Chapter 309 Mountains and Seas Meet (Part Two)
In the endless void, a heavenly gate stands tall, and opposite the gate sits a white-robed cultivator with a calm expression and even breathing, unmoved by anything external.
"It's been a hundred thousand years," Tianmen said slowly. "What's your decision?"
Jiang Gu opened his eyes and said, "My answer is still the same."
Tianmen was silent for a moment: "The Lord of the Immortal Realm, the head of all realms, isn't that what you seek?"
“Yes.” Jiang Gu did not hesitate at all. “I pride myself on being ruthless, but from the moment I was born and witnessed the destruction of the Immortal Realm, I have had endless desires. Therefore, Wei Feng was born because of my tears, and his desires are inexhaustible.”
“You want to save the world and all living beings,” Tianmen said, “there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I want to save them, but the emphasis is on the thought, not the act of saving them.” Jiang Gu denied him. “If all the people in the world die and new people are born, I will not save them. To me, it doesn’t matter who the people are, what matters is that the people exist.”
Tianmen laughed: "Then why don't you agree?"
"Among the people of today, there are those I deeply love, and there are teachers and friends I care about, so I only care about the people of today," Jiang Gu said.
“Greedy and insatiable,” Tianmen said.
"Yes." Jiang Gu did not deny it.
"You've figured all this out in 100,000 years?" Tianmen asked.
"Yes," Jiang Gu replied.
After a long silence, perhaps a quarter of an hour, perhaps tens of thousands of years, Jiang Gu had long since lost his sense of time.
“You are the only one who has been able to survive here for so long,” Tianmen said. “Your master, Hongchen, only managed to survive for a little over ten thousand years.”
“He can, it’s just that the other person isn’t willing,” Jiang Gu said.
“That’s true,” Tianmen said. “That being saved him; otherwise, I wouldn’t have allowed him to exist in this world, just like you.”
Jiang Gu lowered his eyes, remaining motionless and silent.
"There's something I don't understand. Since you have feelings for Wei Feng, why don't you let him disappear with you within the sect?" Tianmen asked.
“You won’t let me dissolve, I can survive, but he won’t,” Jiang Gu said. “Heaven has never been kind to him.”
"Heaven favors all living beings, but it always has its biases. Otherwise, the world would be stagnant and meaningless." Tianmen looked at him. "Especially you, yet you are never satisfied."
"Yes," Jiang Gu replied.
"You have made countless deductions over the past 100,000 years. In those deductions, either he would sacrifice himself to save you and disappear from the world, or you would have no connection with each other and you would die at his hands. Now he has chosen the former path. How do you feel? Do you regret it?" Before the Heavenly Gate, the broken figure catching tears under the Seven Killings Tree was reflected.
This was the first time Jiang Gu had seen Wei Feng in 100,000 years. He looked travel-worn, but his face was calm and his expression was indifferent, as if he were doing something insignificant. The tear was only inches away from his palm, within half a breath of touch, but it was stopped in place by the Heavenly Dao.
“If you choose to let go of Wei Feng, I will grant him peace and you a divine position,” Tianmen said.
“You destroyed the Immortal Realm in order to reopen the Divine Gate and allow the gods to descend to earth again, and I was merely chosen by you.” Jiang Gu slowly raised his head.
“You will be the first new god in the divine realm,” Tianmen said. “This is your mission.”
"Then why are you controlled by desires and emotions?" Advisor Jiang asked. "When you want to restart the divine realm, is the focus on the idea itself, or on the divine realm in your heart?"
Tianmen did not answer.
“You and I don’t seem to be that different.” Jiang Gu suddenly laughed.
"Even if you sit here for ten thousand years, you will still have to watch him disappear," Tianmen said. "Since you love him, why not save him? As long as you let go of your attachments and let go of him, you can save him. Will you save him or not?"
Jiang Gu did not answer, but simply stood up, walked to the Seven Killings Tree, and stopped in front of Wei Feng, who was catching his tears. Even the fragments of him that had dissipated briefly lingered in the void.
He raised his hand, wanting to touch Wei Feng's face, but ultimately stopped in mid-air. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the specks of golden light beneath the fragments—these were the blessings he left for Wei Feng, symbolizing peace and good fortune.
He looked up at the Heavenly Gate opposite him and said, "When chaos and immortal power clash, everything within the Divine Gate returns to emptiness. What time period are you referring to, the 100,000 years you mentioned?"
Tianmen replied, "It is outside the gate."
"If I save him, I must let him go and have no further connection with him. If I don't save him, Wei Feng will vanish into nothingness, and I will never meet him again. Whether I save him or not, there is no possibility between us. In the end, it's up to you to arrange things. The God Realm will restart." Jiang Gu twitched the corner of his mouth. "So, do you think I should save him or not?"
Tianmen looked down at him and said, "Whether you save him or not makes no difference to me."
"Whether I save him or not makes no difference to me." Jiang Gu suddenly laughed, and he grabbed Wei Feng's hand in the illusion, pulling him out of the illusion.
Wei Feng, who was dissipating, was caught off guard and gasped for breath. He stumbled forward, and his dissipated body suddenly condensed again, blocked by Jiang Gu behind him.
He froze for a moment, staring at Jiang Gu's back, unable to distinguish between reality and time. He opened his mouth, this was probably the last bit of fantasy before he dissipated, and he should be satisfied.
"Master." After 100,000 years, he finally saw Jiang Gu again, even if it was just an illusion, it was enough to comfort him.
Jiang Gu caught the falling tear. Sure enough, when the tear touched his palm, it turned into specks of golden light. Then, a very low and restrained "Master" came from behind him.
He turned around and met Wei Feng's gaze.
Wei Feng had been waiting under the tree for so long, thinking he could remain calm, but his eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Even after ten thousand years, he would not be mistaken; this was Jiang Gu, and not some kind of illusion.
He wanted to touch him, but he didn't dare. Finally, he hesitantly raised his hand and carefully grabbed Jiang Gu's sleeve.
It did not disappear.
It's true.
Ecstasy is not enough to describe his feelings at this moment; it was more of a tense calm. He could hear his own almost non-existent breathing and the hollow echo of his heart pounding in his chest.
Before the enormous Heavenly Gate, Jiang Gu stood side by side with him, pausing to look up.
Tianmen asked, "When did you discover it?"
“Just now,” Jiang Gu said calmly, “the blessing I gave him remains in Wei Feng’s sleeves when he disappeared.”
The first blessing bestowed by an immortal is the most precious and powerful, but the duration of the blessing will not exceed the immortal's lifespan at that time. The blessing he gave to Wei Feng was the first blessing he bestowed after becoming an immortal, which meant peace and good fortune. He was only a little over 30,000 years old at most, and the blessing still exists now, so how could it be 100,000 years?
Tianmen said, "I see. It was my oversight."
“I never managed to push Wei Feng out.” Jiang Gu looked at Tianmen. “We’ve always been here.”
That's why he was able to directly pull Wei Feng out of the "image".
Wei Feng was stunned: "Then these 100,000 years—"
“There is no time or space within the void. He makes us feel where we are, and he makes us feel how much time has passed, and he makes us think how much time has passed,” Jiang Gu said. “I should have sent you out of the Divine Gate, but the Heavenly Gate blocked you. I guess this place is neither inside the Divine Gate nor outside the Heavenly Gate, but at the junction of these two gates.”
“No wonder I always felt that these 100,000 years had passed in the blink of an eye.” Wei Feng suddenly realized, “But Feng Wuyou is indeed real, otherwise I would have noticed.”
“This little horse has been sleeping here.” Tianmen lowered his eyes, and Feng Wuyou’s true form was revealed beneath his feet. “I’m just temporarily borrowing its primordial spirit.”
“Master has always disliked black. Although that other one likes black, he never dares to wear black clothes, and he doesn’t have the good temper you imagine,” Jiang Gu said.
If that master were to appear, let alone Fu Weifeng, he wouldn't even bat an eye even if Yao Yan died right before his eyes. If it weren't for Hong Chen's suppression, the Immortal Realm would be suppressing him, not Chaos.
Wei Feng smiled at Jiang Gu. He was extremely grateful that the 100,000 years of tormenting his heart and bones was just a trap set by the Heavenly Dao, but he couldn't help feeling lingering fear. If he had truly and willingly disappeared, he would never have seen Jiang Gu again. During those 100,000 years, he couldn't find a trace of Jiang Gu, and their merged hearts had no connection whatsoever. He knew that Jiang Gu had completely perished and had no chance of being resurrected, which was why he decided to reverse time and completely erase his own existence.
He had toiled for ten thousand years trying to find peace, but when he caught that tear, he was still filled with resentment. He almost crushed his soul and body with hatred, determined to leave Jiang Gu without leaving him even a trace.
But in crushing those blessings, they saw a glimmer of hope in their desperate situation.
Tianmen said, "Yaoyan, is this your final answer?"
“Yes,” Jiang Gu said calmly. “I will not enter the realm of gods, nor will I become a god, nor will I be the master of this immortal realm.”
Wei Feng was startled: "Master..."
Jiang Gu turned to look at him, his expression calm and gentle.
Tianmen remained silent for a long time: "You said you wanted to save the common people only because you needed them to exist, but if the God Realm does not exist, all realms will eventually perish, and there will be no more common people after that."
"If all realms exist, the Heavenly Dao will continue to exist." Jiang Gu said calmly. "Are you afraid of the demise of all living beings, or are you afraid of disappearing along with the God Realm? Since you are not the Heavenly Dao, why do you keep misleading me?"
The entire void suddenly fell silent.
The heavenly gate in front of them also vanished without a trace.
"Master, what did you mean just now? Is that Heavenly Gate the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao?" Wei Feng asked incredulously.
“Yes and no,” Jiang Gu said. “The so-called Heavenly Dao can be seen in the heavens and earth, and also in the mind’s eye. It can be formless and without consciousness, or it can be all things in the mind and the world. It should just be one of the myriad manifestations of the Heavenly Dao that has given rise to consciousness.”
Wei Feng pursed his lips, looking at him with red eyes.
"Come here." Jiang Gu opened his arms to him.
Wei Feng took two steps forward and was then tightly embraced by him.
"When did you realize something was wrong?" Consultant Jiang asked.
Wei Feng said in a low voice, "When that tear fell, I was still unwilling to accept it."
He couldn't let go, couldn't find peace, and couldn't bring himself to die for Jiang Gu without hesitation, willingly disappearing from the world. Even if they died together, even if living would only lead to endless entanglement and suffering, he still wanted to be with Jiang Gu.
His love and hate, like his desires, are intense, extreme, and relentless. Even if he were to attain enlightenment for thousands of years, he would never abandon his master.
"Since you sensed something was wrong, why didn't you come out? If I hadn't pulled you out, you would have already vanished into this endless void." Jiang Gu squeezed his palm.
Wei Feng's nose tingled with emotion: "I no longer know where to find you, nor can I protect you. You want me to stop waiting for you?"
Jiang Gu said, "I told you not to wait because we don't even have a 10% chance of winning this time. Even if you don't die, you'll probably become a puppet. I don't want you to see me in such a sorry state, and I don't want you to disappear here in vain. Even if you go out and commit suicide for love, you can still enter the cycle of reincarnation and become a little filthy thing that only knows how to eat and sleep again."
Wei Feng gripped his clothes tightly, gritting his teeth: "Jiang Gu, you're a bastard."
Jiang Gu was somewhat surprised to be scolded so sincerely for the first time. He gently patted Wei Feng on the back: "Outrageous."
Wei Feng held him tightly, refusing to loosen his grip even slightly.
"The spiritual power you transferred to me protected my primordial spirit, the ghostly pattern protected my heart meridian, your immortal bones blocked my dantian, and the heart that merged with mine allowed me to still condense my soul in the void. Finally, at the critical moment, you reminded me with the fragments of blessing," Jiang Gu said. "If it weren't for your all-out protection this time, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on for so long on my own, let alone wake up in time."
Wei Feng was taken aback: "Because of me?"
"For ten thousand years, through the void, whether my eyes are open or closed, every moment is filled with you."
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