The Eternal Calamity of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 288 Cangxuan Reappears
Outside, the Supreme Being within the Forbidden Zone of Life watched as the Carefree Celestial Venerable entered the Bronze Immortal Palace, thus severing all contact.

No one knows what he went through inside; all that can be seen is that ancient celestial artifact floating silently, motionless.

After a long while, the gate of the Bronze Immortal Palace finally opened a tiny crack.

The moment the dawn shone in, Chu Xiaoyao's black hair was disheveled, his body glowed inch by inch, emitting an unusually astonishing aura.

However, his voice was bitter at this moment as he solemnly bowed to Chen Wu and said, "Senior Yongjie's method is unfathomable; I, a junior, have only a limited understanding of the world!"

I witnessed the rebirth of an unparalleled figure, and the process was so mysterious and bizarre that even a Heavenly Venerable could not discern any clues, let alone understand it.

This completely overturned Chu Xiaoyao's imagination.

Since attaining enlightenment, he had always believed that with his own power, he could go anywhere in the world, especially since he had mastered the power of speed and touched time. Even the most amazing people in history could be treated as equals.

But unexpectedly, not long after, he suffered a dimensional reduction attack from the Eternal Calamity Celestial Venerable.

How can one describe Chu Xiaoyao's current feelings?

Shocked, astonished, unbelievable...

All of this is hard to describe. It feels like I've returned to the very beginning of my spiritual practice, and I'm suddenly struck by my own insignificance.

"The Eternal Elder completely ended the dark ages of the past and ushered in a new era. After another 500,000 years, he reached the pinnacle and never severed himself."

"In terms of talent, who throughout history can compare with the predecessor? He must have already transcended the shackles of lifespan and attained immortality."

At this moment, Chu Xiaoyao was completely convinced and willingly admitted defeat.

“You don’t need to do that. Everyone’s path to immortality is different. I have accumulated hundreds of thousands of years of experience, so naturally I will go further.”

As he spoke, Chen Wu calmly stood up. "As for the so-called transcendence, to be honest, it's nothing more than replacing the cage with a bigger cell."

"I humbly request your guidance, senior. I am eager to hear your detailed advice!" Chu Xiaoyao cupped his hands, his expression respectful.

Chen Wu said calmly, "Looking across all the heavens and myriad realms, cultivators all seek longevity, but lifespan eventually comes to an end. Only by becoming an immortal can one be immune to the effects of time."

"But now that the path to immortality is obscured, many people have gone astray in order to prolong their lives. For example, some supreme beings of the extreme path at the end of the Chaotic Ancient Era began to harvest all living beings and devour their life essence in their old age."

"This method can indeed replenish one's own vital energy, but in the long run, its effect will become weaker and weaker. This leads to a situation where the number of living beings that need to be devoured increases over time, eventually sweeping across the entire universe."

A grain of sand contains a world, a blade of grass contains a paradise. Every ordinary and insignificant thing contains the essence of the universe and is the ultimate manifestation of the laws of the cosmos.

Similarly, living beings, no matter how weak they are, possess exceptionally precious life essence within their bodies.

These essential substances are like precious gems, hidden within the bodies of all beings. Once the quantity reaches a certain level, they can accumulate like water forming a deep pool or grains of sand forming a tower, and can even have an effect on Heavenly Venerable level powerhouses.

Therefore, life is the greatest miracle in the world, and those supreme beings who are unwilling to die of old age have long discovered this.

Don't assume that dark turmoil only happens in later generations. In fact, similar events have occurred many times in the long years since the Desolate Emperor left.

As long as the laws of immortality remain hidden, preventing powerful beings in the human realm from becoming immortals, sooner or later, powerful beings unwilling to die of old age will launch a dark upheaval in order to prolong their lives.

However, during the transition from the Chaotic Ancient Era to the Shrouding the Heavens Era, the格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall structure or pattern) of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths underwent a major reshuffle. Most of the remnants of the old era were purged, and with the revival of all the myriad paths of heaven and earth, there was not much darkness and turmoil in the mythological era.

"Immortality is not simply about prolonging life; the key lies in constantly achieving breakthroughs. Back in my first life, in my later years, I used the Immortal-Breaking Curse to hone myself, and finally succeeded in reversing life and death, and comprehended the profound mysteries of the immortal path in the mortal world."

"So, what the Celestial Venerable means is—the physical body may decay, but the true spirit is immortal?" Chu Xiaoyao's eyes burned with fervor.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wu gave him a meaningful look.

As expected of the renowned Free and Unfettered Celestial Venerable from the original historical timeline, his talent, intelligence, and perseverance were all top-notch. Among the Nine Celestial Venerables, apart from the Emperor Venerable and the Tribulation-Crossing Celestial Venerable, even the Spirit Treasure Celestial Venerable wouldn't dare claim to be able to definitively surpass him. In the end, if he hadn't faced off against Ye Fan, the protagonist of the era, he might have been able to continue surviving.

"Senior Yongjie has said so much, surely you have a task to give to Xiaoyao?"

After much deliberation, Chu Xiaoyao cautiously spoke. He certainly wasn't naive enough to believe that Chen Wu was offering assistance without expecting anything in return. A true discussion of the Dao requires those at the same level of understanding, or those who can inspire each other, to be considered a true discussion of the Dao.

However, what Chen Wu had explained and demonstrated earlier directly revealed the true meaning of longevity, making the path ahead clear. What Chu Xiaoyao possessed, on the other hand, was nothing more than his self-created Free and Unfettered Heavenly Skill, the Secret of Travel, and other scriptures and techniques. The two were not even on the same level.

"I'll show you something else!" Chen Wu nodded and smiled.

The moment he finished speaking, he pointed out the Yin and Yang energies with his fingertips. At the same time, the withered universe that Chu Xiaoyao had initially created actually took root and sprouted.

Now comes the important part: layers upon layers of time ripples and boundless vortexes of calamity energy intertwined on the surface of that universe, etching out entirely new cosmic Dao patterns and stirring up endless waves of chaotic energy.

“That is…” Chu Xiaoyao stared intently.

He saw a portal that appeared out of thin air, as if it were embedded in the void, mysterious and unfathomable.

boom!
A brilliant burst of light erupted, surging and powerful.

Hidden yet seemingly unseen, footsteps echoed from the other side of the portal, each step causing ripples in the void.

Clearly, an unknown entity has approached the portal, seemingly attempting to cross it.

What kind of creature is that?
Chu Xiaoyao felt a chill run down his spine. He could roughly tell that it was probably the power of a Heavenly Venerable.

“It’s Qing Songzi…” Chen Wu suddenly revealed the true identity of the person who made the footsteps.

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiaoyao looked surprised and then stared intently at the portal. "What? Cangxuan Heavenly Venerable? Didn't he pass away?"

“I sent him to another world, where it’s easier to achieve immortality,” Chen Wu said calmly.

After saying that, he looked at the gate of light and said softly, "Qing Songzi, this is the Daoist Xiaoyao Tianzun who attained enlightenment in later generations. You two can have a deep exchange."

The next moment, a divine thought came from the other end of the light gate, seemingly responding to Chen Wu's words.

However, when he read the contents, the carefree celestial being was stunned on the spot, his face filled with shock.

……

After a long time,
"boom!"

The light gate suddenly dimmed, and the footsteps gradually faded away and disappeared.

“I think I understand what you mean, senior!” Chu Xiaoyao said with a serious expression. “But I still want to try the original path. Anyway, I have the Immortality Elixir Fruit. Whether it works or not, I have to witness the result with my own eyes.”

"Okay, then go ahead. Come back to me when you've thought it through." Chen Wu nodded.

……

After the carefree Celestial Venerable left, Chen Wu stood silently inside the Bronze Immortal Palace.

"Are you planning to send this carefree Celestial Venerable to a strange world to aid Qing Songzi?" Wei Yang Xian appeared quietly, with a hint of curiosity.

“That’s right. Qing Songzi is outnumbered and outmatched. If he had help, the things I asked him to do could be carried out gradually.”

As he spoke, Chen Wu sighed.

Ultimately, they fell into a predicament of insufficient manpower. The disciple Wuliang Niuhua Shengling needed hundreds of thousands of years to be nurtured; Dujie and Lingbao were lying in corpses, with no end in sight for their return; and Changsheng Tianzun, without paying attention, had himself embarked on the old path.

As for Chen Wu himself, his current realm is quite peculiar. Although he is not a mortal immortal, he is extremely close, and in terms of combat power, he may even surpass him. However, he has not yet truly completed his transformation.

The only thing we can use now is the Carefree Celestial Venerable.

(End of this chapter)