https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-246-The-Secret-of-the-Second-Tier-True-Cultivation-Technique/13506396/
Chapter 247: The Will of Heaven and Earth Cannot Be Changed by Human Hearts
Chapter 247: The Will of Heaven and Earth Cannot Be Changed by Human Hearts
Inside the nearly collapsing Yangilluminate Cave Realm beneath the fractured heavens, Chongguang stood with hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant star above. His expression burned with bitterness and regret.
The Lampfire of Restoration.
It still shone for him, even now, yet he could no longer merge with it. He watched helplessly as its light dimmed, fading into oblivion.
Lowering his head, he studied his four divine abilities. The Veiled Dragon Water, which he had previously reversed into Yang earth, now seeped with faint threads of Yin energy—inescapable and persistent. This final trace of Yin had doomed his second attempt.
"One misstep, a thousand-mile chasm. No wonder the Holy Sect’s True Monarch reigns supreme."
The True Monarch who reversed the Chen Earth had completed every move long ago. Their scheme spanned millennia, its depth unfathomable.
"Compared to that, I acted on impulse alone."
A flicker of resentment crossed Chongguang’s eyes. Indeed, he had acted hastily. If he had prepared as thoroughly, the outcome might have been different.
"I’ve already reversed most of the Chen Earth’s essence into Yang. That proves the foundation of that mysterious True Monarch isn’t entirely stable. They might have begun reversing the Chen Earth millennia ago, but the transformation of its essence into Yin could have taken no more than a century."
If only he could return a hundred years…
Even an impulsive attempt had brought him to the brink of success. By leveraging a Fruit-Rank treasure to manipulate the Lampfire of Restoration, he had nearly restored the Chen Earth’s Yang nature. All that remained was one final piece:
The original Chen Yin Earth.
The very first Yin earth reversed by the mysterious True Monarch—the root of their grand scheme. Chongguang had failed to locate it.
In the final moments, that hidden Chen Yin Earth had corrupted his Veiled Dragon Water, shattering his victory.
His gaze swept the world below. At this moment, he viewed existence as a True Monarch would—nothing in the mortal realm or Foundation Building Stage should escape his sight. Yet the enemy remained unseen. Every Chen Earth he observed had returned to Yang, leaving no trace of Yin.
"Could it be…"
For an instant, his eyes brightened, then dimmed again. "No use. It’s a dead end."
But soon, his resolve hardened anew.
Calculating his karmic fate, he turned to find the celestial auras marking his innate immortal destiny had vanished.
"Strange to feel unmoored without them."
He chuckled, reading the result. "I’ll need one hundred and forty-seven lifetimes as livestock before rebirth into humanity."
Though true, his face held no anger—only a wry smile. "An immortal reduced to reincarnation as beasts… I must be unique. But livestock dies swiftly. One hundred and forty-seven lifetimes… isn’t so long."
In essence, this was his end.
Even with his Foundation Building Perfection and early refinement of Metal essence, it availed him nothing.
Golden Core Sovereigns and Foundation Building Perfections differed vastly. A True Monarch’s Metal essence fused with their soul, eliminating prenatal amnesia. But Foundation Building Perfections treated Metal essence as an external force, stripped away in rebirth. Thus, even Foundation Building Perfections could not exceed five reincarnations. Worse still, his own Metal essence had been depleted during his promotion of the Fortune Ground.
Survival required a True Monarch’s intervention to shield his soul through cycles—a path closed to him. His Dao was set, offering no value to a True Monarch. With the Lampfire of Restoration severed, no one could ascend.
Even Qingcheng Feixue, the True Monarch who had once supported him most, would abandon him. The Holy Sect knew no sentimentality.
"Fine."
He steeled himself. "Rebirth will cleanse my soul. When I return, the traces of my Dao will be washed away."
Then, he could seek another path.
"Now that I think of it, perhaps this isn’t misfortune at all."
Even if the consciousness of "Chongguang" dissolved, replaced by a new life, a new identity—what of it?
He smiled faintly. "If I attain enlightenment, my true self and alternate selves are still mine. If not… the difference matters little."
"Enough… May my departure be swift, my return swift as well."
As his words faded, Chongguang’s form dissolved beneath the last glow of the Lampfire of Restoration, shattering into a cascade of multicolored light.
Before his essence fully scattered, he cast one final divine consciousness toward his foe—the True Monarch who had shattered his Dao.
Above, the Lampfire of Restoration vanished into the sky, and the Yangilluminate Cave Realm crumbled, merging with the heavens and earth. Below, Lv Yang exhaled in quiet awe.
Recalling Chongguang’s journey, he cursed under his breath:
"Monstrous! What a hellhole!"
This place made Golden Core ascension maddeningly difficult. Every step was a trap; one misstep, and one’s fate mirrored Chongguang’s—irreversible ruin.
If Lv Yang, as a Foundation Building Perfection, had spent eons gathering Celestial Vanguard and Terrestrial Sha, refining his divine abilities, only to find those resources corrupted at the final moment…
"…Wait, I can reincarnate!"
The thought calmed him. "The Dao of No Regret? Not for me. The path exists as long as I choose to walk it!"
Suddenly, he froze.
The next moment, he drew the Invisible Sword—the blade forged from Xin Metal essence, the very core of Chongguang’s immortal form. Now, its metal essence shimmered faintly.
"Chongguang’s last words?"
Lv Yang hesitated, reaching out with his divine consciousness. A cold, slightly raspy voice interrupted: "What did Chongguang tell you?"
He stiffened, turning to see a bloodstained woman in a torn palace gown. Though her appearance was battered, her demeanor remained regal, like a noblewoman poised for a banquet.
"True Monarch Qingcheng Feixue!"
He bowed deeply, offering the sword. "I’ve not yet read Senior Master Chongguang’s message. I await your judgment, True Monarch."
"Chongguang… a pity." Qingcheng Feixue glanced at the blade, her tone dismissive. "Nothing useful. Too late to matter."
"Had he acted a century earlier…"
Lv Yang’s mind stirred. A century ago—the time of his first anchor point, when he first joined the Holy Sect as a disciple.
He stored this crucial detail while glancing at the sword.
Chongguang’s message, constrained by time, was concise—four characters, stark and clear:
"It lies in the Underworld."
(End of Chapter)
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