A Dilemma

Yang Ning and Shen Shuibi didn't actually have a good relationship.

Strictly speaking, they are biological sisters, born from the Dao of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron and Lady Luofu.

Lady Luofu is most skilled in the transformation of Yin and Yang energies.

The Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron can absorb and release the sun and moon, with the sun and moon of eight million worlds rising and falling within its body. It has mastered the Great Dao of the Sun and Moon's operation.

The essence of the sun and moon, born from the intersection of their own great Dao, became Shen Shuibi and Yang Ning.

Lady Luofu's surname was Shen, while the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron gave himself the surname Yang.

However, because they inherited different parts of their respective paths, their personalities are also different.

Shen Shuibi is introverted and gentle, while Yang Ning is flamboyant and strong. This contradiction in their personalities makes Yang Ning dislike Shen Shuibi's plant-like way of life.

It really is like a tree, standing still, swaying in the wind.

But now, things seem Great One.

Shen Shuibi doesn't seem as gentle as before?

That's why Yang Ning asked, "Have you figured it out?"

Shen Shuibi shook her head. "I've always known what to do, it's just that now it's our turn."

"You know what you're doing, so what? Now that you're back, what are your plans?" Yang Ning put her hand on Shen Shuibi's shoulder and gave her a gentle push.

With this push, a crack appeared in the cave, and the two of them left the cave together, appearing in the spiritual peak outside.

The scenery atop Lingfeng Peak is magnificent, with clear waters, lush mountains, and vibrant life.

Here, Yang Ning found a rock to sit on and looked at the mountain scenery not far away.

Shen Shuibi sat down next to her and took the initiative to ask, "You've recovered to the fifth rank?"

Yang Ning replied, "My injuries are not as severe as yours. Once I have refined all of that solar essence, I should be able to stabilize at the fifth rank. Besides me, there is also Granny Mei... As for the others, they probably did not escape."

"Granny Mei... she's still alive, that's wonderful," Shen Shuibi sighed.

Mount Luofu is surrounded by thirty-two heavens, each heaven being a Fourth-Rank World.

The rulers of these worlds are of the fourth rank, and Granny Mei is one of them.

In other words, there is still a fourth-rank official alive on Mount Luofu.

Whether it's out of emotion or the current situation, this sentence is truly heartfelt.

Then she continued, "If Granny Mei were still alive, could she repay some of the karma from Wushen Mountain in advance? I still remember many of the methods I developed myself, which should be able to make up for Wushen Mountain's lack of understanding of some details of Daoism, and perhaps reduce the burden on Your Highness."

Shen Shuibi discussed these matters.

Yang Ning was surprised. "It seems you've really figured it out, so what's your thought?"

Shen Shuibi nodded and began to explain her thoughts, "I need to tell you what I learned on the way."

"First of all, I think we should... wait, let me think, I've forgotten something." Shen Shuibi's words trailed off.

It's that feeling of forgetting how to write a word, or suddenly losing your memory when the words are on the tip of your tongue.

Yang Ning's expression immediately turned suspicious.

She frowned and said with a puzzled tone, "... Something's not right with you."

Shen Shuibi tilted her head. "Isn't this normal? I've already said it—"

She was only halfway through her sentence.

But Yang Ning interrupted her directly, "Your thinking has been affected by the river of time. Falling to the eighth rank has such a big impact on you?"

"Impact? I don't know what impact it will have." Shen Shuibi shook her head.

"We were both born immortal, but you are not anymore. You're even more impatient than I am now," Yang Ning said. "Have you been influenced by the mindset of a mortal?"

"The mind of a mortal...?" Shen Shuibi, puzzled.

"Can you understand this now?" Yang Ning waved her hand, and countless symbols emerged.

These symbols are all Yin-Yang trigrams that Shen Shuibi is very familiar with.

These Yin-Yang trigrams can be arranged in different orders according to different combinations of yin and yang, forming different hexagrams and ultimately expressing different meanings.

It is a highly efficient way of communication, and Daoist Cultivation Method.

Shen Shuibi was naturally very skilled in these things; she could even form formations and mobilize the power of nature using only Yin-Yang trigrams.

However, suddenly, she found that she seemed to be having a lot of trouble reading.

"You've noticed, haven't you? You're now at the eighth rank?" Yang Ning asked.

"It's... it's the eighth rank. My soul is degenerating." Shen Shuibi said with a furrowed brow and a slightly worried expression.

Yes, she realized the problem.

I just mentioned that before.

As the Essence of Taiyin born from the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron, she was born immortal.

The passage of time means nothing to her.

She was born with the natural ability to resist external influences.

Illness will not arise, evil spirits will not enter, and all laws will not invade.

Later, after cultivating Immaculate Body, the erosion of time in the outside world became almost negligible, and the regeneration of the body alone could easily resist aging.

But now, the situation Great One.

The Immaculate Body has been broken; even if it were repaired, it would be no different from a leaky house.

The soul is exposed to the world and suffers all the torment that mortals endure.

"Am I... getting old?" Shen Shuibi raised her hand and touched her face.

There was nothing particularly special about her face; it was still as soft and tender as ever, but something felt off.

There were some signs of weathering on the skin.

Yes, it's time to show signs of hardship, after all, we've been traveling with Li Qi for almost two years.

In just two years, Li Qi had risen to the eighth rank.

In the past, Shen Shuibi would spend more than two years in a daze; her concept of time had been completely overridden by her immortal nature.

That's why she feels that the past two years have been particularly fulfilling, and she has accomplished a great deal.

The reason is very simple.

The concept of time held by long-lived and short-lived beings is completely different.

Even though Shen Shuibi believed herself to still be an immortal, she had actually changed.

She could no longer find herself spacing out and two years would pass by in a flash.

It would also be difficult to continue to examine the world from the perspective of an immortal.

Even her body was like that.

Changes in lifespan naturally affect the mind.

Ants, which live only a day, are destined to never share the same perspective or think in the same way as immortals who live forever.

In other words, Shen Shuibi became more lively, talkative, and able to communicate with others when she was with Li Qi, not because she was kind and approachable.

It's not because she's gradually becoming just an ordinary person.

Yang Ning stood up, patted Shen Shuibi on the shoulder, and said with a worried expression, "It's good that you want to help, but now is not the time. You have to start over. You can't participate in those things now. Leave it to me and Granny Mei."

However, Yang Ning suddenly asked, "Now that you've returned to the seventh rank, given your injuries, are you able to regain your immortality?"

That's a very subtle question.

Normally, reaching the seventh rank allows one to attain immortality and live forever. As long as they are not destroyed by external forces, their personal world will no longer be slowly eroded and destroyed by the river of time, or the 'Sea of Suffering'.

But after Shen Shuibi recovers to the seventh rank, will she be able to return to immortality?

Shen Shuibi originally thought it was acceptable.

But now that Yang Ning has enlightened her, she has thought about it carefully.

I'm afraid... that's questionable.

I've said it many times: the physical body is like a boat, and the true spirit dwells within it.

The ship was sailing in a realm that was difficult to detect.

The Reason Way is sometimes referred to as spacetime, which is an independent four-dimensional time within three-dimensional space. It is the root of all motion, and motion causes 'chaos,' ultimately driving everything toward destruction.

The Daoist school calls it the River of Time, where the waters of time constantly beat against everything, causing everything to tend towards chaos.

In Buddhism, it is called the Sea of Suffering of Sea of Suffering, where all things are drowning and unable to escape. Only by becoming a Buddha can one transcend it.

The Shaman Path simply regards it as the natural wear and tear of all things in the world, as part of the cycle of Heavenly Principle. The worn-out parts will eventually be added to other new life, which is the balance of all things.

The reason why the seventh rank can exist for a long time is that each of its own Dao Lineage has a solution in its understanding and theory.

Then, based on their respective Dao Lineage, they developed different methods. Some of these methods could prevent damage to the ship, while others could speed up its replacement. They all had different ways of ensuring that the ship could survive for a long time without experiencing major storms.

It's not that you can become immortal just because you reach the seventh rank.

Only when you reach the seventh rank are you qualified to learn and use such methods to infinitely enhance your life.

That's where the problem lies.

Now that Shen Shuibi has recovered to the seventh rank, can she regain her immortality? Can she repair her Immaculate Body?

Disaster.

Even if she reaches the seventh rank, her injuries will likely continue to shorten her lifespan, and even with methods to prolong her life, she won't be able to close the gap.

Shen Shuibi's boat has a gap that is too large, so large that it would be difficult to close it with ordinary methods.

She had once been a fifth-rank official, and upon Yang Ning's reminder, she immediately realized this.

Her expression turned serious.

At this moment, Yang Ning said to Shen Shuibi, "We still need the help of Wushen Mountain, otherwise your aging will probably not be able to be stopped. It would be best to have your remaining lifespan calculated, but I guess it should not exceed five hundred years."

Five hundred years sounds like a long time, but for them, it was a matter of life and death.

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuibi anxiously grabbed Yang Ning: "No, we can't go to Wushen Mountain, we have to find a way ourselves!"

"Your Highness's burden of karma is already too heavy. If we continue to ask Wushen Mountain for things, I'm afraid there will really be no Mount Luofu anymore, only the Luofu branch of Wushen Mountain," Shen Shuibi said anxiously.

"What can we do? They say you have another five hundred years to live, but do you know how difficult it is to reverse aging?" Yang Ning glared at her and scolded.

Aging is very difficult to reverse.

Why do many spiritual practitioners appear so old?

Because when they cultivate to immortality, they are already too old to look like anything else. Some of them are too lazy to change their appearance and walk around looking old. Others care about their image and reshape their physical bodies to look younger.

Yes, they can reshape their physical bodies.

What about the true spirit?

The physical body is merely a boat; as the boat gradually breaks down, it is the passengers inside that are harmed, namely the consciousness and thought, commonly known as the 'one bit of true spirit'.

The physical body can be regenerated, but the aging of the true spirit can genuinely affect the speed of thought.

For example, Shen Shuibi.

She has only aged two years, yet she already has some difficulty interpreting Yin-Yang trigrams, and even experiences forgetting how to write characters.

This is a terrible thing for someone like her who is born immortal; their true spirit should be in the most perfect state.

But now this perfect state has been shattered.

The aging of the true spirit due to the damage to the physical body and its exposure to the erosion of time is, under normal circumstances, irreversible.

Although it can be restored through some means, without exception, those means are extremely difficult.

It either requires the intervention of a powerful figure or the use of rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures; neither is easy.

Yang Ning knew that Shen Shuibi meant to give up treatment.

That's why she's so angry.

However, Shen Shuibi replied, "A few years is not a big deal; we can find a way."

Yang Ning immediately flew into a rage and retorted without any politeness, "A few years? The Your Highness has been asleep for at least a hundred years. What will you do then? What can you do in a hundred years? I couldn't even refine that great sun in a hundred years! I can't help you!"

Shen Shuibi seemed to have gotten a little Fire Qi. The usually gentle and weak woman retorted stiffly to Yang Ning, "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Seeking help from Wushen Mountain now will only burden the Your Highness with even heavier karma. How can she repay that Your Highness?"

"What does Mount Luofu have left to repay these karmic debts? Are you going to use the Great Dao Opportunity of the Cave Master to repay them?"

Unlike Yang Ning, Shen Shuibi wasn't emotionally intense. She was more like a soft nail, not particularly angry, and simply asked back in a calm tone.

But these words left Yang Ning speechless, and Jinwu was also unable to utter a word.

How should we repay it?

The Great Dao Opportunity of using the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron?

Could she really say that?

The two fell silent.

The wind blew around them, ruffling their hair and clothes, bathed in bright sunlight.

But nothing could dispel the gloom in my heart.

After several minutes, Shen Shuibi sighed and spoke first, "Let's do more things now, while my true spirit is only slightly delayed."

"I will soon be refining pills and compiling the Cultivation Method and texts that I haven't written down but have kept in my mind, as well as the Daoist path, into a book. These things should allow us to live here without being criticized."

In fact, no one objected. Wushen Mountain yearned for the Great Dao Opportunity, but it wasn't so stingy as to charge them money in a place like this.

But living under someone else's roof has its own feelings, and even if the host doesn't say anything, Mount Luofu still has its own sense of shame.

Now, Shen Shuibi is preparing to use her savings to pay the 'rent'.

Yang Ning used to only like fighting and killing, and didn't know how to do research.

Only Shen Shuibi had ever devoted herself to studying these things, but at that time it was out of interest and hobby. She would keep most of her research to herself and not tell anyone else.

But now, she's preparing to sell all of these hobbies that she's poured her heart and soul into.

To be honest, I still managed to rush out a chapter without missing an update. My sense of responsibility led to my failure to get a leave of absence.