ragginovel Chapter 2428 General's Tomb
Chapter 2428 General's Tomb
Chapter 2428 General's Tomb
If a disciple of a sect is exceptionally talented and blessed with good fortune, then one day, this person will surpass all his fellow disciples, and even the sect leader and the supreme sect leader.
When that day comes, his sect will be unable to offer him any help, and may even become a burden. He will have mastered the sect's inherited techniques to their fullest extent, and no one will be able to guide him anymore.
This person knew that in a very distant place, there existed another sect, far more powerful than his own, with richer cultivation resources and more profound techniques…
Different people may make different choices.
Some people will not hesitate to leave their master's sect and join that powerful sect to pursue the Great Dao in a wider world.
Some people choose to stay and work diligently to lead their sect to grow into a sect that can rival that powerful sect.
The latter should be much more difficult than the former. But if the road to that powerful sect is full of thorns, even if the sect is full of talented people, only a few will eventually succeed.
Qin Sang wasn't sure whether those powerful beings in the spirit realm had found ascension too difficult and were forced to embark on the Mahayana path, or whether some had already taken that step and seen the bright future of the Mahayana path.
In any case, Qingyuan's words gave Qin Sang a completely new perspective on the relationship between cultivators and the vast world.
Nothing in this world is permanent. Living beings are born, grow old, get sick, and die. The world also goes through the cycle of formation, existence, decay, and emptiness. Is there an essential difference between the world and living beings?
Life is short, and the instinct of living beings is to reproduce. Even from the perspective of the Hinayana path, ascended cultivators may be seeds borne by the Great Thousand World. When everything in the Great Thousand World returns to death, these seeds can still carry the hope of the Great Thousand World and continue to grow.
A tree, a yellow talisman, a stone can all give birth to spirits, cultivate themselves to become immortals, and change their fate of death. So why can't the vast world remain forever? If living beings can cultivate themselves and become immortals, why can't the vast world?
A sentence suddenly flashed through Qin Sang's mind: "Is there a special destiny in the Immortal Realm?"
This leads to an ultimate question: What lies beyond the universe?
Think of the countless stars in the sky. According to Master Ning, each star is a microcosm.
The vast world is the cradle for the smaller worlds, and this universe in turn gives birth to the vast world.
If the Immortal Realm is a higher-level universe above this one, then the so-called Mahayana path might just be a delusion.
If the Immortal Realm is just one of countless stars, growing up from an ordinary world, it may simply stand out from the countless worlds simply because it was born earlier and went further.
Qin Sang's thoughts grew increasingly complicated, and her head began to throb. This was a question that only ascended cultivators could answer; she hadn't even ventured beyond the Great Thousand Worlds, so how could she possibly speak of the boundless universe…
Qingyuan waited quietly for Qin Sang to process what he had learned.
After a short while, Qin Sang sighed, "Thank you for your explanation, fellow Daoist. I have gained a lot of knowledge, but I have even more questions now."
As the saying goes, Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.
Whether human, demon, monster, mountain, rock, grass, or tree, they are all members of the spirit world, without any distinction.
Qin Sang reflected on his own actions. In order to cultivate the Mahayana Path of Slaughter and protect Qingyang Zhi, he had slaughtered the army that Lu Wang had sent to punish. From the perspective of the Spirit Realm, this might not necessarily be beneficial. Presumably, no Great Dao can benefit everyone; even the gods of the Divine Path can only protect one side.
If he were to truly embark on the path of Mahayana killing, what would he do to remain true to his heart while also benefiting the spirit world?
Qingyuan chuckled, "It's not just the Daoist who's puzzled; many things remain unresolved, which is why those fellow Daoists have been arguing endlessly. You must understand, the most irreconcilable thing in the world is Daoist conflict; it can be said to be the source of all fighting and killing in the cultivation world. The cultivators of the Hinayana path only compete for face, cultivation opportunities, and elixirs and treasures, spending most of their time in arduous cultivation in their caves. But once a Daoist conflict arises in the Mahayana path, everything is rejected; it's either you or me, completely annihilating the enemy's lineage. This could potentially affect an entire realm, leading to endless wars with terrifying consequences!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang felt a chill run down her spine.
This is not hard to understand. If an ambitious god-king appears in the divine path and wants to turn the spirit world into the world of the divine path, all the other paths outside the divine path, whether Mahayana or Hinayana, will be rejected. Regardless of whether they are otherworldly or worldly, they will be drawn into the struggle for the path, until the spirit world is completely turned into the divine world!
Of course, no matter which lineage it is, it is very difficult to eradicate other lineages. In the end, it will probably become like the countries in the mortal world, with many countries standing side by side.
But that also means endless fighting. This is no ordinary war; wars between cultivators can destroy the heavens and the earth!
A more likely outcome is that the spirit world, ravaged by war, will enter a state of 'decay' before the divine path can become the dominant force.
Qingyuan continued, "Someone proposed an ideal state, viewing the Spirit Realm as a country. In a country, there must be rulers, ministers, generals, and officials, as well as scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—none can be missing! Just like the three thousand Great Daos, since these Great Daos exist, there must be a reason for them. Why must it be a life-or-death struggle?"
Qin Sang's eyes lit up. "Is this why the Great Zhou has always existed?"
Of all the races in the spirit realm, the human race is the strongest.
On the surface, the human race reveres King Zhou, and the eight great continents encompass more than 90% of the human race. Apart from the Buddhist lands in the Western Regions, all sects and factions are subjects of the Great Zhou.
If all forces can reach a consensus in the court, it will become the general trend of the world, an unstoppable torrent!
Of course this is the ideal situation.
Is a debate about morality really something that can be resolved with just words?
The worst-case scenario is that the Great Zhou Dynasty splits apart, and war breaks out everywhere!
Qingyuan nodded. "That's only one aspect. Even if everyone is willing to compromise, we still need to resolve one issue first: who will be the ruler and who will be the subject? As far as I know, various schools of thought have been secretly developing for some time and have already gained momentum. For example, Yanzhou and Kanzhou are deeply influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. Several capitals in the southwestern Genzhou have been transformed into mechanical cities by the Mohists. And in the southeastern Zhenzhou, temples are everywhere, and the Taoist way is prevalent..."
Qingyuan glanced at Qin Sang as he finished speaking.
Qin Sang knew he was referring to the Dao Court. Now that they had returned to the Great Thousand World, they were certainly not content with being idle; they were just keeping a low profile for now.
"The position of the King of Zhou is still relatively stable, and he can still keep them within the borders of each state..." Qingyuan paused, then sighed softly, "I only hope that the debate in the court can have a result."
Qingyuan's wish is probably the wish of everyone in the world.
Qin Sang had visited four of the eight major states, all under the rule of the Great Zhou. They shared the same axle width for carts and the same written language, and their customs were largely similar. At least on the surface, those powers had to show some respect to the Great Zhou.
It turns out that the eight great continents have long been rife with undercurrents, perhaps just waiting for some kind of opportunity.
Besides the Great Zhou, there were also foreign tribes.
Beyond the spirit realm lies the demon realm.
The weakening of the boundary barrier and the impending demonic calamity are factors that cannot be ignored.
"This world is really going to be in chaos!" Qin Sang murmured, suddenly feeling a sense of urgency.
These matters were too heavy. After Qingyuan and Qin Sang had digested them, they talked about some interesting anecdotes to ease the atmosphere. "Because of everyone's understanding of the spirit world, they also have a different view on the heavenly tribulation."
"Oh?" Qin Sang showed an interested expression.
"Why is there a 49-day Heavenly Tribulation for Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation cultivators, a 69-day Heavenly Tribulation for Void Refining and Body Integration cultivators, and a Formless Tribulation for Mahayana cultivators?" Qingyuan asked rhetorically, then answered himself, "If we cultivators are like fruits or roots on a tree, then the nutrients a large tree can provide are limited. The 49-day and 69-day Heavenly Tribulations are the Spirit Realm's way of selecting the most abundant fruits and robust roots, eliminating the inferior ones, and providing nutrients to the most talented few. Whether they ascend to the Immortal Realm to propagate for the Spirit Realm, or stay and lead the Spirit Realm to leap forward, only they will not waste nutrients and have the most hope."
"Remove the dross and retain the essence".
Qin Sang subconsciously uttered four words, a statement that completely treats the spirit world as an entity with its own will and preferences.
“Perhaps this is a rule governing the operation of the universe,” Qingyuan said.
"But," Qin Sang couldn't imagine what a spirit realm with a world will would be like, and pressed on, "how do you explain the Calamity of No Form?"
"The Daoist has survived the Sixty-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. You should know that when a cultivator undergoes the Sixty-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, it will attract extraterrestrial demons..."
Before Qingyuan could finish speaking, Qin Sang suddenly understood many things.
"Perhaps the universe does not want powerful beings to be born in the Great Thousand Worlds, breaking through the rules of formation, existence, decay, and emptiness. Starting from the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, the universe has been able to influence the Heavenly Tribulations of the Great Thousand Worlds... After a cultivator breaks through to the Mahayana stage, the Spirit Realm changes from a training ground to a protective one, but it cannot completely shield itself from the influence of the universe. It will only erupt when it accumulates to a certain degree. Therefore, the Mahayana Tribulation is timeless and formless..."
Qingyuan's words coincided with Qin Sang's thoughts; once those principles were understood, these things were not difficult to comprehend.
As they were talking, Qin Sang suddenly noticed a glimmer of light appearing in the darkness ahead.
They urged the pearl in their hands, and found that they had already reached the deepest part of the clam shell. They could no longer see the shadow of the Ghostly Great Sage and had been left behind.
"We're almost there," Qin Sang said.
They ended their conversation, and Qingyuan gazed intently at the light source ahead.
The light was very faint, almost invisible to the naked eye, like a faint blue ripple on water, just like the surface of water under the moonlight.
"Huh? Interesting..."
Qingyuan seems to have discovered something.
"What do you see, fellow Daoist? Isn't that a landscape painting?" Qin Sang asked directly.
During this time, Qingyuan had answered so many of his questions, which greatly reduced Qin Sang's wariness. Of course, if Qingyuan wanted to harm him, no amount of vigilance would help.
"It doesn't seem to be the work of the Sage of Painting. It seems to be related to the Xuanwu Clan. Could it be that the Xuanwu Clan also left behind some contingency plan?"
After a moment of contemplation, Qingyuan suddenly increased his speed.
Qin Sang felt the distance between herself and the light rapidly closing, and a body of water gradually appeared in her vision. The water in front of her was just like the water outside the Ruins of Guixu, unusually calm and without any ripples, making her think it was another Ruins of Guixu.
However, the water here appears even more ethereal and light than light.
Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. He had been talking to Qingyuan and had overlooked something. Seeing this body of water, the eerie feeling he had sensed at the entrance suddenly became much stronger.
What is here that could make one feel eerie?
This was not a good sign, but Qin Sang had Qingyuan by his side, so he wasn't worried at all and silently watched Qingyuan's actions.
Qingyuan stopped at the edge of the water, gazing at the boundless expanse and falling into deep thought.
"Could this be the burial ground of the Xuanwu Holy Clan?" Qin Sang thought to himself. The place was too eerie, reminding him of a cemetery. If he could dig up a few Xuanwu corpses from here, that would be a great haul.
Suddenly, Qingyuan raised his head and stared at a spot on the water.
Then Qin Sang also saw some light and shadow appear there, and these light and shadow moved in the water, like a group of fish.
"It really is a fish!"
Qin Sang asked in surprise.
These fish were very agile, moving in the water as if they were alive, and their movements did not disturb the tranquility of the place, nor did they emit any scent.
"what?"
Hearing Qin Sang let out a soft exclamation, Qingyuan looked over and asked, "Daoist, have you seen these fish before?"
"They seem to be a kind of... Protoss!"
Qin Sang couldn't sense the presence of the fish, but for some reason, these fish felt very similar to the Star Spirits he had obtained before. His intuition told him that they might be Star Spirits!
"Star Spirits..."
After Qingyuan learned how Qin Sang obtained the star spirits in the Seven Mansions of Xuanwu, he seemed to be deep in thought and suddenly asked, "Are these star spirits useful to you, Daoist?"
Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then nodded, but offered no explanation.
Qingyuan said, "There seem to be quite a few Star Spirits here. Since they're useful, I'll help you collect some later. I can't let you risk your life with me for nothing. But we can't touch them yet..."
In the past, Qin Sang might have been polite, but not now.
Having learned about the state of affairs from Qingyuan, Qin Sang felt an increasing sense of urgency. His current cultivation level was too low; he had to break through to the Integration Stage before the world descended into chaos. The more Star Spirits he had, the faster his cultivation would be, and the sooner he could break through!
Before he could finish speaking, Qingyuan, who was about to step onto the water, suddenly stopped.
Noticing Qingyuan's expression, Qin Sang's heart tightened. Could there be some hidden danger here?
"What have you discovered, fellow Daoist?" Qin Sang activated his spiritual eyes with all his might, but could only see an endless expanse of water and a group of leisurely swimming fish.
“Not here,” Qingyuan raised his head, his gaze deepening, as if piercing through the clam shell and the void to see an unknown place. “There, hmm, it should be the Arctic ice field that the Daoist Master spoke of…”
He stared intently in that direction, remained silent for a moment, his eyes shifting slightly, and finally exclaimed, "So that's how it is! I never imagined the general's tomb would be here!"
……
Arctic ice sheet.
At this moment, the area around the icy vortex has been completely transformed, with countless icebergs and snowfields swallowed up by the vortex.
This vortex of ice and snow has become a behemoth in the ice field, a greedy glutton, frantically feeding and devouring everything around it, and its body continues to expand as it feeds, as if there is no end in sight.
A terrible blizzard raged across the land, and several blurry figures surrounded the giant beast.