It was not hard to see that those who held these two views also saw the relationship between the Immortal Realm and the mortal world differently.
The latter believed there was no hope in remaining in the mortal world, and that only by ascending to the Immortal Realm through transformation could one have a future.
The former, however, believed it was perfectly fine for the mortal world to belong to mortals. Without immortals influencing and interfering, mortals could instead have a better future.
Fortunately, although those holding these two views walked different paths and had no wish to associate with one another, there was no conflict between them. They each cultivated in their own way.
No one knew whether the proper ascension pursued by the latter could truly succeed. After all, no one who had ascended had ever returned. As time passed, the environment of heaven and earth no longer supported anyone naturally cultivating to that level, and such people gradually vanished from the world.
The former, meanwhile, passed down their traditions. They were content to cultivate and live out their lives in this mortal world cut off from the Immortal Realm, but the world's incomplete rules were indeed a problem that needed solving.
Thus, they developed their own form of ascension. Once their cultivation was sufficiently high and their lives neared their end, they would "ascend," merging with the Dao and becoming part of this world in order to repair the rules of heaven and earth.
Yet the truth might not have been acceptable to the world. Whether people knew the truth or not would not stop them from failing to cultivate into immortals, but having such a goal dangling before them could at least give some restless people something to spend their energy on.
Otherwise, if every Outsider