Laozi is the Best in the World

Consciousness stretched out, gradually blurring, thoughts drifting far away.

It felt like spacing out, or perhaps like being in a dream state.

Chen Xia forcibly shook his head, bringing his drifting thoughts back, then slapped himself, waiting until the buzzing in his ears subsided before he managed to regain his awareness.

He found himself above the Way of Heaven, higher than the myriad worlds, able to look down on everything, yet what lay before him brought a sense of dense unreality, more surreal than anything imaginary.

If he were to describe it, it would be like a dream.

A daydream.

He controlled his consciousness and slowly moved forward, walking through this place higher than the Way of Heaven, seeking to uncover the true meaning of the ultimate path.

The further he went, the more illusory and unreal everything seemed.

Mist surrounded him, rippling like waves.

Chen Xia was like a mountaineer, climbing upwards, but suddenly stopped at the halfway point, staring at what lay above.

There seemed to be a figure seated there, its back to Chen Xia and to the entire Way of Heaven.

Who was it?

He couldn’t make it out, so he began to ascend directly.

To perceive the will of heaven.

The sound of chess pieces falling still echoed outside the Heaven Pill Gate, but no one was focused on the game anymore, all waiting for Chen Xia’s return.

It had been some time since the puppet and Chen Xia had vanished, supposedly for cultivation, but there had been no news of either of them.

Xu Zhen and Huang Qingyue were the most concerned, constantly seeking news of their "Chen Ge," asking every day,

"Has Chen Ge returned?"

"No, I’m still looking." Emperor Capital shook his head, feeling helpless, muttering,

"Maybe that wooden puppet kidnapped Chen Ge, we haven’t seen him for so many days."

"It’s not impossible, that puppet doesn’t look like a good person, and it never talks." Huang Qingyue agreed.

Everyone at the Heaven Pill Gate had little to do, so they all worried about Chen Xia.

Emperor Capital would sometimes sit at the front of the mountain gate, hands behind his back, looking at the sky with a melancholy gaze, his eyes flickering as he couldn’t help but shout,

Come back, my Chen Ge, my most proud faith!

"Are you summoning fate?!" Qiu Li reprimanded from behind.

"My brotherly longing for Chen Ge, you’ll never understand it." Emperor Capital shook his head sadly, his words full of disdain.

"Oh please, you’re talking about brotherhood? You’re just a good dog at best." Qiu Li rolled his eyes.

"Jealousy, you’re just outright jealous!" Emperor Capital retorted, crossing his arms and ignoring him, simply staring at the sky.

Why look at the sky?

Maybe hoping to see Chen Ge descend from the heavens.

"Since you’re all so idle, why not improve your strength? When Chen Xia returns, you can help him, much better than doing nothing right now." Li Yang offered a rare piece of advice.

"Who do you think you are to lecture me? You’re not even a Great Emperor yet." Emperor Capital didn’t take it kindly, his head held high with pride, countering with sarcasm.

Li Yang was stunned, then clenched his fists, his expression darkening. He didn't respond, turning around to practice on his own.

"Aunt Li Yang was only giving you good advice, and you don’t even appreciate it? You just had to insult her. You’re really getting more and more arrogant since becoming a Great Emperor." Li Yue spoke up for Li Yang.

"I’m full of it, I’m full of it." Emperor Capital began to act shamelessly.

"Forget it, that’s just how he is. A typical good dog." Qiu Li tried to calm things down.

"Mind your place, you’re another one who’s not even a Great Emperor." Emperor Capital retorted again.

He was feeling bolder now, daring to mock everyone, and who knew what he’d do next.

It seemed like the Blue Sky Sword Sea was on the brink of an internal conflict.

"Ahem." Chi Yu, who had been quietly sitting, coughed lightly.

Everyone fell silent, Emperor Capital included, simply staring at the sky.

Aside from Chen Xia, Chi Yu was now the lead elder of the Blue Sky Sword Sea. He rarely spoke, but when he did, no one in the sect dared to ignore him.

Big Yellow Dog also sat nearby, looking quite human-like, when suddenly his ears twitched, turning toward the distant Treasure Ring Scale State.

In an instant.

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed from the Treasure Ring Scale State, startling everyone, all turning to look.

"Another battle between Five Paths Great Emperors." Big Yellow Dog sighed, knowing he was beyond his league and feeling powerless.

His four paths of cultivation were forcibly condensed, not truly genuine, at a level of three real and one fake.

Which two Five Paths Great Emperors were fighting in the Treasure Ring Scale State?

Big Yellow Dog sent his divine sense out into the world, observing, and quickly identified them.

It was the Lord of the Divine Realm and the Emperor Witch.

It seemed the only possibility, as the Emperor Witch was the only one seeking out other Five Paths Great Emperors to fight, while the others remained in their own states.

The Lord of the Divine Realm fought back, angered: "Emperor Wu, you've only just taken over a state. Why aren't you focusing on cultivation and connecting with the world, but instead coming to fight me?"

Emperor Witch unleashed a deadly move, then paused, responding: “If I eliminate all of you, I can slowly cultivate to the highest level without worrying about you stealing my opportunities.”

There was a hint of logic to his words, but the underlying message was clear: the Emperor Witch saw the Lord of the Divine Realm and others as easy targets.

The Lord of the Divine Realm wasn’t willing to give up, fighting while reaching out for reinforcements from other states, planning to eliminate the Emperor Witch in the Treasure Ring Scale State!

“We’re coming, we’ll definitely kill this rogue in the Treasure Ring Scale State, or else our paths to the highest realm will be blocked.” The Sovereign responded to the Lord of the Divine Realm’s call.

“Indeed.” The Star Lord agreed.

“By the way, where’s Chen Xia? Why isn’t he answering? Is he hiding out of fear at a time like this?” The Sovereign wondered aloud.

Still, there was no response.

They couldn’t wait and rushed towards the Treasure Ring Scale State, where the strongest Five Paths Great Emperors of the era gathered for a three-on-one battle.

By the way, Chen Xia isn’t considered a Five Paths Great Emperor; he’s a fake Four Paths Great Emperor.

Alright, let’s see what Chen Xia is doing.

He’s still climbing the mountain!

Can he reach the summit?

No.

Because at this moment, he’s falling.

The figure seated with its back to the Way of Heaven grew more distant.

Thud.

It was as if he had fallen into the water.

It was a sea.

A sword sea.

He opened his eyes in the sea, slowly rising, with a massive flying sword standing in the center, the Blue Sky Sword Sea.

Yet, silence surrounded him.

Chen Xia's face was blank, emerging from the sea and standing on the shore, gazing at the scene.

I’ve been above the heavens, and I’ve sunk below the sword sea.

Is this the meaning of the ultimate path?

No.

Chen Xia shook his head. He began to ponder the question: What is the ultimate? Is it cultivation or will?

As he pondered, he suddenly uttered, almost by instinct:

“I’m the best under heaven!”

“That’s right.”

Daoist Suppressing Heaven appeared beside him, a smile on his face.