Origin of the Wasteland
The Chaos Cauldron hovered in the void, its body shimmering with a turquoise-gold aura that spread outwards like ripples. The edges of the aura gleamed with tiny golden rays, as if imbuing the Primordial Chaos energy with the hue of life. Each Dao Patterns seemed to open and close as if alive, leaving faint traces in the void as it inhaled and exhaled Primordial Chaos energy. These traces intertwined to form a net, capturing the chaotic Law Fragments surrounding it.
The fragments of void torn apart by the collision of Principle reassembled in the threads of light hanging from the mouth of the cauldron. The threads of light were as thin as hair, yet incredibly strong. Tiny sparks would burst forth at the joints between the fragments, emitting a soft hum. The frequency of that hum was astonishingly consistent with the pulse of heaven and earth at the Beginning of Chaos, as if reenacting the first cry of the universe's birth.
Ren Xiaoyao watched the Progenitor's staggering figure recede into the distance, his gray robe leaving a long trail in the stardust, the edges of which gleamed with a dim silver light. Scattered specks of Principle light along the way were like shattered Glazed Ice, each fragment reflecting a different scene—the brilliance of Star Birth, the desolation of life's Annihilation, remnants of balance torn apart by the Power of Life and Death, telling of the tragic clash of Principle.
With a flick of his fingertips, the azure-gold Laws of Life and Death transformed into an even finer rain of light. The rain of light fell upon the cracked void, like spring rain nourishing parched earth. Law Fragments at the edges of the cracks gathered like a swarm of bees returning to their nest, piecing together in the rain of light to form a complete arc of light. The arc of light flowed with the aura of newly born Principle, the newborn Principle of the Chaos Realm, a symbol of the return of order.
The derailed stars, drawn by the Power of Life and Death, slowly rotated, their speed decreasing until they finally stabilized on a new trajectory. The Milky Star River, which had been flowing in the opposite direction, was like a plucked string, flowing again from east to west. The stardust in the river collided, producing melodious sounds, as if heaven and earth were playing a peaceful symphony.
Silvery stardust traced brilliant arcs along its path, the color of the arcs deepening from light to dark, eventually turning into a warm gold. As the arcs intertwined, the handle of the Big Dipper aligned with the nascent star, and Orion's belt wrapped around the newly formed Nebula, Nebula emitted a faint purple light, spontaneously coalescing into a brand new celestial canopy.
At the edge of the sky, new stars are being conceived within the Laws of Life and Death. The core Hydrogen Atom begin to fuse, emitting a faint yet resolute light. Within this light, the rudiments of Planets can be vaguely seen, as if the oldest painter in the world is using stars as ink to outline a blueprint for the restoration of order on a canvas of emptiness.
"The balance of the Tianyan Continent must ultimately be reshaped by our own hands on this land." Ren Xiaoyao's gaze pierced through the barrier of the Chaos Realm, and the ripples of Principle on the barrier slowly spread out under his gaze, revealing a Space Rift at the edge.
The Rift, like a beating heart valve, constantly inhaled and exhaled the aura from the Tianyan Continent. The Savage Wilderness wilderness was mixed with the smoke of civilization, and the gloom of darkness was wrapped with the faint light of light. The two forces tore at each other in the Rift, creating tiny Law Sparks turned into tiny crystals of Principle as they landed.
A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, a resoluteness carrying both anticipation for the future and a sense of responsibility. He tapped the void with his toes, and the Chaos Cauldron transformed into a stream of azure-gold light that entered his body. Flames surged around him like a lotus, its petals layered upon each other, enveloping his figure into a shooting star with a long tail. Particles of light scattered from the tail, leaving brief trails in the void before piercing straight into the Rift.
The Space-time Turbulence within the Rift resembled boiling magma, displaying a distorted red and yellow hue. Countless fragments of realms tumbled within them: some fragments bore the frozen flames of war, bronze-colored broken swords embedded in the scorched earth, their tassels still swaying with the turbulent currents, the runes on their blades still faintly flickering; others were covered in ice that had remained frozen for billions of years, within which were intact Nebula, their Nebula yet to ignite, maintaining their pre-birth silence, as if time itself had been frozen here.
The Laws of Life and Death spontaneously formed an eggshell-shaped protective shield around Ren Xiaoyao, its surface gleaming faintly. The ancient Life and Death Characters" and "death" flickered alternately—the character for "birth" transformed into a tender sprout breaking through the soil, its tip topped with Annihilation morning dew, the dewdrop reflecting a tiny world; the character for "death" transformed into the ashes of Mars, within which lay the faint glow of a spark, containing the hope of revival, just like his current State of Mind: to shatter the old shackles with the force of thunder, and to nurture new life with gentle strength.
The instant it passed through the Rift, a completely different aura struck the protective barrier. That aura carried Savage Wilderness, untamed quality and a deathly stillness, forming a stark contrast to the aura of the Chaos Realm.
Unlike the vast starry sky of the Chaos Realm, what lies before us is a continuous, undulating black mountain range. The mountain range is like an array of Ink Stone cleaved by Giant Axe, orderly yet wild, its spines hidden beneath a gray-yellow sky, where not a ray of sunlight can be seen, only thick clouds.
The mountainside is devoid of vegetation, save for the wind-eroded ravines. Deep within these ravines gleam with a cold metallic light—the marks of countless bones piled together, the fangs of giant beasts intertwined with human finger bones, the Totems poles of primitive tribes entangled with the remains of monks' swords, all transformed by wind erosion into the texture of the mountain range, each Dao Patterns telling a story of the vicissitudes of time.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of rust and decaying earth. When inhaled, one could feel a subtle, Power of Desolation piercing one's veins like needles. That power carried the resolute determination that "all things will eventually return to Annihilation," attempting to crush all life into dust, leaving one with a sense of powerlessness from the bottom of one's heart.
The ground beneath their feet was cracked like an ancient tortoise shell, with fissures several feet wide and bottomless, resembling an entrance to hell.
The dark brown pebbles embedded in the cracks are actually fragments of weathered bones: some fragments bear the claw marks of ferocious beasts, with the five toe imprints clearly visible, and the depth of the claw marks showing the beasts' ferocity; some fragments have sword wounds on their edges, the cut surfaces smooth as new, clearly severed by a sharp weapon, the angle of the sword wounds suggesting the intensity of the battle; still others are engraved with blurry runes, the Dao markers branded by ancient cultivators before their death, the meaning of which no one can understand.
As soon as Ren Xiaoyao landed, the earth groaned under the weight, the groan low and suppressed. From the depths of the cracks came a rustling sound, and several gray- Black Vines shot out like venomous snakes, moving with incredible speed, whistling through the air. The barbs on the vines gleamed with a ghostly green poisonous light, and within the poisonous light floated the phantoms of devoured Principle —those were "Path-Eating Vines," the most ferocious creatures in the Wild Frontier, feeding exclusively on the Principle of cultivators.
Legend has it that three hundred years ago, a powerful cultivator in the Tribulation Stage was entangled by vines here. Within three breaths, he turned into a shriveled skin. The skin still bore the honeycomb-like holes left by the vines when they absorbed the Principle, and a faint Death Qi emanated from the holes.
"Hmph." Ren Xiaoyao snorted coldly, his snort filled with disdain and confidence. Layers of Cyan-Gold Flame bloomed around him like lotus flowers, radiating a scorching aura the moment the petals opened.
The moment the Path-Eating Vines touched the flames, its barbs instantly turned to white ash, which drifted in the air and was blown away by the wind. The vine itself emitted a sizzling sound in the golden light, and its gray-black surface faded, revealing dark brown woody fibers that twisted and contracted in the flames.
Strangely, the vines were not completely annihilated, but withered inch by inch in the Cyan Flame, eventually turning into a handful of black ash that fell into the crack. The moment the black ash entered the soil, tiny green shoots emerged from the soil layer, and two tender leaves, topped with dewdrops condensed by the Principle, trembled gently in the desolate air, as if declaring to the world the tenacity of life.
That is the profound meaning of "Life Within Annihilation" in the Laws of Life and Death: even the most ferocious evil can be transformed into fertilizer to nourish new life, and light can always be conceived in darkness.
He looked up into the distance, and at the end of the black mountain range, a hazy pillar of light shot straight into the sky, its tip disappearing into the clouds.
The beam of light was not as intense as ordinary energy; instead, it carried the weight of millions of years of accumulation, like a breathing tube extending from the depths of the earth, Inhale and Exhale in and out the life and death of the Wild Frontier, maintaining the balance of this land.
The space around the beam of light was distorted by a halo of light. As light passed through, it was stretched into strange arcs, like a slowed-down stream of water. Even the movement of light seemed to stagnate here, and time itself appeared to be stretched out.
Ren Xiaoyao could clearly sense that the power contained within the pillar of light was in Primordial Chaos state—neither pure life nor absolute death, but an intermediate state where the two intertwined, just like the glimmer of light before dawn or the setting sun after dusk, the foundation of the Life and Death of All Things in the Wild Frontier.
The closer one gets to the pillar of light, the denser the desolate atmosphere becomes, so dense it's almost suffocating.
The cracked earth beneath their feet turned into Black Quicksand, which made a "crackling" sound as it flowed—the sound of bones buried deep underground being ground down, a sound that sent chills down one's spine.
Half-bones occasionally emerge from the quicksand, some of which are engraved with dark red runes, seemingly drawn with fresh blood. Despite the passage of time, they still emit a faint spiritual light, carrying a hint of warning.
The runes, when combined, vaguely spell out the words "Those who enter this realm, life is death," with the ancient warning flowing between the strokes—they had witnessed too many Cycle of Life and Death here and knew its cruelty deeply.
The grayish-yellow clouds in the sky began to swirl, forming a huge vortex with a diameter of thousands of miles. The vortex spun faster and faster, and the color at its center became darker and darker.
Gray raindrops fell from the center of the vortex. Instead of seeping into the soil, the raindrops turned into fine gravel, the color of which blended into the surrounding land.
Gravel gathered on the ground and flowed, meandering along the terrain, spontaneously outlining a fragmented Star Map: the Big Dipper was missing one star, as if it had never existed; the position of the South Pole Star was replaced by a cloud of black mist, which exuded an ominous aura; the trajectory of the Milky Way was broken like a severed ribbon, clearly a fragmented microcosm of the Heavenly Dao due to the silence of the Origin of the Wasteland.
"Halt!"
A hoarse voice came from beside the pillar of light, like two rusty iron pieces rubbing together. Each syllable carried a metallic tremor, causing the surrounding quicksand to tremble slightly, and the grains of sand collided and made a soft, rustling sound.
Ren Xiaoyao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a towering figure standing three zhang tall in front of the pillar of light. The figure appeared exceptionally tall and majestic under the light.
His body was formed from a mixture of black rocks and withered yellow vines. The rocks were covered with honeycomb-like holes from which gray-black mist seeped out. When the mist landed, it turned into fine grains of sand. The withered yellow vines wrapped around the rocks like blood vessels, and the ends of the vines went deep into the ground, connecting with the land of the Wild Frontier. It was as if the entire Wild Frontier were his body, and he was the Incarnation of the Wild Frontier.
The skull was a gigantic bone, its material neither stone nor bone. Eerie green flames burned in its eye sockets, and with each flicker, countless phantom images of annihilated wild creatures flashed before its eyes: mammoths crashed to the ground in sandstorms, the blood seeping from their broken tusks instantly absorbed by the wind and sand; the huts of primitive tribes were swept away by floods, their cries for help shattering into bubbles in the waves; cultivators disintegrated in storms of Principle, their Primordial Spirit torn into stardust by the gale.
The Giant Axe in his hand was taller than his body, its thick blade radiating a cold aura. The axe blade was riddled with serrated notches, inlaid with dark red bloodstains, the deep color of which indicated its great age.
The bloodstains, undiminished through the ages, exuded a chilling, malevolent aura. Ren Xiaoyao could even sense a familiar fluctuation within them— the Dark Law originating from the same source as the remnant souls of the four powerful figures. Clearly, this axe had slain countless powerful individuals who had attempted to plunder its origins, and each notch represented a battle.
"Guardian of the Wasteland, Cang." The figure slowly raised his Giant Axe, the blade pointing directly at Ren Xiaoyao. The resulting gust of wind whipped up sand and gravel, forming a sand curtain between the two. Within the sand curtain, the afterimages of past battles could be vaguely seen. "This place is Wild Frontier Forbidden Land. Those who do not bear the Dao of 'Life and Death' are not allowed to approach the Origin of the Wasteland."
Ren Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow, sensing the power flowing within the other's body. It was no ordinary Principle, but the Power of Desolation from the same source as the Wild Frontier —a power that could wither vegetation and Star Annihilation, yet also give birth to new life from the ruins of Annihilation, just like the cycle of the Wild Frontier over billions of years. It and his own Laws of Life and Death were like two sides of the same coin: one evolved birth and death in order, as orderly as the cycle of the four seasons; the other performed reincarnation in Primordial Chaos, as wild as the ebb and flow of the tides.
"I come for the Origin of the Wasteland." Cyan Flame rose from Ren Xiaoyao's palm, and Life and Death Characters ancient seal characters for "birth" and "death" flowed within the flames. The light patterns at the edges of the seal characters resonated subtly with the distant pillar of light, like two tuning forks resonating in the air, producing a harmonious sound. "Not to plunder, but to complete the Dao of 'birth and death'."
"Insolence!" Cang stomped his foot hard, and the Black Quicksand beneath his feet suddenly boiled, like a pot of boiling asphalt, with sand grains flying everywhere with a powerful impact.
Countless skeletons emerged from the sand: the fangs of giant beasts curved like scimitars, gleaming with a cold luster; the finger bones of humans were slender yet hard, seemingly capable of easily crushing metal and stone; the beaks of birds were sharp as cones, exuding a deadly aura. They assembled in mid-air to form a bone wall thousands of feet high, the surface of which shimmered with a dark red light.
The runes on the bone wall suddenly lit up, the dark red light flickering like flames, radiating a fierce power that suppressed all ages—it was the will of "Annihilation Above All" in the Laws of the Wasteland, enough to cause the Primordial Spirit of an ordinary cultivator to shatter and turn into Void in an instant.
The Giant Axe swept across, stirring up sand that condensed into countless stone spears in mid-air, so many that it was dazzling.
The stone spear was made of dark yellow rock, its tip gleaming with a ghostly green light, carrying an aura of death. The Annihilation Law was wrapped around it, and Law Flow, the space around the stone spear was ground into dust, leaving transparent traces, in which ripples of shattered space remained.
This is the Power of Desolation accumulated over millions of years in the Wild Frontier, the ultimate manifestation of all things from birth to Annihilation. It is as if even time can be pierced and crushed by these stone spears, turning past vitality into Void without leaving a trace.
Ren Xiaoyao neither dodged nor evaded. The Laws of Life and Death transformed into a cyan-gold light screen in front of him. The surface of the light screen was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the surrounding scenery.
On the light screen, the ancient Life and Death Characters" rotated continuously, sometimes separating like the two poles of Yin and Yang, clearly distinct; sometimes merging like the Tai Chi Primordial Chaos, indistinguishable from one another, radiating an aura that encompasses all things, as if it could contain all power.
The stone spear struck the light barrier, but instead of shattering as expected, it slowly melted away in the Cyan Flame. Guided by the Power of Life and Death, the Annihilation Law flowed in reverse, and the tip of the stone spear faded from its dark yellow, sprouting tender green shoots. Slender vines emerged from the cracks in the rock along the spear shaft, adorned with tiny white flowers that emitted a faint fragrance. The sharpest spearhead transformed into a green leaf supporting the flower, with a drop of Principle dew still clinging to its tip, reflecting the entire process.
"This is impossible!" Green flames suddenly blazed in Cang's eye sockets, shooting up three feet high and scorching the surrounding sand and gravel until they turned red and began to melt slightly under the intense heat.
He had guarded this place for billions of years, witnessing countless cultivators who had dabbled in the origin, yet no one had ever been able to reverse the Power of Desolation. "The Dao of Desolation is the Way Home Annihilation! Birth is for the sake of death, and all things will eventually return to Void!" His voice was filled with incomprehension and anger.
He spread his arms, and the entire Wild Frontier land trembled violently, the tremors growing stronger and stronger, as if to tear the land apart completely.
The black mountain range shattered like a broken eggshell, revealing a surging, dark yellow torrent within—pure, Wasteland Energy. The torrent flowed with incredible speed and World-Ending Aura. Countless remnants of civilizations floated within it: in collapsed palaces, Glazed Ice were still stained with fresh, bright red blood, as if it had just been left; on tattered battle banners, the Totems patterns were blackened by gunpowder smoke, Totems shapes still faintly discernible; in weathered scrolls, runes on the tattered pages still flickered faintly, seemingly fragments of some Lost Cultivation Method, their meanings leaving much to the imagination.
Each piece of debris carries a forgotten history, telling the ironclad law of "prosperity leads to decline, and decline leads to destruction," making one sigh at the impermanence of life.
"I will sacrifice the wasteland to Annihilation heaven and earth!" Cang's voice was filled with determination and madness, as if he wanted to perish together with this land.
A dark yellow torrent roared as it rose into the sky, transforming into a vast, winding, Wasteland Dragon that blotted out the sun.
The dragon scales are composed of countless rubbles, each piece of rubble is engraved with the character "Destroy", and the runes shine with a dark green light; the dragon claws are sharp rock thorns, and the gray-black venom dripping from the thorn tips can corrode the space, causing ripples in the space wherever the venom passes; the gray-black flames ejected from the dragon's mouth burn a huge pit when it hits the ground, and even the light in the pit is swallowed up, leaving absolute darkness - it is the fire of annihilation that can annihilate even light.
Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, and the Chaos Cauldron slowly rotated above his head, its body emitting a faint golden light. The Primordial Chaos energy overflowing from the cauldron's mouth merged with the Laws of Life and Death around him, forming a cyan-gold vortex. The vortex rotated faster and faster, generating a powerful suction force.
Within the vortex, countless tiny stars are Life-Death Alternation: some burst forth with dazzling light at birth, from which tiny creatures emerge and leap joyfully; others collapse into Black Hole at Annihilation, devouring everything around them, their Black Hole incredibly strong.
He walked towards the Wasteland Dragon. With each step, the Black Quicksand beneath his feet transformed into fertile Black Soil, Black Soil color deep and rich. From the Black Soil sprouted verdant grass shoots, their vibrant green brimming with life. These grass shoots grew at a visible speed into Sky-Piercing Ancient Tree, their branches and leaves so lush they blocked out the sun. Among the branches and leaves of these ancient trees lay glistening fruits, each fruit containing the phantom images of nascent life—winged birds, running beasts, swimming fish and shrimp—each phantom brimming with vitality, as if ready to burst forth at any moment.
"The Dao of Life and Death and death is not a matter of either/or." Ren Xiaoyao's voice echoed between heaven and earth, carrying the weight of the Principle resonating, as if the entire Wild Frontier was trembling at his words. "The Annihilation of the wilderness is the prelude to rebirth. Without death, how can there be life? Without decay, how can there be prosperity?" His words contained profound philosophy.
He raised his hand and placed it on the head of the Wasteland Dragon. The azure-gold Laws of Life and Death surged in like a tide, the power of the tide both gentle and powerful.
The once all-consuming Wasteland Dragon underwent an astonishing transformation in the golden light: its shattered stone scales turned bluish-green, shimmering with the luster of life, radiating health and vitality; its rock-spiky claws grew crystal-clear jade armor, the scales reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, the scene of which was clearly visible; its Black Fire transformed into warm golden light, and wherever it passed, gravel turned into Fertile Soil, and withered bones sprouted new buds—everything was developing in a positive direction.
The Wasteland Dragon let out a roar that shook the heavens and the earth, no longer a destructive howl, but a joyful celebration of new life, its roar filled with happiness and freedom. It spiraled into the sky, and where its tail swept, the black mountains receded as if melting snow, revealing a lush forest below; the gray-yellow sky was dyed a clear azure, and the clouds turned into pure white cotton wool in the sunlight, making the whole world bright.
Cang stood there blankly, the green flames in his eye sockets flickering violently. For the first time, a sense of "confusion" appeared in the flames, a confusion tinged with bewilderment and wavering.
He could feel the Power of Desolation within him transforming, the energy that had been dormant for millennia flowing with a new warmth, a warmth like a gentle stream nourishing his body. On his body, intertwined with rocks and vines, a crack appeared, from which a tender green leaf emerged, dewdrops condensed from the Principle rolling on its surface, reflecting the faint light of new life.
"You... truly understand desolation." Cang slowly lowered his Giant Axe, the blade plunging into the sand with a soft "plop." His voice carried a sense of relief, as if a boulder that had weighed on his heart for billions of years had finally been lifted. "For billions of years, someone has finally understood that the Origin of the Wasteland has never been a symbol of Annihilation, but rather the pivot of the Cycle of Life and Death. Annihilation is the dormancy of life, and life is the continuation of annihilation; they are two sides of the same coin."
The black rock around him peeled away at an accelerated rate, revealing a phantom formed from pure Principle. The gray light at the edges of the phantom gradually softened, no longer carrying the coldness that kept people at a distance.