Yefutidaolu

Chapter 408 Dao Yun
The divine light broke through the shackles of the underground cracks, like an invisible pillar of light, piercing into the dark hellish sky above!

The operation of the "Heart Lamp Illuminating Shadows Sutra" has not stopped.

The brighter the divine light, the clearer and more transparent his mind became.

The true meaning of the cultivation technique flowed naturally. He no longer tried to "repair" his body, but instead completely immersed his mind in the ever-expanding divine light. It was as if the divine intent had transformed into a lamp that was constantly getting brighter. His consciousness transcended the material world and looked down at this broken body.

A vast, radiant light, like a celestial river flowing backward, washed over every inch of the rusty knife. Gao Jian was immersed in this novel experience of directly interfering with the external world with his mind, but deep within his heart, an indescribable sense of strangeness arose.

To be honest, he felt something was off.

He was clearly a martial artist with exceptional talent and aptitude. His initial path and even his most familiar field should have been to hone his physical body, refine his qi and blood, and pursue the powerful and fierce strength that could overcome all other techniques.

But by a twist of fate, what stands out most and what makes him most successful along the way is precisely this seemingly ethereal "divine will".

Whether it's the insight to see through numerous moves, one's own fighting will, or even the ability to manipulate demonic energy and induce illusions, the core is a powerful divine will far surpassing that of others of the same level.

Now, having obtained this "Heart Lamp Illuminating Shadows Sutra," his strongest aspect seems to have been amplified by a terrifying amplifier! This technique is practically tailor-made for him, perfectly matching his complex mind that has been tempered by many things and experienced life and death.

There are so many, there really are...

His heart was already vast and expansive, amplified by the Mother Goddess of the Demon Child, bathed in Buddhist light, and after condensing his divine will, he underwent further tempering, even directly facing demonic energy in the Desire Realm...

All these things caused his divine will to reach a strange level at this moment.

Gao Jian even felt that even if his physical body died directly, his soul could exist for a long time and would not die directly, and would not have any problems even if he was exposed to direct sunlight.

Most importantly, as the light of his inner lamp shone ever brighter, illuminating every corner of his consciousness, a terrifying thing that he had buried deep within and almost forgotten was quietly stirred—

That was in the instant he traversed hell and plunged into the underworld, facing the vast and endless "calamity of life and death," when he forcibly read and absorbed wisps of "divine essence" through the mysterious connection of the rusty knife. (See Chapter 397 for details)

Those divine qualities are not specific knowledge or memories, but rather the final fear, despair, resentment, and relief of countless beings when countless worlds finally collapse and perish... as well as the ultimate "echoes" and "reverberations" produced by the collapse of the laws of the world itself.

Its information is so vast that it is incomprehensible, and the negative emotions and destructive imagery it contains are even more terrifying.

Gao Jian only caught a fleeting glimpse of it, yet he felt as if his soul was about to be assimilated and annihilated. It was only through immense perseverance and the absolute tranquility of his mind brought about by the rusty knife that he forcibly stripped away, compressed, and sealed these extremely dangerous divine essences in the deepest part of his sea of ​​consciousness, regarding them as an absolutely untouchable forbidden zone. He felt that he might never be able to analyze them in this lifetime, and even hoped to forget them forever.

These divine blessings are like countless terrifying bombs condensed with ultimate despair and destruction, buried deep in a dark hole sealed by layers of intention.

At this moment, however, the light of the heart lamp reaches far and wide, illuminating everything.

It did not forcefully break through the seal, but gently and thoroughly illuminated the outer layer of that "black hole".

This allowed Gao Jian to see the seal's appearance so "clearly" for the first time, and to sense the terrifying, chaotic, and vast ocean beneath it. Although he still couldn't fathom the details within, the existence itself had been marked by the light of his heart.

This feeling is incredibly strange.

Like a highly toxic wax pill, so potent that it would kill at the slightest touch, it was originally discarded in a corner, gathering dust, and no one dared to touch it.

Now, a beam of light shines precisely on it, not only allowing you to see its shape clearly, but even... the wax shell seems to become slightly transparent under the illumination of the light, allowing you to vaguely see the little bit of heart-palpitating color inside. Even more bizarrely, a trace of extremely faint, indescribable aura seeps out through the wax shell very slowly!

This subtle "intention to life and death" is pure, without any specific scenes of destruction or mad thoughts. It doesn't even contain any information; it's purely "emotion."

Therefore, as soon as it appeared, it was naturally accepted by the vast and warm divine light of the surrounding heart lamp.

Just a moment!
Gao Jian's consciousness seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread, and he suddenly plummeted downwards!

He seemed to see the birth and annihilation of stars, the rise and fall of civilizations, the fleeting and brilliant life of plants and trees, and the long and constant process of mountains rising and oceans turning into fields... Life and death, formation and existence, decay and emptiness—these opposing concepts, under the illumination of the lamp of the heart, were no longer terrifying symbols, but transformed into the most natural and fundamental breath and pulse of the universe.

This was a scene he never expected.

He originally thought that the "Heart Lamp Illuminates Shadows Sutra" was just an auxiliary method to temper one's will and enhance one's spiritual awareness. However, he never expected that the four words "Heart Lamp Illuminates Shadows" would actually have such a magical power. It could really see through everything in the sea of ​​consciousness, including the forbidden things that he himself had set up and intended to seal away permanently!

What's even more amazing is that the amount of these leaked charms was controlled "just right".

A little more, and it would likely trigger a backlash from the seal, dragging him into an abyss of destruction; a little less, and it might have no effect at all.

At this moment, this tiny wisp is precisely at the critical point where he can barely bear it with his current state of mind and gain insight from it!

It's as if this "Heart Lamp Illuminating Shadows Sutra" was born to help practitioners safely access, understand, and digest this kind of extremely terrifying "remnant of the Great Dao" that involves the origin and extinction of the world!

Actually, that's not wrong.

Xiao Ba, being a fourth-rank being in the Desire Realm, possesses a level of perception far exceeding what Gao Jian could have imagined.

In the brief moment when Gao Jian's divine sense descended and demonic energy permeated his mind and brain, Xiao Ba may have already "seen" the terrifying "intention of birth and death" that was forcibly sealed deep within Gao Jian's sea of ​​consciousness, yet faintly connected to Gao Jian's origin.

However, in Xiao Ba's mind, it was only natural that this "master" who could stabilize the collapse of the Desire Realm and possess supreme treasures would carry some terrifying aura of the birth and death of the world. The master's request for a cultivation technique was certainly not for the simple purpose of improving his cultivation level, but must be for the purpose of more skillfully dealing with these extremely dangerous "remnants of the Great Dao"!
This technique must be exquisite enough to activate the inner light, yet it must also be "safe" enough to be kept within the limits that the master can currently handle. It must be effective without overstepping boundaries, so as not to offend the master or the being behind him.

He assumed that Gao Jian knew the true purpose of this technique, so he carefully arranged everything—the characteristics of the technique, the dosage of transmission, and even the possible hidden guidance were all calculated perfectly.

Gao Jian, however, assumed that Xiao Ba was unaware of his possession of this item and had simply given him an ordinary cultivation technique for breaking through to the seventh rank. Thus, by a twist of fate, this unexpected turn of events occurred!
In that instant, Gao Jian's consciousness fell into that small portion of the leaked will of life and death. Far from being devoured by its terrifying destructive intent, he maintained a sliver of clarity—a "resistance" and "observational distance"—under the protection of his inner light. He was like a diver wearing special protective gear, finally able to safely dive into the deep sea and witness the magnificent yet dangerous spectacle firsthand, rather than being instantly crushed or assimilated.

But Gao Jian doesn't know that.

He felt that he was cultivating well when suddenly he lost his footing and fell to the ground.

“Suffered—”

He was startled and tried to steady himself.

Just as he fell into the realm of birth and death...

Suddenly, in the chaos of birth and death, something appeared.

Its size was enormous, filling the entire field of vision, and its extent was unknown, stretching for thousands of miles.

Its entire body was a dark, purplish-black color, as if formed from congealed blood. Its body was covered with jagged, backward-growing bone spurs, dripping putrid liquid from the tips, which made the void hiss. Countless heads grew on its torso, some human, some beast, some strange and inexplicable, all with distorted faces and open mouths howling, but without making a sound. Only the overwhelming resentment and hatred transformed into black flames, which spewed out from its seven orifices, scorching the surroundings and distorting the bizarre and grotesque scene.

He has many heads, but the largest one is as large as a star, with no facial features, only a huge mouth split open. Inside the mouth is neither tongue nor teeth, but a constantly spinning black vortex that seems to be able to devour stars and luminaries. Occasionally, fragments of nebula dust escape from the corner of its mouth.

Its claws were like mountains, covered with foul-smelling pustules and bluish-black scales. With each swing, they created dark cracks, seemingly capable of easily tearing apart the earth's veins.

Its lower body was neither feet nor tail, but was formed from countless tangled remnants of spirits, churning and tumbling amidst towering waves of turbid energy. Fragments of shattered laws surrounded its body, like broken mirrors, reflecting the tragic destruction of countless worlds, further enhancing its ferocious and monstrous appearance.

Gao Jian frowned.

This thing shouldn't be a ghost or monster of Yin-Yang reincarnation. According to his estimation, it might be the embodiment of the infinite destructive intent contained in the "Divine Charm of Life and Death Tribulation," the final fear and despair of billions of beings at the end of their lives, which gathered and settled, and did not dissipate after experiencing tribulations. It is the concrete manifestation of these intentions of life and death.

He wanted to observe further, but as soon as the monster appeared, countless pairs of venomous eyes on its thousands of heads instantly locked onto Gao Jian, the uninvited guest who had intruded into its territory.

Gao Jian felt a chilling, deathly, and terrifying malice, enough to freeze one's mind, rushing towards him as if it were a tangible force.

"Roar--!!!"

Thousands of heads roared silently at the same time, and the resentment surged straight into Gao Jian's mind!
However, when the lamp of enlightenment shone, the divine light from within his mind protected him, so he was not affected. But if one's mind is not strong enough, even if one's cultivation is at the tenth level, one's soul would probably be destroyed by this roar.

However, this is ultimately a vision in one's mind; strictly speaking, Gao Jian is dreaming.

The monster raised its giant claw and slammed it down directly at Gao Jian.

Before the claw had even fully descended, the terrifying pressure had already caused the bizarre and fantastical world around Gao Jian to begin to collapse and compress, as if it were about to crush him and the space around him together!
There's no way to avoid it! There's no way to retreat!

"In my dreams, why would I be afraid of you?" Gao Jian muttered to himself, then twisted his body and threw a punch!

The intense pain throughout my body seemed to be suppressed at this moment.

Here, all external support is gone; only this newly born divine will and this tempered martial will are the foundation for battle!

"war!"

He let out a roar from the depths of his soul, not out of fear, but out of a fierce fighting spirit that had been ignited!
He threw a punch to meet the attack!
The fist was thrown out without wind or waves, yet a clear, phantom image of a heart lamp flashed before the fist's edge. Though small, the light was unwavering in its illumination of the filthy, ferocious giant claw that was pressing down upon it!

boom! ! !
Gao Jian felt as if his fist, no, his entire soul, had collided with a destructive star!

An indescribable force, accompanied by the onslaught of countless negative emotions, surged forth! His charred right arm groaned under the strain, cracks spreading instantly, as if it were about to crumble into dust at any moment.

But the inner lamp in front of his fist swayed violently, firmly holding back the core of the giant claw!
The light and the malevolent flames and black demonic energy entwined on the giant claws frantically eroded and annihilated each other! Although the light was constantly compressed and dimmed, it stubbornly refused to go out. Instead, under extreme pressure, it burned even more purely!
"Hah...!" Takami gritted his teeth, but his eyes grew even sharper.

laugh!
A soft sound, like the puncture of an airbag, rang out!

The monster's enormous claw trembled violently, and Gao Jian's powerful punch pierced a small hole in the weakest part of its palm!
Instantly, an even denser and more filthy aura of destruction surged forth, accompanied by the shrieks of countless vengeful spirits!
The monster, in pain, let out an even more ferocious silent roar, and its other giant claw swept across, tearing through space and creating chaotic currents!

Gao Jian struck successfully and, without pausing, his body moved like a fish through the turbulent energy currents.

In this dream, the divine will not only grant him the power to attack, but also greatly enhances his intuition and reaction speed, allowing him to avoid fatal attacks at the last second.

He relentlessly searched for the subtle weaknesses on the monster's body caused by the conflict of different destructive intentions. Each strike was precise and ruthless, condensing his inner light, whether punching or pointing, chopping or stabbing, leaving tiny wounds on its massive body.

However, Gao Jian's attacks are like mosquito bites or insect stings; they can cause damage, but they are not fatal.

Instead, the destructive aura gushing from those wounds continuously polluted and eroded the light of his heart lamp, causing his soul to tremble and his consciousness to become hazy. The vast negative emotions that had been sealed away seemed to be stirred up!

Even more terrifying, the countless heads on the monster's body, with their empty eyes, all focused on Gao Jian, and invisible curses, despair, and deathly intents aimed at his primordial spirit surged like a tide, constantly assaulting his defenses.

The light began to dim at a visible rate.

Although he didn't know how he ended up in this situation, Gao Jian wasn't going to just wait to die!

(End of this chapter)