"Just a bit more clear-headed." Qing Jun smiled.
She had collected Dao Rhyme for so many years, and she noticed... above the Three Thousand Great Dao lies a dead end.
"Why is it a dead end?" Ah Qing furrowed her brow, her tone filled with incredulity: "It shouldnât be a dead end... You should know it, above shouldnât be a dead end, there must be an opportunity for ascension... One should be able to ascend, the Immortal Realm, the immortals, even if seen only in fragments in ancient books, they must exist..."
"Why... why..." Ah Qing murmured: "Why is there no path above."
"..." Qing Jun said nothing.
She had no words.
Because she harbored the same doubts as Ah Qing.
This world feels wrong; after discovering the dead end above, the Three Thousand Great Dao seemed to be torn apart by forces, unable to provide even a trace of fate. Qing Jun inevitably began to doubt whether immortals, ascension, the Immortal Realm were all fictitious.
Yet some things cannot be self-deceiving; on the vast land of Qing Province, there will always be relics and perfectly logical evidence that ascension and the Immortal Realm exist, theyâre just disappeared, nonexistent now.
Gone, where have they gone?
Qing Jun thought of this issue, but because subsequent thoughts would be disrespectful to the Heavenly Dao, she would give up on pondering.
But Ah Qing wouldnât give up on thinking; who lets her be irreverent to the Heavenly Dao?
With a slight smile, Ah Qing played with the hilt of her longsword, looking at Qing Jun: "You know... if in the mortal world they often say a person doesnât exist anymore, what would it mean?"
"Dead." Qing Jun replied.
Yes, a person doesnât exist, they are dead.
"See, you think so as well." Ah Qing sheathed the longsword, looked out into the darkness beyond the window, her thin lips lightly parting: "Why did the Immortal Realm and the Three Thousand Great Dao disappear?"
Qing Jun: "..."
This was a forbidden topic for her.
"You can be this cautious too." Ah Qing watched Qing Junâs eyes tremble with curiosity, stared at her for a while then said: "No worries, Iâll say it."
Ah Qingâs eyes were focused: "Because the Immortal Realm has perished, we canât ascend, the Three Thousand Great Dao has completely died, hence no future path can be found."
Concise and clear.
Upon hearing this, Qing Jun silently looked deeply at Ah Qingâs rising fortune: "... You truly are an anomaly."
Indeed.
Compared to Miss Lu at the banquet, Ah Qing seems more like the Child of Heaven.
"For that realm above the heavens, Iâm not speculating baselessly, you understand, right?" Ah Qing ignored the unkind words from Qing Junâs mouth.
"... Mm." Qing Jun nodded.
Thatâs the reality.
They could perceive the âdespairâ and âdeathâ above unmistakably; that is undoubtedly not a normal world.
It must be a shattered world.
"Hereâs the problem." Ah Qing tilted her head: "In the Demon Sect, if a Furnace cultivates using my Spiritual Qi, then upon mastering it wishes to leave my side... Is that possible?"
Impossible.
Impossible.
How could you possibly be allowed to leave?
The Heavenly Dao is the same.
"So, why canât we give up cultivation, collecting Dao Rhyme and unifying with the Dao... Whatâs the ultimate goal?" Ah Qing paused, shook her head before Qing Jun could respond: "Never mind, this topic is sheer speculation. Whatâs the point?"
Qing Jun sighed.
Indeed.
Although Ah Qing didnât say it outright, Qing Jun understood clearly what she meant.
The world is broken.
The Qiankun Realm, as a World Fragment, is hinted at being unable to cultivate and has lost its emotion...
In other words, aside from collecting Dao Rhyme and unifying with the Dao, there is no second path left, hence their cultivation cannot stop.
Qiankunâthe term Qiankun itself reveals some truth about the world.
Perhaps a cultivatorâs destiny was initially to unify with the Dao, thereby aiming to repair the world above thatâs on the brink of destruction.
But just as Ah Qing said.
Even with logic, itâs mere speculation without any logic or reasoning.
Because the power of the Heavenly Dao is beyond their comprehension, if even the Heavenly Dao cannot fix this world, how could it rely on those within this world?
Unless the Heavenly Dao cannot intervene in this world due to certain reasons, or... itâs already nonexistent?
Because itâs nonexistent, thereâs no harm in being irreverent to it.
"No, it must exist." Qing Jun spoke instinctively.
"You mean the Heavenly Dao?" Ah Qing truly knows Qing Jun well: "Of course the Heavenly Dao exists, since the mortal world exists, fate exists, rules exist, it must exist, especially when... Steward Lu received Heavenâs notice."
"Indeed." Qing Jun nodded.
Steward Luâs circumstances didnât escape her notice.
"Thatâs why itâs strange, because the Heavenly Dao runs smoothly, everythingâs stable... itâs strange." Ah Qing tilted her head: "Why can someone like me live so well?"
Isnât her irreverence to the Heavenly Dao enough?
Sheâs already spoken that the Heavenly Dao is dead, yet hasnât felt any rejection from the Heavenly Dao, her cultivation remains stable, her Spiritual Qi hasnât dissipated... as if sheâs not speculating about the Heavenly Dao, but a harmless neighbor girl.
"What are you implying?" Qing Jun looked at Ah Qing with a calm expression.
"What Iâm implying, you ought to know." Ah Qing smiled helplessly.
"You wish to abandon cultivation?" Qing Jun sighed.
"But Iâm living quite fine, isnât it odd?" Ah Qing pointed above her head: "Qing Jun, if someone as a Qiankun Realm gives up cultivation and is irreverent to the Heavenly Dao... yet has such flourishing vitality, fate, energy, and fortune... what kind of situation would deem her deserving of punishment?"
"Wonât." Qing Jun looked earnestly into Ah Qingâs eyes: "Thatâs favor, itâs Heavenâs favor."
Itâs a favor she previously couldnât fathom.
"Thatâs right, I think so too." Ah Qing gently pinched her slightly warm ear lobe, sighed: "So, I donât understand why itâs like this."
Her irreverence to the Heavenly Dao, abandonment of cultivation still allows her such liveliness, genuinely freeing herself from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao, reaching a state of ease and self-gratification.
Even saying Ah Qing is favored by the Heavenly Dao, Heavenâs favor, even because of irreverence to the Heavenly Dao still wonât anger it, saying sheâs the Daughter of the Celestial Dao, Ah Qing might believe it.
The crux is, Ah Qing knows.
If she truly was favored by the Heavenly Dao, how could she have nearly died at the hands of the Heavenly Dao?
The Heavenly Daoâs attitude before and after... what causes it?
Itâs glaringly obvious.
Itâs clearly visible.
After analyzing all logic and excluding all impossibilities, the remaining one is the sole answer.
ââBecause she encountered Young Master Xu, the Heavenly Daoâs attitude towards her changed.
Her ear lobes grew hotter, a flush spread across Ah Qingâs cheeks.
This has to be it.
This truth of invisibly being protected by Young Master, thatâs why she canât resist.
Ah Qing covered her blushing cheeks, gazed at Qing Jun with incomprehension, smiled and said: "That the Celestial Tribulation is related to Young Master Xu, all inexplicable things are placed upon him... right."
"So far, it seems that way." The conversation between Qing Jun and Ah Qing reached deeper levels.
Ah Qing, is she about to share intelligence on Xu Changâan?
Shook her head.
Impossible.
Indeed, Ah Qing didnât continue discussing Xu Changâan, merely contemplating...
If both herself and Qing Jun are ineffectual, unable to fulfill the Heavenly Daoâs expectations, then the existence of the bookâs âChild of Heavenâ or even... âHeavenly Dao Incarnationâ appearing is completely reasonable.
Without a doubt, Young Master Xu is the most righteous person.
"Despite my lengthy talk... my current attitude towards the Heavenly Dao remains favorable."