Chapter Thirty-One: Sixfold Dao Divinity, Concealed Burial of Life
Now, all is prepared.
Though the soul of Lady Meng is strange and elusive, in time, he would surely find it again. As for the many spirit gods of the Underworld, he believed that once his cultivation was sufficient, he could revive them one by one.
“So many matters, they must be handled, one by one…”
With this thought, the Son of Shadows shook his head slowly, a deep glimmer in his eyes as he spoke in a low voice:
“The third stage, with the method of endless reincarnation, gather the intent of infinite life, and evolve the ultimate path of vitality…”
As his words fell, the sea of suffering within him surged once more. Endless chilling gloom coalesced, and upon the third altar, the intricate patterns suddenly radiated a strong milky-white light!
A strange power emerged, and boundless vitality erupted from the third altar!
With a heavy, eerie aura that seemed to draw in the very soul, the vitality thickened to its utmost!
A faint humming sounded, and above the third altar, a phantom figure seated cross-legged swiftly took shape!
The moment endless vitality fused into it, the phantom was fully formed.
As the heavy, uncanny aura was absorbed, the third altar was completed.
Almost simultaneously, as three altars reached perfection, the boundless, pitch-black, icy sea of suffering below released an unprecedentedly chilling power!
Waves surged across the surface, winds and billows ravaging as the boundaries of the sea expanded wildly!
A glance revealed a boundless expanse, evoking a sense of grandeur beyond words!
At this moment, even if only one altar had achieved the divine path, with this endless sea of suffering alone, he could crush any cultivator of the same realm beneath the stars!
Such a sea of suffering had never existed before.
Noticing this change, the Son of Shadows was momentarily stunned, a hint of surprise in his expression.
He knew that when three altars reached completion, it marked the initial peak of the nine-altar realm, and the sea of suffering would transform to a certain degree—but he had not expected such a tremendous change!
“Three remnants of reincarnation remain, and with the vitality from that Star Sovereign, it should be enough to support the formation of six divine avatars.”
After pondering briefly, the Son of Shadows shook his head with a light laugh, a glimmer of calculation in his eyes, murmuring to himself:
“The fourth stage, with the Eye of Nether Nightmare, gather the intent of annihilation, and take the path of extinction…”
As his words faded, the endless, pitch-black sea of chilling gloom within him suddenly fell silent!
Wind ceased, waves stilled—a sign of tranquility, one might think.
Yet, now, it felt as though a storm was brewing!
Within the domain of the sea of suffering, oppressive gloom spread everywhere; an eerie aura rose from the endless depths, and on the fourth altar, a black light was emitted!
The light intensified, the oppressive aura within the sea seemed to crystallize to its utmost!
Gradually, an indescribable deathly stillness was born.
Silence—an ineffable quietude.
It was as if all life had been extinguished…
Even the divine avatars above the earlier three altars grew dim the instant this aura appeared!
Suddenly, the fourth altar trembled, and as a strong gray light surged forth, a gray-white figure seated cross-legged swiftly appeared!
Unlike the previous three, this figure bore a sinister vertical eye at the center of its brow!
The boundless depth and deathly aura rapidly converged into the purple vertical eye on the gray-white figure’s brow!
All happened with lightning speed, though the description seems slow—only a few breaths passed from the onset of deathly stillness to the full formation of the gray avatar!
Yet, for the first three divine avatars, these few breaths seemed to last decades!
“The fifth stage, draw upon my imperial will, gather the fortune of the stars, and take the path of destiny…”
“The sixth stage, with the art of sealing, bind the intent of heaven and earth, and transform space…”
Without delay, the Son of Shadows murmured again, and within his dantian, a dominant, supreme aura radiated from the fifth altar!
The sixth altar followed closely, emitting an aura of sealing all things!
Two cross-legged phantoms took shape in turn…
Their intents seemed to complement one another, merging swiftly with the previous extinction, death, vitality, and slaughter!
Boom…
Thunder roared…
With each blast, the sea of suffering within the Son of Shadows surged violently!
Its boundaries expanded once more, and the temperature plummeted!
The surface quickly became coated with endless frost, as though to freeze entirely!
Dark, profound, evoking a terror beyond words!
More importantly, with six avatars perfected, a mysterious power was born deep within the sea of suffering!
This power, unlike the six divine avatars, seemed to transcend the world itself!
“What is this…”
Sensing this force, the Son of Shadows grew solemn.
This power bore remarkable similarity to his previous transcendence of flesh!
It was indeed the aura of transcendence!
“Could it be that when I reach the nine-fold divine avatar, I might even condense a transcendent Dao seed…”
Gazing into his dantian at the chilling sea of suffering, light flickered in the Son of Shadows’ eyes as he murmured, pausing before slowly shaking his head:
“Perhaps this, too, is the wonder of the innate Dao body…”
“To transcend the flesh, if only to gain a harmonized Dao body, seems hardly worthwhile.”
“With this aura of transcendence, I suppose future cultivation will come even more easily…”
With this thought, the Son of Shadows gradually calmed his aura, a contemplative gleam in his eyes, waving a hand towards the illusory lake before him.
Ripples spread across the lake, revealing the starry scene outside the Celestial Domain.
The Three Realms, Six Secret Lands, Seven Star Sea—all encircle the Celestial Domain…
“It is time to search for Ling’er’s whereabouts…”
His gaze fixed on the most distant star sea, a faint tremor flickered deep in the Son of Shadows’ eyes as he softly murmured.
The scene before him magnified, finally settling over a desolate, decaying gray star sea…
There, no hint of life could be found.
The Sea of Burial.
“Countless ages ago, you and I drank muddy wine to mourn, raised blood-soaked banners, and strode across the heavens…”
“To command a hundred thousand soldiers, how unrestrained we were…”
“And now…”
His gaze lingered on the ruined star sea, a hint of nostalgia deep in the Son of Shadows’ eyes as he rose slowly, stepping towards the illusory lake.
“The great era rises again, armies are ready…”
“How could I go without you by my side…”
His words carried traces of desolation; his figure gradually faded, and the lake returned to its former calm.
After a long while, ripples appeared again in the illusory lake, as a ferocious turtle bearing an ancient tombstone on its back slowly crawled to the shore.
Staring at the spot where the Son of Shadows vanished, a hint of bitterness appeared in the turtle’s eyes as it murmured to itself:
“One word from Red Bell, a thousand silences; years flow by, can the heart be steadfast once more…”
“Your Majesty…”
“Why must you endure such sorrow…”