Chapter 7257 Being and Non-Being

The palace master was moved by Long Chen’s reaction. This was something he was unable to comprehend no matter how much he racked his brain!

“Tell me what you think!”

“The foundation of a Heavenly Sovereign lay in the Dao-seed. The Dao-seed requires the world’s most primitive energy, the purest kind of energy. That would be the power of the Grand Dao,” said Long Chen excitedly.

“Right. And?”

The palace master stared at him. How did that have anything to do with what the sweeping elder had said?

“Based on my understanding, what the sweeping elder spoke of refers to the function of the Grand Dao. In the same way as a pendulum swings from one peak to another, so too does the Grand Dao. Once you reach the bottom, you can only go up. At the very top, you have nowhere to go but down. To create something new, you must tear down what is old. That is the cycle of rebirth.

“The power of the Grand Dao is something you must follow. You cannot control it by force, and you cannot twist it and use it for purposes outside of its nature, or it will turn on you and crush you instead.

“As for being and non-being... If you were to look at this from the viewpoint of Yin and Yang, then you could say that all things in this world are a mix of Yin and Yang, that all things have their opposites. For instance, in this world, there are things that you can see, and there are things that you cannot see. This is a fundamental truth. However, whether you see them or not, they still exist, right? And thus, they are ‘being.’ But if we follow the same logic of Yin and Yang, the opposite must also exist—namely, things that are not. From being, non-being. In that case, the statement that being comes from non-being is not some philosophical drivel, but something containing the wisdom of the ages.”

The palace master was listening solemnly. He felt his soul shuddering, as if it had suddenly gained insight to some of the mysteries of the Grand Dao. These mysteries were right there in front of him, but he couldn’t see them or feel them.

“When we speak of Grand Dao power, it is precisely seizing being from non-being. This power gave birth to heaven, earth, and all things in-between. It makes the world move, but we cannot perceive it. Thus, you have the statement that the Grand Dao is formless, the Grand Dao is emotionless, the Grand Dao is nameless. Because it is formless, it cannot be perceived. Because it is emotionless, it has no bias. Because it is nameless, it cannot be comprehended.”

As Long Chen said this, a strange light began to emanate from his body, startling everyone. This was a blessing from the Heavenly Daos! Its appearance indicated that Long Chen’s explanation was in accordance with the Heavenly Daos!

It was said that in the primal chaos era, when powerful experts expounded on the Dao, multicolored light would gather around them. The blessing of the Heavenly Daos would actually be even greater than what they were witnessing now; there were even stories of flowers falling from the heavens and lotuses blooming out of the dirt.

Just as everyone was shocked by this blessing, heaven and earth changed color. A violent aura suddenly crashed down, scattering the auspicious aura that had been gathering around Long Chen. The sky darkened, killing intent filled the air, and the terrifying will of the Heavenly Daos made people’s hair stand on end.

“When the heavens are enraged, the stars and constellations change?” Long Chen sneered. He waved his hand, and Evilmoon appeared.

A saber-image swept through the sky, containing Long Chen’s domineering will. The dark dome of heaven was split open, and sunlight pierced the darkness once more.

“Outsider will, you dare act impudent before me?” sneered Long Chen.

The will belonging to the nine heavens once more descended. This time, everyone felt that it was full of warmth.

Once they had experienced the suppression of the outsider will, they had a newfound appreciation for the will of their world. They could sense it more clearly than ever, and only now did they sense that the world was constantly protecting them.

Suddenly, the palace master’s aura erupted, making everyone jump.

“Fuck, I’m advancing! I have to go!”

The palace master immediately bolted away, bringing his turbulent aura with him. He was so out of control that the space around him was cracking by virtue of his mere presence.

Watching him rush off, everyone was dazed. Miao Yin couldn’t help asking, “Does the palace master have to return to the academy for his breakthrough?”

The palace master’s aura was already fluctuating wildly. It would be better to just use that chance to advance immediately. If he suppressed it, he might miss this chance.

“He’s in charge of the Battle God Palace. If he wants to advance, he has to do it in the academy. An advancement to the Heavenly Sovereign realm will bring a huge surge in karmic luck, and if he makes his breakthrough elsewhere, that karmic luck will descend there. That place will become a new blessed land. Only a rogue cultivator would do such a thing. Sect members must return to their own sects to advance,” said Long Chen.

“Hm? If you hadn’t said that, I really wouldn’t have known. The Heavenly Sound Sect has never mentioned such a thing to us,” said Miao Yin.

But then, she sighed. She knew that the reason the Heavenly Sound Sect hadn’t mentioned it was that there was no need. Only one of them would ever advance. The rest were all pawns, and they wouldn’t be able to leap off of their board.

“The palace master will probably have to go into seclusion for a while. Should we also lock down the academy?” suggested Zi Yan.

Long Chen nodded. “Yes, we’ve gained a great deal this time and we should take the time to digest these gains. Those who have become late-stage Sovereign Lords must condense a Grand Dao seed. Since you’ve just experienced the interference of the outsider Grand Dao, you should be able to feel our Grand Dao more closely. It should be easier for you to condense a Dao-seed.

“As for those who haven’t reached the late stage, they must immediately go into seclusion. They will only be allowed out once they’ve reached the late stage.

“The first academy has gained an enormous amount of karmic luck. If the palace master successfully advances, that karmic luck will grow even more. You must seize this chance to grow as quickly as possible.

“Don’t get cocky because of our victory over the outsider devils. They are not as weak as you may think. I can assure you that their numbers exceed our imagination. The ones that they sent this time are mostly sacrificial pawns. They don’t have enough food to feed everyone, so they are sending out cannon fodder.

“Perhaps they are doing this specifically to numb us, to make us feel arrogant and prideful. But I want everyone to focus on getting stronger with all their might. When we come out of seclusion, perhaps this world will no longer be the same...”

Long Chen’s tone was very serious. He had a premonition that there were countless hidden forces that were starting to make their move.

Who knew how many powerful existences like the Cult of Mara were hidden throughout the nine heavens and ten lands? They were like vipers lying in the shadows. Once they came out, they would be aiming to sink their fangs into the fattest chunk of meat.

Three days later, they arrived at the first academy. They had already recovered on their journey, and they immediately went into seclusion.

As for Long Chen, he went into a private room and took out a basin of blood.

“Hehe, it’s time to go back to my old profession!”