Transmigrating Through the Great Desolation

The extreme of the East Sea, vast and boundless, stretching for tens of millions of miles.

Here lies a solitary island, like a pearl lost in the vast ocean, suspended upon the endless azure waves.

Though not large, the island is remarkably formed.

Strange rocks jut out, resembling coiled dragons and crouching tigers; ancient trees pierce the sky, like canopies holding up the clouds. Orchids bloom in secluded valleys, and precious herbs grow in the crevices of rocks. Spiritual springs bubble forth, their clear, cool essence refreshing the heart; auspicious mists rise and swirl, their luminous glow illuminating the heavens and earth.

At the island's heart is a deep pool, its waters dark and profound, seemingly bottomless.

The water is dark black, yet it faintly reveals thousands of golden glints, constantly shifting.

In the depths of the pool, an entity lies dormant.

Its form is serpentine, its length immeasurable, its entire body covered in dark golden scales the size of bowls.

Each scale seems to hold the faint light of ancient stars, its edges sharp as divine blades.

Its head is majestic, with a hint of dragon-like features, its pair of enormous eyes tightly shut, their eyelids also covered in golden scales.

From the center of its forehead, a single horn pierces the dark pool water. Its texture is like black jade, but its tip flows with a dazzling white-gold light, pulsing and stirring the surrounding water into a hidden vortex.

This is the first Golden Flood Dragon born from the primordial creation after the heavens and earth were opened!

Its name is Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan's vast consciousness is slowly awakening in a hazy, primordial state.

"Hiss... my head feels so heavy..."

As the thought arose, its colossal body stirred slightly.

Undercurrents surged, stirring up the spiritual sand deposited at the bottom of the pool for millennia. Its golden scales scraped against the rock walls, emitting a low, muffled sound like clashing metal, which echoed far into the depths of the water.

"This is... underwater?"

"Wasn't I pulling an all-nighter playing that damned Great Desolation game? How did I..."

Fragments of countless, jumbled memories, like a breached dam, surged into his sea of consciousness!

Earth, salaryman, 996, sudden death... Great Desolation, Heaven-Opening, fierce beasts, Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation... Golden Flood Dragon, the first of its kind, born with a Spiritual Treasure... Heavenly Immortal initial stage!

The last four words, like a splash of ice water, instantly doused him from the confusion of transmigration and the illusory pride of being the "first of its kind"!

"Heavenly Immortal... initial stage?"

Lin Xuan's massive golden vertical pupils snapped open!

Two beams of solid golden light, like twin swords that could cleave the heavens, suddenly pierced the dark pool water and shot upwards!

Where the golden light passed, the water parted silently, revealing the bottom of the pool in minute detail.

"What kind of Great Desolation joke is this!"

An indescribable sense of absurdity mixed with immense panic instantly seized Lin Xuan's mind.

"Golden Immortals are a dime a dozen, Grand Unitys are everywhere... Grand Unity Golden Immortals are barely qualified to be security captains?

What am I, a Heavenly Immortal initial stage, even comparable to? Not even a blade of grass!"

The future panorama of the Great Desolation rapidly unfolded in his mind—the Witch-Demon War, shaking the heavens and earth;

The Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, Saints making their moves, all beings as pawns;

The Journey to the West Tribulation, the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism, hidden currents surging... Which of these events wasn't world-ending?

Which of them didn't gather powerful beings?

He, a mere Heavenly Immortal Golden Flood Dragon, compared to those mighty figures who could move stars and pluck the moon, probably wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder!

"No! Absolutely not!"

A tremendous sense of crisis, like a cold, venomous snake, coiled around Lin Xuan's Primordial Spirit.

"Lying flat? Waiting to die? Impossible! I must strive! I must strive with all my might!"

"The Great Desolation doesn't count years; only strength is the hard truth!"

With this thought, Lin Xuan lost all sense of novelty and self-satisfaction from his arrival in this new place.

His colossal Flood Dragon body gave a mighty heave!

"RUMBLE--!"

The deep pool shook violently!

The spiritual energy accumulated over millennia was thoroughly stirred, and the violent Water Element power transformed into countless ferocious water dragons, spinning and compressing around him!

Above the pool, a massive vortex materialized out of thin air, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy from all directions.

The essence of the sun and moon poured down like a waterfall; the power of the stars enveloped it like a veil; the vast Water Element spiritual energy of the East Sea surged like a tide, being forcibly drawn by the vortex and poured incessantly into the depths of the pool.

Lin Xuan coiled at the center of the vortex, like a bottomless black hole.

He cast aside all distracting thoughts, his mind sinking into his body.

The Heavenly Immortal Dao Fruit hung above his sea of consciousness, no larger than a fist, its radiance dim, only a wisp of weak innate Geng Metal energy swirling around it, appearing frail and weak.

"Suck! Suck it all in for me!"

Lin Xuan activated his innate divine ability, circulating the Heavenly Star Evolution Technique with all his might.

This was a foundational technique inherited through his bloodline, specifically designed to absorb water-elemental spiritual energy and temper his demonic body and Primordial Spirit.

In an instant, the bottom of the pond erupted in golden light!

The ancient star patterns on his dark golden scales seemed to come alive, greedily sucking in the surging spiritual energy.

Every scale hummed, and every breath stirred up a storm of spiritual energy.

The ink-black jade horn on his forehead pulsed with a blinding white-gold radiance, transforming into a concentrated beam of light that pierced the center of the vortex, forcibly seizing and refining the purest essence of Geng Metal.

Pain!

Indescribable agony!

The rampaging spiritual energy felt like billions of steel needles, wildly stabbing into his flesh, bones, and meridians, forcibly scouring, expanding, and reshaping them!

His Primordial Spirit was also battered by this violent torrent, feeling as though it could be torn apart and annihilated at any moment.

Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, his massive body trembling slightly from the excruciating pain. As his scales opened and closed, wisps of dark golden blood mist seeped out, only to be instantly dispersed by the torrent of spiritual energy.

"What is this pain compared to the gazes of those future powerhouses! Compared to the fate of being crushed like an ant and casually killed!"

"Fight! If you don't fight, you won't survive!"

He roared inwardly, his will like iron. He desperately guarded a sliver of clarity in his Primordial Spirit, guiding the rampant spiritual energy to scour his fragile Heavenly Immortal Dao Fruit again and again.

The Dao Fruit vibrated and hummed under the assault. Its dim luster, through endless pain and perseverance, began to solidify by the slightest bit, extremely slowly.

The East Sea ebbed and flowed, countless years passing.

On the isolated island, plants withered and grew, and spiritual herbs sprouted. Only the deep pond remained perpetually shrouded in a massive vortex of spiritual energy, day and night.

The depths of the pond were no longer what they once were.

The dark golden blood had long since dried, leaving mottled marks on the hard rock bed.

His colossal Flood Dragon body lay coiled, each dark golden scale radiating a restrained yet profound divine light. The edges of the scales were sharper than ever, subtly cleaving the water.

The ink-black jade horn on his forehead now pulsed with a white-gold radiance condensed to the point of being tangible. Though the beam of light was slender, it exuded an aura of invincibility and sharp Dao rhythm.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heavenly Immortal Dao Fruit had expanded to the size of his head!

Its brilliance was dazzling, solidified as if cast in gold. Dense innate Geng Metal energy transformed into nine small Golden Flood Dragon phantoms, circling and roaring around the Dao Fruit, emitting a pressure far exceeding anything before!

True Immortal!

It was a natural progression, a culmination of accumulated effort!

Lin Xuan's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

This time, the two beams of golden light were no longer dazzling and ostentatious. Instead, they contained a divine brilliance, deep as an abyss, as if capable of piercing the Nine Netherworlds and illuminating all directions.

A majestic and unstoppable aura erupted from his body!

"Roar--!!!"

A dragon's roar, capable of shattering metal and stone and shaking the four seas, surged from the bottom of the pond into the sky!

It was no longer the hiss of a flood dragon, but a roar imbued with the majesty of a true dragon!

The water in the deep pond was forcefully pushed aside by the sound wave and the erupting aura!

The surface of the pond exploded!

An incredibly thick pillar of water, carrying immense power, shot straight into the clouds!

At the top of the water pillar, golden light blazed!

A dark golden giant flood dragon, thousands of feet long, broke through the water and soared into the heavens!

Its might stirred the winds and clouds for thousands of miles!

Above the East Sea, the waves grew fierce, dark clouds gathered, and lightning danced wildly!

The Transformation Tribulation had arrived!

Lin Xuan's massive Flood Dragon body circled under the gale of the nine heavens and the oppressive pressure of the tribulation clouds. His dark golden scales shimmered with a cold luster under the reflection of the tribulation lightning.

He raised his head to the sky, his vertical pupils filled with fearless resolve. Only the tenacity born from long, arduous cultivation and the anticipation of shedding his old shell for new life remained.

"Come on!"

"Kachaa--!"

The first tribulation lightning bolt, as thick as a temple pillar and tinged with a blue-purple hue, tore through the sky, carrying an aura of annihilation, and struck down fiercely!

Lin Xuan neither dodged nor evaded. The white-gold radiance on his forehead flashed!

"Break!"

A white-gold divine radiance, condensed to its absolute limit, shot upwards, fiercely colliding with the tribulation lightning!

"Screeeech--!"

A piercing tearing sound echoed.

The blue-purple tribulation lightning was actually split in two by the white-gold divine radiance. The violent lightning scattered, striking the sea's surface and creating monstrous waves, but failing to harm Lin Xuan's true body in the slightest!

"Not enough kick!" Lin Xuan felt a surge of heroism in his heart.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The tribulation clouds seemed to be provoked. The lightning's color shifted from cyan-purple to brilliant white, then from brilliant white to crimson-gold!

Each bolt was thicker and more violent than the last! The crimson-gold divine lightning was like the whip of heavenly punishment, lashing down madly, illuminating the entire sea area as if it were a furnace!

Lin Xuan's massive flood dragon body churned and impacted within the sea of lightning!

He either used his single horn to meet the onslaught head-on, or swept his incomparably tough dragon tail, or unleashed his innate divine ability to spew Geng Metal divine light to counter!

Under the baptism of the tribulation lightning, his dark gold scales sparked, emitting deafening clashes of metal, leaving behind scorched marks. Yet, under the circulation of the Geng Metal origin, they quickly repaired, becoming even tougher and more wondrous!

Nine bolts! Eighteen bolts! Twenty-seven bolts!

The tribulation lightning grew increasingly ferocious. The final three bolts were actually chaotic in color! They contained the essence of earth, fire, water, and wind, as if seeking to reenact the creation of the heavens!

Lin Xuan was already covered in wounds, with multiple scales shattered. His dark gold blood dyed the sky red, and his aura weakened.

However, the divine light in his eyes grew even more brilliant. His Primordial Spirit, tempered by the lightning tribulation, was more condensed and transparent than ever before!

"Last gamble!"

Facing the three chaotic divine lightning bolts that could destroy heaven and earth, Lin Xuan let out a sky-shattering roar. His thousand-zhang dragon body suddenly contracted, and all his power was concentrated on the single horn on his forehead!

Upon the dark jade horn, that speck of white-gold light was more radiant than ever, like a miniature sun!

"Open for me--!"

The white-gold divine light surged, transforming into a colossal blade that split heaven and earth, ferociously slashing towards the three combined chaotic tribulation lightning bolts!

"RUMBLE--!!!"

An indescribable roar!

Heaven and earth lost their color, the sun and moon went dark!

A violent energy shockwave swept across ten thousand miles of sea territory, causing countless islands to tremble. The seawater was vaporized, then drawn back to fill the void, forming terrifying tsunamis!

The light dissipated.

The tribulation clouds slowly dispersed, revealing a ravaged sky and a turbulent sea surface.

High in the heavens, the massive dark gold giant flood dragon had vanished.

In its place, a figure hovered in the air.

The figure was nine feet tall, as upright as a pine tree.

On its head was a "Nine Cloud Blazing Beast Crown," with crimson mist swirling around it, and phantom images of flying beasts circling, making the wearer appear majestic.

It was clad in an "Apricot Yellow Eight Trigrams Cloud Pattern Robe," with eight trigrams flowing on the robe and cloud patterns subtly appearing, exuding natural Daoist charm.

Around its waist was a "Universe Purple Gold Ring Belt," with a buckle shaped like a dragon's head and suffused with purple energy.

On its feet were a pair of "Sea-Treading Cloud-Walking Shoes," with clouds and water light subtly appearing beneath them.

Looking at its appearance:

Its face was like jade, lustrous and radiant, as if meticulously carved from fine mutton-fat jade.

A dot of cinnabar on its forehead, as red as blood, added a touch of mystery and majesty.

Its eyebrows slanted upwards to its temples, as if painted with ink, further accentuating its heroic aura.

Its eyes, between opening and closing, revealed flashes of golden light, as deep as an abyss, seeming to contain an endless galaxy and comprehend the vicissitudes of the world.

Its nose bridge was high, its lips as if painted with vermilion.

It was beardless below the jaw, further enhancing its handsome and refined appearance, its demeanor extraordinary and detached.

Truly:

Immortal bones and jade flesh formed by heaven, Daoist charm flowing without touching dust.

Cinnabar on its forehead connects to profound mysteries, its eyes hide golden light illuminating the netherworld.

The Eight Trigrams Cloud Robe carries purple energy, the Nine Cloud Crown gathers radiant mist.

Once it sheds the flood dragon's form, henceforth its immortal path shall be known as Dao Xuan!

Lin Xuan—no, at this moment he should be called "Dao Xuan"—felt the boundless magic power surging within him, far exceeding that of his flood dragon body. He felt the perfect harmony between his Primordial Spirit and this perfect Daoist body, and an unprecedented sense of comfort and power arose within him.

"True Immortal Dao Body! It's done!"

He couldn't help but let out a long roar, shaking the nine heavens, filled with unbridled joy!

However, just as this roar had not yet subsided!

An indescribable, irresistible, cold, and supremely authoritative will suddenly descended!

This will was as vast as heaven, as boundless as the Dao, and instantly locked onto Dao Xuan, who had just transformed into human form!

It was as if a giant eye had opened high in the nine heavens, indifferently gazing down upon all beings!

Dao Xuan's entire body trembled violently!

The boundless magic power he had just gained by breaking through to True Immortal was as insignificant as dust before this will!

The perfect Dao body that had just condensed instantly stiffened, unable to move even a finger! His Primordial Spirit was tightly gripped by an invisible, terrifying force, as if it would be completely erased in the next moment!

A fear originating from the very core of his being instantly seized him!

"An undocumented immigrant?!"

An absurd yet incredibly clear thought exploded like thunder in his sea of consciousness!

"I transmigrated here, I'm not native to this world! The Heavenly Dao... the Heavenly Dao thinks I'm an illegal immigrant?!"

That cold will carried a sense of judgment, as if it were searching and confirming.

The tribulation clouds that had just dispersed actually showed signs of gathering again! This time, what was brewing was by no means a tribulation for transforming into form, but... a punishment of annihilation!

Life and death hung by a thread!

Dao Xuan's mind raced at an unprecedented speed!

"What to do? What to do?!"

"Explain? The Heavenly Dao won't understand! Beg for mercy? The Heavenly Dao doesn't care! Resist? What is a True Immortal compared to the Heavenly Dao!"

"Identity! Identity is the key! I must prove I am a 'legal' native of the Great Desolation!"

In a flash of lightning, a thought struck like lightning in the darkness!

Make a vow!

Make a Great Dao vow to the Heavenly Dao! Completely sever the karma with "Lin Xuan from Earth" and root everything about himself in the Great Desolation!

Only in this way could he gain the recognition of this world!

Without the slightest hesitation!

Dao Xuan, forcefully enduring the terrifying pressure that was about to crush his Primordial Spirit, suddenly raised his head, looked at the will of the Heavenly Dao in the void, and with all his might, spoke with Dao sound, his voice echoing in all directions, each word like thunder, resounding between heaven and earth:

"Great Dao above! Heavenly Dao, bear witness!"

"Now, a being named Lin Xuan, touched by the Creation of the Great Desolation, has attained the Dao fruit of a True Immortal!"

"But his past is now over, his old body completely shed!"

"This disciple hereby vows: From this moment on, in the world of the Great Desolation, there is no longer Lin Xuan from Earth!"

"Only the cultivator of the Great Desolation—Dao Xuan!"

"This body and soul are entirely returned to the Great Desolation! This Dao and this heart are forever bound to heaven and earth!"

"If this oath is violated, may my body perish, my Dao vanish, my true spirit be annihilated, and may I never be reborn!"

"Great Dao, bear witness! Heavenly Dao—Approve!"

The last two words, "Approve," were uttered as if they had exhausted all his strength.

The moment his voice fell.

That cold, merciless, and focused will of the Heavenly Dao paused slightly.

As if scrutinizing the truth and weight of this oath.

The terrifying tribulation clouds that had gathered again stopped churning.

After a few breaths, they slowly receded like a tide.

The terrifying pressure that had been about to crush Dao Xuan's Primordial Spirit also dissipated like snow melting in the spring breeze.

The world returned to clarity. Only Dao Xuan's heavy breaths echoed in the vast expanse of sea and sky.

Cold sweat had already soaked his brand-new Apricot Yellow Eight Trigrams Dao Robe.

The lingering fear, like a cold tide, washed over his mind wave after wave.

"So close... so close..." Dao Xuan said, his Primordial Spirit trembling slightly, "Just a little more, and I would have been 'deregistered' on the spot as a 'product with no documentation' right after transforming!"

He slowly landed on a large, charred reef below, which had been struck by tribulation lightning. He sat down cross-legged, trying to calm his violently fluctuating emotions and turbulent magical power.

"Dao Xuan... Dao Xuan..."

He murmured this new name, and a strange sense of belonging arose within him, as if the name itself contained some profound Dao rhythm, making his connection with this world even closer and more natural.

"From now on, I am Dao Xuan! The cultivator of the Great Desolation, Dao Xuan!"

Just as his mind completely settled, and he was about to examine the profundity of his True Immortal Dao fruit by looking inward—

An anomaly occurred again!

It did not come from the outside, but from the deepest part of his Primordial Spirit!

A faint light flickered to life without any warning.

At first, it was as weak as a candle in the wind, seemingly about to extinguish at any moment.

But in an instant, the light blazed!

A vast, ancient, and immense aura, as if containing all the fundamental mysteries of the time before chaos and the beginning of the universe, permeated from that light, instantly filling Dao Xuan's entire sea of consciousness!

Dao Xuan's mind trembled violently, and his consciousness was involuntarily pulled into the depths of his sea of consciousness.

He saw that in the center of his sea of consciousness, beneath the dazzling golden True Immortal Dao fruit surrounded by nine illusory Golden Flood Dragons, a small bead was quietly suspended.

The bead was no bigger than a pigeon's egg, perfectly round, its color chaotic, neither black nor white, neither green nor purple. It seemed to have swallowed and fused all the colors and light in the world, ultimately returning to an ineffable state of "nothingness."

The bead's surface was covered in dense, crisscrossing cracks, like a spiderweb, shockingly visible. Many parts were even missing fragments, appearing utterly broken.

Yet, it was this broken bead that emitted an aura that made Dao Xuan's True Immortal Dao Fruit tremble and bow!

That aura transcended time and space, lorded over laws, as if it were the very source of "Dao," the embodiment of "One"!

"This... this is..."

Dao Xuan's consciousness surged violently. An ancient name, originating from the depths of his bloodline, from the imprint of the Great Desolation's creation, exploded forth!

"The... Chaos Bead?!"

One of the legendary four supreme treasures of Chaos!

An supreme existence alongside the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, the Jade Disk of Creation, and the Chaos Green Lotus!

Legend had it that this bead contained a primordial world within, capable of concealing heavenly secrets, forming its own chaotic realm, and was the supreme treasure for proving the Dao of Hunyuan!

It... it was actually within his Primordial Spirit?!

Dao Xuan's consciousness "stared" intently at the broken Chaos Bead. Immense joy erupted like a volcanic eruption, instantly overwhelming all lingering fear and exhaustion!

"Hahahaha! Heaven has not forsaken me! Heaven has not forsaken me, Dao Xuan!"