I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 425: Chapter 144: The White Fox Repays Kindness

The path forward is severed, the Great Dao decays, the Laws age… Everything will ultimately be destroyed.

Zhou Heng fell silent upon hearing these words. He had not yet reached the realm of Celestial Man and thus could not comprehend this feeling, yet even just hearing about it gave him a chilling sensation.

However, he soon thought of something else and hurriedly asked, “If it’s said that during the Dark Era countless people believed that the apocalypse was imminent, then what was the situation in the Age of Saints that followed?”

In the Age of Saints, the Human Race flourished like never before, myriad laws emerged simultaneously, schools of thought stood in great numbers, and powerhouses were in abundance. Where was there any sign of an impending apocalypse?

“Just as a person has a final glow before death, so do heaven and earth.” Jiang Er shook his head and took a sip of tea. “The Middle Ancient was indeed prosperous and mighty, but in the end, it was merely the final splendor before the apocalypse.

“My master and various senior brothers and uncles also believed this. They didn’t give up because of it but instead planned to exert all their efforts to reverse the trend of the apocalypse, to delay or even prevent its arrival.”

“And the result?” Zhou Heng pressed on.

“Haven’t you seen it for yourself?” Jiang Er countered with a question.

“…” Zhou Heng was momentarily taken aback, then fell silent.

The meaning behind Jiang Er’s words was clear—the attempt of the Middle Ancient Saints to prevent the apocalypse resulted in three of them falling into madness, and after a great battle, the Saints perished, and civilization collapsed.

This led to the current era.

“Is that why you willingly became Jiang Er?” After a long silence, Zhou Heng addressed Jiang Tafa as a senior and inquired.

“There’s no such person as Jiang Tafa in this world anymore, only an old Jiang Er who’s content with waiting for death. You might as well call me Old Jiang,” Jiang Er said, shaking his fan and smiling nonchalantly.

“Mm.” Zhou Heng nodded and asked, “Do you know what exactly drove the three Saints of old to madness?”

He had initially thought that the madness of the Middle Ancient three Saints might have been related to the Evil Gods of other realms, but it now seemed that wasn’t the case.

Why would the attempt to stop the apocalypse result in bizarre madness? Was it due to despair or witnessing something inconceivable?

There was mostly some other secret behind it.

“I don’t know.” Jiang Er shook his head and said, “However, before the Dream Saint passed away, he had met with me once and said a few words to me.”

The Dream Saint was one of the three mad Saints, yet also the only one among the Saints of the great battle who survived. He was the one who spread the remnants of the many Middle Ancient traditions, preserving the spark of civilization.

“May you share those words with me?” Zhou Heng asked solemnly.

“You seem to be quite eager,” Jiang Er said with a light chuckle. “Actually, one should just let go. Ever since Heavenly Court fell and the Heavens collapsed, there has been no path above the Saintly realm. The Middle Ancient Saints were the pinnacle of cultivation.

“Even such nine eminent figures couldn’t avert the apocalypse and met with a fate where both their bodies and paths perished. How much can our insignificant cultivation achieve?”

“…” Zhou Heng was momentarily speechless. After a while, he shook his head and sighed, “Even though I know there’s no hope, I don’t want to just wait for death. I must at least try.”

After hearing Jiang Er’s words, an unprecedented sense of crisis suddenly surged in his heart.

If everything truly is going to be destroyed, at that time, will I be able to survive, to protect those around me and keep us alive?

This was the first thought that flashed through Zhou Heng’s mind.

The answer is obvious.

No.

He was far from having such power!

Until now, Zhou Heng had never truly experienced this feeling. No matter how powerful the enemy he faced, he always held some trump cards that could turn peril into safety.

But this time, facing this so-called “apocalypse,” he suddenly felt at a loss.

The apocalypse wasn’t an enemy at all.

How exactly was one supposed to fight against it?

Therefore, he hoped to find a path or, perhaps, some clues from Jiang Er.

For instance, the words of the Saint of Dreams.

Did they contain hidden clues for opposing the apocalypse?

“I knew that would be your attitude,” Jiang Er said with a bitter smile. “The Eastern Sea holds great secrets. That was the last sentence the Saint of Dreams told me, and the only one.”

“The Eastern Sea?” Zhou Heng’s brows furrowed slightly, as numerous pieces of information about the Eastern Sea flashed through his mind.

The Eastern Sea, distant from the Central Plains, was vast and boundless, with numerous nations established, countless great demons, and Loose Immortal residing there. Even the organization of Loose Immortals who aimed to revive the Thirty-Six Gods, the Thirty-Six Heavens, was located in the Eastern Sea.

Indeed, it was not an ordinary place.

“Once I’ve cultivated my Dharma Body, I will take a trip to the Eastern Sea,” Zhou Heng nodded and said, “Thank you, Old Jiang.”

“A Dharma Body, the pinnacle of great grandmasters. If an ordinary cultivator said this, I’d surely think they were courting death,” Jiang Er chuckled. “But Master Zhou, your strength is extraordinary. Perhaps you really could uncover something.

“However, the Eastern Sea is perilous, with numerous demons and Loose Immortals. If Master Zhou really intends to go, I suggest not going alone. It would be best to find one or two Celestial Men to assist you,” he added.

“Mm, we can make plans for this when the time comes,” Zhou Heng nodded, then stood up and bowed in thanks, “Thank you, Old Jiang.”

“Heh, there’s no need for thanks, Master Zhou,” Jiang Er replied, shaking his fan as he, too, rose to his feet with a smile. “All I ask is that you speak to Manager Yu and ask for a raise for this old man.”

“Ah, this…” Zhou Heng didn’t expect Jiang Er to shift the topic to this all of a sudden, and after a brief pause, he smiled and nodded, “Alright, rest assured, Old Jiang.”

…

When Zhou Heng left Jiang Er’s house, it was already the latter half of the night.

The moonlight was desolate, with a touch of chill.

He walked along the quiet streets, heading toward his own residence, feeling inexplicably downcast in his heart.

The apocalypse was approaching!

Although this “approaching” might still be thousands of years away in actual time, it invariably gave Zhou Heng a sense of urgency to become stronger rapidly.

Yet cultivation was not something that allowed one to ascend to the heavens in a single step. His Five Virtue Dharma Phase was now complete, but he still lacked understanding and experience of the Five Fortune. He only had a slight involvement with fortune due to the Celestial Men’s fate-watching technique, but he was far from achieving anything substantial.

Therefore, the cultivation of the Five Virtue Five Fortune Dharma Body was still a distant dream.

Before he knew it, Zhou Heng had arrived at the gate of his residence, but he didn’t push the door to enter. Instead, he stopped in front of it, his gaze turning towards a wisp of green smoke hidden in the night not far away.

“Come out,” Zhou Heng said indifferently.

“The insight of the immortal is truly extraordinary,” came a gentle female voice as the wisp of green smoke slightly shivered and transformed into a beautiful young woman in white clothes. It was none other than Yu He’s wife, Bai Husheng.

“I pay my respects to the immortal,” Bai Husheng said with a graceful bow, her expression full of utmost reverence.@@novelbin@@

“What brings you here?” Zhou Heng inquired.

“The immortal’s execution of Yu Que the Immortal was a display of awe-inspiring divine might, and it also resolved a crisis of life and death for this little demon. I have come to offer thanks,” Bai Husheng said with utmost respect. “Your divine skills are vast and powerful, and common objects would surely not catch your eye. Therefore, this little demon wishes to present the ‘Fortune Pearl’ passed down in my clan to express my gratitude to the immortal.”