Chapter 1383: Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Humans, Demons, and Monsters

High upon the vast, snow-capped mountains, an ancient Buddhist bell tolled.

Buddhist chants rang out loudly.

Countless monks bowed their heads.

The destined hour had arrived.

"Amitabha..."

"Our Buddha is merciful."

That year, the monks of the snow-capped mountains descended into the Mortal World to spread their scriptures and preach their teachings.

...

Within the Cultivation World.

A certain figure revealed himself to the world.

"The Literary Dao fell into decline long ago. How could this person forge a Great Dao out of it?"

"Truly, you cannot judge a book by its cover. Speaking of which, I've actually met the man. He was as naive as a child. I never imagined he would encounter such an opportunity."

"I heard he later became a disciple of Lord Wen. Lord Wen taught him everything he knew and even declared that the Literary Dao, having languished for years, would rise once more through him."

"What is his name?"

"Kong Ru."

...

Outside a shabby thatched cottage.

The old gentleman was recounting the origins of the Literary Dao to Kong Ru, who sat before him.

Tracing back to high antiquity, it began with humanity and ended with humanity.

"Disciple, between heaven and earth, our Literary Dao deserves a place. No one in this world looks favorably upon our path of scholars; they see it as utterly useless. But is the Literary Dao truly weak? Can a scholar truly not subdue others with a brush?"

"Disciple, your master will show you what the true Literary Dao looks like."

That day, the aging gentleman lifted his brush as a sword. With but a single character, he seemed to freeze the blue seas turned to mulberry fields, halting the flow of years and overturning heaven and earth.

Watching those myriad changes, Kong Ru felt the Dao before his eyes was vast and boundlessly profound.

This was the true Literary Dao!

A single character, a single word, could dictate the universe.

Ning Bufan also witnessed this scene, equally astonished by what unfolded before his eyes.

How could he not know of the Literary Dao? But according to many cultivators, this path was merely supplementary, never a true Dao.

Yet what he saw today completely overturned his understanding.

The lethal methods of the Literary Dao were truly jaw-dropping.

Just a single character...

A single character!

He watched with his own eyes as the old gentleman wrote the character for "death." The vegetation and living creatures across an entire mountain withered away at a visible speed. Then, in a split second, he wrote the character for "life." In the blink of an eye, countless plants sprang from the earth, and a mere sapling grew into a towering tree. Only an instant had passed, yet it felt as if centuries or millennia had gone by.

"Is this the true Literary Dao...?"

Ning Bufan had truly had his eyes opened.

...

That same year, the Cultivation World settled into peace.

The numerous Immortal Sects gathered in one place to discuss matters together.

After months of deliberation, the various Immortal Sects finally reached a conclusion.

The many Immortal Sects within the Cultivation World would unite as one, gathering their qi destiny to elevate the Great Dao.

They would collectively be known as the Mysterious Gate.

The previous crisis with the demonic path had taught them a lesson. The crucial role of qi destiny left the various Immortal Sects feeling uneasy. To prevent the Demon Gate from rising again and bringing disaster to the world in the future, they decided to unite. By merging their qi destiny into one entity, they forged a long-term plan.

...

Meanwhile, in the Sand Sea of the Underworld.

Jian Shenghua had also learned of the changes in the outside world from the mouths of a few departed souls.

"They are truly willing to accept this?"

Jian Shenghua found it hard to believe. With their qi destiny united, how would the major Immortal Sects of the Cultivation World ever compete for supremacy in the future?

He didn't know who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, but this current situation was exceedingly disadvantageous for the demonic path.

Wang He, however, wasn't surprised when he heard the news. He said, "In that battle back then, they suffered heavy losses. In truth, their defeat boiled down to qi destiny. At that time, the qi destiny of our demonic path was united as one. We overpowered the various Immortal Sects of the Righteous Path in terms of qi destiny, allowing us to steadily advance and grow wildly. Now that they've united their qi destiny under the Mysterious Gate, our chances have grown increasingly slim."

Jian Shenghua sighed softly. Sitting amid the swirling yellow sand, he muttered, "Changes have occurred in the Mortal World as well. The era of Hongyuan Tianxia has completely come to a close. The Mortal World has returned to being the Mortal World. It feels as if everything has reverted to how it was at the very beginning."

Wang He shook his head, however, and said, "No."

"Everything develops step by step. Once things settle, numerous conflicts will inevitably arise. The peace in the Mortal World won't last long, and the same will be true for the Cultivation World."

"We must continue to wait. Wait for an opportunity to present itself."

Jian Shenghua remained silent before letting out a long sigh. "I don't understand."

Wang He looked at him, noticing the immense complexity in his eyes.

"You don't want to fight for it anymore?"

Jian Shenghua was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "I just don't know what it is I want."

"Why is that?"

"I've existed in this world for a very long time."

Jian Shenghua said, "When it comes to the Way of Ghost Cultivation in this world, I should be considered the pinnacle. It would be accurate to say that I am the oldest surviving ghost cultivator. The ultimate fate of a mere ghost cultivator is either to twist into a vengeful spirit or to have their soul scattered to nothingness. Yet, I've always remained alive, always stayed clear-headed."

"I've been pursuing certain things to maintain my sanity. Even founding the Demon Gate with you was simply to keep myself lucid, to avoid having my soul scattered or turning into a vengeful spirit."

Jian Shenghua paused before adding, "But if we really get down to it, I truly don't know what it is I ultimately want."

Wang He paused and asked, "You always used to have something."

Jian Shenghua thought for a moment.

"In the past, I wanted to become a Sword Immortal, simply because there had never been a single Sword Immortal in the Way of Ghost Cultivation. But I later realized that it wasn't a difficult feat at all. I was born to be a Sword Cultivator; I just didn't comprehend the Dao until after I died."

Wang He let out a breath and asked, "Then what were you thinking back when you were suppressed?"

"Me...?"

Jian Shenghua thought it over and replied, "Hmm, I suppose I was thinking about getting out. It was nothing more than a refusal to accept my fate."

Hearing this, Wang He reached out and patted his shoulder. "So, are you going to accept your fate now?"

Jian Shenghua froze.

His eyes met Wang He's.

Wang He said, "Hatred is the true foundation that prevents you and me from losing ourselves."

Jian Shenghua felt somewhat lost, yet he could see the madness in Wang He's eyes.

That was true.

Hatred!

He wasn't wrong at all.

Wang He continued, "When the wind rises, you and I will naturally slaughter our way back into that world. Regardless of the outcome, at least we will have always walked forward upon the Great Dao, having never fallen."

Listening to these words, Jian Shenghua found them incredibly ironic.

"That speech of yours doesn't sound like something a fiend would say."

Wang He said, "I was never a fiend to begin with."

Jian Shenghua paused in surprise.

Wang He added, "And neither are you."

Jian Shenghua inexplicably felt that the man before him was profoundly familiar.

Who did he resemble?

For some inexplicable reason, his thoughts drifted back to the days thousands of years ago when he had followed the Demon Sovereign into battle across the world.

Back then, they were the enemies of the Righteous Path.

They had turned this world's concepts of righteous and demonic upside down. At that time, the demonic path reigned supreme. At that time, they were the masters of this stretch of heaven and earth.

Any rule, any sense of right or wrong—it was all dictated by them.

It was as if a shadow stood behind Wang He, leaving Jian Shenghua unable to return to his senses for a long time.