Chapter 1121: Using One’s Flesh as a Boat
Translator: Lordbluefire Editor: Lordbluefire
Half a year later, a leaf boat could be seen drifting on the waters of the immortal sea.
Qin Wentian lied on the boat, staring at the blue skies and white clouds, as a vacant look could be seen in his eyes.
There was no way for him to cross to the other side of this mysterious immortal sea. In fact, it was also very rare for him to encounter the boats of other experts. From this, one could very well imagine how vast this immortal sea was. It was truly boundless.
"Could it be that I have to cultivate here, reflecting on the law energy as I seek my path?" Qin Wentian mused. Since travelling in a straight line had failed, could cultivating actually be the true method to cross over instead?
The illusory figure from before did say that there are different methods for crossing this sea and those who pass would be brought to different locations of the sacred academy. They could display all their abilities and evidently, there is more than one way to reach the other shore. However despite this, Qin Wentian couldn't even find a single method. This actually made Qin Wentian begin to doubt himself. Could it be that his comprehension abilities were truly not enough? He had no way to seek a path that allowed him to cross over to the other shore where the sacred academy lies?
At this moment, Qin Wentian suddenly sensed something. He stood up from his boat and a few moments later, another boat could be seen drifting over to him. On the other boat, a young man with a devilishly handsome countenance could be seen. This man exuded a slight hint of tyranny and his eyes were extremely deep, as though able to draw the souls of those he stared at within.
"Sir, you seem to be so at leisure." That person drifted over from afar, and stood with his arms behind his back. His cultivation base was at the fourth-level of immortal foundation and was extremely powerful. His entire being radiated a certain law energy as he spoke to Qin Wentian.
"Since there's no way to cross over to the next shore, I can only fritter my time away. Sir, do you know the method of crossing this sea?" Qin Wentian calmly asked.
"I have no idea but right now, I'm walking on my own path, hoping to be able to pave the way for me to reach the Heavenly Dao Sacred Academy. Sadly, this path is extremely tough to traverse, could you help me with it?" That person continued moving forward, closer and closer to Qin Wentian.
"Oh? How can I help?" Qin Wentian smiled.
"I'm seeking my own path by crossing this immortal sea. My Dao is the dao of killing. Hence, taking your life shall be the path I seek." That person continued in a calm voice, with no fluctuations to his expressions.
"Your path is fill with evil. Also, you are unsure if this method works or not. But even if it works, I would also be unwilling to give my life for you." Qin Wentian replied emotionlessly. When the two of them spoke, there was no fire in their tones as though life and death weren't an important matter at all.
When Qin Wentian took this test, he already made preparations in his heart. These heaven chosen that came from all locations in the immortal realms would naturally all have different personalities. Their thirst to grow stronger was also extremely intense. Hence when he encountered this guy saying that he wanted to take his life, Qin Wentian didn't feel too surprised.
"Since you are unwilling, I guess I have to take your life by force then." That person spoke. "Earlier I saw how perfect your immortal foundation is and how strong your astral souls are. You must have cultivated a secret art, right? Let me cripple your immortal foundation first and obtain the secret art from you before taking your life."
As he spoke, his immortal foundation manifested. Instantly, a fearsome devil appeared behind his back, shining with a blood-red light. The eyes of the devil were akin to blood, the cultivator's eyes also gradually turned devilish. At this instant, the sky overhead changed. Astral light flashed as numerous devils appeared.
"Someone from the Myriad Devil Islands." Qin Wentian mused in a low voice. When this opponent released his astral soul, Qin Wentian could tell that it was a devil foundation. His devil qi towered up into the sky as his form expanded, transforming into a baleful god of evil. The leaf boat Qin Wentian was standing on begin to vibrate intensely due to the pressure, swaying in the wind and rain. It seemed so fragile that one blow could destroy it, turning it into dust.
"Killing to seek the dao. However, didn't you expect that you can be killed here as well?" Qin Wentian calmly spoke. His body began shimmering with an intense light, glowing as bright as the sun. Runic glows enveloped his body as he activated God's Hand. Given how powerful his attainment in runes are, that in combination with his naturally high defense, his body was akin to an undying body.
The devil might gushed forth mightily, transforming into streaks of red lightning that blasted into his body. However, they dissipated instantly upon impact, they had no way to injure him at all.
The immortal sea generated a huge terrifying rage, as the lone boat beneath Qin Wentian's feet rocked madly. His body moved together according to the motion of the waves, following their rhythm.
He only saw his opponent roaring, as a blood-devil king spear lunged forth suddenly, speeding across the waves with indomitable might, wanting to destroy everything.
Qin Wentian released his perfect immortal foundation. His immortal foundation was constantly transforming into different diagrams, using the attribute energy of his demon sovereign astral soul, unleashing and maximizing it to its extreme limits. Instantly, his immortal foundation took on the shape of a divine turtle and cast its projection which enveloped his entire body. His originally tough defense was further augmented by this. When the spear stabbed over, the waves around it all parted as a humming sound filled the air. It felt like this strike had enough power to shatter even his perfect saint-grade immortal foundation.
"BANG!" The projection of the divine turtle was broken apart. However at this moment, Qin Wentian's palm blasted out. His saint-grade immortal foundation now transformed into a greater demon Zhen Kong that exhibited a fearsome suppressive and destructive pressure. Qin Wentian's palm resembled the hand of God. His attack manifested numerous greater demons that rushed over mercilessly while his opponent responded in kind, causing the devilish might gushing forth to tower up into the sky, clashing madly against Qin Wentian. In an instant, a gigantic whirlpool was formed from the aftershocks of their attacks.
Another shocking palm strike powered by God's Hand blasted out. This strike contained the destructive attribute of his ancient halberd astral soul. As the strike slammed out, the body of his opponent was penetrated completely. The eyes of the devil practitioner gleamed sinisterly as he begin chanting strange words, hurriedly transforming into a bolt of lightning as he fled the area. In the airspace above the immortal sea, a bloody glow could be seen. And when it dissipated, the devil practitioner had already made his escape.
The waves of the sea were as violent as ever from the impact of their clash. Qin Wentian simply stood on his boat and stared at his fleeing opponent, calmly watching until the waves returned to their normal calmness.
Qin Wentian stared at this stretch of sea as he contemplated in his heart. This opponent kills people to pave a path of dao for him to cross to the other shore. Although Qin Wentian held this method in disdain, he gained some insights and was contemplating on what methods should he use to cross this sea.
"Before I find the answer, I will just continue cultivating here on this immortal sea." Qin Wentian smiled bitterly. Before this, he thought that if he kept cultivating here, he might actually miss the sacred academy. However right now, he knew how wrong his thoughts were. The reason for him wanting to enter the academy was purely because he wanted to grow in strength and increase in cultivation. Since this was the case, why should he be so troubled? Everything would be better if he just lets nature takes its course.
As he thought to here, Qin Wentian sat down cross-legged on the boat and closed his eyes in cultivation, allowing the boat to bring him where it will, following the waves and wind. He had no more distractions in his heart.
In the blink of an eye, another year passed. Qin Wentian drifted aimlessly in the immortal sea. The time since he stepped foot on the boat, was almost close to two years. He cultivated in the sea, comprehending the law energy which in turn caused the immortal might from his immortal foundation to grow unceasingly stronger. He could faintly sense that the law energy of this immortal sea was similar to the law energy he cultivated. To better put it, the law energy from the immortal sea was all-encompassing, one could sense hints of every law within.
Today, Qin Wentian finally opened his eyes. He stood on his boat and stared into the distance. Through this one year, he had no idea if there was anyone who drifted past by him or not.
"There's someone over there." Qin Wentian could see flashes of golden light in the distance that spread out in all directions. He controlled his boat, drifting with the waves and came to a location near the golden light.
When he arrived, he actually saw a monk that cultivated the buddhist path. This person seemed to be a disciple from a peak buddhist power in the immortal realms. He was actually floating on the surface of the immortal sea with his body and the flashes of golden light Qin Wentian saw earlier, was emitted from him.
As more flashes of light radiated from him. Qin Wentian discovered that the immortal might gushing forth from the immortal foundation of the monk seemed to be gradually weakening. His fleshly body was clearly weakening as well, yet the golden light was still as resplendent as ever. He slowly sunk down inside the sea before vanishing from view but gradually, a small boat appeared on the surface of the sea. Qin Wentian discovered that this boat was actually the body of that monk. Right now, it had completely no more signs of vitality.
"Sacrificing one's body to seek the dao, using one's flesh as the boat." Qin Wentian's heart trembled. It was rumored that many of those who practiced the buddhist path felt that the road immortal-cultivators took, was simply too slow and tough. Life was like a sea of bitterness, filled with suffering and tribulations. The monk wanted to experience the sea of bitterness personally, he was willing to sacrifice everything to transform himself into a boat, allowing his soul to be his rudder, crossing this sea to reach the other shore.
Was the determination of this monk really so great?
Just as Qin Wentian was watching, at this instant, golden light abruptly once again illuminated the sky. Above the body of the monk, an illusory figure appeared. This was actually none other than the spirit of that monk earlier. It was clearly ethereal yet it radiated boundless golden light. The body of the monk rose up from the sea, melding together with his spirit back as one.
At this very moment right before him, a misty-looking projection appeared. It was actually none other than a projection of the sacred academy!
"This…" Qin Wentian's heart trembled. He only saw the monk taking a single step forward before vanishing completely from the immortal sea. After that, the projection of the academy dissipated completely as well.
Qin Wentian stared at the calm surface of the immortal sea. His heart took a very long time to return to calmness as he contemplated what he just saw.
And now, he came to the conclusion that it was just as he speculated. The 'other shore' of this immortal sea wasn't something that could be breached by distance and space. One must be able to walk an immortal path that belonged to their dao.
The road to seek the dao is long and winding, one can only search slowly, experiencing it with their heart. The road of others belonged to them, only when a road belonged to oneself, would one be able to cross this sea to reach the other shore, entering the Heavenly Dao Sacred Academy.
That monk earlier used his own flesh to sail this sea, using his soul to cross the suffering, wanting nothing more than to reach the other shore, and step into the scared academy. That, was the path belonging to the monk. Being able to comprehend a pathway out in just two years showed that this monk was also an extraordinary person. Naturally, this pathway that he comprehended might have something to do with buddhist techniques as well. The monk treated this immortal sea as the sea of bitterness of life.
Qin Wentian thought back to the words of the illusory figure. This immortal sea was supposed to be boundless and if one wanted to cross it, they had to figure out how to do it themselves. If after a hundred years, there are still no 20,000 people who passed, everyone in the immortal sea would be sent out. Before this, Qin Wentian didn't think much of it. But right now, he truly felt that it might really be possible for less than 20,000 people to cross the sea within a hundred years.
"The monk used his flesh as a boat to cross this sea. How about me? Where does my path lie?" Qin Wentian asked himself, as he continued pondering, drifting aimlessly in the sea.
Not only for him, for everyone who was attempting this, including Qing`er, Nanfeng Yunxi, Hua Taixu and Jun Mengchen, all of them were still floating about on this sea, trying to find their own path of dao that would enable to cross over to the other shore!