Chapter 145: The Strongest in the Immortal Realm — Gu Daoshi

Heavenly Dao Mountain was hailed as the most ancient mountain in the Immortal Realm. Countless Immortal Emperors had waged great battles upon it, yet none had managed to inflict the slightest damage — the mountain would restore itself to its original state in no time at all.

Within Heavenly Dao Mountain, numerous Immortal Emperors had also left behind Dao Lineages, including those of no small number of Mid and Late Immortal Emperor Realm powerhouses.

In the Immortal Realm, those who could break through to the Immortal Emperor realm were exceedingly rare, let alone reaching the mid or late stages.

Any force that had a Peak Immortal Emperor Realm powerhouse presiding over it was deemed a great race. The Qilin Race, for instance, was counted among them precisely because its Clan Chief, Lin Wangu, was a Peak Immortal Emperor.

The same held true for the other nine great races — each had a Peak Immortal Emperor standing behind them.

And the one who presided over Heavenly Dao Mountain was the human race's Peak Immortal Emperor — Gu Daoshi.

The moment Lu Xunxian set foot on Heavenly Dao Mountain, Gu Daoshi opened his eyes and spoke toward Lu Xunxian's direction.

"Since you've come, fellow Daoist, why not show yourself?"

Sensing Gu Daoshi's undisguised gaze, Lu Xunxian was mildly surprised.

Even Lin Wangu had failed to detect him before he revealed himself, only noticing his presence after Lu Xunxian had voluntarily appeared.

He had not expected Gu Daoshi to perceive him.

Shaking his head, Lu Xunxian took a single step and appeared before Gu Daoshi.

Looking at Gu Daoshi, Lu Xunxian could not tell at all that the man before him was an Immortal Emperor. Sitting there, he seemed no different from an ordinary mortal — completely devoid of any threatening aura.

But Lu Xunxian knew how powerful he truly was.

For Gu Daoshi had broken through to the Immortal Emperor realm by cultivating the Law of Time. His strength ranked among the very apex of those at the same level.

Just as Lu Xunxian was sizing him up, Gu Daoshi looked back at Lu Xunxian with deep wariness in his eyes. He could sense Lu Xunxian's presence, yet at the same time, it was as though he could not sense it at all.

Put simply, he could see Lu Xunxian, but Lu Xunxian seemed to have already transcended this world and was faintly on the verge of stepping into that other realm.

"This old man is Gu Daoshi. Greetings, fellow Daoist. Congratulations on breaking through to the Peak of the Immortal Emperor Realm."

Setting aside his inner thoughts, Gu Daoshi rose and cupped his fists toward Lu Xunxian in congratulations.

Lu Xunxian's principle had always been: treat me with a foot of respect, and I will return three measures in kind.

"I've heard that Senior Gu Daoshi is the foremost Immortal Emperor in the Immortal Realm. Having met you today, I can see the reputation is well deserved."

Though he had never fought Gu Daoshi, Lu Xunxian could tell that likely no Immortal Emperor in the Immortal Realm would be a match for him.

Hearing this, Gu Daoshi paused, then shook his head with a wry smile. "You flatter me, fellow Daoist. I believe you are the true foremost Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Realm."

"What I'm curious about is when such a powerful existence suddenly appeared in the Immortal Realm."

Though he had never fought Lu Xunxian, Gu Daoshi could tell that even he — hailed as the strongest in the Immortal Realm — would not be a match for Lu Xunxian.

The thought puzzled him deeply. He was acquainted with every Immortal Emperor in the Immortal Realm, and none of them came close to Lu Xunxian's level of power.

The most recent Immortal Emperor to break through, to his knowledge, had done so just a few years ago.

But that individual had only reached the Early Immortal Emperor Realm — nowhere near as powerful as the Lu Xunxian before him.

What he did not know was that the person before him was that very same Immortal Emperor who had broken through a few years ago. He had simply advanced a little faster than most.

"You flatter me, fellow Daoist. The Immortal Realm is vast and filled with hidden talents. Who knows — perhaps one day an existence that surpasses me will emerge."

Lu Xunxian replied with modest humility.

Though he had already reached the Peak of the Immortal Emperor Realm, he remained as humble as ever. After all, caution was his guiding principle.

After a round of mutual compliments, Gu Daoshi finally looked at Lu Xunxian and asked with curiosity:

"Fellow Daoist, I suspect you've come here today with something on your mind. Why not speak plainly?"

Since Gu Daoshi had broached the subject first, Lu Xunxian saw no need to hide anything. His expression turned grave.

"Do you happen to know what realm lies above the Immortal Emperor?"

In Lu Xunxian's view, Gu Daoshi was hailed as the strongest in the Immortal Realm. If anyone was most likely to know about the realm above the Immortal Emperor, it would be him.

At this, Gu Daoshi's expression grew serious as well.

"You don't know what lies above the Immortal Emperor?"

"No. I only broke through to the Immortal Emperor realm not long ago, and I've always preferred solitude. Naturally, I'm unaware. I would appreciate your guidance, fellow Daoist."

Lu Xunxian cupped his fists respectfully. From Zhao Ling'er's memories, he had learned that Gu Daoshi had made numerous contributions to the human race in the Immortal Realm, which was how the human race had become one of the Ten Great Races.

Seeing this, Gu Daoshi hurriedly helped Lu Xunxian up, then spoke with a somewhat grave expression.

"Indeed, there are realms far more powerful than the Immortal Emperor."

"From what I know, those above the Immortal Emperor have touched the Dao. Even the Power of Laws that we currently cultivate is merely something that branched off from the Dao."

"Since you've broken through to the Peak of the Immortal Emperor Realm, fellow Daoist, you must have faintly sensed that other world."

"That world is known as the Dao Realm."

"As for the realms above the Immortal Emperor, I don't know much myself. I only know that the first two realms are the Dao Practitioner and the Dao Venerable."

"Beyond that, one would likely need to ascend to the Dao Realm to learn more."

"However, there are no records in the Immortal Realm on how to cultivate to the Dao Venerable realm. Unless the powerhouses of the Dao Realm one day see fit to share their mercy, we have no way to cultivate to the Dao Practitioner realm."

By the end, Gu Daoshi could not help but let out a wry smile.

His talent was extraordinary. He possessed a Time Saint Body and had reached the Immortal King realm in a mere ten thousand years, then spent a million years ascending step by step to the Immortal Emperor realm.

He had reached the Peak of the Immortal Emperor Realm in only one million, five hundred and sixty thousand years — a level of talent unmatched in the entire Immortal Realm.

Yet tragically, in the tens of trillions of years since, Gu Daoshi had been unable to take a single further step toward the realm above the Immortal Emperor.

Lu Xunxian's expression grew heavy at these words.

Though he had the system's assistance, he was not certain whether it could help him break through to the Dao Practitioner realm.

However, since the system could bestow Dao Venerable-level resources, surely breaking through to the realm of the Dao should not be too difficult?

What puzzled Lu Xunxian, though, was that the Dao Venerable and Dao Ancestor inheritances he had received contained no records on how to break through, either. Perhaps the system had some kind of issue?

"In any case, fellow Daoist, if you wish to break through to the Dao Practitioner realm, you might try reaching out to the Lu Family."

Gu Daoshi seemed to recall something and looked at Lu Xunxian with a serious expression.

"The Lu Family?"

Gu Daoshi paused, then remembered — Lu Xunxian had not even known what lay above the Immortal Emperor, so how could he possibly know about the Lu Family?

"The Lu Family is a powerful force within the Dao Realm, and they have several Dao Venerables among their ranks."

"To my knowledge, the Lu Family recently sent several Immortal Emperors down to the Immortal Realm. They appear to be searching for a certain newly advanced Immortal Emperor."

"Additionally, the Lu Family's envoys have already visited each of the Ten Great Races. Supposedly, whoever finds this newly advanced Immortal Emperor will be taken to the Dao Realm by the Lu Family."

By the end, Gu Daoshi could not help but grow excited himself.

With his talent, if he could find a way to break through to the Dao Practitioner realm, he would surely be able to advance to even greater heights far more quickly than most.