The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

However, contrary to what most people imagine, he would never show submission because of his so-called royal status.

Having reached the level of Zhan Mohe, he was already a grandmaster who would be regarded as a rare and distinguished guest wherever he went, and would be highly valued and respected. He was even more transcendent and worthy of respect than most members of the royal family of the current dynasty. So why would he value the noble family of Tianliang, which had been destroyed for hundreds of years and had no one to rely on?

In reality, Tuoba Wuchou, the Grand Marshal of the Tianliang Army and a "second-class" holder of the Sirius bloodline, was accused of insubordination and directly besieged and destroyed the Zushan Imperial Palace. In his view, the Yuan clan had long been stripped of its sacred cloak and reduced to absolute clowns.

Even the Peerless Wind and Rain Sword was something he questioned and betrayed. Even the mission of the "Gravekeeper" could not bind his will. Even if a Yuan clan orphan did emerge, he would only be another pitiful worm about to be crushed by the torrent of the times!

The bones in the tomb are empty shells; their virtue is not commensurate with their position, and they have only a hollow reputation!

Even though... Zhan Mohe had longed for the glorious era of his ancestors and yearned for that splendor to be recreated, it was ultimately a different concept, an abstract yearning for glory.

The former is an instinct to seek the source of power, while the latter is a servile desire to place oneself under imperial power? Absolutely not!
Zhan Mohe bowed down and spoke, what he sought... was definitely not to curry favor with a possible, long-decayed "royal family"!
The feeling of submission that flashed through his mind in that instant stemmed from the special ability Zhao Qing displayed, which surpassed the limits of his understanding! That level of control over the "Two-Life Flower"!

This exotic flower, capable of annihilating even those at the eighth level, possesses a fragrance that allows one to relive a lifetime in an extremely short time. If it could suddenly stop one at the very last moment before death, ensuring escape from danger, and even allow for repeated rewinding operations, what would that mean?
This means... the ultimate shortcut to cultivating the mind and seeking the Dao!

It means... the supreme Dharma gate that dispels illusions and illuminates one's true nature!

This means... a sliver of possibility to make up for a lifetime of regrets and correct the wrong path in one's spiritual practice!
The path of cultivation is fraught with thorns at every step. Many choices are matters of life and death, and many insights are fleeting! Many bottlenecks are stuck in our hearts, like stubborn rocks, which we cannot break through even after a lifetime!
And if this "two-life flower" could, as he desired, allow the practitioner to relive their entire life—especially those crucial breakthroughs, moments of mental transformation, and even deeply buried regrets and mistakes—within the "retrospective illusion" constructed by its fragrance, again and again…

This is nothing short of a thorough examination and review of one's own "path"!

Those overlooked details, the beautified choices, and the inner demons that were forcibly suppressed will all be exposed!

If we can take this opportunity to discover and correct key errors in our past practice, make up for deficiencies in our foundation, and even break through long-standing mental barriers... then breaking through the current bottleneck and glimpsing the dawn of a higher realm will no longer be an unattainable dream!

This is the kind of earth-shattering opportunity that would make a seventh-level Grandmaster, the highly respected National Preceptor of the Wu Clan, lower himself and humbly beg for it! It is far more precious than any vague royal identity or the great cause of revival! It is worlds apart from it!
It is said that only those who have reached the peak of the Yuan clan's "ancestral bloodline" and are at the eighth realm, or those who are strong in the eighth realm like the Peerless Wind and Rain Sword, can truly withstand the effects of this incense without being misled by it, by using some special methods passed down from the royal family...

However, there was once a fanatic who was only half a step away from the eighth realm. In order to seek that final leap, he was determined to "not break through the realm but die" and took the initiative to enter the place filled with the fragrance of flowers. As a result, he successfully saw through all illusions before his death and advanced on the spot!
Therefore, the "two-life flower" is also known as the "Nirvana flower".

Judging from the vague clues, the explosive growth of the Eight Realms during the peak of Tianliang's reign may be closely related to this exotic flower.

Considering that the fool of yesteryear only had one chance to try, while I may have the opportunity to try and correct myself multiple times with the power of this flower, the probability of success and the possibility of reaching the supreme path have increased by more than a thousand times!
Everything... can be perfectly accomplished with the protection of an unfathomable being like Zhao Qing!

Furthermore, since the opponent has successfully subdued even the "Two-Life Flower," the ancestral land and ancestral mountain, which accumulated countless sins in the past, should no longer exist... The elixir of immortality, being the root of all chaos, naturally fell into her hands...

In a sense, it also fulfilled his own wish and ended the lingering nightmare of the Tianliang survivors.

With this in mind, Zhan Mohe no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath, suppressing his slightly rapid breathing due to excitement, ignoring the pain of his severed arm, and with an unprecedented solemnity and earnestness, bowed deeply to Zhao Qing:
"Senior, your supernatural powers are unparalleled! You subdued the wondrous flower and defied fate! I, Zhan Mohe, am unworthy, but I humbly beg you to grant me the grace to use the 'Two-Life Flower's' ability to rewind time, to relive my entire life, to dispel the illusions, and to seek... that further opportunity! I, Zhan Mohe, will never forget this kindness and virtue, and I am willing to serve you!"

"To capture someone without killing them is to make them useful."

This was the clearest understanding in his mind. Zhao Qing must have had a reason for sparing his life. At this moment, offering his loyalty and what he wanted was a way to demonstrate his value, a gamble with everything he had!

"Heh..." A very soft chuckle came from beside me.

It's Tang Xin.

He crossed his arms and coldly watched Zhan Mohe's almost servile bowing posture, his eyes revealing undisguised contempt and a hint of...absurdity: "To beg so humbly for power, like a believer crawling at the foot of an altar, such a self-degrading mentality, does he deserve to touch the splendor of a higher realm?"

At the same time, Zhao Qing's gaze also calmly fell on Zhan Mohe. Those deep eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the skin and look directly into the surging desires and weighings in the depths of his soul.

She saw right through him.

I saw through his bowed head to reveal a burning heart yearning for power and breakthroughs, and I also saw through his willingness to be driven to redefine his existence and value.

"An illusion is ultimately just an illusion. It reflects your 'self-perceived' past, fragments you 'choose to remember' or 'choose to forget,' and is further distorted by your current state of mind and perception. So-called 'correction' is nothing more than deceiving yourself in a dream, forcibly making up for regrets, and seeking temporary peace of mind."

Zhao Qing smiled slightly, replying with a mix of truth and falsehood: "The real errors and inner demons are rooted in your Dao foundation, your soul, and every trace of your interaction with the primordial energy of this world. How can they be easily erased or changed by a mere illusionary rewind?"

The fervor in Zhan Mohe's eyes did not fade despite the other party's denial; instead, it grew even more persistent: "Even so! Being able to confront those crucial moments of choice again in the illusion, as an 'observer' or even a 're-enterer,' and to see clearly the oversights that were not noticed at the time, and the truths that were avoided due to fear... is also of great benefit!"

“Moreover,” he took a deep breath, his gaze sharp as a knife, “since you, senior, can precisely control this flower, if you can pull someone back from the brink of death, it means… this journey through the illusion is not a dead end! It is a… controllable, extreme state of 'self-reflection' and transcendence! Nirvana and purification!”

"Between life and death lies great terror, but also great opportunity! In that moment of near annihilation, perhaps the mind can glimpse a trace of... true 'truth'! This is certainly risky, unprecedented, and difficult to grasp, but I am willing to be the first experimenter! To pave the way for those who follow!"

"Interesting...commendable courage, but perhaps a bit too much."

Zhao Qing reached out and gently stroked the seven-colored flower, not directly responding to Zhan Mohe's request. His eyes held a hint of scrutiny, as if silently questioning—a grandmaster whose arms were severed, whose cultivation was sealed, and who had become a prisoner, was seeking to use such a strange object to relive his cultivation path and make up for his shortcomings.
Is this demand... too much to ask?
Although she did intend to recruit this person, she did not want to waste any of the world's precious resources of spiritual practitioners and put their productivity and wisdom to practical use.

However, since Zhan Mohe is already disabled and is unruly and unconventional, he must be left to his own devices for a while before he is willing to pay a sufficient price, so as to temper his character before taking any action.

As for Zhan Mohe's previous scheming and plotting against him, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to seize the elixir of immortality, Zhao Qing himself was too lazy to care about that, since there were no innocent casualties at all.

However, such ambitious yet morally unrestrained characters should not be reintroduced into the public eye if they cannot be controlled.

In fact, she had been observing the other party's thoughts and reading fragments of Zhan Mohe's memories from beginning to end.

The reason I was able to recount the history of Tianliang so vividly was because I had a vision far beyond this era and an understanding of the changes in the world, which allowed me to piece together, deduce, and complete that long-forgotten period of time.

Having made previous breakthroughs and reached Zhao Qing's current level, most seventh-realm grandmasters can no longer stop her from probing their minds. They can also implant pre-set thought programs by expending a certain amount of energy.

There's no need to explain these situations in detail to others; mystery has always been one of the means to create a status difference.

Zhao Qing's mind stirred slightly, and he casually turned his gaze to Tang Xin, who had been listening intently and seemed to be deep in thought. He happened to see a glimmer of understanding flash in Tang Xin's eyes.

Clearly, inspired by Zhan Mohe's words, Tang Xin also thought of the extraordinary value of the "Two-Life Flower" in repeatedly experiencing enlightenment and breaking through the Dao!
She didn't say anything, but simply nodded very slightly to Tang Xin.

That was a look of affirmation.

A silent promise.

It's as if it's saying: What you're thinking is feasible.

The uses of this flower will also be available to you.

Zhan Mohe caught a glimpse of that fleeting nod, and also saw Tang Xin's suddenly bright eyes. In an instant, his heart sank, as if doused with ice water. Intense disappointment and immense longing clashed like double-edged swords, tearing at his soul.

The facts are right before our eyes; all explanations are nothing but self-deception! Faced with absolute power and value, his supposedly usable assets are probably as insignificant as a feather in the eyes of the other side!
Zhao Qing doesn't need his loyalty, but Tang Xin is the one the other party truly values ​​and is prepared to invest resources in cultivating!

Was he really nothing more than a "crippled prisoner"?
Pride and reason clashed fiercely, countless thoughts swirling in his mind, but ultimately, a cold reality prevailed:
If the other party has no intention of responding to your request, your persistence and resentment at this moment will only make you a laughing stock and annoy people!
He abruptly composed himself, forcibly suppressing the turbulent emotions surging within him. Like a red-hot iron thrown into an icy abyss, the heat dissipated, leaving only a near-dead stillness.

Having understood his new position, Zhan Mohe slowly straightened up, fell silent, and stood with his eyes closed, like a broken stone statue, all his ambition and desires sealed beneath that calm exterior.

Accepting reality, preserving his usefulness, and waiting for the right opportunity—this is the only option he can choose now.

……

Then, the two saw Zhao Qing slowly turn around and look at the center of the stone hall, at the semi-transparent purple-jade body of Tuoba Wuchou, which looked like solidified amber.

An invisible, powerful will rose from her body, guided by the fragrance of flowers, and continuously penetrated into the other person's mind.

The next instant, her ethereal yet solemn voice, like a divine decree piercing through the barriers of time and space, resounded in the deepest recesses of consciousness, which had been silent for hundreds of years: "Wake up!"

Om-!
It was as if an ancient bell that had been dormant for a thousand years had been struck! Tuoba Wuchou's originally empty and turbid eyes suddenly burst forth with two dazzling beams of light!

Because his mental state was restored to its former peak by the fragrance of flowers, Tuoba Wuchou, who was once spirited, intelligent, brave, and with a will as firm as a rock, has returned!

"Ugh—!"

A low growl, suppressed for hundreds of years and mixed with pain and relief, burst forth from his throat!

The translucent, purplish-jade-colored gel inside his body began to writhe and boil violently! Countless viscous, eerie purple liquids, like boiling asphalt, gushed and flowed wildly from his pores and orifices!
It was the remnant of the elixir of immortality that distorted his will!
As the purple liquid continued to drain out, Tuoba Wuchou's body visibly shrank, his skin lost its luster, his muscles atrophied, and his skeletal outline became clearly visible.

It was as if all the moisture and essence of the person had been drained in just a few breaths, turning into a shriveled ball of flesh wrapped in a thin membrane, barely resembling a human!

However, this dryness did not last long!
In a short while, a vast and pure life force, like a dormant volcano suddenly awakening, erupted from the dark brown fleshy ball!
Nourished by the Qi of Longevity, a magnificent and dazzling light shone forth, and the wrinkles on the surface of the fleshy ball were quickly stretched open and smoothed out!
The color changed from dark brown to a healthy rosy hue! It expanded and grew rapidly, as if inflated! Bones, meridians, flesh, skin... were all being reshaped and reconstructed at a speed beyond reason!
In just a few breaths, a tall, muscular, and resolute middle-aged man replaced the ugly ball of flesh and stood firmly in the stone hall!
There was no trace of purple aura around him anymore. His aura was restrained and profound. Although he did not deliberately release his pressure, he had the demeanor of a master who had experienced tribulations and returned to simplicity. He was the heavy weight of hundreds of years of vicissitudes and tempering. He was none other than Tuoba Wuchou, the Grand Marshal of the Tianliang Army!
Clad in that magnificent animal-hide robe, the once invincible swordsman slowly moved his newly grown limbs, feeling the long-lost power and will that were entirely his own.

In his gaze, it seemed as if a heavy sword mountain was floating, soaring upwards in the wind and rain, lightly disintegrating and dissipating, forming its own world.

Then, it sprouted branches and leaves in the void, almost becoming an enormous tree, standing behind Tuoba Wuchou like a magnificent Dharma image, scattering bluish-purple radiance.

The Peerless Wind and Rain Sword has actually been resurrected?
Zhan Mohe opened his eyes wide in disbelief, his pupils contracting and dilating. He thought of wiping his eyes but forgot that his arm was broken. He almost lost his balance and staggered. Given the powerful body control of a grandmaster, it was surprising that such a situation occurred. One can imagine how shocked he was.

The former, of course, also noticed his erratic expression and gave Zhan Mohe a scrutinizing look, which made the latter feel as if all his pretense had been stripped away. He felt a chill in his heart and subconsciously avoided looking at him.

He felt that the opponent's sword intent was omnipresent and all-pervasive, and that his life and death were entirely in the hands of the opponent. Fear suddenly arose.

Tang Xin also trembled slightly, having a similar feeling, and even had an urge to summon her natal sword to share the force of the aura.

Zhao Qing, however, remained completely calm. She merely glanced at him twice and clearly discerned Tuoba Wuchou's current state:
It is far more powerful than the seventh realm, but it is no longer a true eighth realm, because the newly formed body has not yet been able to fully bear the other's god and will, and has lacked the experience of "emptying".

In some ways, this is not much different from the rebirth of the Nine Deaths Silkworm. It is just that the reincarnation in the body has prepared too much innate essence, all of which are perfectly matched with one's own primordial energy. In one step, it has reached the peak of the seventh realm and can use a lot of power at the eighth realm level. Its mastery is even better than that of ordinary eighth realm.

However, there is no way to break through further for the time being because the rigid conditions for crossing the threshold of the eighth realm are blocking the way: one must break through the deepest obsession in one's heart in order to "empty" and then rebuild.

Even Tuoba Wuchou, who had already gone through the eighth realm of cultivation, could not avoid this point and was troubled by related obsessions—today is different from the past, and the original obsessions have also changed.

The method of deciphering the truth has become deeper and more difficult! Zhao Qing needs to find a new path and create a new way to have any chance of returning to the top.

As for the eerie purple light on that tree-shaped Dharma image, it undoubtedly originated from the residual effects of the elixir of immortality. During the transformation process, it was refined in reverse, adding to its mystique.

Yes, he did indeed refine the medicinal power into his natal essence, fused it into his hidden bloodline, and completely subdued it. It can be called a great victory and a miracle against the extraterrestrial beings.

"I never expected... that the immortal medicine from outer space is not an invincible enemy."

Tuoba Wuchou's gaze finally settled on Zhao Qing and the radiant "Two-Life Flower." After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and ancient, which Tang Xin couldn't understand at all: "If back then... there had been someone like you in charge, Tianliang might not have..."

He shook his head, paused slightly, as if tracing back to scenes and emotions from distant years, a complex and profound sorrow and regret flashing across his eyes: "...At least, we wouldn't have lost so completely...so... miserably, going down that path of no return..."

Before he could finish speaking, he shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly: "...It's hard to say. Changes in people's hearts cannot be reversed by external forces. A collapsing building cannot be supported by a single pillar."

"Thank you for your kindness in saving my life."

Tuoba Wuchou stood there with a sincere and solemn posture, his right fist pounding heavily against his left chest, giving Zhao Qing an ancient and dignified military salute.

"In any case, breaking the shackles of immortality and allowing me to see the light of day again is a debt of gratitude heavier than mountains and seas. May I ask... what do you ask of me? What are your intentions? Please speak frankly!"

Meeting his probing gaze, Zhao Qing smiled and replied, "Let's leave the request aside for now. As for the purpose... you probably already know a thing or two."

"Besides what I just told you... about the origins of Beiming, his natal beast taming, and the history of his southward migration and founding of the nation. As someone involved and the leader of the rebels, there should be some details you can add regarding the ultimate cause of Tianliang's destruction, especially the upheaval that swept through the ancestral mountain?"

Although she had saved the man's life, bringing him back to life, considering that she had trespassed into the ancestral mountain without permission, read hundreds of sword scriptures, and taken a bunch of treasures, the other party's attitude was probably quite delicate. It was possible that she might accidentally rush up and self-destruct.

It's impossible to simply bestow favors and spread the word and expect people to immediately bow down in worship. One must guide them step by step, adapt to the circumstances, and devise many strategies.

The supreme commander of a vast empire would not think so simply and straightforwardly; there must be deeper considerations involved.

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Wuchou's eyes narrowed sharply. After a moment of silence, the sharpness faded, replaced by a heavy sigh: "That's right, I heard everything just now. You really know a lot! Even more than the 'tomb guardians' lineage I left behind!"

"Very well! Since you asked, and I have received such a great favor... some things, kept in my heart for hundreds of years, should... see the light of day."

The ancient man who had just awakened spoke, his voice carrying the heaviness of reopening old wounds: "The destruction of Tianliang... perhaps lies in the very bloodline technique that once allowed it to rise!"

"Power... Tianliang's power, at its peak, was already extremely strong. Seven realms were like clouds, eight realms were in charge, and iron cavalry trampled across the grasslands, shaking the four directions. However, in politics, it could not withstand deep tests."

"Or rather, its foundation was sown with the seeds of division from the very beginning."

...(End of chapter)