Novel Full Chapter 2351 - The True Meaning of Life
Chapter 2351 – The True Meaning of Life
The Book of Legends!
This taboo treasure made Su Yi recall something that had happened back in the Human Realm.
There, he ran into someone who called himself the Illusionist. He could create and control visions of the living creatures that had once inhabited that ruined world.
It was actually rather similar to the Book of Legends.
The difference was that the Book of Legends was far more terrifying; it was a treasure born of the River of Destiny, and it violated a taboo.
“There’s no real secret to defeating the Book of Legends. You just have to fight head-on,” said the heart devil. “Its main flaw is that book spirits can only appear for fifteen minutes.
“After fifteen minutes, they vanish back into the Book of Legends, and you have to wait nine days before using them again.
“But this flaw doesn’t matter at all, because the Book of Legends isn’t limited to just one book soul. There’s nothing stopping the user from switching them out or sending in new ones after one runs out.
“Fifteen minutes might not sound like a long time, but in a battle between experts, an instant is enough to determine victory and defeat. Fifteen minutes… is already plenty of time.”
When Su Yi heard that, he couldn’t help but be rueful. The Book of Legends really was a wondrous killer weapon.
“Does tearing pages out of the book have an impact on it?” asked Su Yi.
“Of course it does,” said the heart devil. “Torn out pages are like plucked leaves. Once removed, a page can only be used nine times before it withers away completely.
“The Book of Legends itself isn’t affected much. At most it loses a portion of its source power.”
That made perfect sense to Su Yi.
“Earlier, the guy controlling the Book of Legends only sent ‘Liuxiang Hen’ into battle. Does that mean he doesn’t have any other book souls yet? Or if he did, why didn’t he use them?” Su Yi sank into thought. “Also, just who is the owner of the book, anyway?
“He managed to turn the recently deceased Liuxiang Hen into a book soul, so he must have gotten his hands on one of Liuxiang Hen’s belongings.
“But he didn’t ask any of Liuxiang Hen’s friends for help. There are only two possible explanations for that. Either he wants to monopolize my treasures and good fortune, or he isn’t working with Master God Yun He and the rest of Liuxiang Hen’s old allies!
“Still, I can’t discount the possibility of him using Liuxiang Hen’s connections to stir up waves later.”
As he pondered, the heart devil said suddenly, “Going forward, we can cooperate like this more often. I’ll help you resolve your crises, and we both can benefit.
“It might seem like we’re on opposite sides, but only such a cooperation can truly be called ‘balanced’! What do you say?”
Su Yi was stunned, then startled out of his scattered thoughts. He pondered briefly, then vaguely grasped what his first incarnation’s heart devil was after. What cooperation? What balance? He really just wants me to grow dependent on him in moments of crisis. He wants me to beg for his help!
But Su Yi didn’t refuse outright. He said casually, “We can work together, but if anything happens, it’s up to me to decide whether we cooperate or not.”
The heart devil burst into laughter. “I can see you’re on guard against me, yet you’ve still chosen to play with fire. Aren’t you afraid you’ll burn yourself?”
He was effectively voicing Su Yi’s thoughts out loud.
Su Yi laughed and said calmly, “You’re the whetstone my first incarnation left for me. How are you supposed to sharpen my edge if I don’t give you the opportunity?
“If I remained on guard at every turn just because I’m afraid of you, you’d cast a shadow over my fearless Dao Heart. Wouldn’t that in turn be giving you what you want?”
The heart devil fell silent.
Su Yi continued, “I said it a long time ago. Whether it’s a battle of the heart or a direct confrontation, I’ve never been afraid of anything.”
Just as he was about to put the sheath away, the heart devil sighed, “For the first time, I find myself… actually admiring you a little.”
Su Yi was stunned. However, the heart devil had gone dormant and said no more to him.
It won’t be too late if you admire me after I’ve dominated you and put you to work toward my own ends, thought Su Yi.
Then, he used the power of reincarnation to reseal the rusted sheath and store it in his Sea of Chaos.
Once he’d finished, he calmed his heart and sat down to meditate. The prior battle had left him badly injured. He needed to recover as soon as possible.
All the while, he was pondering what the owner of the Book of Legends would do if he attacked again, what kind of opening he would look for, and what methods he would use…
There was nothing for it. The Book of Legends was just too strange and terrifying. If at all possible, Su Yi wanted to claim it for his own!
……
Half a month later.
The Endless Ocean was at the easternmost edge of the Southern Flame Divine Continent.
It got its name because its waters seemed endless.
In truth, no one in all the time since the earliest days of the God Domain’s history had ever measured the Endless Ocean, and no one knew where its far shore was.
The reason for this was simple. The further in you went, the more dangerous the Endless Ocean was.
Even Nine-Tribulation Master Gods who tried to find the other side would return home in defeat or lose their lives in the attempt.
The Endless Ocean was the most chaotic place in the Southern Flame Divine Continent. There was no law and order here to speak of.
Even the top factions of the Endless Ocean only controlled part of it.
It was precisely because the Endless Ocean was so boundlessly vast that the world’s heretical cultivators and criminals saw it as the safest possible place to seek refuge.
It was tumultuous, chaotic, and dangerous.
But it was also home to endless opportunities, strange lifeforms, and rare treasures unique to these waters and practically impossible to find in the outside world.
Explorers came here from all across the God Domain year-round, forming groups and searching the Endless Ocean for opportunities.
Of course, there were also numerous trading companies with branches here.
The shores of the Boundless Ocean were dotted with cities as numerous as the stars in the hall, as well as countless markets.
A massive tower ship was currently flying over the Endless Ocean along a predetermined route. It was on its way to Seven-Star City.
Seven-Star City was one of the most prosperous cities on the shoreline, and it was home to Seven-Star Market, one of the Five Great Markets of the Endless Ocean.
They said that in Seven-Star City, you could buy all sorts of treasures that were only found in the Endless Ocean.
Even Master Gods who went there could find resources sufficient to fuel their cultivation.
The city was so prosperous that it was famous throughout the Southern Flame Divine Continent.
“Rest assured. Seven-Star City is backed by Spirit Vessel Yao Court. Over the years, anyone who caused trouble in city bounds has met with a grisly end.”
“It’s true. With Spirit Vessel Yao Court here, even the most heinous of offenders will behave themselves.”
“I heard that numerous prominent factions, Spirit Vessel Yao Court included, will jointly host a Sunset Perch Dao Assembly. I just don’t know if it’s true or not.”
“I heard about that too, but it’s still just a rumor. Those top factions’ lips are tightly sealed. No further details have leaked whatsoever.”
“I don’t know what they’re trying to do with this Sunset Perch Dao Assembly, or why they’re being so mysterious about it all.”
…The tower ship was massive and outfitted with all manner of shops.
In one of its restaurants, diners chatted as they ate, the sound of discussion neverending.
Su Yi sat near the window, peering at the blue skies through the window lattice. From time to time, salty ocean winds blew in, but it was subtle enough not to be unpleasant.
A child who looked about five or six sat there, holding a black umbrella.
Those who didn’t recognize the River Child would never have guessed how terrifying of an existence he was.
The umbrella was closed, so it wasn’t particularly eye-catching, either.
“Your Excellency, what are we going to Seven-Star City for?” the River Child asked curiously.
“I have an appointment to keep,” Su Yi said distractedly.
“Oh,” said the River Child. He was like a curious child, full of endless questions. “Then why not go there directly? Why bother taking this tower ship?”
The tower ship was full of people of all stripes. There were over ten thousand passengers, most headed to Seven-Star Island to do business.
But there were plenty of ordinary passengers too.
The tower ship was good in almost every way, but it was a bit slow. Three days had already passed since they’d arrived in the Endless Ocean, but they were still less than halfway to their destination.
The River Child found it awfully dull.
“People can’t spend their whole lives rushing to and fro,” Su Yi said casually. “The same is true of cultivation. If you stubbornly rush to your goal, you’ll overlook the scenery along the way.
“Whether you’re an ordinary mortal or a cultivator, our journey begins with birth and ends in death. Life in the journey in between.
“But there’s different ways to live. Some people live in a constant flurry of activity, always rushing about and toiling, yet they never find a way out.
“Others live like shooting stars. Although they’re gone in the blink of an eye, they at least illuminate the sky once before they go.”
“It’s not that some lives are better or more worthwhile; it’s all part of the diversity of human life.
“That’s true for gods too, isn’t it? The only difference is that we live a while longer.”
The River Child was deeply touched. “It’s true. When I was trapped in the Ruins of Supreme Emergence, my life was worse than death. No, I couldn’t die even if I wanted to. It might have seemed like I had endless longevity, but living like that was sheer torment!
He paused, then said curiously, “What about you, Your Excellency?”
Su Yi drank a cup of wine, then said, “The true meaning of life is living it. It’s enough to live in a way that suits you. What you’re seeing now is the way I live my life.”
The River Child sighed with admiration. “Your words are full of deeper meaning. You’ve grasped the true meaning of the lives of the masses!”
He’d only just said this when a woman teased, “Haha! Look at you! You’re so young, yet you’re already so adept at flattery!”
The River Child frowned, then gazed at a nearby table in displeasure.
Two people were seated there. The first was a scholarly middle-aged man in worn-out Confucian robes. He looked pallid and sickly.
The other was a lively young woman in red. Her skin was fair, and she was movingly beautiful. Her eyes sparkled like stars.
She was looking directly at the River Child, smiling so brightly that her beautiful eyes narrowed into crescent moons.