With the gourd in hand, he continued his journey through Buzhou Mountain.
Meanwhile, the others at the scene watched the direction Ao Chen had gone, their expressions growing even more complicated and grave!
They had fought to a standstill. Eastern Emperor Taiyi, wielding an Innate Supreme Treasure, had actually met this unknown young man as an equal. The sight left them utterly astonished.
The Sun Palace had now been built. Though the Demon Race had yet to emerge, Eastern Emperor Taiyi's domineering strength was renowned throughout the Primordial Wilderness.
It was no exaggeration to say that among the many mighty figures, Eastern Emperor Taiyi could easily rank in the top three. He might even have a chance at claiming the top spot.
Yet someone like him had met an unfamiliar young man as an equal.
"This Daoist Ao Chen is truly unfathomable!" Ancestor Hong Yun exclaimed, clicking his tongue in amazement, still shaken.
Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard and nodded, his gaze profound. "When did such a figure appear in the Primordial Wilderness?"
"I have never seen him. We did not see him when we listened to the Dao at Zixiao Palace, either, when the Dao Ancestor passed on the teachings."
Fuxi shook his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he pondered.
Nuwa, standing beside him, nodded faintly, her expression grave. "His strength is one thing. The key is that method of his."
Everyone present fell silent at Nuwa's words.
They knew exactly what she meant.
At first, they had suspected Ao Chen was concealing his aura. But in his clash with Eastern Emperor Taiyi just now, he had revealed everything.
That aura belonged to a Heavenly Immortal.
Yet a Heavenly Immortal had met Eastern Emperor Taiyi, a peak Great Luo, as an equal. That method was truly strange.
"Hmph! An evil, unorthodox path!" Primordial Lord of Heaven snorted and swept away.
Sect Master Tongtian, however, laughed. "Interesting! Very interesting! I hope I get the chance to learn from him someday!" With that, he turned into a streak of sword light and departed.
Taishang Laojun glanced at the others, shook his head slightly, and vanished in a wisp of Pure Qi.
Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged a glance, then left together.
Only Ancestor Minghe remained. He looked toward the direction the others had gone, then toward the place where Ao Chen had disappeared, and gave a sly grin. A flash of blood-red light flickered, and he too vanished into the void.
After this battle, however, Ao Chen would no longer remain unknown.
Meanwhile, Ao Chen had completely left the area where so many of the Primordial Wilderness's top experts had gathered. He paid no mind to the complicated gazes and murmurs behind him.
Whether they were astonished, wary, curious, or disdainful, Ao Chen seemed not to notice.
His Dao Heart was steadfast, his goal clear. The distractions of the outside world could no longer sway him in the slightest.
At that moment, all his attention was focused on the mountain before him: a towering pillar between heaven and earth, symbol of Pangu's Will, the foremost divine mountain of the Primordial Wilderness—Buzhou Mountain.
One step carried him across thousands of mountains and rivers.
Ao Chen's figure moved through the rolling peaks of the Buzhou Mountain Range, gradually approaching its central, highest ridge.
The closer he drew to the main peak, the heavier the Pressure of Pangu became, born from the creation of heaven and earth. It weighed down on him like a prison.
Even the void seemed to solidify. Every inch of space brimmed with an invisible force, as if it would grind any outsider to dust.
Ordinary immortals would struggle even to stand here, let alone climb.
Yet Ao Chen walked through it with a calm expression and steady steps.
He had now reached the Mythical Heavenly Immortal Realm, his cultivation having "transcended the ages, eternal and unique." His own Dao had begun to touch the dimensions of spacetime.
Though the Pressure of Pangu was formidable, it could not truly shake the foundation of his Dao, "Time is My Sole Proof."
What was more, the omnipresent pressure and the boundless Daoist resonance within it were, to him, excellent resources for cultivation!
He did not deliberately resist. Instead, he opened his mind and actively drew the pressure in, letting it temper his body and primordial spirit.
His Five-Clawed True Dragon body was already mighty. Now, under the refinement of Pangu's pressure, each scale gleamed with an undying radiance. It was as if stars were being born and extinguished within his flesh, sinews, and bones as he transformed toward a higher level.
His primordial spirit, too, grew ever more crystalline under the baptism of Pangu's Daoist resonance, and his understanding of the Mythical Grand Unity Method advanced with it.
"Buzhou Mountain, Pangu's Spine... It truly lives up to its name."
Ao Chen climbed, silently contemplating.
The climb itself was a form of cultivation.
But he did not devote all his attention to comprehending Pangu's legacy.
As he continued his steady ascent, a thought stirred in his mind. A small gourd appeared quietly in his palm. It was entirely gray, devoid of any markings, and looked exceptionally plain and ancient.
It was the seventh gourd borne by the Innate Gourd Vine.
He had not studied it in depth since obtaining it.
Now, Ao Chen felt the time had come.
As he climbed Buzhou Mountain and comprehended Pangu's Will, he would also study the mysteries of the Dao concealed within the mysterious Gray Gourd, especially the Innate Spiritual Restrictions naturally formed inside it.
His Heaven-Defying Comprehension surged to its fullest. His gaze seemed to pierce the Gray Gourd's surface and illuminate the incredibly complex, profound, and indescribable Innate Spiritual Restrictions within.
These restrictions were entirely different from those in other Innate Spiritual Treasures. They did not point toward any clear laws, but instead existed in a chaotic, nebulous state—seemingly empty, yet not empty; seemingly present, yet not present. They seemed to be the most primordial traces left by the birth of the Great Dao, containing infinite possibilities, yet remaining unfathomable.
"This feeling... Is it Chaos, or nothingness?"
Ao Chen's thoughts raced as he endured the tempering of Pangu's pressure and analyzed the Innate Spiritual Restrictions within the gourd.
Gradually, he caught a glimpse of their central truth: an ultimate state of "inwardness," "self-sufficiency," and "independence."
It was as if the gourd itself were a perfect, self-sufficient Chaos Origin, independent of the outside world, untouched by cause and effect, and separate from the laws of the Primordial World.
The discovery made Ao Chen's heart jolt!
He immediately thought of the next realm he was devising: the Mythical True Immortal Realm!
According to his speculation, the core of the True Immortal Realm lay in "attaining the Dao through oneself, achieving an immortal body and an indestructible primordial spirit, and condensing the past, present, and future bodies."
First, one had to establish one's own Dao. Then came the immortal body and indestructible primordial spirit. Only at the end could one sever the past, present, and future bodies.
The undying quality within this Innate Spiritual Treasure, along with the Chaos Gourd's ability to form an independent Dao, gave Ao Chen a tremendous insight into his method.
By contrast, the final method of Severing the Three-Life Body seemed to follow naturally once the other steps were complete.
"I see! 'Condensing the past, present, and future bodies' isn't merely a temporal divine ability. It is the manifestation of one's Dao reaching completion!"
"Only when one's own Dao, like this Gray Gourd, reaches a state of absolute inwardness and self-sufficiency can it form a True Self Dao Domain, independent of the River of Time in the Primordial Wilderness."
"This True Self Dao Domain is one's own heart! It does not rely on the Heavenly Dao and forms its own cycle. In time, it can replace one's reliance on the heart of Heaven!"
"And the foundation for building this True Self Dao Domain is an immortal body and an indestructible primordial spirit!"
"Only by becoming undying and indestructible can one forcibly anchor, recall, and gather the past self and future self scattered throughout the River of Time into the present self!"
"Every link connects to the next. I see! I see! My Dao is complete! Hahaha!"
Boom!
Ao Chen suddenly felt as though a veil had lifted. His thoughts flowed with perfect clarity!
A clear framework swiftly took shape in his mind: the central cultivation principles of the Mythical True Immortal Method, its key steps, and the specific path to condensing the Three-Life Body and using his own heart to replace the heart of Heaven!
Though the cultivation method itself still required immense deduction and refinement, he had found the key to the door leading to the True Immortal Realm!
Ao Chen's steps did not falter. He continued his steady climb, his eyes calm, yet alight with a brilliance he had never shown before.
On Buzhou Mountain, amid the drifting clouds and mist, a brand-new mythical realm was quietly taking shape in the heart of this Dragon Race youth, whose comprehension defied the heavens.
The Great Dao Origin Scripture: Mythical True Immortal Chapter was no longer far away!
The twenty-second chapter: Seeking the Perfect True Immortal Dao, the First Wu Yao Battle Begins
Somewhere on the slopes of Buzhou Mountain, clouds and mist curled around him, and Daoist resonance arose naturally.
Ao Chen sat cross-legged, his eyes closed, while his mind raced faster than ever before.
In his mind, the many mysteries of the Mythical True Immortal Realm—attaining the Dao through oneself, achieving an immortal body and an indestructible primordial spirit, condensing the Three-Life Body, and using his own heart to replace the heart of Heaven—were being continuously integrated and deduced by his Heaven-Defying Comprehension.
These core principles, obtained by studying the Gray Gourd's Innate Spiritual Restrictions and enduring Pangu's pressure, were now being woven into the general outline of the Mythic Path he had created for himself: the Great Dao Origin Scripture. He was constructing its crucial third chapter, the Mythical True Immortal Chapter.
Yet as his deductions deepened, Ao Chen's brow furrowed slightly of its own accord.
"Something's wrong... It's still not enough..."
He keenly sensed that although he had clarified the True Immortal Realm's central direction—building a True Self Dao Domain to contain the Three-Life Body, creating an Independent Spacetime, and ultimately using his own heart to replace the heart of Heaven—something crucial was still missing from the specific path to achieve it.
It was like seeing the final picture in a puzzle and finding most of the pieces, yet still being unable to make the most important ones fit.
The theoretical framework for the Mythical True Immortal Chapter was in place, but its details remained obscure and difficult, lacking a smooth, harmonious flow.
"The Gray Gourd's chaotic restrictions point toward 'independence and self-sufficiency,' while Pangu's pressure offers a model for an immortal foundation... But these alone aren't enough to support a complete True Immortal Chapter."
"Without a more comprehensive and reliable method, forcing it would bring unpredictable consequences." Ao Chen understood this clearly.
His comprehension was exceptional, allowing him to reach straight for the source of the Great Dao, but creating a cultivation method was no castle in the air.
The Mythical Grand Unity Method was a path without precedent. Every step demanded an exceptionally solid foundation and proof.
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