Daqin Zhentiansi

The original ten sword monuments, though exuding immense pressure, also carried a sense of division, with each acting independently, and even hinting at some conflicts.

At this moment, this sense of separation is being replaced by a deeper sense of "wholeness".

Originating from the profound and resilient spirit of "Zhenyue Poxu" and the vast and inclusive spirit of "Guiyuan Nahai", they are like two main themes, beginning to resonate with the sword intent of other sword monuments.

The oppressive aura blended together, and the barriers gradually solidified.

The secret realm itself became more stable due to this vast power of the Great Dao that gradually merged and reassembled.

The raging chaotic air currents seemed to be restrained by an invisible force, and the spatial turbulence subsided.

The entire secret realm is quietly transforming from a state of "ruined ruins" into a "holy land in the process of recovery".

The chilling sword intent permeating the air had lost some of its ancient brutality, but gained a sense of majesty and potential for the re-creation of order.

The most fundamental change is that the original Dao of Yongtian Continent, which was forcibly guided and infused by Zhang Yuan, is like a powerful magnet, beginning to attract and organize the remaining, sparse and decaying fragments of sword Dao laws in Zhao Continent.

A trace of Zhao Zhou's Heavenly Dao power, barely perceptible yet undeniably present, is like a spring seeping anew from a dried-up riverbed. It is being drawn in and nourished by this reunited secret realm's Great Dao, slowly attempting to repair itself.

Resonating with the origin, nurtured by the subtle forces of nature.

Although it is still far from completing the Heavenly Dao, this is undoubtedly a crucial turning point.

The cycle of decline has been broken, and the seeds of rebirth have been sown.

Within the small world of the Sword Stele, which represents the way of "ingenuity and versatility," Lin Shu, the remaining elite disciple of the Thousand Machine Sword Pavilion, is undergoing a transformative change.

Previously, although Lin Shu was exceptionally talented, he suffered from the lack of the key general principles and three core variations of the sect's core inheritance, "Thousand Machines Technique".

Although the twelve "Midnight Flying Star Swords" he controlled were as fast as lightning, there was always a slight, imperceptible stagnation at the transition between the seventh and eighth transformations, which greatly reduced their power and was extremely mentally taxing.

He is like a skilled craftsman who lacks complete blueprints; he knows how but not why, possessing exquisite skill but failing to reach the pinnacle of artistry.

When Zhang Yuan reshaped the Rift Mountain and Abyss Sea Steles, triggering the reunion of the Yongtian Great Dao with the origin of the secret realm, an overwhelming torrent of Daoist charm, imbued with rules, order, and precise control, crossed the boundaries of the small world and swept across the entire secret realm.

Lin Shu was painstakingly trying to comprehend the incomplete rune traces on the sword stele when this torrent of Daoist energy surged into his sea of ​​consciousness!

"Om-!"

Lin Shu trembled violently, as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind!
The stagnation that had troubled him for years instantly melted away when he came into contact with the Daoist charm that contained the exquisite control of the Yongtian Ministry of Works, which was like "the creation of heaven and earth" and the ultimate truth of the Dao!
The "Thousand Machines Guide," which was originally like a dusty, broken thread, was connected, integrated, and sublimated by an invisible force at this moment!
The stubborn "hurdle" between the seventh and eighth transformations is no longer an obstacle.

With a thought, the twelve flying swords seemed to be infused with a soul, their trajectories perfectly smooth and unobstructed, their turns exquisitely subtle, like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace.

That slight hesitation vanished, replaced by a smooth and confident flow.

He instantly understood that the "Thousand Machines" were not merely skillful; their core lay in "guidance."

Using divine thought as the axis and sword intent as the chain, it draws the energy of heaven and earth into the formation, transforming all things into mechanisms!

In the past, he was obsessed with the intricate variations of sword techniques.

Now I realize that change is just the surface; the core lies in absolute control over the flow of power, spatial nodes, and energy balance.

This perfectly aligns with the Ministry of Works' profound understanding of energy conduction and structural mechanics.

Facing the several swift demonic shadows conjured by the trial, Lin Shu's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

He no longer pursued dazzling sword light; the twelve flying swords instantly contracted and combined, and what seemed like a simple thrust, twist, and spin precisely locked onto the core node of the flow of demonic power and the weakest point in space.

With a few soft sounds, the demonic shadow instantly disintegrated and vanished as if its skeleton had been removed.

This strike was far more powerful than before, yet consumed far less energy, and was extremely sharp and precise!
"So that's how it is! This is the true 'Thousand Machines Guide'! The greatest truths are the simplest, and change comes from the heart!"

Lin Shu trembled with excitement, his gaze toward the sword monument filled with unprecedented piety and fervor.

He clearly felt that he had touched upon the supreme mysteries of the sect that had been lost for thousands of years.

Zhang Yuan's clone stood atop the Chaos Altar at the core of the secret realm.

The projections of the thirteen malevolent swords circled and protected each other like satellites.

His profound gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of space in the secret realm, taking in the changes of the ten sword tablets, the sudden enlightenment of Lin Shu and other disciples, and the faint yet tenacious power of Zhao Zhou's Heavenly Dao that was gathering again.

In his mind, the image of Zhao Zhou's swordsmanship gradually became clear.

It is not a collection of inanimate martial arts manuals, but an ancient river that once flowed ceaselessly, nourishing all things.

The demonic calamity struck like a giant boulder from the sky, shattering it into pieces and silting up the river, nearly causing it to dry up completely.

The lineages of various sects and schools are like scattered "puddles" of different sizes scattered along this great river; some are about to dry up, while others are barely surviving, and they are isolated from each other.

What he did was not just fill these "puddles" with water, but more importantly, he dredged the river channels, connected the water system, and restored the source of fresh water!

Lieyue's "suppressing the mountain and breaking through the void" and Yuanhai's "returning to the source and embracing the sea" are the new benchmarks and new channels he has set.

With their powerful inclusiveness and dominance, they began to attract, assimilate, and improve the quality of other "puddles," and attempted to reconnect them, thus reuniting the great path.

He came to a deeper understanding that the essence of inheritance lies not in clinging to the old, perhaps outdated, "form," but in grasping its core "spirit."

Rift Mountain's "Ultimate Power and Protection of Destruction" is unified, while Abyss Sea's "Encompassing All Things and Nurturing Life" is also unified.

Based on this "spirit," we integrate it into a more prosperous and complete Great Way, and then endow it with a new "form" that meets the needs of the times.

This is the true inheritance, continuation, and sublimation, and a crucial link in completing the Heavenly Dao of Zhao Zhou.

He foresaw that when all ten sword steles were reshaped and connected, and when these Zhao Zhou cultivators, who had gained new power, returned to the mortal world with the inheritance imprinted with the Yong Tian mark, they would be like countless powerful "beacons of the Dao" and "seeds of fire".

Not only have their own strength greatly increased, but they are also able to radiate and influence the remaining laws of heaven and earth in Zhao Zhou with the new inheritance and new principles they carry.

Accelerating the self-repair process of the Heavenly Dao will fundamentally weaken the erosive power of the Demonic Dao in this realm, providing a deeper foundation for the "Sword Spine Great Wall" and laying a solid foundation for future counterattacks.

Once the understanding is made, action is imperative.

Zhang Yuan withdrew his gaze, his deep eyes finally locking onto the third towering sword monument.

The aura emanating from this sword monument is completely different from the fierce power of the mountain-splitting monument and the vastness of the abyss.

Its entire body is a deep, dark gray, and the monument seems to have been forged from frozen time and silent death. It is covered with twisted, broken runes that seem to devour all light.

An overwhelming sense of "annihilation," capable of ending all things, freezing time and space, and causing even the soul to tremble, swept over us.

This corresponds to the core of the Hidden Edge Valley's heritage, and is also the "Silent Extinction Sword Stele," which shares the same origin as Zhang Yuan's own ultimate true meaning of the "Silent Extinction Sword Canon," the "Immortal-Slaying Sword Intent," yet is even more ancient and primitive. A hint of understanding and anticipation flashed in Zhang Yuan's eyes.

The reconstruction of this monument is not only about the complete sublimation of the Hidden Edge Valley's heritage, but also about the verification and perfection of his own Silent Sword Dao.

He took a step forward, his figure appearing and disappearing like a phantom, ignoring spatial distance, and instantly appeared before the entrance of the Silent Sword Monument, which resembled a black hole vortex.

The silent runes on the monument, sensing the "Immortal-Slaying Sword Intent" on him that was of the same origin but more refined and more dominant, lit up slightly, like subjects welcoming their king, and made way for him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Yuan's clone stepped into the dark vortex that seemed capable of devouring everything and disappeared.

On the Chaos Altar, the projections of the thirteen fierce swords continued to rotate endlessly, guarding the core of this secret realm that was undergoing earth-shattering changes.

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Chaotic air currents flowed and space shifted.

Zhang Yuan's clone stepped into the inner world of the "Silent Sword Monument".

The scene before them was completely different from the wildness of "Splitting Mountain" and the vastness of "Abyss Sea".

There is no raging energy here, no raging waves, only a nearly solidified, deep and boundless dark void.

Time seemed to lose its meaning, and the concept of space became blurred. Only absolute "stillness" and "emptiness" permeated the space, carrying an ultimate meaning of ending all things and freezing time and space.

At the core of this void is not a raging will, but an ancient chessboard suspended in the air, formed from pure, annihilating sword intent.

Two figures sat upright on either side of the chessboard.

A figure dressed in an ink-black robe, with a withered body and a face hidden in the shadow of a hood, seemed to bear the weight of eternal death and end.

A figure dressed in a plain white robe, with white hair and a youthful face, yet with eyes that held a world-weary and serene look, and a faint, almost imperceptible rhythm of vitality flowing around him.

Two people playing chess.

There were no pieces on the chessboard, only crisscrossing sword marks of varying depths.

Each sword mark seems to contain a history that has been extinguished and ended, an emotion that has been frozen and solidified.

Their fingers fell silently, touching the void, leaving new, ever-vanishing and ever-reborn sword patterns on the chessboard.

Each time a finger touches the ground, it causes the surrounding void to shrink and collapse imperceptibly, returning to a deeper state of annihilation.

Zhang Yuan's arrival did not cause any disturbance.

Only when he reached the edge of the chessboard did the old man in black robes slowly raise his withered fingers, hovering them above the chessboard without letting them fall.

The old man in white robes also stopped what he was doing, and his deep gaze fell on Zhang Yuan.

What is Nirvana?

The old man in black robes had a dry, hoarse voice, like two pieces of withered bone rubbing together, carrying a chilling sense of ending everything, pointing directly to the origin of the Great Dao.

Each word uttered made the void around Zhang Yuan even more stagnant, as if it wanted to freeze and erase his existence as well.

What is life and death?

The old man in the white robe had a gentle and peaceful voice, like the first thaw of spring water, yet it carried an undeniable weight.

This sound stirred the dormant life force within Zhang Yuan, while simultaneously questioning the ultimate meaning and limits of life.

Two gazes, like a tangible spear of annihilation and a rope of life, intertwined around Zhang Yuan.

This was not an oppression of power, but a question from the source of the Great Dao, pointing directly to the core of his cultivation of the "Sword Canon of Annihilation," which is also the root of the cycle of life and death.

Zhang Yuan stood still, and his Xuanmo clone appeared increasingly solid in this ultimate stillness and emptiness.

He felt the pure, ultimate meaning of "annihilation" brought by the old man in black robes—the ultimate end, annihilation, and freezing of everything. That was the source of the "Immortal-Slaying Sword Intent" in the "Annihilation Sword Canon," the end point of the sword path.

At the same time, he also sensed the seemingly weak yet incredibly resilient, cyclical rhythm of "life and death" emanating from the white-robed old man, a rhythm that contained the possibility of rebirth after destruction. It was the cycle of life from nothing to something and from something to nothing, the other side of annihilation.

The chaotic true essence flowed silently within his body, while the Dao patterns of the Thirteen Fierce Swords rose and fell deep within his consciousness.

He did not rush to answer, but instead immersed himself in the two completely opposite yet fundamentally related profound meanings of the Dao.

The profound mysteries of the "Sword Canon of Annihilation" cultivated in the past, the life-and-death battles on the battlefields of Xuzhou and Zhaozhou, the tenacious protection of the Dragon Elephant Prison, the vast inclusiveness of the myriad laws of the heavens, and even the fundamental concept of the Chaos Sword Intent governing all paths, all converge, collide, and sublimate at this moment.

After a moment, Zhang Yuan spoke slowly, his voice calm yet clear enough to pierce through the void, as if expounding an ancient truth:

"Nirvana is not the end, birth and death are not the beginning."

"Nirvana is the final destination of all things, the ultimate introspection of energy, the solidification of space and time, and the instant when 'being' returns to 'non-being'."

"Life and death are the 'existence' born from 'nothingness,' the fleeting ripples in the long river of annihilation, and the flow and transformation of energy under specific rules."

"Nirvana is its essence, encompassing the end of all things; life and death are its function, manifesting the birth and death of all phenomena. The two originate from the same source but have different names, both being called 'profound'. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all wonders."

His words, like a pebble thrown into an absolutely calm lake, stirred up unprecedented ripples in this desolate void.

"good."

Can you understand?

The two old men nodded simultaneously, their withered fingers and warm fingers, one black and one white, rising at the same time. Instead of landing on the chessboard, they pointed at Zhang Yuan from a distance!

At the tip of the black-robed old man's fingertip, a point of pure "light of annihilation," seemingly capable of freezing the soul and ending time and space, condensed and silently shot out.

Wherever it passes, the void is completely annihilated, turning into absolute "nothingness".

From the fingertips of the white-robed elder, a flowing "meaning of life and death," containing the burgeoning of life and the decay of death, emerged, like a rushing river carrying endless vitality and passing away, surging towards Zhang Yuan.

These two forces are the ultimate interpretations of the Great Dao they represent by the two elders!
The light of annihilation will completely erase Zhang Yuan's existence, reducing him to nothingness.

The concept of life and death attempts to pull Zhang Yuan into an endless cycle of birth and death, eroding his will and assimilating his origin.

Zhang Yuan's pupils contracted slightly, not out of fear, but out of extreme focus and excitement.

He neither defended nor dodged; instead, he opened his arms as if embracing this baptism from the source of the Great Dao.

The primordial chaos essence began to circulate violently! (End of Chapter)