“The snow can only exist during the dead of winter. It may yearn for summer days, and for warmth, but if it nears them, it will melt. I am much the same. After striding forward into the Cultivation world, I could not turn my head back, nor could I ever experience the peace and tranquility I once had.” Of course, Meng Hao was thinking back to that year in the State of Zhao, when he had spent some time in the carriage with scholar Zheng Yong. 1
“I was once a mere scholar…. I remember how when I finally left my hometown. It was raining…. 2
“My life is like snow. I can only exist within winter. I may wish to return to the sunny days of the mortal world, but that is no longer me….
“Life is like a journey, filled with countless different experiences. Perhaps it is best to say that different experience create different scenery on that journey. If you experience bitterly cold wind, you will become snow. If you experience the blazing sun, then you become rain….
“The type of life you experience determines what type of person you will be. That is what makes life wonderful.”
Ke Jiusi looked at Meng Hao, and many thoughts floated up in his mind. He thought of Ke Yunhai, and thought of his own life. What he saw was everything that had happened to him, and this world.
“I’ve already been here for a long time, filled with nostalgia….”
True spirit Night sighed. Meng Hao’s words did not contain some great Dao. However, the words had touched it nonetheless. Before this moment, it would never have believed that some tiny Cultivator who could not stand up to a single blow from it, would be qualified to move it emotionally.
Zhixiang looked at Meng Hao, once again experiencing how extraordinary Meng Hao was. It made her think back to all her own experiences in life.
“To me, the Dao is a direction,” continued Meng Hao. “I think… that such a belief sprouted during that time in the snow. It led me… led me to a place far away.
“Many years later,” he murmured, thinking back to Pill Demon, “I kowtowed to my Master in a world of illusory reincarnation. During that life, I kowtowed three times. The kowtow of Innocence, the kowtow of the Roaming, and the kowtow of Sunset Gazing. At that time, I was enlightened. 3
“In that moment, I understood that life is a journey. Every turn in the path leads to new scenery. My footprints exist on that path, and as to whether they are deep or shallow, it doesn’t matter. All the decisions were mine to make.
“Heaven and Earth are just resting places for the myriads of living creatures. Time represents the passage of hundreds of generations of passing travelers.” 4
Having spoken up to this point, Meng Hao’s eyes suddenly shone with a bright light. It seemed that as of this moment, there was something clearly different about him than before.
“That is the direction I chose. Although the way is a bit unclear, there are traces visible.
“Whether you speak of our time on earth, or reincarnation, life is a journey. The sea of bitterness is only one bit of scenery, that’s all. The most important thing is to leave our mark on the path that we have walked and experienced.
“As for me, I want to keep walking even further off into the distance!” With that, Meng Hao took a deep breath, clasped hands, and once again bowed deeply to the Reincarnation Mountain.
Laughter echoed out from within Reincarnation Mountain. The echoing laughter caused the black smoke to disperse, and the flames to die out, and the sky to be filled with ripples.
“The resting place for myriads of living creatures? Excellent. Hundreds of generations of passing travelers? Wonderful! And you want to walk further off into the distance? Well said!
“Well, you have answered my three questions. Allow me to provide you some assistance to walk further off into the distance!” As the voice faded away, the Reincarnation Mountain once again began to rumble. This time, the power of Heaven and Earth that exploded out of it was dozens of times stronger than before. It shot out from the mouth of the volcano, shooting through the air toward Meng Hao. It circulated around him and then transformed into a magnificent vortex.
The vortex spun rapidly and then began to pour into Meng Hao.