Chapter 336 The Great True Spirit
What I don't understand is not the meaning of the word "ego," but why Mr. Zhu felt that Yinyue had a strong "ego."
Silver Moon believes that as long as there are identical manifestations and manifestations of herself, it doesn't matter if her true self disappears. Would such a person be a person with a strong sense of self-centeredness?
Seeing my confusion, Mr. Zhu said, "The fact that she gave up on continuing to challenge the path of self-proving the true spirit is clear evidence that she has 'ego'."
"The Path of Self-Proofing the True Spirit... I've heard Silvermoon mention this before. She said the reason she was able to evolve her 'illusion' ability into the ability to 'turn illusion into reality' was because she challenged the Path of Self-Proofing the True Spirit in the past. But you're saying she gave it up... Is that really true?" I asked, puzzled. "Since Self-Proofing the True Spirit could bring her such a great enhancement, why would she give up this path?"
"The so-called true spirit is 'consciousness itself,' which is also known as 'I.' It transcends the body and soul; it is the essence of our lives. And the path to self-proving the true spirit is the exploration of 'I,'" Old Master Zhu said in a deep voice. "What I am about to say are just some speculations, and I cannot guarantee that they are all correct. First of all, in one of our Demon Hunter theories, we believe that the true spirit is a unique thing."
"In other words, it is not that each of us has our own true spirit, but that everyone shares the same true spirit. This shared true spirit is called the 'Great Spirit,' and therefore this theory is also called the Great Spirit Hypothesis."
"If it's hard to understand, let's think of it this way: the universe we live in is actually a dream created by some enormous consciousness. Every person, every life, every blade of grass in this universe is a thought that has been differentiated from this enormous consciousness."
"This immense consciousness is the Great True Spirit, the source of all things in the universe. It can create everything, destroy everything, change everything, and fulfill all human desires, both imaginable and unimaginable—like the legendary divine seal, or the master of the divine seal."
"Once the Great True Spirit awakens, the universe will vanish like a dream."
"As for us, who are the manifestations of the Great True Spirit, we can also awaken from the dream. But our awakening means realizing that we are the Great True Spirit. Have you ever dreamed of yourself becoming someone else and living another life? When you wake up from the dream, your self-awareness in the dream will disappear."
"Although you won't feel like you've died once after waking up, it's just that you're back on track. But if you were to make a choice between the dream version of yourself and the present version of yourself, how would you view this matter?"
I answered honestly, "I would feel that's death."
After nodding, Mr. Zhu said, "Yinyue probably thinks so too. However, the 'Great True Spirit' is merely a hypothesis, so you don't need to worry about it too much. This theory simply explains why there has never been a person in history who has successfully proven their true spirit to the world."
"Either this path is completely impassable, or all those who have successfully traversed it have vanished. Silvermoon must also be a believer in the Great True Spirit Hypothesis."
Although that's what he said, if even Silver Moon, who has made achievements on the path of proving the true spirit, believes in the existence of the Great True Spirit, then even if this hypothesis has some flaws, it still has an undeniable persuasive power.
This also explains why Silvermoon, while easily abandoning her ego, possesses such a strong sense of self-attachment… It's likely because on her path to self-affirmation, she encountered secrets beyond human comprehension, leading to an indelible denial of her own authenticity. However, she still harbors a profound fear of losing herself, which is why she so desperately wants to leave something behind, to imprint her mark on this world.
That being said, "ego" is a concept with a very broad scope. It's not just about wanting to perpetuate one's own consciousness; it also includes leaving one's mark on the world, wanting others to remember one, and wanting to insist on certain aspects of one's personality.
Therefore, this kind of thinking may not only appear in those who challenge the path of self-proving their true spirit, but also in those who have long lifespans. It seems that the Water Master Xuanwu also began to doubt himself as he constantly changed throughout his long life, and then chose "insisting on fulfilling every promise" as his "ego".
"So... how should we save my brother?" Zhu Shi steered the conversation back to the original topic. "If we capture Yin Yue and then re-seal her... can we reset my brother to his original state?"
It seems she thought the same thing as me, but Old Master Zhu shook his head: "It's too late. Silver Moon's consciousness has already fully unfolded, and with the Zhu family's technology, it's impossible to reseal it."
Asahi had also mentioned that Silver Moon's spiritual realm was at a depth she couldn't comprehend, thus making it impossible to reset with the power of return. Now, thinking back, it's possible that Silver Moon's cultivation on the path of self-proving her true spirit became an obstacle.
“I already have a plan.” I took out the stone collar.
"This is the sealing artifact you mentioned before, the one that prevents the Ancient Moon God from leaving the Silver Moon Law of Heaven and Earth, right? This thing is indeed powerful enough, even possessing strong restraining properties, but it only prevents the sealed person from physically moving to the outside world; it does not have the function of sealing consciousness." Old Master Zhu pointed out the flaw, "No matter how outstanding the effect is, if the effort is applied in the wrong direction, it will only be a waste of time and effort."
“It’s alright, I have a way to make it work on the spirit of the Silver Moon,” I said.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhu did not ask me how he planned to do it, but instead lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he said seriously, "If that's the case... then Chang'an might really be saved."
"What?" Zhu Shi's spirits lifted.
“If we can separate Chang’an’s and Yin Yue’s consciousnesses, first destroying the latter’s part to the point of fragmentation, making its self-awareness impossible, and then suppressing it with sealing power, then we can keep it in a state where it can only exist as memory information.” Old Master Zhu offered his insights. “Over time, just like a spring that has become fatigued and loses its elasticity, Yin Yue’s consciousness will also be unable to return to its original state.”
"In this way, Silver Moon is essentially dead, yet it can still exist as material to support Chang'an's personality, killing two birds with one stone."
"There's actually such a method!" Zhu Shi clenched his fist excitedly.
I didn't sense anything wrong with it, so I nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it that way."
After the conversation ended, Mr. Zhu and Zhu Shi went to prepare for their journey to the headquarters in Luoshan.
With the two of them not present, it wasn't appropriate for me to stay in Zhu Jiu's room any longer, so I went to the living room on the first floor to sit and wait. Ma Zao, on the other hand, remained in that room, seemingly still unwilling to give up, wanting to try again to see if she could awaken Zhu Jiu with the power of resurrection.
Before leaving the room, I tried using the power of words to awaken Zhu Jiu without much hope, and of course, it failed.
With my power of words, if the other person is just an ordinary person in a vegetative state, I can easily wake them up. No complicated procedures are needed; simply stand in front of their bed and say "wake up." Unfortunately, this method is completely ineffective against those suffering from amnesia who are caught in a vortex of strange powers.
The more a power seems to be able to do everything, the less it actually can do anything.
Perhaps only the divine seal is an exception.
The words of the old man echoed in my mind—the Great True Spirit who would destroy the world upon awakening, the power of the Great True Spirit and the Divine Seal that could grant all wishes, and the Lord of the Divine Seal who was in a state of deathly slumber, intending to revive, and suspected to be the nemesis of the end of the world…
Various clues converged in my mind, gradually forming an unbelievable possibility.
Could the Lord of the Divine Seal be a Great True Spirit? Would his awakening cause the end of the world?
However, the concept of the Great True Spirit, in my mind, should be more abstract, at least not appearing before us in a concrete form like the Lord of the Divine Seal. That being said, these clues cannot be dismissed as mere coincidences.
Zhu Shibi finished preparing for the trip even faster than Mr. Zhu. She came over, pulling her suitcase. Seeing me sitting on the sofa, she sat down next to me.
"What's wrong, Zhuang Cheng? You look so serious. Are you still thinking about your brother?" she said gently. "As for your brother, just do your best. Even if you fail, no one will blame you."
“That’s what I think too,” I said.
"Normally, this shouldn't be the answer, right?"
She first reacted by complaining, then covered her mouth in embarrassment.
Then, she looked at me again, slowly lowered her hand, and for some reason, laughed.
I found it hard to understand why she was laughing, but just having friends laughing around me made me feel exceptionally cheerful.
She seemed to want to help me feel better, and chatted with me in a positive mood. We soon started talking about Asahi.
"How is your relationship with Asao now?" she suddenly asked with great interest.
(End of this chapter)
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