NOVEL WEB Chapter 24: Chaos Immortal
The two halves of the world drifted apart, its chaotic boundary destroyed by Tongtian's slash. The chaotic energy rushed in and started devouring the split world. Little by little, the sky cracked, the land crumbled, and chaos ruled.
Tongtian's eyes shined as she observed this process. Her brow raised when she saw an unexpected substance flow out of the world in the process of being destroyed by the chaotic energy, a white vapor. She waved her arm, and all the white vapor condensed into a single milky-white dew. Hundreds of kilometers of land and sky were destroyed just for this single drop.
She held the jade dew to eye level and observed it. It exuded a powerful yet gentle aura that caused her body to desire it instinctively. It was not the aura of lifeforce but something more primal.
For now, Tongtian took out a jade bottle of what she tentatively named the World Essence Dew and resumed observing the destruction of the world. It took tens of thousands of years to create the world, yet it only needed less than a thousand years for destruction.
Destruction was far easier than creation.
However, that was not all. Destruction also created. It broke down creation to its origin, prime materials for new creation, so to speak. Hence, the seven drops of World Essence Dew in the bottle. Tongtian deliberated whether to absorb them in the safety of Three Realms but decided against it since the Dao Ancestor knew everything that would happen there.
Even Saints couldn't hide everything. Until the Dao Ancestor proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that he did not seek the destruction of the world, it was better to keep a few trump cards.
Her Saint Corpse, which had regained its energy, flew out of her body. With him present and independent enough to take action should anything happen, Tongtian had greater peace of mind.
The stopper flew off the bottle, and a milky white substance flew out. The single drop of World Essence Dew flew into her mouth and made its way down her throat and into her abdomen. As it dissolved and diffused throughout her body, hot and cold sensations spread with it.
It wasn't a repulsive feeling. In fact, it was rather pleasant. Tongtian even felt like she could absorb the chaotic energy like essence.
Although she was still a Quasi-Saint, her Corpse was a bonafide Golden Immortal of the Primordial Origin. Despite this, he couldn't absorb chaotic energy without it wreaking havoc on his body.
Although her second brother, Yuanshi, could absorb chaotic energy, Tongtian attributed that to his mastery of the Law of Chaos. She could also convert chaotic energy into qi or essence of heaven and earth, but it was the ability of the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification, not hers.
After a moment of hesitation, Tongtian acted on her instincts. Of course, that did not mean she absorbed a large amount of chaotic energy at once but in increments. A small blob of chaotic energy entered her hand, and not only did it not damage her, but it also mixed with the diffused World Essence Dew to strengthen her body instead!
Gaining courage, Tongtian slowly increased the amount of chaotic energy she absorbed. The more she absorbed, the less the World Essence Dew remained in her body. Once it was almost gone, she stopped absorbing it. But she didn’t swallow another drop.
Instead, she began to conceptualize the Ninth Revolution of the Nine Revolution Arcane Art. Tongtian had been stuck at the Eighth Revolution of the Nine Arcane Art for years. Although she could contend with peak Quasi-Saints based on the power of her flesh alone, it was inconsequential in front of a Saint of Heaven.
It didn't take too long as Tongtian had already attempted to complete the Ninth Revolution but failed. Ironically, it wasn't the twelve titans who incarnated from Pangu's blood essence that would achieve the Primordial Origin Realm on the Strength Path, but one of the Three Purities incarnated from Pangu's spirit.
Tongtian swallowed a second drop of the World Essence Dew. When that was used up, she swallowed the third drop, then a fourth. Halfway through the fifth drop, she realized that the progress had halted. Still, she did not give up and continued to absorb more of the chaotic energy into her body. Even after swallowing the sixth drop, her body only stored more energy and no longer improved qualitatively.
She didn't want to waste the seventh drop and final drop of the World Essence Dew. If Tongtian really set her mind to it, she could likely extract more from the Three Realms, but even if she were willing, the other Saints of Heaven would band against her. Her Saint Corpse might even lose the position as a Saint of Heaven due to the Karmic Sin.
There were two reasons Tongtian hadn’t accrued any Karmic Sin from destroying the newly created world. First, she had created the world and turned the Way of Heaven into her incarnation. And second, her power was beyond the newly created world; it could not attach any karma to her without her consent.
Tongtian sat in a lotus position and tried to complete the Ninth Revolution. She tried to absorb the chaotic energy and refine her body with it, but that only damaged her body without the World Essence Dew.
Without any lead, Tongtian could only unwillingly return back to the Three Realms. Upon her return, all the Saints noticed. However, their detection methods could not penetrate the Supreme Purity Heaven of the Thirty-Three Heavens.
They did not need to ponder why Tongtian entered the chaos for much longer as a massive amount of the essence of heaven and earth shifted to the Supreme Purity Heaven, and an immense pressure descended and covered the entirety of the Thirty-Three Heavens.
It was similar to a Saint of Heaven's coercion but less venerated by the world. It was the birth of another Golden Immortal of the Primordial Origin.
Inside Eminence Heaven Palace, Tongtian sat on the Throne of Heaven. Behind her, the Sea of Spacetime materialized; above it floated three magnolia flowers.
The central magnolia flower started to absorb the Sea of Spacetime, growing larger as the sea shrunk. Its petals took on a silver hue and exuded a golden luminescence. The two flowers next to it weren't spared either as they started to wither, feeding their essence to the central flower.
As time passed, the central magnolia flower exuded the rhythm of the Law of Spacetime. Dao Script flitted across its petals, growing increasingly frequent the larger it grew. Once it absorbed all the Sea of Spacetime and the two flowers next to it, the central flower, too, started to wither.
Its petals turned a dull gray; the golden luminescence dimmed. As they shriveled, a budding fruit emerged from the center. It was colored gray, like the withering flower, but as it grew larger, its color changed to a mixture of silver-gold. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the fruit was entirely composed of Dao Script and exuded an aura of spacetime.
This was Tongtian's Daofruit, the crystallization of her comprehension of the Law of Spacetime.
When Tongtian's eyes opened again, the Spacetime Daofruit released rhythmic light resembling an aurora and cloaked the entirety of the Eminence Heaven Palace. So intense was its light that it burst out of the palace openings and caused a silver and gold aurora to appear above the Thirty-Three Heavens.
With high spirits, Tongtian's voice echoed throughout the Three Realms aided by the Way of Heaven. Although Tongtian wasn't a Saint of Heaven, she had the position of the Jade Emperor, ruler of the Three Realms.
"I, Supreme Purity Tongtian, have entered the Primordial Origin Realm. Henceforth, I shall be known as the Heavenly Lord of the Immeasurable!"
After her proclamation, the Spacetime Daofruit merged into Tongtian's body, causing the silver and gold aurora to disappear. Next, she palmed her face. "Dammit, I got too excited. Why did I have to tell the whole world that I became a Golden Immortal of the Primordial Origin? I must be spending too much time with Second Brother."
Tongtian liked to abide by the principle of lowkeyness. She shook her head. 'Forget it. It doesn't matter. It's not like the other Saints won't know about my achievement or couldn't guess. Those below the Primordial Origin Realm are not a danger."
Her eyes pierced through the thirty-three layers of the Heavenly Realm and into the Earthly and Nether Realm. After absorbing a vast amount of essence of heaven and earth, the average levels of essence in the Three Realms started to deplete.
Ever since the world's birth, from the Great Desolation to the Three Realms, the general level of essence of heaven and earth gradually dropped, especially after each tribulation. However, Tongtian wasn't worried about depleting the Three Realms' energy. The chaotic boundary filtered the chaotic energy of the outside chaos into nutrients for the growth of the Three Realms. Essence was just the byproduct of the leftovers.
Still, the amount of essence in the Three Realms correlated to its power and growth. The more prosperous it was, the more essence of heaven and earth remained in the world.
After the Titan-Demon Tribulation, the essence levels dropped tremendously because of the shattering of Buzhou Mountain. However, it didn't drop too much thanks to the appearance of the Allheaven Jianmu Tree. Not only that, the world tree became part of the Three Realms and aided the absorption of the chaotic energy. Before Tongtian entered the Primordial Origin Realm, the general essence levels were actually on the rise.
Because the Allheaven Jianmu Tree became part of the Three Realms, Tongtian was no longer its sole master. If it was compared to a public company, the Way of Heaven held eighty percent of the stocks, while Tongtian had ten percent as the original owner. Her status as the Jade Emperor granted her another ten percent.
Unless another immortal enters the Primordial Origin Realm, the essence levels would return to their previous density.
For now, Tongtian focused on stabilizing her cultivation base. Although she had formed her Daofruit, she still needed to upgrade her qi and elevate her soul from its current realm of Half-Primordial Origin and transition to a complete soul at the Primordial Origin Realm.
At this time, the residual World Essence Dew revealed another facet of its abilities, significantly reducing the time it took Tongtian to fully step into the Primordial Origin Realm. It was merely a timesaver at best, but that was still helpful.
Tongtian didn't stop. She still had two other goals she needed to accomplish. Using the authority granted to her Saint Corpse, she stretched her hands out and grasped the thin line representing the Law of Time.
Its origin led to the core space of the Three Realms, but even Saints of Heaven could not enter without great difficulty that required the world to fall into great turmoil.
Despite mastering the Law of Spacetime and sharing it with her Saint Corpse, Lingbao could not compare to her in strength. Still, that was fine because Tongtian wanted to merge the Three Realms' Law of Time and Law of Space together.
Not only did it have a chance to increase her Saint Corpse's strength and authority, but it would also increase the stability and foundation of the Three Realms. Like with the Allheaven Jiangmu Tree, as the primary contributor to this act, Tongtian would receive a larger portion of the Three Realms' Karmic Luck. She didn't just want to be the Jade Emperor but the master of the future Sea of Spacetime, much like how Empress Pingxin controlled most of the Sixth Paths of Samsara.
The Three Realms, which had grown peaceful after Tongtian's proclamation, began to turn rowdy as a silver river that spanned the entirety of the world manifested. It was the River of Time.
The River of Time started to branch off, forming a large web that shrouded the entire Three Realms. Although the Saints didn't know what Tongtian planned, they didn't want to sit still either.
Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti appeared outside of Thirty-Three Heavens, but Yuanshi, Laozi, and Redcloud Ancestor appeared, blocking their way.
Yuanshi smiled at the three, but his smile contained no warmth and exuded coldness. "Don't you know that obstructing one's path is tantamount to sowing the greatest of hatreds?"
Jieyin clapped his hands together and recited a sutra. "Senior Brother Yuanshi, we were curious as to what Senior Sister Tongtian was doing. Her action involves the River of Time, and as Saints, it's our duty to safeguard against all harm to the world."
Yuanshi snorted. "You don't need to worry about that."
The standoff didn't last long as the River of Time froze before suddenly shattering. A furious roar reverberated throughout the heavens. "HONGJUN!!!"
Yuanshi's expression darkened as he flew toward Supreme Purity Heaven. After a moment of hesitation, Laozi followed, while Redcloud Ancestor just waited with no intention of entering. Instead, he gazed at the three Saints in front of him.
Inside Eminence Heaven Palace, Yuanshi entered to see Tongtian slumped on the Throne of Heaven. "Third Sister!"
Tongtian stirred, and she sat back up. She waved her hand and said, "I'm fine."
Yuanshi clearly didn't believe her, especially after hearing her loudly roar the Dao Ancestor's name. He glanced at Laozi, and the two shared a nod. "What happened?"
Tongtian didn't bother hiding and explained her intentions. "After I mastered the Law of Spacetime, I wanted to merge the Three Realms' Law of Time and Law of Space. Since the River of Time was connected to the Law of Time, I intended to turn it into the Sea of Spacetime, but at a critical moment, the Dao Ancestor obstructed me and destroyed all my progress."
Despite her emotionless narration of the recently-transpired events, there was a simmering wrath beneath the calm facade.
"What does the Dao Ancestor mean by this?" Laozi asked while Yuanshi turned contemplative. "Theoretically, the birth of the Law of Spacetime should bolster the Three Realms. Why would the Dao Ancestor stop you? Is he afraid of damaging the Three Realms or..."
Before Laozi could continue, Tongtian held a finger to her lips and shushed him. "Remember, the Way of Heaven is omnipresent in the Three Realms."
Laozi pursed his brows and turned silent, but his thoughts did not. As he continued to contemplate the meaning behind the Dao Ancestor's actions, Yuanshi spoke. "While I don't know the reason behind Hongjun's actions, Third Sister should continue to endeavor to merge the Law of Time and Law of Space. There'll be a pleasant surprise at the end for Third Sister."
Tongtian frowned. Why did it seem Yuanshi knew more about it than her, the one who mastered the Law of Spacetime?
"Do you know something?" Tongtian directly asked.
Yuanshi repeated Tongtian's earlier motion. He placed a finger in front of his lips and said, "Some things are best kept unsaid."
Tongtian glared. "Second Brother, it only looks good when pretty girls like me do it. When a middle-aged man like you performs the action, it looks lame."
Yuanshi turned crestfallen. Disregarding Yuanshi's mood, Tongtian kicked him out and bid Laozi farewell. She stayed put and calmed down Wutian and Shuixing, who worried for her. When the heat died down, Tongtian stood up, and Lingbao emerged from her body.
Tongtian wrapped herself within the layers of spacetime and traveled out of the Three Realms. She originally thought that merging the Law of Time and the Law of Space would be faster to accomplish, but now, it seemed that she had to focus on her second one, entering the Primordial Origin Realm with her body.
After seeing the Spacetime Daofruit, Tongtian realized what she needed to do to complete the Ninth Revolution. She needed to carve the Law of Spacetime into her body, essentially rewriting the very core of her flesh.
Once outside the chaotic boundary, Tongtian started to work. She started carving the Law of Spacetime into her marrow first. The marrow would transform her blood, circulating and making the process faster. After the marrow, she worked on her organs, bones, tendons, muscles, and skin.
Tongtian discovered that she gained the ability to absorb the chaotic energy the more she transformed her body. It was like she was becoming a chaos fiendgod born out of chaos. However, since she cultivated the Immortal Path, she dubbed her new state Chaos Immortal of Primordial Origin.
While completing the Ninth Revolution of the Nine Revolution Arcane Art, Tongtian stopped. WIth her new sensitivity to the chaos, she noticed a change in its flow, so to speak. Puzzled and curious, she followed her senses toward the source, and once she found it, she froze.
A completely new world without any connection to Pangu's world entered Tongtian's sight.