Am I the only one who didn't ascend?

Chapter 523 Metaphysics

"The dispute between Heaven and Immortal Alliance cannot continue forever. Compared with the situation of both sides being hurt or the complete demise of either side, the path of peaceful reunification is always a better outcome for most people... Of course, you can laugh at me and say that it is ridiculous for a defeated general to make such a statement. But I must remind you that even if Heaven is declining today, if I am determined to fight to the death, I can still make the civilization of Immortal Alliance regress a thousand years, or even make it cease to exist... So, think about it carefully. I will patiently wait for your answer."

After a long talk with Wang Luo on the opposite side, the man patted Wang Luo's shoulder gently and was about to turn and leave, allowing this silent space and time to resume its flow.

Wang Luo frowned and stopped him: "Wait."

"Oh, I told you, there's no need to rush these things..."

"I asked you to wait."

The resolute and impolite tone successfully stopped Wang Luo on the opposite side.

The Lord of Heaven turned around and looked up and down at his "replica" with great interest, and then showed a cunning smile as if he had been caught cheating.

"Ha, I really can't get away with it. It seems that no matter what kind of environment I grow up in, I am still myself... Well, there are indeed some details that should be added. I..."

Wang Luo interrupted, "How does the replacement technique work? I want to hear your detailed explanation."

"..."Wang Luo on the opposite side was silent for a while, then smiled again. With his smile, the whole space seemed to become a little brighter.

"Okay, then I'll explain in detail."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light around him suddenly expanded, as if to fill the entire world... and when the light gradually dimmed, Mingzhou Xinheng was already a hundred miles away, and the whistling wind beside him was strong enough to make even a true immortal retreat, and above the wind layer was the bright and deep starry sky. And looking down, the mountains and rivers of Mingzhou had shrunk into the shape of a bonsai.

The magical powers displayed by his movements made Wang Luo on the opposite side finally look like the real Lord of Heaven.

At this moment, only the crescent moon is visible under the night sky. It is surrounded by stars not far away, showing its cold figure. At the center of the crescent moon, it seems as if a pair of cold eyes are looking down from above.

The Lord of Heaven waved to the crescent moon nonchalantly, as if they were meeting old friends, but turned around and smiled bitterly.

"After a thousand years, Old Ancestor Chicheng still dislikes me. After the old man fell from the sky and broke his brain and lost his sanity, he is no longer as easy to talk to as he was in the past. Fortunately, at this distance, he won't draw his bow to shoot me."

After the joke, the Lord of Heaven returned to the main topic.

"Next, I will answer your question seriously... But before that, I want to ask you a question. Have you ever heard of the theory of 'metaphysics'?"

Wang Luo pondered for a while and nodded: "I remember that Uncle Song Yiming once said that it was a theory proposed by a great man who was a contemporary of Chicheng Immortal Ancestor. He believed that all things in the world have a prototype somewhere above the sky. And all things themselves are just projections of that prototype... For example, there is a chair in a certain upper world, and all chairs in reality, no matter what shape or texture, are just projections of that prototype at different angles and positions. Similarly, tables, beds, rivers and lakes, mountains and seas... are all like this. But Uncle did not elaborate on the more specific theoretical elaboration."

The Lord of Heaven said, "Yes, that's the theory you mentioned. From the perspective of Uncle Song Yiming's time, metaphysics, even if it can't be called a fallacy, is at most just a philosophical theory of the wise men in ancient times. It can't adapt to the development of real civilization. In later generations, it has become a joke among the people and is not worth paying too much attention to. But on the other hand, the great man who proposed the metaphysics was once the mentor of the Chicheng Immortal Ancestor. The development of the entire immortal world is based on metaphysics. So, before answering your question about how to replace the immortals by destroying their uniqueness, I want to make sure you understand the basis of this theory."

Wang Luo nodded: "Go on."

"Okay, let's return to metaphysics. This theory holds that everything in the world is a projection, and humans are no exception. The hundreds of millions of people on the Kyushu Continent are all projections of the upper world below. Compared to the original form, our words, actions, gestures, frowns and smiles are nothing but mere noise. This is also the fundamental constraint that prevents mortals from ever achieving 'transcendence and freedom'."

After hearing this, Wang Luo had already understood something: "So, the so-called sky-breaking ascension..."

"Yes." The Lord of Heaven said, "Breaking through the air and ascending to heaven means using a mortal body to break the barriers of the upper world in the sky, and then leaving a brand new prototype that belongs to oneself in that flawless place of creation. From then on, one is independent and no longer a member of the multitude of living beings. This is the essence of the ultimate realm of immortality. The Immortal Ancestor sincerely opened up the Heaven Court to transform that chaotic upper world into a real space with form and rules. From then on, all things in the prehistoric world practiced the Tao, and had a beginning and an end."

Wang Luo couldn't help but frown when he heard this, because there was something that didn't make sense. The Lord of Heaven naturally knew Wang Luo's doubts, and continued: "Of course, the fact that the Immortal Ancestor opened up the Immortal Realm and founded the Heavenly Court does not mean that the followers of later generations can easily follow the Immortal Ancestor's footsteps and ascend to heaven. In fact, in the more than ten thousand years of the old Immortal Calendar, countless people have died from this bottleneck from Mahayana to Ascension. Is it because those people's skills are not deep enough? Is it because their talents are not smart enough? In many cases, it is not the case. What determines whether a person can ascend to heaven lies in whether the 'Tao' they have accumulated over hundreds of years is unique enough, and whether they are qualified to leave a unique prototype in the Immortal Realm."

Having said this, the expression of the Lord of Heaven turned serious. The strong wind beside him seemed to whistle violently according to his will, blocking out the rest of the noise between heaven and earth.

Only the voice of the Lord of Heaven reached his ears clearly and solemnly.

"So, you can understand it this way: no matter how powerful you are, if there is someone in the world who has taken the same path as you and has stood ahead of you, then the door to ascending to the immortal world will be completely closed to you. Even if you have accumulated power ten or a hundred times that of other Mahayana True Lords, you will not be able to ascend, because there can only be one prototype."

Wang Luo's heart was moved: "It is said that Shi Suying burned away the thirteen heavenly tribulations with the fire in the stone..."

"Yes, at that time he directly burned a true immortal to death and forcibly made room for himself... But don't get me wrong, this is not what I mean by replacing you. Otherwise, with my current level of cultivation, I can let you practice for another thousand years without worrying about your position. Shi Suying's methods back then were incredible. Burning the sky and ascending to heaven was a feat that had never been achieved in the thousands of years since the Immortal Ancestor opened the Heavenly Court, and there has been no such feat since then. Shi Suying is unprecedented, and your reputation in the immortal world has always been at the top."

Wang Luo asked again: "But according to this theory, the more immortals there are in heaven, the more difficult it is for mortals to ascend. Why did ascension become more and more frequent later, to the point where the gate to immortality was opened..."

"That's wrong." The Lord of Heaven corrected, "Initially, some people did worry like you, but soon people found that the development of the theory of immortals is like an ever-expanding circle. The more content a circle has, the wider its boundaries will be. It's easy for you to create a brand new way based on the foundation of your predecessors. As for the opening of the immortal gate, it's often because an immortal died unexpectedly, so the position originally occupied was vacated, and people who have been preparing for a long time in the mortal world can naturally fill the vacancy. Of course, there is also the reason that the immortal ancestor sincerely adjusted the immortal law and opened the door to convenience for future practitioners. He probably didn't want to see the scene of the true immortal he valued being burned to death by the fire of the lower world. But this actually left some hidden dangers. When the immortal world is no longer a pure prototype, it will lose the privilege of being forever high above the sky."

Wang Luo asked: "Doesn't the Chicheng Immortal Ancestor know this truth?"

"Of course he knew, so he has been quietly trying to open up new paths, the Nether Soil, the Sea of ​​Stars... He has been expanding the boundaries of the world, looking for a new upper realm for the increasingly noisy fairyland, just like he opened up the fairyland for all living beings more than 10,000 years ago. Unfortunately, this time, he failed to replicate his success. Ha, many successful people will mistakenly regard their success as a necessity, and the sincere fairy ancestor is no exception."

Wang Luo keenly caught a flaw: "Why do we have to try silently to open up a new path? When it comes to the overall safety of the fairy world, we should work together."

The Lord of Heaven smiled and said, "It can't be done, because all the theories I just said cannot be told to others. The basis of the existence of the fairy world is metaphysics, and this matter itself is the most core secret of the fairy world. One of the core elements of the 'prototype' left by the fairy ancestor Chicheng in the fairy world is to master this secret. Then, once the prototype is composed of secrets, all things in the lower world will be blinded by it, and no matter from what channel, they will not be able to know or comprehend this secret. This is also the first of the supreme fairy laws, called 'blocking flaws'. Unless someone can follow Shi Suying's example, burn the fairy ancestor to death, break its prototype and replace it. Or like me, after the death of the fairy ancestor, take over his fairy law and inherit his secrets. Finally, it is like you, who have the same 'prototype' as me, and naturally you can know the same secrets."

At this point, the Lord of Heaven's smile did not diminish, but as the topic gradually got to the core, the surrounding strong winds seemed to become more violent.

"So, back to your original question, how was the replacement achieved... It's very simple, using the division and self-contradiction of the Heavenly Dao. You can understand it this way. In the old immortal calendar era, leaving a prototype in the immortal world and ascending is equivalent to the Heavenly Dao issuing you a certificate, and the holder of this certificate is a true immortal. As for the specific rules of certification, they are contained in the Heavenly Dao, and even the immortal ancestor himself must abide by them. There is not much room for flexibility. Therefore, this certificate is very valuable, because its essence is the Heavenly Dao's certification of you, and it is difficult for anyone to imitate. But later, with the fall of the Heavenly Court and the Heavenly Dao becoming wasteland, the Great Dao was essentially divided into two sides by people. One side made peace with humans and became the 'Great Law' used by humans, while the other side tried hard to maintain the old framework. But now the problem comes. The Heavenly Dao that made peace with humans and the Heavenly Dao that maintained the status quo are actually the same Heavenly Dao in essence, and the two are not completely separated. The left and right sides of the Heaven will eventually be unified. And the result is that the certificate issued by the side of the right side of the Heaven that is driven by humans is actually valid on the left side of the Heaven."

Wang Luo suddenly realized, but at the same time he thought of more questions: "But I haven't ascended yet..."

"The essence of ascension is to leave a prototype in the upper realm, rather than accumulating enough true essence and magic... When the gate to immortality opened, I was only at the level of a spirit-transforming cultivator. Although I later experienced the refinement of immortal spirits and possessed the magical powers of a true immortal, the level of cultivation on the certificate was actually fixed at the level of a spirit-transforming cultivator, which is still two levels short of the traditional Mahayana. Therefore, even if your level is not high enough, it will not have any substantial impact. The more distinguishing element in the prototype is the 'natural Tao body'. This is a supreme immortal body comparable to an innate treasure, theoretically unique in the world, but Senior Sister was able to create a second immortal body out of thin air, and used this to get the Great Law to issue a certificate for it. Such means are really admirable."

Afterwards, without waiting for Wang Luo to ask any questions, the Lord of Heaven explained another question.

"However, this special case can only work for me. From the creation of the old immortal world to its fall and destruction, for more than ten thousand years, I was the only one who was able to ascend to the immortal realm. I didn't have time to truly forge my own solid path, so the prototype I left in the upper realm was extremely simple and weak. In other words, it is extremely easy to imitate. Moreover, I have been practicing with my senior sister all my life. In terms of teaching, she is more like a master than a master. I can hardly hide my skills and magical powers from her. So after she established the Immortal Alliance and dispersed her immortal magical powers, she still had a way to imitate another me."

Wang Luo nodded and whispered, "It's a pity that she can't imitate others, because the certificates of those genuine immortals are too valuable. In the environment where the Immortal Alliance cannot achieve fusion, it is absolutely impossible to copy them."

"Yes." The Lord of Heaven said, "But she doesn't need to go through so much trouble. As long as I can be eliminated, Heaven will no longer be able to resist the expansion of the Immortal Alliance. What kind of Golden Immortal of Wonderful Law, the ancestor of aristocratic family, can they withstand the power of an arrow in front of Taixu Tianzun? Moreover, if the Immortal Alliance really makes a lot of imitations... the imitations may not be stable and controllable. Only people like us who have a shallow foundation but occupy an extremely high position are worth imitating."

Wang Luo was silent for a while, and then said, "So, for the Immortal Alliance, once you, the genuine Lord, die due to the backlash of Heaven, there will be no value for me to continue to exist. I will even seem out of place because of the certificate in my hand. Therefore, the most rational choice for me is to take over your legacy and ascend to become an immortal, so that the certificate in my hand can match the name. In this way, there will be peace on both sides of Heaven, and the cornerstone for my own survival."

The Lord of Heaven finally smiled.

That was the most sincere and satisfied smile he had ever had since he suddenly appeared in the world.

(End of this chapter)