Chapter 997
Destiny
The Fifty-Three Days is a timeframe that Song Changsheng derived from the images he saw during his inner demon tribulation after condensing his false infant.
The time when Song Qingxing returned to his clan from the Wuliang Sword Sect.
The images he saw were a mix of real and fake, but he couldn't make a subjective judgment.
Therefore, he had to find some kind of pattern in it and differentiate the real part, which was equivalent to letting him see part of the future in advance, and was of great value.
Without alerting anyone, Song Changsheng arrived above Cangmang Peak in a flash. His vast divine sense swept over the peak, giving him a complete view of its entirety.
He spent over twenty years trying to condense the false infant, and some interesting changes also occurred on Cangmang Peak.
Following the previous reforms, the number of new cultivators in the Song Clan has decreased significantly each year, and this trend continues.
Because many children with four or five spiritual roots chose to give up on the path to immortality after experiencing the Ascension Ceremony and stayed in the mortal world to live carefree lives as wealthy men.
Even if these people embark on the path to immortality, they will only ever reach the Qi Refining stage, with little hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
Without reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one's lifespan is no more than two Jiazi (60 years).
While mortals have shorter lifespans, with the intervention of cultivation techniques, it is very common for them to live healthily to seventy or eighty years old, and centenarians are a common sight.
Compared to those children who are forced to embark on the path of immortality, they have plenty of time to enjoy their lives.
When the reforms were first implemented, influenced by traditional ideas, few parents objected to their children cultivating immortality. However, as time went on, more and more people made this choice.
Because they accepted a truth.
His own child was not an outstanding individual, and in the cultivation world, he was not even considered mediocre.
Embarking on the path to immortality, separated from the mortal realm, licking blood from the edge of a knife, adrift in endless mundane affairs, wasting a hundred years of life, and finally turning into a handful of yellow earth just like them.
Even more so for some, a hundred years is a luxury, as they have already witnessed far too many instances of white-haired people burying their black-haired counterparts.
Rather than that, it's better to keep him by our side and let him live out his life in peace.
The number of new cultivators each year has decreased, but their quality is improving at a visible rate. This also saves a lot of resources to be invested in these new cultivators, which is a win-win situation.
Looking at the young people cultivating in the morning sun, Song Changsheng couldn't help but smile. From these people, he seemed to be able to see the future of the Song family.
Speaking of which, the cultivation of the Song family cultivators has now become a great spectacle on Cangmang Peak.
Because all the cultivators of the Song clan, from top to bottom, primarily or secondarily cultivated the [Taiji Hunyuan Scripture] created by Song Changsheng, and because men are associated with Yang and women with Yin, the male cultivators of the Song clan would collectively cultivate at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) and the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) every morning, drawing upon the [Essence of the Sun], creating a truly magnificent scene.
The evening hours of 7-9 PM and 9-11 PM are the time for the female cultivators of the Song family to cultivate together, and the scene is no less impressive.
Song Changsheng watched them cultivate from the air until Chenshi (7-9 AM) before turning his gaze to an underground alchemy room.
There were only two people and one cauldron in the alchemy room.
He was familiar with one of them, Wu Jie. Ever since he finished refining the Lesser Creation Pill, he had been severely injured and had been recuperating since returning to Cangmang Peak from the East Sea.
Currently, the situation seems pretty good.
Beside him was a refined young man who, despite his young age, had already cultivated to the ninth level of Qi Refining and was focused on refining pills.
"This must be Song Jingxuan that my wife mentioned. His earth spirit root is indeed extraordinary. As long as he can pass the three stages of Foundation Establishment, he will surely become a pillar of the family in the future." Song Changsheng nodded secretly, and without going down to disturb them, he flashed to the top of the mountain.
Inside the Cloud Palace, Song Xianming's aura remained stable, showing no signs of breaking through.
He is currently the cultivator from the Song clan who has spent the longest period of seclusion after breaking through to the Golden Core stage.
If you want to speed, you can't reach it.
To break through to the Golden Core stage, it's common to go into seclusion for a hundred years. Song Changsheng wasn't in a hurry; he only hoped that Song Xianming could steadily overcome this tribulation and allow the old man to accompany the Song family for a longer journey.
"what"
Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow and looked directly in front of him.
A sword aura of extreme speed descended from the sky, accompanied by a shrill scream that could pierce eardrums, and the once desolate and vast mountain peak was instantly shrouded in a sea of blood.
Song Changsheng's legs were submerged in a thick sea of blood. One after another, ferocious faces appeared in the sea of blood, along with countless bloody hands, like the hands of drowning people desperately reaching out before they die, trying to grasp a straw in the air.
"The essence of swordsmanship, huh?"
He initially possessed the ruthless [Slaughtering Sword Intent], but ultimately cultivated it into the compassionate [Guardian Sword Intent], using slaughter to protect—a feat few throughout history have been able to achieve.
With his hands behind his back, Song Changsheng stood in the sea of blood, remaining motionless despite the demonic sounds and the bloody hands dragging him.
Breaking through the sword intent before him was very simple for him, but he was not in a hurry to make a move because he could sense that there was a second layer of change in the sword intent.
From his perspective, the current sword intent is already extremely powerful, reaching perfection. Even a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage would be slightly affected if enveloped within it.
It can even hold its own against a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.
Even under these circumstances, a second layer of change was hidden, and he was eager to see what mysteries this second layer of change contained.
However, a short while later, a light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky; to be precise, it was a rain of blood.
I could also hear faint sobbing sounds.
The voice was indistinguishable between male and female, and its direction and source were indistinguishable; it seemed as if heaven and earth were resonating with it.
For some reason, upon hearing this crying, Song Changsheng felt a pang of sadness, and the image of the eyes that had met his gaze before the arrival of the inner demon tribulation inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
Those eyes, filled with compassion, tinged with blood, and glistening with tears.
Just then, a dazzling and sharp sword aura suddenly appeared from the horizon, cleaving the sky and tearing apart the sea of blood, heading straight for his head.
"break!"
A trace of sword intent also flashed in Song Changsheng's pupils, and the blood sea of intent before him was instantly shattered.
"The second change was actually the [Heaven-Opening Sword Intent]. The change in intent even affected me slightly."
He was very familiar with the [Heaven-Opening Sword Intent], but it was different from his own, lacking some of its grandeur and possessing more of its desolation and tragedy.
"It seems you've experienced quite a lot on this path of trials." Song Changsheng turned to look ahead, where a solitary figure was slowly walking towards them against the cold wind.
Sixty years have passed, and Song Qingxing's figure has become much thinner than before, as hard as iron, with an undisguised sharpness brewing between his brows.
"Uncle, I'm back."
Song Qingxing sheathed his sword, knelt before Song Changsheng, and performed a deep bow with utmost care.
That one word, "Uncle," seemed to encompass all his emotions.
Understanding the essence, comprehending the mind, and seeing the Way—this was all he gained on his path of trials.
He understood what family heritage meant, what passing on the torch meant, and what it meant to protect.
He cultivates the "Slaughtering Sword Path" and comprehends the "Guardian Sword Path".
Two hundred years have passed in a flash. He has been aimlessly killing with his sword until someone proved to him with his actions that the sword in his hand can also protect, in addition to killing.
That person did not cultivate the path of protection, yet he always practiced the word "protection".
This made him feel ashamed; he realized it far too late.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Song Changsheng was filled with emotion. He stepped forward, reached out and helped him up. He looked him over carefully, patted his shoulder with satisfaction, and said, "You've lost weight, become more composed, and stronger."
That sword strike was excellent, especially the [Heaven-Opening Sword Intent] in the second transformation, which was a stroke of genius.
It's a pity that your current cultivation level isn't enough to sustain you through the second level of the Intent in actual combat; otherwise, you could even hold your own against a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage.
"In the end, it was no match for your casual sword strike."
"Don't be discouraged. The gap between our cultivation levels is too great. Sword Dao Intent has little effect on me. Among cultivators of the same level, there are very few who can withstand your sword strike."
"You seem to be in a very profound state right now, above the Golden Core stage and below the Nascent Soul stage."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. Previously in the cultivation world of Gusu, he had faced so many Golden Core cultivators at the same time, including many Golden Core Perfection cultivators like Quan Chong, and not a single one of them could see through his disguise.
The exchange with Song Qingxing just now lasted only a moment, and his identity as a "pseudo-True Monarch" was exposed. His spiritual sense was truly extraordinary.
"You see right. My current realm is the False Infant Realm. I need to perfect the Five Elements Pill Dao before I can break through to the Nascent Soul stage. I'm just a paper tiger. I can fool ordinary people, but I'm easily exposed when facing a cultivator like you who has condensed a sword heart."
"The Realm of the False Infant?"
Upon hearing this, the slight sense of frustration that Song Qingxing had just felt vanished instantly.
He had some understanding of the False Infant Realm, but he hadn't thought about it in that direction at first, since the probability was too low. He never expected that Song Changsheng would actually have such an opportunity.
"Congratulations, Uncle, you are only half a step away from the Nascent Soul stage."
Song Changsheng waved his hand and looked at him, asking, "When did you return? Have you seen Xi'er?"
"He returned to his clan nine days ago and has not been seen since."
"Nine days ago?" Song Changsheng calculated with his fingers and found that exactly fifty-three days had passed since he condensed the false infant and awakened. It matched up perfectly.
He will return to his clan on the 53rd, bringing back a Golden Core cultivator. He has indeed glimpsed a corner of the future.
The images he saw were linear, with each line corresponding to multiple nodes, and each node displaying different information.
There are several lines related to Song Qingxing, one of which has already confirmed information from several nodes. This line is highly likely to represent the real future. So what will happen next?
As Song Changsheng recalled the scenes he had witnessed, he suddenly realized that those memories had become very blurry for some reason.
He possessed the ability to remember everything he saw from the moment he was reincarnated into this world. As his cultivation level increased, his memories were firmly sealed, making it impossible for him to forget them unless he wanted to.
He still remembers exactly how many breaths he took when he first started cultivating. How could he possibly forget something so crucial? There must be some force influencing him.
He couldn't think of a better explanation than the laws of nature.
He tried his best to recall, and finally managed to remember some blurry images.
"A demonic calamity. Yes, a demonic calamity is about to occur, but where will it come from?"
None of the information we have so far is related to the demonic path. Could it be that the demonic nascent soul has arrived at the border?
With his strength, wouldn't stirring up a demonic calamity be pointless?
Song Changsheng's heart sank. Before meeting Song Qingxing, he was certain that this part of his memory was complete.
But after he verified them, these memories began to become blurry.
If this violates the rules of nature, then why did he see it in the first place?
"Could it be that because I was certain about the future, the future changed, which is why my memories have become blurred?"
Song Changsheng cultivates the Boundless Path, which naturally includes the Path of Destiny.
Fate is a thing; often the outcome is predetermined. There may be countless ways to go through a process, but there is only one ending.
It's like you're on a plain, heading towards the only mountain in front of you. No matter if you take a straight line, a curve, or some strange route that is different from what others take, your destination is there, and you will reach that mountain sooner or later.
Song Changsheng's current actions are tantamount to disrupting Song Qingxing's established course of action, but his goal has not changed, and so has his destiny; it has only become more unpredictable.
The fact that fragments of the demonic calamity are still there means that even if he knew this, he couldn't stop the calamity from happening, and it would still affect Song Qingxing.
Indeed, that was the case, because he had no idea where this so-called demonic calamity came from, let alone how to stop it.
"Uncle?" Song Qingxing asked with some doubt. He had a strong spiritual sense and could vaguely sense the confusion in Song Changsheng's mind at the moment.
"It's nothing, I just thought about some things." Before he could finish speaking, Song Changsheng decided not to tell Song Qingxing.
Because he didn't know if doing so would bring any unexpected consequences.
"Let's just let things take their course and deal with whatever comes our way."
Thinking of this, he took the initiative to change the subject and said, "Xi'er seems to be in seclusion refining the Five Elements. Have you seen her since you returned to the clan?"
Song Qingxing glanced subconsciously in the direction where Song Qingxi was in seclusion, and shook his head slightly, saying, "I have never seen her."
"In that case, you should stay in the family and consolidate your cultivation during this time. I believe that the first person she will want to see after she comes out of seclusion is you." After thinking about it, Song Changsheng decided that it would be more appropriate to keep him by his side.
"As ordered."
"By the way, I heard you brought back Uncle Bai's body, along with a Golden Core cultivator who survived the previous trial?"
"Senior Bai's remains have been handed over to Luoxia City, as have Senior Li's."
"Hmm." Song Changsheng nodded, without asking any further questions.
Although Li Yuxia appeared in the future timeline, he was not given a name, so he was probably not a key figure.
“Come on, go into the hall and tell me about your experiences over the past sixty years. I also have some things to tell you.”
……
P.S.: An extra 4,000 words have been added, leaving 13,000 words still owed. I'll keep working hard tomorrow. (End of Chapter)