Tai Yi's words were like a sharp thorn, piercing precisely into the most sensitive and unwilling part of Lu Jun's heart.
Was he willing to accept it?
Of course not!
He was a transmigrator!
He possessed an opportunity as heaven-defying as the system!
If he followed the established path, taking the path of Slaying the Three Corpses to enlightenment that all beings of the Prehistoric World knew, even if Great Luo was within reach and he might even become a Quasi-Saint, what then?
In terms of origin and innate foundation, he was merely a Golden Crow Crown Prince.
Though he appeared noble, he was ultimately still inferior to his Imperial Father Di Jun and his uncle Tai Yi, Innate Divine Beings born from the Sun Star.
As for Companion Spiritual Treasures, what did he have?
The Chaos Bell was in Tai Yi's hands, and the River Diagram and Luo Book were in Di Jun's. What Innate Supreme Treasure did Lu Jun possess that could rival them for Severing the Corpse?
The Three Corpses he severed in the future would probably struggle even to find suitable Spiritual Treasures to entrust themselves to. How could he stand shoulder to shoulder with his elders?
Let alone surpass them?
The path Tai Yi had described—"Taiyi Manifesting Billions of Avatars, Great Luo Return to One"—was perilous and unfathomable, practically a dead end that no one before had ever successfully traversed, one that no one even dared imagine now.
Yet it was like the only flickering glimmer at the end of the darkness, igniting the seed of "ambition" in Lu Jun's heart.
At the end of this path lay true freedom and the "One Attainment, Eternal Attainment" that transcended all predetermined rules!
More importantly...
"System!" Lu Jun's consciousness sank deep into his sea of consciousness, where that mysterious presence floated silently.
The previous transformation of "a star collapsing, a neutron star being born" had already proven the system's terrifying power in advancing his physique.
Then what came after a neutron star?
An utterly mad thought, one that set every drop of blood in his body boiling, exploded in his mind like thunder!
A neutron star, once its mass became great enough and it had devoured and accreted unimaginable amounts of matter... what would it become?
A black hole!
That ultimate celestial body that devoured all light and warped space-time!
It was said that at the core of a black hole lay a Singularity of infinite density, containing power that overturned the laws of physics!
Some theories even speculated that the explosion of a Singularity marked the birth of a new universe!
"Opening of Heaven and Earth!"
Lu Jun's heart pounded wildly.
In the context of the Prehistoric World, a Singularity exploding to create a new world... wasn't that precisely the supreme power Great God Pangu had wielded in Opening of Heaven and Earth?
Wasn't the endless space within a black hole just like that murky, chaotic void?
If he could use the system's power to evolve his "neutron star" physique once more and push it toward the ultimate "black hole" form, what would happen then?
Communicating with space-time?
A black hole was the ultimate distortion of space-time!
If he used such a physique as his foundation to attempt communication with the River of Time and gather the avatars of his past and future, would he possess an innate advantage?
He might even forcibly anchor, draw in, and devour them!
The power to open heaven and earth?
If he possessed potential comparable to a Singularity's explosion, did that mean he himself already possessed the beginnings of some "world-creating" power?
Even if this power fell short of Pangu's Axe, it would still be a terrifying foundation that surpassed ordinary Saints!
Once this path was opened, innate origins and Companion Supreme Treasures would all become secondary!
He himself would be the strongest magical treasure, the strongest foundation of the Dao!
What made Lu Jun's heart burn even hotter was Di Jun and Tai Yi!
These two supreme beings born from the Sun Star inherently possessed the True Sun Fire Origin, an ultimate form of energy.
If they followed the path of "Nirvana" that Tai Yi had deduced, would they touch upon—or even directly undergo Nirvana into—an ultimate form resembling a "black hole" before him?
In other words, before Lu Jun attempted to achieve the Black Hole Physique, there might already be two peerless experts serving as Forerunners and test subjects on this dead-end path!
Their success or failure would become his most precious experience, perhaps even stepping stones beneath his feet!
The temptation was simply too great!
Great enough to suppress all fear of the unknown and hesitation before hardship.
Lu Jun abruptly raised his head. All confusion and doubt had vanished from his eyes, replaced by unprecedented fervor and resolve. That light seemed almost capable of piercing through the dome of the Sun Temple.
"Uncle! I've thought it through! I want to try! I'll take this path! Manifesting Billions of Avatars, Great Luo Return to One!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Tai Yi said "good" three times in succession. At last, a hearty laugh bloomed across his normally impassive face, his eyes full of satisfaction and admiration.
"As expected of Eastern Emperor Tai Yi's nephew! With such courage, the Great Dao is within reach!"
Lu Jun took a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood. His thoughts were exceptionally clear.
"However, Uncle, we have no inheritance for this method of 'Manifesting Billions of Avatars.'"
"Within the Prehistoric World, when it comes to avatar techniques, especially avatars capable of bearing the will of a True Spirit and cultivating and growing independently..."
"To my knowledge, only Ancestor Minghe of the Blood Sea possesses the most profound and unfathomable Blood God Son avatars!"
"This method may allow us to draw some inspiration, perhaps even become the starting point of our path!"
A sharp gleam flashed in Tai Yi's eyes as he instantly understood Lu Jun's intentions.
He laughed loudly, his voice shaking the Sun Temple with unquestionable majesty and a trace of anticipation.
"Minghe? Hahaha, good! Then invite him to the Sun Star for a discussion!"
Before his words had even faded, Tai Yi flicked a finger.
"Dong!!!"
A grand, ancient bell toll that seemed to traverse endless space-time suddenly rang out!
"Ancestor Minghe, would you come to the Sun Star for a discussion?"
The Netherworld Blood Sea was deathly silent for all eternity.
Ancestor Minghe sat upon the Karma Fire Red Lotus, blood-colored light swirling around him. His aura was cold and vast.
His scarlet eyes swept over the Asura Clan below, drifting, fighting, and wailing amid the waves of blood.
This was the race he had created, his attempt to imitate Nuwa Creates Humans and use endless slaughter to attain sainthood.
The Blood Sea never dried up, Minghe never died, and his Blood God Son avatars numbered in the billions. His divine abilities could not be called anything less than profound.
He had even followed the example of the Three Pure Ones and the Two Sages of the West in founding a sect, calling himself the Minghe Cult Leader.
Yet all of it was useless!
The day he became a Saint remained impossibly far away!
That lofty Saint's position seemed forever separated from him by an uncrossable chasm.
He had exhausted everything, imitating the Saints' path, yet he could never find the way in.
"Primordial Violet Qi!"
He ground his teeth.
He firmly believed that the key to becoming a Saint was that sliver of Primordial Violet Qi that was The One That Escaped!
For this, he had even blocked Ancestor Hongyun's primordial spirit in the Blood Sea as Hong Yun prepared to head for the Reincarnation Land!
All so he could see whether Hong Yun still possessed that sliver of Primordial Violet Qi.
But!
There was none!
Hong Yun's fragments of soul contained nothing at all!
That legendary sliver of Primordial Violet Qi was not on Hong Yun in the first place!
Only later did he learn that the sliver of Primordial Violet Qi had already split into three when Hong Yun died and escaped!
Not only had he failed to obtain the foundation for sainthood, he had also thoroughly offended Zhen Yuanzi, the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, who was as close to Hong Yun as a brother.
Zhen Yuanzi wielded the Book of the Earth, with unparalleled defenses, and also possessed the Innate Spiritual Root, the Ginseng Fruit Tree. His mana was nearly inexhaustible.
Though Zhen Yuanzi could do nothing to him while he remained in the Blood Sea, Minghe likewise could no longer easily take even one step beyond it!
This Blood Sea was both his foundation and his prison!
He had tried to steal a chicken, only to lose the rice used to bait it!
He had lost the woman and the army besides!
Enormous frustration and his yearning for the Saint's position gnawed at his Dao Heart like venomous snakes, making the entire Blood Sea churn even more violently in response to his fury.
"Dong!!!"
A bell toll that seemed to originate from the ancient Prehistoric World, containing the supreme power of laws, suddenly pierced through layer upon layer of the Blood Sea's barriers and exploded directly within his primordial spirit!
This bell toll was domineering!
Majestic!
Grand!
It carried the supreme aura of one who stood above all creation!
Ancestor Minghe's scarlet eyes widened abruptly, and the Blood Sea instantly surged into waves ten thousand zhang high!
For the first time, the eternally cold expression on his face fluctuated violently.
"Eastern! Emperor! Bell?!"
He would never mistake that sound!
It belonged to Eastern Emperor Tai Yi, who sat high above the nine heavens and overlooked the Prehistoric World!
Why had he used the might of the Chaos Bell to cross endless space-time and directly knock upon the gates of this foul Netherworld domain?
Blood waves soared to the heavens, reflecting Ancestor Minghe's ever-changing expression.
He slowly rose to his feet. The Karma Fire Red Lotus beneath him shone and shifted, while the twin swords Yuan Tu and A Bi emitted uneasy hums within the Blood Sea.
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the endless Blood Sea and the barriers of the Netherworld, toward the Sun Star that stood supreme over the Prehistoric World.
"Ancestor Minghe, would you come to the Sun Star for a discussion?"
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