51: Chapter 51 Inheritance of the Dao Seed

The path of Chaos light, like a welcoming stairway, carried Lin Wan step by step toward the summit of the Five Elements Dao Platform, to that orb of Chaos light that seemed to contain all things and evolve the heavens.

With every step he took, ripples would spread across the path of light beneath his feet, merging into his body and transforming into the purest insights of the Dao and power of Origin. This nourished his newly formed, Chaos-colored "Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed" and consolidated his cultivation at the Peak of the Mid-stage Golden Core, allowing him to steadily advance toward the Late Stage Golden Core and even higher levels.

All around him, the separated and gently flowing Chaos Origin Qi seemed to be guarding and paying homage to him.

Ahead, the orb of Legacy light grew closer, and the Dao Rhyme it emanated became increasingly clear and vast. Lin Wan could even "see" that suspended deep within the light was a fist-sized, strange "seed" displaying five Chaos colors, with infinite nebulae birthing and dying within, and Laws of the Dao circulating—that was the complete "Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed" Legacy Origin, formed from the lifelong Dao Fruit of the Five Elements Dao Venerable!

Meanwhile, his own newly born Chaos Dao Seed, during this approach, transmitted an increasingly strong sense of longing, intimacy, and yearning, as if a wanderer returning home, or a drop of water returning to the sea.

Finally, he reached the end of the Chaos light path and stood before that orb of supreme Legacy light.

It was but a breath away.

The light was gentle and not blinding, yet it contained a supreme majesty and Dao Rhyme that could not be described in words. Merely standing before it, Lin Wan felt as if he were facing the Origin of the entire Universe, small as a speck of dust, yet due to the success of the "Dao Seed Resonance," he felt a strange sense of belonging, as if their Bloodlines were connected and their paths of the Dao were destined to converge.

"Latecomer, Lin Wan."

That gentle, calm voice, which seemed capable of piercing through everything, sounded once again. This time, it came directly from the Legacy light, filled with gratification and emotion.

"Your Dao Heart is pure, your understanding of the Five Elements Returning to Ruins has entered the threshold, and you have obtained the Legacy of the 'Star Derivation' lineage, understood the danger of 'the end,' and harbor the will to protect. Having gone through the three trials of 'Five Elements Heart Tempering,' 'Void Asking Dao Path,' and 'Dao Seed Resonance,' you have passed them all with Perfection. You are qualified to inherit my Dao lineage and wield this 'Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed.'"

The voice paused, then continued:

"However, the Legacy is not easily obtained. This Dao Seed is formed from my lifelong cultivation, insights, and even a portion of my Origin. It contains supreme power and also carries infinite Karma. You must use your own newly born Dao Seed as a foundation to slowly refine and fuse it, making it your own. This process may take decades, or even hundreds of years. If there is the slightest error during this time, there is a danger of the Dao Seeds conflicting or backfiring, leading to the destruction of your body and the dissipation of your Dao—this is no empty threat."

"Furthermore, obtaining this Legacy means bearing my Karma and taking on the responsibility of protecting this Realm and opposing 'the end.' The path ahead is treacherous, far exceeding your imagination. Are you willing?"

The voice was no longer gentle but carried a solemnity, as if it were making a final confirmation and giving him one last chance to choose.

Lin Wan took a deep breath, his gaze firm, without a shred of hesitation. He bowed solemnly toward the Legacy light:

"Disciple Lin Wan is willing to inherit the Dao lineage, bear the Karma, protect this Realm, and resist 'the end.' Even if the path ahead is treacherous and leads to the destruction of my body and the dissipation of my Dao, I have no regrets!"

"Good."

The voice of the Five Elements Dao Venerable seemed to carry a hint of relief and a smile.

"Since that is the case, this 'Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed' shall be yours. I hope you use it well, do not fail my expectations, do not fail the living beings of this Realm, and do not fail... the 'Dao' itself."

As the voice faded, the orb of Chaos light suddenly retracted, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, rapidly merging into the five-colored Chaos Dao Seed at its center. The Dao Seed trembled slightly, then transformed into a stream of light, slowly flying toward Lin Wan's glabella, toward that newly born Chaos Dao Seed.

The two Dao Seeds—one was the Legacy Origin, complete and vast; the other was newly born and formed, with infinite potential. At this moment, they met in the air, slowly rotating, attracting each other while also faintly repelling.

This was the final and most critical step—Fusion.

Lin Wan closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, placing the guixu sword on his knees. He no longer tried to forcibly lead with his own consciousness but completely opened his mind, fully exposing his own Dao Seed to welcome and accommodate the Legacy Dao Seed with the purest Dao intent.

"Hum—!"

The Legacy Dao Seed gently touched Lin Wan's glabella.

In an instant—

"Boom—!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying torrent of information, energy, and Dao Laws, like a cosmic big bang, surged wildly from the point of contact at his glabella into Lin Wan's body, Divine Soul, and Dao foundation!

This time, it was not the impact and trial of the previous "Dao Seed Resonance," but a true, unreserved, and seamless Legacy empowerment!

The Five Elements Dao Venerable, this supreme existence who had long since transcended, his lifelong insights into the supreme Laws of the Five Elements, Guixu, Void Realm, stars, and even time, Karma, and fate; the countless Divine Abilities, Cultivation Techniques, Formations, alchemy paths, and artifact paths he had created; the infinite years, vast history, and even fragmented memories of his battles against "the end" that he had personally experienced; the vast power of Origin contained within his Dao Fruit, pure to an unimaginable degree, enough to drive Soul Transformation and Void Refining Cultivators mad...

All of this was like a burst galaxy, surging wildly into Lin Wan, this "vessel."

His body was instantly enveloped by five-colored Chaos light, suspended in mid-air. The acupoints all over his body opened automatically, madly devouring the surrounding Chaos Origin Qi and the endless Spiritual Qi in the starry sky. Inside his Dantian, that dark silver five elements sword core expanded and contracted madly, as if being blown up like a balloon. The quality and total amount of his Dan Yuan surged at a speed visible to the naked eye! The Bottleneck of the Peak Mid-stage Golden Core was like paper, shattering at a single touch!

Late Stage Golden Core!

Moreover, his cultivation improvement did not stop; it continued to charge toward the Golden Core Great Perfection and even... the ethereal threshold of the Nascent Soul!

His Divine Soul, under the washing of that vast flow of information, was constantly condensed, strengthened, and sublimated. The Divine Soul, which had already become transparent and resilient due to the "Void Asking Dao Path," was now coated with a layer of Chaos luster, faintly showing signs of condensing into substance and forming the prototype of a "Nascent Soul"! His understanding of the Five Elements, Guixu, Void Realm, stars, and other Daos reached an unimaginable depth. Many points that were previously obscure and difficult to understand were now suddenly clear, as if he had known them from birth.

The newly born Chaos Dao Seed at his glabella was slowly rotating and merging with the Legacy Dao Seed, like a binary star System. While the Legacy Dao Seed was constantly releasing the essence of its Dao Fruit, it was also being slowly absorbed and assimilated by the newly born Dao Seed. This was a long process, but every moment, Lin Wan could feel his own Dao Seed growing, perfecting itself, and steadily advancing toward the supreme ultimate form of "Five Elements Returning to Ruins."

Meanwhile, the guixu sword also hovered by his side, the original Chaos-colored light flowing on the blade, automatically absorbing the escaping Legacy Dao Rhyme and Chaos Origin Qi. The Dao Formation diagram on the blade, composed of starlight points, became clearer and more complete. The sword spirit transmitted a joyful and encouraged intent, as if it were also undergoing some profound transformation.

Time, within the Legacy, lost its meaning.

Perhaps it was just an instant, or perhaps thousands of years had passed.

When the last trace of essence from the Legacy Dao Seed was completely merged into the Dao Seed at Lin Wan's glabella, and the two perfectly fused into a single, deeper, more vast Chaos Dao Seed containing the phantoms of all heavens and worlds—

The Legacy ended.

"Hum—!"

The light around Lin Wan suddenly retracted, and he slowly landed back on the ground.

He remained sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, devoid of any aura, like a lifeless statue. But if anyone were here, they would be shocked to discover that, with him as the center, the surrounding space, time, and even the Five Elements Spiritual Qi and the power of the stars seemed to have fallen into stagnation, and yet seemed to be pulsing slightly with his faint, almost imperceptible breathing.

He seemed to have completely merged with this "Five Elements Return to Void Realm" and with the Dao of this heaven and earth.

Who knows how much more time had passed.

Lin Wan's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Then, he slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, Chaos light flowed, as if the scenes of the creation of the world, the birth and death of stars, the rotation of the Five Elements, and the annihilation of Guixu flashed by and vanished. Finally, all the visions retracted, turning into a deep, calm color of Chaos that seemed to be able to contain everything.

He had awakened.

The Legacy had been completely digested and fused.

His cultivation had remarkably stabilized at—Golden Core Great Perfection!

He was only one final step away from condensing his Nascent Soul, along with... sufficient accumulation and that crucial spark of Epiphany.

However, the profundity of his Dao Foundation, the purity of his Dantian energy, the strength of his Divine Soul, and his mastery over the Five Elements Returning to Ruins had already surpassed the ordinary Early Stage Nascent Soul, and could even rival the Middle Stage Nascent Soul!

In particular, the "Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed" at his glabella, though not yet fully mature, could already be called a supreme treasure; it could continuously provide him with insights into the Dao and the power of Origin, and his cultivation speed would far exceed his peers.

With a slight movement of his mind, the power of the Chaos Dao Seed began to circulate, and the stagnant space, time, and Spiritual Qi around him instantly returned to normal.

He slowly stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling a sense of majestic power within his body, like rushing rivers and rotating stars.

With a casual wave of his hand, the guixu sword flew into his palm.

Their minds were connected, and the sword moved as he wished.

He could feel that the guixu sword had also undergone a transformation; although its grade had not explicitly broken through, its essence had reached an immeasurable height.

In particular, the Dao Formation on the sword body contained infinite mysteries, and its future was promising.

"Is this... the power of the Five Elements Guixu Dao Seed Legacy..." Lin Wan whispered to himself, feeling the unprecedented sense of strength and control within his body.

Now, if he were to face Ghost Hand Daoist, Elder Hanyue, or even the Five Elements Turbulence Beast again, he could likely suppress and kill them in the blink of an eye.

But following this was that heavy burden of entrustment and Karma from the Five Elements Dao Venerable.

To resist "the end" and protect this Realm.

He looked up at the chaotic starry sky of the "Five Elements Return to Void Realm," his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of space, seeing the terrifying shadow hidden in the depths of the endless "Returning to Ruins," watching like a tiger stalking its prey.

"the end, is it... Rest assured, I will find you, and then... destroy you."

A cold murderous intent flashed in Lin Wan's eyes.

This was not only for his promise and the living beings of this Realm, but also for himself and everything he cherished.

However, the most pressing matter was not to immediately go searching for the elusive "the end."

Having obtained the Legacy, he needed to leave this place first, return to the outside world, handle unfinished business, consolidate his cultivation, and... make final preparations for condensing his Nascent Soul.

He looked around; at the Peak of this Five Elements Dao Platform, apart from the now-dissipated light of the Legacy and the docile Chaos Origin Qi surrounding him, there seemed to be nothing else.

But the Legacy of the Five Elements Dao Venerable was definitely not just a Dao Seed.

Sure enough, just as he was preparing to leave, the space at the center of the Dao Platform, where the light of the Legacy had originally been, twisted slightly, and three items appeared.

A token that was neither gold nor jade, with a simple design and the two characters "Five Elements" engraved on it; a gray cloth bag the size of a palm, entirely chaotic, as if it could contain all things; and a crystal, crystal clear, with a drop of blood flickering with seven-colored light sealed inside.

"This is the 'five elements token,' which can command part of the power and resources left behind by the Five Elements Sect across the heavens, and is also proof of your inheritance of the Dao lineage."

"The 'Guixu Bag,' which contains a small chaotic space within, can contain all things, and life never dies; it is also the key to the core control hub of the 'Five Elements Return to Void Realm.' You can use this to initially control this Realm."

"This is the 'dao venerable essence blood,' containing a trace of my Origin vitality and Dao imprint; it can help you temper your Physical Body and Divine Soul when you break through major Realms in the future, and can also serve as a token to trigger certain ancient arrangements."

The voice of the Five Elements Dao Venerable sounded for the last time, carrying a trace of weariness and relief.

"The matter here is finished. My last trace will also dissipate. You must walk the path of the future on your own. Take care."

The voice gradually faded away and finally disappeared completely, as if it had never existed.

Lin Wan bowed solemnly once more toward the center of the Dao Platform, where the voice had last come from.

Then, he stepped forward and put away the three items.

The five elements token felt warm and smooth in his hand, possessing its own profundity.

The Guixu Bag looked ordinary, but when his consciousness probed inside, he discovered that the internal space was vast and boundless, filled with pure Chaos Qi, which could nourish all things and was faintly connected to the space here.

The crystal with the dao venerable essence blood felt heavy in his hand, containing majestic vitality and Dao rhyme that made even his Dao Seed tremble slightly.

The harvest was complete.

It was time to leave.

He communicated with the Guixu Bag with his mind, establishing a connection with the core of this "Five Elements Return to Void Realm."

Instantly, the scene of the entire hall world appeared clearly in his "mind."

He "saw" Han Lingtian, Liao Chen, Yan Potian, Han Ming, and others who were still under the chaotic starry sky, at the end of their respective paths of light, either sitting cross-legged in meditation or struggling forward.

They seemed to still be undergoing their respective "Void Dao-Seeking Path" trials.

Their progress varied, but it looked like they would not be able to finish in a short time, let alone reach this Dao Platform.

After all, not everyone was like him, possessing a Void Dao Seed, having understood the Five Elements Returning to Ruins, and having obtained the recognition of the Star Derivation Legacy and the guixu sword.

Their trials were destined to be longer and more difficult, and perhaps... they might never reach the end.

"Everyone, may you rely on your own opportunities." Lin Wan thought silently.

He had already obtained the Legacy, and this place held few secrets for him anymore.

He did not intend to stay here long, nor did he wish to disturb others' opportunities (or tribulations).

He locked onto the spatial connection point between this Realm and the outside world—exactly the "reception platform" area where they had entered.

The Guixu Bag flashed with light, and a gentle yet irresistible spatial force enveloped him.

The next moment, his figure disappeared from the top of the Five Elements Dao Platform.

Outside the Five Elements Hall, at the reception platform.

The five-colored light shield had long since disappeared, and the platform floated quietly at the edge of the Five Elements Turbulence Belt, which was still violent but seemed relatively calmer due to the absence of the "Five Elements Turbulence Beast's" ravages.

Space fluctuated slightly, and Lin Wan's figure appeared on the platform.

Outside, it was still the magnificent and dangerous Guixu Sea scene.

But at this moment, Lin Wan looked at all of this, and the feeling was completely different.

He could not only clearly perceive the flow of the surrounding Five Elements Spiritual Qi, the structure of space, and even the Law fragments contained in the Guixu mist, but he could also faintly feel that the entire Guixu Sea seemed to have a faint connection with the Dao Seed at his glabella and the Guixu Bag in his hand.

It was as if he had become, in a sense... half the Revered Master of this world.

"First, leave the Guixu Sea, return to the Tiannan Ruins, and reunite with Revered Master and Ruyan and the others."

Lin Wan identified the direction and was about to set off.

Suddenly, he frowned and cast his gaze toward the depths of the Guixu Sea, in the direction of the "Five Elements Turbulence Belt."

He saw that the originally relatively calm Turbulence Belt was now violently churning again!

Moreover, several powerful, violent, and terrifying wills filled with the aura of destruction were rapidly awakening and approaching from the depths of the Turbulence Belt!

One of them was clearly the aura of the "Five Elements Turbulence Beast" from before, and it seemed even more violent and powerful than before!

The other few were also not weak, at least at the Nascent Soul level!

Not only that, in other directions of the Guixu Sea further away, powerful auras were also erupting and clashing.

It seemed that more terrifying existences had been alarmed by the opening of the Five Elements Hall and the emergence of the Legacy, or were attracted by those Cultivators from various forces who had entered the Guixu Sea but failed to enter the Five Elements Hall, and were waking up from their slumber or walking out from secret places.

The entire Guixu Sea seemed to have completely "come alive" because of the ownership of the Five Elements Hall Legacy, becoming even more dangerous and chaotic!

"Trouble has arrived..." Lin Wan's gaze turned cold.

It seemed that it would not be so easy to leave safely.

With a thought, the guixu sword was already in his hand.

The power of the Chaos Dao Seed circulated, and his figure turned into a beam of Chaos sword light.

He no longer concealed himself and sped off in the direction he had come from, toward the northeast exit where the Tiannan Ruins were located!

Since he could not avoid it, then he would... kill his way out!

It just so happened that he could use these awakened "ancient beasts" and "remnant spirits" to test whether this newly obtained power of the Five Elements Returning to Ruins was sharp enough!