Chapter 10: First Departure from the Mountain (Part 2)

  Ling Yu Zi gazed at Hai Long with envy, saying in a low voice: "Young one, you're in luck this time. Wait for me, I'll go get your Seven Repairs Sword." He quickly ran towards Ling Tong Zi's room. In almost just a few breaths' time, he was already back. With his own hands, he placed the Seven Repairs Sword on Hai Long's back and said in a low voice: "Be careful with everything, you must listen to Master's words."

  Hailong looked at his masters with some reluctance, just wanting to say something, but heard the ethereal Daoist say: "Don't dawdle. Let's go." A surge of powerful energy rose up, and Hailong felt as if he was surrounded by clouds. When he came to from his shock, he suddenly found himself already in mid-air. The ethereal Daoist's immortal form floated beside him. Below his feet was a layer of blue-green cloud, which he stood on as if it were solid ground, feeling no discomfort at all. Although the distant mountain peaks kept sliding past him, Hailong didn't feel even a hint of wind blowing from them.

  "Fairy sister, why can you fly in the sky without using a flying sword?"

  Piaoyu Daozun smiled and said, "Tangyu, didn't I just tell you to call me Ancestor? In the Lianyun Sect, I am three generations higher than you. At my level, flying swords are no longer needed, and even magical treasures will not be used unless absolutely necessary. The cloud under your feet is a product of my magical power, called Qingling Cloud. When you reach the Xiaju realm in the future, you will naturally have it too."

  "Haha, Fairy Sister, you're really too beautiful, and you look so young. The words 'ancestors' sound awkward when used to address you. How about this? When there are others around, I'll call you Ancestors, but when we're alone, I'll still call you Fairy Sister. It sounds more natural that way. And besides, even if it were a fairy, she probably wouldn't be as beautiful as you."

  Piaoyu Daozun smiled slightly and said, "You're just good at talking nonsense. Do as you please."

  Hailong was delighted to see Daozun speaking so kindly, "Thank you, Fairy Sister. Ah! By the way, Fairy Sister, from now on, please don't call me Tangyu anymore, it sounds like a phlegm bowl. Call me by my original name instead. My name is Hailong."

  "Sea Dragon?" The two words seemed to remind the Drifting Way Master of something, and a hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

  "Fairy sister, my home is in a small village just outside the mountain range, about 100 miles away. I have a good friend there too. It was he who brought me to Lianyun Mountain Range in the first place, but unfortunately his family had parents, so in the end he didn't become a disciple of our Lianyun Sect. I'd like to go see him, do you think it's okay?"

  Dao Zun snapped back to his senses, shaking his head: "You little monkey, don't be too presumptuous. You've already displeased Ninth Sister, and now time is really pressing - we're representing the Lianyun Sect on this trip, so we absolutely can't be late; we must fly directly to the Fanxin Sect. If fate permits it, you and your friend will meet sooner or later. Moreover, haven't you noticed that we've already left the Lianyun Mountains' range? We're now 500 miles away from the Lianyun Mountains."

  Hailong tried every means to escape from the Lianyun Mountains, one of the main reasons being that he wanted to see Zhang Hua. But when he heard what the mysterious Taoist master said, he knew he had no hope. He couldn't help but feel a little downcast as he thought about Zhang Hua's frail figure. After all, they had grown up together since childhood, and how he wished he could be with his brother!

  Piaoyu Daozun looked at his distressed appearance, and inexplicably felt a pang in her heart. She consoled him, "Alright, don't think too much about it. When we return, time will be plentiful. I'll take you there then."

  Hailong's eyes lit up, and his depressed mood suddenly became excited. "Thank you, Fairy Sister. You're really good to me."

  Dao Zun smiled helplessly, thinking to himself: This time I've brought this little guy along, but I really don't know if it's right or wrong. Why do I always have an inexplicable good feeling about him? Is it just because of that sentence he said about wanting to marry me? No, no, with my over 2,000 years of Dao heart, how could I be so easily moved? Ah, perhaps all of this is just fate. Fate brings people together, and there's nothing one can do about it.

  The dragon saw the ethereal Daoist lord and didn't dare to speak, nor did he want to interrupt. He looked around, watching as countless white clouds flew rapidly beneath his feet, feeling the stable azure spiritual cloud. His entire body's blood seemed to be boiling over. The ethereal Daoist lord's extraordinary appearance seemed so lofty and unattainable. He understood that with his current state, no one in the cultivation world would look at him with favor. Let alone someone as powerful as the ethereal Daoist lord, who had already reached the realm of the Great Dao. There was never a time when the dragon felt such a strong desire for power, his emotions stirring up, and the spiritual energy within him surging and churning.

  Feeling the change in Hailong, Xiaoyao Daozun thought he was excited because of his sudden contact with the outside world. He said calmly: "Don't think too much, keep your mind calm and peaceful, otherwise it will be detrimental to your cultivation."

  Hailong was startled by the words of Daozun, and he suddenly remembered his situation after waking up from meditation. He couldn't help but ask: "Fairy sister, I recently saw an unusual scene during my cultivation, I don't know if it's a sign of walking fire into madness."

  "What kind of abnormal phenomenon? It's true that hallucinations can occur when one is on the verge of going berserk, but they can also appear when one's cultivation is elevated. Describe the situation to me in detail."

  Hai Long nodded and said, "It was like this. Last time I entered meditation for a very long time. When the cultivation was about to end, I saw many complex and intersecting rivers circulating repeatedly. The water in the river was green and emitted a faint glow. Although the countless rivers were chaotic, their running trajectories had many similarities, and they all eventually flowed into a green lake, just like what is said in our Tian Xin Decree - 'the sea accepts all rivers'. Is this a good phenomenon or not?"

  Dao Zun's beautiful eyes widened in shock as he stared at the lowest-ranking disciple of Lianyun Sect, unable to speak for a long time.

  Hai Long was slightly stunned, feeling the faint scent of Yu Xian's body, his heart couldn't help but be enchanted, and a surge of impulse made him lean in closer to Yu Xian's delicate body. His heart skipped a beat, Hai Long hastily lowered his head, no longer daring to look directly at his ancestor, secretly scolding himself for having low self-control.

  After a while, the dragon couldn't bear the silence and asked, "Fairy sister, what's wrong with you? Is this a good sign or an omen of going crazy?"

  "Could it be that you're a genius? According to what you said, the scene you saw should be the situation inside your own body. But you're only at the initial stage of Fow Tiger! How could you have the ability to see internally, this is truly unbelievable. To think that ordinary cultivators can't even see the flow of energy within their bodies until they reach the Realm of Realization. It seems that you really are exceptionally gifted!"

  Hearing her words, Hailong suddenly felt relieved and laughed: "As long as it's a good omen, thank you, Fairy Sister, for helping me dispel my doubts. Now I can rest assured."

  "Work hard at your cultivation. Who knows, maybe one day you'll become the first person to achieve immortality in our Lianyun Sect after our Ancestor."

  Hearing the mention of the ancestors and becoming an immortal, the dragon's interest suddenly increased, asking: "Fairy sister, could it be that in the million years since our Yunzong was founded, not a single person has been able to reach the realm of immortality? What about those ancestors before you, where did they go? There must have been people among them who broke through the mortal realm and didn't die."

  Dao Zun sighed faintly and said, "It's not easy to become an immortal. None of us have ever seen Lian Yun Zu Shi, we only know that he succeeded in ascending to immortality from the classics left behind by him. As for what the fairy world is like, we don't know anything about it. Indeed, before our nine ancestors, there were dozens of ancestors with high qualifications who passed through the realm of no fall. However, they are all gone now, and none of them can become immortals."

  Looking at the Dao Zun's somewhat decadent and silent appearance, the Sea Dragon's heart tightened, and he asked: "Why is that? Anyway, it has already reached the state of not falling, and it is not restricted by its lifespan. It will be able to pass through the heavenly tribulation and become an immortal in the future. Since there are dozens of ancestors, can't even one of them pass through the heavenly tribulation and become a celestial being? This heavenly tribulation is too abnormal."

  The Daoist priest smiled and said, "None of us have seen the Heavenly Tribulation before, nor do we know if it's as abnormal as you say. However, one thing is certain: none of our Cloud Sect can get through it, nor can the other six major sects. Those dozens of ancestors had only three outcomes. You might not know that cultivating for thousands of years is extremely painful, especially after reaching an extremely high realm. This feeling will become stronger and stronger, even people with strong determination find it hard to bear. Perhaps you won't believe me, but among those ancestors, half were tortured to death by loneliness, and they chose to end their endless lives with suicide. It's probably because of a lack of determination. So later on, when we recruit disciples, having a strong determination is the top requirement. That's enough, don't ask more questions."

  "Suicide? How foolish can they be, this world is so wonderful! Even if you want to try all the delicious food, it would take a very long time. And yet there are people who complain that their lives are too long. I, I just can't accept it." Originally he wanted to say "I don't believe it", but when he saw the desolate expression on Daoren's face, he changed his words.

  Dao Zun said faintly, "I didn't believe it when my master mentioned this situation before, but the fact is in front of me. I'm already tired of this life. Although I've reached the realm of the Great Way, to ascend to the stage of completion will take at least another two thousand years. These days are really too depressing. If everyone were as optimistic as you, there wouldn't be any suicides. One of the other two reasons is also suicide."

  "Hai Long exclaimed: 'Is it still suicide? Is the ultimate outcome of cultivating immortality really just suicide?'"

  Piao Yu Dao Zun gazed into the distance, sighing: "Perhaps it is. However, this second type of self-destruction is a selective suicide. When one's cultivation reaches a certain level, we can possess our own yuan Shen and control it to roam freely between heaven and earth. Some powerful cultivators can clearly feel that they are unable to resist the heavenly tribulation, so in order not to let their physical body and spirit be destroyed together, they often choose to undergo 'Bing Jie'. Bing Jie may end the life of the physical body, but the yuan Shen is immortal. Within a very short period after Bing Jie, the one who underwent it can still control their yuan Shen with the intention force gained from long-term cultivation. As long as before the intention force ends, they can infuse their yuan Shen into a new life form, then their cultivation and Dao lineage would be preserved in another form. If they start cultivating again, they will progress much faster than ordinary people. Moreover, they will have more experience with cultivation. Earlier you said you already possess the ability of inner vision, so I wonder if you might be one of our Lian Yun Sect's ancestors who underwent Bing Jie and infused their yuan Shen into you. But looking at your appearance, it doesn't seem quite right; otherwise, your cultivation should be more than this."

  Hai Long smiled wryly: "Who would infuse their yuan Shen into someone like me? My sixth master once said that my qualifications aren't good. Even if they wanted to choose, they wouldn't be able to choose me. It seems that being a soldier is quite good! As long as I restart my cultivation, won't I have a great chance of becoming an immortal?"

  Dao Zun smiled faintly and said, "It's not as good as you think. The dissolution of the army is a desperate act that is often used when disaster is about to strike, and it carries great danger. First, after the dissolution of the army, whether or not the primordial spirit successfully finds a new body, the original intention of the dissolver will also disappear. That means if I dissolve my primordial spirit and give it to you, you will become its owner, and I will no longer have any control over it. This is something that even we who see through everything find difficult to do. Second, finding a suitable new body is crucial. If the quality of the found body is too poor, even if there is a primordial spirit with potential abilities to help, this new body cannot become a cultivator with high attainments, let alone an immortal. The most terrifying thing is that there may not be any available new bodies at all. Once the dissolver's intention disappears, their primordial spirit can only become a lonely ghost or demon. Those demonic cultivators often capture such primordial spirits to refine them into powerful magical instruments. This is what we cultivators fear the most. Finally, if the primordial spirit finds a new body but cannot fuse with it well, not only will the primordial spirit dissipate, but also the body that cannot accept the primordial spirit will die. This is something we do not want to see happen. We cultivators have always cherished every life, and when faced with such a situation, we would rather our own primordial spirits disperse quickly than force it. The dissolution of the army is truly a terrifying term for me. Perhaps two thousand years later, I will face this difficult choice."