A journey of survival starting from Zhetian

Chapter 711 Always Just One Step Away

Under the influence of the death of a being from the other side and the blessing of the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation], the true meaning of the final tribulation of "One World" gradually evolved in Xiong Mo's eyes.

Countless "laws" and "principles" are like a landscape painting stained by time, starting from the smallest details, moving from order to disorder, from "existence" to "non-existence".

The five elements of heaven and earth are merging into one, the four symbols supporting the sky are gathering together, the three powers flowing through the heavens are no longer distinct, the two polarities of heaven and earth are in conflict, yin and yang, purity and turbidity are indistinguishable, all things are transformed into chaos and gathered into one.

Xiong Mo's wisp of consciousness materialized, and a look of enlightenment appeared in his eyes. He slowly raised his hand and pulled out an image of "Return to Nothingness," which materialized in his palm.

In an instant, a colorless, endlessly circulating wheel was constructed, collapsing matter and energy, curling up billions of laws, and destroying the Great Dao of the Heavens, seemingly about to drag everything into absolute "nothingness".

The power of the sea of ​​suffering surged, and a phantom path carrying the true meanings of end, destruction, collapse, and annihilation slowly rose and rapidly grew until it reflected the dream path and surrounded him. This was the path of ending, his own final tribulation.

[Underlying rules and logic analysis in progress.]

[The current limit has been reached; analysis has terminated.]

【the way:
Dreamlike (Illusory Dao Fruit, Other Shore)

Opening up (the illusory path to enlightenment, the other shore).
The End (Illusory Dao Fruit - Nearly Half-Formed, Perfect Creation+)

A perfectly round, dreamlike auspicious cloud slowly rose above Xiong Mo's head. It seemed infinitely large, yet also infinitely small, forming a special cycle that was not yet perfect. It subtly pointed to something that transcended the Five Elements and was not within the realm of Heaven and Earth, carrying a faint sense of transcendence and mystery.

Above it, a dark lotus flower, its shape blending all the colors of heaven and earth, sways gently, rooted in the beginning of heaven and earth, giving rise to rays of pure immortal light, containing countless methods of creating the heavens and encompassing countless secrets of opening the earth, pointing to the origin of all things, and forming a phantom Dao fruit of the path of creation in the heart of the lotus.

Beside the dark lotus, a pure white lotus, imbued with a touch of celestial light, grows, rooted at the end of all things, swaying its tender petals, reflecting a void that can accommodate endless living beings, boundless heaven and earth, and infinite "laws" and "principles," and from this lotus heart, a nearly half-formed illusory Dao fruit of the Dao of the End is conceived.

He sighed softly, "The Path of Dreams fits the environment of the current era. With the cultivation of perfect creation, it is not too difficult to cultivate the illusory Dao Fruit of the other shore ahead of time."

"The path to enlightenment is not too difficult, as there is a wisp of illusory Dao fruit transformed from the cause and effect of creation."

"The Path to Termination was just a little short of the Illusory Dao Fruit, and it still is just a little short."

Xiong Mo shook his head, thinking to himself, "I never imagined that even with the Dao of Sacrifice level, in such a special environment as the 'One World,' it would be so difficult to cultivate the illusory Dao Fruit of the Dao of Ending."

"If one only possesses the insights of the Immortal Emperor at the end of the road, then one should return with one's true self and attempt to attain the other shore. Fortunately, one had the foresight to take a safe approach."

"To deduce the illusory Dao Fruit of the Ending Path, we still need external assistance."

Xiong Mo slightly shifted his gaze, turning his eyes to the Tai Chi Golden Bridge that still spans the current era.

Without hesitation, he activated the power of the sacrificial ceremony, breaking through layers of chaos. His two illusory Dao fruits blossomed with various dazzling "laws" and "principles," evolving into a series of steps. This allowed his consciousness to calmly step onto the Taiji Golden Bridge and, with its power, head towards the end of this era.

The sound of flowing water rises, and the illusory future unfolds around you. The further you go, the faster time flows, and the stronger the sense of falsehood and illusion becomes. At the same time, all things come to an end, heaven and earth return to oneness, and the special Daoist charm of the chaotic myriad paths becomes more and more intense.

The ultimate truths of heaven and earth, both illusory and clear, are presented before our eyes. As they continuously crumble, they gradually mix together, transforming into a strange white, an absolute "nothingness".

The [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation] in his palm hummed softly. The four ancient longswords and the grand formation diagram evolved spontaneously, revealing the "end of all things" more clearly, and explaining the detailed process of change, the internal operating principles and logic again and again.

Until Xiong Mo reached the end of the Taiji Golden Bridge and saw the place where the Wood Emperor had completely disappeared, the impending apocalypse of heaven and earth was just around the corner.

Suddenly, the sword chant of the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation] reached its peak, transforming into strands of brilliant Dao sounds that resonated with "nothingness" and did not exist in this world.

The contents of the scriptures "Lingbao Dao Jing", "Zhu Xian Jian Zhen", and "Zu Zi Mi" rolled out in the [Gray Mist Space]. Every Dao character and every sentence had a new interpretation and a new definition before the true end of the world.

At this moment, all the concepts and logic of the three scriptures overlapped. They existed simultaneously, but lost their sequential relationship. Yet they were closely connected, forming a special "starting point" that had an incomparably strong, extremely similar, yet distinct Dao essence to the illusory Dao fruit of the Path of Opening.

This seems to be something I've never seen or noticed before.

The moment this thought crossed Xiong Mo's mind, he immediately dismissed it, muttering to himself, "No, I can't say I haven't seen it before; I just haven't experienced such a profound and pure ending."

"The end and the beginning are one and the same. The most essential source of this is the Lingbao Dao, which originated from the 'first separation of chaos and the beginning of Yin and Yang.' This is the true meaning that Senior Brother Lingbao explained to me at the very beginning, within the forbidden area of ​​the Dongxuan Sect."

In contrast to the end of the era, countless "laws" and "principles" evolved within the [Gray Fog Space]. The Path of Ending, woven together by them, was rising and beginning to break through the final barrier, bringing the illusory Dao Fruit infinitely closer to taking shape.

Xiong Mo's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile.

Soon, he will possess three illusory Dao Fruits, and the path to enlightenment will not be far off.

[Underlying rules and logic analysis in progress.]

[Path: End (Illusory Dao Fruit - Infinitely Approaching Formation, Creation Perfection+)]

[The end of the era has been predetermined, and this is considered the final outcome; the process of working backwards to determine "the end of all things" is underway.]

[Result error, reverse calculation begins for the 2rd time.]

[Result error, reverse calculation begins for the 3rd time.]

【.】

[Result error, reverse calculation begins for the 1004837653rd time.]

【.】

Xiong Mo's smile froze.

After going back more than a billion times, I haven't found a single correct illusory Dao fruit that leads to the end. Why is it so difficult?
He was at the Sacrifice Dao Realm, and during his transmigration, he absorbed fragments of the true "Dao," further enhancing his comprehension. Coupled with the influence of a fallen being from the Other Shore, and finally aided by the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation], comprehending the illusory Dao Fruit, which is similar to the Immortal Emperor's method, shouldn't be that difficult.

It’s so outrageous that his mother opened the door for outrageousness, it’s so outrageous!
A resolute glint flashed in Xiong Mo's eyes. The characteristics of an indescribable and unknowable realm surrounded him, making his sense of transcendence even more ethereal. In the next moment, he stepped from the Taiji Golden Bridge into the final calamity of the era, comprehending the absolute "nothingness" through personal experience.

I refuse to believe it.
-
[Nanshan], inside a small Taoist temple. Xiong Mo, his face dark, reached out and formed the "Character Combination Secret," circulating the power of the sacrificial ritual to summon the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation] from the future end of an era.

[Result error, reverse calculation 977741837639th iteration completed]

"Over nine hundred billion attempts, nearly a trillion. All of them failed. This is definitely not a problem with my comprehension!"

"So, where did things go wrong again?"

Xiong Mo frowned. The problem he was facing was very similar to the cycle in which he was unable to maintain balance in the [Gray Fog Space].

They all know the desired outcome, and there are even examples right in front of them, but no matter what, they can't perfect the details within the "framework".

"Is it because the environment of this era is special, only allowing illusory Dao Fruits of the final stage to appear at this point in time, when we are about to face the final tribulation?"

"Or do I need to cultivate according to some kind of 'logic' or 'sequence' in order to finally attain the ultimate fruit of enlightenment I need?"

If it's the first scenario, there's not much of a problem. Just sit quietly in Nanshan and wait for the opportunity to arrive in the future. With your current accumulation of "law" and "reason", you can achieve the illusory Dao fruit of the final path. It's something that anyone can do.

But if it's the second one, then there's a lot of trouble. Right now, he has absolutely no idea what this so-called "logic" is.

Perhaps one will have an immediate epiphany in the next moment, or perhaps one will not know this so-called "logic" or "sequence" until the end of time arrives or even until one reaches the other shore.

"In that case, let's put the final Dao Fruit aside for now and focus on cultivating the last illusory Dao Fruit that corresponds to the 'foundation of existence'."

"I originally wanted to cultivate the Dao Fruit of Ending, and then use its connection with the Dao Fruit of Opening to deduce this illusory Dao Fruit."

Xiong Mo once again channeled a wisp of sacrificial power, allowing one of his consciousness avatars to temporarily transcend the river of time and destiny, once again travel to the chaos, step onto the Taiji Golden Bridge formed by the Taiji Diagram, and sit cross-legged on it.

This time, he didn't bring the [Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation]. He didn't need their help to comprehend this illusory Dao Fruit that corresponds to the "foundation of existence." He only needed to trouble the [Tai Chi Diagram] he was sitting on.

Tai Chi symbol: ⊙▽⊙

The three thousand true words in the Tao Te Ching were slowly recited by Xiong Mo's wisp of consciousness. Various insights into the "Tao" gradually gathered and were amplified through the Taiji Diagram, a divine weapon from the other shore, connecting the myriad worlds at the present time.

At the same time, a clear, round light rose from behind Xiong Mo's head, illuminating all laws and retracing countless principles, causing everything to regress and return to its origin.

He was using the Dream Dao Fruit to reflect the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, and at the same time, he was using the Opening Dao Fruit to sort out, classify and expound on all the "laws" and "principles" of the world.

The process was rapid, and most of the data from the failed Dao Fruit deductions could be used on this new illusory Dao Fruit deduction.

In just a few breaths, Xiong Mo slightly mobilized the power of the Bitter Sea, and a new illusory Great Dao appeared out of nowhere, rapidly moving towards the perfection of creation.

[Compilation complete during legal reasoning translation]

[Path: Existence (Illusory Great Path, Perfect Creation)]

Xiong Mo continued to perform hand seals to assist in the operation of the [Tai Chi Diagram] beneath him, and used the principles of his otherworld level to list more illusory great paths in order to reconstruct a "foundation for existence" that was entirely his own.

In an instant, countless causes and effects arose from the opening of the Dao and transformed into the "cause of all effects" within oneself.

The Taiji diagram manifests the four elements of heaven and earth, with earth, water, wind, and fire flowing through it. Countless principles converge into the semi-formed Dao fruit of existence, and begin to form its own "foundation for existence."

Ultimately, it merged into the final Dao Fruit that was infinitely close to completion, giving rise to the "End of All Things" that was always just a hair's breadth away from being formed.

The three different symbols gradually form a cycle, subtly evoking a sense of transcendence.

Unfortunately, the "foundation for existence" is still under construction, and the "end of all things" is always just a little short. The entire cycle is incomplete and cannot last forever.

As time goes by, the entire cycle is showing signs of collapse and is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

At this moment, the power of the Dream Fruit quietly merged in, flowing throughout the entire cycle, turning all the discord and errors that arose in the process into dreamlike illusions. In an extremely ingenious way, it continuously restarted the entire "system," carrying out the logical chain cycle.

[Existing Dao Fruit - Semi-formed Illusory Dao Fruit - Under Advancement.]

[The cultivation of the remaining Dao Fruit is complete]

[Path: Existence (Illusory Path, Other Shore)]

In an instant, the clear halo behind Xiong Mo's head became even brighter. Countless rays of light danced on the golden bridge evolved from the Taiji Diagram, creating a subtle resonance with the Real World of this era, making the "laws" and "principles" of all the heavens and myriad worlds evolve more smoothly towards the end of the calamity.

Xiong Mo changed his hand seals again, opening up the Dao Fruit and rising first. Anchoring all the causes of his own cultivation, he derived all kinds of Great Daos, filling the still illusory [Real World] in his body, as well as the myriad worlds that were derived from the fragments of the universe and had almost become substantial. Then, it flowed into the Dao Fruit of the End, which was still lacking a little bit and could not be formed.

He was trying to use a cyclical pattern of "opening up - continuing - ending" to qualitatively transform the final Dao fruit, so that it could cross this most crucial half step and transform into an illusory Dao fruit at the other shore level.

The Taiyi Hunyuan Dream Cloud silently rises, and the black lotus symbolizing the "cause of all fruits" and the colorful lotus symbolizing the "foundation of existence" are clearly visible. Within each of them is a phantom fruit. However, the phantom fruit within the pure white lotus is still difficult to fully take shape.

“Click. Click.”

As the years passed, sounds like the wear and tear of gears suddenly emanated from within the Taiyi Hunyuan Dreamy Auspicious Cloud. A sense of disorientation, like "parts" breaking and then being reassembled, echoed around him from time to time, spreading an eerie, absurd, and ominous atmosphere.
Until a certain moment, the Taiyi Hunyuan Dream Cloud that rose above Xiong Mo's head suddenly exploded. The clear circle of light behind his head, composed of three illusory Dao Fruits and one illusory Dao Fruit that was infinitely close to taking shape, was also torn apart in that instant, turning into specks of light.

Dreamy and dazzling.
-
【Nanshan】, a small Taoist temple.

Xiong Mo's face turned somewhat pale, and he let out a soft sigh.

"My consciousness avatars have already perished twice. Where exactly am I lacking?"

(End of this chapter)