Chapter 1172: A Sermon On The Dao, By The Sacred Ancient! (1/2)
Chapter 1172: A Sermon On The Dao, By The Sacred Ancient!
Gradually, the light of dawn filled the air. The door opened, and Patriarch Song walked out. He looked different than before. He didn't seem like an ancient old man; he was younger, and his eyes flickered with excitement. The injuries he had sustained during the war were now healed, and he looked far more energetic than before.
He subconsciously patted his bag of holding. Inside... was an Immortality Illumination Vine, a gift given to him by Meng Hao which gave him the hope of reaching Immortal Ascension....
A few paces outside of the log cabin, Patriarch Song turned, clasped hands and bowed deeply. Then he looked back up for a moment before leaving. The members of the Song Clan were shocked at the appearance of their Patriarch. They quickly realized that a Heaven-shaking, Earth-toppling transformation must have occurred.
Just as the Song Clan cultivators were about to leave with their Patriarch, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the log cabin toward Song Jia.
Meng Hao’s voice could then be heard once again. “It's nice to see you, old friend. Please accept this parting gift. Use it to nourish your spirit. It will make cultivation base breakthroughs much smoother.”
Song Jia looked at the light floating in front of her. It was an emerald green magical jade which emanated Immortal qi, and was clearly not an ordinary item.
Then she looked back at the log cabin, a complicated expression on her face. Finally, she took the piece of jade and left with the other Song Clan cultivators.
The Song Clan left, but other Southern Domain cultivators continued to arrive. By noon, there was no room left. Crowds of cultivators blotted out the sky and stretched out in all directions.
Meng Hao was done reminiscing. Sighing, he walked out of the log cabin. As soon as he appeared, the surrounding cultivators excitedly clasped hands and bowed.
“Greetings, Sacred Ancient!!”
“Greetings, Sacred Ancient!!” Their voices echoed out in all directions, reaching other cultivators who couldn’t even see Meng Hao, who in turn bowed, and began to cry out the same thing. The sound of all the voices was like thunder booming everywhere.
One by one, the most powerful experts of the various sects stepped forward to offer excited greetings.
“The Sect Leader of the Violet Fate Sect offers greetings, Sacred Ancient!!”
“The Sect Leader of the Blood Demon Sect offers greetings, Sacred Ancient!!”
Meng Hao looked around at all the cultivators, many of whom he recognized. Smiling, he sat down cross-legged on the stone steps leading up to the log cabin.
”Ladies and gentlemen, Fellow Daoists, welcome to my home. I'm pleased you could come. I haven't been back for many years, and would like to sincerely thank all of you for your care and concern. You kept this place exactly as I remembered it.
“It is a great kindness shown to me by all cultivators of the Southern Domain. Therefore, I will speak of the Dao here, for seven days. During those seven days, all Southern Domain cultivators are welcome to stay and listen.
“I will explain how my understanding of cultivation has evolved through the various stages, and will explain how I have been enlightened.” With that, he flicked his sleeve, causing the clouds to part, brilliant sunlight to flow down, and an aura of Immortality to spread out. Almost instantly, the entire area seemed like a celestial paradise.
“After careful study,” he began softly, “I have come to find that the Dao of Heaven and Earth, and one’s own Dao, is a willful return to one’s natural state....” He had chosen to bestow some good fortune upon the cultivators of the Southern Domain, both as a means of thanking them for caring for his former residence, and also... for the mere fact that he felt this place to be his home. It was different than Planet East Victory. [1. In Chinese, he literally uses the word “hometown” to refer to the Southern Domain. That word has a slightly different meaning in Chinese than English, and doesn’t necessarily refer to where you grew up, but rather, your ancestral home. For example, even though Baby Deathblade was born in China, his “hometown” would actually be San Diego, since that is where I am from]
“Therefore, cultivation is also known as ‘cultivating truth.’ Of the two characters which make up the latter term, the first refers to the method, the second refers to the mental state....” His voice seemed to contain a bizarre power that caused it to spread out in all directions, causing every audience member, regardless of the level of their cultivation base, to slip into a strange, trance-like state. [1. In ISSTH, Er Gen usually uses the Chinese word 修行 xiūxíng to describe cultivation, although technically speaking this term emphasizes one’s actions. However, there is another word which is often used in xianxia, 修真 xiūzhēn, which essentially means the same thing and emphasizes truth. Both are “real life” words that can be used to describe real Buddhist or Daoist cultivation practices, although the latter is more associated with the xianxia fantasy world]
“Simply put, it is very similar to how I once described to someone the different Realms of life.
“In the past, various people have asked me what the Dao is.... My responses have varied depending on the occasion, the circumstances, and the level of my cultivation base. In fact, every single time, I gave a different answer. I'm not even sure what my answer will be the next time someone asks me.
“However, there is one thing that will never change, as far as I can tell. And that is... that I don’t know what the Dao is. There are too many answers to the question. All I know... is that what I am pursuing is freedom and independence. To be free and unconstrained. That is my truth, and that is my Dao!
“In cultivating truth, what we cultivate... is the heart.” Meng Hao’s voice reverberated out as he expounded upon his understanding of the Dao, and the enlightenment he had gained regarding cultivation. The words he spoke were like seeds that became buried in the hearts of the various cultivators.
Perhaps most of them would never feel that seed for the rest of their lives. Or perhaps... some would reach a certain point in their cultivation or receive a sudden epiphany which would allow them to acquire the good fortune contained within the seed planted in them by Meng Hao.
You could say that what Meng Hao was giving them... was not just a chance at enlightenment, but also... a path to follow to Immortal Ascension. Given the right chances, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to follow a similar path to Meng Hao’s, and reach... true Immortality.