Extra Story: Failure and Success!

The Eternal Flower bloomed within Ji Ning's body.

The dazzling light even pierced through the cave, attempting to impact the origin of the universe and seek eternity... but its light gradually began to tremble.

The divine God Crystal, after its transformation, also sought to stabilize, but gradually it too began to tremble.

The overwhelming pressure of the ' Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao,' which had been emanating for nine years, suddenly weakened, and Ji Ning's aura also instantly diminished.

"Wrong!"

"I was too hasty!" Ji Ning immediately realized the mistake in his understanding of the ' Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao ' at the very last moment before the Eternal Flower bloomed.

His original conjecture about the complete structure of the ' Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao ' was based on the three Ultimate Dao left by Zhou Hao, but he forgot that Zhou Hao had never achieved enlightenment.

"The Dao that my elder brother comprehended is the Dao of his own Small Universe, not the fundamental Dao of a cultivator's Chaos Universe. There is a fundamental difference between the two..."

"I could have figured it out with just a little more deduction, but in the end I was too confident and too hasty..." Ji Ning shook his head.

If I had been more cautious beforehand and spent several more hours simulating and refining the scenario, I would have been able to discover the flaws. The remaining hours would have been enough for me to fix those flaws and make one last attempt.

But I couldn't resist, thinking I had everything under control, and in the end... things still went wrong.

"This must be the true Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao." Ji Ning opened his eyes, and a sliver of sword light appeared before him. It was ordinary, without any special features, and even lacked any aura or pressure.

"Rumble~~~"

In a place incredibly far from the Flame Dragon Domain, there lies the origin of the entire Chaos Universe.

There lies the Origin of Sword Dao.

"This is the Origin of Sword Dao?" Ji Ning's consciousness could clearly sense the entire Origin of Sword Dao, which was essentially the Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao that he had now comprehended.

Suddenly, an invisible force enveloped Ji Ning's consciousness.

That force was vast and powerful, yet warm, like a mother's embrace.

Ji Ning immediately realized that this power was the power of the ' Origin of Chaos '.

It enveloped Ji Ning's consciousness, offering comfort... seemingly showing great sympathy and regret for this cultivator born in the Chaos Universe.

"So I'm the only one who has comprehended the Eternal Ultimate Dao?" Ji Ning the meaning of the Origin of Chaos.

Those who embarked on the Ultimate Dao, those who ultimately attained enlightenment, all failed!

Most of the other losers did not have a method similar to the ' Heart Sword Technique ', and only discovered the extreme demand for the power of the 'Dao Heart' when they were about to merge with the Dao. They generally failed because of this.

Occasionally, a few equally prodigious Dao Lord may possess a perfect Dao Heart, but the ' Eternal Ultimate Dao ' they ultimately comprehend is all wrong, and contains many errors.

Even if one discovers that one is wrong after attaining enlightenment, one still cannot understand what is right.

In terms of external resources, Ji Ning possesses the Supreme Stone Platform, the Dao-Merging Fire Cloud Flower, twelve volumes of Ultimate Dao methods, over a trillion volumes of methods from two cultivation civilizations for reference, and three volumes of 'Dao' left by Zhou Hao that are only slightly different from the Eternal Ultimate Dao...

In terms of inner strength, his realm is no less than any of the previous prodigies, and his Sword Heart is perfected.

After failing to achieve the Dao Integration, Ji Ning instantly understood the true, Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao.

But... it was too late!

Even after mastering the Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao, he still failed to achieve Dao integration. Because he only had one chance, and failure meant failure. Therefore, even the Origin of Chaos Universe sighed for him.

But the Origin Will was powerless; everything it did was subject to the constraints of the Supreme Rules and operated according to instinct. It could only feel regret and pity for this being.

"Whoosh~~~"

The Eternal Flower within her withered, its petals crumbling one by one.

Even a tiny mistake can cause a collapse; it cannot last forever.

These are nothing compared to the fact that divine power and magical power can be restored instantly.

However, the most fatal flaw in failing to achieve Dao integration is the disintegration of the soul and true spirit. Divine power and magical power can be restored, but the disintegration of the true spirit is unstoppable and irreversible. No one can do it, not even the Supreme.

The white-robed Ji Ning in the Mingyue Island cave and the black-robed Ji Ning in the Blue Flower Cave Abode, both with their true spirits hidden in every part of their bodies, began to collapse due to this failure to achieve Dao integration.

Even after countless years of cultivation, which made Ji Ning's soul and true spirit incredibly powerful, even comparable in strength to the Lord of the Holy City...

But none of it worked.

Each fragment of Ji Ning's soul and true spirit has cracks within it.

Smack!

A crystal-clear fragment of true spirit fell away. This fragment was crystal clear and dazzlingly beautiful, but it drifted away and gradually turned into nothingness, returning to the Origin of Chaos Universe.

Just like those whose true spirits have been extinguished return to the Origin of Chaos Universe.

If one fails to achieve the Dao, the true spirit will naturally dissipate, and when it completely dissipates, that is the time of death.

The current strength of his soul and true spirit can only prolong his death a little longer.

"Phew." Ji Ning rose from the altar.

His two Dharma Body bodies instantly lost their aura, and the souls and true spirits of his main body and Second Primordial Spirit began to dissipate...

However, he was mentally prepared for failure before achieving the Dao, and with his Sword Heart perfected, he regained his composure after a brief period of bitterness.

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening. Although I was defeated, I have found the true, Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao. To reach Brother Zhou Hao's level before I die is enough to make me die without regrets." Ji Ning waved his hand.

Rumble~~~

The cave gate opened.

Ji Ning immediately noticed her senior sister Yu Wei, whose eyes were red but whose face was smiling, and her daughter Mingyue, whose face was pale and whose eyes were brimming with tears.

"In the end, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you forever." Ji Ning's eyes were misty for a moment, and his heart ached, but then he smiled and strode out of the cave.

Nothing in this world is ever perfect. So let's spend these last days with our families, smiling and making the most of them!

The crowd waiting on Mingyue Island watched as a white-clad youth carrying a black divine sword walked out with a smile.

It seemed as if nothing had changed.

But the Sanqing Ones Rulai all sighed inwardly.

Because anyone with slightly stronger strength could sense the slightest fluctuation of the 'True Spirit' dissipating. Although the fluctuation was very small, it was constantly dissipating. Even though Ji Ning's soul and true spirit were many times stronger than those of an ordinary Emperor, they would eventually be annihilated over time.

"Disciple." Bodhi Ancestor's hair and beard trembled as he looked at Ji Ning with some anxiety.

"Junior Brother." Houyi wanted to say something comforting, but hesitated.

"Master, Senior Brother," Ji Ning said with a smile, "Since you've embarked on the path of cultivation, you know how arduous it is. The Ultimate Dao, merging with the Dao, is even more difficult. If I fail to merge with the Dao, it's not a big deal. Even if my true spirit collapses, I can still live for tens of thousands of Chaos Eras. Compared to many cultivators, that's already quite good."

"That's right." Houyi's eyes lit up upon seeing this, and he exclaimed in admiration, "Junior Brother, although you have cultivated for less time than me, your Dao heart truly makes me feel ashamed of myself. Over the years, my mental cultivation has long been on the verge of reaching the Dao, but due to concerns, I have never dared to achieve it."

"Having heard my junior brother's words today, I've also made my decision. I will now devote all my energy to preparing for the Dao Integration. Since I'll have to take this step sooner or later anyway, a glorious death is better than a life of ignominy."

"Senior Brother, if you wish to achieve Dao Integration, remember that your Dao Heart must be Perfected," Ji Ning reminded him. "As long as your Dao Heart is Perfected, even if your understanding of the Dao is slightly flawed, you will have the opportunity to adjust it during the Dao Integration process."

This was experience he gained at the cost of his life.

In particular, Houyi cultivated the path of mental strength that emphasizes the 'Dao Heart' the most, and the difficulty of achieving Dao was no less than that of Heavenly Dao Lord who had fused several of the strongest Daos.

But compared to Ji Ning's Ultimate Sword Dao, it's much simpler.

Ji Ning believed that as long as Houyi Yi's Dao Heart was perfected, even if there were problems with the Heart World itself, he could still successfully merge with the Dao.

"Your Dao Heart is perfected...?" Houyi nodded solemnly. "Thanks, Junior Brother."

"Sigh..." Bodhi sighed inwardly, looking at his most proud little disciple, and forced a smile, "Go and keep Yu Wei and Mingyue company."

If we're talking about Ji Ning's failure to achieve Dao integration, the most heartbroken and saddened people are naturally his Daoist partner and daughter.

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

Although he had already planned to spend his final moments with his family with a smile, he still felt extremely sad when he suddenly faced his Daoist daughter, so he greeted his master and senior brother first.

But what must be faced will eventually have to be faced.

"I'm sorry, Senior Sister." Ji Ning approached Yu Wei, "I can't be with you for eternity."

"No need to apologize," Yu Wei smiled gently. "As long as I can be with you, even a day feels like eternity."

"Father," Ji Mingyue finally shed tears she had been holding back, sobbing, "There must be a way. If we can find a way to prevent the true spirit from collapsing, won't Father not have to die?"

"It's not that simple." Ji Ning shook his head as he listened to his daughter's fairy tale. "The collapse of the true spirit is unstoppable and irreversible. No one can stop it, not even Supreme being..."

"What about something even stronger than the Supreme?" Ji Mingyue turned to Zhou Hao. "Uncle, there must be a way, right?"

As observant as she was, even in her grief, she noticed that her uncle's gaze towards her father held regret and sorrow, but not sadness.

Like a drowning person grasping at a straw, she looked at Zhou Hao expectantly, hoping to get a positive answer from her uncle.

Everyone else also looked at Zhou Hao.

Since his rise to prominence, Zhou Hao has created countless legends and accomplished far too many impossible feats.

His silence, in turn, gave everyone a glimmer of hope.

"There is a way," Zhou Hao nodded.

Is there really a way?

The Sanqing, Rulai, and others were shocked, Yu Wei and Ji Mingyue were excited, and even Ji Ning's eyes lit up.

Since there is hope of survival, who would truly want to die?

Zhou Hao looked at Ji Ning: "If I'm not mistaken, you've already grasped the Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao, haven't you?"

"Yes," Ji Ning replied. "Although I failed to achieve Dao integration, I still managed to comprehend the true Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao at the very last moment."

"Then the first way is to save ourselves." Zhou Hao nodded.

"Although your true spirit is currently collapsing at any moment, it does not prevent you from continuing to comprehend the Dao and cultivate. If you can achieve ' Supreme ' status with the Ultimate Sword Dao before your true spirit completely disintegrates, your true spirit and divine body will be able to undergo a transformation, and you will naturally be able to easily resolve the crisis."

"Not only that, you can also easily refine the Origin of Chaos Universe with your Supreme- level Ultimate Sword Dao, becoming the controller of this Chaos Universe."

To attain Supreme through the Ultimate Dao?

"Brother, I've exhausted all my potential and only just achieved the Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao. It's too difficult to take another step forward when my remaining lifespan is over," Ji Ning said with a wry smile.

No matter how strong one's true spirit is, at most one can live for another 100,000 Chaos Eras.

The 100,000 Chaos Eras may seem long and distant, but to methodically and slowly deduce the Ultimate Sword Dao and reach the Supreme level of ' One Dao Gives Birth to Ten Thousand Daos,' let alone 100,000 Chaos Eras, even a million or ten million Chaos Eras might not be possible.

"Then the second option is to seek his help," Zhou Hao sighed.

"Seek his help?" Ji Ning and Bodhi were both taken aback.

Even the Supreme couldn't reverse the disintegration of the True Spirit; who could save it?

boom--

Zhou Hao's entire body began to emit endless black and white light.

A colossal Taiji Diagram appeared in the void, so large and vast that it almost obscured the entire Three Realms region.

All eight thousand two hundred Chaos Great World were enveloped by the enormous Taiji Diagram, and the overwhelming pressure swept everything away.

Under this oppressive force, a majestic figure clad in a black and white Daoist robe suddenly appeared in the minds of every living being.

This moment.

The entire Three Realms were silent; even the River of Fate had ceased to flow.

All living beings prostrated themselves as if kneeling before an emperor.

This is their life instinct, a way of submitting to a higher level of 'life'.

Everyone on Mingyue Island prostrated themselves on the ground, except for Ji Ning, because he had mastered the Eternal Ultimate Sword Dao, remained composed in the face of this oppressive aura and did not kneel down.

But Ji Ning was still astonished and shocked when she looked at her elder brother Zhou Hao in front of her and sensed the familiar fluctuations emanating from him.

"Brother, are you... entering the Dao realm?"

Splash~~~

A towering phantom of a Dao Tree, a staggering 108,000 feet tall, appeared on Mingyue Island, in the void above Zhou Hao's head.

At the top of that towering, illusory Dao Tree, a black and white flower bud grew to its limit in the short span of a breath, and then bloomed with its petals.

"Rumble~~~"

The enormous Taiji Diagram that covered the entire Three Realms trembled and spun as it flew toward the black and white flowers atop the illusory image of the Dao Tree.

Almost in the blink of an eye, a dazzling Eternal Flower appeared at the top of the Dao Tree's illusory form, radiating an aura of eternal and boundless power.

Zhou Hao's body in black robes was also an illusion; all the divine power God Crystal were reconstructed and condensed, instantly transforming into the Eternal Emperor Divine Body.

"Boom!!!"

Origin Will descended, golden flowers rained down from the sky and golden lotuses sprouted from the ground across the entire Mingyue Island, the entire Yan Mountain, the entire Anchan Prefecture, and the entire ' New Great Xia World '.

All living beings can feel a joy that comes from the bottom of their hearts; it is the stirring of the Origin Will.

"In the end, it was as you wished." Zhou Hao shook his head.

The Second Primordial Spirit and the original body are originally one. Once the merging of the Dao is carried out, the original body, which is in seclusion and cultivating in the Origin Ocean, can only achieve the Ultimate Emperor together.

However, he also had plans.

In the future, only the Second Primordial Spirit will refine the origin of the Cultivator Universe. The main body will continue to cultivate the Force System and improve its own Small Universe. It will not take the Chaos Controller as its ultimate goal.

"Big brother, you..." Ji Ning was somewhat bewildered.

From the beginning of merging with the Tao to final success... is it three breaths, or five breaths?

Is this considered achieving enlightenment?

Or is it the Eternal Ultimate Taiji Dao that is achieved...?

"In the time to come, continue your cultivation diligently," Zhou Hao said with a faint smile. "If you can take another step before your lifespan runs out and achieve the Ultimate Supreme, that would be best."

"If that fails... I will refine the Origin of Chaos Universe to ensure your true spirit is not destroyed."