A journey of survival starting from Zhetian

Chapter 656 True Spirit Metamorphosis
Little Phoenix flapped its wings and landed on the ground. It activated its profound energy and transformed into a chubby-cheeked boy.

He placed the silkworm cocoon in his hand into his sea of ​​consciousness, looked at the stone steps in front of him that seemed to lead straight to the summit, stepped onto them, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. "How mysterious! A section of stone steps is like a completely different world. Stepping into this step is like leaving the nine heavens and ten earths."

Looking back, the lush and vibrant divine tree, the distant human city faintly visible in the distance, and the bustling world all seem to be beneath one's feet, while one is already on a cloud, stepping towards the other world and heading towards the other shore.

A hazy sense of transcendence from heaven and earth suddenly permeated the depths of his heart, as if a faint whisper was murmuring in his sea of ​​consciousness, seemingly inquiring about his "Tao" and "Dharma," knocking on the heart of Tao that had been condensed since the beginning of his cultivation.

When the God Emperor responded softly to the creaking sound, a semi-transparent silkworm re-formed on the platform. After stepping onto the second step, his mind was as if it had been cleansed, wiping away much of the dust, allowing him to see the more subtle appearances of all things.

A sudden realization dawned on the God Emperor: "I am still in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, but the laws manifested in the world are different. The laws below the Immortal Path have not changed much, but the laws at the Immortal Path level have undergone subtle changes and are deviating from the current era."

"This path is not only the stepping stone to the mountain peak, but also the stepping stone to the deepest part of my soul. To reach the highest point, one must overcome all obstacles and witness one's true self. This is a path of self-transcendence!"

As the thought arose, a faint pressure, accompanied by a new gurgling sound, echoed deep within the God Emperor's mind, continuing to question his "Tao" and "Dharma," as if he were to once again cross the sea of ​​suffering and be lost, or as if there were truly another "him" speaking out with incredibly sharp and profound doubts.

Looking up at the summit of Funiu Mountain once more, one sees countless reflections of the "true self," stretching along the stone steps, filling the path to the summit with figures, each one identical to the divine emperor himself.

"A single stone step represents a different world, and a different 'me.' Face 'me,' conquer 'me,' and ultimately prove 'me'?"

"This is essentially a method of cultivating one's 'true self,' focusing on comprehending the Great Dao of True Spirits. I have never seen any information about it in the [Spirit Realm], nor have I ever heard of any cultivators on this path. Is this the opportunity that the Taiyin Holy Emperor and the Taiyang Holy Emperor obtained in this great immortal Daoist arena?"

"No wonder they never passed down a single word. It turns out that this is a special path of cultivation that directly confronts one's 'true nature and self,' and each being will encounter something different."

The Divine Emperor glimpsed a wisp of the essence of this endless stone staircase, and the enlightenment that arose in his heart quietly transformed into a spark of inspiration. He naturally entered a state of sudden enlightenment, and his form moved with his spirit, stepping forward onto one higher stone staircase after another. On the platform, translucent silkworms sprouted again, bringing him closer and closer to his "true self".

The power of the true spirit began to awaken, and boundless, translucent starlight spread from then on, carrying layers of hazy illusions, constantly reflecting out from within the primordial spirit and in the consciousness, as if being lifted up by countless "selves," walking more and more lightly, step by step transcending the constraints brought by "Tao" and "Law," until touching the long river of time.

"call"

As time flows by, as a gentle breeze of time brushes past, as the brilliant light of the true spirit shines in all directions, as boundless spirituality surrounds the body, a power no less than that of an ordinary king-level being arises from the deepest part of the true spirit.

The God Emperor reached the summit of the mountain. On the steps he walked on, there were 108,600 hazy figures standing on them. Each one was him, yet none of them were him.

Before him stood an old man in a Tai Chi robe with his back to him, a young Taoist boy in blue robes gently waving a banana leaf fan, and a Bagua furnace with a blazing Samadhi Fire and wisps of blue-purple Qi rising from it.

An extremely harmonious atmosphere, accompanied by a faint fragrance of elixir, lingered throughout the mountaintop, gradually bewitching the Divine Emperor who was still in a state of enlightenment. But what followed was a glimpse of a boundless brilliance and terror that almost filled his mind.

A familiar rhythm suddenly arose within me, a prelude to an explosion.

A hint of instinctive resistance flashed in the God Emperor's pupils, but amidst the intense roar of inspiration, he was instantly overwhelmed by countless laws of the Great Dao. His body and mind almost merged into the world, as if he were one with this Dao realm, observing countless immortal laws that had not been concealed.

On the platform, 108,600 semi-transparent silkworms with independent thought processes also fell silent at this moment. They all merged into this Dao realm together with the God Emperor, subconsciously inducing the creation of this place and continuing to deduce the three immortal laws they had already mastered.

After countless years in a daze, the God Emperor regained some of his ability to think and began to slowly detach himself from the state of oneness with this Dao Realm.

He immediately examined his own condition, observed the translucent silkworms on the platform that were gradually becoming active and without any problems, and thoroughly checked his own internal universe.

The Divine Emperor muttered to himself, "I've achieved enlightenment again without the side effects of the inspiration explosion I had last time, nor have I experienced any mental breakdown. Is it because I'm on Mount Funiu, or because the Dao here is extremely harmonious and unified?"

"Or perhaps both?"

However, when he examined the Wheel of Life and saw the nearly 200,000 engravings on it, the God Emperor's expression changed drastically.

"Why is this happening? I've been trying to attain enlightenment for nearly two hundred thousand years!!"

"How can this be?!"

"It feels like it's only been less than a day, yet I'm already comprehending the Imperial Path Laws and the Immortal Path Laws?"

The Divine Emperor gazed at the vast life spring on the Sea of ​​Wheels, feeling the divine spring flowing from it, carrying the profound essence of Nirvana, and the bridge to the other shore that spanned the entire Sea of ​​Bitterness, carrying the aura of cause and effect and destiny, leading directly to the other shore. He gradually fell into deep thought.

He actually sensed traces of three extremely profound immortal laws—Nirvana, Destiny, and Cause and Effect—within his control in the part of his inner universe belonging to the Sea of ​​Wheels. Extending his divine sense slightly, he saw a very unique framework that made these three immortal laws the background of the Sea of ​​Wheels, making the entire inner universe more stable.

If I'm not mistaken, according to the information publicly released by many Immortal Kings in the [Spirit Realm], these are three Immortal Laws, which have reached the level of top-tier True Immortals and are qualified to become the "Law Pillars" of a normal universe.

"No. When did I realize that?"

"How come you have no memory of it at all?"

The God Emperor was stunned for a moment, and then he felt a cold spring pour down on him, making his whole body feel icy cold.

He rubbed his slightly chubby cheeks, and he was fully awake. Or rather, he was startled awake.

With a slight jolt, he looked around abruptly. Everywhere he looked, there were lush, verdant divine trees. In his field of vision came a large human city whose shape he could vaguely make out. Turning slowly, he saw a winding mountain path leading uphill, and beside the path stood a small, exquisite mountain monument.

The old man in a Tai Chi robe with his back to him, the young Taoist boy in green robes waving a banana leaf fan beside him, the Samadhi Fire burning fiercely, the Bagua Furnace emitting wisps of blue-purple Qi—the harmonious Taoist realm that resembled a Taoist diagram had all vanished completely, like a great dream, leaving only some subtle traces in memory, which were rapidly being forgotten.

"No, it can't be a dream. Even now, I can still clearly feel that sense of oneness with the Dao, that feeling of having everything under control, and that even the long river of time and the eternal history are within reach, something I can touch."

"At that time, I also climbed those stone steps and possessed a true spirit strength equivalent to that of an ordinary Immortal King."

Based on his own perception, the God Emperor truly mobilized a trace of King-level power from his True Spirit, manifesting it in his palm. Strands of dazzling King-level immortal power swirled around him, completely unafraid of the Dharma-ending environment of the universe and the erosion of immortal power.

However, quite abruptly, a peculiar sense of fatigue quietly welled up in my heart.

He suddenly realized that his throat was dry, his mental state had dropped to only one-tenth of its peak, and his blood and qi were almost exhausted. The internal universe, which was formed by the fusion of the five secret realms, was also faintly filled with a decaying aura.

He was old, and his imperial body, no longer at its peak, was completely unable to support the operation of the King Realm power, even though this King Realm power originated from his own true spirit and was not essentially on the material level. Unless he completely abandoned the path of immortality in the mortal world and went directly to the Mythical Battlefield, triggering a calamity in the rules of the heavens.

A hint of hesitation flashed in the God Emperor's eyes, his lips trembled, and he finally stopped thinking. The wisp of King-level power in his hand naturally collapsed.

After reaching the summit of Mount Funiu and seeing the old Taoist priest, the young Taoist, and the furnace, he couldn't remember anything about what happened or what opportunities he gained. He only had a few vague clues.

However, the God Emperor still remembered very well the stone steps that led straight to the mountain peak, the creation contained within those steps, the "me" that was manifested by overcoming the reflections of himself on those steps, and the power he gained when he finally reached the top.

The method of obtaining it is very simple, but it is also full of difficulties. You must be able to walk the entire stone steps, overcome one "self" after another, and finally witness your "true self" so as to sublimate yourself and possess this power.

It is a true spirit-type power that originates from the true spirit and can be compared with ordinary king-level beings. Relying on this power, it is no longer a problem to overcome the tribulations of the rules of the heavens and attain the Dao fruit of the Immortal King.

Now, all that's needed is to travel through time and space to the designated place of tribulation, and bring forth the tribulations of the heavens' rules. Unfortunately, the God Emperor does not want to give up the path to immortality in the mortal world; it is the "anchor point" to which his imperial laws are anchored, and also the adherence to his true heart.

"Legend has it that attaining the status of a mortal immortal adds a tiny, insignificant hope of becoming the supreme Dao Ancestor. Giving it up would be truly unbearable."

"I have less than ten years left to live. With my special life talent and the three supreme immortal laws I've mastered, I should still have time to deduce a way to live a third life, given the current situation. It's just that I haven't prepared all the resources needed for the transformation, so the time for Nirvana might be extremely long."

"In terms of resources, we need to ask the human emperor of the ancient star to lend a hand."

He straightened his clothes, sighed silently, and slowly walked towards the human city ahead.
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Funiu Mountain, at its summit.

As Xingwen gazed at the God Emperor leaving the sacred mountain and heading towards the human city, a trace of lingering shock remained in his eyes.

He murmured to himself, "This is definitely a supreme ruler second only to the pioneer of this era, that self-proclaimed Emperor, the Ten Fiend True Phoenix. It's truly unbelievable."

Xingwen slowly shifted his gaze to Laojun, who was calmly staring at the cauldron before him. He cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "Please enlighten me, Master, why is it that this Supreme Emperor has such a great chance of becoming the Supreme Dao Ancestor in the future? Two-thirds of all the possibilities that have manifested in the long river of time can successfully open up his own cultivation system?"

Lao Jun slowly formed a pill seal, gathering a bit of Samadhi True Fire to nourish the tens of thousands of King-level Great Pills within.

Then, he slightly raised his eyelids and said calmly, "Two-thirds of the possibilities that have manifested in the long river of time point to the Supreme Dao Ancestor. There is actually a reason for this."

"First of all, this emperor of the Divine Silkworm Clan is a very special race. He can live out his next life by constantly spinning cocoons and eventually ascend to immortality in the mortal world. However, he needs a lot of time, protection from external interference, and a bit of luck to follow the right path. Those who ascend to immortality in the mortal world are a thread of hope to attain the supreme Dao Ancestor."

"Secondly, this Divine Emperor, relying on his self-understanding and unwavering will, walked from the foot of the mountain to this place. His true spirit has been sublimated and transformed, and his essence is no different from that of a Celestial King. This adds another glimmer of hope for him to attain the supreme Dao Ancestor."

"Thirdly, as long as we don't make any mistakes, the possibility of seizing the Heavenly Heart and obtaining a wisp of the Dao Ancestor's destiny is extremely high."

"Only when the three are combined can such supreme creation occur."

Upon hearing this, Xingwen's expression stiffened, and the slight envy that had risen in her heart quietly dissipated.

Relying on the development of the times, living in the Dharma-ending Age, he believed that he could easily live nine lifetimes in reverse and become a mortal immortal.

He had absolutely no confidence that he could reach the summit of Mount Funiu with less than four lifetimes of cultivation, and ultimately witness his "true self" and the sublimation of his true spirit.

Finally, obtaining the Heavenly Imprint, gaining the recognition of the era, and acquiring a wisp of the Dao Ancestor's destiny are all too mystical and unpredictable. In all the myriad realms, only the Heavenly Emperor serves as a single example for reference; it's impossible to discern what level of achievement is required to gain the era's approval.

Moreover, as long as he stays by the master's side for a long enough time and observes enough Dao essence, there is still a sliver of hope for him to attain the supreme Dao ancestor status.

(End of this chapter)