Chapter Eighty-Eight: Reforging Darkness, Roaming the Myriad Worlds

After Jin Hai and Yin Xian were sealed within the Primal Chaos Tower, and as the endless chants of the Ancients' worship resounded through the heavens and earth, the Primal Chaos Tower transformed into a stream of purple energy that entered Chen Xing’s body.

Having witnessed the true culprit who had plagued their world for countless years finally imprisoned by Chen Xing, the people of Stone Village finally felt their pent-up anger dissipate. They all crowded around Chen Xing, who had already withdrawn his divine manifestation, chattering away, unafraid in the least. This left Pangu and Mo Ni standing by utterly speechless—after all, that was the Lord of Primal Chaos! Truly, ignorance breeds fearlessness.

Once Chen Xing had managed to pacify the curious crowd with a few casual words and saw that matters in this world were settled, he turned and addressed the people of Stone Village: “Now that the root of the Black Calamity is dealt with, what are your plans?”

Upon hearing this, Huang grew anxious and replied, “Master! The most important thing I came here to do still isn’t done.”

“Oh? And what is that?” Chen Xing looked at him with a half-smiling, half-serious gaze.

Feeling somewhat guilty under Chen Xing’s stare, Huang lowered his head and stammered, “I... I want to resurrect some of my kin. I... I don’t know if Master can help me?”

Seeing that Huang had finally spoken his mind, Chen Xing sighed, his tone laced with disappointment. “The cycle of reincarnation in your world was shattered long ago. To resurrect them now would be to defy the very heavens. How do you expect me to help you?”

“But you’re the Supreme Emissary—can’t even you bring people back to life?” Huang asked, confusion and disappointment clouding his face.

“At present, I truly cannot. If you really wish to bring them back, there is only one way,” Chen Xing replied, shaking his head.

Huang’s spirits lifted instantly. “What way, Master? Please tell me!”

“Wait!” Chen Xing stated plainly.

“Wait?” Everyone was baffled, including Huang; none understood his meaning.

Chen Xing’s gaze was somewhat inscrutable. “This planet is the source of the darkness and chaos in your world. Now that you have transcended, you must continue to act as the wellspring of darkness.”

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Chen Xing explained, “Haven’t you noticed? It is only amidst countless great tribulations that true geniuses are most likely to emerge.

“Look at yourselves. Perhaps you don’t realize just how frightful your talents would be in other worlds. I hope you can continue to provoke these great dark tribulations here until ‘those few individuals’ fully mature. When that time comes, you can join hands to rebuild the cycle of reincarnation.”

“Master, who do you mean by ‘those few’?” Huo Linger asked curiously.

Chen Xing glanced at Huang, who also looked puzzled, and offered a hint: “Do you remember those few who appeared during the World Sea War against the Doomsday Elder?”

“It’s them!” Huang and the Willow Deity exclaimed in unison.

“Exactly. They are from the future. Last time, they came here using the supreme arts, traveling against the current of the river of time to help you.

“If you let the dark calamity end now, they too will fade into the masses of sentient beings, and the rebuilding of the Six Paths of Reincarnation will remain but a mirage, an illusion in a dream.”

---

“But the dark calamity is so cruel—how could we bear to sacrifice countless prodigies just to resurrect our own loved ones?” Huang’s expression was full of reluctance.

Huo Linger huffed indignantly. “You fool! If we can revive Grandma and the others, why can’t the rest be revived too?”

Then she turned to Chen Xing, grinning. “Master, you’re brilliant. This is just like a game, and we’re the final bosses. How exciting!”

Chen Xing smiled and nodded. He then turned to Mo Ni and gave him a slight nod; Mo Ni instantly understood. He extended his hand, and a wisp of dense, sinister black mist appeared in his palm, emanating endless evil and foreboding.

Everyone shrank back at the sight, feeling instinctively uneasy.

“That’s enough. This is how it shall be. Mo Ni, for now, you are not to exercise your authority over the Way. Stay here and assist Huang and the others in completing this task.”

Mo Ni could only force a wry smile and nod. Encountering a Primal Chaos Lord like this, what recourse did he have? First resolving the source of chaos, then creating new chaos with his own hands—ah, what a fate…

“I have one last question!” the Willow Deity said solemnly.

“What is it? Speak,” Chen Xing replied, smiling faintly.

“How do we rebuild the Six Paths of Reincarnation?” The Willow Deity forced a smile. “We have no idea how.”

Huang was dumbfounded as well—indeed, none of them knew how to construct a cycle of reincarnation.

Chen Xing gave a gentle smile. “That need not concern you. Among those people in the future, there is one who has delved deeply into the mysteries of reincarnation.”

As he spoke, the image of a peerless woman appeared unbidden in his mind—peerlessly beautiful, proud and aloof above all beings, yet waiting for the return of one man.

Perhaps only her talents could match those of his own sister.

Three years later, Chen Xing finally departed with Pangu. In the midst of chaos, their conversation lingered:

“Master, is this really the right thing to do?”

“Ah, there is no choice. What can I do, when the little one is my disciple? To be a master is no easy thing!”

Pangu: “…”

……

In the tens of thousands of years that followed, the figures of Chen Xing and Pangu could be found throughout the myriad realms and countless worlds. In these worlds, they lived out the lives of ordinary people over and over again.

---

They once rose from humble beginnings in an ancient martial world, fighting through endless strife until they became invincible beneath the heavens.

They also became scholars, swept along by the tides of history: Chen Xing as a poor student, Pangu as a child rescued by him, becoming his page. Together, they journeyed to the capital to take the imperial exams, and eventually, Chen Xing became a celebrated minister.

Chen Xing also once wandered among flowers, experiencing the bitter and sweet pangs of love between men and women, heartbreak and longing, leaving behind countless beloved verses that would be sung for generations.

In a modern world much like Earth, Chen Xing became a renowned healer who saved countless lives during a pandemic that swept the globe.

During the fight against the pandemic, Chen Xing witnessed a great nation’s boundless compassion for its people, and the selfless spirit of countless medical workers who braved danger without hesitation—this moved him deeply.

…

Through innumerable ordinary lives, Chen Xing’s Dao Heart drew ever closer to perfection. Yet he always felt something was missing. He sensed that if he could not grasp what was lacking, he might never achieve true consummation of his Dao Heart.

Finding that further roaming the myriad worlds no longer served much purpose, Chen Xing felt a longing for home.

It had been tens of thousands of years since he left the Great Desolation. Going back now, he feared his mother would be furious! Chen Xing could only shake his head and smile wryly.

On the Great Desolation, after the Dao Ancestor’s warning, the Wu and Demon clans had only minor private disputes. All in all, peace prevailed.

The only major event was that, several thousand years ago, the King of the East and Queen Mother of the West discovered the emergence of the Penglai Immortal Isle in the Eastern Sea. Gathering tens of thousands of wandering cultivators, they seized the island and proclaimed themselves the leaders of all male and female immortals.

It was said that Penglai Isle held countless spiritual treasures. The Demon Emperor Di Jun sent his followers to collect them, but they were driven off by the King of the East. Furious, Di Jun led an army against Penglai.

In the ensuing bloodbath, the King of the East fell, the Queen Mother of the West was gravely wounded and forced to flee, and countless wandering cultivators were slaughtered. The once-glorious sanctuary of the unaffiliated was wiped away. For a time, the prestige of the Demon Clan reached new heights, and none could stand in their way.

On Fangzhang Isle, not far from Penglai, the people watched the Demon Clan’s rise in silence.

In the Great Desolation, the strong prey on the weak. Without sufficient power, it was impossible to occupy any blessed land. This drove many weaker beings on Fangzhang Isle to train diligently—no one wanted to end up like those slain wanderers on Penglai.

One day, Nuwa appeared atop Buzhou Mountain. After spending several days at her brother’s old training ground, she descended the mountain, leaving behind only a faint sigh: “Has the time come…?”