The ancient giant bear hiding in the world of immortal cultivation

Chapter 481 Absolute Out of Control
Feng Muhan wanted to become Wang Wu's close follower, but he didn't take it seriously. His mind was still filled with the righteous spirit of his senior brother who hated evil. Only after leaving the council hall did he suddenly ask, "There are great and small paths, right?"

"Eh, why do you say that, sir?" Feng Muhan was taken aback at first, then looked at Wang Wu expectantly, as if he wanted to hear his opinion.

“Because living always requires some purpose. This is true even for mortals, let alone Earth Immortals or even Taiyi True Immortals whose lifespans are often tens of thousands of years.” Wang Wu pondered. In the past, he cultivated for the sake of cultivation, for survival, and for the survival of the fittest. But those were all short-term goals. Now he had to figure out what he was truly cultivating for, because that was the process of understanding the Dao.

"While longevity is indeed the ultimate goal pursued by all cultivators, in detail, it is still just a means, a process of pursuing the goal, rather than the true goal."

"Just as ordinary women wish to stay young and beautiful forever, and ordinary men wish to stay healthy and strong forever, they wish to live longer, not for the sake of living longer itself, but because it allows them to enjoy more."

"Then what about immortals? We cultivate diligently, risking all sorts of dangers to explore, collect, and refine elixirs. They shouldn't be doing it simply for the result of immortality, but rather to enjoy the various benefits that immortality brings."

"Of course, I don't rule out the possibility of immortals who have severed all emotions and desires, who don't want any benefits, fame, or fortune, not even pleasure, and who can no longer appreciate beautiful scenery, cultivating themselves into a stone. Feng Muhan, you are a Taiyi fifth-level True Immortal, do you want to be a stone?"

Feng Muhan shook his head. "Of course I don't want to. In fact, I have never seen any Taiyi True Immortal cultivate himself into stone. My senior brother Lu Tong cultivates his righteous path, which seems quite strange to me. I don't know about the Great Luo, but in my opinion, the evil of some Taiyi True Immortals is no different from that of mortals, let alone severing emotions and desires."

"So, you agree with my view, right? Life is driven by innate or acquired forces, struggling and striving for survival for one or more purposes. Cultivating immortality also has a purpose."

"However, if it's just for the sake of longevity, it seems too weak, like just shouting a slogan. I once heard a saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"The same logic applies: absolute power will inevitably breed absolute loss of control."

"Think about it, a Taiyi True Immortal has a lifespan of at least tens of thousands of years. They can ride the clouds and move mountains and seas. It is so easy for them to destroy living beings within a radius of tens of thousands of miles with a single hand. With such unbridled power, I think it will definitely get out of control. The reason it has not gotten out of control is because they have not yet mastered absolute power, or there are external factors that are restraining them."

"But once there are no checks and balances, and a relatively absolute power is formed, it will inevitably get out of control in some aspect over time."

"So, how can one avoid losing control? I think this is a manifestation of the Tao."

"Because absolute power cannot be restrained by others or by any other rules. The feeling of doing whatever you want is wonderful, like a child who overeats or a mortal man or woman who indulges in sensual pleasures. The threshold for happiness is constantly being pushed higher. Today I am happy to slaughter a city, but tomorrow I may need to slaughter ten cities to achieve the same effect."

"Many cultivators like to talk about longevity, freedom, and a carefree life. They think it's cool and carefree, but they don't understand that after obtaining absolute power, one must have a Dao that can restrain oneself to avoid losing control."

"It's not that you can't kill or commit arson, but you have to be clear whether it's done with a purpose or just a sign of mental insanity?"

"So, your senior brother Lu Tong isn't someone who was born kind, righteous, or with lofty ideals. On the contrary, he's very likely a tyrannical and bloodthirsty person. He can't suppress his sense of loss of control, so he has to use the strictest rules and the most severe standards to restrain himself and others. This should be the truth behind his hatred of evil. Am I right?"

Feng Muhan listened quietly for a long time before clapping his hands and sighing, "That's right, that's right. Absolute power will inevitably breed absolute loss of control. This sentence sounds just like something I said myself. I'm starting to understand why my master values ​​you so much. Wang Wu, you really do have some skills."

"Based on your current understanding, your path to becoming a Taiyi True Immortal should be smooth sailing."

At this point, Feng Muhan beckoned to the back of the room. Wang Wu turned around and saw Lu Tong, who had been unconscious and nearly dying from his injuries, along with Zhuang Bufei and Qu Shenglian, walking out together.

Good guy.

Lu Tong smiled even more brightly, revealing a set of small white teeth. "Lord Wang Wu, don't be surprised or angry. How could we disciples dare disobey our master's orders? This little trial today is also to help you understand the Dao. Hmm, would you like to see the decree left by my master? The four of us have been your close followers for fifty-five years. However, we have gone to great lengths to guide you in understanding the Dao. We even neglected you for fifty-five years because of this."

"It seems to be working very well now. You have actually been able to understand and recognize, through my Righteous Qi Dao, the very important and core concept that absolute power will breed absolute loss of control."

"Yes, now I can answer you. That's right, your judgment is correct. Absolute power breeds absolute loss of control. I am indeed not a kind person by nature, and although I am not a tyrannical or bloodthirsty person either, I am a person who is easily emotional. That's why I chose the Path of Righteousness." "Of course, it's not as exaggerated as they say. Even if you went and stole the Great Wilderness Sin Prison Tower, I wouldn't report you, let alone a mere few hundred Vermilion Bird Array Stones."

"Now, as part of the trial, you may ask us questions."

“Okay, why can’t you control your emotions?” Wang Wu asked directly.

"Because everyone has seven emotions and six desires, these emotions and desires will increase with age. Just like children, whose bodies are weak, they think less, so they have a childlike heart."

"When you become an adult and your body is strong, you will naturally think more. As the saying goes, 'When you are well-fed and warm, you think of lust.'"

"But as people age, these seven emotions and six desires will naturally decrease."

"This is the situation for mortals. When it comes to cultivators, the strength of their bodies amplifies their seven emotions and six desires. You should be very clear about this. Don't you also have two concubines? When beauty is in front of you, can you control your lower body?"

"However, the biggest difference between cultivators and mortals is that as the body becomes stronger, the soul also gradually becomes stronger."

"When the soul becomes stronger, the threshold for controlling the seven emotions and six desires will be much higher. If you think of the seven emotions and six desires as an evil dragon, then putting it in a small river will cause devastating power. So you can see the evil of mortals, which can sometimes really refresh your understanding and cognition."

"But if you put this dragon in the ocean, the damage it causes will be much less."

"So the effect is that the higher the cultivation level of a cultivator, the stronger their soul and the stronger their ability to control their own desires. Over time, it seems to give people the illusion that cultivators do not need the seven emotions and six desires, and immortals do not need the seven emotions and six desires. They only need to be dressed in white, carefree and living in a painting."

"But the strength of the soul does not increase proportionally to the strength of the physical body. Especially after advancing to the Taiyi True Immortal realm, if your soul is not strong enough and your divine thoughts are less than 100 strands, believe me, then the seven emotions and six desires formed by your powerful physical body will turn around and dominate your pitiful soul, which is like a small river, like an evil dragon."

"At this point, if you are kind-hearted and gentle by nature, you may not change much. But if you are easily emotional and like to settle scores quickly, then you are basically on the verge of losing control."

"Therefore, in this situation, you need to set a concept of Tao for yourself in advance."

"The first level of the Dao is control, which must be understood and comprehended. If you don't understand it and insist on shouting that we cultivators are here to seek pleasure and revenge, to be unrestrained, and to live a carefree life, then there's nothing wrong with that, provided that you are really that powerful enough to drag the entire cultivation world, all the Taiyi True Immortals, and all the Daluo with you to your death."

"And this involves the second level of the Dao, namely, what you initially asked: does the Dao have a distinction between large and small? Lord Wang Wu, please answer my question."

"Shouldn't you all be the ones to tell me the answer?" Wang Wu was taken aback.

"Haha, it's different. It's like the first level of reasoning. No matter how many times their parents tell ordinary children to learn to control themselves and plan their future, they always suffer losses, get tricked, and hit a wall many times. They may never learn it even in their entire lives. Is there no answer? No, they just can't figure it out themselves. Even if you grab their ears and tell them thousands of times, it won't help."

"So now, in this second part, whether the Dao is divided into large and small, you also have to find the answer yourself. Note that you should not ponder or answer randomly, even if your answer may be correct. It is best to find the answer yourself."

"Alright, I understand. The trials you all put me through have indeed been very beneficial."

Wang Wu nodded. "So, what exactly should I do?"

(End of this chapter)