Chapter 411 : Fate Decree Embryo
Chapter 411: Fate Decree Embryo
Azure Nether Peak, Shuiyan Residence.
Chen Beiwu exhaled a breath of turbid air, unable to conceal the joy on his face.
His Internal Scenery was clear and illuminated, while auspicious rosy light arose within the Violet Palace.
His External Scenery was perfectly harmonious, while the Heavenly Heart reflected the splendor of the Dao Seed.
He had now successfully attained the Dao as a True Monarch, and what he had attained was the Dao Seed Nascent Soul, of which there were only a scant few in the Immortal Alliance.
With such a cultivation realm, he could be considered a powerful immortal cultivator no matter where he went within the Immortal Alliance.
In the Southern Wilderness Earth Evolution Realm, where Divine Transformation cultivators had vanished, even if Chen Beiwu was no match for a great Nascent Soul cultivator, he could still rely on the Five Elements Radiant King Wings to come and go freely, with few True Monarchs capable of stopping him.
At this thought, the sense of urgency in Chen Beiwu's heart immediately eased considerably.
However, he did not immediately leave seclusion to celebrate. Instead, he sank his mind inward and carefully sensed the terrifying power flowing through his body.
Unlike the Primordial Origin True Qi of the Core Formation stage, after attaining the Dao as a True Monarch, the Primordial Origin True Qi within Chen Beiwu's meridians and dantian had already transformed into Heavenly Stellar True Qi, undergoing a fundamental change in nature.
Its quality was warm and mellow, its nature condensed and heavy, containing vast and terrifying might that made one's heart palpitate.
“Buzz!”
Chen Beiwu extended his right hand and circulated a wisp of Primordial Origin True Qi into his fingertip to test it.
In the next instant, a strange phenomenon abruptly arose. The free-floating spiritual forces of Heaven and Earth within the cave dwelling were like rivers flowing into the sea, voluntarily converging upon the white radiance at his fingertip and continuously amplifying the might of the Primordial Origin True Qi.
‘The gap between Earthly Fiend True Qi and Heavenly Stellar True Qi is more than merely the difference between clouds and mud!’ Chen Beiwu thought inwardly.
To mobilize the spiritual forces of Heaven and Earth with Earthly Fiend True Qi and use the might of Heaven and Earth to empower the might of spells required a Golden Core True Person to circulate their cultivation method and continuously activate the Golden Nature of their Golden Core.
Yet now, when he circulated a mere wisp of Heavenly Stellar True Qi, without activating any Mystical Ability, he could command the spiritual forces of Heaven and Earth like a sovereign, drawing upon the might of Heaven and Earth as his own.
No wonder Nascent Soul True Monarchs could regard Golden Core True Persons as ants. The difference in magical power and True Qi alone was something Golden Core True Persons could never hope to match even if they exhausted their full strength.
Yet the transformation of magical power and True Qi was merely one aspect of a Nascent Soul True Monarch's might. Their truly iconic powers were the Nascent Soul and Dharma Aspect!
Thinking of this, Chen Beiwu looked inward through his Dao Seed Nascent Soul, and all the various transformations became clear within his mind.
In terms of magical power, even without considering the nature and might of Heavenly Stellar True Qi, merely comparing the quantity of True Qi, its volume was as vast as a river of stars, having increased by one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred portions compared with the Golden Core stage.
In terms of realm, he was at the early Nascent Soul stage, and his maximum lifespan had skyrocketed to over three thousand years.
As for exactly what his maximum lifespan was, Chen Beiwu was currently unable to determine it. He only knew that his maximum lifespan far surpassed that of the Immortal Alliance's True Monarchs.
In terms of divine sense, with the augmentation of his Dao Seed Nascent Soul, the range covered by his divine sense had skyrocketed to thirty thousand zhang, which was a radius of one thousand eight hundred li.
Such a range of divine sense perception was utterly terrifying!
After all, even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch could shrink the earth into inches, they could only cross a thousand li in an instant.
This meant that if Chen Beiwu wanted to hunt down a Nascent Soul True Monarch, even if the other party spared no cost in activating a teleportation Mystical Ability, there would be no road to Heaven and no gate into Earth for them to escape through.
Of course, late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs were another matter.
Chen Beiwu had never fought a late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch and did not know exactly how vast the range of such an expert's divine sense was.
However, he could be certain that the strength of his divine sense already far surpassed that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch and could rival that of a late-stage Nascent Soul, or even a peak Nascent Soul cultivator.
However, all of this was merely Chen Beiwu's conjecture. Exactly how powerful his divine sense was could only truly be determined after he fought powerful experts in the future.
‘Unfortunately, my spirit root purity didn't undergo a transformation when I formed my Nascent Soul this time.’
Chen Beiwu opened his eyes, divine light flowing within them, without much surprise in his heart.
The further a Heavenly Spirit Root's purity progressed, the harder it became to improve. Merely forming a Nascent Soul was not enough to further advance the spirit root he had already amplified to the extreme.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Beiwu moved his will and began sensing the might of the Primordial Origin Dharma Aspect.
Once the Nascent Soul was formed, the Dharma Aspect naturally arose. This was something difficult to avoid.
However, in order to conceal some of his trump cards, Chen Beiwu had not pushed the Primordial Origin Dharma Aspect to its limit.
Chen Beiwu's intuition told him that if he activated the 【Dharma Aspect True Spirit】 Mystical Ability nurtured by the Heaven and Earth Feedback carried by his Dao Seed Nascent Soul, then further empowered it with the Heaven-Bestowed Final Scenery, the size of his Primordial Origin Dharma Aspect might double, reaching a colossal ninety thousand zhang.
However, a ninety-thousand-zhang Primordial Origin Dharma Aspect was far too conspicuous. It was highly likely to attract the attention of numerous powerful experts within the Immortal Alliance, and might even draw the attention of existences within Great Firmament Heaven.
After repeated consideration, Chen Beiwu believed that a forty-five-thousand-zhang Primordial Origin Dharma Aspect was already dazzling enough to secure more resources and preferential treatment within the Jade Purity Immortal Sect. There was no need to take excessive risks.
After confirming the changes in his cultivation, Chen Beiwu swept his gaze around and discovered that, aside from Golden Egg, Iron Egg, Snowle, and Zhiling all had their eyes tightly closed as they devoted themselves fully to refining the feedback from the Mutual Participation Contract.
“Congratulations, Master, shattering the Core to form the Nascent Soul, attaining the Dao as a True Monarch, with hopes of becoming a True Venerable!”
Golden Egg raised its three dragon heads and, like a chained idiom game, each head spoke one congratulatory phrase.
“Congratulations to us both.”
Chen Beiwu reached out and gently stroked Golden Egg's head.
Golden Egg had also gained considerably from his attainment of the Dao this time, with its Dao Cultivation skyrocketing to one thousand eight hundred years.
But compared with these things, Chen Beiwu cared more about the Nine Breaths Chaos, which had shown no movement whatsoever.
Back when he formed his Core, he had been able to further master the Nine Breaths Chaos and obtain a method for attaining immortality.
Yet after forming his Nascent Soul now, the Nine Breaths Chaos had not reacted at all.
“Thump thump thump!”
At that moment, Chen Beiwu's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and the Nine Breaths Chaos within his body abruptly erupted with golden radiance.
Good, good, good, it had indeed come!
Joy surged in Chen Beiwu's heart. He did not resist and instead voluntarily sank his mind into the Nine Breaths Chaos.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
The Heavenly Fate Purple Dragon raised its head and roared as the Chaos Heaven and Earth began to transform.
One black and one white radiance soared into the sky.
The former was condensed and profound like eternal night, while the latter blazed brilliantly like the great sun.
The two revolved around each other, slowly merging and dissipating, causing the Chaos Heaven and Earth to tremble. A wheel of Primordial Yang Essence and a wheel of Primordial Yin Soul respectively emerged, dividing Yin and Yang.
In the next instant, Yin and Yang descended, transforming into streaks of flowing light that surged into the Nascent Soul within Chen Beiwu's Divine Sea.
“Fate began with Primordial Chaos. Once clear and turbid were divided, Heavenly Mandate was thereby determined.”
“The thoughts of all beings formed causes, and the actions of myriad spirits brought results.”
“When cause and effect intertwined, fate was born.”
“Gather the wish power of all beings as fuel, refine the cause and effect of Heaven and Earth as fire.”
“Fate Decree Embryo, seize fate and enlighten!”
Chen Beiwu opened his eyes, several traces of comprehension appearing within them.
Divine Ability!
Another fate-related Divine Ability similar to Nine Breaths Qi Consumption!
This Divine Ability was called Fate Decree Embryo. Its effect was somewhat similar to Chen Beiwu's Golden Core Mystical Ability 【Primordial Origin Formless, Creation with a Thought】, yet it was an entirely different Divine Ability.
Heavenly Mandate had its destined measure, and karmic burdens followed one another.
The Fate Decree Embryo Divine Ability could transfer fate and transform one's destiny and foundation. Using the vast fate of all beings as fuel, it could also enlighten a living being's destiny, innate foundation, bloodline, and comprehension, but it could not enlighten himself.
Simply put, the Fate Decree Embryo Divine Ability had two effects.
The first was seizing fate. Through a series of causally connected actions such as killing people, defeating enemies, accepting disciples, and establishing forces, Chen Beiwu could seize a portion of their fate.
The second was evolution. By paying the price in fate, Chen Beiwu could make serpents and fish transform into dragons, birds become phoenixes, and soar into the heavens in a single leap.
Of course, the cost was utterly outrageous.
Through his perception, Chen Beiwu discovered that he currently did not even possess the qualifications to activate the Fate Decree Embryo Divine Ability for enlightenment.
There was no other reason. To use this heaven-defying, fate-altering Divine Ability for enlightenment, Chen Beiwu would need to expend at least the fate of one Heavenly Fate Purple Dragon, or fate of an equivalent rank.
Besides that, this Divine Ability was also restricted by karmic burden.
The more karmic connections a living being had with Chen Beiwu, the better the effect of activating the Fate Decree Embryo Divine Ability upon them.
Conversely, the shallower their karmic intersection, the weaker the effect, to the point that it might even become almost imperceptible.
‘This Fate Decree Embryo seems to be a Divine Ability designed to complement Nine Breaths Qi Consumption!’ Chen Beiwu thought inwardly.
The strong could alter fate. Simply killing people to seize their fate was ultimately an inferior method.
By using his Divine Ability to nurture and enlighten others, gathering forces around himself and steadily harvesting fate over time, he could undoubtedly maximize his gains.
Of course, when encountering enemy cultivators and forces unwilling to submit, exterminating them could also harvest fate. It was simply a one-time harvest that could not continuously generate fate.
‘I wonder how much fate this Fate Decree Embryo Divine Ability can seize?’
Chen Beiwu's divine sense moved, probing toward the depths of the Chaos Heaven and Earth.
The fate-seizing effect of Fate Decree Embryo was passive rather than active. Combined with the ‘Gathering’, ‘Fate’, and ‘Position’ aspects of Nine Breaths Qi Consumption, the efficiency with which he harvested fate would inevitably skyrocket from now on.
Sure enough, within the Chaos Heaven and Earth, two Auspicious Fortune Scarlet Dragons slowly took shape and entered Chen Beiwu's sight.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Suddenly, the resonance from the Mutual Participation Contract jolted Chen Beiwu awake.
With no time to continue studying the Divine Ability, Chen Beiwu moved his will and linked his mind with Iron Egg and Snowle, clearly sensing the bloodline transformations occurring within the two little fellows.
999 years of Dao Cultivation!
1000 years of Dao Cultivation!
1100 years of Dao Cultivation!
Clearly, through the feedback of the Mutual Participation Contract, Iron Egg and Snowle had finally broken through the Demon General barrier and begun charging toward the Fourth Realm Demon King realm.
Seeing this, Chen Beiwu's eyes flashed, but he did not immediately leave seclusion.
Compared with breaking the Immortal Alliance's record, he cared more about Iron Egg and Snowle's safety.
“Ying!”
Zhiling suddenly opened her eyes and leaped into Chen Beiwu's arms.
The might triggered by Iron Egg and Snowle's advancement to Demon Kings was far too terrifying. She could only temporarily stop refining the vast magical power within her body to avoid being disturbed.
“It's fine, I'll help you.”
Chen Beiwu chuckled softly and pressed a finger against Zhiling's forehead.
With his help guiding her, Zhiling could conserve a great deal of energy.
As for Iron Egg and Snowle, Chen Beiwu could only assist them through the resonance of his Dao Seed Nascent Soul.
……
Time passed easily, and three years went by in the blink of an eye.
Zhiling successfully refined the feedback from the Mutual Participation Contract, causing her Dao Cultivation to skyrocket from six hundred ninety-nine years to eight hundred ninety-nine years in one leap, equivalent to a peak Golden Core cultivator.
“Ying?”
Zhiling opened her bewitching fox eyes, confusion in her gaze.
If Beiwu had not deliberately restrained her, she was confident she could have broken through the realm barrier and raised her Dao Cultivation to over nine hundred years.
“Cultivation must proceed step by step. Accumulation is not a bad thing. Pursuing Dao Cultivation too excessively will instead cause your foundation to become unstable.”
Chen Beiwu replied through his thoughts.
“Ying.”
Zhiling nodded to show she understood, then looked toward Iron Egg and Snowle.
“Advancing to Demon King isn't simple. They still need some time.” Chen Beiwu smiled.
And so, Chen Beiwu remained inside the cave dwelling, familiarizing himself with the power of a True Monarch while simultaneously cultivating life and essence together through the Mutual Participation Contract, protecting Iron Egg and Snowle as they broke through.
As time slowly passed, another five years went by.
On this day, the lightning tribulation dispersed. Chen Beiwu opened his eyes and discovered that the Five Qi Vine within the lightning tribulation had already disappeared without a trace.
“Na!”（I'm here!）
Chen Beiwu turned his head and discovered that Snowle's appearance had changed considerably.
At this moment, Snowle's formerly rounded, lotus-root-like vine body had become exceptionally slender, while its lustrous white skin was covered by a barely perceptible layer of spiritual fuzz.
Chen Beiwu reached out and lightly touched it, finding it warm to the touch with a hint of elasticity.
However, compared with these changes, the most striking was that the five-colored flower atop Snowle's head had disappeared, replaced by a Five Elements Floral Crown.
This Five Elements Floral Crown was brilliantly colored, woven from intertwined vines and petals, and contained indescribable might.
If Chen Beiwu had guessed correctly, this Five Elements Floral Crown should be a Companion Mystical Treasure nurtured from Snowle's bloodline, capable of controlling the Five Elements.
“Na?”（Do I look good?）
Snowle tilted its little head.
With the flower atop its head gone, its appearance had become increasingly exquisite, resembling a spirit from an ancient painting.
“Snowle, you're a girl?” Chen Beiwu was greatly surprised.
According to the sect's records, special Heavenly Stellar Mystical Beasts such as the Five Qi Vine had neither male nor female sexes, nor could they reproduce offspring.
“Na?”（You don't like it?）
Snowle widened its eyes.
It had no distinction between male and female. It was simply that after advancing to Demon King, it had instinctively evolved a perfect appearance according to Chen Beiwu's aesthetic preferences.
As for the Five Qi Forest it carried on its back, that had transformed into a green rainbow robe, within which towering ancient trees, budding spiritual plants, blooming exotic flowers, and fruit-bearing vines could faintly be seen.
“Looks good, looks good!”
Sensing Snowle's thoughts, Chen Beiwu hurriedly praised it.
Perhaps because the human race's Immortal Dao flourished on Heavenly Abyss Star, some Heavenly Stellar Mystical Beasts and Creation Origin Beasts became increasingly humanlike as their Dao Cultivation realm advanced.
Truth be told, judging solely by appearance, Snowle's looks could indeed be called those of an elven beauty.
But overall, Snowle's form still retained seventy to eighty percent of the Five Qi Vine's characteristics.
To summarize it simply in one sentence, it was a tree spirit filled with the aura of nature, suitable for cuddling and petting affectionately, yet incapable of arousing desire.
“Na!”
After receiving affirmation, Snowle immediately smiled, the corner of its eyes secretly glancing at Zhiling.
Transformation was extremely difficult for the Five Qi Vine race. It had no intention of transforming for the time being. Rather than spending its energy on that, it might as well use it for farming, or carry out a grand heist.
However, after advancing to Demon King, slightly modifying its appearance to better conform to Chen Beiwu's aesthetic preferences did not require much effort.
After placating the little fellow, Chen Beiwu moved his divine sense and probed Snowle's three lineages.
“Hiss!”
After only a moment, Chen Beiwu's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously looked toward the green rainbow robe on Snowle's body.
Good heavens, he had never expected Snowle to awaken such a formidable Demon King True Domain!
No wonder the Five Qi Vine could rank fifth on the Heavenly Stellar Mystical Beast Ranking.
“Na.”
Snowle proudly raised its head.
“Consolidate your cultivation properly. I'll be relying on you from now on.”
Chen Beiwu smiled with satisfaction and looked toward Iron Egg not far away.
Perhaps because Iron Egg had cultivated for less time than Snowle, or perhaps because it was refining an Exotic Flame to forge the Great Heavenly Pure Purgatory Aspect, even with Chen Beiwu assisting through the Mutual Participation Immortal Art, Iron Egg had still been unable to complete the transformation of the Three Indestructibles.
Fortunately, a year later, the transformation ended, the heavenly tribulation descended, and a blazing great sun slowly rose above Shuiyan Residence.
“Boom!”
The heavenly tribulation was annihilated, and a streak of black radiance suddenly descended.
“Step!”
“Step!”
“Step!”
Iron Egg walked through the air, slowly striding toward Chen Beiwu.
Its shoulders stood five zhang high, its body as mighty as a mountain, while brilliant flames flowed through its pitch-black fur like black gold refined by fire.
Its four limbs were thick as pillars. Every time it stepped through the air, a remarkably mystical cloud of golden flame Qi automatically formed beneath its feet.
Yet compared with all of these, what drew Chen Beiwu's attention most was the vertical-eye Dao Mark above Iron Egg's forehead, which sometimes resembled a sun and sometimes a pattern.
Without a doubt, after advancing to Fourth Realm Demon King, Iron Egg not only possessed overwhelming momentum and an increasingly majestic appearance, but even the vertical eye on its forehead had awakened a Mystical Ability.