Revelation of the Way of Heaven

"Why didn't you kill me?" Du Cheng, whose Heavenly Dao energy had been drained, looked as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, his face pale and his expression listless.

"You're just a pitiful person too. As you said, everyone is a wanderer in this universe, and everyone is trying to find their way home. But the way home isn't outside; it's inside your heart."

Du Cheng stared at Qin Xiaochuan's calm face, speechless for a long while before finally saying, "Is this the method you're talking about? Trying to enlighten others by lighting their inner lamps?"

"What do you think?" Qin Xiaochuan looked at him calmly.

"I advise you not to waste your time," Du Cheng sneered, his expression indifferent. "We are not on the same path. No one can truly understand anyone else. Everyone is destined to be a lonely individual."

"I have no intention of lighting your heart's lamp, because I know my own limitations," Qin Xiaochuan said calmly. "However, someone already lit your heart's lamp a long time ago; you just forgot about it."

Du Cheng was stunned. Suddenly, the beautiful, angelic face appeared in his mind. "That's so cool! It's a gift from heaven. I'm so envious of you." That's what the girl said back then. It seemed that from that moment on, he felt his world suddenly brighten up.

Perhaps he had been in darkness for too long, and the sudden light was too dazzling, which is why he was lost in the brilliance and could not see the whole picture of the world.

In an instant, he suddenly realized that he had always thought it was Lin Xia's bright light that illuminated his world, but in reality, it was the light in his own heart that drove away the darkness. He did not live in Lin Xia's light, but in every moment of loving her without reservation. Light does not come from the gifts of others, but from the moment you take the initiative to care for others. The more you try to grasp something, the faster it slips away; the more you want to give, the more abundant it becomes. What people can truly possess is precisely what they give outward.

"I understand," he suddenly murmured. "I shouldn't have coveted the light she gave me, but instead used that light to illuminate more people." After saying that, he looked up at the sky, his expression showing an indescribable sense of relaxation and clarity. Sometimes, confusion and enlightenment are only a moment apart.

"Very good, you've come to your senses and are now free," Qin Xiaochuan said with relief.

Du Cheng looked directly into Qin Xiaochuan's eyes and said, "May I become your apprentice? I want to go with you to bring light to more people."

Qin Xiaochuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected the other party to make such a request. Du Cheng was much older than him, and it was absurd for him to be the other party's master. However, Qin Xiaochuan only thought about it for a moment before nodding and replying, "Okay."

Du Cheng nodded, a self-deprecating smile creeping across his face.

"Hahaha, Xuanyuan Sword, it's been a long time!" Just as Du Cheng suddenly realized what was happening, Gonggong below also broke free from Hui Seng's control. Instead of continuing to make things difficult for the people in front of the temple, he laughed and flew towards Qin Xiaochuan.

Gonggong stopped twenty meters away from Qin Xiaochuan, looked at him from a distance, and said, "Your strength seems to have improved. It seems we can settle our old and new grudges together."

"That's what I hope for too." Qin Xiaochuan looked calmly at Gonggong, the ancient evil god. Now that he had the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand, he feared no one. "I hope you won't run away this time."

Hearing Qin Xiaochuan's words, Gonggong was not angry. Instead, he smiled with complete confidence and said loudly, "Very good! I admire your courage. Let's fight to our hearts' content." As he spoke, his body continued to grow larger, soon reaching a height of more than ten meters. Boundless floodwaters condensed around him. Although it wasn't the first time Qin Xiaochuan had witnessed Gonggong's strength, the oppressive aura emanating from him still made Qin Xiaochuan frown. He could clearly feel that Gonggong's strength had increased significantly in the past few days, presumably having recovered to his peak strength.

The crowd in front of the temple stared at the strange phenomenon in the sky, their expressions changing. The overwhelming majesty made it almost impossible for them to breathe. Even the demonic beasts slowed their attacks under Gonggong's influence. For a moment, Gonggong became the most prominent figure in the world.

"Shiyi, take Du Cheng aside first. I'll handle Gonggong by myself," Qin Xiaochuan said calmly to Guo Shiyi.

"Then be careful." Although Guo Shiyi was very worried about Qin Xiaochuan's safety, she knew very well that staying here would only be a burden to Qin Xiaochuan, given Gonggong's current strength.

"Don't worry, it won't take me too long," Qin Xiaochuan said calmly.

Guo Shiyi didn't say anything more, and used her vines to drag the injured Du Cheng away from the center of the battlefield.

Gonggong's skills surged towards Qin Xiaochuan like a flood, but Qin Xiaochuan closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed, everything in the world appeared clearly in his mind. Endless spiritual power quickly flowed into the Xuanyuan Sword, and then the next moment his figure disappeared from the spot. He rushed straight towards Gonggong's skills.

With the Tai Chi Formation and the Boundless Realm activated simultaneously, Qin Xiaochuan transformed into a golden light that pierced through Gonggong's water dragon. He then leaped into the air and charged forward. All of Gonggong's skills were dismantled by his Boundless Realm and transformed into pure spiritual energy. This spiritual energy allowed him to unleash the sixth move of the Xuanyuan Sword—Qiankun Dingding.

The golden sword light seemed to pierce through the void, then converged in the air to form the shape of a golden cauldron. The sword's momentum was as strong as a mountain, and the cauldron contained a vast and heavy pressure of the Heavenly Dao, enveloping Gonggong. Gonggong felt as if he were carrying a mountain, his true essence was stagnant, and he could hardly move. All his escape techniques and movement techniques were also rendered ineffective. The cauldron's control ability was even stronger than that of the Nirvana Sutra of the monk Huiseng.

Gonggong roared angrily inside the golden cauldron, unleashing countless skills at the same time upon the golden phantom, yet none could shake the cauldron in the slightest. Meanwhile, Qin Xiaochuan stood between heaven and earth, his Xuanyuan Sword pointing towards the sky, its blade radiating a burst of golden light that even dimmed the sun in the sky.

Qin Xiaochuan's expression was solemn, golden light bathing his entire body in a golden glow, making him appear like a deity descending to earth. He slowly chanted, "Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless, vanquishing evil and slaying wickedness to uphold justice. The Ninth Form of the Xuanyuan Sword—The Great Dao Endures Forever!"

Qin Xiaochuan slashed down with his sword, and the golden light of the Xuanyuan Sword transformed into a sharp sword aura, slicing through the air without any obstruction and passing through Gonggong's body. This sword strike condensed the power of heaven and earth, and nothing could withstand the attack of the sword aura.

At this moment, Gonggong was raising his hands to cast a spell to defend himself. After the sword energy passed by, he looked down at his own body, his face showing an expression of disbelief, and muttered, "Impossible." Immediately afterward, blood seeped from the wound, and with just a slight exertion, his body split in two and fell from the sky.