Chapter 745 - 342: Immortality
Li An felt extremely cautious in his heart, yet at this moment, he knew well that he could do nothing to the opponent.
After all, since the opponent was in the Deceit Realm, it indicated that he belonged to the Era of Eternal Life’s beings... Li An, no matter how skillful, couldn’t kill a being from another time-space.
Moreover, the fact that this person could easily control the Array of the Bone Transformation Mountain was enough to demonstrate that the opponent’s realm must be above Li An’s.
His only means was the power of years from the present world, but whether he could protect himself was still unknown.
"Who are you, senior?"
Li An asked politely, considering the existence from the Era of Eternal Life, being humble and addressing as senior seemed appropriate.
"Forgotten."
The middle-aged man in white robe spoke with a smile, "I did not lie to you, truly I have forgotten... Where did I come from, what is my surname, and who I once knew, all forgotten."
"When your era has completely vanished, and all the people in this world who once knew you, liked you, hated you, as well as all the landscapes you once saw, all the joys and pains you experienced, have vanished, you too will forget everything."
Li An pondered, remaining silent.
"You seek longevity."
The middle-aged man in white robe stated.
"Yes, I study the Dao in this life solely for longevity."
"And after attaining longevity?"
The middle-aged man in white poured himself a cup of wine and said, "Wanting to do a thing is very normal, but distinguishing whether this thing is your goal or your means, that’s very important."
"Is longevity your goal, or your means?"
A look of bewilderment appeared in Li An’s eyes.
The middle-aged man in white had not used any spells or Divine Powers, but his words seemed to possess a certain power, a power that could penetrate the heart, cross all illusions and disguises, allowing one to see the most natural and primal true self.
Longevity means living continuously, but living itself, is it a goal or a means?
For mortals whose life is limited, there are many answers to this question, because of life’s limitations, they must impart more meaning to life, thus, living becomes a means rather than a goal.
Some live to acquire more wealth, feeling the joy of winning.
Some live for seeking answers to certain questions, indulging in the pursuit of knowledge.
Some live for revenge, others live for the ones they love...
But each has a goal, bestowing life with some kind of meaning – though such meaning is merely a subjective perception.
What about the Longevity Seekers?
When longevity has become reality, what then is necessary, what is its purpose and meaning?
Is longevity itself the goal?
The middle-aged man in white pointed to the stone before him and said, "This stone has already existed here for tens of trillions of years, and until your era, it still remains; from the perspective of time, it has attained longevity."
Li An felt as if he was immersed in ice water, his thoughts and perception were sharpened to the extreme, as if comprehending the Dao, and he spoke:
"You mean, if one seeks longevity for longevity’s sake, one ultimately becomes no different from a stone... What makes a human a human, and a stone a stone, lies in what exists beyond longevity?"
The middle-aged man in white shook his head and said, "I do not know."
"However, there’s no need for you to inquire further, you have already made your choice, haven’t you?"
"You have relinquished everything... Those you love, admire, cherish, all abandoned."
There seemed to be a trace of regret in his words, and a hint of self-mockery flashed across his face as he said, "Someone like you, in our era, was called a Supreme Dispassionate one."
"It’s said, only someone like you is most suited for longevity, because longevity for others is filled with pain, but for you alone, it truly is a reward."
He picked up the wine glass, placed it in front of Li An, and asked, "Please have a drink, and help me with a task, could you?"
Li An did not immediately pick up the drink, but instead asked, "What task?"
"Help me kill some people."
The middle-aged man in white smiled and said, "Of course, it can also be said as saving them, after all, death is their redemption."
"What kind of people?"
"Those who leave this place."
Li An was slightly startled, "You mean those who have been reborn borrowing the bodies of the lamp keepers from this Deceit Realm?"
The middle-aged man in white nodded: "Yes, them."
"They have already passed, but unfortunately, due to some errors that should not have appeared, they emerged struggling from the passage of time, and no matter what, that’s never a good thing."
Li An said, "Senior, your skills are beyond the heavens, why not personally kill them?"
The middle-aged man in white smiled and said, "You don’t need to test me, nor worry; if I wanted to come to the present world, I would directly do so without needing to scheme against you."
"I have my reasons for not going."
"Junior’s skills are meager, those beings who have left here are said to have already gone to the Land of the Passed, which stands high above the thirty-three heavens, even numerous enigmatic forces respect it. Desiring to kill them is like a moth flying into flames, as hard as ascending to the sky."
"Moths can also put out fires, and ascending to the sky is not difficult; as long as you agree, naturally you will have the power to kill them."
"What if I am unwilling?" Li An uttered such a sentence, his face seemed calm, but actually his heart was pounding vigorously, this kind of probing was excessively bold.
The nature of the opponent was hard to discern, if this sentence angered the opponent, would he be executed?
The middle-aged man in white just smiled at him and said, "Then forget it."
"I agree."
Though he spoke as such, Li An still agreed.