Chapter 595: Guardian of the Abyss
Chapter 595: Guardian of the Abyss
【Convergence Essence: Life - All-Life】
【Experience: 1999 points】
After Chen Mu thoroughly understood the Life Mystery and All-Life Essence, the Fusion Mystery section on the system panel was unlocked.
However, after spending some time attempting to merge the Life Mystery with the All-Life Essence, the progress of the Fusion Mystery stalled at 1999 experience points, unable to progress further.
To completely merge the Life Mystery with the All-Life Essence, a whopping 100,000 points of experience was required!
But in his pursuit of the Fusion Mystery, Chen Mu had only accumulated 1999 points, and he couldn't gain any more experience, even after spending several World Years without any progress.
This was the first time since acquiring the system panel that he encountered a so-called 'bottleneck,' but Chen Mu was well aware that it wasn't a true bottleneck. The fusion of mysteries was different from comprehending them individually.
In the vast Endless Void, mysteries were everywhere, and comprehension was possible everywhere, but fusion was another matter. Very few mysteries could be directly felt and comprehended from the universe; most required personal understanding.
The system panel's experience never appeared out of thin air.
Chen Mu needed a clear direction to continuously accumulate experience, which meant he had to make progress in his cultivation. The system's effect was always to amplify this progress significantly.
Just like in his past martial arts training, when refining his physique, the system wouldn't generate experience out of thin air. He needed to consume various resources and ingest spirit objects to convert their medicinal power into experience, which would then be applied to his body.
The same was true when he comprehended the Eight Mysteries and even the Primordial Dao. He had to gain personal insights for the system panel to convert them into experience and accumulate them, ultimately allowing him to leap over boundaries.
Therefore, there was a prerequisite for gaining experience on the system panel: progress in cultivation.
Even a slight realization was sufficient; as long as there was some advancement, the system panel would accumulate experience as usual, unless he was completely stuck in a particular state, unable to gain any deeper understanding.
Chen Mu was currently in such a state.
After comprehending the All-Life Essence and cultivating the third layer of the Spirit Birth Divine Art, he quickly realized the difficulty of merging mysteries. This was the path to the Divine Lord, a chasm that countless Divine Realm beings had struggled to cross despite spending countless years.
Chen Mu, through his comprehension, had accumulated some experience, but it stopped at 1999 points.
Although he faced challenges in merging mysteries, Chen Mu also gained a deeper understanding of the process. On the surface, he was only merging the Life Mystery and the All-Life Essence, but the fundamental mysteries of the Primordial Dao were intricately connected. Merging the Life and All-Life mysteries without comprehending the Creation, Cause and Effect, and Various Forms mysteries was nearly impossible.
Complete mastery of all five fundamental mysteries encompassed by the Primordial Dao was the true starting point for merging mysteries!
Lacking the Creation, Cause and Effect, and Various Forms mysteries, even with a thorough understanding of the Life and All-Life mysteries, there would still be gaps when merging them. The direction of merging mysteries pointed to the complete Creation Path!
Of course, merging the All-Life and Life mysteries wasn't entirely impossible.
Among the resources Chen Mu could exchange in the Vangu Palace, he found some rare resources that directly targeted the Fusion Mystery, such as the Ten Thousand Souls Life Spring. It was said that a single drop of this spring contained millions of lives and spirits, and drinking it would provide a direct perception of the fusion of the Life and All-Life mysteries, but the effect would only last for one World Year.
The price of a single drop of the Ten Thousand Souls Life Spring was exorbitant, requiring a full 10,000 Vangu Tokens!
Chen Mu currently had a total of 100,000 Vangu Tokens, which could only exchange for ten drops, with an effect lasting a maximum of ten World Years. In Chen Mu's estimation, to completely merge the Life and All-Life mysteries and accumulate 100,000 points of experience, ten drops of the Ten Thousand Souls Life Spring were far from enough. He feared that at least a hundred drops would be necessary to have any hope.
Therefore, Chen Mu chose the task of guarding the Dark Abyss.
On the one hand, although the Dark Abyss was extremely chaotic, it was precisely this chaos that allowed him to observe the fusion of all types of fundamental mysteries, including the fusion of Life and All-Life.
Even though the chaos within the Dark Abyss was constantly changing, and the rules formed by the fusion of mysteries were unpredictable, observing for a long enough time would enable him to capture the fusion power he needed to comprehend.
Even if this fusion power only appeared for a fleeting moment, having the opportunity to observe and compare would provide Chen Mu with a direction, allowing him to directly accumulate experience from it.
Secondly, the Dark Abyss contained all the Primordial Dao, including the remaining three mysteries of Creation, Cause and Effect, and Various Forms.
If Chen Mu wanted to comprehend these three mysteries, he could also make progress here, meaning he could simultaneously comprehend the Creation, Cause and Effect, and Various Forms mysteries while attempting to merge the Life and All-Life mysteries.
Lastly, guarding the Dark Abyss would also earn him Vangu Tokens.
Additionally, the Abyssal Life within the Dark Abyss had its own value. Capturing or hunting them would yield rewards, and it was possible to obtain extremely rare treasures from their bodies.
According to Chen Mu's knowledge, the Dark Abyss, containing all the Primordial Powers, existed in an extremely chaotic state, leading to an unimaginable abundance of resources within it. Many of the resources available for exchange in the Vangu Palace originated from the Dark Abyss!
However, the Dark Abyss was incredibly dangerous, and one needed to be at least at the Fifth Heaven of the Divine Realm to qualify for guarding it.
After mastering the All-Life Essence and cultivating the third layer of the Spirit Birth Divine Art, Chen Mu's strength had firmly entered the Sixth Heaven, and with his own abilities, he possessed the power to shatter the Sixth Heaven!
Having the ability to shatter the Sixth Heaven with his own power meant he had a basic self-preservation capability against Divine Lords. Although he would still be instantly killed by a Divine Lord, it would be more challenging for them to eliminate all his incarnations through the Cause and Effect Network.
Moreover, Chen Mu had a Divine Energy Incarnation residing in the Vangu Palace, which was a Superior Divine Armament in itself, under the control of the Vangu Divine Lord. The palace's interior was extremely stable, making it difficult for a Divine Lord's killing move to bypass the palace's protection and the Vangu Divine Lord's control, providing multiple layers of security.
This is one of the fundamental reasons why all Divine Realm Beings who join the Vangu Palace leave an incarnation behind in the Vangu Palace.
Even those solitary beings with reclusive personalities, who never interact with others, will stay for extended periods in their incarnations, all for the added layer of survival assurance.
Of course.
Despite this, Chen Mu remains cautious.
The power he displays in the Vangu Palace is limited to the Fifth Heaven, and he also accepted the task of guarding the Dark Abyss with the strength of the Fifth Heaven.
Nearly a thousand World Years have passed since the Demon Clan invaded the Great Xuan World, which isn't considered a very short time for a Divine Realm Being. Given his previously displayed talent, it's not surprising that he possesses the strength of the Fifth Heaven after a thousand World Years.
As Chen Mu attempted to further observe the Dark Abyss.
Soon, a figure appeared in the distant void, a three-zhang tall Blue-Winged True God.
"Wing King."
Chen Mu spotted the figure from afar and nodded slightly in greeting.
This was a Sixth Heaven Divine Realm Being, and although they weren't acquainted, Chen Mu wasn't a stranger to him. After all, there weren't many Divine Realm Beings in the Vangu Palace who had reached the Sixth Heaven, and they were mostly well-known figures.
"Chen Mu."
Wing King looked at Chen Mu and nodded slightly, speaking in a calm tone, "You should have a general understanding of the situation in the Dark Abyss. The Dark Abyss is connected to four domains, and the part connected to the Vangu Void spans about three trillion li. Wing King and the Hongming Realm Lord each guard ten trillion li of this area, and the middle ten trillion li is divided among Fifth Heaven Divine Realm Beings. Since you're here, you'll be responsible for the two trillion li adjacent to my section."
"If you encounter a deep abyssal life that you can't handle, just hold it off for a while. I'll be there soon."
Wing King was very polite to Chen Mu.
Despite Chen Mu displaying the strength of the Fifth Heaven in the Vangu Palace, his background was unknown, and even the Taichen Lord treated him with respect. As far as he knew, it was rumored that the Vangu Divine Lord also held Chen Mu in high regard.
In the entire Vangu Void, there were very few beings who received the attention of the Vangu Divine Lord. Even though Chen Mu was only at the Fifth Heaven, advancing to the Sixth Heaven wouldn't be difficult, and he might even become a peak Sixth Heaven figure. Naturally, Wing King wouldn't underestimate him.
"Okay."
Chen Mu agreed to Wing King's arrangement.
In reality, with his true strength, he could easily guard ten trillion li. The larger the area he guarded, the higher the chances of obtaining resources from the Dark Abyss. However, his primary purpose for coming here was not just for the Dark Abyss's resources but also to comprehend the remaining three mysteries of the Creation Path and the intricacies of fusing with All-Life Essence.
Chen Mu stepped forward and entered the void, quickly arriving at the area assigned by Wing King.
The two trillion li area he was guarding was bordered by Wing King's section, which connected to other domains, and the other side was guarded by a Fifth Heaven Divine Realm Being, also spanning two trillion li.
After sensing Chen Mu's arrival, the Fifth Heaven Divine Realm Being sent an incarnation to greet him.
"Brother Chen."
"Brother Molten Fire."
Chen Mu looked at the figure, which was about sixteen feet tall and had a humanoid shape, but its entire body seemed to be a fusion of molten lava and flames. He responded amicably.
Chen Mu recognized this person; they had exchanged a few words in the Vangu Palace. He was born in the Molten Fire Realm and was also the Realm Lord there, making him quite ancient in the Vangu Void. He had spent countless years to reach the Fifth Heaven.
"I was thinking of inviting you to my Molten Fire Realm a while ago, but you were in seclusion. I intended to wait until you emerged from seclusion to extend the invitation, but I never expected that you would come to the Dark Abyss after your seclusion."
The Molten Fire Lord laughed heartily.
Despite his body resembling molten lava and flames, his temperament was devoid of any violent aura. He was much more affable than Wing King and even showed a willingness to initiate a friendship with Chen Mu.
He was different from Wing King, who was born in the Vangu Void and had only lived a fraction of the Molten Fire Lord's lifespan. Yet, Wing King had already reached the Sixth Heaven and might even achieve the Seventh Heaven or become a Divine Lord in the future, earning him a certain status in the Vangu Void. He didn't underestimate Chen Mu and was willing to befriend him.
However, the Molten Fire Lord was different. He had lived for an incredibly long time, and due to his limitations, it took him countless eons to reach the Fifth Heaven. Advancing to the Sixth Heaven would be extremely difficult, and achieving the status of a Divine Lord was almost impossible.
Even though Chen Mu had only displayed the strength of the Fifth Heaven, the fact that the Taichen Lord treated him with respect and that the Vangu Divine Lord reportedly held Chen Mu in high regard meant there was a natural gap in status between them.
"Hmm, I came to the Dark Abyss to seek opportunities and insights during my cultivation bottleneck."
Chen Mu responded to the Molten Fire Lord.
He could tell that the Molten Fire Lord was genuinely trying to befriend him, and he didn't feel any reluctance. After all, although the Molten Fire Lord's strength wasn't exceptional, his existence was ancient and long-lived. He had a deeper understanding of the boundless universe than Chen Mu, and he didn't mind learning more about the universe from the Molten Fire Lord.
"Haha, it's often said that crisis and opportunity go hand in hand. In this vast universe, the greater the opportunity, the greater the risk that accompanies it. Compared to other places, the Dark Abyss is indeed a relatively safe secret realm. Beings like us can choose to stay here without approaching the Dark Abyss, and we won't face the risk of falling. From time to time, we can even hunt down a few deep abyssal lives. It's a stable choice."
The Molten Fire Lord couldn't help but laugh when he heard Chen Mu's words.
Compared to some tasks or exploring certain secret realms alone, which might offer great opportunities, they often came with immense risks. Some secret realms could even lead to the downfall of Divine Lords.
The Dark Abyss was also dangerous, but as long as one didn't venture too close, even a Fifth Heaven Divine Realm Being rarely faced life-threatening situations. After reaching this level, they had some means to protect themselves against Sixth Heaven deep abyssal lives. Only Divine Lord-level deep abyssal lives posed a real threat to them.
During the long hundreds or thousands of tribulations, the number of Divine Lord-level deep abyssal lives that had emerged from the Dark Abyss could be counted on one hand. At least, the Molten Fire Lord, who had lived for such a long time and had guarded the Dark Abyss multiple times, had never encountered such a threat.
(End of Chapter)
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