Wet viviparity

Chapter 895 Awakening, Firm Refusal
The minor incident passed, and the topic returned to its original state.

The old woman found Ji Ming's method of "starving public opinion" quite interesting.

However, she was more concerned about the Treasure Treasury and the Spiritual Court, feeling that there was much more to it than met the eye. The “lesson” here did not refer to the merits, but to something else entirely.

She also sensed that Lingxuzi was unwilling to discuss the Treasure Funds Merit Spirit Court in depth. With a slight intuition, she knew that Lingxuzi did not have a long-term plan for the development of the Treasure Funds Merit Spirit Court, as if he was worried about being noticed by the will of Heaven.

After all, if the Spirit Court were to truly develop, it would be to establish a bond of interests with certain immortals and gods in the Thunder and Battle Departments. This would open a loophole in the Heavenly Laws and could lead to a great disaster in the future.

"Whether the Divine Gang Palace Grand Council succeeds or fails, it can divert the attention of the various sects in Tiannan, allowing your internal reforms to proceed. This is indeed a brilliant move."

As the old woman spoke, she seemed to have something to say, saying, "It's a pity that even if it succeeds, the treasures, merits, and spiritual court will only be a fleeting moment. The various palaces and departments of the Upper Realm will not allow it to last long, and the righteous path of the world will not allow the value of the Peace Talisman Coins to be above that of the regular talisman coins."

Your pretext of "temporary measures taken during extraordinary times, intended to efficiently allocate resources and benefit all of the south" can only sustain these measures for at most four or five hundred years, which is already the limit of what all parties can tolerate.

"That's enough."

Ji Ming thought to himself.

According to his and Lu Zhenjun's speculation, being able to maintain it for one or two hundred years would be enough to recoup their investment.

"not enough!"

"That's what the old woman said."

Ji Ming knew that the Divine Mother had heard his thoughts. He had experienced this many times before and was used to it. So he said, "If the Divine Mother is willing to participate, the Master of the Spiritual Court will naturally give way. I am also willing to serve the Divine Mother in the Spiritual Court."

“I think the Spirit Court should be maintained, and some interesting things should happen, but I’m not interested in getting involved. I’d rather observe its rise and fall as if I were reading a book.”

"The construction of the Precious Merit Spirit Court was entirely handled by the Patriarchs and True Lords."

Ji Ming decisively severed ties, keenly sensing the immense trouble hidden in the old woman's words.

"Let's make a bet!"

"No gambling."

"A little gambling is harmless fun, so why not gamble?"

"I don't have enough capital, and I'm worried about losing everything," Ji Ming said honestly.

"I will bestow upon you the divine arts of the Milky Way and the constellations."

"No." Ji Ming shook his head with difficulty, wishing he could plug his ears.

"Have you thought it through? This divine method was created by me and the Azure Emperor. All the celestial phenomena throughout history have been achieved through this method."

Now, after several revisions by me, it points directly to the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit, far surpassing the "Sun-Obstructing Star Chapter" you hold, adapted by the Xuanming Wenqu Star Lord. Even the pupil of your eye wouldn't be as precious as this divine technique.”

"No."

After the goddess finished speaking, Ji Ming unexpectedly felt relieved and decisively refused her.

Ji Ming's refusal was so decisive that it seemed to freeze the waxing and waning moon for a moment, and the surrounding moonlight seemed to slow its pace. The Chang'e maidens standing nearby were already on high alert, including Ying Shu, who had just accepted the purple honey, and a hint of disbelief flashed in their eyes.

The River Stars Divine Method, which points directly to the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit, is enough to be the fundamental inheritance of a great sect. Its value is enough to tempt any immortal, let alone Ling Xuzi, who has not yet attained the Dao. Why did he refuse? And on what grounds did he refuse? Ji Ming's current ease was not feigned, but stemmed from a moment of clear and transparent understanding within his heart.

At that moment, his increasingly profound first stage of enlightenment, Stream-entry, suddenly throbbed, and a cool, pure light of wisdom swept over his primordial spirit, making him extremely clear-headed.

The interest of the Divine Mother is itself a risk.

In just a few brief encounters, he sensed that the old woman loved excitement and novelty.

This certainly gave him the opportunity to please her with bad games, but how long could this interest last?

Today, the Divine Mother found it interesting and bestowed upon me a divine technique. What will happen if she finds it uninteresting in the future?

To entrust one's own path to the interests of an ancient deity is tantamount to walking on a precipice. Ji Ming has been able to get to where he is today by combining the orthodox and the unorthodox. If he were to bet everything on some vague and illusory opportunity or reward, wouldn't he be taking the unorthodox and dangerous path?

If the one he was betting against was his second primordial spirit, then it would be fine. But this is his true body, which is wholeheartedly seeking the Great Dao and is about to attain immortality. How could he stake his future on the momentary whim of the Goddess?

The Divine Mother is ancient and sacred, untouched by any calamity. Once Ji Ming is at the gambling table, can he extricate himself?!

Moreover, his last bet with the Pleiades Star Lord was like walking a tightrope, and he still feels lingering fear. How could he possibly repeat the same mistake now?

When the word "refusal" was uttered, it was not the regret of missing out on a treasure, but a kind of inexplicable joy. He had a clear premonition that his remaining minor afflictions had been completely eliminated, and desires such as greed, anger, and ignorance were becoming increasingly faint. The attainment of the "Sakadagami" fruit was right before his eyes.

At this moment, as Ji Ming was immersed in joy, the osmanthus garden fell silent, with only the rustling of the osmanthus leaves moving without wind and the enigmatic moonlight flowing in the moon's phases.

"Very good."

As soon as the Goddess finished speaking, Ji Ming found himself inside the small building of the Divine Palace.

Ji Ming shook his head, not paying too much attention to what happened in Guipu, nor to the attitude of the Goddess.

Since the Taiyin Divine Mother has attained the status of a Primordial Golden Immortal, it means that her spiritual cultivation has reached an extremely profound level.

The love of excitement, novelty, and even the capriciousness that Ji Ming sensed in Shenmu were all a kind of "unhindered play" or "responding to circumstances".

Her mood swings were not genuine emotional fluctuations, but rather responses to different things. Those various emotions and lively behaviors were like oil paint on the surface of the water, merely appearances that appeared as they came, fleeting and never sinking to the bottom, nor changing the clarity of the water.

Ordinary people who practice spiritual cultivation are prone to becoming attached to the appearance of purity.

They might think that spiritual practitioners should be serious and unsmiling, with hearts as still as water. This old woman's behavior is breaking down this attachment, and it's also telling Ji Ming that true purity lies not in outward appearance, but in the heart. True enlightenment is not about becoming unlike a human being, but about becoming a truly vibrant and free person.

Ji Ming had a similar realization regarding Zhang Xiaoyuan's awakening of his innate wisdom.

This realization made him understand that what he had to adapt to on the path of the Great Way was not only to become inhuman in his physical body, but also to become inhuman in his moral cognition, or rather, to become like a saint.

However, the enlightenment I experienced that time was far less "vibrant" than the one I felt from the Divine Mother.

Perhaps he should make some changes, fully immerse himself in life, enjoy the excitement, experience new things, and go through emotions.

All of this should not, and should not, become a burden on the mind. Instead, one should respond to things as they come and remain calm when they are over—that is a great freedom.

(End of this chapter)