“You…”

The disheveled hair covering his face was blown back, and Lin Qianlong flipped himself up, a touch of scarlet firelight suddenly appearing in his hollow eyes:

“It’s you!”

Lin Qianlong’s heart trembled violently, as if struck by lightning, his thoughts instantly returning to several years prior.

That day, that Daoist had stood before him in the same way, calmly looking at him, and with just one glance, the myriad resentments and unwillingness in his heart had all turned into smoke.

In the end, he had only lowered his head timidly, unable to utter a word.

“Years later, there will be someone who comes here. Follow him on a journey, and all past grievances will be written off…”

In a daze, the voice he had heard years ago surged into his heart once more.

As if blessed by divine inspiration, Lin Qianlong half-knelt on the ground, and a long hiss involuntarily poured from his mouth.

Like a snake, like a dragon, like a horse.

“This is…”

Qiao Damo was slightly startled, a subtle feeling also arising in his mind. Unseen by anyone, the ‘卍’ (wan) character mark slowly began to spin again.

It was as if an ancient voice was echoing in his heart, as if someone had left a mark on this person that only he could detect, a trace.

It was as if someone wanted to tell him something.

Buzz~

As the sound waves flowed down, Qiao Damo’s heart trembled. He seemed to see boundless light and shadows flowing through his mind.

In a daze, he seemed to see another version of himself from within this endless light and shadow, a self that was both similar and different.

The self in the light and shadow possessed extraordinary talent. He would excel at writing if he studied literature, and at martial arts if he practiced them…

At a young age, he realized the many sufferings of human life, such as birth, old age, sickness, and death, and abandoned his noble status to pursue enlightenment and cultivate the Dharma…

Watching that other version of himself, both similar and different, Qiao Damo felt moved.

He watched ‘himself’ study literature and practice martial arts, watched himself travel to various countries, traversing the four continents and four seas, experiencing the mortal world.

He watched ‘himself’ ascend to the six Heavens and enter various realms in search of ‘enlightenment’.

He witnessed the life of ‘himself’.

He saw birth, and he also saw death!

It was on the snow-covered summit of a vast snow mountain, where he sat in meditation under a Bodhi tree for seven years, finally achieving enlightenment.

On that day, demonic forces attacked, and tribulations descended. He rose from beneath the Bodhi tree, golden lotuses blooming where his feet landed. He walked seven steps, his golden body was completed, and he pointed to the sky and the earth, chanting:

‘Above and below Heaven, I alone am the honored one!’

He saw the four continents tremble, the seas boil, countless beasts howl, and ghosts dance wildly. He saw the gods lower their eyes, and the imperial court above the nine Heavens shake…

He saw the gates of the South Sea Dragon Palace open wide, with thousands of dragon roars and holy dragons casting down their eyes…

He saw a bloody light soaring into the sky from the murky depths of the earth, with demonic Asuras dancing and weeping in madness…

He also saw the sacred land of Sumeru in the Western Heavens, with Buddhist light soaring straight into the constellations…

He saw the Burning Saint descend from beyond the heavens, claiming to be from the past, and offering him the title of ‘Supreme Awakened One who dominates the present’…

He also saw ‘himself’ under the Bodhi tree on the snow mountain reject the abdication of the Burning Saint, refuse the decree of the Imperial Court, reject the invitation of the Great Demon Heavenly Lord, and not worship the Heavenly Saint who had descended…

At the moment when the Saints descended, he gave his final instructions to his disciples, then returned to the Bodhi tree, resting his head on his hand, lying peacefully on his right side, muttering, ‘Rather suffer eternal torment than seek liberation from the Saints,’

And calmly entered Nirvana…

Finally, it seemed that mountains appeared in the light and shadow, the perspective shifting, turning into a mountain, a Dao.

The Daoist sat with his back to the summit, as if gazing at the sea of clouds in the distance, his face unseen, only his long hair hanging over his shoulders. One could only feel that his aura was ethereal and vast, as boundless as the sky.

“That is…”

As Qiao Damo’s heart trembled, the Daoist turned around.

Boom!

It was as if thunder had crashed in the sea of his mind.

In that instant, Qiao Damo felt all things extinguished, all images fading away, with only the Taiji diagram on the Daoist robe on the Daoist’s chest, spinning violently.

“卍!” (Wan)

Qiao Damo felt dazed. The violently rotating image of the Taiji diagram was extremely similar to the ‘卍’ (wan) character mark that had followed him for many years.

This Daoist…

Roar!

The expressions of many people inside and outside the long street changed, and a layer of scarlet, eerie light surged from the crippled beggar.

In the next instant, the light faded.

The beggar with disheveled hair was gone, replaced by a divine and extraordinary spirit steed with crimson-red hair on its temples and standing ten-two feet tall at the shoulder!

It resembled a horse but had horns, like a snake but had hooves, like a dragon but had no scales. With a long hiss, all who heard the sound felt a tremor in their bodies and minds.

“What happened? That, that beggar, how did he turn into a horse?”

“That’s not a horse! It’s clearly a Dragon-blooded Great Demon!”

“Good heavens, who is that blonde youth? Turning a person, into a horse?”

…

Inside and outside the long street, in the nearby pavilions and restaurants, the hearts of all who saw this scene were in an uproar. They looked at each other, all astonished.

“This, this is…”

Among the crowd, Zhu Long, who had been watching, couldn’t help but narrow his pupils, his heart shaking violently.

In that instant, even someone of his level had not detected any signs. If he had not witnessed it himself, he would not have been able to tell that the Dragon-horse had originally been a person!

It was as if it had always been a Dragon-horse!

Transforming that ‘Hui’ into a horse, what, what does he want to do?

Zhu Long’s heart trembled wildly, and he couldn’t help but look back at Shouyang Mountain, his eyes full of astonishment and apprehension.

It should be known that the Hui was one of the ‘Ten Calamities of Emperor Heaven’, an undying demon ghost descended from the heavens, with an unparalleled and unruly nature.

In those years, there were many great gods and Buddhas who wanted to subdue this demon, but they had all failed. Yet at this time, this great demon ghost was actually prostrating before an ordinary-looking youth.

The subtlety of this method was beyond the reach of a primordial spirit, and even an ordinary Creation Realm cultivator.

What made him even more terrified was that Hong Xuan Daoist had subdued such an unparalleled demon ghost, yet gave it to such a small fellow. What was he trying to do?

“What happened?”

Qiao Moke was even more confused. It was not until his son rode on that strange-looking Dragon-horse that he came back to his senses.

“Damo!”

Qiao Moke was shocked and raised his hand to press down on the horse’s head.

“Roar!”

The Dragon-horse roared, and with one bite, a mouthful of fine, ferocious teeth heavily clamped down.

“Do not be rude!”

On the horse’s back, Qiao Damo gradually recovered his senses and raised his hand to tap the horse’s head, stopping the Dragon-horse’s movements.

“Damo?”

Qiao Moke breathed a sigh of relief, uncertain and suspicious: “This horse?”

“This horse…”

Qiao Damo hesitated, and finally shook his head: “Father need not panic, this horse, is good to ride, very good…”

Memories surged in his heart, and light and shadows shifted. Even with his state of mind, it was difficult to calm down for a while.

He was surprised that someone could see his birth, old age, sickness, and death, and he was also puzzled by the Daoist’s purpose in letting him see all of this.

“This place is not suitable for a long stay, let’s go pay our respects to the Ancestral Master.”

Qiao Moke knew that his son was not telling the truth, but he did not ask further. He only glanced at the crowd gathering nearby and frowned.

Qiao Damo nodded, and with a thought, the Dragon-horse under him stepped out of the city gate.

Leaving many pedestrians to discuss.

“This youth…”

Watching the departing father and son, Zhu Long did not chase after them, but deeply remembered this scene in his heart.

…

Beneath Shouyang Mountain, several official roads were wide and open, and the former wilderness had been repaired to be extremely flat and clean, with the plants and trees beside the road standing straight.

From here, one could see the Daoist temple on the summit of Shouyang Mountain surrounded by lush greenery, and faintly hear the sound of reading Daoist scriptures.

“Teacher…”

As Qiao Moke’s thoughts were complex, the Dragon-horse behind him let out a long hiss and stopped moving.

Qiao Moke looked back in surprise, only to see his son dismount, take a step forward, kneel down in front of him, and kowtow respectfully.

“Damo?”

Qiao Moke’s heart skipped a beat, and a trace of uneasiness rose. He quickly reached out to help his son up: “What are you doing?”

“Father’s earnest teachings, Damo will never forget in this lifetime…”

Qiao Damo looked respectful, with a slightly complex expression, but he did not get up, and kowtowed again: “The Confucianists say that while parents are alive, one should not travel far, but Damo today must bid farewell to his parents…”

“Bid farewell? Where are you going?”

Qiao Moke’s uneasiness deepened, and he tightly grasped his son’s arm, refusing flatly: “No, absolutely not! You have no cultivation, and if you travel far, you will probably be beaten to death by others.”

“Father is mistaken, it’s just that your son hasn’t cultivated yet. The ‘Great Dragon Elephant’, ‘Giant Spirit World-Suppressing Path’, and ‘Myriad Dharma Four Tribulations Heart Saint Art’ that Father taught me in previous years, your child has remembered them all…”

Qiao Damo kowtowed nine times before getting up with his father’s help, a complex look flashing across his face.

The momentary glimpse into the sea of his mind, while not enough to cause earth-shattering changes in his state of mind and cultivation,

But having seemingly witnessed his own ‘life, death, and demise’, his emotions were difficult to calm, and a desire to travel far arose in his heart, not to escape, but to verify what he had seen.

“You…”

Seeing that Qiao Damo was determined to leave, Qiao Moke could only let out a long sigh: “Go tell your mother? She will be worried.”

“Please, Father, tell Mother and Sister for me…”

Qiao Damo shook his head.

“At least, go see the Ancestral Master? You’re already at the door…”

Qiao Moke was extremely troubled.

He knew that his son had a firm character. Which child could refrain from speaking for more than ten years just because he didn’t want to talk?

He was afraid that he would not be able to dissuade his decision.

He was thinking of going up the mountain to pay his respects to his teacher, and let his teacher teach this child, so that even if he traveled far, he would be much more at ease.

“Ancestral Master…”

Qiao Damo looked up at Shouyang Mountain, and faintly seemed to see the figure of the Daoist in the Daoist temple on the summit.

The Daoist seemed to have no intention of hiding anything. With just one glance, he recognized the Daoist who had appeared in his mind, the one who had told him all of this.

That was the Ancestral Master he had never met before…

“Should I see him?”

Qiao Damo’s mind moved slightly, with an impulse, but after much consideration, he shook his head and refused:

“Your child does not want to see the Ancestral Master at this time. Perhaps the Ancestral Master also wants your child to travel far…”

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves, bowed to his father again, and without looking at his father’s expression, he took a step and mounted the horse.

Accompanied by a long hiss from the Dragon-horse, he galloped away into the distance.

“Damo…”

Qiao Moke’s heart trembled, and he wanted to stop him, but he lowered his arm.

People can be stopped, but how can the heart be stopped?

He sighed long and turned to look at Shouyang Mountain after a long time before stepping up.

But thinking of his son’s unusual behavior and words earlier, his heart was a little complicated.

“Teacher, is that you?”