Chapter 534 – Primordial Purple Qi Appears, Proving the Dao Through Force!
by spirapiraA flash of ambition gleamed in Su Xing’s eyes.
Yes, physical sainthood was only the beginning!
In the Luotian Realm, two hundred thousand years—and at this moment, the simulation hadn’t even reached its five hundredth year.
The Dao Hearing Assembly had not yet begun…
In this simulation, Su Xing intended to push forward in one breath and survive the Tribulation of the Infinite.
To prove the Dao… and become a Saint!
“The final tribulation of the Ten Tribulations of Sainthood—proving the Dao through force to achieve sainthood… I’m only one step away!”
Su Xing murmured.
On the path of the physical body, Su Xing had already glimpsed the future that lay ahead.
His gaze turned to the Celestial Primordial Tree before him.
As long as this Celestial Primordial Tree continued to grow, Su Xing’s physical body would continue to strengthen!
And at this moment, this solidified Celestial Primordial Tree was only a third the size of the illusory one from before.
Yet it had already given Su Xing nearly tenfold physical enhancement!
This was far, far from the limit…
“The methods of the Wu Clan are truly profound… Even within physical sainthood, there are varying degrees of power?”
Su Xing mused silently.
“Then where does the difference between Saints lie?”
“Is it in magical power, or something else?”
In his heart, Su Xing already had a faint guess.
…
Leaving the range of his Spirit Domain, Su Xing assumed the bearing of a Saint and headed toward the central region of the Pangu Greater World.
The summit of Mount Buzhou—the venue of the Dao Hearing Assembly!
At this moment, there was still some time before the Dao Hearing Assembly officially began.
However, the multitude of Great Firmament Golden Immortals and Saints of the Pangu Greater World had long since gathered.
The Wu Clan’s faction and the Demon Court had also begun their contest over the final cushion—the Primordial Purple Qi.
Su Xing, alone and unaccompanied, ascended to the summit of Mount Buzhou.
He did not attract the attention of a single Great Firmament Golden Immortal along the way.
Whether it was the Ancestral Shamans or the True Dragon Clan, none moved to stop Su Xing. It was as if they couldn’t see him at all.
Only those seated upon the nine cushions before the statue of Dao noticed Su Xing’s arrival.
A deep look of astonishment flashed through their eyes.
Clearly, as fellow Saints, they had detected that this Dao Hearing Assembly now had an unexpected variable.
A Saint who had achieved sainthood through the physical body!
“It seems the final wisp of Primordial Purple Qi is about to find its master?”
“After achieving physical sainthood, can one also prove the Dao through force to become a Saint?”
“Who says one can’t?! It’s simply that no one has ever accomplished it before…”
The several Saints exchanged glances, everything understood without words.
Su Xing did not directly seize a cushion either, but chose a spot neither too close nor too far from them. He sat down cross-legged on the spot and waited quietly.
Just like that, several months passed in the blink of an eye.
Until one day, a change appeared on the statue at the center of the assembly grounds.
As a wisp of spiritual essence descended and the statue began to shimmer, the voice of the Dao rang out across the Dao Hearing Assembly grounds.
“The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two…”
With the appearance of the voice of the Dao and the “manifestation” of Dao, the contest for the final wisp of Primordial Purple Qi also began in earnest.
Both the Wu Clan’s faction and the Demon Court’s faction began fighting over this last cushion.
First they clashed with each other, and then the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master and the Blood River Ancestor stepped in to compete.
But Su Xing, from beginning to end, sat quietly in place, as though he had seen through everything.
Just as in previous simulations, neither the Celestial Secrets Pavilion Master nor the Blood River Ancestor received the cushion’s recognition.
“Look! The cushion moved on its own…”
At that moment, a Great Firmament Golden Immortal let out a cry of alarm.
Immediately after, across the entire Dao Hearing Assembly grounds, over a thousand Great Firmament Golden Immortals simultaneously noticed Su Xing.
“Strange—when did an extra cultivator appear over there?”
“I don’t recognize this cultivator at all.”
“What kind of talent does this person possess, that the Primordial Purple Qi would actively choose him as its master?”
“Hmph, what good is talent alone? To make it out here, you need backing…”
“This wisp of Primordial Purple Qi was already claimed by those two factions long ago!”
“Heh heh, things are about to get interesting…”
As the Primordial Purple Qi actively chose its master, an uproar erupted across the Dao Hearing Assembly grounds.
Su Xing paid it no mind. He simply shifted his seat, and the cushion moved beneath him of its own accord.
Seeing this, the expressions of both the Wu Clan and the Demon Court changed dramatically!
But the anticipated spectacle never materialized!
Because just as the Wu Clan could no longer contain themselves and were about to act, two Wu Clan Saints seated upon the cushions ahead spoke a few silent words.
Immediately, the expressions of several Ancestral Shamans shifted subtly. A hint of reverence appeared in their eyes, and they no longer looked in Su Xing’s direction.
The same scene played out on the Demon Court’s side.
The Ancestral Dragon and the Ancestral Phoenix each transmitted their voices, causing the entire Demon Court hierarchy to hold their tongues and hastily avert their gazes from Su Xing.
A confrontation that had been on the verge of erupting was resolved without a sound.
Now that a Saint had personally come to claim this wisp of Primordial Purple Qi, how could the two great factions possibly stand in the way?
Even the nine Saints were unwilling to offend Su Xing!
They all knew what Su Xing intended to do…
Su Xing wanted to become the first being in all of history to achieve sainthood through both the physical body and Qi Refinement!
And they dared not stop him!
Obstructing someone’s path of cultivation is akin to killing their parents.
If they tried to stop him—regardless of success or failure—why invite the wrath of a Saint who had achieved physical sainthood?
…
As for Su Xing, from start to finish, he never once made a move.
He merely sat upon the cushion, perfectly at ease, experiencing the cushion’s enhancement and the tremendous boost to his comprehension.
As if everything were only natural.
The undercurrents that had been churning beneath the Dao Hearing Assembly settled into silence…
Including Su Xing, all cultivators quietly listened to the teachings on the Dao.
“The Great Dao of Strength can give rise to myriad branches—the Great Dao of Gravity, the Great Dao of Stars, all are interconnected…”
At the center of the grounds, the statue continued its transmission of the Dao.
Su Xing listened in silence. With the cushion’s enhancement, his comprehension of the Dao advanced at breakneck speed.
The Great Dao of Stars, the Great Dao of Gravity, the Great Dao of Life, the Blood Dao…
The three thousand great Daos of the world, countless strands of Dao essence, all swirled around Su Xing and were rapidly comprehended by him.
Just like that, a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye…
Su Xing seemed to have become a native of the Pangu World, sitting there in stillness, listening to the voice of the Dao. The number of Daos he gained entry-level comprehension of grew ever larger.
…
Soon, the thousand years were drawing to a close, and the Dao Hearing Assembly finally reached its end.
The voice of the Dao continued to echo, and all the Great Firmament Golden Immortals around him, including the nine Saints, remained immersed in the Dao.
Only Su Xing awakened from his epiphany ahead of time, feeling considerable emotion:
“Tsk tsk, the Primordial Purple Qi truly lives up to its name!”
“This boost to comprehension undoubtedly surpasses every other comprehension-enhancing treasure in existence…”
“By my count, I’ve now mastered over a thousand different Daos, haven’t I?”
Su Xing mused silently.
These dozens upon hundreds of simulations had not been in vain.
Beyond his original Daos, Su Xing had successively mastered over a thousand additional Daos—though none were at a high level, merely the first or second tier.
“The boost to comprehension is wonderful…”
“But… is this really all the Primordial Purple Qi can do?”
Su Xing let out a sigh, knowing that all of this illusion was about to end!
As if to confirm the thought in Su Xing’s mind, a voice suddenly reached his ears.
“Hmm? This young friend… seems somewhat familiar!”
“You are clearly attending the Dao Hearing Assembly for the first time… yet I feel as though I have seen you many times before!”
Here it comes!
Su Xing’s heart stirred, and his expression became one of excitement.
Because the source of this voice was… Dao itself!
At the same time, a phantom appeared above the statue.
Its features were indiscernible, as though it were something that could not be looked upon directly.
Across the entire Dao Hearing Assembly grounds, only Su Xing could see this phantom.
Su Xing fell silent. In his heart, there seemed to be countless words he wanted to say.
But when the words reached his lips, Su Xing ultimately let out a sigh and said:
“As I expected, you discovered it after all, Senior…”
A single brief sentence, yet it seemed to carry an ocean of meaning.
The phantom of Dao above the statue also fell silent for a long moment before finally releasing a deep sigh:
“I see… so it’s time, is it?”
“So I have long since departed from this world!”
In this moment, Dao had finally discovered the truth.
Yes—with Dao’s level of existence, even as merely a lingering phantom of consciousness…
He had ultimately detected the anomaly in this world.
And more than that, he had seen through time itself, becoming the first being Su Xing had ever encountered to see through the “simulator”!
Dao’s words—”So it’s time… So I have long since departed from this world.”
—said everything.
Seeing that Dao had finally discovered the truth, Su Xing wasted no more time and spoke directly:
“Senior, what comes next… is time for you to fulfill your mission!”
Upon hearing Su Xing’s words, the phantom of Dao before him fell silent once more.
“Fulfill my mission, you say…”
Was it to shatter this world and glimpse what lay beyond its boundaries?
Of course not!
That mission, he had completed long ago!
Then what, exactly, was Dao’s true mission?
After Su Xing’s awakening words, countless memories surged to the forefront, and at last came a long, wistful sigh:
“So… it has already been this long.”
“Of the Dao’s fifty, Heaven deploys forty-nine, and one escapes…”
“So it turns out… I was the one that escaped?”
At this moment, the Dao finally discovered its mission.
And Su Xing, too, revealed a heartfelt smile.
Was the phantom before him the Dao?
Yes!
Or rather… no.
Yes, because the phantom before him was indeed, without question, a remnant thought once left behind by the Dao.
It was the Dao’s final glance at this world—during the Pangu era, countless years ago, just before it shattered the Pangu Greater World with its own power and perished.
That single glance was filled with the Dao’s reluctance to part from this world, its longing and nostalgia.
And it was precisely that glance which left behind this space-time!
And what remained further still was the sole thread of vitality between heaven and earth!
The very last wisp of Primordial Purple Qi!
The phantom before him was not entirely the Dao!
Or rather, it was the last wisp of Primordial Purple Qi, which—after merging with the lingering thought from that final glance of the Dao—had given birth to something new.
And its mission was… to complete the Heavenly Dao, so that between heaven and earth, one final Saint could be born!
Su Xing had discovered this many dozens of simulations ago!
What the cushion contained was not the true Primordial Purple Qi.
Because there was only a single wisp of Primordial Purple Qi, and its power was far more than mere enlightenment…
The true Primordial Purple Qi was the phantom of the Dao before his eyes!
It was the phantom that had preserved everything the Dao once did—everything within that space-time—here in this space-time.
Though it was an imperfect copy, it still left the human race a glimmer of hope!
However, after playing its role across countless space-times and ages, this wisp of Primordial Purple Qi had become far too immersed, to the point where it had forgotten its own identity, believing itself to truly be the Dao!
The Primordial Purple Qi had forgotten its mission…
And Su Xing’s purpose, naturally, was to awaken it!
Otherwise, relying solely on the cushion within, there was no way it could help Su Xing achieve sainthood!
And now, the phantom of the Dao before him—or rather, the last wisp of Primordial Purple Qi—had finally realized this.
Therefore, the time had come for Su Xing to prove his Dao and become a Saint!
“Indeed! Everything before my eyes is but illusion… I have been lost in it for far too long…”
“And this time shall be the very last!”
“So then, are you prepared?”
“You only get one chance! Even if you are time itself… there are no exceptions!”
The Primordial Purple Qi posed its final test of heart to Su Xing.
Su Xing’s heart clenched upon hearing this.
Su Xing naturally understood what the Primordial Purple Qi meant.
Indeed!
The Primordial Purple Qi was supreme and paramount, its stature so exalted that even time itself could not replicate it!
This meant that even with the simulator, Su Xing had only one chance!
Because once this wisp of Primordial Purple Qi was expended, across all of the countless space-times… the Primordial Purple Qi would vanish…
Su Xing would never have another chance to start over!
This was also why Su Xing had not attempted it early on, waiting until now!
“Yes, there’s only one chance…”
Su Xing murmured, his gaze more resolute than ever before, and spoke to the phantom:
“I have long been prepared!”
“Today is the moment I prove my Dao!”
As Su Xing’s words fell, the Primordial Purple Qi before him said nothing more, transforming into a streak of purple light that surged into Su Xing’s body.
At the same time, the Ten Tribulations of Sainthood, the final tribulation—
The Tribulation of the Infinite!
Officially descended!
The Ninth Heaven, the entire Pangu Greater World—at this moment, heaven and earth themselves trembled!
Countless waves of mysterious energy, centered on Mount Zhou, blanketed boundless territories, their reach spanning half a greater domain.
“The Tribulation of the Infinite… to prove one’s Dao and become a Saint, one need not endure a Thunder Tribulation…”
“All one must do… is shatter the final shackle?”
As the Primordial Purple Qi entered his body, a dawning clarity rose in Su Xing’s heart.
The last veil of mist on the path to sainthood was finally, completely lifted.
In the ancient period, if the immortals of heaven and earth wished to prove their Dao and become Saints, there were but three methods.
The first: sainthood through merit!
So-called merit did not mean performing good deeds and accumulating virtue to achieve sainthood—otherwise, in the ancient period, every cultivator between heaven and earth would have rushed off to do charitable works!
Sainthood through merit meant accomplishing a deed of great merit, earning the recognition of heaven and earth, and being granted the opportunity to become a Saint.
The most famous merit-based Saint was named Wa, who legend held to be the mother of the human race.
However, after the Dao shattered the greater world and the Heavenly Dao became flawed, this method could no longer work!
Beyond sainthood through merit, only two paths remained: proving the Dao through force and Severing the Three Corpses to achieve sainthood.
These were also the methods most widely attempted by Great Firmament cultivators of later generations.
Strictly speaking, severing the Three Corpses was a shortcut version of proving the Dao through force.
What did it mean to sever the Three Corpses and become a Saint?
It was to sever the corpses of good, evil, and self—which was also to sever the corpses of past, future, and present!
In essence, it was nothing more than: sever one corpse to achieve supreme magical power; sever two corpses to achieve an eighth realm Great Dao; sever all three corpses to prove one’s Dao and become a Saint!
Qingyunzi had attempted the Reverse Severing of the Three Corpses and had nearly succeeded.
At his peak, Qingyunzi possessed a Saint’s magical power and a Saint’s laws, yet lacked a Saint’s stature.
But after being plagued by inner demons and consumed by his evil corpse, he was reduced to merely half-saint cultivation. Strictly speaking, he still belonged to the Great Firmament level…
The path Su Xing had chosen was the most arduous, yet also the most forthright path to sainthood!
The reason it was described this way was because proving the Dao through force essentially meant shattering the shackles of heaven, earth, and the Great Dao!
Once one achieved sainthood this way, one would transcend heaven and earth. All magical power obtained, all Great Daos comprehended, all laws cultivated would belong entirely to oneself, bound by nothing.
It was also the path to sainthood with the highest ceiling!
Therefore, the Ten Tribulations of Sainthood were the most arduous of all…
And at this moment, Su Xing had already survived nine tribulations. Only the final one remained—the Tribulation of the Infinite.
“So then… what exactly is this Tribulation of the Infinite?”
A heavy weight still pressed upon Su Xing’s heart.
The Primordial Purple Qi—only one wisp across all of the countless space-times…
There was only one chance!
And when the Tribulation of the Infinite truly descended upon Su Xing—
He understood at last what it was!
Su Xing sat cross-legged atop Mount Zhou.
First, a gentle breeze blew past. Then, Su Xing felt an immense pressure.
The pressure began like a light rain falling upon his body—merely uncomfortable.
Then it became a torrential downpour, impossible to escape…
And finally, heaven and earth collapsed around him, as though he were standing against the entire world!
That was it!
Standing against the entire world!
Su Xing finally understood what the Tribulation of the Infinite truly was!
It was pitting one’s own strength against the entire world!
Against a world that possessed a complete Heavenly Dao—its world-will.
And in the course of opposing the entire world, the suffering inflicted by the first nine tribulations of the Ten Tribulations of Sainthood would sweep through Su Xing’s entire being several times, even ten times over!
Under the amplification of that agony, Su Xing could barely exert half of his true power…
Su Xing, sitting in meditation with eyes closed, furrowed his brow slightly, sensing something in his heart.
Abruptly, he raised his head and glanced at the sky, murmuring:
“So that’s how it is. This is the Tribulation of the Infinite?”
“Pitting oneself against the complete Heavenly Dao, against the world… and ultimately shattering the shackles, forging one’s own supreme power, and finally… proving the Dao through force!”
“No wonder the method of proving the Dao through force became impossible in later ages… They all say the opportunity for sainthood has vanished!”
Su Xing shook his head and sighed softly.
The fundamental problem was that after the Dao shattered heaven and earth, there was no longer a complete Great Dao in the world!
If the world itself was incomplete, how could one prove the Dao through force?
“Only here in the Ninth Heaven… in the time before the Dao shattered heaven and earth, is there one chance to try!”
“There’s only one chance… In the ancient period, there were already those who proved the Dao through force!”
“If they could succeed, why can’t I?”
At this moment, a blazing fire seemed to flash through Su Xing’s eyes, and an supreme conviction surged within his heart!
Pitting his own strength against the entirety of the complete Pangu Greater World!
This sensation far surpassed any tribulation Su Xing had ever endured before…
Most notably, an infinite pressure seemed to converge from all directions between heaven and earth, seeking to bend Su Xing’s spine.
The will of the entire Pangu Greater World seemed to speak a single word: Kneel!
Yet Su Xing would not yield!
At any other time, Su Xing could have chosen to submit.
But not this time!
Because there was only one chance…
Once Su Xing failed, he would be forever severed from the Saint realm!
And so, Su Xing raised his head to the heavens. From his cross-legged position, he slowly rose to his feet.
A single man standing upon the summit of Mount Zhou, his gaze fixed unwaveringly upon the endless Nine Heavens.
Su Xing was gazing upon the Heavenly Dao of this world!
Su Xing was telling the Heavenly Dao, in wordless language, of his determination to prove his Dao and become a Saint!
BOOM!
Just as Su Xing stood alone against heaven and earth—
A peal of thunder erupted from clear skies!
It was a bolt from the blue, as though venting the Heavenly Dao’s displeasure.
It was the Heavenly Dao, the supreme world-will!
Between heaven and earth, no living being could oppose it, look upon it directly, much less rise above it!
Hearing the thunder in his ears, the fury of heaven and earth, the corners of Su Xing’s mouth curved upward, and he suddenly laughed aloud.
He finally understood why the Dao had shattered this world!
Because heaven and earth were without benevolence, treating all things as straw dogs!
Heaven and earth had never truly regarded any living being…
And so the Dao was displeased. The Dao would shatter it all!