Creation Azure Beast
Just as the tail fin of the Azure Sky Dragon Demon's thousand-foot-long body disappeared into the folds of the sea of clouds, a Ethereal Blue Gap suddenly opened in the western sky. The light particles flowing along the edge of the rift were not scattered Stardust, but rather like Azure Glazed Porcelain Shard meticulously polished by an artisan, each one reflecting the sea of clouds—only the reflections were distorted into eerie arcs, with wisps of cloud transforming into entwined snake shadows, and starlight torn into fine silver threads, gradually dissolving with the flow of light particles, as if about to be completely swallowed by the dark blue depths of the rift.
The breathing from the crevice grew increasingly heavy and murky. The exhalations carried a sweet, grassy scent, yet one could discern seven parts fresh, tender buds and three parts musty, decaying leaves. This sweetness and rot intertwined in the airflow, creating a nauseatingly eerie atmosphere. The inhalations stirred up mountain rocks and dust, concealing the secrets of millions of years of geological change. In the faint sound of sand grains gliding through the void, one could hear the low murmur of the receding tides of Ancient Ocean, the friction of shifting glaciers, and the muffled thuds of colliding tectonic plates. With each breath, the Spiritual Qi of the Floating Island seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, beginning to surge in the opposite direction: the Crystal Moss on the cliff edge faded to ashen gray at a visible speed, its once flowing silver arcs completely vanished, and the moss cells lost their... Gone was the vibrant energy; withered like dried leaves, their juices squeezed dry, not even the slightest tremor remained. The gnarled branches of the ancient pine seemed to have been drained of their marrow; the cracked lines on the bark resembled the veins on an old man's hand. The crisp sound of falling pine needles blended together, each fallen needle bearing scorched lines, as if burned by an invisible flame. The Light and Darkness Qi within the Tai Chi Ring were stagnant, like frozen ice, with ripples of hesitation appearing between the alternation of light and darkness. The micro-stars on the Star Map flickered on and off; when the light of one of the micro-stars completely went out, it turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished, leaving an empty gap on the Star Map, like a piece of flesh that had been forcibly ripped away.
"Roar--"
The moment the eerie howl exploded from the crack, the air throughout the entire Floating Island trembled. The sound was far beyond the capabilities of any mortal being; it contained both the crisp crack of bamboo shoots breaking through frozen earth in early spring—so crisp you could count the layers of each fiber breaking—and the muffled groan of an ancient tree struck by lightning—as muffled as a hundred-pound boulder crashing onto a dusty drum. The lingering vibrations of the drumhead seeped into his consciousness through his ear canals, stirring up a dense, stinging pain. The cinnabar mark between Ren Xiaoyao's brows burned slightly, and the gray-white area deep within his consciousness, resonating with "Void," trembled violently. Disordered ripples emerged from the pale ink-like patterns, and within these ripples, one could even see a few wisps of shattered Purple-Gold Airflow slowly dissipating into golden starlight.
Immediately afterward, a Strange Beasts stepped out of the crack, its feet treading on flowing blue light. The instant its four legs touched the ground, the groan emanating from the Floating Island's protective shield almost materialized. The spiderweb-like cracks on the Light Membrane instantly spread throughout the entire shield, and the foul wind seeping from the depths of the cracks carried a heavy smell of rust. Tiny droplets of blood carried in the wind landed on the grayish-white remains of the Crystal Moss, causing a sizzling sound as they burned. Fine holes appeared on the surface of the remains, as if they were being corroded by some invisible acid.
This is the Creation Azure Beast.
Its entire body is covered in layers of scales, which, when inhaling, take on a clear, azure hue, like the sky after rain. This azure isn't a single color, but a gradual change from light to dark—from a pale blue resembling flowing Cloud Wisp Pattern flowing across its scales, one can even see virtual sunlight drifting through the gaps in the clouds, the gold edges of which flicker with each breath. When exhaling, the scales abruptly turn a deep indigo, like water soaked in thick ink, making the Remnant Souls of Living Beings floating at the bottom even clearer: in the afterimage of birds flapping their wings, one can see feathers being torn by the airflow. Details were striking: the feathers at the tips of the wings had fallen out, revealing bloodied quills; in the silhouettes of fleeing beasts, the muscles of their limbs were taut with extreme fear, their hooves and claws deeply embedded in the illusory mud, leaving traces of struggle; in the dim light of the cultivator's sword, the arc of the sword tassel was clearly discernible, and the resolute aura condensed in the sword light even caused a slight stinging sensation in the surrounding air. These remnant souls were tightly imprisoned by scales, their silent wails piercing the soul, sending chills down one's spine, as if countless icy fingers were slowly climbing up the spine.
The most bizarre thing was its head: translucent vines coiled around deer-shaped antlers, the Blood-colored Juice flowing from its veins glowing fluorescently. Each drop of sap, upon falling, left a fleeting bloodstain on the vines; the blood-red flowers at the tips were not still, their petals opening and closing at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, the eerie silver light at the edges of the petals refracting a dizzying halo in the morning light. The saliva on the eagle-shaped hooked beak was as viscous as amber, and when it dripped onto the bluestone slab, it eroded the small pits in which the Blood-red Grass sprouted from the soil. At the moment, one could see the fine down on the grass blades, the tips of which were covered with even smaller beads of blood. The cries of an infant as the grass blades unfurled sounded, upon closer listening, like countless tiny sounds superimposed—the cries of children, the sighs of the elderly, and the roars of wild beasts, all interwoven in this eerie cacophony into a chilling, demonic sound.
Those vertical pupils were even more terrifying. The pure blue pupils were unfathomable, like a solidified deep sea, yet they possessed a sinister greed that surpassed even the "Void" of the Heavenly Emperor of Extreme Evil. This greed was not the eagerness of a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey, but rather the chilling lurking of a venomous snake. As the pupils moved, the Purple-Gold Airflow flowing around Ren Xiaoyao was reflected in every detail—the interplay of light and darkness within the aura was as if alive, and one could even see the Star Fragments hidden in the light aura and the Void Dust wrapped in the dark aura. Even more terrifying was that the depths of the pupils clearly reflected the scene in his sea of consciousness: the gray-white that resonated with "Void," the Clear and Moist Aura flowing within the ink-like patterns—all were captured clearly by these eyes.
"Gurgle--"
The sound emanating from the Azure Beast's throat was like the grinding of rolling stones. Its four hooves slammed down, shattering the rocks beneath its feet. In the instant the stone fragments flew, one could see the crushed Rock Spirit writhing in agony, the patterns of the rock layers still visible on their surfaces. Yet, upon contact with the Azure Beast's aura, they turned into wisps of green smoke. It swept in with a force that Sky-Rending Strike, and the screams of creatures mixed in with the wind grew clearer—the final echoes of devoured souls in their despair. There were fragments of a cultivator's dying incantation, the whimpers of a dying beast, and the mournful cries of a bird falling to the ground, all interwoven in the wind into a desperate Soul Suppressing Song.
Its goal, from beginning to end, has always been the essence of Ren Xiaoyao.
Ren Xiaoyao's pupils suddenly contracted. The aura emanating from this Strange Beasts was too contradictory: when its claws sliced through the void, the tender shoots emerging from the Rift carried the vitality of Creation and Life, and the vines that instantly grew into tendrils even had virtual dewdrops condensing on their downy hairs. The grassy and woody scent emanating from the unfolding vines also carried the fragrance of the soil; yet the Serrated Black Qi on the edges of the vines and leaves concealed a ferocious ferocity that devoured all things— the Fang Phantoms floating in the black aura, each with fine barbs, turned to dust the moment they touched the black robes, and at the same time, fragments of the Star Map on the fabric could be seen dissipating in the air. The starlight at the handle of the Big Dipper was completely extinguished, and at the location where two newly formed micro-stars beside the Southern Dipper had been annihilated, two twisted Void Crack were left, like two scars that would never heal.
"Trying to break through the shackles of creation by borrowing my essence? What a pipe dream!" Ren Xiaoyao sneered, his toes slamming heavily on the bluestone slab, instantly revealing a faint Tai Chi pattern. In a flash, the Tai Chi aura around him expanded three feet, light and darkness swirling and rising like two dragons: the light energy transformed into fireflies with golden tails, each wing adorned with star-like patterns; touching the darkness ignited golden flames, the Sanskrit runes floating within them humming. The light shone on the vines, and from the vines' mournful screams, one could discern the wild rabbits they had entangled. Amidst the wailing, the chirping of tits, and even the gasps of the herb gatherers, the vines finally curled into ash in the flames. From the ashes, the remnants of life, stretching their illusory limbs, bowed slightly to Ren Xiaoyao before dissipating, leaving faint spots of light where they vanished, like stars that never faded. The deep vortex formed by dark energy, with the illusory image of the Big Dipper rotating at its edge, precisely targeted the gigantic maw of the Azure Beast, absorbing all the indigo poisonous mist. When the corrosive power of the poisonous mist collided with the "nothingness" at the center of the vortex, the resulting crackling sounds were like crushing dry insect eggs, yet they couldn't even create a ripple.
But that's far from enough.
The Azure Beast was utterly enraged. Its massive body trembled violently, and the illusory remnants of its souls among its scales instantly became frenzied. The wings of birds flapped more rapidly, the limbs of beasts struggled more violently, and the sword light of cultivators flickered almost madly. It suddenly opened its massive maw, and the azure sea of light within it surged even more viscously. The faces emerging from the waves were no longer blurry; one could clearly see the pain and despair on each face—the terror of young children, the sorrow of white-haired elders, and the resentment of middle-aged cultivators. The wails of the creatures emanating from the depths of the sea of light pierced the soul, causing the cliffs of the Floating Island to tremble slightly. Crystal Moss remnants on the cliffs fell in a rustling sound, as if weeping for these departed souls.
With a deafening roar, the sea of light transformed into a Azure-Black Light Pillar. Within the Spiral Black Qi swirling around it, countless tiny vortexes emerged. This pillar wasn't a brute force attack, but rather carried the uncanny power of "creation." Wherever it passed, space was distorted into a spiraling funnel, and the Life and Death of All Things on the funnel walls became increasingly clear: when a flower reached its peak and decayed, the morning dew on its petals instantly turned into foul-smelling pus, within which wriggled maggots could be seen; when an infant fell to earth and turned into bones, the residual Maternal Temperature still lingered on the bones, and black maggots emerging from the crevices began to gnaw at the bone; when Star Birth and then extinguished, the burst of light, before illuminating the surrounding void, collapsed into a lifeless black dot, instantly swallowing the stardust around it. This pillar of light was forcibly pulling Ren Xiaoyao's life trajectory into a vicious cycle of "devouring- Annihilation," causing him to experience the Cycle of Life and Death in an instant, ultimately becoming part of the sea of light.
"The cycle of birth and death in the universe is predetermined; how dare you, Demonic Creatures, presume to alter it!"
Ren Xiaoyao formed hand seals. When his left hand formed the "Life" seal, a faint emerald light emanated from his fingertips, within which the phantom of growing vegetation appeared. When his right hand formed the "Extinction" seal, a somber gray-black aura settled at his fingertips, concealing the trajectory of Star Annihilation. The instant his hands crossed, the gray-white expanse deep within his sea of consciousness resonated completely with the "Void" of heaven and earth, emitting a clear, resonant hum. Countless translucent threads appeared around him, as thin as hair yet as strong as refined steel, one end connected to the vegetation and rocks of the Floating Island —the connection points with the roots of the vegetation shimmered with an emerald light, within which the sap could be seen flowing in the veins; the connection points with the rock formations held a faint, ethereal glow. A somber, grayish-brown hue, within which one could hear the breath of the deep rock strata. One end was tied to the celestial Star Tides —silver trails traced across the starry sky, synchronized with the movement of the stars; blue-green ripples resonated with the ebb and flow of the tides, flickering with the rise and fall of the waves. The Rhythm of Life and Death flowing through each thread was the connection he had established with heaven and earth through his life's cultivation, now fully activated, like a Heaven and Earth Great Furnace, within which the four flames of light, darkness, illusion, and reality intertwined to form a ring, reflecting the illusory image of the Reincarnation of All Things: from dust to stars, from Stellar Collapse to dust; from seeds to ancient trees, from ancient trees to decaying soil.
"Rise!"
With a low shout from Ren Xiaoyao, the ancient pine tree on the cliff suddenly sprang up from the ground. Its massive root system, carrying countless soil and pebbles, and its gnarled branches transformed into thousands of Green Whip Shadows. The starlight fragments wrapped around the whip tips were like inlaid diamonds, refracting brilliantly in the morning light. The moment the whip shadows struck the pillar of light, the crackling sound was like red-hot iron piercing cold water. The starlight fragments on the whip shadows collided with the black mist in the pillar of light, stirring up countless tiny Mars. When the Mars landed, tiny green buds sprouted, only to wither instantly—as if experiencing a miniature cycle of life and death.
The underground rock layers surged upwards like a colossal beast awakening, stacking upon each other to form a massive, gray-brown shield. The geological patterns on the shield's surface were clearly discernible: the ripples of Ancient Ocean revealed the phantoms of swimming fish, while the striations of Modern Glacier concealed the chilling coldness of Ice Crystals. These patterns dissipated the impact of the beam of light layer by layer. The residual heat from Ancient Volcano seeping from these patterns carried a slightly bitter sulfurous odor, causing the bluish-black beam of light to ripple like melting ice at the edges when it meets hot coals, and the color of the beam dimmed slightly as a result.
Further away, the tide suddenly surged, the waves transforming into a silvery-white water dragon. Within the countless Ice Crystals held in its mouth, frozen stardust fragments shimmered with a light more dazzling than diamonds. When the water dragon crashed into the pillar of light, the resounding clang of Jade and Stone Shattered burning together was like the striking of a chime bell. Each clang caused the scales of the Azure Beast to tremble slightly, and the illusory remnant soul deep within the scales struggled violently, as if trying to use the vibrations to break free from the scales' restraints. The wings of birds almost broke through the scales' confinement, the hooves of beasts left shallow scratches on the scales, and the sword light of cultivators even pierced several thin patches of scales, revealing the pale flesh beneath.
The Creation Azure Beast's Devouring Power far exceeded expectations. It inhaled sharply, and the suction force at its massive maw suddenly increased tenfold. Countless invisible vortexes appeared in the air, and the airflow at the center of the vortexes even distorted light. The ancient pine whip shadow was instantly pulled towards its maw, turning into ashes the moment it touched the Azure-Black Sea of Light. Even the stardust fragments were completely devoured, leaving only a faint burnt smell, in which one could discern the fragrance of Pine Wood and the slight bitterness of stardust.
Fine holes appeared on the surface of the Rock Strata Giant Shield, like countless tiny mouths greedily sucking up the power within. The bluish-black mist seeping from the holes was no longer the aura of the earth's veins, but rather the Origin Power forcibly extracted. The moment this mist was inhaled by the Azure Beast, the azure color on its scales became dazzlingly bright, and new Cloud Wisp Pattern could even be seen forming on its armor plates. The cloud shadows within those patterns were no longer distorted, but instead carried a certain vitality of the Heaven and Earth Life —only this vitality was distorted by greed, exuding an indescribable eeriness.
The tidal water dragon was also twisted and deformed by the suction force. Its body gradually became transparent, and the water shimmer on its scales quickly dissipated, eventually turning into water vapor and disappearing into the air, leaving only a few salty water droplets. The water droplets fell onto the bluestone slab and were instantly absorbed. In the shallow white marks left on the slab, one could still see the painful posture of the water dragon before it disappeared, like a light ink painting washed by rain.
"Puff--"
Ren Xiaoyao felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a mouthful of Purple-Gold Blood Qi gushed out, drawing a dazzling arc in the air. When the Blood Qi landed, it turned into specks of sparks, and the damaged state of his origin became increasingly clear in the sparks: the cracks on the gray-white area deep in his sea of consciousness spread like a spider web, and in the charred dust seeping from the cracks, the broken fragments of light Light and Darkness Qi were slowly annihilating. The fragments of light energy turned into golden starlight, and the fragments of darkness energy condensed into gray-black sludge, all telling the story of the wounds to his origin.
A wildly joyful blue light flashed in the Azure Beast's vertical pupils, so bright it almost pierced the void. It pounced on Ren Xiaoyao, its hooked beak aimed straight for his brow. The moment its beak touched his forehead, a bone-chilling cold surged through his meridians into his sea of consciousness—this cold was not low temperature, but a direct plunder of his very essence, as if someone were holding an ice pick, trying to forcefully chisel open his sea of consciousness, digging out all the gray and Light and Dark Power within, leaving him utterly empty, devoid of any source.
At the critical moment, a brilliant light suddenly burst forth in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. The light was neither as intense as the light energy nor as profound as the darkness energy, but rather a clarity that encompassed all things, like the first ray of light at the Beginning of Chaos, containing both the Hope of Life and the Silence of Annihilation. He bit his tongue sharply, and a stream of Essence Blood mixed with the Soul Power transformed into a crimson-gold stream of light. The moment it surged into his sea of consciousness, it merged with the gray-white and Purple-Gold Airflow flows, Light and Darkness Qi became one.
At this moment, he completely "let go" --
Let go of attachment to birth and death, no longer deliberately distinguishing between the splendor of blooming flowers and the desolation of withering flowers, understanding that the two are two sides of the same coin in the cycle of life; let go of the distinction between light and darkness, no longer clinging to the warmth of light and the coldness of darkness, knowing that they are merely different forms of the Heaven and Earth Energy; even that wisp of "Devouring Void" dissipated by the Heavenly Emperor of Extreme Evil was transformed by him into a bridge guiding the "Containing Void" inherent in heaven and earth, like paving a road from bad soil to fertile fields, turning the original malice into a ladder to comprehend the Supreme Dao.
"I am the foundation, merging with the Heaven and Earth Void, transforming Guixu of All Things!"
His voice seemed to come from eternity, carrying the weight of the Beginning of Heaven and Earth and the emptiness of the Annihilation of All Things. Each word transformed into golden runes, dissipating in the air and merging into the surrounding void. The instant his voice fell, an ultimate "blank" erupted around him—this blank was not Void, but Primordial Chaos capable of containing light, sound, and breath, the state before the creation of heaven and earth, neither existent nor nonexistent, yet capable of Nurturing All Things.
The moment the Azure Beast's hooked beak pierced the void, it was as if it had plunged into Bottomless Abyss. Not only did it fail to touch Ren Xiaoyao's brow, but it was also entangled by the Rhythm of Life and Death flowing within the void. That rhythm spread along the tip of its beak, like an invisible thread, connecting the Azure Beast's soul to this void, making it unable to break free.
In this rhythm: in the gentle blooming of flowers, one can see the petals' longing for the sunlight as they unfold, even the angle at which the sunlight passes through the petals is clearly discernible; in the serene falling of leaves, one can hear the leaves returning to the earth as they fall, even the faint sound of the leaves rubbing against the air is clearly audible; in the fiery Star Birth, one can feel the vastness of the universe reflected in the burst of light, even the speed of the Star Core rotation can be perceived; in the tranquil dissipation of dust, one can touch the vastness of the void as particles are annihilated, even the slight tremor of particles colliding with the void is clearly perceptible.
The lingering phantoms of the Azure Beast's scales trembled violently within this rhythm. They felt a long-lost peace and began to break free from the scales' constraints: the wings of birds no longer struggled, but stretched out and flew into the void; the limbs of beasts no longer tensed, but slowly walked into Primordial Chaos; the sword light of cultivators no longer flickered, but transformed into a soft halo that merged into this void. These devoured origins were released in "accommodation," and before dissipating into specks of light, they all turned towards Ren Xiaoyao's direction. Within the specks of light, their former appearances emerged: squirrels frolicking in the forest dragging their bushy tails, farmers working in the fields wiping the sweat from their brows, and cultivators flying on swords with their robes fluttering, all wearing peaceful smiles, as if expressing gratitude, or perhaps bidding farewell.
"Roar--No!"
The roar of the Azure Beast was filled with fear and despair.
This roar was no longer the domineering and ferocious one of before, but rather like the mournful cry of a young beast whose nest had been taken away, yet its enormous size caused the void to hum. It tried to pull back its hooked beak, but that "blank space" was like the thickest swamp; with each struggle, more Rhythm of Life and Death spread along its limbs. The azure glaze on its scales faded at a visible speed, revealing the pale, paper-white flesh beneath. Fine cracks appeared on the flesh, and what seeped from the cracks was no longer azure blood, but countless tiny particles of light—the very essence of life that it had devoured, now returning to the world in rhythm.
Beneath the shattered bluestone slabs, countless emerald green roots suddenly sprouted, coiling around its limbs like serpents. The tender shoots at the tips greedily sucked up the particles of light, stretching out a little more with each one absorbed. The downy hairs on the shoots, glistening with dew, reflected a pure luster in the morning light. These roots were not manipulated by Ren Xiaoyao, but rather were the spontaneous revival of the life force plundered from the Floating Island in the "Rhythm of Life and Death," possessing the most primal resilience of vegetation, firmly pinning the Azure Beast to the spot.
"Your 'fortune' is nothing but a bandit's act of plundering the life and death of heaven and earth." Ren Xiaoyao's voice was as calm as an ancient well. The gray-white depths of his sea of consciousness were completely synchronized with the void of heaven and Heaven and Earth Void. Those spiderweb-like cracks were slowly healing, and the Clear and Moist Aura flowing in the light ink patterns was becoming more and more pure. He raised his hand and waved it lightly. The "blankness" around him began to shrink, like the Primordial Chaos that condensed at the Beginning of Heaven and Earth, wrapping the huge body of the Azure Beast layer by layer.