Chapter 294: Asura's Past

"Oh my goodness! What is happening? My sea of consciousness!"

Xu Yang knew that this unimaginable and groundbreaking change was not harmful to him. On the contrary, it greatly strengthened his spiritual world.

All this knowledge, which was beyond his comprehension, had been bestowed upon him by Asura.

"Simply put, after being purified and transformed by this tombstone, you are no longer considered an ordinary being. You can now break free from this world's laws, having completed 'Dao Severance' prematurely. Your life has also become eternal. The only difference between you and someone who has ascended after severing their Dao is that you haven't communicated with the Upper Realm's powers. This makes you a truly unique existence in the entire continent's history, and the sole hope for this continent to usher in a new era!"

The more Xu Yang listened, the more confused he became. He had never encountered so much of this information before. Yet, it was precisely because of this that he knew he was getting closer to the truth that had always puzzled him.

"You must have many questions. Don't worry, I will answer them now!

In fact, our continent is controlled by the powers of the Upper Realm, merely one of many parallel worlds they created. The Upper Realm created this continent, nurtured its inhabitants, and gave us what they call 'vitality,' all to extract the unique soul essence of all beings! This is the true objective of those so-called gods in the Upper Realm!

As a powerful cultivator, you naturally understand that cultivating spiritual power strengthens the soul, while conventional cultivation strengthens the physical body. In other words, the vitality carried by the physical body and the soul residing in the head are fundamentally two entirely separate concepts.

But why is it that when a person dies, and their vitality merely fades, their entirely independent soul also vanishes?

This is the clearest evidence of the Upper Realm's conspiracy!

Because they create parallel worlds to cultivate all living things, using laws infused with their divine power as a medium. They establish rules for all beings in these parallel worlds to obey, and this serves as the means to absorb the soul essence of creatures, which can then be cultivated into divine energy.

In short, this continent we depend on for survival is merely a tool to provide soul nourishment for the gods of the Upper Realm."

Xu Yang was stunned. This was the most astonishing secret he had heard in his hundred thousand years of life.

"So, the Asura Dao cultivation method you created, which harnesses the power of departed souls, is also intended to prevent those so-called gods from the Upper Realm from devouring the soul essence of our continent's inhabitants?"

"Precisely."

Asura nodded gravely. "Openly defying the laws of the Heavenly Dao and destroying these rules is simply unrealistic for me alone. Furthermore, such actions would hinder the cultivators on our continent from progressing, ultimately being counterproductive. Yet, I can't conceive of any other method to resist these gods!"

Xu Yang pondered for a moment before speaking again. "If that's the case, without gods, there would naturally be no continent, and no living beings. This isn't something you can change alone, so why are you so fixated on it? What reason compels you to hate the gods and the Upper Realm so intensely?"

Asura let out a soft sigh. "This story begins with my initial attempt at ascension.

According to this continent's laws, once a cultivator reaches the Tribulation Transcendence Grand Completion realm and their soul strength reaches its peak, they can attempt to 'seek the Dao from Heaven.'

This 'seeking the Dao from Heaven' means using one's own power to shatter a special law barrier at the zenith of the sky. That barrier represents the condition set by the Upper Realm for human cultivators to achieve ascension.

Upon success, the Master of Heavenly Inquiry, sealed within the law barrier, will descend. Simply put, this is a task assigned by the Upper Realm gods to those attempting ascension. Only by completing this task does one gain the right to 'sever the Dao.'"

Xu Yang seemed to understand. "So, you can only break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao's laws that devour your vitality and soul essence by completing the task given to you by the gods?"

"Precisely. This is the true meaning of 'Dao Severance'! It means severing the ties imprinted on you by this world, allowing you to transcend the ordinary beings who abide by this world's rules.

However, this isn't the only change. After successfully severing your Dao, the Upper Realm will bestow upon you its own laws! You will then be further bound by a higher level of civilization...

While becoming a god grants eternal life and freedom from having one's vitality and soul devoured, it also brings entirely new tasks. What I am about to tell you is known only to me on this entire continent, and you must never reveal it to anyone! Now that your soul has reached the level of an ascender, no one in this world, not even I, can casually probe your soul.

Therefore, you must guard this secret. If it is leaked, the Upper Realm will unleash an unbearable catastrophe upon you!"

Xu Yang assented, and only then did Asura feel reassured enough to continue.

"My ascension task from the Upper Realm was to annihilate the Ancient Desolation Dynasty, delivering the Upper Realm's punishment upon that lineage. However, I had no idea what the Ancient Desolation lineage had done to defy the Heavenly Dao and incur the wrath of the Upper Realm gods. At that time, I was desperate to uncover the truth of this world, so I ultimately had to harden my heart and become the executioner for the Upper Realm gods.

At that same time, Dao Monarch Xiaoyao, my lifelong nemesis, also received the identical ascension task.

That individual, having entered the Dao and cultivated himself with the conviction of protecting the world, naturally couldn't understand my motives. Thus, he opposed me under the pretext of defending the Ancient Desolation lineage.

Initially, I couldn't defeat him because his cultivation method possessed a potent light attribute, which inherently suppressed the combat power of departed souls and completely countered my own strength.

Ultimately, I activated the Asura Arcane Art, leading to the destruction of almost half of the Ancient Desolation Dynasty's inhabitants. By completing the ascension task ahead of schedule, I received the baptism of ascension power from the barrier right on the battlefield. In front of him, I severed all worldly ties and became eternal.

At the same time, I received the blessings of the Upper Realm's rules and forged my own unique divine core within my body.

A divine core is a symbol of an ascender's godhood and also a pass to enter the Upper Realm. Gods possess the ability to directly manipulate the laws of heaven and earth in the lower realms. This unique divine power is activated through the divine essence stored within the divine core. You can also understand divine essence as a god's exclusive source of vitality and combat power, representing their most crucial part and symbol.

Thus, having completed my transformation and gained a divine core, I used the power of the myriad laws to turn the tide, easily suppressing Dao Monarch Xiaoyao. However, I didn't kill him. At that time, I still hoped for a day when he would also become a god and we could have a final showdown, completely unaware that he had received the exact same ascension task as me."