Chapter 9

He anticipated Shen Ji's further evolution and the possibility of rebirth.

As one of the beings of the Primordial World, he too was observing Hun Wusheng's growth and changes.

Within this silent primordial wilderness, Hun Wusheng's fate was about to undergo a major turning point.

And all of this would become the next Hun Wusheng in the Primordial World.

Hun Wusheng had not stirred up any ripples in the Primordial World.

Even the supreme Innate Divine Being beyond the Netherworld's barrier had failed to sense any sign of it.

Only the supreme Great Dao seemed to have witnessed every change within the Netherworld.

Though this change had little effect on him, it was a momentous turning point for Hun Wusheng.

He had devoured the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation's origin and was undergoing a crucial transformation alongside Shen Ji.

He and Shen Ji were now bound together as tightly as twin siblings born from the same source.

Hun Wusheng's cultivation had already reached the great completion of the Heavenly God Realm, yet he remained stuck at the final step of breaking through the laws.

He knew that once he broke through to the True God Realm, he would be considered a powerhouse in the Primordial World.

The leaders of many small races were at this very realm.

Having absorbed most of the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation's origin, Hun Wusheng's aptitude was already comparable to that of a high-ranking Innate Divine Being.

In theory, with only a little cultivation, he could easily break through to the True God Realm.

Yet he was contemplating the path ahead.

He now faced an important choice: the direction of his future cultivation.

He understood that the powerful Reincarnation Law could not serve as his primary law.

Although his comprehension of the Reincarnation Law was profound and powerful, he foresaw that he would be unable to compete with the future Empress Houtu or other possible founders of reincarnation. Not even a supreme Innate Divine Being like the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation had managed to cross that final step.

Beyond that, Hun Wusheng had comprehended quite a few seeds of Great Dao Laws from the Eight Wonders Technique. But the weak ones did not catch his eye, while the powerful ones required long years of cultivation.

This left him deeply conflicted.

He also wanted to cultivate the Chaos Great Dao, but he was unsure whether that Great Dao had already been claimed by some mighty figure from the past.

The laws of time, space, soul, world, fate, karma, and more likewise made it difficult for him to choose.

As time passed, too many choices left him confused and unable to decide.

Thus, he shifted his attention to Shen Ji, which had been born alongside him, hoping to find his own path through Shen Ji's changes.

At this moment, Shen Ji had also completed part of its upgrade. This was precisely the critical juncture.

Shen Ji's advancement could not be achieved in a single leap. Even though it was nurtured within the Innate Great Dao Origin, it still had to absorb it bit by bit.

Hun Wusheng's realm rose through gradual sublimation, while Shen Ji remained in a nurturing state. Yet this process was taking place within Hun Wusheng's soul body.

Because of the special bond between them, Shen Ji could grow alongside Hun Wusheng as it had before, accelerating its absorption of the origin. Otherwise, completing this transformation would take several calamities.

"Master!"

After sensing Hun Wusheng's probing, Shen Ji responded on its own initiative. Its words now carried far richer emotions, having completely cast off its former mechanical state.

Clearly, the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation's origin had brought Shen Ji an entirely new transformation, making it feel like a completely new living being.

Because of its innate nature, Shen Ji had possessed a foundation of knowledge beyond the reach of others from the moment it was born.

Hun Wusheng was astonished and delighted by Shen Ji's changes.

He asked Shen Ji about its condition, and Shen Ji said that something strange had happened to it: sometimes its computational ability far surpassed normal, while at other times it became sluggish.

Hun Wusheng was surprised by this and tried to understand Shen Ji's exact changes.

Under Hun Wusheng's further questioning, Shen Ji explained that its computational ability fluctuated with its Master's emotions. When its Master was happy, Shen Ji's calculation speed became faster; when its Master was unhappy, it slowed down.

Hearing this answer, Hun Wusheng began to speculate about the possible cause.

Hun Wusheng noticed that Shen Ji's tone had become more human, as though a child were acting coyly while speaking with him.

He keenly felt that Shen Ji had transformed into a true lifeform.

With delight in his voice, he congratulated Shen Ji, believing that it had gained true spirituality and was no longer merely a computer.

He was filled with anticipation for Shen Ji's future, imagining that before long, Shen Ji would become his companion in the Primordial World.

In this world, even rocks, grass, and trees could take human form and possess life. Shen Ji's growth would undoubtedly be even more astonishing.

For Hun Wusheng, having a companion who was inseparable from him was an indescribably wondrous feeling.

Therefore, he was even more willing to regard Shen Ji as family.

Upon hearing Hun Wusheng's words, Shen Ji's tone revealed confusion, surprise, and anticipation—the curiosity of a newborn exploring a new world.

Yet those emotions appeared in Shen Ji's voice only briefly. Soon afterward, it seemed to begin undergoing the Baptism of the information recorded within Shen Ji.

Hun Wusheng did not disturb it. He simply waited quietly while continuing to deduce his own path.

After a long period of recovery, Shen Ji spoke with Hun Wusheng again. Pride filled its voice as it declared that it had gained enormously after its upgrade.

Hearing those vibrant words, a gratified look appeared in Hun Wusheng's eyes.

When Hun Wusheng curiously asked about its specific gains, excitement seeped into Shen Ji's tone.

It told Hun Wusheng that the final portion of Innate Great Dao Origin it had absorbed contained a vast amount of memories, inheritances bestowed by powerful beings they had encountered before.

The information contained in this inheritance was unimaginably immense, and Shen Ji was still sorting through it.

To help Hun Wusheng resolve his difficulties in condensing Great Dao Laws, Shen Ji had already selected the memories concerning insights into laws, ready for him to consult at any time.

Shen Ji revealed a trace of pride as he waited for Elder Brother's praise.

Hun Wusheng recalled the gift left behind by the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation. This was a heaven-shaking surprise.

With these memories and this inheritance, Shen Ji could be considered the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation's true successor, and his understanding of the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation even surpassed that of the successor himself.

Hun Wusheng praised Shen Ji and said the memories would be of great use to him.

Shen Ji said he would pass the memories on to Hun Wusheng.

The immense flood of memories surged into Hun Wusheng's mind, making him feel as though he had lived through a long life. Compared to it, his own opportunities seemed utterly insignificant.

Before long, Hun Wusheng was deeply drawn into the insights contained within those memories.

In the chaos, the Reincarnation Demon God was born. He commanded the Great Dao of Reincarnation Law and stood among the foremost beings in all of chaos.

In the memories, the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation had been severely wounded by Pangu's Creation of Heaven and Earth, losing most of his memories concerning the Great Dao of Reincarnation Law.

Even so, Hun Wusheng still gained profound understanding from them.

Yet he did not choose to condense the Reincarnation Law as his own path, for this portion of the law was too lofty and too incomplete. Moreover, a Dao Master of his own path would exist in the future.

More importantly, he could not abandon the Innate Origin Ancestral Qi currently gestating within his body.

Upon realizing this, Hun Wusheng seemed to gain a sudden understanding in his heart.

He understood that one could not cultivate something merely because it was powerful. What suited oneself was best.

The Primordial Heavenly King Pangu Clan's Law of Strength was indeed mighty, yet in the Primordial World, scarcely anyone chose to cultivate it.

Even the Ancient Three Sovereigns had not chosen that path, instead choosing roads suited to themselves.

Thus, although Pangu Clan was the Creator God, the Ancient Three Sovereigns still surpassed Him in certain respects.

At this moment, Hun Wusheng stood only a single step away from the True God Realm.

Hun Wusheng did not rush to break through. Instead, he delved deeper into the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation's inherited memories.

He focused mainly on the Reincarnation Demon God's experiences after reincarnating into the Primordial World and becoming the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation.

These memories contained the entire process through which he comprehended the Primordial World's Reincarnation Law from his Innate Companion Treasure, the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk.

He observed that laws were not fixed and unchanging. The process of cultivating laws had no end unless one grasped the source of the laws.

Therefore, the Great Dao Laws of chaos and the Primordial World differed. Even two Dao Masters walking the same path could ultimately focus on entirely different aspects of cultivation.

The path of ascending once more after falling from the position of Dao Master was fraught with hardships. This was the greatest insight Hun Wusheng gained from the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation's memories.

The Reincarnation Demon God had been born in the age of chaos with innate command over the source of the Reincarnation Law. Yet his fall had left his authority over the Great Dao of Reincarnation Law incomplete, causing him to fall from the source.

The Beast Emperor of Reincarnation of the Primordial era differed from the Reincarnation Demon God of chaos. The Reincarnation Law he wielded was closer to the Primordial World and differed from the Great Dao of Reincarnation Law.

The conveniences enjoyed after becoming the Dao Master of the Great Dao of Reincarnation drove countless beings to strive to elevate their laws and return to the source of the Great Dao of Reincarnation.

But for supreme Innate Divine Beings such as the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation, that single step was a heavenly chasm.

Even at his peak, the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation—hailed as only one step away from the Dao Master Realm—had grasped merely ninety-five percent of the Great Dao of Reincarnation.

Yet that remaining five percent of the Great Dao was enough to separate several major realms.

Although the Five Directions Divine Lords who had surrounded him at the time had each grasped around ninety percent of the laws, without the Five Directions and Five Elements Heaven-Sealing Earth-Extinguishing Grand Formation, victory or defeat would have been difficult to determine.

The chief problem was that reincarnation had yet to emerge in the Primordial World, leaving the Reincarnation Law incomplete. Thus, the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation could not become a Dao Master in such an environment.

His search for the Heart of the Earthly Path and the Netherworld had been for the sake of proving the Dao and becoming a Dao Master.

Had he been able to evolve reincarnation in that place during his prime, he might well have become the first being in the Primordial World to prove the Dao.

Yet reality was cruel. Everything had now become empty talk. The Beast Emperor of Reincarnation had utterly fallen, and his achievements had been inherited by Hun Wusheng and Shen Ji.

After comprehending the Beast Emperor of Reincarnation's insights into the Reincarnation Law, Hun Wusheng could now easily condense the Reincarnation Law, reaching the thirty-percent level from the outset.

In the later stages, he would even have hope of stepping into the Grand Unity Venerable God Realm without encountering any obstruction.

However, this Great Dao of Reincarnation Law was not Hun Wusheng's true path.

If he chose the Reincarnation Law, his future achievements might stop at the Grand Unity Venerable God Realm.

After pondering for a long time, Hun Wusheng realized that the path best suited to him was, in truth, the Ghost Dao that had accompanied him all along.

As the ancestral forebear of the Yin-Yang Ghost Clan of the Netherworld, the Ghost Dao was undoubtedly his best choice.

This path was the Great Dao of a newly born race. Hun Wusheng had hope of sailing with the wind all the way to its end, without any obstruction from rivals competing for the Dao.

The only challenge was that he would have to carve out this path himself.

But no matter how difficult it might be, so long as it suited him, Hun Wusheng would walk it with unwavering resolve.

After grasping this truth, mysterious fluctuations welled up from Hun Wusheng's soul body, breaking through the bottleneck that had kept him trapped at the Heavenly God Great Perfection Realm for so long.

At last, he broke through the barrier he had contemplated for years and became a True God of the Primordial World.

At this moment, the Heart of the Earthly Path left Hun Wusheng's body and manifested as a monumental stele inscribed with the principal deeds and secrets of the Ancient Three Sovereigns.

What astonished Hun Wusheng was that the Heart of the Earthly Path was not shaped like a heart, but rather a monument bearing the memories of history.

Hun Wusheng was shaken by the Heart of the Earthly Path's cryptic words, and became even more curious about the hidden secrets of the legendary Ancient Three Sovereigns.

The Heart of the Earthly Path slowly spoke, revealing a great secret from the highest echelons of the primordial world.

It mentioned that the "Three Sovereigns Attaining the Dao" known to the Primordial Beings

was not the full story. The true secret lay in "the Three Sovereigns Establishing the Dao"

.

This was an utterly different perspective, plunging Hun Wusheng into deep thought.

He recalled that the memory fragments of You Hun he had absorbed in the past had never mentioned this, and realized that the ** of the Ancient Three Sovereigns was far more complex and profound than he had imagined.

Eager to learn more, he questioned the Heart of the Earthly Path.

The Heart of the Earthly Path did not answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you understand the true meaning of the Three Sovereigns Establishing the Dao?"