novelDigging Old Wounds, Returning Favors, Or Another Purpose?
| ← Ch.0915 | Ch.0917 → |
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
"Are you really not the reincarnated Spirit Seed of some Senior?" The person with the birthmark on his face asked as he stared sternly at Jun Mo Xie."I trust that you should be very clear about this as well. You've reached the peak third level Saint Emperor realm even before the age of 20! If you're not a reincarnated Spirit Seed, there's no way you can cultivate at such an insane speed no matter what!"
Shaking his head with disbelief, he continued."Even if the 11 of us poured efforts and groomed you from the day you were born, providing you with limitless heavenly treasures all the way, assuming that there aren't any hiccups in between, it would still not be possible to replicate this result before you reached the age of 20! How will you still deny now?"
"But I'm really not the reincarnation of a Spirit Seed! If Senior won't believe me, there's nothing I can do. Instead, I'd like to ask a question in return. Does the so-called 'Spirit Seed reincarnation' really allow a person to have the same speed of cultivation as me?" Jun Mo Xie shrugged his shoulders helplessly and said.
The birth marked guy fell silent immediately. Because even if a person was reincarnated from a Spirit Seed, it was impossible to attain the same success as Jun Mo Xie. Even a Spirit Seed had memories of its previous life, cultivation realm, and foundations... even if that person started cultivating inside their mother's womb, it would still be far from enough to reach Young Master Jun's current accomplishment.
It was indeed possible for a Spirit Seed reincarnation to be born in a place with the most ideal cultivation environment. However, there was still a limit to that. Jun Mo Xie's perverse achievements were indeed beyond the capabilities of human effort!
"The kid is indeed speaking the truth. He's not a Spirit Seed reincarnation!" The white robed person at the head announced the heaven shocking answer with an exhausted sigh."When our spiritual sense clashed just now, I thoroughly checked. His spiritual sense is intricately linked to his body, without the slightest deviance! The soul and body are clearly one!"
The moment this word came out, everyone's face changed!
Spiritual sense and body are linked, without any deviance!
Everyone here clearly understood the meaning behind those words.
For a Spirit Seed to 'reincarnate', it must find a pregnant woman who was about to give birth, using her to be reborn and obtain a new life. But such a precondition meant that there was already a prenatal soul inside the infant's body!
In order to obtain the body of the infant, the Spirit Seed had to kill the original soul! That was the only way for the Spirit Seed to live on while relying on this new body. In that way, the Spirit Seed would receive a new life, and with the new body beginning cultivation while in a prenatal state, the path of cultivation would naturally be smooth. But where there were advantages, there was always another side to everything. There was also a huge drawback to reincarnation through the Spirit Seed: spiritual sense disharmony!
After all, the soul that the Spirit Seed had killed was the original prenatal soul! After killing the prenatal soul, the spiritual sense they gained would naturally not be their own, and they could only familiarize themselves with it bit by bit, evolving it! But no matter how much the spiritual sense was evolved to adapt, there would always be a disharmony!
Because of this, there was the most treacherous barrier that all the 'peak level' experts must face at the final realm: "Heart's Demon Hundred Refining Soul Reconstitution"!
According to legends, once cultivators crossed through this barrier, they would be able to shatter the void as they wish, opening the doors of heaven and transcending to different realms as they pleased. But if they couldn't get past the barrier of their heart's demon, the result was a complete annihilation of the soul! Their past life and present life would all be reduced to nothing!
The difficulty of passing through this stage was immensely high, even more dangerous than enduring a Heavenly Tribulation!
From ancient times till now, no one had managed to break through that barrier before!
Shattering the void, opening heaven's door and transcending with ease...
In the ten thousand years history of Xuan Xuan Continent, only the Nine Nether First Young Master had done it! Not only did he do it, he'd even brought along his over 100 wives and transcended together!
This so-called legendary level was exactly the words the Nine Nether First Young Master had left behind!
It was also the final hurdle of the Xuan cultivation legacy that he'd passed down!
But nobody knew that the reason the Nine Nether First Young Master had been able to achieve this was because he was originally never a Spirit Seed reincarnation; the same went for his wives, so they completely did not have to worry about the danger of this Heart's Demon Hundred Refining Soul Reconstitution.
As for the people of the later generation reaching the peak of cultivation without restarting as a Spirit Seed...
In this 10, 000 years, not a single person had done it!
The middle aged man at the head was exactly a Spirit Seed reincarnation of the last generation's Guardian of the Heaven Saint Palace. Like him, the five others under him were also of the same situation! And these six people were the ones with the highest cultivation in the Heaven Saint Palace!
Although the others here were also ranked similarly, their cultivations were far from being comparable to the six of them!
But today, such a terrifying freak had turned up; not reincarnated from a Spirit Seed, but managed to reach the peak third level of the Saint Emperor realm before the age of 20! This was simply a miracle that nobody could even dream of.
One had to understand that the Spirit Seed reincarnation was the only slightly more plausible explanation for Young Master Jun's stellar cultivation speed. But right now, the only possible answer had been directly shattered!
But what they didn't know was that although Jun Mo Xie was not a so-called Spirit Seed reincarnator, he was also not actually a real native of this place. His soul was similarly different from the original body's, and he'd even hijacked the body halfway through. Furthermore, he did not begin his cultivation with a 'prenatal' body... However, he had the Hongjun Pagoda with him, which completely smoothed out any issues with spiritual sense disharmony long ago! What ever heart's demon, heavenly tribulation and whatnot, were completely non-existent to him!
"Although you are not a Spirit Seed reincarnator, there are huge amounts of medicinal energy in your body! Or should I say, it's that which gave you your present strength!"
The middle aged man smiled lightly, but there was a sincere warning in his voice."There are advantages and disadvantages to everything; you must take note that this is similarly not a good thing for you. Although advancing quickly in a short period can result in obtaining great strength, but in the long term, it could lead to long lasting problems. When you want to breakthrough again the next time, you should calm your heart down and try to digest all the remnant energy in your body first before you attempt it. Otherwise, if you rushed all the way to the final stage in one breath... the dangers you will face might not necessarily be lesser than ours, perhaps... even more precarious!"
Jun Mo Xie looked deeply at him in the eye and nodded."Many thanks!"
Jun Mo Xie could tell that those words were purely meant to instruct him, and it was completely sincere. Although he did not have to fear that 'final stage' because he had the Hongjun Pagoda, he still appreciated this bit of kindness.
Hearing that all this was attributed to 'large amounts of spirit herbs', the others felt their faces relax slightly. Although it was still incredible, this kind of explanation was much easier for them to accept. After all, there were too many unknown things and heaven defying treasures in the world. If Jun Mo Xie's body just so happened to be compatible with the heavenly treasures and with the right amount of fortuitous encounters, it was possible for a legend like this to appear.
Otherwise, if it was all due to talent... these old monsters who'd lived for thousands of years might as well directly kill themselves if they compared themselves to him. That would be too painful for their pride...
"Jun Mo Xie, although your current position is in opposition to the Holy Lands, this old man does not wish to make things difficult for you. Since you came with Guardian Qu and the rest, my guess is that there must be some matter?" The middle aged man smiled, his tone once again turning calm, returning to the odd, ethereal state again.
Hearing the boss speak like this, everyone sighed lightly.
For Jun Mo Xie to reach such a high cultivation at his young age was undoubtedly a huge miracle of this world! So the instant the boss saw him, he'd immediately summoned all of them, with the thought: With such a speed, this kid might be able to rush to the peak in a short time, perhaps even exceeding it!
If he could transcend the Heart's Demon Hundred Refining Soul Reconstitution in front of everyone, it would be a point of great reference for everyone, and the benefits it would bring them would be incomparably huge!
However, the boss seemed to have given up on this tempting idea now.
But what they didn't know was that this Heaven Saint Palace boss had not only not given up on the idea after his interaction with Jun Mo Xie, the desire had instead grown more fervent! Only, he was a great judge of character. The moment he started interacting with Jun Mo Xie, he realized that this fellow was the kind of person with the smelly and stubborn temper of a donkey; the kind that would not move when it was pulled and would go backwards when whipped!
Directly commanding this kind of person and getting him to agree that way would be harder than ascending to the heavens! And with their status, it was too much for them to put down their face and plead with the latter!
Fortunately, there was still a weakness to this kind of people; they hated owing others a favor! So right now, they could only do their best to treat him well, giving him whatever help he needed, and then adapting to the situation as it came. Moreover, when he'd also felt how powerful Jun Mo Xie's spirit was. When they'd contended against each other, it seemed to him that Jun Mo Xie had not used his full strength yet! If the latter really used his full strength, it was questionable whether or not he could even handle it!
This matter had caused him to be incredibly amazed!
But what he didn't know was that Jun Mo Xie had actually exerted his full strength already!
As for that strange hidden power he'd sensed, it was actually the Hongjun Pagoda's power. He was not wrong about that part at all. If he was wrong, it was only that he'd underestimated the Hongjun Pagoda's power by quite a bit. If Jun Mo Xie used his full strength and combined it with the Hongjun Pagoda, just a simple spiritual sense attack... would be something that even all the people in this room combined could not receive! How could the power of the Hongjun Pagoda be something that normal people could resist?!
Seeing that the topic had gotten back on track, Qu Wu Hui hurriedly stood up and recounted the entire event of the bet in detail.
Upon hearing that 30 plus high level experts had been killed, including Saint Emperor Zhan Mu Bai, the people in the room actually did not reveal much emotion, only sighing lightly...
"So you're here for the Exquisite Lotus..." The middle aged man nodded lightly."No problem! One should be prepared to lose if they are willing to bet. I will give it to you later!"
Everyone looked at each other with shock as the words rang out.
"Many thanks! Finally, there's a trustworthy person within the Holy Lands!" Jun Mo Xie smiled lightly and said with slightly raised brows."Dare I ask for honored Senior's name?"
Although these words sounded respectful, it carried a faint bit of disrespect within them. The positions of both sides were clear to see, and although Jun Mo Xie stood there with his cultivation being much lower than everyone in the room, his attitude and demeanor were as if he was on equal terms with their own boss!
The middle aged man seemed to have been waiting for Jun Mo Xie to say those words. Hearing this, he opened his eyes and smiled as he wondered."This old man's name huh... I truly seemed to have almost forgotten it... Right now, my name should be... Gu Han? 3, 000 years ago, I was surnamed Wu. My name at that time was Wu Shan Yun..."
Jun Mo Xie's question seemed to have triggered some memory of his. A trace of sorrow fleeted across his ethereal eyes as he sighed lightly... This sigh of his seemed to contain 3, 000 years of the lamentations and joys of partings and meetings, the separations of life and death...
3, 000 years ago...
Jun Mo Xie was truly somewhat shocked this time!
This black haired handsome middle aged man was actually an over 3, 000 years old human! But from his words, Jun Mo Xie also understood one thing. From the looks of it, this fellow was a whatever Spirit Seed reincarnation!
To tell him his name from both his lives, the hidden meaning was quite obvious.
"Then, should I call you Gu Han or Wu Shan Yun?" Jun Mo Xie smiled.
"A name is just a symbol. It doesn't matter what you call me. Even if you called me 'undying old fart' in accordance with your heart... that's no matter as well." The middle aged man said with a light smile.
"Haha..." The other side had been very frank and had treated him quite well, not making things difficult for him. Thus, Jun Mo Xie decided to reciprocate this time as well. Because this was undoubtedly a huge favor, and the thing that Jun Mo Xie hated owing the most was favors! Especially... a favor from the Holy Lands' side!
Looking at this 'Wu Shan Yun' or 'Gu Han', he smiled and nodded."3, 000 years ah... Gu Han, how many wives had you taken in these 3, 000 years? Judging by your good looks, they should all be supreme beauties as well? So... where are they now?"
The moment these words came out, of the 11 people present, 10 were immediately enraged!
Although a long life was something that all of them sought after, there were still many unforgettable things in their long lives that had pained them to part with! Every time they thought of those matters, their hearts would be wreaked with pain!
"Young Master Jun, you've gone overboard with those words!" Cheng Yin Xiao snorted heavily.
As for Wu Shan Yun at the top, his face was suddenly covered in a layer of veil, causing one to be unable to see his face clearly... there was only a suffocative pressure in the room, causing others to be unable to breathe properly.
"Was that overboard? Well then... let me ask in another way." Jun Mo Xie smiled lightly."You've experienced two lifetimes in 3, 000 years... that's not really a lot! But... the parents of both of your life should have been very protective of you? So... where are those elders now?"
"Jun Mo Xie! You're being impudent!" Qu Wu Hui stood up with anger, his entire body trembling from rage as he roared.
"Impudent... looks like that's still not right... let me rephrase again." Jun Mo Xie stroked his chin and continued."In 3, 000 years, you had parents and lovers, as well as relatives... then, you must have had children as well! So... where are those children who still live in this world?"
Jun Mo Xie looked around and said, "I ask everyone here this same question as well. All of you seemed to have lived for a few thousand years now... are your parents, lovers, family, and children... still around?"
This question was simply too hurtful. Apart from the few of them peak level cultivators, who else was capable of living for one thousand or even several thousand years?! Jun Mo Xie's words were simply digging at their old wounds!
Bang! Ten people stood up together, each of their faces filled with rage! Ten extraordinarily powerful spiritual sense instantly locked onto him. The originally immaterial auras were almost congealed into form, nearly blasting this little thatched cottage into the sky! From the looks of it, all of them were about to strike at Jun Mo Xie, this disrespectful brat!
"What are all of you doing? Sit down!" Wu Shan Yun suddenly roared as he continued in an enraged voice."Do you all know what Jun Mo Xie meant by those few words? Did you think he's an idiot, trying to rile the 11 of us up and turn us hostile?! Why would he make such a suicidal move? Can't you all think about it reasonably? All of you have lived for thousands of years; yet you still can't control your temper?!"
Under his stern gaze, the crowd all sat down one by one. However, their eyes were still filled with unkindness when they stared at Jun Mo Xie! If Jun Mo Xie could not give them a suitable explanation, they would definitely not let him walk out of this door!
Jun Mo Xie sighed and retracted his teasing attitude as he said seriously."All the Seniors here are clearly not emotionless people. This can be seen from the way everyone was so agitated by my words just now. No matter how profound one's cultivation is, whether you're a Spirit Xuan or a Saint Emperor; even if your cultivation is as high as the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young Master... we're still just humans at the end of the day! We're humans with blood and flesh! And the thing that we humans most loathe to part with is forever our ties of blood and flesh! I trust that no matter how many lives we go through, as long as those memories exists, the pain of the separation of life and death will always remain the deepest scars in our hearts!"
"Against our enemies, it wouldn't make a difference whether a thousand or ten thousand of them died. But... for our loved ones, just a single one dying would cause us to grief for a long time. As for those parents who raised us painstakingly from our youth... by the time we've all grown up, they've already become old... when we've learned to be mature and sensible... they'd already passed away... The tree craves stillness, but the winds will not abate. The child wants to serve his parents in their old age, but they are no more! This is no doubt a scar that will never be able to recover!
Jun Mo Xie said with a heavy sigh. His tone was light and slow, and it carried a mystical charm. A faint sense of sorrow spreaded through the air.
All the peak experts present could not help but to think of their own parents and family as they listened to him... It was as if they could once again see that strong and charming smile of their fathers beaming up at them as he lifted them above their heads. As the years passed, the strength of their father waned, and grey hair lined their heads until finally, they laid down, unable to get up anymore, their eyes still filled with worry and attachment for their children...
Then, they thought of the gentle warmth of their mother's embrace, her calm smile and tender scoldings... In the end, there was only the endless, self-sacrificial love and willingness to do anything for their children, lasting for eternity...
These memories had already passed for too long, but when they recalled it again now, the warmth was still there, and the grief and sorrow was still as painful...
Especially for those experts who had been reincarnated through their Spirit Seed; when they were young, they might have been unused to the attention by their parents, even being very resistant to having a new family. But they were the only ones who could truly remember each and every moment of their childhood with absolute clarity. From resistance to acceptance, even enjoyment... From the first time they made a cute face on purpose to gain the laughter of their parents, they'd already completely accepted their new family...
Who did not have such a period in their long lives? Such ordinary, happy, and peaceful days? When the night was still and their hearts were weary... who had not went to their rooftops and sighed longingly at the sky? All the countless vicissitudes of life, all turned into nothing but endless sighings...
"And that beautiful and sweet girl of your youth; from an innocent young girl to a partner who accompanied you through tens of years... bearing children for you, washing and cooking, swearing to grow old with you... But ultimately, you watched as she aged day by day... finally fading away from this life...
"Who has ever forgotten their vows of unchanging fidelity in oaths high as the mountains and deep as the ocean? Who can really forget the lovesickness of the past? Who can really forget the gentle lingering... those bashful smiles, that contented heart and that blissful feeling... the red light of the nuptial chamber on your first night together... One may perhaps be able to forget their names, but the experiences of a lifetime... can they really be forgotten? In the stillness of night, have you sighed deeply while lost in thoughts? Have you ever felt regret for the past... ?
"Ten years, dead and living dim and draw apart; should the dead be forgot and to mind never brought? A thousand li away you lie lonelily in grave... To whom can I my grief convey? Even if we met, you wouldn't recognize me. My face is worn with care, and frosted is my hair... At night in a dream I am suddenly home again: you were sitting at your dressing table, combing your hair... We gazed at each other hushed, but tears from our eyes gushed. Year after year will it break my heart? The moonlit grave, the stubby pines..." 1
Jun Mo Xie's eyes grew somewhat misted as he continued."It was just 10 years for others... but it's already so unbearable for them. But for you guys, it's actually thousands of years or even longer! Everyone, do you still remember your own lonely grave a thousand li away where you buried your beloved? Do you still remember that moonlit grave and those stubby pines? When you hear this now, do you feel... a great pain in your hearts? Do you still feel longing in your hearts?"
There was no need to ask anymore. Right now, this bunch of peak level experts no longer had that steadfast gaze in their eyes and that sharp killing intent. Only endless pain and memories remained...
Those vows of old, swearing to live and die together even as the ocean dried up and mountains crumbled, accompanying and relying on each other in this life and all lives... In the end, they could only watch helplessly as their beloved wife died... that lovely face sweeter than apples, that tender care in which she smoothed out their clothes every morning before they went out, that look of worry on her face as she waited by the door every night when they returned late...
My beloved wife ah... though I go though the wheels of samsara... as long as I still have those memories, how can I ever forget you? Do you know that every night that I lay awake unable to sleep, the softest and most painful part of my heart... is filled with your face...
In a short time, these peak experts of the world that could command even the winds and rains, fell into sorrow...
Jun Mo Xie's calm voice was intermixed with a strange magic as it continued to worm into their hearts."There's also the children whom you've hugged in your embrace countless times; the little bundles of joy that on the day they were born, causing you to smile so widely that you were unable to close your mouth. From the time they first learned to speak, to their first steps, finally growing into promising youths... they who were the creation of your own blood and flesh... but ultimately... they could not endure the trials of time as well, falling into eternal rest... That kind of sorrow of a parent burying their own children... who can forget such a thing?"
"The heart wrenching memories of the past... who can truly forget it?!!" Jun Mo Xie had practically yelled those last words out with a martial technique similar to the "Lion's Roar"!
It was like the evening drum and morning bell in a monastery, or a clap of thunder in everyone's ears!
| ← Ch. 0915 | Ch. 0917 → |