Chapter 961: An Era of Great Contention (II)

Whooooosh!

Golden light shimmered through the air as Chu Liang raised the Talisman of Life Restoration and lowered it toward Tuntun’s cocoon.

The talisman had the power to grant divine intelligence to lifeless objects. Perhaps it could awaken the Tuntun sealed within. Holding on to that faint hope, Chu Liang poured all of his cultivation power into it without holding back.

But in the end, nothing happened, and he was left in quiet disappointment.

As the golden light shimmered, the cocoon suddenly grumbled, "Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing? Weren’t you trying to wake up the little bug inside? Why did you wake me instead?"

Chu Liang blinked at the squirming cocoon and asked, "Then how am I supposed to bypass you and wake her up?"

"Just cut me open. Simple as that," the cocoon replied lazily. "But don’t say I didn’t warn you. The moment I’m cut, that little thing won’t survive. You’ll be left with a corpse. Sure, you can go ahead and awaken it then, but what you’ll get will not be a living being."

Hearing those words, Chu Liang realized his mistake.

The Talisman of Life Restoration could grant life and consciousness by planting a new seed into lifeless matter. But if someone wanted to bring back the original person, the talisman could not do that.

Chu Liang couldn’t even get a living Heaven-Devouring Bug from it. All it would give him was a reanimated insect corpse. In essence, it would not be Tuntun at all.

Perhaps the Talisman of Life Restoration had never been capable of creating or restoring true life essence. It only granted a shallow kind of vitality and awareness, imitating life without truly restoring the core of life.

So what exactly is missing?

Chu Liang wondered. For the first time, he started to truly consider the limit of the Talisman of Life Restoration.

Compared to the Celestial Talisman Master’s dream of true resurrection, what is the Talisman of Life Restoration still lacking?

Is it the soul? The memory?

The original life essence seemed to be something separate from both soul and memory. A person could suffer damage to the soul or lose their memories and still remain themselves. But once a life ended and was brought back, even if everything looked the same, it was never truly the same.

So, where did the original life essence come from?

Chu Liang turned his gaze toward the interior of the White Pagoda, beginning to reflect on just what sort of existence it truly was.

He had never thought much about it before, but now he realized that the artifacts produced by the pagoda were unlike anything found in the human world. At first, he had assumed it was a place that stored treasures left behind by someone who had died, or perhaps a space connected to some faraway realm.

But now that he thought about it, the treasures once stored within the White Pagoda must have fused with something unknown. That fusion gave rise to entirely new powers, transforming them into enchanted artifacts unlike any seen before.

The White Pagoda’s greatest power was its ability to create.

Tuntun had never been altered. She remained a Heaven-Devouring Bug. Perhaps that was because she had already possessed a life of her own.

Chu Liang had always believed she was the same Heaven-Devouring Bug that Yan Renjie had placed inside the pagoda five hundred years ago. However, he had questioned why the Heaven-Devouring Bug had not changed after five hundred years, but had instead returned to its most primitive egg-like form.

No. This can't be right. The original Heaven-Devouring Bug must have died back then.

A Heaven-Devouring Bug’s form could not possibly regress. The more spiritual energy it consumed, the more it evolved, eventually reaching the ninth realm.

Chu Liang’s gaze sharpened with realization.

The White Pagoda could create the original life essence.

But how did it do that?

...

Reconstruction at Mount Shu was in full swing. The sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten had joined forces, scouring the heavens and earth in search of Evil Ksitigarbha. This might be the human realm’s only chance to destroy him. If he recovered, he could very well succeed in wiping out the world.

The capital of Yu had been saved by the Great Dao of Spring and Autumn. Mount Shu had been rescued by the Demon God. At first glance, it seemed as though Evil Ksitigarbha’s impact had not been too devastating. But before long, people began to sense that something fundamental in the world had changed.

The next day, on Divine Phoenix Island in the West Sea...

A piercing cry rang through the sky as a pillar of flame shot upward, splitting the clouds apart. A massive figure of crimson and gold spread its wings wide, casting a shadow over the sea. Its long, crested tail shimmered with radiant light. Not even the finest painter in the world could capture its divine beauty.

It was a Divine Phoenix—the mightiest one in all the heavens and the earth, the Divine Phoenix King!

It could cause an ordinary sheep to give birth to a Phoenix Sheep, a demonic beast of unmatched potential. In the past, a member of the Celestial Charm Sect had attempted to capture the Phoenix Sheep, hoping to force the Divine Phoenix King out of its brink-of-ascension state.

The Divine Phoenix King had been in this brink-of-ascension state for a long time, and now it soared into the skies with a cry that shook the ninth heaven. It was as though it was proclaiming its return to the world.

The flames of the Divine Phoenix King spread from the western sea to the east, lighting up the sky. However, when it reached the coasts of the nine provinces, it was stopped by an invisible force.

The Divine Phoenix King wielded the Great Dao of Heavenly Radiance, which represented yang fire.

The Divine Phoenix of the West Sea sought to spread its sacred flames across the world, illuminating every corner of the four seas and nine provinces, and bathing all of humanity in divine light!

Yet, the force that blocked its path came from the western lands, where a faint star had begun to rise in the sky.

At the same time, the South Sea stirred with inky waves. One surge of black water after another erupted from the depths of the Ruins of Return, driving countless sea demons into a desperate flight. The darkness spread not only through the sea but across the sky as well.

A black monstrosity, bristling with countless tentacles, moved silently beneath the waves. It rose slowly, as if peering up at the world above. This immense shadow, hidden beneath the South Sea for thousands of years, was finally about to surface.

It seemed intent on swallowing the four seas in darkness, then surrounding the land of the nine provinces with a tidal wave of shadow.

It was the Grand Ancestor Wuchao!

It had come to plunge the world into utter darkness and return everything to the chaos from which all creation began.

But before the darkness could spread beyond the South Sea, a beam of white light swept across the waters, illuminating the creeping shadow.

It was the dual-polar light of yin and yang, cast by Baize as she stood guard at the edge of the South Sea.

Because Grand Ancestor Wuchao was in the southern areas, Baize was the first to detect his movements. Her swift response forced the ancient creature to halt, making it hesitate and stay on guard.

Yet, what Grand Ancestor Wuchao truly feared was not Baize herself. It was the Mount Shu Sect that stood behind her.

Baize was a celestial beast. She had exited her brink-of-ascension state prematurely. Unlike humans, it would take her a long time to enter into that state again. Compared to the Divine Phoenix King and Grand Ancestor Wuchao, she was now one step behind.

At the same time, the one who had blocked the Divine Phoenix King had just arrived at the entrance of the Celestial King Sect.

A white-haired elder in plain white robes stood tall and silent outside the gates of the Celestial King Sect. His expression was stern, and though he said nothing, his presence alone weighed heavily on every cultivator within the sect.

Wenren Yue, the master of the Great Dao of the Purple Star, abruptly opened her eyes and spoke just one syllable. "White—"

Then, with a single step, she appeared outside the gates and bowed her head. "Grand Ancestor, we welcome you out of seclusion."

Though she had never met him before, she recognized the legendary name passed down through the Heavenly Star lineage. By seniority, he could be called the Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor.

He was the last surviving disciple of the Heavenly Star Divine Cult, which had existed in ancient times. His lifelong dream had been to restore the glory of the Heavenly Star Divine Cult. But even though he managed to reach the pinnacle of the eighth realm, he was still not strong enough to unite the scattered remnants of the sect.

This Grand Ancestor had come from a minor branch called the White Star Sect, where he eventually rose to become the master of the Great Dao of the White Star. He had entered closed-door cultivation two centuries ago, and no one had heard from him since. There were only occasional rumors suggesting that he might still be alive.

No one had expected that he would be one of those at the brink of ascension.

It was he who had swept his sleeve and summoned the Heavenly Star, blocking the light of the Great Dao of Heavenly Radiance and stopping the Divine Phoenix King from advancing any farther.

The Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor and Baize had, respectively, stopped the Divine Phoenix and Wuchao in their tracks.

Everyone across the four seas and nine provinces saw what happened. Fear quickly spread, and everyone was just observing the changes in the sky!

The Demon God had just died, and all the cultivators at the brink of ascension could not wait any longer. One by one, they sought to fulfill their grandest aspirations.

With no god left in the world, the era of great contention had begun!

...

Although the world was going through great changes, none of it seemed to bother Chu Liang. While the Hall of Construction was busy raking in profits, he quietly built a small wooden hut and locked himself inside for closed-door cultivation.

Lin Bei was a little worried about Chu Liang’s state of mind, so he came by to check on him. Aside from acting a bit psychotic, Chu Liang seemed completely fine.

"Tell me..." Chu Liang muttered as he stared blankly at the ceiling. "How does one create life essence? In this whole world, has no one besides Deity Pan ever done it?"

Lin Bei gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about? Isn’t that something everyone can do?"

"Huh?" Chu Liang turned to look at him. "You can too?"

"Of course I can!" Lin Bei lifted his chin proudly. "Well, I can’t say for sure, but I’m like ninety-nine percent confident. I’d just need someone to work with me. Each session would take two or three hours, and if we kept at it for a year or two, something would probably happen."

Chu Liang covered his face with his hand. He was speechless.

He really shouldn’t have tried discussing something so profound with Lin Bei.

What Lin Bei was describing... was technically called reproduction. But clearly, he was more interested in the process than the result.

Still, Chu Liang couldn’t bring Tuntun back by having a child. Even if he could choose where she reincarnated, no human could give birth to a Heaven-Devouring Bug.

Wait...

Suddenly, a new idea struck him. Who said creating life always needed two people? Maybe there were beings in this world who could produce life essence on their own.

With a single step, he appeared on top of a nearby mountain peak.

Baize was already there, quietly watching the world. Chaos was spreading from the South Sea, heavenly light was rising fiercely over the West Sea, and the Western Province sparkled with starlight. It felt like a storm was brewing in the calm-looking northern areas.

Her face was tense as she focused on reforming her Great Dao and returning to the brink-of-ascension state so she could rejoin the competition. Anyone who disturbed her now could be blasted by her deadly polar light of yin and yang.

Thankfully, it was Chu Liang. Everyone in Mount Shu knew he was the one young man who always had serious business. If he had come, it must have been for something important.

So Baize deactivated her formation and set aside a bit of her energy to look at him. She spoke in a serious tone. "The era of great contention has begun. I am already three steps behind, and things are moving fast. Unless this is urgent, do not disturb me."

"My apologies, Noble Baize," Chu Liang said at once. "This junior truly has an important matter to report."

"Speak," Baize said with a serious look.

"I want to know..." Chu Liang asked, "Who’s the dad of the Baize youngling?"

The yin-yang light swirling above Mount Shu rippled violently and almost dispersed. Baize’s expression grew complicated, and for a moment, it looked like she regretted letting him in.

Why did I ever think he came for something serious? Is this really the time for gossip?

Baize muttered to herself.

Her chest rose and fell for a moment before she finally snapped, "Get lost."