Chapter 186

Qi and the crowd, upon hearing the words, looked and saw Pingyi stride toward the pavilion, his cultivation already having reached Supreme Taiyi Deity.

"Pingyi, you have advanced so quickly; without overthinking, why not try to construct your own unique life-force structure?"

Taiyi frowned slightly; according to the timing, Pingyi could not possibly, in such a short time, construct his own unique system of Three Flowers and Five Qi and life-force cultivation.

Feeling that Pingyi merely followed the predecessors' path, though convenient, he lost his own distinctive traits.

Seeing Taiyi frown, Pingyi knew what he was thinking and explained, "Well, Taiyi Divine Sovereign, allow me to explain a bit; I share the same origin as the Divine Sovereign, so I emulated the Divine Sovereign's life-force structure."

"This is not Pingyi being lazy, merely wanting to walk the predecessors' path; rather, I have only just been born, and in terms of experience, insight, cultivation realm, and life-force cultivation, I am still exceedingly shallow."

"With my current perspective, how could the method I devise possibly compare to the Divine Sovereign's?"

"In cultivation, having one's own distinctive traits is naturally excellent, but to abandon the existing Heaven-Reaching Great Dao and instead forge a minor path through the mountains and forests is to forsake the root for the branch."

"By the time my minor path achieves the Heaven-Reaching Way, ordinary people will have long left me far behind, out of sight."

"Based on these considerations, Pingyi therefore follows the Divine Sovereign's method; while advancing in cultivation, he also contemplates how to forge his own unique path."

Upon hearing this, the crowd also felt that Pingyi's words were not without reason; after all, differences in realm produce powers that are worlds apart.

"Let one's realm rise first, then turn back to ponder forging a path; though it is a shortcut, it remains a good method, allowing one to retain distinctive traits while quickly keeping pace with others."

After hearing Pingyi's explanation, Taiyi's brow relaxed; although Pingyi shares their innate divinity, in the eyes of the crowd he more often appears as a junior.

Pingyi's displayed demeanor is likewise; although the crowd rejects it, he most of the time still observes junior etiquette.

Precisely for this reason, Taiyi frowns at Pingyi's following the predecessors' path; if he truly regarded Pingyi as a peer, Taiyi would not pay attention to this.

Qi also nodded in agreement, saying, "The idea is not bad, but remember, no matter how good another's path is, ultimately it must suit you to be most important."

"Just as Daoist friends Nüwa and Fuxi, we three originally reached Supreme Taiyi through the same method, yet now, upon looking again, we are already worlds apart."

Fuxi and Nüwa nodded slightly.

"Pingyi will keep the Divine Sovereign's teachings in mind."

Pingyi performed the rites and gave thanks.

At this moment, Di Jun laughed and suddenly interjected, "How did the topic suddenly turn to Pingyi's cultivation? Pingyi, you had better speak quickly; by common sense, your conduct differs greatly from mine."

"We are both innate divinities; no matter what, your attitude is still too strange, giving me a sense of not understanding the present wilderness."

Pingyi immediately said, "Since you great divinities have doubts and are curious why I am thus, there is actually no need to question the Divine Sovereign; Pingyi has nothing unspeakable."

"The reason for my attitude is actually quite simple, not as complicated as you imagine, and I harbor no ulterior motives."

"Perhaps the Divine Sovereign has been with you all for too long, feelings deep, hence such amiability."

"But what you may not know is that although Yunmze Marsh is the core of the world's inland water systems, it is actually a position of baleful influence."

"Although the water is pure, water is a long-standing baleful thing; as the saying goes, water and fire are merciless, which can be seen here."

"The baleful influence of water is not visible outwardly but lies within the water. Yunmze Marsh formerly connected east and west, and now it even links the four continents of southeast, northwest; all calamities, tribulations, and resentful baleful influences pass through it—how could it not be retained?"

Having said that, Pingyi revealed his true form and said to the crowd, "Form arises from mind; look at me again, do you see any kindness?" Pingyi's appearance was naturally extremely handsome, but as his wings fluttered, heaven and earth thunder roared, the sky shifted from clouds to rain, cloud vapor accumulated, obscuring the sun, and the entire sky over Yunmze Marsh grew dark and gloomy.

"I was born later, and the water baleful influence in Yunmze Marsh has hardly remained; yet even so I appear this fierce. Though I have never seen the Divine Sovereign's true form, I can guess a bit—it must be vastly more ferocious than I."

"The Divine Sovereign surely still retains memory; at the time of the Divine Sovereign's birth, what was the scene of Yunmze Marsh, and has it ever been like today?"

The crowd turned their gaze toward where Qi was, and recalling Qi's ferocious true form, they instantly felt that Pingyi's words had some merit.

Qi remained silent, then after a while said, "I have not seen it; when I was born, I was protected by the Yunmze Grand Formation, which nurtured an Innate Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus; the water conditions were clear and tranquil, as for the outside world, I do not know."

"After I left the formation, it was a brilliant sunny day, so naturally there was nothing to see."

Only then did the crowd, feeling somewhat disappointed, withdraw their gaze and turn toward where Pingyi was.

Pingyi did not keep secrets, continuing his explanation: "Although Pingyi is not a baleful deity, he is certainly not a kind sort either; here, Pingyi still retains some self-awareness."

"With the Innate Twelve-Grade Pure World White Lotus and the Divine Sovereign having purified Yunmze Marsh for so long, Pingyi is still like this; one can imagine what the Divine Sovereign must be like."

"Thus, although the Divine Sovereign is a baleful deity, he can tolerate me to this day, allowing the authority over Yunmze Marsh to be divided by me, and the foundation has been greatly depleted by nurturing me."

"In this way, how could Pingyi not feel grateful to the point of tears? This is the grace of life itself."

Qi fell into silence, and the crowd burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Di Jun even spoke bluntly: "Qi, I originally thought it was for some other reason, but it is actually gratitude for your mercy in not killing!"

The crowd laughed together as one.

Upon examination, Pingyi's thoughts indeed have some merit; after all, in the wilderness there are many baleful deities, and water deities are mostly such, though few people come to know it.

This is also why the deity Ji holds such a high position among the Four Rivers.

This is also why, when Qi first saw Yunmze Marsh suddenly flood, he did not find it strange; he himself, when water vapor was abundant in the past, would also decide whether to stir up waves based on his mood.

"Pingyi, could it be that you are not a baleful deity not because I purified the water baleful influence, but because you were nurtured by the Cloud-Mist Great Dao, having nothing to do with water?"

Qi spoke after the crowd had finished laughing.

Pingyi did not mind, smiling and chuckling:

"The Divine Sovereign does not know; this cloud-mist ultimately belongs to Yunmze Marsh's cloud-mist, and although I am nurtured by the Cloud-Mist Great Dao, I ultimately draw upon Yunmze Marsh's origin."

"Moreover, it is not merely the grace of not being killed; what Pingyi nurtures is sustained by Yunmze Marsh's origin, and these origins have accumulated largely because of the Divine Sovereign."

"The grace Pingyi has received from the Divine Sovereign is not limited to not being killed; it is actually the grace of nurture."

"My mother is Yunmze Marsh, and the Divine Sovereign is truly my father!"

Pingyi poured out his true feelings, and Qi fled in defeat.

(End of Chapter)