The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 679: Will of Heaven and Earth_1
There are countless ways to achieve enlightenment, but when viewed from the perspective of "reasoning with the universe, all living beings, and all things," there are ultimately only three situations!
The first situation.
One disregards the "will of heaven and earth," acts unreasonably, and insists on proving one's own path! This is akin to two people discussing profound Dao; one closes their ears, not caring what the other says, and expounds their own principles. It is just that the other party is "The Heavens," the "will of heaven and earth"! Those who aspire to become Heavenly Monarchs often pour their emotions into their swords. They push their Sword Path to awe-inspiring levels, then break their own shackles and attempt to build a Divine Bridge. This is a similar situation. No matter how many reasons you have, I only have one sword.
The second situation.
Listen carefully to the "will of heaven and earth," go with the flow, and prove its path! This is like arguing with someone: one listens to their reasoning and then follows their logic to refute, perfect, extend, and attach it to one's own path. Those aspiring to become Heavenly Monarchs might practice being heartless, merging their Essence and Qi into the Heavenly Dao. This is to better understand the will of this world, choosing principles, whether lofty or humble, to achieve their own Dao fruit. The vast majority of Divine Bridge Realm powerhouses, even if they do not embody Heaven's Will, mostly comprehend, understand, and achieve enlightenment in similar ways. For instance, Gusong Immortal Master, the founder of the Taiyi Sword Alliance, was a master of the Sword Path. However, he did not achieve the rank of Heavenly Monarch through the Sword Path. Instead, he followed the way of understanding the "will of heaven and earth" and aligning with the "heart of all living beings and all things"! For instance, Big Moro Yao of Fairy Flower Valley cultivates the path of nature. Her existence benefits this world, its soil and rivers, its flowers, plants, and trees, and the sentient beings who reside within. Comparatively, the likelihood of achieving the rank of Heavenly Monarch in this way is much higher. Understanding the desires of "all things" and choosing one path to prove makes it easier to be accepted by "The Heavens," thus smoothly stepping into the realm of a Heavenly Monarch!
The third situation.
Forcefully convince the "will of heaven and earth," have it validate my path! With supreme strength and paramount principles, make the will of "all living beings and all things" submit, and make "The Heavens" of this world concede. It is like arguing with someone: either beating them into submission with brute force or silencing them with irrefutable logic.
... 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
After Shen Mo left the gates of Heaven Sword Sect, he wandered about like a roaming cloud and a wild crane. Sometimes he was in the great city of Jing State, watching martial arts experts duel. Sometimes he was in the fields, planting grains with farmers. Sometimes he was on Tianshan Mountain in Zhong State, playing with the indestructible sword Qi left by Senior Gu Song. Sometimes he was in the Extreme West Abyss, silently observing Buddhist cultivators who had entered the Red Flame Zone building one temple after another. Other times, he ventured into deep forests, listening to the roars of tigers and howls of wolves, feeling the cycle of life and death for flowers, birds, fish, insects, microbes, and tiny creatures. Or he dived into the depths of the Immortal Burial Sea to experience the surging tides and swim and dance with the Marine Race and Sea Beasts who had not yet developed gnosis. Or he walked barefoot across mountains and plains, feeling the throb of the earth's veins within the rocks and mountains, savoring the ancient resonance of seas transforming into mulberry fields and earth veins forging high mountains...
「Spring passed and winter arrived. In the blink of an eye, three years had gone by.」
As Shen Mo traversed the four corners of the earth, his understanding of the "will of heaven and earth" grew deeper. He could now "hear" the whispers and calls of "The Heavens" from the Primordial Realm—still powerful, vast, indifferent, and aloof! What he found particularly noteworthy was that this will of heaven and earth, imperceptibly, had conveyed to him an intention that was both vague and certain. It was vague because Shen Mo hadn't heard or received any clear external information. Instead, it was a realization that gradually surfaced in his mind as he continuously wandered and perceived the intentions of "all things." It was certain because Shen Mo confirmed this realization was genuine and not his own delusion!
As long as he was willing to make a Dao Vow in this world, pledging to protect the entire Primordial Realm and ensure its everlasting existence, he could smoothly build a Divine Bridge. From the myriad Great Paths, he could choose one to achieve the revered status of a Heavenly Monarch! Not only that, but the enlightenment tribulation posed by the Evil Monarch Lin Zhaozai, as well as future tribulations such as heavenly thunder and the Demonic Killing Field encountered when advancing to Gold Destiny, would also silently vanish.
Shen Mo stood on the edge of a Spiritless Land in Light State, pondering silently. Achieving enlightenment through a grand vow? While not impossible, to make guardianship the focus, to prove *its* Dao... the scope is a bit too small.
This Spiritless Land was located in the very center of the five forbidden lands. It was a battlefield ruin, formed after a great conflict between Outer Zone creatures of the moderate faction and Outer Zone Demons, groups with diametrically opposed stances. Mountains were shattered, and rivers were obliterated. Nature's spiritual energy could not flow in due to residual Spells and damage to the domain, leaving a scar-like wound in the Red Flame Zone. Only magma boiled ceaselessly in the extreme depths of the earth. A large fissure had also opened beyond the Ninth Heaven. There was no longer wind, rain, thunder, or lightning; only the stars in the night sky could be seen, twinkling and illuminating this place!
Perhaps it was because there were many Class V and higher Outer Zone creatures in the Red Flame Zone, and they had inflicted profound damage on this world. Coincidentally, Shen Mo was also from Qing State of the Red Flame Country and had traversed nearly every inch of land and sea in the Red Flame Zone in recent years. This was why he had gained the insight into the "method of achieving enlightenment through a grand vow"! The collective will of all beings in the Primordial Realm, or rather the Red Flame Zone, along with a portion of "Heaven's Will," hoped he would become a Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch to protect this realm.
However, Shen Mo was not inclined to accept this favor!
The Primordial Realm was a world originating from the withered Universe Tree. Like a mortal past forty or fifty, it had begun its decline and would one day completely decay and perish. If I truly made that Dao Vow, Shen Mo thought, even if I cultivated to an extremely profound Dao Realm, reaching a level comparable to the Soaring Serpent, Bizarre Dragon, or Four-Eyed Giant—or even surpassed them to enter the seventh Dao Realm—once the Primordial Realm completely decayed and collapsed, my Path Heart would shatter due to the vow, and I would ultimately perish along with the Primordial Realm!
Perhaps, Shen Mo suspected, the ancient battlefield of immortals and demons, the Vacuous Realm, once had one or several native powerhouses who achieved the status of Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch through a similar method. They realized the Great Path and cultivated to a profound Dao Realm beyond ordinary comprehension or imagination! But as the Vacuous Realm continued its decay, their Dao fruits would also crumble. Therefore, these entities exhausted all methods to prevent this world from disintegrating. The Vacuous Realm, or the ancient battlefield of immortals and demons, was so peculiar. Even though the forbidden lands and Outer Zone creatures had all migrated away, it still maintained a largely intact appearance. This was likely connected to the Divine Bridge Realm experts, and even stronger entities, within it!
Since he began his cultivation, Shen Mo's goal had always been clear.
It was the Carefree state of transcending all...
To achieve true immortality, to wander through the annals of time;
To ride the wind and command Qi, to journey freely through the cosmos;
To have all of creation conform to my will, where the fate of all things—be it preservation or annihilation—rests upon a single thought of mine!
