Chapter 1725: Birthing a Saint Through Life
Chapter 1725: Birthing a Saint Through Life
Whether by coincidence or design, Qiu Tianhui’s finger pointed directly at the Saints observing from outside the image.
The Saints remained impassive, waiting for Qiu Tianhui to continue.
"The Mountain Sea has flowed from antiquity to the present, endless and unbroken, much like a torrential river. Those of us within it can hardly alter its course; we can only drift with the current."
"The conventional path to transcendence is to leap out of the river and stand upon its surface. If one is powerful enough, standing tall enough, they can behold the entire panorama of the Mountain Sea!"
"However, we exist in the middle to late stages of the Mountain Sea’s life cycle. Many opportunities have already been exhausted, and ahead, hidden powers watch us with predatory eyes. Even a prodigy of unparalleled talent would find it difficult to change this state of affairs."
Shao Zidai’s gaze drifted beyond the scene, as if peering into the true reality of the Mountain Sea. She nodded in agreement. "Then what is this method of transcendence you speak of, my husband?"
"'Follow the form of the Mountain Sea, align with its will. Exist in perpetuity, renewing with life itself. Then, one's fate will be one with the Mountain Sea, and one's spirit will coexist with it.'" Qiu Tianhui’s answer was profoundly enigmatic.
Yet Shao Zidai seemed to share his very thoughts. With a mere glance, a subtle shift of her eyes, she understood his intention completely.
The image focused beneath the water’s surface, where a nascent undercurrent was growing, stretching, and strengthening. It followed the river's natural course, striving to extend its own existence.
"So, your meaning, my husband, is that we should become like this undercurrent, borrowing the vast, enduring momentum of the Mountain Sea to prolong our own lives."
Qiu Tianhui smiled faintly. "None knows me better than you, Zidai!"
His expression turned proud as he declared, "The beings of the Mountain Sea all have limited lifespans. Even the so-called transcendent experts cannot escape the calamity of decay. But this method borrows the great momentum of the Mountain Sea to extend one's own destiny. As long as the Mountain Sea endures, so shall one's life. The ordinary worries of mortality will be a thing of the past!"
"And as one's life extends, one occupies more and more of the Mountain Sea. Until..."
Qiu Tianhui pointed to the illusion Shao Zidai had conjured. At first, the undercurrent was no thicker than a thumb.
But as it rushed ever onward, it gathered more and more of the surrounding currents, its form gradually swelling in size and strength.
By the time it reached the river’s end, it had come to dominate half the underwater realm.
It stood almost as an equal, rivaling the Mountain Sea itself!
"This is what is known as Mountain Sea Same Presence!"
Shao Zidai watched the scene she had manifested evolve before her, lost in thought.
"It sounds plausible in theory, but is it truly feasible?" she asked after a long silence, a hint of doubt still in her voice.
"I have heard that the Mountain Sea is fragmented by the Dao Annihilation. We are little more than fish trapped in a pool of water. How can we possibly endure endlessly, like the Mountain Sea itself?"
"The conventional path to transcendence is already fraught with immense difficulty, let alone this alternative method. It is tantamount to stealing the very spirit of the Mountain Sea and reshaping it. It cannot be accomplished without great opportunity, great perseverance, and great fortune."
"For us, as beings born of the Mountain Sea, to attempt such a subversive act is like an egg striking a stone. However..."
"But do not forget, my dear wife, the Mountain Sea is not eternally ascendant. Judging by the current rampage of the Dao Annihilation, it seems to be gradually losing ground in the battle. The Mountain Sea is weakening, unable to even fend for itself. Therein lies our opportunity!"
Shao Zidai was beginning to understand Qiu Tianhui’s plan.
But then she furrowed her brow. "Coexisting with the Mountain Sea... yet the Mountain Sea is ultimately weakening. This method..."
Qiu Tianhui laughed dismissively. "Is there any method in this world that is truly perfect? My dear, you mustn't be too greedy. Given our origins, if we are fortunate enough to cultivate to a state equal to the Mountain Sea, that is already more than enough. Besides..."
"We will take it one step at a time. Once we reach that realm, perhaps a new path will reveal itself. A living person won’t simply allow themselves to be cornered with no way out, after all."
Shao Zidai smiled as well, no longer dwelling on the issue.
In the days that followed, the two were inseparable, dedicating themselves to exploring the intricacies of this so-called "Mountain Sea Same Presence" method.
They did not take a single step out of their grotto-heaven for several hundred years.
Then, the image abruptly vanished.
Within the Armillary Ring, the Saints were somewhat taken aback, their gazes turning toward Lian Shan and the other two leading Saints.
They did not understand the significance of what they had just seen.
"This method of Mountain Sea Same Presence seems sound in theory, yet to truly succeed in its cultivation... even with our talents, I fear it would be exceedingly difficult," Stealing Opportunity remarked, his brow furrowed in thought as he shook his head.
"But since the three Saints claim this is related to one of the Mountain Sea’s core arteries, a vital node... could it be that he actually succeeded?" All Knowing wondered, a mix of shock and uncertainty in his voice.
"But if they did succeed, why have none of us ever encountered them in the subsequent ages of the Mountain Sea?" Karma Judge asked, his gaze once again sweeping across the present-day Mountain Sea beyond the Armillary Ring.
And indeed, there was no trace of Qiu Tianhui or Shao Zidai to be found.
"Are you certain they are not there?"
"Though you may not see a Qiu Tianhui, there are Li Tianhui and Zhang Tianhui. Though you may not see a Shao Zidai, there are Xia Zidai and Bai Zidai."
As Lian Shan spoke, a vast number of luminous points materialized across the panorama of the Mountain Sea.
The Saints followed his gesture and saw that these lights corresponded to countless beings scattered throughout every corner and every possibility of the Mountain Sea.
Their births, circumstances, cultivation realms, and strengths were all completely different.
Had Lian Shan not marked them collectively, even the discerning eyes of the Saints present would have failed to perceive any common thread linking them.
"Could it be? Are all these people incarnations of Qiu Tianhui and Shao Zidai? That seems impossible," the Saints murmured. They had confidence in their own perception, and after scrutinizing the figures for another moment, they shook their heads in doubt.
Just then, Shou Qiu spoke up. "They are not Qiu Tianhui and Shao Zidai themselves, but their descendants. A truly fine method, indeed!"
"Their descendants?" The Saints were taken aback and looked again.
This only deepened their confusion.
"What do you mean by that, Mound Keeper?" one of them asked. "If a true blood relationship existed between them, we would not have failed to discern it." raN0*B_Es
The Mound Keeper explained, "I am not referring to descendants in the conventional sense of a bloodline. Rather..."
"Without Qiu Tianhui and Shao Zidai, these beings would never have appeared in the Mountain Sea. They borrowed the power of the Mountain Sea to give birth to life. In that sense, they can be called their parents."
"That is correct," Gui Hai affirmed.
His words confirmed it.
"Borrowing the power of the Mountain Sea to give birth to life?" The Saints mulled over these words, and slowly, a realization dawned. They finally understood what Qiu Tianhui and Shao Zidai had been doing, secluded in their grotto-heaven for centuries.
They weren't merely indulging in carnal pleasures; they were truly cultivating the Dao!
"The evolution of life is one of the fundamental Great Daos of the Mountain Sea itself. How could that couple, Qiu Tianhui and his wife, interfere with it?" The Saints were shaken, their eyes turning to Gui Hai.
Gui Hai replied, his face impassive, "It is not so much interference. As Qiu Tianhui said himself, they merely borrowed its momentum. As long as the Mountain Sea exists, it will inevitably continue to bring forth new life. This is one of its most vital, hidden arteries."
"That couple was indeed blessed with extraordinary talent to have perceived this mystery and entwined their own power within that process."
Lian Shan gestured again, and across the panoramic vista of the Mountain Sea, countless more points of light ignited, one after another, like a galaxy of rising stars.
They were innumerable, blanketing the entire Mountain Sea!
They stretched from the era where Qiu Tianhui and his wife had lived, all the way to the very end of time.
And though the Mountain Sea gradually declined, that starlight never once faded!
"So it is!"
Li Fan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the end of the Mountain Sea, his thoughts turning to that final Saint, the Mountain Sea End Saint, Qiu Xinhui.
"At the end of time, when the Great Dao of the Mountain Sea had withered to such an extent, a figure as brilliant and astonishing as the End Saint was born. It was as if he alone monopolized most of the spiritual energy left at the end of the Mountain Sea."
"And yet, his origins were unremarkable, with no great family legacy to speak of."
"If he is the final crystallization of Qiu Tianhui’s 'Mountain Sea Same Presence' method—the culmination of a power that spanned the entire lifetime of the Mountain Sea—then it all makes perfect sense."
Li Fan, Shou Qiu, and the Moral True Immortal were of one mind.
In that swift exchange of thought, Li Fan’s theory was met with agreement from the other two.
"Qiu Tianhui's method strengthens itself by drawing on the momentum of the Mountain Sea. The weaker the Mountain Sea becomes, the stronger the method grows. It is only at the end of time, when the Mountain Sea is at its most feeble, that its effect can be maximized. The End Saint, Qiu Xinhui, was the very proof. Just as Qiu Tianhui had demonstrated countless eons ago, he stood as a rival to the Mountain Sea itself. He was even able to do what the Mountain Sea could not—single-handedly turn the tide and save it from the Dao Annihilation," Shou Qiu assessed.
"However, Qiu Tianhui and Qiu Xinhui do not seem to be the same person. This so-called method of transcendence..."
"It is difficult to say for certain," the Moral True Immortal mused.
Meanwhile, within the Armillary Ring, Lian Shan spoke again. "Though Qiu Tianhui and his wife remain hidden in the early ages of the Mountain Sea, by intervening in that vital artery—the evolution of life—their influence extends across all of eternity."
"The Mountain Sea is in a constant state of flux. The evolution and birth of new life never ceases. Billions of beings, when compared to the Mountain Sea, are but ants. Yet, they are born of the Mountain Sea, raised by the Mountain Sea. If, on the grand scale of the entire Mountain Sea, such a vast number of beings were to vanish in an instant... it would be enough to inflict a grievous wound upon the Mountain Sea. And more critically..."
Lian Shan's expression grew stern. "How exactly Qiu Tianhui and his wife managed to intervene in the process of life’s evolution remains unknown. If this method were to fall into the hands of the Void Realm..."
"...then the Void Realm could do as they did, instantly unleashing countless avatars of the Dao Annihilation across the entirety of the Mountain Sea. Our defenses would be torn to shreds in a heartbeat."
"And that is precisely why the early Mountain Sea is such a critical juncture."
With this explanation from the three Saints, everyone finally understood the stakes.
"May I ask Saint Lian Shan, what is Qiu Tianhui’s true strength?" Stealing Opportunity inquired, a note of uncertainty in his voice. "Logically, to interfere with the Great Dao of life itself, one must be at the level of a Saint, at the very least. And yet, his method of transcendence doesn't seem to feed power back to him directly..."
It was Gui Hai who answered.
Gui Hai pointed to the star-like multitude of beings in the panoramic view. "Every being born through their influence is a crystallization of the couple’s Dao. The more life they bring forth, the stronger they become. There is no need for feedback in the conventional sense. Because they borrow the momentum of the Mountain Sea, every single birth represents an advancement in their own cultivation."
"That is why we could only observe them for so long in the previous vision. At a certain point, they suddenly vanished from our perception. It was because, through that gradual accumulation of power, they had reached a level no longer beneath our own."
Upon hearing this, the Saints fell silent.
Even with their vast knowledge and experience, they found it difficult to imagine such an unconventional path of cultivation existing within the Mountain Sea.
A path that allowed one to leap directly from the realm of a Nameless True Immortal to that of a Saint.
And not just any Saint, but one with power at the very highest tier.
"What a fine way to 'borrow the momentum of the Mountain Sea.' It seems the gradual decline of our world is in no small part due to these two," Saint Xuanpin snorted, his voice laced with indignation.
Saint Tai Yi chuckled. "The doom of the Mountain Sea began with the tale of devouring the True God. It was because of the act of splitting the divine that the Void Realm and the Dao Annihilation came to be. The Mountain Sea’s cycle of merging, combining, and ultimately fading is its preordained destiny. It has little to do with Qiu Tianhui and his wife."
"Even without them, the fate of the Mountain Sea at the end of time would not have been much different."
"Strictly speaking, this couple, with mortal bodies, managed to divide, seize, and occupy a portion of the Mountain Sea’s Great Dao of life. Once their own Dao was established, they effectively became a part of the Mountain Sea themselves."
The indignant expression on Saint Xuanpin’s face vanished instantly.
Saint Tai Yi’s words had made the situation perfectly clear.
In a way, Qiu Tianhui and his wife were fundamentally the same type of existence as Lian Shan, Gui Hai, and Tai Yi themselves.
The only difference was that the latter were personifications of the Mountain Sea’s Great Dao, while the former were living beings who had seized a portion of that authority for themselves.
"If they are a part of the Mountain Sea, then they should join us in resisting the Void Realm."
"But reality, it seems, is not so simple."
"Do you all recall what Qiu Tianhui said earlier? 'We will take it one step at a time'?"
"I do not know what he foresaw, but when faced with the conflict between the Mountain Sea and the Void Realm, he chose to simply hide."
Lian Shan added with a wry smile.
"We can only be certain that the two of them are still somewhere in the early ages of the Mountain Sea. But as for their exact location, we do not know."
Hearing this, the Saints all frowned.
Beings with power comparable to the three leading Saints, if they were truly determined to hide, would be incredibly difficult to find.
"Are you suggesting they could simply hide forever, even if the Mountain Sea itself falls into ruin?" Li Fan interjected suddenly.
"Fellow Daoist Zhouhui, let us not speak in anger," All Knowing said with a wry smile. "Though they are difficult to find, there are still clues to follow. If we reach the point where the Mountain Sea is devoured by the Dao Annihilation, the Void Realm will undoubtedly divert considerable power to seize the secrets of life within the Mountain Sea. The situation would become even more difficult to manage."
After a moment of contemplation, the gazes of all the Saints once again converged on the three leading Saints.
"What is our plan now?"
"Not long ago, the Void Realm’s attempt to destroy us failed. However, its siege on the early Mountain Sea has not weakened; it has grown stronger. Although we have the aid of Zhouhui’s True Spirit Infusion, reconnecting the Mountain Sea will not be as simple as it was before."
"In addition to the encroachment of the Dao Annihilation, we must also be wary of surprise attacks from the Void Realm’s various avatars."
At these words, all the Saints present—save for Li Fan and his two companions—paled slightly.
Lian Shan continued, "Forcing the reconnection of the Mountain Sea could provoke an extreme reaction from the Void Realm. We must proceed with caution."
"On the one hand, we must ensure the safety of the early Mountain Sea."
"On the other..."
"...we must find Qiu Tianhui and his wife."
"They are the greatest variable in this war. If they are not brought under our control..."
Lian Shan’s voice grew heavy.
"Though they remain hidden, their work of Borrowing Potential Living Beings has never ceased. We can use this as a starting point to track them down," Gui Hai added.
"Ordinary methods will not suffice to investigate the lives within the Mountain Sea. The only way is to undergo constant reincarnation throughout the Mountain Sea, and by chance, to be present at the exact moment of a 'birthing' when Qiu Tianhui and his wife intervene."
"Through the subtle connection that exists between such lives, one could then trace the current back to its source and find them."
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