312: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (104)

At the core of the Deep Dream Marsh, the tragic and fierce battle between Xu Yuan and the seven Dao Monarchs shook the heavens and earth. The light of Law annihilation and waves of destruction constantly struck the light walls of the "Seven Luminaries Locking Heaven Grand Array," as if they could tear this sealed space-time completely to shreds at any moment.

Further away, within a void fold that even a Dao Monarch's Divine Sense could not easily reach, two figures with deeper and more transcendent auras were quietly "watching" this ultimate duel that would decide the fate of heaven and earth.

One of them was naturally Dao Lord Shang Qing, who governed seven Daos and possessed an aura as vast as an abyss and as heavy as a mountain.

He remained shrouded in endless Dao Rhyme, his face blurred, with only a pair of eyes that seemed to reflect the birth and death of the heavens. He was currently "watching" the fierce battle within the Deep Dream Marsh calmly, without joy or sorrow, like a player looking down at a chessboard.

Not far from his side, a extremely weak residual image of consciousness, almost assimilated with the void yet faintly emitting fluctuations of "Dream" Dao Rhyme, was slowly undulating.

This was surprisingly the remnant soul of the Illusory Dream Dao Lord!

"...Shang Qing," the familiar yet ethereal voice of the Illusory Dream Dao Lord came from that weak fluctuation of consciousness, carrying a hint of unmistakable exhaustion and regret, "this kid... is still lacking some refinement after all. His actions were too hasty, and too... resolute."

Dao Lord Shang Qing remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice as indifferent as the eternal starry sky: "A miss is as good as a mile. Although the conception of his Humanity Dao is high and points directly to the Origin of Order, indeed possessing the potential to mend the heavens, his Dao Foundation is not yet solid, and his accumulation is too shallow."

"Forcibly boosting himself with the technique of 'Dao-Usurpation to Mend the Heavens' and using the feedback of heaven and earth to pull up the seedlings to help them grow might have given him a moment of bravery—slaying three monarchs and shocking the heavens—but it is nothing more than... drinking poison to quench thirst."

His gaze seemed to penetrate the light and shadow of the battlefield, directly "seeing" the humanity golden elixir within Xu Yuan's body, which was already completely entangled by dao transformation dao patterns and about to "unite with the Dao," as well as his rapidly depleting life Origin.

"Three hundred years, or perhaps even shorter."

Dao Lord Shang Qing's voice was devoid of ripples, yet it stated a cruel fact.

"To us, it is but a short seclusion, a moment spent deducing the Great Dao. To him, it is the end of his path, the countdown to his consciousness being completely assimilated by heaven and earth and returning to Silence. In this amount of time, let alone completely reversing the situation, even wanting to 'usurp' one or two more Dao Monarchs' Daos to mend the heavens is as difficult as ascending to the sky. The Seven Luminaries Locking Heaven Grand Array is complete; this game... is nearly unsolvable."

"Sigh..."

The "echo" of the Illusory Dream Dao Lord emitted a long sigh, filled with unwillingness and regret.

"It was I who was too impatient... and I underestimated the decisiveness and ruthlessness of those old monsters. I thought that by using my ten-thousand-year remnant soul as fuel to complete his Dao, supplemented by the miraculous technique of 'Dao Usurpation,' I could win him a sliver of opportunity to grow and plan slowly... I didn't expect his character to be so unyielding and his actions so harsh, directly forcing himself into a dead end and forcing those old monsters to join forces to crush him..."

"It is time; it is fate."

Dao Lord Shang Qing shook his head slightly. "His Dao Heart is firm and decisive, sparing not even himself. This is a strength, but also the source of his misfortune. Without this level of resolution, he wouldn't have been able to reach this step in such a short time and slay three monarchs. However, what is too rigid is easily broken. This time, it is likely the end of his Dao path."

"So you're saying... the million years of deduction and accumulation by you and me, the secret guidance for the seed of 'Humanity' to sprout, the setup of this Deep Dream Marsh using the opportunity of my fall, and even letting my remnant soul dissipate completely to complete his Dao... all of this was... in vain?"

The Illusory Dream Dao Lord's voice carried a hint of bitterness.

These two existences, who had once stood at the Peak of heaven and earth as both enemies and friends, had secretly planned for countless tens of thousands of years for that slim chance of Soul Transformation. Now, seeing their most important "chess piece" about to fall, the feelings in their hearts were complex beyond words.

Upon hearing this, Dao Lord Shang Qing slowly shook his head again, his gaze still calmly fixed on the battlefield, as if seeing a further future:

"In vain? Not necessarily entirely."

He paused and continued, "At least, through this battle, the core Origins of the three Great Daos of Silence, Slaughter, and Decay—which had been stolen and solidified for countless years—have been forcibly fed back to heaven and earth, filling some of the gaps in the Law. Nourished by them, although heaven and earth cannot recover immediately, they have gained a breath of respite, and the trend of decline can be temporarily slowed."

"More importantly," Dao Lord Shang Qing's eyes turned slightly deep, "these three Great Daos have returned to the Origin of heaven and earth, and the 'Dao Monarch Marks' upon them have been forcibly erased by Xu Yuan using the 'humanity contract' in coordination with the power of heaven and earth. From now on, although these three Daos exist, they have returned to a 'masterless' state. If there are brilliant talents in the future who can re-perceive and align with one of these three Daos, they may be able to attain Nascent Soul again."

"However, the Nascent Soul of that time will only be a 'Dao Attainer' who follows the inherent Dao Branch of heaven and earth, rather than a 'Dao Monarch' like Silence and the others, who seized the Great Dao for themselves and severed heaven and earth."

"One is a mountain climber following the path, while the other is a bandit king occupying the mountain gate. Their essences are already different."

Dao Lord Shang Qing's tone was indifferent.

"Once this precedent is set, perhaps in the future, more stolen Great Daos will 'return' in a similar fashion. In the long run, for heaven and earth, it may not be a bad thing."

"As for this lad..." Dao Lord Shang Qing's gaze finally fixed on Xu Yuan's figure, which continued to fight to the death without retreating under the siege of the seven monarchs, frantically burning his dao transformation Origin. He was silent for a moment. "He has already lit the spark and shown another possible path—Usurping Dao to Mend the Heavens. Regardless of success or failure, this act itself has cast a giant stone into these stagnant heavens. The ripples will spread. In the future, perhaps new 'seeds' will learn from his fall and sprout anew."

"It's just that the time required will be calculated in millions of years or even longer. And this remnant echo of mine probably won't see it." The "echo" of the Illusory Dream Dao Lord grew weaker and weaker, carrying a sense of relief and a hint of melancholy.

Just then, within the Deep Dream Marsh battlefield, another change occurred!

As Xu Yuan's Dao body neared collapse after withstanding several rounds of terrifying attacks, he suddenly let out a long cry that shook the entire sealed world!

The humanity golden elixir within his body... actually began to shatter voluntarily!

"What is he doing?!"

"Self-detonating his Golden Core?! Perishing together?!"

The seven Dao Monarchs were both shocked and suspicious, and their offensive couldn't help but slow down.

However, no destructive energy erupted from Xu Yuan's shattered Golden Core. Instead, an endless, brilliant torrent of Dao principles surged out, mixing golden light of Order with dreamlike rainbows!

This torrent was not for attacking the enemy. Instead, using his own remaining life and Dao Rhyme as a guide, it frantically surged toward the various key nodes of the "Seven Luminaries Locking Heaven Grand Array." Simultaneously, a vast and tragic grand will, vowing to "settle the universe and reshape Order," mixed with his final comprehension of the "Humanity Dao," slammed into the minds of the seven Dao Monarchs like a brand, striking into the deepest depths of this world's Origin!

"If my Dao is not achieved, I am willing to die as a martyr! With my Dao's end, I summon the world to wake! With my soul's dissipation, I bear witness to the existence of Order!"