Chapter 298
鈥淢aster! This matter concerns the rise and fall of our school. As a young man, I am afraid I cannot shoulder such a heavy responsibility!鈥�
Ye Guhong said anxiously.
Mie Jie smiled slightly, raised his hand, touched his head, and said softly, 鈥淢y foolish disciple, now that the name Emei Jade Knight is feared throughout the land, how many people in the world can match you? What is there to be afraid of?鈥�
She continued, 鈥淏esides, if you want to do justice to the world, countless heroes will follow you. If you become the leader of the people, will you still bow to me, the head of Emei?鈥�
鈥淢aster!鈥� Ye Guhong’s eyes welled with tears, and he knelt down, holding his master’s left hand with both hands. 鈥淚f it weren’t for Master’s rescue and shelter back then, how could I be so successful now? Even if I really became the emperor, I would always remain an Emei disciple.鈥�
Mie Jie was filled with warmth and boundless contentment when she heard this. She smiled and said, 鈥淪illy disciple, even if you are willing, if those other martial arts masters and leaders serve under you, won’t they be inferior to your master?鈥�
She saw that Ye Guhong was about to say something else, so she waved her hand and said, 鈥淵ou don’t need to say anything more about this matter, as your master’s mind is already made up! Besides, letting you be the martial arts master also has a bit of selfishness on my part…鈥�
Mie Jie said the matter in a serious tone, his expression solemn, and a strange gleam in his eyes.
He stared at his disciple and said, 鈥淕uhong, do you know that Zhang Zhenren has come here to congratulate you on the one hand, and to support the new head of our Emei Sect on the other. As for the third reason…he knows that he will not be long in this world, so he has come to say goodbye to his master and disciple…鈥�
Ye Guhong was shocked. He thought to himself, 鈥淶hang Zhenren is a master of the Dao, how could his life expectancy suddenly come to an end? Besides, there was no trace of sadness on the faces of the Seven Heroes of Wudang just now.
Then he saw Mie Jie slightly pursing his lips, his expression extremely proud, and he couldn’t help but weigh his feet. With his arms behind his back, he said, 鈥漐hang Zhenren said that if anyone in this world is expected to follow him in the future, it is only you and I, master and disciple! So I have come to share some insights with you before returning to seclusion. It could be two or three years, or as little as four or five months, and then I will abandon this mortal body and ascend with my yang spirit! Lone Hong, I am passing the position of master to you, but I will be concentrating on cultivating the Dao. Someday, I may be able to see that world beyond the heavens and find out where it is!
When she talked about Zhang’s appraisal, her expression could not help but become excited, just like a young girl. However, when she talked about her own ambitions, she looked up at the vast sky, with the bearing of a grandmaster, which was immediately evident.
Yangshen? Flying? The sky beyond the sky?
Ye Kuhong couldn’t help but widen his eyes. It was only then that he thought back to what Mie Jie had just said, that it would not be long before 鈥渢his鈥� world came to an end.
Jie Jue saw that his expression was a little confused, and laughed, 鈥淭here’s no need to speculate. If you go with me to see Zhang Zhenren, you’ll naturally know.鈥�
There was originally only one house on the top of Emei Mountain, but as more and more male disciples were admitted, a separate area was built. Naturally, the best house was where Ye Guhong lived, and now that Zhang Sanfeng had come to Emei, he was arranged to live here.
When the master and disciple arrived at the door, Mie Jie was about to knock, but he heard a loud laugh from inside. The two wooden doors opened of their own accord. Zhang Sanfeng was sitting cross-legged on Ye Guhong’s bed. He had a white beard three zhang long, a rosy face, and a radiant look in his eyes. He laughed and said, 鈥淭he groom is here.鈥�
Mie Jie nodded and put his palms together in a gesture of respect. 鈥淭rue immortal, I have brought Guhong to listen to your teachings together.鈥�
Zhang Sanfeng waved his hand and said, 鈥淚 don’t deserve it, I don’t deserve it. I happened to have the opportunity and went ahead. If we want to discuss it in detail, many of these karmic connections were made possible by you and your master. Now that I have some insights, I naturally want to share them with you.鈥�
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the two chairs swayed as if they had come to life and walked behind Master Mie Jie and his apprentice.
鈥淭his…鈥� Ye Guhong was dumbfounded.
Generally, the means of capturing objects in the void, such as capturing dragons and controlling cranes, if one practices kung fu to the level of eliminating disasters, it is not difficult to create one’s own method, even without a secret manual.
However, Zhang Sanfeng’s kung fu is more like Taoist magic than martial arts, and even with Ye Guhong’s current level of vision, he could not help but be dumbfounded.
Zhang Sanfeng laughed with satisfaction, 鈥淒on’t be surprised, this is just a small technique that temporarily keeps internal strength from dispersing. It doesn’t involve the way of yin and yang, so it’s not worth mentioning. Sit, sit.鈥�
Ye Guhong sighed, 鈥淪uch a stunt is almost like the way of immortals.鈥�
鈥淚mmortals?鈥� Zhang Sanfeng laughed, 鈥淕uhong, tell me, what is an immortal?鈥�
Ye Guhong thought for a moment and said, 鈥淧eople are like stones, immortals are like mountains?鈥�
Zhang Sanfeng nodded and shook his head, saying, 鈥淣ot exactly wrong, but if you only explain it in terms of strength, with your martial arts skills, in the eyes of ordinary people, are you not the same as a fairy? Therefore, the old master thinks…鈥�
He made a circle with his hand, his expression became solemn, and he said slowly, 鈥淭hose who cannot get out of this world are human, and those who can get out of this world are immortals.鈥�
Ye Guhong could not help but ask, 鈥淲hat is beyond the world? Is it the fairy realm?鈥�
Zhang Sanfeng looked up at the roof and said after a while, 鈥淚t is probably…from ancient times to the present, in all directions… 鈥�
Ye Guhong’s heart trembled. The words 鈥檉rom ancient times to the present鈥� struck a chord deep in his heart, one that he had almost forgotten, and he was momentarily stunned.
Mie Jie did not notice his disciple’s strange behavior and said puzzledly, 鈥淭he universe refers to the ancient times and the present, and the four directions refer to the universe. But aren’t we in the universe?鈥�
Zhang Sanfeng looked up, as if the roof was not a roof but the vast sky.
After a while, he said, 鈥淲hat we see is all around us, and what we cannot see is the past and the future. I have been practicing for nearly a hundred years, and thanks to the guidance of the Lone Swan, I have realized the way of Tai Chi. I have also obtained the Emei Jiuyang Gong, the two internal arts of the Nine Yin and the Nine Yang, which Mr. Zhou gave me, as well as the secret of the sunflower from the young monk from the Southern Shaolin Temple. Thanks to all these coincidental circumstances, I have finally realized the way of chaos, and this is how I can see a trace of the past and the future…鈥�
His voice grew lower and lower as he reached out with a vague finger and narrowed his eyes. He was almost rambling, muttering, 鈥淟ook, look, there it is…there is a thread from ancient times to the present day, I don’t know how long it is, one end enters from the void, the other end exits from the void, looking at its where it comes from, it can be seen from afar…The buildings are as tall as mountains, and there are as many people as ants. Most of the people are weak, but they are extremely well-off. There are iron birds flying in the sky and iron pythons crawling on the ground. These kinds of giant beasts move like lightning, covering hundreds and thousands of miles in no time. Their bellies are full of people…”
Mie Jie said in a shocked voice, 鈥滻ron birds and iron pythons? Could they be monsters eating people? Why doesn’t the immortal take care of it?鈥�
Ye Guhong, however, felt every hair on his body stand on end!
Zhang’s words sounded like the description of a terrifying and bizarre world to Mie Jie, but he clearly sensed that it was not a world different from his own!
At this moment, he was truly horrified. His fists clenched tightly. After a moment’s thought,
But why could Zhang Laoda only see this line? Is it…related to his arrival here?
His thoughts were chaotic, his eyes were filled with stars, and all he could hear was Zhang Laoda’s voice: 鈥淚t’s not some kind of demon, but a piece of machinery. Although it looks scary, it’s actually no different from the principle of the wooden bird created by Lu Ban.鈥�
He continued, 鈥淚n Taoism, the so-called yang shen requires the realm of refining the spirit and returning to nothingness, unifying the essence, spirit, and mind, refining away the dross, a pure yang, the imprint of a lifetime, the vitality and vitality of the body, all of which are returned to it. It is neither false, nor real, nor true, nor illusory. Only then can one break free from the shell and escape the shackles of the body and the five elements. It is as if one has jumped outside the three realms and is no longer among the five elements. This is the meaning.鈥�
His face revealed an expression of boundless fascination, as he whispered, 鈥淚t can be called the yang spirit, the primordial spirit, or the golden pill. Only at this realm does the old master understand what it means to ‘swallow a golden pill and take control of one’s life! It is precisely because this god is neither real nor illusory, neither true nor illusory, that one can touch the thread that connects the past and the present, and use this thread as a ladder to climb to the heavens, leaping out of this world in one fell swoop…This may be the true meaning of uniting emptiness with the Way.”
As the words of the destruction of the world reached his ears, he thought deeply. His body was filled with true qi, and without thinking, it spread out on its own. His face was solemn and dignified, and he actually entered meditation directly.
Ye Guhong was shaken to the core. He thought to himself, 鈥淲ell, what the heck. What Zhang Zhenren is talking about is the Yang Shen breaking free from the shell, retaining the imprint of a lifetime and the vitality of the body. Isn’t it the same as what I heard about scientists researching the uploading of human memories to the internet in my previous life? Except that this is even more advanced, not only does it retain the wisdom of memory, but it also retains the vitality of life, it’s practically another form of life!
And then I thought: Isn’t being outside the five elements actually about being free from the constraints of the material world? In that case, the soul is immortal, beyond reincarnation, and indeed my destiny is no longer in the hands of the heavens!
Thinking further, I was even more shocked: Could it be that people like me who have crossed over are born with a strong yang spirit and have inadvertently fulfilled some condition, thus causing the strange phenomenon of soul crossing? And because I have done so, there is a space-time thread in this world that leaves clues. According to Zhang Zhenren, this thread has an exit and an entrance. Theoretically speaking, if I reach this realm, can I not choose to return to my original world or go to the next world?
At the thought of returning to his original world, Ye Guhong’s heart pounded, his eyes suddenly moistening. He looked up at the ceiling, and through the wooden beams and tiled roof, he could see the endless sky, and beyond that, the infinite universe. How many dimensions of time and space were hidden within this universe?
As his thoughts raced, his internal strength suddenly began to run. The sound of Zhang Sanfeng reciting scriptures seemed to come from his ears, or from the heavens. Every word was a pearl, every sentence full of mystery. Ye Guhong’s internal strength turned faster and faster, becoming more and more pure. Suddenly, there was a shock in the middle of his brow, as if a pale golden seed had appeared out of thin air.
Ye Guhong immediately realized that he seemed to be able to entrust his will to it and fly out of his body. He couldn’t help but try it when suddenly a long laugh came from his mind. However, Zhang Sanfeng stopped reciting and said with a smile, 鈥淲ake up, both of you.鈥�
Ye Guhong’s body trembled and he couldn’t help but open his eyes. However, he saw that Mie Jie also opened his eyes at the same time. A flash of golden light in his eyes disappeared immediately, and then he revealed a confused and puzzled expression, 鈥淭rue Man…鈥�
Zhang Zhenren waved his hand and said, 鈥淣ot yet, not yet. Your cultivation at this time is only considered yin spirit. If you leave your body, you will not be able to withstand the human fire and heavenly wind, and there are many risks. If you are not careful, your soul will disperse and your cultivation will be lost. This is not something to be taken lightly. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not joke about it. You must not
He laughed and said, 鈥淕o, go. Lone Hong shoulders the world, but this is not the time for cultivation. Finish the big task, and I will wait for you in the new world.鈥�
He closed his eyes and began to meditate.
The master and disciple glanced at each other, rose together to bow, and walked out of the room quietly.
Once they were out, they realized that it was already dark, and a few words had actually passed in the middle of the day.
Mie Jie let out a long breath and laughed, 鈥淭his martial arts practice has turned me into an immortal, truly a peerless method. Lone Hong, do you understand what I mean? Three days from now, you will marry first, and the next day you will take over as the head of the school.鈥�
Ye Lonesome Hong was eager to return home at this time, and he could not wait to become a yangshen and return to his original world. However, countless people were now looking to him to succeed, so after a moment of contemplation, he suppressed his longing and laughed, 鈥淵es, I will obey my master’s orders.鈥�