523: Seeking the Way

Xu Qing stood atop the Chaos cloud sea, his fingertips gently caressing the nine-colored glazed token.

The token immediately burst forth with a myriad of rainbow lights, and nine-colored auspicious glow spread out like silk, forming a glazed bridge across the endless Chaos in the Void Realm.

“Om—”

The Dao Palace gate slowly opened at the end of the rainbow bridge, and that familiar vast aura rushed towards him.

A wisp of Dao charm escaping from the crack in the door caused the surrounding Chaos Qi to transform into golden lotuses blooming.

Xu Qing straightened his attire and solemnly bowed towards the direction of the palace gate, his sleeves fluttering, creating ripples of three thousand Laws.

“Junior Xu Qing, requests an audience with the Dao Palace.”

After the bow, he stepped onto the rainbow bridge, with a lotus blooming with each step.

When the sole of his boot touched the green jade steps in front of the Dao Palace, the entire palace suddenly resonated with a clear Dao sound.

The bronze chimes hanging from the eaves moved without wind, playing Dao music!

“Interesting…”

Xu Qing chuckled.

A The Sound of the Dao (ancient Dao voice) came from within the hall: “In just over twenty million years, you have already completed the three steps. Your innate talent is truly rare.”

Xu Qing’s eyes flickered slightly, and he stepped over the threshold.

“Boom!”

The sight before him caused his pupils to constrict.

The vast hall had actually transformed into a miniature Chaos Universe, with billions of stars revolving beneath his feet.

And in the center of the Universe, Pan Yu sat above the star river, surrounded by an Eternal Dao charm that transcended time and space.

Those eyes, containing the primordial Chaos, were looking at him with a smile.

He opened his profound eyes, looking at Xu Qing below.

“I already know your purpose,” Pan Yu said with a smile.

Xu Qing bowed and asked, “Senior, what should I do?”

“There are three methods!” Pan Yu said with a smile.

Xu Qing was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, “Please enlighten me, Senior!”

Pan Yu said with a smile, “In the Chaos era, the heavens and earth were a vast Chaos. The Innate Gods and Devils in the world were nurtured by the heavens and earth. They likewise had no past, including Innate Gods and Devils like me.”

Xu Qing’s eyes lit up.

Pan Yu gently pointed his hand, and three wisps of Chaos Qi transformed into different scenes.

The first wisp of Qi manifested as an amber-like crystal, containing millions of years of life trajectory; the second wisp of Qi presented a bloody scene of destiny plundering; the third wisp of Qi evolved a mysterious process of a future self reflecting on the past.

“The first method is called ‘Karma Fictionalization,’ which forcibly creates a false past out of nothing.”

Pan Yu said with a smile, “The method is also simple. Among the myriad Laws in the world, there is a Law called the ‘Void Realm Life Creation Scripture,’ which can reverse the long river of time and weave millions or even tens of millions of years of memories using a drop of essence blood as a guide.”

“Finally, it condenses an amber-like time crystal, containing a complete life trajectory. With this time crystal, one can condense a past self.”

“This method has no restrictions, and many Gods and Devils follow this path. However, the past self condensed depends on how long and how brilliant the history you weave is. If one is not careful, it can cause a backlash, thereby losing the possibility of further advancement.”

The crystal manifested by the first wisp of Qi suddenly cracked, and all the illusions within it collapsed.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing pondered. This method was indeed a way, and he could try it.

“The second method is ‘Fate Plundering,’ which involves plundering another person’s timeline to fill one’s own void.” Pan Yu’s expression became serious, “It requires killing a powerful cultivator who possesses a past self and refining their past self into your own past self, but the process is extremely perilous.”

“Because if you want to plunder his past, you need to change your own destiny. The entire process can easily cause cracks in your Dao Heart, leading to the self-destruction of your Great Dao. There have been Innate Gods and Devils in the Eternal Dao Realm who perished because of this.”

In the scene formed by the second wisp of Qi, a Dao Ancestor practicing this method suddenly bled from all seven orifices, and his Dao foundation crumbled inch by inch.

Xu Qing would not consider this method; it was not suitable for him.

“The third method is ‘Future Reflection,’ using the future self to trace back and shape the past.” Pan Yu said with a smile, “First cultivate the ‘Future Immeasurable Self,’ and then use the art of Karma Inversion to project the future to fill the past.”

“This method requires entering the ‘Gap Between Two Realms,’ and only by existing and not existing simultaneously can it be successfully condensed.”

“I walk this path!”

Upon hearing the last part, Xu Qing had already made his decision.

“I beg Senior to bestow the Law!”

Xu Qing clasped his hands and said.

Pan Yu smiled, and with a wave of his hand, a clear light landed in front of Xu Qing, transforming into a Jade Slip.

“These are my experiences in breaking through the Dao. You can take a look.”

“The process of tracing back through light and antiquity will generate Karma poison every time a past segment is changed. Therefore, one must be careful, otherwise, if contaminated by Karma poison, even a Dao Ancestor would have to expend considerable effort to remove it.”

“Thank you, Senior!” Xu Qing clasped his hands and said.

Pan Yu suddenly looked up, his profound gaze piercing through the Void Realm and landing on Xu Qing.

“Xu Qing, actually… I don’t recommend you to condense the Three Lives Body!”

Xu Qing’s body trembled slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes, “What does Senior mean by this?”

“You have walked a Dao that does not belong to this world. You do not belong to this heaven and earth, and you should not be bound by this heaven and earth!”

“When I was in the Fusion of the Three Lives Body, I suddenly realized that the so-called Dao is both real and illusory. For us who have no past, the so-called past self, though seemingly real, is actually…”

“All an illusion.”

These last four words, like a resounding bell, echoed thunderously in Xu Qing’s Sea of Consciousness, stirring up ripples of Dao charm.

Xu Qing stood still for a long time, his robes fluttering without wind.

Suddenly, he solemnly straightened his attire and bowed deeply to Pan Yu, his eyes now clear.

Pan Yu nodded slightly, and with a gentle flick of his sleeve, “Do you remember what I told you back then? The future is never a predetermined trajectory. How to choose…”

“It’s all in your single thought.”

Before his voice faded, Pan Yu’s figure gradually blurred, with only his final exhortation echoing faintly in the Void Realm.

“Go. When we meet again one day, I hope you have walked out… your own unique Great Dao.”

Xu Qing bowed, and as his sleeves fell, the heavens and earth suddenly changed.

When he looked up again, he was standing on a Chaos Sea, surrounded by surging grey mist and floating Laws.

He lowered his head to gaze at the Jade Slip in his palm, his knuckles tightening slightly, as if to crush it, but then he loosened his grip at the last moment.

The lustrous glow of the Jade Slip reflected in his eyes, and he finally put it into his sleeve, without further hesitation.

Senior Pan Yu was right. He did not belong to this world. Why should a person without a past adhere to the Dao of this heaven and earth?

He should break free from the shackles of this heaven and earth, break all rules. This is what a cultivator should do.

Looking around, the vast Chaos was boundless, without heaven or earth, without beginning or end.

Xu Qing’s gaze sharpened slightly, he chose a direction, and his figure transformed into a clear light, breaking through the Chaos and flying away.

Walking the Great Dao alone, it is ultimately difficult to glimpse the true meaning.

There are countless extraordinary people and unique individuals in the world, with myriad Laws emerging, not all necessarily born from the nurturing of heaven and earth.

If one wishes to forge their own path, working in isolation is ultimately like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.

Xu Qing should seek out the extraordinary people of this world, to discuss the Dao, to verify, to deduce.

Perhaps, an Opportunity lies in some unintentional conversation.

The Chaos surged, and his figure gradually moved further away, with only a wisp of Dao charm remaining, lingering for a long time.

[I originally wanted to update two chapters, but I had something to do at noon and ran out of time. I will update on time tomorrow!]