Chapter 498

Chapter 498: Destined

Have you ever had trouble sleeping?

Everyone tells you that you should sleep, and you know you should sleep. But you feel so awake, with not a bit of sleepiness.

Everyone had fallen asleep, and if you listened carefully, you could hear soft and heavy snores from others, but you were the only one still awake.

The neon lights of the building across the street kept flickering all night, just like your state of sleeplessness.

It was not until the next day, when the sun rose, that the long-awaited tiredness hit you, and you finally fell into a deep sleep.

But Qiao Mu was different.

He was like the neon lights across the street, shining all night and still bright during the day.

People came and went on the road, but he was always bright, always full of energy, never tired.

He had the power of immortality, like the ever-burning sun; as the world changed, he remained shining…

But in reality, the sun is still a big fireball, and it will eventually extinguish, yet he lives on forever.

"So, why am I able to live forever?"

Qiao Mu lay on the grassy ground of his dream, with his head resting on his hands, thinking about this question.

He was not practicing martial arts in his dream.

Because practicing martial arts had no meaning.

A Mahayana cultivator, even in the ancient cultivation world, would be a top expert, and almost all the Mahayana cultivators in the human realm died at his hands.

In his long life of over eighteen thousand years, he had not seen a being stronger than himself, so what was the point of continuing to practice martial arts to become stronger?

Oh, except for the Heavenly Emperor; the Heavenly Emperor is a corpse, not a living being.

The greatest pursuit of a cultivator on the path of immortality is to achieve eternal life and ascend to become an immortal, ultimately seeking one thing, "eternal life."

Qiao Mu had already reached a destination that all cultivators of immortality could only dream of, and his martial arts skills were unparalleled, unmatched by anyone.

So, why should he still practice martial arts?

Today, he did not practice martial arts; instead, he thought about a question that had been lingering in his heart for a long time.

"Why can I live forever? What is the Long Life Lock, where does it come from, and why does it exist?"

"What is the meaning of my eternal life?"

Qiao Mu lay quietly on the grass, watching the clouds roll and drift at the edge of the sky, while the sun rose in the east and set in the west, day after day.

These questions seemed empty and abstract on ordinary days.

It was only after experiencing what he thought was a near-death experience, and after a long span of fifty thousand years, that they kept appearing in his mind.

He had no desire to practice martial arts at all.

Ever since he began learning the Kuafu tribe’s Sun Chasing Cultivation Method at over five thousand years old, the sun he chased in his heart was actually his own death.

It was the finish line of this eighteen-thousand-year-long race.

And now, he is like Kuafu chasing the sun, having discovered that the sun is beautiful but out of reach.

…………………………………………….

In the ruins of the heavenly palace.

"You must be lying to me, trying to steal my chance to become an immortal and ruin my heart of Dao!"

Di Ting’s words only made the Ancestor of the Sword Sect more anxious. With a wave of his large sleeve, a strong wind blew Di Ting away as he strode toward the Heavenly Emperor’s throne.

But just before reaching the Heavenly Emperor’s Throne, the Ancestor of the Sword Sect suddenly had a whim and stopped a few steps away, calculating something with his hands.

The Tao Achieving Stage cultivators of this world are all ancient beings who have lived for over ten thousand years, so how could they not have dabbled in divination and prediction?

They simply are not as skilled in that art as Patriarch Tianshu.

However, just before arriving at the throne, the Ancestor of the Sword Sect suddenly hesitated.

He calculated for a long time, then hesitated before slowly stepping forward, while a small sword spun quickly on his fingertip.

With the lessons learned from the young ancestors and others, he naturally would not be reckless.

As long as he thought of it, this small sword would turn into a brilliant sword light, sweeping away all uncertainties.

But as soon as he took that step, the shining robe he wore suddenly lost some of its brilliance, and the small sword in his hand suddenly lost its power and fell with a thud in front of the great hall.

"This…" The Ancestor of the Sword Sect had not yet figured it out when he heard a loud, reckless laughter behind him.

At that moment, Di Ting was laughing so hard he could hardly stand, almost rolling on the ground.

"What are you laughing at?" The Ancestor of the Sword Sect felt an uncontrollable rage in his heart. He took a few steps back, and with a wave of his hand, the blown-away Di Ting was suddenly caught in an invisible whirlwind, floating in his grasp.

"At this point, it’s better to be cautious." The Ancestor of the Sword Sect pointed, and the invisible wind threw Di Ting forward, landing with a thud right under the Heavenly Emperor’s Throne.

After doing all this, the Ancestor of the Sword Sect continued to stare intently at Di Ting.

This action of throwing stones to ask for directions was aimed directly at the annoying big stone named Di Ting!

But it was beyond his expectations.

Di Ting seemed to be unaffected; he didn’t even stand up, rolling on the ground and laughing loudly in front of the Heavenly Emperor’s throne, his laugh echoing throughout the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

"I laugh at your suspicion and caution, but no matter how clever you are, in the face of the desire to become an immortal, you will end up just as foolish as those others."

"If you don’t play the game, it’s fine, but once you enter, everything will turn to nothing."

The Ancestor of the Sword Sect’s expression changed suddenly; he vaguely thought of something and stepped forward a few more paces.

But as he got closer to the corpse of the Heavenly Emperor on the throne, the spirit of his robe lost its glow again, and his sword fell uncontrollably to the ground.

He still possessed vast magical power at the Tao Achieving Stage; it wasn’t that he suddenly lost his magic, but he ultimately couldn’t tap into the power of the outside world, making it impossible to execute any magic.

"You, you did this on purpose?!" The Ancestor of the Sword Sect took a few steps back, starting to lose his composure.

"Do you really think that with the body of the Heavenly Emperor, who has ‘All Laws are Inviolable,’ I cannot handle you?"

"It seems you are not too foolish after all," Di Ting chuckled.

"In the outer realms, the way of the immortals is supreme, while all else is considered unorthodox."

"Whether it is the Ancient Gods and Demons born when chaos first opened, or the demon clans that came from the essence of heaven and earth, they all eventually fell to the cultivators of the immortal way."

"When the Heavenly Emperor took control of the immortal world, the greatest enemies among the cultivators were naturally left as each other."

"When the Heavenly Emperor attained ‘All Laws are Inviolable,’ he naturally became the leader of the immortals and the ruler of the immortal world."

"Do you think someone like the Heavenly Emperor would leave his body for future cultivators to gain his original immortal energy?"

The Ancestor of the Sword Sect stood there, stunned and somewhat confused.

"’All Laws are Inviolable’ is meant to guard against other cultivators in the immortal world?"

Thinking of this, he felt more certain: Patriarch Lingxu and the Mahayana cultivators arrived at Heaven’s Court before Qiao Mu.

But besides Qiao Mu, no one dared to touch the body of the Heavenly Emperor on the throne.

This was partly due to the awe that the Mahayana cultivators felt in front of the Heavenly Emperor.

Yet awe is not an unbreakable rule.

Characters like the young Patriarch are people with hearts as strong as iron.

The body of the Heavenly Emperor is the only corpse in the empty ruins of Heaven’s Court, and anyone who sees it can tell there is something unusual.

They hesitated to act, not only because of their awe but also because their spiritual senses perceived something, just as the Ancestor of the Sword Sect hesitated when approaching the Heavenly Emperor’s Throne.

With this thought, the Ancestor of the Sword Sect suddenly had a flash of insight; he understood:

"When the Patriarch of Long Life Gate faced death, he was not just a step away."

"Even if he did not die at the hands of the Qiao family but fought and won, he would still, like me, be left gazing at the vastness, ultimately unable to obtain a trace of the Heavenly Emperor’s divine essence…"

In front of the Heavenly Emperor, whether it is an ancestor of the Sword Sect, a cultivator at the Tao Achieving Stage, a peak Mahayana Stage cultivator, or a master in both techniques and martial arts…

There is actually no difference.

"A mere step away is a chasm, and in such close proximity lies the end of the world; in the end, what we seek cannot be attained!"

The ancestor of the Sword Sect almost bit his teeth to pieces, and at that moment, an unknown anger rose in his heart:

"What did that Taoist Tianshu figure out? What kind of opportunity for immortality is this, that it all leads us to the Return Ruins!"

"No one can become immortal! No one can live forever! At most, we can just come here to see the ruins of the heavenly palace and the body of the Heavenly Emperor!"

After his fury reached the sky, his mood calmed slightly, but he stood still, staring blankly at the body of the Heavenly Emperor.

"No, there must be a way. There must be a chance."

"Let me think a little longer, let me consider some more…"

He stood still, counting with his fingers, sometimes showing joy and sometimes sadness, as if under a spell.

Di Ting leaned back against the Heavenly Emperor’s throne, relaxing in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, and grinned as he said:

"No matter how clever a person is, no one can stay calm forever."

"When faced with the obsession of wanting something we cannot have, who can remain calm forever…?"

………………………………………

"Therefore, no one can become an immortal, no one can live forever."

In the Long Life Dream, Qiao Mu stood above the sea of clouds, watching himself and three Mahayana cultivators battling each other in a long fight within the dream, observing it over and over like a spectator.

Then, in the tenth year of the Long Life Dream, he arrived at a conclusion that was exactly like the one of the Ancestor of the Sword Sect.

The ancestor of the Sword Sect was intentionally pointed out and guided by Di Ting, while Qiao Mu relied on memories from his dreams, replaying countless times to analyze them.

Because he is immortal.

Therefore, the three Mahayana cultivators are bound to lose, with the only difference being how many times they can kill Qiao Mu.

And he will ultimately live until the end, becoming the sole victor in this battle of the heavenly court ruins.

"The opportunity for ascension calculated by Ancestor Tianshu is something to desire but cannot be reached; a wisp of immortal energy emanating from the Heavenly Emperor’s corpse cannot be obtained by anyone."

Qiao Mu’s mind stirred, and memories returned, starting from the successive battles he had with Patriarch Qingmu and the others.

These four individuals are at the pinnacle of the human world; when they strike with full power, they can move mountains and fill seas, breaking rocks and shaking the earth with their immense strength.

However, no matter how fiercely they fought, the Heavenly Emperor’s corpse remained untouched by the aftershocks, a calm eye in this storm.

"These Immortal Gate ancestors are destined to fail; they cannot obtain the wisp of immortal energy that flows from the Heavenly Emperor’s corpse."

"Only I can live forever, which means I am destined to live until the end. I will be able to approach the lifeless body of the Heavenly Emperor, and if I wish, perhaps after coming back to life, I could even gain that trace of celestial energy."

At this moment, reading his past memories from the viewpoint of an observer reveals different discoveries.

This battle of Return Ruins in the heavenly realm seemed to be his struggle through countless dangers, using all his skills to win. In the end, when he was exhausted, it was a flash of inspiration that made him think of using the Heavenly Emperor’s lifeless body as a sword, which led to his victory.

But when Qiao Mu learned about his everlasting nature, everything started to change invisibly.

It seemed like his personal effort and the full use of his skills, but in reality, the outcome had already been determined.

The one who lives to the end will surely be him.

The one who will gain that trace of the Heavenly Emperor’s original celestial energy will also surely be him.

So, why is that?

"It seems to be personal effort, but in fact, it is fate’s inevitability; the outcome has long been decided."

Qiao Mu frowned and looked back at the past.

In the long journey of life that lasts eighteen thousand years, he often felt as if fate was playing tricks on him.

Seeking death but failing.

Seeking justice and losing his life, gaining a Long Life Dream of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years.

The more spectacularly one dies, the longer the Long Life Dream that follows; is this a reward or a punishment?

Like a fish caught in a net, the more it struggles and tries, the more it gets tangled in the net.

"Yes, why is that?"

Qiao Mu frowned and, facing the morning light, finished practicing a set of Long Life Fist, exhaling like an arrow and standing with his fists by his side.

Then he stared in surprise at his own hands, taken aback for a moment.

For ten years, he had no desire to practice martial arts and simply wasted time aimlessly.

However, when he became lost in thought, his body naturally performed a set of Long Life Fist moves.

After eighteen thousand years, he practiced the Long Life Fist so smoothly and naturally that it was like breathing, becoming a part of his body.

Even without the thought or desire to practice martial arts, he still began to throw punches unconsciously.

"Well, let things happen naturally."

Qiao Mu no longer tried hard to suppress his thoughts of practicing martial arts but let them flow naturally.

Practicing martial arts is fine, and not practicing is fine too; it’s just this way.

For Qiao Mu, martial arts are a way of becoming stronger.

From the human world to the Return Ruins, there were no strong enemies he couldn’t defeat. So for him now, the meaning of martial arts had changed.

"Let’s think of it as a way to pass the time, that’s okay."

"Maybe, while practicing, fifty thousand years will just fly by…"

"And though fifty thousand years is long, it is just ten times the Long Life Dream, which has happened before when the chains broke."

"These eighteen thousand years have passed in the same way, which is about three times the length of a normal life."

Qiao Mu stopped holding back his instinct to practice martial arts, and as the sunrise shone, he began to practice his punches, again and again, in a cycle.

With the matters of the mortal world settled, he also ended the lives of many Immortal Gate masters in the Return Ruins. One would think he had little left to worry about, and his great wish should be fulfilled, leaving his heart calm like water.

The Long Life Fist Human Path Sutra and the Pure Yang Wuji Skill for building True strength are essential parts of his daily breakfast, the foundation of martial arts.

Lunch should continue to refine martial skills until reaching perfection, such as the "Da Yan Jue."

Dessert after meals is about replaying memories and revisiting the battles in his heart.

During dinner, his mind felt more relaxed, making it a good time to let his imagination soar and think of new martial arts.

Day by day, Qiao Mu filled his days in his Long Life Dream with many activities. Just like he didn’t know the true nature of his immortality, he worked hard to live as he had before, pretending that nothing had happened.