Chapter 164: Leaping Across the Sea to Reach the Other Shore
This was truly a small cauldron, no more than an inch tall. It had no dazzling radiance, no terrifying fluctuations of divine power—only a sense of naturalness and grandeur.
Yes, it was not large; in fact, it was very small. Yet it gave one a feeling of immense majesty, not like a vessel, but rather like a stretch of mountains and rivers, a star domain, a world where the Dao and natural principles harmonized.
Primordial Mother Qi was extremely rare, a true treasure, a sacred substance for refining artifacts, and very difficult to obtain. Let alone the "Primordial Source Root" of Mother Qi, which existed only in legends and could never be seen. Now, it had actually been forged into a cauldron.
Ye Fan found it hard to calm his heart. He examined the cauldron internally, and the more he looked, the more he liked it. Mysterious Yellow represented heaven and earth; three legs and two ears, its upper rim rounded and smooth, together performing the Dao and its principles. He activated his mystic art, trying to summon the cauldron, but he was shocked to discover that the small cauldron was as heavy as mountains and rivers, and he could hardly move it. "This..." He was truly stunned. The cauldron was as heavy as a mountain range. "Rise!" Ye Fan exerted all his strength, letting out a great shout, channeling all his divine power toward the small cauldron, and finally managed to summon it. It was plain and unadorned, hanging silently in the air, like a steadfast rock from the dawn of creation, motionless. "Go!" Ye Fan called out softly, trying to send it into the distance.
The cauldron, less than an inch tall, merely trembled in the air. The various massive boulders nearby silently and instantly turned to powder, and the entire stone forest before him vanished completely.
"Primordial Mother Qi, forged into a cauldron—truly terrifying!"
Ye Fan recalled the cauldron. First came joy, then a furrowed brow. This cauldron was too heavy; he could barely drive it, feeling as if he were facing a great mountain.
If it had not been refined within his own body, with an inseparable connection to him, given his actual cultivation level, he would have been utterly unable to move it!
This cauldron had already taken on the initial form of a great artifact. If it were to interweave the Dao and its principles, there was a chance it might one day evolve into an Extreme Imperial Weapon!
Ye Fan did not rush to advance toward the multicolored cloud flames of the seventh layer. There would be plenty of time to temper the cauldron. He wanted to first elevate his own cultivation.
One's own strength was the foundation of everything. Otherwise, even with the cauldron in hand, he could not wield it as an extension of his will, unable to command it freely.
Now, his physical body was formidable, his divine power abundant. If he settled down to cultivate diligently, he was bound to break through in a short time.
Ye Fan chose another stone forest, carved out a cave dwelling, and sat inside with the Bodhi seed in hand, beginning to cultivate in silence.
Last time, deep within the Qixia Mountain Range, in the space of the Peacock King, Ye Fan had already made some progress. He only needed to take half a step further to reach the peak of the Divine Bridge. Therefore, he was confident he could break into the Other Shore here.
Time passed. Ye Fan remained motionless, quietly meditating. After a month, he finally reached the summit of the Divine Bridge and prepared to refine that fist-sized piece of Source.
But at that moment, he sensed something unusual. Before his eyes, everything was hazy and blurred; he could not see clearly, as if he had lost his way. "How can this be?" He was startled, thinking someone had set a trap for him. Yet there was no killing intent, no fluctuation of divine power—everything was silent.
He extended his powerful divine sense to scan the surroundings. To his astonishment, when his divine sense was released, all he saw was the same hazy mist, nothing else. "My five senses, my spiritual perception... why are they becoming dull? What has harmed me?" Ye Fan quickly calmed down, pondered silently, then murmured to himself, "Could it be..."
He thought of a possibility—a cultivation condition he had overlooked. The Divine Bridge realm carried the calamity of losing one's way. The Dao Scripture mentioned it only briefly, without detail, so he had never paid it any attention.
All along, when he studied the Dao Scripture, he focused on the core teachings and ignored these seemingly irrelevant words. He never expected to encounter this now.
The human body held endless mysteries. If cultivators did not want to be trapped in the Sea of Suffering and wished to explore other secret realms of the body, they had to forcibly cross the Sea of Suffering.
Only by cultivating a Heavenly Vein, spanning above the Sea of Suffering and leading to the Other Shore, could one lay the foundation to escape this predicament. This was the Divine Bridge realm—a very critical juncture.
But where did the Heavenly Vein grow, stretching across the void, to reach the Other Shore? Some people spent their entire lives unable to see through the illusions, trapped at this end of the Divine Bridge, unable to cross the Sea of Suffering. This was the calamity of losing one's way.
In the most severe cases, the five senses could be stripped away, spiritual perception completely lost, turning one into an ignorant, senseless cripple—the most terrifying outcome.
Most people, when forming the Heavenly Vein, encountered mist blocking their path, unsure where to go. However, it was usually not severe; calming the mind allowed one to pass through without hindrance.
Ye Fan had progressed smoothly until now, without any setbacks. Before reaching the peak of the Divine Bridge, he had never been trapped or restricted.
Only at this moment did it fully manifest. Endless mist surged forth, illusions veiled his spiritual perception, blocking his path forward. This was a severe calamity of losing one's way. "Crossing the sea leads to the Other Shore!" A life-and-death trial lay before him. He had to go through it; there was no retreat. Otherwise, his hearing, sight, and other senses would be stripped away, and he would be completely lost.
Ye Fan set aside the piece of Source and tucked the Bodhi seed into his bosom. He wanted to face this truly, leaving himself no crutch.
A powerful cultivator had to pass this trial on their own, experiencing it personally. Otherwise, the shadow would hang over future cultivation, and their spiritual perception would no longer be sharp. This was a journey of questioning the heart, not a process of relying on external objects.
In a sense, although the calamity of losing one's way was a tribulation, if one broke through, both body and mind would be purified. It would awaken one's innate instincts, making the subconscious stronger, allowing one to see through illusions and directly perceive the origin.
Ye Fan closed his eyes, motionless, as still as a fossil. Half a month later, he whispered, "I will not lose my way..."
At this moment, in his eyes, mist locked all directions. He felt trapped in a cage. His mind sank into the Wheel Sea, and he could only see a stretch of Heavenly Vein, not knowing where to cross.
The calamity of losing one's way, known as a life-and-death trial, was no empty claim. Many heavenly prodigies, when recalling their past, had emphasized this hurdle.
Ye Fan was truly in danger. His five senses grew increasingly numb, his spiritual perception on the verge of vanishing. He felt sealed off—unable to hear, unable to see... like a deaf man, like a blind man.
"Asking my own heart, where is the Other Shore?"
Ye Fan felt no fear, no panic. His heart was very calm. He earnestly contemplated what he had learned, striving to look through the mist, wanting to see through it. "The Other Shore, the Other Shore... is turning back the shore?" He kept questioning himself. "The path of cultivation is winding and long. How can one turn back? How to turn back? One must bravely advance."
The mist still sealed him. His five senses grew more numb. He felt he was about to lose all spiritual perception. This was an unprecedented danger; he might stop here and become a cripple. "According to records, the greater one's potential, the harder it is to escape the calamity of losing one's way. I will not be discouraged; I should be glad." Ye Fan remained calm, not panicking, instead gaining stronger confidence.
In the blink of an eye, another half month passed. He still had not emerged from the mist.
Time slowly flowed by. For two whole months, Ye Fan endured the calamity of losing his way. When his five senses were completely stripped away, he could perceive nothing at all. "The Other Shore, the Other Shore—it is not the opposite shore. There is no need to search. Where I walk, there it is. The place where I stand—that is the Other Shore." Ye Fan spoke calmly. "Rumble!" The clouds and mist churned, rapidly dispersing. Heaven and earth became clear, everything before his eyes.
In an instant, the mist vanished. His five senses revived, sharper than before, incredibly acute. A mysterious radiance enveloped him, as if he were undergoing a baptism.
He had passed the life-and-death trial, seen through the calamity of losing his way. His "instincts" had been baptized. His divine sense shot out like a bolt of silk, perceiving an even broader range. His body and mind felt as if they had been tempered.
Ye Fan sank his mind into the Wheel Sea. Now, that stretch of Heavenly Vein was thicker, crystal clear, like a purple-gold beam bridging the sea, leading to an unknown place.
He ascended the Divine Bridge and stepped forward directly. As he had said, wherever he walked, there was the Other Shore. He crossed the sea.
The Heavenly Vein shone brilliantly. He traversed the Sea of Suffering and reached its end. This was a pure land. Mist drifted ethereally. In the high heavens, he vaguely saw a massive Dao Palace.
White clouds drifted lazily, blocking his view. The Dao Palace vanished, no longer visible. Ye Fan did not feel regret. Having just reached the Other Shore, not yet perfected, how could he enter the Dao Palace secret realm?
The legendary Dao Palace corresponded to the chest area of the human body. There, five deities resided. Cultivating this secret realm would bring about all sorts of wondrous phenomena. The valley spirit never dies—this is called the Mysterious Female. The gate of the Mysterious Female is the root of heaven and earth. The five deities nurtured the five elements; the five energies were pure and clear, connecting with heaven and earth, unceasing and continuous, capable of generating Dao power.
Having reached the Other Shore realm, he felt the changes within himself. His essence, energy, and spirit sublimated. His divine power surged. The Sea of Suffering had expanded to the size of a palm, shimmering with rippling light, very resplendent.
He felt as if one punch could shatter the blue sky, one kick could split the earth. This was the strange illusion of increased strength.
He did not move. Instead, he grasped the fist-sized piece of Source in his hand and began to refine it slowly. He needed to stabilize this realm.
He did not expect to reach the Great Perfection of the Other Shore realm and undergo a cocoon-breaking, butterfly-like transformation. That was unrealistic, as he had only just entered this realm.
The fist-sized Source was pure and flawless, flowing with light and color, containing unimaginably vast, vigorous essence. Ye Fan spent most of a day refining it before finally absorbing it all. Then, he remained still for another ten days before fully awakening, completing this cultivation session. "This is..." At that moment, when Ye Fan looked inward at his Wheel Sea, he was greatly startled.
The golden Sea of Suffering sparkled with points of light. He felt something new had appeared on its surface—a vibrant, green presence.
"What is that?"
Ye Fan was dumbfounded. There, a strange plant grew in the golden ocean, faintly visible. It resembled an azure lotus, surrounded by swirling chaotic mist! "How can this be?" He was extremely shocked, not knowing why this change had occurred.
And when he inadvertently looked up, he was stunned again. The sky above the Wheel Sea was no longer hazy or empty. It was a clear blue, like the azure heavens. Ye Fan was truly astonished. After reaching the Other Shore, a series of changes had occurred. "The sky... the azure lotus... could my divine phenomenon be about to appear?" He could not calm down, then murmured to himself, "No, this is merely the initial evolution of the Wheel Sea, not a divine phenomenon!"
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