He was invincible from the beginning of the Heaven-Covering Era.

"The Dharma itself is without form; emptiness is not emptiness either. Silence and stillness, speech and silence are inherently the same; in a dream, one never speaks of a dream. Usefulness lies within uselessness; effortlessness lies within effort. And so it is, naturally, as it comes."

Red. Don't ask how to cultivate it.

The old Taoist priest, dressed in an old Taoist robe, recited a passage and told it to the three of them.

Zhou Qing's expression immediately changed. It wasn't that he didn't understand; on the contrary, with his understanding of the Dao, he immediately realized what the old Daoist meant. This was a rejection of his plan to send life-extending spiritual objects.

"The Dharma is fundamentally without form, and emptiness is also not emptiness." This is a discussion of Dharma and emptiness. The Dharma is fundamentally without form, and emptiness is also not emptiness.

"Silence and noise, speech and silence are all the same; why speak of dreams in a dream?"

"Uselessness is usefulness, and merit is merit." The so-called "usefulness" and "merit" in the world actually come from "uselessness" and "merit," and in the end, they will return to "uselessness" and "merit."

"Just like a fruit that naturally turns red when ripe, there's no need to worry about how it grew or how it became red."

"Sigh." Zhou Qing sighed. The old Taoist's meaning was quite clear.

Our lives are nothing more than a flower on a branch. It blooms naturally in spring, and eventually it must fall. Everything is simply a matter of arising in response to circumstances and flourishing according to fate. His life has been fulfilling enough; it doesn't need to continue any longer.

“Senior, the path to immortality is about to begin in this lifetime. Don’t you want to take a look?” Zhou Qing asked again.

The old Taoist shook his head and said, "The mortal world has changed many times, but the landscape remains. Who can truly become an immortal through this painting?"

“The ancestors of the Cai clan are still alive. In a few years, the Immortal Transformation Pool will descend to earth on its own, and the ten-mile natural barrier that ‘immortals cannot cross’ will also weaken. Senior, don’t you plan to go in and take a look, so as to save the descendants of the Cai clan from a calamity?” Zhou Qing advised once again.

The old Taoist sighed, looking quite wistful, and said, "What in this world doesn't bring tears? Gains and losses, human relationships, and the length of life. Just now, I was drinking in the hall at home, and turning around, I saw eight thousand years have passed..."

"Coming without a trace, going without a trace, going and coming are the same. Why ask more about the affairs of this fleeting life? This fleeting life is but a dream..."

Zhou Qing was speechless and said, "Senior, can you please say something normal?"

The old Taoist smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, the Azure Emperor will take action."

"Pfft." A laugh, as if unable to be suppressed, came from one of the prayer cushions.

"What do you mean?" Zhou Qing looked at Xiao Yu, his expression very unpleasant.

"It's nothing, it just cracked me up, hahaha, nothing." Xiaoyu's pretty face was flushed, and although she covered her mouth, she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.

"Young friends, you should have obtained the Secret of the Military Character by now, right?" The old Taoist priest smiled and began to speak normally.

"Was the stone wall of Qin Gate really carved by our predecessors?" Zhou Qing asked.

The old Taoist nodded and continued, "Since you were able to find your way here, it must be fate between us."

After saying this, a Dao mark appeared between his brows, and three divine lights flew out from it, shooting into the minds of the three people.

"It is a blessing to see such geniuses as you and my human race in the last few years of my life. These are just some small insights from the Secret of the Art of War, which were originally meant to be buried with me, but I couldn't bear to do so. So I am passing them on to you now, so as not to tarnish the prestige of the Secret of the Art of War," the old Taoist said.

Zhou Qing opened his mouth, wanting to say something, when suddenly, a flash of light appeared, and the three of them were instantly back in front of the Taoist temple.

"Sigh." Zhou Qing sighed, feeling very regretful. Unable to persuade him, he could only leave.

After the three left, the small Taoist temple returned to its deserted state, and hardly anyone came here anymore.

Zhou Qing seemed to have changed nothing. The small Taoist temple was still in the same state as before, except that next to the vegetable field, there were a few ancient medicinal plants with a hazy fragrance and crystal-clear petals, which looked extraordinary at first glance.

The old Taoist priest remained seated cross-legged in the temple, motionless, softly reciting: "The sea has turned to dust over countless autumns, the Taoist has transformed the yellow-haired man into a man of eternal sorrow, a dream spans thousands of years, the path to immortality is rugged, where can one wander..."

He raised one arm and moved it gently, as if traversing an endless star field, or as if traversing eternity, overflowing with wisps of eternal celestial radiance.

Those amazing ancient herbs suddenly became ordinary, their appearance changed, all their radiance stopped flowing, and on the surface, they were no different from the vegetables next to them.

Chapter 98 The Small Boat Asks the Way

Amidst the twinkling stars, a small boat drifts leisurely on the water, floating downstream.

Zhou Qing lay on the small boat, gazing at the stars in the sky, letting the boat drift freely.

This is a very wide river with clear water. On both banks stand majestic cities, their black walls gleaming with a cold metallic luster. Purple mist hangs over the cities, and their extraordinary nature can be felt even from a distance.

This is the Chiyang Kingdom, one of the nine ancient kingdoms. Although it cannot compare with the four great dynasties, it is still magnificent and picturesque. Just like this mighty river, which is hundreds of feet wide, it flows down and many human settlements are built on both banks of this river.

On the small boat, a slender hand lifted the curtain, and Dao Qingling stepped out of the cabin, ethereal and graceful, her lotus-like steps bringing with them a faint fragrance.

Are you still thinking about that old Taoist priest?

A melodious voice reached Zhou Qing's ears, bringing a glimmer of light to his bewildered eyes.

"Tell me, what is the meaning of cultivation? Cultivators spend their whole lives busy, fighting against heaven, against earth, and against people, but in the end they all turn into a handful of dust. Hundreds of thousands or millions of years later, who will remember them?"

Zhou Qing asked with great confusion, as he had many questions in his mind and couldn't help but voice them at this moment.

"We cultivators spend our lives cultivating the Dao, naturally aiming to become immortals. Once we become immortals, we can live forever and exist in the world eternally." Dao Qingling's tone was firm, without a trace of confusion.

However, this answer did not satisfy Zhou Qing. He countered, "Even if immortals can truly live forever, can't they also die?"

“Immortals are beings who surpass the ancient emperors. Even the ancient emperors pursued such a realm, so how could they possibly die?” Dao Qingling retorted.

Zhou Qing smiled, then shook his head and said, "What if two immortals were to fight each other? What if an existence stronger than an immortal were to intervene? Would what we consider immortal still be immortal in the eyes of a higher level?"

Dao Qingling remained silent for a moment, then said, "Your guess is meaningless. There are no immortals in the world, so how can you know what realm is above immortals?"

Zhou Qing smiled as he looked up at the starry sky, his eyes reflecting countless stars. If he really knew nothing, that would be a good thing; if he were truly a person of this world, nothing would happen. But he was neither.

For him, immortality was not just a vague legend, because he knew that such a realm truly existed in the world, and that above immortals there were immortal kings, quasi-immortal emperors, and even higher realms.

"Have you ever thought that one day, this world will decay, everything will collapse, the entire universe will come to an end, and everything will perish?" Zhou Qing asked again.

“Then we must cultivate even more, transcend this world, reach the Immortal Realm, and go to a truly eternal world,” Dao Qingling replied.

"The Immortal Realm will last forever?" Zhou Qing laughed. The Immortal Realm had long been shattered into countless fragments, and its very essence had split into countless parts. How could it be considered eternal?

"Heaven and Earth, and the Great Dao—which appeared first? Did Heaven and Earth exist before the Great Dao, or did the Great Dao exist before Heaven and Earth?" Zhou Qing posed this question.

Three questions.

"As the saying goes, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, surely Heaven and Earth were the first to appear?" Dao Qingling replied.

Zhou Qing burst into laughter, unable to hold back his laughter as he sat up, his body shaking with mirth. He said, "Qingling, I didn't expect you to be able to joke. You're just using sophistry to fob me off."

"Who told you to ask a question you already know the answer to? Don't you understand the principle that the Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things?" Dao Qingling stared at Zhou Qing with her beautiful eyes, making Zhou Qing gradually stop smiling.

"What comes before emptiness? Is it emptiness? Is it nothingness before nothingness? What is between nothingness and existence? Is the Dao between existence and nothingness? Or are both existence and nothingness within the Dao?" Zhou Qing seemed to be talking to himself as he raised several questions in succession, each involving the essence of the Dao and tracing its origins.

“You are attached to appearances. The Great Dao is boundless. Even the ancient emperors could not reach its end. They spent their entire lives exploring it. How can I answer you? Instead of pondering the vast Great Dao, you should focus on the present moment. One day when you look back, the Great Dao will arise on its own, and the source will be revealed on its own.”

Dao Qingling was speechless. Why were these two mere dragon-transformation cultivators thinking about such profound things? It was completely unnecessary.

Zhou Qing fell silent, lay down again, put his hands behind his head, and watched the stars and moon fall, seemingly lost in thought.

Dao Qingling turned around and went back into the cabin. As soon as she entered, a scolding voice rang out.

"Miss, I told you you didn't need to try to comfort him, did you? Look at the nonsense he was asking. If it were me, I would have just ignored him."

Xiaoyu walked over and hugged Dao Qingling's jade arm, her expression full of dissatisfaction. It wasn't directed at Dao Qingling, but at Zhou Qing, as she felt he was wasting Dao Qingling's cultivation time.

Dao Qingling smiled and said, "You don't understand. If he can truly see through his own heart, then he might break through the Dao barrier in the future without any obstacles."

Xiaoyu opened her mouth wide in surprise and asked, "Then what about you, Miss? Your heart for seeking the Dao is so firm, even severing the Dao shouldn't be able to stop you, right?"

Dao Qingling shook her head and said, "No, the desire to seek the Dao is just one of the countless thoughts in one's heart. Whether it is Father Emperor or the supreme powerhouses of the major dynasties and sects, who does not have a firm desire to seek the Dao? But it will not be of much use in this hurdle. The human heart is very complicated. I also have my confusions, but I rarely say them out loud."

Having the desire to seek the truth does not guarantee reaching the end; this has always been the way of the world.

"What?" Xiaoyu stared blankly, lost in thought.

A few days later, Zhou Qing sat at the bow of the boat, used his magic to boil a pot of spiritual tea, poured three teacups, and with a wave of his hand sent two of the cups into the cabin.

He has now cast aside all notions of eternity and immortality, and has temporarily stopped thinking about them. Just as Dao Qingling said, it is meaningless to talk about these things if one's level is not high enough.

For him, the most pressing matter right now is to improve his cultivation. In the past few days, his cultivation has already reached the Great Perfection of the Dragon Transformation stage, and he is about to enter the final secret realm of the Heaven-Covering Technique, the Immortal Platform.

Once he enters a new realm, his combat power will be greatly enhanced, and he will be able to compete with powerful beings.

Because with his divine sense, once he enters, he will not stop at the first small step, but will climb several steps in succession, and his cultivation will be greatly improved.

"I'm going to open the portal," Zhou Qing called out, addressing the two people in the cabin to prepare them.

"Okay." A voice came from the cabin.

Zhou Qing took out the Xuan Yu Platform and immediately activated it, instantly creating a pitch-black domain gate in front of him, containing astonishing void laws.

After crossing the river many times, Zhou Qing and his group returned from western Zhongzhou to southern Zhongzhou, arriving near the capital.

Chapter 99 The Dynasty of Killers

When Zhou Qing and his two companions emerged from the void, they immediately saw the magnificent imperial city before them.

It stands before us, towering above the earth, with countless magnificent palaces and pavilions suspended in the sky, shrouded in mist, like a celestial capital in the heavens.

"I won't be going into the imperial city. I'm going back to the Eastern Wilderness soon."

Above the sky, Zhou Qing suddenly spoke, bidding farewell to the other two. If it weren't for these two matters in Zhongzhou, he would have returned to Donghuang four months ago. Now that things were done, it was time to go back.

"Take care." Dao Qingling, dressed in pure white, looked ethereal and otherworldly, and slowly uttered the two words.

"Goodbye! Don't neglect your cultivation when you get back. Next time we meet, don't be unable to beat me." Xiaoyu smiled, she was in a very good mood. Look, in the end, only she could stay by Dao Qingling's side.

Although she seemed to be just a lowly maidservant by Dao Qingling's side, her talent was anything but ordinary; on the contrary, it was quite astonishing. She was discovered by the upper echelons of the dynasty in a small village, and her current cultivation level even surpassed that of the holy maidens of most major sects. It was only because she was by the side of these two that she appeared somewhat plain and unremarkable.

After saying this, Dao Qingling turned and left with Xiaoyu, walking gracefully on the water, her clothes fluttering, exuding an extraordinary and otherworldly aura.

After seeing the two fly into the city gate, Zhou Qing took out the Xuan Yu Platform and crossed over again.

This time, the distance they crossed was not far; after traversing sixty or seventy thousand miles, they emerged from the void.

This is Bright Moon City, a core city within the Divine Continent Dynasty. It is extremely prosperous and bustling, and powerful cultivators are stationed here, managing the city while cultivating using the dragon vein beneath it.

Several months ago, after the court meeting concluded, construction began on a domain gate that could span the entire domain, jointly established by the Zhou family of the Eastern Wilderness and the Divine Continent Dynasty.

When Zhou Qing arrived, he saw a huge stronghold built next to the city, with countless palaces located within it. Squads of armored cultivators patrolled the area, their faces cold and their duties performed.

"Perhaps when we get back, we should go and take a look at the Forbidden Land of the Desolate Ancient City, and arrange for some people to guard the perimeter. Judging by the numbers, the Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin will be here in a few years." Zhou Qing sighed softly.

He strolled leisurely through the void toward the stronghold. His steps gave people a sense of naturalness and order. Although he did not appear fast, each step was an illusion, leaving only afterimages behind him.

At this moment, the person in charge at the stronghold was conducting a routine inspection of the domain gate to rule out any possible malfunctions. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure walking towards them in the distant sky.

He took a closer look and his expression turned to surprise: "Is that Zhou Qing?"

A few months ago, he was in charge of another stronghold, but with the establishment of this domain gate, this place became more important than that one, so he was transferred here.

He had met Zhou Qing once before, so he recognized him at a glance. The figure walking towards him from a distance was Zhou Qing, whom he had seen before.