The Path Toward Heaven

“We’re like this to begin with,” said Jing Jiu.

The girl said expressionlessly, “In order to obtain my approval, you’re willing to give up on your former denial and admit that you’re not human.”

It was evident that she had read the novel “The Path toward Heaven.”

“Given that I can become a god, why would I want to be a human?” replied Jing Jiu meaningfully.

“That is just someone else’s opinion; it doesn’t mean I agree with it.”

The corners of her mouth curled up again in a flashing smile.

The smile looked a bit mechanical, which is what made it a little eerie.

Jing Jiu lifted up his head and looked at the small snowflakes falling, and said, “I don’t care.”

As he looked up, the hoodie of the blue tracksuit fell down, exposing his face with a few fallen snowflakes on it.

He had never been a god, but he had played a role similar to one.

In the eyes of the Cultivation practitioners in Chaotian and the mortals, the Immortal Jing Yang was indeed a god.

“Since you don’t care about it, why come to the Main Planet and do those things in an effort to meet me?” demanded the girl.

Jing Jiu said, “It’s because becoming a new god can help me achieve my goal, or in other words, it’s a means to an end.”

“Do you intend to use me?” the girl pressed.

Jing Jiu returned, “It’s always beneficial to make use of things.”

This was a meaningful statement as well.

The emphasis was on “things”.

The girl didn’t feel offended. “What is your goal then?” she demanded nonchalantly.

Jing Jiu pulled back his line of sight and looked at the snow-white, mechanical face, saying, “Cultivation, of course.”

The girl prodded, “You cultivated in Chaotian for the purpose of ascending, but you’re here now; why do you still want to cultivate?”

“Ascending is done for the purpose of coming out; cultivating is done for the purpose of existing.”

This answer was the same as what he said in the illusory realm of the Green Sky Mirror.

The girl said, “The photons at lower speed are probably what you people need for fairy energy, which can make you more powerful; it has nothing to do with the existence of the thing in and of itself.”

“I don’t think this world is a thing in and of itself,” returned Jing Jiu.

“There is no space outside of space; there is no time outside of time.”

The girl went on softly, “This world has been and will be the same from the beginning of time till the end of it.”

“What about the Sea of Dark Matter?” asked Jing Jiu.

The girl said, “The overflow of dark matter is due to the tear in the space of the lower dimension, but the dark world is still a part of this world.”

The snowflakes landed on the surface of the hot spring water and vanished without a trace in an instant. However, the snowflakes that landed on the two of them didn’t melt, a shadowy layer of accumulated snow staying on their shoulders.

The snowflakes made no sound no matter where they landed. The courtyard was exceedingly tranquil, the slightly cold wind conveying a sense of despair and apathy.

After a long while, Jing Jiu finally responded.

“I don’t think that time has an end and that existence is meaningless.”

…

…

The girl picked up the amber-colored spirit and stared at it for a long time before saying, “Shen Yunmai came to see me the first time when he was five years old; he said exactly what you did.”

Jing Jiu brought back his feet from the hot spring and stepped on the floor steadily.

“He came again when he was eighteen years old and sat on this spot the whole night. Then he cried in agony and became the way he is now,” the girl continued.

Jing Jiu could understand that feeling of despair.

As endless as the universe is, it has a beginning and an end.

It is insensible for the universe to begin, and so the end of it…means that everything is insensible. As such, the existence of oneself and everything else is meaningless.

“Do you like that child?” asked Jing Jiu.

“I like anyone who likes using their brains and is capable of thinking.”

Then, the girl suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you kill him?”

Jing Jiu replied, “I didn’t do it probably because the way he mulls over these matters is similar to what I do.”

“If you couldn’t kill him, how can I trust you?”

The girl stared at his eyes and continued nonchalantly, “It’s not enough to have killed those soldiers on that battleship and the Immortal Chi Song.”

Jing Jiu returned, “As you know, I’m different from the other cocoon breakers; I’m not ambitious like them. This is not a scheme.”

“A long, long time ago, a cocoon breaker, who should have come from the same place as you, declined the recruitment of the cocoon breakers of the previous generations and even helped me kill many people.”

The girl went on, “In fact, he simply attempted to get my recognition by doing so and to control me later on, but I discovered his intentions.”

“And?” prompted Jing Jiu.

The girl didn’t give a response but said, “If you want to gain my trust, you have to bring me a head, be it Shen Yunmai’s or General Li’s.”

“I had such an idea in the beginning.”

Jing Jiu went on, “But at the last moment, it suddenly struck me that there is no need for me to gain your recognition.”

The girl said, “You don’t like the way those cocoon breakers act in this world, and you have already become their enemy…at least on the surface. In addition, according to what you told me, you need this civilization to help you achieve your goal.”

“But your civilization also needs me to help you resist the control of those ascendants,” said Jing Jiu. “To put it more precisely, you need me to ensure your independence.”

The girl set down the wine cup gently. As she did this, the snowflakes fell down from her bathing robe, exposing the small embroidered flowers on it.

This was the truth.

The snowflakes landed on the ground soundlessly, disappearing instantly like the catkins dropping into the water.

The courtyard grew deathly quiet.

He looked at the snowflakes falling down from the sky.

She looked at the snowflakes dropping into the lake.

The two of them sat across from each other silently.

Time went by slowly.

The warm mist above the lake had gradually dissipated.

The natural light had changed colors.

A long time had passed.

“Come have a drink when you have time,” said the girl.

Jing Jiu agreed and got up to walk toward the outside of the courtyard.

…

…

The courtyard with a hot spring was situated in the mountain, outside of which there was a river. The remaining city of the distant ancient civilization was located right by the river. A large lake full of fog was on the other side of the city. The real world was on the other side of the fog. The buildings scattered by the lake conveyed a sense of history, and those important figures among the buildings were a part of the history.

Looking at the fog on the lake, these important figures felt a bit nervous or were experiencing complicated emotions.

That One was the most mysterious person in this world, and nobody had ever seen her true appearance. Could Jing Jiu see her in person?

What would be the outcome of today’s talk?

As the thick fog suddenly started to part, a fishing boat came out from it.

Dozens of gazes followed the boat to the lakeshore and to the youth in the blue tracksuit with a hoodie.

Jing Jiu didn’t pay any attention to them. He headed toward the silvery spacecraft with a streamline in the distance.

Ran Handong shot her father a glance and hurried to catch up to Jing Jiu.

The cold wind was whistling, tousling the grass crumbs by the lake, as the spacecraft flew up into the sky. Soon after, the spacecraft disappeared into the snowy layer of the high sky.

Seeing this, those important figures were startled, wondering how he had left like this.

“Brother Donglou, what is going on?”

The head of an important clan came next to General Ran and asked, “What is the outcome then?”

“Everything is undetermined if there is no outcome.”

Ran Donglou said this expressionlessly. Then, he looked at the councilor who walked over with the head of a clan and said, “We’ll do whatever we must.”

“Is it still useful?” the councilor returned while raising his eyebrows.

“That novel, those documents, and this game are all a coincidence.”

Ran Donglou went on, “The coincidence is sometimes tantamount to fate, even if it is temporary.”

The councilor remained silent while the head of the clan raised his eyebrows a few times. It was evident that the two of them didn’t agree with the statement.

Looking at the other councilors and the important figures in the military nearby, Ran Donglou asked expressionlessly, “What are their thoughts?”

“They can’t understand it,” said the head of a clan without hesitation. “The military has been a bit too forceful lately, but the situation is still controllable. However, because of the arrival of that person, we have to choose sides now…They can’t understand it, nor can I. The news from the praying hall is less than believable, to many.”

God was a concept beyond the understanding of regular people.

Who was the youth in the blue tracksuit then?

The praying hall and the government had secured the mansion so well that nobody could approach Jing Jiu, let alone find information. Neither the head of a clan or the other important figures knew the background of Jing Jiu. Why would they take so much risk to disrupt the peace in the Federation of the Milky Way for this person?

The councilor couldn’t figure it out even though he knew a little bit about the story on the Stargate Base.

“I don’t know his identity, nor the meaning of that novel, but I know that the game will be promoted pretty soon.”

“We’ll pay close attention to what reaction he will have, and most importantly to the reactions of the people who have entered the game. And collect all the data,” said Ran Donglou while looking at the silvery spacecraft disappearing into the deep part of the snowy clouds. “It’s the best chance to learn the merits and shortcomings of those people.”

“The Young Master Shen promised not to bother him for sixty days. Fifty days are left for the promise; and a few days later…the Cloudy Battleship will arrive on the Main Planet.”

The head of a clan remarked with furrowed brows, “If he dies as a result, what we’ve done will be meaningless.”