Chapter 1126: Peak of the Cloud Sea, The Sky’s Lie

No Cultivator of the Guiyuan Sect noticed anything amiss with the scene in the Guiyuan Sect's Medicinal Courtyard. The Southern Courtyard was a Forbidden Land, and no Disciple would step half a pace into it; even Lü Yanfei and others would not dare to intrude without being summoned.

With the instant killing of an eighth-grade Vicious Beast and the repelling of the Cultivators from the three sixth-grade Sects, Wang Lin was revered like an Old Ancestor in the hearts of the Guiyuan Sect's Disciples.

Lu Yuncong's expression was extremely grim at this moment as he stared at Wang Lin, his body caught between advance and retreat. Under the calm gaze of this white-robed man, taking a step forward felt like the sky was collapsing, while retreating a step gave rise to the thought of his Dao crumbling, as if his own Dao was as clear and obvious as a child's plaything in the eyes of this ordinary white-robed man.

Sweat seeped from his forehead. Lu Yuncong had never in his life seen someone with such a Dao Realm; it seemed as if everything before him was illusory, yet with a single thought from the other party, it could instantly become a real existence.

He even had a feeling that this world could change according to this person's Dao Concept.

"He sits there, and he is the Dao!" A strange thought surfaced in Lu Yuncong's mind.

Li Qianmei's words resonated at this moment, her voice soft and melodious, with an elegant charm that could calm one's mind. As Wang Lin's gaze shifted from Lu Yuncong to Li Qianmei's face, Lu Yuncong breathed a sigh of relief, retreated a few steps, his expression dark.

Wang Lin calmly looked at Li Qianmei; this woman's cultivation was unfathomable. Although she had completely restrained it at this time, Wang Lin could still tell that this beautiful woman possessed a shattered nirvana Divine Ability.

"Who is Your Excellency?" Wang Lin's gaze remained calm, but his mind was on the verge of exploding.

A gentle breeze blew, causing a few strands of Li Qianmei's hair to flutter before her beautiful face. Li Qianmei gently tucked them behind her ear, and looking at Wang Lin, she softly said,

"Potian Sect, Li Qianmei."

"Fellow Daoist Li, why have you come?" Wang Lin's mind stirred, but his expression remained unchanged as he slowly spoke.

Li Qianmei chuckled, blinked, and smiled, "I've come to ask Fellow Daoist three questions to resolve my confusion."

"Why should I resolve your confusion?" Wang Lin's words were flat.

Li Qianmei's expression remained serene. She thought for a moment and said, "Qianmei can play a flute tune for Fellow Daoist."

"No need!" Wang Lin frowned and spoke calmly.

"Qianmei can resolve the matter between you and the Zidao Sect," Li Qianmei said softly with a smile on her face.

"No need!"

Li Qianmei looked troubled as she gazed at Wang Lin and softly said, "Fellow Daoist has misunderstood. Qianmei and Brother Lu merely met on the way. As Qianmei had nothing to do, we came together. I have no intention of engaging in a fight with Fellow Daoist. Qianmei will not get involved in the matter between Fellow Daoist and the Zidao Sect. I merely wish to ask three questions to resolve Qianmei's long-standing confusion, with no other intentions." Li Qianmei rarely explained things in such detail to others. At this moment, she naturally saw that Wang Lin thought she was with Lu Yuncong, hence her troubled explanation.

Wang Lin stared at Li Qianmei for a moment, then frowned and said in a deep voice, "What kind of questions?"

"Related to the Dao," Li Qianmei said with a smile.

"One question for one item," Wang Lin slowly stated.

Lu Yuncong, hearing this from the side, showed a bitter smile on his face. When he faced Li Qianmei earlier, he hadn't thought of asking for items, but rather enjoyed listening to her flute, also with the intention of befriending Li Qianmei.

Li Qianmei was also startled, then nodded and chuckled, "If Fellow Daoist can resolve my confusion, of course."

"Ask!" Wang Lin looked down at the eighth-grade Medicinal Pill in his hand and said calmly.

"Fellow Daoist, Qianmei's first question is, what is the sky?" Li Qianmei's eyes showed anticipation. The most satisfying answer she had heard on this journey was Lu Yuncong's, that the sky was a cage. Now, she really wanted to know how this ordinary white-robed man would answer.

Not only was she anticipating, but even Lu Yuncong's gaze was solemn, wanting to know how this person, whose Dao Realm was so powerful, would answer this question. Lu Yuncong had always believed that his answer was already perfect; otherwise, he wouldn't have been the one to prompt Li Qianmei to ask the second question.

Hearing Li Qianmei's question, Wang Lin gave a knowing smile, looked at Li Qianmei, and said nothing.

Seeing Wang Lin's smile, Li Qianmei was very puzzled but did not urge him, waiting for Wang Lin's answer. Lu Yuncong frowned, not understanding why this white-robed youth would smile after hearing this question. And in Lu Yuncong's view, this smile contained a hint of sarcasm and mockery.

"Ask the second question," Wang Lin shook his head and said calmly.

"Your Excellency has not yet answered, what is the sky!" Lu Yuncong looked at Wang Lin and said in a deep voice.

"Oh? Then what do you think the sky is?" Wang Lin glanced at Lu Yuncong and said indifferently.

"A cage is the sky! The wellhead is the sky, and the water's surface is also the sky!" Lu Yuncong's voice was calm but contained confidence.

Li Qianmei's delicate brows were furrowed in thought the entire time; she couldn't see through Wang Lin. Now, hearing Lu Yuncong's words, she softly said, "Qianmei has asked many Fellow Daoists along the way, and only Brother Lu's answer is the most convincing, resonating with my thoughts. Why did Fellow Daoist smile earlier? Is there something wrong with Qianmei's question?"

Wang Lin looked at Li Qianmei and, after a long while, said blandly, "Is there a sky?"

As soon as these words were uttered, Li Qianmei was instantly stunned. She had asked many people along the way, and not one had answered like this. Not only her, but even Lu Yuncong's eyes narrowed, and he subconsciously looked up at the sky.

"Absurd! The sky is all around us, how can there be no sky!" Lu Yuncong coldly snorted.

Li Qianmei's eyes showed contemplation. She thought for a moment and softly said, "Why is there none?"

Wang Lin did not speak. Instead, he raised his right hand and waved it forward. Immediately, a gentle breeze echoed through the Medicinal Courtyard, and a circle appeared on the ground outside Li Qianmei and Lu Yuncong's bodies, as if someone had drawn a circle around them with a branch.

"This circle is the sky you believe exists. If there is a sky in your heart, then naturally this sky exists. You see yourself as an ant within the cage of heaven and earth, struggling to break free from heaven and earth. This is a Dao Concept, and also a belief. But even if you walk out of that circle, what good will it do?"

Wang Lin shook his head, and with another wave of his right hand, another circle appeared outside the one on the ground.

"You've come out, but there will still be a sky. Karma cycles endlessly, until… it is utterly obliterated within heaven and earth by the sky in your hearts. This is the sky's lie! I began pondering this truth hundreds of years ago. So, why must there be a sky?"

After Wang Lin finished speaking, he sat there calmly, no longer speaking.

Lu Yuncong's body trembled violently, as if struck by a heavy blow to his heavenly spirit. A buzzing filled his ears, as if countless heavenly thunderclaps roared in his mind. He subconsciously retreated a few steps, stepping out of the first circle, but still remained within the second. He stared blankly at the two circles outside his body, Wang Lin's voice constantly echoing in his mind.

"The sky's lie…"

His face gradually turned pale, his mind in disarray. The Dao Concept he had upheld his entire life now had a Rift. He wanted to refute the words of this white-robed man, but he was powerless.

The two circles outside his body seemed to expand infinitely at this moment, eventually becoming the sky in his heart, becoming a cage. He put in all his effort to step out of the first cage, but was astonished to find that where he was, was still a cage… This strange feeling left him pale, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, a self-deprecating and bitter smile on his face.

Li Qianmei silently closed her eyes, her mind trembling. Wang Lin's words seemed to transform into runes, dancing in her mind, gradually etching themselves deeply into her heart.

She had originally thought that the confusion in her mind regarding the Dao was like dark clouds. She had asked many people along the way, but no one could resolve her confusion. Only Lu Yuncong's words were like lightning striking her mind, causing the dark clouds to dissipate slightly.

But at this moment, she finally understood that Lu Yuncong's words, his understanding of the Dao, were utterly ridiculous! He had fallen into the sky's lie and could not extricate himself.

At this moment, Wang Lin's voice was like surging waves, transforming into two invisible large hands that, with a rumble, swept away all the confusion and dark clouds in her mind, bringing back a clear sky!

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and Li Qianmei opened her eyes, gazing at Wang Lin for a long time, admiration showing in her eyes.

"Brother Dao, could you tell Qianmei your name?" Li Qianmei bowed slightly and softly asked.

"Lü Zihao." Wang Lin's voice remained calm, without the slightest fluctuation.

"Brother Lü's Dao understanding has enlightened Qianmei. Qianmei wishes to ask a second question, and I ask Brother Lü to resolve my confusion…" Li Qianmei looked at Wang Lin, her eyes as clear and bright as crystals.

"For the first question, I want the highest-grade Medicinal Pill you have!" Wang Lin looked at Li Qianmei.

Li Qianmei blinked, then covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Her girlish smile was stunning, but at this moment, Lu Yuncong's heart was bitter, and he did not notice it. And although Wang Lin saw it, he remained unmoved.

"Brother Lü will miscalculate. Most of Qianmei's Medicinal Pills are semi-finished products that need to be refined back at the Sect. The highest-grade finished pill is only tenth-grade, and it's not a Soul-Severing Pill, but a Supreme Talent Pill for healing. Since Brother Lü asks for it, I will give it to you." As Li Qianmei spoke, she made a grasping motion in the Void Realm, and a Storage Rift appeared, from which a wax pill flew out and was handed to Wang Lin.

Wang Lin frowned as he took the Medicinal Pill, glanced at it, and then put it away.

"Qianmei's second question, what is the sky?" Li Qianmei's eyes were extremely bright, and her heart couldn't help but beat faster, awaiting Wang Lin's answer.

She had never had this feeling before. Even when Lu Yuncong answered earlier, although she was expectant, she was not as eager as she was now.

Hearing Li Qianmei's second question, Wang Lin looked up at the azure sky, his expression slightly melancholic, and softly said, "The first 'sky' asked about the limits of Dao Concept. The second 'sky' asks, is it the will of heaven…"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Qianmei's eyes became even brighter, and she stared blankly at Wang Lin. This was the first person she had encountered who truly guessed the vastly different meanings within two identical questions!

Lu Yuncong took a deep breath at this moment, suppressing his disordered emotions. Upon hearing Wang Lin's words, he was stunned for a moment. He understood why his previous answer to the second question, though seemingly perfect, ultimately disqualified him from answering the third question.