Clinging to martial arts, forgetting the Dao

Yue Hong lay in the pit like a lump of mud, blood oozing out, already lifeless.

Within the pit, vital Vital Energy dissipated, and wild grasses sprouted.

Dao Fire Realm Cultivator absorb the energy of Heaven and Earth for their own use, possessing boundless vitality within their bodies. Although most of their power is Secret Treasury within Mustard Seed after their Dao Embryo shatters, a portion of their power still returns to Heaven and Earth.

Gu Yuanqing sighed softly. In this world, Cultivator at the Dao Fire Realm are extremely rare. This person had no intention of murderous intent, and he had no intention of taking his life. Dying at his hands was simply his fate!

With a flick of his sleeve, the shattered fragments of the longsword disappeared into the pit, and then the rubble submerged the pit.

He stood there blankly for a while, then floated up into the North Spring Mountain.

Reaching halfway up the mountain, he looked back again, frowned, and muttered, "By the way, what's this guy's name again, Yue something-or-other?"

Dozens of miles away, Li Miaoxuan suddenly looked back, as if she had sensed something. She frowned slightly, then shook her head and continued towards the capital.

Gu Yuan returned to the courtyard and calmed down to reflect on the previous battle.

"Today's palm strike, in terms of power, is not as strong as the two sword strikes from that night. Although this Yue fellow is not as good as Zuo Qiu, he is still Dao Fire Realm Cultivator. Why did he perform so poorly?"

He closed his eyes, and everything that had just happened flashed through his mind again.

"That's right. Yesterday's sword strike was merely Sword Qi gathered from the vast Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, while today's palm strike is the condensation of my entire Dao Resonance."

"The palm strike I unleashed, drawing upon the power of North Spring Mountain, transformed into Green Mountain. The True Essence essence of that man surnamed Yue was completely suppressed, as if he were within Within North Spring Mountain itself. That's why he couldn't withstand the incoming power and was blasted to death with a single palm strike!"

Gu Yuanqing pondered carefully and began to reflect.

"Since entering North Spring Mountain, besides cultivating Cultivation Method, I have practiced Swordsmanship the most. I am even somewhat obsessed with the sword. When I control Object Control, the first thing I think of is Swordsmanship. Even Mountain Observation, I think about how to incorporate the various Dao Resonance into Sword Intent."

Cultivation is not limited to the Sword Dao, and not all insights can be integrated into the sword. Being fixated on the sword, even ignoring that my Profound Martial Phenomenon is not a sword, but a Green Mountain!

"I am in the Mountain, I am the Mountain Master, I see the mountains, I use the mountains, but I do not use the mountains. It is as if I am carrying a treasure mountain on my back, but I am clinging to a straw in my hand!"

"Throughout my cultivation journey, my methods of defending myself have all been fixated on martial arts, forgetting the Dao. Even the insights I've gained through daily cultivation have never been used in combat."

A sense of enlightenment flowed through Gu Yuanqing's mind, and the Green Mountain Phantom reappeared around his body, which was formed from the Dao Resonance within his Dao Embryo.

As his thoughts shifted, the Sword Qi that had been swirling around the Green Mountain began to change, no longer fixated on sharpness and edge, but transforming into wisps of Qingfeng that drifted through the mountains.

His aura began to change; the Green Mountain became more majestic and steadfast, and all things in the mountains became more real. As the Qingfeng blew, the trees in the illusory figures seemed to sway along with them.

Looking again into the inner world of the Dao Embryo, plants began to radiate vitality. The insights gained from Mountain Observation over a long period of time seemed to finally transform into real Dao Resonance at this moment, supporting the slow Transformation of this world.

The True Essence flowing within the body also changes accordingly, no longer merely manifesting as a powerful force, but acquiring a touch of agility.

After a long while, Gu Yuanqing opened her eyes and found that the world before her had become more vibrant and colorful.

He looked at a plum tree beside him and pointed at it from afar.

As the True Essence flowed in, the plum tree quickly sprouted new branches and buds. Brown scaly buds slowly emerged, the scales unfolded, revealing red or white buds, and then the buds opened, with bright plum blossoms covering the branches and filling the entire Courtyard with fragrance.

Gu Yuanqing smiled and murmured to himself, "This is what cultivation should be like!"

"My previous understanding was too shallow, perhaps bound by the shackles of my decades-long knowledge of Martial Path from past and present lives. If it weren't for today's palm strike, I don't know how long it would have taken for me to awaken and realize this."

Gu Yuanqing stood up, bowed, and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the direction where the Cultivator surnamed Yue had been buried.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist! Oh, right, I remember now, your surname is Yue, and your given name is Hong."

In the blink of an eye, a rock from the foot of the mountain flew up and transformed into a stone tablet in the Void.

Gu Yuanqing raised two fingers and drew them across the water, transforming the rocks into a tombstone with the two large characters "Yue Hong" engraved on it.

Boom!

The tombstone fell, and a grave stood in the mountains from that moment on.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

Li Miaoxuan walked slowly, making no attempt to conceal herself, as if she were simply taking a casual stroll in the Imperial Garden.

The palace maids and eunuchs passing by seemed to ignore her.

She came to Qingyun Garden, where she used to live, and looked at every scene and object, as if trying to remember them.

Upon entering the house, she saw Jianlan and Jianqiu, who had once been her personal Maid, and her wet nurse leading an eight-month-old baby who was learning to walk.

Li Chengyi, that's the name she gave him.

Li Miaoxuan watched this scene quietly with a smile.

Suddenly, the baby started babbling excitedly, trying to take a step towards Li Miaoxuan.

"Your Highness, what are you looking at?" The wet nurse turned around but saw nothing.

Li Miaoxuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to be able to see her. She gently waved her hand, and in the invisible Qi, both the palace maid and her grandmother fainted.

The baby can't stand steadily at all; he falls down as soon as he takes a step forward.

Li Miaoxuan stepped in front of him and picked him up.

He chuckled excitedly, babbling incoherently.

Li Miaoxuan gently stroked his face, then carried him outside, leading him to see the scenery in the courtyard, whispering her agreement.

Half an hour later, Li Miaoxuan in the courtyard suddenly turned around and looked at the entrance of the courtyard.

Li Haotian, dressed in a dragon robe, walked into the courtyard with a big smile on his face and quick steps, but his smile faltered slightly as soon as he turned past the screen wall.

"Miao... Miaoxuan?"

Li Miaoxuan, holding the child, gracefully curtsied and said, "Greetings, Father Emperor."

"You... you're back?"

"Come back and visit before you leave."

"Are you really going to leave this world?"

"So Father already knew."

"Are you really going to leave? Are you willing to leave me and this child?"

Li Miaoxuan glanced down at the child and said softly, "Before, I was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao, but now I have no choice but to leave."

"You have no choice but to leave? Who dares to force you? The Lingxu Sect?" Li Haotian's words were filled with anger.

Li Miaoxuan shook her head. "No one, it's just this Heaven and Earth... Father, please don't ask any more questions."

Li Haotian was silent for a moment, then said, "So you insisted on giving birth to him, just to leave me with a memory, even if it meant... sacrificing yourself?"

Li Miaoxuan knew what Li Haotian wanted to say, and smiled slightly, "Father, I do want to leave you a grandson. Although that incident was an accident, if I really had to choose, perhaps it would be him. Maybe it's fate."

"Why? You've never met him before, he's just a..." Li Haotian stopped midway through his sentence, because Gu Yuanqing at this moment was no longer an ordinary person and could not be judged by his birth.

Li Miaoxuan said softly, "Father, let's not talk about anything else, okay? Have someone prepare wine and dishes. I want to have one last meal with you and pour you a few cups of wine."

"After this, you... won't come back?" Li Haotian understood the implication in the words, and his voice trembled slightly. At this moment, he was no longer the ruler of a country, but the father of a man.

Li Miaoxuan nodded slightly, remaining silent.