Chapter 108: If You Wish to Open the Heavenly Eye, You Must Extinguish Worldly Emotions (Final)

Put in effort?

You want me to put in effort?

Do you want me to use my head to put in effort?!

Qingzhi’s expression twisted into a grotesque snarl.

After a long while, a sudden flash of insight struck her mind—as if recalling something profoundly shameful—her eyebrows twitched violently, like two tiny worms straining and writhing, dragging her entire face into an inexplicable grimace.

“Falling into madness again?”

Wei Lingjiang pressed her forehead, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

But she quickly suppressed that faint, teasing smile, forcing only a distracted, hollow chuckle.

In the past, even if her own master stood right beside her, seeing Qingzhi’s ridiculous antics would make her reach out and pinch that fat face, playfully teasing her like a little girl.

But now, she felt only a hollow, strange heaviness drifting inside her.

As if standing at the very bottom of a dark abyss, struggling to draw breath!

“You were thinking of using the beauty trap? This… isn’t right, is it?”

Qingzhi, still oblivious, spun her head rapidly, baring her teeth and grinning:

“You want Qingzhi my lord to go down there herself, seduce the Lord of Xu Huang Tian, that… that Chi Jing Tao… Tao…”

“Chi Jing Tao Rong Wanfu Shenwang.”

Zhuojing Zhenjun said.

“Yes! Chi Jing Tao Rong Wanfu Shenwang!”

Qingzhi slapped her forehead, winking and squinting:

“You actually want me to win over this man, then whisper sweet nothings in his ear to get back the Wind-Fire Cushion that Wei Shao stole?! No way! I’m telling you—absolutely impossible!”

She scowled with two caterpillar-like brows, hands on her hips, shouting defiantly:

"Even though I’m nearly three hundred years old, I’m still just a little baby! You’re truly monsters in human form! You actually want Qingzhi to do something like this?! Don’t even think it! Don’t even dream it!"

She fell silent.

She shot Zhuojing Zhenjun a sidelong glance, silently adding in her mind:

“Even if I did whisper in his ear, I’d make you, you old witch, fill the Sea Eye first! First thing I’d fill is the Sea Eye!”

Listening to Qingzhi’s shouting, even Zhuojing Zhenjun’s brow twitched slightly, but she suppressed the urge to hurl her far away.

She only sighed, speaking coolly:

“After his consort died, Chi Jing Tao Rong Wanfu Shenwang never remarried, never took a concubine. What on earth do you spend your days thinking about? And further—”

She glanced at Qingzhi, plump and puffed-up with arms crossed like a little winter melon, and gave a faint, knowing smile:

“He is a Shenwang, ruler over an entire Heaven’s expanse. Even if he truly lost his mind, he wouldn’t be that indiscriminate.”

Qingzhi froze, confused, then slowly grasped the implication—suddenly furious, she stomped her foot, wishing she could just charge straight into her.

But she dared not act out, only slumped her face, glaring resentfully at Zhuojing Zhenjun several times.

“I need you to go to Ququan Tian in person, to pay respects to the Candle Dragon Great Sage in the Colorless Palace.”

Zhuojing Zhenjun remained unmoved, saying:

"I’ve prepared for you the carriage and entourage of the Chiming Sect—the Great Six Geng Nine Cloud Chariot, eight hundred Yellow Banner Talisman Warriors leading the way, golden maidens accompanying you!"

“You are now the chief envoy of Kuangxu Palace to Ququan Tian. Remember—do not neglect propriety. Don’t let them look down on our palace!”

“An envoy to the Colorless Palace of Ququan Tian? Me?”

Qingzhi was stunned.

Instantly forgetting her anger, she hesitantly pointed at her own nose:

“You want me to pay respects to the Candle Dragon Great Sage? That’s not right… why not send the old guy with the long eyebrows instead?”

“Brother Changmei has already gone to Yucheng Sect to visit friends. He’s always fond of drink. That bottle of Huosu Immortal Liquid Master Yin spent eight hundred years brewing—it can intoxicate even a Primordial Spirit. Once he drinks it, he won’t dispel the alcohol’s power—he’ll likely sleep for half a year.”

Zhuojing Zhenjun shook her head:

“Moreover, the other True Persons in our sect have little connection with Ququan Tian. Only you were raised by the Candle Dragon Great Sage for a time. This mission falls solely to you.”

“You must persuade the Candle Dragon Great Sage to come forth, to meet Chi Jing Tao Rong Wanfu Shenwang, and convince that Shenwang to withdraw his demand and return the Wind-Fire Cushion.”

“The Candle Dragon Great Sage is Chi Jing Tao Rong Wanfu Shenwang’s most trusted general. They’ve fought side by side for years, bound by unbreakable loyalty. The Shenwang’s conquest of fifty-five divine realms and unification of all life across the Xu Huang Tian was made possible only because the Candle Dragon Great Sage lent great strength—on several occasions, he nearly died saving his master’s life.”

Zhuojing Zhenjun spoke solemnly:

“If the Candle Dragon Great Sage intervenes, retrieving the Wind-Fire Cushion will be easy. Under no circumstances can the Wind-Fire Cushion remain in Wei Shao’s hands. Do you understand?”

Qingzhi let out a loud hiccup upon hearing this.

Her face twisted in pain…

The myriad heavens and myriad Dao paths are as countless as the sands of the Ganges.

The Candle Dragon Great Sage cultivates the ancient demonic Dao and has already attained the Great Sage fruit position—within orthodox Immortal Dao, he ranks among the supreme beings comparable to Dao Jun.

This demonic Great Sage indeed shares an unbreakable bond with Chi Jing Tao Rong Wanfu Shenwang, even willing to die for him. It is said that when Chen Yu shu fled from Xu Huang Tian to Xu Du Tian, he stole the Shenwang’s “Fan of Ten Thousand Divine Titles.”

At that time, it was the Candle Dragon Great Sage himself who pursued Chen Yu shu to capture and kill him…

But he was intercepted by the Divine House Shu Hua Dao Jun of Dou Shu Sect, and after some unknown price was paid, the Great Sage’s fury was calmed, and he returned empty-handed.

And indeed, I was once raised by the Candle Dragon Great Sage and lived in the Colorless Palace.

Logically speaking,

No one in Chiming Sect is more suited to this mission than Qingzhi.

But…

“When I came to Xu Du Tian, I secretly ate every last Li Ri Pearl the Great Sage had hidden away. My head’s been stuffed full ever since—I even beat up his sons and made them crawl on the ground calling me ‘Auntie!’”

Qingzhi’s face fell, muttering quietly:

“Going back to the Colorless Palace now—isn’t that walking into a tiger’s den?! Won’t the Great Sage pluck every last feather from me?!”

Despite her inner reluctance and squirming, Qingzhi finally sighed as if facing death, and nodded silently.

“I’ve prepared the tribute for the Candle Dragon Great Sage—take it with you. And regarding Chi Jing Tao Rong Wanfu Shenwang…”

After a pause, Zhuojing Zhenjun’s gaze flickered, and she spoke coolly:

“No matter what conditions Wei Shao demands, Kuangxu Palace will double the compensation. If all else fails, I’ll even give up my Five Elements Mutual Destruction Sword!”

“Master—”

Wei Lingjiang was startled.

“I know Wei Shao’s survival weighs heavily on your heart.”

Zhuojing Zhenjun cut her off firmly:

“To secure your position as Dao Zi, half the Elders of Kuangxu Palace are risking their lives! No more words—just a single flying sword. Let it go!

As long as you ascend, your master’s death will be worth it!”

Wei Lingjiang looked at her with a complex gaze, bowed her head silently, and performed another bow.

Qingzhi scratched her head, bewildered.

She merely nodded along.

“Enough. My true body is not yet ready to return to Lu Tai Mountain. I still need to travel to Nan Chan Zhou. Lingjiang, there is nothing left for you here in the Southern Region.”

Zhuojing Zhenjun raised her eyes:

“You must return to the sect.”

“….”

Wei Lingjiang trembled all over.

She hesitated for a long time.

Finally, beneath that calm, cold gaze, she bowed her head in silence.

“After I form my Golden Core, will everything be left to me?”

She asked, voice dry.

“Once your Golden Core reaches the First Rank, the Pure Yang Dao Fruit is within reach! If you become Dao Zi, this entire province will be yours to rule as you please! Who will dare defy you? Who will dare oppose your will?!”

She fell silent.

Zhuojing Zhenjun softened her tone slightly:

“You are on the verge of Core Formation—this is precisely when inner demons disturb the Dao. I do not mean to hinder you. Before the Supreme Immortal Dao, all things must be slowed.”

Another long silence followed.

After a long while,

She finally lowered her eyes, whispered instructions to Qingzhi, repeated her warnings, then

Her body dissolved into a cloud of clear qi, caught by a golden talisman, which shot upward instantly, heading straight for Lu Tai Mountain.

…

The room fell suddenly still.

A cold wind brushed through.

Qingzhi pulled her neck back, putting more distance between herself and Zhuojing Zhenjun.

Being in the same room with this person made her feel ants crawling all over her skin, utterly uneasy.

“Um… isn’t there still the mission to Ququan Tian? Shouldn’t I stay?”

After waiting a long while and seeing Zhuojing Zhenjun remain silent, eyes closed beside the tea table, Qingzhi couldn’t help but rub her hands and ventured a tentative question.

“What did Lingjiang tell you?”

Zhuojing Zhenjun asked.

“…”

Qingzhi had no intention of speaking, but one look from him made her involuntarily spill everything.

“Such conduct will never win the favor of the Lord of Chisong Palace. Change your approach entirely—cut off all thoughts between them.”

Zhenjing Zhenjun paid no heed to Qingzhi’s grim expression, pausing for a moment before saying:

“You—”

Before the words were finished.

Qingzhi spun around and bolted!

Just as she was about to leap out the window, Zhenjing Zhenjun pinned her in place with a single fingertip.

“Why are you telling me this?! Old witch! Old witch, you’ve always disliked me—you’ve got no good intentions!”

Qingzhi’s face fell, tears welling but refusing to fall:

“You want to drive a wedge between me and Miss?! I didn’t hear anything! I heard nothing! Do whatever you want yourself—Qingzhi is not your accomplice!”

“You are the Blue Bird, a primordial divine demon. If Lingjiang ascends, your aid is indispensable—why hide this from you? Of course, I also need you to travel to Ququan Heaven soon, to pay respects to the Great Saint Candle Dragon—you won’t return for years, so there’s no risk of you slipping up before Lingjiang…”

Zhenjing Zhenjun watched Qingzhi’s shrill, futile wailing, and said coolly:

“I don’t hide it from you because, first, you’d find out anyway, and second, I need you to cover for me…”

“That Chen Hang—he’s entangled in far too much. If Lingjiang draws near him, it will bring no good.”

Qingzhi lifted her tear-filled face, utterly bewildered.

“He is the son of Yushu Zhenjun.”

Zhenjing Zhenjun said calmly:

“The son of Chen Yushu, of the Primordial Demon Sect. Do you understand?”

“…”

Qingzhi’s eyes widened in shock.

Terrified, she hiccuped several times in succession, unable to stop.

“Really?!”

A sudden jolt shot through her heart.

Thunder roared in her mind, scrambling everything into chaos, leaving her dazed as she repeated again:

“Really?”

Zhenjing Zhenjun nodded.

She froze, utterly stunned.

By the time she finally regained her composure, before she could speak—

At that moment.

A step echoed outside the corridor.

“...Maybe you could knock me out? Or just turn into Miss’s likeness—please!”

Qingzhi wanted to punch herself dead:

“If I say anything, Miss will kill me! Find someone else! Great Zhenjing Zhenjun, I’ll never sneakily curse you again!”

“You already know of Chen Yushu’s affairs—Qingzhi, your fortune is bound to Lingjiang’s.”

Zhenjing Zhenjun gazed at her deeply:

“You already know what decision to make…”

With that, she moved.

In an instant, she vanished from where she stood.

Only Qingzhi remained in the chamber, on the verge of tears.

Before she could dwell on her regret, the footsteps drew near.

Chen Hang… Chen Yushu… Chen Hang… Chen Yushu…

Chen Hang… Chen Yushu…

The Book of Tamed Humans!

It was as if lightning struck her mind—this sudden name illuminated everything, followed by dread.

No.

Even the slightest possibility—

Must not touch the Book of Tamed Humans!

“Chen… Chen Hang!”

No time to think further—Qingzhi hardened her heart, shouted, and rushed to fling open the door.

She stumbled forward, lifting her head.

A few steps away, the white-robed Daoist paused, slightly surprised.

His expression today was unlike usual—rarely, a faint smile touched his lips; upon closer look, one might even glimpse embarrassment and unease…

But Qingzhi’s mind was a tangle of chaos. It wasn’t until her stomach growled loudly that she snapped back to reality, rubbing her face hard.

“Miss asked me to deliver a message to you…”

She gave a heavy, bitter sigh, and for once, lowered her head in a formal bow.

…

…

The daylight gradually faded.

In the slanting glow, Qingzhi fell silent, shrinking her neck to study Chen Hang.

Based on Zhenjing Zhenjun’s exact whispered words, she expected him to be shocked, ashamed, even disgusted or furious.

But as always.

His face revealed nothing—no sorrow, no joy, no anger.

“So Sister has already returned to the sect—yet I’ve yet to congratulate her on her great advancement…”

Chen Hang’s expression remained calm as he smiled:

“Then how will you return?”

“I suppose someone from the sect will escort me back…”

Qingzhi lowered her head awkwardly, turning her face aside, then couldn’t help adding:

“That, you—”

“No, no—I’ve never forgotten Sister’s kindness in gifting me the ‘Scattering Shadow, Concealing Form’ technique. If ever you need my aid, please tell her…”

Chen Hang lowered his sleeves, bowed deeply.

After a moment of silence, he spoke softly:

“I, Hang, shall serve with all my strength—without hesitation.”

“You—”

Qingzhi suddenly felt sad.

She had meant to say something, but when she raised her head, she met Chen Hang’s eyes directly.

“Still, I have one question.”

Chen Hang said:

“Before she left, did Sister leave me any message?”

Qingzhi hesitated—before she could speak, her mouth answered on its own:

“No!”

“Is that so?”

Chen Hang lowered his eyelids, gave a slight nod, and silence stretched between them again.

“I understand.”

He said.

“…”

In the awkward silence, Qingzhi’s stomach growled again. She quickly lowered her head, bade Chen Hang farewell, and fled into the room like a thief.

In the moment she guiltily shut the door—

Qingzhi suddenly remembered: just now, as Chen Hang raised his sleeve, his right hand had held a lush flower branch—her heart leapt in alarm!

“...Damn it! This is asking me to die!”

Her stomach growled again, fiercely.

Before she could even hesitate further, a sudden clear light pierced the air.

In an instant.

When the light faded.

The entire room stood empty, utterly silent…

…

…

The wind extinguished the candle’s flame; dew dampened the heated stove; the flower market glowed with light.

Moonlight flowed over tiled roofs; thin clouds scattered, the pale goddess of the moon ready to descend.

Shadows moved, lanterns blazing bright—

Countless pedestrians thronged the isle; everywhere one looked, streets overflowed with jeweled carriages and silken scarves, dust swirling beneath galloping horses.

Before a pavilion on the lake shore.

Chen Hang gazed silently at this scene for a long while, then lowered his eyes to the branch of Jian Su Ke held in his right hand, and suddenly a self-mocking feeling rose in his heart—he let out a soft laugh:

“In my past life it was like this, and in this life too? In the end, I am alone after all—yet somehow, it’s amusing.”

He heard the insincerity in Qing Zhi’s words, and guessed there might be hidden truths here.

Yet a numb, weary feeling still drained the strength from his entire body.

Every step forward tightened the dense ropes binding him further, bringing a faint dizziness, like the hundred days of imprisonment he endured in the water dungeon when he first arrived in this world.

…

“The path ahead is still unknown, yet I’ve already lost my composure—have I changed? How long has it been since I found peace, that I’ve forgotten to contemplate danger?”

He recalled every incident since arriving at Fuyu Lake.

Chen Hang felt absurdity, then melancholy, then a strange amusement.

He fell silent for a long while, then suddenly bent slightly and released his grip.

Before him lay the shimmering lake, and a few weeping willows grew along the shore.

The branch of Jian Su Ke rose and fell with the ripples, then vanished beneath the water, sinking to the deepest layer, drifting nowhere he could tell.

On shore, the sounds of flutes, pipes, and drums echoed; people came and went, lantern shadows flickered like drifting clouds—unsteadily, they gave a dreamlike, hazy impression.

“The hearts of all beings are endless.”

He lowered his gaze, leaning back against the weeping willow, staring at the tranquil lake and the lantern-lit figures on shore. After a long while, he spoke calmly:

“Great truths are nameless.”

“To open the heavenly eye…”

After a long silence, Chen Hang suddenly clapped his hands and burst into loud laughter, bending his waist deeply:

“To open the heavenly eye, one must extinguish worldly emotions!”

To open the heavenly eye, one must extinguish worldly emotions!

After reciting it several times in his heart, Chen Hang suddenly felt his whole body loosen, as if shedding a heavy chain.

Light and free, utterly exhilarated—as if he could take a step and soar into the void.

At the same time, the Divine Light of the Primordial Sun technique stirred slightly; within the Golden Quan Divine Chamber, the Primordial Flame Radiance Universal Lord suddenly opened his eyes and roared like thunder!

“To look up at the peaks of tribulation, to gaze down upon the boundless cosmos—has this been achieved?”

Chen Hang sensed the change within him and fell silent, then chuckled.

“The Great Dao is still unaccomplished—how could I afford to divert my thoughts elsewhere? It was my mistake.”

Far away.

In the dark, heavy waters.

The branches of Jian Su flowers rose and fell with the tide, then vanished in an instant…

Chen Hang lifted his gaze and watched this scene silently.

Only when the flower-branch had drifted away with the waves and moonlight, leaving no trace, did he finally lower his eyes.

“Indeed, my heart was still disturbed…”

He shook his head, then let out a free, long laugh.

He swept his sleeves and turned away, never looking back.

…

…