Chapter 682: The City of Formless
Chapter 682: The City of Formless
Chen Mu, a member of the Void Lineage's Ninth Heaven, stealthily concealed himself, instantly vanishing without a trace. The countless Divine Lords gathered outside the Gate of Infinite Truths also couldn't find any sign of him.
Those assembled outside the Gate of Infinite Truths were all from the Ninth Heaven, but they were mostly those who hadn't reached the Single Pulse Round, the lower levels within the Ninth Heaven. They struggled to gain acceptance from major powers and lacked the ability to survive for long within the Origin Domain. After consuming three chances to enter the Origin Domain, they could only watch from outside the Gate of Infinite Truths.
While seeking opportunities, they continued their pursuit of the Supreme Way, hoping to break through to the Single Pulse Round as soon as possible.
Generally speaking,
Achieving the Single Pulse Round meant having the foundation to stay in the Origin Domain for an extended period.
Even though those who reached the Single Pulse Round still struggled to join some major powers, they could find others of the same level to join forces. In this situation, they had some competitive edge within the Origin Domain and could often seize a small amount of Primordial Energy, ensuring their prolonged stay.
Chen Mu was well aware of these circumstances, mainly from his conversations with the Tianji Dominus.
The Tianji Dominus had entered the Origin Domain once and was very familiar with its situation. After suffering a setback, he realized that his strength was still insufficient to stay in the Origin Domain for long. Continuing to enter would only waste opportunities, so he returned to the Tianji Void and started collecting resources and seeking opportunities to reach the Single Pulse Round.
However, things didn't go as planned. The signs of the Cosmic Calamity had already appeared, and he was still a bit short of the Single Pulse Round. At this point, he had no time for hesitation, so he left the Tianji Void and headed towards the Origin Domain, hoping to achieve the Single Pulse Round in the following two chances and then gain the opportunity to stay in the Origin Domain for a long time, thus envisioning the path to becoming a Sovereign.
In the eyes of the Tianji Dominus, these matters shouldn't be secrets for Chen Mu, a reincarnated Ninth Heaven. Therefore, during their conversation, he didn't intentionally hide anything and even proactively showed goodwill towards Chen Mu.
Chen Mu understood the Tianji Dominus's goodwill but still wouldn't join hands with him to enter the Origin Domain. After all, his current strength had already reached the level of the Single Pulse Grand Round, almost qualifying him to survive alone within the Origin Domain. The Tianji Dominus hadn't even reached the Single Pulse Round, making him entirely unsuitable to partner with.
Of course,
Chen Mu had learned a lot of information from the Tianji Dominus, which was a kind of harvest. If he could obtain a large amount of Primordial Energy in the future and happen to meet the Tianji Dominus, he wouldn't mind repaying him a little.
Chen Mu quietly moved forward, passing by numerous Ninth Heaven Divine Lords and then reaching the front of the Gate of Infinite Truths. He took a step forward, and his entire body instantly crossed the Gate, disappearing without a trace.
Swish!
When he crossed the Gate of Infinite Truths, his figure hidden in the void also appeared for a moment, but it vanished without a trace the next instant.
"Who entered?"
"Hmm? Is it the Void Lineage?"
"What a profound method... The Void Lineage has extraordinary prospects within the Origin Domain."
There were also many Ninth Heaven Divine Lords gathered near the Gate of Infinite Truths, and some of them noticed the movement immediately. They looked over but were blocked by the power of the Gate of Infinite Truths, unable to see Chen Mu's figure. They could only tell that someone had entered.
In this situation, many people immediately recognized that it should be the Void Lineage's concealment method, allowing them to approach the Gate of Infinite Truths quietly and then enter directly.
Among the three lineages of the Origin Supreme Way, although their strengths were on par within the same level, and each had its strengths, the most ordinary in the Origin Domain were the numerous Zao-hua Dao's Single Pulse Round Divine Lords. The Void Lineage and the Dao of Time's Single Pulse Round Divine Lords were more welcomed.
For example, a Single Pulse Round Divine Lord of the Zao-hua Dao could only be said to have the initial qualifications to survive within the Origin Domain. They could either join forces with others of the same level or join small powers. It was often challenging for them to join a major power.
As for the Single Pulse Round Divine Lords of the Void Lineage, they wouldn't be rejected by any power they wanted to join.
As for the Dao of Time, it was even more unnecessary to say. If they reached the Single Pulse Round, various powers would actively invite them.
...
Chen Mu opened his eyes.
The first thing that caught his attention was a wide street over a hundred steps wide, with green stone slabs extending like a chessboard. On both sides, the heavy eaves and arches were continuous like waves, and between the streets, peddlers rang their copper bells, selling candied fruits, clay figurines, and bamboo crafts in their baskets. In the teahouses on both sides, a storyteller's wooden clapper drew applause.
Chen Mu looked at this mundane scene before him but didn't show too much surprise.
"The Origin Domain, the Initial Origin Domain, is full of mysteries and ever-changing."
"So this is the 'Ancient City'?"
The Source Realm was an extremely special secret realm, and no one knew what the entire Source Realm looked like. Each time one entered, they would find themselves in a different region.
And the scene that appeared before Chen Mu was this common ancient city.
At a glance, the city was vast and expansive, stretching for thousands of miles. Countless creatures lived within, but they were mostly ordinary mortals. It seemed like an illusion created by the interweaving of the power of the Great Dao within the Source Realm. But upon closer inspection, they were all genuinely existing.
In reality, to say it was real was wrong, and to say it was an illusion was also incorrect. Within the Source Realm, everything seemed real yet unreal, and unreal yet real. Almost nothing could be taken out from here, and the only truly substantial thing was the Primordial Energy.
"So this is Primordial Energy?"
Chen Mu focused his gaze on himself, sensing that his body was enveloped by a faint light, invisible to the naked eye, but he could vaguely perceive it.
This light isolated him from direct contact with this realm. It was the first strand of Primordial Energy granted to him by the Great Dao when he first entered the Source Realm, allowing him to stay here for an entire epoch.
Chen Mu continued to examine himself.
He soon discovered that his body had also undergone a transformation. His robe had changed into a simple cloth garment, and his divine and majestic face had become ordinary, indistinguishable from the mortals in this ancient city.
"Forcing myself to blend into this ancient city, what kind of method is this, an illusion like a dream?"
Chen Mu's expression showed a hint of contemplation.
At this moment, he was originally a Form of Nothingness, but now he was forcibly frozen and transformed into a physical body with flesh and blood. However, he had not lost his power and could still feel the surging might of the Ninth Heaven.
This was a state that he found somewhat difficult to comprehend. Possessing the might of a divine being while having a body no different from ordinary mortals created a contradictory form, making it feel unreal. It was as if his body was entirely illusory, like a special secret realm similar to the Fu Meng Jing, where illusions were created.
But Chen Mu was also clear that within the Source Realm, everything seemed real yet unreal, and unreal yet real. To say it was an illusion would be wrong, and to say it was real would also be incorrect. Therefore, it could not be spoken of, expressed, understood, or comprehended.
At least for the Ninth Heaven Shenjing, the Source Realm was like this. As for those who had attained the status of Da Dao Dominus, whether they could glimpse a more fundamental origin within the Source Realm was beyond Chen Mu's knowledge.
"The power hasn't weakened at all, but the space within this ancient city..."
Chen Mu stared at the wide street ahead, sensing the structure of the void in this realm. After muttering to himself, he raised his right hand and casually drew a diagonal line in the rules of this realm.
It seemed like a casual gesture, but he had actually manipulated the power of the Void Dao, and at the same time, the power of the Ninth Heaven contained within his body erupted. Normally, such a release of power would be enough to tear apart billions of miles of the void in an instant.
However, at this moment, Chen Mu's hand gesture only managed to tear a three-zhang-long rift in the void ahead.
It wasn't that his power had weakened, but rather the stability of the void within the Source Realm was almost unimaginable. It was even more stable than the Endless Abyss, making his full-force strike only capable of tearing a three-zhang rift in the void.
Chen Mu then tested the rest of his abilities. The most basic Void Dao Teleportation, which could originally cover vast distances in a single jump, now only allowed him to move about ten zhang in this realm.
"Indeed, it seems real yet unreal, and ordinary yet extraordinary."
After briefly testing his abilities, Chen Mu looked towards the distant alleys where ordinary mortals were walking. His eyes revealed a profound gaze.
The terrifying void suppression here was so powerful that not only would mortals with flesh and blood be unable to withstand it, but even a Sixth Heaven True God would likely have their divine bodies directly crushed, unable to bear it. Even a Seventh Heaven Shenjun might find it extremely challenging!
Therefore, everything here was indeed an illusion.
The mortals walking on the streets, the vendors shouting along the road, all seemed like ordinary flesh-and-blood mortals. To be able to survive normally in such an environment was already extraordinary.
Just as Chen Mu narrowed his eyes, intending to continue observing this ancient city, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Hey there, brother, are you from outside?"
Chen Mu turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a green robe, smiling at him.
The middle-aged man noticed Chen Mu's wary gaze and smiled, waving his hand to reassure him. "This is the City of Wu Xiang. I'm Ji Chang'an, and I run a shop in this city. I've always enjoyed making friends with all kinds of heroes. Since you've just arrived in this city, if you have nowhere to go, why not come and take a look at my place?"
"Hmm, I'm sure you know nothing about this Wu Xiang City. Let me introduce it to you, brother."
Ji Chang'an spoke, waiting for Chen Mu's response.
Chen Mu carefully observed Ji Chang'an, and a thought flashed through his mind. He said, "I am Chen Mu, and your eyes are truly extraordinary, Brother Ji. I am indeed a newcomer to this city, and I am unfamiliar with the local customs and rules. Please enlighten me, Brother Ji."
He didn't know the origins of Ji Chang'an before him, and from his appearance, he couldn't tell if he was a native of Wu Xiang City or, like himself, a Ninth Heaven Divine Lord who had entered this place from the outside world. In any case, it was indeed crucial for him to quickly understand Wu Xiang City, regardless of whether Ji Chang'an's approach had any hidden intentions. Understanding the situation in Wu Xiang City wouldn't be a bad thing.
Seeing Chen Mu's willingness, Ji Chang'an laughed and said with a bow, "Good, please, Brother Chen."
"Please, Brother Ji."
...
A moment later.
In a spacious tea room, Chen Mu and Ji Chang'an sat facing each other. On a darkly-stained ancient tea table, two teacups were placed, the tea within already drained. Chen Mu sat there, deep in thought.
From their brief conversation, he had already grasped the general situation of Wu Xiang City.
Firstly, Wu Xiang City was vast, with mountains to the north and three winding rivers to the east, south, and west, extending to unknown distant ends.
Within Wu Xiang City, there were many outsiders like him. As an outsider, the first requirement upon arrival was to find a place to stay. Without a residence, one would be expelled from the city by the guards.
The city was extremely safe, with no dangers, and private duels were strictly forbidden. The lord of Wu Xiang City was of unknown origins, but from Ji Chang'an's description, he seemed to be an invincible existence in Wu Xiang City, and no one dared to defy him.
Outside the city, it was a different story.
Whether it was the Wu Xiang Mountains to the north or the three Wu Xiang Rivers to the east, south, and west, they were all extremely dangerous. Both the mountains and rivers were home to exotic beasts, and even the weakest of these beasts would be difficult for thirty to fifty commoners to handle together.
Often, only specialized hunting teams could deal with these beasts.
These exotic beasts were invaluable, and hunting one could bring a large amount of 'source stones' in the city. According to Chen Mu's understanding, these source stones were the currency of Wu Xiang City, and their essence was quite unique, allowing for the extraction of primordial energy!
Clearly,
The survival rules of Wu Xiang City were now apparent.
One could either join a hunting team, hunt exotic beasts together, and then trade the source stones in the city, refining primordial energy from them to stay in Wu Xiang City long-term.
Or one could act alone, not hunting the exotic beasts but instead seeking valuable exotic flowers and grasses, which could also be traded for source stones. However, acting alone was often dangerous, and one needed sufficient strength to protect themselves from the exotic beasts.
Ji Chang'an owned a shop that bought and sold exotic beasts, flowers, and grasses.
At the same time,
He also knew some hunting teams and was willing to introduce them to Chen Mu. Of course, in return, he asked for Chen Mu's future harvests of exotic beasts, flowers, and grasses to be traded through him.
After their conversation, Chen Mu had a general idea. Ji Chang'an should be a native lifeform of Wu Xiang City, but what was unusual was that Ji Chang'an seemed extremely familiar with them, outsiders from the cosmos!
During their conversation, Chen Mu felt that Ji Chang'an's attitude toward him was remarkably consistent with his own thoughts. It seemed that these native lifeforms of the city believed that they, the outsiders from the cosmos, were the true 'natives,' and that everything within Wu Xiang City was the only reality, while everything outside was illusory.
They, the lifeforms from the cosmos, had a chance to escape the illusory and grasp reality by entering Wu Xiang City. However, most lifeforms from the cosmos couldn't seize this opportunity and would soon return to the illusory.
This situation, where reality and illusion were indistinguishable, left Chen Mu feeling a sense of wonder.
But he was a Ninth Heaven Perfection Divine Lord, having risen from humble beginnings to his current state. His determination had always been unwavering, and this situation of blurred reality and illusion didn't affect his mental state in the slightest.
Illusory or real, what did it matter?
Becoming a Supreme Lord, that was the only truth. At that time, whether it was illusion or reality, it wouldn't matter, for merging with the Supreme Way, one would transcend Wu Xiang City, the vast cosmos, and the cage, attaining true freedom.
(End of Chapter)
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