"She's an obedient girl," Hongjun sighed. "Her talent is mediocre, her thoughts on the Dao lacking, her passion to cultivate non existent."
"Everything you said," Haotian replied. "Everything you just said was bullshit."
Roaring laughter filled the room. The Heavenly Dao had dissipated by this point, bored of Hongjun's theatrics. Haotian was left in a trembling Zixiao Palace suffering from powers released by Hongjun.
Hongjun keeled over, hand over belly as he tried to contain his laugh. As he did so, he struggled to reign in the power he'd accidentally released. Although brief, it was still noticeable. Thankfully no one but Haotian was left inside.
To see someone who moments ago portrayed such an exalted all knowing image in this state? Well it would've been unimaginable.
"My dear boy, don't," Hongjun chuckled. He took a few breaths to steady himself while simultaneously reigning back in the unbelievable Dao realm aura that had Leaked out. Even weaker Chaos Immortals would've been utterly crushed beneath it.
From Haotian's perspective, even the simplest of actions performed by Hongjun was a life changing scene.
"Master, from my birth till now." A memory of an eight headed serpent digging into a cliff side followed by that of a young boy looking out to the sea echoed in his mind. "When you imparted cultivation to me. You taught me that the method of the Chaos Godfiends was the most ideal, most optimized method to have ever existed."
"But above all else, you also taught me how the totality of existence functioned. The Chaos Sea isn't some former iteration nor a blank space. It's a multiverse where countless Chaos Worlds just like our own operate."
Another memory of a gargantuan eight headed serpent traveling through dark tides of the Chaos Sea surfaced in his mind again. Sights indescribable to the denizens of the Primitive World were recalled in the same breath.
"The path of cultivation isn't something tied to Dao laws of the universe. The godfiend method used until now was constructed by Ancestor Tai Chu through imitating Grand Dao backwards. But it was never tied to it nor the Heavenly Dao nor would it become defunct. You taught me that to reach Limitless one would need to study how Grand Dao propagated existence. The Heavenly Dao is just the will of one Chaos World among many. Master, just what were you saying?"
"Merely the will of heaven," Hongjun replied stroking his beard. "Nothing more then my end of a bargain.
"Yes Haotian, you are fully correct in everything you just said. The Heavenly Dao simply cannot decide reality in the Chaos Sea, it cannot remove a path of cultivation. And I will preface, the Path of Heavenly Dao(saint) is not something I want you to cultivate.
Hongjun's expression turned extremely serious.
"This path, while it does have the benefit of a defined preset path in the third phase of cultivation(cultivating Dao). And while the obtained power is on par with Chaos Immortals unlike Devils of similar rank. Unlike the Chaos Godfiend system the realm of Saint to Be cannot be greatly varied in abilities.
"The Heavenly Dao has long grown tired of cultivators using the Chaos Godfiend system. Though it provided enormous sustenance for it during its period of rapid growth, cultivators were outside its purview as soon as they enter the third order of celestial lifeforms. In addition to the uncontrollable power of Chaos Immortals, heaven has taken precautions.
"First of all, with its new ascension it has already begun to constructing a barrier in the outskirts of its reach in the Chaos Sea. None of you could see it because it's simply too far. But like an embryo becoming an egg, a shell is being constructed that will block out Grand Dao.
"Heaven is incomparable to Grand, but this heaven is by no means weak. It's on par with a Dao realm being os of current and its using that power to make this barrier. It's purpose is not to prevent anyone from coming in nor going out. But to prevent one from studying Grand Dao and thus obtaining the Wuxi principle. In this manner, it has sealed the path to become Limitless Supreme Chaos Immortal.
"Not only that, to walk this heavenly path is to place one self in the confines of heaven. When one achieves Golden Immortalhood, they exist heaven and are unbound by it. Even if the Heavenly Dao is tremendously stronger then a Golden Immortalised ant, it cannot control their destiny. However, by walking the Path of Heaven, even mighty Saint to Be will once again fall into its restriction."
Haotian grew terrified at those words. He didn't need Hongjun to explain in further detail for he already understood perfectly what such a scenario would represent.
Golden Immortals are the basic level of the Chaos Sea because they were fully in ownership of oneself. They were perfect beings who had broken out of a Chaos World's cycle of life and death. Strictly speaking, they should be defined a existing or destroyed rather than living or dead.
What Hongjun present was a poisonous path that would divert a cultivator back to the a trapped existence once more. They would be entirely dependent on the Chaos World and be subject to its whims of fancy. The Heavenly Dao could either strip them of all free will if it so wished for it would OWN them.
'Heavenly Dao is a thinking conscious being. Above all else it is also…' Haotian never truly had close interactions with the Heavenly Dao. But he had seen what it was like many times already. He couldn't help the sceptical expression from appearing on his face.
"But why go along with it. Are you not all powerful master? As a godfiend yourself, was it not sacred for equal opportunity to reach the Dao to be presented? Why are you selling such a story?"
"Why ask when you can feel it?"
Haotian balk at Hongjun's reply.
"My dear disciple, you truly are kind and righteous. But there are duties that alas, must supersede personal wishes. Do not mistake my willingness to impart this path as me liking it. I find it as distasteful as you. But sometimes our hands are tied.
"Besides, its not as if these people are related to us. In this heaven and earth, only you are my true inheritor. Everything I own will become yours in time. You have great potential Haotian I know it. Do not be bogged down by concerns on your acquaintances' parts. Eventually all unnecessary relationships will be severed, it is a natural process.
"Your junior sister as well. I know you care much for her, but Yaochi is not like you. Her devotion to cultivation is half hearted at best and her talent worse. It would be a miracle for her to cultivate to the Limitless Supreme stage. I offered Hongmeng Purple qi so that she would not stay defenceless.
"When my own path forward I secured, I will even impart this Dao realm throne to you my dear disciple. Though if you find your own way to Dao by then, that'll be better. Don't be concerned about Wuji's inaccessibility. The Heavenly Dao is…willing to make concessions for me in our negotiations."
Hongjun's well wishes were not fully accepted by Haotian. The innate god took this opportunity observe Hongjun closely for the first time in a long while.
"Master, I still have one more question."
"Oh?"
"You…you believe in me so much? Trust me so much? Why? I'm not more talented then any innate god out there rummaging through Treasure Sealing Cliff."
Hongjun chuckled. "Silly child, you are the disciple I raised. The inheritor of I Dao Ancestor Elder Lord Hongjun. Why would I need another reason."
In that moment, everything came together for Haotian. Hongjun's expression, his words, his reasonings. Haotian finally understood where Hongjun was coming from.
Arrogance, a belief in self omniscience, disdain towards those not like himself. A same flaw Liu Er famously had and never attempted to rectify. A danger that conflate assumptions with reality spawned from tremendous arrogance.
'There was never a need to look into him because I already know.'
Haotian sighed in his heart. In the end it was merely one big coincidence.
The Dao of Distant Seas cultivated by the Oceanic Suppression Heavenly Lord Da Hai was founded on the visual of a person looking out at the sea from a place close to shore. The principles of near and far, awareness and unobtainability had always been part of it.
Hongjun was aware of Haotian, Haotian=Da Hai. Therefore Da Hai is out of reach.
Haotian felt likely chuckling at the absurdity of the situation. The fact that this Dao was already on the Wuji path was the reason it affected Hongjun in the first place. The fact that Hongjun was so arrogant that he would never think to examine Haotian deeply nor possibilities of Da Hai having methods to survive him was because he assumed. He assumed and he assumed, he kept assuming because of that same arrogance.
After all, he was in the Dao realm.
And he was right in a way. Haotian loved Hongjun like one would their own father. In Hongjun's eyes, he was not an abandoned spy machine with no goal in sight. Yet Haotian couldn't find it in him to say anything
"Thank you master…for clarifying things for me."
In the time that followed, Haotian would remain by himself stuck on what to do. Everything became too confusing for him despite the war being over.
No voice from Chaos Sea reached him. Hongjun did not want him to do anything. The pitying gazes from his peers did bother him. Yaochi's words of encouragements did not affect him.
Heaven achieved absolute control under everyone's nose. The devils were gone and new factions formed to take its place. His master did as Luohu had and diverted everyone to a trap of a cultivation path. His other self's status was a mystery other then being felt.
In a secluded area in the hinterlands of the Great Wilderness' remnants, Haotian covered his face with his palms. He felt so torn and overwhelmed. He just didn't know what to do.
But he did know one thing though. And that was that he had to be away for a while.