A Dream Within a Dream (Part Six)
Sixth generation:
Among cultivators, the threads of fate are always intertwined in a wondrous and unpredictable way. In the Lie Tian Small World, Lin Shi, for the slightest possibility of competing for the Heavenly Dao position, happily married a demon cultivator.
On a bright and sunny day, Lin Shi and her demon cultivator husband embarked on their ambitious journey to the Demon Capital. The surrounding scenery was breathtaking, with vibrant spiritual flowers and herbs dotting the mountains and fields. A gentle breeze caressed Lin Shi's robes, causing them to flutter in the air as she flew. Lin Shi and her demon cultivator husband exchanged a glance, both beaming with smiles, envisioning a bright future together. Lin Shi, brimming with confidence and self-assurance, envisioned her grand plan after becoming the new Heavenly Dao. She imagined herself controlling the Heavenly Dao rules of the entire small world, allowing all things to grow freely under her guidance.
Just as Lin Shi was immersed in this beautiful reverie, suddenly, the weather in the sky changed drastically. The once azure sky was instantly shrouded in dark clouds, and muffled thunder rolled in from afar. Immediately afterward, accompanied by terrifying lightning and thunder, a deafening roar came from the depths of the endless sky: "Lin Shi, wake up!" The voice was powerful and solemn, carrying an undeniable authority; it was clearly the voice of the Heavenly Dao of the Lie Tian Small World.
The sudden sound, like a resounding bell, struck the depths of Lin Shi's consciousness. In an instant, countless images flashed before her eyes: her six lifetimes of reincarnation, those times she once thought were tragic or real, every interaction she had with different people, her hopes and expectations for the future… everything began to become illusory and blurry. Her body trembled slightly, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead—a rare occurrence—and her primordial spirit shuddered.
Gradually, Lin Shi's consciousness began to clear from the multiple dreamscapes. She finally realized that the six reincarnations she had experienced were nothing more than meticulously woven illusions, nothing more than her inner demons, her deepest fears. Within these multiple dreamscapes, she had almost lost herself and forgotten the true reality.
At that moment, with that roar from the Lie Tian Small World, Lin Shi finally awoke from her multiple dreams. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself back in reality. She was now in the Lie Tian Small World, and everything around her was both familiar and strange. The Heavenly Dao incarnation of the Lie Tian Small World—that young cultivator—was standing in front of her, frowning and glaring at her with displeasure.
Lin Shi had just looked around and hadn't even had a chance to say anything when she noticed the scene before her had changed. She suddenly found herself in a white corridor that stretched as far as the eye could see and seemed to have no end.
The voice of the Heavenly Dao from the depths of the white passage of the Lie Tian Small World came impatiently. He said, "Lin Shi, hurry back to your realm. You are a human cultivator, not a demon cultivator. Don't come to the Lie Tian Small World for training again, or I won't show mercy next time!" His words fell silent afterward.
Lin Shi could only walk forward along the silent white passage. Having endured six lifetimes of hardship and vicissitudes within the illusion, her heart was now calmer than ever before. She walked gently forward, her eyes and steps revealing unwavering determination. The pain, humiliation, and despair she had suffered in those six lifetimes within the illusion were etched into her heart like a brand, making her understand more clearly what she truly wanted. She refused to depend on others for temporary stability, nor was she a pawn to be manipulated by fate. She was a high-level cultivator; she could control her own destiny; she wanted to forge her own path of cultivation.
As Lin Shi walked, she began to sort out her thoughts. She recalled her experiences in each life within the illusion. From the childless wife of the Xu family, to the forbearance and sorrow of the Xu family's concubine, to the helplessness and despair of the wife of a wealthy young master in Tan Family Village, to the miserable puppet and furnace controlled by evil cultivators, to the wretched fugitive cultivator abandoned by her sect and hunted all over the world by the Dragon Valley Sect, and then to the temptations of power, struggles, and choices she faced as a cultivator after being stranded in the Lie Tian Small World.
Each lifetime in the illusion was a demon in her heart, and each choice was a transformation. Lin Shi thought that her entanglement in the cycle of reincarnation was perhaps due to the entanglement of karma. Each reincarnation was another test driven by karma. She knew that if she wanted to truly overcome the tribulation and ascend to the Middle Heaven Realm, she had to temper her character in the endless cycle of reincarnation, thereby deeply understanding the rules of the Heavenly Dao, comprehending the true essence of the Great Dao, and ultimately transcending the Six Paths of Reincarnation. The good and evil of the Six Paths of Reincarnation lay in a single thought: to gravitate towards good was to ascend to the Middle Heaven Realm; to harbor a single evil thought was to be forever trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, the cause and effect clearly manifest. The cultivation of a cultivator was not merely about pursuing power, but also about the cultivation and sublimation of the inner self. Only with supreme cultivation and a profound Dao heart could one successfully break free from the shackles of reincarnation, transcend the cycle of birth and death, and truly ascend to the Middle Heaven Realm.
As Lin Shi thought this, the white passage before her slowly transformed into different scenes. Following the guidance of her heart, she carefully climbed over steep mountain paths, avoiding or breaking through various strange illusion or killing formations, bypassing or directly defeating ferocious monsters.
As Lin Shi walked, she sensed a series of dark figures suddenly rushing towards her. Undeterred, she unleashed her learned magic to fight back. Instantly, her spiritual energy shimmered and surged. During the battle, Lin Shi involuntarily recalled the hardships and trials she had endured in the Six Reincarnations Illusion. Those painful memories became a source of strength within her, making her eyes even more resolute. She gritted her teeth, mobilized all her spiritual energy, and unleashed an attack she had never seen before. This strike contained her yearning for freedom, her struggle against fate, and her pursuit of the Great Dao. The powerful force impacted the numerous dark figures, causing them to tremble slightly. Lin Shi seized the opportunity to intensify her attack, raining down sharp blows upon the many dark figures. After a fierce battle, the dark figures finally revealed an opening. Lin Shi seized the chance, unleashing her final, devastating move, utterly defeating the dark figures. As the many dark figures dissipated, the scene before Lin Shi instantly changed again.
At this moment, Lin Shi found herself in a chaotic space. A faint mist permeated the surroundings, and she could vaguely see some shimmering points of light, like stars fallen to earth. Her body felt as light as a feather, free from the heavy weariness and pain. She slowly stood up from her seated position. She looked around, and a strange peace and relief welled up in her heart.
Suddenly, two soft white beams of light shot out from ahead. Within the beams, two young cultivators dressed in white robes walked slowly towards Lin Shi, their backs to the light. At first, the faces of the two young cultivators were not clearly visible, but as they approached, Lin Shi discovered that they were Lian Zheng and Wen Zhao'an, one on the left and one on the right, respectively.
Lin Shi was slightly taken aback, but she quickly walked towards Lian Zheng. Strangely, as she walked, Li Fei Ni's transparent figure materialized within her body, parting ways with her and rushing towards Wen Zhao An like a moth to a flame.
Finally, Lin Shi stood beside Lian Zheng, watching Li Feini and Wen Zhao'an embrace tightly in the quiet bamboo forest, oblivious to everyone around them. A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, as if telling their stories of the past.
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