Ancient Beginning, Who Passed Down the Dao?

His battle with Tang Zichen made He Heng understand one thing: the reason he could not break through to Embracing Dan was not merely because of the world, nor merely because his Blood Qi was too strong. More importantly, there was a problem with his spirit. He lacked a stirring conviction—or rather, a direction for his path.

In Dragon-Snake Romance, the reason Wang Chao could become Invincible Under Heaven was not because Tang Zichen had taught him so well, nor because of his many legendary experiences. The root of it all lay within himself. He possessed an overwhelming momentum, a steadfast path.

Wang Chao retraced the Long March Road and found inspiration there. He comprehended a path of "For the sake of sacrifice, how many lofty ambitions arise; daring to make the sun and moon shine upon a new heaven." His spirit transformed, allowing him to rise all the way to become Invincible Under Heaven and cultivate that great momentum. This was because he possessed his own Invincible Dao.

And what He Heng himself lacked now was precisely such an inspiration, such a path that belonged to him alone.

"But what can stir my spirit?" He Heng asked himself. He knew his own nature best: cold and heartless, disgusted by the Mortal World, seeking only immortality, wishing to look down upon the vast human realm, become one with heaven and earth, and transcend all things!

He would never possess that sort of spirit of sacrifice and dedication. Nor were paths such as protection his cup of tea. He had only ever cared about himself!

As early as his first life, when he had grown old, He Heng had understood that Life is short and worldly affairs are unpredictable. Compared to the infinite Mortal World and the vast, ethereal Heavenly Dao, what was there worth mentioning?

All emotions, ambitions, and desires became empty words in the end, beneath mention. Only the eternal, ever-present Great Dao was imperishable.

"In this life, I was born into the Great Heaven World and possess the Myriad Heavens Treasure Mirror. I swear that I will rise, reach the Peak of the Great Dao, behold that endless splendor, look down upon reincarnation, and kill any who stand in my way!" With such unwavering resolve, He Heng set foot upon his Path of Enlightenment.

He set out from the capital and headed west, arriving at the boundless Great Grass Plain. There, he admired its vastness and majesty, gazing upon the endless sun, moon, and stars.

Continuing westward, he arrived at the boundless Great Desert. It was scorching and dry, swept by endless wind and sand. The conditions were harsh to the extreme, and sandstorms would often rise.

On the fifth day, He Heng encountered a great storm. He lost his direction amid the endless sand and wind, losing all his water and food. No matter how skilled his Fist Technique or how powerful his body, how tiny was his strength before the vast and boundless might of nature?

For the following days, he walked alone through the Great Desert. The changes between heaven and earth here were extreme and unpredictable. By day, the sun blazed like fire, unbearably hot; by night, the temperature plunged more than ten degrees below zero. Day or night, heat or cold, He Heng never stopped. He struggled onward through the desert, even when he was utterly exhausted and parched with hunger and thirst.

Only in such desperate circumstances could one understand the fragility and insignificance of life. Beneath the vast might of heaven and earth, the struggles of living beings were nothing more than trivial.

"But I will not give up. I will survive. One day, I will exist alongside heaven and earth—perhaps even surpass them!" Light filled He Heng's eyes, a light of longing and aspiration.

He continued forward. Every step was difficult, taking half a day. And so, on the Tenth Heaven, he finally saw an oasis.

"I won. I have gained hope—the light of transcendence!"

After resting and recovering there, He Heng continued on. He began walking south into the Tibetan Area. There, he saw many Tibetan People walking through the wilderness with tents, bowing once with every step toward the Potala Palace. This was the Tibetan People's unique pilgrimage. From wherever they began, they would bow once with every step until they reached the summit of the Potala Palace. Over all these years, very few had managed to accomplish it.

He Heng joined them, bowing once with every step as he steadily approached the most sacred place in the Tibetan Area. During the first few days, his forehead was battered beyond recognition, nearly festering. Yet this did not make him give up. No matter how his body suffered, he rose punctually the next morning and continued the pilgrimage, bowing once with every step.

Spring soon arrived, the season when all things revived. He Heng had also adapted to this life. His forehead remained swollen and red, but it was much better than before. He was still making his pilgrimage, whether the weather was bitterly cold or warm, dry or damp.

April soon came. He Heng had already traveled eight thousand li on his knees. By then, only a few Tibetan People could continue, all of them the most devout believers.

At this time, many outsiders came to visit. They found He Heng and the others' actions novel. Some took photographs, while others discussed them, pointing at their ragged clothes, long since worn down by wind, rain, cold, and heat. He Heng did not care what others thought. He continued as he pleased, kneeling and bowing step by step until he reached Lhasa.

This place was already very close to the Potala Palace. Pilgrims from all over would arrive from time to time, bowing once with every step. Most Tibetan People here believed in Tibetan Buddhism and offered pilgrims the grandest welcome and utmost respect. He Heng ignored all else and slowly knelt and bowed his way toward the Potala Palace.

That day, as the Morning sun had just risen, many figures arrived at the foot of Marpo Ri. They were all pilgrims, bowing step by step from the mountain's base as they gradually climbed Mountain Peak toward that sacred palace. He Heng was among them.

He was the first to reach the summit and arrive before the gates of the Potala Palace. Yet he made an unexpected move. Upon reaching its entrance, he turned around without hesitation and left, showing no intention of entering to worship the Buddha. This left many Tibetan People deeply perplexed.

How could they know that He Heng had never believed in Buddha? He believed only in himself. Along the way, the one he had bowed to was not Buddha, but himself!

Where is there not a sacred mountain? Everyone is a Buddha!

To every person, they themselves are their own master. If they can perfectly control themselves, then they are Buddha!

Throughout this journey of kneeling and bowing, He Heng had not been paying homage to Buddha, but to himself, cleansing away every impurity and revealing his original true nature.

All worldly matters are false; only the "self" is real!

Heaven and Earth Above and Below, Only I Am Honored!

This "I" referred to oneself.

He Heng left this place and continued his journey. He walked across the roof of this world, observing the boundless snowy mountains, watching the snow melt into rivers and rush toward the sea. This cleansed his spirit.

How immense were heaven and earth, how vast was nature! Compared to them, what were the conflicts of mankind and the haze of the Mortal World worth mentioning? How laughable that the ignorant masses were immersed in an endless sea of suffering, unable to free themselves. Pitiful and lamentable.

At last, He Heng arrived at the highest peak in the world—Mount Everest! He climbed it slowly, step by step, advancing toward the greatest height in the world, the highest point between heaven and earth. Throughout the process, he constantly questioned himself.

"Ancient Beginning, who passed down the Dao?

Before above and below had taken form, how could they be examined?

In dim brightness and murky darkness, who could fathom their limits?

When only vast, indistinct images existed, how could they be recognized?

Brightness and darkness alternated—what purpose did time serve?

Yin and yang merged in threefold union—what was their root, and how did they transform?

The heavens are ninefold and round—who planned and measured them?

What merit made them thus, and who first made them?

How are the pivots connected, where is the Celestial Pole added?

How are the Jiuzhou arranged? How deep are the rivers and valleys?

It flows east without overflowing—who knows the reason?

East, west, north, and south—what is their length?

North and south are smooth and oval—what is their extent?

Kunlun Xuanyu—where is its tail?

I told Du Ao that it would not endure.

What test can I offer? Loyalty and fame will be more evident?"

Question after question surged into his mind, filling He Heng's heart. Standing at the highest point on the planet, he looked up at the sky, at the endless stars and the Vast Universe, seeking an answer.

Life has an end, but heaven and earth have no limits. The Great Dao is eternal and boundless. Life is finite, knowledge is boundless, and Dao is even more boundless! Life is short, but the Great Dao is infinite. What we seek is to use the hearts of our Tiny selves to seek the Boundless Great Dao! Though it cannot be done, we do it. We have no regrets!

He Heng stood upon the highest point of the planet, looking down upon heaven and earth, feeling their immensity and his own insignificance. He planted the Seed of seeking Dao. Who knew how many years later it would sprout and grow into a Towering tree!

At that moment, he understood the path that belonged to him: with finite life, Seek the endless Great Dao; with his tiny body and heart, Replace the Heavenly Dao of the vast sky!

Through Endless time and space, Infinite worlds, and the Long journey, this path had no end. He was destined to be Accompanied by loneliness, dance with death, and ultimately Compose the most beautiful music.

Yet he had No regrets. Having set foot upon this path, no matter How much hardship lies ahead, he would... keep walking! The road he chose, he would Crawl to the end. Once the Dao Heart is established, it would Never change!

In a daze, He Heng seemed to understand the Realm of Human Law: Forge an initial Dao Heart, a Sincere heart, then let it sprout and grow!

At that moment, the realm of Martial Arts Embracing Dan came naturally.

Yet He Heng paid no attention to anything else. A faint, eerie light shone from his deep eyes, and then he slowly closed them, sensing heaven and earth with his heart. He seemed to "see" flowers bloom, hear dew falling, fierce winds howling, and mountains and rivers trembling... He seemed to exist alongside the vast sky, one body with the universe!

At this moment, He Heng no longer possessed any aura of the mortal world. Like a Buddha overlooking a World of Sands, like an exiled immortal looking down upon mankind. As the breeze passed, he seemed about to scatter into heaven and earth, Ascend to Immortality.

Vastly, he seemed to ride the wind through emptiness, unaware of where he might stop; drifting, he seemed Detached from the World, ascending into immortality.

Nothing could have been more fitting for him.

After a long while, He Heng slowly opened his eyes. His crystalline eyes were unfathomably deep, revealing wisdom that had seen through worldly matters and a transcendent detachment. He looked down at the "tiny" mountains and rivers below, at patches of black shadows amid the snow, then raised his head toward the vast sky. Stars filled the heavens, radiant light shone everywhere, and all was Deathly Stillness and cold.

At that moment, an Unparalleled Sense of Solitude surged through He Heng's heart. He felt exceptionally lonely, as if only he remained in the whole world, facing this endless heaven and earth. If nothing unexpected happened, this loneliness would accompany him forever, until the Eternal End!

"Before me, I see no men of old.

After me, I see no men to come."

Thinking of heaven and earth's endless expanse, alone and sorrowful, tears fall. He Heng suddenly recalled this poem. Reciting it now, he found it especially meaningful. Then he smiled and murmured, "A true warrior dares to face Bleak Life. Even if I am fated to remain lonely forever, so what? I will enjoy this solitude, walk to the end—the Eternal End, the Ultimate Eternity!"

In the cold, Deathly Stillness of heaven and earth, a resolute figure stood tall. His deep eyes forever gazed ahead, even if he alone remained beneath the vast sky.