Zhao Xiaoyu suddenly smiled, her hair scattered like a waterfall. She walked to the middle of the white fog and the boiling water, and her body sank deeper. She actually could use the Godly body to enter the water boiled by star power, and not a bit of her supple skin was scalded by it.

　　She was like a mermaid now, clean drawn-out ripples, floating deep onto the waterbed. It was sand that shimmered, like a heap of snow powder. She did not care for her image and sat on the bed of sand, seeing everything inside the water.

　　Despite the white fog that spewed out from the boiling water, the waterbed showed a completely different scene. Layers and layers of waves rippled, and the water was filled with the star power. It was as if she placed herself in a star river, since it was already bright and beautiful. She also deeply felt the heat of the star power which constantly attempted to break through her skin, infesting her divine lights.

　　This type of environment gave people an unbearable suffering, yet was also as clear as colored glass. It made one feel as though one were immersed in a dream, with one’s heart and soul set free with no limits, indeed forgetting all the obstruction caused by suffering.

　　During The Total Annihilation of the Dharma, demons surfaced, and as if there was no colored glass anywhere, an exotic fragrance filled the air, naturally there was no way to attract the falling of the Penitential Buddha.

　　All composed things are like a dream, a phantom, a drop of dew, a flash of lightning. That is how to meditate on them, like a lotus, to observe them.

　　Zhao XIaoyu gradually felt her divine powers weakening, a pristine lotus flower also grew out from her heart, and she felt happy and calm.

　　The Book of Nine Lotus had a certain mysteriousness, all the more without a doubt at this time. From Mount Jimo it obtained the heritage of the Meaning of Dharma from the founder of Luo Order. And at this time it was like the lotus seeds that were borne by the lotus flower, clear and capable of moving people, within easy reach.

　　All of The Total Annihilation of the Dharma, did not annihilate the heart and soul. When Zhao Xiaoyu’s last strand of divine power was depleted, her whole being felt like it sunk into a vacuum, her spirit floating around, and the heart of the world in a flash.

　　The melodious lake water was all around, as was the heartfelt moonlight that rippled with the water, crystal and clear was the gleaming light of the waves. Just like a starry night sky, the scene was a moving one.

　　At this quiet place of heaven and earth, Zhao XIaoyu silently sat on a boat. Her finger plucked the strings of a Guqin, the sound of which elucidated her meditation, bright in the way the moonlight was cleansing.

　　It was in this poetic moment in heaven and earth that Shen Lian suddenly appeared. He came from out of nowhere, but when he appeared, it like the look of a painting, as if a splash of ink painting broke into the heaven and earth. With no discernible difference in ally, it impacted the calm and happy divine heart of Zhao Xiaoyu.

　　She quietly kept a close look on Shen Lian as he came nearer. Her mouth bore a shallow smile, and she seemed to have an endless amount of deep emotion.

　　Shen Lian moved like the fresh rain on an empty mountain, like the wind on an autumn’s night. Surely not a girl in this world can ever resist such a man walking towards her.

　　Zhao Xiaoyu suddenly looked as if her young heart’s desire sprouted, she smiled in flowers, and her whole body was enveloped in the midst of the emotion. But when Shen Lian stepped on the deck of the boat, her playing of Guqin suddenly became impatient, like a silver bottle that broke, armored horses pushing out, her sombre qi was like a knife and sword. Swiftly the sound took on shape, strangling the incoming Shen Lian without a moment’s hesitation.

　　She slowly closed her eyes, and after a while opened them again. The surrounding water stopped moving, enabling her to see quite a distance. However she need not look that far, for Senior Apprentice-Sister was just nearby,

　　“If you had just hesitated to kill, you would have lost.” Zhou Ling felt disappointed and blank.

　　Zhao Xiaoyu rose up from the bed of shimmering sand and looked to Senior Apprentice-Sister. She plainly said, “I knew it was fake, so why should I be so engrossed? Senior Apprentice-Sister it was real only to you, but you could not discern the real from the fake.”

　　She pointed with an empty hand and out grew a lotus flower. This was borne from the heart and soul, displaying its manners and beauty to the fullest.

　　Zhou Ling saw the lotus flower attacking her, and in the end could not dodge it one bit.

　　But the lotus flower leisurely rotated, stopping inches before the space between her eyebrows, and stayed stationary. But the pressure coming from the psyche power was imminent, if she moved slightly, that would spell the end with no hope of reprieve.

　　Zhou Ling’s heart saddened. She spoke with slight resentment, “In the end I am still inferior to you.”

　　The lotus flower dispersed like the waves of the water. Zhao Xiaoyu vanished in the water, but a faint voice sounded from the depths of Zhou Ling’s heart, “Senior Apprentice-Sister, not once have I thought of fighting with you for the sake of comparing strengths.”

　　…

　　Today was the 15th of February. Shen Lian had left Mount Qingxuan and reached a simple and clean Daoist temple which bore the words ‘Qing Xia’ on it. Coincidentally it was the Daoist temple which he passed by long ago. On this day a few years back, it was also the day which he had sought a new lease in life from this place.

　　If Shen Lian had a birthday, it would be today.

　　Counting the years, he had reached this place at exactly thirty-three years.

　　Having used thirty-three years’ worth of time, from an ordinary person he became the apex person in this side of the heavens and earth. If he told anyone, they might even not feel that it cannot be believed.

　　Truth be told, the bigshots in the Cultivation Community knew only of the fact that Shen Lian cultivated for less than fifty years, even the disciples of Qing Xuan could not remember that clearly. After all is said and done, if one thinks about it, it really is a very frightening thing.

　　However, Shen Lian did not feel that this was something so universally shocking, since whatever that happened on his person was all logical.

　　‘The Mastery of Senses’ enabled him to train his spirit to become strong. Thousands of years of Qing Xuan sources let the potential of his body to be unleashed. His naturally simple heart of Dao further enabled him to break free of countless obstacles during his path of cultivation. He has faced near-death situations many times, but he managed to avert them all.

　　Everything was too smooth, even the dangers that befell him were like a well-established script.

　　Shen Lian was enjoying everything today, but he also was in deep fear, because it felt like as if there was a shapeless pair of eyes watching his every move.

　　In particular was the experience of the imposing Lingbao Tianzun. Only then did he understand that the kind of power in Daoist masters and Buddha, would terrifiyingly surpass that of his current knowledge, leading him to neither have a way to figure it out nor to resist.

　　More so then, to gradually let his heart be filled with ambitions and aspirations that no one can ever feel, in addition to the share of the desire to explore.

　　The so-called inactive heart of Dao, also would not stop at anything.

　　To face this unimaginable hardship, Shen Lian’s heart was even more delighted. For it was this kind of life that brought pleasure, leaving him deeply nostalgic.

　　In the sunset there was a man carrying a bundle of firewood on his back. He dragged a long shadow behind him. He came nearer, and it could be seen that he was a middle-aged woodcutter. Both of his temples were slightly weathered, only his two slender hands were strong, and his five fingers were callus-free. If anyone saw him, they would know that he was no ordinary person.

　　But in Shen Lian’s eyes, the extraordinary people were not much different from the ordinary.

　　The woodcutter asked with a slight hesitation, “Mister Shen?”

　　Shen Lian smiled back, “Brother Bai! You were living away in seclusion at Qing Xia Temple all along, you made some renovations to it, I am very grateful.”

　　The woodcutter was Bai Yufei, from back in the day. Originally the lone thief in the wilful aspect of humanity, but was later saved by Shen Lian. He served Shen Lian for some years, eventually saving Shen Ruoxi. After Shen Ruoxi was passed to the hands of Shen Lian, Bai Yufei set off for further lands.

　　Of course, he was a mere mortal, but when he faced the Shen Lian of today, he was like an ant. But Shen Lian, having seen him, felt close to him.

　　Bai Yufei felt the same, and he movingly said, “I never thought you would come back, that you and I would meet again.”

　　Shen Lian nipped his finger and counted. With that he could know of Bai Yufei’s stories in the past years. But Shen Lian did not use his supernatural power, and simply asked, “Brother Bai, have you always been here all these years? Have you also any other stories?”

　　Bai Yufei brightly chuckled, “I have been here for quite a few years, but I do not have any stories. What I do have is Monkey Wine that I obtained from the mountains. If you have nothing to take care of today, we could drink to our heart’s content.”

　　Shen Lian laughed, “How coincidental, brother Bai has the wine, Shen Lian has the stories. It appears we have no choice but to drink!”