A mountain peak of unknown height.

Beyond the Sea of Karma, standing tall above the tides of time.

At the summit, there was only a single ancient, withered pine tree, long dead through untold eras. Beneath the pine, a middle-aged man in a white robe had been waiting for a long time.

“The scenery here is truly beautiful.”

Li Fan ascended to the peak, smiled faintly, and said, “I had never been here before. I never imagined such a wondrous place existed.”

As his words fell, the white-robed man seated beneath the pine tree spoke softly:

“The scenery is excellent, but being alone for too long is rather lonely.”

Li Fan turned to him, smiled, and approached, saying:

“Mountains and rivers to accompany you, breezes as your friends—how could one feel lonely?”

He sat facing the middle-aged man in the white robe and said:

“Li Fan.”

“How should I address you?”

A gentle smile spread across the white-robed man’s face, as if Li Fan’s question had stumped him. He pondered and replied:

“…My name? It’s been forgotten over countless ages. Hmm… perhaps you can call me…”

“Wuji, or The Quiet One.”

Wuji, The Quiet One.

At the moment those words were spoken, Zi Ling and Su Baiqian, who stood behind Li Fan, suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if the surrounding mountains and rivers, the breezes, and this entire peak beyond time and karma all ceased to exist. All that remained was the primordial void and a silent desolation of the universe. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

An indefinable chill swept in from all directions—not a cold of temperature, but a cosmic frost, an inherent coolness as if this was simply how the universe should be, threatening to freeze their hearts and souls for eternity.

Yet they felt that before them, their master Li Fan was like a burning furnace, emanating waves of warmth that repelled the penetrating cosmic chill from invading their souls.

At this moment, their expressions grew intensely grave.

The tiny white cat nestled in Li Fan’s arms clung to him a little tighter. It flashed its small saber-like teeth and waved its little claws at the white-robed man, almost as if issuing a warning.

“Wuji? Wuji, boundless yet solitary—a good name.”

Li Fan stroked the little white cat, calming her, then praised The Quiet One, saying, “Only, this name carries a void too desolate, lacking vigor and vitality.”

The Quiet One smiled and said, “The universe is naturally this way—vast emptiness and solitude, motionless and silent, lifeless and lightless, a still dark solitude. Such is the realm of quiet.”

Li Fan spoke softly, “Indeed, the universe is such. Yet, precisely because it is thus, the rising and setting of the sun and moon becomes enchanting, the roaring of rivers gains importance, the warmth of sunlight evokes longing, and the flourishing of life is all the more worth cherishing.”

The Quiet One chuckled and said, “I understand your thoughts.”

“Today you have companions at your side, a beloved to care for, ideals to uphold—friendship, love, passion… these things imbue the world you see with color, with life, with hope.”

“But mortal hearts are born of the universe—with light comes shadow, with motion comes stillness. When companions perish and loved ones fade, when you realize you are but a fleeting mayfly within this world, incapable of controlling life or death, powerless over your destiny… the realm of quiet extinction will naturally arrive.”

Li Fan smiled and replied, “You’re correct. That’s why one must acknowledge their insignificance and ordinariness, and from this ordinariness, grasp the truth that can eternally soothe the soul.”

“Release worldly attachments, and seek a single genuine thought.”

The Quiet One gazed at Li Fan, contemplating deeply. He said:

“So this is the reason you willingly embrace your ordinary nature? To experience ordinariness, and then… truly become ordinary…”

Upon hearing this, Li Fan felt a subtle melancholy and said, “It’s not that I willingly embrace being ordinary—it’s just that I genuinely am very ordinary.”

The white-robed man’s expression inexplicably became complex. He said:

“You are not ordinary. You are simply… excessively mortal.”

Seemingly reluctant to elaborate further, he redirected the conversation:

“Did you come here to paint?”

Li Fan nodded and replied, “To paint.”

The white-robed man extended his hand and said, “Please, I would love to witness it.”

Li Fan smiled and called, “Zi Ling, ink and brush.”

Zi Ling stepped forward and prepared everything for Li Fan. The rice paper was laid out, and the ink was ready.

Li Fan took the brush, dipped it in ink, and began painting.

The Quiet One observed him intently, as though he were an art master witnessing the birth of a world-class masterpiece. His eyes followed each stroke of Li Fan’s brush with sincere reverence.

With each stroke, peaks emerged, white clouds drifted, and the mist curling endlessly through the mountains unfolded!

What manifested was the ultimate essence of the world—the flow of time, the rise and fall of karma, countless cycles of life and death!

What Li Fan painted was the scenery of the journey.

Walking along this path, Zi Ling and Su Baiqian unmistakably felt that every step embodied epochs, the Star River, and the indescribable truths of the Dao paved into the road.

Yet through Li Fan’s brushstrokes, those epochs appeared as grass, the Star River regarded as mere dust, and those unspoken truths transformed into the ordinary road leading to an unpretentious little village.

By the time the painting was eighty percent complete, the magnificence of the mountains and rivers had emerged entirely. The path taken, the Sea of Karma at the mountain’s foot, the long river of time at the mountain’s waist—all had now been depicted.

The final portion revealed their starting point—an ordinary little mountain village.

The village was plain and modest.

Ten-odd acres of farmland, eight or nine simple cottages. Elms and willows shaded the back eaves, peach and plum trees adorned the front courtyard. Warm smoke rose subtly from afar, lingering gently over the hamlet. Dogs barked in deep alleys, and roosters crowed atop mulberry trees. The yards had no trace of clutter, the rooms emanated serene simplicity.

When Zi Ling and Su Baiqian saw the little mountain village emerging stroke by stroke under Li Fan’s brush, their hearts were suddenly enveloped in an inexplicable sense of peace and warmth, as though their home lay directly before them.

The chilling void and silent desolation surrounding them seemed entirely dispelled.

They saw the elderly sunning themselves at the village entrance, reclining in chairs, puffing on rustic tobacco pipes, carefree with walking sticks by their sides.

They saw farmers laboring in the fields—feet sunk into the soil, whips in hand, urging plow oxen forward, minds unburdened.

They saw women chatting in courtyards—discussing trivial matters about Zhang’s family and Li’s household, turning uneventful days into the small tales that pass idle time.

They saw grass and trees growing along the roadside—stretching upwards earnestly, thriving and withering with the seasons, silently striving.

…

The brush seemed to breathe life into the blank canvas.

…

Meanwhile.

Within the mountain village, inside a small courtyard.

“Awooo! It’s coming!”

Suddenly, from the pond sprang forth endless dragon shadows, surging skyward! The True Dragon’s power erupted, seemingly ready to ascend to the heavens and obliterate everything!

“Prepare for battle!”

The Dragon King bellowed aloud!

Instantly, the courtyard fell into chaos as Long Zixuan, Lu Rang, Dugu Yuqing, Qing Chen, Wu Dade, Lin Jiu Zheng, and Gong Ya all showed alarm!

It was the first time they had witnessed such commotion from the True Dragon!

“Brother Dragon, what’s coming?”

Long Zixuan asked.

The colossal shadow of the True Dragon loomed and replied:

“An unparalleled enemy—the master of the Dark Firmament, a being stepping forth from beyond the dam!”

Upon hearing this, Long Zixuan and the others felt their hearts seize.

“Such an existence… could it be that Master went out today to confront him?”

Dugu Yuqing murmured.

“Indeed, I can sense it… the Master is gazing back, anchoring this place. He will inevitably face that entity…”

The True Dragon declared, “Phoenix Matron and Pan Peach, let us go!”

But over by the chicken coop, the old hen spread her wings wide—magnificent phoenix wings that seemed to block out the sky. Her voice was frosty as she spoke:

“Go? And what would you accomplish there? Get yourself killed?”

“The Master is facing that entity—do you think you could possibly help?”

Her words silenced the Dragon King, who said:

“Would we simply watch idly?”

“If nothing else, we should go and raze the Dark Firmament!”

At that moment, the Peach Tree’s serene and ethereal voice sounded:

“And after razing the Dark Firmament? Attack the dam itself? Before the dam, the corpses of the Supreme tower like mountains. The Master once merely glanced at the other side of the dam, and even he endured the calamity of nine deaths…”

The Dragon King asked, “Then what should we do?”

A branch of the Peach Tree lightly tapped and said:

“Xiao Huang, what should we do?”

At this moment, everyone in the courtyard turned their gaze to the Big Black Dog!

The Big Black Dog was instantly dumbfounded, trembling from top to bottom. It stuttered:

“Woof… I-I don’t know what to do…”

“All I know is how to run! If worse comes to worst, let’s all run together!”

It said this with quivering legs, nervous to the extreme.

“Dead Dog, I knew you were truly a coward!”

Wu Dade couldn’t help but curse out loud.

“I should slaughter this dog first to avoid breaking morale!”

The True Dragon roared furiously!

However, a frightfully powerful yet gentle branch extended, stopping the True Dragon. Tao Jie’s calm voice sounded:

“Fine, then let’s run.”

“Take everyone and run.”

Everyone in the courtyard was stunned…

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