The Path Toward Heaven

Hearing this question, Jing Jiu thought of the scenes on Longevity Mountain and by the Heavenly Well.

It was at the time that the fairy book shone brightly in the Immortal Bai’s hands.

Countless rays of the sunlight, summoned by the fairy book, came down from the outside world, the source of which was the sun.

In the next moment, Jing Jiu thought of another scene in the cold and dark world, where a white and blazing fireball hovered quietly while gazing at this world.

The reason the Immortal Bai raised this question was because she had been to that world.

“In fact, I don’t need your answer,” the Immortal Bai said to Jing Jiu. “There is a fairy veil on Cloud-Dream Mountain, behind which I can see the other world. I’ve seen that blazing fireball many times since a young age, so I know that the sun in this world is not real, or in other words, it’s merely a projection of that sun.”

Jing Jiu looked up at the spring sun in the sky, saying nothing.

The Immortal Bai continued, “Do you know why the Cultivation practitioners don’t have any fairy energy before ascension but have it once they have?”

Jing Jiu turned his head around and glanced at her, still saying nothing.

“It’s because the blazing white fireball gives off the true original light; it is the source of fairy energy.”

The Immortal Bai went on, “Hence, you’re no match for me.”

A gust of gentle wind blew over, bringing over an aroma of pine trees, tousling the white dress like it was made of silk ribbons.

Jing Jiu intended to say something, but he opted to shake his head instead.

“Don’t assume that I’m not an ascendant and therefore that I can’t employ the fairy energy.”

The Immortal Bai went on calmly, “You and I don’t even know exactly who we are; there is no way we can decide what we can and can’t do.”

Many years ago, the whole of Chaotian felt mystified regarding the true identity of Jing Jiu.

Was he the reborn Immortal Jing Yang or an All in One Sword devil?

Yet, what the Immortal Bai referred to today was not about the understanding of one’s identity, but a deeper issue.

But what was the issue?

In fact, Jing Jiu and many other Cultivation practitioners had thought about the issue.

Asking about the Dao was the very beginning of Cultivation.

One had to ask questions when they looked at mountains and rivers, heaven and earth, wind and clouds, stars in the night sky and the sun.

Even if one didn’t have time to think about all this when they had just joined the Green Mountain Sect and were busy playing with their colleagues by the Sword-Washing Stream and when they reached the Undefeated State and were busy riding on the flying swords over the banks of the Muddy River with their bodies heated even though their faces were pained by the cold wind, they couldn’t help but mull over all this during their long stay behind closed doors while perceiving the essence of life and death.

Where did heaven and earth come from? And what rules did they operate by?

The Cultivation practitioners wished to ascend, but where did they ascend to?

The Fairy World?

But where is the fairy world?

One has to know where one comes from before they know where they go to.

Why is there a me?

Why does this world exist?

If the sun were unreal, would this world be unreal as well?

If this world were unreal, our own existence would be unreal as well.

The Cultivation practitioners had pondered these questions over and over again since ancient times,

but no one had written down their thoughts and passed them to the people of ensuing generations.

These questions were the beginning and the end of the path toward heaven.

They were also the gate of the wonders as well as the abyss of the sufferings.

Which is why Jing Jiu remained silent.

…

…

“We have come from nowhere, and heaven and earth have come from nowhere.”

The Immortal Bai went on, “This place has always been here; it seems as if this world has appeared one day in the space of infinite time.”

Jing Jiu reached out his hand and grabbed a handful of spring sunlight. “If we can’t see clearly what is laying ahead, we’d better look backwards,” he remarked while gazing at the spring sunlight for a while.

“At least we can see something.”

The Immortal Bai said, “This world feels like it has been fully designed.”

It seemed that those whirlpools, the passages and the barriers were all intended to serve heaven and earth.

“This speculation is not original. Many people started searching for the existence of god ever since ancient times until some extraordinarily talented people could ascend.”

Jing Jiu released his fingers, letting the spring sunlight in his hand merge into the space and time. “This world is real, and so are you and I,” he said to her.

The Immortal Bai said, “But it’s still possible it was designed to be isolated from the outside world; it’s because the outside world is too dangerous.”

“Even so, I don’t believe that the creator had the intention of keeping us here in this world all the time. I believe his intention is that we grow strong enough in this world to break through the barrier he has set up, and that we should leave this world when that happens.”

Even though a cradle is very safe, a child has to get out of it eventually; otherwise, how can they learn to walk and get to the other side of the world?

“If you and I just leave this world, what will happen to it then?” asked the Immortal Bai.

Jing Jiu pressed, “Do you really believe in what my Big Brother said?”

The Immortal Bai replied, “That’s right. You and I both have seen the outside world. My grandma’s idea couldn’t solve the issue, but your Big Brother’s is a new path.”

“No matter what, he was the Sect Master of our Green Mountain Sect, but your family name is Bai,” said Jing Jiu.

The Immortal Bai pressed him with a smile, “The All in One can be a sword; why can’t the path toward heaven be the same?”

The Immortal Taiping was the most hideous demonic person in Chaotian over the last thousand years.

But she, as the leader of the orthodox Cultivation circle, was a follower of the Immortal Taiping.

Jing Jiu knew about it a long time ago, but he couldn’t help but glance at her twice to make it finalized.

The patch of cloud and fog had already dispersed, exposing her face.

It was not the face that had been shown in Zhaoge City for a brief moment, nor was it the face that had appeared in the Dao Competition; it was her true appearance this time.

Her eyes and brows were very pretty; seven parts of her appearance out of ten looked like Bai Zao. But she looked more desolate and aloof.

“Do you think she looks somewhat like me?” asked the Immortal Bai.

Jing Jiu uttered “hmm”.

“She is really like me, be it her appearance, temperament, talent, and her idea about heaven and earth.”

The Immortal Bai continued with a faint smile, “I felt it absurd and like playing house when she made many talented young friends and intended to do something back then. But I remembered after the initial scorn that I had done the same many years ago or that I had wanted to do so.”

She had been the daughter of the sect master of the Center Sect.

She was naïve and idealistic at the time, but she wished to take responsibility for the world.

However, all she could do was cultivate everyday on Cloud-Dream Mountain and waited to be married to that most talented Big Brother and to become his Cultivation partner and live a boring life.

It wasn’t until that day that she went to Zhaoge City with her mother and witnessed that significant event and changed her mind.

The Underworld Emperor was locked up in the Fiend Prison.

Liu Ci served his Master and drank wines all night.

Next, she learned of the matter relating to Lian Sanyue.

Later, the Plum Meeting took place.

She respected them all, or in other words, she admired them.

“We’re all Cultivation practitioners, but why could they live such an exciting life while I had to abide by the rules of a major sect and could do nothing?”

The Immortal Bai continued, “It’s because I’m the daughter of the Bai Family, and my grandma was the last ascendant in Chaotian; I’m destined to be the future leader of the orthodox sects.”

Jing Jiu didn’t make a comment, nor did he show any emotion, be it was pity, sympathy or mockery.

“Of course, I could do what Little Zao has done to change such a tedious life, like going to the Green Mountain Sect and asking Liu Ci for marriage. I don’t think Nan Wang was there yet at the time.”

The Immortal Bai went on while looking at the sky with her hands folded behind her back, “But I’m not interested in such things. In my opinion, they have done all the interesting stuff.”

She referred to the people like Taiping and Lian Sanyue.

“When I stopped thinking about these matters, something very interesting had suddenly occurred.”

She said to Jing Jiu after pulling back her gaze, “Your Big Brother had suddenly changed into a demonic person from an immortal of Chaotian.”

The topic turned to the world below from the world above; but it was still very important even though it was an anguished topic.

“Later, I found out about his idea. Though I thought it was interesting and very evil…it was nonetheless quite right.”

The Immortal Bai went on, “An idea that has these three qualities at the same time had truly convinced me.”

“If you’re one of his followers, why did you wish to kill him?” pressed Jing Jiu. “If Liu Ci hadn’t blocked the assault for him, you would have succeeded at the West Ocean a long time ago.”

“I like his idea; doesn’t mean I’m his follower. Why couldn’t I kill him?” returned the Immortal Bai. “If I had killed him at the West Ocean, his followers in the Underworld would have been mine, and so would this world. And it would be easier for me to fulfill his ideal as a result.”

“So you’ve known what he was doing in secret the entire time?!” pressed Jing Jiu.

“I knew only a part of it. Hence, I bade the Grand Priest to cooperate with him secretly in the Underworld. But I had no idea that his plan would be so remarkable when it was being carried out.”

The Immortal Bai said this thoughtfully while looking at the sky.

…

…

The changes in heaven and earth hadn’t ceased since last night.

The seawater poured into the Underworld, causing millions of waves, which broke a gap in the mountain range that had been created when the broadsword and the sword met.

The large Buddha used his own body as a dam to block the pouring seawater from the gap.

The Chaotic Wind was howling over the surface of the lake, the Stony Mountain was on the brink of falling apart, and the golden blood grew thinner.

The Saint used his blood as the ink to hold back the violent wind.

The huge transparent wall at the bottom of the Gathered-Soul Valley had suddenly collapsed, the lava rushing into the Underworld below the Abyss like the heavenly fire.

The green smoke wafted by the seashore of the East Ocean, making the peach flowers look greenish again.

All of these were the doings of the Immortal Taiping.

…

…

“Use heaven and earth as a stove, nature as the force, seawater as the coals, and all the objects as the copper…”

The Immortal Bai continued sentimentally, “I couldn’t have come up with such a wonderful idea.”

“This is an interesting comment,” said Jing Jiu.

The Immortal pulled back her gaze before saying, “Yet, I’ve thought further than your Big Brother. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth would be still inadequate even if all the mortals were killed. The energy wouldn’t be enough for all the Cultivation practitioners to ascend even if the Great Formation of Dispersed Smoke and Clouds were employed.”

Jing Jiu chimed in, “Hence, you persuaded Bai Ren to come back from the outside world by deception.”

“She was worried about this world and didn’t dare stay too far from here; there was no point in her acting as a guardian out there.”

The Immortal Bai went on imperturbably, “She could kill all of you after coming back, or she would be killed by you and the Immortal Taiping. No matter what, her fairy energy would be given back to this world, which is a good thing.”

“You and my Big Brother are truly alike,” Jing Jiu remarked.

The Immortal Bai said to Jing Jiu, “What I can’t understand is why you opted to take part personally. You’re not like us.”

It was a well-known fact that Jing Jiu was a lazy person who was afraid of death.

It shouldn’t concern him that much even if the mortals’ world were totally destroyed.

But he opted to risk his own life to save this human world.

“You wanted to destroy the Inherited Heaven Sword at the cost of the Sword Formation of Green Mountain; you had Bai Ren killed and sent the Snow Girl away. You had calculated all this and succeeded in all of these attempts. Now nobody can threaten you and you can ascend any time you want to. Unexpectedly…you’ve suddenly changed your mind and given up on the freedom you obtained after many years of planning.”

The Immortal Bai asked him while looking at his face in the bright spring sunlight, “You handed out the sheath of the sword so casually this time; don’t you think it’s a bit silly?”

“I don’t think I did it casually. It’s an important decision.”

Jing Jiu continued, “I spent the whole night mulling over it.”