Chapter 27: Death, the Dao Intent of Resentment
[Host, host, are you all right?!]
[Oh no, don't you dare die on me!]
At this moment, what Li Tianwei believed to be an "enlightenment" was, in the System's eyes, nothing but him falling into the Grievance Energy. His Spirit Platform had been tainted, and the likely result was the complete collapse of his divine soul.
Seeing this, the System hesitated briefly but then made a decision.
Due to the loss of its two previous hosts, its remaining energy was extremely limited—enough only to help Li Tianwei condense a Heavenly Spiritual Root.
If it used that energy now, it would probably have to enter a deep slumber for a long time.
Yet faced with Li Tianwei's near-death condition, the System still decided to act.
It quickly scanned Li Tianwei several times.
Upon scanning, the System froze, staring blankly at Li Tianwei's state.
[What the hell… this is Dao Intent?!]
[How did he even do that?!]
Indeed, at this moment, Li Tianwei was not being completely dissolved by the Grievance Energy.
Instead, through the torment of that Grievance Energy—and his so-called "enlightenment"—Li Tianwei had truly grasped something.
Following the methods of comprehending Dao Intent from the Five Intentions Converge to Heaven Art, he began to perceive it.
Soon, a strange aura arose from his body—thick with resentment and interwoven with the lingering obsessions of the hundred thousand souls who had died amidst that resentment.
The two fused together, and Li Tianwei's entire being became suffused with the Intent of Death and the Intent of Resentment.
Yes, under this inexplicable torment, Li Tianwei absorbed and comprehended two kinds of Dao Intent from those sensations:
"Resentment, and Death."
As for why he would comprehend such strange Dao Intents, even Li Tianwei himself hadn't expected it.
But upon reflection, it made sense—after all, his "enlightenment" this time was born from sensing the condensed grievance and death aura between Heaven and Earth.
Perhaps the will of all living beings had become too desperate and sorrowful.
Li Tianwei had truly experienced it firsthand.
Even with his bold and unrestrained nature, he could not ignore those feelings—he understood them deeply.
Despair at the brink of death, bitterness steeped in resentment…
Bathed in these sensations, Li Tianwei sat silently in meditation.
The Dao Intent of Death, and the Dao Intent of Resentment—two profound insights born from Li Tianwei's myriad experiences—emerged continuously within him.
What was Death?
It was cessation—life's end—the natural law of the world, the essence of all things' demise.
Through the condensation of a hundred thousand grievances, Li Tianwei had glimpsed the meaning of Death.
Endless reincarnation trapped within Death; the will of annihilation that pervades when all things meet their end.
With that thought, Li Tianwei faintly grasped a sliver of true Dao Intent.
He could feel the spiritual energy around him tinged with a faint sense of death—barren, decayed, and corroded…
If he unleashed it, he could sever another's vitality, disturb their life force.
It had to be said, spells imbued with Death Intent would hold tremendous power—once contaminated, they would be nearly impossible to dispel.
Next came Resentment—the other Dao Intent Li Tianwei had grasped.
Unlike Death, Resentment did not stem from Heaven's natural order.
Resentment was born of emotion—from human feelings—it belonged to the myriad flavors of mortal life.
The Dao Intent of Resentment could shake another's will and emotions.
Extreme Resentment could even corrupt everything, altering others' hearts and minds.
Although these two Dao Intents had formed, Li Tianwei knew he had only touched their surface.
To truly wield their supreme might, he needed to raise his cultivation and deepen his comprehension.
"Done."
Li Tianwei exhaled a long breath.
The Grievance Energy that once surrounded him now seemed to sense something terrifying—it scattered at once.
As he opened his eyes, a trace of decay flickered within them, as though they had witnessed countless ages.
That feeling soon faded, but a faint aura of desolation still lingered about him.
At this moment, the Grievance Energy could no longer affect Li Tianwei in the slightest—instead, he could absorb it.
This was the true power of Dao Intent:
All things in existence, whether material or conceptual, possessed their own inherent pattern and trace.
To comprehend Dao Intent was to grasp that pattern and trace.
Now, Li Tianwei had touched that layer—he could faintly control a sliver of those rules.
However, he still needed to delve deeper into the Intents of Death and Resentment to unleash their full power.
Even so, the most basic aspects of Grievance Energy could no longer harm him at all.
The Book Spirit saw Li Tianwei open his eyes, his entire body exuding Death and thick Resentment, like a ghost crawling out from the depths of hell.
"It's over—he's become a devil!"
Seeing this, the Book Spirit slammed its pages shut and cried out in panic.
Li Tianwei, who had just comprehended Dao Intent, frowned upon hearing the Book Spirit's scream the moment he opened his eyes.
"Shut up. I've comprehended the Dao Intent of Death. How dare you call me a devil? Truly blind!"
Of course, Li Tianwei understood the nature of Death and Resentment Intents.
Even so, he scolded the Book Spirit fiercely.
After the scolding, the Book Spirit cautiously peeked out again.
To its surprise, Li Tianwei's expression merely carried traces of irritation—none of the madness that came from Grievance Energy's corruption.
He still looked as arrogant and conceited as ever.
On the contrary, the surrounding Grievance Energy seemed to have vanished entirely, as if erased.
"Death and Resentment Intents??"
The Book Spirit asked incredulously.
"Of course."
Without further explanation, Li Tianwei directly unleashed both Death and Resentment Intents.
A suffocating aura of annihilation burst forth, merging with the extreme Resentment—corrupting even the air.
Everything within the cave residence began to decay and collapse under the influence of those two Intents.
Seeing this, the Book Spirit was utterly stunned.
It could feel it—this was truly Dao Intent.
As the creation of Immortal Tianyuan, the Five Intentions Converge to Heaven Art was a Celestial Art founded on Dao Intent itself.
None understood Dao Intent better than the Book Spirit.
And now, it was certain—what emanated from Li Tianwei was genuine Dao Intent.
Though faint, its weakness stemmed only from Li Tianwei's shallow comprehension.
Odd as Death and Resentment were, they were indeed Dao Intents!
A single Dao Intent could grant immense amplification to any cultivator's spells—and Li Tianwei had grasped them in a single session of meditation.
"This is impossible!"
The Book Spirit still couldn't believe it.
"Nothing is impossible. I possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root and unparalleled comprehension—understanding Dao Intent is as easy as breathing for me."
Li Tianwei was already used to the Book Spirit's lack of discernment.
After spending time with him, the Book Spirit had fully understood what kind of person he was—completely self-absorbed and devoid of self-awareness.
And yet, he had completed the Hundred-Day Foundation with a False Spiritual Root, and even comprehended Dao Intent.
"Is this really a False Spiritual Root? Could it be that there's something wrong with me instead?"
The Book Spirit couldn't make sense of it and could only blame itself.
Meanwhile, in Li Tianwei's mind, the System watched his performance once again—it had gone numb.
Glancing at the dumbfounded Book Spirit, who now doubted its own existence, the System could only think:
I understand your pain.
[This is only the beginning.]
The System recalled Li Tianwei's past reckless cultivation.
Back then, he hadn't possessed the Undying Body of the Sacrificial Dao—he had stumbled upon it purely by accident.
Now, he had somehow comprehended Dao Intent.
It made the System feel utterly useless.
And yet… this host was just too outrageous.
The System could only sigh inwardly.
"Dao Intent achieved. This means I've entered the threshold of the Three Thousand Converging-Heaven Intentions."
"Next, I need to merge them into my spiritual energy—only then will my cultivation speed increase."
Li Tianwei no longer cared what the Book Spirit was thinking.
Now that he had comprehended Dao Intent, it was time to continue cultivating.
The Three Thousand Converging-Heaven Intentions was a Celestial Art, akin to the inner cultivation methods of martial techniques.
What he now lacked were spells and combat techniques.
Power without technique was meaningless—it made one no better than trash.
Thus, Li Tianwei retrieved the Complete Compendium of Spells given to him by Bai Muxu from his storage ring.
Indeed, the treatment of geniuses was completely different from the novels he had read.
In novels, protagonists with extraordinary talent still had to complete missions to earn contribution points to exchange for powerful spells and divine arts, only to comprehend them on their own.
Reality, however, was different.
Holy Lands and sects would never waste their prodigies' time by making them earn contribution points.
They handed over the divine arts directly, provided ample resources, and let the disciples comprehend as much as they could.
The rest depended on talent and perception.
Of course, that generosity only extended to the gifted ones—others were merely consumables.
Those "contribution systems" existed only to give false hope, while in truth, the elders and prodigies drew their resources from those same expendable disciples.
But none of that concerned Li Tianwei.
All he cared about now was cultivating, ascending, and becoming immortal—achieving eternal life.
Opening the Compendium of Spells, he found it much like the Five Intentions Converge to Heaven Art.
Though it appeared as a single book, the cultivation methods and spells contained within it were vast enough to form mountains.
Li Tianwei knew it was impossible to practice them all—he would have to choose what suited him best.
As Bai Muxu had said, he would eventually have to create his own spells and divine arts—that would be the true path without limits.
The contents of this Compendium were, at best, references for that future.