Qin Shang did not know what had happened to Yuan Shi, who had returned from the edge of chaos at the end of the first Immortal-Demon War.
However, after numerous reincarnations, even being able to reincarnate autonomously through the power of humanity, he had come to understand one fact.
The Heavenly Dao of this world had completely mutated. Yuan Shi, through unknown means, had usurped the authority of the Heavenly Dao.
No, it should be said that Yuan Shi had transformed from a human into the Heavenly Dao!
But Yuan Shi, having become the Heavenly Dao, had no intention of bestowing blessings upon all beings. For some unknown reason, he seemed to be repeating the cycle of the destruction of all living things.
The seven Immortal-Demon Wars were separated by periods of peak Immortal Dao civilization.
But in the end, all these civilizations turned to dust in history under Yuan Shi's will.
As for the so-called Nine Heavens and Nine Earths, and the eighteen peak Void Refinement cultivators who created them, in Qin Shang's eyes, they were merely puppets created by Yuan Shi.
In reality,
Qin Shang shook his head at Chen Luo, "I originally thought you were a puppet of the Heavenly Dao, because only the Heavenly Dao could so freely mobilize all the Dao traditions in the world."
"But it seems I was wrong. At least Yuan Shi, who controls the Heavenly Dao, still seems unable to stop me, who reincarnates through the power of humanity."
Despite saying this, a hint of distrust remained in the depths of Qin Shang's eyes as he looked at Chen Luo.
After all, he had been toyed with by Yuan Shi too many times in his past reincarnations.
However, the young man before him, in terms of his aura and demeanor, was indeed different from Yuan Shi.
This made Qin Shang want to try and believe this mysterious young man.
Because he was simply too tired. Reincarnating again and again, dying again and again, the wills of countless beings had settled deep within his soul.
Even though the path of humanity had reached an unparalleled state, Qin Shang felt himself gradually disappearing.
After all, the Qin Shang of the past would not have so easily turned his direct bloodline descendants into vessels for reincarnation.
Chen Luo casually exited the sealed space above the vast sea. After Qin Shang's account, the truth of everything that had happened in this world was gradually revealing itself before his eyes.
...
Countless years ago, a supreme True Immortal named Yuan Shi, in order to break through the limits of life and reach the so-called realm of eternity, chose the path of destroying all living beings.
Qin Shang did not know what happened when Yuan Shi returned heavily injured, but Chen Luo knew very well.
For a powerhouse at the second-tier Abyss True Transformation level to advance further, they would need to undergo the cleansing of the outer void – the River of Immeasurable.
Ultimately, only the single, true information that resisted the erosion of the River of Immeasurable, completing the inscription of the void, could then serve as a foundation for opening up one's own domain.
At the same time, when domain powerhouses were within the River of Void, they could also absorb information and energy from the River of Immeasurable, thereby continuously strengthening their domains.
When a domain was sufficiently powerful, and the domainer further completed the True Transformation of the domain stage, they could then attempt to step into the middle void – the world of nothingness.
...
In the void,
Great Source worlds residing at different levels would project themselves from the outside inwards.
The Great Source worlds in the outermost material realm would have projections generated in the deep, infinitely colorful layers.
Powerhouses in the deeper layers could also use these projections to penetrate the void in reverse and travel to shallower void layers.
However, the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths Great World had been situated in the middle void since its birth. When Yuan Shi went out, he must have suffered terrible corrosion from the world of nothingness.
In fact, regardless of the level of the world, the strongest beings that could be born within a world were True Transformation Abyssers.
As for domains, they were purely external entities, a higher life level achieved through the special environment of the void.
Then, if the life within a world did not come into contact with the void, would they truly be confined to being second-tier beings?
Chen Luo pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
Among the powers that could be accessed within the world,
There were at least two powers that transcended the second tier and did not belong to the void system.
These were the Great Source and the True Spirit.
The Great Source was born from all spirits of heaven and earth, yet it also guided the development of all spirits of heaven and earth. From their very appearance, their status was naturally third-tier.
It was just that because the Great Source's intellect was too weak, possessing status but lacking the means and ideas to wield power.
The other was the True Spirit, located deep within the soul of every living being.
Chen Luo had now reached the stage of domain True Transformation. In terms of second-tier beings, he had truly reached his limit.
The absorption of vast amounts of Heavenly Dao knowledge had also propelled him towards the critical point of a certain metamorphosis.
But even so, he was still unable to truly comprehend the way True Spirits existed.
These powers, which seemed to exist equally deep within every living being's soul, truly surpassed the second-tier level.
Therefore, even without contact with the void, there might be a way to achieve the third tier!
One was to utilize the power of the Great Source. Yuan Shi, who was suspected of having merged with the Dao within this world, had, through some unknown means, usurped the power of the Great Source.
Although there seemed to be some hidden dangers, causing him to be unable to remain awake continuously, and even requiring him to repeatedly destroy the source of the Great Source's power – all living beings.
But undoubtedly, this was indeed a path to the third tier.
The second path, the True Spirit path, was rather vague. After all, Chen Luo himself found it difficult to truly develop this ethereal True Spirit power.
...
A moment later, looking at Chen Luo, who seemed to be lost in thought, Qin Shang could not help but say:
"Chen Taishang, Old Dragon King and I are willing to acknowledge you as our master, but after hearing my account, do you still believe yourself to be invincible?"
"Even if you become the master of all cultivators in the world and control the entire realm, when Yuan Shi decides to destroy everything, all that you possess will be mere foam!"
Upon hearing Qin Shang's words, Chen Luo laughed heartily, "It is good that you are willing to become my disciples. As for Yuan Shi? If I am the teacher of all people, I certainly will not allow him to destroy all living beings."
Qin Shang couldn't help but want to emphasize Yuan Shi's terrifying nature again.
But Chen Luo waved his hand, "Say no more. Since Yuan Shi wishes to destroy all living beings, then I will lead all living beings to show him the wrath of all spirits."
"Moreover, Yuan Shi has just consumed the Wizard World and is currently in slumber."
"This period of slumber is the key to resistance!"
Qin Shang was slightly taken aback upon hearing about Yuan Shi's slumber.
In his past few reincarnations, he had been passively on the defensive. Even when he had taken the initiative, he had never truly found Yuan Shi's true form.
Therefore, although he knew that Yuan Shi had begun conquering worlds, he was unaware that Yuan Shi also entered periods of slumber.
Chen Luo ignored the stunned Qin Shang and looked up, gazing deeply at the sky above.
He still remembered that when he first arrived in this world, he had seen a sky beyond the sky.
And when he saw the cultivators outside the sky, the system had even prompted him that he had seen a key figure.
Thinking back now, those were merely some of the puppets activated by Yuan Shi.
Looking at it this way, this world indeed had a protagonist, but it was a protagonist who, even at the cost of destroying the heavens and all living beings, sought eternity.