A Will Eternal

“The Undying Live Forever Technique is like soil. What grows in that soil is up to one’s personal Dao….

“Above demigods are celestials, and above celestials are archaeans. If I want to become an archaean, then according to what Gongsun Wan’er said, I need to get my Daoseed to sprout, and become Dao Will. Those who have Dao Will are archaeans!

“Daoseed. Dao Will. That is the difference between celestials and archaeans!” Before his cultivation base breakthrough, his understanding had been somewhat muddled. But now that he had a Daoseed, he suddenly felt much clearer about the Dao Will of archaeans.

“Celestials can use their Daoseed to borrow Will from all living beings, and become one with them. But archaeans can use their Dao Will… to transcend heaven and earth! They can exist on a higher level than anything else, in a position that celestials cannot even touch. The Dao Will of an archaean can cover the whole world!

“Their Will can shape fate. That’s why they can resurrect fallen celestials….” Although he wasn’t sure if his analysis was absolutely correct in every aspect, he was confident that, overall, it was close enough.

“In other words, I have to create… my own third codex of the Undying Live Forever Technique!” At this point, his eyes began to shine brightly.

“The point of the third codex is to get my Daoseed to sprout, and bloom into Dao Will!” As he murmured these things, his aura, his cultivation base fluctuations, and everything else about him focused inward. Nothing was detectable on the outside. At the same time, he sank into a state of utter calm, without any traces of either joy or sorrow.

“Being <em>undying</em> is a state. Although regeneration seems like an important aspect, the truth is that it has more to do with time. Only by being indestructible for endless years can something be considered truly undying!

“Being able to <em>live forever</em> is a state of mind, and yet, also has to do with time, and the ability to continue to live…. In that case, what should the third codex be about…?”

Closing his eyes, he descended further into calm contemplation. He recalled years past, he recalled cultivating the Undying Codex, and he recalled acquiring the Live Forever Codex. He recalled the Heavenspan Realm, and he recalled his own history….

Those memories existed within him as clear as day.

As he worked on creating his own new technique, his cultivation base focused completely inwardly. Meanwhile, the vortex outside of his blessed land had vanished entirely.

The voice which had murmured into the ears of all living beings faded off into the distance. The world returned to normal. The three celestials still hovered in midair, looking down quietly at the blessed land. Although few other people knew what Bai Xiaochun was doing right now, the celestials obviously new.

“He’s creating a new technique!” Chen Su murmured. All three of the celestials had done a similar thing back when they broke through. They knew how important this step was. Not only would it determine Bai Xiaochun’s battle prowess as a celestial, but it could also… lead to a situation in which the Eternal Immortal Domains might have a third archaean emperor sometime in the future!

As for the court officials and other important cultivators in Saint-Emperor City, none of them knew exactly what Bai Xiaochun was doing at the moment, and yet, their eyes still flickered with fear as they looked in the direction of his blessed land.

Although there were no more powerful fluctuations rolling out from the blessed land, people could sense from the utter stillness and quiet there that something powerful was inside, like a wild beast with its eyes closed, that could open them and devour anything that got too close!

Back when Bai Xiaochun had been a demigod, they weren’t too worried about mocking or deriding him. But now… he had become a celestial. In all of the Eternal Immortal Domains, there were only ten others. As of now, he was not the type of person that others could point and laugh at.

Everyone lived in an imperial dynasty with laws and rules, but it was also the cultivation world, in which… people respected the powerful!

If Bai Xiaochun were not from the Heavenspan Realm, everyone would have been very excited and proud. But Bai Xiaochun was different, and therefore, it caused many mixed feelings to rise up in the hearts of the cultivators of Saint-Emperor City.

Many of them were thinking back in fear to how rudely they had reacted to the incidents with the heavenly dragonfish and the lotus seeds. Others had submitted official requests that he be executed.

If he had remained a demigod, it would have been one thing. But he was now a celestial, a fact that caused bitterness to grip the hearts of the officials. Now, none of them wanted him in Saint-Emperor City. For one thing, based on past events, they could only imagine what the future might bring…

“Back when he was a demigod, he nearly destroyed the foundation of Saint-Emperor City…. Looking forward, that means that the city is in grave peril!”

“We have to get him out of here. It’s been made clear that Parole Captain Liu was right! He’s a walking disaster!”

“He’s only been in Saint-Emperor City for about a year, and during that time… more than half of the heavenly dragonfish vanished, seventy percent of the lotus seeds disappeared, and the lotus roots… suffered a serious blow!! The venerable Saint-Emperor might be able to weather such disasters, but we can’t!”

“I’m absolutely convinced that if things keep going on the way they have, this guy’s ability to cause disasters, backed by a celestial cultivation base, will leave us completely powerless! Even worse, he’s a master at quibbling his way out of problems! We’re in serious trouble!!”

Virtually everyone was thinking the same thing, and many people began to make petitions of the Saint-Emperor.

“Your Majesty, Duke Heavenspan becoming a celestial is a grand occasion for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty! I would like to submit an official request to the court. Based on Duke Heavenspan’s status and meritorious services, it is not appropriate for him to be kept behind in Saint-Emperor City. He should be sent to take command of the second immortal domain!”

“Your Majesty, the second immortal domain is constantly at odds with the Vile-Emperor Dynasty. Celestial Zhao Yuanhan has been stationed there for years now, working very hard and performing great services for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. The time has definitely come for him to retire!”

“That’s right, Your Majesty. I would also like to submit an official request to the court that Duke Heavenspan be sent away…. We really shouldn’t be such a disappointment to him. After all, he kidnapped a celestial to give as a blood tribute. Meritorious service like that deserves a truly substantial reward!”

The official requests began to pile up in front of the Saint-Emperor. Many people even petitioned for personal audiences in which they offered all sorts of persuasive arguments. In the end, the message was the same: no one wanted Bai Xiaochun to stay in Saint-Emperor City!

The truth was that Bai Xiaochun had even become a headache to the Saint-Emperor, who had also come to the realization that it had been a big mistake to keep him in the city. Never could he have imagined how much of a torment that would be.

Not only did he cleverly make sure that there was never any good evidence that could be used against him, he also managed to constantly make himself more important. The Saint-Emperor couldn’t help but lament the loss of the heavenly dragonfish, and how it would be years before the lotus seeds could be harvested again. And then there were the yellowing lotus leaves and the wilted flower. The Saint-Emperor was absolutely convinced that if Bai Xiaochun remained behind, he would be the end of them all.

He also sympathized with all the other cultivators in the city, and could well imagine how scared they were about what would happen when Bai Xiaochun emerged from secluded meditation….

“Damn that Bai Xiaochun!” The more the Saint-Emperor thought about the situation, the angrier he got, and the more worried about the future he became. Finally he sighed, aware that <em>if you ride a tiger, it’s hard to get off</em>. No matter what decision he made, it would have negative ramifications. And that was without even thinking about what the Vile-Emperor Dynasty would do to take advantage of the situation….

“Damn this Bai Xiaochun. How could he be such a torment!?!? If I’d have known things would end up like this, I would never have accepted his blood tribute!” Sighing, he was just about to make his decision when he realized that if he got rid of Bai Xiaochun in the way everyone was requesting… then the second immortal domain would be in great peril!

In the past, he would never have come to this conclusion. But the events of the past year, and his personal experience with Bai Xiaochun’s torments, caused fear to grip the Saint-Emperor’s heart. Unfortunately, now that Bai Xiaochun was a celestial, he couldn’t be put in charge of a prefecture. It could only be an immortal domain.

Even as the Saint-Emperor wrestled with the issue, and the court officials continued to submit requests, Bai Xiaochun was seated cross-legged in his blessed land, thinking about everything that had happened in his life. Eventually, his eyes opened, partly blank, partly alive with enlightenment!

“My memories of the Heavenspan Realm, from the time I was born until everything ended. All of the former things….

“The Daoseed needs to sprout roots, and eventually bloom into Dao Will….

“Put it all together, and you have…. <em>Former Will!”</em>

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