"Seventy years, and still too hasty in action!" Old Master Zhu shook his head at his old friend's methods: "To remedy the flaws in one's method, a gradual and orderly progression is also viable. You have already passed through the Four Nine Heavy Tribulations; with caution, there are still three thousand years ahead. The Sect's Mountain Gate has focused on nurturing the next generation for years, and that is the proper path.
"Among the third generation of disciples, regarding talent and prospects, Elder Jie Liang should be ranked first, with others like Su Ji Ren, Xie Yan, Yang Yin, Uncle Lu De, and the like all having prospects of longevity; and in the *** there are even more countless talents in the making, your years of bleak management have finally come to the time of harvest. Wouldn't a thousand years of patience far surpass the absurdity of the current situation?"
Fang Hui couldn't help but give a wry smile: "Those children are unaware, and you too? Since the Thunderbolt Tribulation, the Cultivation World has been undercurrents surging, especially after the decisive battle between the Rakshasa Ghost King and the Great Mysterious Demon Mother in the Sky Rift Valley, the line from Broken Realm Mountain to Sky Rift Valley has been shrouded in persistent gloom, unpredictable.
"And as for the position of God Lord, since Rakshasa Ghost King ascended, the Five Great Divine Lords of heaven and earth have remained unchanged for twelve Thunderbolt Tribulation periods. Yet now, there is talk that some seek to add more ranks behind the Five Great Divine Lords, to become Six Great Divine Lords, Seven Great Divine Lords, and there are at least seven or eight who qualify. The hierarchy of Earth Immortal Divine Lords is another matter, but under the current trend, it's clear the allure of God Lord is more compelling. Once the struggle commences, the likes of Great Brahma Demon King will stop at nothing, plunging living beings into misery. I guard the Sect, and should such a crisis arise, there is no choice but to face death; where is the leisure for 'gradual progression'?"
"The rise and fall of the Sect are but fleeting clouds; in the face of the grand scheme of heaven and earth, what are they worth mentioning?"
Old Master Zhu seemed to sigh with emotion, then suddenly smiled: "Ha, you must accuse me of being sour again! Let it be, I no longer concern myself with the changes in this realm, nor am I able to. Rather, it's the matter at hand... Brother Fang, while time is an unstoppable force of heaven and earth, the human heart is the most difficult 'instrument' to master in this world. To seek perfection amidst such dilemmas, one needs not only courage and decisiveness but also to pray for a bit of luck from the heavens."
After a pause, he sighed again: "There is also one person here who seems to follow this approach."
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Under the golden light of the Yang Spirit, Yu Ci's consciousness immediately became blurred, the voices of Xing Tian and Shadow Ghost already distant.
A muffled explosion sounded both above the Sea of Spirit and within his heart, as his thoughts were fragmented into countless pieces, with tens of thousands dissipating every moment. As his thoughts rose and fell, he could barely feel his own existence.
The reason it was 'barely' was that he hadn't completely lost consciousness.
But it wasn't due to his own will; rather, it was because a part of his thoughts, a fragment of his Yin Spirit, was being controlled by the golden light-transmitting Colored Glaze delicate palm. More precisely, it was enveloped by a layer of yin-yang mist that diffused from the center of the palm.
In the primordial dance of opposing yet complementary forces, the primordial Qi formed a vortex of chaos, drawing in the scattered thoughts and wills, seemingly intent on obliterating them with its overwhelming dominance. Yet it preserved a sliver of self-awareness, toying with it in the palm of its hand.
He ought to have been enraged, but that fragment of self-awareness had lost the capacity for emotional response. Devoid of joy or anger, bereft of despair, it simply existed, and nothing more.
A subtle shift then occurred.
As the Yin Spirit shattered, at the fine line between life and death, his thoughts became pure and unobstructed.
In that moment, Yu Ci forgot the venomous fire that constantly scorched his heart. All burdens cast aside, there remained only a single, unadulterated intention, pure and focused with unparalleled concentration, devoted entirely to the present situation.
The scripture states: "Only by concentrating one's essence to a point of singularity, holding true to the core," and further advises: "When the will is undivided, it solidifies into spirit."
Without realizing it, Yu Ci had filled his heart with an excess of emotions. Influenced by Yu Zhou, He Qing, Fang Hui, himself, and friends and elders from the Sect's Mountain Gate, he allowed these diversely motivated and differently aligned individuals to tug at his heart-mind. Conflicts erupted, obsessions formed, driving him to draw his sword in defiance, boldly opposing a True Immortal.
Setting aside right and wrong, how could he wield his "Fine Line Between Life and Death" true divine power with such heavy emotions and fixations?
Of course, even now, he hadn't truly penetrated the mystery, but what did it matter? Even if it was passive, temporary, he had entered the most familiar and mysterious state—a state where with a single sword stroke, hand, eye, heart, and courage became one, seizing the slimmest chance to flip the scales of life and death.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Still trapped within He Qing's control, still vulnerable to manipulation, he remained unaffected. His spirit platform was clearer than ever before, like a mirror reflecting everything that transpired outside.
A "clang" of sword resonance emanated from the chest cavity of He Qing's flesh body, floating above the Sea of Spirit.
He Qing's assault on his Yin Spirit, the broken curse oath, triggered a backlash of the Heart-Splitting Sword Lock. The first consequence was the detonation of all the Heart Demon Calamity Fiends absorbed and resisted by the sword lock in previous days, launching an assault on He Qing's Yang Spirit—a "Ten Thousand Demons Devouring the Heart."
Such a backlash was utterly indefensible. In an instant, the golden light of He Qing's Body of the Yang Spirit dimmed, and a pitch-black shadow exploded from its core. Wherever the shadow passed, her dignified and beautiful face twisted grotesquely, nearly losing form, while a layer of dark Demon Fire seemed to ignite around her, threatening to incinerate He Qing's Yang Spirit at any moment!
The result of "Ten Thousand Demons Devouring the Heart" was the dissipation of spiritual wisdom. Following this process, within a few breaths, He Qing's consciousness would either evaporate in the Demon Fire or be occupied and devoured by the Heart Demon. Her Yang Spirit would, in the days to come, transform into an Outer Sky Calamity Demon, falling into the ranks of the Outer Realm Sky Demons.
However, Yu Ci knew it would not be so, for from the beginning to the end, a shard of golden light remained unaffected by the demonic Thunderbolt Tribulation.
That was the fragment of Yu Ci’s Yin Spirit, encircled by the energies of Yin and Yang. The current situation could hardly be considered dual cultivation, yet the auras of both sides merged harmoniously, indistinguishable due to the powerful assimilating force of the Yin and Yang energies. The ferocity of the external Thunderbolt Tribulation was formidable, but upon contact with this layer of Yin and Yang energies, it was soothed.
Yu Ci was beginning to understand.
In the end, the “Heart-Splitting Sword Lock,” with the Passing Water Sword as its core, was still fundamentally designed to “not harm Yu Ci.” The Sword Spirit within adhered to Yu Zhou’s intention, and even if an oath backfired, it would not harm Yu Ci. He Qing was exploiting this, seizing the opportunity for a reprieve. Plainly put, she was using Yu Ci as a shield.
As for why this approach wasn't used to fully preserve the Body of the Yang Spirit...
Within his chest, the Heart-Splitting Sword Lock sounded again. This time, the oath backfire had reached the stage of “Dao Foundation Destruction.” The sword aura's cursed power amalgamated into an unstoppable annihilating force, and with but a single blow, the surrounding Yin and Yang energies were the first to collapse!
Only then did Yu Ci realize that the Yin and Yang energies were also one of He Qing’s Dao foundations, and then there was... the Fish-Dragon? He seemed to have already witnessed the destruction of Shan Gu, but then, the annihilating strike was eerily halted, as if a tide had met a dam, swirling and rolling back.
“Those two divine unions!”
His thoughts were clear, and his judgment swift. Suddenly, Yu Ci gained a new understanding of those two experiences. Indeed, those times, especially the one at the Star-Picking Pavilion, were clearly about drawing from his Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, using it now as another shield.
As the oath backfire was blocked for the second time, He Qing seized the opportunity to initiate a spell with her intent:
“Oath-Breaking Curse Severance, Heart-Splitting Soul Division, snap!”
With the auras of both sides merged, He Qing’s intent was crystal clear. Accompanying this spell, it seemed as though an invisible sword slashed through the void, and the remaining segment of the golden Colored Glaze body was abruptly severed from the line of attack of the Thunderbolt Tribulation, splitting the Yang Spirit in two.
The pain must have been intense, for He Qing let out a piercing scream that shook the Sea of Spirit, its echoes lingering long after.
And at the onset of her outcry, a pitch-black Demon Shadow soared, a small piece of golden light fell, and directly entered the crown of He Qing’s flesh body, which floated above the Sea of Spirit.
Yu Ci found it difficult to thoroughly comprehend the profound mysteries, for at the moment when He Qing's Yang Spirit split, he could no longer afford to concern himself with the fragments of his Yin Spirit. Unprotected, the shattered Yin Spirit evaporated swiftly into the air. At this moment, Yu Ci harbored no negative emotions, only a calm determination to seek a way to return to his origin.
Just then, as if sensing his plight, a dark shadow enveloped him—it was the soaring pitch-black Demon Shadow. Self-igniting Demon Fire surged towards him, clearly mistaking the fragments of Yu Ci's Yin Spirit for food.
As the Demon Shadow was about to consume him, Yu Ci's mind suddenly stirred. Above the Sea of Spirit, the "Suspended Bright Moon," which had not changed for a long time, emitted a halo of light that enveloped the dark Demon Shadow. The Treasure Mirror's suction, which had been utterly ineffective against He Qing's Yang Spirit, now proved to be the opposite. The Demon Shadow, without even a whimper, was enclosed by the ring of light and forcibly pulled in.
With a heart clear as a mirror, and the mirror reflecting the heart, Yu Ci, guided by the Treasure Mirror, returned to his origin in a flicker of thought.
Once he had returned, the True Divine of life and death that he had maintained on the outside penetrated the fragmented Sea of Consciousness. It served as a beacon with its distinct sense of presence. The imprints etched deep within the Divine Soul responded, and the shattered thoughts, like rivers returning to the sea, quickly gathered and reconstituted the Yin Spirit.
Yu Ci opened his eyes, the injury to his Yin Spirit still unhealed, a sense of weakness spreading throughout his body. Before he could further inspect his condition, a hissing sound by his ear drew his gaze to the Passing Water Sword blade, protruding from He Qing's chest, flickering with a strange red light. In the next moment, her hand reached out, grasped the blade, and with a slight effort, pulled it out entirely and casually tossed it aside. Blood gushed from her chest, glinting with specks of gold.
At this moment, Yu Ci observed that He Qing's aura was exceedingly weak, far weaker than when they had first met, let alone after achieving Taoism Immortality.
Yet Yu Ci did not underestimate her; in fact, what right did he have to do so?
The female cultivator did not look at him but instead smiled gently, raising her head to look at the Treasure Mirror's moon disc: "Capable of devouring a Sky Demon, it seems to have an innate advantage, but indeed, it is a rare treasure."
Then she turned to Yu Ci and explained:
"There's no need for alarm. Outsiders only know the 'Heart-Splitting Sword Lock' as a unique defensive charm of the He family against Heart Demon Calamity Fiends. The family's sole Thunderbolt Tribulation Method is also derived from this charm. The phrase 'splitting the heart' refers to the technique of severing the Divine Soul's life force to eradicate all negative influences, to eliminate the count of Thunderbolt Tribulations, and to attain the pure true form of the Yang Spirit. It is about 'giving up' to 'gain,' and therein lies the essence."
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