191: Chapter 191 Enlightenment Through the Spring
The moment his body entered the Primal Spring of Chaos, Liu Qingtian felt as if he had fallen from a raging, stormy sea into a warm, tranquil womb.
The omnipresent chaotic tearing sensation and disorientation from the outside world abruptly vanished. In its place was an incredibly pure, gentle, and vibrant chaotic energy, like warm nectar, enveloping him from all directions. This energy didn't require him to actively absorb it; it spontaneously permeated his skin, pores, and even directly infiltrated his Demonic Soul, surging into his battered Demonic Body and nearly dry Meridians.
“Ugh...”
He couldn't help but let out a comfortable groan. The wounds left by the previous fierce battle, nourished by the chaotic energy imbued with the power of creation, healed and flattened at a visible speed, leaving not even a scar. His greatly depleted Demonic Essence, like a parched land receiving sweet rain, greedily absorbed this pure Origin power, rapidly becoming full and surging, even purer and more condensed than during his peak.
What surprised him even more was that the nearly liquefied Chaos Origin, obtained from the powerful gray shadow, seemed to be drawn by something after entering the Origin Spring. It actively merged with the Origin Spring Essence in his hand, transforming into an even more vast and profound energy flow that directly rushed into his Dantian, converging into the slowly rotating Black Hole core.
Boom!
The Black Hole core violently shook, its rotation speed suddenly accelerated, and its volume seemed to expand by a circle, emitting an even deeper and purer devouring force. The Demonic Essence, which had previously appeared somewhat colorful and varied in attributes due to the Fusion of Myriad Laws, began to accelerate its integration and purification under the washing and harmonization of this most fundamental chaotic energy. The sense of repulsion between different power attributes significantly weakened, replaced by a more harmonious and unified trend.
“Now is the time!”
Liu Qingtian's mind was suddenly enlightened. He immediately cast aside all distracting thoughts, completely immersed his consciousness within his body, and circulated the Heaven Devouring Earth Devouring Demonic Art along with his initial comprehension of the “Myriad Phenomena Return to Void” intent, guiding this immense energy to perform a deeper integration of the power within his body.
His consciousness seemed to sink into a chaotic ocean woven from countless Law threads. The green and gray representing Wither and Flourish, the brilliance and darkness representing the birth and death of stars, the ultimate meaning of annihilation, the devouring power of Return to Void, the twisted ripples of space-time, the intricate threads of Karma... all these power Origins that he had plundered and refined, now, under the permeation of pure chaotic energy, were like refined gold thrown into a furnace, slowly and firmly interpenetrating and merging.
It was no longer a simple amalgamation and use, but a deeper resonance of Laws and structural reorganization.
He “saw” that the power representing the birth and death of stars began to resonate with Wither and Flourish Reincarnation. The birth of stars corresponded to the prosperity of vegetation, and the annihilation of stars corresponded to the withering of all things. Parts of their Dao principles began to overlap and strengthen.
He “saw” that the devouring characteristic of Return to Void began to merge with the true meaning of annihilation, making annihilation no longer merely an end, but also imbued with the deeper meanings of devouring, transforming, and returning to nothingness.
He “saw” that the ripples of space-time and the threads of Karma intertwined with each other. Changes in space-time affected the direction of Karma, and the entanglement of Karma could also disturb the stability of space-time... A realization gradually dawned on him.
“All methods lead to the same destination... whether it's the birth and death of stars, the Wither and Flourish of vegetation, the flow of space-time, or the entanglement of Karma, their underlying essence seems to point to some common ‘root’... Is it ‘Reincarnation’? Is it ‘Chaos’? Or... ‘Nothingness’?”
He couldn't accurately describe what it was, but he could feel that his previous pursuit of “Myriad Phenomena Unification” was in the right direction. The so-called “Unification” was not about forcefully compressing different attributes of power together, but about letting them find their intrinsic “commonality,” and with that mysterious “commonality” as the core, reconstruct a more stable, more powerful, and all-encompassing new power system!
The core of this system, for now, seemed most closely aligned with his initial comprehension of the “Return to Void” intent. Return to Void, devouring everything, burying everything, is also the starting point of all endings and possibilities.
“My Dao can perhaps be called the ‘Myriad Manifestations Returning to Ruin Dao’!” Liu Qingtian settled on the name in his heart, and the path ahead seemed a little clearer.
In this deep state of enlightenment, his perception of the outside world was not completely cut off. He could “feel” that the two powerful gray shadows had not left; they lingered at the edge of the Origin Spring, emitting anxious and greedy emotions, yet seemed to harbor some apprehension towards the Origin Spring itself, not daring to easily intrude. They merely continuously stirred the surrounding chaotic Qi currents, attempting to disturb the tranquility of the spring eye and indirectly affect Liu Qingtian within it.
“It seems this Origin Spring is both a temptation and a restraint for them,” Liu Qingtian understood in his heart, and immersed himself in Cultivation with even greater peace of mind.
Time lost all meaning here. Perhaps it was an instant, perhaps a hundred years.
When Liu Qingtian opened his eyes again, the anomaly of a Black Hole in his left eye and a nebula in his right eye had receded, replaced by a bottomless gloom, like two ancient wells leading to Return to Void, occasionally flashing with fleeting scenes of the birth and death of Myriad Laws.
The Demonic Essence within his body became unprecedentedly solid and unified, presenting a deep, dark color that seemed to devour light, yet subtly contained the faint glows of various characteristics such as starlight, the rhythm of Wither and Flourish, and space-time fluctuations, coexisting harmoniously. The Black Hole core was stable and powerful, slowly rotating, like the center of the Universe.
His cultivation had not achieved a Realm Breakthrough; he remained at the Late Stage Star Shattering Realm. However, his control over power, his understanding of his own “Dao,” and his actual combat strength had undergone earth-shattering changes! If he was previously relying on brute force and a complex array of Origins to barely reach the Black Hole Level, now he had truly begun to forge his own, more solid path at the Black Hole Level of power.
“Myriad Manifestations Returning to Ruin Dao... initially complete!” Liu Qingtian felt the surging yet perfectly controllable new power within him, and a powerful confidence welled up in his heart. He had a premonition that if he were to face Luo Jiuxuan again now, though he still wouldn't dare to claim victory, it would certainly not be like last time, where he was almost utterly defenseless! Enduring a thousand moves might not be a pipe dream!
He slowly rose, floating within the Origin Spring. The energy of the spring eye had been absorbed by him by nearly thirty percent, and its radiance was slightly dim, but still immense.
It was time to leave.
However, just as he was about to move and rush out of the Origin Spring, an extremely subtle, yet supremely majestic will, like an ancient Dragon that had slumbered for eons, slowly awakened from the deepest part of the Origin Spring!
This will was ancient, vast, and filled with the most primal Chaos aura, infinitely more powerful than those gray shadows. Just its naturally emanating pressure caused Liu Qingtian's entire Demonic Essence to stagnate, and his Soul to tremble!
“This is... the Spirit of the Origin Spring? Or... an even more terrifying existence?” Liu Qingtian's face drastically changed, the confidence brought by his recent power increase instantly replaced by vigilance. He realized that this seemingly peaceful Primal Spring of Chaos might conceal an existence beyond his imagination in its depths!
At the same time, the two powerful gray shadows that had been lingering outside the spring eye also seemed to sense this awakening will, letting out even sharper, even slightly fearful screeches. They no longer entangled themselves, instantly transforming into two streaks of gray light, fleeing frantically into the depths of Chaos and disappearing.
Their escape did not make Liu Qingtian feel relieved; instead, his heart sank.
Even those two gray shadows that had forced him into a bitter battle were so terrified; how terrifying must the existence at the bottom of the spring be?
That immense will did not seem to specifically pay attention to Liu Qingtian, this “little bug.” It was more like an unconscious awakening, or rather, it was disturbed by the ripples of Laws he had stirred by absorbing a large amount of Origin Spring energy and comprehending the Dao earlier.
But even so, Liu Qingtian dared not move in the slightest. He suppressed all his aura, as if turning into a stubborn rock in the spring water, his thoughts racing.
Should he immediately risk rushing out of the Origin Spring, facing the unknown chaotic environment? Or continue to lurk, waiting for this terrifying will to fall into slumber again?
Either choice was fraught with immense risk.
And that will from the depths of the Origin Spring, after slowly sweeping over this area, seemed to have found nothing particularly noteworthy, and began to gradually calm down and tend towards falling into slumber again.
Liu Qingtian held his breath, waiting for the opportunity to escape. He knew that in this Chaos Secret Realm, the true danger might have just begun to reveal the tip of the iceberg.