Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Chapter 1430: Chapter 771: Does the Tao Distinguish Between Good and Evil?

In the depths of the Bitter Prison, a constant chanting echoed, sacred and unfathomable.

Zhao Sheng slowly emerged, and his gaze suddenly fell on the person sitting cross-legged, facing the wall.

The person facing the wall seemed to sense something, and the chanting abruptly stopped.

“Father, you have returned.”

After a long silence, the Red Dragon Son finally spoke, but his voice was neither joyful nor sorrowful, appearing extremely calm.

Zhao Sheng sighed lightly, “Foolish child, since ancient times right and demon cannot coexist, it’s not too late for you to turn back now!”

“What is right? What is demon? Among the three thousand paths of the world, are there really distinctions of right and demon? It is not your child’s mistake, but father’s knowledge barrier is too deep.”

After speaking, the Red Dragon Son slowly turned around to finally face his “father.”

Zhao Sheng looked at that utterly familiar face, and his heart suddenly sank.

What a peculiar face! The left half was solemn like an enlightened monk, while the right half always smiled, an eerie and arrogant smile, self-possessed.

The Red Dragon Son seemed oblivious to anything wrong, his gaze as calm as water, without a ripple.

What a formidable means!

With Zhao Sheng’s eye power, he could see at a glance that his son’s nature and cultivation had reached an extremely profound level, far beyond what ordinary cultivators could achieve.

Zhao Sheng was both shocked and angry, more hateful of the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Path in his heart.

After all, the Red Dragon Son was his only blood, and now he had become this half-human, half-ghost figure. How could this not make him heartbroken!

“Hong’er, for the so-called Great Freedom, do you really want to abandon family and kin, forsaking all relations?” Zhao Sheng stepped forward, advising with heartfelt urgency once more.

“Father, you are wrong again, your child is not heartless or without nature, but has already reached great awakening. The so-called Great Freedom is great liberation. All laws of the world are transformed into another. Transformation into another, is not detachment from the world, but surpassing the world within the world. To act within the world without obstruction; to transform within the world, without being tainted by nature. Therefore, transformation into another, ultimately leads to liberation.” The Red Dragon Son expounded his cultivation philosophy more and more solemnly and earnestly.

“…On the day of my Dao-ascension, I will free my wife, children, and family from the sea of worldly suffering, including you, father.”

Zhao Sheng, after hearing this, only found it utterly preposterous and couldn’t help but roar furiously, “Nonsense, utter nonsense! Hong’er, if you are so obstinate, do not blame your father for taking action. Once your demonic root is extracted and your mind restored, you will surely be grateful for what I do today.”

As he spoke, Zhao Sheng suddenly appeared in front of the Red Dragon Son, his right hand pressing down on the Red Dragon Son’s head with lightning speed, and in an instant, thunder light surged from his palm, strands of Exorcism Divine Thunder snaked down, drilling into his five senses and seven orifices like living creatures.

In an instant, the Red Dragon Son was enveloped in the thunder light, his whole body seemed to be glowing, illuminating the dark chamber.

At the same time, Zhao Sheng’s divine thought exploded with full force, transforming into a torrential torrent rushing into the Red Dragon Son’s brow at the Purple Mansion, momentarily evolving into five-colored chains, instantly binding the Red Dragon Son’s primordial spirit.

“…Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum… Foolish child, are you not awake yet?”

“…Gate gate, pāragate, pārasaṃgate, bodhi svāhā… Red Dragon Son, wake up quickly!”

Above the Purple Mansion Soul Sea, the sound of Dao chanting resounded like thunder throughout the Purple Mansion, the soul sea below surging with monstrous waves.

However, the nine-inch Nascent Soul body of the Red Dragon Son, its eyes remained closed, started reciting the Great Freedom Heart Sutra: “All beings possess self-nature. The self-nature is originally empty, without…”

The reciting sound, though low and almost inaudible, lingered incessantly, akin to the Red Dragon Son’s incredibly resolute “heart towards Dao.”

Long after, Zhao Sheng slowly withdrew his right hand, his expression unusually sullen.

He had failed!

Despite using all his skills, he couldn’t change the Red Dragon Son’s heart towards Dao.

Zhao Sheng’s gaze fell on his son, seeing his increasingly resolute eyes, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh: “Ah, foolish child, foolish child, you… take care of yourself well!”

After speaking, Zhao Sheng turned and walked out the door, his silhouette somewhat desolate.

…

The return of Ancestor Xi was undoubtedly a sensational event for the entire Zhao family.

Therefore, when Zhao Sheng went to the Bitter Prison, the Zhao Family Elders present immediately sent out the news to the world.

In just half an hour, the entire Zhao Family was in an uproar.

At the same time, upon receiving this explosive news, the Zhao Family’s disciples from far and wide across Tian Nan rushed back to the family residence as fast as possible.

Longshan City was the closest to the Wolong Mountain Range, and upon hearing the news, the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Realm members of the Zhao clan in the city returned to Dragon Head Peak that very day.

For several hundred years, the family finally welcomed a new turning point.

The return of Ancestor Xi might be a major opportunity for the family to turn danger into safety.

After all, since the leak of the news about the Ancestor’s broken cultivation, the circumstances of the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan had seen year after year of decline. Their area of influence had not only shrunk repeatedly, but even Yellow Wind Immortal City was barely holding.

Zhao Xiandu, urgently discussing with the other two family True Monarchs, decided to host a grand celebration to honor Ancestor Xi’s successful return.

It is worth mentioning that the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan originally had three Divinity Transformation True Monarchs, apart from Zhao Xiandu recently reaching Divinity Transformation; there is also an established True Monarch from the Xuan Generation, Zhao Xuanji.

The last one, widely known as the “Yao Yue Fairy,” is Zhao San Yue.

Because of her extremely formidable power, having almost no rival in the same realm, her fame spread far and wide, renowned throughout half of the Four Holy Spirit Continent.

The stability amidst the decline of the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan mainly relied on the illustrious reputation of Yao Yue Fairy.

After Zhao Sheng left the Bitter Prison, he immediately summoned Zhao Xiandu to inquire about the family’s state and the significant events that happened in the Taiyi Spirit Realm over the centuries, including, of course, information on the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Path.

Zhao Xiandu seemed well-prepared, quickly presenting a Jade Scroll of intelligence for Ancestor Xi to review.

Zhao Sheng nodded in satisfaction and then infused his divine thought into the Jade Scroll.

After a few breaths, he lifted his head again, his expression quite complex.

In the recent centuries, major upheavals continuously occurred in the Taiyi Spirit Realm, while it could not be said to be tumultuous and unstable, it was certainly a turbulent times.

Though the convergence of the Red Eyebrow Demon Path and Alien Demon Clan was undoubtedly a long-term threat, compared to the Star River great decisive battle that concerned the fate of the Human Clan, this matter was merely a minor issue, nothing significant.

However, Zhao Sheng did not care about those “grand narratives,” only about the family’s foundation and the people or matters he valued.

“What… you said Ancestor Jing was severely injured with broken cultivation, is this true?” Zhao Sheng was extremely shocked, leaking a bit of aura uncontrollably.

Zhao Xiandu was deeply shaken, faintly intimidated by the aura of his own ancestor, yet he could only brave through to explain: “Reporting to Ancestor Xi, this was personally stated by the Seventh Ancestor, it should… should not be false.”

The so-called Seventh Ancestor is the Mountain Dragon Little Gold, because he prefers to call himself Xiao Qi, so everyone in the Zhao Family respectfully calls him “Seventh Ancestor.”

Hmm?

Upon hearing this, a spirit light flashed in Zhao Sheng’s mind, as if he grasped something. He then asked again, “After Ancestor Jing was injured, have you ever seen him personally?”

Zhao Xiandu shook his head, earnestly replying: “No, I haven’t. However, after the Ancestor’s broken cultivation, only one person was received personally. That person is Zhao San Yue.”

“Oh?!”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng increasingly felt there must be more to this, and immediately instructed, “Where is San Yue now? Let her come to me quickly.”

Seeing this, Zhao Xiandu promptly nodded in agreement, then quickly took out the Communication Jade, conveying Ancestor Xi’s highest directive.

Surprisingly, in less than half an hour, Zhao San Yue had already arrived outside the cave mansion, requesting to see Ancestor Xi.

She quickly entered the cave mansion and stayed inside for a long time, finally leaving gracefully, her expression calm.