The Immortal World trembled. Reports of the Azure Sect's annihilation spread like fire through dry grass, leaving sects, holy lands, and imperial dynasties trembling. Yet even the greatest Immortal Lords hesitated to act. The Divine Realm had remained silent, and silence from above always meant something worse than thunder.
Then the silence broke.
High above the clouds of the mortal realm, a figure stepped into existence. His beard was long and white, his robes simple, and yet his presence made even the heavens still. Lao Tzu.
To the Immortal World, he was merely a messenger of the Divine Realm, one who carried decrees when mortals or immortals dared to test the heavens. But the truth was far deeper. Among the countless divine figures, Lao Tzu was one of the Three Pure Ones—second only to the Heavenly Dao itself. Where he walked, law and order bent their knees.
His eyes, calm as still water, swept across the mortal empire sprawled beneath him.
"This is the mortal world that dared to resist the Azure Sect," he murmured, voice like a sigh that could crumble mountains. "The Empress… mm, strong for a mortal standard, but not enough. Not enough to erase a sect of millions. So… who?"
He turned his gaze farther, past the walls of the capital, past the villages and plains, toward the distant fields where spiritual energy twisted strangely.
And there, he paused.
"Interesting…"
Two powerful auras pulsed faintly. One was oddly familiar. The other… unreadable. Like soil covering a buried abyss.
With a flicker, Lao Tzu vanished from the sky.
The Farm
He arrived at the edges of a modest farm. Rows of cabbages stretched beneath the sun, their leaves glossy and trembling faintly with qi. Yet what caught Lao Tzu's attention were the sounds.
A roar echoed, followed by a crunch of bones and a curse.
Garfield, once a demon tiger, now stood bloodied against three iron golems. Each blow broke his bones, each strike pulverized his body—yet every time he healed, standing again with trembling knees and rage in his eyes.
Nearby, Long Fei dangled upside down from a tree, wooden golems smashing his ribs in with merciless fists. He screamed, spat blood, fainted, woke, and screamed again. His qi struggled to stabilize, yet Lai's word had bound his life to recovery. Death was never an escape.
Lao Tzu's immortal heart gave a faint twitch. Even he… felt sorry. "What kind of training is this?"
He turned his gaze further.
In the courtyard, a young girl—barely ten years old—stood in a deep horse stance. A wooden bucket balanced on her head, water sloshing dangerously. Her snake tail coiled for balance, her young muscles trembling as sweat rolled down her cheeks.
Her aura was astonishing. For a child, her qi pulsed like a matured beast, tempered and sharp. A Naga. Lao Tzu narrowed his eyes. Not just any serpent kin—this was one of the survivors of the world destroyed. He could smell the ashes of that realm clinging to her like smoke.
But it was by the lake that he found the true source.
By the Lake
Two figures sat cross-legged on a flat stone beside the glittering water. One was Ao Guang, the dragon who had vanished from history. His presence alone should have shaken the mortal world apart, yet here he sat, his gaze sharp but strangely… peaceful.
The other was a mortal.
Simple farmer's clothes. Bare feet brushing the grass. Hands idly moving chess pieces across a board of smooth stone. His face calm, almost bored.
The moment Lao Tzu saw him, he understood. He felt nothing. No aura. No presence. Like staring into the void between stars.
Ao Guang looked up first, chuckling. "Ah, old friend. Maybe you've come to visit me after so long."
The farmer tilted his head slightly, giving a small shrug. "If he's your friend, then let him sit."
For the first time in thousands of years, Lao Tzu faltered.
He disguised himself, folding his true self into the shape of an old man. With a warm smile, he approached.
"Old Ao. It has been far too long. May I join you?"
Ao Guang grinned, baring sharp teeth. "Little Lao, eh? Dropping by to bother me again?"
The disguised Lao Tzu chuckled. "Just passing through. Thought I'd greet an old friend." His eyes slid to the farmer. "And this young man… your grandson?"
Ao Guang roared with laughter. "Hahaha! No, no. This is Farmer Lai. A… farmer."
The mortal lifted his head and bowed slightly. "Farmer Lai. An honor, sir. You can call me Lai."
Something in his tone, calm and utterly unshaken, unnerved even the Pure One.
Still, Lao Tzu smiled kindly. "Ah, forgive me. You may call me Uncle Lao. Or simply… Lao Tzu."
Lai blinked, then scratched his head. "Lao Tzu? As in Tao Te Ching?" He laughed softly. "I've read that once. Beautiful work."
The board went still.
Ao Guang's smirk faltered. Lao Tzu's hands stiffened.
Not many in the entire cultivation multiverse had even heard of that scripture, let alone read it. Yet this mortal spoke of it casually, as if it were no more than a bedtime tale.
Lao Tzu's gaze deepened. He reached out with senses that could span realms, but… nothing. No qi, no dao, no fate. Only emptiness.
So this was the one.
He sipped the tea Ao Guang poured, letting the silence stretch. The mortal smiled faintly, talking about cabbages, weather, and soil quality. Trivial words that carried more weight than any heavenly decree.
After some time, Lao Tzu rose. He understood what Ao Guang had already accepted. This man, this "farmer," was far beyond even his own comprehension.
"Until next time," Lao Tzu said softly, bowing.
Lai waved lazily. "Take care, Uncle Lao."
Cliffhanger – A Gift for the Empress
That night, under the soft moonlight, Lai walked into his fields. He cut a single cabbage, its leaves glowing faintly with dao-runes, humming like a divine artifact. With care, he placed it into a simple wooden box.
No jade, no gold, no inscriptions. Just a farmer's box carrying a cabbage.
He whistled, and the night wind carried the box away.
Far to the capital, a palace maid gasped as the box descended silently onto the Empress's balcony.
The Empress stepped out, her heart pounding as if she already knew who had sent it. She touched the cabbage reverently, her lips trembling.
"...A gift?" she whispered, equal parts fear and something else entirely.
Her hands tightened around the wooden box, as the moon watched silently above.
⚡ End of Chapter 18 ⚡