Yushen Heaven-and-Earth trembled without end. To a heaven-and-earth, annihilating power was likewise a calamity of destruction. Especially without the harmonizing of heaven-and-earth power, once vast amounts of annihilating power surged in, the heaven-and-earth would shatter. Only a nine-cycle heaven-and-earth could barely withstand the assault of annihilating power. That was also why Yushen Heaven-and-Earth had to be raised to nine cycles before he could "court death."
The annihilating power exploded, turning an entire region into a dead land. This place became a Life-Forbidden Zone within Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
Hongmeng Purple Fire wrapped around the region, transforming into a sea of flames that penned the annihilating power inside. The Hongmeng Gemstone wielded the Calamity Scepter, and the Domain Gemstone and Balance Gemstone bloomed with light at the same time. The Domain Gemstone turned the sea of flames into a domain, helping Hongmeng Purple Fire stabilize the region. The Balance Gemstone, at the edge of the sea of flames, balanced the annihilating power with Hongmeng Purple Fire, further reducing the pressure on Hongmeng Purple Fire.
Lin Moyu stood at the center. The moment the annihilating power erupted, he was already dead. The array formation he had set up remained unmoved under the impact of annihilating power. The consciousness stored within the formation also remained unextinguished. The eyes within the formation stared fixedly at the spot where he had died. Purple light flickered there. Rebirth had already begun. His flesh body and soul were reborn, and the moment rebirth started, they were erased again by annihilating power, over and over in an endless cycle.
Lin Moyu's formation could hold out for an hour under the ceaseless assault of annihilating power, far stronger than the former ten seconds. An hour was enough for Lin Moyu to die tens of thousands of times, be reborn tens of thousands of times, and observe many things in the process.
The death of the flesh body was slightly faster than the death of the soul. The difference might only be one ten-thousandth of a second, extremely tiny. If you did not look carefully, you would not notice it at all.
"My flesh body is strong, but compared to my soul, it is far inferior. Why, within annihilating power, is the gap so small? That should not be the case."
Though flesh body and soul were one entity, they were in truth distinct. A powerful soul could exist independently. Annihilating power was strong, but with such a vast gap between the two, annihilating power should have produced a noticeable difference. Could it be that his soul was still not strong enough, or was there another hidden mechanism?
This unexpected discovery caused countless questions to boil up in his heart. He faintly felt that understanding this point might be the key to finding the emptiness of the flesh body.
Annihilating power continued without end, and rebirth continued without end. Lin Moyu observed carefully, watching the differences within it. Soon, the five-hundredth rebirth arrived, and both flesh body and soul began to strengthen together.
His soul had already reached the level of a true supreme powerhouse, but it had not reached the peak. Even among true supreme powerhouses, souls differed in strength. In this bout of courting death, even if he failed to comprehend the emptiness of the flesh body, he would still push both flesh body and soul to their peak. Even if he could not become Dao in a perfect state, he would become Dao in the closest-to-perfect state.
He could settle for second best, but even if he stepped back, that level would still be unreachable for others.
Flesh body and soul kept strengthening through repeated rebirth, as though without end.
An hour passed quickly. Cracks appeared in the formation, and it was about to fail. At this moment, Hongmeng Purple Fire suddenly leaped violently and temporarily stopped drawing annihilating power inside. Lin Moyu went through several more rebirths, consumed the remaining annihilating power, then swiftly arranged a new formation. His consciousness transferred into the new formation, and he continued repeating the earlier operation.
Rebirth continued, one round after another. The process looked tedious, but for Lin Moyu it was not. To witness with his own eyes the process of himself gradually growing stronger felt wondrous. Even if he failed to find the emptiness of the flesh body, it would still be a very interesting journey.
Rebirth continued without end. Lin Moyu still did not discover the secret of the emptiness of the flesh body, but he heard a voice. Only one word.
"Hungry."
It came from the deepest part of his soul, the voice transmitted by those soul particles. As the soul kept growing stronger, the soul particles became hungry again. They had been hungry at the beginning, but afterward, as they absorbed heaven-and-earth power along with Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, they were not full, yet they no longer cried hunger. He did not expect them to be hungry again now.
A fierce hunger surged into his consciousness. Lin Moyu could only endure it. Those soul particles could eat more than a heaven-and-earth. Even an entire nine-cycle heaven-and-earth could not feed them to fullness. Fortunately, no matter how hungry they were, it would at most feel uncomfortable and would not affect his strengthening.
This bout of courting death, in both number of cycles and effect, surpassed every previous one. In only half a day, his flesh body and soul had already strengthened severalfold. Lin Moyu was certain his soul now far surpassed ordinary true supreme powerhouses. Even a being like Po-Cang Emperor would at most be evenly matched with him.
Yet even so, he still had not touched the limit of a true supreme powerhouse. Po-Cang Emperor was hailed as the number one powerhouse, but he was only a true supreme powerhouse who emerged from a six-cycle heaven-and-earth. Lin Moyu, however, would become Dao within a nine-cycle heaven-and-earth. Being stronger was normal.
He was advancing toward the true peak of true supreme powerhouses. Only by reaching the summit would he be qualified to take the next step. The next step might be a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth that had never appeared in this era of Great Annihilation.
Asking for flowers.
Flesh body and soul kept strengthening. Rebirth was endless. Strengthening was endless. Yet the emptiness of the flesh body still could not be found. Was it truly that the opportunity had not arrived? With his comprehension, he should not be unable to find the emptiness of the flesh body.
Could it be that his earlier deductions were wrong, and the emptiness of the flesh body did not exist?
No. All things in heaven and earth possessed real and empty. So far, he had never seen anything without real and empty. The soul also had real and empty. The flesh body could not lack it.
So what, exactly, was the emptiness of the flesh body?
The flesh body meant life. Earlier, he had believed the emptiness of the flesh body should be dead silence, so he sought enlightenment between life and death, which also matched the life-and-death principles within the Undying Dao.
Undying Dao.
Lin Moyu's eyes suddenly blazed with light. In his consciousness, it was like heaven-and-earth re-enacting itself. Countless clear currents swept through, and his consciousness became incomparably lucid. He suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"So that's it. So that's it. It was right before my eyes and I did not see it. Cleverness backfiring on cleverness. I boast of a lifetime of cleverness, yet I was muddled for a moment."
His laughter shook heaven and earth. In the distance, the Hongmeng Gemstone and Little Tree stared blankly.
"Master would not be driven mad, would he?"
"Hard to say. He has not found the emptiness of the flesh body for so long. He might really go mad. What should we do? Master still has to become Dao."
"Do not rush, watch a bit more. If it really does not work, I will act."
The Calamity Scepter took on a posture as if it would smash the formation at any moment.
Lin Moyu's consciousness churned wildly. He no longer focused on the reborn flesh body and soul, but began frenzied deduction. After a bout of deduction, he stared again at the rebirth of flesh body and soul. This time, what he watched was different.
In rebirth, he watched how soul and flesh body combined, how his flesh body reassembled, where the soul was born from. Time and space interwove before his eyes. A formless force came from ancient times, bringing vitality.
At this moment, the Undying Dao pierced through time and space. Within time and space, it flowed along threads where life and death intertwined. This was something he had never noticed.
His Undying Dao still concealed a great secret.
Why was it called the Undying Dao? With life and death power intermingling, should it not be called the Life-and-Death Dao? Since it was called the Undying Dao, then it was truly undying.
It was undying, yet he was searching for the emptiness of the flesh body through death. Ridiculous.
What was undying?
If the soul did not perish, the flesh body did not fall, and consciousness endured forever, that was undying.
The emptiness of the flesh body was precisely this.
Enlightenment struck.
At the moment he was about to give up, he finally understood, through a sudden enlightenment, what the emptiness of the flesh body was. He finally realized he had been searching in the wrong direction all along. It was not that he was foolish. The direction was wrong. With the cart headed south and the goal north, how could he ever find it?
The emptiness of the flesh body was right beside him. He never needed to search at all.
The soul had real and empty. Now the soul had already merged real and empty, nearly perfect. And the emptiness of the flesh body was the soul.
The soul had real and empty throughout, and at the same time it was the emptiness of the flesh body.
Soul and flesh united. The Undying Dao as the root, undying and unextinguished, enduring forever.
Along with a low shout, heaven and earth rang together. A gray-white Dao descended with a boom.
Undying Dao.
Lin Moyu's natal Dao. A Dao unique across all heaven-and-earths. It stood above rules, above heaven-and-earth, even above the Life-Forbidden Zone. It existed only for Lin Moyu. Inside and outside heaven and earth, there was only this one. This was Lin Moyu's Dao. There was none higher.
Undying Dao descended, ignoring annihilating power as it entered. Undying Dao and annihilating power collided, erupting with shocking aura. Space twisted, sweeping across more than half of Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
The formation where Lin Moyu's consciousness was housed shattered with a boom. At this instant, Lin Moyu's consciousness returned to his main body. Purple light flickered. As Undying Dao collided with annihilating power, it surged into the purple light and was reborn together with Lin Moyu's flesh body and soul.
Undying Dao had originally been split into gray and white, gray governing death and white governing life. Life and death changed into each other freely. But now, the gray and white began to fuse.
With Undying Dao as the bond, Lin Moyu's soul and flesh body also fused in a strange way.
Vast quantities of soul particles flew out from the soul. These soul particles landed in every corner of the flesh body, filling it completely. Meridians, blood and flesh, internal organs, bones, everywhere contained soul particles. It was not that soul power permeated the whole body. It was that soul particles permeated the whole body.
After the soul particles, the soul itself dispersed, turning into nothingness, merging with the flesh body as one. Flesh body and soul fused in this way. Soul and flesh became one.
Undying Dao became the catalyst for soul-and-flesh unity, also merging into it, helping soul and flesh complete the final step.
From this moment onward, Lin Moyu's soul was the flesh body, and the flesh body was the soul. Within every drop of blood, both soul and flesh were contained. A drop of blood could become an avatar. The avatar's battle power was only slightly inferior to the main body.
Annihilating power struck his body. The flesh body shone brilliantly. Vast power surged out, forcibly blocking annihilating power. But the block did not last. Moments later, the brilliance was shattered and annihilating power still fell on him. The flesh body broke, but only partially, then regenerated swiftly. The speed of regeneration was no slower than the speed of destruction.
Annihilating power could only shatter the surface of the flesh body. To Lin Moyu, it was merely superficial wounds.
Flesh body and soul finally became perfect, and at the same time reached the peak of a true supreme powerhouse. Earlier would not do, later would not do. This was his opportunity. Everything was timed exactly right.
Now he could remain safe and unharmed within the Life-Forbidden Zone. But to cross it, he still seemed to be a little short.
And this Life-Forbidden Zone…
Lin Moyu looked toward the heavens. His gaze pierced through heaven and earth to see the Life-Forbidden Zone. Crossing endless void, he faintly saw some things. Those things were like stars, flashing with dazzling luster and radiating an irresistible attraction. It was as if a voice kept ringing in his soul.
"Come. Take me away. Come. Take me away."
Again and again, urging him to go.
Lin Moyu murmured, "Is this the scene those true supreme powerhouses see?"
A true supreme powerhouse who mastered the Primordial-Heaven Art and completely refined their heaven-and-earth would obtain the so-called heaven-and-earth guidance and see something on the other side of the Life-Forbidden Zone. Once they saw it, they would know what to do. They would find a way to cross the Life-Forbidden Zone and use every method to obtain it.
Sadly, in this era of Great Annihilation, no one had ever obtained that thing.
Now he also saw it.
He had not refined heaven-and-earth. His heaven-and-earth had not even undergone its life-and-death Great Calamity, yet he saw it, because his strength was enough. Now he truly had the ability to cross the Life-Forbidden Zone.
But Lin Moyu knew clearly that even if he crossed the Life-Forbidden Zone and obtained that thing, he still could not take the next step. The timing was not right yet.
His eyes grew deep. Now he saw through heaven and earth. Inside and outside heaven and earth, there were almost no secrets left. When he saw that thing, he also saw some matters hidden even deeper. He knew the timing was not right yet. He was still a bit short, but it was close, very close.
He withdrew his gaze. With a sweep of his hand, he put away Hongmeng Purple Fire. The rift in heaven and earth gradually healed. Annihilating power dispersed.
At this moment, Lin Moyu was radiant with flowing light, ten thousand rays scattering outward. Lin Moyu at this moment was hard to describe with words. Heaven-and-earth rules bowed before him. When he closed his eyes, heaven and earth lost color. When he opened his eyes, heaven and earth became resplendent. Life, death, and annihilation were all within a single thought.
He knew the past and understood the future. Everything in Yushen Heaven-and-Earth was known to him. He had not refined the heaven-and-earth, yet it was more thorough than refining. Even if a true supreme powerhouse emerged within Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and refined it, Lin Moyu could still easily seize control from their hands.
Though he had not refined heaven-and-earth, heaven-and-earth was already within Lin Moyu's grasp.
With a thought, Lin Moyu declared:
"I am the lord of heaven-and-earth. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth is born because of me, and shall endure forever, unscathed by calamity. I have become Dao."
A Heaven-and-Earth declaration became reality.
Lin Moyu's aura roared and broke through the Heaven-and-Earth barrier. Beyond heaven-and-earth, it formed into a giant hand that firmly seized the heaven-and-earth. At this moment, Lin Moyu became Dao, and at the same time refined the heaven-and-earth.
At this time, Yushen Heaven-and-Earth had not yet undergone the first Great Calamity. The Heaven-and-Earth core had not yet been born. But none of that mattered.
Lin Moyu had his own refining method. Without passing through heaven-and-earth faith, he refined the entire heaven-and-earth directly from outside to inside, leaving not even the smallest fraction untouched. This was refining, not refining through the Heaven-and-Earth core. The difference was something only he understood.
Lin Moyu's aura continued to rise. His realm broke through, becoming a true supreme powerhouse, and at the same time completing the refinement of heaven-and-earth. The entire process was as natural as water flowing downhill, without the slightest ripple or accident.
He knew he had reached the peak of true supreme powerhouses. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would also become a nine-cycle heaven-and-earth. Aside from the Hongmeng heaven-and-earth that did not exist in this era, there was no heaven-and-earth that could compare to it.
As for how to become a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth, he already had a plan. But there was no rush. He would wait until Yushen Heaven-and-Earth first passed through its first Great Calamity before speaking of it.
Besides that, he still had something to handle. If that matter was not handled well, it would bring trouble.
Lin Moyu's advancement to a true supreme powerhouse made the foundation of Yushen Heaven-and-Earth even more solid and deep. The entire heaven-and-earth grew stronger. Little Tree also benefited, growing larger again, with luxuriant branches and leaves. Little Tree occupied a region of countless billions of miles, vast beyond imagination. But Lin Moyu knew that Little Tree was still far from its true peak.
Little Tree and the Hongmeng Gemstone flew over together and said in unison, "Congratulations, Master, on becoming Dao."
Lin Moyu said, "Little Tree, you can draw in the heaven-and-earth wreckage now. You no longer need to deliberately search for heaven-and-earth for me."
Little Tree called out loudly, "Little Tree obeys!"
Lin Moyu said to the Hongmeng Gemstone, "The first Great Calamity is about to arrive. When the time comes, we will rob things together."
The Hongmeng Gemstone froze, then reacted, and shouted excitedly, "Yes, yes! Rob things together!"
Yushen Heaven-and-Earth advanced, Lin Moyu became Dao, he comprehended flesh body's real and empty, soul and flesh perfectly united. Everything was perfect, at least for now, with no flaws.
The next step was to wait for the first Great Calamity of Yushen Heaven-and-Earth to arrive.
He had once worried whether, in the face of the Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamity, Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would become a dead heaven-and-earth. Now Lin Moyu could be certain it would not.
There were many factors that decided whether a heaven-and-earth lived or died, but one point would not change: Heaven-and-Earth source materials. As long as one obtained Heaven-and-Earth source materials, even in small quantity, they could gradually multiply and ultimately fill the heaven-and-earth with vitality. Moreover, that was for natural evolution.
Yushen Heaven-and-Earth was not like that now. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth had a master. Not only was he the master, he was also a true supreme powerhouse. He had already refined the heaven-and-earth and could manipulate heaven-and-earth rules.
Other heaven-and-earths, evolving naturally, required long ages, often measured in hundreds of millions of years. He, however, needed only a thousand years, or even a hundred years. And his domain's living beings could also enter Yushen Heaven-and-Earth when the time came, bringing vitality.
As for Heaven-and-Earth source materials, even if the Heaven-and-Earth Wall did not give them, he could still rob them.
The Hongmeng Gemstone had seen many heaven-and-earths undergo the first life-and-death Great Calamity, and knew all too well what it was. He explained while gesturing, demonstrating to Lin Moyu many times.
Lin Moyu had not eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run. What he needed to do now was to seize as many Heaven-and-Earth source materials as possible. The more Heaven-and-Earth source materials, the more majestic the vitality at the start of heaven-and-earth evolution, and the faster the evolution speed. This was also part of the foundation.
Lin Moyu stood within heaven-and-earth, quietly watching the void beyond. The direction he looked was precisely the direction of the Heaven-and-Earth Wall. The power of the Heaven-and-Earth Wall now surged in without end, which also meant the first Great Calamity was imminent.
The Hongmeng Gemstone asked, "Master, how much do you plan to rob?"
Lin Moyu said, "However much it spews, I will rob. I want it all."
The Hongmeng Gemstone laughed, "Master is so greedy, but I like it. I will help Master rob."
Lin Moyu shook his head. "You are not helping. You are the main force for robbing. I have other business."
The Hongmeng Gemstone exclaimed, "Ah? What other business could Master have?"
Lin Moyu stared at the void. "If I am not mistaken, a fellow should appear soon. You do not need to ask. You will know when the time comes."
The Hongmeng Gemstone said, "Oh," and did not ask further.
Day by day passed. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth grew stronger every day. The Hongmeng Spirit Tree kept absorbing from the Life-Forbidden Zone, transforming annihilating power to provide nourishment for Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
After it no longer needed to help Lin Moyu search for heaven-and-earth, the Hongmeng Spirit Tree finally began its proper work. It drew in all nearby heaven-and-earth wreckage it could find, either by establishing spacetime passages or by pulling them over directly.
One of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree's abilities was to bear heaven-and-earth. Though there was no longer complete heaven-and-earth now, heaven-and-earth wreckage could still be used. Each piece of wreckage was connected to the roots of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree. Their projections appeared upon the leaves of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree, forming connections similar to spacetime passages yet far superior.
On the leaves of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree, one heaven-and-earth wreckage after another appeared. If Lin Moyu needed, he could enter any of them at any time.
The heaven-and-earth wreckage found so far was weak, all below three cycles. As time went on, more and more wreckage would be found.
As the Hongmeng Spirit Tree bore the wreckage, once the wreckage connected to the tree, it quickly stabilized. The Hongmeng Spirit Tree's power poured into it, seemingly repairing it. At the same time, the wreckage fed back heaven-and-earth power to the Hongmeng Spirit Tree. After absorbing part of it, the Hongmeng Spirit Tree sent a small portion of heaven-and-earth power into Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
In this way, all three benefited, forming a positive cycle. A single piece of heaven-and-earth wreckage had limited effect, but once the number grew, accumulation would make the effect obvious.
Lin Moyu watched the process and understood clearly: for Yushen Heaven-and-Earth to grow into a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth, this was a necessary process. Only by gathering the power of many heaven-and-earths could Yushen Heaven-and-Earth complete its final advancement into a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth.
Over the hundred years, Little Tree became the busiest member within Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Moyu left a clone together with the Hongmeng Gemstone to watch the Heaven-and-Earth Wall and wait for the Great Calamity to arrive. His true body continued to temper the runes within the Chess of All Living Beings. After a hundred years, he gained something, but it was still three runes, not reduced to two. He always felt he was still a little short. Some things he had not yet comprehended. Perhaps he should change direction.
Lin Moyu pondered, but now was not the time. The Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamity was about to arrive. Whatever it was, he would wait until after the Great Calamity.
The power from the Heaven-and-Earth Wall grew denser and denser, finally about to reach its peak. Lin Moyu left the Chess of All Living Beings and returned to the Hongmeng Gemstone. He stood at the edge of heaven-and-earth, looking into the void.
The Hongmeng Spirit Tree temporarily stopped drawing in other heaven-and-earths. Roots anchored in the Life-Forbidden Zone rapidly withdrew.
The Hongmeng Gemstone felt both excited and nervous. He had watched many Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamities, but this was his first time facing one in person.
"It is here," Lin Moyu said, his eyes brightening.
In his sight, a hazy phantom slowly emerged. The projection of the Heaven-and-Earth Wall appeared outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. Vast power swept in, reaching Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and forming a strange passage. The annihilating power of the Life-Forbidden Zone was pushed aside. This passage was filled with an indescribable vitality power.
This was the power from the Heaven-and-Earth Wall. The Life-Forbidden Zone governed death, while the Heaven-and-Earth Wall governed vitality. The Heaven-and-Earth source materials it spewed were the source that brought vitality to the various heaven-and-earths.
A point of light appeared within the Heaven-and-Earth Wall. The light gradually expanded and brightened. A beam shot out and landed on Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Moyu's heart stirred, and he instantly understood the meaning of this beam. This was the first checkpoint deciding whether Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would live or die, and also the opening of the Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamity. If this checkpoint could not be passed, there would be no continuation. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would certainly become a dead heaven-and-earth. Not only Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, but every other heaven-and-earth as well.
The light from the Heaven-and-Earth Wall needed to pierce through Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and form a coordinate within Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. This coordinate was blurry, yet extremely important. It would be the most crucial existence linking Yushen Heaven-and-Earth to the Heaven-and-Earth Wall.
It was like Chaotic Ancient Wilds, which also had such a coordinate: the great gate in the North Pole. Through that gate one could reach the region beyond the Heaven-and-Earth Wall barrier.
With a thought, Lin Moyu released the rules of Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, allowing the point of light to enter smoothly and complete the establishment of the coordinate.
Within Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, a great gate slowly manifested. This gate would be the connection point between Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and the Heaven-and-Earth Wall. The true supreme powerhouses of those heaven-and-earths had once used the coordinate inside their own heaven-and-earth to reach the Heaven-and-Earth Wall, then transit to other heaven-and-earths. True supreme powerhouses could also communicate and exchange goods behind the gate.
Before long, the gate slowly took shape. The coordinate was established. The first checkpoint of the Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamity was passed smoothly.
At this moment, the coordinate was still blurry and not very stable. Only by passing the coming Great Calamity could it become completely stable.
Boom! The Heaven-and-Earth Wall trembled. The power linking it to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth rippled like ocean waves. In the trembling, one Heaven-and-Earth source material after another spewed from the Heaven-and-Earth Wall, scattering in all directions.