344: Chapter 217: The Goddess Descends to the Mortal World Again 344: Chapter 217: The Goddess Descends to the Mortal World Again The shops along the street in Two Realms City were decorated with bright lights, and people were discussing whose talent stood out, who had made a sudden rise, and who might be the dark horse to come from behind.
Who was stronger or weaker between the Tenth of the Earth List and the Tenth of the Human List, what fortunes the future held, and who would take over the great authority of the Venerable of the Three Religions and Nine Schools.
A figure in white walked through, out of place.
She glanced from a distance at the celebrated prodigies surrounded by admiring throngs—the three Daoist disciples, Xiao Yunyi, Lu Chan, Lan Yongning, He Qing, and so on—with whom she had once shared a connection as the former leader of the Heavenly List.
“Aren’t you going?”
A cold, flawless voice rang out.
Yu Hua turned her head and saw a white-robed nun standing behind her, her eyes filled with Buddha’s light, and her bald head reflecting the lights slightly.
Yu Hua said, “With my current strength, I can’t even rank at the bottom of the three lists.”
“In a great era of strife, where heroes abound, it has only just begun.
Even though you have lost the power of an Immortal, you are someone who has experienced transcendence, and you have walked further than they have.”
Jade Sword Buddha uttered a low “Amitabha Buddha,” like a master in a temple, earnestly teaching, “Benefactor, your destiny lies in becoming an Immortal, and since you can wield Qingcang’s Power, you do have a destiny.
Buddha says…”
Smack!
Mid-sentence, Yu Hua raised her hand and slapped the smooth head of the nun, as if rebooting the little nun, whose eyes no longer contained the wisdom of Buddha’s teachings but instead revealed a clear and innocent bewilderment.
Yu Hua said, “You seem to be a lot better.”
In the past, this nun would never have approached her for a conversation.
After Gu Wen got the Immortal Sword, she had never approached her again because the fate of the Immortal Sword was greater.
Now that she had lost the power of Master Qingcang, Jade Sword Buddha approaching her meant she must not be as ill as before.
Jade Sword Buddha, touching her head, replied, “I have comprehended the meaning of the Immortal Sword and received several relics from the Buddhas, and I am gradually able to remember some things.”
“What are your plans for the future?” Yu Hua asked, looking through her eyes that were pure like crystal, as if she could see into the bottom of the other’s heart where both Buddha and Demon resided.
The contemporary prodigies were many with Heavenly Defects, but only Jade Sword Buddha was the most enigmatic.
It was simply about two Immortals, not something ordinary people could intervene in.
“I plan to return to Sumeru Mountain.”
“You wish to become a Buddha?”
“The Buddha says that all sentient beings may be saved.”
Jade Sword Buddha turned and left, her kasaya flickering in the light and then disappearing into the crowd.
Leaving behind only a faint voice.
“Yu Hua, Fellow Daoist, being like an extra mountain, I am tired.”
Yu Hua watched her leave, then also turned away from the distant crowd and the celebrated prodigies to arrive at the deserted entrance of Immortal Land.
The quaint stone gate stood a hundred feet tall.
Wu Kong, the City Lord, had been waiting for a while, his face always bearing a slight smile.
“Every sentient being with intelligence cannot escape the word ’emotion.’ That girl from Qianfeng Sect could surpass the barrier of emotion, awaken her true heart, and achieve Eighth Level Perfection, yet you, Heavenly Girl, seem unable to see clearly.”
As a former vessel for a Human Immortal, Qingcang had left her with the foundation to become an Immortal.
Now, her fate greatly diminished, but as long as she took care to recover, she could still live a thousand years.
Once Qingcang became the Little Saint, who could enlighten beings like the two Saints of the past Emperor’s Court, Yu Hua would have no more concerns for her life.
Gu Wen perhaps wouldn’t be able to wait until then, but Yu Hua would be completely fine.
Yu Hua, with an elegant and unaffected smile, said, “Predecessor is neither human nor me, how would you know that this isn’t my true heart?”
“Your true heart is such that, despite your limited Heavenly Life remaining, you are willing to spend it all just to see him once?
Even if you see him, what then?
You can only stay for seven days, and if you don’t leave after seven days, you’ll die.”
Wu Kong’s eyes held a spirit charm as he seemed to try to see through her true intentions, to discern whether underneath her emotions was a momentary desire or an unyielding determination until death.
“That’s a bit old-fashioned of you,” Yu Hua said, covering her mouth to laugh lightly.
“After seven days, I’ll leave for a while, and once I’ve recovered, I can just go back in.”
“…..”
Wu Kong frowned slightly, and what he heard was like ‘drinking a cup of poison will kill me, but I can take a small sip each day.’
He heard the voice transmission from Qingcang: “Let her go.”
Since the elder had spoken, Wu Kong no longer objected.
He raised his hand to push open the stone door, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through, behind which was a world shrouded in a dull aura.
All things become mortal, and Heavenly Life is preset.
The laws of two supreme Saints intertwined, creating a place not even an Immortal could stay for long.
“Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, the Calamity of Emotion is the most unpredictable.”
“Please, do not misunderstand, predecessor, I am not here for sentiment; just as I did not shelter him in my arms at first sight out of love.”
Yu Hua walked past him, stepping into the mortal realm with a stride devoid of any hesitation, her serene voice not lingering.
“My duty is to revive the Immortals of the Human Race, and there is still an Immortal in the Immortal Land.”
The rumors that the Daoist Sect spread about her characterized her as a person of loose morals, and at best, they thought she had encountered a calamity of emotion.
They all assumed that she must have feelings for Gu Wen and that was why she went so far to protect him.
Yu Hua never defended herself against these rumors.
Gu Wen had already proven with facts that she had never used Master Qingcang’s power for any personal indulgence.
His talent deserved whatever she did.
But now, Yu Hua wanted to make a few clarifications.
Nanshui, under the night’s murky veil, was shrouded by a dense blanket of boundless dark clouds.
Gu Wen watched the sky as it gradually dimmed, only turning his gaze away when the Rainbow Bridge in the heavens had completely vanished.
He did not show signs of despondency, nor was he sad, just calm.
“With a rainbow as the bridge, connecting two realms, it is known as Two Realms City.”
He squatted on the ground, his hands covered in muddy soil, imitating the Rainbow Bridge as he drew and doodled with his finger.
Unable to tolerate being casually dropped on the ground by Gu Wen, the Immortal Sword autonomously levitated and said, “Do you truly believe Qingcang can save you?
Within a hundred years, it is impossible for her to break through the rank of Little Saint.”
Gu Wen asked without turning his head, “What do you mean by that?”
“All around the world, beings ascend, yet you seem unaffected in the slightest.”
The Immortal Sword’s response made Gu Wen chuckle softly, and in a calm voice, he said, “A frog in a well cannot talk of the ocean, a summer insect cannot talk of ice.”
“Your talent indeed needn’t envy theirs; I treated you too much like a child.”
The Immortal Sword understood.
Gu Wen certainly did not need to envy those juniors.
Perhaps they could spend their entire lives without ever reaching the realm that Gu Wen now occupied.
It was only because of Gu Wen’s young age that he was sometimes inadvertently regarded as a child.
Gu Wen shook his head and said, “No, I am the frog at the bottom of the well that cannot see the vast ocean, the summer insect that will never await winter.”
Even though he had already become an Immortal, being trapped at the bottom of the well was a fact.
“You have already become an Immortal.”
“You are being too rigid, senior.
Becoming an Immortal does not equate to omniscience.
Indeed, becoming an Immortal grants one endless longevity and the power to move mountains and chase the moon, but can an Immortal outlive the heavens and earth?
Can one move heaven and earth?”
Gu Wen asked himself, then shook his head.
“No, I am but a pebble, a twig, amidst the great mountains.
Therefore, rather than trying to measure the heavens and earth, it is better to observe my true self.
Be not elated by gains, nor sullen by losses.
Acknowledge life and death and remain undisturbed.”
The Immortal Sword fell into silence once again, suddenly realizing he could no longer sense Gu Wen’s presence.
Above Immortals, it all comes down to comprehension.
To ponder and understand the laws of the universe.
Yet most people excel in only one pathway and face difficulty becoming an Immortal after reaching the pinnacle — how then can they comprehend everything?
This is why a Little Saint could still be enshrined at an Immortal’s rank, for a single thought from a Saint could match an Immortal’s understanding of the Law.
Thus, most halt their progress upon becoming an Immortal, as comprehension is not something one can make up for with effort.
Moreover, their comprehension is already top-tier, so where could they acquire even higher comprehension?
After becoming an Immortal at less than a hundred years of age, Gu Wen had not stopped moving forward.
But what is this ease, and is it not also a form of giving up?
“If you become a Little Saint, you can be liberated.”
The Immortal Sword suddenly spoke up.
Qingcang, with such talent after three thousand years of accumulation, is not even certain she could become a Little Saint within a hundred years, but Gu Wen needed a goal.
Gu Wen did not respond, his heart as still as water, and he stood up, ready to return to his room.
“Gu Wen.”
Still waters suddenly turned into raging waves as he abruptly turned around.
The murky sky was torn asunder, revealing a bright moon, and a graceful figure stood within, resembling the fairy of the cold moon palace.
Gu Wen saw a pair of serene eyes as deep as the night, bright as the glowing moon.
In a moment, he was transported back to Bianjing, looking up at her atop the Dragon Bridge.
Yu Hua landed softly, standing a mere three steps away, her smile soft and radiant as she said, “It has been many years.”
Gu Wen responded with a smile, “It has been five years.”
At Two Realms City, atop a high platform and jade tower.
Qingcang, Wu Kong, and Fox Fairy — three Immortals gathered together.
There were also three ethereal figures of Immortals whose origins were unknown.
The six present formed what was known as the ‘Anti-Jianmu Camp’ under Qingcang’s command.
There had been a time when Qingcang was close to death, and various forces had surrounded her.
Now, as Jianmu was severely weakened, countless others wished for its demise.
Qingcang tossed the Taiyin Order gently, the dark, cold Token hanging still in the air in front of Fox Fairy and Wu Kong.
“For my trip to the Earth Realm, to prevent Jianmu from counter-attacking while I’m away, I need your help.”
Wu Kong asked with some confusion, “What for would you go to the Earth Realm?”
Qingcang responded, “To find the Lord and make a slight alteration to the Book of Life and Death, to extend the lifespan of my disciple by a thousand years.”
Fox Fairy immediately objected, “That cannot be done.
You are the foundation of our resistance against Jianmu.
If anything were to happen to you, no matter how hard we try, it would all be for naught.”
“I once ascended to Heaven to demand an Immortality Pill; today, I can also enter the Nine Netherworld to change the Book of Life and Death.”
Qingcang’s voice was smooth and tranquil, leaving all the Immortals present visibly astonished, followed by silence.
Ever since the Heaven and Cultivation World had severed their connections, Qingcang was the only person who had ascended to Heaven.