Yunzhou is vast, but Dazhen is located in the southern reaches. With Ji Yuan's sword-flight, leaving Yunzhou was naturally very swift. However, as he departed the borders of Dazhen and was about to fly over the ocean, Ji Yuan looked back. He could see a bright, yet not dazzling, white light rising from the direction of Dazhen's capital, amidst the starlight descending from the Celestial River.
'Master Yin...'
Ji Yuan's brow furrowed slightly, then he sighed. His sword-light continued, already having flown out of Dazhen and beyond Yunzhou.
The sky had already darkened. In the capital region of Dazhen, within Haoran Academy, Yin Zhaoxian was deep in slumber. Although he was dreaming, his usually tranquil Haoran Righteous Qi began to stir, like winds and clouds converging.
In his dream, Yin Zhaoxian seemed to have shed his mortal body. As the light of the Haoran Righteous Qi continuously ascended, he looked up to a sky full of stars, the Star River seemingly within reach.
"Is this the Star River? It is indeed incredibly brilliant!"
As Yin Zhaoxian dreamt, the Haoran Righteous Qi seemed to merge with him, flowing like another stream of starlight, continuously spreading across the sky and extending in all directions. As the environment in Yin Zhaoxian's dream changed, so too did the Haoran Righteous Qi, seemingly able to transcend all earthly boundaries.
The world was currently in chaos, and night was the most perilous time. Even in formerly peaceful cities, it was not impossible for monsters and spirits to appear after dark. Yet, despite this, countless people across the land still studied late into the night by lamplight.
At this moment, however, in every part of Dazhen, throughout Yunzhou, and even across the entire world, wherever they were, any scholar who had not yet retired for the night could faintly sense something.
Some scholars pushed open their study doors and looked up at the sky, feeling that the starlight was brighter than usual that night. Meanwhile, certain learned literati who had cultivated righteous qi could faintly perceive that white light.
Even those who practiced martial arts, if they had reached a certain level, could feel this surge of Haoran Righteous Qi.
Wherever this Haoran Righteous Qi passed, the movements of demons, monsters, and ghosts across the land became subdued. It also caused the dark clouds in various parts of the world to dissipate, allowing brighter starlight to shower down upon the earth.
Even soldiers in battle, including those under strategists and in ordinary military formations not led by strategists, felt a momentary tranquility because of this.
It was as if they could think of distant family members, as if young children were calmly listening to a master's earnest teachings, as if people who respected each other shared a knowing smile after bowing, and as if a sudden realization dawned after confusion was clarified. It was the feeling of what it meant to be human...
Even in the underworld, that surge of righteous qi was felt. For a moment, the fierce battles between ghost gods, Yin soldiers, and evil spirits subsided, and the hearts of all ghost gods were uplifted.
At the source of the Yellow Springs in the underworld, the Ksitigarbha monk's chanting paused. He opened his eyes, looked up slightly, and then closed them again.
"May the Buddha be merciful!"
This white light was the light of Haoran Righteous Qi, yet it was by no means felt only by scholars and cultivators. Anyone with righteousness in their heart could "see" it.
On the Celestial River Realm, Heavenly Lord Zhao also looked up. Although in Yin Zhaoxian's dream it seemed he could touch the Celestial River, in reality, this light was even higher than the Celestial River.
"I hope that in the future, righteousness will forever endure in the human world!"
Everything external, apart from the starlight, was blurry in Yin Zhaoxian's dream, but he paid it no mind. He knew he was dreaming and could consciously roam freely within the dream. Even though he was advanced in years, he felt quite well.
Yin Zhaoxian felt as if he had transcended some limitation, arriving on a desolate mountain. There, he saw a person seated cross-legged on the summit.
On Boundless Mountain, Zuo Wuji felt a stir in his heart. He opened his eyes, then slowly stood up. He saw a streak of white light on the horizon, yet it was as if he saw more than just a streak of white light. With just a glance, and at Zuo Wuji's divine realm, he could perceive a subtle change in his own state of mind, stirring righteousness and courage.
"Haoran Righteous Qi? The Sage of Literature?"
In his dream, Yin Zhaoxian looked at the man who stood up on the mountain peak. The man's upper body was bare, his muscles bronzed, like a bright human star, with an inner, yet scorching, fire burning within him.
"The Sage of Martial Arts?"
Aside from portraits, this was the first time Yin Zhaoxian had seen Zuo Wuji. The same was true for Zuo Wuji. However, the two could not converse, and the white light did not linger. Instead, it gradually left Boundless Mountain, watched by Zhong Pingxiu and others, as well as Zuo Wuji.
Finally, Yin Zhaoxian saw Ji Yuan. For the first time, he felt he could keep up with his friend, experiencing empathy with an immortal expert as if standing beside Mr. Ji, watching him speed along on his sword-light.
Just then, Ji Yuan suddenly turned his head to look at Yin Zhaoxian.
"Master Yin, a mortal body cannot sustain this power for long. Go back to sleep."
Ji Yuan extended a finger, pointing it towards the white light. In Yin Zhaoxian's eyes, Mr. Ji reached out and directly touched him, gently tapping his forehead.
A strong pull came, and in just an instant, Yin Zhaoxian woke up.
Outside, rooster crows could already be heard, and the sky was faintly brightening. As relaxed as Yin Zhaoxian had felt in his dream, he was now equally exhausted.
Yin Zhaoxian struggled to sit up from the side of his bed, his body feeling somewhat unsteady. His philtrum felt warm; he reached up to touch it, and a trace of blood stained his fingertips.
"Father, your child has come to pay respects!"
Yin Qing's voice came from outside the door, as if he had been waiting there all along, speaking the moment he sensed movement within the room.
"Qing'er, why are you here? You bear great responsibilities, and national affairs are pressing. Hurry back."
Yin Qing, still outside the door, was reluctant to leave.
"Father, I've already come all this way; I want to see you!"
"It's not as if you haven't seen me before."
Yin Zhaoxian's voice held a smile as he pulled open the door with a creak. Yin Qing quickly bowed, carefully observing his father. Although he hadn't yet put on his outer robes, his complexion seemed passable.
"Alright, go back now."
"Yes, your child takes his leave!"
After Yin Qing left his father's small courtyard in Haoran Academy, he looked back to see his father already back inside. Yin Qing sighed and hurried away.
After Ji Yuan directed the white light back, he glanced once more in the direction of Yunzhou, his eyes flickering slightly.
The Heavenly Dao was broken, yet what was referred to as the "fortunes of literature and martial arts" was also born from the Heavenly Dao. However, in this case, the will of the two core figures, the Sages of Literature and Martial Arts, played a dominant role.
Yin Zhaoxian was the Sage of Literature of the world. Although he couldn't cultivate himself, and sometimes his divine abilities were even inferior to a scholar who had just comprehended the literary dao, his Haoran Righteous Qi was unmatched in its might across the land. He also possessed an inexplicable intuition, his knowledge not limited to the vicinity of Dazhen, but encompassing the changes of the heavens and the ways of the world.
But as Ji Yuan had long understood, although Yin Zhaoxian was the Sage of Literature, he was fundamentally different from Zuo Wuji, the Sage of Martial Arts. He himself lacked the cultivation to wield such immense Haoran Righteous Qi. If he were to force it, it could only be at the cost of his life's end.
This righteous qi was indeed very important, but in the current state of the world, while it could stir belief in people's hearts, it did not possess the power to fundamentally alter fate. Ji Yuan also did not wish for Master Yin to pass away because of it.
Ji Yuan urged his sword-light, accelerating his escape speed once more. His flight-light formed a rainbow mist between the sea and sky, but even so, Ji Yuan's spiritual eye remained exceptionally keen, detecting a wisp of demonic energy that had momentarily appeared in the ocean.
The direction was roughly the same, and Ji Yuan had no hesitation. Almost instantly, he arrived above the demonic energy, but his form did not linger. Instead, he simply raised his sword-finger.
"Zheng—"
The Green Vine Sword instantly unsheathed, and as Ji Yuan's sword-finger pointed downwards, it cut across the sea surface with a faint sword-light.
In an instant, the ocean currents stilled, revealing the seabed. A single sword had parted the sea.
Where the sword-light passed, a mass of dark demonic energy trembled. To survive Ji Yuan's sword strike indicated a significant level of cultivation. He had intended to follow up with another strike, but then seemed to sense something, and instead relaxed his sword-finger.
The Green Vine Sword, being telepathically connected with Ji Yuan, circled back at this moment and returned to its scabbard.
Only after Ji Yuan's flight-light had vanished into the distance, and the faint rainbow mist had faded, did the sea, parted by his sword, rush back together as if collapsing.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Amidst the sound of rushing water, the demonic energy at the seabed continued to tremble.
"Ji... Ji Yuan..."
A long time later, the demonic energy slowly recovered, taking on a human form. It was Beimou. Even Ji Yuan would not have expected that the mass of demonic energy was actually a true demon, yet it had offered no significant resistance when his sword had parted the sea, and its subsequent reaction was even more telling.
Beimou's state just now wasn't due to him being truly so weak; rather, he had been utterly intimidated by Ji Yuan's vast and immensely powerful sword intent, which was akin to the Heavenly Dao itself. In short, he was terrified into a stupor.
Ji Yuan had once been the true demon's obsession, and now he was also the source of Beimou's fear. Beimou had often imagined encounters with Ji Yuan, even fantasizing about avenging past humiliations. But upon facing Ji Yuan at this moment, he found he couldn't muster the courage to engage. He could see that Ji Yuan was in a hurry and hoped he would leave quickly.
Indeed, Ji Yuan did not linger after his sword strike, flying off directly. This greatly relieved Beimou, but it was followed by an intense distortion of his pride and an unwillingness to accept, causing his demonic energy to surge erratically and his eyes to turn blood-red.
"Ji—Yuan—ah—"
"Boom..."
The sea surface exploded, billions of tons of seawater pushed aside by demonic energy, forming a massive circular vortex from the seabed to the surface, revealing Beimou on the seafloor. He roared, he bellowed, his hands clenched into fists, yet he had no intention of leaving. Even this outburst was only made after confirming that Ji Yuan, with his speed, had long since departed and could not possibly return...
Indeed, Ji Yuan could sense the demonic energy behind him, but having already gone far, he did not turn back. He merely slowed his flight slightly, as if waiting for something.
A moment later, a wisp of demonic energy also seemed to coalesce beside him. Ji Yuan looked to one side, and Ah Ze's form slowly emerged from the demonic energy. His face held a very complex expression, showing both excitement and shame. Deep in his eyes were various negative emotions, though none were outwardly displayed.
Ah Ze simply followed, thinking that even if Master Ji acted, he would not leave or retaliate. But Mr. Ji did not act; he merely watched him. Ah Ze wanted to speak but dared not utter a sound for a long time.
"Ah Ze."
It was Ji Yuan who spoke first.
"Long time no see. You have suffered."
"Master... Ah Ze is unworthy of your teachings..."
"Perhaps it is I who have wronged you, but now is not the time to discuss right or wrong... Seeing that you, though having entered the demonic path, have not lost your humanity, is a great fortune in misfortune. Now, that demon took a sword strike from me; go quickly."
"Master, I want to help you!"
Ah Ze's usually expressionless face now appeared somewhat urgent. Upon seeing Ji Yuan, the demonic thoughts in his heart were suppressed.
Ji Yuan shook his head.
"You cannot intervene in my affairs. If there is an opportunity, do me a favor: if there is still a future, if the demonic path eventually exists in the world, and if you can never escape the demonic path, then stand at its pinnacle."
Ah Ze's expression became calm. Mr. Ji's words made him feel a little pained, not out of dislike for Ji Yuan, but because he understood Mr. Ji's meaning. It was tantamount to telling him that his demonic path was almost irreversible, and that he was neither obsessively nor madly fallen into demonhood, not one of those "minor demons" or "good demons."
Originally, Ah Ze still harbored a glimmer of hope because Mr. Ji was there, but now, he felt rather disheartened.
"If the world misunderstands me, and the righteous path destroys me, then what?"
"I have not experienced what you have, so how can I presume to lecture you? Consider it yourself. Go quickly, don't let him escape. You've been with him for a long time, haven't you?"
Ah Ze's lips moved. He dearly wished to stay a bit longer.
"If that time comes, may I come to ask you again, Master?"
Ji Yuan smiled and nodded. Being with these children often dispelled the gloom in his heart, and it was the same even with Ah Ze at this moment.
"You may."
With Ji Yuan's words, Ah Ze also revealed a sincere smile, and his demonic light reversed direction and departed.
Ji Yuan's sword-light had imperceptibly accelerated once again. He looked ahead, lost in thought. Would he, Ji Yuan, still be there at that time?
'No, no, I mustn't. If even Ah Ze hasn't lost his righteousness, how can I waver in my confidence!'
[4 minutes ago] Chapter 1687: Giant Tide
[6 minutes ago] Chapter 1039: For the Once Severed Past VIII
[10 minutes ago] Chapter 4889: Secluded Cultivation
[18 minutes ago] Chapter 4888
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