Gou Zai Xi You Dao Chang Sheng

Upon closer inspection, I found myself in a strange and wondrous world.

The sky above this world is a deep, dark black.

Within that darkness, countless points of light flickered, like stars in the night sky.

But those points of light are souls.

Countless souls drifted in the darkness.

Li Yan stood in the void, gazing at those souls, lost in thought.

Is this reincarnation?

He continued forward.

Not far along, a huge wheel appeared, suspended in the void.

The wheel was a deep blue color and had six huge spokes.

Each spoke of a wheel leads to a certain direction.

There is a gate in each of the six directions.

It is radiant with golden light, leading to the path of heaven and man.

Grayish-white and somber—humanity.

The deep, dark realm is the Asura realm.

The flash of blood was from the realm of beasts.

A gloomy, desolate green path leads to the realm of hungry ghosts.

The last one is pitch black, the path to hell.

The cycle of rebirth in the six realms.

Li Yan stared at the enormous roulette wheel, feeling utterly awestruck.

This is reincarnation.

All beings in the Three Realms, after death, have their souls return to this place, and according to the good and evil karma they accumulated in their previous lives, they are reincarnated and reborn into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

The virtuous enter the realm of gods and humans and enjoy blessings.

The wicked will enter the three evil realms and suffer torment.

Those who are half good and half evil enter the human realm and cultivate for the next life.

The cycle of reincarnation continues endlessly, and the cycle of birth and death never ends.

As Li Yan gazed at the roulette wheel, a sense of enlightenment gradually rose in his heart.

Reincarnation is not ordained by Heaven, but determined by oneself.

What you sow, you reap.

What kind of work should one do, and what kind of path should one follow?

Everything is a choice I made, and I bear the consequences of everything.

This is the first essential principle of the Sutra of Reincarnation: cause and effect are infallible, and one reaps what one sows.

Li Yan closed his eyes and calmed his mind to contemplate.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly opened his eyes.

A deeper meaning appeared in his eyes.

That was a sign that the Eye of Reincarnation was beginning to form.

[Understanding the True Scripture of Reincarnation, Comprehending the Eye of Reincarnation (A First Glimpse)]

This eye can observe the traces of reincarnation, discern the depth of good and evil karma, and perceive the destination of reincarnation.

[Current effect: Observable past, present, and future lives]

Li Yan nodded slightly.

This eye of reincarnation complements the eye of cause and effect.

With the eye of cause and effect, we observe entanglements and discern their depth.

The eye of reincarnation sees the traces and discerns the weight of karma.

When the two are combined, one can glimpse a corner of the past and future of all living beings.

These supernatural abilities will greatly benefit his future spiritual practice.

Li Yan composed himself and left the cave.

Open your eyes.

On my shoulder, a grey sable is dozing.

In his arms, the jade mouse curled up in a ball and slept soundly.

Li Yan smiled slightly and raised his hand to rub their little heads.

Then, he got up and walked out of the stone chamber.

Outside, the moonlight, like water, bathed the seventy-two peaks of Huaguo Mountain.

The monkeys had dispersed in front of the Water Curtain Cave.

Only a few strong young monkeys remained on night watch, squatting at the entrance of the cave, looking around.

Upon seeing Li Yan emerge, they quickly rose and bowed.

Li Yan nodded slightly, indicating that they did not need to be so polite.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the bright moon.

Three days later, we will go to the Heavenly Court and the Tushita Palace to listen to the Dao Ancestor preach the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.

Whether this journey to the Heavenly Court will bring fortune or misfortune remains to be seen.

Although Laozi himself promised that they were free to come and go as they pleased and could leave at any time.

However, the Heavenly Court is governed by strict rules and has complex personnel matters.

He, a mere cultivator at the sixth level of the Cave Heaven Realm, must be extremely cautious if he ventures there rashly.

Moreover, the northerners are still secretly spying on us.

If he were to set up an ambush in Heaven, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Yan pondered for a moment, and gradually formed a plan in his mind.

He has several things to do over these three days.

First, consolidate your realm and digest what you have gained this time.

Secondly, comprehend the true scriptures of reincarnation and enhance your eye of reincarnation.

Thirdly, he planned to lay out several backup plans for Huaguo Mountain in case the northerners attacked again while he was away.

Finally, and most importantly, explain the Journey to the West to Sun Wukong.

Although I had tried it before at Fangcun Mountain, I could not speak of it whenever I mentioned it.

But now, he has already attained the sixth level of the Cave Heaven Realm.

Perhaps we could find a different way to let the monkey know the truth.

Li Yan turned around and walked towards the Water Curtain Cave.

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, Sun Wukong sat cross-legged, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

Although he was born a stone monkey, he still needed to cultivate himself to solidify his foundation.

Seeing Li Yan enter, he opened his eyes and grinned:

"Brother, it's so late, aren't you going to rest?"

Li Yan sat down opposite him, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"Your Majesty, there is something I wish to discuss with you."

Seeing his solemn expression, Sun Wukong also stopped his playful demeanor.

"Brother, please speak."

Li Yan asked, "Does Your Majesty know why those five demon kings suddenly attacked?"

Sun Wukong scratched his ear and said:

"I, Old Sun, am also puzzled. I have no grudge against them, so why are they picking a fight with me?"

Li Yan said, "They are being instructed by someone behind the scenes."

Sun Wukong's golden eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

Li Yan said, "It should be that person from the north. This person holds an extremely high position and has extraordinary abilities."

"He was secretly observing, plotting far and wide, with grand ambitions."

Sun Wukong asked, "What's his motive?"

Li Yan remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "King Tu."

Sun Wukong was taken aback.

"Trying to take advantage of me, Old Sun? What's there to take advantage of me, Old Sun?"

Li Yan said, "Your Majesty was born of Heaven and Earth, and is a spiritual stone monkey, possessing great opportunities and great fortune."

If he could recruit the king to his service, or use the king to stir up trouble in the three realms, he could profit from it.

Sun Wukong listened, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Yan continued, "The matter of the underworld collecting souls was also his doing."

"He first sent ghost soldiers to take away the king's soul and lead the king into the underworld."

If the king, in a fit of rage, wreaks havoc in the underworld and erases himself from the Book of Life and Death, he will forge a mortal enmity with the underworld.

"At that time, he will secretly intervene again, causing a conflict between the King and the Heavenly Court."

If the king is provoked and wreaks havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he will forge a deadly enmity with the Heavenly Court.

"In this way, there will be no place for the Great King to reside in the Three Realms."

He could then use this as leverage to force the king to submit.

As Sun Wukong listened, anger began to rise in his golden eyes.

"What a cunning scheme!"

Li Yan nodded: "This person is far-sighted and takes things one step at a time. If we don't prepare early, there will definitely be trouble in the future."

"Moreover, three days from now, I will travel to the Heavenly Court and enter the Tushita Palace to listen to the Dao Ancestor preach the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir."

"The journey to the Heavenly Court will take an unknown amount of time. Your Majesty must be extremely careful while on Flower Fruit Mountain."

Sun Wukong said, "Brother, don't worry. I, Old Sun, understand."

Li Yan then said, "There is one more thing I would like to discuss with Your Majesty."

Sun Wukong asked, "What is it?"

Li Yan used the [Return to the Source] technique to conceal the secrets of heaven, and slowly said:

"Does Your Majesty know what you will experience in the future?"

Sun Wukong was taken aback.

"Cultivate oneself, attain enlightenment, live long and prosper, and be carefree and at ease."

Li Yan shook his head.

"Your Majesty will one day..."

Li Yan opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but it seemed as if some invisible force blocked them, and he couldn't utter them no matter what.

Li Yan was taken aback.

He tried again.

"It will be big..."

I still can't say it.

Gradually, Li Yan's face turned completely red.

No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't bring himself to say those words.

Li Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

He immediately activated his magical power and unleashed the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang.

[Transformation into a Fetus], he transformed into a little monkey and, in the voice of a monkey, told Sun Wukong about the Journey to the West.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, his voice vanished into nothingness.

【Size as you wish】, transforming his body into the size of a mustard seed, attaching himself to Sun Wukong's ear, and whispering softly.

But those words vanished as soon as they were spoken.

[Mastering the Five Thunders] allows one to convey meaning through the sound of thunder, transforming those words into the sound of thunder and pouring them into Sun Wukong's ears.

But amidst the thunderous sound, those words vanished without a trace.

【Returning Wind and Fire】, with wind and fire as the medium, those words are written in the wind and blended into the fire.

But the wind, with a single gust, dispersed it.

The fire ignited and then went out.

【Golden Light Across the Ground】 uses golden light as a medium to transform those words into light, shining into Sun Wukong's eyes.

But within that light, those words were swallowed by darkness.

【Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations】uses the power of the stars to reverse the secrets of heaven and attempt to bypass that invisible force.

But the power of the stars was shattered the moment it touched those words.

[Liu Jia Qi Men] Li Yan plans to use Qi Men Dun Jia to deduce the best time and way to tell the story, and then try it out.

No matter how he deduced or adjusted, the result was the same.

I can't bring myself to say it.

Li Yan's heart sank.

I also plan to use metaphors, write it down, draw it, and seven or eight other methods.

But each time, the process seemed to be erased by an invisible hand.

That power was vast, boundless, and unfathomable.

Li Yan remained silent.

Sun Wukong looked at Li Yan, his golden eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Brother, what were you trying to tell me just now?"

Li Yan shook his head slightly.

"Your Majesty, there are some things I cannot say."

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it, it's that I can't."

"There is a force preventing me from telling the king."

Sun Wukong scratched his ear and asked, "What power is so strong?"

"You can't even break through your brother's defenses?"

Li Yan said, "Even with my current cultivation level, I would find it difficult to budge that power in the slightest."

As Sun Wukong listened, a hint of seriousness flashed in his golden eyes.