Comprehending Death

Chen Fan felt he could easily control death, but he couldn't truly understand it.

Two more months have passed.

The three-month garrison period is coming to an end.

The entire underground mine has been nearly half-emptied by that crazy army of miners. Countless branch paths and side tunnels are as dense as a spider web, while in the central area, a mountain range made of top-grade Deathly Silent Crystals almost touches the top of the mine.

Chen Fan finally awoke completely from his cultivation.

He slowly rose and strolled through this land of death that he had created with his own hands.

He looked at the Deathly Stillness Creatures crawling on the ground, not daring to even look up at him, and felt no sense of accomplishment in his eyes.

He casually picked up a crystal from the mountain of crystals, feeling the pure Origin of Death within it.

This treasure, which would drive countless people crazy in the outside world, suddenly felt... bland and tasteless in his hands.

What exactly is going on?

Chen Fan sat down cross-legged and fell into deep thought.

Star River Martial Academy, Life School.

Three months have passed since Chen Fan went to the Annihilation Seven Star.

On the star-gazing platform, Wen Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the vast Star Map suspended in the air.

At the coordinate point representing the Annihilation Seven Star, a faint but steady point of light is quietly twinkling.

That was the mark of Chen Fan's life.

Looking at the point of light, a rare trace of lingering worry appeared on Wen Yuan's Wen Yuan face.

A quarter of the year has already passed.

Condensing Undying Golden Blood is the most dangerous and difficult chasm for the Life School.

It tests not only talent and resources, but also one's profound understanding of the elusive Great Dao of Life and Death.

Throughout the history of any school of thought, there has never been a shortage of exceptionally talented individuals, but no one has ever been able to complete these Three Steps to Godhood within a year of entering the field.

Can Chen Fan... create this miracle?

With this worry in mind, Wen Yuan turned around and stepped into that familiar stone house.

Inside the stone house, his mentor, Lin Xuanqing, floated in mid-air, surrounded by Ten Thousand Dao Light Screens, with countless profound data streams flowing through him like a waterfall. He resembled a madman trying to deconstruct the universe, his eyes burning with the flame of knowledge.

"Teacher," Wen Yuan said softly, "It's been three months."

"Hmm." Lin Xuanqing didn't even turn his head.

"Then what?"

"Gathering golden blood is not something that can be accomplished overnight. My junior Junior Fellow Apprentice..." Wen Yuan carefully chose his words, "I'm worried that a year might be too short."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Light Screen displaying the information that had been flying everywhere suddenly stopped.

Lin Xuanqing slowly turned his head. His face, which was filled with countless pieces of knowledge and made him look somewhat neurotic, showed no worry at all. Instead, it shone with a kind of fanatical light that was almost maniacal.

"Wen Yuan."

He stared at his eldest disciple, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"What do you think I was hoping for when I made that Betting Agreement with those nine old guys?"

Wen Yuan remained silent.

"What I'm looking forward to has never been whether he can break through within a year!" Lin Xuanqing's voice suddenly rose. "History? Records? Are those mediocre standards worthy of being used to measure him?"

"He is Qilin Prodigy born for my Life School! What I want to see is how he will shatter all our understanding in such an earth-shattering way! What inconceivable manner will he take to achieve this divine ascension!"

His words contained no reason, no analysis, only a blind, fanatical faith in Chen Fan.

Looking at the teacher who seemed to have gone mad, a helpless, bitter smile flashed deep in Wen Yuan's gentle eyes.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

After all, judging those two by common sense is a mistake in itself.

The underground mine of Annihilation Seven Star.

Chen Fan remained seated cross-legged, the ocean of Divine Fire within his body vast and boundless, the pure Origin of Death almost materialized into a gray nebula, encircling his Divine Soul.

After seeing off the two logistics department seniors who looked like they'd seen a ghost, he once again fell into deep thought.

He examined everything inside his body.

Energy is plentiful.

He has plenty of comprehension.

But why can't we break through that barrier?

He could easily manipulate death and disintegrate everything, yet he always felt like a spectator standing outside the door.

For a long time.

Chen Fan finally opened his eyes and realized the reason for his stagnation.

From beginning to end, he treated death with the attitude of a conqueror.

He viewed it as Kindling to strengthen himself.

He used it as a resource to improve his cultivation level.

"To understand life, one must first understand death..."

Chen Fan recalled his Senior Fellow Apprentice Wen Yuan's words, and a self-deprecating smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

I was merely taking, not understanding.

The vision is too narrow.

Having figured this out, the slight unease that had been lingering in Chen Fan's heart for months instantly vanished.

He slowly stood up.

His gaze swept over the Deathly Stillness Creatures still diligently mining in the distance, and he casually raised his hand and waved it lightly.

An invisible command was instantly imprinted deep within the Divine Soul of every Deathly Stillness Creatures.

You are free.

Buzz!

The entire mining area, which operated with the efficiency of an underground factory, suddenly fell silent.

Tens of thousands of Deathly Stillness Creatures raised their heads in bewilderment, their scarlet eyes filled with confusion and incomprehension.

They looked at the tiny figure standing at the foot of the crystal mountain, their eyes filled with nothing but awe stemming from a life-level reverence.

Chen Fan didn't look at them again, nor did he turn back to glance at the crystal mountain range that was enough to drive the entire Star River Martial Academy crazy.

He turned and looked towards the deepest part of the mine.

That place represents absolute stillness and absolute nothingness.

Under the bewildered and awe-inspiring gazes of countless Deathly Stillness Creatures, Chen Fan took his first step.

He did not release any Protective Divine Light.

Not a single trace of the Undying Divine Fire was activated.

With only the body of a child who looked no more than seven or eight years old, he walked step by step, steadfastly, into the darkness that symbolized ultimate death.

The cold, empty, and deathly darkness, like a silent, gigantic maw, swallowed his figure completely without a sound.

Just as Chen Fan's figure completely disappeared into the darkness.

Within his Dantian universe, the vast and boundless ocean of golden Divine Fire seemed to have instantly lost the guidance of its sovereign.

The entire sea of fire began to sway violently, its light flickering on and off.

It seemed that in the face of this absolute silence, it could be extinguished completely at any moment.

Darkness, like a drop of thick ink falling into clear water, ruthlessly painted over everything.

As Chen Fan's figure was completely swallowed by that ultimate silence, all five senses and six perceptions were stripped away in the very first instant.

The concepts of time and space lost their meaning here; he felt as if he had sunk into a boundless deep sea, his consciousness drifting in absolute solitude.

Within the Dantian universe, the golden sea of Divine Fire, already teetering on the brink of collapse under the erosion of death, lost its last support.