Minghe, Nether River

Minghe has indeed crossed dimensions.

In the Main Plane, the Great Wilderness, there is a strange mountaintop with half of its cliff collapsed. There is a stone table on the edge of the cliff, which definitely does not belong there. It looks very out of place.

Minghe stared blankly at the stone table, not quite reacting for a long time.

The power of formlessness is truly bizarre; the separation of dimensions seems to exist for them, and they come and go as they please.

"It's not that exaggerated." Xi Yue seemed very familiar with the place, leisurely sitting at the stone table, taking out a Wine Gourd and taking a sip. "Interdimensional travel still takes a lot of effort. At the very least, you can't have an enemy causing trouble nearby, otherwise it's extremely easy to get caught in spatial turbulence, which would be very troublesome. Back then, Zuo Qingtian and I were holding each other back, and he didn't even dare to enter the Taotie Realm, which was a waste for that Peach Blossom Man to get a dog."

Minghe asked curiously, "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"With that childish face of yours, everything you're thinking is written all over your face. It's hard to guess what you're thinking right now," Xi Yue said disdainfully. "Want me to guess what you're thinking this time?"

Minghe blushed slightly. "No, thank you."

Everyone knows that at this moment, her mind is definitely still on Qin Yi.

Moreover, she has a lot of opinions about her master right now.

I was peacefully cultivating myself, but you dragged me to the Great Wilderness... You just wanted me to see him, didn't you?

The one who's been "purifying himself" is you, not Qin Yi. Now that things have gone wrong, you're rushing to arrest him. Is that fun?

Do we have to do everything you adults want, or else we'll get a spanking?

The "little" Daoist Nun, who had spent her whole life practicing asceticism, was taken away from her lover by her master. Her rebellious spirit was rising, and she could hardly contain herself.

Xi Yue propped her head up and sized her up for a while. Without even thinking, she knew what her disciple was thinking. She couldn't help but chuckle and casually said, "Sit."

Minghe sat down with a pout, and turned her head away from her master, still somewhat resentful.

Xi Yue smiled and asked, "Do you know where this is?"

Minghe pouted. "How would I know? I've never been to the Great Wilderness."

Xi Yue said slowly, "This is where Qin Yi fought. He destroyed the cliff, and he created this stone table out of thin air."

Minghe sat up straighter. She had been sitting sideways, not touching the table, out of disgust, but upon hearing this, she subconsciously put her elbows on the table.

The master and apprentice both propped their elbows on the table, their rosy cheeks resting on them. They stared at each other for a while, Minghe, feeling a little embarrassed, avoided her master's gaze.

"Do you think Master is very domineering?" Xi Yue sighed. "Does he really want to watch you succumb to love, become weak-willed, and lose your Dao Heart?"

Minghe said in a low voice, "Master was right to stop us... but we didn't go that far just now..."

"If Master hadn't stopped you, I bet you would have started this right there and now, instead of coming to this!"

Minghe blushed furiously and stamped her foot, saying, "Meng Qingying is still right there!"

"She's unconscious..." Xi Yue said with a half-smile, "Even if she's not unconscious, are you sure she won't come at me too?"

"..." Minghe was speechless.

"As for setting new obstacles for him..." Xi Yue paused, then sighed again, "Everyone's path is different; he's different from us. I don't know who Qin Yi's master is, but he's very skilled... They cultivate the true self and see one's true nature, acting according to one's temperament without being bound by rigid rules. Specifically for Qin Yi, it's about having compassion, promoting good and eliminating evil, doing what needs to be done, seeking clarity of thought, and ultimately achieving freedom. Right now, he's bound by many constraints, but as his cultivation improves, they will decrease, and it's foreseeable that he will eventually attain the formless state. His master is powerful, and he himself is excellent."

Minghe listened intently, taking it very seriously.

His master had a very high opinion of him, almost certain that he could achieve the formless state.

"But our cultivation is different. We embody the will of Heaven and act in accordance with the Heavenly Dao." Xi Yue said calmly, "The Way of Heavenly Dao is impartial. The bright moon and the Milky Way shine on the world, and they do not show any bias towards human joys and sorrows. Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs. The stars and the moon have been eternal, but how many Spring and Autumn have passed in the human world? The Celestial Pivot Divine Palace is merely for observation, not for involvement."

Minghe remained silent for a moment. Having cultivated since childhood, how could she not understand her master's meaning?

Have you ever seen the stars in the sky move with emotion?

Once emotions are involved, is it still in Heavenly Dao?

The pursuit of the highest realm is inherently like this.

Why did she keep rejecting Qin Yi and not wanting to develop a further relationship with him? Wasn't it because of this?

But at this moment, she couldn't help but rebel, retorting in a low voice, "Since all paths lead to the same destination, Qin Yi can follow his true self, so why must we stick to the old ways?"

"You want your true self?" Xi Yue smiled. "That's fine too."

Minghe looked up at her, a slight flutter in her heart, as if she knew what her master was about to say.

As expected, Xi Yue said, "Although you have been tormented by the Sea of Souls of your past and present lives and have not remembered anything, you should at least be able to guess who you are."

Minghe remained silent.

"You are the embodiment of the River Styx, the manifestation of the Netherworld Intent," Xi Yue said calmly. "You yourself are the impartial, unbiased, and utterly just... Netherworld."

Minghe subconsciously clenched her fists.

"Have you seen... the meandering River Styx, the vast and dark expanse...? Is there any emotion in it?"

"I am not the River Styx!"

"What's the difference between the Yellow Springs Nether River and the Azure Sky Bright River?"

Minghe was stunned.

Xi Yue calmly said, "The Heavenly Pivot Ritual is right here."

Minghe whispered, "Master, you knew all along?"

"I could foresee that your past life was extraordinary, and I roughly knew it was related to the Netherworld, but I didn't know for sure what it was. After all, those are beings of the same level as me, or even stronger than me, and I couldn't fathom their existence." Xi Yue smiled. "But now you know, don't you?"

Minghe, "Is this what you call destiny?"

Xi Yue paused, looked up at the sky for a long time, and shook her head slightly. "I don't know."

"Even Master doesn't know?"

"The ways of Heavenly Dao are unpredictable; who can know everything?" Xi Yue said calmly. "I only know that everyone's situation is different. My disciple, regardless of her past or present life, is simply not suited for love and romance. If she were to let her worldly desires stir, then the path to immortality would truly be hopeless in this life. Of course... you can say that you do not wish for immortality."

After saying this, Xi Yue finally stood up. "This Nether River's Summons will greatly benefit your cultivation. Even if you don't awaken your past life, your soul power will at least advance by leaps and bounds, allowing you to glimpse the Qian Yuan realm. I will send you back to Shenzhou, and you can go into seclusion on your own. This will not only help you cultivate yourself, but also allow you to think things through clearly."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Think about whether you want to attain immortality. And..." Xi Yue paused, "Think about whether you need to seek your roots from your past life again."

That's a euphemism; the real meaning is, do you want to be the River Styx or the Minghe?

Minghe herself was no novice; in fact, she understood this very well.

One can refuse to awaken to their past life, but regardless, the threads of cause and effect must still be borne by oneself. The death in the River Styx of a past life must ultimately be connected to one's own destiny.

If we don't seek the truth and don't try to awaken it... can Minghe now withstand the consequences she has to face?

If we continue to investigate, given the vast difference in power, is she still herself?

The master will not make the choice for her.

She has to make her own choice.

P. S.: All chapters have been revised. If all goes well, these revised chapters won't get reported again, which is a good thing. I'll try to start making up for missed chapters today.