BOOK 2: CHAPTER 440: THE SOURCE OF ALL LAWS, HOW DARE I CHERISH MY LIFE

Vol 2 Chapter 440 The Source of All Laws, How Dare I Cherish My Life

Zheng Fa's thoughts were swirling, and Old Man Bai looked at him with a contemplative expression.

"Teacher Bai? What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing." Old Man Bai came back to his senses but didn’t answer Zheng Fa’s question. Instead, he asked, "How do you plan to improve it?"

Besides Old Man Bai, there was Tang Lingwu, Tang Mu Dao, and several scholars from the nursing home.

The group strolled along the mountain path of Rainbow Mountain, chatting casually.

No one would have imagined that the words they spoke might decide the future of three worlds and countless people.

"When I created the Yellow Court Scripture, I was somewhat greedy and over-ambitious, which even slowed my own cultivation progress," Zheng Fa shared his thoughts. "But on the flip side, it can serve as the foundational layer of all Dao methods."

Zheng Fa paused, then added, "At least before the Dao Fruit stage, it is the foundation for all Dao methods."

Old Man Bai and the others nodded, not thinking Zheng Fa was exaggerating.

The fundamental idea of the Yellow Court Scripture lies in transformation.

This style evolved from the initial formation of the Jiushan Golden Core Method to the complete shaping of the Heavenly and Earthly Fiend Transformations.

What cultivation technique one practices doesn’t matter;

it can even be said that there is no specific technique.

This characteristic allows those cultivating the Yellow Court Scripture to also practice most techniques in the Xuanyi Realm.

For example, Zheng Fa used the Vermilion Heaven Jade Manual on Haori Mountain without losing to the Haori True Transmission, and when he was at the Tianhe Sect, he also displayed the Trapping Immortal Sword Canon.

The main approach is to adapt to local customs.

"To be honest, some accidental discoveries laid an excellent foundation for today," Zheng Fa continued. "My idea is to build a complete system of cultivation techniques based on the Yellow Court Scripture, or rather, a cultivation technique tree."

"Cultivation technique tree?" The phrase was straightforward, and Old Man Bai immediately understood. "So, although everyone cultivates the Yellow Court Scripture, their cultivation directions differ, resulting in different specific techniques?"

"Exactly. For instance, a disciple of the Sword Dao can cultivate sword techniques, while an artifact-forging disciple can cultivate fire techniques, but the fundamental cultivation technique is always the Yellow Court Scripture." ꞦἈɴö𝐛ΕS

"So this is the system you mentioned?"

Zheng Fa nodded gently.

Tang Lingwu thought for a moment and summarized, "So it’s like the Yellow Court Scripture is an operating system, and the various cultivation techniques are actually function modules or software?"

"Something like that."

Tang Lingwu’s analogy was quite accurate.

If the Yellow Court Scripture is considered an operating system,

then the Sword Dao would be like installing it on a missile launch device,

and artifact forging would be running this system in a smelting device.

The root of the cultivation technique tree is the Yellow Court Scripture.

All other techniques are branches growing from this root.

"In this way, on one hand, the Yellow Court Scripture can be perfected through the wisdom of all cultivators and become more comprehensive," Zheng Fa explained his thoughts. "On the other hand, disciples cultivating the Yellow Court Scripture who find their interests have changed or discover new talents can quickly change their cultivation direction. Before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, changing techniques won’t reduce their cultivation."

In Tang Lingwu’s view, this was not a perfect win-win, but it was the confidence he had to surpass the previous three techniques.

Everyone was deep in thought, seemingly considering how to perfect the Yellow Court Scripture system.

After a while, Old Man Bai nodded and said, "Achieving this effect is because the Yellow Court Scripture is too close to the essence of Dao methods. It can now become the source of all methods."

Hearing this, Zheng Fa was a bit proud, even grateful for his own habit of always questioning why.

In simple terms, it’s like modern physics—all physical theories ultimately lead back to quantum mechanics and relativity.

To be a bit arrogant, the Yellow Court Scripture is the grand unified theory of Dao methods.

At least, that is Zheng Fa’s goal.

...

"So, you want us to help you sort out this system?" Old Man Bai asked.

"Of course, but that’s not all." Zheng Fa paused before continuing, "I also want to integrate the Tianhe Method of the Tianhe Venerable."

They happened to reach the mountain peak, and Zheng Fa stopped to look out beyond the mountain.

The highway wound forward, passing vast farmlands and disappearing into the faint high-rise buildings in the distance.

Various grain varieties of the Jiushan Grain Company had undergone several generations of iterations.

Most of the crops currently planted in the farmlands were produced by Rainbow Mountain.

In the capital city, the external pill, which is essentially a nuclear fusion device, was undergoing trial operation.

Since the appearance of spirit veins, modern spirit materials have gradually increased.

Now, besides meeting the needs of the Confederation Research Institute, they have started to be promoted to civilians.

If all goes smoothly, in a few years, they will be spread to major cities worldwide.

It is imaginable that in the next ten years, the entire world’s food and energy industries will be completely controlled by the research institute.

Zheng Fa’s power will touch every dining table and every lit window.

He felt a surge of pride and even considered going directly to the Underworld, seeking shelter under the Nine Nether Emperor, living a comfortable life even in the modern world.

But...

"The Tianhe Venerable... is truly admirable."

Even though Old Man Bai had heard about Tianhe’s past from Zheng Fa before, he couldn’t help but sigh again.

The others also nodded gently.

Zheng Fa returned to his thoughts and said, "I want to establish an open-source Dao method system."

Tang Lingwu blinked and understood: "You want to operate the Yellow Court Scripture like Linux?"

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but laugh.

Tang Lingwu really got it in one.

Simply put, anyone, at least anyone currently in the Jiushan Realm, can cultivate the Yellow Court Scripture and even deduce, improve, or patch it.

On the other hand, everyone’s achievements must be shared with others to help perfect the Dao method system of the Yellow Court Scripture.

Old Man Bai was stunned for a moment, then looked deeply at Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa continued explaining his thoughts, "Only in this way can the Yellow Court Scripture fully play its role as the fundamental cultivation technique."

"What about the risks?" Old Man Bai frowned. "The Yellow Court Scripture is your fundamental cultivation technique. Once open-sourced, aren’t you afraid it will be exploited?"

He rarely disagreed with Zheng Fa so openly.

"I am," Zheng Fa nodded quietly and honestly said, "But the Yellow Court Scripture started too late. Without this, it’s hard to catch up with other cultivators."

"Besides, I doubt whether those cultivators can even practice the Yellow Court Scripture."

The Xuanyi Realm’s cultivation techniques have their particularities;

after the Dao Fruit stage and even the Nascent Soul stage, changing cultivation techniques is nearly impossible.

"Of course, I won’t open it to everyone at once." Seeing Old Man Bai’s worried expression, Zheng Fa reassured him, "At first, it will definitely be limited to my disciples and modern cultivators."

"When my strength improves, I can expand the scope later."

Old Man Bai and the others nodded lightly.

This was indeed better.

Zheng Fa wasn’t too afraid of others cultivating the Yellow Court Scripture. After all, he started earlier and had various advantages.

He had cultivated for less than a hundred years but was almost at the final step of the Dao Fruit stage.

He had always been the one surpassing others. When had anyone ever surpassed him?

He had confidence in this.

But he really didn’t dare to open it to all of Xuanyi at once.

After all, the Yellow Court Scripture contained the essence of the Tianhe Method. Recklessly revealing it would blatantly attract hatred.

One could only say this was Zheng Fa’s ultimate goal.

Tang Lingwu then asked, "What if someone pollutes the Yellow Court Scripture?"

"I plan to establish a layered review system." Zheng Fa seemed to have thought about this for a long time and blurted out, "On one hand, I plan to use artifact spirits to conduct preliminary reviews of various Dao methods."

"And in another world, there are cultivators who perform a second review."

"And you all will become the final review team for the core cultivation techniques of the Yellow Court Scripture."

He had already roughly figured out how to refine his innate treasure into an innate spirit treasure on Haori Mountain but hadn’t had time to implement it.

This cultivation also included ideas for advancing the Creation Jade.

His design for the artifact spirit of the Creation Jade was simple—deduce Dao method loopholes and identify cultivation techniques that could easily cause the Yellow Court Scripture to collapse or become corrupted.

That wasn’t enough, though.

He also planned to have Senior Sister Zhang review the Dao methods in the talisman domain, Xie Qingxue review the sword techniques, and so on.

This was essentially establishing an expert review team;

only Dao methods approved by them could be integrated into the Yellow Court Scripture.

The last line of defense was the modern world.

After all, Senior Sister Zhang and others had some reputation outside, and in the worst case, if they were deceived or attacked secretly,

the modern world’s review team was there to correct such an eventuality.

They were unknown to outsiders.

Now, Zheng Fa possessed nearly unlimited power in the modern world, so these people’s loyalty was relatively trustworthy.

Only after passing the artifact spirits, Senior Sister Zhang’s team, and the modern review team’s evaluations would the Yellow Court Scripture’s version officially update.

Seeing Zheng Fa completely immersed in thought, Old Man Bai’s face relaxed considerably.

"Actually, I have one last safeguard."

"Hmm?"

"The Great Sun True Fire." Zheng Fa smiled. "If a problem really arises, I can use the Great Sun True Fire to modify the problematic Dao methods."

If he only cultivated the Tianhe Method, Zheng Fa wouldn’t dare to be so bold as to open-source and interconnect his innate treasure.

After all, cultivators of the Tianhe Method were equivalent to the artifact spirit of the innate treasure.

If the innate treasure had problems, it would be difficult to recover.

But the Yellow Court Scripture also included the Yang Spirit Method and the Dharmakaya Method.

Even if the Tianhe Method had issues or the innate treasure went awry, he could maintain himself through the Yang Spirit and Dharmakaya Methods.

He could even use the Great Sun True Fire carried by the Dharmakaya to modify the Creation Jade and roll back versions.

With these four layers of safeguards, if someone still managed to exploit it, that person must have seen through all his cards, and there would be no need for such complicated measures.

The group discussed details and then descended the mountain.

Zheng Fa and the other scholars bid farewell and headed toward the nursing home together.

"Zheng Fa?"

At this moment, Old Man Bai, who had been thoughtful all along, finally spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Why... are you so bold now?" Old Man Bai’s tone carried some concern. "Tell me the truth—have you encountered a formidable enemy?"

Zheng Fa was stunned for a moment, finally understanding why the old man kept looking at him, hesitating to speak.

Though open-sourcing the Yellow Court Scripture had many benefits, the risks were significantly greater for Zheng Fa. With his previous cautious nature, he wouldn’t have been so resolute;

he would have hesitated back and forth.

That was why Old Man Bai felt Zheng Fa was under some kind of threat;

otherwise, he wouldn’t be so urgent.

He didn’t expect Old Man Bai to be so perceptive, sensing some changes in him.

Tang Lingwu and the others looked at Zheng Fa with worried expressions upon hearing this.

Zheng Fa smiled and shook his head, "I’m doing this because it’s the fastest way to improve the Yellow Court Scripture, and it’s the path most suitable for me."

In simple terms, this approach perfectly matched Zheng Fa’s way of thinking—using his brain.

He had vaguely had similar ideas before.

"Also..." Zheng Fa stopped and looked up at the Milky Way in the sky, "I took the torch from others;

I can’t let it go out."

Old Man Bai was right.

Zheng Fa had indeed changed somewhat.

He was born into a farming family, and despite his modern experience, deep down he knew his cautious or somewhat fearful nature.

Even as the head of the Jiushan Sect, he tended to be conservative and hesitant.

But after all, he inherited the Tianhe Dao lineage.

"Teacher Bai, I’m not a true hero." Zheng Fa lowered his head and smiled self-mockingly. "I can’t risk my life to open the Dao for all beings."

"But the predecessors paved the way. If I don’t dare to walk it, wouldn’t that be betraying your teachings?"

The Tianhe Venerable had already left him an excellent situation:

A nearly perfected Tianhe Method,

The Nine Nether Emperor as a fallback,

And this group of scholars and knowledge from the modern world.

How dare he cherish his life?

After hearing Zheng Fa’s explanation, Old Man Bai couldn’t help but smile.

Tang Mu Dao suddenly spoke, "The Yang Spirit Method corresponds to the Corpse Liberation stage, the Tianhe Method to the Severing stage, and the Dharmakaya to the True Spirit realm. So what is the Yellow Court Scripture’s stage called?"

This question left Zheng Fa momentarily silent.

He thought and analyzed deeply but hadn’t considered such a detailed classification.

Zheng Fa looked at Old Man Bai.

Old Man Bai clapped his hands, as if having a good idea.

Everyone watched him expectantly.

"Open Source Realm!"

"....."

Zheng Fa and the others were silent for a moment, then started discussing.

But in the end, they had no better ideas.

Old Man Bai was smug, "You guys can’t even match my Open Source Realm! At least it’s straightforward!"

Zheng Fa ignored the old man and looked at Tang Mu Dao.

Tang Mu Dao had been standing quietly beside them, seeming like he wanted to say something.

"Professor Tang, do you have any ideas?"

Tang Mu Dao hesitated, "I’m afraid my suggestion might not suit Daoism."

"Go ahead."

Zheng Fa thought a name was nothing, especially since he never really considered himself a Daoist cultivator—mainly because he didn’t understand it.

"Mahayana Realm."

"Mahayana?"

Zheng Fa was stunned for a moment.

"Mahayana is a Buddhist transliteration. 'Maha' means great or vast, and 'Yana' originally meant a vehicle, later extended to mean a path or great way," Tang Mu Dao explained. "Therefore, Mahayana means the vehicle that carries all sentient beings."

Old Man Bai blinked, seeming to find this term quite fitting for the essence of the Yellow Court Scripture’s realm.

Zheng Fa, however, had a strange expression and remained silent.

"Director, if you don’t like it..."

"I don’t dislike it."

Zheng Fa shook his head gently.

It was just that he had heard the term Mahayana before in Xuanyi—Zhizhong seemed to call Lu Mo the Mahayana Buddha?

Catching Lu Mo was like catching a sheep?

Just thinking about the modern world’s origins...

This was also consistent with the excellent traditions of the Tianhe Venerable.