Comprehending the Fragment of the Jade Disk of Creation

Mount Sumeru, a land bathed in Buddha's light. Yet today, the mountain gate was unusually solemn and grave.

Ming Xin and his three disciples returned from outside, not even taking time to rest before heading straight into the mountain's core forbidden zone.

"Senior Brother, there's no time to waste!" Daoist Zhunti's face was unprecedentedly serious. In his hand, he tightly gripped the hard-won fragment of the Jade Disk of Creation, its swirling chaotic aura stirring even a Sage's heart.

Daoist Jieyin nodded heavily, a rare flicker of excitement crossing his bitter, ascetic face. "This object concerns the great rise of the West and contains supreme Dao. Let us enter seclusion to comprehend it at once!"

Ming Xin and his Past Self followed closely behind. All four were stirred in spirit.

They could clearly feel the vast Dao resonance within the fragment, far surpassing any artifact or opportunity they had ever encountered.

"Activate the Mountain-Protecting Array! Highest level! No one is to disturb us!" Jieyin commanded in a deep voice.

In an instant, the entire Mount Sumeru hummed and roared. Billions of dazzling Buddha lights shot into the sky, coalescing into a massive golden barrier that enveloped the entire sacred mountain.

Upon the barrier, countless Phantoms of Buddhas sat in meditation, chanting sutras. The sound of Sanskrit hymns echoed through the cosmos. Shadows of Bodhi trees swayed, and the illusion of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool rippled, cutting off all heavenly secrets!

The four masters and disciples entered directly into the core cave heaven formed by Jieyin's Nine-Ranked Golden Lotus of Merit.

Here, the flow of time differed from the outside world. Spiritual energy was so dense it had turned liquid—a perfect place for secluded enlightenment.

The four sat in a circle. The fragment of the Jade Disk of Creation hovered in the center, radiating a hazy, vast light.

"Focus your minds and calm your spirits. Let us comprehend the Great Dao together!" Jieyin shouted in a low voice, and was the first to sink his divine sense into the fragment.

Zhunti, Ming Xin, and the Past Self dared not delay, each plunging their divine sense into it as well.

Boom—!!!

It was as if a single drop of water had fallen into a searing cauldron of oil, or as if a mortal had suddenly flung open the door to the origin of the universe!

Countless massive, complex, and profoundly arcane fragments of law information surged into their sea of consciousness like a primordial flood!

Reincarnation! Fate! Time! Space! Five Elements!

The law fragments of five supreme Great Daos roared like five chaotic dragons, tumbling and shrieking within their minds, enacting the supreme mysteries of the universe's birth and destruction, the cycle of all things, the changes of time and space, the impermanence of fate, and the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements!

Any one of these Great Daos alone would be enough for a great power to spend an entire lifetime pursuing.

And now, five supreme Daos presented themselves simultaneously. The sheer volume of information, the depth of Dao resonance, nearly burst their Sage souls apart!

"Guard your minds! Each choose your own path!" Jieyin's voice rang out like a great bell, exploding within their sea of consciousness with a power that steadied their hearts.

The four immediately restrained their greed. No longer trying to comprehend everything at once, they each chose a primary direction based on their own foundation and affinity.

Daoist Jieyin primarily cultivated Nirvana and Karma. Naturally, he was most attuned to the fragments of the Great Dao of Fate. He immersed himself in it, deducing the causal fates of all beings.

The bitterness on his face deepened, as if he bore the destiny of all living things.

Daoist Zhunti had once made a great vow, bound to Reincarnation, and also cultivated the Five Elements divine arts. Now, he simultaneously comprehended the two Great Daos of Reincarnation and the Five Elements.

At times, the phantom of the Six Paths of Reincarnation manifested around him; at others, the Five-Colored Divine Light swirled without end. His aura grew ever more mysterious.

The Past Self primarily cultivated the Red Dust Great Dao, which shared the same principle as the Great Dao of Reincarnation. He thus immersed himself in the fragments of the Great Dao of Reincarnation, the Power of Reincarnation and the power of the Red Dust intertwining upon his body.

The myriad forms of the mortal world and the struggle within reincarnation replayed endlessly.

As for Ming Xin, the one with the most unique foundation and the highest comprehension among the four, his choice was the boldest and most astonishing!

He did not focus on any single Great Dao. Instead, he sank the vast majority of his mind into the region where the five Great Dao laws intertwined, collided, and fused!

He saw the Five Elements reverse, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind reenact, and all return to Chaos!

He saw time and space interweave, the River of Fate surge, and the Wheel of Reincarnation turn!

He saw that all of this ultimately pointed to a single origin point—a beginning of all things, and also an end of all things—Chaos!

"The Five Elements are not the end. Chaos is the source!"

Ming Xin's heart was enlightened. Brilliant light burst from his eyes. "The Five Elements unite, evolving into Chaos—this too is a... supreme Dao!"

He frantically absorbed the true meaning of Chaos born from the collision of the five Daos, cross-referencing it with everything he had learned.

His aura began to grow chaotic and indistinct, as if he were no longer a simple Buddhist cultivator, but something more ancient, more primordial!

In this process, he gained a clearer understanding of his own "Dao" and a firmer grasp of the "future"!

Rumble!

No one knew how long had passed within the cave heaven. It felt like an instant, or perhaps ten thousand years.

Ming Xin's aura suddenly surged. A blurry, majestic figure, containing infinite possibilities and endless light of the future, slowly stepped forth from the top of his head!

The figure's face was identical to Ming Xin's, yet deeper and more dignified. Chaotic aura and fragments of time swirled around him, as if he held dominion over countless possibilities of the future!

Future Self! Severed!

At the same time, his main body's aura also soared wildly, instantly breaking through the barrier of the mid-stage Golden Immortal of the Origin and stepping into the late stage! And his foundation was so solid that he stabilized directly at the late stage!

This scene immediately jolted Jieyin and Zhunti, who were still deep in enlightenment nearby.

Seeing that Ming Xin had used this opportunity to sever his Future Corpse and break through to the late-stage Golden Immortal of the Origin, shock and immense relief shone in their eyes!

"Excellent! Most excellent!" Jieyin praised repeatedly.

"The West has a worthy successor! Haha!" Zhunti clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

And Ming Xin's breakthrough seemed to ignite some kind of catalyst!

The vast phantom of the River of Fate around Daoist Jieyin suddenly contracted and merged into his body. His already unfathomable aura rose once more, crashing through the barrier and stepping into the late stage of Golden Immortal of the Origin!

His grasp of fate became a fraction clearer.

Daoist Zhunti was even more remarkable! The phantoms of the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Five-Colored Divine Light around him abruptly fused into one, transforming into a chaotic-colored Qingyun that shrouded his head!

Within the Qingyun, worlds seemed to be born and extinguished, reincarnation cycled, and the Five Elements evolved!

His aura soared without pause, instantly reaching the late stage of Golden Immortal of the Origin, and did not stop until it reached the consummate stage of Golden Immortal of the Origin, where it finally slowed to a halt!

Only the final step remained—to sever the Three Corpses completely and attain the fruit of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin (Sage)!

Seclusion knew no years.

When the four of them gradually awakened from their deep enlightenment, they looked at each other, their eyes filled with irrepressible joy and shock.

The gains from this seclusion were too great!

The fragment of the Jade Disk of Creation still hung in the air, but its light seemed to have dimmed by a trace. Clearly, their enlightenment had consumed a portion of its origin Dao resonance.

"Congratulations, both masters, on your great advancement in Dao cultivation!" Ming Xin offered his congratulations to the two.

"All thanks to the Creation's merit, and also to your karmic opportunity." Jieyin nodded with a smile, his gaze on Ming Xin especially satisfied.

Zhunti was even more spirited, feeling the vast power of the consummate stage of Golden Immortal of the Origin within him, and declared loudly, "Heaven blesses the West!

With this supreme treasure, our Great Dao is within reach! The rise of the West is not far off!"

He looked at the fragment of the Jade Disk of Creation with burning eyes: "This treasure's mystery is endless; we have only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg. Once we fully comprehend it, why worry about failing to achieve the Dao?"

Jieyin, however, was more cautious, saying, "What the junior brother says is true, but this treasure is of great consequence. We must never let news of it leak. We need to plan carefully and proceed slowly."

Ming Xin restrained the phenomena around him, his Future Self merging back into his body, and said respectfully, "Both masters speak wisely.

From this enlightenment, This Disciple has gained some insights into the Chaos Dao, which may be combined with the Western Teachings' methods of Nirvana and Transcendence to forge a new path."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, both Jieyin and Zhunti's eyes lit up, and they listened intently to Ming Xin's insights.

Master and disciples, four of them, once again immersed themselves in the discussion and deduction of the mysteries of the Great Dao within this cave heaven.

Outside Mount Sumeru, the Mountain-Protecting Array still blazed with light, sealing off the inside from the outside.

No one knew that within this Western sacred mountain, because of a fragment of the Jade Disk of Creation, the core power of the Western Teachings had already undergone earth-shattering changes!

A force capable of influencing the future structure of the Primordial World was quietly gestating.