The heavenly tribulation had passed,
but the tribulation clouds did not dissipate.
Wenlun Ancestor, though battered and bruised, kept a calm and serene gaze, his expression ever determined.
At this mont, he sensed a will erging from the tribulation clouds.
This will carried with it a certain "celestial mandate."
He imdiately perceived its nature. It was to make him the Terminal Daoist of the Cloud Path, to bear this celestial mandate, to protect the cultivators embarking upon the Cloud Path, to gather good fortune for them, to pray for their peace, and in return, a portion of their achievents and insights on the path would be bestowed upon him.
By all appearances, this celestial mandate of a Terminal Daoist seed to be proof of the saying "good deeds beget good rewards."
But, is it truly so?
Are Terminal Daoists really the Heavenly Dao’s chosen guardians? And if they are guardians, what "Dao" are they guarding? If this point was unclear, he would never agree to beco a Terminal Daoist.
Wenlun Ancestor’s eyes shone brightly; so what if the celestial mandate is set?
He resolutely refused to accept this celestial mandate.
The once calming tribulation clouds suddenly turned turbulent, quickly brewing a second heavenly tribulation in the blink of an eye.
The crowd of cultivators who had begun to celebrate for Wenlun Ancestor were instantly dumbfounded by the sight. What was happening? Why was there another heavenly tribulation? Wasn’t a Tribulation Immortal’s heavenly tribulation supposed to be a single ordeal? Why did a second one arrive? Moreover, the power of this second tribulation seed much stronger than the first!
"What is going on!" Venerable Minxue exclaid, eyes wide.
Scholar Yingqiu felt a weight in his heart. He surmised it was likely because Wenlun Ancestor rejected the celestial mandate to beco a Terminal Daoist. Such an event was nearly unheard of, thus there were no records of it.
Was refusing to beco a Terminal Daoist an act of defiance against the Heavenly Dao?
The second heavenly tribulation fell abruptly. Like a dragon of lightning, the Cloud Path thunder tribulation tore through the heavens, dispersing the tribulation clouds, plunging the surrounding qi into chaos, making all paths impassable. At the sa ti, it unleashed a grand will that could not be defied.
Even faced with this, Wenlun Ancestor’s gaze remained calm and serene.
To him, this was rely the pursuit of the principles he had always adhered to, the so-called unwavering original intention.
Yet, the heavenly tribulation seed to deny his original intention.
His cultivation of over three thousand years shattered inch by inch under the strikes of this heavenly tribulation, leaving nothing behind. All he had received from the Heavenly Dao was reclaid in an instant.
But he was still alive.
This clearly proved that what had just happened was not a tribulation for a Tribulation Immortal, but a punishnt for defying the celestial mandate.
The grand tribulation ceremony ended with an incomprehensible conclusion.
Having lost his cultivation, Wenlun Ancestor had beco a mortal.
Yet, even at this mont, his gaze did not change.
Scholar Yingqiu and Venerable Minxue’s pupils trembled. They were both shocked, but for different reasons. The forr was shocked that the Heavenly Dao would punish those unwilling to beco Terminal Daoists! The latter was shocked that Wenlun Ancestor would refuse to beco a Terminal Daoist!
By the ti they regained their composure, Wenlun Ancestor had vanished from the scene, along with the Human World Executor Dao who stood beneath the towering pines, clad in black.
On a desolate mountain path,
Wenlun Ancestor hunched over, leaning on a walking stick made from a tree branch, and moved forward slowly. After enduring two heavenly tribulations, he had lost all his cultivation and appeared much older.
Fu Manman followed behind him, and after walking a stretch, he said:
"Young maiden, if you have sothing to say, just say it."
Fu Manman’s eyes were downcast, and in her bright pupils flowed golden patterns, like the heavenly golden crow circling the sun.
"Why choose the Cloud Path?"
"The floating clouds in the sky and the travelers on the ground are alike."
"Why not accept the celestial mandate?"
Wenlun Ancestor, tired from walking, paused for a rest. "It seems to most people, Terminal Daoists are the guardians of this world. They protect millions of cultivators, truly remarkable individuals. This makes people feel that the existence of Terminal Daoists is justified, that the world should have Terminal Daoists. But the essence of the Dao itself is the operation of all things, it is mankind’s understanding of the heavens, of nature, and even of oneself. Such understanding should be different for everyone. The ergence of Terminal Daoists has changed everything."
"How has it changed?"
"People have begun to believe that a single Dao is fixed and should be understood as Terminal Daoists do. Our understanding of the heavens has beco a set template and pattern. Cultivation has beco like formulas in arithtic, one plus one equals one, two plus two equals four. With simple and easy shortcuts, people lack creativity, and this world becos like a hierarchically structured tower."
Fu Manman pondered and asked, "Perhaps, the Terminal Daoists guard... what they guard is the Heavenly Dao?"
Wenlun Ancestor turned to glance at Fu Manman, slightly surprised, and asked, "Young maiden, who are you?"
Fu Manman smiled and replied, "I am the Human World Executor Dao of the Wangxian Pavilion."
Wenlun Ancestor frowned, muttering to himself in his heart, this shouldn’t be... Isn’t the Daoist School where the most Terminal Daoists are found? How could soone from there speak such words...
He had no favorable opinion of the Daoist School, but Fu Manman gave him a different feeling.
And so, the two of them continued along the mountain path, chatting as they went.
Fu Manman listened to the tales of the ancestor, of how he grew from a mortal displaced by demon cultivator chaos to an ancestor of a region. Such stories were countless over the long years of the world, yet she was deeply moved.
Because from beginning to end, Wenlun Ancestor’s steadfastness in his cultivation beliefs remained unwavering.
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