The author of the book "The Book of the Dead"

Chapter 257 The Great Dao is Subtle, A Moment is Eternal

What is the Dao in the eyes of a mere mortal?
Some say that living for ten thousand years makes one an immortal, because living a long life means seeing a lot and never aging.

In the eyes of the Sumeru people, their greatest wish is to live for one hundred days.

For them, a lifespan of one hundred days is an incredible dimension of time.

Upon hearing Liang Yue's invitation, Xiao Luo inexplicably agreed.

"Okay, let's go take a look."

"Hold on tight!!"

Liang Yue summoned white clouds, and the two ascended into the sky, swiftly heading towards the outside of the mountains.

The scenery on both sides of the river is rapidly receding.

Xiao Luo's eyes were like those of a lively little deer, gazing at an incredible sight she had never seen before.

"What a big stream."

"This is called a river!"

"This is a cave, a city..."

Liang Yue pointed to the scenery below and introduced it to the Sumeru people one by one.

As the sun rose higher, the carefree girl transformed into a sentimental young woman.

Xiao Luo glanced at Liang Yue, her feelings buried deep in her heart.

The naive ideas I had when I was young are now clear to be impossible.

The two landed in the bustling city.

Strolling in the park, shopping, eating, enjoying the scenery...

As the sun sets in the west, colorful clouds fill the sky.

Xiao Luo is old and frail, over fifty years old, while Liang Yue still looks as young as ever, as if he has never aged.

As dusk fell, the afterglow painted the sky crimson.

"What a beautiful sunset," Xiao Luo said with a smile.

"The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it is nearing dusk," Liang Yue sighed.

Some people see the sunset every day, while others see it only once in their entire lives.

The sun finally set, and the stars filled the sky.

A cool breeze was blowing from the mountaintop.

The elderly woman was no longer sad or resentful; she had enjoyed so much and was already content.

Looking at Mr. Lingbao standing on the cliff edge, Xiao Luo said, "Sir, you have a long lifespan. May I ask you a question?"

"But it doesn't matter."

"Human life is 30,000 days long, with more than ten days of leisure and dozens of days of busy travel. With such a long lifespan, why are we busy all day long, living a mundane and boring life?"

"How do you know that mortals are boring? Life is only 30,000 days long, busy and bustling, but there is occasionally a brilliant moment that is enough to be remembered for a lifetime."

Liang Yue recalled his first life.

We've struggled for thousands of years, all for that one moment.

Liang Yue stood with his back to the woman, facing the cliff. Starlight, like silver gauze, fell on his shoulders, as if the stars were crowning him.

Xiao Luo pondered for a few seconds and said, "Then... humans are no different from me. A long life, half joy, half sorrow, and the remaining nine parts are nothing but emptiness."

"The wonders I have seen in a single day are enough to equal a lifetime for an ordinary person."

"Exactly."

"I have no regrets."

Xiao Luo's physical body, like a shattered vase, gradually turned into faint light and disappeared into the night sky.

She gazed at Liang Yue's retreating figure, unable to express the feelings in her heart.

It's a pity.

Liang Yue turned around, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

That person has long since passed away.

Looking at the remaining specks of light, Liang Yue had an epiphany.

Despite differences in lifespan, the experience is roughly the same.

"A touch of joy, a touch of sorrow... this is truly the ultimate truth of all things, the great way hidden in the smallest details."

This was the first time Liang Yue had comprehended the Great Dao from the perspective of an ordinary person.

No need for divine insight, no need for extraordinary skills, no need to fathom people's hearts.

Instead, it truly views the world from a human perspective.

A day is but a lifetime, yet a moment is infinite.

Liang Yue closed his eyes, letting the starlight fall on his shoulders.

Divine senses perceive the Great Dao in the darkness.

The sun and moon cycle, the stars revolve, and the seasons change.

I don't know how much time has passed.

For Liang Yue, this time was meaningless. Cultivators sought enlightenment for hundreds or thousands of years, but it was all for that one moment of sudden enlightenment.

It was early morning that night.

The Taoist priest stood on the cliff, his shoulders covered with a thick layer of dust. Birds built nests on his head, and insects and small animals climbed on his body.

At this moment, a strong wind swept through the forest, blowing away the miscellaneous items on the Taoist priest's body.

Wow!
The Taoist opened his eyes, his purple pupils swirling with mystery.

He looked at the sapling not far away. The sapling was only half a person tall. He hadn't seen the sapling when he came. It must have been a bird that brought the seed from somewhere.

The double pupils locked onto the sapling, shooting out a beam of green light.

Whoosh!
The mysterious light struck the sapling.

Click click click...

The surrounding spiritual energy gathered into a vortex, which then poured into the sapling.

In no time, the sapling grew into a century-old tree, passing through a century in an instant.

"A fleeting moment is eternal."

This is the double pupil technique that Liang Yue comprehended. The instantaneous eternity divine power can be used to quickly cultivate treasures, and it can also be used to kill enemies.

The enemy's once-powerful techniques have lost much of their effectiveness over the past century.

"not bad."

Liang Yue dusted himself off, summoned the white clouds, and left the place.

As white clouds rise into the sky, at this moment, rays of light pierce the heavens, the sun rises in the east, and golden light illuminates the undulating mountains, dazzling and radiant.

"Three thousand years have passed; it turns out I've been in seclusion for almost ten years."

Liang Yue was deeply moved.

Once upon a time, ten precious years became so insignificant, passing in the blink of an eye.

A century has passed since his first seclusion.

Over the past century, his thoughts have reached the amount of 100,000, while his other cultivation levels seem to have made no progress.

Only Liang Yue knew that he had gained a great deal.

One day, quantitative changes will lead to qualitative changes.

White clouds drifted across the sky, passing right by the Sumeru Tree, where ginseng fruits were still developing, and new people were born from time to time.

Because there are no external factors, they are adults from birth, and then they live out their short lives in pairs.

He landed discreetly under the tree and examined the strange tree for a long time.

"Never mind, the creation of heaven and earth has its own reason for existence."

This thing is useless to me. Even if it were useful, it would be the foundation for the birth of all living beings. Why do something that harms others and benefits no one?

Looking at the tree, a thought popped into Liang Yue's mind, and his eyes flashed with purple light, shooting out a beam of green light.

The green light struck the Sumeru Tree, but nothing happened.

Upon closer inspection, the growth of the Sumeru tree appears to be frozen.

This is "eternity," temporarily delaying the ripening of the fruit, which may bring about incredible changes in the future.

"Let's go."

Having done all this, Liang Yue had no more regrets and flew away from this place.

"Where to go next? Shall we go check out the gathering place of mythical beasts from the mountains and seas?"

Liang Yue had the same idea.

Legend has it that Beiju Luzhou is extremely dangerous, filled with ferocious ghosts and monsters, as well as strange beasts tens of thousands of feet tall.

Since this place is so famous, we have to go and take a look.

The stars on the other side are incredibly vast, with an area millions of times larger than Earth. Even with Liang Yue's powerful magic, he could not explore them all.

After flying for a long time, Liang Yue suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something.

"Huh, it seems like Xiao Luo has a crush on me?"

Only then did he realize Xiao Luo's feelings from back then.

This was three thousand lifetimes later for the Sumeru people.

Ultimately, there was no resolution between the long-lived and short-lived species.

Their joys and sorrows were not shared.

Wow!
Liang Yue's thoughts returned to the White Cloud Imperial Land. He emerged from seclusion and flew to Beiju Luzhou. After a long period of seclusion, it was good to occasionally come out and broaden his horizons.

Heading north, crossing mountains.

Upon reaching the North Sea of ​​Dongsheng Shenzhou, Liang Yue pondered for a moment, then landed and chose to cross the river in the manner of an ordinary mortal.

North Sea Country.

This country is so small that it's more like a small town than a country.

The people of Beihai are covered in black scales and have gills behind their ears. They can live in water and have dragon-skin boats that can cross the sea.

This vessel can navigate on the surface and also dive underwater, making it significantly safer than most large ships.

Because of this unique skill, the Kingdom of Beihai was one of the wealthiest countries in the vicinity, attracting merchants from all over the world.

Liang Yue, disguised as a scholar, stood by the notice board at the dock.

People from all walks of life, in groups of three or five, pointed and talked, exchanging information about the ship's voyage.

This place has merchants, ordinary cultivators, and also ordinary people who daydream about going to sea to seek immortality.

The Beihai man, dressed as a merchant, seemed to be in charge of the area.

"The Hibiscus Islands in the North Sea are 18,600 li away, a journey of two months. Those who wish to search for precious medicines and rare stones, please come here!"

"In the far north of the Jiaolong Ocean, after a half-year journey, we encountered overseas spiritual roots and wondrous adventures everywhere."

"Three-Eyed Island...is being captured by three-eyed winged people."

"The journey to Beiju Luzhou will take a year and a half, and the travel expenses will be eight thousand taels of silver."

Daomen Liang was a paper currency created by Liang Changming and others. Because of its strong anti-counterfeiting features, high Daoist reputation, and ease of use, it circulated in many places and was favored by merchants from various countries.

Some people even opened savings accounts.

The Three Realms Daoist School promotes the circulation of currency between countries through paper money.

The Eastern Continent of Divine Victory is a complete entity formed from a series of isolated islands.

Beside Liang Yue was a kind-looking, wealthy-looking middle-aged man with a small mustache.

"Young man, are you also going to Beiju Luzhou?" the wealthy merchant asked.

"Exactly."

"Beiju Luzhou is very dangerous. I hope this trip will be smooth sailing." The wealthy merchant looked timid and cowardly, already filled with fear and anxiety even before setting off.

"Young man, my name is Shen Qingfeng. How about we travel together and look out for each other on the road?"

"Of course, my name is Liang Bao. Please guide me on the journey."

Liang Yue glanced at the man, pretending not to know that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Soon, the large ship approached the dock.

The ship's surface resembled fish skin, and its prow was shaped like a living dragon's head. The dark, ferocious dragon head exuded an invisible aura, and its eerie green eyes scanned the surroundings, sending chills down the spines of those who saw it.

The passengers paid and boarded the ship in turn.

Many people travel to Beiju Luzhou, mostly merchants seeking wealth or cultivators looking for opportunities.

Beiju Luzhou is too dangerous and almost isolated from the world, which makes its resources extremely scarce and causes prices to rise dozens of times.

An ordinary businessman would need three years to make a round trip, but he could earn ten times his current wealth as a result.

Such enormous profits attract countless people to risk their lives to come here, even though no more than 30% of them return each year.

Ouch! !

The dragon roared, and the great ship set sail.

The ship sped forward, heading towards Beiju Luzhou, three million miles away.

On the way, the boats travel on the water, and when they encounter dangerous areas, they dive into the water and cross silently.

It was a calm day.

Liang Yue stood on the edge of the deck, enjoying the breeze.

The wealthy merchant yawned and came over, saying, "Young man, how have you been these days?"

"good."

"Speaking of which, young brother, are you going to Beiju Luzhou?"

"Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles." Liang Yue turned his head away, ignoring the annoying little guy.

"Without some skill, no ordinary person would dare to go to Beiju Luzhou." Shen Qingfeng revealed a half-smile, as if he saw through Liang Yue's disguise.

"To be honest, I have learned a few escape techniques."

"Knowing how to hide isn't enough. Don't come out when something happens. We ordinary people can just watch the experts take action."

“That’s absolutely right,” Liang Yue nodded in affirmation.

The ship sailed on the sea for months.

They encountered many demons blocking their way, but the cultivators on the ship stepped in and resolved the problems.

"Gentlemen, ten thousand miles ahead lies Gate God Island. The two Gate Gods are human cultivators who are close to the Eastern Continent. We can resupply and relax on Gate God Island for a few days. However, before that, we will pass through Miscellaneous Dragon Island. Everyone, please be on guard."

Miscellaneous dragons are dragons born from the union of true dragons and other species.

Because of their impure bloodline, mixed-blood dragons are often devoid of humanity and have a cruel nature.

When encountering other demons, they might be able to be released through coercion and enticement, but the miscellaneous dragons are indifferent to everything, no matter how powerful the opponent is, as if they are determined to fight to the death.

boom! !

The words had barely left his lips when the dark sea broke open.

The waves surged ten thousand feet high, and eighteen dragons burst forth from the water.

The leading dragon had a bull's head, and its millstone-sized eyes gleamed with malice.

"Oh no! Demons have swarmed in! Fellow Daoists, let's attack together and overcome this crisis!"

The cultivators on the ship all unleashed their magical artifacts and flew into the sky to fight the enemy.

"Young man, quickly hide!"

Shen Qingfeng hurriedly pulled Liang Yue into the cabin, and the two looked out at the battle through the glass windows.

The miscellaneous dragon possessed profound Taoist skills and formidable supernatural powers. Coupled with its fearless and undaunted nature, the ship's formations were virtually ineffective.

The human cultivators suffered repeated defeats.

"They're starting to feel the strain," Liang Yue said, glancing at Shen Qingfeng.

"Hey."

Shen Qingfeng sighed, seeing that casualties were imminent.

He transformed into a fair-skinned, red-toothed boy of about ten years old.

"Let's go!!"

The boy turned into a wisp of green smoke and flew out the window.

The instant it flew out of the window, it used its transformation technique to become a blue dragon.

"Ow!!"

The Azure Dragon roared, and countless leaves fell, trapping all the other dragons and forming an enormous tree sphere.

Click click click...

With a sickening squeaking sound, blood seeped from the tree ball, and the eighteen miscellaneous dragons vanished into thin air.

The Azure Dragon returned to its original child form.

The people on the deck stared in disbelief at the child in the air.

"Thank you for saving my life, senior!"

"Thank you, senior!"

Everyone expressed their gratitude.

"No need for formalities." Qingfeng, with an air of old age, landed on the deck and waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for formalities.

After saying that, he glanced at Liang Yue with a seemingly casual look in his eyes, and when he saw that the guy's expression was indifferent, he couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat.

After everyone had dispersed, Qingfeng squeezed next to Liang Yue, cupped his hands in greeting, and smiled:
"I am Qingfeng Tongzi from Xiacun Mountain. I had a mission to complete, so it was inconvenient for me to reveal myself. I hope you won't take offense. I have come here to find an old friend of my master."

"I see."

Liang Yue's expression remained calm.

Qingfeng Tongzi's face fell. He had only seen the moment when the opponent was dumbfounded. Why didn't this guy play by his trump card?

He really wanted to ask if this kid had ever even heard of Fangcun Mountain.

"Forget it, forget it, I won't bother with mortals."

Having weathered this storm, the ship safely sailed to Beiju Luzhou.

……

Beiju Luzhou, the sacred mountain at the mouth of the river.

This place is home to thousands of disheveled, blue-faced, fanged grass-headed gods, and monsters within hundreds of miles dare not invade.

By the river, a handsome young man in white armor, with three eyes between his eyebrows, was drinking alone.

"True Lord, something terrible has happened! There's a monster!"

"Ok?"

The three-eyed young man picked up his three-pointed, double-edged sword and flew to the riverbank.

A giant island slowly drifted in on the river, its enormous snake head lazily basking in the sun.

"Xuanwu?"

"Li Erlang?"

(End of this chapter)