Oneness

In the pitch-black void, a white cloud drifted slowly forward. Although the Tree Universe had no concept of up, down, left, or right, direction certainly existed in Yu Xian's world. He had entered this branch from its tip and was now moving toward where it had been severed, so he was certain he was heading forward. Furthermore, the branch was exceptionally long. Moving through it was, roughly speaking, equivalent to traveling through Between Being and Non-Being—perhaps even a bit faster. Li Heihei was actually right: he truly had undergone some wondrous, unspeakable changes, and their root lay in Yu Su'an. The moment he saw Yu Su'an, he had realized something: he had lost all connection with the "me"s across parallel worlds, receiving not a single scrap of feedback from any "me." This was entirely different from back when he had entered Yu Tian's world. Once he realized that "me" was no longer "me," Yu Xian began to ponder: then who was "I"? Even though he was still steering the Somersault Cloud and shooting the breeze with Li Heihei, a fresh wave of transformation had already begun within his inner world. It was like a switch. Previously shrouded in darkness, it was now suddenly turned on. Or, to put it in more esoteric terms: a sudden flash of profound enlightenment had struck him. Yu Xian could feel a new power erupting continuously from the depths of his soul, as one meditating "me" after another truly fused into one with him. This was no simple merging; this was the unification of myriad selves into one. In truth, none of this was simple at all. First, a sealed Zhen Realm had to drift into Between Being and Non-Being to completely sever all connections among the "me"s. Second, one had to possess enough strength to sustain prolonged self-meditation. Third, there could not be the slightest inner demon. Inner demons were indeed a massive problem. The vast majority of extraordinaries harbored inner demons; even ordinary mortals who weren't extraordinaries had them. Even someone as powerful as Quan Juehua had inner demons. Yu Xian, gluttonous and lazy, never putting in any effort, genuinely lacked inner demons. The guy ate, drank, and slept, only to wake up and eat some more. What even was an inner demon? He did whatever he pleased, and with his fleeting enthusiasm, he couldn't even be bothered to generate an inner demon. Thus, the most difficult requirement had never existed for him from the start. Fourth, upon comprehending the power of Oneness, one had to be able to withstand infinite power. Naturally. Every cultivator's situation was different. Everyone's mental state was different as well. A path suitable for Yu Xian might not suit others, and a path suitable for others might lead to failure if Yu Xian walked it. A hundred Unity Returners had a hundred ways of attaining Oneness, and a hundred Transcenders had a hundred ways of transcending. Some were intensely thrilling, transcending or achieving Oneness amid endless battles. Yet there were also those who crossed that threshold without a sound. External forces were ultimately just external forces. In truth, Oneness had never required external objects, but rather a metamorphosis of the heart. Some cultivators completed Oneness in a split second, gaining infinite power in a flash, whereas Yu Xian's progression was like a gentle trickle, rising quietly and steadily without a stir. 1%... 5%... 20%... Merging slowly like this, when it finally reached 100%, he would become a true Unity Returner. Because the change took place gradually, even Li Heihei could sense the difference in him—though part of it was simply that Yu Xian hadn't bothered to conceal it in the slightest. Along the way, Li Heihei stole glances at Yu Xian from time to time. She felt that the present Yu Xian was growing increasingly eye-catching, yet she couldn't figure out what had actually happened to him. Deep down, she also felt his transformation was extraordinarily unusual, exerting an immense attraction over her—like spotting a lollipop that she desperately wanted to eat, only for it to be held in someone else's hand, leaving her to glance over at it again and again. At this moment, Yu Xian's heart was exceptionally calm. It was merely Oneness; no big deal at all. After all, his son Yu Xiaoxian was also a Unity Returner; he was merely catching up to his son's footsteps. Down the road, he could still become an Origin Returner, a Perfect One, and ultimately a Transcender. That way, he could proudly tell his son: "Brat, you might be a natural-born Unity Returner, but you still have a long way to go. Have you returned to the origin? Are you perfect? Have you transcended?" "No?" "Then keep practicing!" In high spirits, Yu Xian simply took out a hot pot and began humming a tune while swishing ingredients in the broth. "Want some?" Yu Xian asked, turning to Li Heihei after eating for a good while, only then remembering the chatterbox little mute beside him. Li Heihei agonized over it for a moment before nodding. "I do!" It had been too long since she last ate. She wanted the lollipop, and she wanted the hot pot too. "You're still quite a ways off from my realm. Don't overthink it; just eat your hot pot," Yu Xian said, relishing his food while giving Li Heihei a well-meaning piece of advice. After all, now that he was in Oneness, everyone looked like a good person to him, and anyone who met him would surely be willing to be a good person too. "No good. I'm really starting to feel like showing off." Having finished the mutton, Yu Xian felt the urge to show off welling up beyond his control. The next second, his intent transformed into an invisible sword that instantly extended into the Tree Universe. Yet the moment he made contact with the Tree Universe, the smile vanished from his face. Everything occurring within the Tree Universe fell under his grasp in an instant. His intent looked toward Quan Juehua, who was hiding in a world nursing his wounds. Ultimately, a thought stirred in his heart, and he slowly withdrew his intent. Killing Quan Juehua right now would only plunge him into despair. He wanted to wait until Quan Juehua was at his happiest, most joyous, and most triumphant to appear and shove him straight into the abyss of agony. "Niman, Zhang Shou, Chi Feihong..." Yu Xian opened his eyes. His thoughts shifted, and he ultimately let out a sigh. Their current lifetimes were over; true fortune awaited them in the next. Though he could restore their memories in their next lives, it would still be many years before they could meet again. Transcenders, Origin Returners, Unity Returners, Perfect Ones. In fact, many among them could easily alter the destinies of others. If Yu Xian truly forced the issue, he could indeed resurrect Zhang Shou and the others right away. In the short term, that would certainly be a good thing. Yet when time was stretched across an infinite scale, it might not be a blessing at all. Blessing lurks within misfortune; misfortune lurks within blessing. With sufficient foresight, Yu Xian suddenly understood many things. Forcing things was the foolish way; going with the flow and guiding events naturally was how he could truly help his friends and family. Amid his thoughts, Yu Xian took out a mass of Calamity Origin he had obtained from the Calamity Demonic Dragon. He dropped the Calamity Origin into the hot pot to simmer, swirled it around with his chopsticks, and then picked it up and swallowed it in a single bite. "What on earth are you eating? That looks disgusting," Li Heihei remarked. She had intended to keep eating, but watching Yu Xian's stunt killed her appetite completely. Yu Xian stood up and said, "I'm going to take a dump. Take your time eating." "You take your time eating!" Li Heihei slammed down her bowl and chopsticks, refusing to eat another bite. Looking at the still-bubbling hot pot, Li Heihei swallowed hard. But the next instant, she remembered the thing Yu Xian had tossed in. She shifted her rear, moving farther away from the hot pot so she wouldn't be tempted by its delicious aroma. After waiting for quite a while without seeing Yu Xian return, she couldn't help muttering to herself, "Can a Mighty One get constipated too? Does a Mighty One get hemorrhoids?" Only after she had spent a good long while gossiping about Yu Xian in her head did he leisurely saunter back and plop down. "Much better," Yu Xian said with a look of pure relief. He glanced at the hot pot and asked Li Heihei, "Aren't you going to keep eating? Weren't you enjoying it just a moment ago?" "The thing you put in was way too disgusting," Li Heihei said in revulsion. Yu Xian shrugged and merrily resumed eating hot pot. Li Heihei could only watch helplessly as he ate, her mouth watering traitorously. And so, the Somersault Cloud drifted slowly forward through the pitch-black void, leaving behind only a trail of cooking smoke frozen in place.