Chapter 571: Pangu

The flaw in the Heavenly Dao lies in the unceasing Grand Dao; the flaw in sentient beings lies in the ebb and flow of their Dao nature…

Li Changshou's current state was somewhat peculiar.

He sat cross-legged just above the vortex, strands of his spiritual sense exploring its depths, most of his mind immersed within. However, he was merely observing, not fully entering a state of Dao comprehension; every surrounding detail was projected into his mind.

There was Fairy Yunxiao, focused on refining the formation bases; Taiyi Zhenren, slacking off and practicing vocal mimicry; and Grand Master Senior Brother, studying the specific layout of the great formation.

At this moment, Li Changshou felt like a "mobile hard drive" plugged into the "port" of the Heavenly Dao, diligently searching for content that interested him amidst a vast sea of disordered and meaningless information.

He was also exploring some minor questions.

For instance, the essence of the Heavenly Dao, the deep connection between the Grand Dao, the Heavenly Dao, and sentient beings, and the Grand Dao's self-evolution at the genesis of heaven and earth, among other things.

There was nothing particularly outstanding about it—just the level of comprehension one might expect from an ordinary mighty being in the Primordial World.

Of course, his own Dao realm and accumulation were still far from qualifying him as a mighty being.

From ancient times until now, countless beings in the Primordial World had left too many traces in the annals of time, and the Heavenly Dao also contained numerous scattered fragments.

Li Changshou continuously observed and contemplated, completely unaware of the passage of time. Insights constantly accumulated, yet he temporarily sealed them to prevent the Heavenly Dao from taking advantage and disturbing his mind.

His serene Dao heart remained open at all times, unmoved by external matters and unaffected by personal emotions.

He was like a dispassionate auditor, maintaining a sage-like state, observing the countless imprints carved into the Heavenly Dao's annals…

Without any warning, Li Changshou saw a realm of chaos.

Within the hazy gray mist, an extremely burly figure seemed to stand, with intersecting Grand Daos beneath his feet and boundless chaos surrounding him.

This figure…

As the mist dispersed, Li Changshou "saw" the broad back of this great man. He was clad in simple animal skins, his hands clasped behind his back, staring blankly at the Sea of Chaos.

The material of the skins seemed to be from some kind of chaotic creature…

Pangu?

This thought arose in Li Changshou's mind, and his Dao heart involuntarily began to tremble slightly.

Within the flaws of the Heavenly Dao, the gaps of heaven and earth, there were actually imprints concerning Pangu God?

This was illogical!

The Heavenly Dao was born after the creation of heaven and earth, from Pangu's will resonating with the Three Thousand Grand Daos, originally meant to protect the Primordial World from the incursions of primordial fiendgod remnants. (Note: "Three Thousand" is a figurative number.)

Since the Heavenly Dao was born after the demise of Pangu God, why would there be a "scene" of Pangu God standing in the Sea of Chaos?

Was it a brand from the Grand Dao itself?

Or did the Dao Ancestor possess great divine abilities to reverse time and observe the origin of heaven and earth?

Or perhaps…

It's here?

Within Li Changshou's Dao heart, a joyful cry suddenly resounded—a simple, pure joy, yet it carried a certain tremor of the Grand Dao.

"Pangu" turned his head, revealing a majestic face. At first glance, there was nothing unusual about it, merely the appearance of an Innate Dao Body, but upon closer inspection…

The so-called Innate Dao Body was actually an imitation of Pangu's appearance.

This was the original!

Immediately after, Pangu God simply said: "Little brother."

Li Changshou's serene Dao heart almost shattered. He then realized that this "trace" he had captured was a memory from a certain being.

Pangu wasn't speaking to him; his spiritual sense had merely adopted the main perspective of this memory.

He suddenly recalled that Senior Lang's annals also contained such a designation: "Brother Pangu"…

Li Changshou's thoughts raced. He detached himself from this Heavenly Dao trace, imagined a black figure where "Pangu" was facing, and began to observe from a purely third-person perspective.

Indeed, everything became much easier to understand.

Beneath Pangu God's feet, Grand Daos seemed to continuously extend, become complete, and strive for perfection. This seemed to be Pangu God's method of cultivation.

The content revealed by this imprint carried by the Heavenly Dao was a simple conversation between Pangu God and an unknown being, before the creation of heaven and earth, when chaos was nameless.

When Pangu God communicated with the unknown being, they exchanged spiritual thoughts. Li Changshou's mind automatically formed words he understood.

It was somewhat similar to how Tower Grandfather chatted with Li Changshou.

Pangu asked: "'I still don't understand why we need to wear clothes.'"

The unknown being laughed and replied: "'If we don't wear clothes, how will we distinguish ourselves from those ugly creatures? Brother, we must firmly believe that *we* are beautiful; only then can we consider *them* ugly. Because the Sea of Chaos has no fixed patterns, everything needs a standard. The boundless Sea of Chaos is filled with disorder and chaos. The beings formed by the aggregation of true spirits are all growing wantonly. We must be responsible and set an example for them.'"

Pangu God looked enlightened, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

This guy who was trying to fool Pangu God…

It must be Senior Lang, this is Senior Lang!

Did Senior Lang travel to the time of the creation of heaven and earth? Then why did Dao Ancestor say before that Senior Lang was drawn in by the turmoil of creation?

Alright, that's not important. The point is…

That's it? Is this Senior Lang's level?

To appear directly by Pangu God's side, arriving in the Sea of Chaos before creation, and then still lose to Dao Ancestor Hongjun!

Was Dao Ancestor too strong, or was Senior Lang too free-spirited throughout his boundless years?

Li Changshou couldn't help but inwardly complain a few times, then secretly warned himself.

Don't get involved with Senior Lang, or you'll definitely be dragged to the bottom of a pit!

There was still residual information in this imprint.

"'Everything is unfixed; we need to establish a standard,'" Pangu God slowly nodded. "'What you said makes sense.'"

Following this, Pangu looked down at the Grand Daos beneath his feet, closed his eyes, and began to contemplate. Soon, a layer of mist formed around him.

Seeing this, the unknown being seemed to silently smack himself on the mouth, murmuring: "'It's over, who knows how long it'll take for him to wake up this time. Sigh, this must be what a true master is like.'"

As the unknown being's murmuring faded, the scene disappeared.

Li Changshou: "..."

He could now confirm that this Heavenly Dao imprint originated from Senior Lang's 'memory'.

Senior Lang's casual mention of "Brother Pangu" in his annals was indeed not mere boasting; he was likely a contemporary of Pangu God.

A truly brilliant start.

Li Changshou calmed his Dao heart and meticulously contemplated for a while.

The image of Pangu God standing with his hands clasped behind his back was imprinted in his mind. His Eight-Nine Arcane Art seemed to ignite, and his bloodline began to circulate rapidly.

In Xuandu City, where Li Changshou was in seclusion, a streak of crimson light enveloped him.

A fortuitous opportunity?

Li Changshou's eyebrows twitched. He didn't open his eyes or rush to find other Heavenly Dao imprints related to Pangu God. Instead, he began to ponder carefully.

Why had he discovered these circumstances here when he had never heard anyone mention them before?

Did the Dao Ancestor intentionally bring this about?

These Heavenly Dao imprints were no small matter. Constant contemplation could enhance a Qi Refiner's comprehension of the Grand Dao and allow them to experience the "primordial" state of the Grand Daos that formed around Pangu God before the creation of heaven and earth.

Here were two concepts:

The Grand Dao, the truth of the world, could be understood as the rules that construct the current Primordial World.

The Heavenly Dao deduced ninety-eight percent of the Grand Daos, thereby gaining the "authority" to control, protect, and establish order within heaven and earth.

The two were similar but entirely different.

Within this flaw of the Heavenly Dao, he had actually found Heavenly Dao imprints originating from the memory fragments of Senior Lang, a taboo existence within the Heavenly Dao…

Li Changshou couldn't help but suspect that this was the Heavenly Dao or the Dao Ancestor, or even Pangu's residual will within the Heavenly Dao, deliberately revealing this "information" to him for some purpose.

But Li Changshou had now decided…

To seize this opportunity!

The benefits were indeed immense, directly related to the concept of "transcendence."

Matters had priorities; he had to seize every opportunity related to transcendence with all his might!

To abandon an opportunity for fear of minor setbacks would be unwise and unstable.

As for what the mastermind behind revealing this to him would ask him to do later, that would require careful consideration.

And he might choose to deny it as appropriate.

Half a day later, Li Changshou continued to investigate this spatial flaw, sifting through layers of the Heavenly Dao's annals, searching for imprints related to Pangu God.

He didn't know how much time had passed, nor how many layers he had searched.

Li Changshou's Dao heart trembled slightly, and his spiritual sense once again sank into a Sea of Chaos.

The second imprint!

He kept his Dao heart serene, swiftly detached himself to avoid his state of mind being affected by the Heavenly Dao, and continued to observe from a third-person perspective.

This time, it was still a conversation between Pangu God and the unknown being.

The difference was—

A vast expanse of land had appeared beneath Pangu God's feet, and above his head, a clear blue expanse emerged. He seemed to be deducing the principles of clarity and turbidity.

The surrounding chaotic aura continuously eroded this small heaven and earth, but it was constantly swept away by Pangu God's divine power.

Due to the perspective, Li Changshou still couldn't determine the exact appearance of the unknown being, suspected to be Senior Lang; it remained just an imagined black mist…

The unknown being asked: "'Brother, are you really going to open up heaven? Shouldn't you think about it again? Staying in the Sea of Chaos is quite good too—boundless, with many interesting places and endless exploration.'"

Pangu God, however, replied: "'Chaos is disordered, and true spirits are muddled. Since you and I were born from nothingness into existence, the path we must take is to unify all existence, complete the Three Thousand Grand Daos, define existence and nothingness, and divide the realms of order and disorder. The River of True Spirits cannot continue flowing in the Sea of Chaos; countless true spirits are muddled. If heaven is not opened soon, these true spirits will return to nothingness, and the River of True Spirits itself will once again be annihilated. If existence returns to nothingness, the Sea of Chaos will become dead silent again. What meaning would our existence then hold? I was born from the aggregation of true spirits, entrusted with the survival of the River of True Spirits, and thus I must do this.'"

The unknown being further said: "'But this… sigh, Brother, if you open up heaven, you will break the current order in the Sea of Chaos. To complete the Three Thousand Grand Daos, you will inevitably have to battle the fiendgods in the Sea of Chaos. From what we have already explored in the Sea of Chaos, there are countless fiendgods capable of fighting you, Brother.'"

"'As you said, transformation cannot happen without bloodshed.'"

Pangu God smiled, opened his left hand, and streaks of light intertwined in his palm. The heaven above his head and the earth beneath his feet suddenly disintegrated, transforming into Grand Daos of various colors, like chains.

In the Sea of Chaos, the concept of color appeared!

Three Grand Daos were the most dazzling. They flew directly into Pangu God's palm, intertwined, and condensed into a great axe as tall as Pangu God himself.

The Heaven-Opening Axe!

The unknown being's spiritual thought trembled: "'You're just going to do it just like that?'"

"'When I say I'll do it, I'll do it,'" Pangu God stood tall, his long hair draped over his shoulders wrapped in strands of Dao principles, and seven-colored divine light shone around him. He raised his head and let out a great roar.

The Sea of Chaos suddenly boiled!

In the surrounding Sea of Chaos, countless shadows of varying shapes emerged, boundless…

The scene came to an abrupt halt.

The second Heavenly Dao imprint contained only this information.

Li Changshou was still unsatisfied, but he suppressed his impulse, closed his eyes, and carefully comprehended.

A flash of inspiration arose in his mind. He took out a blank scroll he carried with him from his sleeve, conjured a divine brush with immortal power, and began to draw.

The image of Pangu God, standing with his axe and facing the endless Chaos Fiendgods, was rapidly imprinted under Li Changshou's brush.

However, Li Changshou felt it wasn't quite perfect. He casually burned the scroll, took out another blank one, closed his eyes, and focused his mind.

This time, he didn't lift his brush for several days; when he finally did, his movements became extremely slow.

But the lines he drew seemed to come alive. The figure of Pangu God he painted this time contained countless profound principles.

The painting was completed after three months. With a wave of his hand, Li Changshou rolled up the scroll, and it transformed into a streak of light, flying towards Grand Master Xuan Du.

Afterward, Li Changshou remained silent, closing his eyes to comprehend. The painting he had just made hung high in his spiritual platform.

The "Pangu Contemplation Diagram"!

The key to breaking through the limits of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art!

The path to transcendence, which he had previously been unable to fathom, had unexpectedly opened a crack here, with a beam of light guiding him forward…

Who exactly was revealing these Heavenly Dao imprints to him?

Senior Lang was obliterated, so his memory fragments should belong to the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Dao itself could be ruled out first; it was merely a 'rule aggregate' without emotions, the embodiment of order itself, and thus couldn't possibly provide him with a way to break that order.

Senior Lang could also be ruled out; there was nothing left of him.

The most probable candidates were Pangu God's residual will, and Dao Ancestor.

But Pangu God's residual will was currently suppressed and sealed, so the possibility that Dao Ancestor was guiding him was the greatest.

The way to verify this was also simple.

If he were to see subsequent Heavenly Dao imprints later, and those imprints contained scenes of Dao Ancestor and Pangu God together…

Then the one behind this fortuitous opportunity for him would undoubtedly be Dao Ancestor.

Hearing exclamations from afar, Li Changshou's lips curved into a faint smile. He continued to keep a strand of his mind surveying his surroundings, once again immersing himself in the 'annals' of the Heavenly Dao.

He meticulously reviewed the past of heaven and earth, searching for Heavenly Dao imprints formed from Senior Lang's memories.

This time, it took a relatively long period, but perseverance paid off. Soon, he found the third and fourth Heavenly Dao imprints.

Unfortunately, they contained very little information.

He could barely piece together a few scenes, all depicting Pangu God wielding his axe and battling creatures in the Sea of Chaos, cleaving them into chaotic essence and releasing countless true spirits.

The powerful beings in the Sea of Chaos could be understood as quasi-life forms that evolved from "countless true spirits aggregating upon the Grand Dao."

Therefore, the demise of each Chaos Fiendgod released true spirits.

These true spirits gathered behind Pangu God, re-condensing into a river. Pangu God was like one riding the wind and waves, forging ahead through thorns, unbeatable wherever he went!

Interestingly, the original perspective of these scenes was from Pangu God's shoulder.

At this time, Senior Lang seemed to have been standing on Pangu God's shoulder, witnessing the entire great tribulation of creation.

After pondering for half a month, Li Changshou began to search for the fifth Heavenly Dao imprint.

And this time, Li Changshou finally confirmed his suspicions.

Dao Ancestor, appeared!

It was near the end of the great tribulation of creation, when Pangu God had reached his strongest form. During the battle, he suddenly discovered an Innate Dao Body similar to his own.

His axe hesitated for a moment. Pangu God spared the life of this Chaos Fiendgod, but the Heaven-Opening Axe shot out a stream of light, chipping a corner off the jade plate protecting the fiendgod.

Three streams of spiritual thought intertwined, leading to a simple conversation.

The unknown being, suspected to be Senior Lang: "'An acquaintance! Brother, this is an acquaintance!'"

The handsome young Daoist, suspected to be Hongjun Dao Ancestor: "'Why don't you kill me?'"

"'You're too weak.'"

Pangu God's spiritual thought calmly explained: "'It's quite difficult for a single true spirit to survive in the Sea of Chaos until now. Moreover, in the heaven and earth I wish to create, every true spirit can grow independently and possess a testament to its self. You happen to be proof that a single true spirit can exist independently. You may enter the heaven and earth I will create later; I need not destroy you.'"

Hongjun slowly nodded, then turned and vanished into the Sea of Chaos.

Pangu God murmured to himself: "'That jade plate is quite interesting.'"

"'It's the Creation Jade Plate, of course,' Senior Lang chuckled."

"'Creation,' Pangu God's gaze pierced through the entire Sea of Chaos. He paused to rest for a while, and a green lotus floated before him."

Senior Lang asked: "'Are you going to open it now?'"

"'Hmm, let's try.'"

Pangu God slowly exhaled, gripped the great axe in his hand, leaned his back against the Thirty-Sixth Grade Azure Lotus, and swung the first strike forward!

The scene abruptly ended. The subsequent creation of heaven and earth was not permitted to be recorded or comprehended.

Li Changshou's spiritual sense detached from this imprint. Even though he maintained his serene Dao heart, his thoughts remained turbulent for a long time.

The meeting of Pangu God, Hongjun Dao Ancestor, and Senior Lang…

Li Changshou didn't delay this time. He continued searching, a certain urgency rising in his heart as he considered a possibility.

He didn't know how much longer he searched within the Heavenly Dao's annals, but Li Changshou finally saw the last imprint.

The imprint carried a Heavenly Dao brand, imbued with a familiar Dao rhythm.

It was Hongjun Dao Ancestor's Dao rhythm.

Li Changshou's spiritual sense condensed into a phantom, bowing to this sixth imprint. A brilliant light appeared before him, and his spiritual sense surged directly into a vast, almost boundless realm.

At this instant, a "colossal" amount of information impacted Li Changshou's Dao heart!

Fortunately, after falling into a slumber at the Grand Pure Temple, Li Changshou had undergone decades of targeted refinement, so the "information capacity" his mind could now bear far surpassed what it was before.

Once he withstood the initial shock, an almost infinite torrent of insights began to surge from the depths of his Dao heart.

From a distance, this vast realm resembled an "egg," with countless complete Dao principles forming a barrier that isolated it from the chaotic aura of the Sea of Chaos.

A colorful River of True Spirits flowed through this realm. The flow of the River of True Spirits created the traces of time.

The ancient Primordial World, after the creation of heaven and earth.

Li Changshou didn't see the Dao Ancestor's shadow; at this point, the Dao Ancestor should have been cultivating in seclusion within the Primordial World.

Some light particles drifted in heaven and earth, condensing into a few beings. Initially, they were also strangely varied in appearance, hazy and indistinct, without awakened intelligence, simply acting according to the Dao.

These were the first batch of innate beings formed by true spirits in the Primordial World.

At this time, the shadows of dragons and phoenixes could already be seen.

As Li Changshou had seen in the previous imprints, Ancestral Dragon and Primordial Phoenix were both followers of Pangu God, born from the Chaos Green Lotus and personally created by Pangu God.

The giant, who was supporting heaven and earth, smiled contentedly at this moment.

His expression was incredibly weary. His eyes slowly closed, leaving his spine to continue supporting heaven and earth as his body collapsed onto the vast land.

This imprint still originated from Senior Lang's memory fragments.

At this moment, Senior Lang was racing across the land, seemingly extremely weak. He rushed anxiously to Pangu God's side, flew onto his indescribably enormous head, and dashed to Pangu God's glabella.

At this point, Senior Lang's spiritual thought carried a tone of weeping: "'Brother! Brother, what are you doing? You opened up heaven and earth, and you're just leaving without enjoying it? Don't mess with me, alright? Brother, don't be like this! I've been with you in the chaos for so long, you've almost driven me crazy! And now you're telling me you're going to destroy yourself! Who could possibly kill you! I don't believe anyone could stop you from living!'"

"'I am formed by the aggregation of countless true spirits,'" Pangu God's spiritual thought resonated back, "'and I do not belong to this new heaven and earth.'"

"'You are the creator, you are the God of Creation! If you don't belong to this heaven and earth, who does? Who else has the right to stand here!'"

"'Those who come after.'"

Pangu God's spiritual thought conveyed laughter. His colossal arm wanted to lift and comfort the "little fellow" on his forehead, but having lost his spine, he was ultimately unable to move.

Pangu God's spiritual thought calmly responded: "'If I were to live, the beings in this heaven and earth would revere me, worship me, consider me the pinnacle of existence, and strive to follow the path I have walked. Instead, I would become an obstruction, a shackle locking the destiny of heaven and earth. They can all choose their own paths, comprehend their own Dao, and condense their own Dao Fruits. How free that would be. I am merely dissolving this consciousness named Pangu; I still exist, simply dispersing the true spirits that aggregated to form me, so they can all live freely in heaven and earth. Your injuries are too severe; hurry and recuperate. Some of the beings you encounter in this world later will naturally be me.'"

"'That's not the same, it's all different… Once dead, it's over; consciousness is the true self…'"

"'Then let it be over, at least there are no regrets.'"

Pangu God slowly closed his eyes, his spiritual thought smiling freely, "'I did it.'"

"'Brother…'"

"'Hurry and leave, don't get hurt by me again. I still have some divine power; I'll use it to add some embellishments to this heaven and earth.'"

"'Sigh.'"

Senior Lang said no more, turning and rushing away with deep sorrow.

Somewhere unfathomably far away, Hongjun Daoist, still in his youth, stood quietly, bowing deeply to Pangu's body.

Pangu, in his dying transformation, turned his breath into wind and clouds, his voice into thunder, his left eye into the sun, his right eye into the moon, his four limbs and five body parts into the four cardinal points and five sacred mountains, his blood into rivers, his meridians into geographical features, his muscles into fertile soil, his hair and beard into stars, his skin and fur into flora, his teeth and bones into metal and stone, his marrow into pearls and jade, and his sweat into rain…

Thunder and dark clouds appeared between heaven and earth, and drops of water fell from the sky, turning into rain.

Reflected in a single raindrop, Li Changshou saw Senior Lang's current form.

A, a marmot?

Immediately afterward, Li Changshou watched the ultimate evolution of Pangu God's Dao body, seeing countless specks of light emanating from around Pangu God, and observing the twelve figures that sprang from Pangu God's navel;

He also saw three streams of light fly from Pangu God's forehead, condensing into three Daoists: an old man, a middle-aged man, and a young man…

The Heavenly Dao imprint slowly receded. Li Changshou sat there, speechless for a long time, his mind blank. His serene Dao heart was also permeated by that profound sorrow of heaven and earth, and two tears traced down his cheeks.

Pangu God.

How free.