ffsc_46.2

Chapter 46.2: Heaven and Earth Become One with the Divine

At the border of Yao Kingdom's imperial city, the moment Chen Moqing, cradling the small fluffy ball nuzzling gently against him, touched down on the ground, a brilliant beam of golden light descended from the heavens, draping itself over his body.

Cang Shun immediately looked up and watched as the golden light merged into Chen Moqing's body without the slightest resistance. In an instant, the aura surrounding him shifted entirely, taking on the vast, righteous aura of the greater Dao.

Merit bestowed from heaven!

——It was said among cultivators that those in the world who performed great acts of good would have merit bestowed upon them, a gift granted by heaven itself.

Cang Shun's mood immediately brightened. He reached out and tugged at Chen Moqing's sleeve, then leapt up onto his shoulder, nuzzling his fluffy fur against his face: 【Even I haven't seen heaven-bestowed merit in a very long time.】

Chen Moqing was likewise somewhat surprised, but quickly understood what had happened.

After the Heavenly Punishment, the Heavenly Dao—now bound by the laws of the mortal world—was unable to interfere in worldly affairs for a short period of time, and so naturally could not prevent this merit from descending either. This was why he had just now received his first, long-overdue portion of merit.

Merit that he had never once received, even after subduing the Demon Abyss in ages past.

Chen Moqing smiled faintly and reached up to stroke the lively little fluffball nuzzling against his face.

Merit bestowed upon oneself not only aided one's cultivation, but also gave birth to a profound, mysterious sense of connection to the greater Dao—something many cultivators never managed to cultivate in their entire lives, no matter how hard they tried.

With this gift from heaven and earth, his cultivation realm had loosened its bounds—he could now press forward and break through to Void Refinement!

【Are you going to break through here?】 Cang Shun asked, 【Or return to your homeland?】

Whenever a cultivator was born into Void Refinement, a surge of powerful spiritual energy would pour back down into heaven and earth, nourishing an entire prefecture. This was why every cultivator at the peak of Nascent Soul, on the verge of breaking through, would carefully select a place for their seclusion.

"No matter. I no longer have a homeland to speak of."

Chen Moqing gathered the small snow-white beast into his arms and took a single step forward—in an instant, he had already appeared at the border between Yao Kingdom and a neighboring nation.

Looking down upon the land from high above, a mighty river surged eastward, its two banks lined with towering green mountains, brimming with vitality.

——And yet, throughout these mountains and rivers, there was hardly any spiritual energy to be found at all.

In ancient times, when the Demon Abyss had descended upon the world, the three thousand cultivators of Changyao Sect had fought against it with all their strength, giving their lives for the sake of all under heaven.

The very continent on which Changyao Sect had once stood had exhausted every last trace of its spiritual energy, collapsing into a lower prefecture. Countless years had passed since then, and this now-silent Qingyue Prefecture had never again produced a single Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chen Moqing gazed down upon these mountains, rivers, and mortal lands below, a brilliant light blazing in his eyes, as though reflecting the lingering embers of a once-great sect.

"This land bestowed upon me a great kindness. Today, I shall return to this land a measure of the greater Dao's spiritual energy."

His voice, faint and ethereal as an immortal's, carried across the entirety of Qingyue Prefecture.

In a sect belonging to one of Yao Kingdom's neighboring nations, the mountains and forests suddenly trembled, and flocks of birds took to the sky in alarm. The sect's disciples watched in shock as a figure tore through the air and came to hover suspended above them—it was none other than the sect's Golden Core elder, who had been in seclusion for several decades!

This eldest elder of Changming Sect, his hair snow-white with age, pierced the vast sky with a pair of sharp eyes: "Peak Nascent Soul... there's someone at the threshold of Void Refinement, about to break through right here in my Qingyue Prefecture!"

Shock, excitement, and disbelief filled his eyes. His body trembled faintly, and he wept tears of overwhelming joy: "The immortal's great kindness and boundless virtue, sheltering and protecting every living soul in my Qingyue Prefecture!"

"All disciples of the sect, follow me!"

A gentle breeze stirred the snow-white fur, and Cang Shun flicked his tail lightly back and forth, gazing at the figure now visible before them. He sensed a Golden Core cultivator at the peak of their realm leading their sect's disciples toward them, landing a hundred zhang away, but paid it no mind at all.

When one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven with them—today, with this breakthrough to Void Refinement happening right here, the cultivators of Qingyue Prefecture would all take on an entirely new appearance in the days to come.

The river surged and churned, pine trees roared like waves in the wind, and among the towering green mountains, the young cultivator in snow-white robes sat in silent meditation, eyes closed. Between his brows, a cluster of golden light ignited, like the very first ray of light to illuminate the world at the dawn of primordial chaos.

Beneath the great sun, above the mighty river, there was only this one figure to be seen, only his presence to be felt!

Even from a hundred zhang away, the disciples of Changming Sect were struck utterly still by the sheer magnitude of that Dao aura, unable to recover themselves for a long while. It was only when their ancestor let out a sharp shout that they finally came back to their senses, sitting cross-legged to regulate their breathing and receive the surging rain of spiritual energy gifted by that great Nascent Soul cultivator.

The sun slowly sank into the west, the bright moon spread across the night sky, day and night cycled in turn—no one could say how much time had passed.

The golden light between his brows blazed ever brighter, burning fiercer and fiercer, until Chen Moqing—who had remained in silent meditation with his eyes closed the entire time—suddenly opened his eyes.

The great river roared in fury, whipping up waves a hundred feet high; a thousand peaks of forest howled, and even the green mountains themselves shook and trembled!

Merit draped over him, the Great Dao thrown wide open! The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, now his to command!

In that single instant, the sky held no sun or moon, no distinction between day and night, no green mountains or blue rivers to be seen—the world contained only two colors, nothing but these two colors remained: the cold, killing black of night, and the vibrant, thriving gold of life!

Golden light traced through inky black, spreading out into the most resplendent black and gold, painting a single, magnificent stroke across the mountains and rivers. The white-robed cultivator stood as though the very master of these lands, and took a single step forward—

His aura shook the mountains and rivers, his voice resounded through the Great Dao itself!

The foremost prodigy among the nine thousand prefectures in ages past—today, rising from the peak of Nascent Soul, returned once more to Void Refinement!

The corner of Cang Shun's mouth lifted as he heard, from a hundred zhang away, the loud cheers erupting from the disciples of Changming Sect.

"……"

At the moment of his return to Void Refinement, all sound in the world fell utterly silent, without the faintest whisper.

Chen Moqing gazed quietly ahead. In this moment, the mortal world before his eyes no longer appeared as it once had, but instead as a space woven from countless threads of spiritual energy, outlined in faint dotted lines.

Within that faint, ethereal space of spiritual veins, figures began to appear, one after another—some standing, some seated, some with arms crossed, some with hands on their hips, each in a different posture, their faces already blurred and indistinct—

But he remembered them.

Changyao Sect. Three thousand valiant spirits, each one before his eyes.

"Junior Brother, you certainly took your time getting here!"

Someone's voice rang out bright and clear—it seemed, faintly, to be his fourth senior brother from years past.

Someone else merely waved, watching him with a quiet smile, saying nothing at all.

"Junior Brother. You've worked hard."

A clear, resonant voice rang out—the eldest senior sister stepped forward from among the crowd and patted his shoulder.

Countless pairs of eyes met one another in that moment, and a single glance already held ten thousand years within it.

Chen Moqing slowly smiled as well.

He said: "Go on, then."

Go, and enter the cycle of rebirth. Go, and return once more to this world. Go—and walk the Great Dao  of this mortal realm all over again.

Those who had journeyed far and been scattered apart would, in the end, meet again.

...

The river surged, the forests roared like waves, the mountains trembled, and surging spiritual energy filled every corner of the mountains and rivers of the mortal world, spreading across the vast heavens, drifting over the boundless land.

The ancestor of Changming Sect breathed deeply, sensing the boundless, endless spiritual energy pouring in from every direction, every inch of skin beneath his robes trembling.

"My Qingyue Prefecture... has truly gained a cultivator of Void Refinement..."

"For several thousand years, our sect's ancestors said that Qingyue Prefecture lacked sufficient spiritual energy, and was fated never to produce a cultivator above Nascent Soul, this curse has lasted for who knows how many thousands of years..."

"From this day forward, the disciples of my Qingyue Prefecture will all have the chance to break through to Nascent Soul, and perhaps even climb higher still!"

His gaze burned with excitement as he watched the figure in moon-white robes descend before him, cradling a small snow-white beast in his arms. He immediately bent at the waist, leading the sect's assembled disciples in a deep bow.

"Greetings, Immortal!"

Chen Moqing shifted slightly to the side, stepping out of the path of their bow, and looked upon the elderly Golden Core ancestor, speaking calmly: "The spiritual energy of Qingyue Prefecture has long run dry, why do you still remain here?"

The ancestor cupped his hands respectfully: "Even if the sky is vast and the sea is wide elsewhere, our home is here. We cultivators are insignificant, yet still wish to remain and guard our homeland, to offer what small strength we have."

"Immortal, you have shown great kindness to my Qingyue Prefecture. We, in our insignificance, wish to erect a monument and a shrine in your honor, to receive the incense and offerings of Qingyue Prefecture for ten thousand years to come!"

The small fluffball in his arms suddenly burst out laughing, its fur trembling with each giggle—no doubt imagining the person beside him carved into a stone statue and enshrined in a temple. Chen Moqing lowered his eyes and flicked the furry little head.

"That won't be necessary," he said calmly, looking at the small fluffball now covering its head with its paws, "The Yue family of Yao Kingdom shares a past connection with me."

The ancestor of Changming Sect understood at once and replied immediately: "Rest assured, Immortal! We will surely watch over the Yue family and ensure their years remain free of worry! Should any of the Yue family's descendants show aptitude for cultivation, regardless of their root talent, they shall become inner disciples of our Changming Sect!"

"Changming Sect?" Upon hearing this name, Chen Moqing smiled faintly, "You have guarded this prefecture for many years. Let this jade slip serve as a gift—any disciple of your sect, inner or outer, shall have the right to study from it."

The immortal spoke with a smile, and with a light tap of his finger, a jade slip floated into the air. The ancestor of Changming Sect caught it with both hands, his pupils shaking with shock.

Such profound, overwhelming attainment in the talisman path! And several high-grade talismans and runes as well!

He raised his head in excitement, only to see a green river winding past ten thousand mountains—the white-robed immortal and his small snow-white demon beast had already departed on the clear breeze.

"...Thank you, Immortal, for your great kindness!"

The ancestor of Changming Sect gazed up at the vast sky and bowed deeply, and only after a long while did he slowly turn around: "Do you all remember the immortal's words? From this day forward, the immortal's words are the iron law of our sect, every disciple must abide by them without exception!"

"Yes! Disciples obey!"

"After today, we'll find a place with excellent feng shui and erect a monument and shrine in the immortal's honor."

The ancestor of Changming Sect gave a few more instructions, then turned to one of his disciples with a smile, extending a hand: "Come here."

The young disciple hurried forward, reaching out to steady the elder—but he waved a hand and instead placed his palm atop her head.

In that instant, countless streams of spiritual energy poured down into her. The young disciple's eyes widened in shock: "Ancestor—"

"Ancestor?!"

The other sect disciples rushed forward in shock as well, only to see their ancestor calmly raise one hand, signaling everyone to stay back, while his other hand remained on the disciple's head, continuing to pour spiritual energy into her.

"I spent a hundred years in seclusion and was never able to break through to Nascent Soul. These past two days, truthfully, have already been the end of my allotted lifespan..."

He smiled slowly, a trace of wistful regret in his expression, mixed with a measure of hope, as he gazed at the young disciple before him.

"You are the most talented disciple our Changming Sect has ever had. Once, a great sect from the Central Prefecture wished to take you in, but you refused, saying you wished to remain in your homeland... Today, having been bathed in the immortal's spiritual energy, and now receiving my own lifetime of cultivation as well, you shall become our new peak Golden Core cultivator. So young, with such a long road ahead, you will surely break through to Nascent Soul one day."

As the young disciple listened to these earnest final words, tears streamed down her face just as they did for the other disciples around her. Her lips trembled, but no words would come.

His entire lifetime of cultivation dissolved like flowing water, converging into a new stream. The ancestor of Changming Sect turned to face the surging river rushing past, murmuring softly: "My Qingyue Prefecture... has finally gained a great cultivator of Void Refinement... has finally broken free of the shackles of heaven and earth that bound us for a thousand years... there is finally a future ahead..."

"Ancestors, master—this disciple has not brought shame upon your teachings..."

He closed his eyes with a smile, and passed away peacefully on the spot, sitting in meditation as his life came to a gentle end.

The young disciple who had received his true inheritance, tears welling in her eyes, said not a single word, and led the assembled sect disciples in kneeling and bowing deeply.

The green mountains stood silent, birds circled through the forest, then at last rose into the vast sky.

At the border of Qingyue Prefecture, Chen Moqing turned back for one last quiet look, then brushed his palm gently over the small fluffy creature in his arms.

"Let's go."

The small snow-white beast nuzzled gently against his palm, its tail giving a flick—

The handsome man with flowing black hair appeared at his side, the silver ornaments in his hair catching a faint glimmer of light. He took Chen Moqing's hand and said with a smile: "Alright."

Chen Moqing silently watched this Demon Emperor who could change size at will, glancing briefly at their fingers now interlocked together, thinking to himself that he seemed to be growing more and more practiced at this.

Cang Shun smiled brightly, swinging their joined hands a little, and leaned in closer: "Let's—"

"—Fellow Daoist, please hold a moment."

A deep, low voice suddenly rang out.

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