Chapter 1564: Domineering the Inner Realm, This Glance

An hour later, the illusory image gradually dissipated before the people on the merchant ship, fading from Wang Lin's eyes.

Those Mortal crew members were still shaken, each of them falling into silence.

They could not forget everything they had seen in that image, especially when the volcano erupted and burning rocks scattered everywhere; a large portion of them had headed straight in their direction, as if they could burst out of the image and land on the ship.

The scenes viewed by their very own eyes made it impossible for them to distinguish between reality and illusion, yet they knew this was the fury of the Sea Spirit.

Wang Lin leaned against the ship's wall, appearing to have lost all his strength. Two lines of old tears flowed down, tracing paths through the wrinkles on his face and soaking his clothes. He gazed at the spot where the image had vanished, his mind completely blank at this moment, leaving behind only the delicate white figure from that image.

"Is this truly real… or is it false… Could even this be a dream…" After a very long time, Wang Lin lowered his aged head and stared blankly at the sea surface.

Time passed—one month, two months, three months…

In the ninth month of their voyage, Wang Lin witnessed the true fury of the sea. That night, dark clouds covered the sky above the sea, thunder roared in waves, and bolts of lightning crisscrossed. Some even seemed to strike into the sea, shrouding the sea and sky in a terrifying, flickering light.

Every time the lightning crisscrossed, it illuminated the sea. In that brief moment of brightness, one could see towering waves rising, accompanied by the violent sound of seawater crashing, as if competing with the heavenly thunder!

The gale howled, and massive amounts of seawater were blown onto the ship. In the pitch-black night, every sailor and crew member was gripped by fear, acting like madmen between life and death as they continuously maneuvered the merchant ship, struggling beneath the sea's wrath.

Everyone prayed in their hearts, wanting to leave behind last words, not knowing if they would see the next sunrise.

The sea breeze raged, thunder roared, lightning crisscrossed, and the waves towered into the sky.

In the dead of night, Wang Lin stood on the ship, gripping a long pole nearby tightly. His body seemed beyond his control, swaying violently. In the onslaught of the gale, his clothes were soaked through in an instant, and seawater dripped from his wet white hair, yet Wang Lin's eyes were as bright as radiance!

He gazed at the sea's fury and watched the surging, restless water. His eyes grew brighter and brighter, and in that instant, his heart and mind expanded infinitely, until they were vast enough to encompass heaven and earth.

"This is the power of heaven and earth, this is the true Dao! This is the ruthless myriad phenomena!" Wang Lin laughed aloud, his aged laughter echoing amidst the thunder and tsunami. Although faint, it revealed a vast, surging Qi within his heart.

He watched those Mortals around him struggling in this life-or-death crisis, watched the merchant ship swaying violently as if it could be submerged and swallowed at any moment. Seeing all this, Wang Lin sensed that unwillingness in everyone!

Yet this unwillingness was still somewhat weak; beneath this storm and tsunami, it was utterly insignificant.

As the wind and waves grew more intense, during one massive wave's strike, with a loud crack, the merchant ship's mast was snapped directly by the waves. With a boom, it fell, and a crew member, unable to dodge in time, was struck. Fortunately, he wasn't too severely injured; after struggling to climb up, he continued to pull the ropes, fighting for survival.

Yet, this merchant ship in the sea's fury was like a lonely leaf, lacking any strength to resist the roaring ocean. Under the repeated onslaught of massive waves, the entire vessel emitted sounds of unbearable strain, as if it were about to collapse.

An aura of despair permeated the ship, blending into everyone's hearts. Wang Lin no longer held onto the ship's pole tightly; instead, disregarding his old age, he joined the sailors, doing his utmost to resist in this angry sea.

"Do not give up, we still have strength…" A middle-aged crew member, with a miserable smile, grabbed the ropes tightly and lowered a sail, letting the waves crash past him. Between life and death, he sang a sea chanty that all sailors were familiar with.

"Do not despair, we still have dreams…" A youth not yet twenty years old wiped the sweat from his face and shouted loudly, as if in this shout, he was reclaiming the courage that was about to dissipate.

"Do not be discouraged, we still have tomorrow…" More crew members, amidst the wind, rain, and massive waves, and within the roaring of heaven and earth, echoed these words one by one. They gradually merged together, forming the strongest defiant sound of life!

"Do not submit, we still have unwillingness…"

"Do not close your eyes, we still have to see the brilliant sun…"

"Heaven and earth are vast, but they cannot cover our voices of survival. We sail the seas for a living; why should we fear death! The fury of the Sea Spirit may terrify us, may submerge us, but it cannot stop our sea chanty!"

All the crew members, under the bombardment of the wind and waves, roared out this song that had been passed down since ancient times in the seas of the Vermilion Bird Star!

Those voices revealed an unwillingness, revealed an unyielding spirit, revealed a longing for life, and revealed a fearlessness toward death. Wang Lin's aged body, upon hearing these cries beneath the thunder, saw his eyes reveal an even brighter radiance.

"This is a defiance! This is defiance against heaven and earth! Life and death, life and death—this intent of defiance is born within life and death. It is precisely because there is unwillingness, because there is no submission, that there is defiance!"

"If there is no unwillingness, no refusal to submit, then there is no life and death. To live is to live, to die is to die… I understand!!"

Wang Lin's mind shook. Karma, life and death, reality and illusion—he had always been confused, always unable to see through them completely. But at this moment, hearing those sea chanties merging together, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his entire being achieved enlightenment!

Life and death!

Like a mountain, to see life is life, to see death is death. To see life as not life, to see death as not death. But in the end, after comprehending everything, to see life is still life, and to see death is still death!

Everyone has a fear of life and death. It is precisely because of this fear that it can evolve into two directions: one is compliance, the other is defiance!

To comply with life and comply with death is the first Realm of life and death!

But if it transforms into that intent of defiance, then seeing life as not life, and seeing death as not death—this is the second Realm!

People often talk about seeing through life and death, breaking through life and death, but in reality, they have never seen through it at all. Life and death cannot be seen through; at most, one can only regard life and death lightly!

Under that intent of defiance, holding life and death in contempt, only then can one utter the heroic words: "What joy is there in life, what fear is there in death!" This is the determination to place oneself in a desperate situation, but this is definitely not seeing through it!

The third Realm of life and death, which is precisely the Dao that Wang Lin is pursuing—this final Realm is also not about seeing through it, nor is it a form of transcendence, but a single sentence!

This sentence permeated Wang Lin's mind, yet he could not speak it out loud, as if there were always a barrier within that prevented him from saying it.

Amidst the wind and rain, those verses holding life and death in contempt and those unyielding sea chanties echoed. Gradually, the thunder dissipated, the lightning faded away, and the wind and waves in the sea slowly subsided. The long night passed until the first sun of the morning rose in the sky, and cries of survival after a disaster erupted continuously on the ship.

Wang Lin watched them, a smile appearing on his face. Sitting at the bow of the ship, gazing at the first sun at the edge of the sea and sky, he saw that white bird flying in the morning sun, its cries echoing.

It was not until the eleventh month of the voyage that a continent could be seen in the distance at the end of the sea. Upon seeing that continent, bursts of joyful cheers erupted from the ship.

Waving goodbye to the crew members who had accompanied him for nearly a year, Wang Lin, in the twilight, carrying the sea chanty from several months ago, left the merchant ship and arrived on this unfamiliar continent.

Here, there were many Mortal kingdoms, as well as many sects and Cultivators who seemed vaguely familiar.

Among those kingdoms, there was one called Fire Burning Country.

On this land separated from his hometown by the sea, Wang Lin's expression was calm as he walked step by step, entering an unfamiliar world, looking at unfamiliar mountains, looking at unfamiliar waters, and looking at the unfamiliar faces he encountered along the way.

Although he had never been here in his life, his name had spread across many places over the past ten-plus years and had also reached this continent.

Although it was not as renowned as it was in his hometown, Wang Lin did not care about all this. He was like a traveler, year after year, walking across this unfamiliar continent, passing through mountains and waters, and passing through kingdoms and cities.

In the blink of an eye, three years passed.

Nineteen years had passed since he left the State of Zhao. Wang Lin's body was not as it used to be; instead, fatigue had risen. He held a cane in his hand, but he still persisted, walking step by step.

He visited many sects, saw many Cultivators, and also saw the wealthy nobles and emperors of the Mortal world one by one. Gradually, his name became known to countless people on this unfamiliar continent.

Regardless of which country or which sect, people knew that there was an old man named Wang Lin, a contemporary great scholar, who traveled from country to country, seemingly searching for something.

As he grew older, his words became fewer. Yet often, there were times when he didn't need to speak; he would simply look at someone with his wise eyes, which seemed to contain heaven and earth, leaving the other person lost in that heaven and earth, unaware of when they would awaken.

In the autumn of the nineteenth year, Wang Lin arrived at a place filled with many volcanoes. When he arrived, a volcano was erupting. From a great distance, Wang Lin could see black smoke rolling in the sky.

Heatwaves blew from far away, landing on him. Wang Lin raised his head, gazing at the black smoke at the edge of the sky, his weathered eyes revealing a gentleness he had never shown before.

He saw a white figure emerge from within the black smoke. That white figure was a woman with dark hair draped over her shoulders, looking very beautiful. She seemed to be collecting something from the volcanic eruption, holding a jade bottle in her hand. As she turned, she saw Wang Lin on the ground in the distance.

This glance was unforgettable to Wang Lin, causing his body to tremble. It was as if he had waited for this glance for over a thousand years, as if he had waited for this glance for his entire life, as if he had come here just to wait for this woman, and now, this glance back.