There was no good or evil in a person's desires, but they had to be measured by rules, rules, and rules.
Indulging one's desires would often lead to bad consequences.
For example, hunger.
Hunger would instinctively urge people to eat. Some people would choose to steal other people's food, some would choose to deceive others so that they could enjoy the fruits of others' labor, and some would choose to work for themselves.
Hunger was not evil, and plunder was evil. However, slash-and-burn farming was the righteous path that was born from hunger.
Humans were both gods and demons. They instinctively yearned for beauty, but they also instinctively had the desire to destroy.
The difference of a single thought could lead to the reversal of good and evil, and the shift of gods and demons.
Therefore, a cage was needed to imprison one's desires and not make any exceptions.
Taming one's desires was the process of cultivating one's heart.
As the saying goes, a pacifying monkey can tie an impulsive horse, while a dragon can subdue a tiger and sit on an empty mountain.
Daoism's calming heart, Confucianism's rules and etiquette, Buddhism's precepts, Legalism's laws, and Military's orders … In essence, they were all creating a cage of morality to imprison the "evil self."
Jiang Wang recognized himself and did not avoid his desires.
He admitted that there were times when evil thoughts arose, but in the end, they were restrained by morality and personality.
He had seen the darkness of this world and knew the complexity of human nature, but in the end, he could still calmly say that "flowers bloom with a single thought."
Therefore, flowers really bloomed in this endless darkness.
Flowers bloomed all the way, and the darkness kept retreating.
This was the first spring after the end of eternal darkness.
Flowers were everywhere, and the darkness stopped at the horizon.
Then, a familiar voice sounded.
[Inquiring Heart Tribulation Dispelled].
[Frosty Spring Grass].
There was still spring after eternal darkness, but at that time, one would be old. Would frost occur when spring grass grows?
A faint doubt flashed through his mind.
Jiang Wang was stunned for a while before he realized that he had just passed the Inquiring Heart Tribulation.
This tribulation was different from the previous ones. It did not seem to be a real threat, but it was more terrifying than the previous ones. It had happened unknowingly. Jiang Wang had taken the initiative to enter the tribulation, but he still did not feel anything when he was in the Inquiring Heart Tribulation.
Whether it was the Flying Snow Tribulation or the Overturning Sea Tribulation, no matter how difficult it was, at least he knew that he was entering a tribulation and that he should work hard to deal with it. However, the Inquiring Heart Tribulation could not be sensed at all, and people would not even know how they died.
The reason why Jiang Wang was able to survive this calamity unscathed was largely due to luck.
First of all, it was because he had already experienced the interrogation of one's Daoist heart in the ruins of the Withered Yard. He had some experience in resisting such 'interrogation of the heart'.
Most importantly, Jiang Wang's Dao Heart was at its cleanest, purest, and most invulnerable at this moment.
This was because before he entered the tribulation, all of his negative emotions had just been guided out by Zhuang Chengqian, giving birth to his inner demons.
And this inner demon that represented the dark side had just been destroyed by Zhuang Chengqian.
At this moment, Jiang Wang's Dao Heart was as clear as glass, and he was more fearless than ever before!
Coincidentally, it was Zhuang Chengqian's attack on Jiang Wang that helped Jiang Wang survive this calamity.
Amidst the blossoming flowers, Jiang Wang could clearly sense that the Soul Origin that he had cut off earlier was quickly mended.
The sense of loss in the depths of his Divine Soul finally dissipated. His body and mind were satisfied. This feeling was intoxicating.
Just like how spring grass grew and spring flowers bloomed after eternal darkness, 'flowers' bloomed within his Divine Soul.
It was a kind of vigorous and powerful growth. His soul had become tougher and stronger.
If the quantity of his Divine Soul had increased after the tribulation, then the quality of his Divine Soul had increased after the Interrogation of the Heart.
In terms of Soul Concealment Snakes, Yang Kai could still release around three thousand Soul Concealment Snakes, but each Soul Concealment Snake was ten times stronger than the previous one.
Jiang Wang did not have the time to carefully examine his body, nor did he have the mind to observe the changes in the Red Makeup Mirror. After successfully transcending the tribulation, he immediately left the mirror world and returned to Heavenly Palace.
He wanted to take advantage of the time before Zhuang Chengqian transcended the Interrogation of the Heart to wipe out his foundation in Heavenly Palace. He wanted to join the battle between Zhuang Chengqian's sword spirit and Deep Abyss Zhu and completely destroy Deep Abyss Zhu!
This was the key to victory!
… …
… …
"Spring flowers bloom, autumn moon white …"
A gentle and soft female voice was singing.
The song was so pleasing to the ear, and the voice was so familiar.
Zhuang Chengqian casually sat on the ground, his head slightly tilted as he quietly looked forward.
In front of him was the only light in this endless darkness.
There was a graceful figure in a white dress, with black hair like a waterfall.
She stood next to a weeping willow, seemingly unable to withstand the evening wind.
Her voice was so moving that it made one feel intoxicated, like a dream or an illusion.
Disregarding the Flying Snow Tribulation, when Jiang Wang's Divine Soul entered the mirror world for the second time, he had clearly been ordered to go forward and supervise.
From what he knew, Zhuang Chengqian did not know about Jiang Wang's experience in the mirror world, but he knew two things very clearly. First, entering the mirror world was a dangerous matter. Second, every time Jiang Wang came out, his Divine Soul would grow stronger. From this, it could be seen that the mirror world was related to the Divine Soul. It was possible that there was some kind of test for the Divine Soul.
So when he was pulled into the mirror world, he immediately used a Divine Soul Protective Secret Technique to protect his Divine Soul.
But the Interrogation of the Heart did not attack him. Instead, it was like a mirror, reflecting his true self and revealing the deepest and most secret regret in his heart.
He seemed to have also fallen into the trap.
At this moment, looking at that figure and listening to that song, he was intoxicated.
Who did not have regrets in this world?
Who did not suffer, who did not have moments of sorrow?
Even the Enlightened Masters of the present age, the heroes of a generation, could not help but feel embarrassed to look back in the dead of night.
"Spring flowers bloom, autumn moon white. A touch of snow, very difficult to endure. It's lovesickness. "
That woman was singing.
She was singing.
"Bright light falls, reflected in the mirror. A hundred years of life and death, three lifetimes of mistakes. Who is laughing at me? "
The song was sweet, sorrowful, affectionate, and longing.
Zhuang Chengqian was momentarily stunned.
How many years had it been since he had heard this little song of lovesickness?
In this life, he did not regret betraying the Yong Kingdom and establishing himself. He did not regret breaking the unspoken agreement, disrupting the order of the Western Region, and attracting Daoist forces. He did not regret using, scheming, exchanging, or abandoning.
From a nameless soldier, step by step, he grew into an invincible general. From a general, he crossed the greatest threshold to become an emperor.
Some things had to be given up, some choices had to be made.
At that time, the Western Region's situation was surrounded by heroes. All the resources had been divided and almost depleted. To reach out and ask for any bit of resource, one had to snatch it from the bowls of others. Establishing a new state was extremely difficult.
If he had taken a single wrong step, he would not have been able to establish the Zhuang Kingdom.
He had walked all the way with determination and no regrets.
But there was only one thing, only one person, that he truly felt guilty.
He could not deny it, nor could he not face it.
That person was right in front of him.
That song was right next to his ear.
"Wanxi …" he murmured.
The more beautiful that woman's song was, the more intoxicated he became.
The darkness deepened, the heavier it became.
This dark mirror world seemed to want to assimilate Zhuang Chengqian.
Zhuang Chengqian's feet disappeared first, melting into the darkness. Then his torso, and then his arms.
Bit by bit, he melted into the darkness.
The darkness slowly crept up, up his neck, and to his lower lip.
Finally.
Zhuang Chengqian opened his mouth.
"Who in this world can have a clear conscience? To turn over this body in the sea of bitterness. "
He slowly chewed on these words.
Then he stood up.
Originally, most of his body had already been dissolved.
But as he tried to do the action of standing up.
His torso, his legs, all of them appeared again.
It was as if he … had forcefully pulled himself back from the darkness of the mirror world!
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