Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 300: Discourse on the Dao

The Goddess of Time suddenly raised her jade-like hand and struck Xu Lian with a palm strike.

Xu Lian was greatly startled and instinctively raised his arms to block in front of him.

With a bang, he was sent flying, his arms numb and his blood and qi churning within him. It felt as if he had drunk fake alcohol, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

“O, what are you doing?” Xu Lian asked, looking at the Goddess of Time in confusion.

If the Goddess of Time had intended to harm him, the force of this palm strike would have been insufficient, as it hadn’t triggered the protective laws of his divine kingdom. Yet, if she hadn’t meant to harm him, the force of the strike was still considerable, comparable to the full power of a Peak Origin Tracing Ream 9th Stage cultivator.

The Goddess of Time said, “Nothing, just testing your strength.”

“You knocked me down, so you have to take responsibility,” Xu Lian said, extending his hand for her to help him up.

The Goddess of Time ignored his outstretched hand. “I was just testing you. Without using the secret techniques of the Thirteen Clans, your strength is between Tracing the Origin Stage 8 and 9. With your Tracing Origin Stage 7 cultivation, you were able to subdue a peak Tracing Origin Stage 9 ancient sea demon and defeat the Black Dragon Princess of the Sea Clan, Ao Meier, with a single palm strike. 

That’s almost impossible-only a Quasi-Saint could accomplish such a feat. Even if you use the secret techniques of the Thirteen Clans, you shouldn’t be able to reach the level of a Quasi-Saint, right?”

Xu Lian grabbed the hem of her white dress and stood up slowly. This intimate gesture caused the beautiful eyes of the Goddess of Time to turn cold.

Xu Lian quickly let go, having tugged at the goddess’ skirt in preparation for future teasing. He smiled and raised his left hand. “Look at this.”

With a thought, the divine bone emerged in his left hand.

The eyes of the Goddess of Time focused on the divine bone, showing surprise. “This is a divine bone imbued with the power of the Laws? Where did you get it? From that legendary ancient holy land’s broken world?”

“Smart,” Xu Lian said with a smile, handing the divine bone to her for closer inspection. He trusted her almost completely.

The Goddess of Time examined the bone for a moment before returning it to Xu Lian. Her deep gaze made Xu Lian feel uneasy. “What is it?”

The Goddess of Time sighed softly. “I once suspected that you were the reincarnation of a top-tier powerhouse, but it seems that I underestimated you. Could you be the reincarnation of a true immortal?”

“…” Xu Lian was speechless for a moment. “Why do you say that?”

The Goddess of Time explained, “You have no bottlenecks in your cultivation. That alone makes you unique in history. You obtained the laws of the divine kingdom in the Secret Realm of a Hundred Boats, which could be considered a coincidence. But then you also received a divine bone imbued with the laws of the legendary ancient holy land. That can’t be a coincidence. It suggests that both the Divine Kingdom and the Ancient Holy Land sensed your future achievements and chose you as their heir. Except for the reincarnation of a True Immortal, I can’t think of anyone else who could receive such opportunities repeatedly.”

Xu Lian replied, “Is it possible that I have earned the recognition of the Divine Kingdom and the Ancient Holy Land purely through my intelligence and hard work?”

The Goddess of Time was silent. She didn’t want to talk to him anymore!

In truth, Xu Lian had often reflected on why he had been able to obtain the laws of the divine kingdom and the divine bone from the ancient holy land. Was it really just luck?

Throughout history, countless cultivators and geniuses had ventured into the Secret Realm of a Hundred Boats and the Broken World, yet none of them had obtained the Laws of the Divine Kingdom or the Divine Bone from the Ancient Holy Land. There were undoubtedly many extraordinary individuals among them, yet he alone had received these treasures. This couldn’t be explained by mere luck.

To find the reason, he decided to revisit the process of obtaining the divine kingdom’s laws in the Hundred Boats Secret Realm and the divine bone in the broken world.

In the Hundred Boats Secret Realm, he had initially been punished to dig the earth alongside Ye Beining, Shui Yingyue, and others. Then he invented the Yuansuo Plow and worked tirelessly to help the villagers to prosper. 

When the villagers accidentally killed a grain official, the entire village was sentenced to death under imperial law. To save them, Xu Lian led a rebellion that eventually reached the capital, where he became emperor and obtained the laws of the Divine Kingdom.

In the broken world, he proposed building a human tower and led everyone in searching for clues, earning their respect. He then reincarnated and lived an ordinary life as a nobleman’s son. 

He had planned to lay low and observe the outcome of the reincarnation cycle, but Liu Qing, Wang Heng, and A Xian invited him to the holy land. 

Using his influence, he rallied everyone to fight against the tyrant blue-haired girl. After both sides were almost wiped out, they negotiated and shared the rewards. 

In order to resurrect the Marquis of Yong’an, his wife, the Princess, and Ling Ran, Xu Lian chose to forfeit his reward. As a result, he encountered the true broken world and found the divine bone under the guidance of the Marquis of Yong’an and his wife.

What did these two experiences have in common?

First, he had used his wit from a past life to “clear” the challenges. But it wasn’t enough just to clear the challenges, because others had done the same thing without getting the laws of the divine realm or the divine bone. There must be another hidden factor.

After much thought, Xu Lian came to the conclusion that the hidden factor was humanity – specifically, a benevolent heart. The kind of benevolence that makes one invincible.

Other geniuses were native cultivators of this world. Their Dao hearts were firm, and they entered the Hundred Boats Secret Realm and the broken world solely for opportunities and rewards. They didn’t look at the people in those realms as human beings. Even in their own world, they were indifferent to others, because that was the way of the world.

Since they didn’t treat the people of the Secret Realm of a Hundred Boats and the Broken World as humans, why would these realms treat them as such? Thus, they wouldn’t grant them the laws of the Divine Kingdom or the Divine Bone.

However, Xu Lian was different. As someone from a modern, civilized society, he couldn’t be so cold and indifferent. He truly saw the people of those realms as human beings. It was this hidden factor that led the Hundred Boats Secret Realm and the broken world to recognize him and grant him the laws of the Divine Kingdom and the Divine Bone, rather than choosing the self-serving cultivators.

“Benevolence makes one invincible,” Xu Lian murmured to himself.

In this cruel world, kindness and compassion were often considered weaknesses. Yet, the legendary divine kingdom and the ancient holy land seemed to be subtly conveying this message to him.

After all, both the Divine Kingdom and the Ancient Holy Land had once attempted to elevate their entire peoples to immortality and create immortal realms. Their understanding of the true meaning of the Dao was undoubtedly far ahead of ordinary cultivators and great powers.

Why would they teach a message about a benevolent heart? Could the true meaning of the Dao be related to benevolence? As a cultivator, could it be that one cannot become immortal if they are too heartless? An immortal who has severed all emotions—can they truly be called an immortal?

Why did the ruler of the divine kingdom, the master of the ancient holy land, and the top experts of the divine race not only strive for immortality, but also strive to elevate their entire nations, holy lands, and races? Was there a deeper meaning behind it?

The more Xu Lian thought about it, the more plausible it seemed to be. Achieving immortality on your own would surely be easier than taking an entire nation or race with you. The rulers and masters of these realms couldn’t be ignorant of this simple truth. What compelled them to take this path, even at the risk of heavenly punishment?

“Is the ultimate truth of Dao benevolence? That only by valuing humanity can one achieve immortality?” Xu Lian was startled by this conclusion.

Perhaps no cultivator or major power had thought of this, because if they had, the world would be free of conflict. Everyone would be kindhearted and harmonious, and the world would already be an immortal realm… What would be the point of cultivating immortality?

Seeing Xu Lian lost in thought, the Goddess of Time silently watched him without interruption.

Xu Lian snapped out of his reverie and looked at the Goddess of Time’s stunning face. “O, what do you think is the ultimate truth of the Dao?”

The Goddess of Time was taken aback. “Why do you ask? Have you realized something?”

Whatever Xu Lian had realized, it wouldn’t be of much use to him personally – he could just add points to his attributes and be done with it. However, discussing the Dao with the Goddess of Time might benefit her.

“I’ve reflected on the process of obtaining the laws of the Divine Kingdom in the Hundred Boats Secret Realm and the Divine Bone in the Ancient Holy Land. I’ve come to the conclusion that the ultimate truth of the Dao seems to be related to a benevolent heart. Of course, this is just a rough conclusion I’ve drawn, just for reference.”

Xu Lian shared his thoughts. “It was because I genuinely cared for the people of the Hundred Boats Secret Realm and the broken world, showing them kindness and compassion, that I received these unexpected gifts. The Divine Kingdom and the Ancient Holy Land recognized me and granted me their laws and the Divine Bone.”

The Goddess of Time fell into deep thought, pondering his words.

After a while, she said, “You’re not the only one who has thought this. The ruler of the Divine Kingdom wanted to elevate the entire nation to immortality. The master of the ancient holy land wanted to create an immortal realm. The supreme experts of the divine race wanted to elevate their entire race. It’s easy to see the connection. But they all failed. This path might be a dead end.”

Xu Lian shuddered. In fact, those who followed this path faced heavenly punishment and met a tragic end.

His actions in the Hundred Boats Secret Realm and the broken world had aligned with the paths of the Divine Kingdom and the ancient holy land, earning him their laws and divine bone. However, this didn’t necessarily mean that the path was correct, as it had ultimately led to failure.

As if reading his thoughts, the Goddess of Time said, “You shouldn’t let this discourage you. In fact, not only has this way failed, but all other ways have failed as well. No one has achieved immortality, so no one knows which path is the true path to eternal life.”

Xu Lian understood. All the paths were dead ends, or more accurately, broken paths. There were cliffs at the farthest end with no way forward. One could only make their own way.

The Goddess of Time continued, “You may as well follow the path indicated by the divine kingdom and the ancient holy land. If you walk it to its end, you’ll at least reach the level of Ruler of the Divine Kingdom and Master of the Ancient Holy Land. Then you can think about what the true path to immortality might be.”

Xu Lian nodded with a smile. “That’s right. With my current Tracing the Origin Stage 7 cultivation, it’s too early to think about the path to immortality. I still have a long way to go before I reach the broken path.”

As he sat discussing the Dao with the Goddess of Time, inhaling her pleasant fragrance, he felt a sense of inner peace. Who wouldn’t love someone so beautiful and powerful?

The Goddess of Time then brought up the subject of Spirit Herbs. “Spirit herbs that prolong life can be divided into four categories: spirit herbs, treasure herbs, herb kings, and divine herbs. When consuming them, you must be careful to proceed in order. If you consume an Herb King first, the Spirit Herbs and Treasure Herbs will be ineffective. Therefore, consuming them in the correct order will maximize the extension of your life span.”

Xu Lian didn’t know this and looked at the Goddess of Time with affection. “O… you are so good to me.”

The Goddess of Time knew that he was being mischievous again and closed her eyes, dismissing him. “If there’s nothing else, you may leave. Don’t interfere with my cultivation.”

“Alright,” Xu Lian replied, though he chuckled inwardly. Women, they always say one thing but mean another.