One by one, his previous conceptions were overturned.
He had believed the killing mechanisms that once permeated heaven and earth throughout the Congyun Sea had gradually faded.
But now he realized the killing intent of heaven and earth had never diminished; it remained present even now.
The violent, murderous aura Li Fan had sensed before did not originate from the Heavenly Dao itself.
Heaven and earth would never allow its killing mechanisms to be detected by mortal cultivators.
It was not violent. It was not angry. It did not have such emotions.
It was pure will, pure law.
It was the impartial, treating the myriad creatures as straw dogs. [1]
It was destruction—and what concern was it of yours? [2]
Beneath the Heavenly Dao, all were ants.
Mortals, cultivators, the vast sea itself... In Its eyes, there was no difference.
Cultivators plundered the heavens and seized the earth; the Heavenly Dao naturally unleashed killing mechanisms.
Yet the Heavenly Dao did not act directly, for cultivators themselves were also a part of the Heavenly Dao.
Appropriate laws naturally evolved in response, corresponding to the killing mechanisms of heaven and earth.
Such as the law of the Exclusivity of Immortal Techniques, or the scene Li Fan now witnessed.
Above the Congyun Sea, a crimson, translucent figure gazed down with cold indifference.
In its hand, a small flame danced and flickered relentlessly, scorching and drying the Congyun Sea.
Sensing Li Fan’s gaze, the crimson figure turned its head.
Their eyes met.
In that instant, the waters within the Deepsea Pearl boiled violently.
Fortunately, it only glanced his way before withdrawing its attention.
Only then was Li Fan’s consciousness spared.
And because it had looked at him, Li Fan understood exactly what it was in that moment.
An Arbiter of heaven and earth’s soul: Flame!
1. 以万物为刍狗 (yǐ wànwù wéi chúgǒu) is a line from the Tao Te Ching. In ancient Chinese rituals, chúgǒu were figurines of dogs woven from straw. They were carefully crafted and treated with utmost respect and ceremony before the ritual. But once the ceremony was over, they were trampled on, burned, or thrown away without a second thought.
The line describes the utter impartiality and non-attachment of the Dao. The Dao does not love or hate anything. It does not favor or disfavor anything. It provides for all things equally, without emotional attachment, just as the straw dog is used for its purpose and then discarded without malice. ☜
2. 毁灭你，与你何干 (huǐmiè nǐ, yǔ nǐ hé gān) A quote from a famous Chinese internet novel (Zhu Xian). It means the destruction is so insignificant to the Dao that it doesn't even warrant an explanation or consideration of your perspective. ☜