Chapter 0698: Rediscovering the Returning-to-one Dao
As the three people came out of the back of the restaurant, Helian Dai looked at the surrounding mess and spoke up with some fear, “Grandpa, Big Sister Ruolan, are we really that lucky?”
Ning Ruolan and Helian Mingzhe also felt surprised at the scene around them. As Helian Dai said, it looked like luck really played a part for the three of them. The East Gate Grand Bridge was an area initially filled with a variety of shops and rest stops; but now, all those establishments were in ruins. No one had even bothered to move the dozens of bodies scattered across the wreckage. These corpses all belonged to the various owners of the shops and merchant houses near to them. However, these shop owners just like their shops, have already turned into corpses.
Ning Ruolan murmured to herself that this was a world of the strong. The strong always devoured the weak, as evidenced by the scene in front of them.
Initially, the east part of the city had a relatively stable balance of powers. Although fights would erupt occasionally, it would not affect the overall situation. However, once those powerful forces from the other side of the river poured into this area, this balance of power quickly crumbled. Maybe in a while, a new balance of power might appear in this area, but it would have nothing to do with them.
“Let’s go.” Helian Mingzhe gave a sigh and spoke up.
None of the three said anything anymore. Covered Snow City, a real starry sky city of the Second Revenant Star, meant that people at least adhered to some laws. Yet someone dared to break this adherence of rules and openly occupied this area by killing the rest of the cultivators, who else could do this besides the Ji Clan?
….
Because of the scouring of the Mysterious Yellow Origin Aura and aura from the Origins, Ning Cheng’s cultivation improved like a bird soaring into the skies. Celestial essence aura from the two spiritual veins and several Permanent Essence Pills mixed with the Origin Aura as it wrapped around Ning Cheng, completely obscuring him from view.
The power of the Mysterious Yellow Formless had a multiplicative effect in the Mysterious Yellow Bead, causing Ning Cheng’s cultivation to climb rapidly. Even he could not judge the time he spent in cultivation.
Only after an unknown amount of time later did he start to feel a sense of stability. It felt as if he was just a moment away from breaking out of the Heaven Seated Realm and advancing to the Life and Death Realm.
The Life and Death Realm was the second sub-realm within the Destiny’s Three Realms. However, only by gaining enlightenment in life and death, could a cultivator split Yin and Yang and touch upon the Life and Death Realm.
If an ordinary starry sky cultivator wanted to advance to the Life and Death Realm, he or she would have to rely on the Life and Death Intent Field Pill. This pill could let cultivators experience the cycle between life and death, give birth to Yin and Yang and let them experience the joys and sorrows of two reincarnations.
This also meant that any cultivator who could refine the Life and Death Intent Field Pill would most likely be a Pill Emperor in the Life and Death or above realms. Ning Cheng had no access to such medicinal pills, but within the depths of his heart, a strange feeling started to grow stronger. That is, as long as he continued to derive and cultivate in such a state, he would definitely advance to the Life and Death Realm.
At this moment, Ning Cheng had subconsciously immersed himself in gaining enlightenment of the Life and Death Realm, while trying to improve his cultivation’s foundation.
If someone came to this place before, he would have sensed it. However, even if someone took away the Mysterious Yellow Bead right now, he would not be able to wake himself up.
A one-of-a-kind obsession filled his mind. If not for the Mysterious Yellow Origin Aura, maybe this obsession would have already transformed him into a devil.
At this moment, a tall tower, which gave him some familiarity, suddenly appeared in front of him. A moment later, he recalled why it felt familiar. This tower was the same starry sky tower he had seen on the Culmination Public Square. It was just that the starry sky tower on the Culmination Public Square only went up to the 49th floor, but this tower in front of him seemed to contain more than 49 levels.
Ning Cheng felt a call in his heart. He increasingly felt that as long as he conquered this tower, he could then breakthrough from the Heaven Seated Realm and touch upon the Life and Death Realm.
As a wave of Mysterious Yellow Aura washed over him, Ning Cheng’s consciousness suddenly turned clear and stopped himself from walking into the tower. Was he not in secluded cultivation? How did he get here? Was this an illusion?
No, this was not an illusion. Ning Cheng immediately threw the thought of illusion aside. The tower in front of him looked much brighter compared to the past, which further consolidated his will and determination to advance to the Life and Death Realm.
Ning Cheng did not hesitate anymore and stepped into the tower.
A pale golden ladder appeared in front of Ning Cheng. As soon as Ning Cheng stepped onto this ladder, an intense twisting pressure descended onto him.
This definitely was not an illusion, Ning Cheng immediately understood. If this were an illusion, he would not have felt this intense twisting pressure so clearly.
Ning Cheng stirred up his celestial essence and released his Celestial River Domain as he climbed up the ladder step-by-step. He kept reminding himself that this was all for advancing to the Life and Death Realm and that he must not turn anxious.
1st floor, 2nd floor… 10th floor… 15th floor…
The more floors Ning Cheng climbed up, the higher the pressure he experienced, but Ning Cheng’s heart grew equally delighted. Every time he crossed a floor, his spirit techniques seemed to solidify a little.
27th floor, 28th floor… 36th floor, 37th floor…
At this moment, Ning Cheng forgot that he came to this tower in pursuit of the Life and Death Realm. He also forgot that as long as he crossed this tower, he could advance to the Life and Death Realm.
At this moment, he only focussed on climbing through the floors within this tower, gaining continuous insights, which allowed his spirit techniques to grow more and more powerful.
……
At the same time, within the Grand Culmination Starry Skies’ Culmination Public Square.
A cultivator standing on the public square suddenly screamed, “Look, someone stepped onto the 50th floor of the Eternal Starry Sky Tower……”
“Idiot, the Eternal Starry Sky Tower only has 49 floors, seven sets of seven, which means 49 floors.” Someone immediately scolded the cultivator.
The three towers of Culmination were always the centre of attention throughout the entire Grand Culmination Starry Skies. Although a symbol of Culmination, it also attracted cultivators from other grand starry skies to enter their names in the three Culmination Towers.
“Ah, it really turned into 50 floors.” Another cultivator exclaimed, but his words suddenly changed, “It’s not the 50th floor, its 51st floor now.”
The Eternal Starry Sky Tower on Culmination Public Square had suddenly changed from 49 floors to 51 floors. This kind of absurd thing, no one would believe it anywhere else. Nevertheless, standing in Culmination Public Square, they had no choice but to believe it. Moreover, everyone could see it with their eyes and could easily count the number of floors of the Eternal Starry Sky Tower to verify the change.
“It’s true; the number of floors in the Eternal Starry Sky Tower is increasing…..”
One by one, shouts of surprises rang out in the Culmination Public Square. The facts were in front of everyone’s eyes, they had to believe it.
“Boom….” A violent explosion erupted. All the cultivators standing in Culmination Public Square felt shocked as they looked towards the huge array formation display in front of the Eternal Starry Sky Tower.
Just now, the display array formation had exploded. Such a strange thing had never happened at the Culmination Public Square.
Just when all the cultivators looked at each other trying to decide if such a thing was a blessing or a curse, something came out of the Eternal Starry Sky Tower. It was a huge stone tablet.
“This stone tablet came out suddenly….” A cultivator whispered, as if afraid that if his voice was too loud, the stone tablet would suddenly explode.
The cultivators on the public square turned quite. They could all see that this stone tablet was not only growing, it grew just like the Eternal Starry Sky Tower. The stone tablet had distinct marks for each layer. For each floor passed in the Eternal Starry Sky Tower, another mark would appear over the stone tablet for that floor as it grew.
At this moment, the Eternal Starry Tower now had 63 floors.
The news of the rapid growth of the Eternal Starry Sky Tower in Culmination Public Square disseminated like wildfire and quickly spread all over the Culmination Starland before spreading out at the fastest speed.
Chuan Xinlou was the first to appear in Culmination Public Square, followed by other experts that poured onto the Culmination Public Square from other areas. Even the Eternal-level powerhouses from Grand Spirit Heaven, Grand Devil Domain, and Grand Demon Domain Starry Skies rushed to Culmination Starland.
For such a phenomenon to occur in respect to the Eternal Starry Sky Tower at the Culmination Public Square, it definitely indicated that the laws of heaven and earth had somehow changed.
As for a reason, no one could tell.
….
Ning Cheng did not know about the commotion he caused at the Culmination Public Square’s Eternal Starry Sky Tower. He just kept climbing up.
“70th floor… 71st floor…..”
The pressure from the 71st floor to the 72nd floor more than doubled. The pressure increased to such an extent that Ning Cheng once again began to feel the bones in his legs give out subtle cracking sounds. This kind of pressure was very different from when he entered the Mysterious Yellow Temple. At that time, the pressure he experienced in the Mysterious Yellow Temple was only the pressure created from a powerful imposing aura. However, the pressure here not only originated from a powerful imposing aura but also seemed to come from a form of will.
Was this the end? Ning Cheng felt some disappointment as he looked at the golden ladder in front of him. A sense of unwillingness started to creep up in his heart.
Ning Cheng felt that if he could cross the 72nd floor, he would obtain something much more significant than what he gained from all the floors combined before it. After reaching the 72nd floor, he had already put aside the thought of advancing to the Life and Death Realm.
No, I cannot afford to lose this chance. Ning Cheng thought as he started to burn away his celestial essence. As he forcefully burned his celestial essence, it turned into a powerful force, turning the imposing aura from his Celestial River Domain even more majestic.
As Ning Cheng’s power kept growing, the power of the golden ladder also kept increasing proportionally.
One more step, just one more step…
“Kacha….”
One of Ning Cheng’s legs finally broke, but at this time, Ning Cheng stood on the 72nd floor. He quickly brought out the Nirvana Spear and forced himself to remain standing with its help.
Looking up, he saw the 73rd floor and even a 74th floor in front of him. A surge of despair and hopelessness started to rise in Ning Cheng. Looks like this was the end, he could only stop here.
However, an inexplicable Dao Charm suddenly came crashing down and instantly washed away Ning Cheng’s despair. At this moment, the endless charm of the Grand Dao filled Ning Cheng’s mind and will.
Ning Cheng felt so spirited that he unconsciously raised his hand and grabbed the Returning-to-one leather scroll. Initially, he had comprehended the prototype of his Dao because of this leather scroll.
“Darkness gives birth to light, existing order gives birth to form, consciousness gives birth to Dao, and myriad beings shape one another……”
“…… Neither Yin nor Yang, between heaven and earth, just a human, desiring to return to the source, all returns to one….. ”
“All things in heaven and earth are born with form, and this secret does not come without reason. It is like something bright coming out of the darkness, becoming visible through form, and gaining consciousness through Dao… If one lives inside Yin and Yang and has a physical body, one would eventually return to the origin, Returning-to-one.”
“I understand.” Ning Cheng muttered to himself. No matter if the golden ladder brought down higher pressure, it also had an origin that is precisely what the Returning-to-one explained. He burned his celestial essence to push himself forward recklessly, it was just asking for the end. The best way was to find the strength to concentrate on returning to the source.