73: Chapter 73 Ancient Tales of the Primordial Era

After dinner, Xuanweizi called Lu Mingyuan to the East Wing.

Tea was already brewed, two bowls of coarse tea placed on the low table. Outside the window, the night deepened, and the shadow of the old cypress tree merged into the darkness, becoming indistinct.

Lu Mingyuan sat on the meditation mat, waiting for Xuanweizi to speak.

He knew that what was to be said tonight was unusual.

Xuanweizi picked up the tea bowl and took a slow sip.

"Do you know how this world came to be?"

Lu Mingyuan was startled.

How it came to be?

In the stories he had heard since childhood, it was said that Pangu opened the heavens and created the earth, his body becoming all things. But was that just a story, or was it true?

Xuanweizi looked at him and said slowly:

"The Heaven-Opening Great Tribulation."

"Infinite kalpas ago, there was no heaven, no earth, no sun, moon, or stars, and no mountains or rivers. Only Chaos. Chaos was boundless, without beginning or end."

Xuanweizi's voice was light and faint, as if speaking of something from a very distant time.

"Within Chaos, a being was nurtured, named Pangu."

Lu Mingyuan held his breath.

"Pangu slept in Chaos for untold years. When he woke, feeling stifled, he swung his axe. That strike split Chaos. The clear rose to become heaven, and the turbid sank to become earth."

"But Chaos was unwilling. It did not want to be divided, nor did it want to be split open. The fragments of split Chaos transformed into the Three Thousand Demon Gods. The Three Thousand Demon Gods besieged Pangu, seeking to kill him and return the world to Chaos."

Lu Mingyuan listened with alarm.

"Did Pangu win?"

Xuanweizi nodded.

"He won. But it was not an easy victory. He killed the Three Thousand Demon Gods but exhausted his own strength. Before falling, he transformed his body into all things—his left eye became the sun, his right eye the moon, his blood the rivers, his flesh the soil, his breath the wind and clouds, and his voice the thunder."

He paused, then added:

"But the resentment of those Demon Gods did not dissipate. They hid within the world, waiting for an opportunity."

Lu Mingyuan was silent for a long time.

So that was the Heaven-Opening Great Tribulation.

It wasn't that Pangu easily split the heavens and earth; he traded his life for it.

"And the Demon Gods' resentment..." he asked, "what happened later?"

Xuanweizi picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.

"Later, there was the Ferocious Beast Great Tribulation."

"After Pangu opened the heavens, the world was initially divided. The clear rose to become heaven, and the turbid sank to become earth. But within that turbid Qi, the Demon Gods' resentment was mixed."

Xuanweizi's voice became low.

"That resentment turned into Vicious Beasts. Vicious Beasts had no intelligence, only instincts—to devour, destroy, and annihilate. They surged from beneath the earth, devouring whatever they saw—devouring heaven, earth, and all living beings."

Lu Mingyuan thought of the strange creatures in the classic of mountains and seas.

"Those were the Vicious Beasts?"

Xuanweizi nodded.

"Among the Vicious Beasts, the strongest was named 'Chaos'. Not the Chaos from before the opening of heaven, but the King of Vicious Beasts. It had no face and no orifices, yet it could swallow anything. It devoured for untold years, growing larger until it blotted out the sun."

He paused and continued:

"At that time, the first batch of living beings already existed in the world. The Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, and Kirin Clan—they were the earliest beings born after Pangu opened the heavens. The three clans joined forces and fought the Vicious Beasts for a hundred thousand years."

"A hundred thousand years?" Lu Mingyuan gasped.

"A hundred thousand years." Xuanweizi nodded. "They fought until the heavens collapsed and the earth split, until the sun and moon lost their light, finally killing all the Vicious Beasts. But the three clans' Origin Qi was also greatly damaged, with countless dead and injured."

"What about Chaos? That King of Vicious Beasts?"

Xuanweizi looked at him, his gaze deep.

"Chaos did not die. It was broken apart into countless fragments scattered across the world. Those fragments later became something else."

Lu Mingyuan's heart jolted.

"Became what?"

Xuanweizi did not answer, only saying:

"That is a story for later."

The tea grew cold.

Xuanweizi brewed a new pot.

The fragrance of tea rose again, filling the room with warmth. But Lu Mingyuan's heart could not warm up no matter what.

The Heaven-Opening Great Tribulation and the Ferocious Beast Great Tribulation—each was a sea of blood and mountains of corpses, the world overturning.

"Master," he asked, "where do these tribulations come from? Why is there one after another?"

Xuanweizi poured the tea and pushed a bowl toward him.

"What do you think?"

Lu Mingyuan thought for a long time.

"Is it because of... resentment?"

Xuanweizi nodded.

"Yes. Resentment."

He picked up the tea bowl and took a slow sip.

"In the Heaven-Opening Great Tribulation, Pangu split Chaos and killed the Three Thousand Demon Gods. The Demon Gods' resentment did not dissipate and turned into Vicious Beasts. In the Ferocious Beast Great Tribulation, the three clans killed the Vicious Beasts, but their resentment did not dissipate either. That resentment was then absorbed by what came after."

He set down the tea bowl and looked at Lu Mingyuan.

"Every great tribulation leaves behind resentment. Resentment piles up, deeper and deeper. When it reaches a certain point, it triggers the next great tribulation."

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

"Then... isn't it forever endless?"

Xuanweizi nodded.

"Yes, endless. This is the destiny of heaven and earth."

He paused, then added:

"Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Xuanweizi looked at him with something indiscernible in his gaze.

"Unless someone can truly resolve that resentment. Not to kill it, but to resolve it. Not to suppress it, but to transcend it. Not to swallow it, but to mend it."

Lu Mingyuan's heart jolted.

He thought of that blood-colored Rift.

He thought of the "An" Xuanweizi had mentioned.

He thought of the "Person of Destiny."

"Master," he asked, "what happened after the Ferocious Beast Great Tribulation?"

Xuanweizi was silent for a moment.

"After the Ferocious Beast Great Tribulation, the three clans dominated the world. The Dragon Clan ruled the seas, the Phoenix Clan ruled the skies, and the Kirin Clan ruled the earth. That was the most prosperous time of the Great Wilderness."

"But prosperity also sowed the seeds of disaster."

He sighed.

"The three clans vied for supremacy, none yielding to the others. The Dragon Clan claimed to be Pangu's orthodox lineage, the Phoenix Clan claimed their rule of the sky was supreme, and the Kirin Clan claimed their rule of the earth was most profound. Their rivalry eventually led to war."

Lu Mingyuan recalled the "Initial Calamity of Dragon and Phoenix" mentioned by the Queen Mother of the West in Kunlun.

"Was that the Dragon-Phoenix Great Tribulation?"

Xuanweizi nodded.

"The Dragon-Phoenix Great Tribulation lasted thirty thousand years. Most of the Dragon Clan died, the Phoenix Clan was nearly extinct, and only a few Kirin remained. The resentment of the three clans added another layer."

He looked at the night outside, his gaze distant.

"That resentment was absorbed by that entity again."

Lu Mingyuan asked, "That entity... is it An?"

Xuanweizi nodded.

"Yes. It is An."

"What exactly is An?" Lu Mingyuan asked.

Xuanweizi thought for a long time before saying:

"An is a lingering remnant of Chaos."

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

"When the heavens were opened, Pangu split Chaos. Most of Chaos differentiated into the world, but a small part was unwilling and hid within it. It refused to be differentiated, refused to disappear. It wants to return to its original form."

"Original form?"

"Chaos. No distinction, no heaven or earth, no life or death. Everything as one, and that one as nothingness."

Lu Mingyuan's scalp tingled.

"So it wants to..."

"It wants to turn the world back into Chaos," Xuanweizi looked at him. "That is the purpose of An."

Lu Mingyuan fell silent.

He suddenly remembered the blood-colored Rift. The Devilish Qi surging from it, that despairing aura—so it was the remnant of Chaos.

The lingering remnant that had been unwilling ever since the opening of heaven.

"But why doesn't it just..."

"Just what? Directly swallow the world?" Xuanweizi shook his head. "It cannot. The world is established, and order is formed. It cannot swallow the world; it can only erode it bit by bit. Waiting for tribulations, waiting for resentment, waiting for an opportunity."

He paused and added:

"Every great tribulation is an opportunity. The more resentment, the stronger An becomes. When it is strong enough, it can tear open a rift and seep in bit by bit from outside the world."

Lu Mingyuan thought of that growing blood-colored Rift in the Northwest.

"Then now..."

Xuanweizi nodded.

"It is near."

The night was very deep.

The tea had long since gone cold, but no one moved to refill it.

Lu Mingyuan sat on the meditation mat, his mind in turmoil.

The Heaven-Opening Great Tribulation, the Ferocious Beast Great Tribulation, the Dragon-Phoenix Great Tribulation—he had only heard of them. But hearing Xuanweizi tell it now, those calamities seemed to be right before his eyes.

Seas of blood, mountains of corpses, the world overturning.

Countless beings died in the tribulations.

That resentment piled up like mountains, becoming nourishment for An.

And An was waiting for the next opportunity.

"Master," he asked, "what is the next great tribulation?"

Xuanweizi looked at him and said slowly:

"The Dharma-Ending Kalpa."

Lu Mingyuan's heart jolted.

The Dharma-Ending Kalpa.

He had heard this term many times. But only now did he truly understand its weight.

"Dharma-Ending..." he murmured, "does it mean all paths of cultivation will perish?"

Xuanweizi shook his head.

"It is not the paths that perish, but the hearts of men."

He looked at Lu Mingyuan, his gaze calm.

"The Dharma is in the heart. If the heart remains, the Dharma remains. If the heart perishes, the Dharma perishes. The Dharma Ending Age is the ending of the human heart."

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

The Dharma Ending Age is the ending of the human heart?

"Then..." his voice was a bit hoarse, "is there still hope?"

Xuanweizi did not answer.

He only looked at Lu Mingyuan with something indiscernible in his gaze.

After a long time, Xuanweizi finally spoke.

"Whether there is hope or not depends not on heaven, but on man."

He picked up the cold tea and took a sip.

"You have asked so much today, are you tired?"

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

Tired.

It was not a physical tiredness, but a mental one.

Knowing so much made his heart feel heavy.

Xuanweizi looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"It is right to be tired. Once you know, you cannot pretend you don't. Once you see, you cannot pretend you haven't. This is the price of knowing."

He set down the tea bowl and stood up.

"Let us stop here for tonight. Go back and get a good sleep. Tomorrow has its own matters."

Lu Mingyuan rose and bowed.

Reaching the door, he suddenly stopped.

"Master, your Disciple has one more question."

"Mhm."

"Why are you telling your Disciple all this now?"

Xuanweizi was silent for a moment.

"Because you asked."

Lu Mingyuan was startled.

Because I asked?

"If you do not ask, I will not say. If you ask, it means you should know. Cultivation is like this—if you don't ask, the time hasn't come. If you ask, the time has arrived."

He looked at Lu Mingyuan, his gaze gentle.

"Go on."

Lu Mingyuan pushed open the door and stepped into the night.

The moonlight was bright.

Lu Mingyuan stood in the courtyard, looking at the moon.

That was Pangu's left eye.

He did not know if it was true or just a legend. But at this moment, he was willing to believe it was true.

The giant who opened the heavens turned his eyes into the sun and moon before he fell. His left eye as the moon, his right eye as the sun. The sun and moon traverse the sky, watching over this world he traded his life for.

But the world's tribulations were not over.

Vicious Beasts, Dragon and Phoenix, Wu-Ya Clans, Investiture of the Gods, Journey to the West—one tribulation after another, piling up like mountains.

The next tribulation is the Dharma-Ending Kalpa.

He stood under the moonlight, motionless.

Soft footsteps came from behind.

Qingyuan poked his head out and whispered, "Junior Martial Uncle, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Lu Mingyuan turned back to look at him.

Under the moonlight, that young face was full of confusion.

"Can't sleep," he said.

Qingyuan scratched his head: "I can't sleep either. What did Grand-Uncle Master say to you? I saw you come out, and your expression didn't look right."

Lu Mingyuan thought for a bit.

"We spoke of some ancient matters."

"What ancient matters?"

"Very old matters. So old no one remembers them."

Qingyuan waited for a while, and seeing he would not say more, did not dare to ask again.

The two stood in the courtyard, looking at the moon.

After a long time, Qingyuan suddenly said:

"Junior Martial Uncle, no matter what those ancient matters are, I feel you will definitely be able to handle them."

Lu Mingyuan was startled.

"Why?"

Qingyuan thought and said seriously:

"Because the way you walk doesn't look like someone who would stop."

Lu Mingyuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Go back to sleep."

Qingyuan nodded and returned to the West Wing.

Lu Mingyuan stood for a while longer before turning to go inside.

Lying in bed, he looked at the moonlight outside the window.

Pangu's eye was still in the sky, watching him.

He closed his eyes.

Sleep.

Tomorrow has its own matters.