A remaining lifetime of dreamless boredom for Emperor Zheng. Perhaps others wouldn’t be able to understand him for they lacked the same talents, the same fortune bestowed upon birth.
“It’s all in the past. To not have any pursuit is the best pursuit.” Li Qiye nodded and said.
Li Qiye didn’t think he was being extreme. The peak was cold and lonely, not something ordinary men knew about.
“Life and death stop mattering as well.” The emperor said with a profound gaze towards the stars.
The emperor no longer cared about his survival since he had done everything previously, from fighting on numerous battlefields to teetering between life and death. The latter made him unafraid of death - this might be the reason why he didn’t seek everlasting life.
“Well, some people rather live in a pathetic manner than dying. That’s the nature of men.” Li Qiye commented.
“How meaningless.” Emperor Zheng smiled and shook his head: “Dying is a salvation of sorts, no more living on in boredom.”
Others would find this irrational. Why would a top cultivator want to die? He still had so much potential left, so many pleasures to experience.
Alas, Emperor Zheng had lived too long and began to lose patience.
There was someone familiar to him back in the Nine Worlds, Immortal Emperor Mu Zhuo, cursed to live for an eternity, wanted by neither heaven nor hell.
However, one side experienced too much joy and happiness already while the other was the opposite. The former found these beautiful things to be boring now, as bland as water.
“Of course, I won’t commit suicide.” The emperor eventually added with a nonchalant smile.
How strange. A brilliant progenitor actually had thoughts of suicide. This would astonish any listener.
Of course, he wouldn’t choose such a dishonorable way to go. His ending should be something amazing, a death to remember.
“Maybe go back and have a look at Three Immortals.” Li Qiye suggested.
“I had this thought too a very long time ago when I was bored here. However, that place is no longer the same, the land is there, not the people. As boring as everything else to visit it again.” Emperor Zheng spoke without any emotional fluctuation.
However, others would pity him upon hearing this. His world was no longer the same, neither was Nine Secrets.
His lover, his family, his loyal followers - all have returned to the ground. Nine Secrets would be completely unfamiliar.
If he were to return and experience the joy and pleasures of life again, that would only be repeating past experiences - akin to eating only rice day after day.
This sense of unfamiliarity might be why Eight Treasures and Cicada Progenitor found it so easy to destroy their own system. They didn’t feel sad in the slightest.
“This is the price of everlasting life.” Li Qiye smiled. His tone sounded quite sad since he had quite a melancholic past as well.
“Right, at least I’m not actually an immortal or I would go crazy.” The emperor nodded in response. He seemed to find sweet salvation in death, unlike other top cultivators.
“Well, if you have no other pursuits or desires, then just a short life of brilliance is fine. Having no regrets is the toughest thing to obtain.” Li Qiye said.
“What are your pursuits?” The emperor asked.
“An answer and a fight to the end, that’s all.” Li Qiye nodded.
“I see, such lofty aspiration.” The emperor felt great respect towards Li Qiye: “I’m not a defender of justice but I truly respect Bao Pu and the others. They should be loved and respected by all, the same as you, Sir. Cultivators should aim to be like you but I’m afraid to say that I have no desire of being virtuous.”
“Everyone has their own will, no need to force others to do so.” Li Qiye shook his head: “The light and darkness are always present. There is no light without the darkness and vice versa. Now, not having a pursuit is the best pursuit. No pursuit, no desire, no darkness, then there’s no light. Their pursuit is why there is darkness.”He finished by pointing at the sky.
“Your words are made of gold, Sir.” The emperor appreciated his perspective.
Li Qiye smiled and immersed himself into staring at the sky. There seemed to be something up there staring at everything below.
“Immortality.” The emperor sighed and said: “No one can really resist its temptation.”
He then turned towards Li Qiye as if insinuating something.
“Don’t worry, I won’t change even if I obtain immortality. It won’t be my choice.” Li Qiye shook his head.
“I don’t doubt you, Sir.” The emperor said.
“It’s fine, you have seen it. Immortality isn’t granted by the heavenly dao. The heaven will not tolerate it, so in order to obtain immortality, there must be a trade. Oneself, someone else, or even an entire world! That’s a choice one will have to make.” Li Qiye said.
The emperor agreed. He has been here for so long and saw things beyond imagination. Thus, he had a different perspective and thoughts on immortality than most.
“Everyone says that a true immortal can live forever. What do they look like if they actually exist?” The emperor said.
“Have you seen that dark being?” Li Qiye asked.
“Nowhere to be found but it was behind the war between progenitors. He also converted many to his side.” The emperor said.
“He’s certainly not a true immortal, just a pseudo or fake one. But nonetheless, using immortal to describe him is fine, thus, just extrapolate from that to get your answer.” Li Qiye said.
The emperor pondered for a bit regarding the dark existence. After a while, he brought up something else: “What about the three immortals?”
At his level, he was able to make contact with these legends and had respect for them.
“In order to become an immortal, one must either be crazy or a saint.” Li Qiye said: “However, this world is their heart system.”
The emperor murmured to himself before choosing to be quiet. The latter part encompassed too many things. No need to go deeper or it would become disrespectful.
“The expanse is actually quite fun.” The emperor brought up something else: “I haven’t seen the other shore but even if it does exist, it won’t be my turn to ascend. I can’t reach it before being freed from myself.”