Chapter 358: Discourse on the Dao

The endless void beyond the realms.

With a casual wave of his hand, a palace materialized in the void.

"After you, my friend!"

Lu Ye returned the courtesy.

The Devourbeast stared with longing.

It yearned to join, but since Emperor Daohen had not invited it, it could not.

Emperor Daohen glanced at it.

"You may enter too!"

The Devourbeast nearly tripped over itself bowing in thanks.

The trio entered the grand hall. Emperor Daohen took the seat of honor, while Lu Ye sat to the side, and the Devourbeast, humbled, hung back.

It knew better than to interrupt the discourse—even the echoes of their words could elevate its cultivation.

With a flick of his wrist, Lu Ye conjured the Dao Enlightenment Tree.

He permitted it to linger and absorb their wisdom, knowing that their exchange of Dao insights would greatly benefit the tree.

Emperor Daohen couldn’t help but glance at the Dao Enlightenment Tree; his eyes flickered with surprise.

"That Dao imprinted on the tree—is that…?"

"The Dao I shed as a Celestial Lord."

Emperor Daohen…

To abandon your Celestial Lord Dao? Madness—or genius. What sheer audacity!

But then he recalled the earlier scene he had witnessed…

Then again... perhaps it was for the best.

"Tell me honestly—did you truly rewind time itself to return to the present?" Emperor Daohen inquired curiously.

Lu Ye chuckled.

"Truthfully? This world is a construct of the Sage Tribulation—you included. Every last one of you is its illusion."

"Impossible!"

Emperor Daohen’s expression changed drastically, cold sweat breaking out as he frantically scoured his meridians and the cosmos.

Yet the heavens offered no answers.

"Fellow Daoist, are you speaking the truth?"

"Only teasing."

Lu Ye smiled, finally allowing Emperor Daohen’s shoulders to slump with relief.

"Fellow Daoist, you nearly shattered this old man’s Dao heart!"

"Hahaha, isn't this precisely the issue with you, fellow Daoist? You leave your mark on every path, every path bearing your mark—trying every path but spreading yourself too thin, going solo but never sticking with it..."

Lu Ye casually started the debate, immediately going straight for Emperor Daohen's weak spot.

Having ascended to the rank of Emperor, Emperor Daohen was naturally impeccable in matters of the Great Dao.

Thus, back and forth they went, their argument quickly heated up.

The Great Dao blossomed, heavenly music playing nonstop.

All sorts of crazy phenomena manifested in the void.

Myriad Daos resonated, a thousand lights shining in unison.

Endless spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged toward the palace.

Lu Ye's power began to rise ceaselessly.

In truth, there were already those who had their eyes on Lu Ye.

But with Emperor Daohen present, they restrained themselves from acting.

Time passed minute by minute.

Meanwhile, Sun Ruowei had successfully overcome her tribulation and was searching everywhere for traces of Yue Hongling. In fact, it wasn’t just her—countless individuals across the Fourth Heaven were searching for Yue Hongling and Bai Qiulan.

Lu Ye, with his overwhelming strength, stood invincible in the Fourth Heaven, making it suicidal for anyone to trouble him.

To provoke him would be to ask to die. But Yue Hongling and Shangguan Huanling were different.

Yue Hongling was severely injured, her power reduced to less than a tenth.

According to Yue Hongling’s memories, Shangguan Huanling was a woman about as sharp as a marble.

As long as these two were found, capturing them would be relatively simple.

Yet, no one knew where they had fled to—despite every method employed, they remained untraceable.

Sun Ruowei, of course, also failed to locate them.

The huge opportunity ("melon") she had consumed earlier was simply too massive—her Great Dao had ascended to unimaginable heights in an instant, making her current power growth as easy as breathing.

The relationship between the Great Dao and cultivation was akin to writing a novel and outlining it.

With a sufficiently detailed outline, one only needed to just keep typing away, effortlessly pumping out chapters.

Conversely, without a proper outline, one could still write, but it would be a laborious process—constantly pausing to think, like pulling teeth, frequently getting distracted by games or scrolling Douyin.

Thus, Sun Ruowei’s current cultivation speed undoubtedly placed her in the top tier.

Before anyone knew it, five years had passed.

Yes, a full five years—Lu Ye had spent all this time in discourse with Emperor Daohen. This was hardly unusual; sometimes, when two windbags engaged in debate, a session lasting centuries or even millennia was no big deal.

In the past, the longest recorded discourse was between two Celestial Lords, lasting a mind-blowing 6,700 years.

As a result, their cultivation methods became the main schools of thought of their era.

It couldn't be helped—their Great Dao was just too damn effective. Practicing their methods was over twice as fast as anything else out there.

Now, signs of an emerging doctrine are beginning to appear.

Because Providence delights in mortal affairs, some have started to notice that those who enjoy gossip tend to experience measurable improvement in their cultivation speed.

Of course, they assume it's because gossip brings joy, which in turn accelerates their cultivation progress.

Little do they know that indulging in gossip harmonizes them with Providence—how could their cultivation not speed up?

Perhaps this is why Providence must embody absolute impartiality.

No one could have predicted the emergence of a system capable of replacing Providence, nor could anyone have imagined that this system, destined to replace Providence, would harness all cosmic energy to reverse time—all for the sake of a single human.

This led to the resurgence of what should have been a vanished Providence, and the once-impartial system regained consciousness.

Chaos, utter chaos—the entire Nine Heavens was thrown into disarray.

Five years later, their philosophical debate concluded.

The two had debated until crimson-faced and their voices hoarse, but now, at last, they had calmed down.

Even the Devourbeast was stunned.

Is this how the great ones engage in discourse?

At first, it seemed normal. The Devourbeast derived profound insights from their exchange, even feeling as though it had finally comprehended the essence of Emperorship.

Despite having fallen precipitously from Quasi-Emperor Eighth Layer to Quasi-Emperor First Layer in one go, the Devourbeast knew its lost cultivation could eventually be restored. The insights it gained, especially regarding the Great Dao, were priceless for its realm.

But as the discourse intensified, their rhetoric escalated dangerously.

At one point, Lu Ye even grabbed Emperor Daohen by the collar, roaring, "Why can’t you understand? Why can’t you understand? Dense! Brainless oaf!"

Emperor Daohen, of course, wasn't about to be disrespected. He retaliated, shouting, "It’s you who can’t explain things clearly! And now you’re blaming me? This is unacceptable!"

The Devourbeast watched, found itself drenched in cold sweat—it was terrifying.

Is this how debates between powerhouses always go?

But it didn’t dare ask.

Had Lu Ye known the Devourbeast’s thoughts, he would've affirmed without hesitation that it was.

In his past life, during debates with others, there were times he came perilously close to slaying his opponent—and times they nearly did the same to him.

When those two venerable Celestial Lords debated for 6,700 years, at least 5,000 of those years were likely spent fighting—and the vitriol reached unprecedented depths.

After all, discourse is about clashing their respective Providences head-on—conflict is inevitable.

Now that the debate was over, both had regained their composure.

Spiritually rejuvenated, they clasped their hands and smiled at each other.

In unison, they said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist!"