novelraw Chapter 669: The Trial of Life and Death! (Part 2)
Chapter 669: The Trial of Life and Death! (Part 2)
This is a long-abandoned temple, its vermilion paint peeling, the door rings speckled with rust.
Outside the temple, night rain patters down, bringing a feeling of desolation and solitude.
Inside the temple, five people clad in straw raincoats have lit a bonfire, taking out some dry rations as they eat and talk loudly.
Ning Fan sits in the corner of the temple, showing no intention of approaching to converse with them.
His clothes are not wet in the slightest... With his strong Rain Intent, if he does not wish it, the rain here will not touch him.
"Hey kid, you look like a scholar, how come you’re traveling without luggage, did you get robbed by mountain bandits?"
A burly man in a straw raincoat scrutinizes Ning Fan, noticing that he carries nothing, and can’t help but laugh heartily.
"Come, help us gather some firewood to add to the fire and we’ll let you have a few bites of meat." Another burly man, gnawing on half a roast chicken, also laughs loudly.
Yet in his words, there is a touch of derision.
All five are bandits, and they have always looked down on scholarly types like Ning Fan, using him for entertainment.
Ning Fan gives them a faint glance but says nothing more, naturally refusing to gather firewood for food from them.
Beg, he disdains. What he likes, he takes by force.
However, against a few mortals, he disdains to rob them of anything. He has his principles.
Seeing Ning Fan ignoring them, the five burly men lose interest and stop paying attention to him, starting to talk about other things.
Ning Fan watches the rain outside the temple, his mind gradually becoming calm and serene.
He cannot remember who he is, but he remembers all his insights about the rain.
He remembers all his Divine Skills, remembers all his killings, but does not remember who he is.
Suddenly, Ning Fan’s gaze sharpens, and he sees within the night rain, a young man in white walking in slowly.
This young man is of ordinary appearance, but as he walks, he naturally exudes an aura where life and death follow closely.
This young man is already not far from reaching Divinity Transformation.
His cultivation level is secondary, but his Comprehension of the Dao of Life and Death is faintly higher than Ning Fan’s in some respects!
"This person’s Divinity Transformation intent, is actually life and death!"
Ning Fan’s expression remains unchanged, but his heart is shaken.
Since ancient times, life and death have been the Dao Immortals need to comprehend, yet here is a Nascent Soul cultivator entering the Dao with life and death to reach Divinity Transformation.
Though his cultivation is still low, this Dao Enlightenment on him is by no means weaker than Ning Fan’s.
The white-clad young man looks at the five burly men gathered around the bonfire, frowning slightly.
His Death Intent in this rainy night seems on the verge of taking shape, but the vulgarity of these five burly men disrupts that atmosphere.
He intends to find a corner to sit down, when suddenly his gaze changes.
He sees Ning Fan sitting in the corner, smiling at him.
Ning Fan had already been there, but his aura was too restrained, so much so that for a moment, the white-clad young man nearly overlooked him.
This kind of occurrence is rare in the life of the young man in white, happening only when faced with a few formidable figures.
Such as Situ Nan, such as Yun Quezi...
"This person is a master, and his cultivation far surpasses mine currently, but he seems to have no ill intentions toward me."
The young man in white sits beside Ning Fan, nodding slightly in acknowledgement, but says nothing more, lifting his head to watch the rain outside the temple.
Ning Fan also remains silent, similarly watching the rain, as if any extraneous words would mar the beauty of the rainy night.
"Finally found a place to escape the rain."
A voice enters the temple, followed by another seeking shelter from the rain entering the temple.
It is a tall man, clad in light clothing.
Once the man enters the temple, his gaze sweeps over the people inside, pausing on Ning Fan and the young man in white.
"Oh? Didn’t expect to meet fellow cultivators in this temple. I am Mo Zhi, how may I address you two friends?"
"A man of the wilderness, no particular name, call me Daniu." The young man in white briefly clasps his hands in greeting.
"I don’t know who I am, some call me Lux Sheng, but I always feel this is not my true name." Ning Fan also slightly clasps his hands toward the tall man.
He vaguely perceives something extraordinary about the tall man, whose Divine Intent is very similar to Yun Bushu’s, one of forgetting.
Yet the gap in cultivation between him and Yun Bushu is immense... This man’s cultivation is not even in the First Step of cultivation, not even comparable to a Fate Immortal...
"Haha! Interesting, did this scholar truly encounter mountain bandits and got beaten stupid, forgetting who he is?" The burly men in straw raincoats laugh.
Mo Zhi frowns slightly, faintly detecting something from Ning Fan, yet seemingly uncertain.
Then he smiles, saying, "So Brother Lux also doesn’t know who he is, much like myself. It’s rare to meet two fellow cultivators here, how about we sit together and discuss Dao on this rainy night?"
"Discussing Dao..." Ning Fan’s gaze alternates between bewilderment and clarity. He may not know who he is, but he knows he is pursuing the Dao of life and death.
Discussing Dao, why not.
Wine, he did buy quite a lot; during deliberations, having good wine is naturally a good thing.
Ning Fan said nothing more, with a flick of his sleeve he took out three jars of wine, taking one for himself, and gave one each to Mo Zhi and Daniu.
The young man in white known as Daniu chuckled lightly, took one jar of wine, and drank it down with hearty gulps; indeed, a carefree person.
Mo Zhi was taken aback, took the wine as well and let out a hearty laugh, drinking heavily.
Then he looked at Daniu and said, "Brother Daniu’s cultivations are astonishing. If I am not mistaken, you should have reached the realm of Divine Intent Soul Lock, with hopes of reaching the Immortal Clouds."
Daniu’s gaze slightly changed, showing a hint of caution, avoiding talking about his cultivations.
Not far from the bonfire, a few burly men mocked loudly,
"What gibberish are you guys talking about? We can’t understand a word of it. Divine Intent Soul Lock, hopes of reaching the Immortal Clouds, are you perhaps crazy!"
Mo Zhi then looked at Ning Fan, after a careful look, his gaze became increasingly solemn.
This solemnity wasn’t because of Ning Fan’s cultivations, but because he saw something else.
"Brother Lux’s cultivations are also amazing, but what amazes me the most is that Brother Lux seems not to be from this realm. Brother Lux seems to be from beyond the Nether Dust Realm... no, Brother Lux is from beyond the Four Great Realms... a Foreign Cultivator. May I ask which outer Immortal Domain Brother Lux is from?"
Ning Fan’s gaze was startled, as if somewhat perplexed, said, "I don’t know."
By the bonfire, the few burly men laughed again, "Haha, what inside realm, outside realm, what outer, inner domain, these people are truly mad!"
Mo Zhi smiled faintly, not getting angry,
"What you said is quite right, the word ’madness’ is well-used. Without madness, it is naturally difficult to comprehend the Heavenly Dao; without madness, who would seek the art of immortality, this is the reason behind the notion that what heaven desires, there must be desires."
The burly men by the bonfire frowned and cursed, "Truly a madman, I didn’t understand a word of it."
Mo Zhi laughed silently, shook his head slightly, and looked at Daniu, "Brother Daniu, did you understand?"
Daniu said, "Brother’s words have mysteries within. I do not understand. But I believe, the word ’madness’ is used poorly, it would be better to use ’obsession’!"
"Well said! The word ’obsession’ is excellent! Among our people, without an obsessive thought, surely the cultivation can’t reach fruition, to fulfill the destiny of Heavenly Dao!"
After laughing, Mo Zhi looked at Ning Fan again and asked, "What does Brother Lux think of the word ’obsession’?"
"Obsession..." Ning Fan’s eyes became more dazed, "Madness or obsession, all can seek the Dao, but my Dao is ’mindset’, keeping a mindset in heart, thus turning into a demon, reincarnating for thousands of lives, dying a hundred deaths without regrets..."
"Mindset..." Mo Zhi and Daniu both showed thoughtful expressions.
Obsession is being troubled by emotions, lost in the Dao, capable of defying heaven for emotions.
Mindset, however, is actively locking emotions in the heart, willingly harboring the Heart Demon in the heart, neither retreating nor abandoning.
"Mindset... mindset... uh, where were we? I’ve accidentally forgotten everything."
Mo Zhi suddenly appeared confused.
"Indeed a madman!" The burly men by the bonfire all laughed out loud.
"Forget it, let it be forgotten. I am Mo Zhi. How should I address the two of you?"
"Daniu." Daniu’s eyes flickered, as if discovering something.
"Perhaps my surname is Lux, perhaps not." Ning Fan was once again in a daze.
Mo Zhi nodded, looked at the rainy night outside, and admired,
"The beauty of the rainy night lies in the intent, in the cycle of life, where flowers and grass absorb water vapor, the original aura of death silently fades, this is the beauty of a rainy night, and the taste of life."
The sound of rain falling outside the temple came intermittently, occasionally with lightning flashing across, momentarily lighting up the rainy night.
The bonfire inside the temple flickered between bright and dark, casting an unsteady light around. Just like the transition between life and death, in this alternation of light and dark, the Dao of life and death seemed to reside.
Light is life, darkness is death. In the flicker of light and dark, life and death interchange.
"What is life?" Daniu was just about to ask when Ning Fan already asked.
Ning Fan’s heart was lost in confusion, a bewilderment unable to understand life and comprehend death.
Mo Zhi pointed at the bonfire and said, "This fire, is life!"
"Why?"
"I don’t know what life is, but I often hear mortals say, light a fire, light a fire. It seems this fire, is life."
"Madman!" This time, all the burly men by the bonfire looked at Mo Zhi with strange eyes.
"What is death?" Ning Fan asked again.
Mo Zhi was about to speak, but suddenly his eyes became confused again, after a long time, he looked around in a daze.
"Where were we before?"
Before Ning Fan and Daniu could speak, a burly man by the bonfire immediately said, "That scholar just asked you, what is death!"
Mo Zhi apologetically looked at Ning Fan, hesitated slightly, and asked, "I suppose Brother already knows my name, how should I address Brother?"
Another burly man by the bonfire laughed and said, "He has a poor memory like you, can’t remember who he is, only knows his surname is Lux!"
Mo Zhi’s eyes showed even more apology, "Ever since I comprehended the Heavenly Dao, my memory has deteriorated, Brother Lux, please forgive me."
"What this person comprehends is indeed the Intent of Oblivion." Daniu pondered.
"Hey, you haven’t finished telling us what death is. Go on, it’s quite interesting," urged a burly man by the campfire.
"What is death... Death is perishing. If a person perishes, he is dead; if the heart perishes, it is forgotten. This is death."
"Today, the rootless water falls, so the water in this depression is life; when the rootless water is lost, the water in this depression will be death. Without vitality, without flow, this so-called dead water is just like this!"
Mo Zhi pointed to those burly men by the campfire and said, "Today, they can be happy, angry, mournful, or joyful, which is life; one day, they will not have these emotions, unable to escape reincarnation, that is death."
Mo Zhi pointed to the petal base inside the temple and continued, "When the temple’s divine statue was present, the temple was life. Now that the statue is gone, it is death!"
Speaking up to this point, he stood up and pointed to the sky, saying, "This rain, born from the sky and dying on the earth, the process in between is a life of rain. Therefore, when I look at this rain, I neither see the sky nor the earth, nor the rain itself, but the life of this rain... This is life and death!"
Ning Daniu listened to Mo Zhi’s profound discussion, and a sense of confusion in his heart vanished, as if enlightened by something. He stood up and cupped his hands toward Mo Zhi.
At this moment, Ning Daniu had not yet achieved Divinity Transformation, yet he could almost take a step and accompany life and death!
Ning Fan’s bewilderment slightly faded, yet he still hadn’t fully comprehended.
He always felt that Mo Zhi’s words were still one-sided.
He spoke of the death of the temple, the death of rain, the death of mortals, and of plants and trees but not of the death of the Immortal...
"If one stands at the peak of the Dao, they may appear immortal, yet could they also die? If so, what is immortality?" Ning Fan suddenly asked.
This question, however, suddenly transformed into two bolts of thunder, exploding in the minds of Ning Daniu and Mo Zhi.
Ning Daniu, who had just understood life and death, became bewildered again. He had never considered this question.
Mo Zhi’s face changed. His master was a peerless strongman, and he never thought about whether his master might also have a day of falling.
Will it die, will it die... He was understanding the Heavenly Dao here, thinking he had high Dao Enlightenment, but in reality, the Heavenly Dao he saw was still one-sided.
The immortality he pursued, did it not exist from the beginning?
The death of mortals, the death of Masters, and the death of Fourth Step cultivators should be different. The death of Fourth Step cultivators should touch the source of the Dao...
Suddenly, Mo Zhi seemed to realize something and looked at Ning Fan in shock, "I understand. The reason you can appear in the Nether Dust Realm is because..."
He had heard from his master that among the extraterritorial powerhouses, there was a Fourth Step Supreme who turned himself into the world and reincarnated through dreams, and when the dream awakened, the realm perished.
The reincarnation this person was in included a life-and-death tribulation that could help Masters glimpse the supreme Dao!
The Ning Fan in front of them might just be a cultivator experiencing the life-and-death tribulation in some Immortal Domain!
The Ning Fan they saw was not real, and what Ning Fan saw of them was not real either.
One side was true, and the other side must be illusory. The two could never coexist on this rainy night.
"I still don’t understand the Dao of Life and Death... Even if I step on life and death, I might still not understand it. Stepping on life and death, with life and death accompanying every step, is only the first step in fully realizing them. Many Fate Immortals have not even achieved this first understanding of life and death... However, I seem to remember who I am. If the heart does not perish, everything can be recalled..."
"This is the chance I gained from refining the Seven Life and Death Crystals... life and death tribulation!"
"I am Ning Fan! My obsession within my heart cannot be erased even by reincarnation. This life-and-death tribulation cannot obscure my heart either!"
Ning Fan pointed out, and the entire world shattered like glass.
Although Mo Zhi’s words did not touch upon the source of the Dao, they provided Ning Fan with quite a bit of inspiration.
A total of 500 more Lifedeath Dao Pattern appeared above his Spirit, totaling 1720.
The scene before him transformed rapidly, and the first life-and-death tribulation had already been broken through.
"A really good discussion of the Dao... Listening to Mo Zhi’s words, I and they were not in the same reincarnation, the same time and space; perhaps, there would be no day of meeting again... This life and death tribulation is truly mysterious, allowing me to see figures from other reincarnations. Is this the method of the Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign..."
Ning Fan’s body gradually dissipated, and the world began to recondense bit by bit.
...
In the West Aparagodānīya, in a place called Ning Family Manor, there was a rustic landowner, known as Ning Laocai.
According to village rumors, this person had two lovely wives, each as beautiful as a flower.
Inside the Ning Family Manor, within a deep courtyard, in a bedroom, a man and two women were engaged in passionate strife on the bed.
The man was a fair-skinned young man, handsome in appearance, his gaze full of desire, waging war on the bodies of the two charming women.
Both women were exceptionally beautiful. One had eyes like black gemstones, named Xiao’er.
The other had cold crimson eyes, enduring the young man’s assault, named Hong’er.
The young man was indeed Ning Laocai.
As for the two women, they were naturally his concubines.
In the midst of the battle, the fair-skinned young man suddenly stopped his movements, looking incredulously at the two beauties below him, his expression rather grim, as though he had swallowed a fly.
"Why am I here... Who am I..."
"Uh, you are... I can’t remember the names, but I vaguely recall that I shouldn’t do this to you... Our relationship... Am I not supposed to..."
"Husband... Why did you stop... Go on..." Xiao’er’s eyes were misty, she breathed like a fragrant orchid, her chest gently rising and falling, yet she smiled mischievously.
"Hmph, worked up just like that? Weren’t you going to battle me three hundred rounds?" Hong’er gave a playful cold smile, her delicate body welcoming, once more placing a certain thing inside.
Ah...
Ning Laocai’s forehead bulged with veins.
He can’t do it? He was actually told by Hong’er that he can’t?
Although he hasn’t remembered who he is, he remembers that he is the Manor Lord of the Ning Family Manor, and the husband of Hong’er and Xiao’er.
The relationship between husband and wives seems like the most natural thing...
"Let me show you, if your husband is really helpless!"
Ning Laocai bent down, pressing down...
His hands roamed over the delicate bodies of the two women...
After a bout of madness, it was already evening, and the two women fell into a satisfied slumber.
Ning Laocai got up, dressed, feeling refreshed, yet there was a strange feeling in his heart.
He always felt that he really shouldn’t have done such a thing with the two women.
But clearly, the two women are his wives. Why shouldn’t he do such a thing?
In his memory, he had been intimate with his wives countless times...
Why, why...
As if he had forgotten something important...
"Master, monsters... the monsters are here! A monk claiming to be from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands has entered the manor with three monsters!"
"Monk? Monsters?"
Ning Laocai’s gaze sharpened as he pushed the door open, a formidable aura gathering in his eyes.
The maid who came to report originally thought her master would be as timid and afraid as before. Unexpectedly, today’s master had such a fierce gaze that he wasn’t afraid at all when he heard about the monsters entering the manor.
"With me here, nothing will happen to the Ning Family Manor! Take me to see this monk and the monsters!"
The maid was stunned.
When had her master been so bold before? How come he was different today... really not afraid of monsters, and even wanted to meet them and protect the Ning Family Manor...
She led Ning Fan all the way out of the courtyard, searching for the monk and monsters within the manor. Suddenly, they heard a thunderous shout.
"Hey! Such a large manor, why can’t I see anyone? All of you pigs, roll out here quickly, spread out the good wine and dishes to honor your pig grandpa!"
A black-bristled pig demon carrying a rake swaggered over.
Upon seeing the maid beside Ning Fan, with her exceptional appearance, the pig’s small eyes immediately turned green, filled with a lewd smile.
"Hehe... how should I address this young lady?"
As he stepped forward to flirt with the maid, she collapsed to the ground in fright, trembling all over, clutching Ning Laocai’s leg with pleading eyes.
"How my maid is addressed is none of your concern!"
Suddenly, a purple-black glow flashed in Ning Laocai’s left eye!
A fearsome power of the demon ancestor suddenly pressed down upon the black-bristled pig demon.
At the moment of touching this demonic power, the pig demon’s face changed drastically, and its Demon Bloodline involuntarily trembled.
"You... you... you are the demon ancestor! You are the Eternal Immortal Venerable!"
In the pig demon’s impression, the demon ancestor was equivalent to the Eternal Immortal Venerable.
The Eternal Immortal Venerable was someone who stood at the peak of the Second Step of cultivation.
If in later generations, perhaps he should be called the Immortal Emperor...
He was naturally filled with dread!
"Wuneng, cease your rudeness!"
A white-skinned monk walked over, bringing his palms together to bow before Ning Fan.
"This humble monk hails from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands. The night is late, and thus I wish to borrow a night’s stay in your noble manor. This humble monk has three disciples, each with dazzling appearances. If we have disturbed the Manor Lord, please forgive us."
Ning Laocai cupped his hand in respect to the monk, his eyes drifting to the two other disciples behind the monk.
Finally, his gaze settled on the monk.
Upon meeting the monk’s clear gaze, Ning Laocai seemed to remember something in an instant.
"I am... Ning Fan!"
"Who is this monk! Clearly, he is just a mortal, but his gaze is as sharp as Meng Xuanzi’s!"
Meng Xuanzi is the Tablets Master Immortal Emperor; is this person also an Immortal Emperor!
"May I ask what is the elder’s name?" Ning Fan asked, cupping his hands.
"The world calls me Xuanzang. You are unlike others in this realm; you may call me Jinchan. As you suspect, in my past life, I was probably the Immortal Emperor you mentioned, but in this life, I’m just an ordinary mortal devoted to Buddhism," Jinchan replied with a smile.
His gaze was pure and clear as if he could see through Ning Fan’s thoughts.
This man, what a strange Divine Skill...(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)