Chapter 367: Enlightenment
In the blink of an eye, Qingyang had been in Qinglong Temple for two months. Taoist Songhe was already angry and insisted that Qingyang leave. At this point, Qingyang knew that he had no choice but to leave. Not only was it not acceptable to his master, but there were also things waiting for him at Qingfeng Temple.
At this time, there was less than half a year left before the Chaos Demon Valley Trial. It would take two months to travel from Xiping Prefecture to Qingfeng Temple, not to mention that he still had a lot of preparations to do after returning. The Chaos Demon Valley Trial only happens once every twenty years. If he missed this trial, not only would the Demon Hunting Order be wasted, but he might not have the next chance in this life.
In desperation, Qingyang could only choose to leave Qinglong Mountain in the near future and return to Qingfeng Temple. After that, Qingyang handed over all the longevity pills he had made with the petals and nectar of the Wannianhong tree to Taoist Songhe, and left a lot of spiritual wine and pollen nectar collected by alcoholic bees.
The more Qingyang acted like this, the more annoyed Master Songhe became. On the day Qingyang left, only he and Master Kongji saw him off. He said nothing else, but stared at Qingyang and said, "You are not allowed to come back again, otherwise I will not recognize you as my disciple."
Qingyang knew that everything his master did was for his own good, but looking at his master's eyes, Qingyang also understood that his master had made up his mind and he could not change it. His departure this time was probably a farewell of life and death, and he might not see him again in this life.
Qingyang kowtowed three times to Master Songhe, stood up, but could not turn around and leave. Master Kongji next to him suddenly sighed and said, "You still can't let it go?"
"Yes." Qingyang nodded heavily.
"Birth, aging, illness and death are the way of nature. Everyone has to experience joys and sorrows. At your age, are you still unable to let it go?" Master Kongji said.
Qingyang raised his head and said, "I have been thinking about a question these days. People are born, grow old, get sick and die, and things have joys and sorrows. No matter what they experience, it is all in vain in the end. So what is the purpose of my cultivation? What am I pursuing with all my efforts? What have I gained? In the end, I can only live longer and be stronger than others, but I still cannot escape the restrictions of heaven, and will eventually turn into a handful of yellow earth. Since the results are empty and nothing can be gained, why should I go through all these twists and turns?" Master Kongji said, "There are thousands of people in the world. Some people work hard but cannot get enough food and clothing. Some people have wealth and power but are still dissatisfied. Some people live in temples and tremble with fear. Some people live in the mountains and rivers and are unhappy, but these people live well. Why?" Yes, why? People who cannot get enough food and clothing know that life is hard but still live strong. Why are they dissatisfied with wealth and power? Why do you have to tremble with fear when you are in the temple? Shouldn't living in the mountains and rivers be content? Because they still have persistence, goals, and pursuits in their hearts. Life is hard, but they have to support their parents. With wealth and power, they want beautiful wives and concubines. They want to move up to the next level in the temple. Living in the mountains and rivers, they can't let go of worldly things. Master Kongji looked at Qingyang with wisdom in his eyes, and his old face was kind. He said slowly: "People's hearts are not satisfied, not to mention that the emptiness you are talking about is only the emptiness you see now. You haven't reached the end, how do you know that the end is empty?" How do you know that the end is empty if you haven't reached the end? Yes, what I see now is only a piece of sky above my head, but if I walk out of this sky, will I still see the same? I remember when I was a child, I followed my master and wandered around the world every day. How could I know what cultivation is? But later, I came into contact with cultivation, and I realized that this world is so magical. Is cultivation the end? Saying that the end is empty with the current vision is as ridiculous as a frog in a well saying that the sky is only as big as the well mouth. Only when you walk out of this sky, you are qualified to say whether the sky is big or small.
Without reaching the end, no one knows how far you can go. Maybe you can walk out, or maybe you will eventually fall on the road. But even if you don’t succeed in the end, you have tried your best, right? Is the process of this pursuit not important?
Cultivating immortals is going against the will of heaven, which is extremely difficult. You must have firm confidence and perseverance. You must identify your goals and forge ahead without any hesitation or retreat. I have just cultivated to the third level of Qi Refining Stage and have no goals. How can I go far?
As Master Jikong said, I have really been in a demon barrier during this period. Because I missed my master for a long time, I unknowingly had a demon in my heart. After seeing Taoist Songhe, I was almost taken advantage of by the demon in my heart. I didn’t expect that at the last moment, I was awakened by Master Kongji.
Since I have embarked on this road, there is no time to turn back. I must go forward without hesitation. Thinking of this, Qingyang suddenly turned around and strode down the mountain.
Looking at Qingyang's back, Taoist Songhe's eyes were misty. I don't know whether he was sad because of his disciple's departure or happy because of Qingyang's sudden enlightenment.
After a long time, Taoist Songhe came back to his senses. He casually wiped his eyes with his sleeves, then patted Master Kongji next to him and laughed: "Hahahaha... Old Monk Kongji, you are still good at talking. This time, I owe you a favor. You can choose for a long time after you go back."
Qingyang stepped on the stone steps and walked down the mountain step by step. With every step he took, his momentum would increase. After walking thousands of stone steps, Qingyang's momentum was completely different from before. Even his temperament had a little more determination and calmness.
Just when Qingyang turned and left, he suddenly realized, figured out many things, realized many truths, and strengthened his heart to seek the Tao. The knot in his heart was gone, his state of mind broke through, and it was a natural thing for him to break through from the third level of Qi Refining to the fourth level of Qi Refining.
At this time, it was less than half a year before the trial of Chaos Demon Valley. Qingyang originally thought that before the trial, he would never be able to break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, he suddenly realized. Although there is only a small realm difference between the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining, the strength between them is still very different from the initial stage of Qi Refining to the middle stage of Qi Refining.
Others are at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but I am only at the third level of Qi Refining. What can I do in Chaos Demon Valley? The disciples of the Immortal Sect are at peace on the surface, but they are also full of competition behind the scenes. Others at the sixth level of Qi Refining can't get the Demon Hunting Order, but I can get it at the third level of Qi Refining. How can I not arouse others' jealousy? Maybe someone is secretly attacking me.