The immortal is beside me

Chapter 116 The Reason for the Unstable Soul, the Secret of the Upper Three Realms

Where did he go six hundred years ago?

This is a question that has troubled Xiao Yao for hundreds of years.

When she first learned that Zhou Tong was no longer alive, she couldn't accept it for a long time and continued to ask around for his possible whereabouts, but in the end it was all in vain.

Now she knew that he was still alive in this world, so where did he go?
Xiao Yao held the wine glass in one hand, but did not drink. She just looked at him steadily, waiting for his answer.

"The way of heaven."

Zhou Qing took a sip of the wine in the glass and answered casually.

He had never been one to hide things, and he was straightforward and direct in answering questions like this. However, this simple answer was inevitably a bit shocking to others.

"Brother Zhou went to the Heavenly Dao?"

Xiao Yao's eyes widened slightly, and she was momentarily dazed. But she was still a powerful person who had reached the pinnacle of the Divine Transformation Realm. In a flash, she understood Zhou Qing's meaning.

"Brother Zhou, do you mean that you have reached the state of harmony with the Dao?"

Seeing Zhou Qing nod, Xiao Yao's expression also changed.

As the former agent of Changshengtian, she had reached the pinnacle of the spiritual realm and had even vaguely glimpsed the true meaning of the upper three realms.

Cultivation is the realization of the great principles of heaven and earth. From Qi Refining to Spiritual Transformation, while the power varies greatly, they are essentially all about comprehending the laws of heaven and earth and strengthening themselves through them.

The reason why the upper three realms are called the upper three realms is because of the essential difference: the cultivators who reach this realm no longer passively comprehend the laws, but actively utilize and even change the laws, truly becoming a part of the great way of heaven and earth.

It is for this reason that throughout history, there has never been a shortage of Nascent Souls transforming into Gods in every era and every region, but the intervals between the appearance of the upper three realms have been measured in hundreds or even thousands of years. The essence of each Nascent Soul transforming into Gods is similar, but each of the upper three realms is very different.

Just like the Buddha Shakyamuni, the power he holds is "universal salvation". He uses the Pure Land as a medium to unite the wills of all beings into one, truly achieving unity among all people.

In contrast, Changshengtian's power lies in conquest, a simple and crude way of bestowing power upon its people, enabling them to rapidly achieve breakthroughs and then selecting and cultivating the most powerful individuals, a process that continues for millennia. It is for this reason that the peoples of the steppes have always been considered a warlike people, giving rise to such monstrous beings as Temujin.

This is the essence of faith and the origin of all the immortals, Buddhas and gods in the history of human countries.

It is said that in the ancient times in the Central Plains, there were also numerous beliefs and laws of immortals and gods, and the number was no less than that outside the borders. However, after the King of Qin unified the Central Plains, the traces of those beliefs and laws inexplicably faded away, and no one knows the reason to this day.

Later, during the Han Dynasty, the leader of the Cangtian Sect reached the realm of Lianxu, and for a time, he defeated the Xiongnu in the north and the kingdoms of the Western Regions, but ultimately ended in ruin. For over a thousand years thereafter, no one from the upper three realms emerged in the Central Plains.

From the perspective of human history, this is perfectly normal. Throughout the world, each region has only had a handful of people who have reached the Upper Three Realms. Some small nations have never even produced a top-tier native expert, relying on the extraordinary faith of other larger nations to survive.

And now, he has reached a realm that has not been reached in a thousand years?

"What exactly is He Dao?" Xiao Yao asked.

This was the supreme truth that every cultivator in the world sought, the answer that countless powerful beings throughout history had sought. Even for her, the answer was shrouded in mystery, but now he was sitting before her, alive and well.

"The Way of Heaven is the integration of human cause and effect, the rules of the Great Dao itself. To conform to the Dao is to inject one's own will into these rules, allowing the laws of heaven and earth to operate according to one's will."

Zhou Qing shook the wine glass in his hand and looked up at the sky above.

“But it will cost something.”

"What's the price?" Xiao Yao asked immediately.

"Erase your own existence." Zhou Qing took another sip of wine. "As I just said, the fusion of the Dao is to transform your own will into law and integrate it into the Dao of Heaven. To achieve this, you cannot exist as an individual in the world."

Xiao Yao looked at him, her lips slightly parted.

She had heard thousands of rumors about the upper three realms, but even she couldn't help but feel shocked when she heard it confirmed from Zhou Qing's mouth.

Erasing their own existence, merging into the laws of heaven, and rewriting the laws of heaven and earth with their own will. This was the way of the Buddha, the way of the Eternal Heaven, and all the immortals and gods from ancient times to the present. And everyone, including her, walked within the laws they had constructed.

"So, during those six hundred years, Brother Zhou was integrated into the Way of Heaven."

She stroked the wine glass in her hand, "Then, why did you come back?"

Did he fail? Did he ultimately fail to integrate into the Way of Heaven, to establish his authority and laws?
"I'm not entirely sure about this either." Zhou Qing shook his head, "But I can still feel the influence of Heaven. It probably doesn't want me to remain in my current state."

These words made Xiao Yao's expression change immediately, and she leaned forward.

Although she couldn't see Zhou Qing's realm and strength now, as a powerful god, she could still feel that his soul state was slightly abnormal compared to ordinary people, as if he was in some kind of unstable state. She had never seen a soul in this state before.

Is this the way of heaven influencing him?

If it were someone else, she would definitely continue to ask about matters related to the upper three realms and the way of heaven, but at the moment, another question overwhelmed all the questions in her mind.

"Will Brother Zhou be pulled back into the Heavenly Dao again?" Her voice was rarely hesitant, and her fingers gripping the wine glass tightened unconsciously.

As a genius in cultivation, there are very few things in this world that can make her feel afraid. Even before, she could face the will of Changshengtian without fear, but at this moment, she admitted that a rare fear arose in her heart.

What is more terrible than losing something is losing it again. She waited six hundred years to see this person again, and she didn't know if he would disappear again.

"At least for now, it seems that it won't happen." Zhou Qing smiled and poured more wine into the glass. "I prefer my current state. Even the laws of nature can't interfere with me in this regard."

Although he still didn't know the specific principles, during the past few years of walking in the world as a mortal, he could indeed feel that the influence of the way of heaven was weakening day by day, and his soul was gradually stabilizing and no longer as erratic as before.

He himself had no idea what state he would enter after completely eliminating the influence of the Heavenly Dao. But one thing was clear: he enjoyed his current life, and whether for internal or external reasons, he hoped to maintain it. Xiao Yao's shoulders relaxed slightly, and his tense expression relaxed. He lowered his eyes slightly and let out a soft laugh.

"That's good." She whispered to herself in a voice she had never heard before.

She used to blindly pursue challenges and strong people. If she heard that her opponent's strength had improved, she would not be discouraged or angry, but would become more excited. Fighting with such people would make her experience the sweetness of conquest.

A thousand years ago, she also treated Zhou Tong with this attitude. But now, rather than breaking through the Dao, she hoped that this person could still exist as alive as he is now.

And
Xiao Yao blinked her eyes and stared quietly at the man in front of her, watching him slowly pick up the wine glass and take a sip, with a hint of joy and calmness between his brows.

In her memory, Zhou Tong was a rather aloof person. He was seldom interested in anything, and he disliked talking, laughing, and having fun. He traveled around all day long, killing people. Only when he occasionally talked about the development of the mortal world and the prosperity of various cities would he be gentle for a moment.

Now, his appearance has changed a lot compared to before, and his temperament is even more different. He is no longer as cold and sharp as before, but instead he is neither hurried nor slow, simply enjoying the fine wine in front of him and the pleasure in front of him.

Perhaps because of the thousand years that have passed, she now prefers Brother Zhou like this. She likes to see him smile and drink slowly. Only then can she feel that this person is right in front of her.

An indescribable joy surged in Xiao Yao's heart. She picked up the wine glass with one hand and held it in front of her.

"Brother Zhou, are you interested in a sparring match?"

Zhou Qing looked up and asked, "How do we spar?"

"Let's discuss this wine."

Xiao Yao's lips curled slightly, her eyes filled with fighting spirit. "I remember Brother Zhou once told me that you loved the Yingzhouchun from Chang'an back then. Although this tribute wine is a little different from the original, it is also brewed using the ancient method, making it perfect for a discussion."

"According to grassland rules, we should set a drinking game to determine the number of cups. The person who finishes the first drink must promise the other party something within their ability. Brother Zhou, are you willing to give it a try?"

Zhou Qing looked into those glowing eyes and saw a brilliance in them that he had not seen in a thousand years.

In the past, in the era called the Great Song Dynasty, she also followed him with this expression and asked for a competition. From fighting magic, to archery, and even traveling, she could always find some different ways to compete.

Today, a thousand years later, these patterns still evoke a sense of nostalgia.

So he smiled slightly and picked up the wine glass as well: "Not bad."

These words made Xiao Yao's eyes light up, and then she raised her hand and flicked it. A green stream of wind flowed out from her fingertips, swept over the wine jar on the side, and rolled out all the wine inside, condensing into a water ball floating in front of the table.

Her figure was reflected in the crystal wine. She held the glass in one hand and hummed an ancient grassland ballad.

"A pair of eagles fly in the sky, two cups hanging on a pair of wings."

As the song stopped, the wine floating in front of them trembled slightly and automatically divided into eight palm-sized water balls, which were scattered in front of the two people. She waved her empty glass, covered the wine in front of her with the glass, and raised her glass to a pair.

"Two eagles fly together, two cups per wing, eight cups in total. Brother Zhou, please."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and drank two glasses in a row. Across from her, Zhou Qing calmly placed the glass under the liquid, letting it flow in, and then slowly drank the next glass.

"Are you still following the rules of the grassland now?" he asked as he took the second cup.

"As Brother Zhou said, rules are human will. I follow them if I like, and I don't follow them if I don't like."

She took another sip. "It's like the rules of the Eternal Heaven, which only cares about conquest and has no mercy on the weak. I only raised the slightest doubt about the conquest, and it immediately incurred its wrath. It ordered the four tribes to judge me and force me to obey its will. That's when I realized that it didn't need agents, but mere puppets for its conquest."

"I will not follow such rules."

Zhou Qing sipped the wine in his glass. Although the two of them hadn't exchanged much, through what he had seen and heard along the way, he still sensed everything that had happened over the past few hundred years.

Although many details are still unclear, Xiao Yao undoubtedly violated the "conquest" law of Changshengtian, and even did not hesitate to shatter the blessings on his body to escape the influence of the law, which is no less than a hero cutting off his own arm.

When they first met, Xiao Yao was several hundred years younger than him, but her strength was only slightly inferior, relying on the blessing of heaven.

Now without the blessing, she is still a powerful being at the level of God Transformation, but she can no longer look down on her peers, and she has lost the opportunity to enter the upper three realms.

With her strong-admiring nature, Zhou Qing originally thought that this would be an unbearable burden for her, but at the moment she did not feel much lost because of it.

"Heaven gave me divine power through 'conquest,' so I will return it to Him." She took another sip, a solemn expression on her face as she spoke. "I will prove to Heaven that even without the blessing of the laws, I can still reach the Great Dao."

She had always been a proud and persistent person, once she set her sights on a path, she would keep moving forward. This was the case when she had searched for him, and it was the same now as she was going against the will of heaven. Zhou Tong was the spark that ignited all this rebellion, and she would let that spark spread like wildfire.

Now she is no longer the little girl who only knows how to chase in his impression, but the original persistence still exists in her. Even if thousands of people oppose her, even if she loses her hometown, even if her own people call her a traitor, she cannot change her mind.

After shattering her original beliefs and continuing to watch for six hundred years, she walked all the way from the Ming Dynasty to today's modern China. Although she followed in his footsteps, she also walked a unique path of her own.

Monks can withstand the erosion of time more than ordinary people, but time will eventually leave some marks on people. Thousands of years have passed, and they have all changed a lot, but the most essential things have not changed.

"To follow one's own will, without resorting to external laws, is truly the path of the Great Dao." He took a slow sip. "Go on your way. If you encounter any bottlenecks in your pursuit of the Dao, you can seek my help."

Xiao Yao was suddenly startled, the solemnity on her face disappeared, and there seemed to be a faint light flowing in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Since Brother Zhou says so, I won't be polite."

She suddenly drank the last sip of wine and placed the empty glass on the table. Her cheeks were slightly red in the steam, as if she was drunk.

"I'm the winner of this drinking contest." She blinked her eyes and looked at him with a smile. "So, according to the rules, Brother Zhou needs to agree to one thing."

(End of this chapter)