Chapter 96: Pressing Forward

Pressing Forward

Was she being too rash? Should she have waited for the Nirvana Dao Ancestor to draw near before pulling out the silver hairpin, or perhaps gone a step 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 Xiao Su. Regardless of how close the two had been before—whether their hands were clasped or they were locked in a tight embrace—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 from Qing Jun would certainly be of immense use to the Nirvana Dao Ancestor. If Qing Jun were here, perhaps she could have bridged the gap between the two universes to pass the hairpin, but only the Dao foundation remained in the Hengze Heaven. In Qing Jun’s era, even she could not have entered the 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 have for the Nirvana Dao Ancestor?

Countless thoughts rushed 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 robes fluttering, she did not make the slightest move. Her eyes, calm and steady, were fixed on Ruan Ci, a smile playing on her lips, as if she could calmly accept every possible change that might occur.

If the silver hairpin were not obtained, it would be lost forever. Unless Ruan Ci attained the realm of a Dao Ancestor 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, she did not seem to care for herself at all, as if the events unfolding now had nothing to do with her future. What concerned her more was Ruan Ci’s choice at 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 immeasurable, eternal loneliness? Yet, to the Nirvana Dao Ancestor, it seemed trivial. Her smiling eyes seemed to be asking Ruan Ci, "The mountain pass is hard to cross, the dream soul has traveled far. Sword Envoy, what will you do now?"

What to 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 was not that Ruan Ci was hesitant, but that this situation was simply impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was like asking an infant to walk upon the blue sky. 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 must be a way out!

Ruan Ci’s heart was now clear and empty, like a mirror reflecting its surroundings. Not a single thought arose, yet it reflected all things. The myriad clues were like a maze, 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 chance at this moment.

But, as long as there was this one chance, 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 and flew into her hand. Although she had 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, an infinite amount of 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, and it wasn't as if other cultivators hadn't had such thoughts, but even drawing out a mere thread of it would cause the surging magic power to burst a cultivator's body alive!

Ruan Ci had a twelve-layered Foundation Establishment; her meridians were far stronger than those of ordinary cultivators, yet in an instant, she felt them swelling to the point of bursting. 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 hairpin, too, was greedily absorbing the magic power she transmitted without end. Her inner world was now like a canal; above, the high platform of her Dao foundation was receiving the torrential flood pouring down from the Hengze Jade Dew, transforming it into spiritual liquid, while in front, the spiritual liquid from the jade pool surged through the meridians of her arm 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 heart-stopping and a race against time. If she were even a fraction slow, she would either be drained dry by the demand or burst to death by the infusion of spiritual power.

If it were anyone else, no matter how firm their resolve, they would still be trembling like a child walking on a single-plank bridge, terrified that one misstep would cause their entire cultivation base to be washed away. But what kind of person was Ruan Ci? Back when she was still a mere mortal, she had already been tempered by sword intent; she had walked through that kind of hellish, hair-trigger, agonizing trial. At this moment, she was familiar with the process, calmly and composedly driving her cultivation technique. Not a single thought arose in her mind, as if she had entered a state of stillness, yet she was fully aware of the changes within her body.

It was unknown how much time had passed, but the originally pale-gray high platform of her Dao foundation seemed to have been dyed milky white by the spiritual dew poured upon it. The spiritual liquid in the jade pool was gradually compressed from its original essence droplets, as if it had reached the peak of richness and could not be further refined. Yet, it could no longer contain the spiritual energy within the liquid, causing it to leak out and condense into a white mist above the jade pool. This mist nourished the spiritual liquid, and in the blink of an eye, it re-refined the solid four-layered Dao foundation. This was not Ruan Ci’s intention, but rather the natural tempering of this channel by the surging spiritual power. As for her, she only felt the spiritual power converting faster and faster, and the irrigation speed of the Hengze Jade Dew also increased. The silver hairpin, however, remained bottomless, as if no amount of spiritual power could activate it.

Not until, in the darkness, the last drop of spiritual power within the jade dew converged into the 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 willed it, into a vibrant, ready-to-strike lethal weapon. At this moment, the remaining spiritual liquid in Ruan Ci’s body was neither more nor less than the amount she had before inducing the Hengze Jade Dew!

Ruan Ci held the silver hairpin, countless emotions surging through her heart. For some reason, before she struck with the sword, she recalled that white-robed figure standing in the void, holding a long sword and sending out sword intent that filled the sky. She also seemed to see a massive, peerless primordial phoenix in the heavens and earth, blocking the sun and sky, split into two, slowly falling. The falling figure shrouded the mountains, rivers, and seas, and those eyes, like small lakes, were still looking north toward the Dao City as tears slid down, turning into a torrential downpour.

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

To live only this once, to have only this one sword—heroic, indomitable, never looking back!

She let out a soft whistle, entrusting all her emotions into this sword, and thrust it out with a resolve and sharpness she had never possessed in her life. Since obtaining the sword, although Ruan Ci had never wielded the Donghua Sword, she had developed an interest in sword techniques. She didn't know how many swords she had practiced, but never had a single sword been like this one, injecting all her past and future prospects into it, while simultaneously obliterating them. At this moment, Ruan Ci had only this sword!

As the sword was thrust out, the silver hairpin rang softly. Amidst the humming, Ruan Ci’s heart jolted. The scenery before her eyes seemed to have changed into another world. At this moment, she stood in the void, yet she had the entire universe in her grasp. There was no sorrow or joy in her heart, only the changes of ten thousand karmas. Holding the precious sword, she gently vibrated it against the sky—

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 and touched the chest of the Nirvana Dao Ancestor, who was within arm's reach. The Nirvana Dao Ancestor, however, had no reaction, as if that sword had not only cut through space but also through time, freezing her at the moment she raised her sleeve to fly. In Ruan Ci’s perception, it seemed that some indescribable things flowed 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 exactly they were.

It was unknown how much time passed before the Nirvana Dao Ancestor’s delicate, flower-like fingers moved slightly, grasping the end of the hairpin and breaking that seemingly eternal silence. Her beautiful, elegant face bloomed with a smile, and 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 Ruan Ci had struck 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 them. 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 him.

The two figures remained motionless, 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 constantly being lost. In the final glance, the Nirvana Dao Ancestor smiled and said something to Ruan Ci. Obscure and profound syllables flowed faintly 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 understand it.

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

"Die because of this sword, live because of this sword, this infinite wondrous karma..."

That endless feeling of falling stopped abruptly, and 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 whatever they did could no longer affect the other.

Thinking of this, she pointed casually, and the overflowing spiritual liquid in the jade pool indeed turned into a drop of jade dew, falling into the jade bottle in Ruan Ci’s palm. She appraised the spiritual power of the jade dew; it seemed to be full and unaffected. Everything in this Hengze Heaven gave people a feeling of doubt between truth and illusion. 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 truly worth savoring.

Closing her eyes to look inward at the Dao foundation jade pool, sure enough, the Dao foundation had been dyed milky white. She didn't know what mysterious changes would follow, but Wang True Person 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 channeled 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 was truly worth savoring, and what she had gained needed to be sorted out. In terms of magic power alone, there was no progress; it was still a bit more than the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment. Ruan Ci looked around and picked up the Dew-Catching Plate. Fortunately, the 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 her head to look and saw Li Pingyan, Senior Brother Pu, Little Su, Shen Qi, and Junior Brother Fan all standing not far away, all looking joyful. Seeing that their old injuries were no longer a major problem, she couldn't help but smile and run toward them. Just as she moved, 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 looks of shock on their faces, not expecting that the fellow disciple they had called for months was actually a fairy.

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Updated, sorry for the wait, everyone. This chapter is also one of my particularly favorite chapters. In general, I like these strange and weird changes when writing about cultivation. The more mysterious it is, the more interesting I find it. That is 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 text is not particularly complex in male-oriented literature. Some factors have been used by many people, such as the settings of Dao Ancestors, the settings of Great Heavens, and similar elements have appeared in texts like *Immortal Gourd*, *Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality*, and *Great Dao Contention*. It might feel a bit complicated when reading it for the first time. In female-oriented cultivation, the ones with more worldview are basically mortal-style, and prehistoric-style is very rare. There are also some that have no worldview at all; Xianxia is just a background board for falling in love (preventing arguments, not saying this is bad, just stating facts).

Of course, besides classic elements, there are also many of my own settings. And you don't have to feel panicked 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 texts either. I just read slowly, ponder slowly, and savor it, feeling it's interesting. The unknown and exploration of the worldview are also part of the charm of reading Xianxia.

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

Eating leftovers for lunch today... steamed an egg custard, still in a book shortage.

Thanks 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~

Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: Translucent sushi (3), Yu Wanyao, Long Qian, Wu Mingya, Ma Daidai riding a horse, 41802649, Angry listening to nuclear reaction (1 each).

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Little Xiangxiang (390 bottles); Qing Shi Weiyu (210 bottles); Ke Ruo Wei Feng (110 bottles); Lu Bu Tian (100 bottles); Qing Feng Ming Yue (93 bottles); Xia Qi (55 bottles); Rou Rou Ni Ni (40 bottles); bestloo (30 bottles); Angry listening to nuclear reaction, Twelve, Ming Yue 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, Sandwich (4 bottles each); Feng Guang (3 bottles); Marie Maria, Wooden Bowl (2 bottles each); Dong Chaochao, 18205385, Yisheng's Big Bacteria, Ji Le, Among Readers, Chen Xiaochuang, Baomu Caoxi Yang, Brothel Chu Guan Yihong Academy (1 bottle each).

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