Heart Loftier Than Heaven, Veiled by the Red Dust

Who is it?

Upon hearing the voice, Qiu Yan paused, stopped what he was doing, and focused his mind, revealing a sense of vigilance.

"Young man, you are cautious, but you've misplaced your caution. You'll know my identity once you subdue this ape. If you don't act now and someone else beats you to it, you'll have to find something else to subdue. However, those guys, relying solely on a Divine Soul without a physical body, will find it difficult to succeed. In the long run, your soul will inevitably be decomposed and absorbed, condemning you to eternal damnation!"

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan's mind raced as he tried to discern the truth from falsehood.

"This is the Yin Side of the Scholar Forest, deep within the Three Passes. Besides me and Bai Zhaoyuan, how could there be anyone else here? No, Scholar Forest has a long history, and countless people Three-Gate Trial. So perhaps this was left here by someone from before..."

"If that's the case, then this person is likely to have ill intentions, like the old man at the first level. If what he said is true, staying here too long will lead to eternal damnation, which fits Bai Zhaoyuan's saying that those who don't pass will perish. But if none of the previous challengers survived, then who is the person who made the sound?"

"Furthermore, who is this 'boy who borrowed the Stellar Constellation Power's he mentioned? Could it be Bai Zhaoyuan?"

This sudden telepathic message aroused Qiu Yan's suspicions. It was as if he was walking alone in a dark, deserted forest, and had already assumed there were no living creatures, but suddenly other people appeared in front of him, which seemed unexpected and abrupt.

However, his doubts did not last long. With another roar from the giant ape, Qiu Yan immediately realized that no matter who was transmitting the message, he ultimately had no time to investigate.

Shifting his gaze, Qiu Yan's eyes fell on the giant ape's forehead, where a small, clean sheet of paper stood out conspicuously.

At this moment, the giant ape looked rather strange. Its body trembled slightly, its face was full of anger, and its arms and legs were stretched out with all its might, but it was difficult to stretch them out, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping its body and imprisoning it!

Originally, the giant ape, scorched by the flames and writhing in pain, now simply stood still in one place!

With just one glance, Qiu Yan saw through the trick.

"That small piece of Sage Paper now seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, actually suppressing the raging giant ape so much that it could not move!"

Having understood this, Qiu Yan became even more curious about the identity of the person transmitting the message, and at the same time, he felt a sense of apprehension.

"The person who spoke is clearly connected to the Book Elder of the Spring and Spring and Autumn Academy. The matter the Book Elder once asked me to handle might be related to this, but whatever it is, the most urgent task is to subdue this Heart Ape! Otherwise, everything else is meaningless! This is a matter of advancing or retreating! Advance means glory, retreat means destruction!"

With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan took a deep breath, his distracting thoughts quickly dissipated, his will became even stronger, and his aura reached its peak!

Immediately afterwards, with a thought, nine Divine Sense flew through the air, enveloping his body, and he sped away, his body spinning halfway through the journey!

Buzz!

The Divine Sense and body rotated in unison, at an extreme speed, even vibrating and emitting a "buzzing" sound!

Call!

The airflow was drawn together and quickly formed a cone-shaped whirlwind with Qiu Yan at the front. The tip of the cone pierced straight into the giant ape's chest!

Break!

Qiu Yan and the nine Divine Sense pierced into the giant ape together!

"Awooo!!!"

The giant ape howled as it was stabbed, and its massive body suddenly froze, remaining motionless.

Its single howl had already created a thick ring of air that radiated outwards!

Splash!

Large swathes of buildings crumbled, rubble rolled down, and an area of hundreds of feet in radius was left empty, turning into a barren wasteland. The stone-paved ground was gone, replaced by desolate land, with dust flying everywhere.

In the center of the smoke and dust stood a gigantic ape!

"Hmm!"

After rushing into the giant ape's body, Qiu Yan suddenly trembled violently, and the nine Divine Sense floating outside instantly froze, as if flowing water had turned into ice!

But this wasn't because the temperature dropped, but because there were too many chaotic thoughts around, which rushed in at once, filling the inside and outside of the Divine Sense, directly filling the illusory and fleeting Divine Sense, and solidifying it into a tangible form!

Thoughts and ideas are inherently illusory and fleeting, just like Divine Sense. Yet, they have become so dense that they have taken on a substantial form, and one can imagine how vast their number is!

"This Heart Ape itself is probably composed of thoughts that have solidified into physical form!"

However, Qiu Yan's thought only flashed through his mind before it was overwhelmed by the chaotic thoughts surging in from Eight Directions. Even his soul body was slowly shrinking under the pressure and compression of these thoughts, and was soon squeezed into a perfectly round bead.

Within it, the Sage Spirit flowed endlessly.

Soul Pearl!

Its perfectly round, compact, and condensed form allows it to maintain the resilience of the soul to the greatest extent possible, preventing it from collapsing due to the impact of distracting thoughts and thus causing its own will to perish.

Even if there are distracting thoughts, as long as the Soul Pearl rotates, it can make those distracting thoughts pass over the surface of the bead and be repelled by the Sage Spirit, preventing them from entering.

However, the situation remains perilous. Qiu Yan can only barely use the Sage Spirit to block it. If he is not careful, his mind will be broken by distracting thoughts, his will will be shattered, his Divine Soul will dissipate, and he will lose his entire body!

On the other hand, while the formation of the soul pearl could prevent external thoughts from infiltrating, it also made it difficult for Qiu Yan's thoughts and perceptions to go out. His original intention in rushing in was to guide the Heart Ape with his own mind and then subdue it. If it was difficult to transmit his thoughts, it would become meaningless. Therefore, after the Soul Pearl was formed and he had a moment to catch his breath, Qiu Yan reorganized his mind and connected with the Divine Sense that was solidified outside.

Divine Sense extends from the Heart Fire. As long as the Heart Fire does not go out, even if the Divine Sense is solidified by distracting thoughts, it will not perish. Through this connection, Qiu Yan, who is perfectly formed like a pearl and whose thoughts are difficult to enter or leave, has the opportunity to come into contact with the distracting thoughts of the Heart Ape.

"To Transforming Nature and Developing Artifice, one must first observe and understand it, to comprehend its true nature, before one can begin. Otherwise, it is merely forcibly assimil to external things..."

With this in mind, Qiu Yan did not immediately begin to subdue his Heart Ape, but instead allowed his thoughts to explore and perceive the surrounding distractions through his Divine Sense.

This perception brings forth endless scenes, all born from distracting thoughts, vast and boundless, both above all things and below external objects, Transcendence everything, yet completely bound by them, full of contradictions!

Amidst the onslaught of distracting thoughts, Qiu Yan felt as if he were standing in a vast, empty world, watching the changing winds and the vicissitudes of life, but he simply observed quietly without interfering in the slightest.

Time flies, and years pass by.

Gradually, Qiu Yan's perception deepened, and in a daze, he seemed to see a scene—

The chaos of heaven and earth transformed into yang, and the thoughts of all living beings transformed into yin. When Yin-Yang combine, an egg is formed, and when the egg breaks, a monkey emerges!

"So that's how it is. The Heart Ape originates from the subconscious of humans, and is the aggregate of the subconscious of all beings. It originates from heaven and earth, and is therefore considered human nature. It also comes from all beings, and is therefore the human mind. In the past, Buddhists called it Storehouse Consciousness. Many people on Earth have also felt it, and have even been summoned by the Unseen. In some works, this power originating from heaven, earth, and the human mind is regarded as the guardian of the world."

As his understanding deepened, some memories and knowledge from Qiu Yan's heart slowly surfaced. This was a natural process, and he even forgot his original purpose, immersing himself in this realization.

Insight brings about a change in the soul, and also transforms consciousness and Divine Sense.

The blood-red soul and nine Divine Sense that were formed by fortuitous opportunity became more solidified through this enlightenment, and their connection with Qiu Yan deepened. The hidden dangers were eliminated, and the connection was strengthened and reinforced.

Finally, on this day, Qiu Yan's Soul Pearl trembled, expanded, and transformed back into a soul body, while Qiu Yan's consciousness recovered from his profound enlightenment.

Startled awake, Qiu Yan realized that in the previous time, not only his Divine Soul had been immersed in it, but also his Divine Spirit Body and Heart Demon Body had been affected, and his entire mind had been drawn to the mysteries contained in the Heart Ape.

Looking back now, he naturally understands the danger of this situation. If enemies attacked, or Fire Sovereign discovered something amiss, neither his Divine Spirit Body nor his Heart Demon Body would be able to retaliate.

Upon realizing this, Qiu Yan frowned. Then, the Li Trigram within his Divine Spirit Body stirred, and he began to calculate.

"I actually stayed immersed in this for more than half a month!"

He first calculated the time taken, then a thought struck him and he noticed some changes.

"Hmm? My Divine Soul has become much more refined, and both my Heart Demon Body and Divine Spirit Body have changed!"

Qiu Yan was somewhat surprised, but noticing the situation around the soul, he knew it wasn't the right time to investigate further.

"However, the most urgent task is to guide the Heart Ape. After the previous immersion, I have already gained some insights and know where to start."

As he pondered, his soul stirred, preventing any distracting thoughts from intruding. Then, as his thoughts shifted, his Divine Sense cracked, shattering all the distracting thoughts within. The nine Divine Sense darted about like swimming fish, continuously extending.

Then, Qiu Yan condensed a thought in his mind, which swirled within his Heart Fire, radiating light. It then traveled along with his Divine Sense, scattering to various places and merging with his other thoughts.

"The human heart is perilous, the Dao Heart is subtle; only through refinement and unity can one truly hold fast to the mean."

The human heart is treacherous and fickle within, while the Dao Heart is subtle and elusive without. Only by concentrating our minds and focusing our attention can we grasp the essence of all things and find that trace of the Dao.

These words immediately threw the chaotic thoughts from Eight Directions into disarray!

These distracting thoughts originate from the subconscious mind.

A heart that soars higher than the heavens, dwelling above, unaffected by external influences, possesses only the spirit, undoubtedly capable of reaching great heights; however, the mortal Mortal Realm is complex and the world is vast, and the heart is constrained and disturbed by all things, thus being suppressed and unable to be free.

However, while one cannot change one's surroundings, one can change one's own mind.

The madness of the Heart Ape stems from its thoughts becoming entangled in all things, chaotic and unaware of their own turmoil, leading to its frenzied and violent behavior, knowing only destruction. Now, Qiu Yan intends to use nine Divine Sense to guide its mind!

Soon, a multitude of distracting thoughts were drawn into change by this sentence, like boiling oil being poured into a fire, triggering a chain reaction!

Outside, the giant ape that had been standing still suddenly roared, and its enormous body swelled up violently!

At the same time, a fierce battle suddenly broke out underground in the Eastern Capital, and the aftershocks spread and quickly reached the abandoned Sage Worthies Hall deep underground!

ps:

Thank you to "Zeng De Shi Ni" for the generous donation!