The ancient giant bear hiding in the world of immortal cultivation

Chapter 488 The Way and the Fall

Three days later, witnessed by Wang Wu, Zhuang Bufei, Feng Muhan, and Qu Shenglian, Lu Tong was reincarnated, and the whole process went smoothly.

"I'm so envious! Senior Brother has received two great opportunities at once: one is a rebirth, a profound enlightenment, and the attainment of the Dao Domain; the other is this reincarnation. These opportunities are so crucial that they can't be missed even for a moment. My lord, with you in the Frost Domain, it's impossible for it not to prosper in the future!"

Zhuang Bufei said with great emotion.

"Is reincarnation considered a great stroke of luck?"

“That’s right, it must be counted, and it should be no less than the first great opportunity. Although it seems that any Earth Immortal can be reincarnated, none of them can compare to the senior brother. He has cut off all the karmic ties of his past life and is like a newborn. If you don’t believe me, let’s ask the likes of Gray Elder, Black Emperor, and Liu Shengxuan. If they were to exchange these two great opportunities with the senior brother, they would all be willing to give up everything to exchange them.”

"It's a pity we don't have the chance. Great opportunities depend on two things: half on the accumulation of knowledge and experience over thousands or even tens of thousands of years, and the other half on luck. Only by accumulating knowledge and experience in the first half can we seize the opportunity when it comes."

"For example, this time, the three of us can be considered witnesses. We saw with our own eyes how our senior brother rose from the brink of despair, with two great opportunities falling into his lap. He'll at least be a half-step Great Luo in the future. But can you and I seize such an opportunity? Even if it's right in front of us—"

At this point, Zhuang Bufei glanced at Wang Wu helplessly. They all knew that Wang Wu had played a crucial role in the matter, but unfortunately, what was missed was missed.

"Don't look at me. If I could replicate this kind of opportunity, wouldn't it be better to reincarnate myself?"

"Haha, sir, I was just venting. At least our path is not as righteous as our senior brother's. So, this is our blessing and advice to you. If there is no pressure to survive or danger to your life, slow down your cultivation, change your name and appearance, and go out to travel."

"Take a good look and reflect on where your future path leads."

"By the way, these are my travel notes from when I was a ninth-level Earth Immortal. Please accept them, sir."

"Yes, and mine too."

“I have some too. In addition, these are the travel notes that my eldest brother copied down over the past two days. The three of us have organized them. Please take them, sir, as a reference.”

"The cultivation world is vast and ancient. In fact, even if we four combined all the places we traveled back then, we still couldn't traverse the entire cultivation world. Why don't you give it a try, sir?"

"As for Frost Domain, there is no need to worry, sir. Frost Domain is a large and powerful nation. Even if it temporarily shrinks and only has Azure Frost City left, the sky will not fall down."

“We guess that our master will emerge from seclusion in ten thousand years at the latest, and our eldest brother only needs three thousand years to advance back to the Taiyi realm, and nine thousand years later, he will regain his previous strength. So, the future is promising. We look forward to the time when our master returns to the Frost Domain.”

As they spoke, Zhuang Bufei and the other two handed over the four jade slips, then bowed to Wang Wu and left.

Wang Wu was left alone, gazing thoughtfully at the small village at the foot of the mountain ahead.

A moment later, he appeared on a very ordinary desolate mountain, where a group of pig demons were diligently cultivating and fighting each other at the foot of the mountain.

On the mountaintop, several pig wives were wiping away tears. The enormous, fat pig, nearly ten stories tall, had finally reached the end of its life.

Its brother, Niu Huanxi, was drinking and eating heartily in the distance, playing drinking games with several equally old and toothless monsters, having a great time.

Inside the shack, Xiong Shiliu and Yuan Bupo were playing chess. Lang Buer didn't come; he had died of old age last year. Instead, one of his sons came, who looked nine-tenths like Wudu...

Sigh, what a tragedy, but those are all grudges from the previous generation.

Anyway, all the old monsters who escaped from the Great Wilderness Prison Tower, as well as some old human friends, are here.

Everyone was waiting for the baby wild boar to breathe its last.

I've been waiting from sunrise to sunset, ugh, it's so annoying.

Not long after Wang Wu arrived at the mountain, Madam Yu and General Snow Wolf came down to greet him, accompanied by the now white-haired A Qing. The little snake from back then had become an old snake, and its dragon tendons had been pulled out. However, it was saved by Frost Lord, which is why it has lived for so many more years. Although it is still sharp-witted and healthy, it has clearly entered the final stage of old age, which is two or three hundred years away.

"This old slave greets his master!"

Aqing bowed meticulously, and Wang Wu let her be.

Then, Yuan Bupo, Xiong Shiliu, and Teng Zhongwu ran over to pay their respects. The three of them had all reached the fourth level of Earth Immortal and had just broken through the first limit. They were at the peak of their lives, but the greatest credit for this was still given to Shuang Jun.

Not only were they placed in the inner domain, but their bottleneck potential was also greatly enhanced.

This meticulous and thoughtful arrangement is clearly superior to that of the former master, Gray Elder.

I'm not afraid you'll use my loved ones as a weakness to threaten me, but at least arrange a similar environment. Gray Elder presides over Gray Domain, which also has a similar Inner Domain. Sending these loved ones to the Inner Domain will at least prevent them from having their dragon tendons pulled out by the Azure Dragon Clan.

If that were the case, Wang Wu wouldn't have overturned the table.

“You lot, staying here like this isn’t a solution. Take some time to settle your affairs and then go work in Qing Shuang City.”

"Here!"

As Wang Wu walked up the mountain, more and more people and monsters followed behind him, after all, they had been spreading their branches and leaves for so many years.

Upon reaching the mountaintop, the old ox smiled憨厚ly. It too had given up on cultivation, having experienced too much. In addition, its cultivation was extremely arduous, and despite receiving help repeatedly, it was ultimately stuck at the first rank.

Spiritual practice truly requires great perseverance to continue, or perhaps only young people shout about it joyfully, because they don't know how difficult it is.

The word "belief" is very important.

Life requires learning and maintenance. It's not just about physical strength; the spirit and soul also need to be kept in a constantly renewed state, otherwise, one will easily become lethargic.

A listless and lethargic state is a terrible state.

It was like a nightmare.

After his sister Niu Xiaocao passed away, seven or eight of his concubines died, and a large number of his children and grandchildren died, Lao Niu's spiritual practice plummeted.

I've lost that drive. This is also a tribulation, and the first of the three limits for Earth Immortals.

Wang Wu did not experience this calamity because he had experienced even more heartbreaking and desperate situations in his daily life in order to increase his resistance and fight the Three Calamities, so his will was extremely firm.

Many people, many monsters, as they grow older, as their surroundings change, or because of certain events, they may end up in a dead end and change, becoming completely unfamiliar.

It's like a completely different person.

The hustle and bustle of everyday life is most detrimental to the mind of spiritual practice.

This is no joke.

Wang Wu felt that he had to outlive all his beloved relatives and friends who had escaped from the Great Wilderness Prison Tower, one by one, until they all died, and his mindset would remain unchanged. Only then would he be considered qualified.

Any spiritual practitioner, or even most ordinary people, believes that physical aging is the most important thing.

Little did they know that the aging and deterioration of the spirit is the most insidious and intractable problem.

One word: Degenerate!

The corresponding principle is the Dao.

Falling and the Way are equal concepts, at the same level.

Wang Wu didn't understand it before, and even thought it was too absurd.

When he used to read history books in his hometown, he wondered why those great figures who were brilliant and powerful in the first half of their lives would become like that in their later years.

Why do those who can withstand disasters and life-or-death challenges, and who are worthy of the title of hero in every way, fail to maintain their integrity in their later years?

It wasn't until he experienced the Lu Tong incident that his understanding of the Dao deepened, and his understanding of depravity became clearer.

For example, can you resist using your phone for a whole day?

You know it's bad, but you just can't help it. What does this have to do with your physical health?
What does that have to do with your lifespan?

It's just that your mind has become accustomed to the feeling of falling.

An ordinary mortal's fragile body wouldn't even allow the power of corruption to spread and dissipate before they'd be reduced to a pile of dust.

The only fear is that while cultivators may have strong bodies and retain their power, they may have lost control of their souls.

On this point, Old Pig and Old Ox seemed to understand it earlier than Wang Wu.

Back when he was still in the Southern Wilderness, Old Pig had already neglected his cultivation, so now he has finally achieved a peaceful death.

I lived an ordinary life, but I had no regrets. I was true to myself and to those who have passed on to me.

Old Niu had seen through it all long ago.

If you can't continue on the path of spiritual practice, you can simply stop. It's not a big deal.

Don't let yourself become so degenerate that you become unrecognizable and people curse you as an old man who is disrespectful and doesn't live long.

Why bother?

"Wang Lianhua, you've arrived?"

The old pig suddenly sat up, as if he had suddenly become energetic, and his two little eyes were very bright.

"I'm going first. I didn't disgrace our Three Heroes of the Western Wilderness, did I? Haha, I can feel the decay growing inside. This stinking carcass, let's burn it..."

Old Pig lay down peacefully again, as if asleep, very serene.

Wang Wu and his group of old friends bowed three times, then waved his hand, and a seventh-level Creation Spirit Fire rose up, burning the old pig to ashes.

He didn't even need to eat at the banquet, and said to everyone with a smile, "I recently received teachings from an immortal. He said that the Great Way mends the heavens, the Middle Way mends the body, and the Lesser Way mends the spirit!"

“I think the Great Way is too vague, and even the Middle Way is difficult to grasp. The Lesser Way is more worthwhile. The Lesser Way is formed from one’s own beliefs, and beliefs are within reach and can be obtained through quiet contemplation. You should all think about this, look back at the past, focus on the present, and ponder the future.”

"It's alright. You can travel more in the mortal world and learn more. Even the smallest ant has its shining qualities. Don't think that mortals are worthless. That's all I have to say. Think it over carefully. Now, as your old friend, I will give you another stroke of good fortune."

Wang Wu smiled as he walked past the crowd, patted them on the shoulder, and for those who were well-off, he casually set up a Foundation Establishment Formation for them.

If conditions are not good, repair the hidden damage on the demon core or spirit core.

Everyone gets a share.

However, with the exception of Madam Yu, General Snow Wolf, Xiong Shiliu, Yuan Bupo, and Teng Zhongwu, they can now deploy the second Foundation Establishment Formation.

Wang Wu was generous and spent three days setting it up for them. It didn't need to be anything fancy; the basic version would suffice.

After completing the task, he quietly left while everyone else was meditating and contemplating.

However, instead of immediately embarking on a journey, he found a quiet place and quietly studied the contents recorded on the four jade slips.

(End of this chapter)