The Dao of Reincarnation (414-415) (Patreon)

Chapter 414: The Ancient and Modern Recorder (Part 25)

Inside Clear Wind Temple, Su Chen and Dongfang Yunxing sat facing each other.

As for Dongfang Yunxiao, Dongfang Yunxing had already sent him away. Some matters… were also a form of protection.

"Disciple Dongfang Yunxing congratulates Master on your return. It is truly wonderful that Master is safe and well."

Dongfang Yunxing was filled with joy. That battle of the past had been far too tragic… He had even believed that master and disciple would never meet again.

He had never expected that after countless eras, the two of them would still be able to reunite.

Su Chen smiled faintly. In truth, he had nearly ceased to exist. Yet such things naturally could not be spoken of before a disciple.

"That little fellow just now is your disciple?"

Su Chen was referring, of course, to Dongfang Yunxiao.

Dongfang Yunxing smiled. "His name is Dongfang Yunxiao. He is my disciple… just as I am Master's disciple. He has accompanied me for a very long time."

Su Chen said, "Yunxiao… Yunxing, you value that disciple highly. You even passed the Myriad Laws Dao to him. Yet you should understand that the Myriad Laws Dao cannot produce a second True Immortal."

Dongfang Yunxing nodded. "What Master says, this disciple naturally understands. A path that has already been proven cannot simultaneously support two True Immortals.

"But this disciple's current condition… though I have not completely vanished from this world, I am merely lingering on."

Dongfang Yunxing gave a bitter smile. His lower body gradually faded, revealing a broken remnant sword thrust into the ground.

The present Dongfang Yunxing was nothing more than a wisp of will attached to that remnant sword.

A True Immortal could recover completely from even a single thread of aura, yet at this moment Dongfang Yunxing's Immortal status had entirely disappeared… In other words, the current Dongfang Yunxing was already dead, yet some great divine ability had intercepted his final thread of life.

The scene caused Su Chen's eyes to freeze and his brows to knit tightly. Dongfang Yunxing's present condition was far too severe. Even he was not entirely certain what had occurred.

"Over these years, this disciple has tried to return, yet found not the slightest connection. The spacetime we once occupied shattered after that battle… The Immortal opportunities of the heavens no longer exist, and the spacetime itself is gone… Perhaps too many Immortal Kings on the Immortal path have perished. When the great tree withers, the fruits naturally vanish as well."

The words Dongfang Yunxing spoke left Su Chen silent.

That battle of the past had been far too tragic. A complete spacetime had been like an unbroken mirror. Existences such as them could travel freely within that intact mirror. Now the mirror had shattered into countless fragments, large and small, each evolving into endless possibilities.

With the deaths of the Immortal Kings, even True Immortals could no longer reclaim their former Immortal positions. A single thought had once made one a True Immortal… Perhaps only an Immortal King could encompass all the present spacetimes with a single thought, or perhaps only those above the Immortal King realm.

After a moment of silence, Su Chen said, "As long as a second True Immortal does not appear on this path, you will continue to exist. Existence means hope. Once a second True Immortal emerges on this path, you will vanish completely… When you taught him the Myriad Laws Dao, did you consider the consequences?"

Dongfang Yunxing smiled. "Does Master not feel that Yunxiao's talent is perfectly suited to the Myriad Laws Dao? With the accumulation he possesses now, he will soar in this lifetime."

Su Chen gently stirred his palm. An image of Dongfang Yunxiao's present moment appeared before the two of them. Two golden-roasted "mountain chickens" had the boy drooling with greed.

The scene caused Dongfang Yunxing's face to darken. "Damn it, unfilial disciple… He actually dared to hide two 'mountain chickens' from this master! When that brat returns, I will teach him a proper lesson!"

Dongfang Yunxing felt deeply aggrieved. He had been under enormous pressure while speaking well of Dongfang Yunxiao, yet the boy had stabbed him in the back!

"His talent is indeed excellent and highly compatible with the Myriad Laws Dao. Yet you must understand that once he becomes an Immortal, the one who disappears will be you."

Dongfang Yunxing gave an awkward smile. "Master, do not be so serious. He is this disciple's disciple. By seniority, he should still address Master as Grandmaster."

Su Chen remained unmoved.

Dongfang Yunxing sighed softly. "This disciple has already considered that question. Master should also understand this disciple's nature. Yunxiao is the successor this disciple has chosen. His talent surpasses even this disciple's own.

"This disciple knows his own dull aptitude. Reaching Immortality was possible only through Master and the destiny pearl. To leap into the ranks of True Immortal giants was already great fortune. Advancing further is utterly impossible… Master, on the other hand, will continue to progress. There will come a day when this disciple can no longer keep pace with Master's footsteps.

"But Yunxiao is different. He is born compatible with the aspects of all living beings. After enduring countless trials with me, he has a great probability of becoming a True Immortal… and even a faint hope of stepping into the realm above True Immortal. That is a scenery this disciple will never be able to witness. A mortal may wander wind and dew for an entire lifetime, yet never equal a single day of an Immortal. This disciple was fortunate enough to glimpse the scenery of the Immortals. The scenery of an Immortal King, however, must be seen by someone on this disciple's behalf."

The moment the words fell, the trees surrounding Clear Wind Temple were suddenly leveled to the ground. A terrifying aura rose, as though it would rewrite past and present.

Dongfang Yunxing cupped his fists and bowed toward Su Chen. "Master… forgive me. Please allow this disciple one moment of selfishness."

The terrifying aura gradually faded into the ends of time. For an instant, it seemed a dreadful power would erase the entire spacetime and plunge it into a new cycle.

Su Chen looked at this disciple… this disciple who had begun to rebel. His heart felt deeply unsettled. In one fleeting moment, something inside him twisted, and many words rose that he could not speak. He could not remember how long it had been since he last experienced such a feeling.

He stared coldly at Dongfang Yunxing.

Su Chen said nothing. Dongfang Yunxing did not raise his head.

"I will give you this chance… but you must make me understand that he possesses the qualifications to become a King. Otherwise, to this master it will be the hatred of having a disciple slain and a loved one lost."

Su Chen's tone was icy.

Dongfang Yunxiao was Dongfang Yunxing's family, not his. Dongfang Yunxing was his family, the disciple and fellow Daoist he valued.

Su Chen would respect Dongfang Yunxing's choice.

Yet if Dongfang Yunxiao failed to live up to Dongfang Yunxing's expectations, then to Su Chen, he would only be the enemy who had destroyed his disciple!

Dongfang Yunxing understood his master's nature well. He raised his head and smiled. "Yunxiao will certainly succeed."

Su Chen glanced in the direction where Dongfang Yunxiao was. Moments earlier, the boy had seemed somewhat pleasing to the eye. For some reason, he now looked completely displeasing, no matter how one viewed him.

"This master will remain within the long river of years to witness everything. Only when I am certain will I leave."

Dongfang Yunxing said, "He will never disappoint Master."

Su Chen's figure vanished before Dongfang Yunxing. Following the lines of karma, he arrived in this spacetime. As a True Immortal who did not belong here, he inevitably faced terrible rejection and could only observe from beyond time.

With Su Chen's disappearance, Dongfang Yunxing reached out and grabbed. Far away, tens of thousands of li distant, Dongfang Yunxiao suddenly sensed that something was wrong. At that moment, he still held a large chicken leg stuffed in his mouth, chewing with relish, until he saw the familiar face.

"Cough… Master, long time no see."

Dongfang Yunxiao looked at his unmoved master, then at the bare Clear Wind Mountain and the vanished mysterious masked man. He finished the last of the chicken leg in two or three bites, wiped his fingers on his clothes, and spoke with calm composure. "Master, what is going on? Why has Grandmaster disappeared?"

Dongfang Yunxing reached out and knocked Dongfang Yunxiao on the head, speaking in a bad temper. "You ate delicious roasted chicken yet did not share any with Grandmaster. Grandmaster has now been angered away by you!"

Dongfang Yunxiao froze for a moment, muttering in his heart, "Grandmaster is truly petty…"

Chapter 415: The Ancient and Modern Recorder (Part 26)

Su Chen gazed at the emptiness before him.

Across hundreds of millions of years, he had walked through the rise and fall of eras, witnessed the birth and destruction of universes, and seen the final end of spacetimes.

The heart that had never once wavered now stirred for the first time.

Just as he had said… for a being of his level, emotion was an extremely luxurious thing.

To him, Dongfang Yunxing was not merely a disciple but a fellow traveler on the same path, a confidant who had walked with him through these long years.

In one fleeting moment, the thought arose that he might overturn this entire spacetime and force Dongfang Yunxing to continue forward with him.

In the end, he abandoned that thought.

Dongfang Yunxing was tired.

When Su Chen had been targeted by great enemies and forced into endless cycles of reincarnation, even he himself had nearly become lost. No one could say how many eras had passed since the great war of the heavens. Dongfang Yunxing had once waited for him through those long years as well, yet that waiting had gradually grown numb with the turning of one era after another.

Su Chen did not know how Dongfang Yunxing had managed to persist until now with only a single thread of will.

So Su Chen remained silent.

If he truly acted to force Dongfang Yunxing to continue, would that be a good ending for him?

It would only be a cruel form of torment.

"True Immortal… True Immortal… even Immortals cannot attain true freedom and ease."

Complex emotions surfaced beneath the bronze mask.

"It is this master who has failed you."

Su Chen murmured in a low voice.

This spacetime began to flow from existence into nothingness.

Su Chen stood outside of time and never left.

He needed to see for himself exactly what kind of successor Yunxing had chosen!

...

On Clear Wind Mountain, Dongfang Yunxiao remained half-believing and half-doubting.

His master had always been unreliable.

What normal master would send a disciple out to rob people for birthday gifts, or snatch roasted chicken from that same disciple?

How could Grandmaster be such a petty person, flying into a rage simply because he had secretly hidden two roasted chickens?

It must have been that Master failed to take out the roasted chicken in time to entertain Grandmaster and thereby angered him!

Dongfang Yunxiao felt he was quite clever and had already drawn close to the truth of the matter.

He did not know what kind of person Grandmaster was, yet how could he not know what kind of person his own master was?

Unfortunately, from that day onward, he never saw Grandmaster again.

Dongfang Yunxiao grew up.

In the year he turned sixteen, his master drove him off Clear Wind Mountain. For Dongfang Yunxiao, this was exactly what he had longed for. He shouted toward the direction of Clear Wind Mountain, "Clear Wind Mountain, you old man! This young master is finally going out to roam the world! This young master will not disgrace the name of Clear Wind Mountain. I will make certain that everyone under heaven knows who I am!"

On Clear Wind Mountain, Dongfang Yunxing listened to the youth's impassioned declaration and could not help laughing as he cursed, "You stinking brat, if you dare lose this master's face and leave me unable to answer to your Grandmaster, then never return to Clear Wind Mountain again!"

Dongfang Yunxing watched the departing figure of the youth and stood dazed for a moment.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Just like a youth in his prime.

...

The years flowed on.

After leaving Clear Wind Mountain, Dongfang Yunxiao swept through every obstacle with almost no true opponents.

He defeated Quasi-Emperors and Rulers, suppressed the Three Thousand States, and attained enlightenment beneath the Myriad Burial Abyss.

He met the heroes of the age, crushed the prodigies of an entire era in the great genius war of the myriad realms, repeatedly turned danger into safety amid life-and-death crises, and at the end of the era comprehended life and death itself. His cultivation reached the realm of creation, and in a single leap he became one of the Emperor Lords of the present age.

Beyond spacetime, Su Chen watched all of this unfold.

At that moment, a crack appeared in the originally boundless void, evolving into another fragment of spacetime. From past to present, countless living beings were awakened. Within that other spacetime, several True Immortals stood guard. They joined forces to manifest the present world and invade the temporal node where Dongfang Yunxiao stood.

Su Chen watched the scene without intervening. Even though that other spacetime was stronger than the one Dongfang Yunxiao occupied, this too was a trial for him.

As the spacetime cracks merged, the two different fragments of spacetime began to complete their order. For experts of higher realms, this would increase the hope of breaking through to Immortality.

On the battlefield, Dongfang Yunxiao faced many powerful enemies. He was hailed as the genius with the greatest hope of becoming an Immortal.

To the other spacetime, this was not good news.

A tragic war erupted. Experts from past and present across the heavens besieged a single man.

More and more traces of the Great Dao circulated across Dongfang Yunxiao's body.

Those traces transformed into one silhouette after another upon him.

"I remember… I remember everything!"

Countless memories surged into Dongfang Yunxiao's mind like a tide.

At that moment, a long spear pierced straight through the long river of years, intending to erase Dongfang Yunxiao's past and obstruct his path to the Dao, even if it meant bearing enormous karma.

On Clear Wind Mountain, a white-haired young man focused his gaze and looked up.

"What gall! They actually dare to reverse karma and attempt to erase Yunxiao in the past!"

To kill a True Immortal about to achieve the Dao in the past was a karma that even a giant could not bear. Dongfang Yunxing did not know whom Dongfang Yunxiao's future had offended to draw such a terrifying upheaval!

There was no time for further thought. He prepared to act at once and block the strike for Dongfang Yunxiao.

As the remnant sword was drawn, spacetime trembled.

A soft voice of surprise and doubt came from the other spacetime.

"I did not expect a remnant Immortal was still lingering here. Yet a remnant Immortal is still only a remnant Immortal. Having lost status, how can you possibly block this Immortal's hand?"

The voice shifted from initial surprise to a cold laugh. He intended to erase Dongfang Yunxiao at the very instant of his Immortal breakthrough, even if it meant vanishing for it!

"This is…"

The cold laughter abruptly ceased.

At that moment, a figure wreathed in black qi suddenly appeared without the slightest warning. The iron sword Dongfang Yunxing was about to draw was frozen along with the stagnation of spacetime.

Seeing the familiar bronze mask on the newcomer's face, Dongfang Yunxing was both shocked and overjoyed.

The arrival was none other than Su Chen, who had been drifting beyond the two spacetimes.

"Does your Excellency intend to interfere?"

The True Immortal who had acted showed wariness in his eyes. They had sensed this strange True Immortal drifting outside spacetime, yet seeing that he showed no intention of stepping into either realm, they had paid him little attention.

Su Chen paid the True Immortal no mind. He spoke mildly to Dongfang Yunxing. "If you use that sword, you will vanish at once. Leave him to this master… All you need to do is witness the moment Yunxiao breaks through."

Such casual composure caused the True Immortal from the other spacetime to darken his expression. "Your Excellency is truly arrogant. Bearing so much karma, do you actually intend to obstruct this Immortal in this spacetime?"

Su Chen closed the book in his hands. The heaven and earth beneath his feet inverted and transformed into a golden torrent that floated both beneath and above the two of them.

"I… am karma itself."