Yefutidaolu

Chapter 331 Obstacles
"No way..." A deep, thunderous roar, accompanied by a violent tremor that seemed to tear the ship apart, pierced through the thick soundproofing array of the top-class cabin without warning! Gao Jian's empty teacup wobbled slightly, and he subconsciously frowned, a mixture of helplessness at being interrupted and expectation.

He stood up and sighed, "...They're here already? Didn't they have to wait until they got to the capital?"

He walked to the huge glass porthole. The scene that had just been crystal clear, with sunlight piercing through the clouds and casting thousands of golden rays, had vanished without a trace!
Outside the window, there was a suffocating, churning, boiling ink!
No, that's not ink.

It was a thick, unyielding, seemingly solidified resentment and yin energy!
Thick and filthy, it churned with a nauseating, rotten swamp-like stench. Even through the specially made glass engraved with countless protective runes, one could faintly smell the bone-chilling coldness and resentment!

This darkness was not still; it writhed and rolled wildly, like billions of maggots being boiled, or like an aggregate of countless twisted limbs! Countless hideous and terrifying faces rose and fell, emerged, and howled in this viscous tide of darkness!
Those faces had long since transcended the realm of "human." Some were swollen and festering, pus and blood gushing out, their eyeballs hanging out of their sockets like rotten grapes; some were nothing but bare bones, their jaws snapping wildly, silently roaring with eternal resentment; some were elongated and deformed, like melted wax figures, their features twisted into inhuman grotesque forms; and others were as if skinned alive, exposing scarlet muscles and pale veins, each twitch carrying extreme pain and malice!

They were densely packed, layer upon layer, endless! Every face was filled with hatred for the living, a thirst for flesh and blood, and a desire to devour the light! They howled silently, thousands upon thousands of twisted and deformed mouths opening and closing in silence, forming a terrifying wave that made one's scalp tingle and one's soul freeze! That surging darkness was formed from the despair and malice of these countless vengeful spirits!

Even more chilling was the fact that the airship hadn't stopped moving. The deep hum of the engines still emanated from the cabin, and the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle was still operating at full power. But the surging tide of demons outside the window was like a solidified, boundless amber! The airship traversed within it, yet it seemed to be standing still!
No matter the speed of the airship, no matter how the direction was adjusted, the scene outside the window—the rolling darkness, the hideous faces, the floating and sinking limbs—was like a nailed, looping horror scroll, eternally unchanging! The demonic face so close, always at the same distance and angle, silently displayed its eternal resentment towards Gao Jian inside the porthole!

Circular space!

Or, to put it another way, it's like being trapped in a maze.

The airship was like a firefly trapped in a giant ink bottle, flapping its wings in vain, unable to break through the thick, filthy, and dark barrier of endless resentment! Each roar of the engine was like a futile death knell tolling in this desolate abyss of despair!

Takami stood in front of the porthole, staring expressionlessly at the grotesque face pressed against the glass, swollen and festering, with one eyeball almost bursting out.

He could clearly "see" the texture of the rotting skin, the maggots wriggling in the pustules, and the inextinguishable flames of resentment burning deep within the hollow eye sockets.

The protective runes engraved inside the cabin now flickered with a ghostly blue light like a school of startled fish, emitting a high-frequency, sharp buzzing sound to resist the pervasive, chilling ghostly energy that tried to infiltrate. The cold, red alarm light silently rotated on the ceiling, casting flickering light on Gao Jian's calm, almost indifferent face.

The realm of the living and the dead has arrived.

At that moment, amidst a piercing buzz and the spinning red alarm light, the hatch slid open silently.

An elderly man wearing a blue robe with the iconic "cloud and road pattern" of the Lu Sect strode in; he was none other than the steward in charge of this voyage—Daoist Yunmiao.

His expression was solemn, but his steps remained steady as he bowed deeply to the figure standing by the window.
"Lord Gao! I'm sorry to have disturbed you!" Daoist Yunmiao's voice carried a hint of urgency that was barely perceptible, yet he still maintained the courtesy befitting a manager of a celestial sect. "The flying boat has been trapped in the 'Ten Thousand Souls Miasma,' and the Netherworld has arrived."

"We are in contact, so there is no need to worry. You Lu Zong is quite skilled in escape techniques, and it is no exaggeration to say that he is exceptional. Please rest well and do not panic."

Gao Jian looked at the other person, his assurance was firm and resolute, but the worry deep in his eyes was hard to completely hide.

So he slowly turned around, his face showing no panic as Yunmiao Daoist had expected, only a calm that was almost scrutinizing. He ignored Yunmiao's assurance, his gaze still fixed on the rolling, frozen darkness outside the window, filled with hideous faces.

But Gao Jian said, "The Deer Terrace gathers the suffering of all people, and the cries of sorrow and resentment should obscure the heavens. Where resentment gathers, it will naturally turn the wise and foolish upside down, exhaust the border guards, greedily and cruelly govern the people, harass and disturb the populace, anger the barbarians, and invite rebellion, chaos, and suffering. When resentment arises, yin and yang are out of balance, the three luminaries are dimmed, strange phenomena occur frequently, insects and moths devour crops, and floods and droughts bring disaster, ultimately leading to the calamity of discord. Therefore, the sun and moon lose their light, snow and frost fall in summer, the sea boils, hills and valleys change shape, and the stars lose their course—all caused by resentment."

"The Netherworld is indeed very skilled at manipulating resentment. It gathers the resentment of all spirits, condenses the turbidity of the Netherworld, uses the thoughts of those who died unjustly as its warp and weft, weaves the void into a cage, and imprisons and locks the soul."

He took a step forward and pointed his finger directly out of the glass porthole. It wasn't pointing to the most hideous ghost faces, but to a viscous, dark depth that seemed no different from other areas, except that the faces of the vengeful spirits were more densely packed and more distorted!

“Daoist Yunmiao, please look over there.” Gao Jian’s voice was clear and firm, like a cold spring striking a stone. “The resentment is accumulating like a whirlpool, and the shadows of souls are overlapping like a fetus. But beneath these appearances, the flow of yin energy is not disorderly and overflowing. I observe this thing and believe it to be ‘obstacles of selfish intentions’.”

Obstacles, specifically, refer to the continuous cycle of birth and death caused by afflictions such as greed, anger, and ignorance, which hinder practitioners from attaining Nirvana. This concept is clearly defined in many Buddhist scriptures. The Yuanjue Sutra summarizes its essence as "the two kinds of obstacles, which continue the cycle of birth and death." The obstacles of practice correspond to the afflictions at the practical level, while the obstacles of knowledge belong to the obstacles at the cognitive level.

The so-called "ghost wall" is just the surface. In essence, it is an "obstacle" that is the continuation of resentment and death, a wall that prevents them from moving forward.

“Our escape techniques should be able to ignore obstacles,” said Daoist Yunmiao.

"What knowledge cannot reach, how can reason and practice fully comprehend? Therefore it is said: Reason obstructs right view and knowledge, and practice obstructs the continuation of birth and death. This is the opposite of the power of gods and humans, and it is the work of the Yellow Springs."

"The methods of the celestial beings should have a solution to this. My body is inherently empty, and my spirit is inherently all-pervasive. Since the mind is unobstructed, all things are without hindrance. Why? Because I have attained supernatural powers. In all methods, one must begin with each one. The human mind is inherently a vast expanse, and only when it is empty can there be no obstruction. It is simply a matter of removing the obstruction. Therefore, the way to break the deadlock is not external, but within the mind and spirit."

“This is a supernatural power, so it can only be broken by divine will or a corresponding supernatural power. Simply relying on escape techniques will not get you out,” Gao Jian said.

There are obstacles, both physical and mental, and now, due to resentment, it is naturally a mental obstacle. It is impossible to get out by using escape techniques; one must achieve a state of 'no mental hindrance' to get out of here.

"Unimpeded supernatural power... Master Gao's meaning, could it be..." He instantly thought of the higher realm recorded in the sect's scriptures, but then dejectedly said, "Among the senior masters of the Youlu Sect, there may be those who have reached the state of 'no hindrance in the mind,' and naturally they are not afraid of this obstacle. However..." He looked around, his voice bitter, "At this moment, there is no elder with such profound cultivation on the flying boat! We are afraid..."

Before Yun Miao could finish speaking, Gao Jian calmly continued, his voice soft yet booming like thunder: "However... I can do it."

Yunmiao was taken aback.

The expert before him clearly only possessed the aura of a sixth-realm cultivator, calm and composed, yet lacking any overwhelming or imposing pressure, seemingly not as formidable as he appeared. However, when the expert calmly uttered the words "I can do it," Daoist Yunmiao was initially taken aback.

But before the other party could even have any doubts, Gao Jian had already started the rusty knife.

In that instant, all his distracting thoughts and worries vanished.

Yun Miao could naturally sense it, and the slight contempt that had arisen in her heart due to her low cultivation level vanished, replaced by a deep sense of awe.

"A genius indeed..." Yun Miao sighed inwardly.

He had seen many exceptionally talented individuals, and the Youlu Sect was not lacking in disciples with outstanding abilities. But someone like Gao Jian, who, with only the sixth realm cultivation, displayed such illogical and almost supernatural "all-rounder" qualities in knowledge, temperament, and courage, was truly unprecedented in his life! This could not be simply summarized by the word "genius"; it was as if the heavens had bestowed upon him an excessive amount of fortune... an anomaly!
Fortunately, he is on the right path.

Therefore, he stopped thinking about how his brilliant ideas could be achieved, and stopped questioning the possibility of their success. When that state of mind, free from all attachments, spread out, the answer became self-evident.

Daoist Yunmiao composed himself, suppressing all his shock and admiration, leaving only one crystal-clear thought: he had to protect Gao Jian, otherwise Youming Land would not let the matter rest.

Meanwhile, Gao Jian's mind was simply working, and at this moment, 'Ming' was exactly like that.

Seeing the world as simply one thing, with utmost clarity and intimacy, without the slightest obstruction. With this mind, pure and bright, there is no movement, no evil or crookedness, like the sun and moon, hence the saying "manifesting one's bright virtue throughout the world."

When one's spiritual practice reaches this point, everything is contained within this place, receiving both name and form. There is no need for further action, nor is there any further action to take. Therefore, it is called "cessation." From within and without the universe, everything with form and sound, down to the point where sound and smell cease, is permeated by this thing, like the North and South Poles, a compass needle, unchangeable by human will. Continuing to cultivate it, cultivating it sincerely, understanding it clearly, choosing it, and holding onto it—all these are revealed and meticulously detailed by this thing, becoming the mind, the intention, talent, and emotion. Never before has this thing been unclear, capable of managing the world, capable of penetrating and illuminating it.

Outside the window lay a frozen, churning abyss of despair, woven from countless vengeful faces and endless thoughts of wronged death. Every distorted face roared silently with eternal hatred, and the viscous darkness, like the filthiest swamp, tried to drag the airship and all the creatures within it into eternal damnation.

The instant he opened his eyes—

Outside the window, the thick, swirling darkness, filled with grotesque faces, rippled silently like a giant inkwell tossed with an invisible pebble.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no ear-piercing screech.

Where the ripples passed, countless vengeful and twisted ghostly faces, like a thin mist under the sunlight, or like sand paintings scattered by the wind, silently faded and disappeared. There was no struggle, no wailing.

The viscous, solidified space, that despairing "dead zone," melted like ice and snow under the warm sun, or like thick ink dissolving into clear water. It loosened, it flowed.

The previously isolated, chilling, and pure aura of the high heavens suddenly opened, like a long-closed door suddenly swung open, bringing a refreshing coolness as it silently poured in. The solidified darkness outside the window rapidly diluted and faded like the receding tide, replaced by a new ray of light, edged with gold from the clouds.

The whole process was so fast it only took a few breaths.

There was no roar, no vibration, no violent collision of energy.

There was only one way... a natural dissipation. It was as if the "barrier of selfishness" that trapped the flying boat, constructed from endless resentment, had seen its nemesis under the clear mind of Takashi's truly "unburdened" heart, like a phantom exposed in a vacuum, losing its foundation of existence, disintegrating, fading, and returning to nothingness on its own.

One moment it was a hellish silence and terror.

The next moment, the sky was high and the clouds were wide, and a strong wind was blowing.

The airship continued its steady journey high above the ground, its engines emitting a deep, familiar hum. Outside the window, a sea of ​​clouds rolled in, and bright sunlight pierced through the gaps, casting golden beams of light. It was as if the suffocating "ghost wall" experience from just moments before had been nothing more than a brief, bizarre nightmare.

Daoist Yunmiao didn't even have time to react to what had happened. He only saw Gao Jian open his eyes, and then... the forbidden zone that had trapped the flying boat was gone? Just like that... gone?! He hadn't even sensed any fluctuations in power! There was no light from escape techniques, no oppressive force of supernatural abilities! There was only an indescribable calm, as if the rules of heaven and earth were correcting themselves... a tranquility!
He glanced instinctively at Gao Jian. The young imperial envoy's face remained expressionless.

"The barrier has been broken." Gao Jian's voice was calm and unremarkable, as if stating a perfectly obvious fact. He turned his head slightly and said to Daoist Yunmiao, who was still in a state of great shock and bewilderment, "I trouble Daoist Yunmiao to continue the voyage."

Daoist Yunmiao opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't utter a single word. He could only bow down, turning all the turmoil and indescribable admiration in his heart into this bow.

So calm and collected, so...unbelievable!

However, just as these tense nerves relaxed—

A voice came from behind Gao Jian.

"Young friend...you have great insight."

The voice was calm, yet it carried an air of authority and oppression that seemed to freeze the very space around it!

dangerous!
(End of this chapter)