Baby with Daoist Monarch System

His state of mind, in the continuous enlightenment, had greatly improved, becoming more composed and resilient.

"Four swords have passed, and it seems the carrying capacity of your Divine Soul has also increased significantly." Yu Kong’s voice rang again, carrying a hint of exploration, "It seems that what is sealed deep inside your Sea of Spirit is quite extraordinary, as it can resonate with the integration of these Origin of the Great Dao wills, feeding back into your Divine Soul."

Xu Ran’s heart stirred.

Yu Kong indeed noticed!

However, he did not say much; regarding the secret deep within his Sea of Spirit, he did not want to, nor could he, mention it to anyone at the moment.

"Senior, is it the Fifth Sword next?" Xu Ran adjusted his mindset, casting his gaze toward the rotating Sword Ring, his eyes filled with anticipation and a trace of solemnity.

Having undergone the baptism of four completely different willpowers, he already understood that the trial of the Nine-Layered Giant Tower was by no means easy.

Each sword represented an ultimate Origin of the Great Dao, and the process of enlightenment was both an opportunity and a test.

If one’s mind was not firm and comprehension was insufficient, one might easily get lost in the vast and majestic impact of those wills, which could lightly damage the Divine Soul or heavily lead to the collapse of the Dao Heart, leading to eternal damnation!

"Yes." Yu Kong responded, "The first four swords, Mortal Tenacity, Death’s Annihilation, Slaughter, and Life Derivation, can be said to form the foundation of a world, or rather the complete cycle of life. The upcoming sword will be more abstract, touching upon the core of the origin."

"Are you ready?"

Xu Ran took a deep breath, his eyes becoming as sharp as an eagle’s!

"Disciple, ready!"

No matter what the upcoming trial was, he would not back down!

His path lay within these nine swords! His future was upon this Nine-Layered Tower!

Buzz!

The Sword Ring rotated faster!

This time, without any warning, the Fifth Iron Sword suddenly lit up!

Unlike the previous four swords!

This sword had no color!

Or rather, it possessed all colors!

The moment it lit up, the entire space seemed filled with an indescribable "transformation"!

At times, it was the fiery red of flames!

At times, the deep blue of icy cold!

At times, the heavy yellow of the earth!

At times, the sharp white of metal!

At times, the lively green of the wind!

At times, the violent purple of lightning!

At times, the all-engulfing Light!

At times, the all-embracing darkness!

Countless attributes, countless powers of the Law, rapidly flowed and transformed on this sword, like a revolving lantern, ever-changing, yet strangely maintaining a balance in chaos!

The feeling this sword gave could be summed up in one word—

Change!

Endless change!

"The Fifth Sword, ’All-Encompassing’!" Yu Kong’s voice also carried an unprecedented solemnity.

"This sword belongs to no individual but represents the myriad cosmic laws constructing this universe! It is the ’Dao’ itself in the operation of heaven and earth and the evolution of rules!"

"Five Elements, wind and thunder, light and dark, all tangible and intangible rules, are contained within!"

"Comprehending this sword requires you to have a heart vast enough to embrace and wisdom keen enough to perceive the origin."

"This trial, hard! Hard! Hard!"

Three consecutive "hard" characters were enough to illustrate the difficulty of comprehending the Fifth Sword, far surpassing the previous four swords!

Xu Ran’s heart instantly jumped to his throat!

Myriad laws?

Heaven and earth rules?

The ’Dao’ itself?

How was he supposed to comprehend this?

The Law was the legendary power that at least required reaching a very high realm for a cultivator to begin to contact and master!

And this "All-Encompassing" Sword actually contained myriad laws?!

This was simply inconceivable!

Without giving Xu Ran time to think, that "All-Encompassing" Sword, flowing with myriad lights and ever-changing, had already transformed into an elusive streak of light, shooting towards his brow!

Its speed was faster than any of the previous swords!

Its aura was more vast and complex than any of the previous swords!

Xu Ran even had an illusion that what was shooting toward him was not a sword, but an entire universe in constant evolution, life, and death!

Boom!

Without giving him any time to react!

The streak of light harboring myriad law changes directly penetrated Xu Ran’s brow!

In an instant, Xu Ran felt as if his head was going to burst open!

Countless information, countless images, countless fundamentally different law fluctuations, like a bursting dam, crazily flooded into his Sea of Spirit!

The fire was burning!

The ice was freezing!

The earth was throbbing!

The metal was clanging!

The wild wind howls!

The thunder roars!

The light shines!

The darkness devours!

Time twists!

Space folds!

These originally independent and even conflicting powers of law now collide in a furious, chaotic way in his Sea of Spirit! Exploding!

Xu Ran’s golden Sea of Spirit instantly surged with tumultuous waves!

Those newly formed four sword shadows—Mortal Tenacity, Death’s Annihilation, Slaughter, Life Derivation—under the impact of this chaotic torrent of laws, also began to tremble violently, their light flickering, as if they might collapse at any moment!

"Ah!"

Xu Ran couldn’t help but let out a cry of pain!

His Divine Soul seemed to be tossed into a millstone that constantly crushes, tears, and reshapes!

An unprecedented pain swept through every inch of his consciousness!

This torture far exceeds the torment of the flesh; it is a direct tearing of the Origin of the Great Dao Divine Soul!

"Guard your Heart Spirit," Yu Kong’s anxious voice exploded in Xu Ran’s ear, "The All-Encompassing Sword tests not your understanding of any particular law, but whether you can find that eternal ’One’ amidst myriad transformations!"

"All Laws Converge into One! That is the true meaning of ’All-Encompassing’!"

"Fail to find that ’One’, and you will be completely assimilated by the endless changes of the laws, Divine Soul shattered!"

Eternal ’One’?

All Laws Converge into One?

In the midst of agony, Xu Ran forcibly maintained a trace of clarity.

His brain raced, enduring the tearing pain, frantically pondering Yu Kong’s words.

Thousands of laws, ever-changing

What is unchanging?

Flame will extinguish, ice will melt, earth will crumble, iron will rust.

Wind will cease, thunder will dissipate, light will be devoured by darkness, and darkness will be dispersed by light.

Time flows, space changes.

All of this seems in flux!

Where is the eternal?

Xu Ran’s Divine Soul swayed in the torrent of laws, like a lone leaf boat on a raging sea, at any moment risking capsizing.

His consciousness began to blur.

Could it really be that there is no ’One’?

Could ’change’ itself be the eternal?

No!

Wrong!

If change is the eternal, then why can the ’All-Encompassing Sword’ coalesce into a single sword?

There must be something that transcends all these myriad changes!

It is the core that governs all of this change!

What could that be?

Xu Ran’s thoughts flashed like lightning.

The ’tenacity’ of the Mortal Sword, the ’annihilation’ of the Annihilation Sword, the ’battle’ of the Slaughter Sword, the ’life’ of the Life Derivation Sword.

These wills all seem to relate to a certain ’existence’.

The existence of mortals requires tenacity.

The existence of death is annihilation.

The existence of war is for slaughter or protection.

The existence of life lies in proliferation.

Then, what are the existence of these myriad laws for?

Why do they operate? Why do they evolve?

Is it to construct this world?

Is it to maintain the order of the cosmos?

Order!

Yes!

It’s order!

No matter how laws change, how the Five Elements influence each other, how the wind and thunder rage, how light and darkness alternate

Their existence itself constitutes a grand order!

Like a precise machine, countless gears (laws) rotating, seemingly chaotic, yet ultimately maintaining the machine’s (cosmos) operation!

And what drives all this operation, maintains all this order is what?

Is it ’Dao’?

Is it that ineffable, yet omnipresent will of heaven and earth?

Or is it

Xu Ran’s gaze subconsciously penetrated the chaotic torrent of laws, looking towards the deepest part of his Sea of Spirit.

The unknown area sealed layer upon layer!