"Five thousand years..."
Shen Mo waited for her expression to change, to at least see a remnant of emotion on her but Cai showed no change.
"If it takes five thousand years, I quit. What's the benefit of being like Master anyway?" Cai asked haughtily and crossed her arms. Her question made Shen Mo smile.
"Then I will show you."
Before Cai can react, Shen Mo touched her forehead. He slowly pulled his fingertip further and a string of consciousness left Cai's body. The consciousness remained on Shen Mo's palm. He used his divine consciousness to transport the awareness of Cai into his dantian without turning her to energy.
Cai opened her eyes and the warm sunlight welcomed her. She was confused for a bit as to why she appeared above a city that is so wide she can't see the end of it. A sphere of energy also surrounded her to keep her afloat. Shen Mo appeared next to her without the need for a sphere.
"Do you know where we are?" He calmly asked. Cai simply shook her head. Shen Mo turned to Cai and proudly said, "This is my dantian."
"Oh."
"Er... Are you not impressed?" Her reaction was not within his imagination. Shen Mo thought Cai will admiringly look at him or shout in surprise. After all, he is the first Celestial Death cultivator to create a world as prosperous as this. It's already impressive for a Celestial Death cultivator to create mortals in their dantian. What's more if it was a city as vast as this!
"It's impressive, very impressive." Cai said casually and remained unperturbed.
"That's how you express it? Why aren't you surprised then?"
"Surprised? I don't know. I feel amazed but I don't know how." Cai responded which stunned Shen Mo. Her words, it's the same as what he said when his master tried to show off.
"This kid reminds me of my old self. What a coincidence." He thought deeply and felt it was odd. "Without emotions, she will be merciless and cruel. I can't repeat the mistake Master did when I was young."
"Master, is this your dantian? How did this happen?" Cai's question was monotonous and Shen Mo can't guess if she is curious or bored.
"Yes. If you reach a certain level in cultivation, you can form lives. It was because everything, even rocks, and plants, are part of the Great Dao. The qi you cultivate is the main branch of every element a cultivator refines. As far as I know, Celestial Death is the perfection of a world in your body. You see, as you cultivate, your dantian expands and the qi you refine evolves to a firmer fragment of Dao. The first creation of life will be the Nascent Soul. In Nirvana, there will be a wide space untouched by your qi. Celestial Life will be the beginning and Celestial Death is the final modification."
"Amazing." Cai muttered without a trace of amazement. She looked down at the city and became even curious. "Master, can we go down and interact?"
"We can but we can't stay for too long. The time here is slower than the outside world."
His voice fell and the next moment, Cai is in the crowded market. Her heartbeat became agitated a bit but she can't express the awe she felt.
"I don't know how many days had passed since this world formed civilizations. It surprised me there are even Core Formation cultivators wandering here."
Shen Mo can't recall when was the last time he visited this world. He forgot to adjust the time due to its fast and uncontrollable progress. He is afraid an immortal in his dantian might break the wall separating them from the real world. If his dantian breaks, that will cripple him.
"Master, peaches!"
Cai suddenly dragged him to a stall without warning. Shen Mo was astonished she can be excited even without emotion. He is getting confused by this girl. Maybe after this tour, he must look for those materials and give her the same medicine his master fed him.
As Shen Mo bought a handful of peaches for her, he came to reminisce about his past. Shen Mo is as emotionless as her. He knows no fear, he knows no pity or happiness. Every day, he wakes up to see Spring Blossom Sect disciples, chatting and laughing but he doesn't understand. There are times when he beat them up on a spar, they cry and blame him for being ruthless at girls. Another moment when they encountered a spirit beast outside the sect and he was tasked to protect them. He knows no fear so he charged forward without worrying for his life. If it wasn't for the sect leader arriving on time, he would have died.
Those are just some of the drawbacks of being emotionless. Without knowing sadness and happiness, a person will remain stagnant. They have no will to continue because they feel fine without rewards or suffering to test their discipline. Without feeling sympathy, they naturally become heartless. Innocent or not, they won't care and won't blink when they kill. Then, there is no fear which brings infinite courage brought by stupidity. At those moments, Shen Mo even thought death is nothing. He won't fear pain, he won't fear death, so be it. That was his mindset when he was heartless.
Fortunately, his view changed when his master formed a medicine that will help him feel all emotions. But, it took his master five years to complete the materials. Shen Mo was already twenty so he grew up like a demonic cultivator. The medicine changed him upon consuming it. Soon, the Lone Devil they called became compassionate under his master's guidance. Years later, he even established a righteous sect.
"If I travel fast and use my connections, maybe it will take me three years to complete the medicine. By then, Cai will look like a thirteen-year-old girl. It is better than her reaching adulthood without knowing what emotions are." Shen Mo thought in shame. He was so evil when he was young, even his master nearly gave up on him.
But, if he can't find the materials on time and it takes more than three years, his sect might get dominated by an evil apprentice.
"This gives me an idea." Shen Mo's brain worked upon remembering his past. He secretly controlled the world and made up a fate involving trouble.
"Stop him! Everyone!" A lady cried out who ran from an inn. Her clothes were dyed with blood and she looked as if she struggled. "Stop him! He murdered my husband!!"
People looked at the man running away with a cleaver. He is getting closer to Cai's direction. Shen Mo glanced at Cai to see her reaction but she focused on eating and looking at the drama without care.
"As expected. She won't respond. She has no sympathy." Shen Mo considered his experiment a failure.
"Master, how come you gave life to evil creatures?" Cai's question made Shen Mo huff.
"Have you forgotten what I taught you? The world is balanced because of the yin and yang. There is light and darkness. But, you must know, there is evil in good and there is good in evil. This is how the world works."
Cai understood what he meant. It was out of everyone's expectation that she will throw a peach straight to the murderer's forehead. The strength she released was mustered up through the qi she refined. It was fortunate she didn't use them all or the man's skull would have been broken.
The man fell with a grunt. He rubbed his forehead that was bleeding a bit.
"Why did you do that?" Shen Mo was puzzled. He thought she will not do anything for everyone's good.
"Master just said there is good in evil. This man must have his own reasons that's why he sinned." Cai answered accurately and impressed her teacher again. She could care less and leave when the man raised the cleaver to her.
"Stupid girl!" The man was frustrated but the cleaver suddenly flew to the side with one slap of Shen Mo.
He grabbed the man's wrist not even a second later. Shen Mo released a strong pressure that the man felt suffocated.
"I know you did it for your loved ones." Shen Mo's voice rang in his head. The man was terrified as he stared at the gentle-looking man. "For this lesson, I will grant you a better fate in your next life. I assure you your family will live well after your death."
The strong pressure caused the man to die since he can't breathe. Shen Mo caught the man's soul and attached a great amount of Luck Dao to it. He released the soul when the ghost officer arrived.
"Cai let's go." Shen Mo can't bother with more troubles in this world. He decided to leave with Cai immediately.
Their figures disappeared from the crowds and it was too late when the soldiers showed up. Cai and Shen Mo already returned to Wu.
"Master..." Cai learned so much in one day. She wanted to say thank you but Shen Mo is not beside her. Instead, he is vomiting by the window again.
"When we get back in the Mainland, I will bring you directly to the sect! I can't die like this, wu..." Shen Mo lamented.
"Master, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Alright." Shen Mo got back to their table and drank the tea to refresh himself.
"I didn't kill that man because I think it's proper for him to be caught by officers and punish him. Why didn't Master spare him?"
Cai thought that her master will be benevolent to only block that attack and scare that man so justice will be served by the court. Yet, her master killed him.
"There is a reason why that man killed that lady's husband. The person he murdered is a merchant. The merchant married his daughter as a concubine but the main wife hated the concubine. So, she plotted and tortured the concubine to death. Everyone knew that but the merchant turned a blind eye and convinced everyone his wife is innocent. The man asked for justice but no one listened to him. The only way to avenge his daughter is by killing that unscrupulous merchant. I took his life because I want to redo his fate and give him a better lifetime rather than justice serving the wrong side. From this story, you must remember there is a reason for every action, either good or bad."
"Master is so profound. I wonder when will I become like him?" Cai thought in her head. She unknowingly stared at Shen Mo and her lips arched faintly. "He is my only guide in this world. Whatever he asks, I will follow. If he wants me to be an immortal, I will!"
"Bah, this girl is staring at me for so long. What's wrong with her?" Shen Mo is nonchalant on the outside but he is already getting suspicious inside. "What am I worrying for? It's not like she will have a crush on someone who's like a great grandfather of her great-great grandfather's great great grandfather."
"Master is so beautiful. No wonder Mrs. Shen is his wife. She is more stunning than Master."
Cai and Shen Mo have different thoughts and if they were both to hear it, the airship might explode.
Finally, the airship descended in Tian Port, an island floating hundred of thousands of miles from the ground. It is the main station of airships and cultivators traveling with their flying spirit beasts. Cai was amazed by the majestic beasts that can walk and fly on the horizon, though her face doesn't show it.
"Master, don't you have any spirit beast? You said you're a sect founder. Aren't you powerful enough to have one?"
"Oh, that... My spirit beasts are guarding the six realms, most of them are in heaven already. Because of that scum Will of Heaven." She Mo unhappily whispered the last sentence. "But don't worry, I have someone better than a spirit beast that can bring us to the sect in no time."
Saying so, Shen Mo moved his hands with gestures and chanted a spell, "Sword Light Grandmaster of Dao, Shen Mo summons you to the mortal world!"
Bam!
A huge rune formation in the sky appeared and blinding light erupted. Once the place cleared, a tall human-like general stood high from the forest and the Tian Port is only by its shoulder level. All onlookers were scared witless their jaw nearly dropped.