Meng Hao’s entire body trembled, and his head moved slightly. A complex expression appeared in his eyes as he stood there breathing. He didn’t look back; instead, he focused all his energy on controlling the boat. A rumbling sound could be heard as the front of the boat finally pierced out of the painting of stillness.
Meng Hao could see the border of the still region just up ahead; they were almost out of the painting.
“Deep in your heart, is obsession.” This voice was not the voice of his parents that existed in his memory. It was the ancient, decaying voice.
The voice seemed confused, as if it it, too, were filled with infinite obsession.
“You are a living being that I have encountered on the path to the yellow springs. I can… help you to fulfill your obsession. Look back, and you will be able to see what your parents look like.”
Meng Hao’s Cultivation base suddenly stopped moving. He poured no more power into the ship, but instead stood there on the prow. Directly in front of him was the edge of the painting of motionlessness; after passing beyond that border, they would be free.
Meng Hao well knew that if he looked back, something untoward would likely happen. However, the words spoken to him just now had left him completely shaken.
No one else could hear the words spoken into his ear just now, not even the three old men. Everyone just sat there, trembling and in a daze. Meng Hao was the only lucid one among them all.
In his silence, Meng Hao suddenly smiled. It was an unrestrained smile, a smile filled with a will of purification.
He suddenly murmured, “What’s the harm in turning my head? In my life of cultivation, I cultivate my heart. My path is one of understanding and truth.
“If I don’t look back, how could I claim to cultivate my heart?” His eyes filled with a bright light as he casually turned to look behind him.
The first thing that caught his attention were the countless white strands that floated in the air, twisting and twining around the ship. The strands originated from an enormous battleship!
The ship was fully three thousand meters long, and radiated an archaic air, as if it had existed for countless ages. It was dilapidated in a way that suggested it had experienced the baptism of war.
At the prow of the battleship, a figure could be seen. It was an old man wearing a pitch-black suit of armor. It was impossible to see his features clearly, but his body looked like it had been rotting inside the armor for innumerable years. 1
As for the white strands, they were actually the man’s hair!
As soon as Meng Hao laid eyes on him, the old man seemed to take notice. His head lifted up, and he looked at Meng Hao.
As soon as their gazes met, Meng Hao’s mind filled with rumbling. Next, a vision appeared to him. He saw a coffin, its surface covered with carvings of nine butterflies.
The coffin rested on an ancient battlefield. The surroundings were devoid of any colors except for black and white.
The vision lasted for only a few breaths of time. Then it dissipated. Meng Hao panted as he regained consciousness.
“His… Dao seed….” said the armored figure softly, his voice hoarse as it echoed about. “In all the years, of all the living things I have encountered, I have seen countless Dao seeds…. You, however, are different than them.
“Go.” The old man sat there cross-legged in his armor. It looked like he would never, ever stand up. When he spoke, his voice seemed to be filled with reminiscence. Slowly, his hair pulled away from the ship Meng Hao was on. At the same time, the archaic, three thousand meter battleship slowly began to back away. At the same time, it started to fade, as if it were about to vanish into thin air.
The stillness in the area also began to slowly disappear.
As the ship began to vanish, Meng Hao suddenly opened his mouth to speak. “Senior, you still haven’t fulfilled your promise!” Immediately, the stillness returned. The old man on the battleship gave Meng Hao a profound gaze.
That gaze seemed to contain the transformations of the entire world. It contained the turnings of time as it poured into Meng Hao’s eyes. Instantly, a roaring sound filled his mind.
This time in his vision, he saw Mount Daqing!
Outside of Mount Daqing was a whistling violet wind. Fog roiled about, covering the entire mountain, and eventually, Yunjie County.
Within the city, the lamps inside the houses were instantly extinguished, except for one house…. Inside that house, the lights danced, illuminating a middle-aged man who stood next to the window. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
The sounds of weeping could be heard within the bedroom. Through the cracks in the door, the silhouette of a woman could be seen. She held a boy in her arms, and tears streamed down her face.
The boy had intelligent eyes, but right now, they were filled with confusion and puzzlement.
The violet wind blew the violet fog until it completely covered Yunjie County. Far up above in the black