The Word of Heaven

Chapter 365 Heaven and Earth Balance

A long period of silence.

There was no echo from heaven and earth.

It was as if everything was a misperception of Gu Zhuo's self-awareness, and that all things were illusory.

His gaze remained unchanged as he waited quietly.

At one point, the sunlight faded away.

A spring breeze swept through the hall.

It brought back those long-lost voices to Gu Zhuo.

"That won't work."

"There is a great beauty in the world, and its name is tranquility."

The voice said earnestly, "Only in this way can it last."

Then it continued, "Man is like flowing water, surrounded by all things, moving and still at the same time. Isn't this the most beautiful thing?"

Gu Zhuo said calmly, "But you know, this is actually fake."

All things wait in silence.

"The water is real, but it's not the wild rivers flowing freely in the mountains and plains, but rather the pond in the garden."

Gu Zhuo gazed ahead as if surveying the heavens and the earth, and said, "I remember saying something that roughly means that the most beautiful quality of mankind lies in curiosity, and curiosity is often manifested in the pursuit of freedom."

That's why we need you.

The voice said earnestly, "Boundless freedom will inevitably lead to chaos, and how can chaos not bring about destruction?"

Before the words had even finished, new comments were already being made.

"You are the most suitable and correct candidate. You are the most remarkable human being we have ever seen. You have the ability to protect the beauty of this world and make it last forever."

"You will be one with heaven and earth, and live forever with all things. You can be a god, a saint, or any role you want to be, whether it's a character in or outside the book. And you only need to do one thing, which is to ensure that order lasts forever."

The tone of those words was so sincere and genuine that there was no trace of hypocrisy in them.

Gu Zhuo asked, "But why do we have to do this?"

"You should know."

A deep, resonant voice slowly rose, as if the earth itself were rising: "The reason this world has endured for tens of thousands of years, remaining unchanged, is precisely because its balance has never been broken."

Gu Zhuo was silent for a moment, then said, "The Balance of Heaven and Earth."

"Yes, so you naturally know the consequences of the imbalance. If a cultivator like Yuandai were to leave, it would be as if the world had permanently lost a part of itself, and the most important part at that. It would be like a person having their internal organs removed. They might live for a while, but that would only be a life of prolongation, a life that leads to death."

Dawn has broken, and the bright moon is hidden in the sky.

Yet its voice, which falls upon the world, remains as gentle as water: "Compared to this, all life and death, existence and extinction, are contained within all things, neither increasing nor decreasing, neither going nor coming, existing only in black and white. Is this not the most ultimate and enduring beauty?"

Gu Zhuo asked casually, "Why not use the word 'perfect'?"

"Because we've always been missing one step, and only you can complete that step for us, leading us to that perfect world."

Na Feng took over the conversation, his sincerity tinged with pleading.

Gu Zhuo suddenly said, "It seems you all believed a long time ago that I would ultimately choose to stay?"

All things were silent.

Gu Zhuo smiled, a smile as bright as spring rain, and answered his own question: "The answer is very simple."

"I come from afar."

He said, "He is not from this place."

Where the sound ended, thunder followed.

The thunder came so suddenly that it startled the people living in the capital, who were surprised that the Awakening of Insects had arrived early this year, and that all things were reviving ahead of schedule.

Gu Zhuo remained unmoved, his expression unchanged, and said with a smile, "I know the world beyond the world, I know the heavens above the heavens, I know that the starlight that fills the night sky came from tens of thousands of years ago... Beyond the firmament lies the boundless universe, which is eternally cold and dark, and deathly silent."

"Yes, precisely because you know."

Then a voice came softly, with a faint sigh: "Curiosity is the most deep-seated nature in the human heart. This deepest curiosity may never be unearthed in a lifetime, but once it is discovered, it will shine with the most moving brilliance."

Gu Zhuo said, "This is the fundamental reason why those cultivators who have stood at the highest point for thousands of years have always had to move forward, and the reason why the fourth generation patriarch of Yishui was willing to die to take that step."

"But there's really nothing to see there, is there?" A gentle voice, carried by the bright moon and pierced through countless raindrops, rang out again: "You agree."

Gu Zhuo calmly said, "There's nothing to see, but that doesn't mean it's not something to be curious about."

Silence fell over everything once more. Gu Zhuo stood up and walked out of the hall.

The morning and evening bells follow.

He arrived outside Weiyang Palace and saw officials rushing towards him in the rain, like a surging tide.

However, the moment they saw Gu Zhuo walk out of the hall, everyone fell silent, and no one took another step forward.

The scene was deathly silent.

"Just like right now, countless people have come like a tide over the years, so we need you to stand at the forefront to prevent anyone from breaking the balance of heaven and earth and causing destruction."

Countless different voices rang out at this moment, repeatedly reaching Gu Zhuo's ears.

Gu Zhuo remained silent.

Just then, an elderly official trembled and stepped forward.

That was the current prime minister.

He walked forward in the silence of the crowd toward Weiyang Palace, saying nothing, but everyone knew what choice he would make.

He would attack Gu Zhuo, then die at the hands of the Dao Lord, thus ending his life.

Is this foolishness, or loyalty?
Many people ponder this question but cannot arrive at a completely convincing answer because their thoughts are numerous and complex, and because it is not a purely rational decision.

In this life, how much purity can there be?

Those voices came again.

“You don’t need to do anything, just refuse his advance, that’s enough.”

"You see, only a handful of people have the courage to come before you."

"You won't suffer too much from this."

"You are the guardian of this world."

"You are a saint who bears the weight of countless burdens."

"You are a god."

All things praise each other, with utmost sincerity and faith.

Gu Zhuo knew very well that if he simply nodded, everything he had said before would come true.

His resolve didn't need anyone else's answer to solidify it, but he still looked at the aged prime minister and asked, "Why did you do this?"

The prime minister was slightly taken aback, looking at Gu Zhuo in surprise, but didn't have time to answer.

Someone provided the answer for him.

That person was both Lin Wanyi and Chu Jun.

"Why ask why? There are no so many whys. I think this is just what he wanted to do, nothing more."

Isn't the greatest meaning of life precisely in these choices?

Even if it's wishful thinking.

Hearing their words, Gu Zhuo laughed.

Under the eaves, he looked up at the sky and said, "The path to enlightenment is not a difficult choice for me, and I have never refused to become a god."

No one could understand what he was saying.

The world is in a state of confusion.

Fortunately, Gu Zhuo's next words were straightforward and clear.

"God is the dream of all beings."

"If I were a god, how could I prevent all living beings from having dreams?"

After a long silence, the bright moon asked, "Even if the world ends when I wake up, and humanity is plunged into eternal night, with no light and all living beings perishing?"

The rain intensified, and the moon was about to be hidden away, disappearing from sight forever.

Gu Zhuo looked at everything and said finally, "I don't think this is inevitable, or rather, solving this problem is the greatest significance of my coming here."

After saying that, he ended the conversation, which was actually quite relaxed, and took that step forward.

Emerging from the eaves of the human world, entering the world in the rain.

—In harmony with the Dao.

(End of this chapter)