Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 461 Pain and happiness
After shedding his old body, Ren Yuan finally regained consciousness.

He first felt an unbearable pain in his back, and a majestic and noble five-clawed dragon appeared on his back—a purple dragon with its wings spread to the sky, constantly absorbing the dragon vein energy between heaven and earth and pouring it into his body.

Ren Yuan felt as if all the acupoints in his body had been forcibly opened by a torrent. The celestial radiance surged wildly within him, and stellar rivers flowed through his meridians, yet the impact of this immense power nearly caused him to faint…

He was also surprised to find that all the blood in his body had turned into golden nectar, and every inch of his blood vessels seemed to be burned by raging fire, and finally, they were also burned into gold!
Not only his blood, but his muscles and bones were also regenerating. The tingling and itching from the healing of old wounds intertwined with the stinging pain of new muscle growth, driving him almost to madness; the sound of bone growth was clearly audible, and the excruciating pain of bone and flesh remodeling far exceeded the limits that ordinary people could endure.

During his internal inspection, Ren Yuan also discovered that his Crimson Emperor Palace had transformed into a glazed lamp shimmering with seven-colored divine light—the purple-gold divine fire within it danced violently, illuminating the illusions of mountains and rivers while simultaneously refining his seven emotions and six desires. Each stripping away of his emotions felt like tearing flesh from his heart, causing his consciousness to become completely intact amidst the pain.

After an unknown amount of time, the boundless pain finally receded like the tide, and only then could Ren Yuan still care about his senses—

Two nebulae flowed within his eye sockets, coalescing into a new pair of eyes. As he slowly opened them, a blinding golden light burst forth from his pupils, instantly taking in the vast Yunmeng Marshland spanning thousands of miles, and the past and present lives and causes of all living beings, so intense that his eyeballs almost burst open.

His ears were ringing from the clear sound of the jade chime, taking in all the words of sentient beings in the three realms, even the deepest thoughts of greed, anger, and delusion. These sounds, like sharp steel needles, pierced the depths of his consciousness without warning, causing him a splitting headache.

A terrifying power surged in his throat, primordial cloud script condensing on his tongue, each word he uttered capable of unleashing thunder and fire. At the same time, it felt as if it were tearing his vocal cords apart, causing him unbearable pain.

When everything finally calmed down a bit, Ren Yuan shakily straightened up and looked down at his slightly glowing hands. Although he still maintained a human form, he could clearly feel the inhuman power surging wildly within him.

He was no longer the Ren Yuan of the past, but a being who walked between the realms of humans and gods. This transformation filled him with both power and great pain.

"How are you feeling?" Chen Qingzhi asked with a smile from the side.

"It's painful yet pleasurable," Ren Yuan replied in a deep voice.

“Well said,” Zu Chongzhi praised. “The reason we feel this way is because we are not gods, yet we possess the power of gods, so we must constantly endure suffering.”

"It'll be fine in a while," Chen Qingzhi said with a smile.

"Because I'm used to it?" Ren Yuan gave a wry smile.

"Haha, clever." Chen Qingzhi laughed, then said seriously, "Habit is one aspect, but more importantly, you need to become familiar with this divine power, then restrain it, and suppress the power to a level that you can bear."

“The key is to always remember that you are not a god.” Zu Chongzhi also reminded him: “Throughout history, countless demigods have fallen. Most of them did so because they overestimated themselves and thought they were gods, only to be slapped to death by a real god.”

"But for now, let's experience your extraordinary divine power first," Chen Qingzhi said encouragingly to Ren Yuan.

Ren Yuan nodded, slowly rising into the air, silently sensing his divine power. Bizarre and fantastical scenes slowly appeared around him, but they were not mere mirages; rather, they were a blend of illusion and reality, a dazzling and mesmerizing mix of truth and falsehood.

When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood; when nothingness is taken for existence, even existence becomes nothingness!
He possessed supreme power within this illusion; with a single thought, towering buildings would rise from the ground. With a mere thought, a Kunpeng would leap from the Northern Sea. The changing of the world, the evolution of the universe, all unfolded according to his will.

He discovered that in addition to being a half-god of illusion, he also possessed a supernatural power—he could see the location of dragon veins, foresee the rise and fall of dynasties, and even use dragon veins to strengthen himself.

Although he didn't yet know what kind of god he would become, he already understood what he needed to do in the future—

One must gather the purple aura of the rising sun over the East China Sea on the full moon of each month to replenish the loss of starlight; this is a form of spiritual practice.

One must not arbitrarily alter the dynasty's destiny; one can only harmonize the imbalanced energy of heaven and earth—this is a precept. In times of chaos, one must enter the world to find the 'one who will inherit the destiny,' and use the light of the heart to guide a wise ruler—this is one's mission.

Each time he helped humanity overcome a period of chaos, his divine power would increase. From then on, his fate was inextricably linked to the order and chaos of humankind.

Therefore, every period of chaos was a challenge for him, but also an opportunity.

~~
When Ren Yuan landed back on the ship, his expression had returned to calm, and it seemed that the pain in his body had lessened to a bearable level.

"Junior brother, are you that amazing?" Zu Chongzhi looked at Ren Yuan in surprise. "It took me several years to adapt before I could live a normal life."

"I don't know what happened, I just don't feel as bad anymore." Ren Yuan was also puzzled.

“It is the token of our sect’s leader,” Chen Qingzhi said bluntly. “It can restrict divine power that exceeds his capacity.”

“I see. You see how much Master favors you.” Zu Chongzhi winked at Ren Yuan.

"That was passed down to me by Senior Brother Sun," Ren Yuan retorted softly.

“If Master hadn’t passed on the Immortal Pillow to you, why would Senior Brother Sun have passed on that jade talisman to you?” Zu Chongzhi said matter-of-factly.

"Alright..." Ren Yuan had no choice but to give up the argument and asked, "Did I disturb anyone's sleep by making such a commotion just now?"

"You just remembered?" Chen Qingzhi laughed and said, "These past few days, my senior brother and I have repelled the attacks of seven waves of divine generals, and killed hundreds of millions of nightmares."

“Fortunately, the God of Dreams is asleep. My brother and I can handle his generals.” Zu Chongzhi said in a deep voice.

"Thank you so much for protecting us, fellow disciples," Ren Yuan quickly said.

"You're too kind, Junior Brother Sect Leader. I didn't mean any harm by letting you advance at this time," Chen Qingzhi said frankly with a smile.

"Understood." Ren Yuan said knowingly, "Senior brother needs help to deal with Erzhu Rong."

"You only need to deal with Yuan Tianmu," Chen Qingzhi said confidently. "Leave Erzhu Rong to me."

"Yes," Ren Yuan replied respectfully, as was his habit.

"You're too kind, Junior Brother Sect Leader," Chen Qingzhi said with a smile.

“Let’s stick to our own business. In official matters, you are still Commander Chen, and I am still your soldier.” Ren Yuan did not become arrogant and remained humble.

"Alright." Chen Qingzhi nodded happily.

"Hurry up, it's already dawn outside, that little girl must be going crazy with worry." Zu Chongzhi urged the two of them, "I'd better hurry up and sail the boat further away, if we can't afford to mess with them, can't we at least avoid them?"

(End of this chapter)