Chapter Twenty-Six: Unexpected

Hua Sheng felt a surge of spirit upon hearing that familiar voice and hurriedly said, "Star Lord Daoling!"

It could not be wrong; it was indeed Star Lord Daoling.

"Do not come any further. A mortal body cannot withstand the cold here," Star Lord Daoling said.

Hua Sheng replied, "I... I can use Fire-Controlling Arts. By the urgent decree of—"

"No, it is useless. There is no space here to harbor flames, and even if there were, it would change nothing," Star Lord Daoling stopped him. "This cold is what mortals call absolute zero."

"Absolute zero... is that minus two hundred seventy-three degrees?" Hua Sheng remembered reading about it in a book.

"If you come any closer, you will be broken down into atoms by this cold. Your body, and even your soul, will cease to exist."

Hua Sheng was astonished by the power of the formation, but at the same time, he realized that Star Lord Daoling, trapped within this frigid space, must be enduring unimaginable suffering.

Star Lord Daoling asked, "Why have you appeared here? How could Yang Jian ever let you into this Heavenly Prison?"

Hua Sheng explained how Taishang Xiaojun had brought him to seek an audience with Yang Jian, and how he had made Mieying take his place as a decoy.

Star Lord Daoling immediately replied, "You children! The Biao-Nu Heavenly Prison is no place for your games. Mieying’s transformation art is like a bubble before Yang Jian. You must return at once, lest you invite trouble upon yourself."

Hua Sheng had already been worried about Mieying, and hearing this from Star Lord Daoling, he urged, "To tell you the truth, we risked coming here to ask you to verify a thread of purple-gold silk."

Hua Sheng informed Star Lord Daoling about how the purple-gold thread had been found in the treasure vault of the Klin Magic School.

Star Lord Daoling pondered, "That thread was left behind by a thief? Do you have the purple-gold thread for me to verify?"

"I do, disciple." Hua Sheng immediately pulled a small handkerchief from his robes.

To prevent the thread from being lost, he had specifically wrapped this small piece of purple-gold silk inside a handkerchief. "But, Star Lord, can you see it?"

"Open it," Star Lord Daoling said.

Hua Sheng carefully opened the handkerchief and was about to bring the thread closer to Star Lord Daoling when he heard the Star Lord say, "That is enough. I know."

"Lord Star, have you identified which disciple it belongs to?"

"I have."

"Who is the suspect you believe stole this Year-Star Silk? We must return and report it to the masters of the Academy."

Star Lord Daoling did not answer immediately.

Fearing that Taishang Xiaojun and Mieying could not hold out for long, Hua Sheng pressed, "Star Lord, you..."

"Hua Sheng, are you certain this object is genuine?"

"I am certain. This is the original object retrieved from the hands of those at the Klin Magic School."

Star Lord Daoling was silent for a moment before saying, "I believe this disciple would not steal such a treasure."

Hua Sheng felt a flicker of anxiety and said, "We can verify that in person when we return. The Academy is currently searching for this thread like a needle in a haystack. Lord Star, who exactly..."

Star Lord Daoling suddenly offered an answer that was completely unexpected.

"It is yours, Hua Sheng."

Star Lord Daoling continued, "This thread comes from your Taoist robe."

Hua Sheng felt a sudden chill throughout his body, one that reached deeper into his bones than the cold surrounding him.

"How is that possible? I have never been to the Klin Magic School! That place is ten thousand miles away."

"I would never be mistaken. This thread is from your Taoist robe," Star Lord Daoling said.

"Then there must be a mistake. Perhaps it got mixed up with my current robe when I kept it in my robes just now."

As he spoke, Hua Sheng immediately reached into his robes to see if he had accidentally left the real purple-gold thread somewhere.

He heard Star Lord Daoling say slowly, "This piece of purple-gold silk is from the one you wore when you first came to the Academy. It is not the one you are wearing now. Where is that original robe?"

Hua Sheng immediately recalled that he had only ever owned one Taoist robe.

Since arriving at the Academy, he had been taught to take good care of his uniform, so even when he wasn't wearing it, he would use magic to shrink it and keep it close to his person.

He had worn it from the moment he arrived at the Academy, through his initial training, the Heavenly Eye Trial, and all the way to the Great Cosmos Guard Battle. Even when he was imprisoned at the Great Thousand Zen Temple, it was the same.

The robe had never left his side for a moment, let alone been worn by someone else ten thousand miles away. That was absolutely impossible!

As for the new robe he was wearing, he had only had it on for half a day. After returning to the Academy that morning, he had replaced his old, battle-worn robe with a spare new one from his dormitory before heading out.

Hua Sheng said, "I was still wearing my old robe early this morning; I only changed it before coming here!"

Star Lord Daoling asked, "So you mean that when you were at the standoff with the Klin Magic School, you were still wearing your original uniform?"

"My robe has never left my side day or night, how could it have traveled so far?"

"I understand now," Star Lord Daoling said. "If this was not your doing, you may tell Master Jueguang that if necessary, he can go to the Panxian Cave. He will find a way to verify your innocence."

"Is the Panxian Cave not a forbidden area?"

Star Lord Daoling laughed softly. "Though it is a forbidden area, have you not already been there, Hua Sheng? I am a prisoner here now, so there is little to hold back. This matter concerns the reputation of the Academy; if Master Jueguang deems it necessary to go to the Panxian Cave, he will find a way."

"I understand, Master. I shall go at once."

Hua Sheng bowed and was about to leave when he suddenly turned back and said, "Lord Star, I still have one question..."

"Speak."

"Regarding the Great Cosmos Guard Battle, I do not believe it was your fault. I believe you were right, and you should not..." As he said this, Hua Sheng’s nose began to sting with emotion, "should not have to endure such treatment in this Biao-Nu Heavenly Prison."

Star Lord Daoling answered indifferently, "Do not dwell on that. Although that battle had its costs, I do not feel I did anything evil. It merely gave others a reason. Besides, even if I had not done what I did, they would have found other reasons sooner or later."

"It’s not fair! Even if someone finds you guilty, it shouldn't be a matter of 'might makes right.' There shouldn't be only one voice. At the very least, they should listen to the opinions of bystanders. I do not believe there is no justice in this world!"

"To protect, one must perhaps listen to many voices. To destroy, only one voice is needed."

Star Lord Daoling’s tone was as if he were discussing something unrelated to himself.

"There is no absolute black and white in this world. It is like the Taiji diagram; black and white have their boundaries, yet there is white hidden within the black, and black hidden within the white. But at the boundary between the two, they appear as a single color. There is no absolute right or wrong in this world. Right actions always have a wrong side, and wrong actions can always find excuses or justifications. This is what the 'Dao' tells us—the 'reason' for existing in the world it created. Thus, these are the rules of survival in the present world, also known as: Reason."

Hua Sheng replied, "But I want to know who harmed you! Who put you in prison!"

"No one."

Star Lord Daoling smiled faintly and said, "Every corner of the world has its own order and rules. You are born into this vast order, and like being trapped in a celestial formation, you will feel powerless, yet you cannot change anything. These rules determine right and wrong, and determine the stances and interests of those within them. Even if you resist, or struggle until you are broken, in the end, you either submit or destroy yourself."

The Star Lord paused and said, "Hua Sheng. You have met the Victorious Fighting Buddha; think of him, and you will understand even better what I am talking about."

Star Lord Daoling’s words pulled Hua Sheng’s memories back to the rooftop of that skyscraper.

Hua Sheng thought of the Victorious Fighting Buddha—that peerless Sun Wukong who had once wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and who had now become just another member of the gods and Buddhas.

All those faces, from that moment on, the legend of Sun Wukong was no more.

"Laws are originally unwritten; once they are formed into words, they are inherently flawed. These imperfect rules and laws sometimes lead all kind and intelligent people to commit evil acts or foolish things together, and they can also lead those who promote virtue to a tragic end. And in all of this, no one has necessarily done anything wrong; such is reality."

Star Lord Daoling said, "Every corner of this world, though it may look different, is no different from this prison. It appears to be completely open, and one might even mistakenly believe it is transparent. Some places not only lack a shred of warmth, but are so oppressive and confined that they can barely contain the air itself."

"But the world shouldn't go on like this..." Hua Sheng gritted his teeth. "Something must be done!"

Star Lord Daoling said, "There is no 'should' or 'should not.' Absolute power will always be in someone's hands. Even if it were you, could you make an absolutely fair judgment? I am here, and you are dissatisfied, but there will always be those who are satisfied. Look, because the peace was preserved, there is the prosperity of this fairyland. It has also saved lovely people like you, allowing millions of lives to truly be thankful for being born into this world. That is the meaning of persistence."

Hua Sheng wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by Star Lord Daoling.

"I am content with my lot, and I have no regrets. You should go now..." Star Lord Daoling would say no more.

The figure of the blue cube gradually faded away.

Hua Sheng was helpless. He could only bow deeply in the direction of Star Lord Daoling before turning to leave.

Using the Hun-Tian Silk to fly back to the edge of the formation, he carefully passed through the Glass Crystal Lock Array.

Hua Sheng was worried about being detected, and also anxious that Taishang Xiaojun’s deception would be uncovered by Yang Jian. But just a few steps out of the formation, these worries were completely dispelled.

A loud boom made his eardrums ring.

The roar came from above. Hua Sheng’s worries were immediately confirmed.

He hurriedly looked up and saw that the wooden doors of the hall in mid-air had been shattered to pieces.

A figure was thrown out of the hall—it was none other than Mieying!

Hua Sheng’s heart nearly stopped as he blurted out, "Oh, no!"

Mieying, little Seven, must have been discovered by Yang Jian!

Seeing Mieying fall heavily onto the stone platform in mid-air, Hua Sheng rushed up to fly toward her.

As he approached the hall, he saw dust and mist swirling behind the broken doors.

A dazzling golden light pierced through the flying smoke and shot directly at the fallen Mieying. Mieying could not dodge in time, and her Taoist robe immediately caught fire as it was struck by the light. She cried out in pain, quickly rolling to her feet and dodging aside to beat out the flames.

The golden light followed closely, chasing after the dodging Mieying.

Just then, Taishang Xiaojun scrambled out from the smoke of the hall.

Following closely behind him was a massive figure in golden armor; that figure was the Erlang God, Yang Jian. And the golden light shining on Mieying emanated from the Heavenly Eye on his forehead.

Taishang Xiaojun blocked the path in front of Mieying, forcing a smile while shouting, "True Lord Erlang, please calm your anger! General, please calm your anger! Do not hold it against us juniors!"

"You little brats! You dare to toy with me!"