Hearing this question, Jing Jiu thought of the scene by the Heavenly Well on Longevity Mountain.
It was then that the Fairy Book shone brightly in Bai Zhenren's hands.
Countless bright lights came from the sky after being summoned by the Fairy Book, and the source was the sun.
In the next moment, he thought of another scene. In the cold and dark world, a white burning fireball hovered in the distance in Silence, gazing at this world.
The reason Bai Zhenren asked him this question was because he had been to that world.
"I actually don't need your answer." She continued while looking at Jing Jiu, "There is a fairy veil on Cloud-Dream Mountain, through which we can see that world. I've seen the burning fireball many times since I was little, so I know that the sun in this world is not real, or it is merely a projection of the sun."
Looking at the spring sun in the sky, Jing Jiu didn't say anything.
Bai Zhenren continued, "Why don't the Cultivation practitioners have the fairy energy before their ascension, and why do they have the fairy energy after their ascension?"
Jing Jiu turned his head around and shot her a glance, but still didn't say anything.
"It's because the burning white fireball exudes the true primeval light, which is the fairy energy."
Bai Zhenren went on, "So you're not my equal."
A gust of gentle wind blew over, bringing with it the fragrance of pine trees, tousling the ribbon-like white cloth.
Jing Jiu intended to say something, but he shook his head in the end.
"Don't tell me that I can't use the fairy energy because I'm not an ascendant."
Bai Zhenren went on calmly, "You and I don't even know who we are, so how can we determine what we can and can't do?"
Many years ago, the whole of Chaotian was at a loss because of the true identity of Jing Jiu.
Was he the reincarnation of the Immortal Jingyang or the All in One Sword?
Yet, what Bai Zhenren asked today was not about his own identity, but a deeper issue.
It was a question of where did it come from.
In fact, both Jing Jiu and the other Cultivation practitioners had thought of this issue.
The beginning of the Cultivation was the Dao Inquiry.
Looking at the mountains and rivers, the wind and clouds, the stars in the sky, and the sun, he had to ask.
Even if you had just entered Aoyama and did not think about it when you were fooling around with your peers by the Stream of Sword Cleansing, even if you had entered the Undefeated Sword Realm and only cared about flying on your sword on both sides of the Muddy River, with your face hurting from the cold wind and your body filled with warmth, you would not have the time to think about it. But during the long period of Isolated Meditation, when you were in the midst of perceiving the big things between life and death, how could you not think about it?
Where did this world come from? What kind of rules did it follow?
If martial cultivators wanted to ascend, where would they fly to?
Immortal World?
Where was the Immortal Realm?
To know where to go, you must first know where to come.
Why am I here?
Why does this world exist?
If the sun was fake, would the world be fake too?
If this world is fake, will I still be real?
Since ancient times, cultivators had pondered this question countless times, but not a single one of them had put their thoughts into words and passed down to the later generations.
That was the beginning of the Grand Dao, the direction of the Grand Dao, the door of profundity, and the abyss of myriad tribulations.
It was the same today. Jing Jiu remained silent throughout.
…
…
"We have no place of origin, and this world has no place of origin."
Bai Zhenren said, "This place has been like this since ancient times, as if this world appeared on a certain day in the river of time."
Jing Jiu reached out and plucked a piece of spring scenery. After looking at it for a while, he said, "If you can't see clearly from the front, why don't you look back first?"
"At least you can see something."
Bai Zhenren said, "This world is full of the feeling of design."
The whirlpools, the passages, and the barriers all seemed to be serving this world.
"This theory is not new. Since ancient times, many people have been searching for the existence of gods, until a mighty person finally ascended."
Jing Jiu loosened his fingers and let the spring scenery melt into time. He looked at her and said, "This world is real, and so are you and I."
Bai Zhenren said, "But it could still be a world that was designed to be isolated from the outside world, because the outside world is too dangerous."
Jing Jiu said, "Even so, I think that the creator didn't mean for us to stay in this world. He probably wanted us to grow here until we were strong enough to break through the barriers he had set, and then we should leave."
The cradle was indeed safe enough, but if they didn't leave, how could they learn to walk, and how could they walk to the other side?
"If you and I just leave, what will happen to this world?" Bai Zhenren asked.
Jing Jiu said, "You really believe what Senior Brother said?"
Bai Zhenren said, "That's right. We've both seen the outside world. Grandmother's idea can't solve the fundamental problem, but your Senior Brother has found a new path."
Jing Jiu said, "No matter what, he is the master of our Aoyama Sect, and your surname is Bai."
Bai Zhenren said to him with a small smile, "All things can be a sword; why can't the paths be interlinked?"
Taiping Zhenren was the most formidable demonic person in Chaotian in the last one thousand years.
She, the leader of the orthodox Cultivation circle, was a follower of Taiping Zhenren.
Jing Jiu had known this a long time ago, but he couldn't help but glance at her twice after confirming it.
The patch of cloud and fog had dispersed, exposing her face.
It was not the face that had appeared in Zhaoge City for a brief moment, nor was it the face that had appeared in the Dao Competition. This was her true appearance.
Her eyes and brows were exceedingly beautiful, similar to Bai Zao's, but more desolate and otherworldly.
Bai Zhenren asked, "Do you think she looks like me?"
Jing Jiu uttered "hmm".
"She does look like me, regardless of her appearance, temperament, talent, and even her view of heaven and earth."
Bai Zhenren continued with a small smile, "Back when I saw her pretending to be an adult and befriending the talented young Cultivation practitioners, I thought it was funny, as if she was pretending to be a housewife. But after I laughed, I remembered that I had done the same thing many years ago, or in other words, I wanted to do the same thing."
She had been the daughter of the sect master of the Zhongzhou School.
She was innocent and naive at the time, but she wanted to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the world.
However, all she could do was cultivate on the Cloud-Dream Mountain every day, waiting to be arranged to be the Cultivation partner of the most talented Big Brother, living a boring life.
It wasn't until she went to Zhaoge City with her mother that she witnessed a significant event.
The King Of The Underworld was locked in the Fiend Prison.
Liu Ci served his Master drinking wine for a whole night.
Then she learned about Lian Sanyue.
Then the Plum Meeting took place.
She admired them, or rather, she envied them.
"They are all Cultivation practitioners. Why can they live like this, but I have to abide by the rules of the major sects and do nothing?"
Bai Zhenren went on, "It's because I'm the daughter of the Bai family, and my grandmother is the last ascendant in Chaotian. And I'll become the leader of the orthodox sects in the future."
Jing Jiu didn't make any comment, nor did his expression change, be it pity, sympathy or mockery.
"I could of course try to get rid of this boring life like Little Zao did. For instance, I could go to the Aoyama Sect and propose marriage to Liu Ci. Nan Wang hadn't entered the sect yet at that time."
Bai Zhenren continued while folding his hands behind his back, "But I'm not interested in this sort of thing. In my opinion, they have already done all the interesting things."
What he referred to was people like Taiping and Lian Sanyue.
"Just when I stopped thinking about these things, things suddenly took a very interesting turn."
She pulled back her gaze and said to Jing Jiu, "Your Big Brother suddenly changed from an immortal in Chaotian to a demonic person who intended to destroy the world."
The topic had dropped from the sky to the ground, but it was still a heavy one, because it was very important.
"Later, I learned of his idea. I thought it was interesting and evil … but it was also correct."
Bai Zhenren went on, "The idea of having all three characteristics at the same time is very appealing to me."
Jing Jiu asked, "If you're his follower, why do you want to kill him? If not for Liu Ci, you would have succeeded at the West Ocean back then. "
"I like his idea, but it doesn't mean that I'm his follower. Why can't I kill him?" Bai Zhenren went on, "If I had killed him at the West Ocean, his inheritance in the Underworld would have been mine, and this world would have been mine as well. By then, I would have fulfilled his idea."
Jing Jiu asked, "Have you known all along that he was preparing to do this in secret?"
"I only knew part of it. That's why I asked the Grand Priest to cooperate with him in the Underworld in secret. But I didn't expect his idea to be so spectacular when it was put into practice."
Bai Zhenren said this thoughtfully while looking at heaven and earth.
…
…
Heaven and earth had been undergoing tremendous changes since last night.
The seawater entered the Underworld, creating tens of thousands of waves. The saber and the sword collided, creating a mountain range. Eventually, an opening was created.
The large Buddha used his body as a dam to block the seawater.
The Chaotic Wind whistled over the surface of the lake. The rocky mountains were on the verge of breaking apart, and the golden blood had faded.
The Saint used his blood as ink to block the strong wind.
The huge transparent wall at the bottom of the Gathered-Soul Valley collapsed, and the lava sprayed down to the Underworld at the bottom of the abyss like the heavenly fire.
The green smoke by the East Ocean made the peach blossoms look green again.
It was all the work of Taiping Zhenren.
…
…
"With heaven and earth as the furnace, with fate as the work, with Yin and Yang as the charcoal, and with everything as the copper …"
Bai Zhenren sighed with emotion, "I can't think of such a method."
"This sentence is very interesting," said Jing Jiu.
Bai Zhenren withdrew his gaze and said, "But I have thought further than your Big Brother. Even if all the mortals in the world were killed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth would still be limited. Even if we used the Great Formation of the Smoke and Clouds, I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough for everyone to ascend."
Jing Jiu said, "So you lured Bai Ren back from the Outer World."
"She was worried about this place, but she didn't dare to go too far away. Why did she have to wait outside?"
Bai Zhenren said indifferently, "After she came back, she would either kill all of you, or she would be killed by you and Taiping Zhenren. She would return the fairy energy to heaven and earth. Either way, it would be a good thing."
"You and my Big Brother are really alike," Jing Jiu said.
Bai Zhenren looked at him and said, "What I don't understand the most is why you came here in person. You aren't like him and me."
Everyone in the world knew how lazy and afraid of death Jing Jiu was.
Even if the world where mortals lived was destroyed, it had little to do with him.
But he started to risk his life to save the human world.
"You didn't hesitate to destroy the Inherited Heaven Sword at the cost of the disappearance of the Sword Formation of Aoyama. You killed Bai Ren and sent the Snow Girl away. You understood and accomplished all these things. Now, no one can threaten your existence, and you can ascend at any time. But … you suddenly turned around and gave up the real freedom that you had planned for so many years. "
Asked Bai Zhenren, looking at the face in the bright spring sunlight.
"You handed over the sword handle so casually. Don't you think it's absurd?"
"Of course it's not casually. This decision is very important."
Jing Jiu said, "I thought about it the whole night."
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