50: Chapter 50 Five Lifetimes of Feathered Robes

[At age 13, you stepped onto the Twisted Immortal Path. After three years, you cultivated to the Qi Gathering Ninth Layer.]

[You ascended once more and entered the Great World of Mountains and Seas.]

[You passed through East Mountain City and killed Ni Gaoyuan. Four years later, you entered Kongsang Prefecture. Based on your experiences along the way, you pieced together broken clues and deduced the series of schemes by Gao Sheng and Zheng Quan.]

[You watched the True Monarch's schemes and the internal strife of the noble families with cold detachment. Through various means, you arranged a Heavenly Demon Ritual and successfully initiated the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art.]

[During a sensitive period, the radiation from a rift in the Heavenly Demon Great Dao manifested in the world, causing high-level members of both sides to misjudge the situation, leading to the premature start of the war between humans and yao.]

[During the war, Gao Sheng intended to refine you into a Puppet to open a path to the Biyang Sword Sect. However, through your maneuvering, you successfully exposed his plan.]

[You made the truth public through the Nine Songs Net, facilitating a united front against Wild Goose Formation True Monarch, intensifying conflicts and driving the progression of the war.]

[You survived within the Spirit Refining Grand Formation, the towering floods, and the Yao Race invasion, personally experiencing the disaster of mountains toppling and seas overflowing.]

[Finally, at the Peak of the azure clouds, beneath the True Monarch and the heavenly might, you reached out for the nascent soul dao fruit.]

[At age 17, with no path of retreat, you flew over the origin dao preaching stele. Like a myth reappearing, heavenly punishment descended; though you died, it was with honor.]

[Final Stroke completed. This life's Awakening achievement—]

[Achievement: Person Outside the Formation (Green) (Current Bookmarks capacity: 4/9)]

[Effect: Greatly increases insight and Comprehension Ability for cracking large-scale Formations, and makes it easier for others to overlook your presence.]

In the Great Qǐ plane, within the Shaolin Temple, a heavy morning bell woke Shen Moyan.

He opened his eyes blankly, staring dazed at the grey plaster ceiling.

It wasn't until a few rays of sunlight hit the side of his face that he cautiously looked around. After confirming no one was watching him, he opened his Bookmarks.

"Retain the Peak cultivation of the previous life."

[True Name: Shen Moyan]

[Race: Human Race]

[Realm: Mortal Transformation Early Stage (Twisted Immortal Path)]

[Current Lifespan: 600 years]

[Current Skills: Startling Swan Sword Art (Self-created), Scripture of Severing All Manifestations (Mortal Transformation Realm), Biyang First Rising Art (Mortal Transformation Realm), Paper Cutting to Form Humans (Proficient), Heavenly Demon Transformation Art (Initiate), Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill (Thirteenth Layer)...]

Shen Moyan pushed open the door and stepped out, instantly vanishing from the Shaolin Temple and arriving atop Ziyang Mountain.

Mountain winds blew in gusts, making Shen Moyan's robes and thoughts flutter wildly.

That final look from the Dharma Idol was something he found hard to forget.

Though not as eerie as the Heavenly Demon's glance, it was terrifying enough.

"Immortal Lord, Heavenly Demon..."

"Heh, it seems this Great World of Mountains and Seas truly is a chaotic dance of gods and demons."

Myriad thoughts turned into a cold sneer.

What a Dharma Idol; it was the ultimate technique Jiang Qingshui had exchanged his life and the Holy Court Gold Token for.

It truly was an ultimate technique.

This one move directly summoned a great figure like the Immortal Lord to the field.

True Monarchs, Yao Race, even the Sects—no one could play anymore.

Just by uttering a few words of true speech, the entire world moved according to His will. Such great power; calling Him an Immortal Lord was no exaggeration.

I'm afraid all living beings in Langya Province, including the Guizang Realm True Monarchs, are nothing more than ants.

"Immortal... Xian... Mortal..." Shen Moyan muttered to himself, then his expression froze.

He actually felt a sense of looking down on the world's heroes just because he successfully restarted. This truly was a path to seeking death.

I cannot be like this.

Shen Moyan reflected on his actions.

Reason told him that in the previous life, he shouldn't have tried to seize that nascent soul dao fruit.

Not knowing his own weight and still entering the fray—that was stupidity.

It would have been better to stay hidden until the end, witnessing the causes and effects of the great war to facilitate the layout of the next life.

But, how can one catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?

Since he couldn't escape Langya Province anyway, he might as well fly into the azure clouds to explore the high heavens.

The result pleased him greatly. From above the azure clouds, everything on the earth was visible at a glance, and he could even see clearly the secrets hidden after the vast seas dried up.

That was the perspective A Fan had always yearned for.

Shen Moyan saw it, but at the cost of his life.

"Hoping the roc rises to strike the sky, kicking the azure clouds to exert its feathers..."

"Is this the price a lower cultivator pays for trying to climb the clouds to see the perspective of an upper cultivator?"

Standing against the wind, Shen Moyan took a deep breath, his face expressionless.

Admittedly, the Immortal Lord's great power made his heart yearn for it.

But he also knew how shallow his current foundation was.

"The Nine Songs are long, and all spirits work for a long time."

"The Twisted Immortal Path is long and obstructed..."

After some lamentation, the focus of Shen Moyan's thoughts shifted from the Immortal Lord to the Heavenly Demon, another existence that could not be spoken of.

If not for the reminder from 'As I Have Written', Shen Moyan really wouldn't have known that his ritual could cause such an impact.

"I have already initiated the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art, so I no longer need the ritual."

"However, I can still use the ritual to determine when the war between humans and yao begins."

"Knowing this information, I can completely scheme against the entire human and Yao Races."

"And like Wild Goose Formation True Monarch, fish in troubled waters during the war..."

Shen Moyan pondered.

His mind gradually calmed down. He discarded all distracting thoughts; keeping one's feet on the ground was the right path.

His entire mind was devoted to the planning of this life.

As for the goal.

It would not change.

Eternal life.

On Ziyang Mountain, Shen Moyan closed his eyes, the chirping of birds reaching his ears.

He suddenly frowned, his figure flashing as he arrived halfway up the mountain.

"Small Bird? No... it's not, it just looks similar."

Shen Moyan suddenly discovered that there were actually birds similar to the Small Bird on Ziyang Mountain, soaring among the mugwort and undergrowth.

He had clearly used his Divine Sense to investigate the entire mountain during his last cultivation session, so why did he still subconsciously overlook them?

Because they were simply too tiny.

And he had been too arrogant back then.

The bird landed on a fruit tree laden with fruit. He suddenly realized there were actually edible fruits in the mountains.

Shen Moyan raised his hand, and the fruit flew into his palm.

With one bite, juice burst in his mouth, and a hint of sweetness rose to the tip of his tongue.

Savoring the lingering sweetness, Shen Moyan's perspective on this world suddenly changed.

The grass beneath his feet still held crystal dew, perhaps due to the recent rain. The wildflowers were blooming vibrantly; even the national flower the Great Yan ministers had presented to him wasn't this pleasing to the eye.

Mountain wind brushed his sleeves, mountain colors entered his eyes, and Shen Moyan suddenly smiled.

When one's eyes are only on the goal, one naturally overlooks the scenery along the way.

He released his Divine Sense, looking down at the living beings at the foot of the mountain.

Suddenly, the movements of a few Mortals in the mountain caught his attention.

In Ziyang Mountain, there were always Mortals who came to climb every day.

Reaching halfway up the mountain, the wind grew fiercer and the clouds lower.

Some found the stone steps too steep and turned back down the mountain.

Some complained about the unbearable wind and rain and found excuses to leave.

Some braved the mountain's hazards and hardships, gritting their teeth and persisting.

"This is the manifestation of all living beings."

Shen Moyan realized, the light in his eyes flickering.

"I am seemingly no different from those Mortals."

Chasing eternal life is like climbing a mountain.

If one only simply wants to reach the summit, such a hollow goal really fails to pique even a bit of interest.

Because what maintains the mountain's vitality and gives rise to the desire to conquer is the surrounding environment, not just the summit alone.

The goal of chasing eternal life must also have the splendor of the process.

Of course, without the summit, there would be no directions to the mountain.

The summit defines the surroundings.

Eternal life circumscribes actions.

At this moment, Shen Moyan's thoughts were no longer limited to the actions of this life.

Climbing the lonely Peak of eternal life. People look up and see the summit hidden in the clouds, thinking it hides the key to immortality.

Just as when A Fan fell into the Mortal world, he always thought about regenerating feathers to grow wings.

But he was wrong.

Mistaking the 'form' for the 'purpose', forgetting that the true meaning of flying isn't being above the azure clouds, but in every flap of the wings.

A Fan only understood at the end that there was no need to transform into feathers; clothing is feathers. No need to grow wings; the heart is wings.

By analogy, the true essence of seeking eternal life also doesn't lie in the words 'immortal and indestructible'.

But in the scenery along the way.

In chasing the splendor of the process.

"Xian... Mortal, Mortal Transformation, so that's how it is."

Recalling the lives of his previous four incarnations, Shen Moyan closed his eyes to steady his mind.

With a sudden Epiphany, the world widened. Shen Moyan's magic power transformed into clothing; his dharma robe lengthened by several yards, and his hair grew wildly, instantly reaching his waist and fluttering in the wind.

Transforming Feather Garment—he had achieved it.

[Realm: Mortal Transformation Middle Stage (Transforming Feather Garment) (Twisted Immortal Path)]

[Current Lifespan: 700 years]