Start from a baby to become a Taoist

Chapter 556 Tracing Back!

Chapter 564

Above the decree, there are no words, yet it expounds the most fundamental law of the universe: existence is rational, and what is irrational does not exist!

Xu Ran, and the "rebellious" path he represents, are the greatest "irrationality" in the judgment of "heavenly principles"!
This decree, named "Decree of Extinction of Heavenly Principles," does not harm the physical body or sever the soul. What it does is trace back the river of time and completely delete Xu Ran, this "variable," from the root of the "past"!

Once struck by it, Xu Ran will be as if he had never existed in this world. All memories related to him, all the causes and effects he had, will be reset and rewritten.

This is the "return to zero" method of "natural law"! Overbearing, with no solution!
Faced with this deadly attack that would make any Dao Ancestor despair, Xu Ran, sitting on the throne, slowly... smiled.

"You can erase my past, but can you erase... the cause and effect that I severed?"

He slowly raised his right hand, pointing his fingers like a sword.

In the chaotic center of his sea of ​​consciousness, the nascent "Sword of Reversal" that had just taken shape suddenly burst forth with boundless sharpness!
"Senior Zhantian, I borrow your spirit of unyielding courage throughout the ages!"

"Countless gods and demons, borrow the path of your lifelong resentment!"

"Today, I, Xu Ran, will unleash this... the first sword strike against all reason!"

"This sword is named... [Selflessness]!"

The moment he finished speaking, Xu Ran pointed a finger out!
There was no earth-shattering sword light, no sword energy that tore through the universe.

Only a faint, almost invisible, gray sword intent, seemingly nonexistent in this world, flew from his fingertips, meeting the golden decree that descended from the sky.

This sword intent, though seemingly insignificant, contains a subversive philosophical principle.

The law of "natural law" is: existence is its own justification.

The "reason" behind Xu Ran's sword strike is: My non-existence is also a form of existence!
You can't erase someone who never "existed" in the first place!
This is a profound paradox, a fundamental attack on the logic of "natural law"!
scoff!

Under the watchful eyes of all, the hazy, ethereal sword intent of "Selflessness" and the golden "Heavenly Law of Extinction" collided silently.

There was no explosion, no release of energy.

The moment the two met, it was as if they were frozen in an eternal stillness.

The golden decree, attempting to trace the "past" of the sword intent, discovered that its source was nothingness, impossible to trace back to.

The hazy sword intent attempted to sever the "cause and effect" of the decree, only to discover that its cause and effect were connected to the "order" of the entire universe, making it impossible to sever.

At this moment, two completely different "principles" fell into the most fundamental confrontation and... stalemate!
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Finally, with a click!
A crack appeared on the golden decree!
Immediately afterwards, the cracks spread out like a spider web!
The "Selfless" sword intent is ultimately superior! Because it represents "variables" and "possibilities," while "Heavenly Principles" represent "quantities" and "fixed numbers"!
Variables can never be fully defined by constants!
boom!
The golden decree shattered with a deafening roar, dissipating into a shower of light. The hazy, gray sword intent, having exhausted all its power, vanished into nothingness.

Above the heavens, the indifferent Eye of Heaven showed signs of fluctuation for the first time.

It gave Xu Ran a deep look, a look that seemed to transcend countless ages, completely imprinting his existence on the opposite side of "natural law".

Then, the giant eye slowly closed, and the huge gap that pierced through the heavens and earth disappeared as if it had never existed.

"Heavenly justice... has retreated?" Canqiong's voice was filled with disbelief.

"No, it hasn't retreated." The gravedigger's aged voice carried an unprecedented excitement. "It has... acknowledged it! It has acknowledged that this boy's 'rebellious' path is qualified to exist in this world as a kind of 'reason'! It cannot erase it for the time being, so it can only... classify it as 'heretic'!"

What started as a "vulnerability" that needed to be fixed has become an acknowledged "heresy"!
This is the status that Xu Ran earned for himself after unleashing that sword strike!
He was finally qualified to sit before this chessboard called "Heavenly Principles" as a chess player!
call……

On his throne, Xu Ran let out a long breath. That sword strike had almost drained him of all his mind and strength.

But he succeeded.

He slowly stood up, and the "Throne of the Rebels" composed of billions of sword intents transformed into a stream of light, which, together with the imprint of the "Heaven-Slaying" broken sword, disappeared into his brow, forming an even more ancient and profound "Rebel" mark.

The entire mountain of corpses has now been completely flattened, and all the corpses and Dao principles have become part of Xu Ran.

He took a step forward and appeared in front of the gravedigger and the remnant sky.

"Thank you for protecting me, senior." Xu Ran bowed deeply to the tomb keeper.

"No need to thank me. This was a scheme set up by the master; I was merely a guardian. Ultimately, you forged your own path." The gravedigger waved his hand, his cloudy old eyes filled with satisfaction. "How are you feeling now?"

"It's better than ever before." Xu Ran felt the surging power within his body that seemed capable of reshaping the universe, as well as the transcendent feeling brought by the "Sword Against Reason" in his soul, a feeling that could cut through all constraints. His gaze was firm.

"At the peak of the ninth level of Dao Lord, having forged all Daos and wielding the Sword of Reversal of Principle... Boy, your current combat strength can probably no longer be measured by the Dao Lord level." Canqiong's thoughts transformed into a blurry figure, filled with emotion, "Ordinary Dao Ancestors would probably not fare well in front of you."

“Not enough.” Xu Ran shook his head. “That sword strike just now was my limit. And ‘Heavenly Principle’ is merely a decree. There’s still a vast… ocean between us.”

“Indeed, you have seen that sea.” The gravedigger nodded, his expression turning serious. “This burial ground is ultimately just a corner. If you want to continue your journey, you must go to a wider world and witness the real storms.”

"Please enlighten me, senior," Xu Ran said respectfully.

“The Boundary Sea,” the tomb keeper uttered two words. “It is a chaotic sea formed by the convergence of countless shattered universes, abandoned eras, and exiled lands. It is the weakest point of the ‘natural law’ order, and also the gathering place of all ‘heretics’ and ‘rebels’ who are not tolerated by the world. There are endless opportunities there, as well as endless dangers.”

"What you need to do is go there, find more like-minded people, and gather more 'countercurrents'. Your 'pool' needs more water."

“Boundary Sea…” Xu Ran murmured the name, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

“However, the Boundary Sea is dangerous. With your current strength, even if you directly break in, you will have a slim chance of survival.” The tomb keeper changed the subject. “Before entering the real Boundary Sea, you need a springboard, a… place to adapt.”

He pointed his withered finger in the air, and a vast star map unfolded before Xu Ran.

At the edge of the star map, there is a region marked as "chaos" and "unknown," where stars are sparse and there are massive spacetime storms and law fractures everywhere.

"This is the 'Ruins of Myriad Realms'," the tomb keeper pointed to the area. "It is the 'shallow beach' of the Boundary Sea, composed of the remnants of countless worlds abandoned by 'Heavenly Principles' after their defeat. The rules there are chaotic, and the order has collapsed, but because of this, many strange and powerful civilizations and individuals have been born."

"Your first stop is here. Survive here, gain a foothold, and find the 'ancient sea route' to the depths of the Boundary Sea."

"This junior understands." Xu Ran firmly memorized the star map.

"Go." The tomb keeper gave Xu Ran one last look, his eyes filled with endless expectation. "Remember, what you bear is not just your own path. It is also... the hope of all those who have been unwilling throughout the ages."

"Kid, good luck." The phantom of the remnant sky nodded. "If fate allows, perhaps we will meet again in the Boundary Sea."

Xu Ran bowed deeply to the two of them again, without saying anything more. He turned around, and the "Rebellion" mark between his eyebrows flashed slightly. The space in front of him was forcibly torn apart by an invisible force, revealing a spatial passage leading to the unknown depths.

He stepped inside, and his figure vanished instantly.

……

The feeling of time travel is now commonplace for Xu Ran.

But this time, it was completely different.

Inside the passage, he could clearly sense that the surrounding laws were becoming increasingly chaotic and increasingly... unfamiliar.

In some places, time flows as fast as lightning; in others, spatial structures are as fragile as paper; and in still others, even the most basic principles of cause and effect are distorted.

This is the Ruins of Ten Thousand Realms. A... junkyard abandoned by "Heavenly Principles".

After an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up before me.

Xu Ran found himself in a deathly silent void.

Looking around, one sees bizarre and wonderful sights.

A massive landmass floating in the void, covered with eerie plants that gleam with a metallic sheen.

A massive stellar skeleton that has long since died out, yet continues to emanate a chilling resentment.

A "garbage river" formed by countless fragments of broken magical artifacts and weapons flowed slowly through the void.

The energy here is chaotic and violent, filled with an aura of decay and destruction. Ordinary cultivators here would probably be torn to shreds by the chaotic laws before they could even breathe.

But for Xu Ran, this environment gave him a feeling of... being in his element.

Because the myriad principles within him originated from various different systems, he himself was a "chaotic" collection.

"Is this... a new beginning?"

Xu Ran muttered to himself, his divine sense spreading out like a tide, beginning to explore this unfamiliar area.

Soon, he discovered some signs of life.

In a large asteroid belt not far away, several grotesque-looking "void ships" pieced together from various world debris were moored.

A group of fierce cultivators, exuding a strong aura of blood and malevolence, were using a peculiar tool to mine a faintly glowing ore in the asteroid belt.

"Ok?"

Just as Xu Ran's divine sense swept over them, the leader of the group of cultivators, a one-eyed giant, suddenly raised his head, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, precisely locking onto the direction where Xu Ran was!

"There's a new recruit! He's a hot potato!"

A cruel and greedy smile appeared on the face of the one-eyed giant, and a light called "chaos" and "plunder" gleamed in his single eye.

"Brothers, let's get to work! The Black Sand Vultures never leave empty-handed!"

boom!
Those dilapidated void ships suddenly spewed out dark red energy flames from their engines and rushed towards Xu Ran at an astonishing speed!

……

In the void, Xu Ran floated quietly, watching the approaching void ships with a calm expression.

He could sense that the opponents' cultivation levels weren't particularly high; the strongest, the one-eyed giant, was only at the third or fourth level of the Dao Lord realm. But in this chaotic place, the ruthless aura they exuded, born from years of bloodshed, was far beyond what a delicate flower in a greenhouse could possess.

"Stop right there! Kid, where did you come from?"

On the lead void ship, a one-eyed giant held a huge serrated battle blade, pointed it at Xu Ran, and shouted sharply.

"I'm new here and wanted to ask for directions," Xu Ran said casually.

"Asking for directions?" The one-eyed man and his henchmen burst into laughter as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Hahaha! Kid, are you out of your mind? Asking for directions in the Myriad Realms Ruins costs money!"

"Judging by your fair skin and pure aura, you don't seem like a seasoned veteran from the ruins. How about this: hand over your storage magic treasures and that decent-looking Taoist robe. If I'm in a good mood, I'll show you a way out, how about that?"

Xu Ran's gaze swept over their faces, each one etched with greed and cruelty, and he slowly shook his head.

"It seems there's no point in talking."

"Talk? I'll show you right now that in the Ruins of Ten Thousand Domains, might makes right!"

The one-eyed giant grinned maliciously, said no more nonsense, and his serrated battle blade suddenly flashed with a blood-red light!

"Blood Slaughter Demon Slash!"

With a single slash, a blood-red blade aura, a thousand feet long and formed from endless malevolent energy and vengeful spirits, descended upon Xu Ran with a piercing wailing sound!

This strike contains an extremely vicious law that can not only sever the physical body but also corrupt the soul, causing the victim to be eternally mired in pain.

This is the most common and practical "underworld technique" in the ruins of the myriad realms.

Faced with this ferocious and unparalleled strike, Xu Ran didn't even lift his eyelids.

He simply raised his right hand.

"inverse."

One word came out of his mouth.

Without any earth-shattering power, it's as if it's stating the simplest of facts.

However, this single word caused the entire void to... freeze!

The ferocious crimson blade aura suddenly stopped a hundred feet away from Xu Ran. Then, to the one-eyed giant's utter astonishment, the dense malevolent energy and resentment emanating from the blade aura began to rapidly dissipate and transform!
(End of this chapter)