Inside the underground palace, a winding bluestone path gave off a bleak and worn-out feel.
A broken sword was stuck onto the ground next to the small path, and it carried an ancient aura. When Ou Yangming flicked his finger, a light stream flew out, then the broken sword turned into black smoke and slowly dispersed.
After walking on the small path for a while, a small balcony appeared in front of Ou Yangming. A dim light was flickering below it, and a simple restriction was set up there.
Ou Yangming pondered for a brief moment then waved his sleeve, causing countless gravel to land on the balcony.
The instant the gravel touched the balcony, a visible yet fleeting black vapor was seen. Afterward, a green vapor appeared and drifted into the sky. The slight change affected the whole situation, hence the balcony was simply filled with miasma.
With a flash of thought, Ou Yangming made finger gestures with his right hand and shouted, “Activate!” Next, a palm-sized light stream flew out and elongated with the wind. If one took a closer look at it, one would notice that it was actually an item that looked like a tortoise’s shell. It was pitch-black and had many complicated veined patterns on its back, making it look extremely old. It was the Ancient Dragon Shield.
“Pow!” The mists on the balcony flew out in all directions.
Ou Yangming’s eyes flickered for a split second, then he stepped forward and charged into the balcony behind the Ancient Dragon Shield.
Nonetheless, as soon as he got close, plenty of mists appeared above the balcony. They spread outward at lightning speed, and they released a magnanimous resistance.
“Restriction!” Ou Yangming figured it out right away. He changed his direction and continued forward.
Even so, mists suddenly appeared regardless of the direction that he went. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get past them as though it was a natural moat.
Ou Yangming pondered for a brief moment and breathed out some murky air. While pointing his leg forward, he drew a circle with his left hand and a square with his right. They combined and evolved into numerous afterimages in front of him. After pointing his leg forward again, the young fellow clapped his hands faster in a special rhythm. He was no longer limited to solid matters as he conveniently doodled in the air with his mind, be it squares, circles, curves, or straight lines.
His eyes gleamed intensely in an instant. “Pow…” A loud sound was suddenly heard coming from his waist.
Following that, he took a step forward, and the Ancient Dragon Shield in front of him moved toward the bottom of his feet while the illusory images in front of him overlapped. With glaring eyes, he pushed both his hands outward at the same time.
The afterimages quickly connected and became entangled with each other. They undid the restriction skillfully and without traces of effort.
Ou Yangming had stumbled upon this technique of lifting restrictions by chance, but it was also closely related to his cultivation base in formations. Formations and restrictions belonged to different branches, but they could achieve the same result through different approaches. Moreover, the young fellow could only break the restriction with ease because it was the simplest kind.
Instead of moving on in a hurry, Ou Yangming observed the complicated lines below the balcony. The lines were as black as ink and interlaced as they spread to every spot on the balcony.
Ou Yangming guarded his soul while he kept making derivations in his spiritual world and comparing them with the formations that he had learned.
His eyes were shining brighter than before, and it took about 8 minutes before he breathed out murky air from his chest again. He chuckled and noted, “Formation Board Runes can form a formation but if they’re combined according to another method, they can form a restriction. That said, the method’s too mysterious, so it’s difficult for me to perceive it based on my current cultivation base in formations.”
He got up and walked in front after he remembered the rune lines on the balcony.
Once Ou Yangming walked past the balcony, a stone door appeared in front of him as if it was forcibly pushed into his view.
The stone door was uneven and filled with sword marks, but most were already covered by moss. Crystal clear water droplets rolled down from the top and along the dented areas, then they were absorbed by the moss. Nevertheless, the strangest thing was the couplet on the sides of the door; Ou Yangming’s vision went blurry after he took just one look at them.
All of a sudden, a lady appeared in his spiritual world. She wore a red outfit, had long black hair that flowed behind her, and skin that was fair and tender.
When the lady looked at something, her eyes seemed like they had lost focus, which made her look more innocent and charming. As she lifted her slim hand, she dipped a soft brush into ink, where the tip of the brush carried the power of spirits. The lady naturally wrote in cursive script, and she wrote several words in one stroke. Her handwriting was unusually odd, but it was also majestic and looked skillful. It appeared as if the galaxy could be seen on both sides of the stone wall, and it was indescribably awe-inspiring.
Unlike how graceful a lady would normally be, the handwriting was majestic and righteous.
“If one has evil thoughts, one won’t be blessed even if one prays to God or worships Buddha; if one does good deeds and is upright, why would it matter even if one doesn’t worship anyone?” Ou Yangming mumbled while a luster was seen in his eyes. When he pushed the door and entered, his eyes became hazy. An illusory conception rippled.
By the time Ou Yangming came back to his senses, he was greeted with a new view.
The room looked vintage, and the lights were dim. Green smoke was rising from a sandalwood furnace that had the circumference of 3 people joining their hands together.
There was a weird look in Ou Yangming’s eyes as he looked around, and he sighed. ‘Why am I here? Wasn’t I… Hmm, where was I just now? I seemed to have forgotten something important.’
He furrowed his eyebrows and completely forgot about this thought as well.
At the spur of the moment, the door creaked. Wu Hanning, who had a cold temperament but a stunning face, pushed the door open.
“Yangming… ” Wu Hanning looked with blurred eyes at Ou Yangming. She blushed while she subconsciously held the corner of her shirt, making her look like she was welcoming the young fellow with reluctance. The lady’s cheeks were red, and she was hesitant to speak, but her fragrant smell was soul-stirring.
She expressed softly, “I’m sure you know how I feel. I don’t want anything else; I just want to share your joys and sorrows with you.” Quickly after, she flushed shyly again, which made her seem pure and gratifying.
Ou Yangming was fully satisfied while Wu Hanning simply looked divine. He was slightly moved, but he replied to her, “This isn’t good, is it? It’s still daytime now.”
Wu Hanning lowered her head shyly and breathed out before she responded, “What’s not good about this? Cultivators are law-defying and fearless people anyway. Besides, ever since you barged into my palanquin, I’ve become yours.” Subsequently, she stared at Ou Yangming with her beautiful eyes and leaped to push him onto the bed. As she undid the ribbon on her hair, her long hair fluttered in the air. The lady curled his lips and got into an enchanting and alluring posture. At the same time, she blew some air to put out the dim light in the room, causing the room to darken a little.
Ou Yangming opened his hand and lifted his arm to touch her. His heart instantly shook due to the sense of touch.
Without warning, Ni Yinghong pushed the door open and shouted, “You… What are you doing?” She was in despair as if her heart had been broken, and she stared resentfully at Ou Yangming while she smiled bitterly. “Dear husband, I made 7 dishes today, all of which are your favorites. I’ve been waiting for you the whole day, and yet you… You’re doing this here. Are you treating me fairly?”
“No! It’s not what you think!” Ou Yangming blurted. He immediately pushed Wu Hanning away and got up from the bed.
Later, he twitched his mouth and thought, ‘This doesn’t seem right. Isn’t this too ridiculous?’
He looked at Ni Yinghong’s bump and sensed strong life inside. A fleeting spiritual light was also seen inside.
‘What’s wrong? What exactly is wrong here…’ He kept asking himself.
The scene was so real, and he could not break free from it.
Before Ou Yangming knew it, an old man with a longsword but an amiable look appeared in front of him. The old man kept practicing with his sword, tidying up loosened soil, and looking out for falling stars. He also used a graver to carve some wooden sculptures, which resembled humans, birds, and even beasts. They were not exactly lively as they only looked 70% to 80% close to what they were supposed to be, but he still made them meticulously. One day, the old man lifted his sword and slashed all of the wooden sculptures. He looked like he had fathomed something as he said with a smile, “I see…”
He was born from an aristocratic family and had always been doted on. If he was furious, he would kill innumerable people, causing blood to flow like a river.
The old man flew a kite on the city’s wall. The breezes were stimulating, and the blue sky and white clouds formed the most beautiful painting. When he pulled the string, the kite flew higher, but he suddenly pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and cut it. As such, the kite’s string was broken, and it vanished after a few seconds. The old man sighed and uttered again, “I see!”
He was 30 years old and independent. It was also at this time he married an elegant wife that was gentle and virtuous.
They led a plain and hardworking life, but they were very much in love. Furthermore, they gave birth to a son when they were older, and their son turned out to be filial and steady, thus they no longer had worries. Under the setting sun, they aged beautifully even though their faces were not delicate anymore and were full of wrinkles. As they leaned on each other and slowly walked forward, their shadows were dragged out by the sun. The old man then sighed and said in a deep voice, “I see…”
The scenes flashed in front of Ou Yangming, and he slowly looked like he understood what was going on.
‘So this is illusion—it points at one’s guilt and regrets. The more one can’t hold on to something, the more one will want to hold on to it. The more one yearns for something, the deeper one will fall as well. Illusory is real, but realness isn’t illusory. The true meaning of illusion isn’t illusory, but realness is guilt and regrets.
Under the sunset, Ou Yangming glanced at his lifelong partner and sighed. “I have many things left to do, and the burdens on my shoulders are too heavy, so how can I indulge in this pleasure?”
The old woman, whose face was full of wrinkles, seemed to know what he felt. She looked up at him and asked, “Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I’m leaving!” The young fellow did not look regretful as he answered softly.
As soon as he finished, his wrinkles disappeared, and a widespread vitality was released from his dantian.
He lamented in a deep voice, “When will I break this if not now?”
Before his voice was gone, the sky was torn apart from far to near, and it turned into nothing.
Fame, wealth, position, a life partner, and the safety of offspring were things that one yearned for. Having said that, one’s desires would only increase, and one would eventually fall deeper. This was the representation of how one’s desires would never be satisfied. Greed, hatred, ignorance, the pain of parting with one’s love, resentment, and everything else appeared in front of Ou Yangming. ‘I see—illusion isn’t illusory, but realness is illusory.’
Ou Yangming’s eyes shone brightly. By the time he opened his eyes again, the light in front of him was dim while the stone wall behind him was closed.
6 big formations with surging mists inside could be seen in front of him. An old and distant feeling reverberated.
The formations’ runes did not have many lines, but they were incredibly succinct. It seemed like one could get lost in them by taking just one glance at them.
Further away, 9 stone stairs could be seen, but its top was unclear as it was covered by mists.
