Han Xuanji had actually been paying attention to this reincarnated Dao Venerable for a long time; after all, this fellow had already established a connection with him in the Lower Realm.
Initially, he suspected that Lingxu Dao Venerable might have some scheme, but he found that the man truly had no issues. He simply cultivated quietly and diligently, and his attitude toward seeking the Dao was even appreciated by Li Taiqing.
Furthermore, Li Taiqing had mentioned him before, suggesting it was likely just a pure coincidence.
Thus, Han Xuanji didn't warn Li Taiqing, wanting to see how long the other party intended to keep a low profile.
"Fellow Daoist Han."
The Heavenly Emperor nodded slightly, his tone peaceful.
"Haotian has come uninvited; I hope Fellow Daoist will forgive me."
The Heavenly Emperor was becoming increasingly polite, as he was now well aware of the gap between himself and Han Xuanji.
Over the years, he had been secretly observing Han Xuanji's Dao Palace, which only deepened his sense of Han Xuanji's extraordinary power.
Han Xuanji stood up, adjusted his sleeves, and performed a formal salute.
"The visit of the Heavenly Emperor brings great honor to the Xuantian Dao Palace."
The Heavenly Emperor took a seat opposite Han Xuanji.
The Heavenly Emperor spoke first:
"Fellow Daoist Han has emerged from seclusion; it seems you have gained quite a lot."
"Not at all, just some minor gains."
Naturally, Han Xuanji wouldn't boast about having stepped into the Late Stage of the Limitless Primordial Realm. He felt that if he said it, the Heavenly Emperor's composure might completely crumble.
Despite having cultivated for countless years, the other man was only at the Middle Stage of the Limitless Primordial Realm.
The two chatted for a while before the conversation suddenly turned to Zhou Li.
"When did Fellow Daoist see through his origins?"
"I only discovered it after he joined the Dao Palace."
Han Xuanji replied.
He didn't have the leisure to use the System's detection function everywhere to dig up prodigies; after all, he wasn't some disciple-recruitment System.
"I also didn't expect Lingxu Dao Venerable to actually join my sect."
Han Xuanji was also somewhat surprised.
This wasn't actually the first time he had heard the name; it was vaguely recorded in some ancient texts of the Lingxu Heavenly Palace.
It was worth noting that Lingxu Dao Venerable was not the Ancestral Master of the Lingxu Heavenly Palace; the founding master of the palace was merely an Immortal Realm Cultivator who had accidentally obtained a sliver of Lingxu Dao Venerable's Legacy.
The Heavenly Emperor nodded slightly, not expecting Han Xuanji to see things so clearly.
"The Immortal Realm once had twenty-eight Immortal Domains. Under the name 'The Human Cultivators Alliance,' he opened an Immortal Domain, established a Daoist lineage, and spread the Laws."
Han Xuanji listened quietly without interrupting.
"Ancient immortal records state that he was not a Chaos Demon God, nor an Innate deity, nor even a creature created by the Immortal Ancestor. He was simply... the first wisp of Chaos Spiritual Qi to fall into the Immortal Realm, which happened to land on an Immortal Plant in the Big Dipper Immortal Domain."
"That Immortal Plant bloomed for a hundred thousand years and shed its leaves for another hundred thousand."
"After another hundred thousand years, it took human form."
"That is the origin of Lingxu Dao Venerable."
Han Xuanji nodded slightly and asked curiously:
"Then why did Lingxu Dao Venerable undergo Reincarnation?"
"Because he failed to transcend."
The Heavenly Emperor said plainly, making no attempt to hide the truth.
"Transcending Chaos is naturally not that simple. Lingxu Dao Venerable followed the 'Dao Sacrifice' method, but unfortunately, he failed at the last moment. It was the Taishang Dao Venerable who acted to reassemble his wisp of spirituality. Consequently, his Aptitude after Reincarnation is far inferior to before, with only one supreme treasure accompanying him."
"I see."
Han Xuanji felt relieved; it seemed the other party really didn't have any hidden schemes.
However, he was also somewhat curious; although his cultivation wasn't that impressive, the Heavenly Emperor certainly knew a lot.
As expected of the Dao Ancestor's Personal Disciple.
After some thought, Han Xuanji asked casually:
"What kind of method is the Dao Sacrifice method?"
The Heavenly Emperor shook his head and said:
"It has long been lost. Even my teacher, the Dao Ancestor, only knows of its existence but not its inner workings. Perhaps if Lingxu Dao Venerable can remember his past, he will have insights into this method."
Han Xuanji thought for a moment and asked:
"How much does Fellow Daoist know about the methods of transcendence?"
After some consideration, the Heavenly Emperor spoke slowly:
"My teacher, the Dao Ancestor, once said that there are only three paths for Chaos creatures to transcend this Realm."
"First, find a coordinate for the Hongmeng Sea and leave Chaos."
"Second, attain the Dao. Cultivate one's own Great Dao to the extreme limit, becoming so strong that the Laws of Chaos can no longer bind you, leading to natural transcendence."
"Third is the Dao Sacrifice."
The Heavenly Emperor paused, a hint of solemnity in his voice.
"This method is the opposite of attaining the Dao. Attaining the Dao is to Cultivate one's own Great Dao to Perfection, using 'existence' to break through 'nothingness'."
"Dao Sacrifice, on the other hand, is to completely dissolve one's own Great Dao... to return all the Dao Fruits, Laws, and imprints one has cultivated, realized, and gained throughout a lifetime back to the world, like ice melting into spring water or ink dropping into the vast sea."
"This act is far too dangerous. If successful, no Dao can bind you, no Law can constrain you, and no Fruit can be destroyed. But with even the slightest mistake, your Realm will plummet, and you will fall into eternal perdition..."
The Heavenly Emperor warned Han Xuanji:
"Fellow Daoist Han, do not attempt the Dao Sacrifice method. In all these countless years, the Limitless existences who have succeeded with this method can be counted on one hand."
Han Xuanji nodded, indicating he wouldn't do so.
What a joke. After years of bitter cultivation, to dissolve his Dao in an instant—if he failed and was directly reduced to ashes, there was no way he would take such a gamble.
"What about the second path?"
Han Xuanji asked curiously.
The Heavenly Emperor shook his head and remained silent.
Han Xuanji asked, "Is it because you don't know?"
"It's because no one has ever succeeded..."
The Heavenly Emperor thought for a moment and added:
"At least, I don't know if anyone has ever succeeded."
Han Xuanji frowned slightly; it seemed that breaking through beyond the Limitless Primordial Realm was much more difficult than he had imagined.
He suddenly remembered the path he had vaguely sensed earlier when condensing the [Xuantian Creation Body].
That was the Dao marker leading to the Hongmeng Sea, the "Anchor of the Other Shore" left by the Dao Ancestor.
Did the Heavenly Emperor know about this?
Han Xuanji looked up at the calm figure across from him.
The Heavenly Emperor's expression was normal; their conversation had been isolated, so it was impossible for others to eavesdrop.
Han Xuanji suddenly spoke:
"Then does Fellow Daoist know where exactly the Hongmeng Sea Dao marker left by the Dao Ancestor is located?"
The Heavenly Emperor's fingertips paused slightly.
"Teacher Dao Ancestor..."
The Heavenly Emperor spoke slowly, his voice dropping a few more notches than before,
"Before he left, he did not inform me of the specific details."
Han Xuanji didn't respond, instead watching him silently. He could tell whether it was true or false, but if he didn't press further, it would make him seem strange.
The Heavenly Emperor continued:
"He only said that the anchor has been dropped, waiting for the right person to come and the right door to open."