Chapter 485: The Horror of Cultivating the Heart
A huge statue of the Great Qin Nation’s founding emperor stood in the vast drill ground of the Great Qin Nation’s Royal Palace. The statue was a thousand meters tall and looked very grand.
The founding emperor—Ying Zheng—pointed the Grand Imperial Spear in his hands ferociously towards the sky, evoking an overwhelming aura.
[TL note: Ying Zheng is also the real name of the founding emperor of China’s Qin Dynasty—Qin Shihuang.]
Xiao Chen stood on the head of the statue. A complicated expression appeared on his face. It was unknown what he was thinking about.
It was unknown when Xiao Chen acquired the habit of standing at high places, when he had gotten used to standing at the summit.
That habit gave Xiao Chen the strength to stand at the peak. However, several doubts surfaced at this moment.
Xiao Chen held a wooden sculpture in his hand. The girl depicted by the wooden sculpture had a faint smile. She looked very pretty and wore a red bra; she looked like a little girl.
This girl was First Princess Ying Ye. However, the perky areas on her chest had been rubbed flat by something. A great sculpture ruined just like that.
Xiao Chen faintly recalled that many years ago in the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, he had had to make a sculpture for Ying Yue every month, because he had offended her. Furthermore, her attire and expressions had to be different every time. He could not be lazy or skimp on it.
During that time, even though Xiao Chen cultivated very hard, he still took out time to complete this difficult task.
Xiao Chen had produced about ten sculptures, each one significantly better than this one. However, for some reason Ying Yue favored this one.
The sculpture lay flat on Xiao Chen’s palm. He could easily crush it with a thought.
A vague confusion appeared in his resolute eyes. He felt some disturbance in his mind, as if he had forgotten something very important.
A figure flashed in the distance and quickly flew over. Xiao Chen’s pupils constricted and became grave and stern once again. Then, he quickly hid the wooden sculpture in his sleeve.
Lan Chou stood below Xiao Chen as he said excitedly, “Master, the treasures in the Royal Palace have all been accounted for already. We also plundered the savings of some of the large clans in the Imperial Capital.” This time, they had a very good harvest.
Xiao Chen said calmly, “Report the numbers.”
“There is a total of fifty million Medial Grade Spirit Stones, two hundred thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones, and numerous Medicinal Pills and herbs; there were so many, we could not count them all!”
Xiao Chen nodded and said, “You did well. Hand them over!”
Lan Chou wasted no time in taking out ten spatial rings and surrendered them respectfully.
There were way too many treasures. One top-quality spatial ring could not contain them all. Even ten were barely enough; there were still some miscellaneous items that were not included.
The ten spatial rings floated before Xiao Chen. Lan Chou knew that he should not remain here, so he quickly took his leave.
Xiao Chen used his Spiritual Sense and immediately took out all fifty million Medial Grade Spirit Stones. The air instantly filled with a vast number of Medial Grade Spirit Stones.
“Bang!”
Xiao Chen roared. The fifty million Medial Grade Spirit Stones all exploded at the same time and turned into a sticky liquid that floated in the air.
While standing on the head of the Great Qin Nation’s founding emperor, Xiao Chen opened his hand and the Spiritual Energy liquid swirled into a whirlpool, refining itself endlessly.
The enormous Spiritual Energy whirlpool spun quickly in the air, the surging fluctuations causing heaven and earth to change color.
The atmosphere everywhere within five kilometers of the Imperial Capital churned continuously. The winds and clouds were in flux, displaying a great phenomenon. The sky seemed likely to fall at any moment.
“Xiu!”
The tumult in heaven and earth lasted for half a day before it ended. Xiao Chen succeeded in refining the fifty million Medial Grade Spirit Stones into a small exquisite pill.
Xiao Chen opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. The moment it entered his mouth, it melted and flowed into his dantian; the energy was like a vast ocean.
Xiao Chen closed his eyes and started to refine his energy, emanating a tremendous aura into his surroundings. A strong wind howled incessantly and lightning flashed without pause.
After fifteen minutes, Xiao Chen opened his eyes. A brilliant light shone from his eyes as he said, “I am just a hair’s breadth away from the Martial Emperor realm. After I use the Spirit Gathering Formation, I should be able to cross that threshold.”
Xiao Chen was just a step away from becoming the youngest Martial Emperor in history. Even the Thunder Emperor of yore would not be comparable to him, much less the founding emperor of the Great Qin Nation below him.
Xiao Chen pushed off the head of the founding emperor’s statue and arranged the two hundred thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones into a massive Spirit Gathering Formation.
Then Xiao Chen sat in the middle of the formation. The lines of the formation lit up and rain made of Spiritual Energy poured down without end.
“After the Spirit Gathering Formation is exhausted, I should be able to step through the threshold!”
——
Outside the Ancient Desolate Tower, a dim light flashed on the fifth floor. Everyone quickly paid attention to it. Unexpectedly, it was Chu Chaoyun crushing his jade pendant.
Chu Chaoyun gave up on the test in the gate of desire and was ejected.
It was unknown what Chu Chaoyun experienced in the gate of desire. His face was sullen as he landed on the ground. He ignored everyone and directly left the Tianwu Plaza.
Shi Hailong frowned slightly. He said, “There is only one person left. It looks like that person is really Xiao Chen. However, only fifteen minutes remain. If he still does not come out, he will be stuck in there forever.”
Someone at the side said, “There is still a chance. The flow of time in the gate of desire is different from the outside. Fifteen minutes for us might be days for him.”
Shi Hailong nodded his head slightly and smiled. “That’s right, there is still a chance. I hope he will be able to comprehend letting go. Once he can truly let go, he will be able to turn back.”
Li Xiuzhu smiled coldly. “How could it be so easy to let it go? His desire for power is so strong. Now that he is unrivaled within the gate of desire, making great waves with every move, how can he let go when that kind of power is in his hands?
“The calmer he normally is, the deeper he will sink into this. I believe he is probably making a breakthrough to Martial Emperor in there. Ha ha! That is the aim of every cultivator. Now that he has come so far, would he give it up?”
Li Xiuzhu’s words might be very harsh but everyone knew that they were true. It was not easy to let go when the power so desperately sought was at hand.
“Just you wait. We will know for sure in another fifteen minutes. This brat is never coming out. He is destined to remain sunk in his desires forever,” Liu Xiuzhu said as he continued to smile coldly.
When the cultivators below the platform who were on good terms with Xiao Chen heard this, worried expressions appeared on their faces.
——
Gate of Desire:
The rain made of Spiritual Energy fell for five days and nights straight before it slowly ceased. A spiritual fire came from below Xiao Chen and burned the entire formation to ashes.
“Chi! Chi!”
Suddenly, Xiao Chen shone with a golden light. At first, the golden light was not obvious. However, it grew more and more resplendent.
Xiao Chen’s clothes, skin, and hair all became golden, dazzling, and radiant.
Xiao Chen opened his eyes; his black pupils had turned golden as well. He gazed at the boundless sky and a gate opened up at the end of the sky.
“Zeng! Zeng! Zeng!”
Steps slowly appeared below the gate, extending to a meter before Xiao Chen.
This was the road to the Martial Emperor realm. The peak of cultivation lay at the end of the road. All Xiao Chen had to do was to push open the gate and he would stand at the peak of cultivation.
Xiao Chen looked at the flickering gate and a burning light appeared in his eyes. He got up and started to walk up the steps.
“Thunk…!”
The wooden sculpture in Xiao Chen’s sleeve suddenly fell out. It tumbled down the steps for a long time before it rolled to a stop.
Stunned, Xiao Chen slowly set down the foot that he had raised. Given his cultivation realm, it was impossible for the wooden sculpture to simply fall out.
The only way that could happen was if his mental state was shakened.
How can it be? I have always been focused on the great Dao. My determination is as firm as a rock. I have already waited decades for this moment.
Now that my goal is right before me, how can my mind be disturbed? Am I unable to let go in the end?
Xiao Chen had clearly known all the while that he had forgotten something, something very important.
However, for the sake of the Dao in his heart, he did not wish to think about it, even though he knew that it was important.
This was because remembering it might lose him this overwhelming power. He could not afford to bet on this, and was not willing to bet on this.
However, no matter how Xiao Chen lied to himself, he still cared a lot for the things that he had forgotten. It seemed that after he saw Ying Yue’s sculpture, this feeling had seeped into the depths of his heart unawares.
Xiao Chen closed his eyes and a great battle took place in his mind. Once he climbed this stairway, he would be able to arrive before the great Dao, to stand at the peak of cultivation.
However, the moment Xiao Chen reached the top, he would never remember the things that he had forgotten.
Leave no regrets behind!
These words echoed in Xiao Chen’s mind. It was unknown where this voice came from and why he suddenly thought of them.
“Leave no regrets behind…. Leave no regrets behind….” Xiao Chen murmured these four words to himself. Suddenly, he felt enlightened and a faint smile appeared on his face.
If I really forgot something important and stepped into the great Dao, it would become an eternal regret. This regret will remain, making my state of mind forever imperfect.
If Xiao Chen’s state of mind was imperfect, he would never be able to reach the peak of Martial Emperor. I cannot leave any regrets in my heart.
Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes and the golden light in them instantly vanished. His eyes became calm and clear, and his body stopped emitting that golden light.
In the end, Xiao Chen gave up everything, regaining the peace in his mind.
“Pa!”
The gate instantly closed and the steps to the sky vanished one by one. Only the wooden sculpture remained, falling to the ground.
Xiao Chen grabbed the sculpture and jumped down. With a few flashes, he arrived before the room Ying Yue was locked up in.
With her body sealed, Ying Yue was incredibly weak. It seemed like even a gentle breeze could blow her away. When she saw Xiao Chen standing outside, she said coldly, “Why are you not seeking your great Dao? What are you doing here?”
Xiao Chen tossed the wooden sculpture to Ying Yue. Then, he replied, “The great Dao is important. However, there are some things that are more important, such as this!”
Ying Yue caught the wooden sculpture and looked at Xiao Chen in shock. She said, “You still remember this wooden sculpture?”
Xiao Chen smiled gently. The stern and grave expression that normally appeared on his fair face now seemed very gentle. He said, “I remember. I will never forget it.”
The moment Xiao Chen said that, his body turned illusionary and slowly vanished from this space within the gate of desire.
