Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 126: Though the Dao is Unfeeling, It Holds Sentiment

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Though the Dao is Unfeeling, It Holds Sentiment

Three hundred and sixty-five.

This number was indeed a bit magical, signifying a year, as well as a complete cycle, and also representing the major acupoints on the human body... This number, it also represented a cycle of reincarnation.

"Reincarnation has ended; karma has been resolved." He suddenly said, feeling as if a myriad of memories were flooding into his mind, just like past and present lives, it was a sliver of his true heart that was buried deep within. Once the count of the cycle was reached, it would awaken him.

He was Wukong.

Xuan Ming’s once bewildered eyes also began to clear, and she said faintly, "It’s over."

Wukong smiled and said, "I am leaving now."

Xuan Ming sighed and said, "Wait."

In the moment of Wukong’s confusion, Xuan Ming already plunged her sword into his chest. He could feel the iciness of the blade in his heart and he shivered uncontrollably from the cold. Hot blood spurted from the wound in his chest, splashing onto the ground like blossoming plum flowers in the cold winter, tragically beautiful enough to shatter one’s heart.

Wukong just smiled, not even asking why Xuan Ming killed him.

Xuan Ming’s face was expressionless as she waved her hand towards the sky, and a large six-colored disc appeared. She threw Wukong’s corpse into the disc, and leaped in herself, whispering, "This is the last life."

The Reincarnation Disk slowly turned and eventually vanished, the world had changed its appearance.

Xuan Ming flew in the air, seeing Wukong’s incarnation of this life—a harpist, sitting in the hall playing the harp.

"You’ve come?" The harpist smiled, his true heart still unawakened.

"Do you know who I am?" Xuan Ming couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

"I don’t know. But ever since I was born, I felt like I was waiting for someone. The moment you appeared, I felt like I might have waited for you. Who are you?" the harpist smiled and asked.

"You do not need to know right now." Xuan Ming said so.

Before the harpist could respond, Xuan Ming touched his forehead, and he suddenly froze in place, unable to see or hear, all six senses sealed, as if he was placed into boundless Chaos. Xuan Ming sighed softly and turned into a ray of light that entered his chest.

Xuan Ming saw something crystal clear, like a pearl, in the heart. She picked it up to look and suddenly felt a wave of sadness, with countless images emerging. These were the self-narration of a girl—my name is Zixia, I am an Immortal Dao born from a Ziwei flower, and when I was born, there was a Five-Colored Stone by my side...

The body Wukong currently had was refined from a Ziwei flower seed condensed by Zixia with all her spirit and essence, naturally leaving Zixia’s imprint within, but hidden very deeply. Had one not inspected carefully, it would have been rather difficult to find.

"No wonder..." Xuan Ming muttered to herself.

Soon after, she came out, and with a light tap on the harpist’s head, he immediately regained his clarity.

A flood of memories came, his true heart was awakened, and the harpist transformed into the appearance of Wukong. He said to Xuan Ming, "You have come."

Xuan Ming nodded and smiled, "Why don’t you ask why I had to kill you in the previous life?"

Wukong smiled with a shallow and composed air, a serenity and confidence that came after transcendence, and lightly laughed, "Since you did so, you must have had your reasons."

Xuan Ming said, "I only wanted to leave something in your heart."

Wukong exclaimed, "What did you leave in my heart?"

As he spoke, he could not help but use his Profound Skills to look inside himself, only to find he could see nothing.

Xuan Ming said, "I was just joking with you, I’m not that bored."

Having said that, she looked down and began to idly play with her belt, seemingly at a loss.

Wukong said, "We should go out now, it has been a year and a day."

Xuan Ming nodded and replied, "Yes! It’s been a year and a day."

Wukong discovered that there were over three hundred new Dao marks on his Golden Core. These Dao marks were still very indistinct, awaiting further enlightenment to be brought to Perfection. This journey of reincarnation had led to the understanding of more than three hundred Great Daos, which was quite a worthwhile trip. You see, it is extremely difficult to comprehend these Great Daos. Wukong’s acquisition of those two thousand were somewhat crafty; he got a thousand from Di Jun, and by observing a hint of the changes in the Heavenly Dao, he intercepted another thousand.

All of a sudden, Xuan Ming rose into the air and said, "I am going to destroy this Reincarnation World."

Wukong asked, "Destroy? Why?"

Xuan Ming laughed and said, "Because, Saints are heartless!"

Wukong was shocked, "You... became a Saint?"

Xuan Ming didn’t reply. She had become a Saint in this three hundred and sixty-sixth life the moment she entered Wukong’s heart. Heartless yet perceiving the heartful, she felt heartlessness again in reincarnation to resolve karma, but in the end, she still developed feelings. To say that Saints are heartless? That was just a lie. If Saints were heartless, how would Laozi’s Supreme Forgetting Passion exist? Moreover, this Supreme Forgetting Passion simply means putting feelings aside, not thinking about them, not reminiscing them, almost forgetting them, rather than being devoid of feeling.

Xuan Ming nodded slightly, she attained the Dao through feelings.

Unexpectedly, the Three Pure Ones plotted against the Buddhist Sect’s six Saints of merit, intending for the two to entangle in reincarnation, only to inadvertently create a new Saint.

It is easy to prove the Dao, but it is also as difficult as ascending to the heavens!

Zhun Ti had a grand dream during the day, and he dreamt of becoming a Saint.

The Taoist who led souls emitting a grand vow, accruing great Merti, gathering the Incense Willpower of all beings, likewise became a Saint.

And now, Xuan Ming, with emotions entering the Dao, had attained the Primordial Dao Fruit; truly, it seemed simple enough to hear.

Wukong anxiously said, "If you destroy Reincarnation, where will those lost souls and stray ghosts who have forgotten their true selves go?"

Xuan Ming then laughed and said, "Since I have become a Saint and am in charge of the Reincarnation Netherworld, naturally, I bear great responsibility and have the ability to arrange for those lost souls and stray ghosts... This Reincarnation Pool must be destroyed to prevent others from using it to scheme against me, damaging my Daoist heart. I have only just now proven the Way of the Saint; if someone schemes against me, I am afraid I might fall."

After Xuan Ming attained the Saint’s Dao, she was no longer an Immortal Body, with a wisp of Primordial Spirit entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, just like the Three Pure Ones. You only need to shatter her physical body and destroy the Heavenly Dao imprint within her Primordial Spirit to utterly kill her. It was uncertain whether becoming a Saint was a blessing or a curse for the Ancestral Witches!

Wukong naturally did not know about these things. Had he known, he would have been greatly shocked because if Xuan Ming had not proven the Dao, she would have been an Immortal Body. After proving the Dao, she could be killed... Did that not mean that the slight variation in the Heavenly Dao he had glimpsed after devouring Laozi’s Golden Core was still coming true? Moreover, it was gradually approaching this outcome!

However, his Realm was not there yet, so naturally, he did not understand the mysteries of the Ancestral Witch’s body and the Way of the Saint.

Having just become a Saint, Xuan Ming’s Primordial Dao Fruit was not yet stable, and Reincarnation was extremely unpredictable. Should someone with intentions exploit it, it could be very passive for her! Therefore, this Reincarnation World had to be destroyed.

Wukong could only sigh and said, "Fine, since you are so determined, I won’t stop you."

Xuan Ming retorted, "Even if you wanted to stop me, could you?"

Wukong smiled helplessly.

Xuan Ming coldly said, "Do you really think I won’t kill you? Know this, Saints are heartless!"

Wukong was taken aback; he knew Xuan Ming once had feelings for him, but he was not a Saint and naturally did not understand the Mysteries of the Saintly Dao. Hearing Xuan Ming say this, he naturally kept silent. After all, a wise man does not court danger; should he truly anger Xuan Ming, even if she did not kill him, to torment him would be within her means.

Yet, in Xuan Ming’s mind she softly said, "How could I kill you... If I wanted to kill you, I would not have left that thing inside your heart."

Naturally, she would not share these words with Wukong.

"From this day forward, I shall be known as Lady Calm Heart. The Three Pure Ones preside over the thirty-six heavens, Zhun Ti and Subhuti preside over the Buddhist Sect, Luo Hou presides over the Demon Abyss in the Northern Region, so I, Xuan Ming, will preside over the Underworld!" Xuan Ming declared.

Saints all had their own territories; having become a Saint, Xuan Ming naturally needed to set up a banner for herself.

Xuan Ming pointed at Wukong, who was then wrapped in a white light. Xuan Ming formed a spell with her hands, took to the sky with him, and a great six-colored disk appeared in the sky. This great six-colored disk was the foundation of the Reincarnation World, drawn out by Di Jiang with the Reincarnation pen in ancient times, and then it collided with the Reincarnation that Di Jun built to perfect it.

The Reincarnation Pool was a place for lonely souls and stray ghosts to recover their true hearts, extraordinarily wondrous. The souls that entered after death could easily find their true hearts and then be reborn. But if the living went inside, they would easily become lost, unable to come out, even spending their entire life within Reincarnation.

Wukong, wrapped by Xuan Ming in a white light, found that he could not move at all. Such was the power of a Saint—you live if they wish it, and die at their command!

"Saints are incredibly powerful!" In his body, over two thousand three hundred Great Daos trembled at once, which allowed him to move his hands and feet a little, but he still could not break free from the white light.

Xuan Ming glanced at him, and a trace of surprise arose in her heart.

"Destroy!" Xuan Ming pointed at the six-colored disk, uttering a light command.

"Roar!"

An immensely heavy presence burst forth, the Heavenly Dao Laws. Since Reincarnation belonged to this world, it was naturally governed by the Heavenly Dao Laws. Hence, with a single effort from Xuan Ming, the six-colored disk fractured.

Such powerful Heavenly Dao Laws descended, Wukong’s face turned pale, and he felt an urge to kneel and submit.

This was a Saint!

A Saint so powerful they regarded all things under Heaven as mere playthings, capable of controlling everything within their grasp!

"If I became a Saint, could I resurrect Zixia?" Wukong couldn’t help but think to himself.

Xuan Ming pointed again, and a Sword Qi spurted forth, landing on the disk, shredding it to dust, followed by a palm strike to the Reincarnation World, detaining all the lonely souls and stray ghosts in her hand. She awakened their true hearts with the Heavenly Dao Laws and directly sent them into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Xuan Ming, with Wukong in tow, leaped out from the Reincarnation Pool, and with another palm strike, she destroyed the Reincarnation Pool.

Wukong finally landed on the ground as the white light dissipated, regaining his freedom.

The commotion startled the Ancestral Witches, who ran over to see Xuan Ming destroying the Reincarnation Pool.

Zhu Rong exclaimed, "Xuan Ming, why did you destroy the Reincarnation Pool?"

Di Jiang took a deep breath before saying, "To destroy the Reincarnation Pool, even if all the Sect Founders from inside and outside the Three Realms joined hands, they could not do it."

Only then did the rest react, and two words echoed continuously in their minds—Saint, Saint, Saint...

Wukong’s expression suddenly changed as he said, "I must leave now for I have urgent matters to attend to!"

Having said that, with a Somersault, he went towards Water Curtain Cave.

As for good or ill fortune, please listen to the explanation in the next episode.