“What do you want to do in this life?” Zhang Shi looked curiously at Gu An.
He had gone through many reincarnations, in pursuit of a unique experience in each one, which left him somewhat lost in this life, unsure of what to strive for.
He had been a savior, worshipped as an immortal by all beings, had played the role of a world-destroying demon king, and even lived as a mortal.
With the increase in the number of his reincarnations, his confusion grew; this was why his original memories had awakened prematurely—he was searching for direction.
Gu An answered, “Tend to flowers, grow plants, chat and play chess with friends and disciples daily. If I could live my whole life like this, I would be completely content.”
Zhang Shi asked in surprise, “Then what is your pursuit in immortal cultivation?”
Upon hearing the question, Gu An looked back at him with confusion and asked, “Isn’t the purpose of immortal cultivation to satisfy the life one desires? I already have what I want, so why should I pursue cultivation further? My cultivation now is not about becoming stronger, but about living longer to enjoy more of this kind of life.”
Zhang Shi’s expression changed subtly as he pondered Gu An’s words.
Which is more important—life or cultivation?
He knew all too well how difficult it was to attain longevity. Many people appeared to live for thousands of years, but they spent their entire lives desperately pursuing cultivation, and the total time of genuine happiness they experienced might not even surpass that of a mortal.
At the same time, Gu An offered him a new way of thinking.
Reincarnation didn’t necessarily require one to be a certain type of person; it could also be about experiencing life in different ways.
Seeing Gu An again, Zhang Shi felt that Gu An possessed a transcendental quality, one that not even some Free Immortals had.
This aura, combined with the philosophical impact of Gu An’s ideas, suddenly elevated Gu An’s image in Zhang Shi’s heart.
Zhang Shi’s gaze towards Gu An turned different, and he began to inquire about the joys in Gu An’s life.
Gu An didn’t hide anything and talked on and on.
The topics were all everyday matters, but when recounted by him, they carried an unusual significance.
Even the bickering between the Bull Demon King and the White Spirit Rat brought laughter to Zhang Shi.
In the ensuing conversation, it was mostly Gu An speaking, and Zhang Shi listening intently.
As Gu An narrated, he also calculated Zhang Shi’s karma.
The more he interacted with Zhang Shi, the more he could deduce, allowing him to glimpse into Zhang Shi’s past.
He saw many scenes.
Zhang Shi was unaware that Gu An was deducing his fate; in fact, he was doing the same with Gu An.
After a while,
When Gu An finished speaking, Zhang Shi remarked, “Meaning can be found in the ordinary life—no, everything that exists has meaning, and cultivation’s pursuit of Daoist Sorcery and nature should indeed be about experiencing all aspects of the world.”
Gu An seized the opportunity to ask, “You know about my past life, does that mean you have one too? After all…”
After all, both of them were Nascent Soul Realm cultivators!
Zhang Shi nodded, “Indeed, I also have a past life.”
A male cultivator at the neighboring table couldn’t help but roll his eyes, winking at the female cultivator opposite him.
Gu An and Zhang Shi were bragging so impressively, it made everyone around increasingly curious to hear what else the two could boast about.
Gu An asked, “Why do we reincarnate? According to what you’ve said, we must be very strong, did we get injured?”
“No, quite the opposite. We reincarnated to challenge even higher realms. It’s the Reincarnation Tribulation. In those cycles, one forges their Tao, and upon full realization, one can transcend the Nine Heavens of Immortal Path, embarking on the true path of cultivation,” Zhang Shi replied. He didn’t lower his voice deliberately, nor did he fear others overhearing.
Gu An, intrigued, asked, “How many times must one undergo the Reincarnation Tribulation?”
“It varies from person to person. The Reincarnation Tribulation has no limit. I once met someone who was also undergoing it, but he seemed to have long surpassed the Nine Heavens of Immortal Path.”
Zhang Shi said this with a vision of a figure appearing before his eyes, his gaze revealing fascination.
After hearing this, Gu An was interested.
Could it be that even those in the Tao Fruit Realm must still endure the Reincarnation Tribulations?
Zhang Shi continued, “Truthfully, the enemy I seek is also using the Reincarnation Tribulation to conceal his identity, probably to investigate Sword Venerable Fudao.”
At the mention of Sword Venerable Fudao, the surrounding disciples started to become restless.
“You can’t be serious? That’s way too audacious.”
“Sword Venerable Fudao is not someone you can just call out.”
“Ridiculous, do you truly believe you’ve reached the Nine Heavens of Immortal Path?”
“Hahaha, truly delusional.”
As the mockery from all around increased, Gu An said with resignation, “Shall we change our location to talk?”
Zhang Shi nodded.
Gu An rose to pay the bill and then left the inn with Zhang Shi, but the laughter inside the inn continued for a long time.
The two walked on the bustling streets, continuing their discussion about the Reincarnation Tribulation.
Gu An was very curious about it, and Zhang Shi didn’t hide anything.
“The rules of the Reincarnation Tribulation are hard to define; sometimes, you may go to the past, sometimes to the future, or even to other Great Heaven and Earths, but one thing is certain, wherever you are, your Reincarnated self will never meet your original self, as if bound by some cosmic law that restrains the Cultivators within the Reincarnation Tribulation…”
Zhang Shi’s face showed a look of nostalgia.
Gu An couldn’t help but ask, “What would happen if one Reincarnation Tribulationist met another?”
“That depends on personal choice; even if they fight to the death, it won’t affect their Reincarnation Tribulation. However, I prefer to exchange knowledge with others, like now. It’s a pity that you haven’t awakened the memories of your original self, otherwise we could share much more.”
Zhang Shi revealed a smile. He paused and then said, “Reincarnation is like this crowd, seemingly chaotic yet orderly, with a beginning and an end, even if you meet along the way, ultimately everyone will reach their own destination.”
“Then do you have memories of your past life?”
“Of course, I am the consciousness of my original self, only unable to wield the powers of the original.”
Upon hearing Zhang Shi’s words, Gu An feigned courage and asked, “Then may I ask you about your…”
“That, I am afraid, is not possible. It would bring you tremendous trouble,” Zhang Shi immediately refused.
Tremendous trouble?
You couldn’t possibly be from Shengtian, could you?
Gu An inwardly sneered, thinking even if it were Shengtian, he would not be daunted.
“Have you ever met anyone during your Reincarnation Tribulation who left a deep impression on you? Someone who is also undergoing the Reincarnation Tribulation,” Gu An shifted the subject and asked.
That Zhang Shi was willing to converse so much was quite unexpected to Gu An.
Enjoy new adventures from empire
He didn’t think Zhang Shi was foolish; clearly, Zhang Shi was confident, unafraid that speaking of these things could cause him trouble.
“Indeed, there have been such individuals, from both the past and the future. Let me mention one from each,” Zhang Shi mused.
Neither stopped walking as they spoke, their figures seemingly on the verge of being swallowed by the sea of people.
“In the past, I encountered a being known as the Cold Emperor, born with immense Qi Fortune, as if all things under heaven and earth paved the road for him. When I met him, he had already become the supreme under heaven, which is unimaginable. A Reincarnated body reaching the Ninth Level of the Immortal Path, he was just one step away from ending his Reincarnation Tribulation.”
When mentioning the Cold Emperor, Zhang Shi’s face was full of respect.
Gu An asked, “What do you mean by just one step? Did he fail?”
“Correct, he failed. I watched him fall, eradicated by a powerful being beyond my understanding. I too received a warning from that being, with eyes that seemed to peer into the universe.”
Zhang Shi’s face showed a hint of fear.
Gu An thought of the mysterious giant eye he saw in the depths of the universe during his breakthrough.
Could it be the same entity?
Gu An couldn’t help but think of the Heavenly Spirit God, suspected to be synonymous with the eyes. At present, the Heavenly Spirit God is definitely the strongest being he knows of, residing at the edge of the universe, extremely formidable.
“During later Reincarnation Tribulations, I never saw that powerful being again. Perhaps it’s because my Reincarnated body wasn’t strong enough. But in the future, I met another Reincarnated body, even more unimaginable, because he actually managed to traverse the River of Time within the Reincarnation.”
“He came from a far distant future; we are not from the same epoch, but somehow we met. His spirit is absolutely the strongest I’ve ever seen. This spirit has nothing to do with Cultivation Level; it is a kind of will, as if no existence could ever crush his fighting spirit.”
Zhang Shi looked intensely, while Gu An’s expression became odd.
Could it be Ji?
Gu An pondered carefully but couldn’t recall if Ji had ever met Zhang Shi.
Who knows what Zhang Shi from the past looked like.
“What was his name?” Gu An couldn’t help but ask.
Zhang Shi smiled and said, “He has but one character to his name: Ji. He defeated all the strong throughout every epoch in the Great Heavenly Spirit Land, pursuing battle throughout his life. Embarrassingly, I never got to fight him; he didn’t even know me. I just watched from a distance as he faced the world’s mightiest, even against the entire world, and he still won. I will never forget that sight.”
“If there is truly a strongest being, I believe he could become the strongest. With his capabilities and fighting spirit, he is certain to transcend the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Path and challenge even higher realms.”
Just as expected, Ji!
Gu An secretly felt triumphant; Ji was himself, impressing Zhang Shi within the Reincarnation, a rather satisfying notion.
He pressed on asking, “You have no idea about his ending?”
“I don’t. After single-handedly sweeping away all powerful beings, he broke through the void and continued his journey. But as of now, his journey has not reached our epoch. Perhaps his original self was born in the future, so I am quite looking forward to meeting him later and having a fair and square decisive battle,” Zhang Shi said, clenching his fists with a gleam of fighting intent in his eyes, a stark contrast to his usual refined self.
Gu An really wanted to say you wouldn’t stand a chance.
Just then, a voice came from ahead, “Aren’t you afraid of being backlashed by the Reincarnation for revealing its secrets?”
Gu An looked over to see a Monk approaching, his appearance handsome and dressed in a simple monk’s robe. His gaze was sharp as knives, focusing intently on Zhang Shi.
When Zhang Shi saw him, his expression did not change; rather, he stared back at the Monk and said, “If you are not afraid, why should I be?”
They faced off without any display of aura, causing passersby to look at them in confusion.
Gu An whispered, “Who is he? He couldn’t be…”
“Hmm, he is the enemy I was looking for. He does not belong to the Great Heavenly Spirit Land; he comes from Outer Heaven,” Zhang Shi replied.
The Monk then said, “We are all in the Reincarnation; why differentiate between Inner Heaven and Outer Heaven? Do you think you can stop me in Reincarnation?”
“Are you afraid of Sword Venerable Fudao?” Zhang Shi stared at the Monk, asking with a cold voice.