Chapter 971 - 434: That One!_2
"To comprehend the subtlety of the myriad Laws and find that faint, elusive balance with a mind reaching the heavens and extraordinary insight, thus mastering the Sword Intent of the ’All-Encompassing’!"
"That is an ultimate understanding and submission to the Great Dao of heaven and earth!"
Yu Kong stared intently at Xu Ran, his eyes flickering uncertainly: "But what did you do? You centered on your own will, forcibly twisting the operation of the laws to make all methods submit to you?! This is not ’comprehension’! This is ’intimidation’! This is the unparalleled ’conquest’!"
"The path you take is not of the predecessors at all! You are simply..." Yu Kong seemed to think of something terrifying.
The words that followed seemed unspeakable, he just shook his head abruptly, and his tone became extremely grave, "Young friend, do you know the terror of forcibly wielding power not belonging to yourself, especially one that is foundational like the All-Encompassing Laws?"
Xu Ran’s heart shivered.
Repercussions?
He carefully sensed his own state, although his Sea of Spirit was slightly empty due to the breakthrough just now, the newly formed Sword Intent of the All-Encompassing was incredibly stable, without any discomfort.
The myriad Laws also continued to harmoniously orbit the sealed area at the depths of his consciousness, as if this was how it should be.
"I do not feel anything amiss," Xu Ran truthfully said.
Yu Kong gave him a deep look, as if trying to see through him: "Not experiencing now does not mean never experiencing. Laws have their Spirit, heaven and earth have their Dao. The forceful suppression of today will surely call for retribution another day!"
Pausing, Yu Kong’s voice became low, bearing a trace of warning: "Especially when you touch the deeper ’Dao’."
"What exactly is that ’presence’ at the depths of your consciousness? While it grants you this power of ’domination’, it may also plant unimaginable disasters!"
Xu Ran was silent.
He knew that what Yu Kong said was true. The seal deep in his consciousness had always been his greatest secret and greatest hazard.
Today, the small glimpse it revealed already allowed him to comprehend the Sword Intent of the ’All-Encompassing’ in a manner that defied convention, a testament to its extraordinary and uncanny nature.
Who exactly is that sealed ’I’?
Why does it possess the majesty that transcends Laws?
What is the source of this power?
These questions, like a veil of mist, shrouded his mind, weighing him down.
But immediately, that weight was supplanted by a stronger desire!
Reveal it!
No matter what lies beyond that seal, blessing or curse, he must unlock it personally!
And at present, the only way is to continue forward and comprehend the remaining four Sword Intents!
Xu Ran’s eyes became firm once more as he looked at the still slowly rotating Sword Ring, its light coursing as if containing endless mysteries.
"Thank you for reminding me, elder." Xu Ran clasped his fists again, "But the path of Dao is fraught with peril, inherently against the heavens, and my heart is resolute!"
Yu Kong looked into Xu Ran’s determined eyes, as if he saw some destined trajectory.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something more, but ultimately it was transformed into a long sigh.
"Alas, if you are so determined, then continue."
Yu Kong’s voice carried an indescribable fatigue, perhaps even a trace of resignation?
"The next, the sixth sword, is called ’Reincarnation’!"
Reincarnation!
The moment those words were uttered, they seemed to carry a strange magic, causing Xu Ran’s heart spirit to tremble sharply!
Life and death, glory and decay, gathering and dispersing
The cosmos and all things seem unable to escape this endless cycle.
Mortals have birth, aging, illness, and death; cultivators have the Dao’s dissipation and body’s fall; stars have formation, endurance, decay, void
All these seem to be moved and driven by an invisible hand, plunging into that never-ending Reincarnation!
This is a power more grand and unfathomable than the All-Encompassing Laws!
The All-Encompassing Laws form the foundation of the world, while Reincarnation seems to be one of the ultimate rules defining existence and driving the world’s operation!
Buzz!
The area representing the sixth sword on the Sword Ring suddenly lit up!
The light was no longer colorful, nor purely any single color, but an indescribable gray!
A Chaos-like gray that seemed to merge life and death, light and dark, existence and nihility!
The moment the light shone, the scene before Xu Ran suddenly transformed!
No longer the vast starry sky, no longer the torrent of laws, but
Endless scenes!
Surging into his mind like a tide!
He saw a newborn baby, a spirited youth, a stalwart middle-aged man, an aged old man
He saw flourishing cities rise from the ground, then turn to ruins in war
He saw brilliant stars born from nebulae, then collapse and explode back into dust after billions of years
Scene after scene, life after life, era after era
Countless lives, countless stories, countless beginnings and ends, flashed rapidly before him!
These scenes, so real, so poignantly felt!
He seemed to personally undergo those countless cycles of birth, aging, illness, death, witnessing those endless transformations!
Joy, sorrow, anger, despair, love, hatred
Endless emotions, like a flood breaching its levees, relentlessly crashed onto his heart spirit!
"Is this Reincarnation?"
Xu Ran’s heart spirit began to grow dazed amidst this endless cycle of scenes and emotional torrents.
He felt his consciousness nearly torn apart and assimilated by this massive influx of information!
He wanted to struggle, to stay conscious, but the power of Reincarnation, like a massive whirlpool, kept dragging him downward!
He saw "himself."
Saw one after another of different "selves."
Sometimes a world-dominating emperor, ruling a vast kingdom, yet ultimately unable to escape becoming a cup of dust.
Sometimes a destitute beggar, scorned by the world, finally freezing to death in the streets.
Sometimes a cultivator who struggled for ten thousand years, about to reach the pinnacle, but struck down by a heavenly tribulation, spirit scattered.
Sometimes a blade of grass, a speck of dust, experiencing flourishing and decay, gathering and dispersing
"Are all of these me? Or none of them?"
"Who am I?"
A huge confusion, like a nightmare, enveloped him.
He felt his will being worn down by this endless cycle!
Once he succumbed to it and acknowledged those illusory "selves," the true Xu Ran might forever get lost in this Illusion Realm of Reincarnation!
No!
He must not succumb!
Xu Ran gritted his teeth suddenly, and the stab of pain on his tongue brought a trace of clarity!
He remembered his swords!
The "Resilience" of the Mortal Sword! Though insignificant, it is still unyielding!
The "Quiet" of the Annihilation Sword! Seeing through life and death, returning to nihility!
The "Battle" of the Slaughter Sword! Destroy all impediments!
The "Life" of the Life Derivation Sword! It is hope, it is continuation!
The "One" of the All-Encompassing Sword! It is core, it is mastery!
These Sword Intents flashed in his mind, like beacons in the darkness, guiding him!
"Reincarnation, reincarnation"
Xu Ran’s gaze pierced through the endless illusions, seeking to see the essence of this Reincarnation!
It isn’t chaos, it isn’t disorder.
Life is for the purpose of death.
Death is for the purpose of new life!
Gathering is for the purpose of dispersing.
Dispersing is for the purpose of gathering again!
This is a perfect loop!
An ice-cold and ruthless rule!
Driving it all, is it time? Is it cause and effect? Or some deeper will?
Xu Ran’s heart spirit sank into an unprecedented silence.
He no longer looked at those dazzling Reincarnation scenes, nor felt those overwhelming emotions.
He merely "watched" the Reincarnation itself.
He watched how it started, how it operated, how it ended and began again.
In cycles, endless.
Like a huge, spinning wheel!
And all beings, are markers on this wheel.
"To break Reincarnation, one must first understand Reincarnation!"
A glimpse of understanding flashed in Xu Ran’s eyes.
But, "understanding" is not enough!
The comprehension of the All-Encompassing Sword Intent taught him a truth.
Facing the supreme rules of heaven and earth, mere "submission" or "understanding" is far from enough!
Especially for someone like him, possessing that mysterious seal!