Chapter 185

Contemplating the Dao through Mortal Life

Once these words were spoken, there was an immediate response within the inner landscape. The Dao foundation trembled slightly, and the Golden Core shone brilliantly. Even in the realm of reality, there seemed to be a subtle change, as if among the three thousand infinite Great Daos, one had naturally produced a slight change. However, this change was extremely minute, and it would not be worth mentioning if not for someone with such deep ties as Both Both Ruan Ci. Both Both Ruan Ci knew this was because she herself had not yet integrated with the Dao. These three thousand Great Daos were originally nameless, operating naturally in the dark, and it was only after cultivators discovered them, named them, integrated their bodies with the Dao, clarified the Dao intent, and passed down the Dao lineage that the names of the Great Daos were established.

Just as people have true names, the process of the Great Dao giving birth to a true name is inherently mysterious and is also a part of proving the Dao. Both Both Ruan Ci said this Dao is Tai Chu; if there were other cultivators who also captured the Dao seed of this Dao and integrated it with themselves, and named it differently, then what this Dao truly is would depend on which of the two of them could integrate with the Dao first, and whose naming was more in line with the essence of the Great Dao.

However, the Dao seed of the Tai Chu Dao was intercepted by her when the universe was opened. Now, the Great Dao is exceptionally pure, without any other thoughts. Both Both Ruan Ci is the first cultivator to attempt to integrate her body with the Dao, and she also felt intuitively that the two words "Tai Chu" are the most appropriate explanation for this Dao. Merely by realizing the name of this Great Dao, she felt the Dao rhyme pouring into her body endlessly, as if her cultivation base was growing every moment, and that twelfth aperture was also being filled at every moment.

Although her cultivation base seemed to be progressing without a moment's pause, that twelfth aperture was like a bottomless abyss; she truly did not know when it would be full. Both Both Ruan Ci closed her eyes and did not know how long she savored it before she gained a slight understanding of the mystery of the Dao rhyme's transformation. When she opened her eyes again, Dong Shuangcheng was also sitting cross-legged below, acting as her protector. Seeing her wake from her meditation, she said happily, "Junior Sister Ci, you had a sudden epiphany, and I imagine your cultivation has improved again. I have even benefited from it, and I don't know how to thank you."

Both Both Ruan Ci knew that she must have also gained some profound insight into the Great Dao from the fluctuations of her own aura. Although it must be different from the Dao she was cultivating, by drawing inferences from one instance, there was always some inspiration. Hearing this, she also smiled and said, "Then how should I thank Senior Sister Dong for the inspiration you gave me unintentionally? No wonder I felt in my heart that my understanding of the Dao should be on you. It turns out you are truly my lucky star."

Dong Shuangcheng could not help but be curious about the ability of sensing. Both Both Ruan Ci shook her head and said, "It's hard to explain clearly. In fact, it's not that everything is clear; it's just a vague feeling. That matter in my heart is only half-finished at this moment. As for how it will turn around in the future, even I cannot know."

This was not a lie. Realizing the Dao she held was only the first step to subduing the Green Sword. Now that she knew she was cultivating the Tai Chu Dao, she should clarify the relationship between the Tai Chu Dao and the Dao of Life, and reconcile the connection between the two Dao rhymes—it was fortunate that the Tai Chu Dao was not a Dao that conflicted with the Dao of Life, and could still be coordinated and unified. If it were some Dao of Death, Dao of Destruction, or Dao of Ending, then the day Both Both Ruan Ci would draw the sword would truly be remote.

Since she had already realized the Tai Chu Dao, and the two seemed to have no connection, then to draw the Donghua Sword, she would either have to use power that surpassed the Dao rhyme of the Dao of Life within the Donghua Sword to wield it, or find a connection between the Daos to reduce the Donghua Sword's rejection of Both Both Ruan Ci's magic power. Just like Sister Xie Sister Xie Yan Yan Huan, the Dao she held might not be the Dao of Life, but her cultivation was profound, and she was a human cultivator after all, so the power of the Dao rhyme she could flexibly wield far surpassed the Donghua Sword with its shattered true spirit. Or perhaps she did not touch the Dao rhyme at all during the Golden Core stage, and was thus able to draw the sword easily. It was not like Both Both Ruan Ci, whose realm was higher, making drawing the sword more difficult. This perhaps also explained why, other than the Donghua Sword Envoy, other Grotto-Heaven True Persons did not try to obtain this sword; perhaps other True Persons, by the time their magic power was sufficient to activate the Donghua Sword, had already cultivated other Daos and were destined to be unable to activate it.

With Both Both Ruan Ci's current Dao rhyme, it was truly difficult to suppress the Donghua Sword. Perhaps after thousands of years of cultivation, there would be a turning point. But firstly, the lifespan of the Golden Core stage is limited, and she cannot afford to spend thousands of years just subduing the Dao rhyme. Secondly, if she wants to cultivate the Dao rhyme, she must travel around as she is doing now, and it is impossible to hide in the Purple Void Heaven forever. But without refining the Life Sword, how can she walk outside? Thirdly, she feared that neither inside nor outside the sect would give her this time. Therefore, she said this matter was only half-finished, and the other half would probably have to wait for opportunities after this trip.

But regardless, having made such a breakthrough due to her intuition, Both Both Ruan Ci was naturally happy in her heart, and felt less of the urgency she had before. At this moment, she finally understood why many powerful cultivators were so calm and composed, as if they had everything under control. Perhaps they had no prediction for the situation in their hearts, but being able to grasp the general trend was already enough.

For the next few days, they continued unhurriedly, sailing slowly over the Cai Kingdom. Watching the young children picking lotus flowers and playing, she felt joy in her heart. Both Both Ruan Ci could not help but say to Dong Shuangcheng, "It's just a pity that the Central Continent has such a structure. If you want to go to a mortal kingdom, you can never bypass the cultivators and sects. If it were like the South Zhuzhou, when I have some free time, I would really like to wander through the kingdoms one by one, and not worry about cultivation. Just like in the storybooks, be an old immortal playing in the human world."

Dong Shuangcheng smiled and said, "In the Central Continent, the most quiet and knowledgeable mortal kingdoms are probably these nine nations. If you go to other kingdoms, you will probably be greatly disappointed. The lives those mortals lead are all the same: working at sunrise and resting at sunset. You will get tired of it before long."

Both Both Ruan Ci said, "How can there be anything that is all the same? The thoughts of two people are never the same. Even if the sun and moon are the same, the human heart is always full of subtle changes, infinite and endless."

The Dao rhyme in her heart changed slightly because of this, as if it were constantly changing itself along with Both Both Ruan Ci's understanding of Tai Chu. In Both Both Ruan Ci's understanding, all human nature begins with this Tai Chu that does not distinguish between good and evil, and naturally, the infinite changes produced will all return to the chaos of Tai Chu. However, this understanding still felt general, and could not be fed back into the inner landscape, nor did it change the apertures in the Golden Core that seemed to be a bottomless abyss.

Dong Shuangcheng shook her head and said, "If you go now, I'm afraid you will still see the wars caused by sect struggles. What you see will all be helpless separations and reunions, and your heart may not feel good either."

Having come all the way here, she must have seen many mortals suffering. At this moment, she said with some sadness, "Before forming the Core, I only felt that after forming the Core, I could do many things I couldn't do before and make up for some past regrets. For example, I have always been secretly unconvinced by Senior Brother Yan Huan, but I never expressed it. After all, I formed the Core before him, and it seemed I could show off a bit. But after the Core was formed, I had no such mood at all. On the way here, seeing many mortals displaced, I felt very sympathetic. However, such is the general trend of the world; even if I am a Grotto-Heaven True Person, how many can I save? That is why I said that even if you reach a mortal kingdom, you may not feel good."

Both Both Ruan Ci knew she was telling the truth and could not help but smile, "You are a kind person, much kinder than me. Perhaps that's why you always have some resentment towards your husband in your heart. If it were me, if I like him, that's enough. Even if he is really a bad person, so what? Sometimes you know this person is bad, but you can't help but like them."

The fate of mortals is probably the same. If it touches Both Both Ruan Ci, she will try to resolve the dispute. If she can't, she will keep it in her heart and set it as an ambition, but she will never feel helpless. Because helplessness is an emotion that arises only when you believe in your heart that you can no longer do anything. But it was not easy to say this to Dong Shuangcheng, lest she feel that her own perspective was too small and spoil the mood.

Dong Shuangcheng lowered her head and did not speak. After a moment, she shook her head and said, "I... if only I could think as openly as you. It's just that I have my own sense of right and wrong in my heart, and I cannot change it because of your words. My Dao is like my sword. Although my actions are often constrained by the sect and family, it is precisely because of this that the Dao in my heart will never be changed at will."

Both Both Ruan Ci sighed, "Then you are destined to suffer this distress in your heart. But this trouble also arises because you hold your own Dao in your heart, which is not entirely a bad thing. It is just like the helplessness and powerlessness you feel because of mortals; this may also be a part of cultivation. Living in this world, there is not only joy and peace, but also turmoil, setbacks, and inner demons. These may all be the resources for cultivating the Dao. If you don't experience all the flavors of life and have no understanding of these three thousand Great Daos, how can you talk about asking for the Dao and longevity?"

Dong Shuangcheng was thoughtful. She tilted her pleasing round face, rested her chin on her hand, and thought for a long time before smiling, "When you say it like that, it's as if even the Dao Ancestors should be full of seven emotions and six desires. If not, it would be a waste of heaven and earth's painstaking efforts to create humans."

Both Both Ruan Ci thought to herself, "There are also some Dao Ancestors who are single-minded about the Dao, but most of such Dao Ancestors cannot integrate with the second Dao. So they are indeed trying every possible way to reincarnate and re-cultivate. Dao Ancestors who started as human cultivators might be just like us, having love, hate, and enmity, and having people they care about in their hearts. It is precisely in this way, integrating with the Dao and yet transcending the Dao, while still maintaining a complete and rich self, that one can truly be said to hold a Dao, rather than just being a slave to the Great Dao."

She could not help but think, "I wonder if the Yin-Yang Five Elements Dao Ancestor, the Dongyang Dao Ancestor, and the Taiyi Dao Ancestor, who attained the Dao as human cultivators, also had times when they liked someone. The thoughts of the Yin-Yang Five Elements Dao Ancestor are probably unknown to anyone in this universe. Does the Ancestor of Emotion know the secrets of the other Dao Ancestors?... It's really strange, how could the Ancestor of Emotion live until now? If I knew that the feelings in my heart were not only known to one person but possibly manipulated by them, then I would definitely find a way to kill them."

Once she thought of this, she suddenly felt the two-colored cold plum blossom in her Qiankun bag jump slightly, as if it also conveyed a sense of displeasure. Both Both Ruan Ci was slightly startled and hurriedly thought, "I was just saying it casually, I didn't intend to do it for real. And I know that I haven't been infected by the seed of emotion; maybe it's because the Ancestor of Emotion showed mercy, and I am very grateful."

Only then did she know that the power of the Dao Ancestor is indeed far-reaching. She also knew that although the Ancestor of Emotion did not directly place a piece on her, whether it was Qu Qu Tan Yue or Meng Lingyue, or even Ruan Rong and Dong Shuangcheng, they might all be related to the Ancestor of Emotion. It seems that she has been watched for a long time. I just don't know what kind of game these pieces will form in the future, and whether it will conflict with what Qing Jun and Taiyi are planning.

These thoughts could not be revealed, and she just let them be after thinking about them. Both Both Ruan Ci still moved her heart and sent out her spiritual sense to sense He Tong. On this day, she ordered everyone to stop the magic boat and land in the mountains below the boat. She found a wisp of aura left by He Tong. Because a long time had passed, it was already very faint, but this trace could not be hidden from Both Both Ruan Ci, who was served by him and had unique attainments in the Dao of sensing.

"This is where He Tong was captured by mistake." Both Both Ruan Ci captured the aura, closed her eyes and sensed for a long time, and said affirmatively, "There is also a dark aura that is almost non-existent. If someone else came, it would be difficult to capture. But He Tong fought with him for a moment, and the auras were entangled, leaving this faint trace. If I can meet this person again, I will definitely be able to recognize this aura."

The person who captured He Tong was not anyone she had ever seen in her life. Both Both Ruan Ci tried to distinguish the aura and wanted to find the cause and effect to find a connection, but she failed. This aura was faint and ethereal, obviously covered by special cultivation techniques, making it difficult for people to calculate. It seems that the other party was also prepared for the fact that True Person Wang was proficient in sensing cultivation techniques, and I am afraid there is also a Grotto-Heaven powerhouse covering his tracks for him.

She was no longer the little Foundation Establishment cultivator of that day. After the Golden Core, her casual actions made all the servants admire her endlessly, and even Wang Wang Panpan had nothing to say. She released some cats to spy around, but found no clues. The group crossed the dragon vein and arrived in the territory of the An Kingdom in a few days. People from the Zhuoyue Cliff had already come to greet them. Li Ji came to pay respects to her master in person and welcomed Both Both Ruan Ci into a small city in the central part of the An Kingdom.

I saw that inside and outside the city walls, there were dense crowds of cultivators, actually as many as ten thousand. When they saw the magic boat, they all knelt down to salute, calling out "Greetings to the Old Ancestor." There were also dozens of golden boys and jade girls surrounding the throne to come forward. The scene was so majestic that Both Both Ruan Ci was stunned and speechless at the bow of the boat, and asked, "These... are these all the clansmen born from you few servants?"

Li Ji looked shy, bowed gracefully, and said in a crisp voice, "Exactly so. These tens of thousands of troops all obey the master's orders. For several generations, this is the first time we have had the honor to see the master. It is inevitably too extravagant, please forgive me, master."

Wang Wang Panpan had already laughed out loud, and Qin Qin Fengyu also forgot the prejudices of the sect and laughed with her. Seeing Tianlu felt that the style was extraordinary, looking left and right, and praising endlessly. Dong Shuangcheng also joined in the fun and clapped to compliment. Everyone had different expressions, but Both Both Ruan Ci just wanted to hold her forehead. Just as she was about to say something, her heart moved, and she sensed that dark aura flash and disappear in the city below, as if it had responded to the aura she was capturing.

It seems that the person who captured He Tong seems to be still hiding in this small city.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Updated, the draft box updated, because I'm going to watch Wonder Woman 1984 at noon!

It is said that it is not good-looking, but the tickets have been bought... just pretend to go see the beauty!

At noon, I am also planning to eat skewers and KFC's dark chocolate egg tarts + ice cream cones. I actually found the egg tart quite delicious, the chocolate is very pure, I am going to try the ice cream cone.

Ah! Mom and Dad are not at home, eat junk food as you like! A winter of gaining weight!

. Thanks to the little angels who cast Overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me during the period 2020-12-18 12:05:13~2020-12-18 23:11:37~

Thanks to the little angels who cast hand grenades: Shi Yi, Lychee who had her account stolen, Ling Luo Ling Ling (1);

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Yan Yan (6); Ye Se Ru Mo (2); Hamel Ji, Li Ge, Yu Yu Wan Yao, Ban Mu Fang Tang, 21565443, Wu Mingya (1);

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: A Pu (171 bottles); ^_^ (90 bottles); Peerless Enchanting Mother (50 bottles); Li Yuan (23 bottles); Daily Update Child is Loved (21 bottles); Cyfloel Miao (20 bottles); Qi Yuan, Xiao Jiji, Heart has Micro-dust, Zhou Zhou (10 bottles); 22850853 (9 bottles); Hanxiao de Liuxing, Yan Xiao Yan Yan (5 bottles); Feng Guang (3 bottles); Shao Xia (2 bottles); Dao Chun Han, 18205385 (1 bottle);

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