8: Chapter 8: Escaping into the Mortal World, Reflecting on Life

"My good friend, the boat will naturally straighten when it reaches the bridge. If you are truly afraid of death, then follow your heart; you have already done well enough."

His inner self smiled and said, the voice relaxed and warm.

"The fact that you can ask this question shows that you already have the answer, do you not?"

Chu Tianjiao was silent.

That was true; he had actually had the answer for a long time.

Being afraid of death is not shameful, and wanting to live is not shameful either. What is important is how one lives and why one lives.

"Your life is your own, and living is the most important thing." His inner self walked up to him, reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder, and revealed a brilliant smile.

That smile was so familiar, so warm.

Chu Tianjiao looked at that smile and suddenly understood.

He had always been pursuing strength, pursuing invincibility, and pursuing the great cause of suppressing the restricted zones and protecting all living beings.

But he had forgotten that his original self only wanted to live well and see this wonderful world.

"That's right, your life is your own, and living is the most important thing."

The doubts in Chu Tianjiao's heart were suddenly cleared away.

His body, originally as thin as a withered stick, began to undergo changes.

His graying hair rapidly turned black, his wrinkles disappeared, and his declining Qi and blood began to boil anew, even more vigorously than at the Peak of his second life!

Inside his body, the Five Great Secret Realms shone simultaneously; the Lunhai, Dao Palace, Four Poles, Hualong, and Sendai, these five Secret Realms began to resonate and fuse.

It was not a simple superimposition, but a true unification!

"Shed the self of the past and live out the truest self."

Chu Tianjiao opened his eyes, a light of Epiphany flashing within them.

He had succeeded.

Without relying on the undying divine medicine, and without repeating the path of his second life, he had understood his original heart and found his own Dao—the Mortal World Dao.

Living in the Mortal World, experiencing the affairs of the Mortal World, comprehending the emotions of the Mortal World, and ultimately transcending the Mortal World without leaving it.

This was his third life!

"Boom!"

The heavenly heart mark became stable once again, even more solid than before.

Throughout the Universe, all living beings felt a gentle yet vast imperial might sweep across, like a spring breeze brushing against their faces, yet it also filled people with awe.

The Supreme beings in the restricted zones saw this scene, and one by one, they fell silent.

After a long time, a sigh came from the Ancient Mine of Primordial Beginning: "He has lived out a third life... What a freak."

"It seems we will be suppressed by him for another tens of thousands of years."

"Go into deep slumber; this era has nothing to do with us."

The Supreme beings all sank into a deep slumber, no longer paying attention to the outside world.

Chu Tianjiao felt the state of his body, and it was better than ever before.

In his third life, his Qi and blood were as vigorous as the sea, the Five Great Secret Realms were initially fused, and his combat power had increased by a large margin compared to the Peak of his second life.

More importantly, his state of mind was completely transparent.

"In this life, I will not live for anyone else; I will only live for myself."

Chu Tianjiao said softly, his tone calm and firm.

Since his Transmigration, he had never properly looked at this world, and had never truly lived for himself.

Before becoming an Emperor, he fought to become stronger; after becoming an Emperor, he campaigned to settle grudges and protect all living beings.

Now, it was time for him to live for himself once.

Chu Tianjiao let go of everything—the Tyrant Blade patrolled outside, the human emperor banner guarded his Daoist temple, and the immortal peach tree had its own spiritual nature.

He changed into a simple green robe, retracted all his imperial might, and like a Mortal, walked out of the small mountain gate.

He wanted to escape into the Mortal World, travel through the human realm, see all the mountains and rivers, and experience the affairs of the world.

In this life, he wanted to use the Mortal World as a furnace to refine his true self.

The moment he walked out of the Daoist temple, Chu Tianjiao turned back to look at that inconspicuous small mountain gate, that thatched cottage, and that swaying immortal peach tree.

Then he turned around, took a step, and disappeared into the vast sea of people.

...

Five thousand years later.

Chu Tianjiao had traveled through tens of thousands of Star Domains and ultimately chose to return to his place of origin.

Emperor Burial Star.

Southern Region of the Eastern Wasteland, Great Yan Kingdom, Qingshi Town.

This was an ordinary town in a Mortal kingdom, backed by green mountains and facing green waters, and the residents of the town mostly made a living by farming and hunting.

At the east end of the town, there was an inconspicuous private school with blue tiles and white walls, and a few old locust trees planted in the courtyard.

The teacher of the private school was surnamed Chu, a young man who looked to be in his twenties with a delicate face and an elegant temperament.

The residents of the town only knew that Master Chu had arrived here ten years ago, opened a private school that did not charge tuition, and even provided the children with a lunch, making him a rare good person.

As for why Master Chu did not look like he had aged in ten years, the residents discussed it privately, all saying that he might be a reclusive Immortal.

However, Master Chu treated people gently and never put on airs, so as time went on, everyone got used to it.

This morning, the morning sun was rising.

Chu Tianjiao—or rather, Master Chu—pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard.

He was wearing a faded green robe, his hair tied up casually with a wooden hairpin, looking just like an ordinary school teacher.

"Good morning, Master!" A few children who had arrived early were already cleaning the courtyard.

"Morning." Chu Tianjiao nodded with a smile.

Soon, more than thirty children gathered in the private school, ranging from five or six years old to twelve or thirteen, all sent from nearby villages.

They were wearing coarse cloth clothes, some even with patches, but their faces were filled with a thirst for knowledge.

Chu Tianjiao stood on the podium and began today's lesson.

He taught not only literacy and reading, but also practical knowledge such as arithmetic, geography, farming seasons, and identifying medicinal herbs.

Most of these children came from poor backgrounds, and learning these things was more useful than studying the Four Books and Five Classics.

"Today we will talk about how to judge the weather based on the clouds." Chu Tianjiao pointed to the sky outside the window, "Look at that cloud, it looks like fish scales; this is called a cirrocumulus, which usually indicates that the weather is about to turn bad..."

The children listened attentively and raised their hands to ask questions from time to time.

Chu Tianjiao answered patiently, his gaze sweeping over each young, naive face.

Among these children, there were those who were gifted and intelligent, those who were diligent and eager to learn, and those who were mischievous.

But they were all the same—they were all at the bottom of this world, their parents being tenant farmers, hunters, or craftsmen, struggling for their livelihood their whole lives.

"I once had a life like this too," Chu Tianjiao sighed inwardly.

He sat on the chair, looking at the dozen or so students in coarse linen clothes below, his thoughts drifting back to Blue Star.

Before his Transmigration, he was an ordinary college student, and his biggest dream was to find a stable job after graduation, marry a girl he liked, and live a plain life.

If he hadn't transmigrated to the Shrouding the Heavens World, and if he hadn't possessed the Chaos Body, he might be just like these children's parents now, worrying about daily necessities every day.

"Ordinary people in this world spend their whole lives worrying about tomorrow's food, let alone learning knowledge." A trace of complexity flashed in Chu Tianjiao's eyes, "Above them, there is also the exploitation by those Holy Lands and Imperial Dynasties; it is already very difficult for the people at the bottom to survive."

He had been teaching at this private school for ten years and had seen too much with his own eyes.

There were children who dropped out of school because their families couldn't pay taxes, old people who went bankrupt because of an illness, and entire villages that were slaughtered because they offended some minor Cultivator.

This world is too cruel to Mortals.

"Perhaps I can do something for the people at the bottom of this world?" This thought sprouted in Chu Tianjiao's heart.

Just now, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind—if he could grasp it, perhaps he would have a way for his fourth life.

It was a vague feeling, an Epiphany regarding "enlightenment," "Legacy," and "Power Of Will of all living beings."

"No rush, no rush." Chu Tianjiao took a deep breath, calming himself down.

Impatience is the most taboo thing in cultivating the Dao, especially for an existence of his level; a single Epiphany might require a thousand years of accumulation.

But since he had a direction, he needed to start preparing.