Chapter 822: Gods Discuss Taoism, Jiang Yi's Philosophy, Friends Meet

A pure mind.

Yae Shenzi glanced at Ying and asked, "Is this what you gained from your journey in Liyue?"

"That's right." Ying nodded.

"A country where humans are running forward, leaving the gods behind?" Yae Shinko chuckled, "Shadow, did you hear that? Humans are still running forward, so why should we just... give up on moving forward?"

Ying shook his head, put away his naginata, and the Hundred Eyes Chakra behind him disappeared. He no longer had the will to fight, but still said, "...You have witnessed with me the losses that come with moving forward."

She said with repression: "Only eternity, only eternity can... approach 'heavenly principles'."

Ying closed his eyes and recalled what happened thousands of years ago.

"Wherever the lightning flashes, it casts a shadow."

"I am the shadow."

"Use 'No Thought' to clear all obstacles for Inazuma!"

The shouts of charging at the devil, at the devil's followers, and at the dark army are still ringing in my ears.

"However... with every step forward, something will be lost. In the end, even 'her' will be lost." Ying's face was calm, but the pain in his heart reminded him of the tears that had dried up.

"Those deeds are still being told under the shade of every thunder cherry tree. But the mark left on this country by those 'losses' still burns."

Jiang Yi opened his eyes. The accumulated historical stories were the nourishment of time. Sorrow and beauty were just part of the long river of time. He did not speak. Now he could only be a listener of history.

"'Just pursue it, even if it's just for a moment of light.', 'We at least have this moment.', 'She' once said this."

A dark red light burned in Ying's eyes, "But I witnessed a country running at full speed, losing everything in the face of justice..."

Kan Ruiya... Jiang Yi was silent, and the scene that Ying saw seemed to appear in his eyes.

"…Perhaps only by freezing time can the lightning not disappear."

"'This moment' is a fragile illusion, only 'eternity' is closest to the truth."

“That’s what I said to myself on that day.”

"Now, I am no longer a shadow. 'This body is the most noble and precious body', 'I should hold the great power of the world', 'This body should promise my subjects a dream'..."

"'It is the eternal and unchanging eternity that lasts for thousands of generations.'"

Ying tells about his past and the origin of his obsession with "eternity".

Ying began to understand Ying a little.

Jiang Yi harvested traces of history and sank into the perception of time.

He looked at the gradually disappearing stars in the sky. Inside his body, the Five Mountains, the human world, and the Kunlun Heaven were being rebuilt bit by bit, representing the recovery of the strength of his internal organs, spirit, and soul.

The afterimage of the power of the wishes of all living beings formed a mirage scene of thousands of lights.

"Eternity..." A sun appeared in Jiang Yi's mind. Among the many legends of Teyvat, there is a saying that the sun is the incarnation of the origin.

"The eternal enemy is 'heavenly law'!"

His eternity and Shadow's eternity are different after all.

"The law of nature... is something I don't understand." Yae Shinko said beside him, "In short, you just want to protect your beloved Inazuma forever, right?"

What a sharp remark.

Ying opened his eyes and looked at Yae Shinko: "You put it too lightly."

"Ha!" Yae Shinko hugged his chest and said, "But does this country have the value of eternal existence? Without wishes and changes, a country that only exists is nothing more than an empty shell."

"In that case, what does it matter if it is destroyed?"

Ying could tell that Yae Shen Zi was sincere in what he said and was not joking.

Ying also heard it: "Son of God, take back your nonsense."

"Unchangeable eternity for thousands of generations, this is the promise I make to my subjects."

The Eightfold Son of God glanced at Jiang Yi and said, "The Land of Eternal Joy... Ying, I think he has shown it to you. What your subjects need is not your promise, but your 'attention'."

Jiang Yi said, "People say that when a person's desire is strong enough, the gods will look down upon them and allow them to gain the Eye of God."

"But now, you should understand! What does this gaze mean?"

"What more people want... is salvation! Not the Eye of God."

"When they feel powerless, in despair, when they encounter injustice and have nowhere to appeal... there is such an existence that can give them hope."

"Most people in the world are ordinary people. Their lives are not spectacular. They just want to live as much as possible and with hope."

“Faith is the cheapest and most precious thing.”

“You don’t answer every prayer, but at least listen to them.”

“The voice of the oppressed, the lowest class!”

“In this way, the path will not deviate.”

"As a god in the mortal world, I think you should know the principle of 'the king is the least important, the country is second, and the people are the most important'. Please observe the world and listen to all living beings. Don't make decisions for the people alone. They can't bear the wrong decisions brought about by a god."

“When you cannot guarantee whether your decision is correct or not, it is better to do nothing than to learn to correct the world for the people and supervise the superiors.”

Ying looked at Jiang Yi with purple eyes: "Is this your way of godhood? It sounds like the philosophy of Mondstadt's wind god."

"No, no!" Jiang Yi shook his head. "I think I am more responsible than that drunkard. I am just not as responsible as the Rock King who makes decisions every year. This is called 'moderation'. This is called... immortals saving the world. Saving the world does not mean ruling the world, but saving people and teaching them how to bear the consequences of good and evil."

"Listen to all living things and fulfill the wishes of the chosen ones. Descend into the mortal world, punish evil and promote good, and serve as a warning to all living things. On a whim, instruct those who are destined to be with you and guide the development of civilization...rule people by people."

"I am not a demon, nor a simple god, but... a deity who is in the mortal world but transcends the mortal world."

“This is my way.”

“It is also my response to the faith of all living beings.”

Although his first honorific name was "Bodhi Miaoye Lord", which sounds like a Buddhist name, in his eyes, there were only immortals in the world, the five immortals of heaven, earth, man, gods and ghosts, plus the golden immortal.

Jinxian, in the history of my hometown, there was a country in the Tang Dynasty, people were called Jinxian after seeing the Buddha, and there was a country in the Song Dynasty, people completely called the Buddha the Great Awakening Jinxian.

Everything he did, his compassion and kindness, were nothing more than a collection of ideas brought by the culture of his hometown.

After seeing the filthy world, I want to use my strength to protect the beauty of what I heard as a child, that good is rewarded and evil is punished.

He took the parts of all the myths that he recognized and formed his own unique path.

Yae Shinko said with great interest: "What a statement full of otherworldly style. It seems like you are being lazy, but it also seems like you are not being lazy. I am really curious, what will the future of the world under your concept be like?"

Shadow lowered his eyes: "I have no intention of judging your path, but I want to tell you one thing, the matter of granting the Eye of God has nothing to do with my will. What is important is people's 'desire', and..."

"I am restricted from telling you what happened next."

"In my opinion, humans only live for a hundred years, and they cannot afford to lose anything. Having experienced everything, I will choose to guide them to the correct 'eternity'. Although during the execution, something happened that I didn't pay attention to, causing this guidance to become a disaster for some people, I didn't intend to do so."

"'Eternity' is still right!"

After hearing what Ying said, Yae Shenzi sighed, "Alas... But 'Eternity' is too cruel for you and the people of Inagi, Ying."

"Even if it is eternity without the Eye Hunting Order, it is still a cruel thing."

"Especially to you!"

Ying was puzzled: "To me?"

Yae Shinko played the emotional card: "Not only have you stopped looking at the world, you've also stopped looking at yourself. It must have been lonely being here alone for hundreds of years."

Jiang Yi pulled the light bulb Ying and retreated together.

"What are you doing?" Ying was listening attentively.

"Don't you think it's inappropriate for us to stand there?" Jiang Yi pointed at the strange atmosphere that was completely incompatible with the two of them.

Ying looked at Yae Shinko: "But this is necessary..."

Yae Shenzi glanced at Jiang Yi and Ying who were like passers-by not far away. They obviously wanted to listen, but they walked to the side.

"Heh! If you don't move forward, you will miss a lot... Shadow!" Yae Shinko ignored the two funny guys and said, "Aren't you also losing something if you stay still here forever?"

"I am clearly enduring this loneliness, but I want to extend the duration of this loneliness infinitely for the sake of eternity..."

She looked around and smiled at the entire sky.

Although there is no starry sky made up of numerous wishes, there is a bright light like the sun, making the pure land of one heart sparkle.

The torii gate and the platform seem to be bathed in the warm morning sun.

"Tell me, why was the sky here so dark before... and why is it so bright now?"

"This is your 'Pure Land of One Mind', your inner world."

"So...actually you are very happy to see me again. You have long been unable to bear the loneliness here, right?" Yae Shinko smiled like a fox, pointing directly into Ying's heart.

Ying is not a boring puppet who only follows one idea and pursues "eternity".

"I..." Ying wanted to explain, but he couldn't hide his true feelings. "There's nothing to say."

She leaned sideways and watched Jiang Yi and Ying climb up the torii gate in her pure land.

"Haha, then I have a lot to tell you. Oh, by the way, let me tell you what happened in the past few hundred years." The eight divine children looked at the girl and the man who were enjoying the scenery in the Pure Land of One Mind.

"How long will it take to talk about something that happened over hundreds of years?" Ying relaxed subconsciously.

"The fox fairy has a very good memory. I will not forget every detail of the past few hundred years." Yae Shenzi said softly, "So it will probably take several hundred years."

Jiang Yi and Ying listened silently.

"I feel like this could be used as a love poem for next year's Wind Flower Festival. 'My memory is very good, I will remember every detail of the trip, and I can tell you stories for a whole year.'" Jiang Yi raised his eyebrows.

"My brother should have a good memory. If I beat him up like I did with the Inazuma god, he should be able to tell me what happened in the past five hundred years!" His eyes showed anticipation.

"Heh..." After standing quietly for a moment, Ying spoke, "...Son of God, I thought I would never have the chance to meet you like this again."

"Being able to meet you is a change in eternity...it's also a surprise." She acknowledged the change.

Yae Shinko held out her hand: "Since you have honestly admitted it, we can still be friends, okay?"

"What a childish conversation." Ying's tone softened. "You have won! I will abolish the Eye Hunting Order according to your will. But regarding 'eternity' and whether this country should move forward, I need to think about it again."

Yae Shinko looked at the stubborn Ying and said, "Oh, you were the one who acted childishly from the beginning to the end. I was wrong just now. Your mouth! It's not soft at all!"

"Son of God!" Ying was a little angry and embarrassed.

Jiang Yi and Ying watched as the world around them shattered, and a sky covered with thunder and dark clouds appeared before their eyes.

"Left!" Ying understood that they had left the Pure Land of Oneness.

Fortunately, I got Ying's promise.