Chapter 46: The Secrets of the Daoist Venerable Realm

“So you just sold me off?” Yue Feng said, speechless, after listening to Wang Yu’s account upon entering the room.

It was worth noting that Wang Yu was currently being held in Yue Feng’s arms. This was, naturally, the ‘spiritual compensation’ Yue Feng had demanded from her after hearing her words.

Wang Yu would never admit it, of course, but explanations were useless in the face of such ‘violence.’

“They wouldn’t even *take* me if you sold me, alright?” Seeing her resistance fail, Wang Yu simply resigned herself to fate, shifting to lie more comfortably. “You saw the footage just now; they only want a Heavenly Venerable.”

“So, no backdoors for us,” Yue Feng said, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

“Not necessarily.” At that moment, Xiaoke bounced out, relentlessly struggling for their own future. “As long as Master promises not to show that old woman the recording from earlier.”

“That’s fine,” Wang Yu readily agreed. Given Xiaoke’s death-seeking personality, would they ever truly lack material? Abandoning one sapling was nothing when, as Wang Yu saw it, the entire forest belonged to her as long as Xiaoke remained.

Xiaoke declared triumphantly, “They say women in love are fools. We just need to tell her we’ll help her find Haotian when the time comes. Who can’t write a blank check?”

“If we trick her like that, I suspect she might just kill us,” Wang Yu said, a flicker of worry in her voice. “I don’t even know where that pervert Haotian is.”

“Oh, it’s fine! By the time you can even *look* for Haotian, you’ll be a Daoist Venerable yourself. How long will that take?” Xiaoke said dismissively. “It’s not like we’re *not* going to help her find him, but you need the strength to return home first before you can search.”

“I doubt I can even become a Daoist Venerable,” Wang Yu confessed, utterly lacking confidence. It was incredibly difficult for a salted fish to flip over.

“Speaking of which, what exactly is the Daoist Venerable realm?” Yue Feng asked, puzzled. “Master never told me; aren’t the realm divisions only up to the Imperial Extreme Realm?”

Shi Yang could no longer remain silent. “That’s the realm division of the Sky Profound Continent, while Daoist Venerable was designated by the Primordial Daoist Venerable.”

“Primordial Daoist Venerable? The founder of the Primordial Sect?” Yue Feng inquired.

“Precisely.” Shi Yang began to fill Yue Feng in on some forgotten history. “These matters weren’t originally something you should know now, but since you asked, and you’ve taken a liking to this girl Wang Yu, I’ll tell you.”

Shi Yang continued, “I learned all this after I entered the Imperial Extreme Realm. A long, long time ago, the highest realm on the Sky Profound Continent was the Imperial Extreme Realm. There was no talk of Sacred Lands then; instead, the world was ruled by ten great nations, and the cultivation of primordial energy was monopolized by them.

“Later, the Primordial Daoist Venerable mistakenly entered the mundane world of the Sky Profound Continent.

Unfamiliar with the rules of the time, he made many grave mistakes, incurring the wrath of these nations and leading to a joint suppression.

However, the Primordial Daoist Venerable was a heaven-defying genius. He endured the immense pressure, growing stronger with each challenge.

“Eventually, the ten great nations unleashed all their power, with no less than fifty peak Imperial Extreme Realm experts.

Everyone believed the Primordial Daoist Venerable was doomed, but to their surprise, the battle was indeed one-sided—though it leaned entirely towards the Primordial Daoist Venerable.

He annihilated all fifty peak Imperial Extreme Realm experts with a single finger.”

Yue Feng’s eyes narrowed in shock. “A single finger!”

Shi Yang sighed with emotion. “Indeed. If you don’t believe me, ask Xiaoke; they were always by Haotian Daoist Venerable’s side.”

Xiaoke nodded, arms crossed.

“It’s true. If Haotian had wanted to, he could have directly rewritten the world’s rules, though that would have had significant consequences.

But he certainly had the ability to do so. Their level is something Imperial Extreme Realm cultivators cannot overcome with sheer numbers.”

“Thus, the Primordial Daoist Venerable designated that realm as Daoist Venerable. Cultivators at that level are no longer restricted by primordial energy but can directly imprint their power as rules, using their own rules to attack enemies.”

Shi Yang’s eyes were filled with yearning for that realm, but then they clouded with dejection. “However, that realm was only set for those from ‘home.’ ”

Yue Feng was utterly perplexed. “Why?”

“Because we cannot break through to that realm,” Shi Yang said, his voice laced with bitterness.

“This was discovered by the Gold-Spending Daoist Venerable. Before he achieved Dao, he had a very close friend who wanted to be the first native of the Sky Profound Continent to become a Daoist Venerable.

That person was also extraordinarily talented; one could say everyone on the Sky Profound Continent at the time believed he would be the second Daoist Venerable after the Primordial Daoist Venerable.

“The Gold-Spending Daoist Venerable spared no effort to help him, but it simply didn’t work.

In that person’s words, he encountered an insurmountable wall, one he couldn’t break through no matter the method, and he ultimately perished as a result. This incident was a huge blow to the Gold-Spending Daoist Venerable.

“Afterward, he cultivated diligently, and when it came time for him to break through to the Daoist Venerable realm, he found no such wall.

Though the process was difficult, compared to his friend’s struggle, everything fell into place, and he entered the Daoist Venerable realm.

It was then that people realized the Daoist Venerable realm was only prepared for those from ‘home.’ ”

Yue Feng’s brows furrowed deeply as he asked, “Why?”

Shi Yang gave a wry smile.

“I don’t know. The Gold-Spending Daoist Venerable searched the entire continent for the reason. Later, he had a private discussion with the then-Sect Master of the Primordial Sect.

In the end, he left without revealing the reason. Perhaps the forces that have produced Daoist Venerables know more; this is all I know.”

Wang Yu, sitting in Yue Feng’s arms, looked at him with concern, seeing the unwillingness etched across his face. She instinctively reached out and squeezed his hand.

“That…” But she didn’t know what to say. This was akin to telling an incredibly diligent person that no matter how much they studied, it couldn’t compare to having a wealthy and powerful father—it was utterly despairing.

Suddenly, Wang Yu thought of Xiaoke. “Xiaoke, do you know anything?”

Xiaoke, uncharacteristically serious, said helplessly,

“Haotian also worked tirelessly on this matter. Later, when I asked Haotian about it, he just fell silent for a moment before saying he had done what he should and could do.

No matter how much I pressed him afterward, he wouldn’t say anything more. All I know is that Fang Yue’s Life Fire Bead was created after that.”

“How could this be?” Wang Yu felt a pang of frustration. She tried hard to comfort Yue Feng.

“I, I believe you can certainly achieve what those before you could not. Where I come from, there’s a saying: ‘When God closes a door, he surely opens another.’

You probably don’t know who God is, but he’s incredibly powerful, omniscient, omnipotent, and all that. I believe you just haven’t found the right path. If even a salted fish like me can possess this, there’s no reason you can’t, that, that…”

Wang Yu ran out of words. She had always been like this; she was better at listening than at comforting others.

As a salted fish, she always envied the success others achieved through hard work but never felt jealous, because they had put in more effort, and it was rightfully theirs.

This perhaps aligns with the saying that success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration, but that 1% inspiration is the most crucial. Wang Yu, accustomed to seeing others gain, found herself the possessor today.

At first, she felt a small surge of delight, but that was quickly followed by fear. Whether as a friend or in a deeper relationship, Wang Yu did not want Yue Feng to feel alienated from her because of this.

In this strange, unfamiliar world, the girl and Yue Feng were arguably her first true anchors. Although Xiaoke and A-Bao came later, and she had recently taken on a cheap master, none held the same place in her heart as those two.

Looking at Wang Yu, who was clumsily trying to comfort him in his arms, Yue Feng felt the suffocating frustration in his heart dissipate instantly.

He held the beautiful woman tightly, and to her astonished gaze, he kissed her small lips. However, Wang Yu, realizing what was happening, clamped her mouth shut.

Yue Feng didn’t force her further, simply holding the kiss for a long moment before slowly lifting his head. Looking at Wang Yu’s blushing face, he said, “Yu’er, I truly like you so much.”

“Bastard!” Wang Yu jumped down abruptly, her eyes welling with tears, and ran into the room where the girl was.

Yue Feng watched helplessly as the beauty fled. Shi Yang, who had hidden earlier, now reappeared, looking at his disciple’s beaming face. “It seems you’ve recovered.”

Yue Feng casually placed his hands behind his head.

“Your disciple here is a rare genius, one in ten thousand. The mere Daoist Venerable realm is nothing to me. To be with Yu’er, I absolutely cannot give up.

What my predecessors couldn’t achieve doesn’t mean those who come after can’t. Every protagonist has their era, and this grand trend belongs to me.”

Shi Yang seemed to see a blazing fire in Yue Feng’s eyes and nodded in satisfaction. “I used to worry it would hit you too hard, but now it seems those with thick skin are indeed different. Just in terms of shamelessness, you’re unrivaled.”

“Master!” Yue Feng shot his master an exasperated look.

In the other room, the girl watched in surprise as Wang Yu burst in and buried herself under the covers, asking confusedly, “What’s wrong, Sister Yu’er? Did he bully you too much?”

Xiaoke, who had followed them in, stifled a laugh. “Come, come, I’ll show you a good show.”

Unfortunately, before they could even begin, a mortified Wang Yu launched a double rocket headbutt of A-Bao and Jerry (one bear and one mouse cried silently, ‘What does this have to do with us?’). Their heads were instantly sandwiched, and all three succumbed, fainting together.

The girl whispered weakly, “Sister Yu’er?”

“Cai’er, I’m tired. Sleep!”

“Oh.” Yue Cai arranged the three pets comfortably so they could sleep, then turned off the light and went to bed herself.

The long night stretched on.