Becoming a Heavenly Walker
The instant Ren Xiaoyao crashed into the light barrier, a blinding golden light suddenly exploded in his sea of consciousness. The light was so intense that it seemed to illuminate the entire sea of consciousness, even dyeing the finest particles in the Chaos Current golden. Each particle of energy flow trembled violently in the light, colliding to produce tiny golden Mars, as if countless stars were simultaneously erupting deep within his sea of consciousness.
The golden light did not come from anywhere else; it was from the fragments that had sprung up when the Golden Chains. The edges of the fragments still held the remnants of Dragon Phoenix Cloud Pattern. The dragon scales were as clear as ancient seal script, and the trajectory of the sun, moon, and Big Dipper was engraved on each scale. The arrangement of the Big Dipper flowed erratically on the scales. The outline of the phoenix feathers glowed with crimson light, and the flame patterns on the tips of the feathers seemed to still be burning. Each feather tube contained a wisp of Innate Fire Spirit. When the fragments pierced through the violent Chaos Current, they actually left a burning golden trail in the void. Wherever the golden trail passed, even space rippled. Countless tiny Space-time Fragments emerged from the ripples, striking the Origin Spirit Veins deep within the Chaos Realm with the precision of a shooting star.
"Buzz--"
A long and deep hum, as if from the singularity at the beginning of the universe, spread through the Chaos Realm, and wherever it passed, the waves of the Spiritual Energy River turned into neat ripples.
The Spirit Vein trembled violently, and the entire Chaos Realm shook in response. The newly sprouted plants within the realm shook violently, and dewdrops on the grass leaves fell one after another, splashing up tiny Spiritual Qi droplets on the ground; the Spiritual Energy River surged with towering waves, and countless tiny figures made of Spiritual Qi stood on the crests of the waves, rising and falling with the waves; even the Chaos Current in the deepest part began to surge, forming rotating columns of energy that pierced the sky.
The Spiritual Energy Origin flowing through the meridians instantly boiled, like magma thrown into flames, surging and roaring to form giant dragons of Spiritual Qi. The dragons' scales, condensed from pure Spiritual Qi, shimmered with seven-colored light, flowing back into the meridians along the path of the chain fragments. The dragons opened their massive mouths, devouring the Chaos Power along their path. The patterns on their horns became clearer and clearer, their power growing stronger and stronger. Wherever they passed, the impurities in the meridians were refined one by one.
This force was violent and pure, forcefully carving out a completely new pathway through his meridians. On both sides of the pathway, the originally dim meridian walls were coated with a layer of azure light by the Spiritual Energy Origin, within which countless tiny runes could be vaguely seen flowing; wherever it passed, the meridians that had been corroded by Death Qi began to glow azure light as if withered trees had come back to life, and tiny Spirit Threads grew back on the branches of the meridians; even the bones exuded a faint golden halo, as if every inch of bone was being re-tempered, emitting soft "crackling" sounds, and the bone density increased at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The Death Qi was gnawing at the heart, and the darkness that had been coiled in the flesh had solidified into a tangible form, resembling a coiled venomous snake. The snake's body was covered with tiny barbs, each one absorbing the life force from the heart; the snake's eyes gleamed with a dark purple light, greedily devouring the flesh and blood of the heart, leaving behind holes deep enough to expose the bone.
Yet, it was forced back like a receding tide before this Spiritual Energy Origin. The Snake-shaped Black Qi emitted a sharp hiss, the sound piercing, as if it could tear apart the soul. The serpentine body twisted and turned, trying to fight back, spewing out streams of black poisonous mist from its mouth, but it was blocked by the light wall formed by the Spiritual Energy Origin. The poisonous mist quickly dissolved on the surface of the light wall, turning into wisps of green smoke.
The black, corrosive marks embedded in the flesh sizzled under the bluish light, melting rapidly like snow being baked by the scorching sun. Where the marks melted, tender New Tissue was revealed, covered with fine blood vessels spreading like a spiderweb; only faint scorch marks remained. Deep within these marks, new flesh was visibly wriggling and growing, each movement brimming with Vibrant Vitality, as if countless new lives were being nurtured within.
Ren Xiaoyao suddenly opened his eyes, which were no longer as sharp as an eagle's before, but instead held a sense of vastness and profundity like the Beginning of Chaos. His eyes seemed to have transformed into two Miniature Universe, containing endless stars, the movement of which followed some mysterious Principle.
Deep within the pupils, it seems as if Nebula are born and die, and the sun and moon revolve. A star is born within it, emitting a warm light that illuminates the surrounding Planets; then it burns, and huge flares appear on its surface; finally it extinguishes, turning into a White Dwarf Star, and new Nebula are conceived in the ruins, endlessly cycling and regenerating, enacting the cycle of the universe.
In my mind, overlooked words from Ancient Scroll Fragments surged forth like a tide. The blurred seal characters were now crystal clear, as if an ancient sage were reciting them in my ear, his voice aged and majestic. "The Heavenly Walker are neither robbers nor plunderers, but those Equilibrium Master. Initially, Guardian of Origin, holding the Pact of Life and Death. Later, they were corrupted by darkness, lost their original hearts, and fell into becoming predators..." Each word shone like a star in my mind.
"So that's how it is..." His throat bobbed violently as he forcibly swallowed back the metallic taste that surged to his tongue. The mouthful of blood, thick with deathly Death Qi and jet black in color, landed deep within his dantian and was steadily caught by the Chaos Cauldron, transforming into three strands of blood that merged into the cracks in the cauldron's body. A red light emanated from the cracks, containing restorative power, as if it were repairing itself, and the cauldron's vibrations diminished somewhat.
Although the Chaos Cauldron in the dantian was riddled with cracks, it now emitted a deafening hum under the cleansing influence of the Spiritual Energy Origin. The hum resonated throughout the body, causing every cell to resonate and activating its potential. The dark golden patterns on the cauldron's body lit up again as if alive, with golden liquid flowing within them, like the cauldron's blood. This time, however, the gaps between the patterns contained outlines of Blood Runes from a black robe, the runes shimmering with an eerie red light. Two forces that should have been mutually antagonistic swirled and intertwined within the cauldron, sometimes colliding to create golden sparks that transformed into Chaos Qi upon landing, nourishing the dantian; at other times, they entwined into black and white threads, the threads moving with a peculiar rhythm, achieving a strange yet stable balance, causing the cauldron to emanate an unprecedented aura.
Taking advantage of a brief moment when the light barrier trembled, Ren Xiaoyao slammed his left hand down on the inside of the barrier. The instant his palm touched the barrier, a pale golden halo appeared, within which the same runes as those on the barrier emerged, the two resonating with each other.
The newly emerging cracks seemed to be drawn by Invisible Power, defying common sense as they contracted in the opposite direction, emitting crisp "crackling" sounds. Each crackling sound signified the repair of a crack. Every shattered piece of the light barrier was returning to its origin, with the edges of the fragments glowing with a bluish light containing the Power of Time, piecing themselves back together to form a complete barrier. The light barrier's luster was restored, and it became even more resilient than before.
Using the force of the recoil, he retreated rapidly, his figure like an arrow released from a bow, leaving afterimages in the air. At the same time, with a thought, he compressed the Chaos Realm into a palm-sized Light Orb. Within the Light Orb, one could clearly see newly sprouted vegetation intertwined with the dark earth. The roots of the vegetation penetrated the Black Soil, drawing nutrients, while the Black Soil absorbed the essence of the vegetation, forming a peculiar symbiotic relationship, which was forcibly packed deep into his dantian.
The moment the ball of Light Orb entered his body, Ren Xiaoyao felt as if his meridians were being pierced by thousands of steel needles. The intense pain made his muscles tense, his veins bulge, and cold sweat seep from his forehead. The cold sweat turned into Spiritual Qi and dissipated as soon as it hit the ground.
The remaining Spiritual Energy Origin within the group clashed violently with the deathly shadow left by the Dark Sky Walker. Golden Spiritual Energy sliced through the darkness like a sharp sword, its Sword Qi crisscrossing and cutting the darkness into countless small pieces; the pitch-black stillness engulfed the light like a tidal wave, its surging waves attempting to completely devour the golden light. Each collision caused him to convulse in pain, cold sweat soaking through his robes on his back, blurring the patterns on the robes and revealing the equally patterned skin beneath.
But it was precisely this extreme tearing that caused the two forces to gradually merge on the verge of destruction—a few strands of ink appeared in the Golden Spiritual Energy, like starlight in the night, mysterious and dazzling, adding a touch of profundity to the Spiritual Qi; and specks of blue light seeped into the pitch-black stillness, like tender buds in the cold winter, full of hope, adding a touch of vitality to the stillness.
"Trying to run?" The Dark Sky Walker's black mist vortex expanded again, its rotation accelerating and emitting a strange "whooshing" sound, like the weeping of countless wronged souls; the sky-covering shadows almost swallowed the entire gravel beach, and countless distorted faces could be seen within the shadows; the darkness at the center of the vortex had solidified into a tangible form, shaped like a giant mouth with fangs bared, each fang engraved with Devouring Runes, radiating an aura of consuming everything.
But it abruptly stopped the moment it touched Ren Xiaoyao's afterimage. The vortex stopped spinning abruptly, as if it had been paused. The black mist at the edge continued to surge forward due to inertia, forming an eerie contrast with the stillness at the center.
His eyes, burning with Dark Purple Flame, suddenly contracted, the pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints, the flames within flickering violently, almost extinguished. He clearly saw that within the afterimage, a wisp of his own Dark Law was entwined, the Principle still bearing traces of his aura; and at the edge of the Principle, the aura of Chaos Current was clearly mixed in—like two poisons that should have detonated instantly, now intertwined like vines, becoming shackles that restrained his movements. Every attempt to break free was met with a rebound from the two forces, causing his blood to surge and Black Blood to spill from the corner of his mouth.
Ren Xiaoyao did not turn around. His eyes were firm, as unshakable as a rock, and he had only one thought in his mind: to leave this place, accumulate strength, and one day be able to completely defeat the Dark Sky Walker.
He transformed into a streak of light and burst forth from the rubble. The light moved with incredible speed, leaving a long trail of light in the air, within which his aura lingered. The light barrier behind him shattered inch by inch amidst the Dark Sky Walker's furious roar. Fragments fell into the Void like meteors, leaving burning trails in the air. The trails still contained the energy of the light barrier, which sizzled as it rubbed against the void.
But his speed was more than three times faster than when he arrived. The Chaos True Liquid and the Spiritual Energy Origin formed a spiral flow of air in his meridians, like two intertwined golden dragons. The dragons were agile, and the patterns on their scales were clearly visible. Each scale shimmered with a black and white luster, exuding a powerful aura. Wherever they passed, the space was slightly compressed.
Wherever it passed, the flesh and blood corroded by Death Qi regenerated at a visible speed. Dark gold and pitch black patterns appeared on the newly formed skin, crisscrossing like a mysterious Totems covering the entire body. The patterns on the Totems kept changing, completely refining and imprinting the Heavenly Walker's heritage and dark power into a part of itself, radiating a unique pressure that made the surrounding rubble tremble slightly.
Three months later, at the edge of the Dead Silence Starfield.
This Star Realms, once plundered by the Dark Sky Walker, now consists only of shattered Star Core and drifting meteorites. The meteorites are riddled with craters, No Life, and still bear the marks of Dark Energy's erosion. Even the light is deathly gray, as if all color has been drained away. Everything is frozen in the moment of destruction; there is no wind, no sound, only endless Void.
Ren Xiaoyao stood suspended atop the largest fragment of a Star Core, a fragment spanning tens of thousands of miles, its surface riddled with Bottomless Ravines. Within these ravines lingered the aura of the Dark Law, an aura as persistent and indelible as maggots clinging to bones—traces of the corruption by the Dark Law. His robes fluttered, the black and white patterns on them slowly shifting with his breath, his expression serene, like an unchanging ancient statue.
Black and White Intertwined aura flowed around him, sometimes rotating like a tai chi symbol, giving rise to Yin and Yang Qi and yang energies, which merged and endlessly formed a perfect cycle; at other times, it transformed into the Dragon Phoenix Phantom, the dragons spewing Primordial Chaos, the Chaos Qi spreading, causing the void to distort slightly wherever they passed; the phoenixes carrying dead fire, the dead fire containing vitality, the color of the flames gradually changing from black to red, emitting an aura that was both vast and profound, inspiring awe in all who beheld it.
His Chaos Realm had re-emerged behind him, resembling an independent universe. Starlight shimmered on the boundary walls, the light containing the Principle of the realm. The Time Flow Rate within the realm differed from that outside, exhibiting a unique rhythm.
However, the landscape within the boundary is no longer what it used to be. The once monotonous world has become rich and colorful, with various terrains such as mountains, lakes, Plains.
Where once only newly sprouted grass and trees existed, a patch of land Land as Dark as Ink Jade appeared. The land gleamed faintly, its texture hard, and to the touch one could feel the balance of Dark Energy and life contained within. Dozens of Mysterious Tree bloomed with blood-red flowers—layers upon layers of flowers, like burning flames, their colors ranging from deep to light, distinctly layered; the edges of the petals shimmered with gold, within which flowed Chaos Power; each petal, as it fell, transformed into a wisp of pure Chaos Current that merged into the realm, and upon landing, it would spur new buds to sprout, which would break through the soil and grow rapidly, the entire process filled with the rhythm of life.
"The Reverse Life Tree..." Ren Xiaoyao gently stroked a petal that had fallen before him, feeling a cool yet warm touch on his fingertips. The petal trembled slightly in his palm, as if it were alive, the patterns on its surface changing with each tremor. His eyes softened, a hint of satisfaction in them. "To nurture life from death, to transform decay into wonder, truly lives up to its name."
This was his greatest achievement in the past three months. He nurtured it by fusing the Dead Silence Law left over from the Dark Sky Walker with his own Chaos Origin. The process was fraught with danger, and he was nearly devoured by the conflict between the two forces several times. Yet, this Spirit Root, capable of reversing life and death, was born. Flowing within the tree veins were the balanced Black and White Qi. These two energies circulated repeatedly within the tree veins, like blood in the human body, filling the Mysterious Tree with vitality. The color of the leaves also changed constantly between black and green as the two energies circulated.
"You finally dared to show yourself."
A chilling voice emanated from the shadows of the Star Core, carrying a metallic, friction-like quality that seemed capable of freezing the soul. Wherever the voice passed, the Spiritual Qi in the air instantly condensed into ice particles, which shattered upon landing, turning into black powder.
The Dark Sky Walker's figure slowly solidified in the distorted void. With each step he took, the surrounding meteorites instantly disintegrated into Black Powder. The Black Powder swirled in the air, forming small Black Vortex that were absorbed into his body and became part of his power. His aura also recovered somewhat.
Several jagged cracks appeared on his black robe, from which black mist seeped out, carrying a pungent, fishy stench; revealing a body beneath, its outline blurred and indistinct, seemingly composed of countless black wisps. Interspersed within these black wisps were countless faces of agony, contorted in pain, emitting silent wails, their eyes filled with despair. Clearly, for the past three months, the dissipating balancing force of the Chaos Realm had been tormenting his very essence, preventing him from plundering as recklessly as before, causing his strength to regress rather than advance.
Those eyes, burning with Dark Purple Flame, were fixed on Ren Xiaoyao, the flames churning with shock and rage, the flames flickering more and more violently, almost bursting out of their sockets; "Your power... how could it... contain Chaos Life and the Dark Death? This is impossible!" His voice trembled with disbelief, as if he had suffered a tremendous blow, and his body swayed slightly.
Ren Xiaoyao raised his hand, and two completely different lights appeared in his palm at the same time: the dark golden halo of the Chaos Cauldron in his left hand, in which the Phantoms of Mountains, Rivers, Sun, and Moon, sun and moon in the cauldron's shadow became clearer. Between the rising and setting of the sun and moon, one could see the Four Seasons and the growth of all things: spring with its brocade flowers, summer with its shady trees, autumn with its abundant fruits, and winter with its white snow, a scene full of vitality; the phantom image of the Dark Judgment's scythe in his right hand, but the scythe's pitch-black blade had a few more traces of vibrant green, as tenacious as grass; when the tip of the blade sliced through the void, tender buds even sprouted from Void, with crystal dewdrops on them, the dewdrops reflecting a faint light, as if they could give birth to new life in destruction, full of hope.
"The legacy of the Heavenly Walker has never been about plunder." His voice was much lower than before, carrying the weight of Chaos Current and the coldness of Dark Law. These two qualities intertwined to create a strange majesty, as if the Heaven and Earth Laws were speaking for him, each word carrying the power of the Principle. "It is about balance. Life within Death, Death hides Life; this is the Supreme Principles of Heaven and Earth. You have long since deviated from the original meaning of the legacy, your eyes blinded by power."
Before he finished speaking, he had already closed in on the Dark Sky Walker. His speed was as fast as a ghost, leaving only a blur. The blur lingered in place for a moment before slowly dissipating, continuously absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Qi as it faded away.
This time, space beneath his feet was no longer forcibly folded, but rather made way for him like gentle water, rippling outwards. Countless star trails were reflected in these ripples, their intertwining to form a vast Star Map Star Map the mysteries of space.
When the phantom scythe in his right hand slashed out, it was no longer just a deathly silence that devoured everything. Golden Flame formed from Chaos Current were wrapped around the edge of the blade. The flames burned fiercely, radiating intense heat, capable of burning away all the darkness in the world. The moment the flames burned through the black mist, tiny sprouts sprouted from the darkness that should have been swallowed up. The sprouts, topped with black ash, stubbornly stretched their leaves in the Void. The leaves were still covered with crystal dewdrops, which reflected a faint light, as if telling a story of the tenacity of life.
"Impossible!" Dark Sky Walker roared in disbelief, his voice filled with terror and rage. He had never imagined that life could emerge from the darkness. His withered ghost claws met the attack with earth-shattering power, the Dark Law at the tips of his Claw Mang already solidified into a black Claw Mang, containing the power to destroy everything, as if it could tear apart all life.
However, the instant the demonic claws touched the scythe, he let out a piercing scream—the black sheen on his fingernails receded like a tide, revealing stark white bones riddled with tiny holes; the moment those bones touched the golden fire, visibly green vines sprouted, adorned with tiny white flowers that emitted a faint fragrance, a stark contrast to the surrounding darkness; the vines climbed upwards along the bones, forcibly transforming even the Dark Origin into life wherever they went, his arm becoming transparent at a visible speed, as if about to dissipate into a rain of light, the pain causing his body to tremble violently.
Ren Xiaoyao simultaneously slammed down the Chaos Cauldron in his left hand. The cauldron was enormous, blotting out the sky, and the patterns on its surface shone brightly under the nourishment of Spiritual Qi. What spewed from the cauldron's mouth was no longer a simple Primordial Chaos wave, but a vortex of Black and White Intertwined. The vortex spun extremely fast, generating a powerful suction force that could devour all matter and energy in the surrounding area.
Within the vortex, the petals of the Reverse Life Tree collided violently with the black mist of the Dark Sky Walker. Each collision generated a massive Energy Impact, causing the surrounding space to tremble slightly. Countless tiny Star Fragments were born, which took root and quickly grew into fist-sized Chaos Realm Prototype. Within these realms, nascent Nebula and rivers could be seen, and even tiny creatures were being nurtured. Although small, these creatures were full of vitality, displaying the diversity of life in their various forms.
"You have stolen my power!" The Dark Sky Walker's black robes shattered in his rage, fragments flying everywhere. Each fragment transformed into a black blade, shooting outwards, revealing bodies composed of countless twisted, remnant souls—the very beings he had devoured over billions of years. There were armored warriors, their armor riddled with wounds, blood still flowing from their Spiritual Qi; cultivators wielding broken staffs, faint elemental fluctuations lingering at the broken ends; and innocent children, their faces filled with fear, their small hands clutching their clothes. These children struggled painfully within the Black and White Vortex, trying to break free. The wails of the remnant souls coalesced into an invisible sonic wave, impacting the surrounding space.