It was pitch-black inside the cave. Only the sound of dripping water could be heard, carrying a tinge of desolation and loneliness.
Ye Chen stared at the old man before him, a deep sense of loss surging from the depths of his heart.
Wu Zhenzi, the grand elder of the Heavenly Yuan Sect, a level 5 Yuan Formation Master. When Ye Chen had first met him, Wu Zhenzi had been like a child, playful and sincere. He had never been a hypocrite.
Even now, Ye Chen could still remember how Wu Zhenzi had taught him how to set up Yuan Formations. That kind of focus and care.
Later on, Wu Zhenzi had comprehended the mysteries of ancient Yuan Formations and broken through his bottleneck, entering a state of epiphany. He had not forgotten to teach Ye Chen the "Yuan Gathering Formation", and had even allowed Ye Chen to enter the Heavenly Yuan Sect so that he could properly cultivate and avoid disaster. Ye Chen had remembered all of this and had never forgotten it.
If it had not been for Wu Zhenzi, perhaps Ye Chen would have been able to become a Yuan Formation Master, but he would never have reached his current level, nor would he have been able to completely grasp five ancient Yuan Formations in such a short period of time.
"I will never forget the master of enlightenment!"
A glint of light flashed through Ye Chen's eyes. He took a few steps forward and slightly knelt on the ground. His voice was filled with incomparable respect as he loudly said, "Disciple Ye Chen greets master."
Hearing those words, the old man who was meditating suddenly turned his head.
In that instant, Ye Chen's heart, which had finally calmed down with great difficulty, began to beat violently once again.
The eyes on Wu Zhenzi's skinny face were dull and lifeless. Just looking directly at them made Ye Chen feel dizzy.
"Kid, what did you just call me?
Did you call me master? "
A faint smile appeared on Wu Zhenzi's skinny face, making him look particularly terrifying. However, in Ye Chen's eyes, he seemed to see the Wu Zhenzi from three years ago.
Whoosh!
After taking a deep breath, Ye Chen walked up to Wu Zhenzi and said with a smile, "As the saying goes, once a teacher, always a teacher. Since you've brought me into the path of origin arrays, why can't I call you Master?"
"Yes, of course."
The smile on Wu Zhenzi's face grew wider. He staggered to his feet and stretched out his hand to rest on Ye Chen's shoulder. "It's been three years since we last met. Not only have you grown taller, but your cultivation has also become more profound. No wonder you dared to stir up trouble in the Imperial City. You even dared to mock a ruthless character like Fang Han again and again."
Wu Zhenzi had a smile on his face the whole time. In his heart, he had already regarded Ye Chen as his disciple. As a master, he was naturally overjoyed that his disciple could achieve such a feat.
Ye Chen scratched the back of his head, changed the topic, and asked, "Old Man Wu, why are your eyes like this?"
Hearing this, the smile on Wu Zhenzi's face stiffened.
He turned around and said indifferently, "I've traveled all over the mountains and lakes, and I've gotten used to the fickleness of human nature. I thought that I've seen through everything, but when I'm really facing a disaster, I realize that I've been wrong all along. Keeping these eyes is just superfluous. It's better to destroy them so that I can understand my heart and not be affected by external things."
"You destroyed your own eyes?" Ye Chen was taken aback.
He had never imagined that Wu Zhenzi would be so disheartened by the Han family's invasion of Mount Tianyuan, to the extent that he would destroy his own eyes as a warning to himself.
"Old Man Wu, why do you have to do this?"
Ye Chen sighed. In the path of origin arrays, one needed to understand the changes of heaven and earth. The hand was the heart, and the eye was the will. Only when the heart and the mind were united as one could there be no obstacles.
Wu Zhenzi had destroyed his own eyes, which was equivalent to giving up all his understanding of origin arrays. Such a loss was too heavy.
"My Heavenly Yuan Sect was founded on origin arrays, and was the head of the three sects. As long as the origin arrays were not destroyed, the sect would never be destroyed. But that day, under the charge of thirty thousand cavalry, our sect was breached and our disciples were killed. The culprit was actually a disciple that I had personally taught."
Wu Zhenzi's face was very calm, but his voice was trembling. He said slowly, "At that moment, I felt disheartened. The sect, the disciples, and the chaos of the mortal world had all become my inner demons, tormenting me day and night. Because of this, I would rather be alone for a long time to cut off my inner demons and return to the path of cultivation."
As his voice faded, Wu Zhenzi sat down cross-legged again. His dim eyes emitted a dense aura of loneliness, causing Ye Chen's gaze to narrow slightly. He walked before Wu Zhenzi again and said, "Old man Wu, you're wrong."
"Wrong?" Wu Zhenzi's body trembled as he asked.
"Your inner demons were not the helplessness of your sect being breached, nor was it the anger of your disciples betraying you. It was your weakness. You clearly could have stopped them, but because of the power of the Han family and Fang Han's secret actions, you chose to remain silent and watch the Heavenly Yuan Sect fall to such a state."
Ye Chen looked at Wu Zhenzi and said seriously, "Living in seclusion in a cave and constantly being accompanied by a green lamp is not cultivation. It only magnified your inner demons, making you unable to extricate yourself from the abyss of weakness. As for your self-destruction of your eyes, it was not because you had seen through everything. It was because your weakness caused you great pain, so you chose to do this to make yourself feel better."
Wu Zhenzi's body trembled even more violently, and his breathing became more rapid.
"My inner demons were weakness?"
Wu Zhenzi's face was deathly pale. In the darkness he faced, he seemed to see one bloody scene after another. Wails of anguish, begging for mercy, and the neighing of horses. All of these sounds, all of these scenes, were like sharp needles stabbing into his body.
And these were his inner demons.
"Old man Wu, if the sect is destroyed, it can be rebuilt. If people die, their bones can be turned into cornerstones to serve as a warning to future generations. But if your heart is dead, even if you are still alive and the sect still exists, it is no different from losing it. You cannot be defeated so easily. You must face the difficulties and break through the shackles in your heart. Only then can you face your inner demons and find your way of cultivation. I have always remembered your words, and today, I will return them to you."
Ye Chen stared at Wu Zhenzi as he spoke slowly.
This made Wu Zhenzi's heart tremble as if he had been enlightened. The gloominess on his body suddenly dissipated and was replaced by enlightenment and awakening.
If he had continued to live in seclusion in the cave, perhaps he would have turned into a skeleton in a hundred years. A thousand years later, his skeleton would have turned to dust and disappeared without a trace.
What was the meaning of such a life?
"I have learned something."
Wu Zhenzi stood up. After saying this, he took a step forward and unleashed his True Yuan.
His True Yuan grew more and more vigorous. Wu Zhenzi seemed to be bathed in sunlight. All the darkness in the cave was dispelled and only the light continued to sprinkle down.
With another step, Wu Zhenzi's True Yuan suddenly dissipated. Even his Qi seemed to have disappeared.
"So that's how it is. Only by giving up everything can you gain everything."
Wu Zhenzi slowly uttered a word.
Boom!
A powerful Qi soared into the sky, smashing through the mountain walls and soaring into the clouds. It was like a bridge connecting the heavens and the earth. This scene made the hearts of all the disciples of the Heavenly Yuan Sect tremble.
"Has he broken through?"
Ye Chen's gaze stiffened. As he murmured, a mysterious power descended from the pillar of light, enveloping Wu Zhenzi's body. A halo of light spread and covered the entire Luoyang Peak.
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