The battle with Tang Zichen made He Heng understand one thing: his inability to break through to the Dan-forming stage was not only due to the world's limitations or his overly strong blood energy, but more importantly, there was an issue with his mental state. He lacked a kind of inspiration, or rather, a direction for his path.
In "Dragon Snake Romance," Wang Chao's invincibility wasn't due to Tang Zichen's excellent teaching or his various legendary experiences. The root of everything lay in himself - he possessed an incomparable grand momentum and a firm path.
Wang Chao retraced the Long March route, gaining inspiration there and comprehending a path of "for the sake of sacrifice, there is great ambition; daring to make the sun and moon shine anew." His mind underwent a transformation, allowing him to rise continuously, becoming invincible and developing grand momentum. This was because he had his own way of invincibility.
What He Heng currently lacked was this kind of inspiration, a path uniquely his own.
"But what can inspire my heart?" He Heng asked himself introspectively. He knew his own personality best - cold and unfeeling, disgusted with the mortal world, single-mindedly seeking immortality, looking down upon the vast human world, becoming one with heaven and earth, transcending everything!
He would never possess that spirit of sacrifice and dedication. Paths like protection weren't his cup of tea. He had always only cared about himself!
Even in his first life, when he was old, He Heng understood that life is short and the world is unpredictable. How can the infinite mortal realm compare to the vast and profound Dao of Heaven and Earth?
All emotions, ambitions, and desires ultimately amount to nothing, not worth mentioning. Only the eternal and everlasting great Dao is immortal.
"In this life, born in the Great Celestial World, possessing the Treasure Mirror of All Heavens, I vow to rise, walk to the peak of the great Dao, see that endless scenery, look down upon the cycle of reincarnation. Those who obstruct my path to the Dao shall die!" With such determination, He Heng set out on his path of enlightenment.
He departed from the capital, heading westward, arriving at a vast grassland where he admired its boundless magnificence and observed the infinite sun, moon, and stars.
Continuing westward, he came to an endless desert, scorching hot and dry, with endless sand storms sweeping through. The conditions were extremely harsh, with frequent dust storms.
On the fifth day, He Heng encountered a great storm, losing his direction in the endless sand. All his water and food were lost. No matter how high his martial arts or how strong his body, how small was his power compared to this vast and boundless nature?
For the next few days, he walked alone in the great desert. The changes in heaven and earth here were extremely unpredictable. During the day, the sun blazed like fire, extremely hot, while at night it was freezing cold, dropping to more than ten degrees below zero. Whether day or night, hot or cold, He Heng never stopped walking, struggling through the desert, even though he was already exhausted and extremely thirsty.
Only in such desperate situations does one understand the fragility and insignificance of life. Under the vast power of heaven and earth, the struggle of living beings is negligible.
"But I won't give up. Survive, and one day I will coexist with heaven and earth, even surpass it!" He Heng's eyes were filled with light, a kind of longing and aspiration.
He continued walking forward, each step forward was very difficult, taking half a day. In this way, by the tenth day, he finally saw an oasis.
"I won, gaining hope, the light of transcendence!"
After resting there, He Heng continued walking. He began to walk southward, entering the Tibetan area. There he saw many Tibetans, carrying tents and walking in the wilderness, prostrating themselves step by step towards the Potala Palace, a unique Tibetan pilgrimage. From where they were, they would prostrate themselves step by step until reaching the top of the Potala Palace, something few people had achieved over the years.
He Heng followed them, prostrating himself step by step, constantly approaching that most sacred place in the Tibetan area. In the first few days, He Heng's forehead was bruised and almost festering. But this didn't make him give up. No matter how his body felt, he would get up on time every morning and continue this pilgrimage, one step, one prostration.
Soon spring came, the season of all things reviving. He Heng had also adapted to this lifestyle. His forehead was still swollen, but much better than before. He was still prostrating, regardless of whether it was cold or warm outside, dry or humid.
Soon it was April, and He Heng had already prostrated for eight thousand li. By this time, there were few Tibetans who could persist, only the most devout believers.
At this time, many tourists came to visit, finding He Heng and others' behavior very curious. Some took photos, some discussed, pointing at He Heng and others' tattered clothes worn in wind, rain, heat, and cold. He Heng didn't care about others' opinions and continued his own way, prostrating step by step, arriving in Lhasa.
This was already very close to the Potala Palace. Pilgrims from various places came prostrating step by step from time to time. Most of the Tibetans here believed in Tibetan Buddhism and gave the pilgrims the most solemn welcome and respect. He Heng no longer cared about other things and slowly prostrated towards the Potala Palace.
On this day, just as the morning sun was rising, many figures came to the foot of Mount Maburi. They were all pilgrims, prostrating step by step from the foot of the mountain, slowly climbing to the peak, towards that sacred palace. He Heng was among them.
He was the first to reach the top of the mountain and walk to the gate of the Potala Palace, but he did something unexpected. After reaching the gate of the Potala Palace, he turned around and left without hesitation, showing no intention of entering to pay homage to Buddha. This puzzled many Tibetans.
How could they know that He Heng never believed in Buddha? He only believed in himself. All along the way, he wasn't prostrating to Buddha, but to himself!
Every place is a spiritual mountain, everyone is a Buddha!
For each person, they are the master of themselves. Being able to perfectly control oneself is being a Buddha!
He Heng's prostrations all along the way were not to pay homage to Buddha, but to himself, washing away all impurities, revealing his original true nature.
All worldly affairs are false, only "I" is true!
In heaven and on earth, only I am honored!
This "I" refers to oneself.
He Heng left this place and continued his journey. He walked on this roof of the world, observing the boundless great snow mountains, watching the snow melt and become rivers, flowing to the sea. This gave He Heng's mind a kind of cleansing.
The vastness of heaven and earth, the boundlessness of nature - compared to this, what are the disputes of the human world, the pervasive mortal realm? It's laughable how foolish people are, immersed in endless suffering, unable to extricate themselves. How pitiful and lamentable.
Finally, He Heng came to the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest! He slowly climbed up step by step, walking towards that world's highest point, the highest place of heaven and earth. During this process, he constantly questioned himself.
"In the beginning of antiquity, who transmitted the Way?
Before the formation of heaven and earth, how can it be examined?
In the dim and dark, who can fathom it?
Formless yet manifesting, how can it be known?
Light and darkness, what is their purpose?
Yin and yang in harmony, what is their origin and transformation?
The nine-layered heavens, who planned and measured them?
What merit is this, who first created it?
What maintains and connects it, where is the celestial pole added?
...
How are the Nine Provinces arranged? What fills the rivers and valleys?
Why doesn't the eastern flow overflow, who knows its reason?
East, west, south, north, which is longer?
The elliptical shape of north and south, how far does it extend?
Where is the base of the Kunlun Hanging Gardens?
...
I tell Du Ao about impermanence.
Why try to elevate yourself above me, with loyalty and fame increasingly evident?"
One question after another surged in He Heng's mind. Standing at the highest point of this planet, looking up at the sky, endless stars, the vast universe, seeking answers.
"Human life has limits, but heaven and earth are boundless, the great Dao is endless. Life is finite, knowledge is infinite, the Dao is even more infinite! Life is short, but the great Dao is endless. What we seek is to use our small hearts to seek the boundless great Dao! Although it cannot be done, we do it without regret!"
He Heng stood at the highest point of the planet, looking down upon heaven and earth, feeling the vastness of heaven and earth and the smallness of himself, planting that seed of seeking the Dao. Who knows how many years later, it will sprout and grow into a towering tree!
At this moment, he understood the path that belonged to him: using finite life to seek the endless great Dao; using a small body and mind to represent the Dao of the vast universe!
In endless time and space, infinite worlds, on this long journey, this path has no end. He is destined to be accompanied by loneliness, to dance with death, and finally compose the most beautiful melody.
But he has no regrets. After embarking on this path, no matter how many hardships lie ahead, he will... keep going! The path he chose, even if he has to crawl, he will crawl to the end. Once the Dao heart is established, it will never change!
In a trance, He Heng seemed to understand the realm of the human method, forging the most initial Dao heart, a sincere heart, and then letting it sprout and grow!
At this moment, the realm of Dan-forming in national martial arts was achieved naturally.
He Heng didn't care about anything else. His deep eyes emitted a dim light, then slowly closed, using his heart to feel this heaven and earth. He seemed to "see" flowers blooming, hear dewdrops falling, wind howling, mountains trembling... He seemed to be one with the universe, unified with the cosmos!
At this moment, He Heng no longer had any trace of mortal air. He was like a Buddha looking down upon countless worlds, like an immortal looking down upon the human world. As the breeze blew, he seemed about to dissipate into this heaven and earth, ascending to immortality.
Vast and boundless, like riding the wind in emptiness, not knowing where to stop; floating as if standing alone in the world, transforming and ascending to immortality.
This sentence couldn't be more appropriate for him.
After a long time, He Heng slowly opened his eyes. His crystal-clear eyes were extremely profound, revealing a wisdom and transcendence that saw through worldly affairs. He looked at the "small" mountains below, black shadows, snow-white, then raised his head to look at the sky, stars densely packed, shining brightly, dead and cold.
At this moment, an incomparable feeling of desolation surged in He Heng's heart, feeling extremely lonely. The whole world was left with only himself, facing this endless heaven and earth. If nothing unexpected happened, this loneliness would accompany him forever, until the final eternity!
"I see no ancients before me, no one coming after me.
Thinking of the vastness of heaven and earth, I shed tears alone!" He Heng suddenly recalled this poem, finding it particularly meaningful at this moment. He then smiled and murmured, "A true warrior dares to face a bleak life. Even if destined to be lonely forever, eternally solitary, so what? I will enjoy this solitude, walk to the end, the final eternity, the eternal finality!"
In the cold and dead heaven and earth, a firm figure stood tall, deep eyes forever looking forward, even if only he himself was left under the vast sky.