Stranger Danger

Chapter 898: Lesson in Six Livestocks Market

Ye Qing speculated that the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon had slipped the mark into his mind when he was manifesting his yin god. It was because he had felt some sort of enigmatic gaze and foreboding while he was manifesting his Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon Yin God. However, the feeling had left as quickly as it came, which was why he had chalked it up as just a feeling at the time.

Now that he looked back, that was most likely the time the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon had set its sights on him.

The Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon had no reason to look at him again—not until he decided to disregard the method that was described in the “Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon Sutra” and carve out a new path for himself. There was a good chance his decision to use the Profound Yellow Mother Qi to purify his yin god and manifest his yang god would sever the karmic bond that existed between himself and the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon, which was why the Heart Demon of Bewitching Desire showed up in person and tried to transform him into the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon’s dependent directly.

Of course, this was just a guess. At his level, there was no way to find out the truth. One thing for certain though, he felt an indescribable sense of ease when Venerable Six Livestocks had extracted the mark from his mind.

Two, Venerable Six Livestocks had left a mysterious mark on his yin god’s forehead.

He could clearly sense a tremendous amount of energy within the mark. The energy probably belonged to the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon and the Heart Demon of Bewitching Desire.

Of course, it was just pure energy. Venerable Six Livestocks had kindly removed the consciousness of the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon and the Heart Demon of Bewitching Desire for him. In the future, this energy would prove greatly beneficial for his cultivation.

And three, Venerable Six Livestocks had assisted him in manifesting his yang god immediately, shaving at least a dozen days of hard work.

In other words, he was now a noble Trueman.

“You are fortunate. That is all.”

Venerable Six Livestocks replied, “I have wiped away the mark the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon has left inside your mind. From now on, so long as you continue to uphold your beliefs and remain true to yourself, you will not need to fear the influence of external demons any longer.”

“The mark on your forehead contains a wisp of the origin power of the Paranirmitava?avartin Heavenly Demon and the Heart Demon of Bewitching Desire. I have sealed it because you are currently not strong enough to withstand the energy it contains. How much you can gain from it depends on you.”

“Thank you, Venerable One. This disciple will not betray your expectations,” Ye Qing replied solemnly and performed the salute of a disciple.

“Mm. Very good.”

It was clear that Venerable Six Livestocks was very satisfied with Ye Qing’s answer. The next moment, he waved his hand and vanished all the residences in the Six Livestocks Market, exposing the warriors within. Then, he sat down amidst the fog and declared with a small smile on his face, “All who enters the Six Livestocks Market is my disciple, and it is the duty of a teacher to teach, dispel doubts, and expound the wisdom of ancient sages. Today, you are all fortunate. Ask me any doubts you have regarding your cultivation, and this teacher shall answer all of it.”

“Thank you, Venerable One!”

“Thank you, Venerable One!”

“Thank you, Venerable One!”

At first, there was only silence. Then, everyone blurted out their thanks with unbridled joy.

This man was none other than Venerable Six Livestocks, an almighty titan of ancient times. There was no one who would say that the chance to listen to his lecture and receive his wisdom wasn’t a supreme opportunity.

This was doubly true for the likes of Ye Feihua; so agitated they were that they couldn’t say a word right now. The large majority of them were Half-Sages, meaning that they were only half a step away from becoming a Sage. However, this “half a step” might as well be an impassable, bottomless chasm that they could never overcome for as long as they lived.

They had been stuck at this stage for decades—Decades!—but still they could not see a ray of hope at entering the Dao and becoming a Sage. But with Venerable Six Livestocks’ guidance? That was no longer the case. For the first time in a very long time, they saw real hope in reaching the celestial gate and achieving their dreams. How could they not be agitated? How could they not tremble with unbridled joy?

“Ask me your question, anyone,” Venerable Six Livestocks began.

“This disciple needs your wisdom, teacher,” Ye Feihua spoke up faster than anyone else before asking his question, “The Great Way is heartless, and to become like the heavens is to become emotionless and desireless. However, the human heart is naturally burning with all kinds of desires. With that in mind, how can a human become emotionless and desireless like the heavens?”

Ye Feihua practiced the “The Heavens and I Share One Heart”. He could not take that final step and become a Sage unless his heart became like the heavens, and he no longer possessed any emotion or desire.

However, he was a human. How could he truly be emotionless and desireless? That was why he could never reach the adept stage of “The Heavens and I Share One Heart” and become a Sage.

Venerable Six Livestocks smiled. “The Great Way is without emotion, which is why it is impartial. The heavens hold no desire, which is why it is pure above all. But is the Heavenly Way truly emotionless and desireless?”

“It is none other than the heavens who created the sun and moon to nourish all creations, the rain to nurture all living beings, and the four seasons to foster all people. Therefore, the Great Way isn’t emotionless, and neither are the heavens devoid of desire. On the contrary, they are fair and benevolent above all.”

“The heavens are selfless, for they are fair above all. They are loveless, for they are benevolent above all. They may seem emotionless and desireless, but it is the opposite.”

“I see. To become like the heavens isn’t to sever all emotions and desires, but the opposite. It is to feel more than anyone else, to love no matter the circumstances. It is to become more impartial and benevolent than any other. I see!” Ye Feihua exclaimed in daze and astonishment, “To think I have been treading the wrong path this whole time.”

“You may have strayed, but your efforts are not futile.” Venerable Six Livestocks said kindly, “All things in the world have a yin and a yang side. Only by experiencing one extreme can you know the other, no?”

“Thank you, Venerable One! This disciple understands now!” Joy filled Ye Feihua’s voice when realization dawned upon him.

“This disciple has a question, teacher.” Another person spoke up as soon as Ye Feihua was done with his question. “Before heaven and earth were formed, where did they come from? The world is created from yin and yang, but which came first? All land under heaven is separated into nine classes, but how should they be categorized...”

Everyone who managed to enter the Six Livestocks Market was a gifted genius, so the questions that plagued them were just as deep, difficult to comprehend, and steeped in the Way and Law. However, Venerable Six Livestocks was always able to explain a complicated subject matter in simple terms; word his answers so that everyone could understand. For a time, everyone was drunk in the lesson.

An indefinite amount of time later, when Venerable Six Livestocks had answered the last question, he let out a chuckle and declared, “Law enters the ears, but Dao must be understood by the heart. Please return to your residences and ruminate over what you have learned today.”

With that, Venerable Six Livestocks abruptly dissolved into fog and disappeared just like that.

“Until another day, Venerable One...”

“Until another day, Venerable One...”

Ye Qing and everyone else hurriedly rose to their feet and bade Venerable Six Livestocks goodbye. When the fog had returned to the underground, the Six Livestocks Market returned to its original appearance.

Everyone was rushing toward their own residence, urgent and overflowing with anticipation. Although Venerable Six Livestocks’ lesson was fairly short, everyone had gotten something out of it, be it their understanding toward the martial way or realization regarding their own cultivation. Everyone was eager to put the massive insight and knowledge they gained today to the test as soon as possible. Naturally, they couldn’t wait.

Ye Qing was no exception. After giving Feng Qingyou a nod, he hurried back to his residence and resumed his cultivation once more.

Although he had manifested his yang god and become a Trueman, of course he needed to solidify his cultivation and familiarize himself with the new changes that came with his ascension.

Besides that, the Q&A session had given him a lot of inspiration, and he desperately needed to convert it all into practical power while he still had a few days left on his clock.

The days came and went in the blink of an eye. When Ye Qing opened his eyes again, he realized that he was sitting in the middle of a bunch of mountains.

This was clearly the location they had entered the Six Livestock Market earlier, but the market itself was nowhere to be found.