Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

While speaking, the old master's expression remained unchanged, as if he were not talking about his own past, but about the experiences of others.

In front of Zhang Ming'an, the old master brushed over the three sculptures from left to right, finally stopping in front of the sculpture he called his uncle.

"There are no complicated stories, no grudges or feuds. My cultivation life has never been filled with such boring things."

"Since I embarked on my cultivation, everything has gone smoothly. When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength, and when fortune smiles upon me, all things move in harmony."

"The day I embarked on my cultivation, I saw my own destiny and the future of all living beings."

"The future belongs to me, and heaven and earth will eventually be in my hands."

……

"This humble Taoist has no master, because at that time, no one in the Celestial Master's Mansion was qualified to teach me the sect's scriptures, supreme skills, and methods of entering the Tao..."

"All of these things, I only need to take a look at them to innovate and improve."

"Throughout the entire Nine Realms, apart from the Xuanling Bodhisattva who embarked on cultivation earlier than me, there is no one else in this vast world who can catch my eye."

Despite uttering words that would drive anyone mad with envy, the old master's tone remained indifferent.

He gently touched the alchemy furnace in front of him, and the furnace disappeared from the world like quicksand, leaving only three stone sculptures standing quietly in front of the pool.

"My senior brother treated me like an old friend, and my uncle treated me like his own son. Of these three, only my senior brother, who is thirty years older than me, has ever been a little jealous of me."

"But this jealousy didn't last long. After recognizing the gap between himself and me, Senior Brother also became a qualified Senior Brother."

As they were talking, the old master turned his head and met Zhang Ming'an's gaze.

"Now that you, fellow Daoist, are in harmony with the Heavenly Dao, you should know that in this world, in the vast universe, the only way to attain the Golden Immortal realm is to be in harmony with the Heavenly Dao."

"If one cannot attain the Golden Immortal realm and is unwilling to rely on others, then Heaven and Earth will only leave us cultivators with three thousand years."

"Without the help of a powerful being, to comprehend all the great principles of heaven and earth in three thousand years and ultimately replace the Heavenly Dao is a difficulty that only one can truly understand."

"Heaven and earth do not wish to grant me more time, yet the Great Dao lies ahead, like the most dazzling lamp in the world, drawing this 'moth' drawn to the flame."

"How can I hesitate? How can I give up?"

"The road is under your feet, the path lies ahead; all that remains is to strive."

"In my world, only the Great Dao is the eternal pursuit, the lifelong faith of this humble Taoist. If I want to pursue the Great Dao within the limited time, I can only find another way."

……

The old master raised his hand and stroked the stone sculpture's cheek. His narration was devoid of sorrow or joy, showing no regret for the past or any hesitation about himself.

"The three of them will be turned into stone statues, without any love, hate or grudges involved, simply because I want to take this a step further."

"My senior uncle and senior master are both immortals on land. In a world where immortality is not possible, if I want to go further, I need their great Dao."

"Although I was strong at that time, I had not cultivated for long enough to be invincible in the world as I would later be."

"After refining my senior brother and senior master into great pills, my actions were eventually discovered, and the person who discovered them was none other than my senior uncle."

Looking into Zhang Ming'an's eyes, which were as indifferent as his own, the old master continued his narration.

"As I told you, my master's sister treats me like her own child, and this is no exaggeration. Since I was born, my master's sister has taken care of me. When I was still weak, my master's sister gave me everything she could."

"Taoist scriptures, ancient books, cultivation methods, spiritual objects... as long as I ask, my uncle will travel thousands of miles to retrieve what I want."

"Every time he returns from outside the sect, my uncle will bring back a lot of useless things, saying they are gifts for me."

……

"I know that, according to common understanding, I should actually address my martial uncle as 'Mother.'"

"Born extraordinary, I cannot understand my uncle's feelings, but I know that my uncle is special to me."

"Even if the Great Dao is blocked, I do not intend to immediately seize my Martial Aunt's Great Dao. In my plan, I will wait until my Martial Aunt's lifespan is exhausted before taking her Great Dao."

"Unfortunately, my uncle-master is the one who understands me best. In the third year after my uncle-master and senior brother disappeared, my uncle-master laid his cards on the table with me."

"There were no hysterical roars, no angry questions, and no verbal attacks against me; there were only simple, ordinary questions."

-

"Your senior brother and junior brother are dead?"

My senior sister asked that question without looking me in the eye; she simply lowered her head and asked me the question.

Because I did not want to immediately take away my master's Dao, I did not know how to answer the question at the time, so I could only respond with silence.

My uncle didn't press further and went alone into my secluded place of cultivation.

That evening, my master prepared a sumptuous feast for me.

The meal was plentiful, no different from what my uncle had prepared for me in previous years.

Before I began practicing abstinence from grains, my uncle would cook for me every day.

After I began my fasting period, my uncle became quite lazy, only preparing a large feast for me on the first day of the first lunar month each year.

The first day of the first lunar month is the beginning of the new year, and it is also my birthday.

We ate quietly, and no one said a word.

It wasn't until dawn was breaking and the night was about to disappear that my uncle cupped my face in his hands.

She asked me, "Did you kill my senior brother and junior nephew, Xuan'er?"

The poor Taoist priest nodded.

The senior apprentice asked again, "For the sake of seeking the Dao?"

The poor Taoist nodded again.

I could vaguely see a single tear in my uncle's eye.

After a long, long time, my uncle released his hands from holding my face.

She looked at the poor Taoist priest and asked softly.

"Is there an end to your pursuit of the Way?"

Looking at my uncle, I shook my head and answered the question honestly, "I don't know."

The uncle nodded slightly and asked again.

Are you going to kill me?

I shook my head again and said frankly, "I will not do anything before my master passes away."

This time, my uncle smiled.

She laughed and then burst into tears.

She cursed at me like an ordinary person, and slapped me with her palm like an ordinary person.

One blow after another, until she collapsed to the ground, wiped away her tears, and stood up again.

In the sunlight, my uncle once again cupped my face in his hands.

Her smile was both radiant and bitter.

"Is seeking the Tao really that important?"

Before I could answer, my uncle had already given his own answer.

"Yes, I knew when you were little that you were different from us. You were a child born for the Way... If that's the case, what reason do I have to stop you..."

Tears streamed down my uncle's cheeks and dripped onto my hand.

At that moment, my heart wavered for a fleeting instant.

Although it lasted only a moment, its existence was real, and it was the only time in my life that I wavered.

That morning, my uncle dug up the fine wine buried in the mountains and we drank it together for three days and three nights.

She made me swear an oath.

"Even if heaven and earth are shattered, even if all things perish, even if there is no one left by my side, I will persevere until I reach the end of the Great Dao."

Looking at my drunken uncle, I made a vow to my Dao heart.

Seven days later, his martial uncle passed away.

……