All physical sensations here were truly no different from when one was awake.
Li Dingxun didn't know how to describe this period of time.
There was a vast amount of meaningless repetition, but the pain was prolonged and profound; even as the memories faded, this suppressed throbbing lingered in his heart.
His legs and feet had gone numb at some point; searching his memory, it had been tens of millions of steps ago, and he had somewhat forgotten.
Li Dingxun wanted to stop.
With this thought of stopping, his body still continued forward for thousands of steps, then gradually slowed down.
He stood.
His feet were covered by a thick, petrified layer of mud; Li Dingxun bent down and smashed the stones with a few punches.
He caught his breath and surveyed his surroundings for the second time.
The first time was upon entering, the second was upon stopping. He hadn't shifted his gaze an inch in between.
They say strike while the iron is hot; Li Dingxun had lost his momentum, and weariness washed over him.
Let's adjust, he told himself.
The surrounding scenery seemed to disregard time and space; no matter how far or how long he walked, everything maintained that desolate style. There were many different terrains in between, high mountains and deep valleys, all of which he had traversed stiffly.
Li Dingxun wasn't afraid to live in such a terrifying region; after all, he couldn't die.
After prolonged physical torment, Li Dingxun lost hunger, melancholy, depression, greed, and impulsiveness—these emotions that the physical body brought to the spirit.
Within this heavy body, Li Dingxun felt there was another set of 'bones' directing and supporting the movement of matter.
Is it the soul? He couldn't be sure.
This inner being undoubtedly had a more direct influence on his emotions; sometimes it moved out of sync with his body, either rushing ahead or falling a few steps behind, and then the world's chill would seep into his mind through its senses.
This world.
Li Dingxun gazed intently, minute by minute, at this sorrowful and gloomy world.
Countless eyeballs, with various colors, and the luster overflowing from their surfaces, seemed like the sweat seeping from the pores of some ethereal creature.
Some kind of evil secretion.
Everything here, besides its literal meaning, also held symbolic significance. He needed to discern the patterns behind this facade.
Li Dingxun stared at the omnipresent eyes, just as they continuously stared back at Li Dingxun.
The trillions of eyeballs he had passed were all different. Each had tiny variations.
Where did they come from?
Perhaps they were the eyes of all living beings under heaven.
Some had constricted pupils, others dilated; if he looked long enough, he seemed to be able to discern their thoughts.
Every single one was a malevolent curse against the living. This emotion was like a fossil, dead, rigid, ancient.
The malice of this world was almost tangible, entirely composed of malice, entirely for the purpose of eroding good and destroying life. Even the inherent terror was dead. It embodied a certain ultimate destiny.
Li Dingxun understood that he had to find 'life' here.
The world is a cycle, endlessly recurring; only with opposition can there be change, so there must be a way to break free here.
However, instead of seeking in the vast universe, it was better to seek within himself.
Li Dingxun sat cross-legged, and three long rainbows lit up within his body.
Immediately after.
The Root Chakra lit up, signifying pure intention.
The Sacral Chakra lit up, signifying the pursuit of true knowledge.
The Navel Chakra lit up, signifying the defense of the righteous path.
The Illusion Sea lit up, signifying the attainment of empty self-awareness.
The Heart Chakra lit up, signifying the embrace of benevolence.
The Throat Chakra lit up, signifying desireless unity.
The Third Eye Chakra lit up, signifying detachment from self-clinging.
Six of the Three Channels and Seven Chakras were already complete.
Only the most mysterious Crown Chakra remained.
Li Dingxun exhaled the last breath from his lungs, his thoughts sinking, his inner being rising.
Each broke through its obstacles.
Divine Stage One, Supreme Yoga Method.
The Crown Chakra lit up.
Supreme self-awareness, the union of Brahman and Atman.
It was not enough.
Burning everything, Li Dingxun transformed himself into a white candle, a sun, allowing his existence to become light, rapidly expanding.
Surpassing Divine Stage One!
In an instant, immeasurable light was released from this sun, and countless eyes closed, like stars pouring into the chalice of dawn.
Light was the flame, the world was a scroll.
The muddy ground receded like a retreating tide, the water level falling back, just as the black mud dissipated.
The world beneath the world.
Li Dingxun fell into it.
...
A surging white sea, the origin of all time, space, and existence.
Li Dingxun turned his head; he had burst forth from a gray, heart-like sphere.
That dark heart did not intend to let him go; its blood vessels, extending into the boundless infinite, pursued Li Dingxun like tentacles, intending to engulf him once again.
And what could Li Dingxun do?
He could do nothing.
As a candle, he had burned too fiercely, so much so that his body, or rather his existence, was now extremely fragmented, with only a head remaining.
The blood vessels lashed out, about to strike Li Dingxun, when at that moment, an epiphyllum flew out from his glabella.
Its petals, luxuriant as if concealing a beautiful world of spirits, enveloped Li Dingxun's head, and all harm was resisted by the outer, tender petals.
Li Dingxun was lost in thought.
Something was churning in his heart.
"Namo..."
"Homage to..."
"...Bodhisattva!"
Bodhisattva!
...
Deep in the silent sea.
A place without light, a realm of immense pressure.
Strange fish wandered everywhere.
A fin whale dived down, opening its mouth to feed.
Behind it, there were dozens more large whales.
These elegant, colossal creatures, everywhere they went, displayed a quality, a presence, and a predatory violence that transcended mundane concepts. Yet, these contrasted sharply with the languid manner they exhibited, born from such conflict and rising above it. One could say that whales capable of this possessed divinity.
Before the fin whale's massive mouth closed, a man swam out, finally not getting stuck again in some confined space.
He ascended.
...
The Taoist was already drunk to the point of unconsciousness, but he still hadn't fallen.
If this were on a battlefield, to die without falling would make one a fierce general in history, a monument on the field of battle.
Unfortunately, this was at a drinking party.
Li Dingxun felt the fullness brought by things pressing against his stomach wall.
It had been too long.
He lifted the Taoist; at this moment, Bai Zimo opened his eyes, smiled gently at Li Dingxun, and pointed to the Taoist's bunk.
Avoiding the food scraps, pots, pans, and various other items piled on the floor, Li Dingxun's every step made the floor creak, a sound that was very pleasing to his ears.
He covered the Taoist with a blanket and turned to clear the table.
With all the small tasks completed, the sky was already faintly dawning.
Li Dingxun left the cabin, sat on the deck, and looked towards the eastern sky; the sun was still below the horizon.
It was time to let his family know he was safe.
Thinking of the emotional outpouring from his parents that he was about to face, Li Dingxun felt a genuine weariness.
It was strange; even in his darkest hour, he had never recalled the years gone by, nor had he ever focused his thoughts on friends and family.
Was this indifference?
Or did transcending mortality mean becoming detached from emotions?
Thinking about these things made Li Dingxun resistant; it seemed his past life's memories were reminding him from the depths of his heart.
You are always right.
Do not fall into the abyss of self-doubt.
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