Chapter 331
Rising from annihilation, reviving from ruin
Several years later, Emperor Wushi and Wang Mingyuan appeared on a desolate ancient star.
Wang Mingyuan sat cross-legged in the center of the ancient star, surrounded by chaotic energy, with the Exquisite Xuanhuang Pagoda of Heaven and Earth hanging above his head and nine-colored divine light descending.
He mobilized all the power within him, preparing to welcome the upcoming transformation.
The Great Emperor Wushi stood outside the ancient star, surrounded by the laws of time.
He raised his hand, and the laws of time transformed into beams of light, shooting towards Wang Mingyuan.
In the first instant, this immense power of time couldn't even break through Wang Mingyuan's defenses, nor could it make him age or grow younger.
Until Wang Mingyuan voluntarily stopped resisting.
The power of time flowed into his body without hindrance, beginning to accelerate his time.
In an instant, Wang Mingyuan's appearance began to change.
A few silver strands appeared in his black hair, his skin lost some of its luster, and his aura weakened slightly.
One year, two years, three years...
Time flew by for Wang Mingyuan, consuming his lifespan at an alarming rate.
His black hair gradually turned white, his skin gradually loosened, and his vitality gradually faded.
Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years...
Wang Mingyuan's appearance changed from youth to middle age, and from middle age to old age.
His body was hunched over, his energy was waning, and his vitality was rapidly fading away.
The Great Emperor Wushi manipulated the laws of time meticulously.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and the five horns continued to roar above his head.
Accelerating the time of a Heavenly Emperor-level being was difficult even for him.
If Wang Mingyuan hadn't taken the initiative to help him, weakening his own resistance to the extreme, he wouldn't have even been able to push forward.
It's tough now, but we can still move forward because Wang Mingyuan is even actively helping him.
Ten thousand years, twenty thousand years, thirty thousand years...
Wang Mingyuan's lifespan has been largely consumed.
His appearance had become incredibly aged, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles.
His body was as withered as rotten wood, and his vital energy had declined to the point that it was almost imperceptible.
His breath was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, as if it might be extinguished at any moment.
He looked like an old man nearing the end of his life.
But there was still light in his eyes.
That light, faint yet firm, dim yet persistent.
The Great Emperor Wushi looked at Wang Mingyuan and felt that faint but unshakable will, which shook him deeply.
Wang Mingyuan had entrusted his life to him. If he had even the slightest evil intention and increased the output of the Time Law, Wang Mingyuan's lifespan would be instantly exhausted, and he would die completely.
At the same time, even when one's lifespan is about to end, Nirvana is not so easy.
Wang Mingyuan has lived for less than a thousand years, and is undergoing another rebirth. The difficulty is beyond imagination. The slightest mistake will also mean death.
But Wang Mingyuan did exactly that, and he even convinced him.
Emperor Wushi took a deep breath and continued to activate the laws of time.
Finally, Wang Mingyuan's lifespan was exhausted to its limit.
He now looks like a piece of rotten wood, dry, fragile, and on the verge of death.
His life force was almost exhausted, with only the last trace of his primordial fire still burning.
That wisp of primordial fire was something Wang Mingyuan deliberately preserved.
He did not exhaust all his vitality, but deliberately preserved his most essential and vigorous power, setting it aside like a seed of grass over winter, waiting for the arrival of spring.
Spring has arrived.
Wang Mingyuan began to circulate the Willow Divine Technique.
A phantom image of a towering willow tree appeared behind him.
Most of the willow tree was withered, its branches and leaves were gone, and its trunk was charred black, as if it had experienced a lightning tribulation, heavenly fire, and endless suffering.
But at the base of the willow tree, there is still a hint of green.
It was a new sprout, tender and fragile, yet brimming with vitality.
Inside Wang Mingyuan's body, the "grass seed" began to exert its power.
The most essential and vigorous power he had retained was activated at this moment.
It is like a seed, struggling to break through the soil in the parched land;
It is like a seedling, growing tenaciously on a withered old tree.
In an instant, that power absorbed the treasures accumulated by the Great Emperor Wushi over many years, the essence of dozens of dragon veins, the medicinal power of the immortal elixir, and the essence of peerless treasures, all of which surged into Wang Mingyuan's body.
His body began to change.
The withered, rotten body began to regain its vitality.
The shriveled flesh and blood became plump again, the pale bones became translucent again, and the depleted blood and energy began to boil again.
His white hair turned black again, his wrinkles gradually disappeared, and his appearance returned from old age to middle age, and from middle age to youth.
His aura began to surge, from faint to powerful, from powerful to vast, and from vast to unfathomable.
This is a cycle.
A complete cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
As the Great Emperor Wushi watched this scene unfold, seeing Wang Mingyuan transform from a withered old man into a spirited and dignified young prodigy, a flash of enlightenment crossed his eyes.
He seemed to see a seed breaking through the soil in spring, taking root, sprouting, and growing strong.
He seemed to see a willow tree that had survived a lightning strike and was mostly withered, rising from the ashes to grow vigorously and lush green.
This is special, and extraordinary.
It is the most important node on the path to immortality, and it is an unparalleled method that has been kept secret throughout history.
Now, it is fully displayed before him.
The Great Emperor Wushi stared at it, lost in thought.
He carefully examined and pondered the matter, and discovered that the method Wang Mingyuan used was very similar to the Nirvana method he had been exploring for many years.
Corresponding points can be found in many places, and many details can confirm his previous conjectures.
This is no coincidence.
This is the principle that the greatest truths are the simplest, and that all paths lead to the same goal.
Everyone who reaches this point will eventually touch upon the same truth and find the same path.
However, Wang Mingyuan walked faster and more steadily than anyone else.
Because he has the experience of his predecessors, the inheritance of the Immortal King, and the accumulation of countless precious techniques.
He stands on the shoulders of giants.
Therefore, he can see further and move faster.
A sense of emotion arose in the heart of the Great Emperor Wushi.
This young man has unlimited potential for future achievements.
On the desolate ancient star, Wang Mingyuan's rebirth entered its final stage.
The illusory image of the willow tree became more and more solid and lush.
The withered branches turned green again, and the charred trunk regained its vitality.
The willow branches droop, lush and green, each twig embodying the power of life and revival.
Wang Mingyuan sat cross-legged beneath the illusory shadow of the willow tree, with chaotic energy surging around him and nine-colored divine light descending.
His aura has surpassed that before his Nirvana, reaching a completely new level.
Within his body, the Chaos Body underwent another transformation, its foundation becoming more solid and its potential even greater.
His principles are more complete, and his combat power is stronger.
He successfully completed this most crucial and difficult rebirth, and the entire process was completed without any setbacks.
It was so smooth it felt like a dream, as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times beforehand.
But the unexpected happened just when he was at his most excited. On the desolate ancient star, Wang Mingyuan's rebirth entered its most crucial stage.
The illusory image of that willow tree had solidified to its fullest extent, with drooping branches and lush greenery, each twig seemingly telling the secrets of life.
Wang Mingyuan sat cross-legged beneath the illusory shadow of the willow tree, with chaotic energy surging around him, nine-colored divine light descending, and the exquisite Xuanhuang Pagoda of Heaven and Earth hanging above his head, slowly rotating.
His aura had been steadily rising during his rebirth, surpassing his previous peak and reaching a completely new level.
However, just when everyone thought the rebirth was about to be successfully completed, an unexpected change occurred.
Wang Mingyuan's body suddenly trembled, and the rising aura came to an abrupt halt.
Then, it began to fall.
It wasn't a slow fall, but a rapid fall like a meteor hitting the ground.
His aura plummeted from its peak, from vast to faint, from faint to almost inaudible.
His life was slipping away, like grains of sand in an hourglass, slipping away one by one, unstoppable and irreversible.
His body began to grow cold, his heartbeat slowed, and his breathing became weak.
Emperor Wushi's expression changed.
"what happened?"
He took a step forward, wanting to get closer to Wang Mingyuan and check on his condition.
But the moment he got close, an invisible force repelled him.
That was the remaining chaotic Dao principle within Wang Mingyuan's body, the last line of defense he set up before his Nirvana. No one could approach it, and no one could interfere with it.
Emperor Wushi was thrown hundreds of miles away, his face solemn.
He could only watch from afar as Wang Mingyuan's life force slowly faded away and his breath gradually dissipated.
Finally, Wang Mingyuan's body completely lost its life.
His heart stopped beating, his breathing stopped, and the fluctuations of his primordial spirit disappeared.
His body sat stiffly on the ancient star, like a stone statue, cold and lifeless.
Within him, the "grass seed," the most essential and vigorous power that he had deliberately preserved, dimmed at this moment, as if it had fallen into an eternal slumber.
Emperor Wushi's heart sank to the bottom.
He could not sense any signs of life from Wang Mingyuan, nor could he sense any fluctuations in his primordial spirit.
In his perception, Wang Mingyuan was like a stone, a piece of rotten wood, or a pile of ashes.
There was no sign of life.
"It failed?"
The Great Emperor Wushi's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.
He didn't believe Wang Mingyuan would fail.
How could that young man, that peerless genius who became the Heavenly Emperor with his Chaotic Body, that invincible being who single-handedly fought against two mortal immortals, possibly fail in Nirvana?
Everything had gone so smoothly before, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.
But the facts were undeniable, leaving him no choice but to believe them.
Emperor Wushi fell silent.
He stood in the void, looking at the desolate ancient star and the cold stone statue on it, remaining silent for a long time.
However, just when Emperor Wushi thought it was all over, a loud rumble suddenly came from the sky.
That was thunder.
It wasn't ordinary thunder; it was the thunder of a heavenly tribulation.
Emperor Wushi looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting.
Above the sky, dark clouds gathered, and lightning flashed. These were no ordinary dark clouds, but calamity clouds, the most terrifying celestial tribulation clouds in the world.
Amidst the calamity clouds, lightning flashed, thunder dragons surged, thunder phoenixes soared, and thunder unicorns galloped.
Various thunder beasts emerged from the tribulation clouds, exuding an aura of world destruction.
This is a celestial tribulation.
It was a calamity that Wang Mingyuan deliberately brought upon himself.
Even though his body had lost its vitality, and even though his primordial spirit had fallen into silence, his remaining will was still operating, still pushing the final step towards Nirvana.
He attracted a calamity.
At his weakest and most vulnerable moment.
An indescribable emotion welled up in the heart of the Great Emperor Wushi.
This young man is truly risking his life.
Without warning, the heavenly tribulation descended.
The first bolt of lightning, like a thunder dragon, swooped down from the clouds, carrying the power to destroy everything, and struck Wang Mingyuan's body directly.
boom!
Wang Mingyuan's body was struck by lightning, which exploded on his body, turning him into a bloody mess.
His robes turned to ashes, his skin was charred black, and his flesh and blood were reduced to dust by the thunder.
But Wang Mingyuan's body remained motionless, as if the lightning bolt had struck someone else, not him.
The second bolt of lightning, the third bolt of lightning, the fourth bolt of lightning...
One bolt of lightning after another descended from the sky, each one more terrifying and violent than the last.
Thunderbolts poured down like a torrential rain, engulfing Wang Mingyuan's body in a sea of lightning.
Wang Mingyuan's body was constantly torn apart and burned by the lightning.
His flesh turned to ashes, his bones to charcoal, and his body disappeared bit by bit in the lightning.
Seeing this scene, Emperor Wushi was no longer as nervous as before.
He wanted to intervene and help Wang Mingyuan block the lightning.
But he knew he couldn't.
This is Wang Mingyuan's rebirth, his tribulation, and no one can interfere or meddle with it.
He could only watch.
Watching Wang Mingyuan's body turn into charcoal and ashes in the lightning.
Finally, the last bolt of lightning struck.
It was an incredibly thick bolt of lightning, like a thunder dragon, swooping down from the tribulation clouds and completely engulfing Wang Mingyuan's body.
After the lightning dissipated, only ashes remained on the ancient star.
Ashes covered the ground.
No body, no flesh, no bones, only ashes.
There was no sign of life in the ashes.
There was no heartbeat, no breath, no spiritual fluctuations, not even a trace of life force.
The ashes were just ashes.
It does not absorb the essence of heaven and earth, does not devour the essence of treasures, and does not undergo any of the processes required for nirvana.
It just lay there quietly, like a desolate ruin.
Emperor Wushi's heart was completely broken.
He sensed and explored, but he still couldn't detect any signs of life.
There were no seeds, no seedlings, no grass seeds in the ashes, nothing at all.
"Did it really fail?"
The Great Emperor Wushi's voice was bitter, and his eyes were full of sorrow.
He hadn't known Wang Mingyuan for long, but the young man's boldness, decisiveness, and fearlessness had already left a deep impression on him.
He thought that Wang Mingyuan would be his comrade-in-arms, a partner who would fight alongside him, and an ally who would fight against the Emperor, the Undying Emperor, and the Heaven-Mending Immortal.
However, now, Wang Mingyuan is dead.
He died on the path to Nirvana.
He died when he was at his weakest and most vulnerable.
The Great Emperor Wushi remained silent for a long time. (End of Chapter)