"Haha, this kid is good-looking, extremely cute!"
"Guards, throw him into the pot and boil him! This chieftain believes in the principle of 'like cures like'!"
......
"Immortal...Immortal! Are you an immortal?"
"Master, please accept my bow!"
......
"Master, why is our sect called the 'Backing Mountain Sect'?"
"Because it's near a mountain."
......
"Junior brother, lift him up high!"
"Haha, senior brother, this is so much fun! Lift me up higher!"
......
"Wow~, senior sister is so amazing!!!"
"Junior brother, hurry up and plant the seeds."
"Aww~"
......
"Braised pork, braised pork~~"
"Senior sister, your braised pork smells absolutely amazing!"
......
"Senior Brother, have a piece of braised pork!"
Oops, I chipped a tooth!
......
"Waaah~, Senior Brother, don't die~~"
......
"Master, it is my incompetence that I cannot avenge you..."
......
"Senior sister! Senior sister!!!"
"Senior sister, please don't go!"
"You're gone. From now on, I'll truly be all alone on this mountain..."
......
This farewell is forever, as evidenced by the boundless snowstorm.
"Senior sister, I really miss you!"
......
"Senior sister, I'm hungry."
......
"Oh, my senior sister... is gone..."
......
"Master, senior brothers, senior sisters, I have finally avenged you..."
......
Qin Shou had a very long dream.
Or rather,
It was as if he was repeating the same dream millions of times.
In my dream, there was the road he came from, and the people he met along the way...
Master, senior brothers, senior sisters...
Qin Shou wondered why he had such a dream.
Tens of thousands of years of cultivation.
He had long since stopped dreaming.
The Qin beast was also puzzled.
Why does this dream seem to keep repeating itself...?
He had experienced so much over tens of thousands of years, yet this dream remained stuck in its very beginning...
"Master, senior brother, senior sister..."
"...Are you...thinking of me?"
In the dream, the Qin beast murmured.
As he went through cycle after cycle, his spirit gradually grew weary, and he eventually fell asleep.
time....
I don't know how much time passed.
He seemed to have been asleep in a dream for a long time.
So long that he almost forgot who he was and what he was doing...
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
As dawn broke, the universe fell into darkness.
Finally, he seemed to wake up amidst the shouts of battle from an ancient immortal realm.
He saw a desolate wasteland, littered with the remains of massive stars, and colossal figures, beyond description, charging relentlessly into a gloomy, gray area...
Physical bodies shattered into stars, remnants of blood reflected in the sun, and all the heavens and myriad realms began to crumble and perish amidst the breaking banners, as countless beings wailed in despair.
Even more powerful beings grieved, causing the long river of time to surge and countless great paths to tremble...
Time seemed to be fragments of memory, etching those scenes into Qin Shou's dreams and into his mind...
Everything was so clear...
When he woke up again, everything around him seemed to have become quiet again.
"Where...am I?"
As if he hadn't spoken in a long time, his tone sounded somewhat strange. Opening his eyes groggily, he saw a colorful, crystal-clear sky, and beneath his feet, a calm, unrippled surface of water. The water, like crystal, rippled slightly as he slowly rose in his daze… Through the gently swaying water, he saw his own eyes… those… didn't seem like his own eyes… filled with a sense of vicissitude, a kind of bewilderment born of long years…
He raised his hand and gently touched his cheek, confirming that this body was indeed his own... As his memories slowly gathered, the vicissitudes in his eyes gradually faded, like the sun shining through the mist, becoming clearer and clearer.
"This is...a dream?"
After gathering his thoughts, he slowly looked up and saw a Dao diagram floating in this dreamlike, colorful crystal world. The diagram was black and white, somewhat worn, and covered with cracks, as if it had been through a fierce battle.
"You...have come."
At that moment, a voice that seemed to contain endless gentleness rang out.
The Dao diagram above his head slowly rotated, and specks of light coalesced into the figure of an old man with white beard and hair, looking at Qin Beast with kind eyes.
"Who are you? "
Qin Shou asked aloud.
The old man smiled slowly and said, "We've been together for so long, don't you know who I am?"
"System? You're the system?!"
Qin Shou suddenly opened his eyes wide, expressing his shock.
My own system actually has a spirit?
Pshaw, it would be abnormal if it didn't have any spirit.
Qin Shou quickly composed himself and looked at the old man, saying, "You are the...spirit of this Dao Diagram? You've been residing within me all this time?"
"I am the Dao Ancestor."
"Holy crap!!! You're the Dao Ancestor!!!!"
This shocked Qin Shou even more.
He then realized something was wrong.
"Wait, you're the Dao Ancestor, then who am I??"
"I am not the Dao Ancestor!!??"
Qin Shou looked at the old man again and asked, but his heart was already churning with turmoil, because he had always believed that he was the reincarnation of the Dao Ancestor.
"Would you wish you were me?"
The old man also looked at the Qin beast.
"I don't want that."
Qin Shou shook his head decisively.
Why?
The old man smiled and asked in return.
"I... I don't know either." Qin Shou paused, as if pondering. "If I were you, I'd feel a little strange. I feel like an independent person with my own thoughts, yet one day I'd be forced to accept another set of memories... to become someone else..."
"Heh, does that matter?"
The old man walked slowly with his hands behind his back.
"Isn't it important?"
Qin Shou tilted his head and looked at him.
"Perhaps it is important."
The old man came to Qin Shou's side, and the surrounding world changed. They appeared by a pool, where there was a stone tablet with the words "Pool of All Beings" written on it. The old man sat there holding a fishing rod without a hook or bait. Qin Shou looked down and saw that the world in the pool was boundless and vast, with huge creatures swimming below.
"Please sit down."
"I can answer any questions you may have."
As soon as the old man spoke, Qin Shou sat down.
Then I asked myself my first question.
"Why have I been having the same dream repeatedly?"
That's not your dream; it's something we experienced together.
"What's the meaning!? "
Qin Shou looked at the old man beside him with surprise and confusion.
The old man slowly raised his fishing rod, but there was no fish.
Qin Shou instantly understood, "Are you speechless?"
"Huh!? No, I just didn't catch any fish."
As he spoke, the old man put the fishing rod down again and explained:
What you have experienced is what I have experienced.
A series of question marks appeared above Qin Shou's head. "That's a bit mysterious. Please explain in detail."
"Hahaha.... "
The old man chuckled and said, "Let me tell you my story."
"I was born in the Immortal Ancient Era, a truly magnificent time. I was born into a wealthy merchant family in the mortal realm, but I knew that there were immortals in the mortal world who could pluck stars from the sky and seize the moon, achieving immortality. From a young age, I longed to cultivate immortality, but I was just a mortal, so it was just a dream..."
Later, chaos erupted, and bandits slaughtered the entire city where my family lived. Overnight, I was the only one left in the city, and I went from a wealthy young master to a beggar on the street...
I wandered aimlessly through life, and during a life-or-death crisis, I was saved by an old man who later became my master...
I also have a senior brother and sister who are very kind to me. They are the last warmth I have in this world. We have been together for more than ten years.
But then, one day, they all died...
But I am unable to avenge them.
Wandering...
It became my final destination.
Because of my ordinary talent, my path of cultivation was fraught with difficulties, but it was through these trials that I grew into a great cultivator...
Until the end of the Immortal Ancient Era, when the Dark Turmoil erupted, I discovered a corner of the universe's hidden secrets and truth... Those once-fallen gods, in their pursuit of eternal immortality, used the Immortal Ancient Era as a prison, as their backyard, where they raised and devoured the lives and souls of powerful beings...
I have also been corrupted by the strange, but I did not fall into depravity. Instead, through countless attempts, I broke free from my cocoon and became stronger.
Time has eliminated countless geniuses, but in the end, it has allowed me, a former mortal cultivator, to stand at the pinnacle of an era...
Later, I preached to all living beings in the heavens and myriad realms, I rallied millions of heroes from the universe, and together we stormed into that eternal land...
Then,
We lost.
In that battle, ninety percent of the strongest beings in the universe perished.
I ultimately chose to sacrifice myself for the Dao, reopening the cycle of reincarnation. I allowed all beings in the universe to recuperate and perfect the Great Dao through countless cycles of reincarnation...
Together with the Demon Lord, I orchestrated a scheme that would last for millennia.
Your arrival signifies that this game is nearing its end.
Whoosh—
A huge splash of water rose from the surface of the pool.
A colossal creature leaped out of the pool, as if it had traversed a different world, its head in one realm and its body in another, so enormous that it was impossible to see its entirety.
“Kun... Peng!”
Qin Shou was stunned for a moment.
"He died, he died in the Immortal Realm, and to this day his enormous skeleton still lies on that Path of Eternity."
The old man answered casually.
Qin Shou was terrified upon hearing this.
In his dream, he saw a corner of that great battle, and just from the shouts of battle, he could feel the tragedy and ferocity of that battle.
"You said that the life I've lived is the same life you've lived, so..."
Qin Shou's mood suddenly became somewhat depressed, as if he had come to a bleak answer in his heart.
"So... I'm just a dream of yours, used to perfect your state of mind, is that it?"
"I am fake, an illusion. I have never existed in this world, have I?"
"My disciple, my beloved, and everything I have been through..."
Qin Shou suddenly looked up, his face already streaked with tears.
Such a reality...how could it not break one's defenses!
It was all a dream.
All the real people I've experienced and met are illusions...
"Don't rush, you've shed tears too soon."
The old man chuckled and offered words of comfort.
"Huh? Oh!"
Qin Shou wiped away his tears with his sleeve and said resentfully, "You should have said so earlier! You scared me to death."
"Hahaha...... "
The old man chuckled softly. "My story isn't finished yet."
"In that battle years ago, I underestimated the power of the beings at the source of the strangeness. The history I followed was flawed. In reality, in that eerie Sea of Immortality, stood ten bizarre ancestral spirits. Furthermore, the bodies of those Immortal Emperors and Immortal Venerables they devoured could be used by them in battle..."
However, most importantly, I discovered that they had actually devoured the will of the universe, creating a bizarre ocean at the origin of the universe composed of endless souls. Being in that ocean, they are eternally immortal and indestructible. Even if I could kill them, after a period of gestation, they could be resurrected and look down upon the Great Dao of Eternity.
That ocean is also known as the "Sea of Immortality".
Once I understood all this, I chose to transcend time and seek a solution within the cycles of reincarnation.
"The Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Cycle is forty-nine, but one is hidden away. That 'one' is the variable I seek, and you are that 'one.'"
The old man looked at the Qin beast.
Qin Shou also looked at him.
"...So, am I now an independent individual, or am I the 'One' that has evolved after bearing your Tao and Dharma...? Am I, in the end, you?"
"Hehe, if you want it to be, then it is; if you don't want it to be, then it isn't." The old man cast his fishing rod and caught another enormous creature. Just like last time, the creature quickly disappeared back into the Pond of All Beings. "Heaven and earth are a cycle of reincarnation. Everything is a manifestation of my Dao and Dharma. However, my Dharma has been able to merge with the Dao and the river of time. Therefore, all the lives you have experienced and all the people you have met are real... Moreover, everything is only to make the elusive 'One' state of mind complete."
You embody my dreams, yet you are also an independent individual. You could be the Dao Ancestor, but I have already died in the Immortal Era. I dreamt of returning to this world so that I could meet you here and help you attain perfect enlightenment.
"I think I understand, but I also think I don't. In short, you mean I came into being because of one of your choices, but I am also an independent individual?"
"That's roughly the idea. Now, here's my question."
The old man slowly turned around and looked at the Qin beast with his eyes, which seemed to have become even more profound after countless ages.
"Would you be willing to uphold my principles, purify the evil, and protect all living beings?"
As he spoke, the old man's body slowly dissipated, turning into shimmering specks of light that floated above the Pool of All Beings. At the same time, within the Pool of All Beings, a ball of light with fluctuating brightness slowly rose.
"If you wish, please step into this pool and grasp this light."
"What is this...?" Qin Shou asked.
"This is an uncorrupted cosmic origin, containing all my Dao. Grasp it, and from this moment on, your 'One' Dao will be perfected, thus proving eternity."
The moment you grasp it, the Dao Ancestor will cease to exist, and you will become the new Dao Ancestor. You will uphold the wishes of all beings, raise the battle flag, and charge into that lawless and unrighteous land to completely eradicate darkness and evil, restoring peace to all living beings in the universe and prosperity to the Great Dao of the world…”
"I...... "
Qin Shou hesitated.
He gazed at the ball of light floating not far in front of him.
Furthermore, this proves eternity, immortality, and indestructibility.
Can........
"That's weird. Isn't he supposed to be unkillable?"
"Through countless cycles of reincarnation, I have found a way to completely eradicate the strange."
"Really? Then our chances of winning are very high."
Qin Beast was somewhat excited.
The old man remained silent for a moment.
Qin Shou seemed to sense the old man's silence and asked:
Will we win this time?
"meeting. "
"ha......"
"But they will also die."
“..........”
"The kind that completely disappears."
“........”
Qin Shou fell silent.
"Is this a method that comes at the cost of lives?"
"Yes. "
"But I...don't want to die."
Qin Shou looked dazed.
He looked down at his hands, his eyes gradually reddening.
"For so many years, I have been walking on thin ice, hiding in that small place. Even though I sometimes know that I am already very strong, I still dare not go down the mountain, for fear of an accident and dying hastily."
Time and again, I've stood atop that mountain, gazing upon the bustling world, the vast rivers and mountains, the unrestrained swordsmen roaming the heavens and earth, the dashing young men chasing the wind and moon, drinking wine, admiring flowers, and playing with beauties... How vast the world is, how boundless the heavens and earth are! I envy all of this, yet I have never experienced it myself...
I used to think that the Immortal Emperor was the pinnacle of this world, and the system was a blessing from heaven. I believed that as long as I peacefully and steadily reached that level, I could live forever, roam freely in the mortal realm, watch the wind and the moon, flirt with beautiful girls, and have romantic encounters with them... then feign deep affection, reluctantly parting... before turning around and throwing myself into the next beautiful and tender haven...
I haven't resurrected my disciple yet... Tens of thousands of years have passed, and I don't even have a child... I'm still waiting for Yi Cheng to develop intelligence... Actually, it's quite good that he doesn't develop intelligence; he can live a carefree and happy life...
But... I'm really afraid of dying.
I haven't lived enough yet, I... I feel I can't bear this burden...
Qin Shou kept rambling on and on, like a fool talking to himself.
The ball of light hovered not far above his head, silently... silently... hovering.
"What do I care about heaven, earth, and all living beings?"
"I cultivate immortality merely to survive and achieve eternal life!"
"I only want to live because I'm afraid of dying, to live forever..."
In the blink of an eye, the rambling, foolish boy was already in tears, perhaps he already knew his fate.
"Am I allowed to have my own choices?"
The Qin beast lowered its head and murmured.
"Can. "
The old man's face re-formed within that ball of light.
Qin Shou looked at him as well, "Aren't you afraid I won't follow your plan, and all your hard work over the ages will come to nothing?"
“Don’t be afraid.” The old man shook his head and smiled, “Because I know you won’t. And deep down you know you won’t do it, otherwise you wouldn’t have been talking to yourself like a fool for so long.”
"Heh...hehe...hahahaha..."
Qin Shou suddenly looked up and laughed loudly. His laughter was manic, helpless, and desolate.
"Yes, I can't."
"As you said, the physical body that Yi Cheng used to block the path to immortality has been worn down over countless ages. She can't hold on much longer. In this life, the bizarre will spread throughout the universe, devouring ninety percent of all living beings to make up for their deficiencies over countless ages. As for the remaining ten percent, they will be 'young Gu,' kept in cages until they 'grow up,' and then the next harvest will begin..."
When everything is gone—my wife, my disciple, my friends…—what is the meaning of my life then?
Qin Shou lowered his head and remained silent.
He has good intentions.
Therefore, he was afraid of dying.
He has good intentions.
Therefore, he... cares for all living beings.
No matter how much he said, he was just venting his despair at facing his predetermined fate.
"hehe.... "
"Life is but a cycle of reincarnation; so many people rush forward one after another, so what does it matter if I die?"
Qin Shou had made up his mind, so he stepped onto the surface of the pool and grasped the ball of cosmic origin light without hesitation.
In an instant, time flowed by, countless great Daos resounded, and the chaotic body within Qin Beast's body trembled violently, resonating, merging, and confirming with the primordial source that carried the Dao Ancestor's life's worth of Daos...
At this moment,
The universe is eternal.
In every river of time
Each of them had tiny specks of 'light dust' rising up; those were strands of divine thoughts that the Dao Ancestor had hidden in the long river of time.
Every thought is a realization of the Great Dao, carrying a different cultivation system.
He has transcended eternity for this very moment of return.
In the vast universe, through endless time, countless thoughts, like fireflies forming a glittering galaxy, converge from the past and future towards the present, entering the body of the Qin Beast.
From the moment he grasped the origin of the universe, Qin Shou felt as if he had just woken up from a dream.
This dream is a dream of countless versions of myself experiencing real events in different parts of time... and now, they are flowing towards me, and I am experiencing them one by one.
This was a very long dream...
This is a dream so long that time has been forgotten...
The sands of the Ganges, fleeting in an instant, yet carrying within them a tenderness that endures through the ages...
Dao Zu was originally an ordinary mortal cultivator who, after experiencing hardships and tribulations, became the pinnacle of an era. In the end, however, he was willing to endure eternal loneliness alone for the sake of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, for all living beings, and for all intelligent creatures in the world, paving a path to the heavens.
Such a person.
It commanded the respect of the Qin beasts.
As Qin Shou personally experienced those profound and magnificent insights and life lessons condensed from the "tiny," he couldn't help but shed tears in his dream...
From that moment on, he was the Dao Ancestor, and the Dao Ancestor was him.
......
Unaware of the passage of time...
Until one day,
A beam of light entered Qin Beast's dream.
The main body and the clone of the Qin Beast slowly merged at this moment.
That "one" is completely perfect.
At that very moment, the Great Dao of the Universe resonated, and the River of Time manifested above the heavens, in the void, above time, and within the myriad realms. Golden lotuses quietly bloomed, spreading to every corner of the universe.
In that seemingly eternally desolate universe, an eternal golden rain began to fall.
This must be the largest "Taoist rain" in history.
Seeing me in your dreams is proof of eternity.
......
At the same time.
Deep in the universe.
In a gray, desolate area, on a road to immortality that stretches to the horizon, a mournful echo suddenly resounded.
"Master, is that Master who has returned...?"
......
Meanwhile, at the end of the Path of Immortality, in a vast, black ocean, towering waves suddenly surged, accompanied by deep, angry roars.
"Damn it, even a centipede dies hard!"
"Very well, then let us utterly annihilate you, you swarm of insects, in this very lifetime!"
......
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