Chapter 585 - 366: Master and Disciple Reunite, Eternal Longevity Is Not My Wish

Chapter 585: Chapter 366: Master and Disciple Reunite, Eternal Longevity Is Not My Wish

An anomaly appeared within the Human Dao River.

The river’s waters churned and surged, forming a whirlpool. From within this vortex, a figure Yi Beidou knew all too well slowly strode forth.

Who else could it be but Hong Datong?

Master and disciple, finally reunited.

"You abandoned your physical body and refined your spirit into a ’Deity’?"

Yi Beidou asked in a low voice.

He understood everything.

It explained why Hong Datong’s physical body had been confirmed dead.

It explained why even his current Celestial Demon Sensing couldn’t pinpoint Hong Datong’s location.

He was indeed dead. He had used Refinement on his own spirit to become a "Deity"—a formless magnetic field, hiding within and relying upon the Human Dao River.

This method was certainly miraculous, but it also came with tremendous drawbacks.

Deities, after all, are a collection of consciousness and have severe limitations. Further advancement is incredibly difficult, and one might even lose their sense of self.

Unless he had truly achieved the so-called "True Spirit" realm.

But with Yi Beidou’s current insight, he couldn’t sense that completely different level of existence from the man before him.

His senses were never wrong.

"Beidou, we meet again. I never imagined that in just a few short years, you would have reached such a level. Even when I chose you, I never anticipated you would grow so quickly."

"You seem to be wondering why I would transform myself into a ’Deity’ and sever my own path forward?"

Hong Datong wore a smile, seemingly having seen the questions in Yi Beidou’s heart.

A Deity. The title sounds grand, but its true essence is nothing more than a collection of thoughts and magnetic fields. The more powerful the Deity, the more vast the power of belief they must accept. This is their path to strength, but in doing so, their own purity is inevitably compromised, and they eventually become lost in an endless sea of stray thoughts.

For a Cultivator, this was no different than severing one’s own path. Even Lotus hadn’t considered this. When she learned what Hong Datong had done, her first reaction was to wonder if he had already ascended to the True Spirit realm.

Because only a True Spirit is Indestructible and can survive indefinitely as a being of pure consciousness.

But clearly, Hong Datong had not truly reached that realm.

Yi Beidou didn’t answer, but his silence spoke volumes.

He couldn’t figure out what Hong Datong was truly after.

"This situation must contradict many of your theories. You must have guessed that I, an Ancient One, chose you because I wanted something. And that something, most likely, was the path to Longevity—the sublimation and transcendence of life—not severing my own path as I have done now. Is that right?"

Hong Datong seemed to possess the ability to read minds, voicing every one of Yi Beidou’s thoughts.

Yi Beidou remained silent.

This was indeed what he had thought. He had even made his plans long ago.

As long as the request didn’t go against his principles, he would have helped with all his might to repay his karmic debt. Afterward, however, he would have settled things with Hong Datong by force.

But now, it seemed things were not going as he had expected.

"Eternal Longevity is not my desire. Even beings like Earth Immortals eventually see their lifespans end and their bodies perish. Who in this world is truly immortal? Longevity is but a delusion. How could it be considered great? How could it ever be worthy of my pursuit?"

Hong Datong spoke calmly, his eyes gazing at Yi Beidou with a hint of reminiscence. "Are you willing to hear my story?"