Chapter 8: Cosmic Commute and the Frustrations of Forbidden Knowledge

Before leaving the city, Zhao Tian took a quiet detour. He carried Bai Xue's parents' bodies, carefully wrapped in clean cloth, to the outskirts of Stonewind City — a peaceful grove where the wind rustled through quiet trees and the air was heavy with lingering spirit energy. There, beneath a blossoming white plum tree, he dug a grave with his bare hands, the soil parting easily under his strengthened body. He marked the grave with two simple spirit stones, carved with their names using his Qi. Bai Xue stood silently beside him, holding back tears. After a moment of solemn silence, she knelt and placed a single ice lotus at the base of the tree. Zhao Tian placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "They rest now, far from pain," he said. With a final glance at the grave, they turned toward the towering form of the Celestial Empyrean Dragon.

The oppressive silence of Stonewind City shattered as the Celestial Empyrean Dragon, responding to some unspoken command within the Companion Contract or perhaps just Zhao Tian's sheer, bewildering will, unfurled wings that blotted out the sky. The sound was less a flap and more the groan of tectonic plates shifting. A downdraft, smelling of ozone and distant nebulae, flattened the remaining standing structures near the ruined alley and sent dust devils swirling through deserted streets. Mortals who hadn't already fainted did so now. Cultivators hid deeper within their trembling wards.

Zhao Tian stood amidst the devastation, Peak Nascent Soul power a comfortable thrum beneath his skin, the Heavenly Emperor Transformation Art making his very presence feel denser than the surrounding rubble. Beside him, Bai Xue remained unnervingly still, her small hand gripping the hem of his simple robe. Her glacial eyes held no tears, only a frozen sea of shock and the chilling ember of witnessed vengeance.

"Right," Zhao Tian muttered, looking from the tiny girl to the universe-swallowing leviathan above. "Transportation." He raised a hand, feeling utterly ridiculous. "Uh... down here, big guy? Need a lift?"

The colossal head, crowned with horns like shattered obsidian mountains, tilted downwards. One quasar-bright eye, larger than the City Lord's manor, focused on them with an intensity that made the air crackle. A low rumble vibrated through the ground, a sound felt more in the bones than heard. Then, with impossible grace for something of its scale, the dragon lowered a single forelimb. The claw, wreathed in shimmering void energy, settled onto the ruins with the delicacy of a falling feather, though it crushed several pulverized buildings flat. The talon itself formed a plateau large enough for a small village.

Zhao Tian scooped Bai Xue up effortlessly. She stiffened momentarily but didn't resist, clinging to him as he bounded up the rough, obsidian-like scales of the dragon's leg with preternatural agility granted by his new physique. They reached the broad expanse of the dragon's forearm, just below the massive elbow joint. The scale here was smoother, warmer than expected, humming with latent cosmic power. The view was dizzying – the shattered city sprawled below like a child's broken toy, the horizon stretching impossibly far under the unnerving, nebula-strewn tear in the sky.

"Okay," Zhao Tian breathed, setting Bai Xue down gently. She swayed slightly, staring down at the miniature world below with wide, unreadable eyes. "First order of business." He frowned at her torn, blood-stained, dirt-smeared clothes. "Can't have my disciple looking like she lost a fight with a mud demon. System."

**[Host requests: Appropriate attire for Disciple Bai Xue.]**

**[Analyzing Disciple's physique, cultivation affinity (Celestial Yin Body), and environmental requirements...]**

**[Fabricating...]**

A shimmer of light coalesced beside Bai Xue. It resolved into a set of robes. They weren't ostentatious, but their simplicity spoke of profound quality. The base layer was a soft, pearlescent white silk that seemed to glow faintly with its own inner light, woven with threads of condensed moonlight. Over this lay a tunic and trousers of a deep, glacial blue, the fabric shifting like frozen water, cool to the touch yet insulating. Silver-white embroidery traced intricate, snowflake-like patterns along the hems and collar, subtly resonating with her nascent Glacier Heart Scripture. Soft, fur-lined boots of spirit beast hide completed the ensemble. The clothes fit her perfectly, radiating a gentle chill that seemed to soothe rather than bite.

Bai Xue looked down at her new clothes, then up at Zhao Tian. A flicker of something – surprise, maybe the faintest spark of wonder – touched her frozen expression. She ran a small hand over the smooth, cool fabric of the tunic.

"Better," Zhao Tian nodded approvingly. "Suits the 'White Snow' vibe. Now, while we travel..." He pointed a finger at her, adopting what he hoped was a stern Masterly expression, though it likely came across as mildly constipated. "Practice. That Glacier Heart thingy the system gave you. Feel the cold inside. Make it... do stuff. Frost your breath. Make a snowflake. Don't poke Long Wang with icicles."

Bai Xue blinked. "...Long Wang?"

Zhao Tian grinned, gesturing expansively at the vast expanse of dragon beneath and around them. "Yeah! Our ride. Celestial Empyrean Dragon is a mouthful. Long Wang. Fitting, right? Means Dragon King. He's basically king of... well, everything smaller than a galaxy, I guess."

The dragon beneath them rumbled again. This time, the sound carried a distinct note of... long-suffering resignation? Or perhaps cosmic indigestion. A puff of distorted space, like heat haze on steroids, wafted from its nostrils, momentarily warping the view of the distant mountains.

Bai Xue looked from Zhao Tian to the impossible beast, then slowly, hesitantly, sat down cross-legged on the warm scale. She closed her eyes, her small face furrowed in concentration. Slowly, haltingly, guided by the profound knowledge imprinted in her mind, she began to reach for the wellspring of cold within her Celestial Yin Body. A faint mist began to gather around her, and the air directly above her palms dropped several degrees, forming tiny, perfect ice crystals that drifted like frozen dust motes.

"Atta girl," Zhao Tian murmured, a flicker of genuine approval touching his eyes. He turned his attention inward. The chaotic rush of events – the alley, the rewards, the execution – had left little time to process his own gains. Peak Nascent Soul power was a comfortable cloak now, but he felt the thrumming potential of the **Boundless Origin Qi Manual** integrated within his core. It felt... foundational. Primal. Like the source code beneath the flashy applications of his Void Sword or Heavenly Emperor Manifestation.

He sat down opposite Bai Xue, mimicking her posture. Closing his eyes, he sank his consciousness into his dantian. The swirling vortex of Nascent Soul Qi, dense and potent, was now underpinned by a deeper, quieter current. The Boundless Origin Qi. It wasn't flashy. It didn't crackle with lightning or burn with fire. It felt... infinite. Like the potential energy before the Big Bang, pure and unformed. He willed it to circulate, following the intricate pathways described in the manual.

The effect was subtle yet profound. His connection to the ambient Qi of the world deepened exponentially. He could feel the life force of plants miles below, the sluggish currents of earth Qi, the frantic sparks of mortal lives in the receding city, the vast, cold emptiness of space above the dragon's shielding presence. His Peak Nascent Soul cultivation felt *more* stable, more efficient, as if the Boundless Origin Qi was the bedrock upon which his power was built, allowing for greater refinement and control. It was like upgrading from a powerful engine to a perfectly tuned fusion reactor – the raw output might be similar initially, but the efficiency, stability, and potential for growth were orders of magnitude higher.

**[Boundless Origin Qi Circulation: 12% Efficiency. Host's comprehension is... adequate. For a beginner.]**

Zhao Tian mentally snorted. *Adequate, my foot. I'm basically rewriting my cultivation foundation mid-flight on a cosmic dragon. Cut me some slack.*

Hours passed in relative silence, punctuated only by the deep, rhythmic breathing of the dragon, the faint crackle of ice forming around Bai Xue (she'd progressed to making small, intricate snowflakes that hovered before melting), and the hum of distorted space around Long Wang's wings as they devoured the distance. The landscape below shifted from the scarred plains around Stonewind to rolling, Qi-rich forests, then to jagged mountain ranges that looked like the spine of the world. They flew high, above the weather, above most clouds, cruising through the thin, cold air of the stratosphere where the stars burned fiercely even during the day.

Zhao Tian opened his eyes, feeling refreshed, his power more integrated, more *his*. He glanced at Bai Xue. She was still focused, a small pile of perfect, melting snowflakes beside her, a look of intense concentration on her face. Good. Distraction was healing. His gaze drifted to the colossal head of Long Wang, leading their journey through the sky. Questions bubbled up. The system had called him the mount of the "Celestial Empyrean Taoist, Highest Known Being." That title... it resonated. It felt like the ultimate endgame.

He reached down to his hip, his fingers brushing the cool, constellation-embossed cover of the **Book of Sage Wisdom**. It hummed faintly under his touch, a reservoir of infinite knowledge.

"Alright, Book," he murmured mentally, projecting his query. "Time to cash in. Tell me about the Celestial Empyrean Taoist. Everything. Who is he? Where is he? What's his deal? How do I... you know, eventually get strong enough to maybe say hi? Or, ideally, get him to take a swing at me?"

The Book pulsed. A complex interplay of light shimmered across its surface, runes swirling like galaxies. Then, a crisp, slightly disapproving mental notification appeared:

**[Query: Celestial Empyrean Taoist.]**

**[Access Level: Host - Peak Nascent Soul Realm. Insufficient.]**

**[Cosmic Entity Classification: Tier 0 - Primordial/Transcendent.]**

**[Basic Information Unlocked:]**

* **Designation:** The Celestial Empyrean Taoist. Also referred to in fragmented ancient texts as: The First Breath, The Weaver of Dao, The Unbound.

* **Status:** Highest Known Being. Presumed to have transcended conventional cultivation realms and existence as commonly understood. Status: Ascended/Beyond.

* **Known Association:** Primary Mount: Celestial Empyrean Dragon (Juvenile stage observed). The bond is described in myth as symbiotic, transcending master/servant dynamics. The Taoist is believed to have shaped the dragon's nascent consciousness from raw cosmic potential.

* **Influence:** Theoretical. Believed to be the progenitor or fundamental architect of the underlying principles governing Dao, Qi, and potentially multiple cosmic cycles. Direct intervention in mortal or even immortal affairs is undocumented and considered improbable. Existence is often conflated with the fundamental laws of reality itself.

* **Cultivation Path:** Unknown. Presumed to be a state beyond established realms (Profound Immortal and hypothesized higher tiers). Referred to in allegory as "Walking the Unwritten Dao" or "Being the Brushstroke."

* **Warning:** Premature contemplation of Tier 0 entities can induce severe cognitive dissonance, Dao Deviation, or spontaneous existential unraveling. Access to deeper records requires Host cultivation at minimum: **Cosmic Ascendant Realm (Hypothesized - Post Profound Immortal)**. Further details restricted.

Zhao Tian stared at the information, a mixture of profound awe and intense frustration warring within him. *Highest Known Being. Progenitor of Dao. Beyond cultivation realms.* The scale was... incomprehensible. And the Book basically told him he was an ant asking about the nature of fire to a supernova. The juvenile Void Tribulation dragon he was *riding* was just the Taoist's *pet*, shaped from cosmic goo!

"So... basically God," Zhao Tian muttered aloud, earning a curious glance from Bai Xue, who quickly returned to her snowflake. "Or the programmer who wrote the universe's source code. And I need to be... what? A *Cosmic Ascendant*? Which probably comes *after* punching out some Half-Immortals?" He ran a hand through his hair. "This system really doesn't do half measures, does it? Throws me a universe-dragon babysitter and then tells me its *real* owner is basically untouchable because I haven't grinded enough XP yet."

He looked down at Long Wang's massive scales. The dragon seemed to sense his gaze. A low, thoughtful rumble vibrated through its limb, like distant thunder rolling through a mountain range. One colossal eyelid, a landscape of obsidian and starlight, slid partially closed in what might have been a slow, deliberate blink aimed backwards at him. There was an ancient intelligence in that gaze, a depth that held eons of memories Zhao Tian couldn't begin to fathom. Did it remember its creator? Was it waiting? Did it find its current situation – ferrying a Core-Formation-turned-Nascent-Soul lunatic and a traumatized ice-child – amusing or profoundly beneath it?

The frustration simmered, but it was quickly replaced by a familiar, burning determination. *Fine. Cosmic Ascendant it is. One realm at a time. And step one...* He focused his will, projecting a clear destination towards the dragon through their bond. *East. The Blazing Ember Mountains. Scarlet Lotus Sect.*

Long Wang's massive head swung slightly, aligning with the eastern horizon. The wings beat once, a movement that sent shockwaves through the atmosphere visible as ripples in the clouds far below. Their speed increased, the landscape blurring into streaks of green and brown and grey. The Eastern Territories awaited. With them, stronger enemies, bigger threats, and the next rung on the ludicrously high ladder towards a meeting with the being who might have written the rules Zhao Tian was so gleefully breaking.

Zhao Tian leaned back against the warm, humming scale, watching the world rush by beneath them. Bai Xue conjured a small, perfectly formed ice rabbit that hopped once before melting. Long Wang flew on, a silent, cosmic engine of power. The Book of Sage Wisdom rested heavily on Zhao Tian's hip, a reminder of how much he didn't know, and the dizzying heights he was compelled to climb. He smirked. However impossible the peak seemed, the climb itself promised to be gloriously, boundlessly interesting.