Chapter 474: What to Seek, Without Regret

Chapter 474: What to Seek, Without Regret

The Divine Emperor Island was not particularly large, with a radius of only a few dozen kilometers.

But for Li Yuan, who couldn't draw upon his source power or use his divine sense to explore, it was not a small place.

After leaving the temple where the woman in white was, Li Yuan began wandering around the island.

"Star Senior is an extraordinary being. He said that there are opportunities on the Divine Emperor Island that are no less than those at the Divine Court headquarters, so he wouldn't deceive me," Li Yuan thought to himself.

He casually searched around.

But Li Yuan no longer entered other palaces, as Star Senior had specifically instructed him not to.

Previously, in one of the palaces, he had seen the Sky Blue Divine King, and although he wasn't in any life-threatening danger, who knew if the other palaces might be even more dangerous?

This island, after all, was left behind by the Divine Emperor.

As Li Yuan walked along the branching paths, the flowing water and beautiful scenery made it seem like a fairyland. To Li Yuan's eyes, even the seemingly ordinary grass by the road might have magical properties if brought to the outside world.

But Li Yuan dared not pluck them.

Suddenly, Li Yuan stopped in his tracks as he suddenly spotted a crimson-walled corridor. On one side of the corridor, there were numerous stone tablets embedded in the wall, each with a large amount of text.

These writings seemed to be left by various powerful individuals, each emitting a different aura.

The first tablet had clear writing: "The path of the Divine King, I, Ji Fu, will also give it a try. The road ahead is vast and unpredictable, with life and death uncertain, but I must grasp a glimmer of hope..."

Through these words, Li Yuan felt as if he saw a proud Heavenly Deity, struggling and advancing through adversity, determined to break through all obstacles.

"Ji Fu?" Li Yuan wondered.

He had never heard of this name before.

But to dare to speak of challenging the Divine King, this must be an extremely powerful Heavenly Deity, perhaps even a Heavenly Deity Monarch.

"This willpower is truly formidable," Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

He turned to look at the second tablet.

"I, Tie Mo Xin, have roamed the Heavenly Deity Realm for hundreds of thousands of years without tasting defeat. I wonder if the path of the Divine King can stop me." It was as if the voice of a domineering man echoed in Li Yuan's mind.

"Wielding a sword through nine thousand realms, nothing can stop me," the writing seemed to bring forth an image of a female warrior, her soaring aura making Li Yuan's heart tremble.

Tablet after tablet.

Each was left by a Heavenly Deity, their auras exuding dominance, pride, coldness, openness, or sharpness.

Their intentions were all left in the writings on the stone tablets.

An invisible force enveloped Li Yuan, as if he were experiencing a spiritual baptism.

"Heavenly Deities!"

"These were all left by Heavenly Deities."

"It seems like these are my unmet senior brothers and sisters. They all seem to have reached the pinnacle of Heavenly Deity, and they're all trying to challenge the Divine King." Li Yuan murmured.

Li Yuan began to understand that challenging the Divine King seemed to carry great danger for Heavenly Deities.

Tablet after tablet.

"Willpower!"

"Powerful willpower! The willpower of these senior brothers and sisters is incredibly strong, and even through the writings, I feel a sense of peril." Li Yuan was amazed.

He prided himself on his strong spiritual willpower.

But compared to these senior brothers and sisters, he was far too inferior...

Huh!

The further Li Yuan read, the slower he became, until suddenly, he froze.

"I, Gu Yun, haha, I can't stand the actions of the three major Starry Sky Ancient Cities, why should they reign supreme over the universe for countless years? I want to challenge them, and if Star Senior won't let me destroy them, then I'll wait until I become a Divine King, and as an inner disciple of Master, and then I'll change everything..."

"Although I still have a lifespan of ten million years, I have a feeling in my heart that I don't want to wait. Once I become a Divine King, I'll destroy this tablet." These were the words left by the Solitary Cloud Heavenly Deity.

Li Yuan sighed in his heart.

He could sense the pride of the Solitary Cloud Heavenly Deity, as well as his sharp and unyielding personality... But clearly, the Solitary Cloud Heavenly Deity had ultimately failed.

After observing for a long time.

Li Yuan finally finished reading the last tablet.

"A total of two hundred and nineteen tablets." Li Yuan stood in place, deep in thought.

"Based on the over a hundred tablets I've read, these tablets in the crimson corridor are probably left by the failed disciples of the Celestial Star Emperor who attempted to challenge the path of the Divine King is indeed dangerous."

Correct!

From the messages left on many tablets.

Li Yuan could deduce that... these powerful Heavenly Deities from history had all failed.

If they had succeeded, they should have returned to destroy these tablets.

"Willpower!" Li Yuan silently chanted to himself.

He sat down on the ground, deep in contemplation.

Strong willpower must have something to hold on to, something to seek, something to remember... and after the baptism of time, it eventually becomes the foundation of one's willpower.

"In the legends..."

"Even in death, the will of some powerful beings can persist for an eternity," Li Yuan thought to himself. "Their will, it seems, transcends time itself."

Many of his senior brothers and sisters, despite being far from their life's end, felt the urge to strive for the path of the Divine King.

"What is it that I seek?" Li Yuan pondered silently.

Is it for family? For the civilization of his homeland? Or for himself?

"My heart is not strong enough."

"In my youth, I yearned to overcome my frail body," Li Yuan reminisced. "I wanted to live up to my uncle and aunt's expectations, to protect our homeland by slaying the alien race. This drive pushed me to improve rapidly, enduring what others couldn't, and with the help of various opportunities, I became the greatest genius of the Seven-Star Civilization..."

"Upon arriving at the Celestial Star Continent, I aspired to return to the Seven-Star Civilization with significant achievements," Li Yuan continued his inner monologue. "I never slacked, surpassing countless geniuses to become the strongest, until I became an inner sect disciple under the Divine Emperor."

"But what's next?"

"After returning to the Seven-Star Civilization, the civilization's crisis will be resolved..." Li Yuan thought, "and I'll be more capable of dealing with the numerous calamities that the Eastern Alliance Leader couldn't resolve in his time."

"And what about me?" Li Yuan introspected, honing his willpower.

"Where does my willpower truly lie?"

"My heart is still not strong enough!"

...

A subtle hum filled the air as invisible forces gathered, and a woman in white appeared, quietly observing Li Yuan.

With her observational abilities, she could sense the changes in Li Yuan's spiritual aura.

After a while, Li Yuan opened his eyes, and his gaze seemed much sharper.

"Hmm?"

"Star Senior?" Li Yuan finally noticed the woman in white beside him and bowed respectfully.

"It seems these stone walls have greatly moved you, and your willpower has undergone another transformation," the woman in white smiled and said.

"I have indeed gained some insight," Li Yuan said solemnly. "The heart should have its aspirations, and it should protect what it holds dear."

The woman in white nodded slightly.

She didn't judge whether Li Yuan's words were right or wrong.

"Come with me," she said, "and let's take a look at some other stone walls."

The woman in white walked forward, and Li Yuan quickly followed.

Soon, they rounded a row of walls and arrived at another red stone corridor.

On the walls here, there were still stone carvings, but the number of stone walls was significantly fewer.

"These?" Li Yuan was taken aback.

"Take a look," the woman in white said softly. "After you've seen them, you'll naturally understand."

Li Yuan observed silently.

The first stone wall: "In the end, it's all an illusion, haha, the Great Dao is an illusion, it turns out my path was wrong, so wrong!"

...

"Pitiful and lamentable, the whims of fate, a pursuit of millions of years, it was all a dream."

...

"It was wrong from the start, the path to Divinity, it's so arduous and bumpy, like a mirage, a dream."

...

"Where does the path truly lie?"

...

"It's also good, I've lived freely for millions of years, and I can continue to do so for a long time, not wasting this life."

...

The words on each stone wall, filled with a powerful yet pessimistic will, even the seemingly carefree words carried a sense of helplessness... Like a tidal wave of thoughts, they constantly crashed into Li Yuan.

It was almost as if his consciousness was being completely overwhelmed.

Too intense!

These twenty-odd stone walls, though fewer in number compared to the previous corridor... But the willpower contained within each stone wall was far more potent, and Li Yuan felt as if he could see countless mighty beings trudging towards their doom with endless reluctance.

After a long while, Li Yuan snapped out of it and fell into deep contemplation.

"Star Senior."

"Are these words left by Divine Kings?" Li Yuan asked softly.

"Yes, you've guessed correctly," the woman in white nodded. "They were all inner sect disciples under the Divine Emperor, all once reigning as Divine Kings... These are their words, left after failing to breakthrough to the Divine Emperor Realm."

"Failed to breakthrough to the Divine Emperor?" Li Yuan fell silent.

He thought of the two red corridors, the words on the stone walls conveying vastly different realms.

The former, each willpower was weaker, yet most were filled with determination, brimming with life force and an air of decisiveness and endless yearning.

The latter, though the willpower was stronger, was permeated with pessimism and despair.

"Willpower, success and failure..." Li Yuan contemplated quietly.

These two rows of stone walls deeply affected Li Yuan's spirit.

"Come, let me show you the last stone wall left by the master," the woman in white said.

"Left by the master?" Li Yuan's eyes lit up.

Huff! As they entered an area Li Yuan had never stepped foot in, amidst a sea of flowers, he saw another unassuming stone wall.

It also had words carved on it, but the aura it emitted was extremely weak, perhaps even weaker than Li Yuan's.

"Why seek, only then can one die without regret!"

...

A white-robed woman stood by his side, patiently waiting as Li Yuan once again sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

This time, Li Yuan's contemplation lasted much longer.

After ten whole days, he finally opened his eyes, revealing a newfound clarity.

"How is it? Have you figured it out?" the white-robed woman asked with a smile.

"No," Li Yuan shook his head firmly.

The woman was taken aback.

"I once witnessed the death of one of my teachers, and at that moment, I desperately wanted to bring him back," Li Yuan spoke softly. "I wasn't afraid of death then."

"I also ventured with a senior, risking everything to save them."

"I fought for my family."

"I fought for civilization!"

"But I know that the fleeting moments of inspiration in life are not enough to drive my spirit forever," Li Yuan continued solemnly. "So, I haven't fully understood Master's words yet."

"I still don't know what to seek, that can make me unwavering in my heart throughout the long years, never wavering," Li Yuan said.

The white-robed woman smiled.

"But I am still young."

"I believe that on my path of cultivation, I will eventually understand," Li Yuan said softly.

These Heavenly Deities and Divine Kings have honed their willpower over hundreds of thousands, even millions of years.

The Divine Emperor is even more so.

But Li Yuan is still young.

"I hope I can see the day you figure it out," the white-robed woman said with a smile. "Keep exploring."

Whoosh!

Her ethereal figure dissipated.

"Why seek?" Li Yuan pondered in his heart. "At the very least, for now, I wish to return to my homeland and make our civilization stronger."

Li Yuan glanced at the Divine Palace interface:

-

Life Level: 49.9 (Fourth Stage)



Soul: Level 59

Willpower: Level 65

Spiritual Awakened Degree: 95% (Current Limit: 95%)



...

Although he hadn't fully grasped the answer, this deep introspection and spiritual cleansing unexpectedly strengthened Li Yuan's willpower, unknowingly elevating him to Level 65.

"Keep exploring," Li Yuan continued his journey to other areas of the Divine Emperor Island.

Soon, he discovered another region, a vast plaza.

Stepping into this place, he immediately sensed something different.

"Can I feel the essence of the Seven Great Basic Laws again? Has my divine sense fully recovered? Can I even summon a trace of Source Power?" Li Yuan wondered in surprise.

This place was undoubtedly special.

As Li Yuan's gaze swept across the plaza, he noticed stone walls surrounding the perimeter, each inscribed with unique writings.

"Secret Technique Region?" Li Yuan's eyes lit up as he carefully examined each wall.

Different walls displayed various writings, some resembling random scribbles, simple figures, and even celestial body patterns... but these were just the surface.

At Li Yuan's current level, he could easily perceive the profound mysteries of the laws embedded within each stone wall.

"These stone walls contain the ultimate secrets left behind by the Heavenly Deities."

"Most are incomplete, as if casually created."

"But it's more than enough."

Li Yuan smiled, recalling the words of the Star Senior.

Seek guidance from the essence of the laws and the origin of the Great Path.

"Try to avoid relying on the Law Mirror and Law River, the imprints of the Heavenly Deities' spiritual seals." Li Yuan thought to himself, "But the techniques they left behind can still provide valuable insights."

One cannot solely rely on books, nor can one dismiss them! The ultimate techniques on these stone walls may not rival the secrets within the Ten Thousand Paths of Miscellaneous Learning, but they serve different purposes.

One is a complete inheritance, rigid like an outline.

The other is a detailed demonstration of technique execution.

...

Time passed.

After exploring the entire Divine Emperor Island, Li Yuan returned to the Secret Technique Stone Wall region, finding no other discoveries.

This place, a sanctuary for cultivation, held a special significance that Li Yuan soon discovered.

"So comfortable."

"As I stay here, the speed of my soul's consciousness seems to have increased significantly." Li Yuan was amazed, "My soul feels at ease, as if an invisible force is aiding my cultivation, making my understanding of the Seven Great Basic Laws even clearer."

Li Yuan was unaware that this Secret Technique Stone Wall region was a sacred cultivation ground, specially constructed by the Celestial Star Divine Emperor.

accepted.

Once upon a time, this place gathered countless Heavenly Deities for cultivation... Now, only Li Yuan remains.

Time flows like water.

Li Yuan spent over two years cultivating alone on the Divine Emperor Island.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end