Within the Torrent, Wills are awakening again. Perhaps "awakening" isn't the right word, because they never truly vanished.
This time, what Zhao Li saw was no longer desperation or Breaking the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats. It was just ordinary death. But how could a Dou Di simply fade away like a Mortal?
This was a Dou Di who had been severely wounded in battle, beyond the help of medicine, and could only wait for death.
Hearing his persuasion, Zhao Li didn't reply. At this moment, he couldn't afford to be distracted, not even to speak.
He just gritted his teeth, doing his utmost to absorb what he saw, turning it into his own resources, feeding himself, making himself stronger, accommodating more Obsessions, and then accumulating more insights...
He hadn't reached his limit yet. Of course, if he truly reached his limit, perhaps that would be the moment he disintegrated...
"Alas..."
Amidst the sigh, another Will vanished.
Over those Ten Thousand Years, while Dou Di were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, their accumulated number was still considerable. Zhao Li had felt Wills like this several times, and without exception, they all believed Zhao Li couldn't bear these Obsessions and urged him to give up.
For a junior like Zhao Li, they didn't want him to fall here, because as long as he lived, the value he could create in the future far surpassed the present.
But facing those questioning gazes and listening to the pleas to give up, Zhao Li had no intention of doing so.
He knew that even if he gave up, no one would say anything, but he was still holding on.
By now, what he thought and did was no longer just about helping them find peace and release; he was practicing his own Dao. He wanted to create Reincarnation within his own world.
He didn't know how much Time had passed. Zhao Li felt he was nearing his limit. In bearing the erosion of Obsessions, he had consumed a vast amount of Divine Sense. Furthermore, because of their Imprints, his Soul was no longer pure. It seemed to have regressed from the Innate, indestructible state of Heaven Opening and Earth Opening. Now, he was just a mottled, powerful Soul.
Zhao Li felt his Consciousness becoming increasingly hazy. Forget bearing these Obsessions; he might not even be able to withdraw himself from this Torrent.
"Born from nothing, now returning to emptiness."
Life itself was born from nothingness, so perhaps returning to emptiness was a perfectly good destination.
Although he had gained some insights, he was still just a half-baked practitioner. Perhaps it was precisely because he had gained some insight but hadn't fully grasped it that he now felt sinking into silence seemed acceptable.
Zhao Li had experienced death once, so he cherished this hard-won second life, especially in such a fascinating world.
But now, having experienced the lives behind countless Obsessions, it felt as if he had lived through everything in the human world. He surprisingly felt that dying in this manner left him with no real regrets or unwillingness.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be like this, but now, not only was his Consciousness hazy, but he himself was also a typical half-baked practitioner. It was true that he had gained some insights, but he hadn't fully comprehended them. Yet, he stubbornly held them as his guiding principle, feeling that the Two Extremes of Life and Death were nothing more than this...
"I've seen the chuunibyou-like Xiao Yan from the stories, clashed with old schemers who plotted for Ten Thousand Years just for a chance to Become Emperor, and even interacted with Gu Yuan, who thought everyone else was drunk while he alone was sober, watching Hun Tiandi cause trouble for a goal that was destined to be impossible... It's been exciting enough, it seems there's nothing to regret..."
Over the hundred-plus years since he transmigrated to the Dou Qi Continent, although most of the Time was spent in Cultivation, looking back now, he had already done most of the things he wanted to do.
As this thought arose, his Consciousness began to disintegrate bit by bit. It felt like he was going to die again.
As his Consciousness constantly faded, his past experiences also faded from his Consciousness. Only scattered images stubbornly remained in his Sea of Consciousness, refusing to dissipate – these were the Obsessions he was unwilling to let go of.
"I'm not resigned!"
A strong sense of unwillingness suddenly appeared in Zhao Li's Will, making him momentarily stunned. He clearly believed he had no regrets, so why was there still unwillingness?
Driven by intense curiosity, Zhao Li looked towards the Obsessions that refused to dissipate. Among the many faded memories, that bright light was particularly striking. He slowly approached, seeing his past and the desires deep within his heart.
There, he saw a supreme being fishing in the void. With each thought that arose and fell, Chaos churned, and the universe came into being and perished.
Looking at its face, it was clearly himself.
"Am I really this vulgar?"
Zhao Li was startled, then gave a self-mocking smile. So, the seemingly open-minded him was actually no different from others. What he pursued was this endless power.
Immediately after, he saw another him looking at him. Then, with a wave of his large hand, everything he truly desired appeared within...
"This..."
Zhao Li saw everything he craved: Eternal Life, being revered as the Master of a Dao; having a beautiful companion, living a carefree life; opening a new era, being praised by everyone...
All these things, like a joke, almost only existing in fantasy, were realized because of that great power. Even if it was a joke, it no longer seemed like one.
His Consciousness returned bit by bit, finally regaining clarity. Zhao Li finally knew what he was. It turned out he was a person, a Mortal who had embarked on the Cultivation Route and gone a little further. He also had desires!
"Since I'm not resigned, then I cannot give up! If I had that kind of great power, what would these things even count for?"
Since his life's only goal was to live without regret, how could he leave regrets at this moment?
If the sky broke, he would refine stones to mend it; if the sun was scorching, he would shoot it down; if he drowned in the East Sea, he would fill the East Sea; if disease was rampant, he would test medicine on himself and cure it; if floods came, he would dig rivers and canals to clear them...
Between the Heaven and Earth split open by an axe, there was Will filled with resistance everywhere...
These were clearly just stories he had heard as a child, but at this moment, they all surfaced in the depths of Zhao Li's Sea of Consciousness simultaneously, causing his disintegrating Soul to stop and slowly reassemble...
Belief is the manifestation of Will. As long as Zhao Li was unwilling to give up, none of this was over yet.
Outside, in the snow-covered Snow Mountain, two different colors dotted the landscape – they were Ye Yunsheng and Zhao Li.
At this time, the aura around both of them was abnormal. Sometimes it was so strong it was almost unfathomable, and at other times it was extremely weak, almost nonexistent.
Looking at their state, both had gained some insights and entered into Cultivation.
At a certain moment, a gray-white light suddenly appeared on Zhao Li's body. Immediately after, the Bone Chilling Flame spread from him, instantly enveloping his entire body.
And this time, the Bone Chilling Flame that appeared seemed somewhat different from before. The extreme cold and extreme heat within it had disappeared, replaced by the Two Extremes of Life and Death!
Life and death were clearly opposite, but at this moment, they were merging within the Bone Chilling Flame, with one in the other, and the other in the one, creating a strange harmony.
The Flame flickered, then returned to Zhao Li's body. He also opened his eyes, which seemed to hold the cycle of life and death.
"As expected, for living beings, the annihilation of Belief is the true destruction."
Zhao Li murmured in his heart. Just as he had guessed, when his Belief recondensed and he became a completely ordinary person, although his Soul still felt a sense of being overwhelmed, it hadn't disintegrated!
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