Chapter 173: Three Years of Time, Father and Son!

"Since they are also of the Human Race, why do they act as if they are a superior race, looking down on everyone else?"

Time flows like water; three years passed in the blink of an eye. Gu Jiangming had spent these three full years traveling across Beidi, accompanied by Gu Nianmo and the followers behind him.

It was not that there were no moments of leisure, but most of the time, whether it was Gu Nianmi or Gu Jiangming, both were too busy to break away.

The few who had attained the Dao in the Human Territory had abandoned the Beidi that the Human Race once possessed; now that Gu Jiangming wanted to reclaim it, the difficulty had increased sharply.

If it were merely a matter of clearing out the Demon Race in Beidi, Gu Jiangming alone could likely wipe out all the demons in Beidi in ten days or half a month.

But clearing out the Demon Race was only the simplest part; what was harder was bringing the Human Race back to Beidi, and even establishing city after city for the Human Race on this land, or maintaining a corresponding order that was completely different from the past.

Yet for those cultivators, even those who practiced the Starfire Technique, they felt that they had already transcended the mundane. Even though the laws of Beidi were formulated by Gu Jiangming, they truly could not understand why they should treat mortals with courtesy.

For three years, Gu Jiangming and Gu Nianmo spent most of their time dealing with those cultivators.

It was precisely because of this that Gu Nianmo would express such a lament to Gu Jiangming on this day.

"Ambition is often linked to strength."

"For those with talent, cultivation is not a very difficult matter."

"But cultivating the heart is an extremely difficult task for the vast majority of people in this world."

"Their state of mind does not match their strength, and with the influence of the old order, and even seeing other cultivators acting in that same way, naturally, these people feel that cultivators and ordinary humans are already two different species."

"These days, the phrase we hear most often is 'it has been this way since ancient times'."

"Is 'it has been this way since ancient times' necessarily correct?"

"If these people cannot change their ways of thinking, then their deaths are not to be pitied!"

Gu Jiangming took Gu Nianmo to look at the newly risen city before them, watching the cultivators and mortals living in the same place near the city, and upon hearing Gu Nianmo's words, he spoke softly like this.

Including this city before them, Gu Jiangming and Gu Nianmo had already built over a hundred cities in Beidi over the past three years.

Among these hundred-plus cities, every city had a cultivator of the Starfire Technique at the Golden Core Stage serving as the city lord. These Golden Cores were all selected by Gu Jiangming time and time again; they might not necessarily believe in Great Harmony, but they had at least faithfully implemented Gu Jiangming's words and the laws he established.

"With over one hundred and eight cities, the humans who previously lived in Beidi, plus the humans who have been continuously migrating from the Human Territory over these years, everyone in Beidi has been settled."

"In that case, should this be considered initially stable?"

Gu Nianmo stood with Gu Jiangming, also looking at the bustling city before him, his eyes filled with undisguised joy.

Whether it was this city or the others, he had personally participated in the establishment of all of them.

"The most critical link is still missing!"

"The distribution of these one hundred and eight cities is something I investigated and planned in advance."

"The one hundred and eight cities correspond respectively to the thirty-six Heavenly Dipper Stars and seventy-two Earthly Fiend Stars in the sky."

"After this city is built, I will draw upon the star power between Heaven and Earth, so that these one hundred and eight cities will form a Starry Array."

"With the protection of this array, at least for the Human Race, there will be no need to worry about the harassment of the Demon Race within the array."

Gu Jiangming gazed at the distant mountains. Although he had been busy in Beidi for these three years, Gu Jiangming had not forgotten—he had not forgotten the time of Jiu Jiu's labor.

According to Gu Jiangming's calculations, Jiu Jiu should be giving birth before long.

Gu Jiangming was not by her side when Gu Shengxi was born, which was a regret for Gu Jiangming.

If Jiu Jiu were to give birth, Gu Jiangming did not want to miss it again, no matter what.

"The Starry Array?"

"Can the stars in the sky really cover such a vast Beidi?"

Gu Nianmo was not questioning Gu Jiangming's words; he looked up at the stars hidden in the daylight, feeling only bewildered.

To Gu Nianmo, the power of those stars emitting tiny specks of faint light seemed so weak—so weak that he could not help but doubt whether these stars could truly supply the array in Beidi, or even provide a peaceful territory for the Human Race.

"The stars are also a manifestation of the principles of Heaven and Earth. Since they are principles of Heaven and Earth, how could they not possess such power?"

Gu Jiangming could understand Gu Nianmo's thoughts; after all, in this current era, the Human Race did not have a very profound understanding of the stars in the sky.

As for the Demon Race...

The low-level demons could not perceive the power of the stars at all, and while those great demons who had attained the Dao might be able to perceive it, even if they knew the stars were a manifestation of the principles of Heaven and Earth, they would not voluntarily disclose it.

"Perfected laws, a protected environment, a Beidi with a system of laws."

"Father, is this the Great Harmony you envisioned?"

Gu Nianmo still trusted Gu Jiangming immensely. His gaze seemed to sweep across the entire Beidi in a trance, and he could not help but ask Gu Jiangming before him softly.

In Gu Nianmo's eyes, Gu Jiangming was truly an extraordinary person.

Whether it was Gu Jiangming's cultivation talent or his understanding of the rules between people, in Gu Nianmo's view, these were things he might have to spend his whole life learning.

"Of course not!"

"This is merely a negligible step forward; it can only be considered the next step in the development of the era."

"True Great Harmony..."

"If I could achieve true Great Harmony, I fear the threshold of the Heavenly Human would be easily broken for me, and perhaps even ascending to become an Immortal in a single day would not be impossible!"

Gu Jiangming slowly shook his head. In his view, Beidi had only just established the foundation of feudalism.

But even if it was feudalism, for the entire era, it was already an incredibly incredible step forward.

Just that one point—that both cultivators and mortals followed the same law—was something extremely difficult for the vast majority of cultivators of this era to accept.

Some cultivate for freedom and ease, some cultivate to be superior to others, and some cultivate for longevity. But now, the laws of Beidi clearly told everyone: under the law, all beings are equal!

Even though the laws still had great leniency for cultivators, for countless cultivators, the rules and regulations of Beidi were instead like shackles on their bodies, depriving them of their freedom.

It was precisely because of the laws that in all the cities of Beidi, the vast majority were still dominated by mortals.

This also led to the rise of countless human wisdom that had originally been suppressed throughout Beidi, showing the world a prosperity and liveliness unique to the Human Race.

"Is true Great Harmony something that only an Immortal can achieve?"

Gu Nianmo whispered Gu Jiangming's words, a flash of helplessness appearing in his eyes.

Immortal...

This realm, to all cultivators in the world, was like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water—something that could be seen but never reached.

Even though Gu Nianmo already knew of a realm called the Ascension Realm, through Gu Jiangming's explanation, Gu Nianmo also understood that even if one reached the absolute peak of the Ascension Realm, one could not truly ascend to become an Immortal.

In Gu Jiangming's account, an Immortal is an existence equal to Heaven and Earth.

And it was Gu Jiangming's statement that "if a person does not prove their immortality, they have no power to face Heaven" that truly allowed Gu Nianmo to understand the difference between Heaven and Immortals.

Yet now, in Gu Jiangming's words, if one wishes to truly shape a world of Great Harmony, it can only be achieved by being able to face the Immortals of Heaven and Earth directly; how could this not make Gu Nianmo feel a bit helpless?

"Although it is said that true Great Harmony is something only an Immortal can achieve, if we do not act, isn't Great Harmony truly impossible to realize?"

"Perhaps one day, when you have completed true Great Harmony, you will have finished walking the path of Ascension and truly ascended to the Immortal realm?"

Gu Jiangming also noticed the disappointment in Gu Nianmo's eyes; he simply rubbed Gu Nianmo's head, comforting him in this way.

"Father, they say your lifespan..."

Listening to Gu Jiangming's comfort, Gu Nianmo only adjusted himself slightly before regaining his composure.

But as Gu Nianmo recalled Gu Jiangming's words, he thought of another matter.

Gu Jiangming's lifespan!

Coupled with Gu Jiangming's appearance just now, which seemed as if he were about to hand his own path over to him, Gu Nianmo could not help but think of the issue of Gu Jiangming's lifespan.

For a mortal, sixty years is already a lifetime.

But for Gu Nianmo, who has already touched the edge of the Enlightenment Realm, even if he were to stop cultivating from this moment on, he would still have four or five thousand years to live.

Gu Jiangming's strength is that of a Supreme! But as far as Gu Nianmo knows, Gu Jiangming's current lifespan is only a short eight hundred years.

"If you finish doing everything you should do and want to do, what does eight hundred years matter?"

"The weight of a life should not be determined by its length, but by its depth."

"Over these past few years, you have followed me and seen several great demons of the Enlightenment Realm from the Demon Race; these great demons of the Enlightenment Realm go into seclusion in the wild mountains of Beidi, and a single period of seclusion lasts three to five hundred years."

"Even though the outside world has turned upside down, they still live in the old era without realizing it."

"They may have tens of thousands of years to live, but is their life truly more meaningful than others?"

"A single period of seclusion for cultivation lasts hundreds of years; with one period of seclusion after another, the time they are truly active in the world is pitifully limited."

"Is such a long life worth cherishing?"

Gu Jiangming truly taught Gu Nianmo with great care; even though Gu Jiangming knew that if his son lived to the future, he would be ten thousand years older than him, it did not hinder Gu Jiangming's instruction of Gu Nianmo.

"The length of life, and its depth..."

This was the first time Gu Nianmo had heard such a perspective; he was an extremely intelligent person by nature, and after hearing Gu Jiangming's words, Gu Nianmo began to ponder it for himself.

He thought of those great demons of the Enlightenment Realm who had fallen at Gu Jiangming's hands; even though those great demons had each cultivated to the Enlightenment Realm, once they perished, how many people could still remember them? Their lives certainly had great length, but their lives lacked a bit of depth.

Gu Jiangming watched Gu Nianmo fall into deep thought and did not say anything more; this was his first time teaching a son, but as a father, Gu Jiangming still hoped that Gu Nianmo's thinking would not be limited to the current era.

At the very least, Gu Jiangming hoped that Gu Nianmo would walk his own path.

Whether he does good or evil, at least in Gu Jiangming's view, Gu Nianmo must know what the meaning of his life is in the long years to come.

However, looking at Gu Nianmo's current demeanor, his path is unlikely to be one that brings disaster to the world.

While the father and son, Gu Jiangming and Gu Nianmo, were one daring to teach and the other daring to learn, on the other side, Liu Moxuan had been constantly provoking the experts of the Enlightenment Realm in the Human Territory over the past three years.

There was no other reason; it was simply that Liu Moxuan wanted to improve her own strength, and she was also angry at the Human Race for only knowing how to shrink into a corner.

Liu Moxuan's strength might be far inferior when facing more than seventy great demons of the Enlightenment Realm, but compared to these experts of the Enlightenment Realm in the Human Territory, Liu Moxuan's strength was far superior.

In the past three years, Liu Moxuan had engaged in a friendly exchange with every expert of the Enlightenment Realm in this Human Territory.

Whether these experts of the Enlightenment Realm were awakened by Liu Moxuan, she did not know, but throughout the entire Human Territory, many humans began to be influenced by Liu Moxuan and thus joined the Heavenly Dao Organization founded by her.

For the members of the Heavenly Dao Organization, the goal of Great Harmony was too ethereal.

These human cultivators who joined the Heavenly Dao had only hot blood; they were extremely enthusiastic about what Liu Moxuan said—that the Human Race had been oppressed by the Demon Race for too long and that they must overturn the order of the Demon Race.

Furthermore, what Gu Jiangming had done in Beidi had gradually spread to the Human Territory over the past three years; to those cultivators who joined the Heavenly Dao Organization, they were not running for a false and empty slogan, but were truly contributing their own strength in the hope that the Human Race would rule the world! In three years, Gu Shengxi had also grown to three years old.

Gu Shengxi was born with a Supreme Bone; even though he was young, he was slowly beginning to show the qualities of an emperor of his race.

Despite being only three years old, even though Wang Qinghe did not provide much instruction, during the times when Gu Nianmo and Gu Jiangming returned, Gu Shengxi was constantly maturing just by listening to his elder brother and father talk about the cities of Beidi.

Especially after hearing the philosophy of Great Harmony from Gu Jiangming and Gu Nianmo, Gu Nianmo could see clearly that there was light in his younger brother's eyes.

On this day, Gu Jiangming was channeling the power of the stars in the sky into the cities of Beidi, but suddenly, Gu Jiangming felt a sharp sensation in his heart.

He did not even have time to say much more to Gu Nianmo before Gu Jiangming turned into a streak of light and fled toward the south.

This was because Gu Jiangming felt it—he felt a life inextricably linked to his own was about to be born into the world! (End of chapter)