Human hearts are the most complex, inscrutable, and unfathomable things in this world.
Those who are skilled at manipulating hearts will ultimately perish by them.
For human hearts are fickle, and no one knows what the person beside them is thinking in the next moment.
Is it malice or kindness, sincerity or deceit!
And some things, even after a thousand or ten thousand years, cannot be bound by rules, precepts, or even the order of heaven and earth.
Because human nature is neither good nor evil, or rather, one thought can lead to becoming an immortal, and another can lead to becoming a demon.
The world is beautiful, and at the same time, it is cruel.
Some say the world is beautiful, others say it is cruel.
The reason for such dichotomous views is primarily due to each person's differing perspectives and circumstances.
It's not just about how you see things, but also how you act.
If you were born into a wealthy family with no worries about food or clothing, enjoyed robust health, had a virtuous wife, and obedient son, you would naturally consider the world beautiful.
Such individuals are typically gentle in disposition, possess the bearing of a refined gentleman, hold positions of power, have many friends, and are magnanimous in their dealings with others.
Consequently, many people would go to great lengths to flatter and curry favor with you, keeping you in a state of constant happiness.
In such an environment, one cannot claim you possess great righteousness, but you certainly wouldn't perceive the world as cruel.
…
Consider, conversely, if you were born with a disability and were abandoned by your parents, becoming an orphan.
If you had to beg and steal to survive from childhood, how could you possibly find the world beautiful in such circumstances?
Those who grow up in such harsh environments tend to be extreme in their personalities, rarely trusting others, and are highly self-centered in their interactions.
Disabled, uneducated, and incapable of anything but petty theft, you would spend every day enduring the scorn and curses of others. Such a person's view of the world would be utterly distorted.
Without experiencing another's hardship, do not preach kindness.
And the immortal cultivation world is far more brutal than the mortal realm.
To survive and thrive in the immortal cultivation world, one must possess a cautious and suspicious heart.
The immortal cultivation world has its own unique laws of survival and elimination.
The victor lives, the vanquished dies!
Between enemies, there is only life and death, no middle ground. Those who survive will obtain all that the deceased possessed in life, while the dead will not even have their remains collected by anyone!
The immortals flying with swords in the eyes of mortals are not so easily attained. A single misstep can lead to ruin, and the consequence of ruin is often a severed head and a scattered soul.
The immortal cultivation world is not as idyllic as one might imagine. While it has fairness and justice, as well as judgment and protection.
Yet, in the shadows, strife, assassination, poisoning, and scheming occur constantly. To survive in this melting pot of immortal cultivation, one must learn to be ruthless; those who are not have become mere bones.
The demonic path is not entirely evil, nor is the righteous path entirely just. There has never been an absolutely good side or an absolutely evil side.
The line between black and white is extremely blurred in the immortal cultivation world.
The chivalrous transgresses laws with their martial prowess, the Confucian unsettles governance with their learning, the merchant obstructs the nation with their wealth, and immortals determine the world with their power.
When your own strength is sufficient to rival a million men, nothing in this world, save for your innermost conscience and bottom line, can restrain or control you.
The level of power determines the height of your status in the immortal cultivation world.
This is the most authentic aspect of the immortal cultivation world. Without background, without strength, and without caution, one can only become one of the countless bones beneath the feet of others.
Ultimately, it is the same everywhere.
No matter what means you use to climb to the top, your admirers will craft a grand and magnificent narrative of your life. People will only see the radiant you standing at the apex.
Who will care about the methods you employed, the number of corpses you stepped on, or the despicable tactics you utilized?
…
Wu Tao is certainly not a good person, and his methods are undoubtedly extreme and radical!
Yet, these extreme ways of handling things have allowed Wu Tao to reach this point safely and thrive.
It wasn't until a matter occurred later that caused Wu Tao immense heartache and lifelong regret that his extreme mindset began to change.
…
After burying Lan Yingxiang's body, Wu Tao walked alone towards the dilapidated temples.
Upon entering these temples, Wu Tao felt a faint aura of Buddhism pervading the area.
Here, everything seemed to transform.
Wu Tao looked up towards the outside.
A vast Buddhist aura enveloped him from all directions, possessing a unique quality.
Imperceptibly, even the divine senses of cultivators were suppressed, layer upon layer, constantly being held back.
Wu Tao sensed this immense aura, the breath of a Buddha.
However, this boundless Buddhist aura was not overbearing; it was indescribably gentle, like a spring breeze on the face.
Here, Wu Tao could faintly hear chants of Buddhist scriptures. These chants did not originate from anywhere else but from within his heart, as if a Buddha were seated within him.
Wu Tao walked along the path suffused with Buddhist energy, experiencing the Buddhist nature of this place.
At this moment, Buddhist light emanated from the temples.
Each ray of Buddhist light was as if cast from pure gold, radiant and dazzling, with the colors of glazed tiles.
The phenomena emanating from the temples were not limited to Buddhist light.
Faint Buddhist chants could also be heard, suggesting this place had become a realm of Buddha. In a trance, one might mistake it for the world of the Buddhas.
It felt as if the Buddha himself were preaching scriptures there.
Every word, every syllable, had become supreme Buddhist pronouncements, each sentence a world, each character a Buddhist dharma!
"The aura of the Great Thousand Buddhist Path."
Feeling this, Wu Tao stood there, frowning slightly to himself.
He walked along the dusty path and entered the temple.
Inside, ancient and weathered purple-gold stone bricks, exuding an aura of decay, paved the floor.
Surrounding him were towering walls of precious stone, adorned with numerous carvings depicting the most prosperous and flourishing period of Wanfo Temple.
Wu Tao searched meticulously, hoping to find some other gain.
His results were disappointing.
Many items were left in the temples, but most had long since turned to dust, leaving little of practical use.
Occasionally, he found bottles that appeared to contain elixirs. Upon opening them, however, only black residue remained, with almost nothing left.
He wandered through one dilapidated temple after another, but Wu Tao found nothing.
It wasn't until he arrived at a temple dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva that he found something different. Compared to the other temples he had searched, this one held even fewer items, with only a golden statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva standing silently in the center of the hall.
Standing still, Wu Tao looked forward.
The next moment, Wu Tao was stunned.
The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue seemed to sense his presence and suddenly underwent a change.
A pair of eyes slowly opened, gazing directly at Wu Tao.
Those eyes instantly became radiant, like the sun and moon, and became profound, giving an unfathomable impression.
"Alive?"
Wu Tao blinked, momentarily shocked by the sudden change, and instinctively spoke.
"More or less alive."
…
The golden Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue clasped its hands together and said, "This humble monk, Wan Shi, greets the benefactor."
"Who are you?"
Wu Tao's expression was peculiar as he asked.
"Benefactor, since you have trespassed into Wanfo Temple, do you not even recognize the people of Wanfo Temple?"
Looking at Wu Tao, the old monk Wan Shi smiled and said.
"Someone from Wanfo Temple!"
Wu Tao was taken aback, then cast a look of suspicion at the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue that called itself Wan Shi.
The desolate ancient era was hundreds of millions of years ago. Besides the long-lived divine beasts and a few other naturally born sacred spirits, who could live for such a long time?
The old monk Wan Shi clasped his hands together, seemingly sensing Wu Tao's confusion, and explained, "This humble monk is from the Stone People tribe. I was nurtured by heaven and earth for many years and born from stone. My lifespan can reach hundreds of millions of years.
Wu Tao examined him from head to toe, then nodded and apologized, "I trespassed into this place without permission and disturbed the eminent monk. I beg for your forgiveness."
"It matters not."
The old monk Wan Shi clasped his hands together, a smile on his face, and said, "This secret realm was established precisely for those who are fated. What disturbance is there!"
"Since you were able to break in here, you are naturally one of those who are fated. Do you dare to try?"
…
"Oh?"
Looking at the stone person before him, Wu Tao's eyes narrowed, and he spoke thoughtfully, "So, that map surviving from the desolate ancient era to the present is not a coincidence, and I am not the first to arrive here, am I?"
…
"What if it is a coincidence? What if it is not a coincidence? What does it matter if you are the first or not??"
The old monk Wan Shi's face held a smile as he said gravely, "The Buddha says, the karma of the world follows its own path, and what has happened, has happened."
"Benefactor, you are already here. Whether by chance or by design, what is there to investigate?"
Wu Tao was silent for a moment, his face expressionless, revealing no discernible emotion. Yet, inwardly, he sighed.
Lan Yingxiang believed that by coming here, she could obtain the inheritance of Wanfo Temple, ascend to the pinnacle of the immortal cultivation world, and become an supreme existence, which was why she had attacked him.
Looking back now, it was truly pathetic, lamentable, and hateful…
The difference between a deliberate act and a coincidence is immense.
If it were a coincidence, it would signify a great opportunity. But if it were deliberate, the outcome might be different.
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