Chapter 189 The Way of the Sword
"The beginning of the sword, the return of all paths to one!"
With a calm and focused mind, Feng Zichen swept his sword horizontally, unleashing a burst of dazzling sword light, like a starry sea exploding, scattering countless rays of light that shook the universe.
The sword light was magnificent, sometimes beautiful, sometimes scorching, sometimes chilling… encompassing everything, containing numerous Great Daos, as if all the Great Daos of the primordial world could be found within it.
A faint, illusory Great Dao appeared behind Feng Zichen, emanating an unfamiliar aura that caused the heavens and earth to tremble inexplicably, and countless paths to crash down.
Even the Heavenly Dao itself trembled, seemingly both surprised and enraged.
With the blessing of this Great Dao, the countless rays of sword light suddenly converged, transforming into a dazzling torrent, carrying the power of countless paths, flowing upstream, vast and mighty, directly attacking the sky.
Boom!
Wherever the torrent of sword light passed, it was as if nothing existed anymore, a vast expanse of white.
The divine weapon formed from the Geng metal energy, upon touching the sword light, was torn to shreds before it could even unleash its power, transforming into a wisp of innate metal elemental essence, floating and sinking within the torrent of sword light.
"Such an unfamiliar aura!"
"What kind of Great Dao is this?"
"Why have I never encountered it before?"
Deep within the Western Regions, sensing the aura of that unfamiliar Great Dao, the White Tiger Sacred Beast abruptly stood up, staring intently at the illusory Great Dao behind Feng Zichen, trying to discern its origin.
"This Dao seems innate, yet it is not; it seems illusory, yet it is not; it is mysterious and unfathomable."
"It is utterly unheard of, unseen before; it doesn't seem to be a Great Dao born before heaven and earth."
"Could it be that this brat created it himself?"
After observing for a long time, confirming its inability to recognize the Dao's origin, the White Tiger Sacred Beast speculated with some disbelief.
With its cultivation, it might not have dabbled in all the Great Daos of the Primordial World, but to say it understood them all was not difficult.
Even he cannot recognize the origin of this path now, which can only be for one reason: this path has never appeared before; it was created later.
Indeed, just as the White Tiger Sacred Beast thought, the illusory image of the Great Dao behind Feng Zichen is the Sword Dao, also a post-natal path.
Among the innate paths, there is no Sword Dao. Many powerful beings in the primordial world who used swords as weapons did not cultivate the Sword Dao.
For example, the Shangqing Daoist's swordsmanship was exquisite, but the path he cultivated was the Profound Great Dao.
The Styx Daoist, accompanied by the Yuan Tu and A Bi swords, possessed two innate killing swords, but the path he cultivated was not the Sword Dao, but the Dao of Slaughter and the Dao of Blood.
Only Feng Zichen, born later, with an indomitable will and unwavering faith, absorbed the essence of all paths, creating something from nothing, and opened the Sword Dao.
Although the Sword Dao is currently a post-natal path, when Feng Zichen achieves the Great Luo Golden Immortal status through this path, he can reverse the innate nature, achieve the innate Dao, and become the foundation of heaven and earth.
Achieving the Great Luo Golden Immortal through the acquired path is incredibly difficult, countless times more so than a later-born being defying the innate gods and demons. However, its benefits are also exceptionally clear.
Upon attaining the Dao, one becomes the ancestor of a Dao, wielding boundless fortune and receiving the protection of the Heavenly Dao, accumulating immeasurable merit.
The emergence of an innate Dao is immensely beneficial for stabilizing the primordial world and accelerating the evolution of the Heavenly Dao; how could the Heavenly Dao not reward it!
Of course, unless forced, Feng Zichen would not wish to attain the Dao through the acquired path.
After all, the innate Dao is the mainstream; attaining the Dao through the acquired is unprecedented and unheard of. Who knows what unexpected events might occur during the path of attainment? Unfortunately, the Primordial Dao is profound and complex, beyond his immediate comprehension. The Dao of Stars, however, is the exclusive domain of Emperor Jun; any outsider attempting to attain it would surely die! Left with no other choice, Feng Zichen had to turn his attention to the Sword Dao. Although this path is full of unknowns, it is incredibly powerful!
...
This was the first time the sword had revealed its sharpness in the primordial world, displaying its ferocity without reservation, and sweeping away the Gengjin divine weapon with overwhelming force!
When the torrent of sword light subsided, billions of points of light appeared, converging into a ball of innate metal elemental essence, shining brightly and constantly jumping in the air.
A moment later, the primordial metal elemental source moved with a "whoosh," transforming into a white light and entering Feng Zichen's body.
Instantly, his body blazed with white light, accompanied by continuous booming sounds, like the roar of a tiger or the clash of swords, shaking the surrounding area and stirring up a chilling aura.
Then, in his lungs, a wisp of primordial metal energy appeared, transforming into the shape of a white tiger, roaring continuously, echoing the other three sacred beasts from afar.
At this moment, the primordial metal energy was complete, and four of the five elements were formed. Feng Zichen was only one step away from becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal.
Metal, wood, fire, and earth, the four elements, formed and interacting with each other, produced inexplicable changes, manifesting autonomously from Feng Zichen's body, connecting with each other, and continuously cycling, evolving the principles of the five-element cycle.
During the cycle of the four elements, strands of primordial water, elemental source, were born, surging into his body, causing his kidneys to radiate a brilliant black light, within which the faint shadows of a tortoise and a snake appeared.
"This is..."
Feng Zichen noticed the changes in his body immediately, and after a moment's thought, he understood what was happening.
The Five Elements share a common origin, mutually generating and restraining each other. Now that the four elements are complete, they resonate with each other, autonomously connecting and creating the mysteries of creation, giving birth to innate water energy, thus perfecting the Five Elements.
According to Feng Zichen's calculations, if he were to put everything aside now and immediately go into seclusion to cultivate diligently, he could generate innate water energy within 30,000 years, reaching the Five Elements Converging at the Origin Realm and attaining the Great Luo Golden Immortal.
However, next, Feng Zichen would be heading to the Arctic to visit the Xuanwu Sacred Beast. From it, he would naturally obtain the innate water element source; there was no need for seclusion to cultivate and condense innate water energy.
With so much time, wouldn't it be better for him to do something else? Why bother with so much effort!
"Good! As expected of the outstanding figure who founded the Incense and Divine Path, truly extraordinary."
At this moment, the divine incarnation of the White Tiger Sacred Beast emerged from the depths of the Western Arctic and praised him. He sighed again, a hint of melancholy in his voice, and said,
"Feeling the vitality emanating from you, I feel myself growing old, almost falling behind the times!"
"Holy Venerable, you jest," the White Tiger replied, "You have achieved the supreme realm of eternal immortality, a being equal to the Dao itself. How could you possibly grow old?"
The White Tiger's comment about his age was merely a sigh born of frustration; Feng Zichen wouldn't take it seriously.
At their level, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they exist eternally, adapting to the changing world.
To a certain extent, they can influence the world's development, making it change according to their will.
It is they who change the world, not the other way around. They will never grow old, never fall behind, forever standing at the forefront of the times, continuing on and on until the very end.
(End of Chapter)