Chapter 784: The Dao

After concluding the conversation, Ye Chen returned to his secluded cave dwelling, intent on undertaking one final retreat before the great war.

In truth, his recent outing had dealt him a severe blow; he had been utterly defeated, unable to hold his head high. He had always believed his formidable combat strength was powerful, yet in the eyes of those peerless experts, it fell far short.

"You may know where your gap with Mo Wang and Shen Wang lies?" the voice of Tai Xu Gu Long echoed.

"At first, I thought the difference was in cultivation level," Ye Chen took a deep breath. "But after sparring with Xi Yan, I realized I had fallen into a misconception. Our gap isn't in cultivation, but in our understanding of Dao and the heavens."

"It seems you're not foolish after all!" Tai Xu Gu Long remarked leisurely. "In the myriad heavens of Dao, there are countless paths in the world. Each cultivator's journey is unique, and so is their Dao. Dao Huang comprehends Dao through the blade, Mo Wang of the Mo Domain enters Dao through the demonic path, and Shen Wang of the Sha Shou Shen Chao proves Dao through killing. These are their respective Daos. Have you ever considered what your Dao is? True powerhouses compete in their Dao. Dao has no inherent superiority or inferiority, but it varies in the depth of comprehension."

"I didn't understand before, but I do now." Ye Chen drew in a deep breath and fell silent, his entire being calm as he sat there, deeply contemplating his own Dao.

He didn't know how much time passed before he slowly closed his eyes.

From then on, the cave dwelling sank into a long silence.

Time slipped by steadily.

Ye Chen sat in meditation like an ancient monk, remaining motionless for two full days and nights. With his eyes closed, his brows would furrow tightly at times, relax at others, cloud with confusion, or clear with insight—it was all quite peculiar.

At some point, his sacred body trembled violently, and he entered a strange state.

This state was profoundly mysterious. He felt his body growing light, like a bamboo leaf drifting on the wind, or a lone duckweed with no roots, enveloped by an intangible force that was both faint and powerful.

This force seemed close enough to touch, yet when he reached out, it felt distant, separated by mountains and rivers, with an insurmountable chasm in between.

Ye Chen tried to pull away but found himself powerless.

In the haze, the force grew stronger, drawing his primordial spirit from his physical body and carrying it toward an unknown place.

He drifted upward for an unknowable distance before coming to a stop in the vast outer heavens. His entire mind was in a state of wandering, as if a gust of wind could scatter him. There, he discovered he had entered a chaotic world. Gazing into the distance, all he saw was murky chaos, with chaotic light shooting back and forth. This world was impenetrable and unfathomable.

Boom!

A thunderous roar shook the entire chaotic world, sending the chaotic light into turmoil. Cracks began to form in the chaos, and once the first crack appeared, more followed in a frenzy.

Boom!

Lightning tore through the chaos, with chaotic clouds surging wildly and chaotic light rampaging, intent on destroying this chaotic realm.

In the end, the chaotic world shattered completely. The lighter elements rose to form the azure sky, while the heavier ones sank to become the solid earth.

Though everything around him was illusory, it felt incredibly real to him. This was the world of chaos, and what he had just witnessed was undoubtedly the scene of the heavens and earth's creation.

He was filled with bewilderment, wondering why he had entered such a state.

The scenes continued to evolve. After the chaotic world transformed into heaven and earth, it underwent a prolonged process of change. The heavens and earth shifted from chaos to brilliance—a scorching sun hung high, radiating billions of rays; at night, a silver moon appeared, pure and radiant, followed by countless stars emerging, shining like human eyes and illuminating the entire night sky with their divine glow.

It was a lengthy process.

The heavens and earth were not peaceful; thunder boomed daily, and what flowed were not rivers but searing lava, while the skies howled not with wind but with dark chaotic clouds.

Eventually, the heavens and earth grew still.

The soil cracked open, and a small sprout broke through, absorbing the essence of the heavens and drawing nutrients from the earth, growing slowly day by day. After countless years, it became a towering tree.

Life began to emerge in the heavens and earth. Sprouts shot up, flowers and grasses crawled from the ground, bringing green to this once-dim world, making it lush and vibrant.

Ye Chen watched quietly as the chaos evolved bit by bit.

Time flowed endlessly, with countless years passing.

The heavens and earth started to have distinct seasons—the vitality of spring, the heat of summer, the desolation of autumn, the solitude of winter. The world became more splendid, shedding its impurities through the cycles of the four seasons and gradually bursting with life, taking on the form of a true world.

Day after day, year after year.

Ye Chen observed as an outsider, the sole witness to this evolution. It was profoundly mysterious; the world nurtured all things, infusing the universe with vitality, like a painter creating an eternal masterpiece.

But after an incalculable span of time, this world suddenly collapsed. The sun and moon vanished, the stars extinguished, the earth shattered, and everything between heaven and earth dissolved into nothingness. The world born from chaos returned to a state of chaos.

In the chaos, there was a dead silence.

Ye Chen drifted within it, as if he were the only living entity in this world.

Yet, he knew that in this realm, he was merely an outsider. The state was too enigmatic—he had entered it but didn't know how to leave.

Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!

Everything here was chaos. The end of one epoch signaled the beginning of another.

Boom! Rumble!

Thunder that could split the chaos erupted again, dividing it once more. Heaven and earth reformed, the sun and moon reappeared, stars gathered, rivers flowed, and all things thrived, birthing another vibrant world.

However, the creator seemed dissatisfied with this creation and once again reduced heaven and earth to chaos.

Ye Chen stopped drifting and sat cross-legged in the chaotic world, treating it as a vast mental realm.

The chaos continued to transform, evolving into heaven and earth amid destruction, then reverting to chaos amid flourishing life. Epoch after epoch cycled, an endless passage of time, as the world's essence gradually settled.

In the chaotic state, the world had undergone countless cycles of evolution, repeating in destruction and rebirth.

His own body underwent tremendous changes.

In his dantian sea, a world had begun to form. Above, a blazing sun soared, a golden wheel hung high, and golden stars sparkled across the sky. Below, golden spiritual energy surged like a vast sea, nurturing a vast expanse of land.

His dantian sea had taken on the rudimentary form of a world. With the passage of time, it would undoubtedly evolve into a true world.

Boom!

The chaotic world transformed into heaven and earth once more.

This time, the creator seemed to pour all its effort into it. After so many cycles of extinction and rebirth, the evolution proceeded much more slowly, with each change spanning countless years. Heaven and earth, tempered by time, became even more magnificent.

In this epoch, heaven and earth did not return to chaos. Instead, they continued to change through the vicissitudes of time.