Chapter 1290: Creating the Dao

Sand and stones swirled, lightning streaked and thunder rumbled, accompanied by wailing sounds like gods crying and ghosts sobbing. Even divine corpses floated into view, as various strange phenomena manifested.

Heaven responded to these anomalies, manifesting a variety of wondrous sights.

Ye Fan remained still as a rock, his body glowing with a crystalline luster, exuding a sense of majesty and a holy radiance. From within his five great secret realms, ancient characters leaped out, circling him. Each character, forged from divine metal, was dazzling and resplendent, imprinting itself in the void like resounding shouts that shook the firmament with a rumbling sound.

Buddhist chants, sacrificial hymns, demonic roars, and divine bellows—all ancient sounds resonated in unison, interwoven across past, present, and future, spanning the primordial universe and condensing into one.

Ye Fan sat cross-legged on a bluestone, dense ancient characters scattering immortal radiance, making him appear otherworldly and transcendent, as if he had pierced through time and space from ancient times, the present, and the future.

A speck of dust can contain a world; with infinite dust motes, each linked to countless doors, giving rise to myriad worlds in existence. The human body is similar, containing countless doors. Cultivators, in their practice, open these doors one by one to unleash their true nature.

Ye Fan was forging his own path, unleashing his true self!

“The human body is one, transforming into two energies. The path of the ultimate center, the pure and undivided essence. All things in heaven and earth originate from this. The Dao is established in unity, creating the separation of heaven and earth, giving rise to all myriad things…”

Within Ye Fan’s body, all divine sounds merged into one, finally resounding with an immensely grand and majestic voice, like a god or demon chanting scriptures, solemn and sacred. He was creating his own Dao, paving his unique path, and in this moment, he was seeing the clear sky after the clouds parted.

No one can achieve their own path overnight; it must be pursued step by step, gradually perfecting and reaching flawlessness. Ye Fan was still merely a Saint, not a Great Emperor, so it was unrealistic for him to create profound Emperor's insights or directly compose an Immortal Scripture. However, based on his current realm, he had successfully created a scripture chapter for the first secret realm—the Wheel of the Sea—which was comparable to an ancient scripture.

The human body has five great secret realms: Wheel of the Sea, Dao Palace, Four Extremities, Dragon Transformation, and Celestial Platform. His creation of the first volume of scripture was enough to astonish the world! If word spread, it would surely shake the entire ancient star. A mere Saint had begun to forge his own Dao, creating one-fifth of the complete scripture. This could be considered a miracle and an immortal achievement for future generations. If his method were proven suitable for human cultivation and sufficiently profound, Ye Fan would leave an illustrious name in the history of human cultivation, coexisting eternally with the Dao he created.

No one knew that in this tranquil place, Ye Fan was forging his Dao, his body radiating immortal radiance, sacred and majestic. Some ancient beasts and savage birds passing by trembled and instinctively knelt down, bowing in worship. This was an immortal achievement; throughout history, very few had forged such world-shaking Daoist traditions at this realm. After years of cultivating enlightenment and long periods of accumulation, Ye Fan had firmly taken a crucial step.

The first human secret realm, the Wheel of the Sea, is a collective term for the Wheel of Life and the Sea of Suffering. In traditional cultivation methods, it is divided into four minor realms: Sea of Suffering, Spring of Life, Divine Bridge, and the Other Shore. Ye Fan, integrating hundreds of scriptures, defied convention and forged his own path by combining the Dao Scripture, Sun Immortal Scripture, and the Sacred Body's unique method. He created a Wheel of the Sea scripture chapter divided into nine realms. This Dao was vastly different from traditional methods; it was a unique path, encapsulating the essence of specializing in a single secret realm and the profound complexity of Emperor's scriptures, making it a sacred canon.

To create the scripture for the first secret realm, one naturally needed to fully comprehend this realm. The Wheel of the Sea is divided into the Wheel of Life and the Sea of Suffering, representing the opposition of death and life. Time is relentless, always leaving its marks on all things. Trees have annual rings, and the human body also contains a Wheel of Life—they are of the same essence. To live long, diligently wiping away and erasing all traces might be a method, but the Wheel of Life will eventually run dry, and at that point, a person is about to pass away. The Sea of Suffering, on the other hand, represents the concept of death, born in opposition and covering the Wheel of Life. Many cultivators aim to refine it away, revealing the Wheel of Life. This leads to cultivating the Sea of Suffering, allowing the Spring of Life to gush forth, building a divine bridge, escaping this secret realm, and leading to the other shore, reaching the second secret realm of the human body. These steps, in summary, constituted the four minor realms of traditional cultivation: Sea of Suffering, Spring of Life, Divine Bridge, and the Other Shore.

Ye Fan’s method was no longer about refining the Sea of Suffering, building a divine path, and escaping this realm, but rather about freely evolving it. "The human body is one, the pure and undivided essence. All things in heaven and earth originate from this." His Past Self, True Self, and Dao Self chanted scriptures, jointly expounding his Dao, which was his understanding of the Wheel of the Sea secret realm. Ye Fan regarded the Wheel of the Sea as the primordial birthplace of all things! He sought to transform the Wheel of the Sea into the origin of the human body, and based on this, forge a scripture, evolving an immortal Grand Dao, and walking a distinct path. There would no longer be a division into the four minor realms of Sea of Suffering, Spring of Life, Divine Bridge, and the Other Shore. He viewed the Wheel of the Sea as a unified whole, a single origin. The Wheel of the Sea is located below the navel, also the ideal point for the golden ratio in the human body, naturally aligned with the Dao, serving as a vessel.

The Dao gives birth to One; the human body is One; One gives birth to Two, transforming into the Two Forms of Taiji. Before heaven and earth were separated, primordial energy was a chaotic unity. When heaven and earth were split apart, Taiji evolved, generating Yin and Yang, nurturing two energies that interacted in cycles. This was the Wheel of the Sea that Ye Fan intended to evolve, different from the methods of his predecessors. He would propagate a different Dao; he would cultivate the Wheel of the Sea Taiji, viewing the first secret realm as the origin of all things.

The scripture resonated powerfully, and the Wheel of the Sea shone brightly. Ye Fan became even more solemn and sacred, remaining motionless. His previously cultivated first secret realm melted away inch by inch, to be re-melted and refined. The divine bridge broke, the Other Shore became hazy, the Wheel of Life was crystal clear and bright, and the golden Sea of Suffering was brilliantly dazzling. The two had originally overlapped and were intertwined, but now they separated and re-evolved, becoming two Yin-Yang fish. The golden Sea of Suffering, unlike others' Seas of Suffering, rarely showed an aura of death in normal times, but now that it was truly refined from its source, a vast corrosive power became evident. Life and death stood in opposition, now manifested. The two rotated, regenerating themselves. A blurry Taiji diagram began to form. The golden Sea of Suffering and the crystal-clear Wheel of Life completely transformed, becoming two Yin-Yang fish intertwined. They constantly evolved, becoming increasingly agile, giving birth to wisps of opposing energies that then unified and harmonized. Ye Fan’s path, Ye Fan’s Dao, the scripture for the Wheel of the Sea secret realm was initially formed, gradually perfecting and transforming.

A resounding rumble! The creation of heaven and earth. The Dao gives birth to One; the human body is One; One gives birth to Two, transforming into the Two Forms of Taiji. Within Ye Fan's Wheel of the Sea, it was as if all things were nascent, everything in a state of revival, mysterious and unfathomable, overflowing with wisps of immortal qi that coiled around the Taiji, constantly rotating.

Ye Fan sat for several days, cultivating his Dao to the third minor realm of this secret realm. The Taiji became increasingly real, and his entire being was clear and unsullied. The first secret realm, with its nine minor realms, once fully comprehended—which would coincide with the perfection of the Saint realm—would allow him to transcend and open up the second great secret realm of the human body.

The Buddhist chants, divine bellows, demonic roars, and sacrificial hymns all vanished. All the ancient characters flew back into Ye Fan’s body, and everything became quiet. He abruptly opened his eyes. Faintly discernible, Ye Fan's eyes also contained Taiji patterns; golden beams flashed and vanished before returning to normal. This was not strange, as he viewed the Wheel of the Sea as the primordial birthplace of all things, and its connection to other body parts naturally led to various transformations.

"It finally stopped! Were you trying to kill me?" Long Ma complained indignantly. Ye Fan's creation of the Dao this time was truly astonishing. Heaven had responded, sending down many strange phenomena, some of which directly attacked him with terrifying power. Long Ma, fearing that Ye Fan would be disturbed or interrupted during his enlightenment, fought with all its might, its body covered in blood, and even two holy artifacts were destroyed. Finally, it sacrificed the Myriad-Matter Mother Qi Cauldron that Ye Fan had given it earlier, which managed to block wave after wave of attacks.

Ye Fan retrieved the cauldron, his expression also moved. He had not expected that forging his own Dao and cultivating it internally would incur such terrifying retribution.

Long Ma's expression grew serious. "Kid, what's wrong with you? Were you born disliked by Heaven? I think if you continue like this, you'll sooner or later face a great calamity and turn to ashes."

Ye Fan shook his head. "No matter. Where is there any real will in this heaven and earth? It merely carries the Dao and engraves the laws of the world. Everything just now was born from my heart."

Long Ma was stunned for a moment, then cried out, "Everything born from your heart? You're truly boastful!"

In the distance, many ancient beasts and savage birds trembled with fear. When Ye Fan was forging his Dao, some powerful beings had passed by and were suppressed. Only now were they able to move, and they trembled as they departed. For the past few days, the atmosphere on this ancient star had been eerie and noticeably tense. According to Long Ma's observations, it contained significant killing intent.

"Everyone is strengthening themselves. There are whispers that this part of the universe is on the brink of turmoil, and humanity's ancient path might be severed. Sacred Spirits are leading vast armies here!"

Ye Fan remained silent. He had heard some of these rumors when he left the Tenth City of Humanity, and now it seemed they were likely to come true. In this larger context, everyone needed to rapidly increase their strength to cope with the impending great war; otherwise, it would likely be difficult to survive. This ancient path would be fraught with danger, but it might also contain more opportunities.

"After your enlightenment, you seem to have gained immensely. What exactly are the benefits?" Long Ma asked.

Ye Fan replied, "Indeed, the gains are considerable. I now need opposing primordial forces like light and dark, Lunar and Solar, life and death. Once I obtain them, I might make rapid progress."

Long Ma's eyes widened in surprise. "You... what demonic art have you practiced? You're not going to suffer cultivation deviation, are you? Circulating two diametrically opposed Dao origins could easily lead to one's body being shattered and one's spirit annihilated. Yet you can use this to break through quickly? This defies common sense."

"This is my Dao. Although it's just one great secret realm, just one volume within the scripture's teachings, it is undoubtedly very suitable for me. You have no need to worry."

"You said you forged your own... path, and composed an Immortal Scripture?" Long Ma nearly bit off half its tongue, looking as if it had seen a ghost. It knew Ye Fan was exploring his own path, but it had not expected that after enlightenment, he could reach this stage so suddenly, seemingly comparable to ancient scriptures. Historically, those who have forged unique scriptures were invariably terrifyingly powerful.