Life

Yaoguang did not converse long with Dao Lord Juntian, Dao Lord Dihui, and the others. On one hand, he was confident that these Dao Lords would not let him be shortchanged—nor would they dare to. On the other hand... After learning the truth of the world, the petty squabbles on Beihai Star felt utterly dull and meaningless to him. Even more, discovering that the path of immortal cultivation he had strived so hard to ascend was already dominated by the Hunyuan Realm stirred an indescribable feeling within him. It felt as if all his painstaking efforts, everything he had strived for, had been mercilessly negated. This jarring disparity forced him to take time to adjust. Thus, after a brief coordination, he left the Divine Domain, choosing neither to return to the Heavenly Dao Sect nor to visit the Nine Cauldrons Sect. With a few Void Blinks, he appeared atop a peak far from the Divine Domain, casually choosing a boulder to sit down upon. “The Hunyuan Realm, the Ancient Immortal Realm.” Yaoguang gazed at the churning sea of clouds before him, his eyes unfocused. According to his original plan, he was supposed to ascend to the Immortal Realm and swiftly cultivate to become an Immortal Venerable. An Immortal Venerable... A figure who could serve at the level of president or vice president within the Nine Great Groups—clearly a personage of immense weight. Yet now... None of that seemed to carry much significance anymore. The revelation of the Hunyuan Realm had upended everything. “The Hunyuan Realm is locked in a fierce war against the Ancient Immortal Realm, and the Hunyuan Realm holds an overwhelming advantage. The Nine Great Groups are already carving up the cake, which shows just how dire the situation is for the native cultivators of the Ancient Immortal Realm. If compared to a virtual world... the native cultivators are practically equivalent to wild mobs? And cultivators from the Hunyuan Realm slay these mobs to harvest shares of the Grand Dao?” As Yaoguang spoke, a hint of bitterness welled up in his heart. By all rights, he ought to be considered a member of the Hunyuan Realm, and he should have felt thrilled that the Hunyuan Realm was on the verge of victory. Yet he didn't know where this bitter taste came from. Only after quite a while did he slowly exhale a breath. “It must be... that my dream of immortal cultivation has shattered.” He had pursued cultivation with utmost diligence and care every step of the way, pouring immense time and effort especially into embarking upon the Human Immortal path. Yet now... It felt as if none of it held much purpose. Compounded by the uncertainty of whether he truly counted as a being of the Hunyuan Realm, he was left with a profound sense of disorientation. The path ahead had become obscured. Yaoguang sat motionless on the stone, staring into the horizon where sunlight illuminated the boundless realm and clouds rolled and dispersed, lost in thought for a long time. After a long while, a glimmer of focus returned to his eyes. “So, what exactly am I feeling so lost about?” he muttered aloud. Searching his own soul. Why was he feeling lost? Disappointed? In the end... “It's a loss of control.” Yaoguang murmured to himself, “The situation is out of control; it is no longer within my grasp. The Immortal Realm is not what I understood it to be. After Dao Lords ascend, they don't steadily cultivate step by step to become immortals, Immortal Venerables, and Immortal Kings before finally attaining Dao Ancestor. Instead... the entire Immortal Realm has turned into a colossal battlefield where no one can remain untangled—especially native cultivators like me, treated almost like 'wild mobs,' relegated to the bottom rung of the Immortal Realm and hunted down by the Nine Great Groups.” His gaze gradually cleared. “Because the situation has slipped beyond control and is fraught with unknowns and perils, I became uneasy, flustered, hesitant to advance, agitated, and paralyzed by aimless fear...” That was the root of it all. In particular, because of that ancient tree suspected to be the legacy of the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor, he was already ensnared in the game, inescapably destined to become the eye of the vortex. Thus, that unease, panic, and fear of the unknown had been magnified to the extreme. Ultimately, it was because crisis loomed right before him, yet he lacked the confidence he had once possessed. “Even beings as mighty as the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor, masters of two of the four supreme Grand Daos, have already fallen. And the Fate Dao Ancestor and Karma Dao Ancestor, masters of the other two supreme Grand Daos, were forced to merge completely into the universe, transforming into Gates of the Grand Dao to exist alongside the Immortal Realm and perish with the cosmos.” Yaoguang spoke softly. He understood that state. Translating it to the path of Divine Immortals, it was equivalent to a Divine Immortal paying the price of complete Dao assimilation by dissolving into the Dao in exchange for the power to break the impasse. Yet the present reality was that even with the Fate Dao Ancestor and Karma Dao Ancestor going to such lengths, they still seemed unable to escape being utterly annihilated by the Hunyuan Realm. It was precisely because he knew this and understood the might of the Hunyuan Realm that he, having received the legacy of the Time and Void Dao Ancestors, had fallen into such fear. That was the true reason. The so-called disorientation and helplessness were merely byproducts of fear. “Setting aside that things haven't truly reached the worst-case scenario, even if they did, neither fear nor confusion would serve any purpose.” Yaoguang faced his own heart directly. “Think carefully about it. Even if I truly ascend to the Immortal Realm, get completely surrounded and slaughtered by the Nine Great Groups, dissected, and stripped of the glazed treasure tree that represents the legacy of the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor, that would still be a long time from now. If I choose not to ascend, then with my lifespan as a Dao Lord, I can live for at least another 120,000 years. And even if I do plan to ascend, that won't be for another 150 years.” Never mind 120,000 years—just 150 years alone... What a vast expanse of time was that? If he hadn't received the legacy of the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor, if he hadn't obtained that glazed treasure tree, then based on the average lifespan back on Blue Star, living to eighty would have been his absolute limit. He had practically gained an extra seventy years for free. What was more... “I have already lived for over eight hundred years. Eight hundred years... From a mortal's perspective, that spans dozens of generations, enough to witness the rise and fall of several dynasties. And above all, everything I have experienced in these eight hundred years...” The bewilderment on Yaoguang's face gradually dispersed, giving way to a faint smile. He recalled the first time he achieved mastery in the Martial Path, the vigor of possessing strength capable of moving a thousand jin with every gesture. He recalled the first time he flew on a sword, the unbridled exhilaration of soaring straight into the clouds. He recalled stepping out beyond the planet in human form, the soul-stirring awe of watching a world slowly rotate beneath his feet. He recalled steering a Dao artifact through the cosmos as an exile, that magnificent voyage from the Cangwu Realm to Beihai Star. And seeing Beihai Star's peculiar planetary structure for the first time, its breathtaking novelty; the lightning swiftness of traversing ten thousand li in an instant upon attaining Void Piercing; the boundless, surging waves upon the Deep Blue Sea; and after Dao Integration, traversing the starry skies, bridging an epic journey spanning ten billion light-years... Which of these experiences was not worth savoring for a lifetime? Which of these memories did not stir ten thousand emotions? Such a life—if he hadn't received that mysterious ancient tree, if he hadn't transmigrated to this world, if he hadn't embarked on cultivation—was something he wouldn't even have dared to imagine. Indeed, calculating by time, he was already over eight hundred years old; he should have been dead for centuries by now. The grass on his grave would have been mowed dozens of times over. No. Times advance and society develops; perhaps his burial mound would have been flattened long ago to build skyscrapers or a commercial plaza. If someone happened to open a bar or KTV right on top of it, wouldn't people be dancing on his grave every single night? “So, having lived nearly a millennium and experienced an immensely magnificent life with no regrets at any moment, facing the prospect of being dissected at the final leg of my journey... doesn't really seem so unacceptable after all.” Back in his mortal days, there was a saying: After living carefree for a whole lifetime, what does it matter if you suffer a little in old age? It's well deserved. Having thought it through, Yaoguang suddenly chuckled. Looking at the boundless sea of clouds before him... “A view like this, back on Blue Star before I transmigrated, would have taken saving at least half a month's salary to see. And even then, it would have been wall-to-wall crowds, with zero chance of a decent viewing experience. How could it compare to this—enjoying an entire vista all to myself?” Chuckling as he gazed into the distance, he waved his hand. From a lake hundreds of li away, tens of thousands of streams of water were drawn up into the void and scattered evenly downward. Instantly, kaleidoscopic colors bathed the sea of clouds, creating a spectacle that any mortal would find unforgettable for a lifetime. Childish? Pointless? Yet from beginning to end, he was fundamentally an ordinary mortal. His true purpose in cultivating was never about conquering or dominating, nor about pursuing supreme supremacy; it was simply to live more comfortably. “Hahahaha! This life! It has been worth it!” Yaoguang laughed heartily. Since this life was already worthwhile and every extra moment was a bonus, then... Whatever he wanted to do next, he would simply go all out. Whatever he would face, whatever the outcome, he would meet it with equanimity. Even if one day he ended up being dissected alive by the Nine Great Groups of the Hunyuan Realm, as long as he fought and strived, he would meet death unflinchingly. With no grievances, no regrets. With his mind broadened, the sky and sea opened wide before him. “My stance... is overly complex. To some extent, I am a being of the Hunyuan Realm. If the Nine Great Groups are willing to talk reasonably, I wouldn't mind cooperating with their investigation. But if they insist on hounding me to death... then don't blame me for ignoring any kinship as a fellow member of the Hunyuan Realm!” Within the Hunyuan Realm itself, power struggles and mortal combat existed as well. Perhaps if he were to rule both the Hunyuan Realm and Ancient Immortal Realm, it might actually allow the two realms to coexist in peace and end the warfare. At once, Yaoguang's figure flashed as he prepared to head to the Penglai Immortal Sect to question everything about the Hunyuan Realm clearly. Yet a moment later, he paused. Dao Lord Penglai... She was one of the favored daughters of heaven in the Hunyuan Realm. Although his information was limited, he could deduce from what she had let slip between the lines that she was a peerless genius of the Hunyuan Realm. Such a genius would inevitably stand firmly with the Hunyuan Realm. The information he gained from her would not necessarily be objective. And forcing her to speak... Yaoguang could not bring himself to do that. After all, they had shared a honeymoon period of fighting side by side in the past. Even now, Dao Lord Penglai had done nothing to wrong him. Naturally, he could not force her into anything merely for intelligence on the Hunyuan Realm. Even if one day they found themselves on opposing sides, it would merely be a matter of walking different paths. “Then, to find out the true facts about the Hunyuan Realm and learn what the inter-realm war actually looks like now... my only option is to head to the Immortal Realm.” Yaoguang settled his mind. The war between the two realms had dragged on for millions of years; it was hardly going to be decided in the next 150 years. During these 150 years... He would treat them as the final century and a half of his life, to enjoy thoroughly, experience deeply, and live well.