Chapter 750
Ren Xue
Tang Wulin did not answer immediately. He released his reliance on the power of the Sea God, allowing a wisp of ethereal energy to penetrate his defenses and touch his body.
The instantaneous chill was colder than absolute zero; it was the temperature of nothingness. Skin, muscles, bones—everything trembled before that aura, as if it would vanish into nothingness in the next second.
But at that moment, the seed of existence deep within his soul suddenly burst forth with light.
The light was not intense, but it was unwavering. It did not deny the existence of nothingness—nothingness is there, undeniably—but it declared: I am here, I exist, I choose to exist, I confirm my existence.
"I exist," Tang Wulin said, opening his eyes and enunciating each word as if driven into reality. "This is not a question, but an answer. Not a doubt, but a declaration."
The ethereal aura retreated half a step.
Although it was only a very slight retreat, and it lasted only for a moment, Tang San caught the detail. Shock flashed in his eyes—not divine power, not soul power, but merely the will to "confirm existence" could actually force back the aura of annihilation?
Cold sweat beaded on Tang Wulin's forehead, and his body trembled slightly. This seemingly minor confrontation had been incredibly taxing—not on his soul power, but on his "will to exist." Yet he smiled, the most genuine and exhilarating smile he had shown since his soul was damaged.
“It works,” he said. “This road really works.”
A month later, Tang Wulin's understanding of the existence of seeds deepened.
He discovered that the seed was not static, but rather slowly growing. Each time he confirmed his own existence amidst the annihilation, the seed's light became more solid; each time he gleaned the true meaning of existence from ancient texts, the seed's internal structure became more complex; each time he observed the world from a completely new perspective, the network connecting the seed to the outside world expanded.
This is a positive feedback loop: confirming existence allows the seed to grow, and the growth of the seed makes existence easier to confirm.
On this day, Tang Wulin made a groundbreaking discovery in the library.
It was a stone tablet written in an unknown script, which no one in the divine realm could decipher, and it was placed in a corner as an ancient decoration. But when Tang Wulin passed by, the seed of existence deep within his soul suddenly throbbed violently.
“Wait,” he stopped and walked toward the stone slab.
The stone slab was dark gray, its surface covered with cracks, but a certain regular pattern could be vaguely seen within the cracks. The moment Tang Wulin reached out and touched the stone slab, the light of the seed flowed down his arm and into the stone slab.
A miracle happened.
The undecipherable characters began to glow, not by reflecting external light, but by emitting a faint light from within. Then, as if coming to life, the characters detached from the stone slab's surface, rearranging and reassembling in the air, ultimately forming a message that Tang Wulin could understand:
"In the very beginning, there was only 'yes' and 'no.' 'Yes' spread and became everything; 'no' contracted and became nothingness. All things exist in the tension between 'yes' and 'no.' To understand existence, one must first understand nothingness; to resist annihilation, one must first become the embodiment of 'yes.'"
After the message was transmitted, the brilliance of the text faded, and the stone slab shattered completely with a "crack," turning into dust.
Tang Wulin stood still, processing the information.
"Yes" and "No". Existence and nothingness. Expansion and contraction. If the world is essentially a diffusion of "Yes", then the Eye of Annihilation is the extreme manifestation of "No". To fight against "No", one cannot merely become a part of "Yes", but must become the embodiment of "Yes"—making one's existence so solid, so fundamental, that "No" cannot deny it.
“To become the embodiment of existence,” he murmured repeatedly.
At that moment, the seed of existence deep within the soul underwent a subtle change. It was no longer merely proof of "confirmation of existence," but began to actively "spread existence" outward. The things touched by the light—bookshelves, classics, tables and chairs, dust in the air—were all endowed with a stronger sense of "presence."
This wasn't something Tang Wulin did intentionally; it was a natural phenomenon that occurred after the seed grew to a certain stage. Like a light source, when it's bright enough, it naturally illuminates its surroundings.
"Spread it." Tang Wulin said thoughtfully.
If a seed can spread its presence outwards, can it also "affirm the existence of others"? If existence is a network of relationships, can deepening one's connection with others and the world make one's existence more solid?
He thought of Qian Renxue, his parents, his companions, and the billions of beings on the Douluo Continent. Everyone connected to him was a node in his network. With each additional node, the network became more complex, and its existence became more difficult to erase.
“I see,” Tang Wulin’s eyes gleamed with understanding. “The best way to fight against nothingness is not to shut yourself off, but to embrace the world. Not to be hard alone, but to become part of the network. When your existence is connected to countless existences, erasing you is equivalent to erasing the entire network—and that price, even the Eye of Annihilation might not be able to bear.”
This realization allowed the seed of existence to grow again. Its light became warmer and more inclusive, no longer merely a declaration of "I exist," but an invitation to "we exist."
Three months later, Tang Wulin regularly went to the edge of the abyss rift to temper his seed of existence amidst the annihilation aura.
The first time, he could only hold on for ten breaths.
The second time, twenty breaths.
The third time, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Now, he can stand on the edge of the rift for half an hour without any protection. The aura of nothingness assaults him like a tide, trying to deny everything about him: your body is an illusion, your memories are fabrications, your emotions are hallucinations, your existence is a mistake.
But the seed of existence stands firm like a pillar in the midst of a torrent, unmoved by the onslaught of nothingness. It neither refutes nor defends itself, but simply declares steadfastly: I am, I exist, I am.
Every challenge makes the seed more solid; every denial makes the confirmation more resolute.
Tang Wulin's soul power level remained unchanged at level 20. However, his "existence intensity" increased at an astonishing rate. In the evaluation of the God of Destruction: "If Tang Wulin were to stand in the center of the God Realm Council now, no god could ignore his presence. It's not the oppression of power, but the oppression of reality. You would instinctively know that the person in front of you is 'absolutely real,' just as certain as you know that the sky is above and the earth is below."
On this day, Tang Wulin returned from the abyss rift and encountered the God of Destruction, who had been waiting for him, in the Tranquil Garden.
"There's some news," the God of Destruction said bluntly, "Over on the Douluo Continent, the Abyss Rift has expanded again. Although the rate is slow, it is indeed expanding. At this rate, within ten years at most, the rift will erode the core of life, and then..." (End of Chapter)