Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

Chapter 2347 Raw 2454 : Those Who Overly Invest Their Feelings Are Left with Only Regrets

“Tell me, what is the Sky Dome Immortal Lord’s final wish? I, Xiao Chen, will accomplish it for him.”

After saying this, Xiao Chen knew that the demonic thoughts in his heart had already scattered.

When he demonized earlier, he was conscious of everything that happened. It was just that the demonic thoughts were too deep. After he demonized, his thoughts completely changed.

After one demonized and abandoned the self that one guarded for a long time, one’s strength would skyrocket with the abandonment of one’s limits.

However, that was just a short-term improvement. The negative emotions that followed would linger for a long time, forming new limits.

Many Martial Dao experts demonized because they could not break through their limits after a long time. Their obsessions were too deep, and they ended up taking a risk out of desperation, losing themselves to power and strength.

While their strength soared remarkably in the short term, in reality, they became slaves to power and strength, falling into a deep abyss forever.

However, some people in history managed to reach the Dao after demonizing. After demonizing, they took a different approach and successfully controlled their demonic thoughts. One such person was the Buddhist sect’s Kāśyapa Buddha.

Xiao Chen had faced the danger of demonizing many times already. However, he had managed to preserve his heart and character in the end.

However, realizing that he was just the Sky Dome Immortal Lord’s “pawn” when he saw the Sky Dome Immortal Lord’s grave had been too monstrous of a shock. He had felt that he was just living in another person’s shadow. He had lost all hope, and that allowed the demonic thoughts to take advantage.

Fortunately, Xi Wangmu reminded Xiao Chen at a crucial moment.

After this experience of demonizing, he gained a new understanding of himself, eliminating the greatest weakness in the depths of his heart.

To others, Xiao Chen possessed great talent and always remained calm and collected, even more horrifying than a demonic genius.

However, his heart had always contained a secret that he could not tell anyone.

Xiao Chen was not a person of this world. He came from the distant Earth, originally just a somewhat introverted shut-in.

Sometimes, he even wondered whether he obtained his current glory and strength only because of that miraculous “Immortal Pill.”

Without that Immortal Pill, would Xiao Chen have failed to attain his current accomplishments, unable to become the White Robed Bladesman that others saw?

This would become an obstruction for his heart for the Martial Dao, the ultimate weakness. He even did not dare to think about it, forgetting about it for a long time already.

However, just because he did not think about it did not mean that it did not exist. Facts remained facts.

That was why Xiao Chen had such a big reaction when he saw the Sky Dome Immortal Lord’s grave and heard what Xi Wangmu said.

That was why Xiao Chen lost all self-esteem and hope.

It was like the panic and embarrassment of a successful person whose unsavory past got exposed in public.

However, Xiao Chen now gained a new understanding of himself, which addressed his mental state’s greatest weakness.

“Xi Wangmu, thank you,” Xiao Chen said sincerely as he looked at the magnificent and beautiful Xi Wangmu, who looked like a model of the phoenixes in the world.

[TL Note: For the Chinese, they would call talented and beautiful women phoenixes. Males would be known as dragons.]

If not for her, Xiao Chen might still be hiding, not daring to face the cause sowed by the Sky Dome Immortal Lord.

Xi Wangmu replied calmly, “This is how humans are. Many times, they just cannot clear the stage of themself. Once they cleared it, they would realize that the thing they feared was nothing much, not as terrifying as they thought.”

“I understand.”

Xiao Chen performed a cupped-fist salute and bowed. His eyes appeared like a pool of water in autumn, showing faint ripples, calm and serene.

This gave the impression of peace, quiet, and transcendence. He seemed to have gained new life, undergoing a complete transformation.

Xi Wangmu looked at Xiao Chen, appearing distracted. Then, she sighed, “He did have a very deep final wish he obsessed over. I believe that he could not even forgive himself at the point of his death.”

“What is the final wish?”

“He once had the opportunity to become the new Epoch Master. However, he ended up miserably defeated because of his own conceit.”

“Who did he lose to?”

Xi Wangmu shook her head and said, “I do not know. I only know that after that battle, he changed completely. He said nothing in the face of the changing of epochs, completely drowned in negativity and helplessness. Given his character, he should rather die after the defeat, not choosing to live. However, not only did he live, but he also laid a grand plan, inheriting another person’s karma to come to the Martial Epoch. He must have felt unresigned in his heart.”

Xiao Chen pondered this. It looked like Xi Wangmu was not clear on the grand plan that the Sky Dome Immortal Lord laid.

“Although he did not say it, I can make a rough guess. He swept his way through the three realms; even the Immortal Epoch’s Epoch Master was not his match. He must have felt very unresigned over his defeat.”

Xi Wangmu made her guess according to her understanding of the Sky Dome Immortal Lord.

Xiao Chen thought to himself, Xi Wangmu’s guess should be more or less correct, given that he was a proud person.

Putting aside this matter, Xiao Chen asked, “What is the message he wanted you to pass on to me?”

“Whoosh!”

An item appeared in Xi Wangmu’s hands. It was a dim light ball. From the light ball’s silhouette, it vaguely felt like an extremely ancient talisman script that contained a certain supreme law.

It was probably once bright, with the world’s laws written on it, the Dao and rules that everyone needed to follow.

“What is this?”

Although the item was already dim, Xiao Chen could sense the unfathomable and strange power of the laws it possessed.

“This is an Epoch Heart. More precisely, it is the Immortal Epoch’s Epoch Heart. Back then, the Immortal Dao’s Epoch Master used his supreme power to write an ‘Immortal’ character. Hence, the Immortal Epoch started and birthed thousands of laws, Dao, and rules.”

It was the character for Immortal. The Immortal Epoch started because of this Epoch Heart.

Xi Wangmu slowly explained the origins of this item, greatly shocking Xiao Chen.

To think that the previously glorious and vast Immortal Epoch started from this item.

“I am very curious. How is a new epoch started? What kind of person is qualified to start the new epoch? Why was it the Immortal Epoch that started after the previous epoch ended and not another epoch?”

Although Xiao Chen felt shocked, many questions also filled his heart. He looked at Xi Wangmu in confusion.

After some thought, Xi Wangmu explained, “When the epoch is destroyed, anyone can form a new Epoch Heart, using their own comprehensions to start the new epoch. However, only one Epoch Heart can eventually take root and continuously develop the Dao and laws. The person that formed that Epoch Heart would be the true new Epoch Master.”

Xiao Chen showed an enlightened expression. So, that is the case.

Anyone could form a new Epoch Heart. However, the formed Epoch Hearts varied in strength.

The strong would compete among themselves, like how hundreds of clans would fight for supremacy.

The victor would rule the new epoch. The laws of the world would materialize according to that person’s comprehension of the Dao and laws.

“He wanted me to hand this Immortal Dao’s Epoch Heart to you when I met you.”

Xi Wangmu gently extended her hands. Then, the Immortal Dao’s Epoch Heart slowly flew towards Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen carefully received the Immortal Dao’s Epoch Heart. However, he did not understand what the Sky Dome Immortal Lord meant by this.

This was an Epoch Heart of an epoch that had already passed. Could it be that the Sky Dome Immortal Lord wanted him to bring back the Immortal Epoch?

“The entire Immortal Epoch—from its birth to its glory to its fall—are all contained in it. If you want to start a new epoch in the future, it should be of help,” Xi Wangmu explained softly when she saw Xiao Chen’s confused expression.

“Alright. I’ll keep it. Can you send me out?”

He gravely put away the Immortal Dao’s Epoch Heart as he looked at Xi Wangmu.

Xiao Chen still felt worried for Xiao Suo, Hao Kai, and the others. He wondered how they were doing. He also did not know what state the Ethereal Immortal Palace was in right now.

The commotion that this succession race caused had already burgeoned out of control.

Xiao Chen needed to go out as soon as he could. If he was a little late, he might miss the crucial moment.

Xi Wangmu replied indifferently, “I’m afraid that I can’t.”

“Why?”

When Xiao Chen heard this, his expression changed drastically. Right now, his body’s lifeforce was slowly ebbing away. If he still did not go out, he might die here.

Xi Wangmu floated gently and landed by Xiao Chen’s side. Then, she headed forward.

Xiao Chen looked at the other party’s departing figure, hesitating for a moment before following.

Xi Wangmu showed a reminiscing expression on her face as she muttered, “I did not want my body to be destroyed after the epoch changed. I also did not want to fall like the other Immortals, growing old and losing their beauty, gaining a face full of wrinkles and living like old people.”

“Hence, this Immortal Burial Lake? You preferred to die at the bottom of the lake with your beauty preserved and your body becoming eternal?”

Xiao Chen felt somewhat sorrowful when he heard this. It was hard to imagine Xi Wangmu, an absolute beauty, aged and covered with wrinkles.

“Indeed, so I begged him to build me an Immortal Burial Lake. When I knew that there was no avoiding the change in epochs, I jumped in without hesitating.”

Xi Wangmu revealed a gentle smile and said, “He told me to leave behind an inextinguishable strand of my soul. He also said that he would return. At that time, if he could get out, it would be an opportunity for him. If he could not get out, he would remain to accompany me at the lake bottom, buried together with me.”

Xiao Chen felt some pity as he looked at Xi Wangmu’s smile.

At this moment, the other party was not the aloof Xi Wangmu, who was the model for all phoenixes in the world. She was only a woman in love.

She must have had the same smile when she jumped into Immortal Burial Lake back then.

Initially, she had probably been full of boundless grief and sorrow. However, she showed a sincere smile because of a promise, jumping into Immortal Burial Lake without hesitation.

However...

The Sky Dome Immortal Lord had lied to her. In the end, he did not come. It was Xiao Chen who came. As for the Sky Dome Immortal Lord, all that remained was a lone grave. Hence, Xi Wangmu knelt in front of the grave and cried.

Xi Wangmu had waited for many millennia, but all that arrived was a grave and the realization of the Sky Dome Immortal Lord’s lie.

The so-called opportunity if he could get out was an opportunity for Xiao Chen. If Xiao Chen could not get out, then the one remaining behind would be Xiao Chen. From the start to the end, it was not him, the Sky Dome Immortal Lord.

[TL Note: The chapter title can be literally translated as “Since the ancient times, when many emotions empty out, only hatred remains.” This is the first part of a poem. However, this line should not be taken literally, hence the current chapter title. It kind of has a similar meaning to “the higher one goes, the harder one falls.” It warns against overinvesting your emotions.]