True Meaning of Reincarnation

The Demon God's will from the Yellow Springs Skeleton was like a destructive storm sweeping up from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds, instantly flooding Mo Yuan's sea of consciousness.

This was not a mere surge of energy, but a terrifying torrent of intent containing the Laws of Death, eternal resentment, and a trace of undying demonic nature.

The Soul Cleansing Banner's clear radiance was compressed until it could only protect his true spirit from perishing. Even the thunderous might unleashed by the Thunder Emperor's Will seemed weak and isolated before such a level of deathly intent, retreating step by step.

Mo Yuan's consciousness was like a lone boat amid raging winds and towering waves, liable to capsize, shatter, and be assimilated by that endless silence of death and hatred at any moment.

His thoughts stalled and his senses blurred, as if he had fallen into an eternally frozen abyss. Even the concept of "self" was rapidly fading away.

"No! How could my Dao end here?!"

At the final moment before his consciousness completely sank, an unwillingness and stubbornness from the depths of his soul suddenly flared like a spark.

It was the invincible Dao heart he had tempered through countless hardships and unyielding perseverance since crossing over.

Primordial Comprehension burned madly with unprecedented intensity.

No longer did it passively analyze. Instead, it actively and tyrannically sought to understand, control, and even... conquer this will of death.

"Life and death, yin and yang, reincarnation without end... I command the Five Thunders, and I also command the creation and destruction of life and death. Though Yellow Springs is formidable, it too lies within the Dao!"

He abandoned all defenses and completely fused his remaining consciousness with Primordial Comprehension. Like a moth flying into a flame, he actively crashed into that terrifying torrent of the Demon God's will.

This was not suicide. It was seeking life within death, seeking the true meaning within destruction.

"Boom—!"

It was as though a world-creating explosion erupted within his consciousness!

Under the extreme activation of Primordial Comprehension and the immense pressure of life and death—

His previous insights into Yellow Springs death qi, his reflections on the cycle of life and death, that trace of Samsara Law, the Innate Yin-Yang Energy—

Even the life-and-death intent within the Five Thunder Divine Method, the fundamental thunder principles contained within the Thunder Source Dao Seed... everything was forcibly fused into one furnace at this moment.

His "consciousness" seemed to transcend the constraints of his physical body and ascend to a higher dimension.

From an indescribable perspective, he "looked down" upon this life-or-death struggle within his consciousness.

He "saw" that the Demon God's will contained the Laws of Death accumulated over countless eras, the inevitability of all things ending, a destiny from which even time and space could not escape.

But he also "saw," within this absolute "death," a trace of "uncertainty" stirred by the Samsara Law and Innate Yin-Yang Energy.

A chance for "reversal," like the first ray of light conceived within boundless darkness, like a seed of life buried deep within the desolate winter.

"Reincarnation... is not repetition, but nirvana. At the extreme of death lies the beginning of life!"

As inspiration struck, he drew upon the most mysterious wisp of Chaos Qi in his Dantian, obtained from the system's sign-in.

Chaos encompassed all things. It could give birth to all laws, and it could return all things to silence!

The Chaos Qi merged into his will, transforming into an invisible, intangible bridge that nevertheless seemed capable of stabilizing earth, water, fire, and wind, and reopening the world.

It forcibly carved out a tiny "pure land" within that destructive torrent of death.

Within this "pure land," life and death were no longer opposed, and yin and yang began to circulate.

Part of the invading will of death was encompassed and broken down by the Chaos Qi, while another part was guided by the Samsara Law and transformed into strange nourishment for his soul.

An even smaller portion was balanced by the Innate Yin-Yang Energy and fused into his thunder Dao foundation, causing the edge of that violet-gold lake of True Essence—

To faintly gain a hazy gray radiance representing "deathly silence" and "ending," forming a subtle balance with the life-filled thunderbolts it originally possessed.

His thunder Dao foundation was actually absorbing and fusing the foundational laws of Yellow Springs death qi.

Though it was extremely faint, this was a qualitative transformation! It meant that his power had begun to truly touch upon the domain of the cycle of life and death.

Meanwhile, outside—

When Xuan Ji, Qing Ming, and Qing Yun, the three elders, had exhausted all their strength and finally managed to suppress the erupting death qi and stabilize the isolation array—

They discovered in horror that the aura around Mo Yuan, seated cross-legged atop the cliff, had become exceedingly strange.

One half of his body was wreathed in violet-gold lightning, brimming with vitality like a newborn sun. The other half was shrouded in pale gray-yellow death qi, silent and icy like the frozen depths of the Nine Netherworlds.

The two utterly opposing auras intertwined and circulated around him. Not only did they not clash and annihilate each other, they instead formed a dynamic, profound balance.

Between his brows, the faint outline of an incomparably complex illusory rune even emerged, half vibrant with life and half grim with death qi—it was the manifestation of his initial comprehension of the True Meaning of Reincarnation.

"This... this is..."

Elder Qing Ming stared wide-eyed. "He's actually absorbing Yellow Springs death qi? He even fused the intent of life and death into his own Dao foundation?!"

"Defying the heavens! Truly defying the heavens!"

Even Qing Yun, the Martial Grand-Uncle's hand trembled as he stroked his beard, his eyes filled with shock and excitement.

Uncle Nine held his breath, both worried and proud.

Deep within the earth fissure, the Yellow Springs Skeleton seemed to have sensed the anomaly as well. Its silent roar grew even more furious and unwilling.

Yet after its outburst, it seemed to have suffered great depletion. With the isolation array now complete, the surging death qi gradually calmed, though the demonic array's glow remained eerie.

After an unknown amount of time, the phenomenon of life and death intertwining around Mo Yuan slowly receded, eventually returning to calm.

He slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his left pupil, a point of violet-gold lightning flickered in and out of existence, while within his right pupil, a point of gray-yellow death qi flowed. Strange and mysterious, they soon vanished, returning his eyes to normal.

Yet his aura became even deeper and more unfathomable, as though he had experienced ages beyond measure and seen through the cycle of life and death.

His cultivation had, through that life-or-death crisis and his comprehension of the Great Dao, completely stabilized at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. He had even taken a great step forward, and the late stage no longer seemed far away.

He rose to his full height and gave the three elders and his master, who had rushed over to stand guard, a deep bow. "Thank you, Masters and Elders, for protecting me. This disciple is unharmed."

"You... just now..." Xuan Ji could not help asking.

"I gained a little insight."

Mo Yuan spoke calmly without elaborating, but everyone could sense it.

It seemed that he had established an indescribably subtle connection with this place and the Yellow Springs Skeleton.

"System, sign in!"

[Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: Top-Grade Spirit Stone x10, Reincarnation Purple Lotus (Lotus Seed Phantom) x1, Six Paths of Reincarnation Contemplation Method Beginner x1, residual aura of the Primordial World: a trace of faint Primordial Spiritual Insight!]

[Reincarnation Purple Lotus (Lotus Seed Phantom)]: A lotus seed phantom of the innate spiritual root, the Reincarnation Purple Lotus. It contains supreme reincarnation Dao resonance, can stabilize the soul, assist in comprehending the Great Dao of Reincarnation, and purify all negative soul energy. (Phantom state; requires nourishment to grow.)

[Six Paths of Reincarnation Contemplation Method Beginner]: A supreme soul contemplation method. By contemplating the Six Paths of Reincarnation, one can temper divine sense, comprehend karma, and enhance control over the power of reincarnation.

[A trace of faint Primordial Spiritual Insight]: A foundational spiritual insight from the beginning of creation. It can nourish all things, improve comprehension, and accelerate cultivation technique practice and divine ability comprehension. (Its effects increase as the Host's strength rises.)

"Reincarnation Purple Lotus! Six Paths Contemplation! Primordial Spiritual Insight!"

Waves rose again in Mo Yuan's heart.

The level of these rewards was terrifyingly high.

They actually involved an innate spiritual root and Primordial Spiritual Insight.

He immediately drew the Reincarnation Purple Lotus's lotus seed phantom into his sea of consciousness. Like a needle stabilizing the sea, the phantom instantly made his soul, slightly weary after the great battle, incomparably stable, even more condensed and lucid than before.

Information on the Six Paths of Reincarnation Contemplation Method also flowed into his mind. It was a supreme contemplation method that pointed directly to the origin of reincarnation.

As for that trace of Primordial Spiritual Insight, he guided it into his Dantian, where it slowly nourished his Dao foundation and Thunder Source Dao Seed.

He felt that his foundation had once again undergone an earthshaking transformation.

Mo Yuan turned and looked toward the now "calm" earth fissure. His gaze pierced through space, as though he once more met the "Life Gate," shrouded in death qi at the location of the skeleton's skull.

"This matter is concluded. This disciple must return to the mountain to enter seclusion and digest the gains from this experience."

Mo Yuan said to his elders and masters, "Once I emerge from seclusion, I may be able to attempt contact with that 'Life Gate.'"

His voice was calm, yet it carried unquestionable confidence.

Everyone knew that after this battle, Mo Yuan had found a way to deal with the Yellow Springs Skeleton.

Though he still could not truly purify it, surviving the impact of the Demon God's will and fusing a trace of the True Meaning of Reincarnation was itself a miracle.

The storm had temporarily subsided, but greater upheaval might await after he emerged from seclusion.