Chapter 525 - The Dao Line of Life (2/2)

Then, he took out two jugs of wine to have a drink with Nign Fan.

It was the camellia wine of the Peaceful Village. It had a delicate flower fragrance and its alcohol concentration was quite small. Instead of tasting spicy, it gave one a warm and nourishing sensation when it entered one’s mouth.

Ning Fan stood in front of An Ran’s grave holding the wine jug with one of his hands and took a huge gulp.

Ning Gu, however, did not take a single sip. He was just staring at An Ran’s grave blankly while wearing a sad and bitter smile.

“Big Brother, were you living well in these years? Was Dao cultivation enjoyable…?”

“Regardless of whether it is enjoyable or not, I can never avoid this path. All I can do is to keep moving forward.” Ning Fan said calmly.

“I was happy living my life together with An Ran. I was so happy that I could not bear to be separated from her. I hate Dao cultivation in the first place. I hate fights. I hate killings. I hate conflicts and that endless sea of blood in the path of cultivation… I stubbornly refused to teach An Ran any cultivation technique just to let her live a peaceful life because she also disliked conflicts and killings…”

“I thought like that in the start and insisted on my choice. However, after An Ran died, I felt lost. The life of a mortal is really short. I began to wonder if we would be together for a long period if An Ran and I chose the path of Dao cultivation… However, before she died, she told me that she already had no regrets for meeting me in her life…”

“The life of a mortal is transient. It’s as short as the morning dew which is formed in the morning and dissipates at night. It’s as hurried as the white steed which flits past a crack.”

“The life of a cultivator might be long but it’s tiring. It’s like the life of autumn cicadas, flies, dogs and insects which have to keep shamelessly seeking for personal gain. It isn’t a life of true happiness…”

“I’ve felt regretful. I’ve felt lost as well. My heart hurt like it was stabbed by swords. I longed for the past where An Ran was still by my side, keeping my company. If we chose the cultivation path, we might be able to stay together longer… But I am even more sure that if we restart our lives, we will still make the same choice and be a mortal couple once more.”

“I’ll accompany when she’s sick. I’ll grow old together with her. I’ll keep her company to live a peaceful life and stay by her side when she dies… This is my wish… Big Brother, I want to make a move first and keep her company. I’m sorry that I can’t make it to the end with you on the lonely cultivation path. My heart cannot contain the cultivation path as it can only contain her shadow…”

As soon as Ning Gu finished speaking, he suddenly raised the wine jug and finished it completely. His life force, however, was rapidly draining.

When he finished the last drop of wine, he looked at Ning Fan with guilt in his eyes. Then, he turned around and looked at An Ran’s grave tenderly.

“Ran Er, I’ve already met my Big Brother. My final wish is fulfilled. I’ll now come and look for you… You must have waited for me for a long time… In our next life, I wish to meet you again during the season when the camellia flowers blossom. However, I am not confident that I could find you again among the sea of people…”

Ning Gu quietly leaned against the stele of the tomb and gently collapsed to the ground with a faint smile on his face. He died.

All of a sudden, pain filled Ning Fan’s heart. He closed his eyes and stood in front of the grave for a long time.

He had countless methods to bring Ning Gu back to life but he did nothing.

Ning Gu had experienced too much agony and pain in his life. Since that was the case, Ning Fan wanted to grant him a new life.

Ning Gu wished to live a mortal’s life and reunite with An Ran. Ning Fan could fulfill his wishes.

“Neither of you is going to die… An Ran, I’ve given you a hairpin in the past. It contains a trace of sword sense which not only could protect you but also keep a strand of your soul…”

Ning Fan muttered to himself and casually flicked his sleeve. Ning Gu’s corpse vanished instantly and another grave appeared in front of An Ran’s grave. The stele of the grave was carved with the following words:

The Tomb of My Younger Brother – Ning Gu.

After that, as Ning Fan waved his hand, two spirits flew out from the graves with a dazed expression. They were none other than Ning Gu and An Ran.

“Sleep for a while…”

Ning Fan gently touched the glabella of the two souls, causing them to slumber. Then, he kept their souls into his sleeve and flew away from the Peaceful Village, rushing to the southern domain of Yue Country.

It was unknown how many cultivation countries he had passed by. While he was travelling, he was performing hand seals to perform divination. Eventually, he stopped by the city of a mortal country.

The country was called Tang Country and its city was named Chang An.

In Chang An City, the madams of two aristocratic families would be giving birth today.

The two families had marriage relations for generations. Their mansions were only separated by a single wall. Besides, the madams of the two families were about to give birth on the same day.

The two families had an agreement among themselves that if the two newborn babies are both boys or girls, they would become sworn brothers or sisters.

However, if one of them is a boy while the other one is a girl, a betrothal would be arranged for them.

It was supposed to be a joyful day as the two madams were going to give birth on the same day. Unfortunately, they both had difficulty in giving birth. Moreover, their bodies were weak and frail. Even the best doctor and midwife in the city were at their wit’s ends to help them as they declared that the two madams’ lives were on the line.

Ning Fan had already foreseen that the two unborn children would be a boy and a girl.

At the same time, he also foresaw that the two madams would die because of difficulty in giving birth today if there was no intervention from others…

Thus, he made up his mind. He took out Ning Gu and An Ran’s souls and descended on the two families secretly in an invisible form. Then, he put their souls into the abdomen of the two madams respectively.

Afterward, he acted personally to help the two madams give birth to their children by using his magic power.

The moment the beautiful babies of the two families were born, all the doctors and midwives were completely astonished.

“H-How is this possible?! They gave birth successfully!”

“Could there be an apparition of a deity who saved the two madams?!”

Ning Fan did not reveal himself. However, he was suddenly stunned upon seeing something.

He actually saw a white line which stretched out from the bodies of the babies. The two white lines wanted to connect with each other but they failed to do so.

“What are these lines?!”

Ning Fan never knew that there would be such a white line inside a person’s body. When he studied it carefully, he sensed an extraordinary force of Great Dao from the white lines. It contained a massive amount of life force!

“Connect their white lines together and they will never be separated forever. Luo You’s voice suddenly resounded within the Yin Yang Locket, reminding Ning Fan.

“Do these white lines have this kind of function?”

Ning Fan was startled. However, he still did what Luo You told him and gently tied the white lines from the two bodies at their pinky fingers.

That white line was not visible to naked eyes. Even a Void Refinement Realm or a Void Fragmentation Realm expert might not necessarily be able to see it. Thus, Ning Fan guessed that the white lines should be something extraordinary.

“With this line, no matter how many times you and An Ran reincarnated, both of you will reunite. It’s good in this way. I’ve finally fulfilled your wishes.”

“Ning Gu, no matter what you want, I will give it to you because I am your elder brother. As the saying goes, an elder brother is like a father. Since your wish is to be a mortal couple with An Ran for eternity, I’ll grant you such a life. However, you must remember that you must protect the woman with whom you have made out forever and not let her get hurt. Since this is the path you’ve chosen for yourself, you have to walk to the end of it. Remember!”

Ning Fan was in an invisible form. Only Ning Gu could hear his voice.

Even though Ning Gu was just a baby, he did not cry or make any noise. He opened his black bright eyes and stared at Ning Fan’s direction, babbling. No one knew what he was saying.

Perhaps Ning Gu was trying to thank Ning Fan and promise him.

“It’s unknown when we will meet again next time…”

Ning Fan looked slightly downcast. With a single step, he left, disappearing from Tang Country.

On this day, he had personally buried Ning Gu and granted him a new life. Inwardly, he gained some new insights about samsara.

These insights were the understanding of life and death which were the elements which the samsara contained.

Because of these insights, he saw the strange white line…

“I’ve seen them die and created a grave for my younger elder. Then, I’ve granted them a new life and personally helped him reincarnate… It feels quite weird but profound…”

“However, what exactly is the white line…?”

Ning Fan’s mind could not settle down. He patted his pouch and took out an ancient characterless book that had already turned yellowish. It was the book that he chanced upon in the Sinister Sparrow Sect in the past. It was an item that Immortal Sovereign Zi Dou left behind.

This book was not about cultivation methods or magic techniques. It also did not contain any insights about cultivations. However, it contained what Zi Dou felt when he was burying his friend.

Because Ning Fan had touched the edge of the samsara power, the characterless book already revealed a short poem.

“People die like lights, extinguished, samsara blows and all things rekindle. Immortals die like shattered thoughts and none shall return in their afterlife…”

Ning Fan recited this poem as he was walking past each of the low-grade cultivation countries. Eventually, he stood on the summit of a nameless desolate mountain. Thoughts and emotions began to surge within him like a wave.

He faintly felt that the white line seemed to contain the power that could control life and death.

“What line is that…?” He asked himself.

“That is the Dao Line of Life. *clicks tongue* I didn’t expect that you actually could obtain the insights about life and death by sending your younger brother for reincarnation which allowed you to see the Dao Line of Life. It really surprised me. If the news about your encounter is spread out, it’s unknown how many Void Fragmentation Realm old monsters in the Nine Worlds would envy you.” Luo You clicked her tongue while praising Ning Fan.

“The Dao Line of Life? What is that?” Ning Fan asked with curiosity.

“That is the Dao Line that only life immortals who are at the Human Immortal Realm could see. It’s a crucial step in becoming an immortal! The reason why the rogue immortals, rogue demons and rogue devils failed to become immortals is usually because they could not learn the Dao Line of Life. The most difficult part on the path to becoming an immortal is comprehending life and death. Since you could see the Dao Line of Life, it’ll be extremely helpful to you when you are going to become an immortal in the future. For now, it’s rather useless.” Luo You explained.

“I see… So the line is the Dao Line of Life…”

Then, Ning Fan stood at the summit of the mountain for eight consecutive days.

During these eight days, his mind was repeatedly thinking about life and death. When he raised his hand, he could see a strand of white clear line from the soles on his palm.

On the ninth day, Ning Fan stopped thinking and returned to Yue Country.

It was almost time for him to head over Song Country and join the assembly held by the Great Jin.

“King Jun, it’s time to settle our old grudges…” While walking above the clouds, Ning Fan said indifferently.

…

The great assembly was held in the Lin Shui City of Song County.

In the sky above the city, countless rays of travelling light and flying ships were arriving one after another. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators gathered in the city to join the assembly.

Most of the cultivators coming to the city were from the eleven countries which were threatened by the Great Jin.

In this assembly, all the sects and forces of the eleven cultivation countries must give the Great Jin an answer whether they choose submission or death.

In the great palace situated at the center of the city, a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator wearing a set of black dragon robes sat on the highest throne. He was King Jin.

Below him sat two other Divine Transformation Realm cultivators who were both the Divine Transformation Realm revered elders from the Serene Heaven Palace of the Rain Palace.

One of them was an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator whose qi was heavy and deep. He seemed to have touched the bottleneck of the Mid Divine Transformation Realm. His hair was fully gray. He was Revered Snow.

The other cultivators seemed to have just attained the Divine Transformation Realm not long ago. His cultivation base was yet to be stabilized. He had a hideous appearance but his body was heavily built. This ugly man was called Yun Lie. He was once a divine messenger of the Rain Palace. However, after he had broken through to the Divine Transformation Realm, he was assigned to the Serene Heaven Palace, promoted as a revered elder and given the title of Revered Lie.

There were a dozen divine messengers from the Rain Palace’s division behind the two revered elders. All of them were at the Nascent Soul Realm.

Among the divine messengers, there was a Late Nascent Soul Realm cultivator whose eyes were blind. He was no longer as wild and arrogant as before. His presence emanated a thick qi of death.

He was Yun Kuang, the person who wanted to buy Yin Suqiu’s smile with his wealth.

“Hehe. The assembly this time is just a common procedure. With King Jin’s cultivation base, it’s as easy as raising your hand for you to suppress the eleven countries. If the eleven countries are unwilling to yield, they won’t be daring enough to disobey you. Thus, there should not be anyone foolish to defy your orders, right?” Revered Snow said with a faint smile.

“What Fellow Daoist Snow said is correct. Even though there are some minor forces who are still reluctant to submit, as long as I eliminate some forces in this assembly to set an example, I believe the other forces will obediently join my Great Jin. Oh yes, Fellow Daoist Yun Lie, may I ask if the vice palace lord is coming personally?” King Jin wore a hopeful look and cupped his fists courteously at Yun Lie. The vice palace lord he referred to was naturally the vice palace lord of the Serene Heaven Palace.

“Not only the vice palace lord of my Serene Heaven Palace is coming for this assembly but also another significant being.” Yun Lie answered with a flat tone.

“Oh? Which significant being is going to join us?” King Jin sounded surprised.

“The sect master of the Martial Sect – Marquis Wu Mu!” Yun Lie’s tone was indifferent but King Jin looked extremely shocked.

“What?! Marquis Wu Mu is actually going to join the insignificant assembly of my Great Jin! This really flattered me! My status is lowly and inferior and I’ve never met Marquis Wu Mu before. When Marquis Wu Mu arrives, please introduce me to him, Fellow Daoist Yun Lie.”

“I heard that there are still some sects in Yue Country which publicly refused to join the Great Jin. Is that true?” Yue Lie did not like King Jin’s intention to fawn upon the people of power. Thus, he deliberately changed the topic of conversation.

“Yue Country? It’s just a low-grade cultivation country. There’s nothing worrying about them. In this case, I’ll first strike the confidence of Yue Country in this assembly and see which country will still be audacious enough to defy my Great Jin!” King Jin sneered.

“I’d like to advise you not to underestimate Yue Country. This is just a kind reminder…” Yun Lie recalled the figure of a young man in his mind which made him dispirited all of a sudden.

If it wasn’t because he received the mission of participating in the assembly after joining the Serene Heaven Palace, he would not be willing to be a part of King Jin’s group.

In fact, he preferred to sit down with that young man from Yue Country and discuss Dao.

During the incident of eliminating the demon tide in Great Jin in the past, he met that young man again and he was surprised by his rapid improvement.

It had been forty years. He wondered if that young man had returned to Yue Country and what cultivation base he currently possessed…

If he is here, it probably will be very difficult for King Jin to unify the eleven countries…

“Humph! Yue Country is just a low-grade cultivation country that is nothing to be worried about at all. Even though there is an Early Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in the Fire Cloud Sect of the Country and a Fourth Revolution Pill Refinement Master in the Sinister Sparrow Sect, these forces aren’t qualified enough to go against me! Even though Fellow Daoist Yue Lie’s advice is out of kindness, your worries seem to be a little unreasonable. Yue Country can never cause a stir. It is just an insignificant country that can be flattened anytime!”

King Jin rose to his feet and walked toward the exit of the palace with confidence.

“I am a dignified Divine Transformation Realm expert. All the cultivators below the Divine Transformation Realm are just ants! No one in the eleven countries can be my enemy. Everyone only has one choice – to yield!”

King Jin released strands of black intent realm power. In an instant, be it Yun Lie or Revered Now, both of them were astonished.

“Is this the power of the Dominating Intent Realm?! What a mighty power! Among Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, there are certainly not many people who can be King Jin’s opponent!”

Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel