Chapter 39 Xuan Xiang

Ji Xiang, transformed into the Boundless and Eternal Celestial Worthy, sat for an immeasurable time within the Profound Image. Each movement, each thought, felt like eons passing, yet also as if nothing had begun. The state of Boundless and Eternal was elevated to an inconceivable height.

The grand voice descended, stirring up countless motes of dust within the Profound Image, completely enveloping the Undying Immortal Shadow, preventing his escape.

"Opening Form from Emptiness!"

As the Undying Immortal Shadow had said, the Profound Image, long ago, before Boundless, was a shadowy, ethereal, yet truly existent thing. It was unknown who had conceived and birthed it. It existed before the creation of all phenomena.

But the Profound Image was also an image, a phenomenon revealed in the world yet unseen by the world. It was something that appeared even before the Image of Primordial Beginning, but an image presented a certain "principle" or scene.

To illuminate the Profound Image was to manifest the true body of the Dao, and the body of the Dao constantly existed within the Profound Image, not clearly visible to all living beings, yet eternally present, as if it had become a lower-level incarnation of the Profound Image. This was a scene of perpetual immortality.

Those skilled in nurturing life winnow away the realms of death, blunting sharpness, resolving disputes, harmonizing light, and becoming one with the dust, united with the profound Dao!

The Profound Image was the external manifestation of the true Dao. Those who obtained the truth it contained acquired the power of the eternally existing true Dao, and thus existed before all phenomena, before the Emperor of Images.

Ji Xiang opened his palm, and countless motes of dust scattered and peeled away all the "image forms" that the Undying Immortal Shadow had assimilated, gradually transforming them into emptiness, returning this place to the original appearance of the Boundary Realm, returning everything to its original simplicity.

The Undying Immortal Shadow writhed and twisted within the Profound Image. He stared blankly at that deep and distant world. The outline of the Boundless and Eternal Celestial Worthy was now incomparably clear, and this realm, united with the profound Dao, stirred within the Undying Immortal Shadow's mind long-lost memories, constantly intertwined with the present reality.

It was precisely the realm he had been pursuing.

"I will not be easily extinguished. Even with the endless ages of Boundless and Eternal, you cannot annihilate me."

"Even if I no longer possess my former power, you are far inferior to the one who annihilated me."

The Undying Immortal Shadow knew that this battle would not be easily won.

Originally, this should have been a simple matter.

But problems always arose in the end.

"Perhaps, problems do not always arise in the end, but I was originally waiting for such an existence. This is both complementary and mutually destructive."

When things reached their peak, they began to decline. Now that the most powerful person had appeared, it inevitably meant that this person was extremely difficult to defeat, and he himself would only be able to fully awaken at this moment, because the other Masters of Great Images were not enough to awaken him, and the power they provided was not enough to completely defeat any Master of Great Images.

Only an existence that transcended the Master of Great Images, yet did not ascend into No-Image, could bring him the power to defeat the Master of Great Images. But this became a fallacy, because if the opponent had already surpassed the Master of Great Images, it meant that he was far stronger than himself at this moment.

He could only place his hopes on the laws and Dao left over from the past. How much of the past laws and Dao did this thought, reborn from thought, still retain?

"I am the pinnacle of the world, and you cannot defeat me."

The Undying Immortal Shadow exhaled a breath. He released all his thoughts, giving birth to myriad thoughts from a single thought. In an instant, he evolved myriad phenomena and then melted them into the Undying Immortal Flower. He was self-sufficient, constantly elevating his own level, becoming boundless and vast within the Profound Image. Even though the Profound Image was a Boundless and Eternal darkness, he was like a brilliant flame within it, illuminating countless edges of darkness.

"Borrowing Law, Manifesting Image!"

"Endless Eternity Forward!"

The Undying Immortal Shadow closed his eyes, reflecting the other side where he existed. The traces left by those beings who had fought with him in the past were created and transformed in the evolution of myriad phenomena. Thus, Ji Xiang saw the illusion of a white-haired boy appear, transforming into an immeasurably huge mountain, lifting up the entire Profound Image, trying to prop it open!

"Similar to the Profound Image, before Primordial Beginning."

Capable of shaking the Profound Image, Ji Xiang sensed that this illusion created by the Undying Immortal Shadow possessed a power similar to the Profound Image. It eternally existed before all things.

But this was just an illusion.

The Boundless and Eternal Celestial Worthy rotated his hands, once again drawing upon the power of the Profound Image, while Ji Xiang used the Arts of the Grand Supreme.

The Grand Supreme is Never Defeated!

The Profound Image and the Grand Supreme's Infallibility pressed down simultaneously. The illusion was instantly suppressed and disappeared, ultimately unable to surpass the Profound Image and reach true beginning.

"Borrowing law, this is someone else's law, not your own."

Ji Xiang's voice fell, and the Undying Immortal Shadow retorted, "Myriad phenomena are originally mine. I am merely recasting the scenes of the past, so they naturally transform into my power, my 'Manifesting Image' art!"

"Abyssal Scenery!"

Ji Xiang acted, and the supreme divine power obtained from the Nine Nether Celestial Worthy erupted, casting all the illusions that the Undying Immortal Shadow continued to create into the darkness. Without images, all things could not be manifested externally, becoming secrets that could not be spoken of or praised.

Having his illusions taken away, the Undying Immortal Shadow shook his head. Among the distorted Masters of Great Images on his body, one rose up. It was precisely the residual image left by the Nine Nether Expiation Celestial Worthy. The Undying Immortal Shadow mobilized this residual image, gradually drawing away the image of the divine power that Ji Xiang had evolved.

"Supreme divine powers need to manifest externally, and naturally require the process of manifesting images. The Nine Nether Celestial Worthy is also a Jade Purity cultivator. Although he has ascended and departed, his residual image is also here with me. I will mobilize his power to draw away the process by which you manifest images and evolve divine powers, so you can no longer cast such divine powers."

"Your laws will decrease with each blow, even within the Profound Image!"

The Undying Immortal Shadow prepared to grind Ji Xiang to death. Even if Ji Xiang possessed various astonishing spells, he would eventually be exhausted one day. Now, by severing Ji Xiang's "Abyssal Scenery" divine power, he would no longer be able to have any impact on his images.

"You claim to exist before the Emperor of Images, which means you existed before the creation of all laws. But if you want to fight me, you must give birth to laws after the Emperor of Images! And this is my domain. You can never defeat me here."

Ji Xiang shook his head:

"You want to exhaust me to death, even if it takes the ages of Boundless and Eternal, because you have also obtained my residual image, and you have even briefly merged with me, so you naturally also possess the power of Boundless and Eternal. You are not afraid of these long years of change."

"But you say that I cannot defeat you. I cannot agree with that. In fact, you have already lost."

The Undying Immortal Shadow was puzzled, but Ji Xiang did not continue to explain, because next, the powers of those Masters of Great Images were all distorted a second time, and the sealed laws reappeared, manifesting externally.

The 'image' that manifested externally for the Abyssal Scenery divine power had been drawn away, but it appeared again.

The Undying Immortal Shadow was greatly shocked, and Ji Xiang spoke:

"I do not know what the pinnacle of the world is, but at this moment, I am united with the profound Dao. All phenomena are born from the Profound Image. You still cannot understand what the Profound Image is."

"Why can you manifest images? Why can you cast spells? Why can you be reborn from the realms of death with a single thought? All of these are under the reflection of the Profound Image. Because the Profound Image exists, there is all of this. Therefore, everything of yours, even the myriad phenomena, is under the Profound Image. You still want to contend with the Profound Image?"

"You say that after the Emperor of Images, you control everything, that you are the Emperor of Images. That is wrong. After the Emperor of Images, it is also the world encompassed by the Profound Image!"

"Have you not felt it yet?"

As Ji Xiang spoke, a sense of emptiness and powerlessness from before the beginning of time gradually assailed him. The light and fire on the Undying Immortal Shadow flickered. The external light and fire, those "images" that manifested externally, all began to disappear, turning into dust. The Undying Immortal Shadow suddenly realized, and only then did he know what the first law that Ji Xiang used was for. He resisted bitterly. He knew what was about to happen, but he was still using the power of Boundless and Eternal borrowed from Ji Xiang.

Everything began to return to its original simplicity, because everything had the shadow of the Profound Image.

Just like how he had enlightened the Masters of Great Images, possessing their residual images, even though he was a visitor from the other side, he had borrowed these residual images, the mists of countless past light and shadows, and even the fire of the wishes of those living beings.

Therefore, he was also encompassed by the Profound Image.

"A circle! A large circle encompassing my small circle."

The Undying Immortal Shadow seemed to recall some terrible things from the past. Despair arose in his heart.

"I have enlightened countless Masters of Great Images. Flowers of Wholeness are born in the remnants of the old body. I thought I had severed everything, but I actually know... If this thought of mine still exists, then I will never be able to sever the root."

"Delusional Realm... People all have fantasies, and those who seek the Dao are more likely to step into the delusional realm. Perhaps I have never escaped from the delusional realm..."

"I do not want... to turn back into essence energy... I also do not want to perish... No one has ever acknowledged my path... In the end, I still have no way to go further..."

The Undying Immortal Shadow gradually shrank. He looked at Ji Xiang in the Profound Image.

"I cannot accept this. I still have one last chance."

"Borrowing Law, Manifesting Image!"

"Ancient Celestial Sect!"

He continued to manifest images. Unlike the previous white-haired boy, this time the person who appeared wore yin-yang robes. The traces were even fainter, as if they would dissipate at any moment once they manifested. But Ji Xiang felt that the Profound Image gently shook. This shaking was in the unseen darkness, unknowable.

But this meant that this person's level was extremely high.

This time, the illusion raised his hand.

[One Dao, past and present, cannot lack one, nor can it have two.]

"A voice?"

Ji Xiang seemed to hear something, but before that figure could make a move, his illusion collapsed. That was...

Because the Undying Immortal Shadow could no longer continue to manifest images. His power was getting smaller and smaller, and the light and fire were fading too quickly.

"That's right. Everything returns to simplicity. In the time of simplicity, there was no such powerful person, so he naturally dissipated."

The Undying Immortal Shadow watched the illusion that he had manifested with his last struggle dissipate in this way.

But at this moment, the Undying Immortal Shadow felt that Ji Xiang was wrong.

Although his power was indeed insufficient to support this illusion, the illusion clearly paused for a moment when he raised his hand, waiting for the light and fire to fade, and then disintegrated himself.

How could this be?

Could the illusions that were created give birth to thoughts?

That illusion was the person who had defeated him, the strongest of the strongest in that other world. Perhaps, at that level, every move and every action truly had thoughts left behind. Even if he re-reflected a new illusion, there was a thought instantly born and instantly extinguished in this illusion.

"Ah!"

"One Dao, past and present, cannot lack one, nor can it have two!"

"Tell me, is it really not possible!"

The Undying Immortal Shadow looked at the dissipating illusion. That voice was not Ji Xiang's hallucination, but it had truly appeared, only existing in a state even more unknowable than the darkness, like dreaming in the process of enlightenment, hearing the voice of a distant other side in the dream.

He had now realized that he was the "two." The first one appeared, and the Dao was sealed. And he had cultivated to an irreversible level, and there was indeed only one path to start over.

Originally, it was absolutely impossible for two completely identical paths to appear in the world, because every living being was different.

But once such two people appeared, within one Dao, there could not be one pinnacle missing, nor could there be two people at the same time.

Then the second person who lost could only sever the old path to find a new path... This world, this other side, inherently possessed the true Profound Image, and did not need a fake Emperor of Images like himself.

The Profound Image gave birth to the Primordial Beginning. The person who proved the Dao between the Profound Image and the Primordial Beginning was the true Emperor of Images, and not himself.

The Undying Immortal Shadow actually knew this, but he also knew that once a person who could truly enter the Profound Image appeared, that would be the same as his own Dao. He was stronger than himself. He could only defeat him and assimilate him in order to become that pinnacle. But now, he had failed, and there was no second chance.

The path of Primordial Beginning was truly profound and magical! Even if the opponent's overt combat power was not as good as his past true body, the opponent could manipulate the power that preceded the root of the Dao. Even if he was an ant, he could overturn himself at will, because that was the essence of the world, the essence of all phenomena.

Emptiness could affect reality, and they were both complementary, a concept even older than yin and yang.

It was like the Profound Image. It was just a scene, but those who saw it could prove to be a Master of Great Images, evolving all the myriad phenomena and the entirety of light and shadow. The Profound Image had no power, but its existence was indescribable.

Unfortunately, he could no longer experience this path.

"Living beings in the world have no beginning, but every place is a beginning, but there are also words after that..."

The Undying Immortal Shadow's voice became gradually distant:

"Every beginning is different."

"All living beings, in no-birth, vainly see birth and death."

The Undying Immortal Shadow finally turned back into a Flower of Wholeness. The flower maintained its shape, but soon suddenly collapsed, turning back into a breath of essence energy. And that breath of essence energy was extremely divine, and it was unknown whose breath it was, but it was incomparably powerful. Just as it returned to its original appearance, it was about to re-evolve an initial "Monarch of Great Images," but Ji Xiang stopped it.

The Profound Image also accepted this breath of essence energy that had returned to its original appearance. Its power erased the Great Image embryo that was about to be born, but it retained the root of the Dao within the essence energy, and then used the power of the Boundless and Eternal Celestial Worthy to revert it a second time.

The root of the Dao was thus liberated, and the shackles that the essence energy had brought to that root of the Dao were finally completely severed at this moment.

[Please do not use transcoding reading (similar to Baidu) as it will lose content]