Xiao Chen felt as though he had acquired an indestructible body. Every movement of his hands and feet sent surging waves of power through him, as if he could shatter any obstacle. His body had become lighter and more agile, moving with the speed of lightning, leaving afterimages in the ice cave.
Yet he sighed. His cultivation had reached the peak of the fifth heaven of Mortal-Shedding, but he seemed to have hit a bottleneck, unable to cross this threshold. His main gain this time was the substantial increase in his body's strength and agility.
He deeply realized that his cultivation could only advance through his own efforts; everything else could only be an aid.
Xiao Chen walked out of the ice cave and stood atop the snow-covered peak, facing the morning glow. He felt the tranquility of the frozen world, and in that moment, his mind was extraordinarily peaceful. Rays of multicolored dawn light streamed down, painting the snow in iridescent hues. Suddenly, Xiao Chen experienced an epiphany as if he had been touched by divine wisdom.
Sunrise and sunset, the cycle of yin and yang repeated endlessly. The morning glow was resplendent, full of vibrant life; the noon sun blazed, at its zenith of intensity; the evening sunset was late, ending in decline—this was a cycle.
Yet the declining sunset was not the final end. After the darkness, the morning sun would rise again, beginning a new cycle. Xiao Chen was infinitely inspired: life, peak, and decline—these formed an eternal cycle applicable to all things.
Lately, he had kept his nerves taut, constantly pushing for breakthroughs, creating enormous pressure. This had ceased to be a driving force; it had become like moving from a period of prosperity into one of decline. The pressure had turned into resistance, and he had trapped himself in his own mind.
Everything in the world, yin and yang, cycles—there was no eternal peak. He had sealed himself in, which was why he stood at the pinnacle of the fifth heaven of Mortal-Shedding yet could not break through. He needed to completely relax, to let the decline pass and begin a new era of vitality, rather than resist in the darkness.
In that moment, Xiao Chen seemed to attain great enlightenment. He fully let go, opening his heart, allowing his thoughts to roam through the void, traveling across the Four Seas and Five Sacred Peaks, soaring before the heavenly palaces in the Ninth Heaven, casting aside all thoughts of cultivation.
He let his complex thoughts become simple, let the mists disperse, let the tower of wisdom shine forth. In that moment, Xiao Chen became utterly ethereal. Standing silently atop the snow peak, facing the morning glow, he had merged with heaven and earth.
The essence of heaven and earth poured in through the crown of his head and flowed out through his body. Boundless spiritual energy intermingled in his relaxed form. His body and mind were in a wondrous state, and then his body trembled violently. It emitted a rumbling sound like thunder, bursting forth with brilliant light.
Although Xiao Chen's spirit was wandering the void, he clearly sensed the changes in his body. He had broken through in such a state!
He had trained bitterly with no progress, yet upon turning back, he shattered the barriers of cultivation and entered a new realm. He had successfully broken into the sixth heaven of Mortal-Shedding!
The light gradually faded from his body. Xiao Chen's heart was calm, still as an ancient well, still abiding in that ethereal state, but he had gained understanding.
The morning sun was brilliant, the noon sun intense, the evening sunset was decline. Life, prosperity, decay—these were not limited to natural changes and cultivation. This cycle applied to all things... Life is like a dream, full of joy and sorrow—who can sing all the way without setback? Seas change to mulberry fields; times change—who can stop it?
A single moment of enlightenment was better than years of bitter training. This transformation was immensely significant for Xiao Chen. It was a clarity of the mind, a new understanding of the path of cultivation.
Many allied cultivators had gathered among the snowy mountains. Over four hundred people had arrived. Most came to watch, but not a few came for the dragon eggs.
They penetrated deep into the mountains and finally discovered Xiao Chen. Looking up at him on the snowy peak, many showed surprise.
In the morning glow, a faint radiance flowed around Xiao Chen, making him appear sacred and serene, like a god about to break through the void and ascend!
Some people were too impatient. Upon seeing Xiao Chen, they began shouting directly:
"Xiao Chen, where are the dragon eggs you stole?"
"The dragon eggs on Dragon Island belong to everyone!"
...
Such flimsy excuses made even many spectators blush for them. But the dozens of people in front showed no such awareness. Many of them had already begun to run, charging toward the snowy peak.
Before Yan Qingcheng, Kailuo, Wang Tong, and others could act, these people could not wait any longer. They scrambled, afraid the dragon eggs would fall into others' hands. Dozens of cultivators shouted in unison and soon reached the mid-slope of the snowy peak.
Many of the hundreds behind felt that this group coveting the dragon eggs was utterly shameless. They discussed among themselves:
"How can people be so shameless!"
"The depravity of human nature!"
"This is nothing; even more excessive things may happen later!"
"No matter how strong Xiao Chen is, he can't fight so many people!"
...
The shouts from below startled Xiao Chen out of his ethereal state. After understanding what was happening, he felt anger.
He had just broken into the sixth heaven of Mortal-Shedding—what did he have to fear? Let them come if they wanted!
Suddenly, Xiao Chen's body burst forth with five dazzling beams of light, as if trying to connect with the rising sun in the east.
Several enormous dragon shadows surged from his divinely transformed acupoints, condensed from brilliant divine light, blindingly bright. The silver Eight-Armed Malignant Dragon, the dark-green Serpent-Elephant Dragon, the emerald Sword Dragon, the golden Lion Dragon—massive dragon shadows circled and danced around Xiao Chen, letting out deafening roars!
Enormous, solid light constructs of primordial dragons!
Everyone below was stunned; they could hardly believe their eyes. Xiao Chen himself was astonished, not understanding why this strange event occurred.
Three skeletons rushed out of the ice cave, their jaws clattering in shock. Keke was also filled with curiosity, her big bright eyes blinking as she circled Xiao Chen.
The dragon roars pierced the clouds. Huge light silhouettes flew in the sky, making Xiao Chen appear like a god or a demon.
"Boom..."
A thunderous sound erupted in the snowy mountains. A terrible avalanche struck the peak where Xiao Chen stood! It was like ten thousand horses galloping, like an angry sea roaring. Vast white waves of snow poured down the mountain.
The summit itself remained untouched. The dragon shadows spiraled around Xiao Chen, and flames of light danced around him. He looked down calmly at everything below.
This was a great disaster, entirely caused by the dragon roars. In this moment, Xiao Chen was nearly demonic!
The cultivators in the rear had pushed their speed to the limit, rushing to the opposite peak, watching the rolling white waves below with pounding hearts.
As for the dozens who had earlier coveted the dragon eggs and tried to charge up the peak—even those among them who could fly, such as Spellmasters and Spiritists—none had time to rise. All were buried beneath the deep snow.
The avalanche was too sudden. They were halfway up the mountain, and the avalanche occurred right around them. They had no time to react!
The vast white snow almost filled the valley below.
Everyone was dumbfounded. This was utterly terrifying! Xiao Chen, alone, had caused dozens of cultivators to meet their end in the sea of snow.
No comments:
Post a Comment