https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-728-Grasping-the-Essence-of-Time-/13357104/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-730-The-Fifth-Highest-Supreme-of-the-Universe/13357108/
Chapter 729: The Final Path to Transcendence
Chapter 729: The Final Path to Transcendence
"Seasons."
The Wu Tian Sovereign gazed at the Eternal Path Dao Artifact floating in the air, muttering to himself. The light of the seasons reflected in his eyes as he casually waved his right hand, and a stream of temporal power flowed from his fingertips, but it soon showed signs of instability and then burst into fragments.
This sudden change brought the Wu Tian Sovereign back to his senses.
He turned around and saw that the SHOU Shen Zun Zhe, Canyang Sovereign, and others were also trying to deduce the secrets of the Eternal Path, each making their own attempts, though they were all only scratching the surface.
He then looked at Chen Mu, who was also deeply engrossed. A faint glow of the seasons flowed around him, intertwining with the Age Artifact in front of him. It seemed to draw some power from the Eternal Path, but it quickly dissipated.
"Seems like Brother Chen has gained quite a bit."
The Wu Tian Sovereign smiled at Chen Mu.
Chen Mu came back to his senses, the temporal light around him fading. He responded with a calm demeanor, "Indeed, I have gained some insights. The Eternal Path is profound and unfathomable, difficult to grasp."
Canyang Sovereign chimed in, sighing, "I also have some insights, but the Eternal Path is truly obscure and hard to understand. To fully comprehend it is still a long way off. The Konghuang DAO is more practical and easier to approach."
"Brother Chen's mastery of the Konghuang DAO is remarkable and impressive. Without Brother Chen, we might not have been able to seize this Dao Artifact. Once this matter is settled, I would like to discuss the Dao with Brother Chen to further my understanding."
The attitude of the group towards Chen Mu had changed somewhat. On one hand, as the Konghuang Sovereign, Chen Mu held the Konghuang lineage, and discussing the Dao with him would greatly benefit their understanding of the Konghuang DAO. On the other hand, Chen Mu's skills during the exploration of the Source Sea were indeed extraordinary, and several successful acquisitions of artifacts were due to his Konghuang abilities.
"Alright, everyone, the Source Sea won't last long. Let's not waste time."
The SHOU Shen Zun Zhe reminded them.
The appearance of the Source Sea was a special state between Universal Extinction and Universal Creation, a fleeting moment. They could all sense that the PRIMORDIAL CHAOS FORCE within the Source Sea was gradually dissipating.
Judging by their feelings, more than half of the Source Sea's existence had already passed.
"Indeed, the PRIMORDIAL CHAOS FORCE is fading. We must continue our exploration as soon as possible."
The Wu Tian Sovereign also spoke.
With a calm expression, Chen Mu waved his sleeve and put away the Age Artifact.
The group exchanged brief glances and then followed the Wu Tian Sovereign, choosing a direction and moving forward again.
...
As the Wu Tian Sovereign and his group continued their journey, Chen Mu followed them, his eyes reflecting a special interface.
【Zaoxia DAO: Mastered】
【Konghuang DAO: Mastered】
【Eternal Path: Mastered】
Staring at the changes on the system interface, Chen Mu fell into deep thought.
After thoroughly understanding the Eternal Path and subtly connecting his will floating on the Source River with the Eternal Path, he summoned the system panel again, only to find that it had changed.
At that moment, he was studying the transformed system panel.
On the system panel, all the chaotic information about martial cultivation, divine body cultivation, divine method cultivation, and the esoteric cultivation of Dao branches had disappeared. The only remaining information was that he had mastered the Zaoxia DAO, Konghuang DAO, and Eternal Path.
Apart from that, Chen Mu saw no other data, nor any clear path to transcendence.
However,
Above the three pieces of information, each was connected by a thread that converged at the highest point, merging into a single point. This image made Chen Mu think deeply, giving him a vague sense of understanding, but when he tried to grasp it, he found it elusive.
"Having mastered all three Daos, the system panel indeed no longer provides a module to integrate them. Although it is a Transcendence Relic, it cannot directly help one cross into the realm of transcendence, which is understandable."
"However, as a Transcendence Relic, it contains the ultimate secrets from the Great Way Sovereign to transcending the sea of suffering."
"The fundamental secret must lie within this image."
Chen Mu muttered to himself.
He had risen from obscurity, starting with the most ordinary knife technique. Back then, every step forward was guided by the system panel, which provided a clear path, allowing him to continuously progress through forced advancement.
As he ascended to the Divine Realm and began to comprehend the essence of the Great Way, the system panel's effect shifted from forced elevation to clear guidance. Instead of forcibly boosting his realm, it now revealed the fundamental principles of the Great Way, allowing him to understand them on his own.
Now, he had finally reached the last step. He had thoroughly comprehended three Great Ways, but as he faced the final step of transcendence, the system panel no longer provided clear guidance. All that remained was a simple yet seemingly all-encompassing diagram.
Three threads extended upward along the three Great Ways, ultimately converging at a point of nothingness. Even a three-year-old child could draw this diagram with a stick, seemingly devoid of any profound meaning. However, upon closer inspection, it seemed to contain countless principles, yet the specifics remained elusive.
"Three parts return to the void?"
"One origin generates all, and three generate everything?"
Chen Mu's mind flashed with numerous thoughts.
Standing at his current realm, he was already close to the peak that a Great Way Sovereign could achieve. Taking one more step forward would be like the Yuan Shi Lord of the Chronicle Sanctuary, who had initially fused three Primordial Great Ways, or at least two of them.
However, upon seeing the simple yet profound diagram presented by the system panel, he felt that perhaps the top-tier Great Way Sovereigns like the Yuan Shi Lord and the Space-Time Island Lord had taken the wrong path. Although Chen Mu himself could not yet grasp the key insight or clearly define the true path to transcendence, he sensed that they might have erred.
"It seems this won't be achieved in a short time."
"No, that's not entirely accurate. This final step of transcendence is different from comprehending the Great Way. It no longer requires accumulation or a gradual buildup."
"Those who have achieved the rank of Great Way Sovereign, mastering three Great Ways, have already reached the pinnacle of the universe's foundation, with no further room for advancement. Therefore, the crucial step is to understand that one key point."
Chen Mu stared at the diagram displayed by the system panel, his insights growing deeper.
Although he could not directly find the path to transcendence through this diagram, it provided him with numerous hints, allowing him to discern what was the wrong path and what the correct path might look like.
The system panel was a Transcendence Relic, and the guidance it provided for transcendence was undoubtedly the most accurate.
This final step required enlightenment. Once enlightened, once understood, one would instantly transcend, reaching the other shore, breaking the supreme rules, and surpassing the Great Way.
Without enlightenment, one would remain trapped at the level of a Great Way Sovereign, whether by fusing two Great Ways, initially fusing three, or mastering the fusion of all three in pairs.
No matter the extent of their achievements, without true enlightenment, the distance to transcendence would remain the same.
"Since I understand, there's no need to be confined."
The more Chen Mu understood, the more at ease and relaxed he became. He even quietly put away the system panel's diagram, no longer fixating on its guidance.
Knowing the correct path to transcendence was not through arduous cultivation or accumulation but a natural realm elevation, there was no need to impose undue pressure on himself to force the process.
Perhaps,
What he needed was to witness the creation of the universe, the birth of all things, and let everything unfold naturally.
Even now, Chen Mu clearly understood why the Yuan Shi Lord and others had taken the wrong path and where their mistakes lay—transcendence is about surpassing and breaking free.
The more one forces transcendence, the further one moves from it!
One must ask,
Having comprehended creation, the void, and the passage of time, with everything in the vast universe within reach, to continue forward and desire more is to stray from the path.
At this point, having exhausted all that is, to transcend means returning to the state of nothingness.
In learning, one gains more each day; in the Great Way, one loses more each day. Lose and lose until one reaches a state of non-action!
When everything becomes empty, neither existing nor non-existent, neither thought nor non-thought, one naturally knows all and possesses all.
However,
Understanding this is easy, but achieving it is difficult. Even as a Great Way Sovereign, transcending the universe, truly reaching a state of no thought and no desire, neither existing nor non-existent, is not a simple task.
Just as the most insignificant mortals, who possess very little, can easily let go of everything they have, and upon their death, their body and soul return to the heavens and the Way.
However, at the level of a Great Way Sovereign, having exhausted all the possibilities of the universe and all the changes of creation, they possess everything, and it becomes exceedingly difficult to let it all go. This letting go is not about abandoning one's own power but about achieving a state where all phenomena return to emptiness at the level of one's realm.
The three great Ways are inherently one, and there is no need to fuse them, as they are already fused. Only because of the interference of one's own will and the impurity of human thoughts, they cannot be integrated. Only by quietly withdrawing oneself from this state, achieving a state where one thought exists, another does not, one thought arises, and another empties, can the three great Ways naturally merge and return to one. Relying on this, one can take a step toward transcendence.
"Natural, natural, everything must be natural..."
Chen Mu did not know how to achieve emptiness, but he knew that the closer one is to nature, the closer one is to nothingness. This closeness to nature is not about leaving the universe or distancing oneself from the world, but about integrating into it, becoming a part of it, gradually aligning with the essence of the Way, which operates without thought, and gradually approaching nothingness.
Chen Mu also thought about those Sovereigns who, unable to progress on the path of the Way, were ultimately completely eroded by it, and he felt a moment of reflection.
Fusing with the Way and becoming a Great Way Sovereign is an irreversible process, a process of approaching the Way. The more they resist the essence of the Way, the more they want to maintain their own will, the further they are from the Way and from transcendence. Thus, they naturally cannot transcend.
Of course,
Though it is said this way,
How many of those who have climbed to the position of Great Way Sovereign can truly abandon their own will? Chen Mu did not believe that throughout history, countless Great Way Sovereigns and brilliant individuals had never thought of this answer, never envisioned this path. Someone must have thought of it, but no one dared to walk it.
After comprehending the three fundamental Ways, to stop advancing and synchronize naturally with the Way—it sounds simple, but if this choice is wrong, if this answer is incorrect, then after ten cycles of the universe, one's own will would be completely eradicated by the Way, and one would be completely destroyed.
Walking on this path, any doubt or hesitation would lead to failure.
Chen Mu, now able to glimpse the essence of the system panel, could see the patterns presented by the system panel, which were the roots of the system itself. Therefore, he could believe that this path was the correct path to transcendence.
...
In the Source Sea,
Chen Mu continued to explore the Source Sea with Wu Tian Sovereign and others, seeking opportunities and resources.
Everything was as usual, but Chen Mu's understanding of the path to transcendence became clearer and more definite, making his interest in the competition for artifacts increasingly indifferent.
Initially, he had wanted to compete for various artifacts, especially those extremely rare Primordial Chaos Artifacts, which contained the power of multiple Ways fused together, hoping to glimpse the secrets of transcendence. But now, he understood that these Primordial Chaos Artifacts did not contain the essence of transcendence. Using them as a foundation to forcefully fuse a small amount of the profound mysteries of the Way to enhance one's power would not bring one closer to transcendence; in some ways, it would even push one further away.
"Good as water, without contention or desire, everything should follow its natural course."
Chen Mu murmured to himself.
...
In a strange abyss within the Source Sea.
Boom!!!
Led by Wu Tian Sovereign, the Beast God Sovereign, and others, they engaged in a fierce battle. Chen Mu, with a calm and composed expression, casually slashed with his palm, engaging a Creation Sovereign.
In the entire abyss, over a hundred Great Way Sovereigns were battling around a central volcano that emitted intense light. The surging Primordial Chaos Force within the volcano was continuously brewing, clearly nurturing an artifact, and it was at least at the level of a Great Way Artifact, possibly even reaching the level of a Primordial Chaos Artifact!
Therefore, a large number of Great Way Sovereigns gathered here, over a hundred in total. They included not only teams like Wu Tian Sovereign's but also many ancient Sovereigns from previous cycles of the universe, even from cycles before that.
Some powerful Sovereigns, who wielded the three great Ways and held Ultimate Divine Treasures, could freely move in and out of the battlefield with their own strength. They could face a team of seven or eight Great Way Sovereigns, like Wu Tian Sovereign's team, and still maneuver with ease.
The situation was chaotic.
(End of Chapter)
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