"Little Fish, although I'm in no hurry to open my Purple Palace, and choosing the Aperture Purple Palace thod is perfectly appropriate..."
"But even if there are no imdiate worries, one must always look to the future."
"After I reach the Purple Palace realm, will the Aperture Purple Palace thod be enough to carry far?"
It was a highly counterintuitive piece of logic: opening a Purple Palace was quite simple, but truly becoming a Purple Palace cultivator was incredibly difficult.
Wang Yulou didn't lack cultivation thods, and White Li had already stated that siding with Mang Xiang was currently the optimal choice. However, he had to consider his path after actually becoming a Purple Palace cultivator.
If nothing else, White Li considered Mang Xiang's Formless Art to be absolute garbage. What kind of thod would Wang Yulou have to cultivate to scale the mountain that was their Ancestral Master?
"It can. The Aperture Purple Palace thod is a mainstream Purple Palace thod. It may not seem to have any outstanding advantages, but it lacks major flaws as well."
"Moreover, with so many new-thod Purple Palace cultivators around, almost all of us Golden Cores have completed our grotto-heaven transformations."
"Under these circumstances, the Aperture Purple Palace thod actually possesses an advantage—a very major one."
"When a Purple Palace cultivator who uses the Aperture Purple Palace thod as their foundation enters another grand cultivator's grotto-heaven, the restrictions placed on their strength are relatively minor."
"Once you reach the Purple Palace realm, do not switch to the Grotto-heaven Law. Cultivate all the way to the Golden Core realm, and only then take the step to transform it into a grotto-heaven. This path is exactly the sa as Shen Guang's."
"Although Shen Guang lost, his original approach of using the old cultivation arts to reach the Purple Palace realm, attaining Golden Core status, and then performing the grotto-heaven transformation was correct."
The divine abilities of an Aperture Purple Palace cultivator relied upon the apertures of their Dao body to exist. Upon entering soone else's grotto-heaven, they could maintain a slight relative advantage.
"In the future, will the grand cultivators of the Grotto-heaven Law devour one another?"
This had been a long-standing speculation of Wang Yulou's, but he had never found anyone to confirm it for him.
"I don't know. Even for soone like , there are many things I don't know."
"But I believe they won't. Because this path is not a good one. Devouring one another to the very end would only lead back to the old path of top-tier Golden Cores fighting to the death in final showdowns."
"Although I'm not afraid of magical combat and don't fear gambling with my life, Yulou, you must understand that the majority of Golden Cores never want to fight."
"No one is afraid, yet no one wants to fight. That is why the stalemate between the top-tier forces has been maintained for so long."
The words of grand cultivators were difficult to decipher. Di Shui's current attitude was completely different from a mont ago, leaving Wang Yulou deeply perplexed.
"Doesn't this contradict what you just said—that 'only by letting the most outstanding existences tear into each other high above the heavens can an existence above the Golden Core realm be nurtured'?"
White Li nodded. "I told you, there are many areas where even I cannot see clearly."
"For instance, 'Golden Core' is a title for a rank. It was nad after the characteristics of ancient thods during a certain past era, and later evolved into a description for a specific level of power."
"Above the Golden Core realm, there are many major traditions such as the Nascent Soul thod, the Dharma Idol thod, the Divine Illumination thod, the Imasurable thod, and so on. Yet, those who cultivate them have never managed to create a true gap in power separating them from the Golden Core realm."
"Look, the reality spanning tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand years is this—there isn't necessarily a path above the Golden Core realm."
"The final outco of the Grotto-heaven Law might be that grand cultivators transform into new worlds, and within those new worlds, entirely new cultivation systems are born."
"Cycling endlessly, without end."
The future described by Di Shui was far too terrifying. The end of cultivation was actually sothing akin to a dead end.
Stripped of those distant, grand possibilities, the Golden Core realm was the absolute end.
"Isn't that a bit too lifeless?"
Lifeless. Wang Yulou truly felt a heavy, suffocating lifelessness.
Above the cage lay freedom, but freedom itself had an end. Was there no true, carefree liberation?
"Husband, that is rely from your perspective."
"To the vast majority of individuals across heaven and earth, throughout all of history, this path is indeed lifeless."
"But to us Golden Cores standing at the peak, this path is not lifeless at all."
"Within the Immortal Alliance, you feel shackled and restricted at every turn."
"Once you attain the Golden Core realm, as long as you aren't as blindly confident as Shen Guang—ha, confident—as long as you aren't confident like him, it becos incredibly difficult for any opponent to touch you."
"Therefore, it is lifeless, but that lifelessness has nothing to do with us Golden Cores."
"It didn't matter in the past, and now that we have the Grotto-heaven Law, it matters even less. Hidden inside our grotto-heavens, we are the creators—the kings of our own worlds."
"Within my grotto-heaven, I don't even fear Bi Fang."
In truth, White Li was bragging a bit.
Even within her grotto-heaven, she still feared Bi Fang. At most, she was simply less afraid of Qingrui.
But when chatting with her little man, she naturally frad things to sound as formidable as possible.
"I understand that, but I still believe those Golden Cores who have enjoyed such long lives would crave a higher realm."
"Just as you said, you view longevity as a shackle. This implies that the very aning of pursuing the Dao becos blurred when one possesses eternal life."
"For existences with lifespans even more vast than yours, what do they rely on to maintain their conviction to seek the Dao?"
"Even if devouring one another is a dead end for the vast majority, none of them believe they will be the ones to lose. So what reservations would they have?"
This ti, it was White Li's turn to fall silent.
The evening sunset fell over the rear courtyard of the Middle Front Defense Pass Command Residence. The heavy twilight brought an indescribable sense of oppression as Dripping Water Immortal Venerable asked in return, "Seeing things so clearly, aren't you driven to despair?"
"Are you afraid that I will despair?"
"Of course. Cultivation is a path far more terrifying than walking a single-log bridge."
"Out of a million cultivators who set foot upon it, not even one might reach the Purple Palace realm."
"Out of hundreds of millions who step onto it, not even one might reach the Golden Core realm."
"Good luck is rely the foundation; talent and spirit are also rely the foundation. Even after surviving all those grueling trials, countless man-made obstacles still remain."
"Husband, I am afraid of you seeing things too clearly. Sotis, being too awake is not a good thing."
Right or wrong aside, different people had different considerations. Wang Yulou understood White Li's deliberate deception.
But regardless of whether her deception was truly 'for his own good,' at this mont, Wang Yulou was willing to believe that White Li valued him—highly valued him.
Yes, how could she not value him?
The grace of imparting the Dao. On the path to seeking truth, White Li used her elevated vision to let Wang Yulou see so much of the truth deliberately hidden from others.
With this in mind, Wang Yulou brought up the matter he cared about most.
"Old Patriarch Xianmao's situation... do you know about it?"
The old patriarch had utilized the divine ability developed by the Wang Clan ancestors: Abandon Body, Transform to Tree. Now, he was gradually losing his human life force.
Eventually, he would transform into a massive tree, only to be refined into a spiritual artifact by later generations.
Wang Yulou did not want this. He was unwilling to watch the patriarch turn into a tree.
There were many excuses he could make, but only one reason mattered—he was simply unwilling. And that was enough for Wang Yulou to ask this of Dripping Water Immortal Venerable.
It was nothing more than taking on another debt. Wang Yulou already carried too many debts on his shoulders; one more wouldn't make a difference.
"It will be very difficult. Mang Xiang has his eyes on him. The Stone Ancestor's appearance can still be explained away as your personal fortuitous encounter. But if I rescue Wang Xianmao as well, your future will beco incredibly difficult."
"Seeing things too clearly only makes the heart suffer. Husband, we are truly the sa kind of people."
"But you must be the one to make this cruel choice. If Wang Xianmao lives, the Wang Clan might face extermination in the future."
"If you sit back and watch Wang Xianmao die, the Wang Clan will be spared from such peril. The right to make this decision can only belong to you."
Dripping Water Immortal Venerable indicated that this was a minor matter. She could save Wang Xianmao with a single move. The real issue was how the Wang Clan would survive Mang Xiang's scrutiny.
They could not follow Dripping Water. Once she broke free, she would have no foundational territory of her own in the Great Heaven. Following her would only lead Wang Yulou and the Wang Clan down a path to certain death.
Therefore, in the end, the choice fell entirely to Wang Yulou.
"Can we at least let him live for a few more years? Can we do that much, at the very least?"
At this mont, Wang Yulou finally understood why grand cultivators treated their younger generations and clan disciples with such cold impartiality.
After cultivating for a thousand or even ten thousand years, once one reached the pinnacle of cultivation, it was nearly impossible to sit back and let one's pursuit of the Dao be influenced by 'outsiders.'
When your opponents were all beasts, trying to act human was nothing short of courting death.
For grand cultivators with vast lifespans, their ti spent as a clan descendant was short, as was the ti spent pulling their family forward. More often than not, they existed solely for themselves.
After dozens of passing generations, how many descendants remained among the clan's younger generation that were truly worth paying a heavy price for?
"You aren't ruthless enough, Wang Yulou. Just like . Sigh."
Seeing that Wang Yulou remained silent, White Li added, "A compromise is indeed a good line of thought. Let think..."
"Your Wang Clan has cultivated wood-attribute thods for so many years. Let us give Wang Xianmao a bit more of a 'genius' flair. That way, Mang Xiang won't grow overly suspicious."
"Wait for here a mont."
White Li vanished mid-sentence. Wang Yulou looked at the spot where she had been, rose to his feet, walked over, and stood there in silent anticipation.
Cultivating the immortal path, cultivating truth, cultivating the self. Immortality sought permanence, truth sought clarity, and cultivation sought experience.
Yet, as Wang Yulou's lifespan extended, as his grasp of reality grew increasingly clear, and as his worldly experience matured, he felt his own insignificance more acutely than ever.
His journey thus far had been incredibly smooth, yet it was still not enough.
For instance, could the thousands or tens of thousands of years of accumulation possessed by others truly be overco by his effort, talent, and providence alone?
Which grand cultivator lacked any of those?
It was difficult, but retreating was completely out of the question.
It might seem that returning to a conservative stance could bring stability, but the mont Mang Xiang raised his sword on a whim, or True Person Gua roared and struck backhandedly, every living soul within hundreds of li would be instantly wiped out.
Stability?
Beneath the ambitions of grand cultivators, what place in heaven and earth could truly be considered a safe haven?
Before long, White Li returned to Wang Yulou's residence within the Defense Pass.
"That fast?"
"It wasn't difficult. After a brief investigation, I helped him enter a state of sudden enlightennt."
"He will comprehend a thod I prepared for him. This thod will allow him to live for at least another hundred years."
"If Mang Xiang drops dead within a hundred years, if heaven and earth collapse, and if your Wang Clan still exists while I am also around, I might even be able to let him live for a few hundred years more."
Wang Yulou could only smile bitterly. Mang Xiang dying was the prerequisite, and the collapse of heaven and earth corresponded to Qingrui drawing her last breath as well.
These two—one was the ruling entity over the Wang Clan, and the other was the leader of the northwestern region of Wunan. If the situation beca so chaotic that even they died, would the Wang Clan still exist?
By this point, Wang Yulou's understanding of Bai Xiaoyu's words—"you are all lifeless, but the Golden Cores are not lifeless"—grew increasingly profound.
Of course, there were people in this world who could declare 'my destiny is my own,' but one's starting point had to be at the level of a quasi-immortal venerable like Mang Xiang. Everyone else—never mind heaven—could be crushed to death by any higher-stage cultivator who ca along. What right did they have to not accept their fate?
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