Chapter 345
Chapter 345
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Heaven of Non-Existenc
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In the [Heaven of Non-Existence], above layers upon layers of cloud seas.
Chongguang stood amid the clouds, somewhat surprised. This time, he had not taken on the identity of the Innate Perfected Being. Instead, he appeared here in his original form.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist."
Turning toward the voice, he saw clouds rising and falling, revealing an elderly man with white hair and a venerable face, who smiled at him.
"You are the first to reach this place, fellow Daoist."
Chongguang did not reply. Instead, he continued to survey his surroundings before speaking gravely.
"I had thought this final tribulation would be the scene of your past pursuit of metallity. Did I guess wrong, or does fellow Daoist, like before, wish to chat a few words with me before I officially begin?"
"A bit of both, perhaps."
The Innate Perfected Being smiled faintly. With a flick of his sleeve, the clouds transformed into a tea pavilion. He sat first, and Chongguang followed closely, taking the seat across from him.
"You have passed four tribulations, fellow Daoist. Care to share your thoughts?"
The Innate Perfected Being's tone was unhurried and steady.
"I have faced countless tribulations in my life. In your view, fellow Daoist, what do they look like?"
Chongguang frowned slightly at the words.
But he soon relaxed his expression and spoke candidly.
"Fellow Daoist has indeed had it hard."
"The first four tribulations: [Marrow of a Hundred Flowers] came during your Qi Refining stage. You were too young then, unable to suppress your desires, and being plotted against was inevitable."
"[Sea of Pouring Sorrow] struck at the start of your Foundation Establishment. With no hope on the path ahead, despair took root. For you to overcome it and reclaim your Dao heart was no small feat."
"[Ferry of Delusion] arose when you sought 'empty proof,' searching far and wide for other methods but finding none. As a loose cultivator, you lacked the orthodox inheritance of a great sect. The bewilderment born from this stems from innate differences in aptitude—scarcely your fault. One can only say you were shortchanged by fate from birth."
"As for [Song of Everlasting Sorrow], that was your rage upon realizing the truth."
Here, Chongguang summed up:
"Looking back on fellow Daoist's life, it has all unfolded under the True Lords' dominion. The schemes began from your Qi Refining days, leaving no path to survival. Frankly, reaching this point is already a stroke of heavenly fortune."
The Innate Perfected Being burst into laughter at that.
"Heavenly fortune... heavenly fortune, hahaha!"
"Exactly as you say, fellow Daoist!"
"Were it not for heavenly fortune, how could I have reached peak Foundation Establishment? Without it, how could I have found that seed of the world-heaven and manifested the [Heaven of Non-Existence]?"
"All heavenly fortune."
In the next instant, the Innate Perfected Being's laughter cut off abruptly.
"But those who gain such fortune, like me, still cannot become True Lords. Does that seem reasonable to you, fellow Daoist?"
"I know the rumors outside. Many True Lords have come to probe my [Heaven of Non-Existence], thinking I'm some cultivator scheming to seize a body here, that they'd help me pass the tribulations only for the one who completes the five to be the [Innate Perfected Being], not themselves."
At this, the Innate Perfected Being gave a cold smile.
"Unfortunately, in this world, those True Lords are all selfish lot. I told them plainly, yet they refuse to think deeper."
"Hm?"
Chongguang's eyes narrowed at the words. Recalling his prior conversation with the Innate Perfected Being, a light suddenly flashed in them.
"Because you have no soul?"
The Innate Perfected Being laughed and nodded.
"Precisely!"
He existed now only as a strand of consciousness within the Heaven of Non-Existence. Mu Changsheng's true soul had long since reincarnated—a fact he had stated plainly.
He told every one who entered the [Heaven of Non-Existence] as much.
Yet no one noticed. No one realized.
"The metallicity needed to become a True Lord... is refined from the soul! Without a soul, how could I pursue gold? With what would I ascend the throne?"
He had laid the answer bare on the surface.
Yet no one saw it.
Or rather, even if they did, they wouldn't believe. After all, if not for pursuing gold, if not for ascending the throne, why would the Innate Perfected Being go to such lengths?
Chongguang's expression grew solemn.
"So... what exactly do you seek, fellow Daoist?"
"To [start over]."
The Innate Perfected Being's tone was calm.
"This [start over] is not for my own [restart], but for the me who has already reincarnated to truly [start over]."
Chongguang's brows rose slightly.
"Your soul has reincarnated, fellow Daoist. You have already restarted."
The Innate Perfected Being shook his head.
"There are still those lords above the heavens, True Lords watching intently. All is illusion—where is the restart? Merely repeating the same mistakes!"
"You must feel this deeply yourself, fellow Daoist."
Here, the Innate Perfected Being's lips curved in mockery.
"With your talent, Dao heart, and comprehension, the True Lord position should have been yours for the taking."
"But what happened?"
Chongguang's pursuit of gold had been arduous beyond measure. Even he had fared relatively well, encountering that madwoman Xue Feihong, which left him a sliver of hope.
As the words fell, memories surfaced for Chongguang too.
It was the day before he was cast aside, the day Clear and Pure Flying Snow True Lord decided to back Hongyun's bid instead. He had been summoned before her throne.
"You are of no use to me anymore. Leave."
Clear and Pure Flying Snow True Lord's face had been impassive, her tone flat.
"From here on, you're on your own. Let skill decide. You understand."
"If you die, it only proves your skills are exhausted."
"Should you succeed, one day I will call you fellow Daoist."
Thinking back, even Chongguang couldn't help shaking his head with a wry smile. He affirmed the Innate Perfected Being's words.
"Indeed, gaining a True Lord's favor was my fortune."
The Innate Perfected Being sneered coldly.
"Yet even so, you still cannot claim the true fruit. One or two people change nothing—this heaven and earth have stagnated into a pool of dead water!"
"Even so, what do you intend to do?"
In response to Chongguang's question, the Innate Perfected Being sat up straight, his demeanor solemn.
"I intend to overturn this momentum, to topple the sky above all the world's Perfected Beings!"
"Impossible!" Chongguang shook his head.
"Long-term, of course impossible." The Innate Perfected Being spoke gravely.
"But for a short while? The current [Heaven of Non-Existence] is already sufficient."
"...What?"
Seeing Chongguang's surprise, the Innate Perfected Being suddenly smiled.
"Truth is, the [Heaven of Non-Existence] has one very special trait no one has noticed."
"Or rather, they've noticed but don't care."
"It has no corresponding Dao foundation or cultivation method of its own! Its base is built entirely on other Foundation Establishment Perfected Beings!"
"In other words, the [Heaven of Non-Existence] does not produce its own Foundation Establishment Perfected Beings to elevate it. Instead, it plunders those who have cultivated other positions, forcing them to bear it up. Thus, when [Heaven of Non-Existence] rises, the other positions must fall!"
Chongguang was stunned.
He understood the Innate Perfected Being's scheme now: using the [Heaven of Non-Existence] to strip the Foundation Establishment cultivators under the world's True Lords, causing their positions to plummet!
If successful, the True Lords of the world would inevitably suffer!
Lofty positions required the Dao foundations of their subordinate Foundation Establishment Perfected Beings to sustain them. Too few such Perfected Beings, and the position would go into seclusion.
A secluded position became hard to prove.
And if a True Lord still held such a secluded position, they too would face constraints, unable to interfere in the present world!
Even with a True Lord's power to re-elevate a position using their own cavern-heaven, it was no overnight matter.
That interval would be the world's Perfected Beings' chance!
Vast seas and skies, for fish to leap at will!
Yet correspondingly, the scheme's mastermind would become the enemy of all the world's True Lords.
"Fellow Daoist, this is your fifth tribulation."
"Its name: [Competing for Freedom]."
As the words fell, the Innate Perfected Being extended his hand. A orb of light appeared in his palm.
"Whenever you're ready, fellow Daoist, you may begin the tribulation."
"If you fear it, leaving now is still not too late."
"..."
Gazing at the Innate Perfected Being before him, Chongguang fell unusually silent for a moment. Then the corners of his mouth curved, and a hearty laugh burst from his lips.
"Hahaha! Good, good!"
"Mu Changsheng, what a Mu Changsheng!"
Before the laughter faded, Chongguang's expression turned resolute. He seized the light orb and refined it in an instant.
"Wan lei shuang tian jing zi you—where is there talk of tribulation? This is my chance to prove the Dao!"
Boom!
In the next breath, heaven and earth shook dramatically.