Chapter 277: Epiphany

Wang Lin's gaze was calm, but his heart was secretly cautious. This person was truly strange; there wasn't a trace of spiritual power in his body. At first glance, he seemed like a Mortal, but how could a Mortal discern his identity? Wang Lin remained composed, cupped his fists slightly, and said, "I am a man of the mountains, with no particular title. You can call me Da Niu."

The big man's eyes gleamed with a peculiar light. He looked at Wang Lin with interest and chuckled, "Brother Da Niu, why don't you sit down? Wouldn't it be a pleasure for us two to discuss the Dao on this rainy night?"

Wang Lin chuckled, nodded, and sat cross-legged on the ground. He flipped his right hand, and a wine pot appeared. He took a sip.

Since the drastic change in the Four Sects Alliance, Wang Lin's stock of this fruit wine was running low, so he drank less to conserve it.

The big man laughed heartily and also sat down, saying, "Brother Da Niu's cultivation is astonishing. If I'm not mistaken, you should have reached the Realm of Concept Locking Soul, with hopes of reaching the Cloud Heavens."

Wang Lin's heart stirred, and his wariness towards this person grew stronger, but outwardly, he remained as calm as ever, simply chuckling and avoiding the topic.

At this moment, one of the big men by the bonfire not far away loudly scoffed, "What nonsense are you two talking about? We didn't understand a single word! What Concept Locking Soul, and hopes of Cloud Heavens? Are you two crazy or something!"

Mo Zhi smiled slightly and said, "Your Excellency's words are very apt. The word 'crazy' is used excellently. If one isn't crazy, it's naturally difficult to comprehend the Heavenly Dao. If one isn't crazy, who would seek the art of longevity? The saying 'what Heaven desires, one must also desire' is precisely this principle."

The big man by the bonfire frowned and cursed, "He really is a madman. I didn't understand a single word."

Mo Zhi laughed wryly, shaking his head gently. He looked at Wang Lin and said, "Does Brother Da Niu understand?"

Wang Lin's eyes showed a half-smile as he said, "I don't understand the profound meaning in your words, Brother, but I think the word 'crazy' isn't used well. It would be better to use 'obsessed'!"

Mo Zhi's eyes immediately lit up. He laughed, "Good! The word 'obsessed' is excellent! If those of our generation lacked obsession, we would certainly be unable to achieve true enlightenment and complete the flawed Heavenly Dao!"

Wang Lin took a sip of wine, smiling silently.

Mo Zhi looked at Wang Lin, and his eyes suddenly showed a hint of confusion, appearing hollow. As their gazes met, Wang Lin's heart immediately trembled, and he subtly placed his right hand on the Storage Pouch at his waist.

After a long while, the confusion in Mo Zhi's eyes gradually faded. "Just now… we… where were we talking about?"

Wang Lin frowned, staring at this person.

At this moment, the big men by the bonfire not far away had been listening to their conversation. The one who spoke earlier chuckled, "So he really is a madman."

Mo Zhi sighed softly and smiled at Wang Lin, "Never mind, forgotten is forgotten. My name is Mo Zhi. May I know Your Excellency's name?"

Wang Lin's brows furrowed even more. A moment later, he shook his head with a light chuckle, took a sip of wine, and said, "Da Niu!"

Mo Zhi nodded, looked at the rainy night outside, and praised, "The beauty of a rainy night lies in its Concept, in its continuous vitality. Flowers and plants absorb moisture; the original sense of death quietly flows away. This is the beauty of a rainy night, and also the taste of life."

Wang Lin turned his head to look outside the temple. The rustling sounds came slowly, and occasionally, thunder and lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the outside in an instant.

The bonfire inside the temple flickered between bright and dim, illuminating the surroundings with an uncertain light. Just like between life and death, this flickering of light and dark seemed to contain the Heavenly Dao of life and death.

Light is life, darkness is death. In the flickering of light and dark, life and death intertwine and replace each other.

"What is life?" Wang Lin said softly.

This question had troubled him for a long time.

Mo Zhi retracted his gaze, pointed at the bonfire, and said with a smile, "This fire, is life!"

Wang Lin was silent, gazing at the flickering bonfire, and slowly said, "Why?"

Mo Zhi smiled, looked at the bonfire, and slowly said, "I don't know what life is, but I often hear Mortals say, 'make fire,' 'make fire.' Presumably, this fire, is life."

"Madman!" This time, almost all the big men by the bonfire looked at Wang Lin and Mo Zhi with strange eyes.

This fire, is life… Wang Lin gradually understood something, yet also seemed not to understand. He was silent for a moment, then asked again, "What is death?"

Just as Mo Zhi was about to speak, his eyes suddenly showed confusion again, revealing a hollow look. After a long while, he looked around blankly.

"We… before… where were we talking about?"

Before Wang Lin could speak, one of the big men by the bonfire immediately said, "He just asked you, what is death!"

Mo Zhi looked at Wang Lin apologetically, hesitated slightly, and asked, "Presumably, Brother, you already know my name. May I know how to address you?"

Similarly, before Wang Lin could speak, another big man by the bonfire chuckled, "His name is Da Niu!"

Mo Zhi's apology deepened as he said, "Since I comprehended the Heavenly Dao, my memory has been deteriorating. Please forgive me, Brother Da Niu."

Wang Lin remained composed, but his heart trembled. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "What kind of Concept has Brother comprehended?"

Directly asking about someone's Concept is quite taboo, but Mo Zhi didn't mind. Instead, the confusion in his eyes grew deeper, and he slowly said, "Forgetfulness Concept…"

"Hey, you haven't said what death is yet. Keep talking, it's quite interesting." A big man by the bonfire urged.

The confusion in Mo Zhi's eyes grew more intense. He murmured, "What is death… Death is demise. If a person perishes, it is death. If the heart perishes, it is forgetfulness… This, is death."

Wang Lin's heart trembled. This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, instantly sweeping through his heart, dispersing much of the fog of life and death.

Death is demise. If a person perishes, it is death. If the heart perishes, it is forgetfulness… Mo Zhi's eyes showed a hollow look. He looked around, then casually pointed his right hand at a puddle outside the temple and murmured, "Today, rootless water descends. The water in this puddle is life. When the rootless water is gone someday, the water in this puddle is death. Without vitality, without flow, that is what stagnant water is!"

Then he pointed his right hand again. This time, it was at the big men by the bonfire. The hollow look in his eyes grew deeper as he murmured, "Today, they can be happy, angry, sorrowful, joyful; that is life. Someday, they will not feel joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, unable to escape Reincarnation; that is death."

His right hand moved abruptly, pointing at the petal base inside the temple, and he added, "When the idol was in this temple, the temple was life. Now that the idol is gone, it is death!"

Speaking of this, he stood up and pointed at the sky, saying, "This rain is born from the sky and dies on the earth. The process in between is life. The reason I look at this rainwater, not the sky, not the earth, and not even the rain itself, but at the rain's entire life… This is life and death!"

Wang Lin was moved. He stood up and bowed deeply to Mo Zhi.

Mo Zhi smiled, stepped out of the temple, and walked away with large strides. From afar, his faint voice drifted back.

"Brother Da Niu, if you understand, then you understand. If you don't, then you don't… Take care of yourself…"

Wang Lin stared blankly at the rain for a long time, then chuckled wryly.

At this time, the big men by the bonfire all showed confused expressions. They vaguely seemed to understand something, but upon closer thought, they felt a mist obscuring their eyes.

"Brother, what did that person just say?" One of them couldn't help but ask. The others all turned their heads to look at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin smiled and shook his head, saying, "You… don't understand…"

With that, he lifted his foot and left the temple, walking in the rain, looking at the sky—this rain was born from the sky. He looked at the earth—this rain died on the earth.

In between, was the rain's entire life!

This was life and death!

Fire is life, because it has vitality. So-called 'making fire' is precisely this.

Death is demise. If a person perishes, it is death. If the heart perishes, it is forgetfulness… Wang Lin walked between heaven and earth, his heart suddenly enlightened. He vaguely grasped a pulse, a pulse of life and death. His Soul Transformation mental state, which had only one year left, suddenly grew rapidly. With his comprehension of the Concept of life and death, it almost instantly met the requirements for Soul Transformation.

One could say that at this moment, if Wang Lin wished, he could immediately undergo Soul Transformation.

However, this place was clearly not suitable for Soul Transformation. Wang Lin suppressed the urge to undergo Soul Transformation and accelerated his flight.

"Presumably, Brother Mo Zhi's Concept is the perishing of the heart, which is why he has the Forgetfulness Concept… Because one can be utterly devoted to the heart, one can forget by perishing oneself. Having forgotten everything, only the Dao remains!" Wang Lin took a deep breath. This Mo Zhi was truly an extraordinary person!

The Epiphany in the rainy night temple finally elevated Wang Lin's mental state above Soul Transformation. At this moment, he was undeniably qualified for Soul Transformation, possessing the Concept of Soul Transformation.

Soul Transformation Cultivators represent the initial dividing point for strength differences among all Ranks.

All of this is because once a Cultivator reaches Soul Transformation and above, their focus of cultivating the Dao shifts from the physical body to the mental state, based on comprehending the Heavenly Dao and beginning to utilize the power of heaven and earth.

Concept is the most important comprehension for Cultivators above Soul Transformation.

And according to different comprehensions, Concepts also differ. To be precise, in the Major Thousand Worlds, there are many Concepts, but among these Concepts, there is indeed a distinction between strong and weak.

Although all Concepts are similar once they reach their peak, different starting points can absolutely affect the pace of future cultivation.

Therefore, Soul Transformation Cultivators are the Rank and Realm with the greatest disparity in strength. If one comprehends an ordinary Heavenly Dao, then although it is immensely powerful compared to Nascent Soul, it is inferior among other Soul Transformation Cultivators.

In fact, if Wang Lin had wanted to undergo Soul Transformation, he could have done so as early as when he could carve the first Soul Transformation statue of the White Cloud Sect. However, that kind of Concept was not born from his heart, but rather followed someone else's path. In this way, even if he underwent Soul Transformation, it would be difficult for him to make any Breakthroughs in this life, and the possibility of reaching Nascent Soul Transformation would be extremely slim.

A Concept not born of oneself can ultimately not be comprehended freely, let alone surpassed… —

Today, three chapters! Fellow Daoists, Er Gen earnestly requests monthly votes and recommendation votes, to give Er Gen's outburst more power! Thank you! Soul Transformation today!