Of course, the two feelings are fundamentally different.
There is no better metaphor to describe this feeling of comfort, so I have to use this to describe it.
Withdrawing his divine sense, Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Bingjie, try it. Your current thoughts can be called divine consciousness, and they are fully capable of leaving your body."
"Huh?" Li Bingjie came back to her senses, recalling the comparison of this feeling in her mind just now, and couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. She lowered her head and whispered, "How can I do that now? I, I haven't gotten used to it yet... I dare not."
"Don't be nervous, it's very simple." Xu Zhengyang held his wife's small hand and encouraged her, "With divine consciousness, the mind and the physical body can be separated. However, you shouldn't do this casually. After all, without a physical body, the divine consciousness has no place to attach itself and will just dissipate into the air."
Li Bingjie asked in surprise, "Then why doesn't Yingying need a physical body?"
"This is the difference between human gods and yin gods," Xu Zhengyang explained with a smile.
He did not explain that, in fact, the current Yin spirits, and Yin spirits like Li Bingjie and Chen Chaojiang, cannot be considered true deities.
"Oh." Li Bingjie nodded with some doubt. How could she possibly understand such mysterious and esoteric knowledge in such a short time?
Squeezing Xu Zhengyang's hand, Li Bingjie showed a hint of curiosity and excitement, and said with a little nervousness, "Then, then I'll give it a try?"
"Hmm, close your eyes and give it a try."
"You...you must protect me..."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and nodded, squeezing his wife's hand slightly tighter. No words were needed; his wife understood that with him by her side, she had nothing to worry about. Li Bingjie slowly closed her eyes; perhaps from nervousness, or perhaps from excitement, her body was still trembling slightly.
Consciousness tentatively detached itself from the body, little by little.
She was still looking back at the scene when her thoughts left her body, as if a person had stepped out of a giant photograph.
It's eerie, mysterious, eresting.
Having detached from his body, Li Bingjie's consciousness stood before Xu Zhengyang. She looked at Xu Zhengyang's smiling face, then at her own physical body nestled in his arms. Afterward, she anxiously raised her arms to examine her consciousness, confirming that it was dressed in the same clothes as her physical body and not naked. Only then, with a mixture of surprise and doubt, did she say, "Zhengyang, I'm really out?"
"Go ahead, you can fly, but remember not to collide with anything that generates electricity or has a huge shockwave."
Although such a dangerous situation is absolutely unlikely to occur now, Xu Zhengyang is always cautious and afraid that he might forget about it later, so he reminded his wife in advance of the things to pay attention to in the future.
"Mmm." Li Bingjie nodded excitedly, then turned around, hesitated for a moment, and when she looked back and saw her husband's encouraging eyes, she asked again, "Can't others see me?"
“I can, Yingying can, your son can… Hehe, go ahead.” Xu Zhengyang smiled and communicated with Li Bingjie telepathically.
Li Bingjie nodded, mustered her courage, and with a thought, her body rose to the side.
At first, she was a little flustered when she jumped into the air, but she quickly regained her balance. After circling around a few times, she gave Xu Zhengyang a satisfied smile and then flew towards the front of the cruise ship.
Standing not far away, Qingling saw Li Bingjie leaning against Xu Zhengyang's chest, seemingly asleep. She stepped forward to remind her that the river was quite humid and that if she was sleepy, she should rest in the cabin below. Xu Zhengyang waved to Qingling, smiled slightly, and indicated that she was alright.
Qingling stopped and returned to her original spot.
How could the other people on the ship know that two fairies were playing in the water in front of the cruise ship?
Ouyang Ying had never played so happily before. She seemed to have found the carefree and innocent state of mind she had when she was a child, playing and having fun. She tirelessly waded through the waves on the river, sometimes diving into the water without getting her clothes wet, sometimes leaping out of the water, sometimes dancing gracefully, and sometimes kicking and playing.
Caught off guard by someone flying towards her from behind, Ouyang Ying was both surprised and delighted. Turning her head, she saw Li Bingjie flying towards her with a broad smile and excited curiosity. Ouyang Ying felt a pang of disappointment, but quickly forgot it and happily went to greet Li Bingjie as she landed, and they played and frolicked together.
Sitting on the boat, Xu Zhengyang watched this scene and couldn't help but feel a little lonely again.
Yes, they can all be free and carefree, simply because of my existence as the sole deity. Even after they or their parents pass away, I can preserve their souls, or even confer them deities, even if they are spirits of the underworld, so that they may enjoy eternal life.
But what about myself?
After acquiring the title of deity, he was constantly worried that once his physical body was destroyed, his soul would dissipate. Even as a ghost, no one would protect him, and he would eventually have to enter the underworld. Even after he obtained a deity position in the underworld, he could hardly return to the human world.
Who can I rely on?
Alone and alone, Xiao Yi groped her way forward, sometimes frantically, sometimes anxiously. Even with the Nine Provinces Record accompanying her and explaining things to her, wasn't she still groping in the dark?
future……
Xu Zhengyang knew that with his current strength and steady progress, he would inevitably become an emperor or even a heavenly emperor, and the goal of immortality would be within reach.
But this path to godhood, which I have stumbled upon in a daze until now, still has not been fully understood!
Putting these thoughts aside, Xu Zhengyang smiled as he looked at the two beautiful fairies playing hand in hand on the river ahead, and couldn't help but comfort himself: Isn't this good?
May everyone in this world live a happy life...
...
Perhaps they couldn't fully enjoy playing in the water?
Even after being summoned back by Xu Zhengyang, Li Bingjie remained enthusiastic, excitedly saying that she would travel with her spirit in her spare time.
Xu Zhengyang said, both amused and exasperated, "You'd better take good care of the child!"
“Then… we won’t need Yingying’s help anymore,” Li Bingjie said with a smile.
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang paused slightly, then nodded.
Li Bingjie gently pushed him away, playfully scolding, "You, you can't bear to part with it, can you?"
"No." Xu Zhengyang shook his head hypocritically and said, "You can't just have your mind leave your body with the child and travel around everywhere. What would your family worry about if they found out?"
Li Bingjie didn't expose him, and since what Xu Zhengyang said was true, she smiled and said, "Yingying went to play on the mountain ahead. Sigh, I really want to go too."
"That's easy. We'll just have the cruise ship find a dock later, and then we can go aboard and have some fun," Xu Zhengyang said casually.
Just then, Ouyang Ying's voice rang in their ears: "Zhengyang, sister-in-law, may I come in?"
Xu Zhengyang was slightly taken aback. Why would Ouyang Ying want to come in and talk? Logically speaking, if she had something to say, she could have contacted him directly using the ghost messenger token.
However, Li Bingjie smiled and said, "Come in."
Ouyang Ying appeared out of nowhere in the room, looking surprised, and said, "Brother Zhengyang, there's a resort outside the Taoist temple on that mountain, and people are actually teaching Taoist cultivation techniques there..."
Huh? Xu Zhengyang was stunned.
Volume Six, Chapter 336: How High is the Threshold of Wealth and Honor?
As he climbed the mountain, Xu Zhengyang was still mentally calculating a calendar for himself.
Four years ago, before he went to the Heavenly Court, he was quite proud and arrogant because of his promotion, and with a playful attitude, he ordered a so-called divine calendar.
The year he received his priesthood is called the first year of the divine calendar, followed by the second, third, and so on...
Of course, Xu Zhengyang himself later realized that it was a ridiculous thing.
However, this memory resurfaced in his mind once again: the first year of the Divine Calendar, the second year, the third year... the sixth year, the seventh year.
This is now the seventh year.
Having weathered countless events and navigated his way forward with unwavering determination, he rose from a local earth god to the high position of state god in a meteoric fashion. It may seem easy, but it was incredibly difficult. To outsiders, his meteoric rise was nothing short of spectacular; his fame, status, and wealth far surpassed those of ordinary people.
But behind this glamour, Xu Zhengyang always felt a bittersweet sense of loneliness and desolation.
The only thing... is that it's very desolate.
Today, upon hearing Ouyang Ying mention that someone was actually offering courses to teach the art of immortal cultivation, Xu Zhengyang was understandably shocked. While extremely skeptical, he also harbored a sliver of hope, eager to see just who this extraordinary person was who taught the path of immortal cultivation.
Anyone who isn't an idiot can figure it out with their toes: if someone can teach the way of immortality, then even if they aren't an immortal, they must possess great supernatural powers. Moreover, according to Xu Zhengyang's thinking, how could someone who truly understands the way of immortality have the time to teach others? Unless... he is already an immortal and no longer needs to cultivate and practice.
Xu Zhengyang secretly hoped that this wasn't a scam, but that there really were such powerful people who cultivated to become immortals and possessed supreme Taoist immortal techniques.
In that case, Xu Zhengyang would feel like he had found a kindred spirit.
Should he spar with that person again in a battle of divine power? Xu Zhengyang was somewhat looking forward to it. After all, even in occasional fights with humans since becoming a god, he had relied on his divine power. But when it came to a battle of divine power, he had never tried it. Thinking of the breathtaking battles of gods recorded in the Heavenly Court's historical records, it was simply too insane.
Qingfeng Mountain lives up to its name, with its precipitous peaks resembling giant swords, covered in lush, verdant pines and cypresses.
A wide stone path winds its way up the mountain, and whether at the foot, halfway up, or even at the summit, there are many simply decorated yet elegant houses, small shops, restaurants, souvenir shops, small hotels, and other small businesses that are ubiquitous in tourist areas of all sizes across the country.
A mountain is not sacred because of its height, but because of the immortals who dwell there.
Qingfeng Mountain is not high, nor are there any immortals there, only a Qingfeng Temple, where a few Taoist priests practice. The environment of Qingfeng Mountain is serene and elegant, and the Qingfeng Temple has a long history, its ancient and secluded atmosphere giving it the feel of a sacred celestial site. Today, the Qingfeng Temple is a tourist attraction opened to the public by the local government, and most visitors come specifically to explore this Taoist temple on Qingfeng Mountain.
Tourists love the tranquil and rustic atmosphere. In this environment, people can calm down from the hustle and bustle of the world, enjoy a rare moment of peace, and cast aside all their anxieties.
Xu Zhengyang had some understanding of the religious beliefs of Taoism and Buddhism, which involve monastic life.
In reality, even the most accomplished Taoist masters or orthodox Buddhists don't necessarily seek immortality or Buddhahood as commonly perceived. Faith, in essence, is simply a pursuit of a higher state of being.
In fact, all faiths ultimately boil down to one word—goodness.
Sometimes, kindness is called love.
Simply put, they all teach people to be good and not to do evil.
Unlike other faiths, the lifestyles, diets, and peaceful states of mind of truly accomplished individuals in Taoism and Buddhism, from a scientific perspective, can indeed contribute to longevity. This is a scientific and cultural accumulation over thousands of years.
In other words... even they don't necessarily believe in the existence of God.
Once one reaches that state of mind, one will no longer greedily pursue becoming an immortal or a Buddha, or even immortality. Everything will be left to nature, or rather, to fate.
When Xu Zhengyang arrived, he didn't rush to follow Ouyang Ying's suggestion to visit the resort behind Qingfeng Mountain to see who was teaching the path of cultivation. Instead, he wanted to go up Qingfeng Mountain first, visit Qingfeng Temple, and experience its otherworldly atmosphere.
Moreover, Xu Zhengyang felt that since the course was being taught at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, and specifically the path of cultivating immortality, it must be related to Qingfeng Temple.
Xu Zhengyang was accompanied by only Zhu Jun and Ouyang Ying.
The time was chosen to be the early morning of the following day.
He only reached the halfway point of the mountain. Xu Zhengyang felt somewhat disappointed... Although the scenery here was beautiful and much quieter than bustling cities or villages, it was too tainted by worldly affairs and lacked the serene tranquility he had hoped for, a feeling of utter seclusion.
At least, the stone path is narrower, more rustic, steeper, with denser trees on both sides, fewer buildings, and even fewer tourists.
Alas, this place, which should be a peaceful place, is filled with the smell of worldly affairs.
Of course, only someone like Xu Zhengyang, who is used to living in his own villa in the Jingniang Lake tourist scenic area, and has a detached mindset, would be so picky.
Feeling disappointed, my enthusiasm for the trip waned, so when I arrived at Qingfeng Temple, I only took a quick look around before heading down the mountain with other tourists and local residents who were exercising in the morning.
If this place can produce people who cultivate immortality, then it truly means that immortals have descended to the mortal world to cultivate through lifetimes.
Xu Zhengyang pursed his lips and, after descending the mountain, followed Ouyang Ying's lead, walking along a cement path less than five meters wide towards the back of the mountain.
This path clearly doesn't connect to any main road. The further you go, the fewer vehicles and pedestrians there are on the road.
After walking a few hundred meters, the road suddenly turned, and the scenery ahead changed abruptly, causing Xu Zhengyang to pause slightly.
A small river meanders around the foot of two mountains, its clear waters teeming with lush green aquatic plants. The banks are verdant with vegetation, the grass still glistening with morning dew. The morning sun is blocked by the mountains, creating a tranquil and enchanting atmosphere. Looking south along the riverbank, a bamboo grove stretches out, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. A row of two-story brick and wood buildings, nestled among the bamboo, stands still. The exterior of the buildings blends seamlessly with their surroundings—blue bricks and tiles, bamboo decorations hanging between the eaves—exuding a serene, rustic, and elegant charm.
The cement path extends to this point, where a small bridge spans the river, transforming it into a stone path.
In this small section, there is a parking lot, next to which are three bungalows decorated in a modern style. The parking lot contains more than a dozen luxury cars.
It is obvious that if someone were to go to the building deep in the bamboo forest, they would first park their vehicle here and then walk into the bamboo forest.
Divided by a small river, they are two distinct worlds.