Laozi gazed at the lines that made up the world, lines of cause and effect. And each line, in fact, represented a cause and effect.
If one could pluck one of those lines, one could even change the cause and effect of one, or even a dozen, living beings.
After all, lines of cause and effect aren't separate; they are intertwined and entangled with one another. Changing just one would trigger a butterfly effect!!
So, it wasn't easy to pluck a line of cause and effect.
Especially for those with higher cultivation, they could sense the changes in their own cause and effect.
As for the so-called "Void Fishing," it actually tested one's comprehension of the Dao of Cause and Effect. Unfortunately, Laozi felt that he had some insight into the Dao of Cause and Effect.
Using a fishing line as a medium to pluck lines of cause and effect, and then changing them to obtain treasures.
Laozi saw the lines of cause and effect of his disciple, Xuan Du, and even those of Daoist Multi宝, Emperor of Heaven, and Queen Mother of the West, all prominent figures of the Quasi-Saint realm.
Only Saints in the Three Realms are unstained by cause and effect. Transcending the Three Realms, beyond the five elements.
Perhaps because there were too many choices, Laozi was carefully considering what kind of treasure he should choose that would guarantee a victory over Shi Hao.
The ginseng fruit from the Primordial Spiritual Root? Or the nine-thousand-year-old Peach of Immortality? Although the Spiritual Roots had owners, they were relatively easy to obtain, just a matter of plucking two or three lines of cause and effect.
The most difficult were some of the Primordial Spirit Treasures that already had owners.
But as Laozi hesitated, all the lines of cause and effect that appeared in the void disappeared mysteriously.
"What happened?"
Laozi was surprised to find that he could no longer sense any of the Dao of Cause and Effect; his connection to the lines of cause and effect was severed.
Boom!!
The heavens and earth suddenly changed color, and a vast river slowly appeared. It transformed from the intangible to the tangible, instantly suppressing all cause and effect in the world!!
The vast river caused the entire world of Hong Huang to pale in comparison.
"Impossible, that's the River of Destiny?!"
The scene before him caused Laozi, a Saint, to exclaim involuntarily.
No wonder he couldn't sense the Dao of Cause and Effect; it turned out that the River of Destiny had appeared!
Time is supreme, space is king. Destiny doesn't come, cause and effect reign supreme!
Laozi only looked for a while, but his understanding of the Dao of Destiny seemed to have reached the level of enlightenment after several kalpas.
But why did the River of Destiny suddenly appear in the world of Hong Huang? Did Master Hong Jun know?
Laozi's heart was filled with shock and confusion; everything felt so inexplicable.
Then, to Laozi's further shock, he saw a fishing rod cast straight towards the River of Destiny, causing ripples to form in the river.
Laozi widened his eyes, what did he see? Shi Hao was leisurely fishing in the River of Destiny?
He held his fishing rod, standing quietly in front of the River of Destiny, as if the river had appeared specifically for him.
Seeing this scene, Laozi was dumbfounded.
Suddenly, Shi Hao pulled with force! A flash of treasure light appeared, and a plain white fairy dress was pulled up.
The skirt was like smoke and mist, swaying gently with the rhythm of the wind. The beads used to decorate it were like stars strung together. The color of the fairy dress was soft and pure, with a faint golden glow, as if it were morning dew gathered from the clouds by fairies.
"Haha, it seems I got the first prize, I fished up a treasure before you."
Shi Hao held the treasure he had just fished up, and he looked at Laozi triumphantly. When he noticed the other man's shocked expression, he couldn't help but laugh, "Old man, are you scared by my skills? I don't really understand it either. I just thought to myself that Wu Ling's clothes were too worn out, I wanted to help her change into a skirt, and then I really fished up a skirt."
"You...how did you make that river appear?"
"What river, you mean this? I thought that Void Fishing was too abstract, so I thought, what if I could have a river appear so I could fish? It worked, I really got a river. Now it's done, let's go."
Then, as soon as Shi Hao's voice fell, the River of Destiny gradually dissipated.
Laozi was filled with disbelief, Shi Hao really made the River of Destiny appear.
What kind of existence is he? It doesn't make sense. Even his master, Hong Jun, couldn't have summoned the River of Destiny.
"Old man, you better hurry up, the time for one stick of incense is almost up." Looking at Laozi who was standing there motionless, Shi Hao couldn't help but remind him.
"No need to compete, I lost."
Laozi sighed wryly. The Dao of Cause and Effect he had comprehended was nothing after the other man summoned the River of Destiny.
He had lost in both contests, and Laozi felt more and more that the other man was mysterious and unpredictable.
Laozi couldn't figure out the other man's origins, nor did he know what realm the other man was in, he could only confirm that the other man's realm was far higher than his own.
Perhaps he wasn't a Saint, but he was comparable to a Saint, or even possibly that Primordial Profound Daoist of the Great Golden Immortal level.
"Since you've admitted defeat, don't forget to give me a copy of the Nine Revolutions Profound Skill." Shi Hao didn't expect Laozi to admit defeat so easily, he seemed a little surprised, he was just pestering him to compete just now.
"Take it! A mere Nine Revolutions Profound Skill, how could I possibly deny you." Laozi took out a jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and engraved the Nine Revolutions Profound Skill onto it.
"By the way, you, as a disciple of the Human Dao, are well-traveled, so please help me look at the skirt I fished up and see what level of treasure it is. I wonder if it's good enough for Little Sister Ling."
After receiving the jade slip, Shi Hao placed the fairy skirt in front of Laozi, wanting to ask about its origins.
At first, Laozi also thought it was just an ordinary treasure garment. He glanced at it briefly, but it looked somehow familiar.
When he took a closer look, he finally recognized it.
Laozi looked at Shi Hao, his eyes inexplicably strange.
What's going on? How could he have fished up his own junior sister Nuwa's fairy skirt from the River of Destiny?!
Facing Shi Hao's questioning gaze, Laozi replied evasively, "Well, even the fairy skirts worn by the fairy maids of the Heavenly Realm can't compare to it. It's very precious, so I advise you not to think about giving it to that little Wu clan girl, or it might harm her."
"That's right, Little Ling is too young."
Shi Hao thought about Wu Ling's small frame, and nodded in agreement.
Is that the reason? If Junior Sister Nuwa found out that someone else was wearing her fairy skirt, he couldn't imagine what would happen.
Angering Junior Sister Nuwa would mean being crushed to bones and scattered to the wind at the very least! That Wu clan little girl would only have one way out.
"I've said what I needed to say, let's end it here for today. I feel very tired, I'll go back first."
Since he became a Saint, there were very few things that could make his heart fluctuate. However, today's events almost shattered his Dao heart. Not wanting to stay any longer, Laozi said goodbye to Shi Hao, then tore through the void and teleported to the Eight Scenic Palace.