The Taoist ancestor is Cthulhu

Fine willow leaves fall like jade, as the mere trickle of the moon moistens the icy wheel.

When the mountain master returned to the courtyard, Li Fan was surrounded by swallows and orioles feeding him wine, his face, lips, and neck all adorned with layer upon layer of rouge petals.

"Haha, young friend, you truly know how to indulge and live freely. Very good, I loathe hypocrites the most."

The three maids, seeing their master return, lightly smiled with a bow, their skirts and sleeves as colorful as the dawn, their faces as lovely as Chanjuan, all dispersing into flying flowers.

Only to have Li Fan tumble headfirst into a pile of petals, which scattered as he got up, as if all he had experienced was but a spring dream.

'Li Fan's mood has greatly improved by 1 point'

'Li Fan, mood, 100/100'

'Lottery charging 100/100, daily lottery draw once, eligible for drawing tomorrow.'

Hey, you know what, it seems that the local cultivators also deeply understand the importance of physical and mental health, huh? Not sure what kind of illusion technique this is, but within three to five minutes, Li Fan's mood was 'greatly improved by 1 point' and maxed out.

Seeing Li Fan enjoying himself, the mountain master also smiled and unfolded the scroll in his hand, "Young friend, is this the scene you saw?"

It was a water-ink painting; Li Fan was willing to call the painter a Picasso of the Immortal Realm, who seemed to have splashed the ink haphazardly, impossible to discern what it depicted. But believe it or not, amidst that chaotic blot of ink, some patterns looked slightly circular, bearing a slight resemblance to the chain of bubbles under the canopy of heaven.

'Li Fan's mood has decreased by 1 point'

"This is not the progenitor of objects," the mountain master understood his thoughtful expression, picked up the scroll with a flick of his hand, and sat down in front of Li Fan by the side of the tea table, holding his hands out as if embracing the void, and gave a bow to the sky without a trace of etiquette, saying, "It's the Taishu, the ancestor of Dao."

The progenitor of objects? The ancestor of Dao?

'Li Fan's mood has decreased by 1 point'

"The primordial beast mother, the great desolate void star, Yellow Sky, Dark Spring, these Taishu six ancestors," the mountain master tapped the scroll in his hand, "the void star ancestor of Dao."

"The Taishu six ancestors? The void star ancestor of Dao?" Li Fan frowned, utterly confused by what the other was saying.

'Li Fan's mood has decreased by 1 point'

Instead of being annoyed by his slowness, the mountain master was even more enthusiastic to expound,

"The ultimate before Taiji is the five peaks of the primordial; namely, Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, Taishu, Taiji.

Taiyi is the beginning of divinity, Taichu the commencement of qi, Taishi the presence of form.

Taishu means the beginning of substance before becoming form, gaining substance through formation, and having substance without yet achieving body.

Taiji is the mechanism of movement and stillness, the mother of Yin and Yang, the source of creation, the beginning of all things.

Hence it is said,

Those born from Taiji are objects.

Those born from Taishu are non-objects."

'Li Fan's mood has greatly decreased by 1 point'

"Oh... Taiji..."

Li Fan expressed understanding, yet not fully comprehending.

This sounds like Taoist philosophy, a recognition and speculation about the origin of everything in the universe.

The mountain master, on the other hand, laughed heartily, "My young friend truly is a natural-born seeker of the Dao! Speaking so directly of the Dao, while remaining unmoved in your seat—refreshing! Refreshing! Hahaha!"

There Li Fan sat, a question mark clearly written across his face...

"Hahaha, please, help yourself."

The mountain master laughed for a while before stopping, waved his sleeve, and set up a banquet before Li Fan, with two green dumplings in a jade dish and light wine poured into a leaf cup that seemed like a bud, its fragrance so refreshing that it was clearly not of the mortal world.

Well, at least the drink wasn't served with someone's head...

Li Fan didn't hold back, took a green dumpling to chew on, and indeed it was a meal of the Immortals; with a single bite, fragrance lingered between his lips and teeth, and a sip of the fairy wine from the shallow cup felt like a cool thread sliding down his throat, filling his lungs with indescribable freshness. What a delight!

The system also expressed approval,

'Li Fan's mood has greatly improved by 1 point'

'Li Fan's mood has greatly improved by 1 point'

'Li Fan's mood has greatly improved by 1 point'

The mountain master saw Li Fan eating and drinking so freely and joyously, without pretense or courtesy, and felt that the boy's character was quite to his taste. He was also enthusiastic when speaking of the Dao, and finally started speaking human language.

"Before the myriad things were born from Taiji, at the very beginning of Pangu splitting heaven and earth, and during the chaos of the great wilderness before clarity, there existed some primordial supreme beings in the vast cosmos. These beings are known as 'Taishu Dao ancestors.'

In the past, the practitioners of our realm pursued the post-celestial Dao in their cultivation, seeking nothing more than enduring life and a vision, manipulating the elements, and ascending beyond the mortal body through the art of Zuodao. At best, they could only achieve the transformation where all things come to life and insects shed their shells for Feather Transformation.

It wasn't until ten thousand years ago that the virtual moon appeared, and we worshipped and studied the moon, thereby learning the primordial Taishu, the true solution of things being non-things. And there are those with great destiny like you, young friend, who can dream beside the abyss and glimpse the true form of the Taishu six ancestors, only then understanding the truth between heaven and earth, realizing that the past was following the way of Zuodao.

From then on, we practitioners began to cultivate the primordial Dao from the beginning of the cosmos, seeking only to trace back to the origin, explore the secrets of heaven, and one day get a glimpse of the true face of the primordial Dao ancestor, and to become Taishu ourselves, comprehending the rationale of primordial evolution.

I too have lingered at the stage of transforming spirit for many years; with your help today, I've had an epiphany, accomplishing my own Dao, all thanks to your contribution, young friend! Please, drink this cup to the fullest!"

The mountain master's face was flushed with excitement, and from the top of his head sprouted a three-pronged peach branch with six blooming golden flowers. They burst forth with radiant lights of purple, white, gold, blue, and red, piercing the cloud canopy and breaking through the realm of Yunxiao.

Li Fan just gaped at him.

Starting the journey with an esteemed cultivator who already attained the crown of three flowers and the originating five qi, offering flower wine—how impressive is that...

"Mountain Master, exalted immortal, you are too kind. I've only made a minor contribution, it's really nothing, nothing at all."