Chapter 735: Sacrificing Life
Chapter 735: Sacrificing Life
"Dharmic Power?"
Hu Ma never expected Old Abacus to give such an answer.
The concept of Dharmic Power was intertwined with one's innate abilities.
The limit for humans was three pillars of Dharmic Power, but through certain methods, one could possess four pillars or even more.
Additionally, while Dharmic Power was crucial, when it came to a life-or-death struggle, the more Dharmic Power one had, the more they could endure. However, this was under the condition that the Fa Men were similar, and the abilities were not significantly different. When the Fa Men were highly advanced and the techniques were exquisite, Dharmic Power might even seem somewhat useless.
For instance, whether it was Ghost Gate Sect or Year Guard, they were both the most profound Fa Men. When battling others, the outcome was usually decided quickly, and it rarely came down to a contest of Dharmic Power.
Moreover, in this world of cultivation, there were numerous skilled cultivators. Some could cultivate two extra pillars of Dharmic Power using insects, and Meng Family Patriarch even possessed nine pillars. It was impossible for Old Abacus to match up with him.
"Righteous Method?"
As if reading Hu Ma's thoughts, Old Abacus spoke in a low voice, "This is different from the Vitality Pillar Technique I mentioned before. It is an honorable and upright Inner Seeking Technique, a struggle for life using one's own body."
Hearing this, Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly, "What is a Righteous Method? What is a Deviant Method?"
"Everything you see in various cultivation paths is a Deviant Method."
Old Abacus sighed and said, "The path to the bridge only appeared after Tai Sui Lord's arrival, but the cultivation of Dharmic Power has long been a means for cultivators."
"However, it was much simpler back then. One could gain a pillar of Dharmic Power by killing someone. Some killed good people, while others killed evil spirits."
"But whether it was killing good or evil, or using any means to cultivate an external body or soul, it was all deception. It's like a mirage, only a shadow can be seen, neither bringing life nor taking it away. The fate remains the same."
"The true method is actually..."
Old Abacus, with his comical face, now looked extremely serious as he slowly revealed, "Killing oneself."
"Taking life from the Heavens."
"What is taken becomes one's own. Honorable and upright, with an immortal flesh."
"..."
Listening to Old Abacus, Hu Ma frowned.
Instead of rushing to ask about "killing oneself" and how it was done, he seemed to have grasped the key point, "Did he ask you to tell me all this?"
Old Abacus immediately retracted his neck and whispered, "You know enough. I'm just reminding you!"
"My abilities are not sufficient to see the realm of Heaven and Earth. There are boundaries to worldly skills. Only the Chief Priest, who has already inquired of Heaven and Earth, can see so far and so high."
"My cheap master made me memorize these words. He said you would eventually ask, and I could choose not to tell you, but if you did ask, I would."
"..."
"Is it because he knows I won't cross the bridge but is unwilling to accept it, so he's using this opportunity to tell me?"
Hu Ma wanted to vent his frustration on Old Abacus.
But seeing his cowering and drooping eyes, Hu Ma merely narrowed his eyes and said, "Then continue!"
"I'm just repeating what he said..."
Old Abacus explained, "As for crossing the bridge, he said it's a means of seclusion. The first character is 'hide', so it's not appropriate. Now, many have crossed the bridge but encountered obstacles and couldn't proceed."
"The bridge separates people from their hometowns, and that's why seclusion fails. Staying in the world and struggling against Heaven and Earth might be the right path."
"Cultivating Dharmic Power, step by step, is a Yin-Yang approach compared to crossing the bridge."
"But if we continue, it might be different paths leading to the same destination. We might all reach the bridge, or it might prove that one is true and the other false, with significant differences in between."
"..."
Hu Ma suddenly grasped the key point, "So, he hasn't practiced this method himself?"
"He said his fate isn't heavy enough, and his heart isn't cruel enough..."
Old Abacus said, "Most importantly, he is one of those who has ventured the farthest on the bridge and can't turn back."
Seeing Hu Ma lost in thought again, Old Abacus heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, "Well, I've said everything I should. It's not that important anyway. He might not know, but I do know you have four pillars of Dharmic Power."
"When you asked me about the Vitality Pillar Technique earlier, I didn't want to tell you. But now, it's good that I did. The Vitality Pillar Technique is a deviant method, and that path has already been blocked."
"Even if you want to cultivate Dharmic Power now, you can't."
"..."
"It's not an obstacle."
Hearing this, Hu Ma calmly said, "I've already cut off that pillar of Dharmic Power from my own body."
"If you had stayed at the Blood Feast Mine, you would have witnessed the anomaly."
"..."
"Huh?"
Old Abacus widened his eyes, then cautiously asked after a moment, "Didn't you cultivate it back?"
"No."
Hu Ma exhaled softly, "I had other plans, but I'm not touching that for now."
Seeing his reaction, Old Abacus fell silent. He had wanted to pull on the donkey's ear to slow it down and quietly disappear from Hu Ma's sight, leaving him to figure it out on his own.
Despite the donkey's stubbornness, it continued to follow Hu Ma's carriage, running faster and faster. This made it awkward for the donkey to guard Hu Ma. After a while, it cautiously spoke up, "If I may say, I..."
"This isn't me repeating someone else's words, I genuinely think this way."
"..."
Hu Ma turned to look at it, indicating for it to continue.
Old Abacus cleared his throat and said, "In my opinion, it doesn't matter who says it, you have to see for yourself."
"Regarding your question about fate, I can't answer it. I don't have such a high level of insight. Even if I knew, it would only be something I heard, and it might not be accurate. So, there's nothing more useful than seeing it for yourself."
"Cross the bridge?"
Hu Ma looked at him, wanting to see his own fate, and realized that crossing the bridge was the only way.
"A fake bridge!"
Old Abacus lowered his voice and said, "In the various paths of the Jianghu, countless people want to cross the bridge, but those with shallow foundations can't even take that step."
"Some people, by chance or coincidence, take that step and see themselves clearly, but in the end, they can't keep their footing and slip back down. They often feel that it's their fate, and from then on, they settle down and live out their years honestly."
"But to put it bluntly, it's because their foundation isn't solid enough."
"You, however, are completely different from them. Your foundation is too solid. You can cross whenever you want, but your body is too heavy. Once you take that step, you might worry about not being able to come back down. But if..."
"What if you use something to hold yourself back, take a quick look, and then immediately return to the human world?"
"..."
"Is that even possible?"
Hu Ma listened intently, his heart stirred. He lowered the curtain and seriously contemplated the feasibility of this idea.
Crossing the bridge, whether it's transcendence or seclusion, is described differently by different people, but it seems that there's an innate human impulse to "escape" or "avoid" within us. Therefore, when one's abilities reach a certain level, the urge to cross the bridge is always present.
Anyway, it's already a struggle to suppress it, and if it can't be contained...
The more he thought about it, the more interesting it became. Outside the carriage window, the blinding sunlight pierced through the curtain and landed on his leg. It was noon.
Crossing the bridge meant entering the Netherworld, and it was best to do so when Yin energy was at its peak. But if one wanted to return, it was preferable to have abundant Yang energy. As for the object to hold himself back, he thought of Little Red Tang and looked down at it.
Little Red Tang, bored from the journey, was lying by his side. After a moment of confusion, it slowly raised its sleeve.
Hu Ma's heart was at ease, and he began to contemplate. Suddenly, he closed his eyes.
The next moment, everything around him seemed to momentarily freeze in a strange silence. The carriage wheels, which had been rolling along the muddy road, suddenly lost their sound.
The breeze that had been blowing through the carriage seemed to pause for a moment. The carriage driver ahead raised his whip high, but just as the whip was about to crack, a sharp, piercing sound rang out, and everything became eerily silent, as if time had been stolen.
"Hey, sis, there's more fun ahead."
"Before, in Stone Horse Town, we taught a lesson to an official with a big head and a small body. You don't know, but that official looked amusing, but he was fierce. My fellow disciples played a prank on him..."
In the carriage behind, Kindness Fairy was telling Si Zhou, who longed for the Jianghu but was strictly guarded at home and had only experienced a few days of the Jianghu, about some interesting incidents. However, the more Si Zhou listened, the more confused she became. "Sister, the person you're talking about sounds familiar to me."
"Oh, let's change the topic..."
Kindness Fairy said, "I've told you that many of my fellow disciples have excellent skills."
"And these skills, we never hide them. We teach anyone who wants to learn. But it's funny, when we want to teach our skills to others, those who are willing to teach and those who are willing to learn, others become unwilling."
"Once, we met someone named Zhou, nicknamed Cloud Catcher. He came and pointed fingers, but when it came to action, our senior disciple gave him a good lesson..."
"Hanging from a tree for several days..."
"..."
Si Zhou couldn't help but feel awkward. She struggled to say, "I'm from the Zhou family."
"Sister, the person you're talking about seems to be..."
"..."
In the carriage where the two had been happily chatting, the atmosphere became a bit awkward.
Si Zhou and Kindness Fairy stared at each other, both sensing that something was amiss. Kindness Fairy had talked about many annoying nobles, and Si Zhou had mentioned many outlaws who caused trouble and stirred up trouble...
They had plenty to talk about, but now...
"Buzz!"
Just as their gazes began to change and the atmosphere headed towards the brink of chaos, Si Zhou's heart suddenly jolted, and she abruptly withdrew her gaze from Kindness Fairy.
In that instant, her figure darted through the carriage and leaped ten zhang away.
"You... could it be..."
She looked at Hu Ma's carriage, her expression indescribable, unable to believe her own guess.
Who would do such a thing while traveling?
Shouldn't this be something prepared carefully for many years to avoid mishaps?
(End of Chapter)
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