pertwk Chapter 2490 A Life of Putting the Cart Before the Horse
Chapter 2490 A Life of Putting the Cart Before the Horse
Chapter 2490 A Life of Putting the Cart Before the Horse
What happened next was almost exactly as everyone knew.
Shangguan Biao struggled to adapt to his new position within the sect, constantly encountering setbacks. He went from being Tang Linzi's personal disciple to becoming a menial servant in Du Zhishan.
His family was frantic, exhausting all their savings to try and save his life.
In real history, without the unexpected intervention of He Lingchuan, Shangguan Biao would have had only one path to successfully save himself:
Sacrifice the birth mother!
Compared to Shangguan Biao's other experiences, this matter went surprisingly smoothly.
He returned to his hometown, knelt before his mother, and begged her to save his life.
His mother only had two months left to live, and upon hearing this, she readily agreed. The father, mother, and son embraced and wept all night. Shangguan Biao made a solemn vow that he would definitely make something of himself in the future and live up to his mother's sacrifice.
The next morning, he personally took out his mother's heart's blood and poured it on the golden lotus while it was still hot.
Upon seeing this, Immortal Mingke and the others let out a long sigh.
Although the real Shangguan Biao did not have the manifested Red Demon by his side, everyone understood that Shangguan Biao had now kept the inner demon in his heart and could no longer drive it away.
The legend was not lying to him. Before sunrise, the golden lotus condensed precious blood dew.
The Shangguan family had all the necessary medicinal herbs. Shangguan Biao collected dew and refined the medicine for three days and three nights, finally succeeding in making the "Blood Dew Golden Pill".
He then returned to Changfeng Valley and presented the golden elixir to Li Yun.
The reason why it wasn't offered directly to the sect leader Wang Ye as it was in the Duzhishan Secret Realm was because Shangguan Biao couldn't reach it at this time.
How could a lowly servant be qualified to see the sect leader?
Even Elder Li Yun was someone he managed to befriend through Xu Liangye after much scheming.
Upon obtaining the Golden Elixir, Li Yun immediately presented it to his sect. The elixir indeed healed the Earth Mother's soul injury, greatly pleasing the king, who rewarded Li Yun handsomely.
Based on his merit in healing the guardian beast of the mountain, Li Yun was promoted to cave master.
Shangguan Biao finally got his wish and escaped his servant status, but instead of returning to Tang Linzi's side as a disciple, he was taken in by Li Yun.
To outsiders, this was a meteoric rise. But Shangguan Biao soon discovered that Li Yun didn't tolerate idlers; the competition among his fellow disciples was even fiercer than under Tang Linzi, with factions forming and suppressing each other.
The strongest faction is Xu Liangye.
Because of the effects of the Blood Dew Golden Elixir, Li Yun treated Shangguan Biao with kindness and gentleness, which greatly displeased Xu Liangye, who secretly retaliated against Shangguan Biao several times. The latter had just been transferred here and was not yet firmly established. He also knew that Li Yun's favor was unreliable, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger and try to curry favor with Xu Liangye.
Xu Liangye tested him and made a request of him:
Xiaoying.
Left with no other choice, Shangguan Biao found an opportunity to get Xiaoying drunk and personally sent her to Xu Liangye's cave.
Xu Liangye was very satisfied and finally believed in his surrender, and from then on regarded him as a confidant.
What follows is how Shangguan Biao overcomes all obstacles and embarks on a life of triumph.
However, the price of his comeback was often tied to all sorts of perverse and inconceivable acts, leaving even a well-informed person like Immortal Mingke speechless for a long time.
The image disappeared, the water returned to calm, and a deep red shadow flashed underwater before vanishing before anyone could get a closer look.
Aunt Zhu snorted:
"Cause and effect! Shangguan Biao even said that he only believes in cause and effect, not retribution."
“His goal is wrong,” He Lingchuan said calmly. “So-called power and strength are just byproducts, by-products. To pursue these things blindly is to put the cart before the horse.”
"Then what is the 'essence'?"
He Lingchuan pointed to himself: "Do you think I have the power? Am I strong enough?"
Everyone nodded.
If the Nine Nether Emperor can go toe-to-toe with Jia Loutian, then who else can be considered powerful enough?
"Have I ever deliberately pursued these two things like Shangguan Biao?"
The crowd shook their heads.
Jiuyou seemed to be constantly busy, always on the move. But unknowingly, he had achieved his current status and cultivation level—
Even with a lifetime of hard work, the exceptionally talented Shangguan Biao could never catch up to such a level of cultivation.
How did they manage to do that?
“What I do and the problems I solve are the ‘essence’,” He Lingchuan said. “In the process, I naturally become stronger; why should I deliberately pursue it?”
"On the other hand, if one only knows how to pursue power throughout one's life, this path will never end; everything else is a price to pay and can be given up. In the end, nothing will be left with you."
Powerful? How powerful does it have to be to be considered powerful?
Power? What kind of power is the ultimate?
There is no end, no conclusion;
Without an end, this matter will never end, and desires will never be satisfied.
When desires are not satisfied, the heart remains restless and unable to find peace.
The more you pursue, the less you feel; the less you feel, the more you pursue.
This cycle continues endlessly until both body and soul perish.
Immortal Mingke asked him, "Then what kind of goal should we set?"
"Don't be so vague, be more specific."
"A more specific goal, such as?"
He Lingchuan laughed: "For example, defeating the Heavenly Demon and saving the world."
"..."
Is this...is this specific?
“Grand doesn’t mean vague.” Aunt Zhu had just scratched her head when He Lingchuan pointed at it and asked, “Auntie, what were your goals before?”
The Spider Queen casually replied, "Become stronger."
Its life in ancient times consisted of eating, drinking, and fighting. After the Heavenly Demon descended, it became about eating, drinking, and fighting the Heavenly Demon.
Fighting is a form of training, and the purpose of training is to become stronger, isn't it?
"and then?"
"died."
Yes, there's a fork in the road to becoming stronger that leads directly to hell.
Shangguan Biao also died on this side road, but he managed to dig out another crooked path.
What happens after leaving Xushan?
"Hmm..." Aunt Zhu thought about it seriously, "I'll follow you. I'll do whatever you do. If you want to resist the Heavenly Demon, I'll resist the Heavenly Demon."
"And then?" He Lingchuan patted the spikes on its long legs... "Did you get stronger?"
Aunt Zhu exclaimed, "Oh dear, now that you mention it, it's true!"
Having followed He Lingchuan for over ten years, experiencing numerous hardships and defeating countless powerful enemies, and learning from him to take the expulsion of the Heavenly Demons as her own mission, the Spider Queen had long forgotten her former desire to become stronger.
It's no longer simple.
But in the process, it has indeed become more powerful!
“Simply pursuing power won’t necessarily make you powerful; but if you set more realistic and specific goals, you will naturally gain strength while focusing on your work.” He Lingchuan pointed east, “Let’s go, into the city.”
As we emerged from the Singing Sand Forest, the mist dissipated, revealing a bright moon and sparse stars.
Outside the city, the wheat fields rippled in the breeze, and the ponds and puddles echoed with the chorus of frogs. The stone lions that occasionally peeked out from the wheat fields had a kind and honest face, grinning at people with their big mouths. You couldn't tell at all that they had been so fierce when they attacked the people of Changfeng Valley.
(End of this chapter)