Chapter 1123: Not Entering the Cycle

When my consciousness first awakened, I was alone, trapped in Xuanpu Palace, enduring boundless solitude. Though I resided in the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea and occasionally interacted with and cared for some demons, it was always on a whim, from a position of superiority.

I felt nothing towards the concept of 'emotion.'

Even after gaining a human body and a new life, I still considered myself a spirit born of heaven and earth. I disregarded the mortal consciousness I gained as worthless, not knowing how to handle that worldly connection, hoping time would simply erase it.

It was at Yinshan Pass, thanks to your introduction, my young friend, that I witnessed the fraternal bond between the Tan brothers.

One willingly risked his life, cultivating demonic arts to shield his elder brother from calamity. The other, despite his low cultivation, managed for decades to do everything possible to sustain his brother's faint spark of life.

At that moment, I finally had an epiphany—I understood what emotion was, and what it meant to be human.

Our souls merged, and with that, we had to bear his karma, his emotions!

He always had deep-seated worries: Qingyang Temple and his disciples, who were like family. This had become an obsession, buried deep in his heart, yet I had never been able to perceive it.

Injuries to the soul can be cured by spiritual medicine.

If I didn't recognize this, I would never be able to break free from these shackles.

When you introduced Yufu to my lineage, I accepted him as my successor. I fully assisted him in his cultivation, instructing him to restore Qingyang Temple to its former glory once his cultivation was complete. This finally resolved the obsession.

Within the demonic fire, we truly became one.

As he spoke these words, Yun Youzi's expression changed several times. It shifted from initial indifference and arrogance, to a period of confusion, and finally to deep, protective affection when he spoke of Qingyang Temple and Yufu.

Just as Yun Youzi himself said. He had come to understand 'emotion' and had become a true human being!

Hearing this, Qin Sang finally understood. He understood why Yun Youzi, after joining the Taiyi Pill Sect and achieving cultivation success, hadn't returned to Great Sui for years, nor visited Qingyang Temple on Cuiming Mountain, nor seen Daoist Jixin.

At the time, Qin Sang had thought Yun Youzi was simply devoted to seeking the Dao, severing his worldly ties. Yet later, he treated Li Yufu, who was several generations removed, as his own son, solely focusing on revitalizing Qingyang Temple and placing extraordinary importance on its lineage.

So there was this hidden truth.

Although the cultivation world has the concept of 'body snatching', it cannot be done recklessly. Each cultivator can only perform body snatching once in their lifetime. Of course, there might be Daoist or demonic arts in the cultivation world that surpass or differ from conventional body snatching, capable of breaking this iron rule. Furthermore, cultivators must not snatch the bodies of mortals, as mortals would collapse from being unable to bear it.

Yun Youzi's experience was clearly different from body snatching. Perhaps, as Yun Youzi had just said, it was an anomaly born under the heavenly tribulation.

Qin Sang couldn't help but recall his own experience. He still didn't understand if he counted as having performed body snatching. When he arrived in this world, he too was a mortal, yet he occupied the body of Qin Sanwa. Regardless of whether it counted as body snatching, Qin Sang dared not test the limits again.

Furthermore, there was a significant difference between him and Yun Youzi. Yun Youzi was a fusion of remnant souls, while Qin Sang had a complete soul. He only gained Qin Sanwa's memories and body. When his cultivation was low and his Dao heart was not firm, Qin Sang was momentarily disoriented by the original owner's memories during his visit to Wangjia Village. However, he quickly recognized himself, and all such influences were erased. He could be absolutely certain that he was Qin Sang. His cultivation wasn't hindered by this either.

Yun Youzi's path was much harder; he searched everywhere for spiritual medicine. With great difficulty, he obtained the Night Orchid Lily, but it only provided slight relief. Only by realizing his inner obsession and throwing himself into the demonic fire did he finally resolve the hidden danger.

"Earlier, when I gave you the Soul Nurturing Wood, you said your soul was intact and there were no hidden dangers. Why then did you encounter a dual tribulation when undergoing the Nascent Soul tribulation?" Qin Sang asked, puzzled.

"Indeed, a dual tribulation arrived!" Yun Youzi listened carefully to Qin Sang's description of the tribulation scene and sighed deeply.

"The Nascent Soul tribulation and the Transformation tribulation arrived simultaneously. The combined power of the two tribulations far exceeded what I had imagined. Although I was reborn from the ashes, I am, after all, an anomaly, a fusion of human and demonic remnant souls. Such an anomaly is not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao, and the heavenly tribulation was bound to change.

"Before undergoing the tribulation, I had a subtle understanding through the connection between heaven and man. In recent years, I traveled extensively, settling various karmic ties, which was also a form of preparation.

"The Grand Dao is merciless! If I can overcome this tribulation, I will be acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao, and my path forward will be smooth. If I fail, my body will perish, and my Dao will dissipate. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

Qin Sang was shaken, truly feeling how insignificant he was, even as a cultivator. The Grand Dao is merciless! The morning mushroom knows not day and night; the short-lived cicada knows not spring and autumn. Cultivators pursuing immortality and enlightenment are like moths drawn to a flame, yet they press onward, one after another.

"The karma between Yufu and the Taiyi Pill Sect has been resolved. After I die, let Yufu follow you, my young friend. There are also some lesser demons in the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea who had some connection with me; I have made arrangements for them. The cultivation world is currently in turmoil. After you form your Nascent Soul, I hope you can visit the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea. You have asked about Demon King Qianji several times before, so there must be something you need to know, but unfortunately, I cannot accompany you. Demon King Qianji achieved Dao relatively late, so I don't know much about him. However, with your status as the master of the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea, it shouldn't be difficult to inquire..."

Yun Youzi softly gave his final instructions. His figure became increasingly ethereal, his voice faint, as he was about to vanish from the world.

Qin Sang suppressed his sorrow, listened until Yun Youzi finished speaking, and then solemnly promised, "Senior, rest assured, I will certainly help Yufu revitalize Qingyang Temple and protect the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea!"

Yun Youzi nodded with a faint smile. Then, his voice turning solemn, he said, "Finally, there is one more matter, one that only you, my young friend, can handle."

"Please speak, senior!" Qin Sang's expression became serious.

"Having failed the tribulation, I should, by rights, disperse my consciousness, choose to relinquish my physical body, and return to the cycle of reincarnation. But this is not what I desire. I do not cultivate for a next life; I strive only for this one! The Grand Dao has fifty, and the Heavenly Dao derives forty-nine. I would rather this body not enter reincarnation, but in this very life, contend with the Heavenly Dao once more!"

Yun Youzi's eyes shone brightly, and his words resonated powerfully. A phantom body, yet possessing an indomitable spirit! He looked at Qin Sang.

"That piece of charred wood is my former spiritual bamboo true form. Under the heavenly tribulation, my true form turned to charcoal. This remaining piece was also damaged by the tribulation lightning, becoming charred wood. However, since it originated from my true form, I used a secret technique to infuse a wisp of my primordial true spirit into the charred wood. If you, my young friend, refine it into a supreme-grade magical artifact, it should be able to preserve my primordial true spirit. The magical artifact will also have a great chance to develop sentience, and even eventually give birth to a spirit! I only wish that one day, you, my young friend, can achieve immortality and enlightenment. Then I might be able to be reborn through the spirit of the artifact!"

*Crack!*

The jade slip shattered. Qin Sang's divine sense withdrew from the jade slip, and he remained silent, lost in thought. He lowered his head and looked at the piece of charred wood in his hand; it felt as heavy as a thousand jun.

Yun Youzi was still the same old Daoist with a white beard from his memories, solely devoted to seeking the Dao. Even when facing a peerless heavenly tribulation, he harbored no resentment, possessing only an unyielding heart that sought the Dao. In the midst of despair, he strove for a glimmer of hope.