Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1427: 768: All Sentient Beings Possess Innate Nature
Over the desolate Dead Star, Zhao Sheng materialized, his gaze lifting to witness a colossal “Big Star” plummeting from the Void's profound depths.
Thunder Light crackled across the Big Star, which confined a hideous, swollen Demon Monster deep within.
This Demon Monster vaguely resembled an enormous silkworm expanded a thousand times over, yet from the center of its enormous, bulbous head protruded half of a woman's form.
Although this woman boasted an alluring look and a lithe build, her small mouth brimmed with sharp fangs, rendering it completely repulsive.
The half-human, half-beast Demon Monster had endured severe torment in its capture, battered by lightning strikes, its features contorted in agony as it let out anguished cries.
As it neared, the creature was already on the brink of death, its breaths feeble and shallow.
Disregarding the monster entirely, Zhao Sheng abruptly thrust out his right hand, gradually lowering it toward the ground beneath.
Immediately, an immense hand materialized from nowhere, blotting out the sky and sunlight, slamming down forcefully onto the terrain below. The whole palm sank silently into the soil, its depth immeasurable.
Shortly thereafter, a gigantic handprint with distinct outlines of five fingers emerged across a stretch of land a thousand miles wide.
With a single strike, innumerable grayish-white Demon Monsters were pulverized into fine powder, erasing every last remnant.
Observing the half-human Demon Monster's display of utter dread and unease, Zhao Sheng showed no emotion, icily commanding, “I question, you reply! Any hint of deceit, and I'll ensure you beg for death!”
“Master, ask away, the Silkworm Woman vows not to utter even one lie.” The Silkworm Woman Demon writhed in fear, its form radiating pure terror.
Having existed for almost a millennium and clashed with the Human Clan for centuries, it well understood humanity's ruthlessness, particularly from the fearsome figure now confronting it, so it refrained from any deception.
Zhao Sheng gave a nod, inquiring, “Tell me, what's the current state of the war? Describe it thoroughly, without skipping anything.”
“To Master, following the previous major conflict, my kind endured devastating losses. To prevent more destruction, we chose to withdraw and disperse. Not long ago, I lost contact with the primary forces and unwittingly entered the site of your secluded cultivation. Since the offspring were famished, they inadvertently trespassed——”
Wait!
Midway in the Silkworm Woman’s explanation, it faced an abrupt halt.
Zhao Sheng drew in a steadying breath and questioned further, “Start with the major battle—when exactly did it take place? Where did the fighting occur? Who emerged victorious in the end?
Yes, begin from the start.”
Zhao Sheng hadn't anticipated that just a few hundred years of secluded practice would bring such profound shifts to the conflict between the two races. Now, he yearned to grasp the full sequence of events in that pivotal clash.
Luckily, the Silkworm Woman had been directly involved in the battle and thus held intimate knowledge of it.
As memories of the ruinous events from centuries past resurfaced, the Silkworm Woman quaked violently, its colossal body contracting to half its size in sheer fright.
“The major battle erupted about two hundred and seventy years back, when both factions clashed with unyielding ferocity. I recall the Human Clan intentionally triggered the complete explosion of the Qingguang Star System, entombing billions from our ranks.
Afterward… the Great Emperor unleashed Thunderous Wrath, even resorting to a blood ritual, invoking our clan's core essence. With one blow, he not only demolished the Vermilion Bird Star System but also tore through three layers of Void Heaven, forcing a particular Human Clan Immortal Venerable’s Primordial Spirit to flee its vessel, and causing Immortal Heaven to plummet… Following that, the intense struggle ignited… The carnage dragged on for a complete century, with losses beyond counting on either side, totaling at least trillions.
…Ultimately, just two of the six primary star systems endured, while the others were either blasted apart or reduced to shards, transforming into lifeless wastelands… The Human Clan secured a narrow triumph, but they couldn't press the chase against my kind right away, allowing me to flee with my life intact…”
Hearing the Silkworm Woman’s hesitant narration, Zhao Sheng experienced a mix of astonishment and an unexplained weight in his chest.
Yet instead of dwelling on the staggering toll among the Human Clan, his greater concern lay with Zhao Xuanjing’s well-being.
Even with Zhao Xuanjing’s deep cultivation base and array of protective techniques, in a conflict involving even True Immortals, safety remained uncertain—no one, not even a Tribulation Crossing Venerable, could promise survival.
This realization ignited a fierce urgency in Zhao Sheng, banishing any thought of further seclusion as he longed to depart at once.
Still, prior to leaving, he forced himself to absorb the full tale from the Silkworm Woman.
Sensing perhaps Zhao Sheng’s inner turmoil, the Silkworm Woman’s speech dragged on more sluggishly, her complexion draining to ashen.
With her existence dangling by a thread, she had no choice but to accept her destiny.
Three days passed, and despite exhausting every recollection, the Silkworm Woman offered nothing more of value.
Recognizing this, Zhao Sheng willed it so, and a surge of thunder swept the heavens clean; the Demon Silkworm Woman lacked even a moment to plead before dissolving into nothingness.
Then, with a simple motion, a crystal the size of a hen's egg, an Alien Crystal, streaked toward him like a shooting star, vanishing swiftly into his sleeve.
“Sigh, amid these chaotic days, it's time for me to head back!”
Upon securing the Alien Crystal, Zhao Sheng let out a heavy breath, his silhouette slowly dissolving into the ether…
…
Within the Wolong Mountain Range, beyond Dragon Head Peak, ancient giants of trees and rare medicinal plants dotted the landscape abundantly.
Among the dense foliage, squads of Golden Armor Puppets in two formations stood sentinel at the cavern's mouth, the interior pitch-black and profound, with subdued voices echoing faintly from its depths.
Currently, an aged man with a weary visage wandered restlessly before the entrance, now and then peering inward, at other times furrowing his brow.
Should any stranger witness this, they would find it shocking to behold the elder in such distress.
As a Divinity Transformation True Monarch from the Zhao Family, Zhao Xiandu typically exuded stern resolve and vigor, but presently he appeared anxious and subdued, leaving one to wonder what vexed him deeply.
After an extended period, a weak silhouette stumbled from the cavern. A closer look revealed it to be an aged monk clad in drab gray robes.
The instant Zhao Xiandu spotted the old monk emerging, he rushed over, urgently inquiring, “Divine Monk…”
He barely uttered the pair of words before the old monk softly shook his head, clasped his palms, and intoned, “Amitabha Buddha, the young cultivator has sunk profoundly into demonic influence. Despite chanting the Great Brightness Mantra ten thousand times, I failed to rouse him. I am helpless; Zhao Tan Yue must pursue another path.”
Finishing thus, the old monk bowed his head respectfully and floated away.
Scarce moments after the old monk departed, the low voices from the cave surged louder, resolving into distinct words:
“All sentient beings possess inherent nature. The inherent nature is inherently empty, omnipresent. Transformation comes not from external seeking but from internal observation and reflection, adapting with fate.
Freedom lies not in leaving the world, but in being in the world untainted, following the heart…”
As the recitations reached his ears, Zhao Xiandu’s face hardened further, his gaze flaring with seething fury.
“Great… Freedom… Heaven! Red Eyebrow Dao Demons, I swear eternal enmity against you!”
Overcome with fury, his features twisted in bitterness, Zhao Xiandu marched into the cavern, where shadows swiftly engulfed him.
Navigating the corridor lined thick with Formation traps, and beyond close to a hundred sealed chambers warded by talismans and barriers, Zhao Xiandu at last arrived at the cavern's innermost recess.
Unlocking the Golden Essence Gate, a spacious yet austere room lay revealed, where a upright figure sat in meditative pose on the floor, facing away from the entry, intoning the Other Transformation自在 Scripture.
With the portal ajar, the recitation amplified manifold, resounding powerfully and piercing the soul.
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