https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-601-The-Great-Dao-is-Me-and-I-am-the-Great-Dao-Finale-/12938658/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-602-Taihao-and-the-World-Ending-Malice-Part-2-/12938664/
Chapter 602: Taihao and the World-Ending Malice (Part 1)
Chapter 602: Taihao and the World-Ending Malice (Part 1)
The void was indescribable, devoid of time, space, and all things. It was an empty, formless state beyond words.
Within this void, an enigmatic and profound presence emerged, nameless, shapeless, soundless, akin to the void itself, yet transcending its essence. It appeared in the void, surpassing it, until a golden light illuminated the emptiness, like an infinite path of the Dao, its intent lingering above.
As the golden light faded and returned to formlessness, the void seemed to have gained dust, no longer purely empty, but with substance.
The dust coalesced, gradually forming a small patch of land. Time may have begun, and on this tiny land, a sapling grew, nourished by the profound essence beyond the void. As the sapling matured, it became a lush, towering tree.
In the void, this solitary tree grew, and after an unknown duration, a fruit appeared on its branches. As the fruit ripened, it fell to the ground.
Boom!
For the first time, a sound echoed in the void. The fruit's shell cracked, revealing a core shaped like a human, enveloped in a radiant aura. It slowly grew as it lay on the ground, eventually opening its eyes, marking the birth of the first living being.
As the human-like creature grew, it seemed unaware of time. Occasionally, it sat beneath the tree, as if contemplating or observing the vast emptiness beyond.
Through its contemplations, the humanoid creature gained insights, and its inner strength grew stronger and more profound. It occasionally ventured beyond the tree's reach, wandering through the void.
After an unknown period, a sense of loneliness emerged. It looked up at the tree, which once seemed majestic, but now appeared ordinary, as if the humanoid creature had surpassed the tree in power and strength.
During one of its contemplations, the humanoid creature had a revelation. It murmured, "Vast and boundless, the supreme is the heavens. I should have a name, let it be 'Hao'."
Hao gazed into the void, then at the tree beside him, contemplating the profound and mysterious, witnessing its own birth and the void's transformation.
"Should I, Hao, create something as well? Using the tree as the foundation, should I create the heavens and the earth, and all things within?"
Inspired by the tree, Hao broke off a branch and ventured into the void, wielding it with all his might, striking the emptiness.
Boom!
The void trembled, and a sound echoed. Hao smiled, brandishing the branch, repeatedly striking the void. Suddenly, light flickered, and a thunderous roar accompanied the void's splitting.
"Haha, yes, this is it! This is thunder, and I shall name it 'Thunder'. I, Hao, shall no longer be alone."
From then on, Hao spent his days cleaving the void with the branch, expanding the area of his strikes. The thunderous roars grew more frequent, filling the void with their power.
"No, this won't do!"
Hao fell into deep thought. What was the point of thunder alone? He sat beneath the tree, contemplating the profound and mysterious Dao, and after a long period of contemplation, he resumed his cleaving.
After an eternity of strikes, the void around the tree had vanished, replaced by a sea of thunder. The thunder roared, its lightning flashing in various colors, and Hao watched with anticipation.
The present Hao had grown stronger, able to effortlessly cleave the void, unleashing thunderous realms.
"Using the tree as the foundation, I shall create a realm, establish the world, and give birth to all things!"
Hao's excitement grew as he embarked on his creation. With the tree as the foundation, he created a realm, established the world, and brought forth all things.
Finally, after tireless efforts and countless epochs, a vast world emerged. The thunderous opening of the void birthed a realm, and the cleaved void solidified into unchanging energy.
As the thunder subsided, the unchanging energy descended, forming the earth, while the ethereal energy floated, creating the heavens. Hao watched in excitement, running through the newly created world. The initial void-breaking point glowed with ethereal light, its colors varied.
An unknown duration passed, and from the initial point, the ethereal light seemed to overflow, emitting a beam of purple radiance.
"Let this be the record of time, cycling and returning to the origin. One light, one epoch, one light, one age."
Hao murmured excitedly to himself.
The earth had formed, but life had yet to emerge. Hao fell into deep thought, closing his eyes and sitting beneath the tree, contemplating the profound mysteries to find the way of creation.
After an unknown duration, when Hao opened his eyes, he found the heavens and earth drifting from their original place, appearing fragile, as if on the verge of collapse. He grew troubled, but then his gaze fell upon the majestic tree, still firmly rooted, now even more colossal. An idea sparked.
Hao used the tree as the support for the heavens and earth, its roots as the earth, and its canopy as the sky. A vast realm emerged, infused with the tree's essence, giving life to the world. Delicate green shoots sprouted from the earth.
"From now on, this tree shall be called the Cosmos Tree, or the Primordial Tree."
Hao resided atop the canopy, the heavens above. He felt a sense of superiority, gazing down upon the vast earth below, witnessing the shoots' growth with fascination.
After another period of seclusion, Hao awoke to find the earth covered in dense forests, blooming with exquisite flowers. He explored the land, captivated by its beauty.
After an unknown duration, Hao once again felt loneliness in the vast realm he had created. In this solitude, he contemplated finding a companion.
He broke off a branch and buried it in the earth, then sat in meditation where the branch was planted, infusing it with his energy. After an unknown duration, the branch came to life.
It was a horned, elongated creature, its horns resembling the branch's forks, and its short legs, the branch's initial shoots.
"Chi!"
The creature coiled around Hao's wrist, making a hissing sound. Hao was thrilled, stroking the creature, and said, "You shall be named Chi."
Hao and Chi lived together on the vast earth, and as Chi grew, Hao rode it, flying through the skies and roaming the land, filled with joy. But as time passed, loneliness returned.
Gazing upon the heavens and earth he had created, still too desolate and lonely, Hao secluded himself once more, seeking to understand how to populate his world.
In the Hao realm, with each cycle of seclusion and creation, the number of living beings increased, and the world expanded. Eventually, humanoid life forms, like himself, emerged, and Hao was thrilled. He began imparting knowledge and teaching the path of cultivation.
As the world became more complete and vibrant, Hao, high above in the heavens, observed the changes on the earth. A sense of accomplishment welled up within him as he witnessed the flourishing of life. However, he was soon confronted with a sight that gave him pause—a beast preying on other creatures. He wanted to intervene but hesitated.
In that moment, he realized the profound principles and truths of the world, the essence of its operation. He silently observed, choosing not to interfere.
Soon after, powerful cultivators emerged, hunting beasts and consuming them for their cultivation. This practice accelerated their progress, enhancing their strength.
Predation became common in the world, as if each creature had its natural predator. Among them, humans stood out as the most intelligent and adept at cultivation and creation. Hao sensed something profound, as if he had grasped a new understanding, and he entered seclusion once more.
When he emerged from seclusion, he found that cultivators had grown stronger, and human tribes had multiplied. Eventually, conflicts and conquests arose among the human tribes, leading to the establishment of a nation.
Those who received Hao's teachings became his disciples and were among the founders of the human race. They were incredibly powerful and aspired to ascend to the heavens to pay homage to their master.
"This world is greater than me," Hao mused. "I shall name it Taihao."
Thus, the world received its name.
Time passed, and the world continued to flourish. Ascensions became more frequent, and powerful beings from various races ascended to the heavens. At some point, someone discovered the Primordial Tree and broke off a branch, crafting it into a divine weapon. This individual became the strongest under Hao, wreaking havoc across the lands.
Ambition grew, and more cultivators sought the Primordial Tree to create divine weapons. Initially, Hao did not intervene, as breaking off a few branches would not harm the tree.
After another period of seclusion, Hao was shocked to find that a third of the Primordial Tree's branches had been broken off. These cultivators, armed with weapons crafted from the tree's branches, were wreaking havoc and conquering others.
The first Great War of the Races erupted. The earth cracked, and the heavens trembled. Witnessing this chaos, Hao was stunned. Why had his creation become so tumultuous, filled with conquest and slaughter?
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, an urge to eradicate everything and return to the primordial void, leaving only himself in serene contemplation of the supreme mystery.
This impulse came and went quickly, and Hao sighed. He suppressed his disciples, imprisoning them and admonishing them to reflect on their mistakes.
He also tasked Chi with guarding the Primordial Tree, forbidding anyone from approaching or breaking its branches.
The first Great War of the Races concluded.
Once his disciples acknowledged their wrongdoings, Hao released them, instructing them to maintain order and clarity in the world. After his disciples departed, Hao carefully observed the world for an extended period, ensuring it would not descend into chaos again before preparing to seclude himself once more.
Before his seclusion, he reminded Chi to diligently guard the Primordial Tree and prevent anyone from breaking its branches. With this assurance, Hao entered seclusion with peace of mind.
Taihao entered a golden age of cultivation, and talented individuals from various races emerged. The old ancestors, warned by Hao, dared not act recklessly. However, conflicts of interest and existing tensions gradually intensified, leading to a major confrontation triggered by a minor feud between younger generations.
It began with the murder of a young prodigy, a favorite of one of the human ancestors. This individual, renowned for their talent, was expected to reach the level of the old ancestors. However, they were surrounded and killed by the celestial prodigies of three other races.
From the human perspective, these three races feared the strength of the human race and conspired to assassinate their celestial prodigy. The war erupted, and the humans launched a revenge campaign. Unable to withstand the onslaught, the three races sought alliances with other major races, claiming that the humans' dominance posed a threat to all.
Thus, the various races united to pressure the humans into a ceasefire. Reluctantly, the humans agreed to a temporary truce but were determined not to give up. They planned to secretly break off a branch of the Primordial Tree to forge a powerful weapon, subjugate the other races, and restore their dominance. However, Chi guarded the tree, and no one dared to challenge its formidable power.
The humans, however, spent over a thousand years persuading Chi, lulling it into complacency. They even bribed Chi with gifts, and the sentimental Chi, feeling indebted, allowed the humans to break off a branch, which they used to forge a divine weapon.
The war reignited, with the human race fighting against multiple races. They quickly subjugated smaller tribes, and within a millennium, they had annihilated two major races. Sensing the threat, the remaining major races also sought to break off branches from the Primordial Tree. Chi refused, and the ancestors of the races wept, claiming that Chi's mistake had led to this outcome. They argued that balance among the races must be maintained, or disaster would ensue, and Chi would be held accountable.
Reluctantly, Chi turned a blind eye, allowing the ancestors to break off branches. Thus, the true Great War erupted, with divine weapons clashing, shattering the earth and tearing the heavens. The entire world suffered devastating blows, and Hao was awakened from his seclusion.
Hao, deep in his contemplation of the Great Dao, was jolted awake by the fierce battle. Witnessing the devastation, he became enraged, and a malevolent aura surged within him. Once again, he felt that the world should not exist, and he desired solitude to contemplate the mysteries of the Great Dao in peace.
In his anger, Hao suppressed his disciples, subjecting them to severe punishment. He ensured they endured constant suffering, experiencing the despair and misery of the living, serving as a warning of the importance of maintaining world peace.
It took Hao a long time to restore the shattered world. Gazing at the broken branches of the Primordial Tree, he stood motionless for a while. Chi, like a child who had made a mistake, hung his head low.
Looking at Chi, the longest-serving companion and the first life he had created, Hao's anger subsided. He understood Chi's simple-mindedness and patiently taught him for some time.
As time passed, the shattered world flourished once more. Hao rejoiced in the prosperity of the world he had created, feeling a profound sense of accomplishment.
He visited his disciples, who, after a long period of suppression, had acknowledged their mistakes and learned their lesson. They knelt before him, sincerely apologizing and vowing to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of the Great Dao, seeking guidance from their master.
Hao was delighted and thus guided his disciples in their cultivation, imparting his insights into the Way of the Great Dao. The disciples bid farewell and returned to their respective races, truly no longer involving themselves in worldly affairs and wholeheartedly devoting themselves to comprehending the Great Dao.
Seeing this, Hao closed himself off once more, but with the lessons from his previous experience, he didn't stay in seclusion for long. He would awaken periodically to observe the world and check on his disciples' progress.
Each time he awoke, his disciples were diligently cultivating in seclusion, working hard.
(End of Chapter)
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