Chapter 1430
If you can't attain enlightenment, are you even human?
Chapter 1430 If you can't attain enlightenment, are you even human?
In ancient times, in the land of the Northern Sea, the land of the Divine Land.
Dressed in a black robe, Lü Yang stood with his hands behind his back amidst the clouds and mist, looking up at Zhen Qu Lu, who had gradually risen to the top of the dome and was holding a jade bead.
Beside him, a hazy figure strolled over, then parted the curtain to reveal his true form, which was none other than [Angxiao]. However, with the surrender of the Ancestral Dragon's primordial spirit, his aura had now been restrained, barely maintaining the flame of his primordial spirit, lest he be kicked out of the Outer Heaven for losing his qualification.
"It's ironic, really."
Upon hearing the voice, Lü Yang turned around and saw Angxiao saying with a wistful expression, "This Outer Heaven is probably not a place of opportunity at all."
"Oh."
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow: "How do you know?"
"They said before that all Dao Lords had a chance to compete for the opportunity to become a Nascent Soul cultivator, but in reality? It seems that we are just some people responsible for delivering goods."
At this point, Angxiao's tone became quite sarcastic: "The Ancestral Dragon was willing to split his primordial spirit to come here, thinking that he would have a chance to come by chance, but he ended up becoming a plaything in the hands of others. Sword Lord and others also came here because they were devoted to the Great Dao, but they could only become appendages of the ancient Dao Ancestor."
"And the World Honored One."
“I just chatted with him for a bit, and he’s even the reincarnation of an ancient Dao Ancestor? The situation of the First Saint seems to be similar, it’s really absurd.”
At first glance.
The so-called Sea of Light seems to be nothing more than the rekindling of embers from the ancient era, but it was forcibly brought back to the ancient era under the intervention of the great power of [Jun].
Ironically, their existence shaped the history of the ancient past.
The cause of the future has become the effect of the past.
It was as if everything had been arranged in advance. As a senior True Lord of the Holy Sect, Angxiao was all too familiar with this feeling of being in the thick of things.
It's almost like—
After a moment of silence, [Angxiao] spoke his mind: "It's as if that Nascent Soul Immortal had already decided who would become the new Nascent Soul Immortal."
Lü Yang: "."
At this point, Angxiao chuckled with a hint of mischief: "Senior, who do you think will be the appointed Nascent Soul cultivator? Could it be that old geezer, the First Saint?"
“I heard that he also received the legacy of the ancient times, and even the largest piece of it. Two ancient Dao Ancestors are on his side, which seems to be the one who was chosen. Of course, other Dao Ancestors may also be included, such as the one in front of us. I think he has a good chance.”
[Reverence for the Gods] The Third Ancestor, Zhen Qu Lu.
Lu Yang stared into the distance, looking at the white-clad figure who had already floated up to the dome, and the four people standing beside him: Sword Lord, Cang Hao, Wan Fa, and Du Xuan.
".interesting."
Seeing this, Lü Yang asked curiously, "Why did Sword Lord and the others choose to become vassals of this Dao Ancestor? Was it merely because of the [Heavenly Dao]?"
"I don't know the details either."
[Angxiao] blinked upon hearing this: "From the moment I saw them and they started chasing me, they were already following that ancient Dao Ancestor."
Above the dome, Sword Lord Nianyao closed her beautiful eyes, her aloof temperament slightly fading at this moment, as she recalled many people and events.
Most of them are from my youth.
She was once just a chivalrous heroine in a small world, a woman who was no less capable than any man. She saved many people, did many things, and witnessed joys and sorrows.
However, her talent was too great, and her cultivation level was getting higher and higher. One by one, the people she had met in her youth grew old and died, and the people around her changed batch after batch. In her hometown, she was once the most outstanding swordswoman, but when she returned home after a period of seclusion, no one recognized her anymore.
Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.
This was not resentment, after all, heaven and earth treat all living beings equally, which is the natural order. However, she felt that this was the meaning of cultivation.
She is strong, extremely strong, so she deserves to be able to change all of this.
Heaven and earth are impartial, but I will make them selfish. I will open up the path of emotion, and then reshape heaven and earth to give rise to feelings and compassion for all living beings.
This should be the way of heaven and earth.
Since that's the case, let's call it "The Way of Heaven".
The grand ambitions of her youth flowed slowly through her heart. At times, whenever she thought of these, her blood would boil and she would wish to take action immediately.
But now—only coldness remains.
She felt nothing. Although it was her own memory, recalling it felt like looking at an unrelated painting, unable to touch her heart at all.
Never before had the Sword Lord been so clearly aware of this.
'I've changed.'
Her blood was no longer hot, her heart no longer beat for external things, and even her emotional ties had changed beyond recognition.
When did it start?
It must have been after she cultivated her primordial spirit, when she transcended the sea of light and rose above all things, realizing that without a primordial spirit, one is ultimately just a mayfly.
They're nothing but mayflies, not even human beings, just consumables.
The next second, the Sword Lord opened his beautiful eyes.
A smile slowly appeared on her exquisite face, and endless emotions welled up in her clear, beautiful eyes, as if they contained the feelings of all living beings.
However, deep within those deeply affectionate eyes, there was no longer the former enthusiasm, but rather a bone-chilling coldness and an indifference that regarded all things as straw dogs.
“The primordial spirit is [me].”
"In heaven and on earth, there is only one 'me'. The emotions of the past are truly laughable. 'I' am the only real one; everything else is false!"
She lives only for me.
With this thought in mind, Sword Lord immediately looked at the white-robed figure not far away and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, we can begin now. Don't waste this opportunity."
Zhen Qulu nodded upon hearing this.
The next second, as this Daoist ancestor who revered the gods made a hand seal, the originally clear blue dome changed again, and layers of time scenes began to surge.
The strange events caused by the immortal Liu Xian have reappeared. Time has begun to rush towards the future above the dome, and heavy dark clouds have emerged.
Zhen Qulu's hands changed, and layers of mysterious light condensed into patterns, reflecting layer upon layer onto the Sword Lord's body, landing on her beautiful face, her skin, and every part of her body, even penetrating into her primordial spirit, as if she were forging and refining a fine vessel.
"here we go"
Upon witnessing this scene, Lü Yang below immediately focused his mind, observing the Dao Ancestor's actions in fighting the final tribulation, which was of great benefit to his cultivation.
After all, it's all for the sake of fighting against the final catastrophe.
Whether it's returning to one's destiny, residing in the Immortal Pavilion, or the True Abode, at this moment they have all demonstrated their own methods to the fullest extent, without holding back in the slightest.
Just then.
Amidst the heavy, dark clouds, a glimmer of deathly light emerged, piercing through the years, appearing suddenly, even earlier than the future that the immortal Zhuliu had anchored.
"How is that possible?"
Upon seeing this, the one with the strongest reaction was naturally Zhu Liuxian himself. He widened his eyes almost instantly: "Even earlier? Is the end of the calamity happening earlier?"
On the contrary, Lü Yang was not surprised by this.
'Indeed, although it may not have truly developed intelligence yet, after being reincarnated at the age of knowing its destiny, its spirituality in this final calamity is so strong that it exhibits an instinctive will to survive.'
The pure final tribulation cannot even survive itself. Just like the final tiger enlightened by the first saint in the previous life, the final tribulation with spirituality is instinctively going back in time, wanting to get away from its own demise and go to the present. And every time the Dao Ancestor opens the time channel, it brings him closer to the present.
On the dome, Zhen Qulu also had a furrowed brow.
He had to admit that the early arrival of the apocalypse caught him somewhat off guard, but he quickly regained his composure, thanks to his thorough preparation this time.
'If it were before, I'm afraid I would have failed.'
Zhen Qulu thought to himself: 'But now, we have this Sword Lord from the future, her concept of the Heavenly Dao, and that special Great Dao.'
Everything is very different.
Zhen Qulu had to admit that the appearance of Jianjun filled the gaps in his original design, allowing him to perfectly realize his design and ideas.
"bring it on."
The next second, Zhen Qulu casually tossed out the jade stone, the Dao artifact Heavenly Heart Lock, and the Ancestral Dragon Primordial Spirit that he had just suppressed.
Almost simultaneously, Sword Lord also opened his eyes. Without hesitation, he looked at the spreading aura of the end times and swallowed the deathly color directly into his stomach. As the many colorful patterns on his body flashed alternately, at first glance, he showed no signs of being harmed!
'My Way'
As the Sword Lord murmured, an indescribable, all-encompassing net slowly unfolded from her center, reaching out to trillions of beings in all directions.
Build [the Way of Heaven] again!
Almost simultaneously, Cang Hao, Wan Fa, and Du Xuan also made their moves, using [Qi Fate] as the guide, [Magic Power] as the foundation, and [Spells] as the driving force.
In addition, there is also the primordial spirit of the First Dragon.
All of this revolves around the Sword Lord at this moment, who controls the operation and changes of heaven and earth. The so-called final tribulation is naturally a part of heaven and earth!
in short:
"She wants to be the [Final Tiger]."
Lu Yang murmured to himself, finally understanding Jian Jun's thoughts. This shameless and crazy woman wanted to achieve a shortcut to success through this method!
After all, even Lü Yang is absolutely confident that he can suppress the Sword Lord now. Even with Cang Hao's assistance, the current resources are not enough for the Sword Lord to compete for any opportunity to become a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, [Zhong Hu] is different. As long as he becomes [Zhong Hu], he can seize the position of a born Dao God.
The Sword Lord's strength will immediately surge!
"No wonder she risked her life."
In an instant, Lü Yang understood why Sword Lord had chosen to cooperate with Zhen Qu Lu, because only this Dao Ancestor's Dao was mutually beneficial to her.
'The Way of Zhenqulu lies in external things.'
"To put it simply, he first attained enlightenment using external objects, and then used the power of those external objects to nourish himself. And at this moment, the Sword Lord is that external object he created."
Zhen Qu Lu helped her achieve success.
As for what happened afterward, whether Sword Lord took the initiative or Zhen Qulu took him in, the two probably had an agreement beforehand, and it was simply a matter of each relying on their own abilities.
At this moment, above the dome, the Sword Sovereign sacrificed herself, transforming into the Heavenly Dao, like a vortex, frantically absorbing the surging apocalyptic energy. And between her brows, the Ancestral Dragon's primordial spirit was shining brightly, the best bait for the apocalyptic energy that had just begun to gain sentience.
After all, the final catastrophe and the initial catastrophe are not compatible.
As the primordial spirit of the Ancestral Dragon spread, the originally scattered aura of the final calamity seemed to see an irreconcilable enemy and surged forth in an overwhelming manner.
Then the Sword Lord took them all in.
But that's all.
"Not enough, far from enough."
Zhu Liuxian shook his head upon seeing this: "My feng shui formation can also achieve this level, but it's nearing its limit. The final tribulation will soon become even stronger."
Rumble!
As if in response to his sigh, as time progressed and they approached the future point of the apocalypse, the deathly stillness intensified, transforming into visible shadows that crept over the Sword Sovereign's body, gradually dimming the radiant patterns all over her. Still, it didn't work.
This is not a matter of whether the methods are sophisticated or not, but simply a matter of overwhelming force. The ever-growing final tribulation will inevitably crush all those with insufficient cultivation!
It is at the very depths of the final tribulation.
A glimmer of light suddenly appeared.
The radiant Seed of the Great Dao has once again manifested in response, bestowing its mysteries and attention, but that is all; it still seems so untouchable.
However, at the same time, Zhen Qulu smiled and looked at Jian Jun: "Fellow Daoist Nian Yao, it's up to you now."
"."
Sword Lord did not respond to her words, but lowered her beautiful eyes and pushed the Great Dao she controlled, the Dao of Love, to its limit at this moment.
The goal: the final catastrophe!
To be precise, it is influenced by the reincarnation of someone who has reached the age of knowing their destiny, and is in the final tribulation where spirituality has begun to emerge. With spirituality, the "threads of emotion" can influence!
A dense web of emotions, layer upon layer, parasitized the final tribulation, and immediately began to draw upon its power, transforming the originally uncontrollable, all-destroying aura of the final tribulation into a final tribulation under the control of the [Heavenly Dao]. In this process, the Sword Lord's aura also began to rise rapidly!
Lu Yang was dumbfounded.
What the hell is this?
"This is the final tribulation that has just begun to develop spirituality. No wonder this time was chosen. Only at this moment can the final tribulation be parasitized by the [Love Threads]."
Because at this final stage of the calamity, although beings possess spirituality and can parasitize through "emotional threads," true humanity and wisdom have not yet emerged.
In short, she's a naive and innocent girl.
Therefore, when faced with "love threads," although it has the ability to resist, it has no awareness of resistance and passively accepts it until it is completely consumed.
To put it more bluntly:
"Sword Lord is cultivating with the End of Calamity!"
This method not only avoids conflict with the final tribulation, but also allows one to turn it into one's own power—something only a Sword Master can do!
'The path of dual cultivation is indeed profound and extensive.'
Compared to the Sword Lord's methods, even the Heaven-Mending Technique seems somewhat inexperienced, still stuck at the material level. It's too narrow-minded and lacks vision!
The word "情丝" can actually be used in this way!
In an instant, as the Sword Lord's aura reached its peak, the Great Dao Seed deep within the final tribulation seemed to sense it and descended with even greater mystery.
In that instant, the Sword Master sensed something.
She suddenly turned around, looking in a certain direction, following the passage of time, and there she saw a pair of cold eyes that were completely different from her own.
'First Saint'.
At this point, she had almost succeeded. In just a little time, she could drain the final tribulation dry and completely incorporate it into the [Heavenly Dao] system.
When that time comes, she will surely ascend to the heavens in one step, obtain the essence of the [Final Tiger], and become the final tribulation god. Although she will still have to compete with Zhen Qulu, she is very confident in this. As long as everything goes smoothly, she will become the person closest to transcendence in this battle!
The future looks so bright.
However, at this moment, the Sword Lord felt no joy, only coldness. [Fate] presented countless future scenarios in her eyes.
Countless futures are on the horizon.
But—no.
Sword Lord's pupils shrank sharply, for in the vast River of Destiny, not a single future scene of "his great success" appeared!
The future seems to be predetermined.
Immediately afterwards, in the future scene revealed by the river of fate, a hazy and illusory human figure suddenly emerged from the surging torrent.
The moment he appeared, he seized control of the entire future.
This means that he was destined to be born, without any suspense or possibility, and in the next instant, he landed deep in the Sword Lord's sea of consciousness.
He was a young man.
He was tall and wore a Taoist robe. His appearance was not only masculine and angular, but also possessed an indescribable, beautiful charm.
But what's most eye-catching is his eyes.
Those were eyes that were pure and innocent, full of curiosity about everything, but without any concept of good or evil, and that regarded everything as worthless.
"How is that possible?" Sword Lord's lips parted slightly, his pupils suddenly contracting.
That is the consciousness of the final tribulation!
They are no longer merely beginning to possess spirituality, but have truly acquired wisdom.
It's become sentient!
"No, no, nothing is impossible."
The youth spoke, and with just one sentence, it seemed to have learned the language of the world. Its originally ignorant wisdom matured in a very short time.
The next second, he suddenly frowned slightly:
"What is this thing? It's rather unpleasant."
boom!
Before he finished speaking, the dense web of love that had been attached to him was destroyed with a bang, and the Sword Lord's body was instantly covered with cracks!
Outsiders, Zhen Qulu, who had been calm and collected, suddenly changed his expression drastically.
In the blink of an eye, he had already activated his profound techniques, attempting to repair the Sword Lord's body, but the result was only to slow down the spread of the cracks on his body.
"How could this be?"
Zhen Qulu's eyes darkened, and he immediately checked the Sword Lord's condition. After seeing the newborn youth in the Sword Lord's sea of consciousness, he was suddenly enlightened.
'Did consciousness emerge prematurely during the apocalypse?'
'No! How could a newly formed consciousness be so powerful?'
'Normally speaking, even if someone were to enlighten the consciousness of the final tribulation, limited by their own cultivation level, the resulting spirituality would not be able to grasp much of the great power of the final tribulation.'
'Unless the person who enlightened its spirit was already infinitely close to the Nascent Soul stage, only then could the newly born consciousness of the final tribulation reach this level. Taiyuan Immortal! Ancestor Mingxiang! It was they who prematurely enlightened the consciousness of the final tribulation, causing my plan to fail at the last hurdle!'
Upon realizing this, Zhen Qulu almost ground his teeth to powder.
His plan is really close to success! If he's given a little more time, the Sword Lord's [Love Threads] will be able to completely drain all the mysteries of the Final Calamity!
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
Even more terrifying is that, because a sufficiently powerful consciousness was born during the final calamity, the Dao God, who should have been born in the future, has suddenly appeared ahead of schedule!
What will it do?
Zhen Qulu realized almost immediately that this newly born Dao God of the End of Calamity would try every means to rewind time and space in order to prolong his own existence.
The price is that the apocalypse arrives at the present moment ahead of schedule.
Catastrophe is imminent!
"Are you kidding me?"
"You'd rather perish together than let my plan fail, just because I might succeed first? When did the patriarch of divination become like this?"
Zhen Qulu found it hard to believe.
In his mind, neither the famous patriarch nor the Taiyuan Immortal were considered to be of such evil.
Even the final battle between Taiyuan Immortal and Daozun was confined to the two of them and did not involve others. Even though Taiyuan Immortal was one move behind in the end, it did not cause any calamity. That's why Daozun spared his life and promised him a chance to live in the future.
Therefore, Zhen Qulu could not understand it at all.
If the intervention was merely to stop him, then so be it; it would simply be a matter of each relying on their own abilities, and he was prepared for this and not surprised.
But everything has its limits.
Now, someone is willing to plunge the entire ancient divine land into catastrophe just to prevent him from succeeding. This is an extremely self-centered and selfish act.
It's not even broken.
They're utterly beasts!
In the ancient land of Shenzhou, there was the Zixiao Palace.
The primordial sage withdrew his gaze, took a step forward, and slowly pushed open the door of the abode of the Nascent Soul cultivator before him, the [Divine Destiny Book] in his hand shining brightly.
"The overall situation is settled."
“Nian Yao is doomed to die. The Dao God of the Final Tribulation will be born ahead of schedule and will inevitably rewind to the current point in time. From this moment on, the ancient destruction has entered its countdown.”
The initial sage's tone remained completely unchanged.
Behind him, the founders of the Ming and Xiang sects felt extremely cold-hearted, but dared not show it in the slightest, and simply watched the First Saint directly in front of them.
'Miscalculation'
'Something's not right. I initially thought this Primordial Saint was just a tool created by the Primordial Immortal, just like we created him, but now it seems...'
Their assumptions are wrong.
Admittedly, the First Saint was meticulously planned and created by Taiyuan Immortal, but to this day, everything is actually being led by the First Saint.
Taiyuan Immortal's goal was never to "create puppets".
On the contrary, he was actually "updating and replacing" his predecessors.
[I followed the ancient ways but ultimately lost to Jun. However, the First Sage's own methods allowed him to finally reach the top during the Guanghai era.]
Therefore, Taiyuan Immortal changed.
Under the state of "Supreme Forgetfulness," there is no self, no emotions, only the purest thought of transcendence. This is true for the First Saint and the Great Origin Immortal.
The style of the First Sage was:
"I would rather never transcend than let others transcend before me."
Catastrophe is imminent? Good news!
"When faced with a crisis, people's bottom line often lowers. Only at this time can my actions hope to get support. That's human nature."
In the past, his intention to sacrifice all living beings would have been met with fierce attacks from the Dao Ancestors. However, given the impending doom of the calamity, if he were to say that sacrificing all living beings would offer hope of resolving the calamity, the Dao Ancestors would certainly not be so resolute and would instead choose to compromise.
It's a very simple principle: it's better to die for a fellow Daoist or to die for myself.
"No one will make the wrong choice. People are like grass; you cut one batch and another will grow back. Who will care about them, or even value them more than themselves?"
"Even if he did, he could never attain enlightenment."
If one does not attain enlightenment, can one still be considered a human being?
Chu Sheng's tone was icy, then his gaze shifted to the direction where Lü Yang was located:
"Moreover, this is also an opportunity to test the waters."
"Faced with the impending final calamity, the best and most effective method is to reopen the gates and see if Xuande can still activate the power of reopening."
[It's useless; that profound principle cannot affect Nascent Soul cultivators, and it won't work here.]
That's just your perspective.
The First Saint's eyes were calm as he said in a deep voice, "I need evidence. Only if he did not reopen the gates until he was killed by the final tribulation can this claim be verified."
(End of this chapter)