Chapter 547: Nurturing Enlightenment
Chapter 547: Nurturing Enlightenment
Chen Mu flipped his hand, retrieving the large chunk of Origin Shard he had previously condensed.
The two Origin Shards didn't even need to be close to each other; just taking them out was like bringing two magnets together, attracting and converging towards each other. With a slight release of his grip, the Origin Shard left behind by the Ninth-Rank Nurturing Beast was sucked into the large chunk of Origin Shard he had collected earlier, and a dark, obscure light burst forth.
Vibrant ripples emanated from the Origin Shard, as if some kind of rhythm was unfolding.
The fist-sized Origin Shard, with its uneven surface, gradually smoothed out, and the dull gray light within it slowly became radiant, eventually transforming into a complete, colorful, and intricate crystal.
Origin Crystal!
The moment Chen Mu held this intricate, colorful crystal in his palm, he confirmed that this Origin Crystal, formed by the fusion of numerous Origin Shards, was now completely intact. Most importantly, the unique Origin Power brewing within it had transformed from extreme chaos to perfect order.
Previously, when Chen Mu had tried to infuse his Life Imprint, his life energy, into the Origin Shards, it was immediately decomposed by the chaotic Origin Power within.
But now, things were different.
Looking at the Origin Crystal in his hand, with just a thought, a strand of life force flowed out from his fingertips, pouring into the crystal. This time, his life force was not decomposed; instead, it was perfectly preserved by the Origin Crystal, as if a drop of his blood had been sealed within a colorful crystal.
"Finally, it's done."
Chen Mu took a deep breath, gazing at the Origin Crystal in his hand.
Creating this Origin Crystal was no easy feat. With his current strength, he had rampaged through the Core Region of the Source, plundering and looting without restraint. He had no idea how many Seventh and Eighth-Rank Beasts he had slain, and even a Ninth-Rank Beast, spending over a month to finally gather enough Origin Shards.
The opening of the Core Region of the Source had a time limit, at most two months. After this period, all life forms would be forcefully expelled.
Any remaining Origin Shards would also be annihilated during this process.
This was one of the reasons why Chen Mu had been so focused on collecting Origin Shards during this time. After all, it was his top priority, and he could take his time with other matters, including learning more about the Vangu Empty Domain and the Endless Universe.
"Next, I just need to go to the very center of the Source, find the Origin River, and cast this Origin Crystal into it."
Chen Mu spoke to himself, glancing in the direction of the Source's center.
The closer one got to the center of the Source, the more dangerous it became. Typically, only Seventh-Rank Below Deity Beasts lurked on the outer edges, and the higher the rank of the Beast, the closer one got to the center. Despite being relatively far from the center, Chen Mu had encountered a Ninth-Rank Creation Beast.
As one ventured deeper towards the center, Ninth-Rank Beasts would become more prevalent, and there was even the possibility of facing the simultaneous attack of two or three of them. This was one of the reasons why even Eighth-Rank Below Deity beings struggled to complete their Life Imprint.
Even if they spent a significant amount of resources to obtain enough Origin Shards from others and refine them into an Origin Crystal, they might still perish during their journey to the center of the Source.
Only upon reaching the Ninth-Rank Below Deity could one consider themselves safe.
Of course.
If the number of Ninth-Rank Beasts was too high, even Chen Mu would have to exercise caution.
Chen Mu put away the complete Origin Crystal.
He turned his attention to the second item left behind by the deceased Ninth-Rank Creation Beast, a large sphere of Creation Dao light. It contained countless mysteries of the Nurturing Path, and even without absorbing it, Chen Mu could vaguely sense some of its power.
"With this, the experience of the Nurturing Dao should be sufficient."
Chen Mu muttered to himself, then reached out and grasped the mysteries of the Nurturing Path in his palm.
Vibrant ripples surged, and Chen Mu seemed to peer into the essence of the universe, directly touching upon life and death, creation and destruction, order and chaos—the myriad mysteries of the Nurturing Path. For a fleeting moment, he felt like a primordial spirit of creation.
However, this sensation lasted only for a brief instant. The next moment, Chen Mu's connection to the Nurturing Dao vanished without a trace, leaving only the insights of the Nurturing Path lingering in his mind.
Chen Mu briefly processed what he had experienced and summoned the System Panel.
[Primordial Path: Nurturing (Nurturing)]
[Experience: 3000 points]
As expected, the System Panel showed that the experience points for the Nurturing Path had finally accumulated to 3000 points!
"Let's go."
Without hesitation, Chen Mu focused on the System Panel, unconcerned about his surroundings. With a calm gaze, he directly chose to elevate his Nurturing Path realm.
In the past, when gaining insights into the Void and Time Daos, the System Panel had created unique enlightenment environments, suspending time in the real world. The same would undoubtedly apply to the Nurturing Enlightenment.
As expected, when Chen Mu manipulated the System Panel to select the elevation, a strand of golden light flashed, and his consciousness was once again plunged into darkness, pulled by an indescribable force, warping both void and time.
As Chen Mu's mind settled, he realized his consciousness seemed to have returned to the endless void where he had initially comprehended the Void Primordial Dao. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but void.
"This is..."
Chen Mu was momentarily taken aback.
This environment was all too familiar to him. Upon closer inspection, he sensed that the void around him was not a lifeless, stagnant pool, but rather, it held ripples and waves.
Here, he could still manipulate the void, and with slight control, he could make his thoughts wander aimlessly through the void.
As he sought to elevate his Nurturing Path realm, it was clear that he hadn't come here to comprehend the void. Chen Mu's thoughts expanded through the void, searching for the power of nurturing.
"What kind of nurturing am I meant to comprehend here?"
Chen Mu wondered to himself.
Unsure of the environment the System Panel had created, he could only wander aimlessly, like a wandering spirit, for an unknown duration. Then, his perception detected a change in the nearby void.
The ripples hidden deep within the void, the waves in the void, suddenly intensified!
In an instant,
The ripples became tides, and the tides transformed into a storm!
"So that's how it is. Nurturing is everywhere!"
As Chen Mu felt the changes in the void, he suddenly understood.
He had always believed that creation and destruction were the essence of nurturing, and that the void was purely empty. But now, he suddenly understood why there were ripples, tides, and storms in the void.
It wasn't the power of the void, but the existence of the Nurturing Dao that influenced the void! Without the Nurturing Dao, the void would be a stagnant pool, a realm of absolute stillness, like the region he had experienced when he attained enlightenment in the Void Path. There would be no 'change', only the singularity of annihilation.
Nurturing is change.
It is the Nurturing Dao that grants the void the ability to 'change', causing ripples, tides, and storms... and even from the most intense of storms, worlds are born!
"The three Primordial Daos complement and contain each other. There is no pure nurturing, nor absolute void. Nurturing is like a pen, and it is only when it writes on the canvas of the void that patterns emerge, and with the witness of time, existence finds its meaning."
Chen Mu's mind was filled with flashes of insight about the Nurturing Dao.
Time passed, and as he gradually absorbed these realizations and understandings, his perception of the void underwent a dramatic transformation. Just as he had predicted, from the most intense and extreme storm, guided by the Nurturing Dao, creation and destruction emerged!
Boom!!!
It was like the moment of creation.
Chen Mu's gaze was fixed on the very center of the void storm, the heart of the raging tempest. The void suddenly exploded, giving rise to endless vitality. The power of creation and opening surged, and a 'egg'-like structure appeared, rapidly expanding in all directions.
Chen Mu, amidst the void storm, was enveloped by the power of creation and destruction. This force, capable of annihilating the heavens and earth, would have instantly obliterated even his true body.
But at this very moment, he was merely a thought, a thought guided by the system panel. It was as if an invisible force protected him, allowing him to withstand the void storm and the eruption of world creation, ensuring his consciousness remained intact. He could calmly observe the burgeoning nurturing within the endless tempest.
Buzz!!!
The egg-like structure continued to expand, quickly surpassing the size of a small pocket universe, and then growing beyond that of a large one. Finally, it became almost as vast as the Daxuan World! Inside this grand egg-like structure, the power of the void still flowed, but it was no longer as violent, and it had thinned out considerably. Aside from that, it remained empty.
And then, the next moment.
Crack!
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in the void.
Under the influence of nurturing, the void constantly changed. From the void, a thick mist emerged, and within it was the Primordial Chaos Qi, the very essence of heaven and earth!
The Primordial Qi separated into Yin and Yang, the clear rising and the turbid sinking, gradually forming the heavens and the earth.
Under the guidance of the Nurturing Dao, everything began to evolve in an orderly manner. Chen Mu, completely immersed in this experience, was lost in the vast insights of the Nurturing Dao.
After the formation of the heavens and earth, the world was desolate. Yet, the power of nurturing continued to flow. A bolt of thunder suddenly appeared out of thin air, reverberating through the cosmos. It turned purple, illuminating everything, and from this purple Nurturing Divine Thunder, a torrential downpour began, scattering the seeds of creation across the land.
Soon.
The earth was filled with vibrant life.
Contrary to Chen Mu's expectations, the first beings to be born in this world were not the simplest microorganisms. Instead, as life reached its zenith, some stones became sentient, gradually 'coming to life'.
Chen Mu focused his gaze on these stones, witnessing the life force within them becoming increasingly vibrant and intense. Eventually, a faint crack appeared on their surfaces, and the stones began to roll. From these cracks, limbs extended, transforming the stones into living beings that took their first steps.
"Turning decay into life, this is nurturing..."
Chen Mu was amazed by this sight.
An ordinary stone, gradually evolving, acquiring vitality, and eventually becoming a living being. What else could this be but the wonder of nurturing?
Rumble!!!
The heavy rain poured down, and more and more stone people emerged on the earth, gradually forming a tribe.
These stone people roamed the world, and after an unknown amount of time, the first stone person's vitality began to wane, leading to its eventual demise.
The once sharp and angular layers of its body were worn down by the wind and sand, leaving behind a broken, damaged form. With a final, difficult step, it fell backward, shattering into countless pieces.
From life to death, this too is nurturing.
"No matter the race, as long as they are living beings, they cannot escape life and death..."
Chen Mu watched this scene, whispering to himself.
As Xun Mu had said, in an uncultivated world, living beings cannot achieve immortality. Even in worlds where gods are born, like the demon race, the heavenly demons still cannot live forever.
The heavenly demons Chen Mu had slain in the Daxuan World had survived from ancient times to the present by using the secret methods of the Nurturing Dao, remaining in a deep sleep to preserve their vitality and endure the passage of time.
No living being can escape the cycle of life and death.
Only the Divine Realm can achieve immortality.
In essence, those who attain the Divine Realm are no longer living beings, but divine spirits.
After refining the Divine Realm's true body, the soul and divine power merge, and they no longer follow the path from life to death.
Before that, even with an indestructible body and an immortal soul, one cannot escape the rules of the Nurturing Dao. Over time, vitality will fade, leading to decay and death.
Chen Mu seemed to grasp something, and when he came back to his senses, he realized that an unknown amount of time had passed in the world within his vision. The entire earth was no longer filled with stone beings but was instead covered in crisscrossing cracks!
Not only the earth, but the entire sky and world were scarred and damaged.
This world had reached its end, transitioning from life to death, and this too was a form of nurturing.
(End of Chapter)
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