Chapter 1829: Sitting and Discussing the Dao

The ethereal voice instantly caused Li Luo to fall into a daze. He studied the woman opposite him, someone who was arguably the most legendary individual in all of history. He had heard of her constantly throughout the years.

If every Heavenly Emperor across the long history of the divine continents was akin to a star in the sky, she was undoubtedly the most radiant and dazzling one of all. Her radiance spanned across the eras, causing even later generations of Heavenly Emperors to seem dim in comparison.

Her long hair was draped across her back like a waterfall, the mask on her face completely concealing her features. The only thing one could see were her eyes, which caused Li Luo to fall into a trance. This was because they were like molten suns and filled with a beautiful mystery. They were just like Jiang Qing'e's eyes.

For a moment he almost thought as though he was looking at her, but he understood they were not the same.

Li Luo's mind gradually calmed down, then he said to the lady before him with clasped hands as a form of respect, "Greetings, Sect Master."

The Legendary Sect Master was, after all, worthy of such treatment, considering her contributions, especially as someone from the newer generation of Heavenly Emperors. Furthermore, she was a large part of the reason why he had come as far as he had. This was the first time they had truly met.

"Do you need to be so courteous?" replied the Sect Master, chuckling upon seeing Li Luo's actions. Her eyes flickered with interest towards him.

Li Luo grinned. "It sounds like you are quite familiar with me, Sect Master."

The Sect Master nodded and replied, "That is only natural. You've obtained my Absolute Resonance Seed and many of my resonances. From a certain point of view, you are my successor. There's also Qing'e... I knew everything from the very moment we met."

"What sort of relationship do you have with Sister Qing'e?" Li Luo asked curiously. As of today, he knew that quasi tenth-grade resonances were unable to turn into true lifeforms and gain sentience.

She thought about it for a moment before replying, "Hmm... She is me, and also not me. However, there is an extraordinary connection between us. In a sense, she is similar to the Dark Sect Master, having been born from myself and the Origin of Absolute Corruption. However, the Dark Sect Master was the first to be born and thus fused with a great part of our strength, becoming even stronger than us on the path of resonant power cultivation.

"The moment the Dark Sect Master was born, I knew I would be unable to stop her. At the same time, it gave me a spark of inspiration. I thus used the last of my lifeforce to refine my own flesh and fused it with the light resonance. At the same time, I sealed a portion of the Origin of Absolute Corruption's power in the depths of the light resonance. That is how Qing'e was born."

Li Luo fell silent for a while as he pondered over her complicated and mysterious answer. He eventually sighed and said, "How convoluted. Can it be said that in a way, you're Sister Qing'e's mother? In terms of seniority, should I call you 'mother' as well?"

The Sect Master waved her hand and laughed, finding this amusing. "No, no, I can't be called a mother. At most I can be considered to be an older sister of the same heart and mind."

Li Luo helplessly shook his head, no longer trying to clarify this complicated matter. He then stared at the Legendary Sect Master and asked, "Sect Master, you are a little different from what I imagined. Considering how the Void Resonance's Six Sons held you in such awe, I assumed you would be an imposing individual."

All of the Void Resonance's Six Sons had treated her like some sort of divine being, worshipping her every move. Even after learning the true nature of the Dark Sect Master, Heavenly Emperor Yin had opted to convince himself to believe that she was the Sect Master's reincarnation and fanatically supported her. This was more than enough to demonstrate his deeprooted piety, to the point that it could be considered a mental illness.

She replied, "You and I are fellow friends on the path of the Dao, but we are also ultimately different. How can I act authoritative before you? Besides, what you see of me is merely a wisp of myself. What authority is there to speak of? You are someone from the future who I'm meeting in my final hours. The chaos of the world will be up to you to resolve. My strand of will has stubbornly lingered here for all these years just for the sake of seeing you once, to confirm what I had in mind."

The Sect Master chortled at this point. "From what I see, you haven't disappointed me. You've discovered the secret behind the Sacred Void Resonance Sect and become the third individual to understand the concept of being devoid of resonances."

Li Luo asked suspiciously, "The third person?"

Two of those people were himself and the woman before him.

The Sect Master smiled. "Did you forget about the person who created the Sacred Void Resonance Sect long ago? That senior was the one who first discovered the secret. When I was young, I chanced upon an opportunity to obtain that individual's teachings. That was before I entered the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. Now that I think about it, that was my master."

This answered Li Luo's question. The sect had been founded far too long ago, and the Legendary Sect Master was its outstanding product, surpassing all of her predecessors. Thus, the later generations had essentially forgotten about the original founder. Li Luo had never expected that the Sect Master would have such a close connection with the original founder.

"Unfortunately, neither that senior nor I were able to completely reach the state of a resonance void. You are the first person in history to truly have a resonance void. The formlessness must begin from emptiness, transforming nothing into something. This can then bring rise to a myriad of transformations before once again returning to nothingness," the Sect Master slowly explained, her ethereal voice resonating with the heavens and the earth.

Li Luo's expression turned attentive. He now understood why the Sect Master had left a strand of will here, allowing it to persist till today. This was a preaching of the Dao. It was about the path to the tenth-grade.

He was now on the same level as the Sect Master. As a result, he could completely understand the mysteries behind her words. This was the Dao of the resonance void. It started with a blank palace, containing absolutely nothing. One would then move towards creation as resonances were born one after another. Each resonance could lead to yet another one, and the body would be able to transform into all sorts of resonances. After one perceived the essence behind all of the different resonances, reaching their utmost limit, they would then disperse them all, eventually returning to a state of nothingness.

"Using nothingness to prove that creation exists, then using creation to prove that nothingness exists. The Absolute Resonance Seed should actually be called the Void Resonance Seed. This is its final form," Li Luo said.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

With his comprehension, he discovered that the closest he had ever been to the state of being devoid of resonances was when his blank palace first awakened. However, this didn't mean he had attained that state, merely that there were large similarities. If he had remained without a resonance for his entire life, he would never have been able to obtain the resonance void.

If one lacked the step of having a resonance, the blank palace simply remained empty. This process was extraordinarily demanding and difficult. It was no wonder no one had ever completed this step before.

The Sect Master nodded approvingly. "That is the only way one can reach the tenth-grade. I only understood that at my final moments. However, my Dao was not complete and thus my only option was to pass the Absolute Resonance Seed to a successor, to find someone else who could obtain enlightenment."

Li Luo's path had started from a blank palace to obtaining six resonant palaces and twelve resonances. This was an aspect that he surpassed the Sect Master in. In his illusory world, he had spent an immense amount of time nurturing all sorts of resonances, attempting to fuse them into the Absolute Resonance. Although his experiences were merely illusory, he was able to perceive the essence behind them. Afterwards, he had managed to see through the mist, reducing all of his resonances, including the quasi tenth-grade spatial fog resonance, into nothingness. Only at that point did he finally understand the mysteries behind the resonance void.

In the Sect Master's eyes, Li Luo was in a strange state where he was both here, but also simultaneously existing in every corner of the world. He was everywhere and everything. Mysteries within mysteries. Such was the Dao. However...

"No, it's not enough. I'm still lacking one final thing to reach the tenth-grade resonance void, " said Li Luo.

Although a resonance void now existed within his body and he was incredibly close to reaching the tenth-grade, he hadn't truly stepped into that realm yet. This was because he had yet to sacrifice enough resonances for it.

However, even the quasi tenth-grade spatial fog resonance had been sacrificed, so where could he find that final thing?

Li Luo raised his head. His gaze pierced the Palace of Stars and reached the end of the sky. There, the Acheronian Sun and Blood Moon began to slowly emanate a terrifying, sinister light, horrifying all of the living creatures.

The divine temples that Jiang Qing'e had transformed into started to collapse. The ten year deadline had arrived. That said, Li Luo's gaze remained unmoving and his abstruse pupils, akin to unfathomably bottomless pools, continued to observe the situation.

The Sect Master asked in surprise, "Your composure is impressive. The Dark Sect Master is about to break the seal and descend on the world again. If you cannot attain the tenth-grade resonance void, how can you ever hope to defeat her?"

Li Luo looked at the masked Sect Master with a smile. "I'm naturally waiting for you to return my resonances to me, Sect Master."

"Your resonances?" The Sect Master's golden eyes were filled with curiosity.

Li Luo pointed at his body. His voice had a hint of reminiscence as he said, "I obviously mean the three resonances that were originally born within my resonant palaces."