Chapter 1130: Eight Extreme Daos Connected to Life

Within the void, the fleshly body was the ship, with the soul on board. The ship sailed onward.

It was a very, very long journey. Memories of the past were there, including those of a government official, a businessman, a ruffian, a doctor, a commoner, and a young man.... It seemed very ordinary. This was how things worked. This was reincarnation. This was life.

But it would only seem ordinary to someone caught up in it, because they wouldn’t be able to see deeply into what was really happening. If one could step back and look at things more objectively, they would see the five elements.

Xu Jinfa had been the prime minister, which meant he was nothing more than a government official. But for his entire life, he had used astonishing methods to promote the interests of the royal dynasty, and commanded countless troops. His honor was like metal, his power was like metal, his military strength was like metal, and his destiny was like metal. His life represented metal.[1]

Then there was Xu Hong, who dreamed of becoming extremely rich. He was kind and charitable on top of being wealthy, and he even traveled the world. But in the end, fate is a fickle thing, and his money disappeared. His wealth was like water. Water flows between two extremes: floods and droughts. And there is also the saying “the ideal is to be like water.” And thus, his destiny was like water. His life represented water.[2]

The ruffian Xu Shan had the character for ‘mountain’ in his name, but that did not relate to earth. Instead, it harkened to forests. His fate was like duckweed, his youth was like rotten timber, his mature days were like brigands in the greenwood. He ended up hiding out in the forests in the mountain, with a destiny like decaying wood. He was foolish and full of rage, always allowing the world around him to affect his emotions. He would rather die on his feet than die in disgrace. His life represented wood.

The doctor Xu Yu practiced medicine for the public good. He was benevolent, using heaven and earth as the cauldron to refine all medicinal herbs. He used his body as the fire, and his life force as the fire. It was like the inner fire of the vermillion bird, which safeguarded the brilliance of life. When the wind and the fire left his life, his heart was destroyed. And the fire and wind only returned upon his death. His life represented fire.[3]

The commoner Xu Kun lived an ordinary life. He was honest and quiet, living a rustic fashion, the sun beating down on his back. Yet he never felt that heat, and even wished that all days could be long like those in summer. His head touched the sky, his feet were planted on the ground, and as he lived his life, he accumulated the essence of earth. His life represented earth.[4]

The young man and the discarnate soul of the cultivator were actually the same person. He was responsible for passing on a message, like a thread connecting everything. Thus, the fire of the doctor and the earth of the commoner encountered the true ego. He stepped over the timescape. That was his fortune.[5]

“Now I only lack space...” Xu Qing murmured. “And the reason is that this path is incomplete.”

With reincarnations behind him, and the source of reincarnation ahead, he simply proceeded and observed. He did not lose himself in it. He was like a guest, watching lives come and go.

It was a formless path. He saw men and women. He saw old people and youths. He saw temples. He saw the jianghu. All sorts of scenes passed before his eyes. It was impossible to say how long it went on. He couldn’t remember how much time had passed. He walked on and on down the path, observing, until at a certain point he stopped walking. His gaze hardened as he looked at a reincarnated version of himself that was... an actor.[6]

***

Actors will play many roles throughout their lives.

The day before, bells chimed and drums gonged. The actors took to the stage with their faces painted, their sleeves flicking. Today, banners snapped in the wind as the heroes and villains of the show were revealed.

One face could be a man or a woman depending on the makeup, and could portray the outcomes of many lives. There is freedom in playing a role, and one can die with no regrets.

It was the same as that play we call life. From ancient times to modern, the countless stories of many mortals are told in play and song. Who could determine the truth of the person who existed beneath the painted mask? And after enough time passed, was it even possible to distinguish the truth from the fantasy?

After songs were finished, and the actors wiped the makeup off their faces, they would walk out with a heavy heart. They would think of the emotions they had brought to the past lives and future lives, drifting like a dream on water, silently passing by with hardly a trace....

In the end, sighs would echo out from the audience.

“There are many roles to play, so don’t think him to be in despair....”

“It’s hard to see clearly....”

Songs of joy and sorrow could make the listeners gaze at each other in a daze, as if time is sliding past in a blur. Memories ripple, dreams come, and in the end, it just turned out to be millennia of plum blossoms floating in an illusion.

That was a play, from beginning to end. That was life, from birth to death. That was a dream, from the moment of sleep to the moment of awakening.

Xu Qing woke up. Within the void, he murmured, “This is no play. This is life within time.... People live and die. Plays have beginnings and endings. But the difference with life and death is that it’s different from waking out of a dream. There are endless possibilities, and it’s impossible to investigate them all.

“In that case, what happens if you surpass reincarnation? What happens if you walk out on life? When the dream concludes and I reach the end of the painting, what will be waiting for me?”

He already had the answer. That was because he had traveled through reincarnation until he reached the very end of the painting, which was also the origin of the painting. It was the ultimate foundation of the scroll of reincarnation. It was simply an image.

Li Mengtu had only opened the scroll painting by a crack. But as of now, Xu Qing had seen the entire image.

It was a crystal, submerged in primal-chaos. There in the endless void, it shone with matchlessly dazzling light. And it had been broken up into ten irregularly shaped parts.[7]

The parts scattered. And eventually, they appeared in Deep Earth.

This was an image of Deep Earth, and it was the very same broken stone that the Celestial Ancestor had been gazing at, back when Xu Qing originally gained enlightenment of the Eight Extreme Daos. It was a heaven-rending, earth-crushing scene. And it was now clearer than before! [8]

I never would have guessed that this scroll contains this image. It’s a violet-colored crystal.

It looked exactly the same as his own violet crystal. Xu Qing sank into his thoughts. He now realized how to leave this place. He had passed through the reincarnations of this scroll and reached the very end.

All he had to do was take another step, and he would be gone from the scroll. But his gaze was fixed upon the ten pieces of the crystal. Some time passed, and then his eyes shone brightly.

Being sealed in this scroll can mean death. But it can also mean good fortune! I’m walking the path of the immortal because of that crystal broken into ten pieces. And this time, I could see it much more clearly than before. I can see... the correct dao for myself!

Having reached this point in his train of thought, Xu Qing didn’t hesitate for a moment. He sat down cross-legged and sent out his divine will and even his soul. Like a shooting star, they approached the shattered crystal. In the blink of an eye, the cycle of reincarnation started again.

This time, it was not the reincarnation of a person.

***

He was an asteroid falling from the sky, and he landed on a planet called Heaven-Fate. He had no idea where he came from.

As time passed, his mind began to work, and he vaguely recalled past lives. Unfortunately, the details weren’t clear. All he could remember was a desert.

He spent most of his time looking at the planet. He saw countless living beings there, living out their destinies. And whenever he pondered his past, he recalled the story of the desert.

It’s too bad I can’t remember much. No matter how hard I try, all I can do is think about the sand and that river. Who are they? I’m confused.

As I sit here in the timescape thinking, the people of Planet Heaven-Fate seem to notice me occasionally. Sometimes they think I’m nothing special. Sometimes they believe me to be inauspicious. Occasionally, there are times when they think I’m a holy object, and they come to worship me.

Time slips by, bit by bit. I don’t care about all of that. I thought my whole life would be like this.

Eventually, a cultivator from beyond Planet Heaven-Fate comes here and finds me. He seems really happy. He takes me away from Planet Heaven-Fate to a continent called Heavenfire. It’s a massive place with seemingly no end.

I’ll never forget that the continent has a huge volcano. The volcano... takes up ninety percent of the Heavenfire Continent. He takes me there and throws me into the mouth of the volcano, where I fall into the lava. He uses the intense heat to refine me. Eventually I become a lump of iron.

The cultivator who brought me here uses the power of the volcano to forge me into a very sharp sword. He takes me to a place called the Primeval Forest where he uses me to chop down the oldest tree in existence.

It’s revenge.

The cultivator is hurt. He takes me away, and many years later, perishes. As the years pass, I run into other sword-wielders. Without exception, all of them perish unexpectedly. Yet again, people call me inauspicious.

The last person to wield me takes me to a black river full of death. He wipes out my spirit and throws me in. I sink down into the river. My spirit dissipates. I become part of the mud of the river.

But my aura has a nourishing effect on the river, changing it, making it more majestic and turbulent. Before dying, I hear someone speaking to me.

“In this way, fire restrains metal, and metal gives birth to water.”

***

I didn’t used to be called Guyiding Tri-Month. My name came because I saw something within time. It was a drop of rain falling in the third month of the Yiding year of the ancient Gu calendar.

The raindrop was confused, but eventually someone called it Guyiding Tri-Rain. Eventually, the raindrop grew intelligent and became a lake. Many years passed, and it turned into the North Sea

.

I saw all of that, and thought it was great. So before it was born, I used the name.

[9]

“After you’re born, I’ll give it back to you.”

My life has also been dramatic. I once devoured a sword that had been used for endless slaughter. The baleful aura of that sword nourished me greatly. As I flowed through the starry sky, it helped me eradicate a gigantic volcano. Many times, that’s how fate works. It’s because of karma. One day, a group of almighty experts came. They were riding a very special boat that entered my life force.

[10]

That boat is connected to me by destiny. I cannot bear to destroy it. Seeing that its discarnate spirit is about to depart, I nourish it, giving it a chance to recover.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what those almighty experts are planning to do. They send the boat into the volcano I had destroyed, in the hopes that it would cause the volcano to recover. The volcano erupts, but it can’t bury me. That said, the ash from the volcano is a tribulation that turns me into water vapor. Eventually, I became a rain that nourishes all living beings. I can just barely hear a voice speaking.

“In this way, earth restrains water, and water gives birth to wood.”

***

I am born in a desert. A great rainstorm hits, which bestows me with life force and intelligence. The moment that intelligence appears, I understand what loneliness is.

So I change karma. It weakens me, but I get my freedom. And thus, many more like me come into being around me. Gradually, the river disappears, and an endless forest takes over.

The place eventually gains a name. The Primeval Forest. My people grow strong, make contact with the outside world, gain enlightenment of heaven and earth, and learn how to practice cultivation.

I grow weaker, spending most of my time in slumber. Sometimes in my sleep, I glimpse ancient times. I watch as the people live their lives, being happy and sad, showing gratitude and getting revenge. I see kingdoms rise and fall. I see one species after another falling into destruction at the hands of my people.

Eventually, a cultivator from a vanquished species takes hold of a special sword and seeks revenge. He slaughters my people. He stands in front of me.

The moment I see the sword, I know that another tribulation is coming to me. I chose to go along with it. I perish by the sword.

In the tens of thousands of years in which my spirit is gone, my corpse is used to make a boat.

I want to refuse. But they tell me I’m the only one that could be the special material for the boat. It was the only way to travel along a river called Guyiding Tri-Month. By traveling along that river, it could absorb the power of the river as a blessing. And that would give me the chance to wake up.

I believe it. But what actually happens is that they use my dilapidated body to ignite a dead volcano. Around that time, I heard someone say something.

“In this way, metal restrains wood, and wood gives birth to fire.”

***

I’m born in the starry sky. I ignite a black hole, which becomes my body. I turn into a volcano. People call me Heavenfire.

Fire is my life force, and also my personality. I howl constantly. One day someone comes and throws an asteroid into me. I refine the asteroid into metal, which is forged into a sword.

I used to think that life was wonderful, and that, like the fire that makes my body, it will last forever. But then a river comes out of the starry sky, black and full of death. It covers over me and extinguishes me. That is my tribulation. No matter how I howl and fight back, it does no good.

Many years later, a boat comes and ignites me. I wake up. After countless years of silence in the timescape, I erupt, sending ash to fill the sky. My fury covers everything. As my fury rages, I hear someone speaking from some unknown location.

“In this way, water restrains fire, and fire gives birth to earth.”

***

I am the ash spewed out by a volcano. I settle down and become the earth. The moment I’m born, a vast river comes to exist. That is my greatest and proudest achievement.

Within the silt of the river is an iron sword. I look at the sword as the timescape passes by.

My life is boring and dull. Time passes, and gradually I fall asleep. After a while, I wake up, and realize I’ve become a desert. Rain falls, nourishing the plants, which slowly suck away my life force. In the boundless time that has passed, I provide nourishment to the sword. It gradually turns into a rock.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

In the end, all of my life force is sucked away. Right before I die, I send my last bit of power into the rock, sending it out into the starry sky as an asteroid. It becomes a shooting star that goes away to parts unknown.

But I’m pleased.

Because it carries me into reincarnation, allowing me to be restored. I don’t think my next life will be so boring.

I close my eyes. As my consciousness blurs, I hear someone speaking.

“In this way, wood restrains earth, and earth gives birth to metal.”

1. The “Jin” character in Xu Jinfa’s name means gold or metal. It’s the same character as the “metal” from the five elements. Also, when it talks about him commanding “countless troops,” it uses an idiom which also has that same character in it. ☜

2. The saying “the ideal is to be like water” is from the

Dao De Jing

. ☜

3. Xu Yu: Xu is the same surname as Xu Qing. “Yu” means “brilliant, glorious.” And incidentally, this Chinese character has the fire radical in it, which means that one of the main components of the character is “fire.” ☜

4. Xu Kun: Xu is the same surname as Xu Qing. “Kun” is one of the Eight Trigrams, specifically, the one that represents earth. The character also has the earth radical in it which means that it contains the character for earth. ☜

5. The word I’m rendering as “fortune” is YET ANOTHER word that basically means fate/luck/destiny. It’s a common word, but interestingly, it contains the character for “time” in it. ☜

6. The Chinese word for actor here could be applied to modern-day entertainers, but in the context, as is made obvious by subsequent description in the text, it’s referring to the actors who play in traditional Chinese operas. If you’re interested in that topic, here’s the

Wikipedia article

. ☜

7. Primal-chaos has been mentioned a few times in this translation so far, but it occurred to me that I’ve never explained what it is. Since it’s relevant in this passage, here is the dictionary definition of this term: Chaos (according to folklore), the primeval state of the universe; the original state of the universe in Chinese mythology. ☜

8. The scene with the Celestial Ancestor was in

chapter 1079

. ☜

9. Guyiding Tri-Rain is an important character in

I Shall Seal the Heavens

. She originally appeared by name in

chapter 89

. The explanation of her name is the same as the explanation in

chapter 95

of that novel. The North Sea was first mentioned in

chapter 44

of that novel. ☜

10. There were LOTS of comments in this chapter about this boat. A large number of Chinese readers think that it’s the boat of Old Man Extermination, who is a recurring character in the works of Er Gen. I also saw some comments speculating that the “group of almighty experts” are the MCs of Er Gen’s other novels. I was thinking the same thing. However, those comments were not highly upvoted, leading me to the conclusion that this theory was not widely supported by a lot of readers. Besides, there’s a lot more to come after this paragraph and subsequent chapters that will give further evidence/clues about what’s going on. ☜