Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 946 The Four First-Class Fruits
After a brief exchange with the Heavenly Emperor, the two continued their respective cultivation practices.

The spiritual energy surrounding the Heavenly Emperor grew ever larger, and more and more life forms without spiritual light gathered around him, flowing towards peaceful realms as the spiritual energy surged.

Chu Tai, on the other hand, continuously improved the Dao Fruit he had mastered and comprehended the first-grade information contained in [Cheng Tian], [Gou Chen (Dun Yi)], [Shen Xian], and [Tian Shen (Tian Xian)].

During this period, the first-grade Dao Fruit [Immortal] of the Yunzhongjun system seemed to have made some progress as Chu Tai interfered with many worlds and heavens, helping many distorted immortals, gods, and Buddhas to find their place in the world again.

Furthermore, due to the Heavenly Emperor's tacit approval, allowing him to arrange the actions of immortals and gods, a concept somewhat similar to the Emperor's position was formed. Combined with his own partial divine Emperor's position, as well as some concepts such as commander, leader, dominator, and power, a brand new first-rank variant, the Supreme Saint, was derived from the original [Immortal] Dao Fruit.

If we say that "immortals" are used to determine one's relationship with heaven and earth, and to anchor one's own position within heaven and earth.

Then the "Supreme Saint" is a further step in control and domination. In Chu Tai's view, it would be more appropriate to call it "Harmony with the Dao" or "Emperor". Its essence is a way to put oneself in a high position and arrange the positions of others.

Simply put, "Immortals" are products of the unity of heaven and man, ensuring their balance between the Way of Heaven and the Way of Man. "Supreme Saints," on the other hand, are more inclined towards the Way of Gods, representing a way in which the Way of Heaven encompasses the Way of Man. The difference between the two is somewhat similar to the second-grade Dao Fruits of the Demon Saint system, namely "Demon Master" and "Emperor."

But it was this change that made Chu Tai realize that his efforts to change the Taiyi Dao were also very beneficial to perfecting the first-grade Dao Fruits of the other four systems.

In the process of repairing the environment affected by demonic energy and turbid energy in many worlds, or being summoned by living beings to help them repair and nurture their physical bodies, the second-grade Dao Fruit of the Shao Siming system, [Resurrection (Shao Siming)], shines even more brightly.

When Chu Tai guided certain cultivators and channeled their power to pull a fallen world and countless living beings out of the influence of demonic and turbid energy in a way that was almost like reshaping, the first-grade Dao Fruit of the Shao Siming system took form and was named [Creation (Valley God)].

Similar to [Gouchen (Dunyi)] and [Tianshen (Tianxian)], [Creation] and [Gushen] can be seen as two different directions after the Shao Siming system reached its extreme.

Creation is a product of the combination of spirituality and life. It is the merging of originally unrelated existences to create new life, and it is a breakthrough in the original life cycle.

【Gu Shen】, on the other hand, focuses on 【life】 itself, redefining the existing life cycle and fundamentally redefining what constitutes a plant, an animal, and evolution.

Both of these Dao Fruits also contain a great deal of power of [Transformation]. Therefore, after they were initially condensed, they quickly caught up with [Celestial God (Celestial Immortal)] and reached about 10% of the completion of [Bearing Heaven].

Furthermore, thanks to the improved system of Shao Siming, Chu Tai has found it much easier to heal many worlds. Whether it is directly creating new life or redefining fallen life and guiding them in the direction of evolution, it has effectively resolved many deep-rooted demonic and turbid energies.

During this process, Yu Zhen, one of the three immortal women of Kunlun, also achieved the perfection of her Dao. She incorporated a little bit of the concepts of "creation" and "nurturing" into her own Dao, combined with the characteristics of the peach spiritual root, and walked her own path. She returned to the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation Great Heaven with the second batch of departing cultivators.

However, when the Three Pure Ones opened the gate to the Great Heaven of Immortal Manifestation and Transformation, the Heaven launched an attempt to break free from the seal.

The concept of Heaven in the myriad realms trembled. In a realm invisible to ordinary people, the power of Heaven transformed into a pure aura, existing between existence and non-existence, suspended above the River of Time, continuously spreading towards the past and the future.

Regarding the past, all the heavens and earth resonate with it, while regarding the future, the pure energy evolves into countless possibilities at every moment. And because it exists between existence and non-existence, it will split into various different possibilities within each possibility.

It can be said that Heaven is constantly expanding its future and influencing its past.

Every future division will be an increase in its power, and every past tremor will be an attack on the seal.

Therefore, during this connection, Chu Tai did not establish contact with the Eastern Pole Chenguang Great Heaven.

But it was this act of defiance that allowed Chu Tai to see for the first time directly how to go against the flow of time and trace back to the origin of all things.

He had a preliminary understanding of the first-grade Dao Fruit of the Xiangjun and Xiangfuren system, and its corresponding first-grade Dao Fruit, [Zhoushi (Taishi)], subsequently condensed and took shape.

This is the most illusory first-grade Dao Fruit that Chu Tai possesses. In terms of completion, it is only about one percent of the [Cheng Tian] Dao Fruit. Chu Tai has not yet figured out the differences, but he is certain that this Dao Fruit involves the source of the universe and the origin of all things.

With the completion of [Zhou Shi (Tai Shi)] and [Creation (Gu Shen)], the remaining systems of Da Si Ming and Dong Jun could no longer hide their mysteries.

The two first-grade Dao Fruits, 【Reincarnation (Netherworld)】 and 【Eastern Lord (Azure Emperor)】, slowly took shape around the Eastern Emperor Bell.

Like the other five first-grade Dao fruits besides [Chengtian], [Reincarnation (Netherworld)] and [Dongjun (Azure Emperor)] each have two different evolutionary directions.

[Reincarnation] Needs no further explanation, but this direction of Dao Fruit will dominate. Chu Tai suspects that it is because he stayed by the Heavenly Emperor's side for a long time, witnessed too many changes in reincarnation, and even participated in many of the great cycles of heaven and earth to a certain extent.

The difference between the Netherworld and Reincarnation is that the Netherworld abandons the cycle of birth and death, and instead focuses on the peace after death. It is a Dao fruit that is sublimated from the concept of the boundless Netherworld. From a certain perspective, it is closer to concepts such as death, silence, and peace. If extended, it can also develop in the direction of nothingness and the end.

Interestingly, the gestation of [Dongjun (Qingdi)] was also influenced by external factors.

According to Chu Tai's understanding, the formation of the Azure Emperor should be a combination of all the concepts of Chu Tai's incarnation as Taiyi Zhenren in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, as well as the incarnation of Qing Tongjun in the Journey to the West, plus the Heavenly Emperor allowing it to dominate the changes of heaven and earth, and some concepts of the Creation (Grain God).

Symbolizing the trajectory of life's changes, it is a concrete representation of the reproduction and growth of plants and animals, containing concepts such as life and death, prosperity and decline, transcendence and redemption, and even involving a certain power of [fate], [destiny], and [fate].

However, the Azure Emperor did not become the main character; rather, it was a variant of the Eastern Lord.

As the dominant figure, Dongjun is far inferior to Qingdi in terms of life, nature, and destiny, but he also has his own advantages, namely the sun, light, and faith.

This difference piqued Chu Tai's curiosity, prompting him to conduct in-depth research on several Dao Fruits.

Chu Tai discovered that the fundamental reason for the differentiation of the power of these Dao Fruits was the eight Dao Qi surrounding the Eastern Emperor Bell. Originally, these Dao Qi would gradually merge into the Dao Fruits as the eight Dao Fruit systems were gradually perfected.

For example, [Cheng Tian] completely assimilates the corresponding Dao Qi and integrates it perfectly, which is why the Dao Fruit of [Cheng Tian] is dominated by only one power.

However, the other Dao Fruits are different. [Gouchen (Dunyi)], [Immortal (Supreme Saint)], [Heavenly God (Heavenly Immortal)], [Zhoushi (Taishi)], [Creation (Valley God)], [Reincarnation (Netherworld)], and [Dongjun (Azure Emperor)] could not be forged in one go. Therefore, within each Dao Fruit, there are two forces influencing each other.

Among them, [Gouchen (Dunyi)] is based on Dao Qi. The power contained in Dao Qi inherently contains a large number of concepts such as combat, war, weapons, killing, and martial arts. These are all integrated into [Gouchen]. [Dunyi] is closer to Chu Tai's understanding of the Hebo system under the influence of the power of the Donghuang Bell, and is a manifestation of [Gouchen].

The [Immortal (Supreme Saint)] is supplemented by Dao Qi. According to Chu Tai's observation, his original idea that immortals, gods, and Buddhas occupied positions in the world had already made the [Immortal] contain the power of Dao Qi to a certain extent. However, with Chu Tai's intervention, the power of Dao Qi was manifested again, which led to the subsequent condensation of the [Supreme Saint].

The two Dao Fruits, 【Reincarnation (Netherworld)】 and 【Eastern Lord (Azure Emperor)】, are similar to 【Gouchen (Escape One)】. The dominant force of the Dao Fruits is Dao Qi, and the variants are the embodiment of Chu Tai's enlightenment.

Finally, Chu Tai had not yet clearly discerned the relative strengths of the Dao Qi among the three beings: [Celestial God (Celestial Immortal)], [Primordial Beginning (Primordial Beginning)], and [Creation (Valley God)].

However, Chu Tai realized that the Dao Qi of the [Celestial God (Celestial Immortal)] was the most powerful among the eight Dao Qi, even stronger than the Dao Qi that was fused with [Cheng Tian]. In fact, [Cheng Tian] at this moment was not as powerful as the Dao Qi of the corresponding [Celestial God (Celestial Immortal)].

The aura emanating from those energies gave Chu Tai a feeling somewhat like that of the Heavenly Emperor.

This discovery surprised Chu Tai. He carefully sensed the power of the [Celestial God (Celestial Immortal)] again and had to admit that this Dao Fruit itself showed signs of encompassing other Dao Fruits. At the same time, it should be the Dao Fruit that would supplement Chu Tai's Taiyi Dao the most in the future.

Thinking this through, Chu Tai slowly summoned the Eastern Emperor Bell, suspending it within the Taiyi Dao. He then allowed the eight Dao Fruits to slowly rotate within the Taiyi Treasure Wheel, increasing his influence on the changes in the world, suppressing the power of the Heavenly Demon's Dao Fruits, and absorbing its principles of change.

As a result, the entire world entered a period of peace, and everything was in a state of tranquility and harmony.

However, this balance was clearly unsustainable, and the Journey to the West world where Taiyi Zhenjun resided began to show signs of decline.

The first problem was the sudden disappearance of the Four Duty Officers, followed by the dissipation of the Twelve Yuan Chen, and then the changes in the Sun, Moon and Stars. The Sun Star Lord and the Moon Star Lord fell into a deep sleep, the Twenty-Eight Mansions were on the verge of collapse, the North and South Dippers began to shift out of position, and the other stars also flickered with varying degrees of brilliance.

The cosmic light of the entire world malfunctioned, and with the misalignment of the Northern and Southern Dippers, the Book of Life and Death in the Underworld began to move without wind. The lifespans of all living beings in the human world began to change wildly, sometimes dying peacefully in their sleep, and sometimes not even being born. It took the combined efforts of the Ten Kings of Hell and the Ten Underworld Generals to stabilize it somewhat.

The next instant, a powerful force arose, and a tearing sound came from the Book of Life and Death, frightening the gods of the underworld into no longer daring to suppress its changes and having no choice but to report it to the Heavenly Court.

"Hey!"

Inside the Azure Profound Palace, Chu Tai sighed, and azure light surged forth, supporting the stars and suppressing life and death. The nine-headed azure lion roared, and the Nine Thoughts Path stabilized the order of the human world, temporarily keeping the chaotic cosmic light within a normal range.

Afterwards, Chu Tai entered the Lingxiao Palace and saw that many of the immortals looked terrified, while many of the gods were drowsy.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Taiyi Zhenjun and said, "Your Majesty, is this the end of the Yuanhui?"

After gesturing for Chu Tai to rise, Taiyi Zhenjun said softly, "It's not yet the end of the Yuanhui. This is the end of the Xuhui, a period of darkness and stagnation for all things. You probably haven't seen such changes in the world before. Why don't you take a closer look? These changes will be beneficial to your future cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai pointed to the human world and said, "Are we just going to watch all living beings perish like this?"

"The prosperity of all things is the way of Heaven, and the decline of all things is also the way of Heaven. As long as we are still here, as long as Heaven and Earth are still here, as long as the spiritual light is still here, all living beings will one day transcend and ascend, just like the gods and immortals in the hall at this moment. I will protect them with the Heavenly Court to get through this end of Heaven and Earth. In the future, they will have to maintain the many problems of the opening of the new Heaven, at the same time cultivate successors, and then return to the Immortal Manifestation Dao Transformation Great Heaven."

Taiyi Zhenjun looked at the immortals standing upright and the gods who were trying to muster their spirits below, and said softly, "In this way, the cycle of heaven and earth continues, the gods continue, and we can continuously provide assistance to the Great Heaven. When everything settles down, all living beings will be able to return to the Great Heaven and obtain a better future."

"And what about them now?"

Chu Tai countered with a question, and the Heavenly Emperor remained silent for a moment before saying, "You can save them for a while, but not forever. When the Yuanhui comes to an end, all things will inevitably perish. Even this Heavenly Court, in essence, relies on my true Dao to maintain the gods and immortals from falling. Only Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Lingshan Daleiyin Temple can achieve the same thing."

"Oh, right, the ancestor of earth immortals, Zhen Yuanzi, has achieved quite a bit in the way of earth immortals. Your Taiyi Dao manifests between heaven and earth, and he has also studied it a lot. Now he should be able to barely maintain himself by relying on his blessed land."

"But at his current level, he can only ensure that he survives the end. He may not be able to retain all his power and memories. But compared to others, as long as the world opens up again and everything changes, he can slowly regain them."

"His Majesty did not answer my question."

Chu Tai asked again, "What about them now?"

"I can not do anything."

"why?"

"Because of Heaven and Heavenly Demon. This kind of end was created by removing the influence of Heaven and Heavenly Demon in the operation of Heaven and Earth. At that time, apart from the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling, even Bodhi's mind realm could not transcend it. Now, although there is no influence of Heaven and Heavenly Demon, it is the foundation of the operation of many Heavens and Earth. Shaking this foundation will give Heavenly Demon an opportunity to take advantage."

At this point, Taiyi Zhenjun fell silent for a while, and finally looked at Chu Tai.

"Most importantly, the foundation of this system is Taiyi Dao Qi. Are you sure you want to modify it? Even if it does, it will prevent your ancestor from waking up."

(End of this chapter)