Chapter 1304: The past is all in clouds, the true road to the Mortal World
This process wasn’t overly lengthy. For decades, Gu Changge journeyed through mountains, rivers, swamps, and ancient cities, appearing as an ordinary mortal without displaying the slightest hint of cultivation. Those accompanying him treated him as a genuine mortal.
During this period, Gu Changge witnessed the tumultuous battles among cultivators, the fierce struggles for wealthy lands, and the fall of ancient dynasties swept away by the currents of history. He observed the life and death of countless mortals, experiencing the birth, aging, and demise of life. His understanding of mortal emotions deepened considerably.
Further, he traversed the starry universe, visiting many ancient worlds, and even revisited the demon world. However, Empress Xi Yao was absent, leaving only a Dharma Body to oversee matters and prevent chaos. Her true self sought breakthrough opportunities in the outer starry sky, having stepped onto the emperor’s road and reached the emperor’s realm in another starry domain. Choosing not to return to the demon world, she continued on the path, aiming for a higher realm.
In the current world, the cultivation level of enlightened beings was notably insufficient. Empress Xi Yao, aware of this, recognized the challenges of leading the demon world. Despite her ambiguous relationship with Gu Changge, her authority lacked absolute strength, making it challenging to quell dissent. Even the Immortal King had to tread cautiously, unable to weather the storm.
During this time, numerous ancient monsters from the ancient era emerged in the demon world, boasting long lifespans and formidable strength. The once-unified demon court crumbled, with demon ancestors vying for dominance and refusing to yield to one another. Were it not for the apprehension of the close ties between the Demon Emperor and Gu Changge, they might have attacked or annexed the Demon Court much earlier.
This turbulence in the demon world led to conflicts even in previously peaceful regions, plunging the demon clan into dire straits once again.
Gu Changge spent some time in the demon world, choosing not to visit the demon court or engage with Empress Xi Yao about the past. Approaching matters from a traveler’s perspective, he remained impartial, offering no indication of favoritism. Leaving quietly after a few years, he ventured to other places, including the Heavenly Lan Realm, crossing the sea of boundary monuments and arriving in the Eight Desolation and Ten Regions.
Heavenly Lu City stood majestically, adorned with ancient runes exuding formidable power. The streets bustled with cultivators from various ethnic groups, engaged in lively activities and numerous vendors selling their wares. In comparison to other regions, this place had become a sanctuary, free from wars and conflicts, maintaining order—at least for the time being.
The Eight Desolation and Ten Regions, once divided among various immortal forces from the upper realm, had now been abandoned one after another. Each domain had found a new master, breathing new life into the regions. Gu Changge, having once obtained the Epoch Tree and broken through Heavenly Lu City to enter the Eight Desolation and Ten Regions, had rarely revisited the area. Now, upon returning to this familiar place, he felt a sense of detachment and fleeting time.
Tianlu Xuannv, immersed in her cultivation and attaining the status of a real immortal, didn’t sense Gu Changge’s arrival. Even with his profound background and cultivation, he went unnoticed. When he suddenly appeared beside Tianlu Xuannv, her initial shock took a while to subside. As a true immortal and overlord of the region, the silent approach was unimaginable to her. Initially frightened, she instinctively moved closer to Gu Changge, although her cultivation couldn’t possibly harm him.
Gu Changge, suddenly overcome by a mischievous urge, decided to play a prank on Heavenly Maiden Tianlu, recalling some past events. Seeing her relief upon recognizing him, he gave her a teasing look.
Their history wasn’t deeply intertwined. Initially, Heavenly Maiden Tianlu had left Heavenly Lu City with intentions of sacrificial defiance, hoping to thwart Gu Changge’s plans. Facing an overwhelming upper realm army stationed by the Boundary Monument Sea, she aimed to protect her master’s city and the Eight Desolation and Ten Regions.
Unfortunately, she underestimated Gu Changge’s strength and methods. Her attempt not only failed to harm him but resulted in her capture, demonic infection, and near-possession by demons. Once pure as a Buddha lotus, she now bore a slightly sinister and awe-inspiring aura.
Their subsequent journey to Nine Mountains involved many events. With Gu Changge’s a.s.sistance, Heavenly Maiden Tianlu eliminated a senior sister who had betrayed her master and claimed to be Gu Changge’s concubine. This led to the misconception that Heavenly Maiden Tianlu had betrayed Heavenly Lu City and the entire Eight Desolation and Ten Regions. In order to survive, she submitted to Gu Changge, even accepting the role of his concubine.
Amidst insults and ridicule, Heavenly Maiden Tianlu remained undeterred, forging her own path and disregarding the opinions of others. Gu Changge vividly remembered these events, acknowledging that Heavenly Maiden Tianlu’s presence played a crucial role in preserving the Eight Desolation and Ten Regions.
Their connection was more one of attachment and being attached, with Gu Changge’s visit to Heavenly Lu City prompted by the cosmic starry sky he traversed, coincidentally pa.s.sing by. His revisit was driven by a desire to explore the old place. During this time, Heavenly Maiden Tianlu shared details about the changes in the Boundary Monument Sea.
Some time ago, Heavenly Maiden Tianlu noticed unusual visions in the Boundary Monument Sea. Portions of the once-surging sea had dried up, revealing a cracked riverbed and the seabed beneath. Despite sending people to investigate, they were thwarted by an invisible force, preventing them from getting closer. Hence, she remained in the dark about the events unfolding in the depths of the boundary monument sea.
Gu Changge, however, was indifferent to these developments. He had long known that beneath the sea of boundary monuments lay an ancient battlefield where the original Heaven-Slaying Army had fallen. The reasons for this battlefield’s descent to its current location remained unknown. The Boundary Monument Sea shared its origin with the Boundless Sea but exhibited distinct differences in levels. It essentially represented the evolved seawater from the boundless sea through countless years.
For cultivators, the origins of the turbulent and fragmented ancient worlds in the Boundary Monument Sea had long sparked curiosity. Its formidable nature posed a natural barrier for the Eight Desolations and Ten Regions, proving challenging even for enlightened individuals and true immortals to traverse. Gu Changge, having a comprehensive understanding, rea.s.sured Heavenly Maiden Tianlu not to worry, as even if ancient beings emerged from the sea’s depths, they couldn’t act recklessly.
After spending several years in Heavenly Lu City, Gu Changge departed. While he had witnessed various worlds along the way, including the mortal realm with its cycles of birth, old age, sickness, and death, as well as the spectrum of human emotions like sorrow, anger, ignorance, and hatred, he still felt a sense of incompleteness. Despite observing these aspects as an onlooker, he couldn’t truly experience them. It was as if he existed in a realm beyond, separated by an intangible barrier.
Sighing inwardly, he acknowledged that he couldn’t fully grasp these mortal experiences. His role was akin to that of a bystander, observing life from a different perspective. In essence, his actions mirrored the way of heaven, revealing a profound difference from the personal involvement of mortals.
The essence of mortal life stood in stark contrast to Gu Changge’s own existence.
If my actions mimic those of mortals, it still falls short of perfecting humanity.
It’s like standing atop a high perch, observing ants, looking down on them.
Frowning, Gu Changge sensed the need for a change in his thoughts and methods. The current trajectory left him with an obscured view, akin to glimpsing flowers through mist—a faint and vague perception. As a remedy, he contemplated abandoning his current ident.i.ty and cultivation, fully embracing life as a mortal. This wasn’t a true relinquishment but a complete immersion in mortal existence, temporarily forgetting his origins and everything that preceded.
Over the next few years, Gu Changge personally sealed numerous memories, suppressed his past as a cultivator, and relinquished his cultivation entirely. Now, he could authentically experience the array of emotions that mortals faced—sickness and pain, disdain for the wicked, compa.s.sion for the weak, empathy for suffering, joy in favorable weather.
In this new guise, Gu Changge, or rather the mortal he had become, couldn’t traverse the starry sky like a cultivator, fly into the heavens, or escape from the ground. Climbing a mountain left him tired, breathless, hungry, and susceptible to ordinary human sensations—dry mouth, dizziness, and weakness.
The pa.s.sage of time brought aging; he could no longer remain in perpetual youth or stand atop towering heights to overlook everything. Walking through landscapes demanded caution, avoiding wild animals to prevent becoming their prey.
As a mortal, he grappled with sickness, hunger, fatigue, and aging. Memory lapses and amnesia symptoms surfaced, causing him to forget certain aspects of his past and purpose. Gu Changge paused, sensing weariness deep within, prompting the need for a halt—not for physical rest, but a respite from the complexities of existence. Truly tired, he contemplated finding a place to stop, not just for a break, but for a genuine reprieve.
This acc.u.mulation felt as if it had gathered over countless years, and in this moment, it surged like a tide, completely engulfing him.
Gu Changge found himself in Green Mountain Village, where he had settled. The village, though modest, housed a few hundred households and was well-connected to nearby towns through mountainous roads. Daily caravans brought an array of exquisite and affordable goods from distant cities. The tranquility of the village was guarded by powerful cultivators capable of soaring into the sky and burrowing into the ground.
Inside a slightly worn blue-brick building, a young boy in patched clothes, with slightly tanned skin, clenched his fists with determination.
Next year, I must go to the Lie Yang Sect and ask the immortals to accept me as a disciple. Then, I can become an immortal, flying into the sky.
The boy’s aspirations were met with a friendly rebuke from a middle-aged man named w.a.n.g Erniu, known for his simple and honest demeanor.
The Lie Yang Sect only accepts children with talent, my silly boy. What are you thinking? Haven’t you been eating well?
Becoming an immortal isn’t something you achieve easily. Many rich families’ sons can’t even get in, no matter how hard they try.
With a simple and warm family of three, including w.a.n.g Erniu’s wife, they had graciously taken in Gu Changge for the time being. Gu Changge had journeyed to Green Mountain Village with the intention of finding respite.
w.a.n.g Erniu, a man with a straightforward name, encountered Gu Changge resting on a piece of bluestone when he returned from the market with his son, w.a.n.g Xiaoniu. Despite Gu Changge’s dusty and shabby appearance, there was something about him that captivated w.a.n.g Erniu. It was a peculiar feeling, surpa.s.sing even the recent encounters with the city’s master.
So, w.a.n.g Erniu approached Gu Changge and, sensing Gu Changge’s thirst, kindly offered him a bowl of water. Gu Changge had initially intended to leave after quenching his thirst, but w.a.n.g Erniu’s genuine hospitality made it challenging for him to decline.
w.a.n.g Erniu’s warmth extended further as he took Gu Changge into his home. w.a.n.g Erniu’s wife heated up some food, and they even slaughtered an aged hen that had been raised for several years. Gu Changge, appreciative of the kindness, found it difficult to resist the generosity.
Curious about Gu Changge’s aspirations, w.a.n.g Erniu asked, “Why can’t you become immortal? In the west village, there’s a sister who’s an immortal. I haven’t seen her age in all these years; she always stays so beautiful. Anyway, I just want to become immortal and marry my immortal sister when I grow up.”
Despite being scolded by his father, w.a.n.g Xiaoniu persisted, expressing his desire to marry Sister Immortal when he grew up. This proclamation earned him another chopstick on the forehead from w.a.n.g Erniu, who adopted a serious expression and said.
“You little rascal, don’t talk nonsense. Miss Su is the reincarnation of a living Buddha. For years, she has not only provided free medical treatment to the villagers but also taught them how to read and write. If you dare say such things, see if I won’t spank you behind.”