FVN Chapter 265 The Hub of Heaven and Earth, The Path of the Netherworld
Chapter 265 The Hub of Heaven and Earth, The Path of the Netherworld
Chapter 265 The Hub of Heaven and Earth, The Path of the Netherworld
"Nether Dragon, do not be rude."
Just as the atmosphere reached its most tense moment, a faint voice came from behind. The next moment, a stunningly beautiful woman slowly emerged from the darkness, her eyes captivating, enough to draw anyone in with just one glance.
The Nether Dragon glared fiercely at Zhao Gongming before transforming into a three-inch-long dragon and perching on the woman's shoulder.
"Greetings, Ancestor of the Underworld."
Zhao Gongming sensed that the Netherworld Ancestor meant no harm and politely bowed.
The Netherworld Ancestor glanced at him and nodded slightly: "No need for formalities. Your arrival here is a testament to your great fortune, having passed the trials of the Netherworld Blood River and the Illusion Array."
Is it atmospheric transport?
Zhao Gongming's heart stirred slightly. If these coincidences could be considered great fortune, then his luck was truly remarkable.
However, even with a high-level Chaos God and Demon bloodline, protected by the Great Dao in Chaos, one wouldn't have such good fortune. Therefore, he believed that there was an invisible hand controlling things behind the scenes.
The Great Dao of Time happens to counter the Netherworld Blood River, while the Great Dao of Sword and the Chaos Star Chart happen to counter the Tongtian Sect Master in the illusion array. Is this what the Netherworld Ancestor meant by great fortune?
Before Zhao Gongming could finish his thought, the Netherworld Ancestor spoke again indifferently: "Now, I only have this wisp of remnant soul left. I'm afraid it will dissipate after ten thousand years, and all my inheritance will be lost."
"Since you were able to find this place in the vast chaos, we are destined to meet. Today, I will bestow upon you a great fortune."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and the Netherworld Book transformed into a stream of light, landing in Zhao Gongming's hand.
"this----"
Zhao Gongming held the Book of the Underworld in his hand, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Is it because the chaotic god and demon he just met was too kind to him, or is he just naturally blessed with such "luck"?
However, since they've bestowed this treasure upon us, we might as well accept it; we still need to observe proper etiquette.
Thinking of this, Zhao Gongming bowed deeply and said, "This junior thanks the senior for bestowing this treasure upon me."
The Netherworld Ancestor smiled slightly and said, "Since you have inherited my Netherworld Book, you are considered half of my successor. Today, I will have a conversation with you, discussing only the Dao and not seniority."
Having said that, he waved his sleeve, and two prayer mats appeared in the air.
Zhao Gongming took his seat, facing the Netherworld Ancestor.
"There are countless paths to enlightenment; which one do you cultivate?"
The Netherworld Ancestor got straight to the point, his voice as calm as still water.
Zhao Gongming pondered for a moment and replied, "What I cultivate is the way of the sword as my edge and the way of protection as my heart. The sword is a weapon of war, but the ultimate way of the sword lies in stopping the fighting rather than killing. I only want to cut off all the scheming that entangles me. This is my way."
Upon hearing this, the Netherworld Ancestor smiled faintly: "Cutting away all schemes—what a fine swordsmanship."
His smile held a deeper meaning: "And what will you do after you've cut through all the scheming?"
Zhao Gongming frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Maintain the normal operation of heaven and earth, and prevent the Great Calamity from existing."
"The Great Calamity will cease to exist? What a boastful statement!"
The Netherworld Ancestor paused slightly, then suddenly changed the subject, "Then let me ask you, what is the essence of the Netherworld Dao?"
Zhao Gongming hesitated for a moment, and the Book of the Netherworld appeared in his mind on its own. As the pages turned, countless mysteries of the Netherworld surged into his heart.
"The Netherworld is the place of death and the starting point of life, a place of endless reincarnation and karmic cycles. The Great Dao of the Netherworld is the great Dao that governs the cycle of life and death, and the karma of cause and effect."
"Not bad." The Netherworld Ancestor nodded, "But this is only the surface."
He slowly rose, his body radiating a brilliant, eerie light, causing the temperature of the entire forbidden area to plummet: "The essence of the Netherworld is 'Return'."
"All things return to the netherworld, and from the netherworld arise new hope. Death is not the end, but another beginning. Do you know what profound truth is contained within this word 'return'?"
Zhao Gongming seemed to be deep in thought: "To return means to go back to one's origin."
"Exactly!" the Netherworld Ancestor praised. "Returning means returning to the origin. What you call maintaining the normal operation of heaven and earth is merely the surface peace of heaven and earth. However, the true operation is not about maintaining superficial peace, but about maintaining the most fundamental order between heaven and earth—the cycle of life and death, the flow of cause and effect."
Zhao Gongming was startled, as if he had grasped something crucial.
The Netherworld Ancestor continued, "Do you think that after the Great Calamity of Creation, the world would be at peace? Not at all."
"Although chaos has been broken, this world itself is a huge cycle of reincarnation, in which all living beings are. Everyone you protect will eventually return to the underworld and be reborn from it. What you maintain is not the peace of this world, but the eternal order of all living beings in the cycle of reincarnation."
These words struck Zhao Gongming like a thunderclap.
He had cultivated for many years, but had never considered the essence of heaven and earth from this perspective.
"What you mean, senior, is—"
What I mean is, your thinking is missing one layer.
The Netherworld Ancestor sat down again, his expression calm. "You are blessed with great fortune, and may even be the protagonist of a great calamity, but you lack an understanding of the origin of heaven and earth. You want to cut off the karma and fog that entangle you, but you do not know where karma and fog come from. This is your shortcoming."
Where does cause and effect come from?
Yes!
Why did that phantom in the Qiankun Cauldron suddenly try to kill him?
Why did the Heavenly Dao in the primordial world target the Earthly Dao and the Human Dao?
Why is he still entangled in the Journey to the West tribulation even though he has already been conferred the title of God?
Zhao Gongming stood up and bowed respectfully: "Please enlighten me, senior."
The Netherworld Ancestor waved his hand: "It's not really guidance, just some old clichés. Sit down, and I'll discuss with you the mysteries of the Netherworld Dao."
Zhao Gongming sat down again.
The Netherworld Ancestor observed Zhao Gongming for a moment, then said, "Although you exude the aura of a chaotic god or demon, you are not one of my three thousand chaotic gods or demons. Where do you come from?"
Clearly, his cultivation was extraordinary during his lifetime, at least at the Chaos Realm. Just like Shichen, it was obvious at a glance that Zhao Gongming was not a native Chaos being.
Zhao Gongming did not hide anything from this, but instead told the story of how Pangu transformed into the primordial world after creating the world.
"Interesting, this primordial calamity also includes the Heavenly Dao, the Earthly Dao, and the Human Dao—"
The Netherworld Ancestor's eyes were bright, and she didn't seem to harbor much hatred towards Pangu like Shichen did. After a moment of contemplation, she slowly spoke: "In that case, let's talk about the primordial world you inhabit and the sword path you cultivate."
7
She began to expound on the Dao, her voice not loud, yet it seemed to contain the most profound truths of the universe: "In the beginning of the primordial world, the pure Qi rose to become the heavens, and the turbid Qi sank to become the earth. However, between this purity and turbidity, there was a forgotten pivot, which is the Netherworld."
"Heaven governs life, and the Netherworld governs death. The cycle of life and death forms the Heavenly Dao. The primordial world you see appears to be clearly divided into three realms, but in reality, it is a massive vortex of reincarnation. Heaven governs life, the Netherworld governs death, and the human world is a battlefield between life and death. Even the operation of the Heavenly Dao cannot be separated from this cycle of reincarnation!"