Chapter 254:

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"Changshi… You still don’t understand," Li Changge shook his head slightly, showing signs of tiredness on his face once again.

After the Martial Saint left, Li Changge became the strongest person in this city, as well as the leader in the military.

He held great power and had strong abilities, so he could see farther than the usual soldiers and generals.

He knew clearly that their small army could not compete with the Immortal Gate.

Even though he didn’t know why the Immortal Gate didn’t attack forcefully, Li Changge knew that this city would eventually fall, and they would ultimately perish with no chance of survival.

This was also why he advised the Martial Saint to leave.

"If you stay in this city, everyone will die, including me," Li Changge calmly said.

"If there are talented individuals in this city who can even tempt inhuman beings, then it’s better to send them away. Surviving alone is better than joining us in death."

As he finished speaking,

He saw a young child in the distance picking up the Spirit Measuring Stone, which shone brightly.

"Li Changge and his brother exchanged a shocked look."

"To make the Spirit Measuring Stone show such a strong sign… Is Taoist Qingyi waiting for someone like this?"

Li Changge looked at the child who picked up the stone and said slowly:

"I heard that among the immortal cultivators, there is a top-tier spiritual aptitude called the Heaven–"

"It’s the Iron Spiritual Root, yes, the Iron Spiritual Root." The child suddenly interjected.

From the moment he spoke, there was a subtle change in the child’s expression, although he was still the same person, he seemed different.

In reality, Qiao Mu was getting a little tense.

Without mentioning spiritual roots, he could pretend to be in a dream. But when Heavenly Spirit Root was mentioned, he was immediately snapped out of his immersive state.

How could he not know about his own spiritual root? Even in his dreams, he never thought he would have a Heavenly Spirit Root one day.

The feeling of immersion is poor, negative review.

"What kind of spiritual root is Iron Spiritual Root, unheard of, this might be a Heavenly Spirit Root?" Li Changge questioned in her dream.

"Limited perspective. By mastering the Iron Crotch Skill to the highest realm, one can achieve the ultimate sublimation, using martial arts to enter the way, using the martial way to enter the immortal way, condensing a supreme Iron Spiritual Root. How can it be compared to a mere Heavenly Spirit Root?" That young boy said so.

Since he had emerged from the immersive state, Qiao Mu stopped pretending.

He then tried to explore within the illusion… Now it seems that this dream-like illusion is not just a memory replay, the Li Changge in the illusion will also react to Qiao Mu’s answers.

Outside the illusion, Dao Zhen also showed slight surprise, his eyes filled with wonder.

In fact, what he wanted to do was very simple, it was just to integrate the Qiao family’s martial arts into the dream, forget about his own existence in the dream, experience Dao Zhen’s memories firsthand, in order to probe the true feelings of this renowned member of the Qiao family.

However, why can this Qiao family member wake up from the dream? This was an unexpected situation Dao Zhen had never encountered before.

"Perhaps this Qiao family member is too strong? I have never seen such a powerful martial artist, maybe by cultivating martial arts to a certain level, one can also have some resistance to magical illusions." Dao Zhen had no doubts.

He is carefree by nature, Qiao Mu’s behavior surprised him, but it made him even more intrigued.

He didn’t get involved in the fantasy, instead, he continued to watch quietly from the sidelines.

………….

"Supreme Iron Spiritual Root?" Li Changge pondered, he seemed to truly believe, and said seriously:

"In the city, there is actually such a genius in the immortal path… You shouldn’t stay in this city."

"Why can’t I stay?" Qiao Mu asked with the curiosity of a young child, tilting his head.

"If it’s a dead end to stay in this city, then why not leave? Why not let Li Changshi pretend to surrender first and then join the Immortal Gate?"

Qiao Mu looked up, not at Li Changge, but towards the sky, and asked loudly:

"Since you already know that staying in this city is a dead end, why not leave? Why not let Li Changshi pretend to surrender first and then join the Immortal Gate?"

"Since you already know the ending, why choose the path of death?"

"What child in this world doesn’t show respect?" Li Changshi seemed a little unhappy.

"If a soldier questions me like that, I would definitely teach him a lesson."

Li Changshi muttered a few words, frowning at the child in front of him.

"I refuse to surrender, even though staying in this city means certain death, because… bec

Li Changshi stopped mid-sentence, staring straight at Qiao Mu, his expression turning blank, trying to speak but no sound coming out.

Not just him, Li Changge beside him was the same.

The two middle-aged generals had turned into emotionless statues, both staring fixedly at Qiao Mu.

"This feels like something out of a dream, doesn’t it?" Qiao Mu was now trying to test the situation.

The unusual behavior of Li Changshi felt like a spring dream for a virgin, always stopping abruptly at critical moments… Unable to load due to missing DLL files.

If we see this illusion as a dream created by Dao Zhen, even with Li Changge appearing in his dream, these two dream characters find it difficult to voluntarily state the reason for their willingness to die.

Because Dao Zhen cannot create such dreams.

Distorted, losing authenticity.

If forced to continue, it will crash because of missing DLL files.

Qiao Mu thought about it, and the surrounding scene changed again. Even though he had walked out of the courtyard, he found himself back inside Dao Zhen’s house. Li Changge had disappeared, leaving only Gu Zhen’s father, Gu Zhen’s mother, and a coffin in front of him.

At the same time, Qiao Mu felt confused once again, apparently his mind was being influenced by something… Clearly, someone couldn’t keep pretending and just directly disrupted the scene, skipping over this part.

Qiao Mu’s lips curved slightly, but he didn’t resist, allowing his mind to stay confused and continue watching the play.

This time, Gu Zhen’s father and mother were still arguing.

Only the topic of the argument changed.

"Regret it now?" Gu Zhen’s father glared angrily at Gu Zhen’s mother, his eyes full of anger.

"Our eldest son joined the army and you sided with him, talking about righteousness and now that he’s become a hero, you must be pleased. Are you satisfied?"

Gu Zhen’s mother’s face was expressionless, silent, just sitting there not saying a word.

Clearly, she also regretted it, wavered, and therefore didn’t argue with her husband.

While Gu Zhen’s mother remained silent, she caught sight of Dao Zhen standing at the door with the glowing Spirit Measuring Stone in his hand, and she was startled for a moment.

She glanced at Dao Zhen a few times, then looked outside at the coffin.

"It’s better to be alive. If a child can walk out, that’s also good," she gazed at the coffin, speaking absently.

……….



"Congratulations, Brother Qingyi, for finding such a talented disciple in this earthly city. It’s a Heavenly Spirit Root."

Taoist Qingzhuo’s expression showed a hint of envy.

"I never thought that among mortals, there would occasionally be such talents. I might also go to the mortal kingdom to find one in the future."

"Brother, you’re joking," said Taoist Qingyi, stroking his long beard and smiling lightly.

"Having a Heavenly Spirit Root naturally makes one a genius in the immortal path, but many geniuses also perish halfway."

"Spiritual talent is indeed very important, but the path to immortality is long. One’s character should not be lacking. Otherwise, even an immortal genius may find it hard to endure."

Taoist Qingyi smiled as he looked at the young boy in front of him.

He said slowly, "Although this child possesses a Heavenly Spirit Root, he still has living relatives, which poses some obstacles. The worldly connections are not yet severed."

"Oh? Shall we eliminate his worldly ties to help him sever those connections?" Taoist Qingzhuo suggested.

"That’s too deliberate. He has to pass this challenge by himself, it’s best this way," Taoist Qingyi looked at the young child in front of him.

"Listen closely, my disciple."

"The decision to send you out of the city was made by your parents, not by yourself."

"Normally, this challenge would be considered premature for a cultivator, but with your Heavenly Spirit Root, how could you be the same as ordinary cultivators? I will test you early on this challenge and let you choose for yourself."

Two elderly Taoists and a child stood on the clouds, looking down at the lonely city below.

The city had just experienced a battle, with some soldiers perishing in the field. The morale in the city was low, with occasional sounds of weeping coming from a few households.

Taoist Qingyi smiled and said, "The world is full of suffering, ordinary people face five sufferings and five obstacles: The suffering of attachment to fame and appearance, the suffering of love and attachment to others, the suffering of greed and attachment to material possessions, the suffering of the pursuit of worldly pleasures, and the suffering of attachment to the physical body."

"Attachment to fame, love, greed, competition, and the physical body all arise from impure thoughts in ordinary people."

"In cultivation, as you progress, you must let go of emotions and desires, sever worldly ties, in order to step onto the path of immortality, and achieve enlightenment."

"Without getting rid of the three corpses, removing attachments… even if attaining immortality, one will still endure the torment of the five agonies, why bother?"

Speaking of this, Taoist Qingyi asked the young boy in front of him:

"Child, can you guess how old I am?"

"Eighty?" the young boy guessed.

"I have already lived for over a thousand years," Taoist Qingyi said with a faint smile:

"Middle-aged people in their thirties and forties may shed tears when reminiscing about their unattainable lovely partners from the past, but when an eighty-year-old recalls, there is only a slight sense of nostalgia."

"Now, as an ancient Taoist of a thousand years, if I were to think of the unattainable beauty from mortal life, what do you think I would feel?"

Taoist Qingyi’s smile gradually faded from his face, turning solemn:

"This is to eliminate attachments, to be heartless and abandon desires."

"Without cutting off the three corpses and eliminating attachment, without severing emotions and abandoning desires to break free from worldly entanglements, one cannot alleviate the five sufferings in the human world. No matter how high one’s cultivation realm in the immortal path is, one ultimately cannot attain true enlightenment."

"Do we really have to eliminate attachment in cultivation?" the child asked, looking up.

"Well, there is actually another diverging path." Taoist Qingyi smiled faintly, glancing at Taoist Qingzhuo beside him.

"Qingzhuo, do you remember the mortal general who hurriedly escaped from this desert several years ago, surname Wu?"

"Hmm? Is there such a thing?" Taoist Qingzhuo didn’t pay much attention.

"Brother Qingyi, why do you remember the details of a mortal so clearly?"

"That mortal was a martial artist. I let him go because he had strayed onto a divergent path, his attachments were too strong, he couldn’t make it big." Taoist Qingyi said calmly.

"The immortal path has been passed down since ancient times and continues to this day."

"Martial arts are just a method for mortals to protect themselves in the world. They don’t have predecessors who have achieved longevity, there is no path ahead for them, so even if they have strayed onto a divergent path, they are unaware."

Taoist Qingyi chuckled and said:

"To truly achieve enlightenment, one must let go of desires, eliminate attachments, and keep a pure heart devoted to the Dao."

"But that ordinary martial artist named Wu took a completely different path, allowing his attachments to grow instead of cutting them off. It’s impossible for a mortal to control such intense attachments. Walking on the edge like this will only lead to a downfall sooner or later."

"It’s just that ignorant people are fearless." Taoist Qingzhuo wasn’t interested in discussing mortals and brushed it off with a few words.

Suddenly, Taoist Qingyi turned to the young child with a serious expression:

"In this world, the path of immortals is the true path, and cultivating immortality is the way to go."

"You have the rare Heavenly Spirit Root, which sets you apart from others. As long as you let go of desires and follow the path, you can enter the realm of immortality and achieve enlightenment."

"If you resist the natural order, you will remain mortal. Not only will you fail to attain immortality, but you will also suffer greatly in this world."

"Flowing with the natural order leads to immortality, while going against it leads to mortality."

"You cannot deceive your own heart."

"So, which path will you choose?"

Taoist Qingyi’s voice rang in Qiao Mu’s ears like a bell.

His mind gradually became unclear, at that moment he seemed to have truly become Dao Zhen himself, experiencing an old childhood memory.

At this moment, too many pictures and sounds appeared in front of him and in his ears.

In the middle of the house lay a coffin. Gu Zhen’s mother looked lost, and his father kept giving instructions. Memories from childhood flooded his mind, with many voices echoing in his ears.

"Why are you forcing me…"

"Why are you forcing me…" The teenager looked like he was in great pain as he clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he resisted… he couldn’t help but see a small smile forming on his lips.

"I really can’t hold it in anymore." The child couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Is this all?"

The young boy looked up at the sky, his expression turning indifferent.

He wanted to see what Dao Zhen was up to, but this turn of events surprised him.

"Well, he’s just a young guy, not even sixty yet. It’s normal for him to act this way." S~eaʀᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Are you expecting me to understand your experiences, your choices, and then feel better about my decision? Will that ease your conscience?"

Qiao Mu just smiled and looked up.



"Laughable. Even if I made the same choice as you, it just means I’m a bad person too. I am bad, what does it matter if you are too?"

The young boy’s eyes were sharp like a sword, staring directly at Taoist Qingyi in front of him, as if a sword light flashed through the empty space in front of him.

Ha!

The figure of Taoist Qingyi blurred and transformed into Dao Zhen’s face.

He was slightly distracted by the sudden impact of the Eye Sword Technique, one hand holding his forehead, palm trembling slightly, and for the first time, his usual calm demeanor showed some unrest.