Chapter 2090: The Universe And The Stars

On the other side of the Heavens Sect’s plaza, Jue Yi spoke up. "Let's start the Dao Chosen selection right away. Destina, will you reaffirm your earlier claim? Whoever becomes the Dao Chosen will receive your full support?"

A melodious voice came from the white cloud. "Of course. I will help whoever becomes the Dao Chosen without any conditions at all."

Many people looked excited when they heard these words.

This woman was Destina, and while people from the current era might not be able to understand how terrifying she was, who from the Heavens Sect era did not fear her?

Out of all the gatemasters of the Twelve Heavenly Gates, Destina had been powerful enough to rank among the top three.

On the back of Ancestor Tortoise, Lu Yin continued to roll his die. Two pips. He dismissed the screens of light with a wave of his hand and continued.

At the edge of the plaza, Lu Buzheng glanced up at Ancestor Tortoise. Had Lu Yin left seclusion yet?

"Lu Buzheng, let's begin the Dao Chosen selection right now. The competition will be very straightforward." As Hen Xin spoke, a statue appeared in the center of the plaza.

The vast majority of people felt confused, as this figure was completely unknown to them. However, Lu Buzheng and a few others recognized the statue as that of the Origin Progenitor.

"Place this statue before the Heavens Sect’s gate, and you will be the Dao Chosen," Hen Xin stated.

The gates to the Heavens Sect were enormous, and they were also quite a ways away from the plaza.

"If the statue ever touches the ground, it will instantly return to where it currently rests. To become a Dao Chosen, one must be able to surpass all others at the same time. That is the strength needed to be a Dao Chosen and represent the Dao Monarchs. They must be capable of becoming a powerful Progenitor that can support an entire Mainland. This is the fate of a Dao Chosen." The pleasant voice again rose from within the white cloud.

Lu Buzheng solemnly stated, "Not every era has Dao Chosen, but ours did. The competition to become a Dao Chosen was bloody and cruel. Many heroes were buried in the ground. There were many who were expected to become Progenitors, but they instead died in the competition.

"Right now, there can only be one Dao Chosen." This was a completely different concept from the past.

Arch-Elder Zen, Jiu Yao, and many others had never witnessed the process for choosing a Dao Chosen, but they could easily sense just how ruthless and cruel the competition had been in the past.

Hen Xin glanced around to take in the sight of the entire solar system, and past it to the rest of Frostwave Weave. "Anyone who enters the Dao Chosen selection must understand that this is a life or death contest, and this competition is also not guaranteed to find the Dao Chosen. Now, all who will participate can enter the plaza."

It was left unsaid that this Dao Chosen selection would be the most vicious one in the entire history of humanity. This was because Chu Yuan, Heluo Mavis, and Sky Garan had all already become Dao Chosen in their original era. Each of them was able to defeat all other contenders on their own, but the three also had to face off against each other. It was impossible to determine who would be the final victor.

For there to be only one Dao Chosen, they would not only need to deal with all the other people participating, but also defeat two Dao Chosen. This was something that had never been accomplished throughout all of history.

The Heavens Sect’s gates had not even finished being built, but a new page of human history was already being written.

On the back of Ancestor Tortoise, Lu Yin’s die slowly came to a stop. Four pips: Timestop.

Lu Yin took a deep breath as he observed the gray and white space around him. He was so close to mastering the fifth level of the Cosmic Art. He pulled out the final true Root of Intelligence that he possessed. Should he use it or not?

It was possible that there would be no real change to the Cosmic Art even after Lu Yin completed the fifth level, and he might simply be able to simulate more stars. If this was the case, then using the Root of Intelligence would be a waste. However, if there was some fundamental change once one reached a certain threshold, the result might not be as powerful without the Root of Intelligence.

Lu Yin struggled for a bit, but then he finally gritted his teeth and brewed the tea. There would always be better opportunities to use something like a Root of Intelligence in the future, but Lu Yin could not abandon an opportunity to grow stronger.

After taking a sip of the tea made from the Root of Intelligence, Lu Yin began to recite the Origin Sutra. Stars appeared around his body as he started cultivating the Cosmic Art.

After ingesting the tea, Lu Yin’s progress with the Cosmic Art completely transformed. Just reciting the Origin Sutra was enough to accelerate his simulation rate to around 4,000 stars each year, but the tea made from the Root of Intelligence greatly increased that number, as Lu Yin’s mind would become hyperfocused.

A single sip of the tea was enough to let Lu Yin simulate more than 98,000 stars, which was just a small bit away from fully completing the fifth level. At the end, Lu Yin had spent less than two months in his Timestop Space.

He needed to continue, so after taking his second sip of the tea, Lu Yin calmed himself down and resumed his enlightenment.

Time passed, and soon, there were 98,900 stars in Lu Yin’s Cosmic Art. It quickly increased to 98,995, 98,999, and finally, as the final star appeared, a tremble ran through Lu Yin's body. He felt as though his body was expanding and growing infinitely larger. The stars revolving around his body spread out, and he felt as though he was no longer in his Timestop Space, but rather in the real universe.

The astral bodies that Lu Yin had simulated spread out further and further. 99,000 stars revolved around him, and they gave him absolute control over a given area. He seemed to see water suddenly appear on a certain planet, and maybe shoots of greenery on another.

These were the beginnings of life, but stars and planets had all been produced and simulated by a cultivation art.

The Cosmic Art was just a cultivation art, so why did this simulated universe feel as authentic as a Semi-Progenitor's inner world? Was it possible that the Cosmic Art had actually become Progenitor Chen's inner world? Could Progenitor Chen have combined his inner world and the real universe into a singular whole?

Lu Yin quickly finished the third sip of tea brewed from the Root of Intelligence as he left his Timestop Space and returned to Ancestor Tortoise’s back. Almost instantly, his body seemed to disappear. He felt as though he had drifted away into the greater universe. He wandered through the entirety of Frostwave and Darkmist Weaves in the blink of an eye. He continued on through Vastdearth Weave, Adonis Weave, and more. He saw Umbral Butterfly Weave, the Astral River, and then the Innerverse, the Cosmic Sea, and the Neoverse.

Throughout it all, there were specific stars and planets that pulled Lu Yin's consciousness further along. Each of these astral bodies worked to lead Lu Yin through outer space. He was able to observe the boundless universe that was filled with bright stars and countless creatures living on various planets. He could also see the stars that revolved around his own body.

Did my body just merge with the universe itself, or did those stars and planets appear and start revolving around me on their own accord? For the moment, Lu Yin could not determine which was true.

At this same moment, there was a cry of surprise from the white cloud at the edge of the plaza in the Heavens Sect.

Behind the white cloud, Starsybil was taken aback. It should be impossible for Destina to make such a sound. This woman controlled everything and saw all that occurred. How could anything catch her by surprise?

In the far western reaches of the Innerverse, there was a battlefield that separated the Aeternals from the humans.

Lu Yin saw this battlefield, and he watched as humans fought against the forces of Aeternus. He saw Leng Qing transform his body into a blade that slashed at Marquis Green Bamboo, who was the gatemaster’s opponent.

Both Marquis Green Bamboo and Marquis Wu Yi had been trapped within the mental network that had suppressed the Fifth Mainland, but they had escaped when the mental network had been broken. However, it was impossible for the two of them to leave the Fifth Mainland. They had been trapped.

"It's useless to fight for so long. How long can you last without any stellular energy?" Marquis Green Bamboo sneered. A terrifying dark-red stream of energy had spread throughout the entire region.

Leng Qing sliced down. He was also a master of one of the Twelve Heavenly Gates from the Heavens Sect era, but he had no desire to get involved in reestablishing the Heavens Sect in the current era. As far as Leng Qing was concerned, a Heavens Sect without a Dao Monarch would never be the true Heavens Sect.

He would rather die in battle than hide in the rear and relax.

Lu Yin watched the battlefield, and he saw Leng Qing swear to stop Marquis Green Bamboo. Subconsciously, Lu Yin raised a foot and crushed stars with a stomp. He had no idea why he even felt that such a thing was possible, but it seemed like he was accessing the stars that Progenitor Chen had left behind when his mastery of the Cosmic Art had overlapped with the real universe. Lu Yin just had a strange feeling that he could crush a star or a planet with a single foot.

Boom!

Astral bodies exploded. As they did, one star off to the side of the battle between Leng Qing and Marquis Green Bamboo shattered with a terrifying burst of power. Space imploded, as well as everything else within range. Marquis Green Bamboo was instantly destroyed, as he was swallowed by the destruction of the exploding star. Everything happened before the man could even react. He was utterly gone.

Leng Qing stared blankly at the shattered region of space before him. What kind of power had he just witnessed? He shouted, "Which senior has come? Please show yourself to this junior!"

Still on Ancestor Tortoise’s back, Lu Yin was startled, and he looked down at his foot. Had he really done that on his own? Was he truly capable of crushing an entire star with a single stomp and annihilating Marquis Green Bamboo in an instant? Lu Yin had clearly not used much strength, so where had all of the power come from?

It had been the power of a star exploding. That was the power left behind by Progenitor Chen.

Lu Yin gulped. Was the pattern etched onto the sole of his foot able to give him access to the power that Progenitor Chen had left behind?

Ecstasy overcame him. Lu Yin had never before felt so secure. How many stars had Progenitor Chen left throughout the Fifth Mainland? What kind of power was Lu Yin able to tap into? This was the strength of Progenitor Chen, who had been invincible throughout his entire lifetime! Progenitor Chen, who had controlled two Mountains and one Sea.

The Rune Progenitor had left his countless runes behind, and Progenitor Hui had left endless countermeasures for various events that he had predicted would happen in the future. As for Progenitor Chen, he had left behind stars and planets throughout the entire universe!

Lu Yin felt absolutely certain that he could control the Fifth Mainland itself at this moment. This was the invincible power that Progenitor Chen had left behind.

It was no wonder why the Cosmic Sect had been so concerned about the pattern on Lu Yin’s foot! While they were not able to use it, coincidences had aligned to give Lu Yin that ability.

He looked up and let out a breath. With this new power, he felt that he no longer needed to fear the Aeternals’ invasion.

Back in the Heavens Sect’s plaza, people stepped forward one after another. All of them were determined to fight for the position of Dao Chosen.

Chu Yuan, Heluo Mavis, Sky Garan, Wei An, Hen Mo, Lu Lai, and Lu Jiao all stepped out, as well as people from the current era, such as Ling Gong, Wen Sansi, and many more. More and more young people stepped forward, and all of them stared at the distant statue of the Origin Progenitor with firm determination filling their eyes.

Lu Buzheng anxiously glanced back at Ancestor Tortoise. Why had Lu Yin not stepped out yet? There was no way he had been injured… Lu Buzheng forced himself to dismiss his worries. After all, even if Lu Yin appeared, he most likely would not be able to compare to Chu Yuan and the other top seeds. They had all been preparing for over ten years.

No time limit was placed on the Dao Chosen selection, so even if Lu Yin stepped out at the very last moment and defeated someone who was just about to seize victory, the statue would return to its original position and would need to be carried to the Heavens Sect’s unfinished gates. If Lu Yin waited, then most of the other competitors would have either given up, suffered serious injuries, or been exhausted, which would give Lu Yin an advantage.

During the Heavens Sect era, unless they were genuinely too late, no one would ever step in at the very end, as they would be looked down upon by all the other competitors. Even the Dao Monarch would likely refuse to acknowledge such a person as their Dao Chosen, even if the person did seize victory, as that was a Dao Monarch’s prerogative.

The Dao Chosen stepped out on behalf of the heavens, and the heavens referred to the Dao Monarchs. If a Dao Monarch did not want someone to become their Dao Chosen, then it simply would not happen.

This was why even the most cautious people would never try to take advantage of their competitors during a Dao Chosen selection, as doing so could easily earn the ire of the Dao Monarch.

This was also why Hen Xin, Lu Buzheng, and the others saw no need to announce the start of the selection process. The competition had started the moment the statue of the Origin Progenitor appeared in the plaza. From that moment onwards, the competitors could enter or leave the selection as they chose.

There was a short silence, and then an entire group of people charged at the statue. Most of these people’s eyes were blazing. Their goal was not to become the Dao Chosen, but simply to be the first person to touch the Origin Progenitor’s statue.