C47

The sound of the zither was like sobbing, as if it was expressing something. However, Ding Hong was unable to understand the mystery behind it, nor was he able to understand the story within. After seeing the woman, Ding Hong knew that this must be another problem that the Nine Heavens Goddess was giving him, but he was not afraid.

Soldiers come and block; men come and go.

However, why did Ding Hong feel that this scene was so familiar? It was just like the scene when he had comprehended the state of Heart's Heart!

Thinking of this, Ding Hong's footsteps that were about to enter the pavilion suddenly stopped. He quietly stood at the entrance of the pavilion.

"Young Master, why don't you take a seat and listen to a song from me?"

Ding Hong indifferently replied, "The zither music is firm, so it can be heard outside the pavilion."

The woman faintly smiled and said, "Young master is overthinking it. This is not the illusion just now, but the painting."

Ding Hong was stunned and asked, "Painting?"

The lady said, "Yes, it's a mirror of the ink painting." She stopped playing the zither and smiled. "My name is also 'Painting' realm."

Ding Hong was puzzled. "Why are you telling me all this?"

The painting realm did not answer, but instead spoke of another topic. "Just now, was it the Nine Heavens Goddess who lured you here?"

Ding Hong nodded and said, "Of course."

The painting realm laughed before starting to stroke the zither once more. The zither music from before became clear and cold, and became fresh and lively. She said, "If you were to say that I am also the Holy Mother of the Nine Heavens, would you believe it?"

Ding Hong frowned as he glanced at her, rays of light flashing across his eyes. When she said this was the painting realm, it was naturally drawn here. However, after looking around, he still couldn't find any clues. He could only honestly say, "Of course I can't believe it."

The painting scene smiled without a word as he played the zither by himself.

Ding Hong was still standing quietly outside the door, listening to the zither music.

The melodious sound of the zither was like the new leaf after a rain. It was a tender green, causing one to feel fresh and serene. Time was like the growth of a leaf, silent and imperceptible. Only when it was discovered did one know that a long time had passed.

Ding Hong regained his senses and realized that his legs were numb and unable to move. He could not help but let out a bitter laugh. When she looked at the painting scene again, she continued to play tirelessly. She felt his gaze on her, so she stopped using her slender fingers and stopped playing the beautiful zither music as well.

The scene said slowly, "I am the Holy Mother of the Nine Heavens from a long time ago. The me then was called the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens."

Since the ancient books were destroyed, Ding Hong naturally did not know who this Nine Heavens Demoness was. Hearing her say this, Ding Hong sucked in a breath of cold air and asked in embarrassment, "Then why did you become the Nine Heavens Goddess later on?"

The Painter's Realm sighed and said in a low voice, "It's because I forgot about those things that I am still the Mystic Nine Heavens Goddess." She shook her head, and continued without giving him any time to react: "The first two illusions she gave you were equivalent to asking you two questions, and the secret behind them is not how you do it, but how you completely dialyze your thoughts. "But, you're very good, that's why you came to my painting realm."

When Ding Hong heard this, his heart went cold. If there was the slightest bit of injustice in his heart just now, then the consequences would be unimaginable! But when he thought about how he had a clear conscience from the start, he immediately felt at ease.

The artist smiled and said, "Actually, you were also testing your calmness just now, but your performance is just as good as before. But we still have one last step to the end of the exam. "

Ding Hong asked, "May I ask which step it is?"

The scene said indifferently, "Listen to me."

"Listening to the Dao?" After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Is it what senior said?" He even changed his title.

The Painting World said, "Of course, but you can choose to listen or you can't. The thin ice path ahead of me is the path away from the Sun World."

The Nine Heavens Goddess was the master of the sun realm, so her power was probably on par with the Shrines of the Nine Heavens. She was also the queen of the nine heavens thousands of years ago, so although she wasn't sure if her words were true or false, there was definitely something good to be said about her. He respectfully replied, "Naturally."

The painting looked at him and said, "Is this the painting realm?"

These words were spoken without much thought, so Ding Hong did not immediately reply. However, he was unable to find the right answer for a long time. He could only say, "Yes."

The scene shook his head and said, "This isn't the place." She then asked, "Is this the painting scene?"

Ding Hong was stunned and could not help but say, "No."

The scene shook his head and said, "This place is."

After he finished speaking, the painting stopped talking.

Hearing her reply, Ding Hong couldn't help but frown. This obviously followed the thoughts of the painting realm. If she said yes, this place would naturally be it; if she said no, this place would naturally not be it. How could he be right if things continued like this?

However, the more it was like this, the more Ding Hong was guessing the secrets within. Moreover, he knew that this mystery must have originated from the 'thoughts of the painting world'.

Why?

Ding Hong was still unable to figure out what was going on. If one were to say that the painting realm was a lecture on the Dao, then one could say that she was trying to let those who were listening to the dao to comprehend the Dao.

Suddenly, a thought struck Ding Hong. He turned his entire mind upside down.

If he was talking about it just now, then everything he was talking about would be up to his expectations. When she said that it was the painting scene, I admitted it, and I didn't admit it, then it wasn't. Didn't that mean that everyone had their own reasons?

Ding Hong's eyes lit up. He said, "Senior, are you saying that there must be a dao within everyone's heart that conforms to their own principles?"

Upon hearing his words, the Painter smiled and said, "Young Master is so perceptive. The same principle, law and reason, is to include everything in this world! "

She caressed the zither and said, "What I just said wasn't my Dao. I just wanted to tell the young master that everyone has their own Dao in their hearts. The Dao is ever-changing; do not copy others' Dao!"

Hearing this, Ding Hong's heart trembled. He said, "I will remember this."

The painting realm nodded, and the light smile on her face changed to a serious expression. She asked, "What is painting?"

Ding Hong thought for a moment, then replied, "Naturally, it is a scroll filled with paintings that have a fixed axis."

The scene said, "That's right. A scroll shaped painting is naturally a painting. "The internal affairs or objects are rolled up together by an external axis."

She stretched out her hand and took out a painting from the void. With a gentle tug with both hands, he opened the painting.

The painting was about a war between man and devil.

On the left was a man, on the right was a demon, and at the very front were the leaders.

The leader was a man on an ancient chariot. The leader of the Devil Dao was a monster with two horns on its head.

The Painting Realm looked at the leader for a few moments, then he threw the painting towards Ding Hong. After Ding Hong caught the painting and read its contents, he did not know what was happening within the painting.

The painting realm said, "The meaning of the axis, the way of the crux." "Painting will, ten million lives." She sighed and continued, "It doesn't matter if you're a golden horse or a soft horse. All the meritorious deeds one had gained in one's lifetime were ultimately just one scroll of a painting. The axis was the Dao, the painting was the human world, and humans were the masters of the way of the world mentioned in the painting! That's why she sent you here so that you could comprehend the dao! What I'm saying may not be true. It is just that I want you to understand that cultivation is not just about clearing your heart and bitterly cultivating to shake the world. I want you to prove just how powerful you are using your unfathomable strength to merge into this scroll of life and help the mortals of this world escape from their cycle of suffering! "

After hearing what the painting scene had said, Ding Hong's heart could only be described as shocked. In the past, when he thought of cultivating Daoist techniques, he had only been pursuing the power brought about by cultivation. He had never had the thought of helping the people of the world. When he heard the words of the painting realm, although it could not completely change his temperament, that thought had already quietly planted a seed in his heart.

Ding Hong had never been a man of great evil, and he was an upright man. Although he did not possess the noble character of a sage, he was not a man who disregarded right and wrong. Instead, he had a measure in his heart, a measure of others and of his own conscience.

After a long while, Ding Hong finally said, "I will definitely not forget Senior's teachings."

The Painting Realm shook his head and said, "The cultivators of this world pursue the power within. They have long since forgotten the usefulness of the Dao Arts. There were even more people that used this symbol of their noble status to humiliate the common people. What was the meaning of this with the fiendish demons? It was laughable that they would shout 'exorcism' every day, but when they were demons, how could they dare to attack? "Sigh …"

She sighed deeply and started to play the zither. The sound of the zither was desolate, and even the wind within the painting realm seemed to have felt it. It floated slightly and blew up her long hair.

"Go, follow this thin ice path. "I don't know how much you can know about what I said today. I don't ask that you will benefit the people of this world when you have mastered Dao Arts in the future. I only ask that you don't want to harm the world …"

The sound became softer and softer, like the sound of an painting slowly dissipating.

When the sound completely disappeared, the painting's body turned into a layer of smoke that was dispersed by the wind. Ding Hong looked around and recalled what the painting realm had said. He then walked on the thin ice path.

The thin layer of ice was very brittle. One could even hear the sound of shattering as they walked on top of it, causing one's heart to tremble. He felt like he was treading on thin ice. This path was the exit of the Sun Realm, and was most likely a way to warn everyone not to be careless.

This thin ice path was very long, giving people a feeling that they would never reach the end of it.

With a "kacha" sound, Ding Hong's facial expression changed. Before he could do anything else, his body sank into the water under the thin layer of ice.

It was actually his stomp that broke the thin layer of ice!

After he fell down, he struggled to get up, but the more he went down, the faster he went down.

After an unknown amount of time, Ding Hong felt that all the things he could see had gradually distanced themselves from him. In the end, they vaguely became a field of light and disappeared.

His consciousness also eventually became blurry, and he was no longer able to linger in this world.

There was a sense of desolation and regret, but Ding Hong didn't even have the time to think about what it was before fainting …

When Ding Hong woke up again, he found himself lying on a crude bed. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the dilapidated roof. The sunlight coming in from the outside was especially beautiful.

He sat up and shook his head.

"Oh, young man, don't move! "Rest more." A middle-aged woman dressed in many patched up clothes hastily ran over from the stove and pressed down on him, wanting him to continue resting.

Seeing the situation, Ding Hong hurriedly said, "No need Auntie, I am in good health."

The woman placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "No matter how good your body is, it won't last that long in such a cold water bubble!"

Ding Honglang said, "Cold water?"

The woman said, "Of course it's cold water. When my man went fishing in the river today, he found you in the reeds. That's how he saved you."

Only now did Ding Hong regain his composure. When he thought about the matter of his own sun realm, he felt as if he had fallen from the thin ice into the water, as if he was already dead.

When he thought about how the woman's husband had saved his life, he quickly thanked her. "Thank you for saving my life."

A burly man in linen robes walked in and said with a laugh, "What are you thanking me for? "It's just a small matter."

When the woman saw him, she smiled and said, "You're back."

As soon as she said that, Ding Hong got up from the bed. He straightened his clothes and cupped his hands to the muscular man, "I am Ding Hong. Thank you for saving my life, Big Brother."

When the woman saw him get up, she wanted to come over and let him rest. When the strong man saw her, he hastily ran over to stop her. He said to the woman, "This little brother looks very healthy. Why would he need to rest?"

Then, he turned his head towards Ding Hong and said, "Little brother, I am a fisherman who took refuge by the sea. I don't dare to use my real name, just call me Brother Yu." He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Little brother, these days are chaotic, you better put that mask away, otherwise it will cause too much trouble!"

Ding Hong was stunned and instinctively touched his face with his hand, feeling the mask. He suddenly remembered that he had said he would walk the world under the name of Feng Zhiling. However, when he told her his real name, he couldn't help but sigh.

Old Yu thought he wasn't feeling well at all and quickly asked, "Little brother, what's wrong with you?"

If an ordinary person were to see Ding Hong's mask, they would have long chopped off his head and snatched away his mask. However, this couple didn't have the slightest bit of selfishness in them, causing Ding Hong to feel even more grateful.

Old Yu saw his expression, seemed to know what he was thinking and smiled, "Little brother, don't think that we have no selfish motives. If not for your mask, I'm afraid I wouldn't have pulled you out. However, after fishing you up, I discovered that you just fainted away, so I gave up on that thought. I hope that you don't blame me. " His weather-beaten face reddened.

Ding Hong smiled and said, "Of course not, Big Bro." After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Can I trouble Big Brother Yu to tell me how many days I've been unconscious for?"

Old Yu lowered his head and thought for a moment. "You've been in a coma all day, until noon today."

Then today would be the 20th of September, and it was still too early to start a looting meeting. At that time, what kind of mission would the loot give him? Upon recalling the final words the painting world told him, Ding Hong couldn't help but sink into deep thought.

Old Yu knew what Qin Wentian was thinking when he saw him act this way. Judging from his luxurious clothes, he must be someone of status. He didn't want to disturb him, so he dragged his wife along with him and left.

After thinking for a long time, Ding Hong suddenly sighed. He had already thought about what the painting realm would say in the past, but he did not think too deeply about it. However, the painting realm slightly brought out the determination in his heart, as if it gave him a rough outline and allowed him to perfect the contents within himself. Ding Hong was a very free and easy going person. After experiencing so many things, he was finally able to relax. To him, this topic of helping the common people of the world was perhaps a little too excessive.

The more powerful one was, the greater their responsibilities would be.

The Holy Mother of the Nine Heavens had allowed him to pass the painting stage. He probably only wanted to warn Ding Hong not to use his cultivation to do evil, that's all, right?

However, thinking about his current cultivation base, it was not high, it was not low at all. He had recently heard of many rumors of the end of humanity that caused chaos in the world. He was afraid that with his current cultivation, he could not protect himself, so he had to speed up the forging of the other seven swords.

As he spoke of forging swords, Ding Hong suddenly thought of the Ever-Flame Sword.

With a thought, he pulled out a phoenix shaped torrent of flames from the void.

He sized up the 'Ever-Flame Sword' in his hand. This was the first time he had seen this sword that had been forged.

Perhaps the Ever-Flame Sword could no longer be called a sword because it was like a living phoenix. The flowing flames were like wings, one after another.

Looking at the sword in his hand in amazement, he suddenly loosened his grip. The Ever-Flame Sword actually flew up and slowly circled around him. After a while, he stopped on his left and flapped his wings.

"This is indeed mysterious. For the Ever-Flame Sword to become like this, I wonder what the other seven swords will be like." He mumbled to himself.

With a thought, he kept the Ever-Flame Sword.

"I don't have many tricks up my sleeve. Every time I see one, it's either a Yin Yang diagram or a sword formation. It seems like I should be able to come up with something else."

He looked up, feeling the sunlight seeping through the cracks in the roof.

The current him could only be considered to have truly entered his own path of cultivation …