Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

The jade steps vanished from beneath my feet, and in a daze, it felt like walking in mid-air, with endless void below and no idea where the path ahead lay.

Which way to go? I didn't know which way to go!

However, Zhang Yuanjing's steps couldn't stop. With even the slightest pause, the oppressive force from above would immediately intensify, making it hard for him to breathe.

As he walked, he grew tired, utterly exhausted. Even the Origin Stone couldn't bear the burden and sank into his dantian, refusing to come out.

His magical power was completely depleted, and no matter how he tried to mobilize it, he couldn't squeeze out even a trace.

The unrefined, pure spiritual energy lay dormant in his meridians, completely still.

He was completely numb, like a puppet, only knowing to walk forward, constantly walking forward, without purpose, just walking, as if endless walking was the whole meaning of his life.

In a daze, a voice seemed to ask, "Why do you cultivate immortality?"

"Does that even need asking? Of course, it's to become stronger, to avoid being killed by the aftermath of battles between cultivators and demons!" Almost without thinking, he spoke the answer hidden deepest in his heart.

"Just to avoid being killed by cultivators or demons? You could just hide in a place without people or demons, wouldn't that work? Why bother cultivating so hard!"

"Does such a place exist?"

"Look for it, you can always find it. How about I take you to such a place, and you never cultivate again?"

"If I don't cultivate, what can I do? Besides cultivation, I know nothing!"

"You can farm, build houses, find a wife, have children, watch them grow up healthy, safe, happy, and joyful, wouldn't that be wonderful! Why fight and kill, wandering around with your head on the line every day!"

"Life is only a hundred years, and even with peace and joy, you turn to dust in the blink of an eye. I don't want that."

"So, you want to live forever?"

"Of course, who doesn't want to live forever."

"What's the point of living forever? What are you living forever for?"

"Living forever is living forever, not for anything."

"How boring! You have to find something to do. If you live forever, what will you do?"

"Cultivate."

"What's the point of cultivating?"

"To become stronger!"

"You're already immortal, what's the point of becoming stronger?"

"To avoid being bullied, to protect myself and those around me, to be able to do whatever I want!"

"Oh, you still want to become stronger. If you had to choose between immortality and becoming stronger, which would you choose?"

"Why choose? Can't I have both?"

"If you could only choose one?"

"Why can I only choose one?"

"Okay. Because being strong doesn't mean immortality, even the strong will eventually die. And immortality doesn't necessarily mean strength, an immortal can still be killed by the strong."

"Why can't it be the longer you live, the stronger you become, and the stronger you become, the longer you live?"

"Why so many questions! Just choose one, which do you choose?"

"I won't choose, I'll just keep cultivating and see how far I can go!"

"Keep cultivating? No desires? Not competing with others, not acting for others, not liking beautiful women, not fighting for resources, not wanting to stand at the peak of a realm, making all cultivators submit? No wife, children, teachers, friends, or relatives, not standing up for them?"

"I just want to cultivate. When it's time to act, I will act!"

"When it's time to act? What's worth acting for? Cultivation resources, a great reputation, sect interests, relatives, friends, and teachers, or peerless beauties?"

"Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. Answer my question?"

"Who are you?"

"I am you."

"You are me? What does that mean?"

"I am the desires in your heart. That's right, what I said are all the desires in your heart. You may not have felt them, but they have always been there, hidden. When the time comes, they will jump out! Now, do you understand why you cultivate?"

"What do you want to say?"

"You strive for opportunities, break through to Core Formation, and desperately cultivate to improve your cultivation, isn't it all to return to the Profound Heaven Sect, suppress your opponents, ascend to a high position, and be admired? Otherwise, you could just find a place to cultivate, why travel tens of millions of miles back here, knowing that many people don't want you to return, but still insist on doing so?"

"I, I just want to clear my name, not to ascend to a high position and be admired."

"Don't lie to yourself. If you don't ascend to a high position, how will you clear your name? If you don't want to be admired, why care about your reputation!"

"I, I returned to the sect just to use the sect's power to find Senior Brother Wu Yuankui! I want to make up for the mistakes I made in the past!"

"Is that really so? Aren't you coveting the Profound Heaven Sect's great spiritual veins, wanting to use them to advance to the Nascent Soul stage? Don't you want to return as a Core Formation cultivator, shocking those who once looked down on you, ridiculed you, and treated you as a joke, making them tremble before you, or flatter you obsequiously?"

"I, I, never thought of that."

"Never thought of it? Hahaha! Thinking about it doesn't mean it's real, but not thinking about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. These thoughts are hidden here with me. Do you want to see them? I can show them to you at any time!"

Countless scenes flashed through Zhang Yuanjing's mind:

There were scenes of him in a desolate fishing village, living among mortals, risking a strong attack on the Fire Dragon Hall to compete for meager resources, and scenes of him driving a windmill, traveling tens of millions of miles, hurrying back to the Profound Heaven Sect.

There were scenes of him gritting his teeth and wishing he could fly up and chop Guo Yuanmeng into pieces when he was ridiculed by Guo Yuanmeng in the past, and scenes of him walking through the sect, proud and satisfied, with everyone giving way and calling him Elder.

There were scenes of him hiding in Jingdu Mountain for decades to avoid the cultivators in the sect, and scenes of him wearing a golden robe, holding a black book, sitting in the partial hall of the Xuantian Palace on the Zhendao Peak, receiving the worship of the sect's disciples and guests from all directions, receiving congratulatory gifts from the Core Formation cultivators, and receiving guidance from the Nascent Soul True Person.

There were scenes of his cultivation stagnating, wasting his years, his lifespan withering, and the great terror of impending death constantly surrounding him, and scenes of him being high-spirited, brave and diligent, breaking through realms one after another, climbing all the way up, and his strength surpassing the crowd.

...

"Look, this is it, what you think and wish for, this is it! It's not to make up for your mistakes and find your senior brother! Think carefully, what is the original intention of your cultivation? Isn't it just to enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention!"

"No, it's not! That's not the original intention of my cultivation! My original intention is—"

"What is it? Face yourself, don't run away, and don't deceive yourself!"

Zhang Yuanjing couldn't help but fall into deep thought. What exactly was his original intention? Back then, Wu Yuankui asked Zhou Zhengming, and Zhou Zhengming's answer was: "To walk the path you want to walk, not to be manipulated by others!"

For cultivators, isn't it just to seek great freedom and independence, not to be manipulated by others or by this heaven and earth!

However, people live in this world and need to rely on this heaven and earth, and also need to rely on others, how dare they say they transcend everything!

Zhang Yuanjing has been cultivating in this world, so that's not to be said. Besides that, hasn't he benefited from True Person Qi, Senior Brother Yuankui, and the sect? Without them, where would Zhang Yuanjing be today.

"My original intention is nothing more than to end cause and effect and obtain freedom!"

As soon as he said this, the void disappeared, and the jade steps reappeared beneath his feet. He took a vigorous step and walked onto another jade platform dozens of feet in diameter.