Da Xuan Martial Saint Chapter 1509: 724: Spirit of the Fallen Venerable (2)
Even though a full mystical artifact might aid in forging supreme treasures to boost one's power or support grasping different Great Daos for enduring extra cosmic cycles... it still counts as something from outside. Trading away the chance to last one more cosmic cycle for a handful of these artifacts simply isn't worth it, since owning them doesn't ensure you'll actually comprehend anything.
Furthermore,
nobody in their group has gone through the three cosmic End of Tribulations yet, where the Origin Dao almost wipes out one's sense of self, leading to utter hopelessness. Everyone's tackling their initial cosmic End of Tribulation, with plenty of chances left, and none teetering on the edge of insanity.
Once they all consented, the team quickly chose Wutian Venerable to lead and pledged oaths to the Origin Dao.
As Dao Venerables from the Creation Lineage, they form a core part of the Creation Dao, so their intentions naturally shape it in subtle ways, creating unseen regulations.
After a quick reflection, Chen Mu made a straightforward vow to the Origin Dao too, yet since he controlled both the Void and Creation Daos already, the constraints from his pledge to the Origin Dao affected him far less. Breaking it would bring him much milder repercussions than for the rest.
Still,
Chen Mu wasn't planning to shatter those rules; he didn't crave these mystical artifacts much anyway. With the system panel, he'd already probed the core of the Time Dao and stayed in ongoing realization.
Truth be told, it wouldn't take long until he completely commands the Time Dao. Mastering three Daos means mystical artifacts would barely impact him—mainly useful for crafting a supreme treasure to give a minor power lift, though that boost wouldn't mean much to him.
Except if it's a superior Primordial Marvel!
These top-tier artifacts, which help in understanding and merging Daos to tread the transcendence path, sparked a bit of curiosity in Chen Mu, particularly as the system panel hadn't mapped out a full transcendence route for him so far.
While the system panel serves as a Supreme Treasure that directs beings toward Venerable attainment, it might fall short in leading across the transcendence barrier. Likely, the ultimate transcendence journey is his to forge alone.
Naturally,
Chen Mu kept such musings locked away inside.
The final deal struck by the group involved pooling efforts to harvest mystical artifact resources and share them evenly based on each person's input.
If luck smiled and they stumbled on a Primordial Marvel to claim, it ought to go to Chen Mu, since his command over two Daos renders him mightier than all others there!
“Let’s go.”
“Move swiftly.”
Following the pact, the group shared a knowing look; one voice rang out gravely, and then they rushed into the Source Sea.
Though sealing the agreement seemed to drag on, to them it passed in a blink. The Source Sea hadn't fully taken shape back then.
Just as the team hit the Source Sea's boundary and plunged in one after another, the expanding glow of the Source Sea halted its outward push, shaping into a lively sea of Dao lights sprawled through the emptiness.
Gazing at this Source Sea's heart, a lengthy river could be spotted cascading from the Nine Layer Heavens, linking up with the Source Sea.
That marked the Origin River!
The Source Sea's span is brief. Once it swallows all the universe's forces, the Origin River will slowly draw it in and organize it, ultimately turning it into refined, structured energy ejected from the Origin River to rebirth the universe.
…
Inside the Source Sea,
Chen Mu sensed an oddity the instant he stepped in.
Since ascending to Dao Venerable, suppression had never touched him; not even within the Source Realm. That realm's unique setup blocked full external sensing at once, and inside, its zoned layout let him grasp just one section per go.
Yet now, diving into the Source Sea shrank his sensing scope below what he had in the Source Realm, down to roughly a tenth of a full realm's span.
This Source Sea's expanse dwarfed the whole Source Realm by over a hundred times!
“The Void Dao Power faces disruption too; peering through the full Source Sea proves impossible… that's expected, of course. Nearly packed with primordial power, blended with assorted Daos and their mystical cores, this Source Sea isn't crushing for Dao Venerables, but it surely hinders somewhat.”
Chen Mu probed the Source Sea's nature closely, his thoughts sharp and unclouded.
What folks call the Source Sea fits better as a ‘Primordial Sea,’ brimming mostly with primordial power. Only Dao Venerables dare venture and probe its depths.
For Nine Layer Heavens' Divine Monarchs, even at Three Veins Perfection, they'd shatter in seconds under the raging primordial power, reduced to oblivion.
Right then,
The team kept spaced out, silent, pushing together into the Source Sea's core.
But soon after covering a bit of ground, an abrupt shift hit.
Swish!
A streak of red light burst from the Source Sea's midst. Amid the churning waves, a vague red silhouette darted close at speed.
This red silhouette mimicked a agile monkey, pouncing at Chen Mu and lashing out with fury. The bursting primordial power hit Dao Venerable heights.
“A Venerable-level Exotic Beast… wait, no, not an exotic beast…”
Chen Mu fixed his gaze on the nearing red silhouette, a shadow of deep gleam in his eyes, yet fear eluded him as he molded his fingers into a sword and sliced ahead. Suddenly, the cosmos cracked, primordial ripped apart, and Daos crumbled!
That effortless cut met the red silhouette's strike in the Source Sea, blasting a thousand miles of waters and melting nearby Dao lights, with primordial power surging and fading.
In a single move, Chen Mu held firm without retreat, and the strange red silhouette stayed steady too, their exchange tying off evenly.
“Heh heh.”
The red silhouette turned to Chen Mu, letting out a creepy noise.
Chen Mu just regarded it coldly, holding back another blow, while Wutian Venerable and the others held off on aiding.
Clearly, the red silhouette's form faded fast, dissolving away entirely.
“Spirit of the Fallen Venerable.”
Wutian Venerable drew near Chen Mu, murmuring lowly.
In the Source Sea lurk two dangers: scarce Exotic Beasts rivaling Dao Venerables in might, and those red, ghostly silhouettes like the recent one.
These silhouettes aren't born from raw primordial power as Exotic Beasts but are time-warped remnants of myriad ancient Dao Venerables, fully merged and worn down by the Great Dao!
The Source Sea's chaos scrambles everything, time flows wild, so long-gone Dao Venerables melted into the Origin Dao can resurface through the jumbled time and Daos. Devoid of personal awareness now, even as echoes of old, they hold no intellect.
Plus,
as mere echoes from history, they can't linger; usually packing just one or two attacks' force.
What makes these Spirits of the Fallen Venerable dangerous is their power mirroring true Dao Venerables exactly, with some ancient leftovers boasting strength beyond Three Dao Venerables, hitting the Primordial Palace Master's tier!
Against those exotic beasts, these silhouettes pose a deadlier threat!