202: Chapter 202 Deeper Encounters with the Seven Sages

There were no directions in Chaos, but Lu Mingyuan knew he was moving deeper.

He didn't measure it with his feet, but felt it with his heart. The further he went, the thicker the Chaos became. It was as thick as porridge, so viscous it wouldn't dissipate. The gray mist turned into a milky-white slurry; there was no light in the slurry, yet there was no darkness either. There was only a primal, chaotic, undifferentiated state.

That was the source of all things and the final destination of all laws.

The kitten purred on his shoulder, sleeping soundly. It didn't care about Chaos; as long as it had a place to perch and someone to accompany it, that was enough. Bai Ze, however, was awake, its eyes wide open, staring ahead. Its bai ze map had been put away because, here, the map couldn't reflect anything. It wasn't that the map was faulty, but that there was nothing here to reflect. This was a place where all things had yet to become things.

As Lu Mingyuan walked, he suddenly stopped.

He wasn't tired; he felt something. It was a very faint sensation, like a heartbeat, yet also like a breath. It wasn't the heartbeat of one person, but of many. No, not people—it was the Dao. The Dao was breathing; the Dao was beating.

"Bai Ze, do you feel it?"

"I feel it."

"What is it?"

"The Seven Saints Evolution of the Way." Bai Ze's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something. "The Heavenly Dao, the Earthly Dao, the Human Dao, the Divine Dao, the Immortal Dao, the Buddhist Dao, and the Demonic Path. The seven paths share the same source, all emerging from Chaos. They have been evolving in the depths of Chaos since the creation of heaven and earth, never stopping."

"Why are they evolving?"

"To tell those who come later what the Dao is. After Pangu opened the heavens, the seven paths began their evolution. They are not evolving consciously; it is the nature of the Dao that makes it so. The Dao must manifest, must transform, and must give life. Evolving is manifesting, manifesting is transforming, and transforming is giving life."

Lu Mingyuan nodded and continued forward. The milky-white slurry became increasingly thick, like glue. Every step required effort, as if wading through a marsh. But he didn't feel tired because his heart was beating in sync with the breath of the Dao. With every heartbeat, Chaos trembled. With every breath, the Dao manifested a bit more.

As he walked, the milky-white slurry suddenly dispersed.

It hadn't disappeared; it had drawn back. Like a curtain being pulled open, it revealed a stage. The stage was vast, so large it had no boundaries. There were no props or scenery on the stage, only light. Seven types of light, arranged in a row, suspended in the Chaos.

The first light was golden. It was as golden as the sun and as bright as day. Within that light was an order, a set of rules, a cycle. The sun, moon, and stars, the changing of the four seasons, and the growth and death of all things were all within that light.

The second light was earthy yellow. It was as yellow as the earth and as thick as a mountain. Within that light was a sense of bearing, of tolerance, and of Reincarnation. The earth supporting all things and Reincarnation sending off all living beings were all within that light.

The third light was fiery red. It was as red as blood and as hot as fire. Within that light was a sense of self-improvement, of struggle, and of Legacy. Humanity emerging from the wilderness, generation after generation, passing on the torch—all were within that light.

The fourth light was the color of incense smoke. It wasn't just one color, but many. Red, yellow, white, and gold intertwined like smoke. Within that light was a sense of faith, of Power Of Will, and of protection. The prayers of all living beings and the responses of the gods were all within that light.

The fifth light was green. It was as green as the sky and as light as the wind. Within that light was a sense of leisure, of transcendence, and of longevity. Immortals riding clouds, roaming the four seas, untouched by Karma—all were within that light.

The sixth light was colorless. It wasn't that it lacked color, but that it contained all colors. Within that light was compassion, wisdom, and liberation. The Buddha plucking a flower, Mahakasyapa smiling, without words, pointing directly to the human heart—all were within that light.

The seventh light was black. It was as black as an abyss and as dark as nothingness. But that blackness was not evil; it was a void. Devouring, missing, and the reversal of completion were all within that light.

Seven lights, seven types of Dao, seven types of evolution.

Lu Mingyuan stood before them and looked up. The light was so bright it was hard to keep his eyes open. But he didn't want to close them because he wanted to see clearly. To see clearly what the Dao was, what the law was, and what the source of all things was.

"This is the Seven Saints Evolution of the Way," Bai Ze said. "The Heavenly Dao, the Earthly Dao, the Human Dao, the Divine Dao, the Immortal Dao, the Buddhist Dao, and the Demonic Path. Every path is a child of Chaos, every path is an inheritance from Pangu. They have been evolving here for countless years, waiting for someone to come and see. If you understand them, you can integrate them. If you integrate them, you can prove the Dao of the Primordial Chaos."

Lu Mingyuan did not speak. He stared at those seven lights, mesmerized. He wasn't just captivated; he entered them. His heart entered the light and merged with it. He felt the order of the Heavenly Dao, the bearing of the Earthly Dao, the self-improvement of the Human Dao, the faith of the Divine Dao, the leisure of the Immortal Dao, the compassion of the Buddhist Dao, and the void of the Demonic Path.

The seven sensations intertwined, collided, and merged within his heart. Inside his Dantian, that tree began to grow wildly. One zhang, two zhang, three, four, five zhang. It wasn't growing slowly; it was surging upward. Because his state of mind was leaping forward, sprinting from the Late Stage of a Quasi-Saint toward Quasi-Saint Perfection.

But the sprint was not without a price. The power of the seven paths was too strong, so strong his body couldn't withstand it. His skin began to crack, and blood seeped from the fissures. The blood was golden, as golden as sunlight. The golden blood dripped into the Chaos and onto the seven lights. The lights absorbed the blood and grew even brighter.

"Lu Mingyuan, you're in too much of a hurry!" Bai Ze shouted. "The Seven Saints Evolution of the Way isn't meant to be seen all at once; it must be viewed slowly. You're trying to see it all at once, and your body can't take it."

"I know," Lu Mingyuan's voice was very calm. "But I can't wait. There is no time in Chaos, but there is time in the Great Desolation. Every moment I wait is another moment they have to wait. I can afford to wait, but they cannot."

Bai Ze fell silent. It knew it couldn't persuade him. This scholar, once he made a decision, would see it through to the end. To the end, until death.

Lu Mingyuan sat cross-legged before the seven lights. He closed his eyes, not to stop looking, but to see with his heart. The heart saw more clearly, further, and deeper than the eyes.

The seven lights began to move toward him. It wasn't a physical movement, but an expansion. The lights expanded from their suspended positions and surrounded him. He was enveloped by the seven lights, like a fetus in a womb. The seven Dao principles poured into his body, into his Meridians, and into his Dantian.

In his Dantian, that tree had already grown to seven zhang. Seven zhang wasn't tall, but it was much taller than before. The trunk had thickened, and the branches and leaves were much denser. The roots struck deeper, reaching the bottom of the Dantian. The canopy reached higher, touching the top of the Dantian.

But it wasn't enough. Seven zhang couldn't hold the seven paths. The seven paths needed a larger space, a larger Dantian, and a larger heart.

Lu Mingyuan gritted his teeth and forced his Dantian to expand. He didn't use external force, but the power of his heart. As large as the heart was, so too was the Dantian. If the heart could hold heaven and earth, the Dantian could hold heaven and earth. If the heart could hold Chaos, the Dantian could hold Chaos.

The Dantian was expanding, from a room into a plaza, from a plaza into a world, from a world into a Universe. In that Universe, there was a tree, seven zhang tall. Beneath the tree sat a person, cross-legged. That person was Lu Mingyuan—his Primordial Spirit, his true spirit.

The seven lights poured into that Universe and into that tree. Patterns began to appear on the trunk; they weren't carved, they grew. Each pattern corresponded to a Dao principle. The golden patterns were the Heavenly Dao, the earthy yellow were the Earthly Dao, the fiery red were the Human Dao, the incense-colored were the Divine Dao, the green were the Immortal Dao, the colorless were the Buddhist Dao, and the black were the Demonic Path.

The seven types of patterns intertwined, twisted, and merged on the trunk. They were not independent; they were interdependent. The Heavenly Dao needed the Earthly Dao to bear it, the Earthly Dao needed the Human Dao to cultivate it, the Human Dao needed the Divine Dao to protect it, the Divine Dao needed the Immortal Dao to transcend it, the Immortal Dao needed the Buddhist Dao for compassion, and the Buddhist Dao needed the Demonic Path for completion. None could be missing; without one, it was not whole.

Lu Mingyuan suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes had changed. They were no longer black, but golden. As golden as the sun and as bright as the stars. Within that gold, seven types of light were flowing. They didn't rotate chaotically, but in an orderly fashion. Like a wheel, like a river, like the stars.

"I understand," he said.

"What do you understand?" Bai Ze asked.

"The seven paths share the same source, all emerging from Chaos. The Heavenly Dao is not the highest, and the Demonic Path is not the lowest. They are all manifestations of the Dao, all children of Chaos. There is no high or low, no superior or inferior, no right or wrong. There is only difference, only complementarity, and only coexistence."

Bai Ze looked at him, tears in its eyes. It had lived for tens of thousands of years and seen countless Cultivators. But it had never seen anyone like this. A scholar who had walked out of Heyin City had, in less than a hundred years, within the Chaos and before the Seven Saints Evolution of the Way, realized this. This was a truth that many Saints could not grasp in an entire lifetime. It wasn't that they were foolish, but that their hearts weren't large enough. Large enough to hold the Heavenly Dao and the Demonic Path. Large enough to hold both order and void.

"What is your cultivation level now?" Bai Ze asked.

Lu Mingyuan looked within his Dantian. That tree had grown from seven zhang to nine zhang. Nine zhang—only one zhang away from ten. The seven patterns on the trunk were clearly visible, and the leaves on the canopy shimmered with seven lights. Beneath the tree sat his Primordial Spirit, eyes closed, a smile on its lips.

"Quasi-Saint Perfection," Lu Mingyuan said. "One step away from being a Saint."

"What is that step?"

"Integration. To melt the seven paths into one furnace and return the myriad laws to a single origin. If I succeed, I will be a Grand Unity Golden Immortal of the Primordial Chaos. If I fail, I will be stuck here forever."

"Can you succeed?"

"I can. But it will take time. Is there time in Chaos? No. But I need time, even if it is time that doesn't exist."

Lu Mingyuan stood up and looked at the seven lights. The lights were still evolving, without pause. The Heavenly Dao was evolving order, the Earthly Dao was evolving bearing, the Human Dao was evolving self-improvement, the Divine Dao was evolving faith, the Immortal Dao was evolving leisure, the Buddhist Dao was evolving compassion, and the Demonic Path was evolving void.

He reached out his hand, wanting to touch the light. Halfway there, he stopped. Because he knew it wasn't time yet. The seven paths were too strong, and he wasn't ready. He had to wait until his heart was large enough to hold the seven paths. He had to wait until his tree was tall enough to support the seven paths.

"I'm not in a hurry," Lu Mingyuan said. "Hurry is useless. I'll take it slow, one step at a time. Only by walking steadily can one go far."

Bai Ze smiled. It remembered what Xuanweizi had said: "Cultivation is like walking. If you walk the path beneath your feet well, you will naturally know how to proceed." This scholar had never forgotten that.

The kitten rolled over on his shoulder and continued to sleep. It didn't care about the seven paths; as long as it had a place to sleep and someone to accompany it, that was enough.

Lu Mingyuan sat cross-legged before the seven lights. He wasn't leaving, for this was the place he needed to be. The Seven Saints Evolution of the Way, the source of myriad laws. He would meditate here, integrate here, and prove his Dao here.

He placed the oil lamp before him, its wick flickering. The green lotus fragment and the axe blade fragment were placed beside the oil lamp, one green and one gold, reflecting each other. The three lights and the seven lights converged, illuminating the Chaos. The light was so bright it was like a world.

Deep in the Chaos, the seven lights continued to evolve. Evolving for all who came to see, evolving for all who wished to understand.

Lu Mingyuan closed his eyes. His heartbeat synchronized with the breath of the Dao, and his breathing aligned with the pulse of the Chaos.

He was meditating, waiting, and preparing.

Preparing to integrate, preparing to return the myriad laws to the origin, and preparing to prove the Dao of the Primordial Chaos.