Chapter 392: Chapter 392: The Hidden Secret of the Heaven-Reaching Tower

"Something like that. Between Heaven and Earth, the Great Dao is eternal, present at every moment. Therefore, Cultivation doesn’t require a peerless paradise or an endless Secret Realm. As long as you have the will, anywhere is suitable! This will is one’s Dao Heart, one’s true heart, the Heart of the Red Dust, and also the Strong Heart."

Ye Tianling squeezed his hand, and the Life and Death Talisman shattered instantly.

He opened his hand, and a crystalline snowflake flew from his palm. It merged into the world, becoming indistinguishable from the countless other fluttering snowflakes, lost among the masses.

"It’s just a small snowflake. So what if it shone brilliantly for its entire life? In the end, it returns to the earth and becomes just another part of the snowpack. Therefore, a truly brilliant life is one that achieves Transcendence from this world. Tianling Divine Son, let us strive toward this together!"

Gleyun sighed with emotion. His perspective had a great impact on Ye Tianling.

This simple discourse on the Dao allowed Ye Tianling’s Realm and state of mind to deepen and mature further.

Likewise, he knew his own words had also granted Gleyun and the others immense insight.

After all, some truths of the Supreme Dao appear so suddenly, only to slip away just as unexpectedly.

To hear it and comprehend it was a fateful opportunity; to fail to do so meant it was nothing at all.

Silence fell over the group for a long moment.

The snow continued to fall, and each person’s breath was clearly audible.

It was as if this corner of the world had suddenly grown even more tranquil.

After a while, Yao Ling suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "A snowflake, once it falls to the ground, becomes utterly lost among the rest, no matter how brilliantly it shone during its life. Its existence can no longer be traced. But what if it were a blood-red snowflake? Or what if it wasn’t a snowflake at all, but a sword or a bow? Even if it fell to the ground, it would still be recognized as extraordinary at a glance!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Xinyue mused, "Are you saying that what matters in life isn’t the journey, but the result?"

Xia Xinqin said, "Life isn’t about the result, but what you become during the journey." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Gleyun mused for a moment before adding, "In the end, the Heavenly Dao Laws are cruel. A snowflake is a snowflake. Its origin dictates that its final form can only be that of a snowflake. To escape this destiny, it must rely on external forces in addition to its own struggle..."

Ye Tianling said, "If a snowflake wasn’t a snowflake, it wouldn’t appear here in the first place. A snowflake has no will, but we Cultivators do. Its fate is indeed determined by its innate potential, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be broken."

Lu Minghui and Hu Teng, however, were focused on thinking and did not speak.

When it came to intelligence and their ability for Enlightenment Dao, the two were slightly lacking.

Besides, anything they could think of, the others had already considered and said aloud.

"The Dao Marks in this land are formed from the transformations of the snowflakes. The chill born from these Dao Marks is more than we can bear; the killing aura they produce causes us pain; the Power of Evil Spirit they manifest fills our hearts with fear... What is the fundamental source of all these effects?"

Xia Xinyue murmured to herself.

Her words were, in effect, a brief summary.

She traced the line of thought: from the Dao of Heaven and Earth manifesting as snowflakes, to the meaning of a snowflake’s existence, to the meaning of a Cultivator’s existence, and finally to the meaning of the Runes themselves. As she considered the path ahead for every Cultivator, she felt that the Dao involved was far more complex than she’d imagined.

"Complexity must start from simplicity. And endless complexity must, in the end, return to simplicity. So, what is the fundamental source? The source is Emotions. To be without Emotions is to be without a heart. Without a heart, one cannot perceive Heaven and Earth. If you don’t perceive Heaven and Earth, you don’t have to face the Laws. Therefore, I’m certain that if an ordinary youth with Mortal Blood were here, they wouldn’t be affected in the slightest. To them, those Laws would be utterly nonexistent."

Gleyun thought for a long while before his eyes suddenly lit up, and he spoke with absolute certainty.

This pronouncement made Hu Teng cry out in shock. "Yes, that has to be it! In other words, to hell with these almighty Laws! If we become ordinary people with Mortal Blood, we won’t be affected by the Laws of this land—have we just cracked the core secret of the Heaven-Reaching Tower? If so, we can at least make it straight to the Thirty-Sixth Layer!"

"I’ll demonstrate for everyone! Just protect me and don’t let me die!"

A tremor ran through Lu Minghui as he spoke at once.

Then, he immediately began, instantly deploying a sealing technique to completely lock down his bloodline!

BOOM—

SPURT—

His body convulsed, almost instantly invaded by the Laws, and he looked as though he would turn into an ice sculpture. But the moment his Bloodline Shackles were in place and he had completely become an ordinary person, he vanished right before their eyes.

It was as if he had become a transparent figure, vanishing without a trace.

"Where did he go?"

"He’s gone."

"He disappeared! He really disappeared!"

"He couldn’t have... died, could he?!"

Hu Teng was taken aback, the color draining from his tiger-striped face.

"He’s not dead. He’s gone outside, or perhaps to another place. I’m not sure of the specifics."

Ye Tianling had kept his Soul Talent active and had seen everything clearly.

’Lu Minghui certainly has courage, to suddenly shackle his own power in a place like this and test the theory for everyone.’

’In truth, everyone had guessed this might be the case, but to actually seal one’s power and become a mortal... that was absolutely toying with death.’

’After all, the people here weren’t a united front. If someone had malicious intentions, he would certainly have been killed.’

’But Lu Minghui had a very clear understanding of the situation. Both Gleyun and I were top-tier experts. I hadn’t killed him earlier, and now, on the way to the Thirty-Sixth Layer, he was essentially being carried. If he didn’t demonstrate his own value, his conscience wouldn’t allow it.’

’Every Prince or Saint Child has a pride of their own.’

"What’s going on?"

Yao Lun was in disbelief.

"Let’s wait and see. He should be back in a while."

Gleyun said after a moment’s thought, though he wasn’t entirely certain.

The group waited for about half an hour before Lu Minghui reappeared, his face deathly pale.

This time, however, his hair was frozen solid, his entire body was shivering uncontrollably, and his Soul aura had grown much fainter.

Ye Tianling extended a hand, and a ball of Samadhi True Fire suddenly materialized in his palm.

Ye Tianling looked at Lu Minghui. The Samadhi True Fire Aura in his palm suddenly shot out, transforming into a ray of fiery light that enveloped Lu Minghui.

HUUU—

Lu Minghui breathed out a cloud of white mist.

The frost on his face quickly vanished. The Ice Power melted into faint, crystalline droplets of water that trickled down his forehead and cheeks like sweat.

Only then did the shivering in his body subside somewhat.