Chapter 108: If One Wishes to Open the Heavenly Eye, One Must Extinguish Worldly Emotions (End)

Contribute effort?

You want me to contribute effort?

With what head am I supposed to contribute effort?!

Seeing Qingzhi's face twisted into a ferocious distortion.

After a long while, a sudden spark of clarity flashed through her mind, as if she had recalled something extremely difficult to speak of; her eyebrows twitched forcefully up and down, looking exactly like two little worms wriggling and rolling with all their might, imparting her entire face with an inexplicable expression.

"Going mad again?"

Wei Wei Lingjiang pressed her forehead, the corners of her lips pulling slightly.

But she quickly repressed that faint hint of a smile, merely forcing a distracted laugh.

In the past, even if her own master had been right beside her, seeing Seeing Qingzhi's ridiculous antics, she would not have been able to resist pinching that fat face and joking with the young girl.

But now, her heart held only a swaying, inexplicably strange sense of heaviness.

It was as if she were at the very bottom of a dark abyss of water, unable to even draw breath!

"Don't tell me you're thinking of using a beauty trap? That... wouldn't be good, would it?"

Seeing Qingzhi, still unaware of anything, spun her thoughts rapidly, baring her teeth and grimacing as she said:

"You want Lord Seeing Qingzhi to personally enter the arena, to seduce the Sovereign of the Void Emperor Heaven, that what's-his-name, Chi Jing Tao... Tao..."

"Chi Jing Tao Rong, the Ten Thousand Fortunes Divine King."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun stated.

"Right! Chi Jing Tao Rong, the Ten Thousand Fortunes Divine King!"

Seeing Qingzhi slapped her head, making exaggerated faces as she said:

"Do you actually expect me to capture this man? Then whisper sweet nothings into his pillow, and get him to take back the Wind-Fire Rush Mat lent to Wei Shao?! Impossible! Let me tell you! Absolutely impossible!"

She knitted her two silkworm-cocoon-like eyebrows, planted her hands on her hips, and shouted with righteous indignation:

"Although I am nearly three hundred years old this year, I am still just a little child! You people truly have human faces but beastly hearts! You actually want Seeing Qingzhi to do such a thing?! Don't even think about it! Don't even dream of it!"

Having spoken,

she glanced sideways at Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun, quietly adding in her heart:

"Even if I were to whisper sweet nothings, I would make you, you old demoness, go fill the sea eye first! You'd be the very first to fill the sea eye!"

Hearing Seeing Qingzhi shouting and screaming here, even Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun's brow twitched slightly; she suppressed the urge to throw her far away.

She merely sighed and said indifferently:

"After his Dao companion died, Chi Jing Tao Rong, the Ten Thousand Fortunes Divine King, never remarried, nor did he ever have a concubine in his entire life; what exactly is your brain thinking about all day? Furthermore—"

She glanced at Seeing Qingzhi, who was plump, hands on hips, cheeks puffed out in anger, looking like a little winter melon, and smiled with slight understanding:

"Since that person holds the status of a Divine King and governs an expanse sufficient for a full day, even if he had truly gone mad, he is not the type to be indiscriminate."

Seeing Qingzhi first stared blankly, failing to grasp the meaning; after several breaths, she slowly realized the implication, then stomped her foot in anger, wishing she could smash her head against something.

Yet she dared not act recklessly, so she simply let her face fall, glaring unhappily at Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun several times.

"I need you to travel to Ququan Heaven once, in your true form, to pay a visit to that Torch Dragon Great Sage within the Colorless Palace."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun remained unmoved, saying only:

"I will prepare the Chiming Sect's carriage and escort for you; you shall ride the Great Six Geng Nine Clouds Chariot, with eight hundred Yellow Canopy Zhou Zhou Fujia warriors clearing the way, accompanied by Golden Maidens!

You are to be the principal envoy representing my Kuangxu Palace on this mission to Ququan Heaven; remember, do not lack in propriety, or let the masses look down upon my Palace!"

"An envoy to the Colorless Palace in Ququan Heaven? Me?"

Seeing Qingzhi was startled.

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

"You actually want me to pay a visit to the Torch Dragon Great Sage? That wouldn't be good... How about this, you should just swap someone else? Send that old man with the long eyebrows instead?"

"Chen Chen Shidi Longmei has already gone to the Yu Yuchen Sect to visit friends; he has always been greedy for wine, and that pot of Fire-Dwelling Immortal Liquid, which Chen Chen Shidi Yin spent eight hundred years to brew, is capable of intoxicating a Primordial Spirit to death; now that he has drunk it, he certainly will not dispel the alcoholic force, and I fear it will be half a year before he can possibly wake up."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun shook her head:

"Furthermore, among the other Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun of our faction, none have ever had much contact with Ququan Heaven; only you were raised by the Torch Dragon Great Sage for a period of time, so for this visit to Ququan Heaven, the heavy responsibility can only fall upon your shoulders.

You must persuade the Torch Dragon Great Sage to move, to have Him meet Chi Jing Tao Rong, the Ten Thousand Fortunes Divine King, and convince that Divine King to withdraw his intention and produce the Wind-Fire Rush Mat currently in Wei Shao's hands."

"The Torch Dragon Great Sage is a favored general under Chi Jing Tao Rong, the Ten Thousand Fortunes Divine King; the two have shared life and death for many years, their friendship being Mo Ni; the Divine King was able to destroy fifty-five Divine Kingdoms and unify the sea and land beings of the Void Emperor Heaven, and the Torch Dragon Great Sage contributed greatly to this, nearly losing his life and soul several times while protecting the sovereign."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun stated solemnly:

"If the Torch Dragon Great Sage is willing to step forward and plead the case, retrieving the Wind-Fire Rush Mat will certainly not be difficult; no matter what, the Wind-Fire Rush Mat cannot remain in Wei Shao's hands, do you remember?"

Upon hearing this, Seeing Qingzhi hiccuped loudly.

Her face also turned bitter...

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

The Torch Dragon Great Sage cultivates the Ancient Prehistoric Demonic Dao and has already attained the fruit of a Great Sage; within the orthodox Immortal Dao, He is a supreme mighty being comparable to a Dao Lord.

This Great Sage of the Demon Race indeed shares a Mo Ni friendship with Chi Jing Tao Rong, the Ten Thousand Fortunes Divine King, to the extent that they could entrust each other with their lives; it is said that back when Chen Chen Yushu fled from the Void Emperor Heaven to Xudu Heaven, he also stole the Divine King's "Brahma Title Ten Thousand Gods Revered Banner."

At that time, it was the Torch Dragon Great Sage who personally acted, intending to capture and kill Chen Chen Yushu to bring him back...

But he was intercepted by Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua Daojun of the Zhongtian Dou Shu Sect, and through some unknown price paid, the fierce anger was pacified, causing the Torch Dragon Great Sage to return without success.

And indeed, she herself had been raised by the Torch Dragon Great Sage for a period of time, having lived in the Colorless Palace.

Logically speaking,

within the entire Chiming Sect, no one was more suitable to serve as envoy to Ququan Heaven than Seeing Qingzhi.

It was just that...

"Back when I came to Xudu Heaven, I secretly ate all of that box of Beautiful Sun Pearls the Great Sage had hidden; my brain got stuffed and stopped working properly, and I even viciously beat several of the Great Sage's sons, making them lie on the ground and call me 'Grandma'..."

Seeing Qingzhi, with a face like she was mourning, murmured silently:

"Isn't returning to the Colorless Palace this time like sending a sheep into a tiger's mouth?! Won't the Great Sage pluck every single feather off my bird body!"

Though her heart was filled with a hundred kinds of reluctance and awkwardness, in the end, Seeing Seeing Qingzhi sighed as if facing death, and silently nodded.

"The tribute for the Great Sage Zhulong is already prepared; you shall take it along as well. Additionally, regarding Wan Fu Shen Wang at the Chijing Taorong..."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun's eyes flashed, and she said lightly:

"No matter what conditions Wei Shao has proposed, my Kuangxu Palace can double the compensation in return. If matters still go awry in the end, then simply sacrifice my own Five-Elements Mutual-Slaying Sword as well!"

"Master—"

Wei Wei Lingjiang was startled.

"I am well aware that as long as Wei Shao remains alive, your heart will find no peace."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun interrupted, refusing to take no for an answer:

"For you to achieve the status of Dao Son, half of the elders in Kuangxu Palace, from top to bottom, are striving and risking their lives! There is no need for further words; it is merely a flying sword—sacrifice it if we must!

As long as you can ascend to the throne, even if your master dies, it will be worth it!"

Wei Wei Lingjiang gazed at her with complex eyes, silently bowed her head, and performed another bow.

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi scratched her head in bewilderment.

She merely nodded in agreement.

"Very well. My true body has not yet returned to Mount Mount Lutai; shortly, I must also travel to Southern Nan Chan Zhou. Wei Lingjiang, since matters here are concluded, there is no benefit in keeping your spiritual avatar in the Southern Region."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun raised her eyes and said:

"You should return to the sect."

"..."

Wei Wei Lingjiang trembled all over.

She hesitated for a long time.

In the end, under that calm and cold gaze, she silently bowed her head.

"After forming the elixir, will everything be up to me?"

She asked in a hoarse voice.

"After the Elixir Achieves First Grade! The Pure Yang Dao Fruit will already be within sight! If you then become the Dao Son, this entire prefecture will in the future be yours to command and rule as you see fit! Who would dare defy your will? Who would dare oppose your heart!"

Having spoken.

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun softened her tone slightly:

"You are on the verge of forming your elixir; this is precisely the time when inner demons disturb the Dao. I do not intend to obstruct you; rather, all such matters must be set aside in the face of the Supreme Immortal Dao."

Another stretch of speechless silence followed.

After a long while.

She finally lowered her brows and cast down her eyes; after transmitting a few words to Seeing Seeing Qingzhi and repeatedly exhorting her.

Her body involuntarily dispersed into a mass of clear qi, which was then caught by Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun using a Jin Fu; in an instant, it shot skyward, heading straight for Mount Mount Lutai.

The room seemed to fall silent in an instant.

A cold wind brushed past.

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi shrank her neck backward, moving even farther away from Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun.

Sharing a room with this person made her feel as if ants were crawling all over her body; she felt entirely ill at ease.

"Um... aren't we still supposed to go as envoys to Ququan Heaven? Should I return to the sect as well?"

Not knowing how long she had waited, seeing that Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun showed no intention of speaking and merely sat by the tea table with eyes closed and silent, Seeing Seeing Qingzhi could not help rubbing her hands and asked tentatively.

"What did Wei Lingjiang say to you?"

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun asked.

"..."

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi had no intention of speaking, yet with just a single glance, she involuntarily confessed everything completely.

"With such conduct, how can you gain the favorable regard of the Chisong Palace Master? Change your story entirely and cut off any thoughts between the two of them."

Ignoring Seeing Seeing Qingzhi's ugly expression, Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun pondered for a moment and said:

"You—"

Before she could finish speaking.

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi turned around and bolted away!

Just as she was about to leap through the window, she was frozen in place by Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun raising her finger.

"Why are you telling me these things?! Old witch! Old witch, you indeed dislike me and harbor no good intentions!"

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi wore a crestfallen expression, wanting to cry but having no tears:

"You want to sow discord between me and the Young Lady?! I didn't hear anything just now! I heard nothing! Do whatever you wish yourself; Seeing Seeing Qingzhi is not in league with you!"

"You are the Green Bird, a primordial divine demon; if Wei Lingjiang is to ascend, your assistance is naturally indispensable. Why hide this from you? Of course, I still need you to travel to Ququan Heaven shortly to pay respects to that Great Sage Zhulong; since you will not return for several years, there is no worry of exposing the truth before Wei Lingjiang..."

Watching Seeing Seeing Qingzhi wail loudly with a dry throat, Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun said lightly:

"I do not hide it from you; firstly, because deception is ultimately impossible, and secondly, because I need you to help cover for me...

That person named Chen Heng is entangled in matters of great magnitude; for Wei Lingjiang to get involved with him is absolutely not a good thing."

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi lifted her head with tear-blurred eyes, her face full of confusion.

"He is the offspring of Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun Chen Yushu."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun said lightly:

"Xiantianmo Sect, the offspring of Chen Chen Yushu; do you understand now?"

"..."

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi stared wide-eyed in shock.

In her shock, she let out several hiccups in a row, unable to stop them no matter what she tried.

"Really?!"

A sudden jolt shot through her heart.

It felt as though booming Lei Ting were exploding chaotically inside her mind, churning everything into a muddled blur; she could only stare blankly and repeat:

"Really?"

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun nodded.

In an instant, she went limp with stupor.

After she finally managed to recover, before she could say anything—

At that moment.

From the long staircase outside the corridor, the sound of footsteps suddenly arose.

"... How about you just knock me unconscious? Or transform into some random Young Lady's appearance, I'm begging you!"

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi wished she could free up a hand to punch herself to death:

"If I say it! Young Lady will kill me! Pick someone else! Great Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun Zhuojing, I'll never dare to secretly curse you again!"

"I need not say much about Chen Chen Yushu; you have heard of it as well. Seeing Seeing Qingzhi, you and Wei Wei Lingjiang share a fate where glory or ruin binds you both."

Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun looked at her deeply:

"How to decide... you already know in your heart..."

With that said.

Her figure shifted, and she vanished from the spot.

Leaving only Seeing Seeing Qingzhi alone in the side room, wanting to cry but having no tears.

And before she could dwell on her regret for long, those footsteps had already drawn near.

Chen Heng... Chen Chen Yushu... Chen Heng... Chen Chen Yushu...

Chen Heng... Chen Chen Yushu...

The Beast-Rearing Sutra!

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her mind; this suddenly appearing name made her feel as though clarity had broken through, followed immediately by lingering fear!

No!

Even if it was just a sliver of possibility!

She absolutely could not become tainted by the Beast-Rearing Sutra!

"Chen... Chen Heng!"

There was no time for further thought; Seeing Seeing Qingzhi steeled her resolve, shouted, and ran to push open the door.

She stumbled a few steps, then lifted her head.

A few paces away, the white-robed Daoist looked slightly surprised and also halted his stride.

His expression today seemed unlike usual; a faint smile had rarely graced the corners of his lips, and upon closer inspection, one could even detect hints of embarrassment and unease...

But Seeing Seeing Qingzhi's mind was currently a tangled mess; she did not know how much time had passed until her stomach let out a rumbling growl, waking her as if from a dream, and she vigorously rubbed her face.

"Young Lady entrusted me to convey some words to you..."

Bitterly sighing in her heavy heart, she surprisingly composed herself, performed a formal bow, and lowered her head.

The sunlight seemed to be fading toward dusk.

In the hazy light slanting over, Seeing Seeing Qingzhi anxiously stopped speaking, shrank her neck, and sized up Chen Heng.

Based on Zhuojing Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun's nearly word-for-word voice transmission just now, she had originally expected this person to react with shock and suspicion, shame and fury, or even disgust and anger.

But as always.

Nothing could be read from that face; neither sorrow nor joy was visible, nor any sign of pleasure or wrath.

"So Senior Sister has already returned to the sect, yet I have not yet had the chance to congratulate her on her great advancement in cultivation..."

Chen Heng's brows and eyes remained perfectly calm as he smiled and said:

"Then how are you to return?"

"Presumably, someone from the sect will take me back..."

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi awkwardly lowered her head, turned her face aside, yet could not help but say:

"Um, you—"

"No, there is nothing; I have never dared to forget Senior Sister's kindness in gifting me the 'Scattered Scenery Form-Concealing Art.' If there is ever any way I can be of service in the future, please inform Senior Sister..."

Chen Heng lowered his sleeves and bowed his brows, performing a deep bow with his tall frame.

After a moment of silence, he spoke lightly:

"Heng shall certainly exert himself and rush to serve, daring not to decline."

"You..."

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

She had just been about to say something else when she lifted her head and met Chen Heng's eyes directly.

"However, I have one more question."

Chen Heng said:

"Before Senior Sister departed, did she leave any message for me?"

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi hesitated for a moment, but before she could speak, the words tumbled out of her mouth on their own:

"No!"

"Is that so?"

Chen Heng lowered his eyelids slightly, merely nodding his head in affirmation; the two fell into silence once more for a few moments.

"I understand."

He said.

"..."

In this awkward atmosphere, Seeing Seeing Qingzhi's stomach growled again; she quickly lowered her head, bid Chen Heng farewell, and darted into the room as if fleeing.

At the very moment she guiltily closed the door.

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi suddenly recalled how Chen Heng, while raising his sleeve just now, had seemed to be holding a lush flower branch in his right hand, and her heart was instantly startled!

"... Damn it! This is asking me to die!"

Seeing Seeing Qingzhi's stomach growled viciously again.

Then, without waiting for her to hesitate and open the door again, a clear light suddenly shone from the void.

In an instant.

After the light and flames subsided.

The entire room was already empty and desolate, with not a sound remaining...

The wind extinguishes the wax candles, the dew wets the furnace, and the light of the flower market shines upon one another.

Moonlight flows over the tiles. Thin clouds scatter, and the bright Chang'e seems about to descend.

Shadows of people loom, the lanterns blaze brightly—

Countless pedestrians on the islet weave like threads; wherever the gaze falls, the streets are filled with ornate carriages and silk handkerchiefs, with dark dust chasing the horses.

Before a pavilion on the lake shore.

Chen Heng gazed quietly at this scene for a long while, then withdrew his gaze, letting it fall upon the Xiao Jian Su Ke branch held in his right hand; suddenly, a feeling of self-mockery rose in his heart, and he chuckled lightly:

"In the past life it was so, and in this life it is the same? In the end, it is only me alone; that is quite interesting."

He had heard the insincerity in Seeing Seeing Qingzhi's words and also guessed that there might be some hidden truth within here.

Yet there was still a numb, weary feeling as if it were draining all the strength from his body.

Every step he took seemed to be bound tighter by dense ropes, causing him to feel slightly dizzy, as if during those hundred bitter days of imprisonment in the water prison when he first arrived in this world.

"Now the path ahead is still unknown, yet my thoughts have already become chaotic. Have I changed? How long has it been since I found peace, and yet I have already forgotten to think of danger?"

Recalling the incidents and stories one by one since arriving at Daojun Fu Yu's harbor.

Chen Heng felt absurdity at one moment, melancholy at the next, and then a sense of amusement arose.

He remained silent for a long while, then suddenly bent forward slightly and released his hand.

Before him were the rippling lake waves, and on the shore grew a few weeping willows.

That Xiao Jian Su Ke branch rose and fell with the ripples a few times before being swallowed and submerged, pressed to the very bottom of the water layer, drifting who knows where.

On the shore, the sounds of flutes, pipes, drums, and music played; people came and went, and the shadows of lanterns loomed, like flowing clouds gathering and scattering without constancy, giving people an inexplicable, dreamlike, hazy blur.

"The hearts of all beings are never complete."

He narrowed his gaze, leaning diagonally against the weeping willow behind him, gazing at the scenery of the Pinghu lake and the lantern flames and human shadows on the shore; after a long while, he suddenly spoke flatly:

"Great principles are difficult to name."

"If one wishes to open the Heavenly Eye..."

After a long silence, Chen Heng suddenly clapped his hands and laughed loudly, bending his waist down severely:

"If one wishes to open the Heavenly Eye, one must extinguish worldly emotions!"

If one wishes to open the Heavenly Eye, one must extinguish worldly emotions!

After repeating this phrase several times in his heart, Chen Heng suddenly felt his whole body relax, as if a certain shackle had been removed.

Extremely light, thoroughly satisfying, as if one step could make him soar into the void.

At the same time, the innate Great Sun Divine Light technique stirred slightly; within the Golden Scale Divine Chamber, a Lord of Innate Blazing Light Universal Illumination suddenly opened both eyes and let out a thunderous roar!

"Looking up at the calamity's height, looking down at the Great Net, is this truly the achievement attained?"

Chen Heng noticed this change within his body and, for a moment, laughed in silence.

"The Great Dao is not yet accomplished; how can there be leisure to spare thoughts for plotting other matters? It is truly my fault."

Far away.

In the dark, pressing water waves.

The branches of the Xiao Jian Su flower seemed to rise and fall with the tide; after a few rises and falls, they suddenly vanished again...

Chen Heng raised his eyes and gazed quietly at this scene.

Only when that flower branch drifted away with the waves and the moon, never to be seen again, did he withdraw his gaze.

"Indeed, my heart is still disturbed..."

He could not help but shake his head; after a long, carefree laugh,

he shook his sleeve, turned around, and departed, never looking back again.