Chapter 894: Immortals ask for eternity, and all seek for one life
Li Yuan's originally confused mind was stimulated to wake up again.
If it were any other soul, this would be impossible. Once they drank Meng Po soup, they would have completely forgotten their past.
However, the soul of the Daozun Emperor is far from being bound by the laws and means of the underworld. Once stimulated by emotions, it can still revive from oblivion, forcibly break free from confusion, and regain its spiritual light.
He looked ahead in surprise, a complex look flashing across his expression.
Yue Wei on the side had reached her limit. She was in a daze, her thoughts were confused, and she confusedly pulled Li Yuan to jump into the vortex of the six reincarnations, but was pulled back by Li Yuan who was standing stiffly in place.
Those who were stranded had completely forgotten their past. Seeing that Li Yuan at the front did not move, although they still respected him instinctively and dared not provoke him, facing the call of reincarnation, they silently bypassed Li Yuan and jumped in without hesitation, one by one, like dumplings being dropped into the water.
Some people went straight to the three paths, some struggled in the whirlpool and could not find their destination, and some plunged into the animal path without saying a word...
Their fate has been completely different since they drank Meng Po soup. What kind of fate they will have in the next life depends entirely on God's arrangement.
Not only these stranded people, but also confused and lost souls followed one after another, lining up to jump into the vortex of the six realms of reincarnation.
However, Li Yuan no longer paid attention to those things. In his eyes, the sad figure in the red dress was so familiar yet distant.
"Miss Shen...Miss Shen..."
Li Yuan took a deep breath and spoke slowly, but found that his voice had become a little hoarse.
This life has been full of ups and downs, with more and more responsibilities to bear, and the cause and effect involved becoming more and more dangerous. I never dare to stop for personal love, and deep in my heart I am at a loss about that unfamiliar feeling, and subconsciously choose to retreat.
In the past, he personally rushed to the troubled times and sent Shen Xuanxi into the underworld, thinking that he had fulfilled his last act of friendship and completely severed the love calamity bestowed between the immortal and the mortal.
As a result, who would have thought that they would meet again before the six reincarnations!
At this moment, Li Yuan made many associations and understood one of the reasons why Xiaohu had been suffering in this underworld for so long.
That child must have seen some of the meaning of Shen Xuanxi to Li Yuan from the so-called "destiny", so he waited to be led and even persuaded him to stay.
Is this... part of the so-called perfection of tempering?
As the Emperor of Taoism, Li Yuan was actually confused at the moment, not knowing whether this was the will of heaven that could be seen through, or the "will of heaven" that was deliberately set up and could not be seen through.
If Lao Zhang could show up, Li Yuan would definitely ask him, not only about this matter, but also about the inexplicable angry kick he gave him after he returned to the mountain that year.
He still remembered that when he first came back from Liangshan, Old Zhang kicked him angrily, and his expression was full of disappointment...
Li Yuan's thoughts were flying wildly, and then he was instantly pulled back by that gentle and soft voice.
"Mr. Li, the mountain man Li Yuan, or the mountain god Li Yuan..."
"Now, do you still have many concerns?"
Shen Xuanxi stood up from the vortex of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, gently brushed off the dust on her body, and walked over slowly. Although she did not have the ethereal aura of a goddess, she appeared dignified and calm, with the demeanor of a great man.
Li Yuan opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer for a moment.
"..."
"Are the feelings of a mere mortal woman so unbearable that she has to remain silent even when it is mentioned..."
Shen Xuanxi still looks beautiful in her bright red dress.
She approached, each step contained great tension, and she tried to smile gently, which showed that Li Yuan was speechless and his eyes dimmed instantly. He couldn't help but laugh at himself and lowered his head. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, like a pure gem, shattering on the charred ground of the underworld.
Li Yuan smiled bitterly and answered Shen Xuanxi's previous question: "Why should I regret it? I was just surprised. I didn't expect that we would meet again."
"Since you have no regrets, can you fulfill your old agreement?"
Shen Xuanxi bit her teeth lightly, her eyes burning, she took a step forward, and stood in front of the six reincarnations waiting. The courage she had accumulated over the years overcame her uneasiness at the moment, making her much braver than she had been in her lifetime.
Faced with the soul of this mortal woman, Yue Wei, who was supporting Li Yuan, quietly let go of her master's arm for some reason. Like a child who dares not get involved in the grudges of her elders, she instinctively shook her head and stepped back, watching silently as if she was eating a melon.
Although her spiritual light was dim and her mind was confused, she still felt a complex and embarrassing atmosphere, like a purgatory.
Although the woman in front of him was a mortal in her previous life, she was able to silence the Taoist Emperor with just two sentences, and he dared not respond. This was a rare sight throughout the ages.
Feeling the complexity on Li Yuan's face, as well as the fleeting tenderness, Shen Xuanxi's eyes flickered, like a sea of stars, as if vast waves were brewing in it, and he advanced instead of retreating.
At this moment, she is no longer the daughter of the Shen family who carried the family's reputation on her shoulders. She is just a lonely soul who has been waiting in the underworld for many years. If this hope is completely cut off in front of the person she misses, Shen Xuanxi will definitely not be able to bear it even if her personality is as gentle as water!
"Why don't you dare to respond!"
Shen Xuanxi mustered up her courage, her red skirt fluttering as she quickly walked up to Li Yuan and stretched out her hand as if to hold him, but suddenly thought of the huge difference in their identities... The sudden inferiority and cowardice, as well as the anxiety about Li Yuan's indifferent reaction, made her slender hand finally just gently pinch Li Yuan's sleeve.
She turned her head away, tears bursting out of her eyes as she moved. Her body seemed to tremble, and the sound was softer than the breeze blowing across the netherworld.
"I only ask that the love you promised me in this life will not entangle you in your long journey to immortality..."
Looking at the slender fingers gently pulling at his sleeve, Li Yuan frowned slightly and was about to say something but was interrupted by the other party.
"I know that being attracted to a mere mortal is just a love calamity bestowed upon you by God. I, Shen Xuanxi... am just a tool in the eyes of God."
"But as an immortal god, can you understand... for a mortal, the years of knowing and accompanying each other in the bamboo forest, such a beautiful and indifferent encounter, saved my gray puppet-like life. It was a dream encounter that seemed like a gift from heaven."
"Although it is the so-called calamity between immortals and mortals, you and I both know in our hearts whether it is true or false!"
"You are a fairy from heaven, you have your own difficulties and responsibilities, so you slowly hide from me, avoid me, and distance yourself from me indifferently. I can understand..."
"But if you were really cruel when we parted, why did you promise me a promise for the next life?"
"Since you have promised me such an illusory afterlife, why are you still hesitating when we meet again at the end of reincarnation?!"
All the courage in his heart disappeared with these words. Shen Xuanxi's eyes turned red and he slowly turned around. His movements and expression were still dignified and graceful, but his trembling hands tightly grasped Li Yuan's sleeves as he looked directly into the eyes of this Yuan Zun.
For a mortal woman, it takes tremendous courage to suffer in the gloomy and terrifying underworld for an immortal being and silently wait for an unknown outcome at the end of reincarnation.
Even though Li Yuan felt that he had seen through the calamity and had given up all emotions and even didn't take it seriously, he still couldn't bear to feel hurt when he saw those eyes filled with sorrow and sadness.
Only then did he truly understand that he had never gotten over the emotional calamity of the past, and his self-deceiving 'seeing through' would never lead to perfection.
Heaven wanted him to experience all the seven emotions and six desires and see all kinds of worldly affairs, but he thought his faith was firm and that he could overcome Heaven's will, so he forcibly changed the process and outcome. How ridiculous it was.
Although he understood his own path and saw his own way clearly, he did not dare to face this throbbing emotion and buried it cruelly. The choice Li Yuan made back then was both right and wrong.
He never thought that since he possessed a human nature that he could not get rid of and was unwilling to give up, then being moved by emotions was something that was bound to happen on the way forward. His body was made of hard stone, but his soul was not a cold stone!
But all in all, the past is the past, and it has indirectly shaped the current Yuanzun.
In a trance, Li Yuan seemed to see again the heavy snow covering the mountains and the green bamboo forest standing proudly under the wind and snow. The sad woman in the slender and flowing red skirt, reflected in the snow like a wintersweet, was still standing in the depths of the bamboo forest and in front of him, with a sad smile and tears as clear as glass.
"If there is an afterlife."
Standing in front of the vortex of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Li Yuan slowly opened his mouth and repeated his answer from that year in a deep voice.
Now that we are at the end of reincarnation, let's leave everything to God.