Chapter 196: Reflecting on the Vastness of Heaven and Earth

Jingxin Daoren just stared blankly at you as you broke through; along the way, his worldview and knowledge have not only been refreshed by this boundless primordial wilderness, but have also been constantly refreshed by you……

He doesn't know how long it takes others to break through to Profundity Immortal, because he has never seen an immortal higher than a True Immortal, so he naturally has no way of knowing.

But your cultivation speed is clearly abnormal!

Three days to True Immortal, twenty years to Heavenly Immortal, five hundred sixty years to Profundity Immortal…… your cultivation speed has already exceeded his imagination; even in the Mythic Era, few could reach this speed.

Next, is creation from nothing.

Along the way, he has never seen you absorb external spiritual qi; it seems that as long as you sit and cultivate, your internal spiritual qi can increase on its own……

Finally, it's your ambition, after all, not everyone dares to shout about exterminating the Immortal Dao and smashing the Dao Ancestor's dog's head.

Your grandiose words from back then shocked him no less than the previous two matters!

As for Jingxin Daoren himself, after becoming an immortal he grew disheartened and stopped cultivating, so his cultivation level has remained unchanged.

After following you, he still has not cultivated at all; aside from needing to inhale a bit of spiritual qi to restore his mana, he lets the vast amounts of spiritual qi in each cave heaven and blessed land dissipate into the world, feeling no regret.

He does this both to show his 'returning from wickedness to righteousness' and to demonstrate his loyalty to you; as long as his cultivation stays forever lower than yours, you will never doubt his faithfulness.

This is good for both you and him, belonging to an unspoken understanding……

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist; the Great Dao awaits!"

Just as when you broke through to Heavenly Immortal over five hundred years ago, Jingxin Daoren once again sincerely congratulates you; he has never doubted your ability to accomplish the dream of exterminating the Dharma.

And as you look at him, you also feel a surge of emotions: back then you casually recruited someone into the fold, never expecting to actually find one willing to turn from wickedness to righteousness… to turn to the demonic—a normal immortal.

Now the two of you can be considered good friends; you may not talk about everything, but at least you can speak without being overly polite.

So after thinking it over, you solemnly say to him: 'Jingxin Daoren fellow Daoist, I am now heading to the Immortal Realm and will no longer slaughter cultivators everywhere; our agreement between us is also time to end.'

Upon hearing this, Jingxin Daoren is visibly taken aback, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes……

Without waiting for him to speak, you again sigh deeply: 'What a sight the Immortal Realm is—neither of us can say what it's like, whether good or bad no one knows, but the fact that immortals go and never return is an undeniable reality.'

"In such peril, are you still willing to journey with me?"

Jingxin Daoren startles: 'I once said I would risk my life to scout ahead for you; now that we haven't fought a tough battle, how could I go alone?'

Then comes a series of fervent declarations of loyalty: 'My heart holds only one sun,' 'my loyalty,' 'my gratitude'… in short, he passionately declares that he will absolutely never leave your side!

"Good!"

Hearing his words, you finally reveal a satisfied smile: if he had just then suggested parting ways, he would already be a dead man……

This is not you being vile and shameless, nor you being inhumane; it's that you always remember his origins.

No matter what you say, Jingxin Daoren is a person who cultivates immortality by eating people, a heretical Dao; the reason you let him go back then was entirely a compromise due to your insufficient strength.

One who eats people remains a people-eater forever; he will never earn your complete trust, and from the start he was destined to die!

Your original plan was, after slaughtering the Primordial Wilderness Immortal Dao, to kill him as well, to repay the lives of the innocent mortals he devoured.

But as the Primordial Wilderness in your eyes grows ever larger, this plan can only be indefinitely postponed…… you have even made the mental preparation to coexist with him for tens of thousands of aeons; perhaps one day your heart will soften, and out of years of friendship you might truly spare him……

However, plans never keep up with changes; at this juncture, a macro directive from 'another self' descends directly, issuing an ironclad order in an unquestionable manner, commanding you to immediately go to the Immortal Realm to gather intelligence!

You naturally dare not challenge the authority of 'another self,' so whether you wish it or not, you must go to the Immortal Realm to scout… but this means Jingxin Daoren's disposition now needs to be scheduled.

You couldn't just release him now, nor do you think his measly True Immortal cultivation could be of any use in the Immortal Realm, so you gave him a choice: if he chooses to part ways, you will send him off on the spot, executing the death sentence immediately……

However, he ultimately still chose to go to the Immortal Realm with you; although his usefulness may be limited, this choice undoubtedly shows his sincere heart, so the death sentence can thus be eased a bit.

……

Profundity Immortal attained—now we must set off at once.

You sweep Jingxin Daoren up with your Profundity Immortal power, then rush eastward at great speed!

The land is divided into the Five Wastelands—East, West, South, North, and Center. Although ordinary people spend their whole lives unable to leave the wasteland they inhabit, this basic knowledge, passed down through mythic tales, has long been known to the masses.

You are no exception; although you don't know exactly how far the Immortal Realm lies from you, you know that the so-called Immortal Realm is actually the Thirty-Three Heavens of myth!

The Thirty-Three Heavens are located on Mount Buzhou in the Central Lands—this is basic common knowledge……

Since you are in the Western Wasteland, you only need to keep flying eastward to reach the Central Lands, then find the conspicuous Heaven-supporting Mount Buzhou there—there is no difficulty.

Among these, the only thing that could be called difficult is probably the journey itself……

You flee eastward at full speed with your Profundity Immortal cultivation; naturally your efficiency is far higher than when you used to walk and slaughter, yet even so, you grow more shocked the farther you fly!

The stars have always been an important tool for ancient immortals to discern their orientation; depending on one's position, the observed stellar positions differ, and from the magnitude of their shift one can estimate how far one has traveled.

Before you moved slowly, so you didn't notice; now that you've maxed out your speed, you quickly realize the problem……

"The stellar positions have hardly changed since we set out!"

After flying nonstop for a full year, you carefully compared the stars' positions to those from a year ago, and the conclusion is: they have barely moved!

This conclusion leaves you and Jingxin Daoren staring at each other: the earlier estimate of the Primordial Wilderness's area was still too low…… judging by this degree of change, let alone slaughtering the entire Primordial Wilderness, even just flying a single loop around it would be a time‑consuming, labor‑intensive ordeal……

You increasingly doubt the mythic descriptions: with such a vast expanse, how could the Heavenly Court possibly ignite war across an entire wilderness with just a few hundred thousand troops?!

You are now a Profundity Immortal yourself, essentially no different from those Profundity Immortal heavenly troops of old; yet why could they campaign everywhere in the Primordial Wilderness back then, while you find even a simple circuit exhausting?

Could it be that you lack the Golden Heaven Emperor's faith buff? Or perhaps you haven't cultivated long enough?

Your mind races with countless thoughts; your intuition tells you that the present Primordial Wilderness must have undergone some major upheaval, and this upheaval is inseparably linked to the arrival of the Dharma‑ending age……

"The fall of the Heavenly Court, the disappearance of the sages, and even the Heavenly Dao has fallen silent……"

You clearly recall that in the mythic tales, due to the karmic force of the Heavenly Dao, warfare's intensity was kept low, and killing and violence were regarded as taboo.

But nowadays, cultivators eat people to become immortals; you yourself have slaughtered cultivators by the hundreds of millions along the way, yet even with such heinous sins, no one comes to intervene……

What exactly has happened between heaven and earth? How have the sages and the Heavenly Dao fared? What caused the Heavenly Court's collapse?

Your mind is full of mysteries, yet no one can give you answers; gazing out, all you see is this vast, awe‑inspiring ancient world: myth has faded, legend has passed, and even the sages and heavenly emperors have long been swallowed by the ages.

Only it—only heaven and earth itself—from the unfathomable dawn of time, has persisted to this very moment, silent and wordless, bearing alone the weight of all ages……

……

Just keep flying, keep flying.

Perhaps a few hundred years, perhaps a few thousand years……

【You've flown until you're numb: Think carefully about your life—before eight you were unknown; then in three days you attained immortality; by thirty you became a celestial immortal; at five hundred sixty you became a profound immortal… You originally thought your life would always be this fulfilling, but now you're just rushing along, and you've flown for who knows how many thousands of years…】

【The time spent rushing along is several times longer than the time you spend living a proper life—most of your life is spent flying meaninglessly… This could almost be called a cold joke!】

【Is this why the immortals of the mythic age used the great cycle to demarcate time?】

【You think numbly: you ultimately don't quite adapt to the lifestyle rhythm of the longevity seekers…】

【And Jingxin Daoren, whom you've carried flying for thousands of years, is actually also numb, but after all an old senior who has attained immortality for many years, knowing how to pass the time; he usually just passes the days with his eyes closed, waking only once every few years…】

【Fellow Daoist! Look quickly!】

【Suddenly, he pointed excitedly toward the horizon.】

【Look? Look at what?】

【You dazedly open your numb eyes, look in the direction he pointed, and at a glance you suddenly shudder.】

【Only to see that on the horizon, a towering, cloud‑reaching giant silhouette faintly appears…】

【You realize what it is, but still restrain your excitement, turn your head to observe the star positions, and begin careful calculations.】

【After a round of calculations, you finally excitedly confirm your position!】

【Central Province! We've arrived!】

【……】

【(End of chapter)】