Chapter 12: The Mysterious “Third Person”

“The reason why I don’t let you get close to the mountaintop is that there is a powerful demon sealed there. You must not let it break through the seal. Otherwise, it will bring calamities to the world!”

There were actually demons sealed at the top of Mount Sword! Lin Ran gasped. No wonder that stone tablet was called the Demon Subduing Tablet. No wonder Daoist Li kept it a secret and warned him over and over.

Could it be that the strange roars he heard were from the demon?

After saying so much in one breath, Daoist Li’s face turned even paler. He panted heavily, clearly at death’s door.

Seeing him like this, Lin Ran’s heart sank. The two of them had spent two years together on Mount Sword.

Although he could count the number of times he met Daoist Li on one hand, Daoist Li was nonetheless both his teacher and friend. He even taught him the Five Elements Sword Technique.

It was inevitable that mortals be separated by life and death at some point. At this moment, Lin Ran had yet to reach the level where he became indifferent to the mortal emotions. It was only natural for him to feel sad to part with a dear friend.

Daoist Li struggled to get up and took out two stones from under the bed. They contained a huge amount of spiritual energy and looked like top-grade spirit stones.

“This is the Five Elements Spirit Stones. Use one for yourself to help you break through, and use the other one to reinforce the seal for this year.”

“Also, I hope you can help me with something after I die. I’ve guarded Mount Sword for decades and dedicated my life to it. I hope that I can also be buried here, even if that means I have to transform into nothingness and enter the cycle of reincarnation…”

Daoist Li told Lin Ran about his arrangement. At the last few words, his voice was so small that it was blown away by the wind as soon as he spoke.

Looking at Daoist Li’s hand that was slowly losing strength, Lin Ran was silent for a long time before saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll fulfill your wish.”

However, this time, Daoist Li didn’t respond to him. He lay on the bed without breathing.

Lin Ran sat there in silence for a long time before getting up to leave.

Daoist Li had no parents and no relatives. Lin Ran knew very little about his background, but from his words, Lin Ran knew that he had been guarding Mount Sword since he was very young.

As he promised, Lin Ran buried Daoist Li on Mount Sword.

After everything was done, Lin Ran was now the only one left in the huge mountain. Naturally, he felt kind of lonely.

It was as if he was the only one in the world.

Right, there was also the “third person” he had never had the chance to meet.

Until now, even when Daoist Li was on his deathbed or buried, Lin Ran still didn’t see the third person showing up. Could it be that the third person never existed at all?

However, he couldn’t see why Daoist Li should lie to him about it. On the other hand, Lin Ran couldn’t find any traces of the third person’s existence.

There were also many mysteries about the demon sealed at the mountaintop that had yet to be unraveled.

Lin Ran initially thought that after staying for so long on Mount Sword, he should know enough about it. Perhaps what he knew was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Let’s forget about it for now.”

If one’s strength reached a certain level, all the confusions would, as a result, be cleared. The reason why he was confused was because he wasn’t strong enough.

Lin Ran looked at the two Five Elements Spirit Stones in his hand. Even on his deathbed, Daoist Li didn’t forget to help him.

He was extremely grateful. With the Five Elements Spirit Stones, he would be able to break through. Moreover, he could feel that the time had arrived.

Lin Ran sat cross-legged as spiritual energy circulated through his body. As if he was pulled into a world of nothingness, his mind was packed with images of Daoist Li in his final days.

What was life? What was death?

In the nothingness, a voice suddenly sounded.

Some people would be remembered after death while some would be forgotten. For example, even if Daoist Li died, no one would know anything about him except himself.

In fact, no one in the imperial palace even knew about his existence or what he had done.

If Daoist Li was still alive, Lin Ran wanted to ask him, “Is it worth it?”

Did his life really have no meaning at all?

A figure dressed in a tattered Daoist robe fluttered in the wind and was drawing closer. It was Daoist Li!

Lin Ran couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “If I were asked this exact question, how would I answer?”

No, the meaning of a person’s existence should not be defined by others. Everyone’s pursuit was different and equal no matter whether the cause was small or big. If he had pursued his cause till the end of his life, how would that be meaningless?

Instead of becoming a frog, satisfied with its life at the bottom of a well, Lin Ran would rather become a mayfly drifting in the ocean. At least, the world he saw was larger.

Daoist Li spent almost his entire life protecting Mount Sword, and that was his pursuit. Even if he wasn’t remembered after his death, to him, it didn’t matter.

Knowing that Lin Ran had found his answer, Daoist Li’s figure slowly drifted away with an approving smile on his face.

Every living being in the world had their unique pursuit, so what was Lin Ran’s?

The voice was still lingering and was getting louder and louder, as if it came from the supreme Great Dao, shaking Lin Ran to the core.

Lin Ran pondered for a moment and spoke without hesitation.

“The Dao I pursue will be covered with thorns and spikes. I thereby ask for a sword that can enable me to clear the path and restore the justice of the world.”