The Lotus Epiphany

Ji Ning raced forward with his Unity of Man and Heaven footwork, swift as the wind. After leaving Eastmarsh Swamp, he continued his frantic escape, tearing through the mountain forests. It was only after he had fled at least a thousand li that he finally came to a stop. By now, the Golden Crow had completely set, though the western clouds were still dyed a fiery red, casting a faint glow upon the land.

“Whew!” Ji Ning wiped his brow. Sweat covered his forehead.

“First I ran three hundred li across the water, then another thousand li through the mountains. And at my absolute fastest speed, no less. I’ve never run like that before. I didn’t think my physique would actually break a sweat.” Normally, when Ji Ning traveled a thousand li across the water to Eastmarsh Swamp, he didn’t even produce a single drop of sweat. But that had never been at his absolute limit.

Fatigue washed over him. Ji Ning walked forward slowly. Ahead of him was a pond, filled with blooming lotuses. The lotuses emerged unstained from the mud, their stems straight and true, and a faint fragrance of lotus blossoms filled his nostrils. The weary Ji Ning couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile as he sat down heavily by the edge of the pond.

“I managed to escape that calamity,” he said softly. He produced a bamboo tube, which was filled with clean, fresh water. He raised his head and took a couple of gulps.

“I wonder how that little Azure-Serpent is doing,” Ji Ning sighed quietly. “Little Azure-Serpent, don’t blame me. There was no way I could save you. I can only hate that I have yet to reach the Xiantian stage.”

“Xiantian!”

The mere thought of it brought a hint of worry to his heart.

The Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens was the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique, and its power was tremendous. But its difficulty was also immense. Even with his talent, breaking through was an arduous task. How was he supposed to achieve ‘the intermingling of Yin and Yang, the fusion of Water and Fire’? How could he possibly merge the Taiyin and Sunstar energies within his body into a single whole?

“How exactly do I break through?” Ji Ning pondered deeply.

Whoosh!

A gentle breeze blew. The evening wind of summer was comfortable and refreshing. The wind caused the lotuses in the pond to sway from side to side, while the lotus leaves spun slightly, rotating to the left and then reversing direction to the right.

Ji Ning had already reached the Unity of Man and Heaven level in his Windshadow Steps, so his heart and mind naturally became one with the wind. When the wind blew against the lotuses, he could clearly sense it…

“Oh?” Ji Ning revealed a look of curiosity. “The wind blows the lotuses. They spin left, then spin right.”

His heart was stirred.

“If a leaf were blown by the wind, it would just be tossed about chaotically. Because it has no root!”

“If a small tree were blown by the wind, it would simply sway left and right. Because it lacks the large, round leaves.”

“But when a lotus leaf is blown, it can spin left and right, deflecting the force of the wind.”

Ji Ning raised his head to look at the sky. It wasn’t fully dark yet, but the moon was already faintly visible. “The Golden Crow sets, the Moon Rabbit rises!”

“Spin left, counter with spin right!”

“Daytime, and then nighttime. It is precisely because there is daytime that the night is all the more contrasting!” Ji Ning murmured to himself. “In total darkness, a single point of light is blindingly bright! The lotus leaf spins left and right, two completely opposite directions, and thus deflects the wind’s force, while remaining unchanged itself.”

Ji Ning closed his eyes.

His body and mind became one with heaven and earth. He could feel the wind, and he could feel the lotus leaves by the pond’s edge.

He vaguely sensed a profound law, a mystery that had existed within heaven and earth for endless ages… this mystery was the Dao! The wind contained the Dao, the Dao was unfathomable and inscrutable, but when the wind blew on the lotus leaves… on the lotus leaves, Ji Ning had discovered the shadow of the Dao. He had discovered a trace of the Dao’s rhythm, a trace of its True Meaning!

Ji Ning sat peacefully in the lotus position by the pond, utterly absorbed, savoring the faint rhythm of the ‘Dao’ that he could perceive from the swaying and spinning of the lotus leaves.

…

Comprehending the Dao could be encountered, but not sought.

Only when one’s mind, thoughts, and environment were in perfect harmony in a single instant could one touch the existence of the Dao. The prerequisite for touching the Dao… was first to achieve Unity of Man and Heaven. Only when one’s spirit was completely integrated with heaven and earth could one touch the eternal Dao.

“Hua hua hua~~” The water of the pond trickled slowly down a small stream hidden by weeds.

“Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!”

Night had fallen. The sounds of frogs came from the forest.

Gradually…

Strands of light began to slowly gather around the cross-legged Ji Ning. First, watery light gathered, gradually forming enormous lotus leaves made of water. These leaves surrounded Ji Ning, unfolding and gently swaying with the wind.

Then, specks of fiery light gathered, forming flaming lotus leaves. These enormous leaves also surrounded Ji Ning.

Two layers of lotus leaves.

One layer was made of water, the other of fire. Each layer had three petals.

“Whoosh!” Where water and fire met, wind was born from the void.

Hua hua hua~~~

The wind generated between the two layers of leaves caused both layers to spin. The water leaves of the lower layer spun to the left, while the fire leaves of the upper layer spun to the right! The two layers of leaves spun in completely opposite directions… slowly, gently. Ji Ning did not use any of his own power at all.

Everything was born of nature.

“Swoosh!” A gray-furred wolf emerged from the forest. Its green eyes stared at the fur-clad youth in the distance. The enormous lotus petals surrounding the youth, each several zhang in size, puzzled it slightly. But as a beast of low intelligence, its instincts told it that those spinning water lotus leaves and fire lotus leaves were merely a part of heaven and earth. Like clouds… nothing to be concerned about.

The gray wolf bared its fangs at the fur-clad youth.

It was hungry!

This youth sat there motionless, as if asleep. He must be defenseless. And this young human’s flesh looked so tender. It must be delicious. The wolf could already feel its saliva dripping.

No hesitation!

“Swoosh!” The wolf charged forward, then leaped, jaws wide, aiming for the youth’s throat.

But the moment it leaped into the range of the two layers of lotus leaves…

“Crack!”

The wind created by the intersecting layers of leaves, carrying the grinding power of heaven and earth, instantly pulverized the wolf into bloody chunks. Blood trickled across the ground, some seeping into the earth, some flowing into the pond.

…

Night.

Tie Muzhan and the black-robed man, his Huan Beast great demon in human form, were following an Ice Wasp as they moved through the mountains.

The Ice Wasp was, after all, merely a type of wasp, not a large bird or a great demon. Its flying speed could be imagined! It was not even a tenth as fast as Ji Ning’s running speed.

“That Ji Clan brat sure can run.” Tie Muzhan’s face was dark with fury. “He’s already left the Eastmarsh Swamp, and he’s still running…”

The black-robed man quickly said, “Master, the Ice Wasp flies much slower. If this Ji Clan boy keeps running until he reaches one of the five commandery cities of the Ji Clan, we probably won’t have any way to get him.”

“Run all the way to one of the five commandery cities?” Tie Muzhan shook his head. “Too far. Eastmarsh Swamp is on the border of the Ji Clan’s territory. Running from the border all the way to the five commandery cities? That Ji Clan boy probably won’t run that far.” But in his heart, he was worried. If Ji Ning truly did run to any of the five commandery cities, although Tie Muzhan was confident in his own abilities, he did not dare to barge into the enemy’s lair.

“We’ll take it slow.”

Tie Muzhan said, “The Ice Flower Dew has left behind a special scent. It will last for three full days before dissipating. We can’t smell it, but the Ice Wasp can. As long as that Ji Clan boy hasn’t reached the five commandery cities, he’s dead!”

“Right. Dead for sure!” the black-robed man echoed.

“He ruined my plans and made me a powerful enemy in the future.” The thought of the Azure-Serpent King growing strong while roaming the outside world, perhaps returning as a Zifu-level ancient demon, filled Tie Muzhan with dread and an even deeper hatred for Ji Ning. “I’m going to skin him alive and pull out his tendons myself!”

“Right! Skin him alive and pull out his tendons!” the black-robed man said, baring his fangs.

…

Gradually, the golden orb of the sun began to rise in the east. A new day had arrived. Tie Muzhan and his transformed Huan Beast great demon were still slowly tracking. They were thoroughly frustrated. That Ji Clan boy was far too cautious! After fleeing Eastmarsh Swamp, he had run at least another thousand li or more.

The single Ice Wasp was also exhausted from flying over a thousand li. Fortunately, it was a strange insect.

“Master.” The black-robed man’s eyes lit up as he pointed into the distance.

“Hm?” Tie Muzhan, who was also mentally fatigued, followed the direction of the man’s finger. In the distance, beside a pond, he could vaguely make out a human figure. This sent a surge of energy through him.

Tie Muzhan’s eyes brightened. He licked his lips and communicated mentally, “Let’s go. Over there.”

A master and his bonded beast could maintain mental communication at very close distances. The range depended on the strength of their souls. For an ordinary Xiantian lifeform and their bonded beast, they could barely manage it within ten meters.

They advanced cautiously, trying not to make a sound.

But even if they did make a sound, Tie Muzhan wouldn’t be afraid. He was, after all, a late-stage Xiantian expert. In a sprint, he was likely a bit faster than Ji Ning. Furthermore, he had some ordinary Dao talismans on him, like a Movement Talisman. There was no way he was going to let this Ji Ning escape.

“What an idiot. I’ve been careful, but I still made some noise, and he hasn’t sensed a thing. He should be a Fiendgod Body Refiner, so his senses should be sharp. Hmph, no experience at all. He’s probably asleep,” Tie Muzhan sneered. “Fine. It’ll be easier for me. Otherwise, I might have to waste a Movement Talisman.”

Tie Muzhan and the black-robed man continued to advance.

Slowly…

They could finally see clearly.

“What?!” They both stared, stunned.

The sun had already risen. Under the sunlight, the enormous fire lotus leaves and water lotus leaves appeared somewhat translucent. These lotus leaves were not real; they were formed from the gathered power of heaven and earth. Under the sunlight, they became semi-transparent.

Two enormous layers of lotus leaves were slowly revolving in opposite directions, containing a bizarre rhythm. In the center, surrounded by the two layers of massive leaves, Ji Ning sat cross-legged.

“What… what is this?” Although Tie Muzhan was well-traveled, this was his first time seeing such a wonder. “Could it be that he’s projecting his true essence outwardly?”

“But even if he’s broken through to become a Xiantian lifeform, he’s only at the early stage. He probably doesn’t even have any magic treasures on him.” A cruel grin spread across Tie Muzhan’s face.