; Jiang Li, although an ally of the Awakened for a time, is not a deadly enemy to us," the Daoist Lord sighed lightly at these words, "Disciple, forcing One Qi to Three Pure Ones is already a deviation."

"I only seek advancement, if Jiang Li does not hinder me, so be it; if he does, I shall definitely cut him down," Taibai True Monarch replied calmly, "If Jiang Li dares to be my enemy, it's not impossible to kill; my Wan Guchou is also sharp."

Having said that, Taibai True Monarch bowed to the Daoist Lord and transformed into a Sword Light, traversing the heavens away.

Inside Laojun Temple, only the Daoist Lord remained, standing, watching the starry sky, silent for a long time.

Eight hundred years ago, when the Great Zhou's Grand Ancestor was about to march on Yong Province, waging war against the Military God, the Taoist was watching the starry sky in this manner. Eight hundred years later, amid unprecedented changes in centuries, the Taoist once again observed in this way.

Time flies swiftly, eight hundred years pass in the blink of an eye, the starry sky above remains the same, yet it is unknown whether today is still the same as that year.

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On the other side, after Jiang Li left Laojun Temple, he traveled three hundred miles west, landing on a hillside.

Soft radiance flowed, a Stone Pavilion manifested, the Awakened sitting as usual within.

Jiang Li did not stand on ceremony, entered the Stone Pavilion, sat opposite the Awakened, and this head of the Buddha Country, "Until today, I finally understand why Layman chose to invest in me back then."

"Oh?" The Awakened revealed a faint smile.

"[Daoism Rules the World, its ghost is not divine], this divine skill may not be the strongest, but it's the most domineering. To help Layman surpass the Daoist Lord, one must first have a means to counter this divine skill."

Jiang Li placed his palm on the stone table before him, palm up, igniting a cluster of Golden Flames, "It just so happens that our Jiang family possesses a Dao Fruit able to counter [Daoism Rules the World]."

The Golden Flames burned fiercely, morphing into a small cauldron, revealed as the Divine Farmer's Cauldron.

Third Grade Dao Fruit · Emperor Yan, with the divine skill [Primordial Human], though incomplete, could remain unaffected by any Third Grade and below Human Species Dao Fruit divine powers.

"Not bad," the Awakened nodded, "The Mazer sought Tan Yue back then, precisely for the day when Tan Yue could assist the Mazer in dealing with the Daoist Lord. The Daoist Lord harbors the Third Grade Dao Fruit of the Human Attribute, Taoist·Laozi. Emperor Yan's Dao Fruit, though unable to nullify [Daoism Rules the World], can protect one's Dao Fruit divine powers from being nullified, which is sufficient."

"It was not only Tan Yue; more than a hundred years ago, the Mazer led Manjusri into the Buddha Country, also to counter the Daoist Lord. Unfortunately, Manjusri's ambition was too great, and neither he nor the Jiang Family could bear Emperor Yan's Dao Fruit."

The secrets from over a hundred years ago were casually uttered by the Awakened, all the upheavals covered with plainness, as if to him all was but a fleeting scene, trivial.

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