Chapter 54 The Foolish Old Man Moves the Mountain: The Eastern Shock
Meanwhile, in the world of gods, after defeating Bai Zhe, Dongfang Jingyun truly gained freedom. He became an ascetic wandering the world, solitary and persistent.
He had no fixed abode, no clear purpose, like a speck of dust drifting in the wind, carrying endless pain and despair. Every step he took was a rebellion against fate, yet every reopening of his wounds was proof that he drew closer to divinity.
Once, Dongfang Jingyun entered an abandoned mine, where a group of seriously ill miners lived. Their cloudy eyes reflected the desolation of time, their skin was cracked like ancient tree bark, and their breathing was heavy like the air before a flash flood. Disease and exhaustion had long since eroded their lives, leaving only silent breathing and shattered dreams.
Dongfang Jingyun stood before them, saying nothing, nor needing to. He gently extended his hand, like a seasoned healer, taking all the pain and despair into his own body.
Whenever his fingertips touched the tormented miners, their faces began to glow with a long-lost light; their pale complexions became vibrant, their hunched backs straightened, and they were reborn. Meanwhile, Dongfang Jingyun's body grew increasingly broken and battered—
His chest was ripped into countless pieces by the wounds, his limbs began to break like rotting wood, and blood seeped from the cracks, staining the earth red. The physical pain was almost unbearable, but his inner resolve kept him going without ever stopping.
Once, he walked into the darkest corner of the city, where former beggars lived in slums, their hair disheveled, their clothes tattered, and their eyes devoid of any hope. These were people whose lives had been swallowed up by the oppression and abandonment of society.
He approached their campfire and stood there quietly, his gaze fixed on those eyes filled with filth and helplessness. Without a word, he reached out to welcome those wandering, homeless souls—
The beggars' parched skin regained its elasticity, their blood flowed again, and their lifeless eyes shone with the light of life once more. Their bodies, which had been ravaged by hunger and cold, gradually regained their strength, and their former emaciated state gradually became fuller.
However, Dongfang Jingyun's body became increasingly mutilated. His spine resembled a rotten wooden pole, his limbs had long lost their former strength, his lips were as pale as withered leaves, and his eye sockets were sunken, as deep as an abyss.
But he didn't stop; his steps remained resolute, and his eyes shone with an inner fearlessness. He no longer cared about his broken body, because he knew that all this suffering was accumulating hope for the world.
Years later, Dongfang Jingyun returned to the land he once knew so well and recalled the night he castrated himself.
This place was once the family's place of glory, the site where generations of ancestors poured countless efforts into excavating the two mountains. Now, all of that has become dust of history. The family has disbanded because of him, and those who once fought desperately for their ancestral precepts are long gone.
Standing on this land, Dongfang Jingyun suddenly felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him. There was no pain in his heart, only a profound understanding and sense of liberation. He had once questioned, even resented, the story of Yu Gong. But now, he finally understood the true meaning of Yu Gong's story, and why this spirit had transcended millennia to become a legend passed down through generations.
The Foolish Old Man moved the mountain not for glory, nor for the benefit of his family, but for a greater goal—he was willing to sacrifice his own future for the happiness of others. His determination and sacrifice embody the greatest qualities of humanity—humanity's hymn is a hymn to courage.
Standing on the ruins of his ancestors' home, Dongfang Jingyun's gaze was sharp as a sword, his eyes not filled with nostalgia, but with a deep resolve. He knew that Yu Gong's mission was over, but his own mission had just begun.
Dongfang Jingyun sensed that a time that was exceptionally special to him had arrived.
At this moment, Dongfang Jingyun no longer looked at the two mountain peaks. What he saw was a much larger, more invisible entity—two colossal mountains that oppressed the human spirit, one named "Domination," the other "Exploitation." These two mountains far surpassed any natural mountain range, transcending time and space, heavily oppressing the lives of countless mortals. They were not merely material obstacles, but also spiritual shackles, insurmountable barriers, and suffocating darkness.
Dongfang Jingyun stood before the two illusory mountains, his eyes burning with fierce fire. He knew this was his true mission. Wangwu Mountain and Taihang Mountain were ultimately just fleeting clouds, while these colossal mountains were the true source of suffering in this world. "These mountains are not formed from soil and rocks, but from the endless desires, greed, cruelty, and fear in people's hearts."
Suddenly, Dongfang Jingyun laughed loudly, his laughter filled with arrogance and indescribable power. His body was no longer in complete form; his limbs were broken and his body was cracked, but the power surging from the depths of his marrow made his back stand even straighter.
"The mountains constantly inflict suffering, death and destruction, endless calamities and calamities. Watch as I collect them all. My power increases daily, while the mountains do not grow any larger. One day, I will be able to move these two great mountains to the ground!"
His words echoed in the air like thunder, piercing through the barriers of time and space. It seemed that the entire world was intimidated by his aura and had to retreat before him.
Amidst these earth-shattering words, Dongfang Jingyun felt his figure growing thinner and more blurred, almost losing its human form. But his eyes shone like stars, filled with an indelible brilliance.
At this moment, he is the embodiment of endless suffering, the redeemer of those once hopeless souls. He is the epitome of pain and suffering, bearing all the world's misery, becoming the sole witness to this pain and hope.
"Fate is truly fascinating," he murmured to himself. "My immortal name is actually 'The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains.'"
Dongfang Jingyun chuckled and shook his head, as if mocking, or as if he had already accepted this absurd cycle of fate, like Sisyphus. He took a step forward, with a vast expanse of sky and earth behind him, and two indescribable, towering mountains in front of him.
Dongfang Jingyun sails on the bitter sea, forging ahead without hesitation