Chapter 545: World Manifestation

One generation plants the trees, another gets the shade.

Generations of gods, demons, and ordinary warriors made sacrifices, delaying the war until Meng Chuan had matured. If the gods and demons had feared death, if they had been unwilling to fight with their lives, then a few venerable ones alone could not have possibly defended the numerous world entrances. The human world would have long since fallen into ruin, and the human venerable ones would have been forced to choose 'world annihilation.' Countless lives would have been extinguished; Meng Chuan, Liu Qiyue, and many others might not have even been born before 'world annihilation' descended. Humanity would have been reduced to a few scattered survivors barely clinging to life within their grotto-heavens.

Billions of heroes sacrificed their lives to secure the hope of all humanity. They were the backbone of humanity.

Meng Chuan looked at the suspended painting before him. This artwork depicted countless sacrifices, illustrating the 'backbone' of humanity in the Cangyuan Realm.

Outside the Heaven and Earth Great Hall, Meng Chuan's true body emerged. He stood alone on the solitary plaza, which was enveloped in mist. As he silently observed, a sense of joy filled his heart. The enlightenment following his tremor had only granted him an initial understanding. It was the subsequent act of painting 'The Backbone' that truly purified Meng Chuan's mind and deepened his comprehension.

"Nirvana? Is nirvana the ultimate destination of all things, the final eternity? No, life is the most brilliant, the most magnificent! The entire vast expanse of space-time is magnificent precisely because of life. Life is the 'soul' of space-time; without it, the river of space-time would be gray. With life, it becomes vibrant and colorful. Life, Meng Chuan mused, has already surpassed eternity."

Such a mental transformation profoundly affects cultivators, and its impact is even greater on those of the Primordial Spirit lineage. Now, Meng Chuan's aura was no longer one of deathly silence but had become gentle and radiant. This was because, at this moment, he felt that every part of the world was beautiful and vibrant with life!

"I never expected this mental transformation to lead me to the eighth layer of the Primordial Spirit," Meng Chuan mused, marveling. He had been focusing on comprehending ultimate techniques, with his physical body still at the Chaos Hole (Venerable) realm, so it was surprising that his Primordial Spirit had reached the Tribulation Realm first.

"Let's test it," Meng Chuan murmured. He drew the Tribulation Realm secret treasure, 'Time Blade,' from his waist. After drawing it, he casually tossed it, and the Time Blade floated in mid-air as his Primordial Spirit power immediately infused it, taking control. With a single thought, the blade light soared like a roaming dragon, cutting through heaven and earth and revealing the gray chains hidden behind them.

"After reaching the Tribulation Realm, Primordial Spirit power undergoes a complete qualitative change, allowing for the perfect wielding of weapon secret treasures," Meng Chuan mused, nodding slightly. At lower realms, Primordial Spirit power was primarily used to unleash Primordial Spirit secret techniques. However, upon reaching the Tribulation Realm, Primordial Spirit power undergoes a qualitative transformation, making it even more adept at manipulating Tribulation Realm secret treasures than 'Tribulation Realm demonic power' or 'Tribulation Realm true essence.' It allows for easier, more fluid control and delivers ample power. This is inherent to the cultivation system.

For Body Tribulation Realm cultivators, the core focus after reaching the Tribulation Realm is cultivating the physical body. The body of every Body Tribulation Realm mighty figure is incredibly powerful, akin to a magic treasure. Swallowing the sun and moon with a single gulp, tearing space-time with a mere hand, or sitting cross-legged while enemies surround and attack without sustaining a single scratch—these are all feats unique to Body Tribulation Realm mighty figures. Their physical bodies are their strongest weapons, making 'melee combat' their greatest strength.

Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm cultivators are different. Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm cultivators have relatively fragile physical bodies, but their Primordial Spirits are exceptionally powerful. With a single thought, a world descends! Nine Primordial Spirit avatars, each capable of battling in any direction; it's common for a single avatar to traverse vast river domains in pursuit of enemies. Primordial Spirit secret techniques become even more elusive and potent. Primordial Spirit power, when manipulating 'Tribulation Realm secret treasures,' excels at long-range combat. Furthermore, World secret treasures are unique to Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm cultivators.

"For Body Tribulation Realm cultivators, the Primordial Spirit is hidden within their bodies, which act as a perfect, vast sanctuary, making it incredibly difficult to harm their Primordial Spirit," Meng Chuan realized. "For instance, after Patriarch Cangyuan reached the Seventh Body Tribulation Realm, he also became a Seventh Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm mighty figure, and pure Primordial Spirit secret techniques alone could not penetrate his body's defenses. It largely required a combination of 'Primordial Spirit World,' Tribulation Realm secret treasures, and World secret treasures to effectively counter a Body Tribulation Realm mighty figure." Body Tribulation Realm mighty figures only needed to charge forward.

"My Primordial Spirit World." Whoosh— As Meng Chuan stood on the plaza before the Heaven and Earth Great Hall, the Time Blade at his waist, a colossal painting suddenly appeared behind him. The vast scroll stretched over a hundred li, subtly depicting undulating mountains, surging rivers, and countless tiny figures living within. Since only a hundred li of the painting was revealed, the people depicted within it appeared incredibly minuscule. "So my Primordial Spirit World manifests as a painting?" Meng Chuan murmured, nodding slightly. It was the first time he had seen the external manifestation of his world.

"In the outer realm, my Primordial Spirit World can expand to a maximum of three million li without suppression," Meng Chuan mused, carefully discerning its limits. "That's quite substantial."

The external size of a Primordial Spirit World is not strongly correlated with actual power. Each Primordial Spirit Tribulation Realm cultivator's 'Primordial Spirit World' is unique, shaped by their individual mental path. Some, though small—perhaps only ten zhang at their largest—can be condensed into powerful beads capable of striking enemies with terrifying force. Conversely, some Primordial Spirit Worlds might span tens of millions of li but possess very little inherent power.

"I reached the eighth layer of the Primordial Spirit on the very first day of painting. After more than five months of continuous painting, my Primordial Spirit has been constantly transforming, and I feel a significant improvement," Meng Chuan reflected. "My Primordial Spirit World should therefore be quite formidable."

Meng Chuan speculated. After reaching the Tribulation Realm, it is quite complex to fully ascertain one's strength, often requiring multiple points of reference. While the number of passed 'heavenly tribulations' can indicate power, for someone like Meng Chuan who has not yet undergone such a tribulation, extensive verification is indeed necessary to make an accurate assessment.

Whoosh. With a thought, Meng Chuan caused the painting world that had been spreading around him to instantly conceal itself and vanish.

At that moment, black mist surged from the direction of the Heaven and Earth Great Hall, condensing into several Guardian Gods. The three Guardian Gods bowed in unison, greeting, "Salutations, Mighty East Ning."

"There’s no need to be so formal, three Guardian Gods," Meng Chuan said with a smile.

"The Cangyuan Realm finally has another Tribulation Realm mighty figure," exclaimed the black-robed Guardian God with long eyebrows. "Tribulation Realm mighty figures were only born during the Cangyuan Sect era; after that, there were none."

"It is the fortune of the Cangyuan Realm that a Tribulation Realm mighty figure has emerged in this era," another Guardian God repeated, looking at Meng Chuan. "Mighty East Ning, now that you have reached the Tribulation Realm, you will gain access to far more of the treasures left by Patriarch Cangyuan than ever before."

Meng Chuan smiled. He hadn't even been an Emperor before, but now, as a Tribulation Realm cultivator, he could naturally access a significantly greater amount of treasures from Patriarch Cangyuan's trove.

"Many treasures are not even accessible to ordinary Venerables or Emperors. Mighty East Ning, you may now proceed to select them," the Guardian Gods said with great enthusiasm. For countless years, they had guarded Patriarch Cangyuan’s treasures, adhering to his rules, which limited the use of powerful artifacts by weaker human descendants. This was because overly potent treasures, even when wielded by a Venerable, could not be fully utilized and might instead invite great calamity in the outer realm.

Now, however, the human race of the Cangyuan Realm finally had another Tribulation Realm mighty figure.

"No rush, I’ll check the treasury later," Meng Chuan said. "I still need to cultivate for some time."

The three Guardian Gods exchanged glances, then respectfully bowed and retreated.

Meng Chuan continued to stand in front of the Heaven and Earth Great Hall, deep in thought.

"The Blade of Nirvana—its very essence is annihilation. And now, I possess a blade whose essence is life," Meng Chuan mused. He drew the Time Blade from his waist and, without channeling Primordial Spirit power or much physical force, attempted to execute a strike.