Chapter 102: Pressing Forward

Pressing Forward

Was she being too reckless? Should she have waited for the Nirvana Dao Ancestor to draw near before pulling out the silver hairpin, or perhaps gone even further and let the Nirvana Dao Ancestor pull it out herself?

No, Ruan Ci quickly dismissed these self-doubting thoughts. This silver hairpin had to be removed by her and handed to the Nirvana Dao Ancestor, just as the Dew-Catching Plate had to be handed to her by Little Su. No matter how close the two had been before—whether their hands were clasped or they were tightly embracing—the moment the silver hairpin was removed, they would be continuously pulled apart until they could no longer touch. This was the distance between two great universes, a gap that no clever trick could circumvent. This silver hairpin of Qing Jun's would certainly be of immense use to the Nirvana Dao Ancestor. If Qing Jun were here, perhaps she could have bridged the interval between the two universes to pass the hairpin, but Hengze Heaven only had the Dao foundation remaining. In Qing Jun's era, even she would have found it difficult to enter Hengze Heaven. Only now, with Ruan Ci, the Donghua Sword Envoy, holding the silver hairpin, could such an attempt be made.

What was this silver hairpin? And what use could it possibly have for the Nirvana Dao Ancestor?

Countless thoughts flooded in. Ruan Ci forced herself to calm down, maintaining the posture of offering the silver hairpin. She gazed at the Nirvana Dao Ancestor, hoping she would display her prowess and use that drop of Hengze Jade Dew—which Ruan Ci had returned to her—to manifest a divine ability. However, although the Nirvana Dao Ancestor maintained her immortal posture, hovering in the void with her robes fluttering, she made not the slightest movement. Her eyes remained calm, fixed on Ruan Ci, her lips curved in a smile, as if she could calmly accept every change that might occur.

If the silver hairpin were not obtained, it would be lost forever. Unless Ruan Ci attained the Dao Ancestor realm and could traverse back to her past self to strike this sword blow again, the Nirvana Dao Ancestor would never be able to obtain the hairpin, and would forever wander in the gap between these two universes, awake yet lonely. Yet, in her smiling eyes, there was not a hint of concern for her own fate, as if the events unfolding now had nothing to do with her future. What mattered more was Ruan Ci's choice in this very moment.

Was this the demeanor of a Dao Ancestor? To cast aside life, death, and eternity, and even after falling, to never lose the breadth of mind to govern a Dao? How many cultivators' wills would have been crushed by that eternal, measureless loneliness? Yet to the Nirvana Dao Ancestor, it seemed trivial. Her smiling eyes seemed to ask Ruan Ci, "The mountain passes are hard to cross, the dream-soul has long since drifted away. Sword Envoy, what will you do now?"

What could she do? How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator shatter this infinite space? She still could not draw the Donghua Sword; in her hands, it was like common iron, and she couldn't even begin to speak of the wonders of its sword techniques. It wasn't that Ruan Ci was hesitating in the face of battle, but that this situation was fundamentally impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was like asking an infant to walk upon the blue sky out of thin air. How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator shatter space? Even if she held the sword and shattered space, she could not traverse it to approach the Nirvana Dao Ancestor again. This was, this was...

But Qing Jun would not give her a gift that could not be delivered. There had to be a way out!

Ruan Ci's heart was clear and empty, like a mirror reflecting the surroundings. Not a single thought arose, yet it reflected all things. The myriad clues were like a labyrinth, and from her vantage point, she saw the only way out in a single glance.

It was not a path with absolute certainty, but it was the only opportunity.

But, as long as there was this one opportunity, it was enough!

Ruan Ci did not hesitate. With a soft shout, she flicked the silver hairpin. As her intent moved, the spiritual liquid rippling in the jade pool transformed back into a drop of Hengze Jade Dew, flying into Ruan Ci's hand. Although she had obtained this dew and poured it back into the jade pool, the Nirvana Dao Ancestor had not refined it again, so it remained her possession. Once Ruan Ci channeled her spiritual power into it, infinite magic power was triggered in an instant, surging into her meridians like a flood. Hengze Jade Dew was not something an ordinary person could refine. It wasn't that other cultivators hadn't had such thoughts, but even drawing out a mere trace would cause the surging magic power to burst a cultivator's body alive!

Ruan Ci had twelve layers of Foundation Establishment; her meridians were far stronger than those of ordinary cultivators, but even so, she felt them swelling and on the verge of tearing in an instant. She hurriedly urged the *Qinghua Secret Record*, transforming the jade pool's spiritual liquid into magic power and channeling it into the silver hairpin. The silver hairpin also greedily absorbed the magic power Ruan Ci transmitted without end. Her inner world was now like a canal; the Dao foundation platform above received the surging flood poured down from the Hengze Jade Dew, transforming it into spiritual liquid, while ahead, the jade pool's liquid flowed along her arm meridians into the silver hairpin. One side was surging and torrential, the other was demanding without limit. Even though the spiritual essence in the jade dew was extremely pure and could become her own magic power with just a little refining, this "little refining" was still heart-stopping and a race against time. If she were even a fraction slow, she would either be drained dry and die, or be burst apart by the irrigation of spiritual power.

If it were anyone else, no matter how firm their will, they would still be trembling, like a child walking on a single-log bridge, fearing that one misstep would cause their entire cultivation to be washed away. But who was Ruan Ci? Even when she was a mere mortal, she had been tempered by sword intent. She had already walked through such a purgatory of hair-breadth danger and extreme pain. Now, she was familiar with the process, calmly urging her cultivation technique. Not a single thought arose in her heart, as if she had entered stillness, yet she was intimately aware of every change within her body.

She did not know how much time had passed. The originally pale-gray Dao foundation platform seemed to have been dyed milky-white by the spiritual dew poured over it. The jade pool's spiritual liquid was gradually compressed from its original pure droplets, as if it were so dense it could not be refined any further, yet it still could not contain the spiritual energy within the liquid. As a result, the spiritual energy leaked out, forming a white mist above the jade pool, nourishing the liquid in return, and unknowingly, refining the solidified four-layer Dao foundation once more. This was not Ruan Ci's intention, but the natural tempering of this channel by the surging spiritual power. To her, she only felt the spiritual power transforming faster and faster, and the Hengze Jade Dew irrigating at an ever-increasing speed. Yet the silver hairpin remained bottomless, as if no matter how much spiritual power was injected, it could not be triggered.

Not until, in the darkness, the last drop of spiritual power within the jade dew merged into her spiritual platform, rolled off the Dao foundation, and was extracted by Ruan Ci to be sent into the silver hairpin, did the silver hairpin suddenly leap. It transformed from a dead object that Ruan Ci could not manipulate no matter how she moved her intent, into a vibrant, ready-to-strike weapon. At this moment, the spiritual liquid remaining in Ruan Ci's body was neither more nor less than the amount she had before triggering the Hengze Jade Dew!

Ruan Ci held the silver hairpin, countless emotions surging through her heart. She did not know why, but before striking, she remembered that white-robed figure standing in the void, holding a long sword, sending out sword intent that filled the sky. She also seemed to see a vast, incomparable innate phoenix in the world, blocking the sky and sun, split into two, slowly falling. The falling figure shrouded the mountains, rivers, and seas, and those eyes, like small lakes, still looked north toward the Dao City, tears sliding down to transform into a torrential downpour.

She even seemed to hear Huang Yang's faint voice, "This time, I am also determined to press forward, never to look back."

Only living this once, only this one sword strike, filled with heroic spirit, pressing forward, never looking back!

She let out a soft whistle, entrusting all her emotions into this sword strike, and with a resolve and sharpness she had never possessed in her life, she thrust the sword. Since obtaining the sword, although Ruan Ci had never wielded the Donghua Sword, she had become interested in sword techniques. When she practiced, she did not know how many strikes she had made, but never had a strike been like this one, injecting all her past, present, and future prospects, and erasing them all. At this moment, Ruan Ci had only this one strike!

As the sword thrust out, the silver hairpin rang softly. Amidst the humming, Ruan Ci's heart jolted. The scenery before her eyes seemed to change into another world. At this moment, she stood in the void, yet she held the myriad universes in her grasp. Her heart was without sorrow or joy, only the myriad changes of cause and effect. Holding the precious sword, she shook it lightly against the void—

With a "hum," this scene shattered like a reflection in a mirror. Ruan Ci returned to before the Dao Ancestor's jade pool. The silver hairpin had already pierced through the infinite shattered space, pointing at the Nirvana Dao Ancestor's heart, which was close at hand. The Nirvana Dao Ancestor, however, had no reaction, as if that sword strike had not only shattered space but also shattered time, freezing her in that moment when she was about to lift her sleeves to fly. In Ruan Ci's perception, something indescribable seemed to flow from the silver hairpin into the Nirvana Dao Ancestor's body, and some things were transmitted from the Nirvana Dao Ancestor's side into her own inner world, but she could not say what that was.

She did not know how much time had passed. The Nirvana Dao Ancestor's fingers, delicate as fresh flowers, moved slightly, grasping the end of the hairpin, breaking that seemingly eternal silence. Her clear and beautiful face bloomed with a smile. She took the silver hairpin from Ruan Ci's hand. The next moment, a wild wind rose again, and the two were separated by layers of space once more. The sword strike Ruan Ci had unleashed had triggered the silver hairpin to shatter space, but the barrier between them remained. Now that the silver hairpin was gone, no magic treasure could maintain the connection between the two. Ruan Ci, who knew the inside story, had become an untouchable person to the Nirvana Dao Ancestor. Even if they were close at hand, they would be unable to perceive each other. Those who didn't know the truth could be manipulated at will, but those who knew the truth would never be able to see the Nirvana Dao Ancestor, and the Nirvana Dao Ancestor would never be able to see them.

Their figures did not move, but they were blown further and further apart. Space was layered upon layer, like colorful glaze, reflecting countless beautiful faces, but the memory of this peerless beauty was also continuously being lost. In the final glance, the Nirvana Dao Ancestor smiled and said something to Ruan Ci. Obscure and cryptic syllables flowed by her ears, but to Ruan Ci, it was a strange language—this was the language of the old universe, just like the residents of the Dao City speaking. If one had already seen through the truth, and lacked the relay of the silver hairpin, a cultivator of this universe would not be able to understand it.

But for some reason, although she could not understand it, she could comprehend the Nirvana Dao Ancestor's meaning.

"Because of this sword, one dies; because of this sword, one lives. This infinite, wondrous causality..."

That endless sensation of falling stopped abruptly. Ruan Ci couldn't help but take a step back. In fact, she was still standing in the same place. Except for the silver hairpin on her head disappearing without a trace, everything else remained as it was. Even the brimming pool water in the jade pool seemed to have no change, except that the Nirvana Dao Ancestor was no longer there—perhaps she was still standing by the jade pool, but the two could no longer see each other, and anything done could no longer affect the other.

Thinking of this, she pointed casually, and the overflowing spiritual liquid in the jade pool indeed transformed back into a drop of jade dew, falling into the jade bottle in Ruan Ci's palm. She savored the spiritual power of the jade dew; it seemed still full and had not been affected in any way. Everything in this Hengze Heaven gave people a feeling of being both real and illusory. Even everything experienced in this Dao Ancestor's jade pool, if not for the traces remaining in her heart, seemed like a dream. The mysteries within were indeed worth savoring endlessly.

Closing her eyes to look within at the Dao foundation jade pool, the Dao foundation had indeed been dyed milky-white. She didn't know what mysterious changes would follow, but True Person Wang had said there was a remnant of the Donghua Sword in Hengze Heaven. She didn't know if it was what the Nirvana Dao Ancestor had transmitted into her body. That object could not be sensed; it seemed to have disappeared into the depths of her inner world, impossible to find. Even the Donghua Sword had no reaction. Ruan Ci had a realization in her heart: the opportunity had not yet arrived, and no matter how she searched, she would not be able to sense it.

This experience had too many things worth savoring, and what she had gained needed to be well organized. Just in terms of magic power, there was no progress; she was still at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment. Ruan Ci looked around and picked up the Dew-Catching Plate. Fortunately, things she had touched were not affected by the loss of the silver hairpin and could still be controlled.

As her thoughts turned, she extinguished the illusion array layer by layer. Before long, a rumbling sound seemed to come from afar, and many figures gradually emerged beside her. Someone shouted in the distance, "Junior Sister Ci, you've finally come out!"

Ruan Ci turned to look and saw Li Pingyan, Senior Brother Pu, Little Su, Shen Qi, and Junior Brother Fan all standing not far away. All of them looked joyful, and their old wounds seemed to be no longer a major issue. She couldn't help but smile and run toward them. Just as she started to move, she remembered that she seemed to have forgotten to wear her mask. Sure enough, she saw that Senior Brother Pu, Shen Qi, and Junior Brother Fan all had expressions of shock on their faces. They hadn't expected that the fellow disciple they had been calling for months was actually a fairy maiden.

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Updated! Sorry for the wait, everyone. This chapter is also one of my personal favorites. In short, writing about cultivation is just about liking these strange and supernatural changes. The more mysterious and bizarre, the more interesting I find it—that's my own aesthetic.

I see many readers saying they don't understand. How should I put it? I guess they haven't read much male-oriented cultivation literature before. My own assessment is that the worldview of this story isn't particularly complex in the context of male-oriented novels. Some factors are used by many people, such as the settings of Dao Ancestors, Great Heavens, and elements similar to those in *Immortal Gourd*, *Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality*, and *Great Dao Contender*. It might feel a bit complex the first time you see it. In female-oriented cultivation novels, the ones with more worldview are basically the "mortal flow" style; the "primordial flow" is rare, and some have no worldview to speak of at all—Xianxia is just a background board for romance (defending against arguments, I'm not saying this is bad, just stating a fact).

Of course, besides classic elements, there are many of my own settings. And you don't need to feel panicked just because you don't understand. I think sometimes half-understanding is also the charm of Xianxia. I don't understand everything when I read some novels either; I just read slowly, ponder slowly, and savor it, finding it interesting. The unknown and exploration of the worldview are also part of the charm of reading Xianxia.

The Hengze Heaven arc will end in a few more chapters, and I will answer questions then. Of course, if you really can't persist, you don't have to force it.

Eating leftovers for lunch today... steamed some egg dregs. Still in a book drought.

Thank you to the little angels who cast Overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me between 2020-09-24 11:59:47 and 2020-09-25 12:08:21~

Thank you to the little angels who cast landmines: Translucent Sushi (3), Yu Yu Wan Yao, Long Qian, Wu Mingya, Ma Daidai Riding a Horse, 41802649, Angry Listening to Nuclear Reaction (1 each).

Thank you to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Little Xiangxiang (390 bottles), Sunny Rain (210 bottles), Ke Ruo Wei Feng (110 bottles), Lu Bu Tian (100 bottles), Qingfeng Mingyue (93 bottles), Xia Qi (55 bottles), Rou Rou Ni Ni (40 bottles), bestloo (30 bottles), Angry Listening to Nuclear Reaction, Twelve, Bright Moon Corn, Ye Zi (20 bottles each), Jun Zisu (16 bottles), liliyyyyooo (15 bottles), Shao Xia, vola, Bu Yun, Qingding Road Street Office, Zhou Zhou (10 bottles each), sidewalker, king (5 bottles each), Lilyko, Jiaxin Biscuit (4 bottles each), Feng Guang (3 bottles), Marie Maria, Mu Wan (2 bottles each), Dong Chaochao, 18205385, Yisheng's Big Bacteria, Ji Le, Among Readers, Chen Xiao Chuang, Baomu Cao Xi Yang, Yihong Academy (1 bottle each).

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard! ===== CHAPTER 103 =====