“Those who reach the extreme in emotions will reach the extreme in swordsmanship; one life, one path, one heart!” Unconsciously chewing over these words, Meng Qi suddenly had a gleam in his eyes. He was the fish of the Angler, belonging to the “Other Self.” To escape the hook and prove his own legend by following the old path of the ‘return of all selves’ was nearly impossible. However, the path of Master Da Lu emphasized distinction from the “Other Self” and detachment from external influences, attesting to a unique “Self,” which coincided perfectly with Meng Qi’s needs!
Currently, since he could not sense the countless “Other Selves,” he could only fish for the “True Self” of the Angler. By walking this path of emphasizing the “Self,” he might gradually separate from the Angler and find an opportunity to sever the fishing line. Although this would cause the abnormal fortune surrounding him to vanish, along with most of his extraordinary encounters and ability to turn danger into safety, he could regain his true self, leap out of the pond, and no longer be anyone’s fish. Moreover, in terms of characteristics, he would become infinitely close to a legend!
So how should he emphasize the unique “Self”? Meng Qi grew increasingly excited as question after question floated through his mind.
However, this seemed not too difficult to resolve, because there was a template right in front of him!
Master Da Lu withdrew his gaze from the strange flowers and rare grasses, his gentle expression receding, and calmly said, “You also wish to walk the path of ultimate emotion and self?”
“Eh…” These words struck Meng Qi’s heart, echoing exactly what he had just been thinking. Yet, he immediately furrowed his brow.
“‘Also’?”
Master Da Lu shook his head: “You and I differ in temperament and experience. As the old saying goes, ‘Those who learn from me shall live; those who imitate me shall die.'”
Meng Qi suddenly understood and bowed deeply: “Thank you, senior, for your guidance.”
Indeed, if at the beginning, before he had known the karmic entanglements and the halo of fortune bestowed upon him by powerful beings, he might have been able to pursue ultimate emotions. Now, however, it wasn’t that he would become emotionally promiscuous; a more accurate description would be that he remained devoted but no longer pursued extreme emotions. He simply couldn’t invest so much emotion and mental energy.
Of course, aside from these main points, there was another factor. To use a popular phrase from his previous life: First, you need to have a girlfriend.
This was truly a sad fact.
As for Gu Xiaosang, their relationship was more like mutual assistance on one occasion, although Meng Qi himself felt it was somewhat strange.
Master Da Lu did not mention the Six Paths, and Meng Qi, in mutual understanding, did not bring it up either. Watching him extend his hand and gently touch the Tree of the Great Dao, closing his eyes and concentrating on comprehension, Meng Qi realized that this “guidance” had come to an end.
The sun set in the west, its afterglow spilling over the mountain peaks—now blazing like gold, now crimson like blood. Master Da Lu opened his eyes and gave Meng Qi a slight nod before slowly walking to the side of the grave. Sitting cross-legged, a gentle smile appeared on his face, his few wrinkles and streaks of gray hair radiating warmth.
“Yu Yan, I’ve taken another step forward, no longer fearing interference from those who came before…” His voice was low and soft, devout and focused, as if the one sitting opposite him was not a grave but his wife, Ye Yu Yan.
The cold wind rose, and the flowers that never withered in any season swayed gently. A low voice entered his ears, calm and peaceful.
Meng Qi stood in front of the thatched cottage, silently watching Master Da Lu’s back for a while, then stepped forward at a steady pace, walking slowly along the small path leading down the mountain.
The moon shone brightly, stars were sparse, the night was cold with heavy dew, and Meng Qi walked forward step by step against the biting cold wind.
“With Master Da Lu’s sword strike, the karmic retribution from the wrath of gods and demons has ended. And my next mission is a year from now. Where should I go now?” Meng Qi knew he needed to quickly enhance his strength. Once he crossed the second tier of the Celestial Ladder and became a Grandmaster, his situation would completely change. He could negotiate with the Su Nu Sect, seek out the Yu Xu Palace, and the number of powerful experts in the world capable of seriously endangering his life would greatly decrease. But where should he go now for cultivation?
Return to the Chun Yang Sect and seek guidance once more from Senior Chong He? Study the Dao De Jing for a few more months? As his thoughts churned, Meng Qi’s mind kept flashing images of places he had visited or left deep impressions on.
Chang Le? Who knows whether his older brother is in a playful or cold-hearted state now!
Shen Du? He should stay away from the Su family to better protect them.
Xi Jian Ge? That could be a possibility. Zhi Wei would consult her master, and Su Wuming had been to the Eternity Valley, killed the “Dong Wang Gong,” and knew many things. Perhaps he could further enrich the description of Master Da Lu’s legend.
Meng Qi had just formed a rough idea when suddenly a thought popped into his mind: Bei Zhou, Huang Liang, Yu Yuan Snow Mountain!
Why did I think of him? As Meng Qi was puzzled, he suddenly froze. Huang Liang’s words from long ago echoed in his ears:
“Above all the various worlds lies a realm of true reality. At its core, it cannot be described by our thoughts or understanding. There is no before or after in time, no six directions in space, no cause and effect, no birth and death. In short, anything we can perceive is not truly it; they are merely illusory contents formed due to our differing inner natures.”
“Taoism calls it ‘Dao,’ Buddhism calls it ‘Tathagata’ or ‘Bodhi,’ and the Vedanta calls it ‘Para Brahman.'”
“Beyond the core, each school has its own interpretations, changing endlessly and forming a world—a condensation of laws and principles that do not change due to external things. Taoism calls it the Great Luo, Buddhism calls it the Pure Land, and Vedanta calls it ‘Apara Brahman.’ My sect calls both the core and its surroundings the ‘True Realm,’ a realm of true and unchanging reality since ancient times.”
“Beyond the ‘True Realm,’ sensing the different essence of it, various laws and principles are derived, combining with the elements of earth, fire, wind, water, metal, and wood, generating numerous different worlds. Perhaps in one of these worlds, a powerful being becomes an immortal, living forever. But as soon as the essence emanating from the ‘True Realm’ changes, the laws and principles of that world shift, and the immortal falls to dust, losing all power.”
“Perhaps in one of these worlds, a powerful being becomes an immortal, living forever. But as soon as the essence emanating from the ‘True Realm’ changes, the laws and principles of that world shift, and the immortal falls to dust, losing all power…” Meng Qi murmured the sentence, suddenly bursting into laughter.
The truth had always been right in front of him, yet he had remained blind to it all this time!
Hahaha! Meng Qi laughed so hard he crouched down, as if he had stomach pain—both mocking himself and rejoicing.
Wasn’t Master Da Lu’s sword strike a reenactment of the change in the laws and principles of heaven and earth, causing immortals to fall to dust and lose all power?
Moreover, Master Da Lu’s explanation supported this point. It wouldn’t work in the Nine Heavens, nor in Meng Qi’s own world, but it worked in the world of gods and demons, and he explicitly stated that it was due to the special nature of this world.
However, Meng Qi had been misled by Huang Liang’s incomplete and largely flawed theory. He had merely regarded the Nine Heavens, that is, the Immortal Realm, as the Great Luo, Pure Land, or Apara Brahman mentioned by Huang Liang, equating the Immortal Realm with the most fundamental Dao and calling both together the “True Realm.” Yet, various facts had been telling him all along that this world was special. Many cultivation techniques directly originated from ancient times, its history was the most complete, and the lineage from the Green Emperor—Medicine King Buddha—Moonlight Bodhisattva—Moon Mani Bodhisattva clearly demonstrated its uniqueness.
Moreover, the Myriad Phenomena Sect had retreated into a cave heaven from this world, and the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Patriarch was a genuine legendary figure. The nine Immortal Patriarchs’ tombs still sealed something away, clearly indicating the uniqueness of this world.
Perhaps the so-called “True Realm” included the fundamental Dao, the source of the laws and principles of immortality, and Meng Qi’s own world, while the world of gods and demons and other fragments of time and space not originating from this world belonged to the “Ten Thousand Realms,” the “various worlds” Huang Liang had mentioned. Once the essence emanating from the “True Realm” changed, the laws and principles of these worlds would also change, and powerful beings would instantly fall to dust. The only way out was to ascend before that happened, adapting and integrating with the laws and principles of the “True Realm,” just like Huang Liang himself!
In other words, only those who could slightly alter the essence emanating from the “True Realm” would at least possess some characteristics of legends?
Meng Qi once again entered that previous state, growing more and more excited as he thought. If that were the case, then the distinction between the Angler and the fish would become crystal clear!
Those originating from the “True Realm” were the Anglers. Their projections in various worlds, for unknown reasons, had developed relatively independent souls—the “fish.” Meng Qi had been pulled from Earth, so he saw things differently from the native Eternal Clan and others. He was in the position of the fish, not the Angler. In other words, the universe where Earth was located was a universe derived from the Immortal Realm or the “True Realm,” and there were countless such universes?
Wait! Meng Qi suddenly stopped laughing. Oh my god! Isn’t this almost in line with his own inner landscape construction and his worldview?
The different worlds represented by the acupoints around his body, the multiverse unified at a higher level as the Ten Thousand Heavens, that is, the Immortal Realm or the True Realm—not higher in power, but higher in essence. The Ten Thousand Heavens originated from the Dao, from the Primordial Unity, from the beginning of all things, the “Yuanshi Tianzun.” The only difference was that Meng Qi had always treated the world he was currently in as ordinary, which had kept him blind to the truth, witnessing many strange phenomena without reacting.
The near immortality and indestructibility of legends should refer to the disappearance of the “Other Selves” across infinite universes and different worlds, returning to become projections. Every moment, new universes or time-space fragments appear, so every moment new projections are born. As long as one projection survives, the legend does not perish.
A sudden realization struck Meng Qi like a bucket of icy water poured over his head, making him feel a refreshing sensation throughout his entire body. Understanding the key point, he gained a deeper insight into the universe, a feeling no different from having eaten a Ginseng Fruit, with every pore in his body opening in delight!
His eyes closed, his inner landscape rotated, and his flesh and bones slowly began to move. Outside the Ten Thousand Heavens represented by his internal organs, and on the different cosmic universes derived from his acupoints around his body, his own world was formed, with his blood vessels becoming bridges connecting the Ten Thousand Heavens and different universes…
His heart beat powerfully, his blood surged, and the thudding sound represented vigorous vitality. In this moment, Meng Qi felt his own universe resonating with the universe of heaven and earth, as if they wanted to merge into one!
Meng Qi opened his eyes, their depths as dark as ink. If one looked closely, one could see countless different scenes revolving within, ever-changing and dazzling.
A smile curled his lips, unable to suppress his joy, he burst into loud laughter and wanted to imitate Anan’s words:
So that’s how it is!
With Master Da Lu’s Dao, with entanglements of karma, with the cause of all causes, after becoming a Grandmaster, he could learn the skill “Past Events, Vanishing Like Smoke.” The fish in the pond, the pawn manipulated by powerful beings, seemed to have a chance to break free, although it would be difficult and slim. At least it was better than before, when he had been completely in the dark, without any direction or purpose!
Of course, more questions surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind. What was the relationship between the Angler and his “True Self” and “Other Selves”? Did it have anything to do with Su Zi Yuan? Where did the Journey to the West world and the Fengshen world, which were clearly different from the Ten Thousand Realms and not purely part of the Ten Thousand Heavens, stand in the broader universe? How did they compare to his own world in importance, and what was their relationship?
However, these did not affect Meng Qi’s mood. After slight adjustments to his inner landscape and a sense of breakthrough, his promotion to Grandmaster might come faster than expected!
Haha! His laughter echoed far away as Meng Qi engaged in the mischievous act of disturbing someone’s peaceful dreams.
“Who’s that despicable person disturbing this old beggar’s dream?” A hoarse, aged voice rose from nearby.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage