Chapter 625: I Am Still Searching! (2/2)

“I have asked the same question of many people, and only three have given me answers worthy of remembering. One of them said that the Dao is a path. There are three thousand great Daos, and thus, three thousand paths. Different paths for different people, nothing more, nothing less. One should continue forward, regardless of whether or not there is a path beneath one’s feet! The person who provided that answer… became Lord Li!

“The second answer was that the Dao is eternal and unchangeable. It is the only truth in Heaven and Earth. It is possible to look at it, but never touch it… to understand it, but never be able to explain it. If you understand, you understand. If you don’t understand… then even spending your whole life searching will not gain you enlightenment. The person who spoke those words became Lord Ji.

“The third answer was provided by Withering Flame. He said that the Dao is the heart, and that the heart is obsession. His desire to eradicate the sea of bitterness was an obsession that took him over. It grew deeper and deeper. Were he to have truly eradicated the sea of bitterness, then his Dao… would be a natural law of Heaven and Earth!

“Eternity is always here. He may have perished, but the Dao exists forever.

“He said that all the rules and laws that exist in the world have their basis in the powerful experts that existed on the path, as well as the realization of their Daos!

“If a person’s Dao is the belief that the sky must be separated into periods of night and day, then the Heavens will provide such a cycle.

“Life can be extinguished, but the Dao exists forever. Life… is lived in order to leave a good name throughout the ages after one dies, to cause one’s Dao to remain, to transform into natural law, to be without regret.

“Because of his answer, he was able to borrow one of my three third-grade Demon Hearts.

“Now, you must answer me. In your belief, what is the Dao? You have the time it takes one incense stick to burn, and you may not refrain from answering.”

As Meng Hao listened to the words of the Reincarnation Mountain, his heart filled with great waves. He could identify with Lord Li’s answer. As for Lord Ji’s answer, it also contained truth.

As for the answer given by Greater Demon Withering Flame that year, it caused Meng Hao’s mind to tremble like a seething ocean. Perhaps that answer was also the truth.

“Is the reason that the Reincarnation Mountain can only remember these three answers, because those three answers fully explain the meaning of the character Dao 道 ?” He stood there silently.

“What is the Dao?” he asked himself. A glow appeared in his eyes, but he couldn’t think of an answer. He had heard many people use this character, Dao, but down to this day it only felt as if he were groping about on the edges of its meaning.

Even as Meng Hao sank into thought, a second incense burner appeared from within the black smoke. The smoke churned, and the incense stick began to burn.

Everything was still and quiet. The incense stick burned slowly, and time passed. However, Meng Hao still did not provide an answer. His eyes were filled with a blank look.

Soon, the incense stick was reaching its end. Ninety percent had burned. Ke Jiusi sighed as he looked at Meng Hao, a look of pity in his eyes.

True spirit Night was silent, but it also sighed inwardly. “So, it turns out he is not the person Lord Li is waiting for….”

Zhixiang’s heart was filled with complex emotions. She looked at Meng Hao, and then the incense stick which was almost burned out. She shook her head.

It was at this moment that Meng Hao’s eyes began to shine brightly. The blankness from before vanished. He looked up at the Reincarnation Mountain and slowly began to speak.

“I don’t know what the answer is,” he murmured. “My Cultivation base won’t permit me to understand what the Dao is….

“To me, the Dao is very simple. It is talking, speaking, opening your mouth, and letting other people open their mouths. All of that is the Dao, speaking. Speaking the words from your heart, speaking out the thoughts you wish to express.

“It doesn’t require enlightenment, nor obsession. It doesn’t require a path beneath your feet. Perhaps it is the first voice of all living creatures, of everything under the Heavens.

“When that voice can be heard, it is the Dao, it is speaking!” Meng Hao had organized his thoughts and spoken out what he understood about the Dao, based upon his current realm.

He didn’t know if what he had said was true or correct. In fact, he hadn’t wanted to speak at all, but he had no choice but to ignore those feelings. All he could do was explain what he understood about the Dao.

By this time, the incense stick had burned down to the end. It flickered, on the verge of being completely extinguished. “At the same time,” he continued, “when that voice speaks, it represents a direction!

“The boundless Heavens and Earth are the final resting place of all living things. Life is like a journey, filled with various scenery, various paths.

“Sometimes, you might think there is only one path for you. Sometimes, your heart’s obsession creates a path.

“As for the Dao, it is a direction. That direction can guide you through your life. When you are faced with countless decisions, it can lead you down the paths you must tread. In the end… it can help you pick which path to take!

“It is formed after one experiences the vicissitudes of life, the cleansing of time, and the understanding which comes from experiencing the world. It can be hidden in any time, place, direction, or action….

“That is my understanding of the Dao. It points in a direction, and gives me the strength to proceed onward. Perhaps it doesn’t even exist, or perhaps it is everywhere.

“As for me, I am still searching for it….” He lifted his head up to look at the Reincarnation Mountain.

The Reincarnation Mountain was silent. Ke Jiusi was silent. True spirit Night was silent.

Zhixiang was also silent.

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This chapter was sponsored by Alex Wong, SeanL, Anonymous, Angel Ortiz, Chesly Mason, and Harvey Zhou