World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 543: Roaming Primordial Chaos, Beholding the False Spirit

Chapter 543: Roaming Primordial Chaos, Beholding the False Spirit

With his belly full of Chaos Dawnlight and a small severed piece of root from the Chaos Green Lotus in his hand, Wang Sheng truly could not feel at ease. While on the small boat, he asked about the origins of the Chaos Green Lotus.

Ziwei revealed that it had been extremely famous during the Primal Era.

After Chaos transformed into heaven and earth, it lost the place that sustained its existence. Hence, it dispersed itself and transformed into many treasures, continuing its eternal existence within the manifested world.

Wang Sheng asked, "Your Majesty, which Great Dao did the Chaos Green Lotus embody?"

Ziwei replied calmly, "Do you still remember the three primordial Great Dao that I said were the first to break free from Chaos?"

"The Dao of Eternity, the Dao of Change, and the Dao of Causality."

"Correct. The Dao of Eternity was contained within the Chaos Green Lotus. It was the first of its five lotus seeds to mature.

"It was precisely due to the fulfillment of the Chaos Green Lotus that this lotus seed burst free from the lotus pod. At the cost of severe damage to its own primal qi, it helped this Great Dao establish heaven and earth and time. Only then did the present endless space and the Immortal Saint Realm come into being.

"During the Primal Era, multiple Grand Dao Golden Immortals joined forces to search for the Chaos Green Lotus in this eternal Chaos. They weren't trying to capture it; they just wanted to comprehend the source of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Do you still remember what it looked like?"

"Of course."

"That's good. When you return, reflect upon it carefully. Being able to witness its form will surely benefit you greatly in the future."

Wang Sheng could not help but smile bitterly. He clearly had a fated opportunity, yet it had now turned into a dried piece of radish in his hand.

According to Ziwei, this expanse of Chaos existed beyond time and space, and its edge was the origin of time and space itself. Hence, the Chaos Green Lotus, which had transcended the Great Dao of Causality, still existed in this place even though it had transformed itself into more than a dozen treasures after heaven and earth were born.

This was eternity.

"If the Chaos Green Lotus is merely the manifested form of a Great Dao, does it possess spiritual intelligence?" Wang Sheng asked.

"Yes," Ziwei answered, instantly dousing the True Immortal's hope. "And since you bit off a piece of its root, it has certainly taken note of you."

Wang Sheng hurriedly replied, "Could you tell me which treasures it transformed into within the Three Realms? If I encounter them in the future, I can simply keep my distance."

Ziwei laughed. "As far as I know, its flower transformed into the Three Treasures Ruyi, its root turned into a staff, its pod became a cauldron, and two small pieces of its leaves became the Qingping Sword. The Three Pure Ones currently have those four treasures."

"Its root stem transformed into the God-Slaying Spear and caused boundless upheaval during the Primal Era, resulting in rivers of blood and countless deaths. Later, the combined efforts of the Three Pure Ones and multiple great powers shattered it.

"However, its fragments were later collected and refined into another devilish weapon called the God-Slaughtering Sword. Under a primordial being's control, the sword slew countless other powerful primordial beings. It disappeared after the chaos of the Ancient Era.

"The five directional[1] lotus leaves turned into the Five Primordial Banners: the Central-Earth Yellow Banner, the Precious Blue-Colored Lotus Banner, the Flaming Light Banner of the Departed Earth, the Plain-Colored Cloud-Realm Banner, and the Water-Controlling Banner of Dark Origins. There are many legends surrounding these five banners, but at least three of them are in the hands of the Three Pure Ones.

"Furthermore, three of its seeds became three twelve-petaled lotus flowers, corresponding to the immortal, Buddhist, and devilish paths. They fell into the hands of three great powers and were scattered throughout the Three Realms. Aside from those, some smaller lotus leaves also transformed into numerous spirit treasures, all of unfathomable power."

Wang Sheng's eyes lit up as he looked at the half-severed root in his hand. "Then this..."

Ziwei thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "If you add it to a soup with some hundred-thousand-year-old snow lotus, it should be quite nourishing."

Wang Sheng was at a loss for words.

Ziwei burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! What it will become depends on your fated opportunity. Who knows? It may even cause Daode Tianzun to lose a small piece of his staff."

Misery filled Wang Sheng's expression.

He didn't fear trouble. Rather, he simply felt a bit apologetic toward the lotus. After all, it had intended to guide him, yet he had accidentally harmed it.

It was quite complex, but a True Immortal's Primordial Spirit could harm such a wondrous treasure because rules hadn't been established within Chaos yet. The concept of strength and weakness didn't even exist in it.

The Great Dao of Causality's counter-interference prevented anyone from interfering with others in Chaos.

The green lotus, which had transcended the Great Dao of Causality, naturally had to violate the rule of non-interference if it took a liking to and wanted to guide Wang Sheng. Still, it never expected that he would see and seize that moment as a chance to bite it.

Thinking it over carefully, Wang Sheng couldn't help but sigh.

Poor lotus.

He etched its appearance deep into his heart. Only then did he realize that it radiated an indescribable Dao Rhythm.

Becoming slightly absorbed, he unconsciously sank into the Dao Rhythm. It was as if every sway of the green lotus, every tremor of its leaves and petals, contained supreme Great Dao mysteries.

Wang Sheng closed his eyes. Starlight flowed around him, and the seven-colored Dawnlight within his abdomen flickered gently. Ziwei smiled faintly and made sure not to disturb him.

The boat passed through countless clouds and mist as it slowly sailed toward an unknown destination.

Deeply engrossed, Wang Sheng became completely unaware of his surroundings. He immersed himself solely in the lingering image that the green lotus had left behind.

In a hazy trance, he seemingly saw a Daoist figure appear atop the lotus, casually performing sword techniques. However, he could not understand them at all. No matter how many times he watched, he could not remember even half a move. Only a faint, wondrous feeling remained.

Eventually, Ziwei announced from near him, "We're here."

Wang Sheng didn't know how much time had passed. He opened his eyes, which were filled with confusion.

"No need to rush. You can take your time comprehending it," Ziwei said gently as he raised his hand, gesturing for Wang Sheng to look ahead.

In front of them, within the chaotic aura, was a stretch of continuous mountain peaks. As the small boat sailed closer, it became clear that they were not mountains at all, but an unimaginably enormous skeleton. What had looked like peaks were merely structures resembling ribs.

Its vastness could not be measured. Its size, position, and orientation could not be perceived either. This was Chaos, without rules or order.

They slowly approached the skeleton and drifted to the top of one of the bone peaks. Ziwei gestured for Wang Sheng to look down.

Heeding the emperor's instruction, Wang Sheng froze once more. Below, a brilliantly colored stream flowed gently, passing through the colossal corpse and extending toward an unknown destination.

Ziwei smiled. "Anyone who reaches the Grand Dao Realm will ride the Great Dao here to take a look. This chaotic giant is called the Origin of Myriad Spirits. It fell because it gathered too many true spirits, developed strong spiritual intelligence, and attempted to devour a complete Great Dao. In retaliation, the Great Dao crushed it. Look below. That stream is the true spirit."

Wang Sheng focused, yet he could not see through it at all.

As expected, his cultivation was still far too shallow. He could sense that the seven-colored stream was extraordinary, but he couldn't determine what made it so.

"The false spirit you seek is also here."

Ziwei lightly waved his sleeve.

Wang Sheng suddenly felt the world spin, as though his entire being had been flipped halfway around. He then saw another seven-colored stream. It appeared identical to the previous one, yet he instinctively felt that it was the exact opposite. He just couldn't explain how.

The emperor asked softly. "You can't understand it, can you?"

Wang Sheng nodded without hesitation. He was certainly at a loss.

The emperor sighed. "Follow me. I'll try to help you grasp more of the true spirit's mysteries."

The boat set sail again, traveling parallel to the stream.

When Ziwei left behind this Dao trace, he likely never imagined that the one who would inherit his legacy would be guided into the Sea of Chaos while comprehending the True Immortal Realm.

Before long, Wang Sheng finally understood why he felt there were two streams: what the emperor showed him was the front and back of a single stream.

Within the stream seemed to be a glass-like boundary. Half of the stream flowed above it, and half flowed below it, both moving in the same direction.

The boat followed the stream onward. With practiced ease, Ziwei guided Wang Sheng while traversing the Sea of Chaos. Finally, they reached their true destination.

A great river surged before them. Countless streams converged into it, continuously widening its surface. The seven-colored radiance formed its waters, rushing endlessly.

Yet the great river was also divided into an upper side and a lower side.

Ziwei smiled. "Moving against the current will take you to the world that existed before Chaos was born, but only the Three Pure Ones are capable of it. Even Grand Dao Golden Immortals are stopped by a barrier. Now, tell me, what lies downstream?"

Wang Sheng replied softly, "The Primal Era? The birth of heaven and earth?"

"You certainly have excellent comprehension. Going downstream sends you to the age of Chaos's end. In doing so, your Primordial Spirit returns as well. Let's go."

Ziwei controlled the boat onward along the edge of the boundless river.

After only a short distance, the chaotic aura ahead suddenly vanished, revealing a pitch-black void. The river also underwent a strange transformation. Its upper portion surged into the void, leaving behind a rainbow-like path. Patches of darkness periodically obscured sections of it. Meanwhile, its lower portion seemingly evaporated, disappearing eerily.

Ziwei asked, "From your perspective, which spirit do you think left this five-colored path behind? The true spirit or the false spirit?"

Wang Sheng pondered for a moment. "The false spirit. The true spirit disperses into the void and transforms into countless living beings, with each one having a corresponding true spirit within this river. One's life only truly ends when its true spirit returns to this river and mutually cancels with the false spirit."

"That's right. Although incomplete, it seems you were able to learn something, after all. 'True spirit' and 'false spirit' are merely names given by cultivators. Since your cultivation realm is still too low, it's enough that you understand the principles behind them." Ziwei sighed. "It is a pity that although I reached the Grand Dao Realm, I never managed to glimpse the origin of heaven and earth."

"Does that mean all living beings ultimately walk toward annihilation?"

Ziwei smiled once more. "As you traveled, did the river become wider or narrower?"

Realization dawned on Wang Sheng. "Ah, I see! The true spirit and the false spirit are constantly being born and constantly coming to an end!"

He gazed into the distance at the visible seven-colored river, watching it rush through the void toward an unknown destination.

Ahead lay the ancient past, the present age, and the future.

"Remember what you saw today. In the future, it may help you gain a deeper comprehension. Now, it's time you return. This Dao trace of mine is about to dissipate."

Ziwei's gaze turned complex as he raised his hand and patted Wang Sheng on the shoulder. Though he seemed to want to encourage Wang Sheng, he instead revealed a trace of relief and gently pushed him.

"Your Majesty!" Wang Sheng called out urgently.

There were still many questions in his heart, and he at least wanted to bid Ziwei farewell. However, the surrounding starlight shone blindingly, and he fell into the void. When he turned back, all he saw was Ziwei's blurred silhouette.

The last thing he saw and remembered was the great emperor of the Four Heavenly Ministers. Dressed in long robes and resembling a teacher, he stood alone on the small boat with his hands clasped behind his back.

Behind him lay endless chaos. Before him stretched the vast ages of the world.

1. In Chinese cosmology and mythology, this refers to the four cardinal directions plus the center, each associated with an element, color, season, celestial animal, and cosmic force. ☜