Swallowing the Stars: Level 1, One Talent, Invincible Chaos Origin

Chapter 144, Where the Heart Returns is Home

Dark universe.

The golden-red sword-shaped spaceship continued to advance at 58 times the speed of light.

In the quiet room, Jiang Ming, who was soaking in the nutrient tank, suddenly got up.

"I've finally reached the ninth level of the Domain Lord. Without the nutrient solution, even if I could use time acceleration, it would still take me quite a while to accumulate this level."

As Jiang Ming got up from the nutrient tank and stepped out, a set of golden-red armor was assembled onto his naked body.

"Congratulations, master."

Chi Yan's voice came from beside his ear, and a figure formed from energy stepped out of Jiang Ming's smart computer.

Chi Yan, dressed in a fiery red dress and holding a scepter, congratulated Jiang Ming.

How much longer until we reach Earth?

Jiang Ming smiled, didn't say much, and instead asked about other things.

"It will arrive in seven days."

The distance between Qiongyu Star and Earth in the Milky Way is nearly 100 million light-years, so even traveling at 58 times the speed of light in the dark universe, it would take about a month to reach it.

"Ah."

Jiang Ming nodded, his heart filled with anticipation.

Vanessa had visited Earth before when she picked people up, and left behind a divine artifact there, but Jiang Ming did not want to directly teleport to the divine kingdom.

Instead, she hoped to gradually calm herself down during the spaceship's journey.

"My Vulcan clone has always stayed in the solar system and can return to Earth at any time, but the feeling of the clone on Earth and the feeling of the real me returning home are still different."

Jiang Ming could feel that as time went on, his longing for home on Earth grew stronger.

"This feeling is very subtle. You can feel an unparalleled peace in your heart, a sense of returning to your roots."

"A feeling of homesickness."

A smile gradually appeared on Jiang Ming's lips. This smile was like sunshine after the rain, or dewdrops in the morning, nourishing all things.

The biggest difference between life and non-life is emotion.

Only when emotions exist can something be called life.

Without emotion, even with eternal power, one is ultimately nothing more than an unyielding rock.

Power, authority, and longevity may seem to be the ultimate goals, but without emotion, all of these lose their meaning.

Jiang Ming's longing for Earth and his hometown was like a deep, still stream, rippling gently across the vast and powerful sea of ​​his heart.

It is not turbulent, but incredibly enduring; it is not fiery, but warm and penetrating.

"Emotions are not an obstacle to power, but proof of life's existence and a beacon for the evolution of consciousness."

Jiang Ming seemed to be deep in thought.

His "Abyss of Calamity" devours and weaves the thoughts of billions of beings. Those extreme loves, hates, desires, and struggles are themselves one of the most primal and powerful sources of power in the universe.

They are chaotic, yet they contain endless possibilities for creation and destruction.

"Without the driving force of emotion, even the strongest power is like water without a source or a tree without roots."

It might exist forever, but that would also mean eternal stagnation, losing all meaning.

Strength can be used to protect, and authority can be used to establish order.

A long lifespan is meant to witness more beauty and protect more smiles, rather than to lead to cold loneliness.

With his hometown in sight, the nervous excitement of returning home, the anticipation and warmth, were incredibly vivid and precious in his heart at that moment.

This feeling was more real and fulfilling than the sense of power he derived from controlling billions of abyssal layers and trapping a cosmic overlord. The gentle smile on Jiang Ming's lips deepened.

"The universe is vast, its laws are like the sea, and its powerful beings are like a forest."

But only when there is love, protection, and attachment in one's heart will this eternal path to the summit not become cold and meaningless.

"Emotion is perhaps the greatest force in life, and also the most precious destination."

Jiang Ming's aura suddenly changed, and the bright, sun-like aura gradually dissipated.

Instead, it has a gentle sense of weight.

His eyes deepened, and the "Abyss of Calamity" within his body seemed to tremble slightly, as if responding to its master's insights.

"These are the most fundamental differences between life and non-life."

Jiang Ming said slowly.

"A meteorite, eternally drifting in the starry sky, it has no emotions."

A supreme treasure, with devastating power, yet it has no emotions.

They are powerful, even 'eternal,' but they merely 'exist,' not 'live.'

"The further one progresses on the path of cultivation, the more extraordinary one's life form becomes, often requiring seclusion for tens of millions of epochs."

Over time, many powerful individuals become indifferent, regarding emotions as dust and all living beings as ants, ultimately transforming into a cold, powerful, yet indifferent 'stubborn rock' in the universe.

This might be a powerful state of being, but it could also be a state of being lost.

"The Abyss of Calamity feeds on the thoughts and emotions of all living beings, weaving its abyss. At first, I only thought it was a powerful source of strength."

Jiang Ming looked inward at the ever-expanding abyss of over seven hundred layers, especially at the struggling consciousness of the Lord of the Azure Mound.

"But now I have a vague feeling that emotions may not be as simple as 'materials' and 'nourishment'."

They may contain something deeper, something concerning the essence of life, the origin and ultimate nature of consciousness.

"Great power requires an even greater will to wield."

The foundation of willpower may well originate from the deepest emotional experiences.

Without an emotional source, willpower may become like a tree without roots, seemingly strong but actually fragile.

"Protect what I want to protect, experience what I want to experience. Whether it is the warmth of my hometown or the despair of a powerful enemy, they are all proof of 'living' and a crucible for constantly tempering one's will."

Rather than trying to cultivate oneself into a piece of cold, lifeless divine iron.

Jiang Ming looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the spaceship, and saw that familiar starry sky, that azure planet.

A genuine and peaceful smile appeared on his face.

"Where my heart truly belongs is my hometown."

"The Earth is the initial anchor of all my emotions."

At this moment, his aura, which had become increasingly profound due to the "Abyss of Calamity" and seemed to contain endless darkness, also seemed to have quietly incorporated a trace of the warm radiance of humanity.

Power no longer inspires mere awe, but also adds an ineffable sense of "vividness" and "completeness".

Jiang Ming's will was like a condensation of thousands of crystal cores, shining brilliantly.

But at this moment, the brightness seemed to have decreased by half, and a different kind of radiance flickered.

This radiance was filled with a gentle rhythm, which blocked Jiang Ming's radiant will, making him appear less dazzling.

Like steel refined through countless trials, it quietly radiates a gentle glow of life amidst its extreme resilience.

This change was mysterious and profound. It was not a direct improvement in the level of power, but it allowed Jiang Ming to step into a more subtle and stable level of control over the "Abyss of Calamity" and his grasp of his own will.

(End of this chapter)