Avatar and Plane

Chapter 28: Avatar and Plane

Dazzling golden radiance blurred He Yu's vision. Facing the Light of Taichu, he struggled to calm his surging emotions. He was about to begin cultivating the Taichu Avatar using the Source of Earthly Fiend, and his state of mind had to be as still as stagnant water; otherwise, the slightest error could compromise the perfection of the avatar. If the first attempt failed to reach perfection, it would require immense toil to rectify later, and one could not absorb the Source of Heavenly Dipper before achieving that perfection.

Gradually, his mind settled, though the primary reason was that the benefits this time were simply too immense.

An avatar! And one that could possess the power of an entire era upon reaching its peak. What kind of concept was that? In layman's terms, it was the combined power of the entire present-day Primordial World—the power of heaven and earth, the power of all living beings, and even the strength of innate deities like Hongjun and Luo Hou, the descendants of Pangu like the Three Pure Ones, the Ancestral Witches, Dijun, and Taiyi. Combined, this power was so terrifying it could shock the world; perhaps it could even contend with a Heavenly Dao Saint!

The developmental prospects of the Taichu Avatar were already vast, yet it still paled in comparison to the Taishi Avatar. The Taishi Avatar was born in response to the Era of Giant Beasts, where the strength of the beasts was at least that of Earth Immortals, with the most formidable among them entering the realm of Heaven Immortals. Furthermore, the cultivation levels of those innate deities and Pangu descendants had also increased significantly. By that calculation, it was naturally far superior to the Taichu Avatar. As for the final Taixuan Avatar, it was born in response to the Era of Fierce Beasts and was even more formidable than the Taishi Avatar. According to what He Yu knew, by the late Era of Fierce Beasts, countless innate deities and Pangu descendants had taken human form, and it was only after dealing with the fierce beasts that the three great races of the Primordial World were formed. By then, the Era of Fierce Beasts would have completely ended, the Heavenly Dao would have emerged, and the struggle for the Jade of Creation would begin.

"If I can possess all three avatars—Taichu, Taishi, and Taixuan—even if I cannot cultivate them to their peak, as long as I achieve success, I will be able to intervene in the future struggle for the Jade of Creation." Now that the opportunity was within reach, He Yu's ambition swelled to unprecedented heights. Having dominated the Primordial World as the supreme sovereign during this time, he naturally did not want to spend his future cowering under the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun, and the various saints, or worse, be erased for being an "anomaly."

Through the information from Pangu and the knowledge contained within the current Light of Taichu, He Yu understood that once Hongjun merged with the Dao, the positions of Heavenly Dao Saints would be under his control. To become a saint, one needed his approval. Even the "One that Escaped," which theoretically could attain sainthood, was nothing more than a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water! One had to realize that since the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun were one, the "One that Escaped" would naturally need to communicate with the river of the Heavenly Dao to attain sainthood. Hongjun could easily intercept this, or even kill the possessor of the "One that Escaped" by tracing that connection. Even if he couldn't use the power of the Heavenly Dao, with Hongjun's perfection as a Heavenly Dao Saint, killing a mere non-saint would be effortless!

"I must not let Hongjun merge with the Dao. If I cannot obtain the Jade of Creation, no one else shall. I would rather be a shattered jade than a whole tile!" A firm, unyielding resolve took root in He Yu's heart.

His heavenly spirit opened, and his consciousness converged like a stream, flowing toward the Light of Taichu. As he merged with it, a sensation immediately arose in He Yu's heart: he could fully control the Light of Taichu. Testing it, the winnowing-basket-sized sphere of light began to slowly expand and contract, gradually forming a cube. Then, under the influence of his consciousness, it successively took on various forms: dragon, tiger, leopard, wolf, eagle, ox, flying saucer, cannon, sword, computer... Countless animals and machines from his two lifetimes were formed one by one. This feeling of infinite transformation was even more fluid than changing through demonic energy; it felt as natural as his own arm.

After the initial novelty faded, He Yu lost interest. He recalled the details of cultivating an avatar, ensured everything was foolproof, and began to refine the Light of Taichu. The Light of Taichu was the foundation of the Taichu Avatar, and the first step was to refine it.

He began the refinement according to the information he possessed, but to his surprise, the process was incredibly smooth. In just a few breaths, he successfully refined the Light of Taichu.

Was the radiance of an era really so easy to refine?

The result left He Yu incredulous. He pondered the matter in his mind, and suddenly, it dawned on him: this era was coming to an end, and the Light of Taichu was destined to vanish. By refining it, he was preserving it, so it naturally cooperated perfectly. The compatibility with his consciousness was one hundred percent, which was why it was so easily refined. As for whether his guess was correct, he would know once he refined the Light of Taishi in the future. Since he now knew about the radiance of the three great eras, how could he be willing to give them up?

Whoosh!

With a thought, the Light of Taichu transformed into a golden rainbow and submerged into his sea of consciousness. Once inside, it took the form of a human sitting cross-legged with eyes closed—the exact likeness of He Yu in his previous life. Though the features were ordinary, the figure radiated an imposing aura that commanded respect without anger—a result of his time as a ruler.

Having refined the Light of Taichu, He Yu immediately felt as though he controlled the light of the Primordial World. Currently, the Primordial World lacked the sun, moon, and stars, and it was only through the Light of Taichu that it remained illuminated. Now that the light was his, he could be said to be the master of light in the Primordial World.

With a thought, the entire Primordial World plunged into darkness. The boundless expanse was shrouded in gloom, causing countless demons and living beings to be struck with terror. Yet, in the blink of an eye, light returned at He Yu's whim, followed by darkness again. This cycle repeated several times before he stopped.

"This feeling? It is truly magnificent, like being a supreme deity!" He Yu felt immensely excited.

With the Light of Taichu refined, he could now use the Source of Earthly Fiend to cultivate the Taichu Avatar. Cultivating an avatar required a vessel; it was far too early to form one using only the Light of Taichu. According to the information, He Yu knew there were two paths to cultivating the Taichu Avatar. One was to cultivate it using only the Light of Taichu, but it would possess no power for a long time in the beginning. The other was the current method: using the source of the world's strange energies. Not only would this not affect his future potential, but it would also grant the avatar some power from the start.

Rumble!

The Light of Taichu transformed into a golden torrent, enveloping the Source of Earthly Fiend. Under He Yu's guidance, it began to refine and merge. This time, the process was far less smooth than before. The resistance from the Source of Earthly Fiend was incredibly fierce, and the progress was agonizingly slow. He Yu had no choice but to grind away at it slowly.

A massive, churning cloud of mixed gold and black smoke rolled incessantly. Streaks of intense golden and black light radiated from the cloud, illuminating the surroundings. He Yu, caught between the two colors, could barely keep his eyes open, so he simply closed them. In any case, under the perception of his consciousness, he could observe the situation in minute detail. Although the resistance of the Source of Earthly Fiend was startling, it remained within his control, and the entire process of cultivating the avatar proceeded without a single error.

Time passed slowly, and the churning of the gold-black smoke gradually subsided until it finally became completely still. Then, the dazzling two-colored light rapidly retracted, flowing across the surface of the smoke.

Bang!

With a loud explosion, the gold-black smoke dissipated into wisps of vapor, only to slowly gather again. After a long while, it formed a cloud once more, but as soon as it did, another explosion scattered it. This cycle repeated nine times before it finally settled completely.

Looking at the large mass of gold-black smoke hovering quietly before him, He Yu was filled with excitement.

The Taichu Avatar—it was done!

At this moment, the avatar had not yet merged with He Yu's soul power, so it had not taken on his human form, but its power remained unaffected. The mass of gold-black smoke was saturated with a terrifying energy as vast as an ocean.

"Early-stage Loose Immortal?" He Yu smiled to himself. He was quite satisfied with the avatar's strength. Although it was still far behind the power of heaven and earth he had felt earlier, it could still be cultivated and increased. Moreover, he had yet to absorb the Source of Heavenly Dipper; once the Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend were combined, his strength would surely skyrocket.

With a thought, the gold-black smoke coalesced into a human shape—the exact form of He Yu in his previous life.

The seven-foot-tall Taichu Avatar was entirely gold-black, dressed in a golden-black robe. Upon the robe, the Taiji Yin Yang and the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces were all visible, giving it an air of profound mystery. Clearly, there was profound logic within it; an early-stage Loose Immortal would have some insight into the mysteries of heaven and earth, having already entered the immortal level.

"This poor Daoist, Taichu, greets fellow Daoist!" The Taichu Avatar hovered before He Yu and performed a cupped-hand salute, then muttered with a sense of melancholy: "It's just talking to myself, but it will be useful for bluffing others in the future. When all three avatars appear together, it will be 'One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones'! Hehe!"

With the Taichu Avatar cultivation complete, the next step was to find the Source of Heavenly Dipper. For the current avatar, this was effortless. The strength of an early-stage Loose Immortal was enough to traverse the gale winds of the firmament. Furthermore, since his body was made of smoke, he had no physical constraints, allowing for incredible flight speed, not to mention the mysterious connection between the Heavenly Dipper and the Earthly Fiend!

With the matter concluded, He Yu did not want to stay here any longer. Looking at the Golden Radiance Region around him, he sneered. The Taichu Avatar extended one hand, fingers forming a claw. Instantly, the golden radiance within a ten-mile radius converged rapidly, forming a golden sword in his hand. It was three feet long and a palm wide—a heavy sword suited for cleaving. As all the golden light gathered onto the blade, the sword looked as if it were cast from solid gold, with golden light flowing across its surface and a sharp, intimidating edge. Two ancient golden characters appeared on the hilt.

Taichu!

After obtaining the Taichu Sword, the Taichu Avatar used his other hand to make a grasping motion in the air. As he did, the void within a radius of three to four hundred meters rippled like the surface of a calm lake stirred by the wind. The ripples continuously gathered into his hand, forming a transparent sphere. If not for the countless ripples flowing within it, He Yu would not have been able to see it at all.

Bang!

The ripples in the void vanished, and the sphere in the Taichu Avatar's hand gradually calmed until it became completely invisible.

Whoosh! With a wave of the avatar's hand, the invisible sphere vanished into He Yu's brow with a faint sound of piercing air, merging with his sea of consciousness without leaving a trace.

"A plane? I never expected the Light of Taichu to form a small plane. I've hit the jackpot this time!" He Yu thought to himself. A plane was the embryonic form of a world. As it developed and grew, it could form a national territory, like the Buddha-Kingdom in the Palm of the Buddhist sect, the divine domains of deities, the demonic abysses of demons, and so on. If conditions were met, it could even develop into a world of the heavens, a Small Thousand World, a Middle Thousand World, or even a Great Thousand World like the Primordial World. However, each level of advancement was as difficult as the Jingwei bird filling the sea or the Foolish Old Man moving the mountains, but it was always a goal to strive for!

"Now that I have a small plane, my storage problems are solved. I won't have to worry about what to do when I find things like postnatal spiritual roots in the future." He Yu felt secretly delighted. He had been keeping the Green Spirit Fruit Tree hidden away, unsure of what to do with it, as it was difficult to plant. But now, with a small plane, at least storing and preserving it would be no problem at all.