Wet viviparity

Chapter 887 Parents, Legendary Figures

The clouds and mist lingered, circling the peaks three times without dissipating. Bamboo and plum blossoms swayed gently, their leaves half-covered in dew, ready to drip.

Willow branches sway gently in the stream, casting emerald shadows on the water. A flock of birds is startled into flight by the ripples. Red plum blossoms reflect in the water, and butterfly wings, tinged with fragrance, are tinged with the color of rosy clouds.

Amidst this serene and blessed landscape, turning towards the depths of the cave entrance, one sees a chilling stone wall, mottled with mottled moss. Only a glazed ceiling above casts a hazy, soft light, making the decaying wood on the walls appear as if shrouded in a dreamlike mist.

Jueguang sat down on the withered reed, his black robe turning white, and twirled the prayer beads, turning them until the wood grain on the beads faded completely.

A sliver of light shone through the caisson ceiling, casting dappled shadows on his face and shattering the false calm. A mix of emotions—bitterness, sorrow, grief, and shock—spread across his face along with the dappled light.

Seeing that he was already showing signs of demonic possession, a warm current suddenly surged in his abdomen. This was the true nature seed planted during the rainbow body initiation by the two monks.

This concept of "seed" originates from Buddhist scriptures and refers to the imprints left by a person's past physical and mental changes, such as the imprints left by their actions, knowledge, and experiences in previous lives. It can also be called a kind of latent habit left over from previous lives.

These seeds can be divided into those that are defiled, those that have defilements, or those that are partially pure. These classifications indicate the degree to which a person's six senses are impure.

The true nature seed is the pure seed that enables one to realize true nature. These true nature seeds are also formed through the "cultivation" of the three secrets of Buddhism.

That is, by learning the Buddha's speech (speech secret), the Buddha's conduct (body secret), and the Buddha's wisdom (hearing secret), Buddhist disciples, through this pure Dharma practice, will cultivate the seeds into a new, pure seed, which is the seed of true reality.

Within the true nature of these two monks, the deeds, wisdom, and enlightenment of the two monks are projected onto Jueguang, influencing his seed and allowing him to easily break through the inner demons and obstacles, but also making him suffer more clearly.

"Knowing illusion is to be free from it, without resorting to expedient means; being free from illusion is enlightenment, and there is no gradual process!"

As the Buddhist verses were finished, Ji Ming's figure emerged from the bright scenery outside the cave and came before Jue Guang.

Ji Ming's gaze was not on Jue Guang, but rather on the caisson ceiling above. On the caisson ceiling, the large mouth of the coiled dragon statue was "biting" a pair of severed feet. The severed feet were slightly dehydrated and turned purple and blue.

"Lingxu."

He stopped moving the beads, raised his face, which was tormented by guilt, and said, "I will accept any punishment you give me, but please do not make an exception for me because of the merits my two masters made in the great calamity."

"Are you atoning for your sins?" Ji Ming asked, staring at the pair of severed feet.

Jueguang didn't reply, remained expressionless, and seemed numb until he heard Ji Ming's next words.

"Does this feel better, or worse?"

"It was even more painful, like falling into the deepest hell, with no way out."

"That's right. You are a person of extraordinary talent and intelligence. It's difficult for you to make yourself feel like you've received some punishment through this kind of deliberate self-torture. You know very well that this is just wishful thinking on your part."

The more you torture yourself, the more pain you will experience.

But as long as you still have a conscience, this is the only way to give yourself a little "breathing" time.

"Knowing illusion is to be free from it, without resorting to expedient means; being free from illusion is to awaken, and there is no gradual process."

Jueguang repeated the Buddhist verse and asked, "You have explained the meaning of this verse. Do you want me to leave now, to preserve the reputation of my two masters, and preferably to die quietly outside, in a corner where no one knows?"

"You really are stubborn and incorrigible!"

Ji Ming raised a finger and touched Jue Guang's forehead, using illusion to break illusion, shattering the various internal demons accumulated and manifested within Jue Guang's primordial spirit.

“So that’s how it is. Everything on Victoria Peak is now just an illusion, annoyance, and an obstacle for me. As long as I can completely let go of these things, my true nature will spontaneously manifest.”

One moment Jueguang was enlightened, the next he fell back into ignorance, and said to Ji Ming, "You enlightened me like this, but you still want me to leave, to completely abandon the teachings of my sect, to abandon all the kindness of my two masters, to abandon..." "I'm sorry!"

Ji Ming interrupted Jue Guang and said calmly, "I have a lot of things to do, both in terms of Taoist affairs and cultivation. I'll be busy for the next few decades, so if you're really smart, you should understand that I don't have time to waste on you."

Your current action is as follows:
First, to preserve the reputation of the two monks of Yifeng, you can only die outside. However, I have no interest in executing you secretly, nor do I care how you torture yourself outside.

Secondly, the robes and bowls of the two monks should be taken back.

Whether it's the soft armor that can aid in the practice of the Secret Technique: Myriad Manifestations Needle, the treasure of subduing demons, the Great Salvation Robe, the true Dharma of the Taiping Mountain Armor Division that you practice, or even the Dharma name Jueguang, I will take them all back.

Remember, you can be anyone in the future, but you will never be Jueguang. You have never been a disciple of Taipingshan, and the name Jueguang has never been added to the sect's register. There has never been a disciple named Jueguang under the two monks of Yifeng.

In the future, the abbot will select another outstanding disciple to inherit the mantle of the two monks.

Seeing that Jueguang remained unmoved, perhaps he thought this was the punishment he deserved, a punishment that would make him feel better.

Ji Ming was not interested in how Jue Guang had ended up in his current situation. The reason he came with a Buddhist verse to enlighten Jue Guang was simply that he himself could also uphold the good habit of "leaving a way out for everything" in matters that were not mortal enemies.

Just like his last words, "I will choose another disciple to continue the mantle of the two monks," this statement was also a kind of limited comfort to Jueguang, a way of leaving a way out.

He didn't engage in further communication with Jueguang. He felt that this solution was appropriate, as the tradition of respecting the dead was still deeply ingrained in people's hearts, and the reputations of the two monks needed to be preserved. In a sense, the two monks had also achieved part of their goal of protecting Jueguang through their self-sacrifice in the face of great calamity and their past hard work.

Parents who love their children deeply will plan far ahead for them.

In the world of cultivation, Ji Ming was not the only one who was lucky enough to have a master and Fei Hu Zi as "parents". Jue Guang also had one, but unfortunately he never had one again. This regret made Ji Ming feel a little empathetic.

As Ji Ming stepped out of the hidden cave, he was greeted by three Taoists.

The three Daoists visibly tensed up the moment they saw him, and they all raised their hands in greeting.

"Why are you so nervous? It's not like it's the first time I've seen this."

Ji Ming said jokingly, his gaze lingering on Shangguan Yun, "This is the first time we've met, Master Shangguan."

The stories of legendary figures are timeless, yet also feel distant to many. Shangguan Yun grew up listening to the stories of his ancestors and the masters of Taiping Mountain. For someone of his background, he needed to gain a sense of honor through these legendary stories to deepen his emotional bond with his clan.

Indeed, from childhood to adolescence, influenced by the various demon-slaying and ghost-cursing deeds of the Shangguan family patriarch, I felt immense identification and pride in sharing the same blood and surname as the patriarch.

Later, following his family's rules, he became a disciple of the Taipingshan branch altar painting hall. He heard the legendary stories of the patriarchs who commanded the world, and felt even more honored to be a disciple of Taipingshan.

Of course, once he has attained a certain level of spiritual cultivation and gone through various stages in both his physical and mental state—stages that everyone goes through—he will be forced to accept that he is just one of the masses. He will not become truly special because he is a descendant of the Shangguan family or a disciple of Taiping Mountain, and he may even deny the existence of legendary figures.

That's what Shangguan Yun thought. So-called legendary figures are no different from him in that they don't have an extra arm or an extra mouth. Their legendary status is just a product of chance and the times.

Just like when he was a child, he always heard stories about real dragons and later began to admire real dragons in the martial arts world. But when he formed his golden core and actually met the old dragon in the Jinbi Water Mansion, the thought arose in his mind that even real dragons were nothing more than this.

With this thought in mind, and having prepared himself mentally for the journey to the hidden cave, warning himself not to be captivated by the aura surrounding the other party, when he saw Ling Xuzi, the ordinary-looking Ling Xuzi, his heart still skipped a beat.

"No comparison. How could Jiang Soulong compare? The difference between the two is so obvious. It's not a difference in cultivation, not a difference in spiritual power, not a difference in background or family wealth."

Rather, it was that ambition, that confidence that the world could work together, that magnanimity that made others believe without question that 'he can do whatever he wants.' That's what makes a legendary figure, a legendary figure of his own era.

"The True Lord's reforms have begun. I will become the sword in his hand during this reform. Are you, the Shangguan family, and other families that control branch altars and have made them impregnable, ready?"

(End of this chapter)