With that, everyone’s faces changed.
To cultivators, that was equivalent to severing their path, making them lose the possibility of longevity. If a regular person said that, they would just be treated as an ignorant madman. No one would take it seriously, except Li Qingshan truly possessed the power to sever everyone’s path of ascension.
The complete silence left Li Qingshan slightly surprised. He originally thought someone would question or even rebuke him. He never expected everyone to be so “calm”.
As a result, he continued, “As for the reasons involved, I don’t think I need to make any further explanations. This has to do with my possessions and my life, so I can’t take any chances. However, since I’m bold enough to inform you in such a frank way without playing any secret tricks, you should believe me when I say I have no ill intentions.”
He tried his best to seem approachable, but it only made the cultivators shiver. The heavenly tribulation of ascension had already been extremely difficult. If there was the god of the world stabbing them in the back too, then that was basically certain death.
However, just as he had said, if he had not informed them about this, he definitely could have kept this hidden for over a century. There had always been only a handful of cultivators that were capable of ascending, so even if they failed the tribulation, it would make perfect sense.
Qian Lingzhi smiled wryly. “I believe you don’t have any ill intentions, but can you give us some leeway so that you don’t seal off our paths for good all of a sudden?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “There’ll always be a way. There are still many matters in the future that I’ll have to count on you fellows for, so how can I sever your path of cultivation? You should already know just how cramped the world originally was. Even cultivators and daemons basically did not exist back then, yet now, it’s spacious enough for you to found sects and kingdoms.”
Qian Lingzhi’s eyes lit up. “You mean… the world can become even larger?”
“Of course! The heavenly tribulation of ascension is riddled with danger after all. Who knows what kind of situation you might encounter after you enter the six realms of sa?sāra. You might be better off growing with the World of the Five Continents so that your sects prosper and your land is never conquered. Isn’t that better?”
Qian Lingzhi weighed the consequences. “If that really is true, it could be accepted as good news. Alright, I’m willing to support this!”
He definitely could not openly oppose Li Qingshan in front of so many people. That would only damage their friendship that he had built up after so much difficulty. Even if he insisted on ascending, it was better if they discussed it privately. If the discussions were successful, it would benefit both of them, and he might even be able to obtain his help, greatly reducing the dangers of ascension.
“I support you too, first father!”
The Meat-stewing Heavenly King would obviously support the great demon king unconditionally. The great demon king had never let down this trust either.
Gong Yuan shot a glance at Li Qingshan and thought, If I really ascended, are you going to kill me or what? However, she had just unified the Merfolk. She still had not had her fill as the Merfolk Queen, so she was not in that much of a hurry to ascend.
With their agreement, the otherfolk kings obviously had no objections.
Daemons had always placed more emphasis on accumulation over time. They were renowned for their lifespans, so no one stood forward to oppose Li Qingshan either. However, they were not as easy-going in terms of attitude. Many of them were unruly.
Li Qingshan nodded. “If that’s the case, I’ll view this as agreeing to my suggestion. You can continue with your celebration.”
He was quite satisfied. As the god of the world, he definitely did not wish to see any cultivators leaving this world, as every ascending cultivator possessed the essence of the world, basically his own flesh and blood. They would accelerate the decline of the world. That was why heavenly tribulations of ascension were so difficult, as it was the instincts of the will of the world trying to hold onto this resource.
His decision also earned the absolute endorsement from the will of the world.
Li Qingshan did not linger around. Before he left, he left behind another message with deep meaning. “If anyone tries to ascend by force… don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
His voice echoed through the surroundings as his figure faded away.
Perhaps due to his might and prestige as a god, the six short words made all the great cultivators and Daemon Kings shiver, leaving behind an abnormally deep impression. Afterwards, it actually became a popular phrase for threats. When local gangs and factions negotiated and the negotiations fell through, they would leave that behind most of the time.
On a vast ocean, on a barren island, an imposing altar almost took up the entire place. It bore great resemblance to the altar on Dragonshead mountain back then. All that was missing was the Heaven Climbing Vine.
Li Qingshan, Xiao An, Rāhu Xiaoming, and Gu Yanying gathered together there once more.
During this time, Li Qingshan had visited many acquaintances and offered them some help to the best of his ability, settling some past debts. For example, he gave the Unraging monk a Great Buddha mountain, he gave Qian Lingzhi a capital city, he gave Huang Binghu and Yu Shukuang two pills that increased their lifespans, and so on.
There were also his women and his children. The emotions and sentiments involved went without saying, but they were not as dramatic as mortals. Apart from the exception, Qiu Haitang, they were all cultivators with their own pursuits. A man was not everything in their lives.
He was much more careless when it came to his children, completely embracing the method of parenting of just not being there. They were free to do whatever they wanted and they would clean up any trouble they caused. They could forget about relying on him to help them. It was quite unbelievable when he mentioned it, but he had already become a grandfather now, and in a few years’ time, he would probably be a great-grandfather.
Gu Yanying laughed as she wished him many children and grandchildren, so Li Qingshan just stared at her belly, all the way until she smacked him over his head with her folding fan.
She had received the complete support of Li Qingshan as the god of the world, so her cultivation progressed rapidly during this time, having reached the peak of the third heavenly tribulation already. Rāhu Xiaoming was no different. When Li Qingshan made Navy Li’l Fatty devour the nine provinces, he had confiscated plenty of Asura Fields, all of which he tossed to him.
Xiao An went even more without saying. She had reached the peak of the third heavenly tribulation a long time ago. If it were not for the sake of waiting for Li Qingshan, she would have undergone the heavenly tribulation of ascension back then in the nine provinces already.
During this time, she remained on the frozen continent in the north. Li Qingshan originally thought she wanted to turn all the undead and demons into Samādhi Flames of White Bone, but he never expected her to build a palace of white bone instead, making the group of monks under her command spread the path of white bone among the undead and demonfolk. The reason she gave for that was because she was not lacking resources right now. She was just trying to comprehend the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty.
The four of them all possessed great strength that completely surpassed cultivators of the same level through their cultivation methods, bloodlines, and legacies, so undergoing the fourth heavenly tribulation was a piece of cake. However, they also shouldered great danger because of that. Countless powerful beings eyed them covetously from the Demon domain, the Hungry Ghost realm, the Asura realm, and even the Human realm.
Those powerful gods were enough for regular cultivators to feel despair, to hide away forever.
And in the distant beyond the Nine Heavens, there were even powerful enemies whose names could not even be mentioned.
Thinking of it like that, the World of the Nine Provinces in the past was basically like a cradle. Those bloody struggles were only games to teach the younglings how to hunt, rehearsing for everything to come in the future.
The surging tides and the rustling winds were like the last cradle song, sending them off.
Now, they would be leaving this cradle and venturing to an even vaster and more unpredictable world to face all of the hardships it had in plan for them.
“Until enough heroes have grown in the bronze cradle,
With hearts as strong as it used to be,
They visit the omnipotent gods.”
The Heaven Climbing Vine emerged from space, rising up from the altar like a giant dragon taking off, plunging into the depths of space again and forming a meandering path that lead into sa?sāra.
Rāhu Xiaoming, Gu Yanying, and Xiao An all looked over together. One was raging with fighting spirit, one was graceful like the wind, and the other was clear like a dream. It was as if they were asking him.
Are you ready?
———————————————————————————————————————
End of the Volume—Dreamer
Just as the title suggests, you are not just seeing an author’s word at the end of the volume, but also an author’s word at the end of the first half and an author’s celebratory word for three years. Now that I mention it, it sounds like some kind of twisted creature that mutated from exposure to radiation, so let’s just call it a gathering of author’s words.
However, I am experiencing far too many emotions, such that I don’t know where to start. How can the exhaustion and fatigue, the pain and struggle I went through over more than a thousand days and nights be expressed clearly in a thousand characters?
If you see me in my daily life, you’ll probably think I’m a great failure, sinking into depravity with each day, even coming close to the day when I climb to the rooftop. Just recently, my mother said to me, “Son, let’s not do this. Can’t you do something else instead?”
I said nothing, but, no.
That was because in front of the stone tablet of my ancestral grave in my old home, I pointed at the words which included my name and probed out my father. “I might just become the most famous one on there.”
“Really?”
His attitude was truly depressing, probably like a teacher watching a primary school student saying how they wanted to become a scientist when they grew up. I’m already so old, and I still say things like that. How shameful.
However, I’ve stopped being a primary school student a long time ago. I’ve read those great works through the times. They shine gloriously, but they’re definitely not beyond reach. Instead, they guide me, like the stars in the sky.
I’ve read those outstanding works of the contemporary era. Even though many of them are more outstanding than me, when I compare them to the resplendent stars in my heart, I can only smile and say, In a time without heroes, the significant are paraded as talents.
Every child has a hero dream, so I tried my best to make up for my shortcomings, writing what I’m least skilled in and living a life that I’m unhappy with, such that I can’t be swayed by anything around me as I assemble every single dragon ball that I require. That’s just reading a great pile of books, enduring some loneliness and pain and constantly reflecting on the mistakes I’ve made. If you say I don’t have any life experiences, then alright, I’ll go tour the world. I’ll go and love and hate and understand it.
I’m not a talented genius, nor am I chosen by fate. Even if I’ve gathered all the dragon balls, I might not be able to summon the dragon to make my wish come true. When I fail, it’s all just a joke.
But life is just so short! It is just like a novel with a predetermined end. As such, why not make the process a little more fascinating as much as possible? Even if I can’t become a hero or a legend, I’ll play out the tragedy of a mortal and earn a few tears and smiles. I might even downright warn the people that come after me, “Mortals must never chase their dreams!”
But even till today, I firmly believe that mortals can chase after their dreams too.
With the end of the first half of Legend of the Great Sage, the three years haven’t gone to waste. I’ve taken one step closer towards my goal. I’ve become even stronger, whether it’s my willpower or my abilities, which will be sufficiently demonstrated in the upcoming second half. I’ll verify what I’ve gained and what I’ve lost, what is correct and what is wrong yet again.
I might take a rest, but you won’t have to wait for too long. Please look forward to the twelfth volume of Legend of the Great Sage, the Myriad in the Human Realm!
Li Qingshan’s path to the Nine Heavens, my path to the Nine Heavens, has only just begun!
This time, we will reach the Nine Heavens in one fell stroke!
