Chapter 264 – Life and Death Domain
After Xu Tao left, Wang Lin’s life calmed down again. It was as if what had happened passed by like the clouds. Once they leave, they don’t come back.
Wang Lin still got up early every day and opened up his shop door to wait for Da Niu’s son to bring him a jug of wine. He would then sit there and carve while drinking. He had lived like this for many years and this lifestyle had been carved into his bones.
He was far from the road of killing. It was like the him from before and the him now were two completely different people. He no longer had any killing intent around him. Instead, he emitted a calm aura, a mortal existence.
Wang Lin didn’t know what the domain he will comprehend will be, but he wasn’t in a rush as he calmly comprehended the heavens.
Seven days after Xu Tao left, he came back with a middle aged man who had the look of royalty on his face. This person respectfully came into the shop with Xu Tao. Not caring about his status, he knelt down and kowtowed three times.
Wang Lin’s eyes scanned the person, but he didn’t say anything. He could easily tell that this person was Xu Tao’s superior, which meant that this was the highness the large-eared cultivator was after.
In the eyes of a normal mortal, his highness was someone high above them, but in Wang Lin’s eyes, this person was like an ant. Although this person had some cultivation, if he couldn’t reach the Foundation Establishment stage, then he won’t escape the cycle of life and death.
The middle aged man seemed to already know of Wang Lin’s temper. After he finished kowtowing, he took out a bag of holding and respectfully placed it on the table. Then, he and Xu Tao respectfully left.
Wang Lin still hadn’t said a single word. It wasn’t until after they left that Wang Lin raised his head. He picked up the bag and scanned it with his divine sense to find a large amount of spirit stones inside.
He casually threw the bag to the side of the shop, then took a deep breath and walked out of the shop. He sat on a chair outside and looked at the blue sky and white clouds while enjoying the sun. He couldn’t help closing his eyes as he really enjoyed this life. If his parents were still alive and they were together in this shop, then he wouldn’t have any regrets left in this life.
Time quickly went by and another five years passed…
On this day, Da Niu’s father finally couldn’t escape the cycle of life and death any longer. The ironworks shop was closed. There were white flags outside the shop and waves of crying could be heard from inside.
Wang Lin stood outside his own shop as he stared at the ironworks shop. He couldn’t help but remember the scene from 20 years ago where that hearty young man invited him to their home for dinner.
Wang Lin also couldn’t forget that because this hearty young man wanted to expand his shop, he came to him and rather awkwardly asked for money to borrow.
In these 20 plus years, Wang Lin couldn’t even remember how many times he had eaten at their home. But life and death was not something Wang Lin could change.
Growing old and dying of old age was part of his comprehension of the heavens. Even if he used some heaven defying method to extend Da Niu’s father’s life, it would only be a few years before he was eventually taken by the cycle.
Not only that, but because of it, his soul would become inferior inside the life and death cycle.
After all, Da Niu’s soul was very different from Wang Zhuo’s. Wang Zhuo was a cultivator, which was already a heaven defying path. This allowed Wang Lin to take his soul and insert it into a pregnant woman.
But he couldn’t do it for Da Niu’s father.
Wang Lin stood before his own shop and let out a sigh. A flower with black petals suddenly appeared in his hand. This was not a normal flower, but an ingredient for the Spirit Expelling Pill.
If a mortal has just died and their soul hasn’t completely dispersed yet, then this flower can cause their soul to become more intact and have more soul power. This allows them a better chance to get a good family inside the soul river.
Wang Lin slowly walked toward the ironworks shop. Inside the shop, various aunts and uncles of Da Niu were mourning. A depressing atmosphere filled the shop.
Da Niu’s father lied peacefully inside his coffin in the backyard of the shop. Da Niu and his wife were next to the coffin. Da Niu’s eyes were red. It was obvious that he was just crying.
On the side stood another woman. She was Da Niu’s mother. Her heart was also filled with sadness as she looked at her husband inside the coffin with eyes filled with despair.
Wang Lin already realized more than 20 years ago that the relationship between this couple was very deep.
The moment Wang Lin entered, everyone revealed a look of respect. In this street, Wang Lin was very well known.
After Da Niu’s mother saw Wang Lin, she gently nodded, knelt down, and whispered, “Widow Ceng Si greets big brother Wang.”
Wang Lin let out a sigh and went forward to get her up. Then, he received incense from someone nearby. After he lit it up, he paid his respects.
The moment he paid his respects, the sky darkened. However, this kind of darkening was something mortals couldn’t see. Black smoke appeared above Da Niu’s father’s body. It gathered until it finally formed the shape of Da Niu’s father. He hugged his body as if he was very cold and his face was pale. It was as if he could disappear at any time. He looked around confusedly until his gaze fell on Wang Lin.
No one else could see him besides Wang Lin, whose eyes were black and white. He looked straight at him.
Wang Lin secretly sighed and crushed the black flower in his hand into black powder. As the powder disappeared, it turned into specks of light invisible to mortals and landed on Da Niu’s father’s body. Da Niu’s father immediately stopped feeling cold. He gratefully looked at Wang Lin.
The current him finally understood that this person, who had been his neighbor for more than 20 years, was not a mortal. His soul floated in the air. He knelt down and kowtowed a few times toward Wang Lin. Then, he reluctantly looked at his wife and Da Niu as his whole body rose into the sky as if he was climbing a ladder and soon disappeared.
“Dad, Mom, I saw grandpa!” At this moment, a little voice came from the corner. Da Niu’s son, who was already nine, looked at the sky with a confused expression.
However, no one believes the word of a kid. After seeing that no one was listening to him, he wrinkled his nose and stopped talking.
Wang Lin regrettably looked at the surroundings. It was not possible to escape from the life and death cycle. He looked at Da Niu’s father’s body as he remembered the past 20 years. A strong young man who aged more and more every year in these past 20 years until he died.
He took a deep breath and his gaze fell on Da Niu’s mother. When he first met her, she was only in her early 30s. She was now over 50 years old. Over 20 years of time were carved on her body.
Wang Lin’s eyes moved again. This time, his gaze fell on Da Niu. Da Niu was once a clumsy kid that stuck his head into Wang Lin’s shop. He was now a grown man. Not only was he married and had a kid, but he was even sending his parents to the grave.
Just like a small tree that slowly grows over 20 plus years and becomes a powerful tree that can withstand the weather.
Thinking of this, Wang Lin’s heart suddenly gained a hint of understanding. This feeling of understanding became deeper and deeper. In these 20 plus years of turning into a mortal, Wang Lin felt for the first time the gate to comprehending the heavens.
He didn’t know when he left the ironworks shop. In a state of confusion, he sat before the stove in his shop and stared at the wall. His mind was blank. The only thing remaining was a sliver of divine sense.
The interaction Wang Lin had with Da Niu’s father, Da Niu’s mother, and Da Niu flashed across his mind. The appearance of the three gradually changed throughout these 20 plus years. Wang Lin felt an invisible energy surrounding them, causing Da Niu’s parents to gradually grow old and Da Niu to gradually get older.
Wang Lin felt something click in his mind. His eyes were emitting an unimaginable light. At this moment, he could feel his body suddenly begin to float. His body slowly floated higher and higher.
As he floated into the air, he saw countless mortals, and around these mortals, he saw that mysterious energy again. He could see this energy around flowers and trees. It was around everything.
This force came from the heavens and Want Lin subconsciously wanted to find the source of this power.
Gradually, he felt himself floating higher and higher and the capital city became smaller and smaller. Soon, the city disappeared and before him was a dirt-brown planet.
Unfortunately, even now, he still hadn’t found the source of that power. He could feel the power even in the stars. There was no place without it.
Wang Lin’s personality was very stubborn. If he wasn’t stubborn, he wouldn’t have spent 400 years just to go back to Zhao to get revenge on the Teng family.
Besides stubbornness, he also had determination. He couldn’t have gotten from the tiny cultivator he once was to the point he was at now if he wasn’t determined.
It was exactly this stubbornness and determination that made him want to find the source of this energy. The current him was completely relying on instinct to control his behavior.
His body flew higher and higher, but just before he wandered too far from the brown planet, a giant, meteor-like rock flew by. On top of this giant rock sat a white haired old man. When he passed Wang Lin, he exclaimed and revealed a very interested look.
“I can’t believe that there is someone who can comprehend so deeply on this waste of a cultivation planet. But with your mere Nascent Soul cultivation, even if you’re using this comprehension to reach the Soul Formation stage, it is best to not be too greedy. I’m afraid that this kind of Heavenly Dao will take you millions of years to find its source. However, when that happens, your body will already have rotted away. Have you considered that?”
Wang Lin was startled as his eyes is filled with confusion. The old man laughed. He carefully looked at Wang Lin and shouted, “My name is Tian Yunzi. Since we’ve met, I’ll make you a deal. If you can get off this waste of a cultivation planet and come find me at Planet Tian Yun, then I’ll let you be an honorary disciple for 100 years.” With that, he pointed his right hand and Wang Lin’s body shook. Wang Lin felt as if his body had gotten pushed by a powerful force. He was quickly pushed back down to the dirt-brown planet and back within the Four Alliance area.
The capital city turned from a tiny dot to the size of his nails and kept growing larger. He almost immediately returned to his shop inside the capital city.
At this moment, Wang Lin suddenly opened his eyes. He was covered in sweat. Along with the sweat, there was also a strong, fishy stench.
It had been a very long time since his body released this kind of stench. The last time was when he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
At this moment, Wang Lin’s eyes lit up. He took a deep breath, picked up a piece of wood, and carefully began to carve. This time, Wang Lin carved for a whole day and night.
Finally, when he withdrew this finger, the carving of the cyan-robbed middle aged man took shape. On the carving, there were hints of Passing of Time.
He quietly looked at the carving. After a long time, he placed it on one of the shelves next to the carvings of the middle aged man and old woman.
After finishing all of that, he got up and went to the backyard. After he washed himself, he changed to clean clothes and returned to the shop.
After comprehending the heavens this time, Wang Lin’s cultivation level jumped from the mid stage of Nascent Soul to the peak of the late stage of Nascent Soul. He was only a sliver away from the Soul Formation stage.
It was just that when he thought of the scene from earlier, he couldn’t help but be scared. If it wasn’t for that old man named Tian Yunzi pushing him back, he would have really lost himself searching for that source.
If that really happened, then the only result would his death.
Comprehending the heavens was not a peaceful thing. It was filled with danger. This time, Wang Lin finally understood it.
Although he still hadn’t reached the Soul formation stage, his understanding of the heavens had increased a lot. He believed that he was not far from the Soul Formation stage.
He had now finished carving the statue of the middle aged man with his domain. It was clear that his domain was imitating the life and death cycle. However, with Wang Lin’s current perception, he could easily tell that the middle aged man’s path was only an imitation, far from the real life and death domain.
That’s because this life and death heavenly dao was not something Soul Formation cultivators could comprehend.
At this moment, there was a star map inside Wang Lin’s mind. This star map was left behind by the old cultivator, Tian Yunzi. Inside the map was a planet several times larger than Suzaku. This was the old man Tian Yunzi’s planet.
It was just that it was impossible for the current Wang Lin to go there. He let out a sigh as he adjusted his mood and returned to being a mortal.
But in his mind, the feeling of comprehending the dao of life and death was something he wouldn’t forget in his lifetime…”
