Bayue Weiban

Chapter 98 Condensing the Dao Heart

Innumerable sword energies poured out from Ji Yuan's brow, converging into a river of astonishing momentum, surging forth like a breached dam.

The sight of so many sword energies gathered together was unprecedented, and everyone instinctively took a step back, secretly astonished.

Seeing this, Shen Lang immediately retracted his fist, then his hands moved, creating afterimages as he rapidly formed over a dozen hand seals within one to two breaths.

When the last hand seal was completed, the seven-story demon pagoda above his head suddenly emitted a brilliant light. Endless demonic energy and spectral glow descended, completely enveloping him.

In a flash, the river of sword energies swept past, washing away all demonic and ghostly energies alike.

Even the seven-story demon pagoda, a complete and not low-grade magical artifact, lasted only a dozen breaths in the river of sword energies before its spiritual essence dimmed and it was swept into the 'river.'

Before long, the river of sword energies surged upward, coursing through the sky, and finally returned to Ji Yuan's brow.

The streak of light between his brows slowly closed like a door. Dozens, even hundreds, of residual sword energies joyfully swirled around him, unwilling to dissipate for a long time.

As everything gradually subsided, the onlookers finally awoke from the astonishing scene as if from a dream, though the fear in their eyes lingered.

They had never seen such a magnificent and mystical scene, nor even heard of it.

The number of sword energies, enough to form a river, was likely something even a third-realm sword cultivator could not possess.

Song He subconsciously glanced at his wife beside him. In her lifetime, she was a sword cultivator in the middle stage of the Ming Dao realm, her killing power comparable to, or even surpassing, that of a peak third-realm cultivator.

Yet, even so, Zhou Yuyan at her peak in life had never possessed such numerous and heavy sword energies!

A seven-story demon pagoda, only a few inches in size, lay by Ji Yuan's feet, its spiritual essence dim. The demonic energy and spectral glow on it had been almost completely scoured away by the river of sword energies.

He coughed violently, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and quickly took a life-preserving pill. Only then did he manage to suppress the terrifying injuries within his body.

After a long while, Ji Yuan exhaled heavily and leaned against his senior brother, preventing himself from falling directly to the ground.

"Stop!"

Su Hongzhu screamed, pushing aside Xu Lin regardless of the cost. Even if it meant taking a blade light to her back, she had to force her way through.

However, she quickly stopped, not daring to take another step forward.

At this moment, after the river of sword energies had swept past, a flawless white jade flying sword, emitting a five-colored rosy glow, remained motionless at Shen Lang's brow.

This white jade flying sword, with a slight forward thrust, could instantly pierce his skull and shatter his three souls and seven spirits.

"No..."

Su Hongzhu turned to look at Ji Yuan, her face devoid of any seductive charm, only a boundless plea.

If she had not already died and her body had not turned into a skeleton, she would likely have been covered in tears.

Seeing her pleading expression, bordering on kneeling, Ji Yuan remained unmoved. He merely glanced casually before his gaze returned to Shen Lang.

He suddenly remembered Hui Xin's words from not long ago and blurted out, "Was it worth it?"

If he had only suspected after watching the other party's move, then after releasing the sword energies from the lake within his purple mansion, he had clearly sensed during the collision that the other party was now at the end of his rope.

Despite possessing the cultivation of the peak second realm, his internal mana was meager. Even his physique, which appeared stronger than that of a martial artist, and his soul light, which was radiant and substantial, were merely castles in the air.

Once the secret technique's effect faded, his physique and soul would be like a candle in the wind, extinguished at any moment, leading to immediate death.

It was precisely for this reason that Shen Lang, who should have long ago entered the third realm, only possessed the cultivation of the first realm. Otherwise, with the mana of the second realm, he could have suppressed everyone present in an instant with a magical artifact.

Not to mention the cultivation realm, to resurrect a woman, he was willing to fall into the demonic path and even cultivate ghost path techniques, making himself neither human nor demon nor ghost, enduring three hundred years of suffering and torment...

Was it truly worth it?

"To live for over three hundred years without forming a golden core, and without being able to take any spiritual elixirs, is not an easy task."

Shen Lang gave a self-deprecating bitter smile. "When defying the operation of the laws of heaven and earth, some prices are unavoidable."

The torment of demonic and ghost path cultivation was one, his unnatural state was another, and his cultivation being unable to advance, even gradually diminishing over a long period, was a third.

Even after death, his three souls and seven spirits would completely dissipate, leaving no trace of his true spirit, with no possibility of reincarnation.

This was the price of defying the operation of the laws of heaven and earth.

Yet, even knowing all the consequences, Shen Lang had still done it, and there had never been any sign of regret on his face.

"If your master Zhang Zhiya and your fifth senior brother had died unjustly, you would have done the same as me."

Shen Lang said.

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan paused for a moment, then decisively shook his head. "Even so, I would not have done it like you."

"Anyone who dares to harm my master and senior brother, I will kill them with all my might!"

He said resolutely, unlike the other party who would later resort to any means to compensate, disregarding the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens in a city, to resurrect someone.

"But what if, even with all your effort, you could not change what was about to happen?"

Shen Lang looked at him calmly. "What would you do then?"

As soon as the other party finished speaking, Ji Yuan snorted coldly and was about to retort. However, he opened his mouth and could only utter a single word after a long pause.

Indeed, if it were only cultivators of the first or second realm, he would have had means to ward off the danger.

But if a cultivator of the third realm or above were to act, with his meager cultivation, he could not even protect himself, let alone his master and senior brothers.

"You are naturally cautious, always thinking things through as much as possible, and would never act without seventy to eighty percent certainty."

Shen Lang sighed. "But a Qianyu City is ultimately too small. Even with your extraordinary talent and profound fortune, the limit of your future would be to reach the second realm."

"Even if you become restless and leave Qianyu City after reaching the second realm, in this world, even third-realm cultivators are only considered experts in a region. Above them are truly immortal beings who enjoy freedom."

"If you do not reach the highest peak, how can you say you can protect them fully?"

Ji Yuan frowned. Although the other party's words were extreme, they were not entirely without reason, even if that reason was somewhat extreme.

Were Shen Lang's words reasonable?

There was indeed reason, although it was somewhat extreme and biased, it could not be denied.

But if this were the case, then everyone in the world would live in constant fear, always thinking about how to survive.

After all, unless one reached the highest peak, even standing above the clouds and becoming an immortal being roaming the world, it would be difficult to even protect oneself.

"This world is inherently the law of the jungle. Disaster might descend from the heavens at any moment."

Shen Lang continued. "When you encounter insurmountable danger and it infringes upon those you care about, what will you do?"

After speaking these words, he pointed to himself, as if telling Ji Yuan that this was the only way.

When disaster strikes and you cannot prevent it, for the sake of your loved ones, what does it matter if you defy heaven and earth?

But Ji Yuan instinctively felt that this idea was wrong, yet for the moment, he did not know how to refute it.

Even unconsciously, his mind began to conjure what he would do if his master and senior brother were in danger.

Would he draw his sword and kill all the culprits, then grieve alone, or, like Shen Lang, would he resort to any means, disregarding the lives of others, to resurrect his master and senior brother?

"Master once said that everyone has their own destiny, and only by seeing through life and death can one glimpse the Great Dao."

Guo Tao, seeing the pain on his junior brother's face, blurted out subconsciously.

However, Ji Yuan gave a bitter smile. If life and death were so easy to see through, there would not be so many seekers of immortality in the world, nor so much unbearable suffering.

Even those with immense power, how many could truly see through life and death?

There were renowned immortal figures who, upon reaching their limit, were unable to take the final step and thus turned to demonic ways, harming a region.

"If such a day truly comes in the future, I will ensure my cultivation is higher and my blade is stronger before then!"

Xu Lin walked over slowly, then let out a disdainful snort, his face filled with arrogance. "Even if it ends in mutual destruction, I only seek to have no regrets in my heart!"

Hearing this, Ji Yuan's eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had grasped something crucial.

Yes, since some things were bound to happen, what needed to be done was to increase one's strength as much as possible before they happened, to think of solutions, rather than to despair and curse the cruelty of the world.

To worry about things that had not yet happened was purely self-torment.

As Xu Lin said now, even if it ended in mutual destruction, one should have no regrets in their heart!

"Well said, no regrets!"

He shouted lowly, and a smile finally appeared on his pale face.

The haze in his heart was swept away, and although his aura was weak, his spirit was exceptionally high.

After understanding this, Ji Yuan's state of mind immediately stabilized. The soul light that had dimmed became more solidified, silently.

He felt an unprecedented sense of ease. Xu Lin's words not only cleared the gloom in his heart at that moment but also resolved his long-standing confusion.

Since embarking on the path of cultivation, Ji Yuan had harbored a confusion.

What else could cultivation entail, besides seeking eternal life?

Only now did he understand that besides pursuing the long and winding Great Dao, cultivation was more importantly about the 'scenery' before him.

Rather than worrying about things that might not happen, it was better to take care of the people and events at hand. Worrying about the future was not as good as living in the present!

"Since you have already seen a future you cannot change, why insist on being stubborn and deceiving yourself?"

Shen Lang's eyes flickered, and he maintained a calm expression.

However, his words could no longer interfere with Ji Yuan's state of mind, for a Dao heart had been formed.

"You don't need to try to confuse me into the demonic path with words anymore."

He smiled slightly, his eyes no longer showing confusion.

Since his Dao heart had been formed, he would no longer be swayed by others' words. When it came to the fundamental principles of his own Great Dao, it was bound to be more solid than a mountain.

Seeing this, Shen Lang no longer concealed himself. After removing the pretense of calmness from his face, he gave a self-mocking bitter smile.

If Guo Tao and Xu Lin had not been there, and it had been just the two of them, Shen Lang was confident that he could have used words to incite Ji Yuan into the demonic path and change the current situation.

In fact, he had almost succeeded. He had not expected that the few words spoken by the two of them not only allowed Ji Yuan to escape the temptation but also successfully condensed a Dao heart.

For cultivators, mana was easy to cultivate, but a Dao heart was hard to obtain. Only by understanding one's true heart could one condense a heart for the Dao.

It sounded easy, but in reality, it was extremely difficult. Countless third-realm cultivators had cultivated for decades, walking in the mortal world, only to fail to understand their true heart and instead become deeply mired in it, unable to extricate themselves.

After a long while, Shen Lang smiled sadly, realizing that he had utterly failed, with no possibility of a comeback.

Now that the secret technique's effect had worn off, his body and soul were like a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished by a slight breeze at any moment. His internal mana was nonexistent, truly at the end of his rope.

Even without external interference, he likely would not survive today, at most lingering for another hour or two.

Under such circumstances, even with his three-hundred-year plan meticulously prepared, he no longer had the strength to 'resurrect' Su Hongzhu and turn her back into a human.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Ji Yuan's mind moved, and the white jade flying sword suspended in the air thrust forward, piercing the other party's brow.

However, there was no more blood to drip from the wound. Instead, wisps of deathly aura emanated from it.

If not for the secret techniques of the demonic and ghost paths, over three hundred years, even a third-realm cultivator's lifespan would have long since turned to dust.

"No!"

Hearing this, before Shen Lang could speak, Su Hongzhu beside him screamed out.

She suddenly knelt on the ground, her expression full of pleading. She no longer had any trace of her seductive charm, nor did she resemble a powerful second-realm ghost. Instead, she looked like a fragile woman from an ordinary household.

In her lifetime, Su Hongzhu was indeed just an ordinary woman of the world, never having seen much of the world, and her nature was very delicate.

After transforming into a 'Red Dust Skeleton' ghost, the reason she acted without restraint and struck decisively and ruthlessly was largely due to a demonic energy that enveloped her soul.

Now that her memories had returned, this demonic energy had also silently dissipated.

Looking at Su Hongzhu, who was completely different from before, Ji Yuan showed no hesitation in his eyes. He calmly looked at Shen Lang, who had accepted his fate.

Although he felt reluctant in his heart, since he had made his choice, he would not waver.