Volume V: First Signs of Brilliance - Chapter 7: What is the Heavenly Dao?

Autumn Wind looked up and down, noticing a faint layer of golden light surrounding Li Qing. This was the unmistakable sign of an impending ascension to immortality, and he immediately asked in astonishment, "Could it be that your celestial tribulation is finally at hand?"

With a smile on his lips, Li Qing stroked his goatee and nodded. "Yes, it is almost upon me. My Nascent Soul has been throbbing violently these past few days."

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Not only did Autumn Wind cup his hands in congratulation, but the crowd waiting nearby also beamed with radiant smiles as they offered their felicitations to Li Qing.

An ascending celestial emissary, upon achieving immortality, would attain at the very least the rank of a Superior Immortal. Furthermore, since Li Qing was a rare prodigy of his generation, there was a much higher probability that he would become a Golden Immortal, or perhaps even—a Great Monad Golden Immortal! This was why these government-employed guards of the grand formation were acting with such flattery toward Li Qing.

"Mutal congratulations!" Li Qing cupped his hands in a sweeping salute, then turned back to Autumn Wind. "When Brother Autumn reaches your centenary, you will experience this day as well."

Autumn Wind let out a slight sigh, the knot in his heart still unknotted. To attain immortality—how easy was that to say? He forced a smile and said, "I can only hope so."

Li Qing's old-fashioned, pompous demeanor resurfaced as he patted Autumn Wind on the shoulder. "Work hard. The future belongs to your generation."

Autumn Wind's expression became somewhat awkward, and even the crowd waiting on the sidelines curled the corners of their mouths, struggling fiercely to hold back their laughter.

"Actually, Brother Autumn, our strengths were not that drastically different back then. Do you know why you were defeated by me in just three moves?" Li Qing completely disregarded the dignity of the fiftieth-generation guiding celestial emissary, his expression turning solemn as he spoke.

"Autumn is dull-witted, and begs Brother to bestow his wisdom without reservation," Autumn Wind said. Seeing Li Qing's serious expression, he no longer dared to be dismissive, composing his face solemnly to ask.

With one hand behind his back and the other stroking his goatee, Li Qing slowly paced back and forth. "We who cultivate immortality devote our hearts entirely to the Heavenly Dao. Let me ask you, what is this Heavenly Dao?"

Autumn Wind was momentarily taken aback, but quickly replied with eloquence, "The Heavenly Dao is the path of coexistence for all things. Every blade of grass and every tree possesses the right and rule to survive. The Heavenly Dao we pursue is both order and nature. It is said that all paths return to the One; the Great Way of Heaven is nature, nature is the root of all things, and the root of all things is also order. As the saying goes, the Heavenly Dao rewards diligence; for every share of plowing, there is naturally a share of harvest."

Seeing the two guiding celestial emissaries discussing the Heavenly Dao, the surrounding crowd hurriedly held their breaths and quieted their minds to listen. Although the highest among them had already reached the realm of immortals and the lowest was at the Mahayana stage, they probably understood the reasons and purposes behind their pursuit of the Heavenly Dao far less than these two guiding celestial emissaries did.

This was precisely why, sometimes, even when opponents were equal in strength, actual combat turned out entirely differently.

Li Qing continued to stroke his goatee, turning his ear sideways to listen to Autumn Wind's insights. When he finished speaking, Li Qing smiled faintly and said, "Brother Autumn, I dare not say whether your insights are right or wrong. However, these insights are far too one-sided."

"Oh?" Autumn Wind raised an eyebrow stubbornly. "What high insights does Brother have?"

"The Heavenly Dao rewards diligence, and for every share of plowing, there is naturally a share of harvest. This saying has been a truth since ancient times. The so-called early bird catches the worm; if one's innate talent is insufficient, one overcomes it through hard work—there is nothing wrong with that. But let me ask you, why is it that some people toil for hundreds of years and still cannot attain immortality and achieve the position of an immortal, while others need no effort and ascend to immortality with absolute ease?"

An image of a person he deeply disliked flashed through Autumn Wind's mind.

"All paths return to the Ancestor. It is true that we pursue the Heavenly Dao and we pursue nature, but how to borrow this power of nature into oneself and make it one's own is the fundamental purpose of cultivating immortality. Therefore, my Heavenly Dao is: What I wish, I can!" Li Qing stared at Autumn Wind and smiled, the wrinkles on his aged face layering upon one another.

"What I wish, I can?" Autumn Wind muttered to himself, falling into deep contemplation.

If the dialogue between these two were viewed from a philosophical perspective, Li Qing's viewpoint leaned toward idealism, whereas Autumn Wind's viewpoint leaned toward materialism. However, the affairs of cultivating immortality could never be guessed by ordinary logic; those principles from Earth simply did not work in the Immortal Realm.

Seeing Autumn Wind lowering his head in deep thought, Li Qing nodded slightly. He had done all that he could; he truly did not wish to see such a promising sapling ruined just like that. The rest depended entirely on the fortitude of his own mind.

"My lord, once we step out of the grand formation and return to the Immortal Realm, you won't need to meet people looking like this anymore, will you?" a Mahayana-stage cultivator asked Li Qing with a smile.

Everyone knew that Li Qing's self-created illusion technique could mimic the appearance of anyone whatsoever, and could even imitate spiritual pressure fluctuations to perfection. In past years, he had used this spell to deceive countless beautiful female cultivators, earning himself the title of the Night-Harvesting Rose. Seeing him actually maintaining this appearance at the moment, the cultivator couldn't help but offer a reminder, with the subtext being: an old man's appearance is utterly incapable of seducing women.

Li Qing smiled faintly. "I am no longer the person I was a century ago. This is my true appearance. In pursuing the Heavenly Dao, one cannot serve two masters. In the past—sigh, I was simply too full of youthful vigor." Li Qing wore a dignified expression, his cheeks bathed in a halo of sacred radiance.

The crowd was startled, composing their expressions into slight bows. "We have been instructed." At the same time, they inwardly cursed: If we believe you, even a sow could climb a tree.

Autumn Wind furrowed his brows tightly, still pondering Li Qing's words, drawing a modicum of inspiration from them.

Li Qing reached out and patted his shoulder. "There is plenty of time yet. We will need to spend a hundred years beside the Immortal-Nurturing Lake; there will be plenty of opportunities and time for you to explore the Heavenly Dao in the future."

Autumn Wind offered a bitter smile, reaching out to pinch the storage ring on his finger. Within it lay a tie that bound his heart, yet he was forced to put on a cheerful facade. "Brother is right."

Li Qing's gaze swept over Autumn Wind's ring, and without leaving a trace, he said, "The hour has come; Brother Autumn should enter the formation."

"Right," Autumn Wind nodded, then suddenly recalled Li Chengzhu's instructions. "By the way, Brother, that disciple you took in within the grand formation has now settled down. His two wives are waiting for you in Rainbow City, saying they have matters to report."

"Oh? He has already settled down? And he has two wives?" Li Qing's goatee twitched as he asked in astonishment.

"Yes, it is a magnificent romance in the Immortal Realm—two immortal maidens serving a single husband," Autumn Wind said, full of envy.

"Very well, I shall go take a look in Rainbow City first."

"Your message has been delivered, Brother. I am entering the formation."

At the same time, the immortal guarding the grand formation let out a long howl: "The hour has arrived, the guiding celestial emissary returns to his post!"

Autumn Wind bowed slightly to Li Qing and the gathered crowd, then turned to Li Qing. "Brother, when my century is up, I will come find you to explore the Heavenly Dao once more."

"Very well," Li Qing nodded, then waved his hand. "Go."

With the desolate autumn wind, he drifted into the formation.

Li Qing stroked his beard as he watched the back of this fiftieth-generation guiding celestial emissary, sighed inwardly, and then cupped his fists to the others. "I am also leaving."

"Please!"

Across the boundless firmament, there were no clouds and no sun. Once inside the formation, it revealed a vast, blinding expanse of white, with only fierce gales howling, whipping their white robes into a violent flutter.

Observing this person riding a sword through the wind: red lips and white teeth, a jade-like face facing the gale, a square scholar's cap perched atop his head, dressed in a white lake-silk long gown, secured with an amber-studded belt, and wearing gem-inlaid boots—he was truly a genuine, bona fide pretty boy.

At this moment, Autumn Wind was still pondering the parting words Li Qing had spoken. He had been inside the formation for a full day, yet they had not yet crossed the Immortal Prohibition Zone. His divine sense penetrated the jade slip grasped in his hand; the route had long been clearly marked upon it. As long as he flew according to this route, he naturally wouldn't get lost. Moreover, this passage was exclusively for guiding celestial emissaries and ascending immortals. Barriers had been deployed outside the passage, so no immortal beasts would come to disturb him, which was why Autumn Wind had the leisure of mind to ponder Li Qing's words.

When he met him during the competition a century ago, he was already at the mid-Mahayana stage, while Li Qing was long a master of the late-Mahayana stage. Although their cultivation levels differed by a grade, it shouldn't have resulted in a defeat within three moves.

Recalling the scenario of his battle with him back then, Li Qing hadn't even drawn his immortal artifact. With a few casually cast spells, before he could even recover his wits, Li Qing's flying sword was already resting against his neck.

He knew those spells himself, but the speed at which Li Qing cast them was something he could never hope to catch up with. Furthermore, regarding the micro-control of spells, Li Qing had truly reached the realm of "what I wish, I can."

It was precisely because of that defeat that he had diligently practiced spell micro-control and spell coordination over the past hundred years. But looking at it now, Li Qing not only used spells better than him, but his mindset was also vastly superior to his own.

What I wish, I can! Is this the ultimate pursuit of the Heavenly Dao? Autumn Wind began to doubt the Heavenly Dao he had pursued all along.

Two figures, one white and one gray, flashed before his eyes, blocking his path. Startled, Autumn Wind hurriedly reined in his momentum. When he finally collected his wits, he realized he had completely forgotten about another matter, and looked at the two of them with sudden shame.

Big Boss Li stared angrily at Autumn Wind. "Damn it, you've been running inside the formation for a whole day! The people outside the grand formation can't sense our presence anymore, so what the hell are you still sprinting like crazy for? If I hadn't left a backdoor, you'd probably have been carried all the way to the Immortal-Nurturing Lake."

Autumn Wind offered an awkward smile. "Apologies, I was too absorbed in my thoughts."

Li Chengzhu cast a cold, sideways glance at him. "That old coot said those things to you?"

"Old coot?" Autumn Wind was stunned, then immediately realized Li Chengzhu was referring to Li Qing. He gave a dry cough and nodded.

"Don't listen to his nonsense; he's only good at hoodwinking people," Li Chengzhu waved both hands dismissively.

Yuan Mu curled his lip from the side. *Motherfucker, who knows who's the one good at hoodwinking people? You said you'd take me to see Xia Mai and Ke Ba's Nascent Souls, only to trick me into the Blood-Crimson Ring. If I hadn't been afraid of that spatial collapse and the pleading of those eight Nascent Souls, I would have blown that space to smithereens long ago.*

*Damn it, entering the Immortal Prohibition Zone without authorization—if the Immortal Emperor finds out, I probably won't even have my divine sense left to run away!* At this thought, Yuan Mu couldn't help shivering, and glared fiercely at Li Chengzhu.

Only then did Autumn Wind notice that Yuan Mu had also tagged along, and pointing at him in astonishment, he asked, "Why did you come too?"

Yuan Mu was so angry his teeth were itching. "Ask him."

Big Boss Li smiled faintly and raised an eyebrow at Yuan Mu. "Taking a sightseeing tour, what's wrong with that?"