The Word of Heaven

Chapter 274 The only way

How can we retain ourselves to the greatest extent possible?

The best way is actually very simple, that is to do nothing and make yourself a real stone, or an idiot.

You won’t be wrong if you don’t do it, at least not at the moment.

Perhaps after tens of millions of years of wind and rain, there will eventually be a moment when water drips through a stone, but during this extremely long period of time, it is enough for people to create a turnaround that Gu Zhuo could not have imagined now.

It is certainly not wrong to believe in the wisdom of future generations, but he is more accustomed to taking control of his life in his own hands.

Taoization is an irreversible process, the only difference is speed.

When it is fast, it is like a torrential rain pouring down on the world; when it is slow, it is like a spring rain moistening the night, or like the light of a fluorescent candle brightening the sun and the moon.

If you want to stop this process, the most practical way may be to commit suicide.

This is also the fundamental reason why Wang Ji did not return the sword to Yishui before his death, but left it in Gu Zhuo's hands.

But in the end he was unwilling to say this, not because of the price he had to pay, but because his friend had never been Gu Zhuo, but the young man who pushed his wheelchair and told him that they should go to see the flowers in Beihai together.

What if he doesn't kill himself?
The last remaining method is the balance of heaven and earth.

To be more precise, using the Balance of Heaven and Earth as a foundation, we can return to the height we were at before we lost ourselves, in order to fight against the problems left over from the past.

This is undoubtedly the most difficult path.

Cultivation and time are inseparable. Even if you do it all over again, the time that must be spent cannot be omitted, it just becomes less.

The reason why Yu Sheng was able to return to the peak in front of the Weiyang Palace and pierce Dao Xiu's chest with the iron spear was because she and Emperor Bai had been prepared many years ago and paid a heavy price for this moment of short-lived glory.

Just like Gu Zhuo made the morning and evening bells ring from another world.

Now he is still in the state of Yang Shen, and has not yet broken through to the state of Cheng Yi. He is still a long way from the state of Gui Yi. This objective fact will not be changed because he has means and combat power far beyond those of people at the same level. It will be impossible for him to resist the influence of Taoism on his self-consciousness.

If you want to get through this road, there is only one way to walk on this road.

Gu Zhuo looked into the distance.

The city was shrouded in the blood-like twilight, making the eaves and glazed tiles of the pavilions and towers in the city even more dazzling. The blood stains remaining on them were indistinguishable from the burning flames.

Yinping, an ancient city famous for thousands of years, was actually burning. The cold winter night wind kept blowing, and the fire grew higher and higher until it dyed the sky red.

The night wind was not cold, but brought with it a disturbing, irritating, burning sensation. Just a slight brush across the skin felt like being gnawed by hundreds of invisible ants.

As the wind blew, a strong smell of burning and rotting filled the air, so strong that it made people feel nauseous from the bottom of their hearts. It was a horrible thing that could only be caused by the countless people who died in this fire.

This ancient city has become a real hell on earth.

The history of the Yinping Xie family is turning to ashes with the fire that never goes out in the city.

Gu Zhuo watched the scene quietly, without any emotion in his eyes, and he never stopped.

The closer we got, the more real the cries coming from the fire became.

Military strongmen loyal to the court appeared in Gu Zhuo's perception. These people were in the burning city but had no intention of helping to rescue, because those who deserved to be rescued had already been sent out of the ancient city before the disaster.

Yes, the White Emperor did express an attitude of letting bygones be bygones in his edict after the Weiyang Palace Incident, but there are always a few forces that cannot be forgiven.

The Xie family of Yinping was one of them.

It was not because the Xie family always stood on the opposite side of the Empress, nor because the Xie family appeared in front of the Weiyang Palace as the head of the aristocratic family, but because in the hearts of the people of Yinping City, the Xie family was equal to the Bai family as the imperial family, and there was no difference.

There is no possibility of negotiation, so the only option left is to fight and die.

Until this moment, the Yinping Xie family and the powerful men of the imperial court were still fighting in the city.

That's why the fire started.

Gu Zhuo turned around and looked back.

The sun sets into the mountains, leaving only a little afterglow hanging in the sky. The dark blue night, like the sea, has already occupied the sky, forming a sharp contrast with the ancient city that is burning.

He withdrew his gaze, walked past a half-collapsed section of the city wall, and entered the city.

The air began to grow hot, the stench of burnt corpses lingered in the air, and chaos was almost everywhere.

An ordinary person was trapped under the broken beam, with only one hand able to move. His five fingers tried their best to grab the floor in front of him, trying to drag his body out but he couldn't do it.

Before the tears could flow from the eyes, they were evaporated by the heat waves in the air, as if they had never existed. All that was left was the faint shouting, drowned out by the flames.

There was a scholar who, filled with great fear and regret, ran around his study like crazy, packing up the books he had written with great effort, even disregarding the lives of his wife and daughter.

Suddenly, a spark fell into his bookcase and began to burn silently. By the time the scholar discovered it, it was already irreversible. The tears he shed could not extinguish the fire at all. He was at a loss as to what to do.

Countless similar scenes appeared in the ancient city of Yinping, with black smoke filling the sky.

No matter how miserable the cry for help was, Gu Zhuo ignored it.

He stood in this burning world and closed his eyes.

boom!
A bright white light flashed in the gloomy and terrifying clouds, which was a precursor to thunder.

The sea of ​​clouds illuminated by the fire began to roll slowly, and more lightning appeared in it, bringing a heavy and depressing feeling.

Except for those strong men who were fighting, almost everyone raised their heads at this moment, looking at the suddenly changing sky in confusion.

At this moment, many people clearly felt the changes in the vital energy of heaven and earth, which was chaos and disorder.

Somewhere in Yinping City that was not burned by the fire, a general who had entered the realm of purity frowned, unable to understand what was going on.

Almost all the strong men of the Xie family were killed or injured. Even if there was someone alive who was strong enough to control the secrets of heaven, it would not make sense for him to show his presence in this way. He should try to reverse the extremely unfavorable situation by a sneak attack.

Just as the general was pondering this, lightning suddenly struck and accurately hit a tall building not far away.

The flames suddenly rose up and quickly grew larger with the help of the wind, becoming out of control.

Immediately afterwards, more lightning struck, continuously bombarding the collapsing ancient city.

In this sudden thunderstorm, fluffy snowflakes began to fall.

Many people stared at this scene in a daze.

However, more people simply could not look up at the sky, and were burned to death in the fire amid the constant thunder, blending into the burnt and stinking smell, leaving unforgettable memories for the living.

……

……

The vital energy of heaven and earth flowed violently, thunderstorms never stopped, and snow fell continuously.

People are shocked by the grand sight they see and then inadvertently ignore many details.

The lightning actually fell around a certain place, and the howling wind was always blowing in a certain direction, and it did not stop until the fire turned into a sea.

The houses had long since collapsed until not a single one was left, and no other color could be found in the sea of ​​fire. Occasionally, lightning would strike and tear a hole in it, allowing the practitioners staring inside to get a glimpse of the truth, a scene of purgatory that was worthy of being written in history books.

The general said expressionlessly: "After tonight, the Xie family will be extinct."

The deputy general said: "I'm sure the general will be satisfied after hearing this news."

The general mentioned in the words is General Wang, the highest-ranking general among those present, second only to the Emperor.

The general shook his head and said, "It's just doing what needs to be done."

"I still feel pity that this ancient city was not destroyed in the decisive battle with the Taoist sect a hundred years ago, but was reduced to ashes today because of the Xie family." There was a hint of regret in his voice: "This is really a sad thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the general named Yuan Yonghuai turned around and prepared to return to the barracks.

The demise of the Xie family was about to become a fact, but he still had a lot of things to do next, whether it was reporting to General Wang or rushing back to the north to guard against the possible attack from the State of Yan and the barbarians, these were all urgent tasks.

At this moment, Yuan Yonghuai suddenly turned around and looked behind him.

His eyes were dyed red by the fire, but they still couldn't hide the strong surprise in them.

A powerful aura appeared in his perception, fleeting but still real.

At the same time, the thunderstorm began to subside and the wind became less fierce.

An incredible thought came to Yuan Yonghuai's mind.

Could this be the legendary heavenly calamity?
But how could there be such a weak natural calamity in the world?

Yuan Yonghuai's expression became extremely solemn. After a moment's silence, he snatched the longbow from the deputy general and put an arrow on it.

The bowstring left indentations on the fingertips, which gradually deepened until they formed the shape of a full moon, and then he let go.

It all happens in an instant.

The next moment, the surging true energy broke through the air along with the arrow.

In just a moment, accompanied by countless terrifying low sounds like thunder, a blank path was opened up in the burning sea of ​​fire.

The broken wood and corpses in the ruins along the way were directly reduced to dust by the slight power leaked out by the arrows, and even the air ceased to exist.

This arrow is undoubtedly an extremely powerful blow in the Pure Realm.

When faced with this arrow, an ordinary person at the Guiyi realm would have to use all his means to have a chance of survival. Even a genius from a powerful clan would be in a very miserable state and would have no way to escape easily.

Only the most outstanding geniuses have a chance to face off head-on, but they will also have to pay a heavy price.

The deputy general standing next to him was very surprised, wondering what the general was doing and why he suddenly drew the bow and shot the arrow?
Before the question brought about by this thought could be put into words, the answer had already appeared.

A pale light reflected in the eyes of the deputy general, and he moved forward at a terrifying speed along the empty path torn by the arrow.

It was as if time went back and the scene from a moment ago reappeared.

Time is gone, never to return.

This was certainly not the arrow that was shot, but a sword light.

There were some iron filings left on the edge of the sword light, like sparks.

That was the mark left after the arrow was shattered head-on.

When the deputy general realized this, the sword light had already arrived.

An angry shout sounded.

Yuan Yonghuai drew his sword boldly and slashed directly at the flying sword from top to bottom.

The moment the swords met, an invisible wave of air was instantly stirred up, sweeping in all directions like a tide.

With the point where the two intersect as the center, the remaining houses around it collapsed first, and the dust hidden in the cracks of the stones was continuously blown out and then swept to farther places.

The dust disappeared and the falling snow stopped slightly.

The deputy general looked at his general in shock, only to see thick blood oozing out from the split mouth and wetting the handle of the sword.

Then he looked towards the place where the sword rose with even greater astonishment, and saw a scene that he would never forget for the rest of his life.

The ancient city has long been reduced to ruins, but the fire is still bright.

In the burning world, the towering buildings of yesterday can no longer be seen, only broken beams and broken wood are left.

In the dead silence, the only sound was the barely audible but real footsteps.

From the young man.

He casually held the sword in his hand, standing quietly there, his expression as indifferent as before.

It was as if everything that happened before had nothing to do with him.

……

……

"Who are you?!"

Yuan Yonghuai's voice rang out angrily.

In fact, he already had the answer when he looked at the face that he had never seen before but was familiar with.

Gu Zhuo did not answer. He waved his sleeves lightly, letting the returning Zhe Xue hang quietly beside him.

Then he started forward, out of the sea of ​​fire.

Yuan Yonghuai became even more angry and shouted, "Gu Zhuo, what are you doing?!"

Gu Zhuo raised his head, looked at the frightened and angry Zhenbei Army general, and said calmly: "Breakthrough."

……

……

The only way is to break through.

This is the reason why Gu Zhuo came to Yinping.

Tempering one's heart with blood and fire is undoubtedly the best way to break through the realm in the world, but this is not what he wants.

He was just using the fighting and destruction in the city to cover up the inevitable changes in the world when he broke through, and to avoid the worst situation from happening during the breakthrough - the arrow that broke through the air was something that happened after the breakthrough.

The earth suddenly shook. That was the sound caused by the Zhenbei Army who heard the news and assembled at the fastest speed.

The house, which was already overwhelmed by the weight, was smashed, and nearly a hundred cavalrymen appeared behind Yuan Yonghuai, forming a black mass and with great momentum.

Gu Zhuo walked out of the sea of ​​fire, his eyes remained calm, not disturbed by the black tide.

There was silence.

Everyone was looking at Gu Zhuo with burning and fearful eyes, waiting for him to say his second words, or waiting for Yuan Yonghuai to swing his right hand and charge at the once invincible Demon Lord.

"Can you make way?"

There was no emotion in Gu Zhuo's voice.

No one expected him to say such a thing, and there was an uproar.

Yuan Yonghuai stared into his eyes, and after a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "I cannot be loyal to my master while eating his salary."

Gu Zhuo was not disappointed, just a little regretful, and said hello.

then.

Don't unsheathe your sword yet.

(End of this chapter)