Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 550 Master
Thus, the moment the Chaos God Core touched the crimson nebula, it trembled violently as if attracted by magnets. The source of destruction, like a living thing, frantically entwined around the God Core, and the purple-gold light swirling on the surface of the God Core intertwined and collided with the crimson light, forming strange purplish-red patterns.

Ren Yuan's consciousness was finally torn apart by this force, and he could no longer bear the excruciating pain. He saw himself standing at the moment of creation, where the chaotic energy exploded and countless stars were born from the destruction!

The Destruction Godhead within His divine core is merging with the Source of Destruction. The chaotic patterns on the surface of the divine core begin to disintegrate, yet under the shaping of the Source of Destruction, they are recombining in a more complex and grander form.

However, this process was equally lengthy, during which all the destruction in the universe surged towards him, an impact a hundred times greater than that of Qiongqi and Xingtian before him—

Destruction is the common end of all things in the universe; it is not something that one person can bear, not even a god.

Ren Yuan was instantly overwhelmed by the endless destruction and fainted...

Just as he was about to be swallowed up forever by the source of destruction, a cat's paw suddenly pulled him out of the vortex.

When Ren Yuan came to his senses, he found himself in a hazy, blue mist. The mist seemed weak and fragile, yet it was able to keep out terrifying destructive power.

There was also an old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face sitting cross-legged opposite him, smiling and looking him up and down.

"Who are you?" Ren Yuan steadied himself and looked the other person up and down. He was sure he had never seen him before, but he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity and warmth.

"I am your master, the Immortal Ge Hong." The old Taoist priest looked at him with a smile, rubbing his forehead, and said, "Why don't you hurry up and kowtow to make up for the lack of formal apprenticeship ceremony?"

"Oh?" Ren Yuan was taken aback, never expecting his master, whom he had been searching for so long, to suddenly appear at this moment. "How can you prove it?"

"Youxian Pillow, Thousand-Mile Boat, Zu Chongzhi, Chen Qingzhi," the old Taoist priest said softly. "And You Yue, he's the one I feel most sorry for. Alas, poor child..."

"Master, please accept my bow!" Ren Yuan knelt down immediately after hearing this. He kowtowed three times.

"Uh, you believed me so easily?" Ge Hong scratched his forehead and said, "Weren't you usually very suspicious? How come you've changed your mind?"

"It doesn't matter if it's fake, I'm about to die anyway, I'd be happy even if you lied to me." Ren Yuan laughed and said, "Finding my master is my lifelong wish."

“It doesn’t matter if it’s fake or not. This old Taoist is the real one!” Ge Hong was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

"Very well, even better than real gold." Ren Yuan nodded nonchalantly, then asked:

"Master, where have you been all these years?"

"I have already... ascended to heaven." The old Taoist coughed and said, "I, Ge Hong, am a genius of unparalleled talent. It is only natural that I ascended to heaven when the time came."

"Why does this sound so suspicious to me?" Ren Yuan asked doubtfully.

"Old Daoist's time is running out! If you keep babbling, you'll become a puppet of the Chaos Origin." Ge Hong glared at him.

"Yes, Master, please enlighten me." Ren Yuan nodded with a look of admiration, his heart filled with joy. He finally had a master to teach him.

Then Ge Hong said in a deep voice, "In the beginning there was the Dao, and the Dao gave birth to chaos, and chaos divided into Yin and Yang. Do you understand the true meaning of 'reversal is the movement of the Dao'?"

“Reversal is the movement of the Tao, weakness is the function of the Tao. All things under heaven are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence,” Ren Yuan hurriedly replied. “That’s right. Destruction is not the end, but the mother of new life, just like the eyes of a yin-yang fish, hiding the opportunity to reverse the universe,” Ge Hong nodded.

"All things under heaven are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence?" Ren Yuan's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed. Having a master to teach him was truly different; he directly provided the correct answer. He didn't have to risk his life by trying things randomly, risking disaster.

“That’s right.” Ge Hong flicked his finger at Ren Yuan, but what erupted from his fingertip was not divine power, but a wisp of thought embodying the profound truth of 'The Tao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things'—

"Quickly use this 'Primordial Dao Thought' as a guide to refine the source of destruction into your divine core. Remember, controlling destruction is not about brute force, but about comprehending the profound realm of 'reducing and reducing until nothingness is achieved'!"

Ren Yuan quickly used that wisp of Dao thought as a guide, stimulating the energy within his body to trace the invisible trajectory of the Taiji diagram in the void. The wave of destruction, upon touching this mysterious trajectory, miraculously transformed into two opposing vortices, like the intertwining of Yin and Yang energies.

Ge Hong nodded in satisfaction and then instructed, “The Book of Changes says, ‘Kan and Li form the framework, and the wheel of the machine is aligned with the axis.’ The power of destruction may seem violent, but it actually aligns with the principle of water and fire in balance. You should follow the method of guarding the One and seek the true meaning of ‘something in the trance’ in the torrent of destruction. Only then can you use the Chaos Divine Core as a furnace to refine the source of destruction that was created at the beginning of the world.”

Ren Yuan then followed his master's teachings and practiced the profound principles of "sitting in oblivion" and "fasting of the mind" of the Shangqing School. He saw that wherever the vortex passed, the destructive power melted away like ice and snow meeting the warm sun, disappearing into the realm of "heaven and earth and I are born together, all things and I are one".

Seeing his exceptional comprehension, Ge Hong stroked his beard with satisfaction and nodded, his tone becoming increasingly lofty as he said:
"The so-called 'Tao follows nature' means that destruction is also natural. Look at the spring of life and the autumn of death, is it ever intentional? Just let go of 'self-attachment' and observe with a mind of 'extreme emptiness and stillness', and destruction becomes a tool in your hands to harmonize yin and yang and create conditions for new life."

Ren Yuan didn't have time to answer, immersing himself completely in a state of 'extreme stillness and emptiness' to assimilate the terrifying blood-red nebula.

Ge Hong watched with satisfaction as his young apprentice, to whom he had poured his heart and soul, gradually faded into the darkness of the sea...

~~
On Dongshan Island in Taihu Lake.

Holding a silver spear, Chen Qingzhi was intently guarding a sleeping tabby cat.

He has maintained this posture for almost ten years, as has the tabby cat.

Amazingly, the person and the cat remained lifelike even after ten years without eating or drinking.

Well, Chen Qingzhi has already become a god, so ten years is just a blink of an eye for him.

His only worry was whether the tabby cat would be alright. After all, the old cat's divine core was completely destroyed, and it had lost all its divine power, surviving only on a wisp of its Daoist will.

Now that wisp of Daoist thought has gone to the chaos, I wonder how long this frail demon cat body can hold on?
Just as Chen Qingzhi was filled with worry, he suddenly saw the tabby cat arch its back, stretch, and stand up gracefully.

He quickly knelt down and asked, "Master, are you alright?"

"How can it be alright?" The tabby cat gave a bitter smile and said, "I gave that wisp of Dao to that kid, and now I'm going to turn into a cat completely."

"Huh?" Chen Qingzhi was shocked and hurriedly asked, "If we go back to thirty years ago, Master should still be around, right?"

“It no longer exists.” The tabby cat shook its head, its face full of vicissitudes. “The Dao Thought is the source of the main god. Regardless of the past, present, or future, it is the only existence. I have given it to your junior brother now, but I would have lost the Dao Thought thirty years ago.”

"Ah..." Chen Qingzhi burst into tears, overwhelmed with grief.

(End of this chapter)