Hua Cuoying had once said that for immortals to preserve the purity of their Great Dao, they had to smelt away their own stray thoughts.
Stray thoughts hindered cultivation strength and realm advancement, making them impurities an immortal had to purge. But what, exactly, were stray thoughts?
Xu Ying had originally assumed that stray thoughts were evil thoughts, but now he finally understood. Evil thoughts were certainly a sin to an immortal, yet benevolent thoughts were just as much of one.
Benevolence caused immortals to make many errors in judgment, stirring compassion and pity in their hearts. Such sentiments left them vulnerable to manipulation in fierce competition, and could even hand an opponent the opening to destroy them.
To push into higher realms and stay one step ahead in the struggles of the Immortal Realm, they had to maintain the purity of their Dao hearts. Regardless of whether it was good or evil, it had to be severed!
Were the heavenly fiends, then, good or evil?
Suddenly, a phrase flashed through Xu Ying's mind, and he spoke without hesitation: "In the substance of the mind, there is neither good nor evil; in the movement of intention, good and evil arise. The immortals of the Immortal Realm sever their own good and evil to preserve the purity of their Dao heart, yet the moment their intentions stir, good and evil arise anew. How then could they ever be true realized immortals?"
Hearing this, the Heavenly Fiend Supreme Sovereign burst into hearty laughter and clapped in praise. "The human mind is inherently without good or evil; only when a thought stirs and consciousness awakens do distinctions between good and evil arise. This insight is exceptionally profound, elucidating an exalted realm of the Dao heart. Lord Xu, you remain as admirable as ever!"
Xu Ying felt a secret twinge of shame.
He was certain he had never learned this phrase from Ruan Qi, nor had it appeared anywhere in his tens of thousands of years of memories. That he could voice such a philosophy now was likely an insight from his first lifetime, remembered at this very moment.
*The me of the first lifetime is still me. We are one and the same—why should I feel ashamed?*
With this thought, Xu Ying smiled and replied modestly, "Merely a bit of shallow insight, hardly worthy of the Supreme Sovereign's praise."
The Heavenly Fiend Supreme Sovereign laughed heartily. "Lord Xu, there is no need for modesty; you are fully worthy of it." The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch, Primordial Monarch, Heavenly Venerable, and the others all looked toward Xu Ying, their expressions filled with admiration.
Seeing this, Xu Ying felt suspicious. *What on earth did I do when I came here in my first lifetime? These heavenly fiends look as though I swindled them completely, and they still haven't caught on to this day.*
The Heavenly Fiend Heavenly Venerable had an open, hearty temperament and was Xu Ying's sworn elder brother. Seeing his confusion, he chuckled. "The last time you visited, Worthy Brother, we made things difficult for you, opposed you at every turn, and even attempted to murder you.
"Yet you held no grudges, helping us time and again, and even guided us out of our inner demons."
Xu Ying was utterly baffled. "How did I help you overcome your inner demons?"
Nalan Du quietly sidled up to Young Master Ningqing and whispered, "Young Master, these heavenly fiends harbor no malice. We should leave as soon as possible."
Young Master Ningqing hesitated, then turned to leave with him.
Behind them, the voice of the Heavenly Fiend Heavenly Venerable drifted over: "Worthy Brother said, 'What makes a true realized being? Is severing good and evil and blinding oneself to right and wrong what it means to be a realized immortal? You gentlemen possess thoughts of good and evil and discern right from wrong; in my eyes, it is you who are the true realized beings.
"'As I see it, the Immortal Kings and Immortal Lords of the Immortal Realm sacrifice the essential for the trivial, severing the true being and leaving behind mere empty husks.'"
The Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch giggled. "Back then, you also said that when the Immortal Kings and Immortal Lords sever us as heavenly fiends, it is like treating a newborn child as a fiend and raising the placenta instead!"
She tittered aloud at this point, clearly still amused by Xu Ying's words from back then.
The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch said, "You asked, 'If the Immortal Kings and Immortal Lords sever their very humanity, how can they be immortals when they refuse to even be human?'"
The Heavenly Fiend Supreme Sovereign smiled. "Back then, your words enlightened us at once, transforming all our resentment and indignation into driving force. Afterward, Lord Xu joined us in building this Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain, and forty-eight thousand years have passed since."
Hearing this, Young Master Ningqing was deeply shaken and looked back at Xu Ying.
*This man misleads the masses with heretical rhetoric and blurs truth with falsehood, actually claiming that heavenly fiends are true immortals, while immortals are the heavenly fiends! Treasonous—an utter outrage!*
Both shocked and furious, he immediately turned away and said in a heavy voice, "Nalan Du, Hua Dengdeng, let us go!"
Nalan Du and the others followed him toward the exit of this immortal domain. Suddenly, Young Master Ningqing halted, his gaze turning blank as he stared at a tall, imposing middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man exuded unmatched grandeur and an awe-inspiring presence, bearing the dignified countenance of an elite among elites.
"Young Master Ningqing?" Hua Dengdeng called out.
As if drawn by some unseen force, Young Master Ningqing walked toward the middle-aged man and stopped before him. Looking at him, the man offered a gentle, fatherly smile and said, "Ah, it is Qing'er. Why have you come to the lower realm? Ah, of course—I sent you down to handle business, didn't I?"
This middle-aged man was his father, Ning Zhong, who oversaw the Taisui Department in the Immortal Realm and was known as Heavenly Venerable Taisui.
Young Master Ningqing's heart trembled. His father had never been this gentle. He had always been stern to the extreme, demanding that his son adhere to the most rigorous standards—his etiquette, speech, demeanor, and even his smiles had to be executed with flawless precision!
When it came to learning Dao methods and divine powers, his father was harsher still. Ningqing understood the burden his father carried: despite holding the title of Heavenly Venerable, he lacked real power. He oversaw the Immortal Realm's Taisui Department, which was far less influential than the Thunder Department.
All these years, his father had been thwarted and disheartened, which only made him treat Ningqing with growing severity.
His childhood had been spent amidst scolding and the lash of the switch. He had never once experienced a father's love, yet before this Heavenly Fiend Taisui, he actually felt a father's warmth.
*Did Father sever even his love for me as a heavenly fiend?* A myriad of emotions welled within him, profoundly shaking his Dao heart!
"Young Master Ningqing!"
Nalan Du urged, "These are all heavenly fiends. Though they possess benevolence, they also harbor malice, and there is no telling when it will erupt! We must leave this place at once!"
Young Master Ningqing shook his head, his voice raspy. "I will remain here for a few days."
Over the next few days, Young Master Ningqing stayed by the side of the Heavenly Fiend Ning Zhong. They were like a true father and son; Ning Zhong took him to tour the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain, chatting and laughing together.
Nalan Du, Hua Jingjing, and the others watched this in astonishment, seeing Young Master Ningqing so thoroughly enchanted that he could no longer distinguish illusion from reality!
Hua Jingjing said, "Senior Brother Nalan, I have heard that heavenly fiends excel at manipulating the human heart. Young Master Ningqing must have been bewitched by one. If he loses himself in the illusions crafted by a heavenly fiend, both my father and your master will hold us accountable for the offense!"
Just as Nalan Du was about to reply, he caught sight of a familiar figure and froze. "Master..."
What he saw was the heavenly fiend formed from the stray thoughts severed by the Ninth Immortal King, identical in every way to the real one. Involuntarily, he walked over.
*What did Master sever? Was it benevolence as well?*
Nalan Du's heart trembled. He suddenly found himself reluctant to learn whether what the Ninth Immortal King had severed was good or evil, yet his feet still brought him before the Ninth Immortal King.
Seeing him, the Ninth Immortal King turned slightly pale, smiled faintly, and whispered, "I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to control Weixu's Eye of the Supreme Sovereign to punish the Qi Refiners of the myriad worlds. I didn't want to use their lives to uphold the majesty of the Immortal Realm."
He seemed slightly deranged as he muttered to himself, "Only by agreeing to Heavenly Venerable Ning Zhong's demands, carrying out his bidding, and taking control of Weixu could I survive in the mortal realm. Only by exploiting those Qi Refiners could I preserve my cultivation as an Immortal King. But I shouldn't have done it..."
His face contorted, and he suddenly squatted down, clutching his head and violently tearing at his hair in utter agony, letting out a low snarl: "I too cultivated my way up from a Qi Refiner! Destroying them is destroying countless versions of myself!"
"Master..." Nalan Du supported him.
On the other side, Hua Jingjing spotted Hua Cuoying, murderous intent flaring in her eyes as she sneered, "Treacherous little bitch, this time I'll make sure you die without a burial ground!" Just as she was about to conceal herself for a sneak attack, a familiar figure appeared beside Hua Cuoying, throwing her into total disarray.
"Father!"
That familiar figure was none other than the Five Extremes Immortal King.
Yet the Five Extremes Immortal King in the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain was completely different from the real one. He treated Hua Cuoying with genuine affection, and Hua Cuoying acted like a young girl doting on her father, occasionally acting coquettishly, bearing none of her former sinister nature or myriad venoms. That cold, ruthless Hua Cuoying seemed like an entirely different person! Laughter and lighthearted chatter flowed ceaselessly between father and daughter.
Hua Jingjing stared blankly at the scene. This transformed Hua Cuoying and transformed Five Extremes Immortal King were like a true father and daughter, bound only by familial warmth, completely devoid of scheming and intrigue.
*How enviable,* she thought silently, abandoning any thought of ambushing Hua Cuoying.
She gazed at them wistfully from afar, as if the girl by her father's side were herself.
Two days later, Young Master Ningqing solemnly kowtowed several times to the Heavenly Fiend Ning Zhong, stood up, and smelted out certain impurities from his Dao heart, severing them cleanly. Resolute and decisive, he turned and walked away.
Behind him, another Young Master Ningqing stayed by the Heavenly Fiend Ning Zhong's side, while he himself departed to carry out Heavenly Venerable Ning Zhong's orders.
Nalan Du, Hua Jingjing, and the others emerged one after another. Within this Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain, each had gained something, and each had found their own sorrow.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, may your misfortunes turn to fortune, your luck take a turn for the better, and your future be bright!"
Xu Ying was also taking his leave from the Heavenly Fiend Supreme Sovereign and the others. Over these past few days, he had spent his time with the Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch, Primordial Monarch, and Heavenly Venerable like true friends, debating heaven and earth over wine. For the first time, Xu Ying had drunk himself into a stupor.
These people were clearly his fated enemies, yet the heavenly fiends severed from them had become the friends he felt safest around—it was truly a wondrous journey. Xu Ying bowed in farewell. "May the green hills stand forever and the clear waters flow on. Please do not trouble yourselves to see me off."
The Heavenly Fiend Heavenly Venerable said, "Worthy Brother, when you become an immortal in the future, do not sever your heavenly fiend. If you do, we will no longer acknowledge you."
The Heavenly Fiend Primordial Monarch's eyes brightened, and she laughed. "No, severing it is good! If he severs his heavenly fiend, that fiend will end up here to keep us company. Besides, he won't be able to control his desires then!"
Xu Ying flushed and argued, "Feelings arise from emotion, yet are restrained by propriety..."
The Primordial Monarch laughed. "Nonsense! That is exactly how I was severed!"
The Heavenly Fiend Imperial Monarch said, "Lord Xu, on your journey to the Corpse Ghost Immortal Domain, beware of one person. His name is Sword Lord Jinhe, a master of profound swordsmanship and transcendent strength. His Jinhe Sword Art is a premier sword technique of the Immortal Realm!"
Hearing this, Xu Ying made sure to commit the name to memory.
Hua Cuoying emerged from the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain and came to Xu Ying's side, smiling. "We can set off now." Xu Ying noticed that the rims of her eyes were red, as though she had been crying, which surprised him.
As the two walked together, Xu Ying smiled. "Cuoying, I have been here before, so there is no need for you to guide me the rest of the way. You may return to the Ancestral Court."
Hua Cuoying sneered. "Have you recovered your memories from your first lifetime? If not, and without me to lead the way, barging into the Corpse Ghost Immortal Domain on your own is certain death!"
Xu Ying laughed aloud and boasted, "The Supreme Sovereign is my close friend, and the Heavenly Venerable is my sworn brother. Who could kill me?"
Hua Cuoying couldn't help but scoff at him. "That was because you were formidable in your first lifetime!"
"I was truly too formidable in my first lifetime!" Xu Ying said excitedly. Hua Cuoying was left speechless for a long moment before taking the lead.
Xu Ying caught up with her and smiled. "By the way, I saw that Nalan Du and the others needed a geography map to travel forward. Why don't you need one? Have you been here before? Many times, right?"
Hua Cuoying fell silent for a moment, then said, "I come here to visit my father. The one at home isn't my real father; the one here is."
Xu Ying asked, "How many times have you been here?"
"I don't remember."
Hua Cuoying fell silent again, then suddenly broke into a bright smile. "Having come here so often, I grew familiar with the surrounding geography. That brat Nalan Du was cradled in the palm of his master's hand—how could he ever have visited such a dangerous place? So, I guarantee I can bring you to the Corpse Ghost Immortal Domain alive! But whether you can make it out alive depends on your own ability!"
Xu Ying chuckled. "On that, you can rest completely assured."
The two walked side by side. Scattered heavenly fiends drifted around them, appearing as roiling plumes of black Qi.
These black mists were mostly the inner demons severed by immortals of little status, such as Human Immortals, Earth Immortals, and Heavenly Immortals. They were clumps of malicious consciousness, carrying little benevolence and unable to condense into human form, drifting dangerously throughout Weixu.
In contrast, the heavenly fiends severed by mighty figures like Imperial Monarchs and Heavenly Venerables possessed notions of both good and evil, commanded immense magic power, and could even assume their original forms, making them considerably less hazardous by comparison. Of course, if the heavenly fiends of figures like Imperial Monarchs or Heavenly Venerables lost control of their malice, they could also cause immense devastation. Heavenly fiends born from the inner demons of immortals were the most common variety, and at times they would escape into the lower realms to wreak havoc.
Xu Ying summoned his prayer beads. Having refined them over the past few days in the Heavenly Fiend Immortal Domain, his progress had been remarkably swift under the guidance of the Heavenly Fiend Supreme Sovereign and the others, even though he had never studied Buddhist methods.
The string held one hundred and eight prayer beads, of which he had already refined one hundred, leaving just eight to achieve complete mastery.
The beads emitted gentle ripples of Buddhist light, driving the heavenly fiends back.
*If I refine all one hundred and eight beads, with my current magic power, I should be able to pull back that young monk trapped in the dark space-time,* he thought to himself.
Just then, a strange fluctuation of geomagnetic primordial power rippled through the air. Countless plumes of black Qi flew across the sky, riding the currents of geomagnetic force.
Xu Ying looked over and realized they had arrived near Weixu's other eye without even noticing. Only the eye socket remained of this eye, looking out into an empty, dark void devoid of stars.
Suddenly, blazing firelight filled their vision. Xu Ying and Hua Cuoying focused their gaze and saw a sea of fire drifting outside Weixu. Xuanhuang Qi swirled within the flames, and a Yellow Court Mansion anchored the center of the fiery sea.
"The Yellow Court other shore!" Xu Ying exclaimed in shock.
Outside Weixu lay a wondrous other shore world, enveloped in Yellow Court immortal fire, refining immortal medicine!
*Where on earth is this Supreme Sovereign's skull of Weixu drifting? Why would an other shore world exist outside it?*
Chapter 420