Chapter Eighteen: Entering the Realm of Emotions, Worlds Within the Tower

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Seeing that the Divine Lotus had already returned but remained in a deep sleep, Mie Tian grew anxious. He hurried forward, cradling the Divine Lotus in his arms and checking her carefully.

Observing Mie Tian’s nervousness, Chen Xing’s lips twitched slightly. Was this really appropriate, showing such affection in front of a single man like himself?

For some reason, a graceful silhouette suddenly emerged in his mind, gradually taking shape until the unparalleled beauty of Nuwa appeared vividly before him. Although Chen Xing had never experienced romantic feelings, over the years he could not help but sense the subtle threads of affection that Nuwa harbored for him. Yet, each time he recalled her status as the Holy Mother of Humanity, he found himself unable to cross that threshold in his heart.

He was still, after all, the same self from Earth, both in body and mind. Though now the Lord of Primordial Chaos, he remained of human origin—an awkward situation indeed.

Suddenly, another petite figure appeared beside Nuwa in his mind’s eye—Xiaoyao, with her delicate features...

He quickly shook his head, banishing these chaotic thoughts, silently cursing himself for his wandering mind.

“No need to be anxious. Don’t you know that neither you nor she can be considered true living beings now? Once I establish the cycle of reincarnation, I’ll send you both into it,” Chen Xing said irritably. Indeed, the two of them were merely returning true spirits, not yet possessing real bodies.

“Heh heh!” Mie Tian scratched his head and grinned foolishly, all trace of the dignity of a world-opener gone.

Ignoring him, Chen Xing sat cross-legged in the void, countless six-colored orbs of light appearing above his head, forming a circle that spun slowly. With a wave of his hand, a cloud of violet light was drawn forth from the Realm of Emotion and suspended in the air.

“You should know that the Heavenly Way is impartial and will never permit the birth of independent consciousness.

Now that you have awakened consciousness, you should have been cast into the Cauldron of Transformation to erase your divine sense and return to the world. But because I pity the sentient beings of the Realm of Emotion, and you have not defied the Great Way, I shall transform you into a living being to maintain the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Do you accept?”

A gentle female voice issued from the violet cloud: “Thank you, Lord of the Way, for your mercy. Ziyun is willing!”

Chen Xing couldn’t help but smack his forehead. Good heavens, what was happening here? A world’s Heavenly Way had developed independent will, helped the living to resist the Great Dao, and even assigned itself a gender.

Choosing to be female was one thing, but giving herself a name too? Was the power of “entering the Dao by emotion” in this realm truly so formidable, so easily influencing other beings? With a half-smile, Chen Xing glanced at the nearby Great Dao and Mie Tian, both of whom wore equally awkward expressions, knowing they could hardly escape responsibility for this.

Paying them no more heed, Chen Xing shot a beam of violet light from his brow, which fell upon the violet cloud incarnated from the Heavenly Way. Instantly, the cloud transformed into a middle-aged woman radiating serenity, her face exuding deep compassion for all living things.

No sooner had she taken form than she bowed deeply to Chen Xing: “Thank you for your mercy, Lord of the Way. Ziyun is willing to guard the cycle of reincarnation for all eternity.”

He nodded. “Go!” With a light command, the six orbs above his head flew toward the great world of the Realm of Emotion. He nodded to the Great Dao beside him.

The Great Dao understood, soaring forth and treading the void, turning into a dazzling violet radiance. From within the light, a solemn voice echoed: “Henceforth, the cycle of reincarnation is established in the Realm of Emotion!”

As these words rang out, Ziyun transformed into a beam of violet light and shot into the six orbs flying toward the Realm of Emotion. With her entry, the orbs burst into brilliant radiance, enveloping the entire world. Within the light, the wails of souls chilled the heart, while layer upon layer of palaces appeared in the void, majestic and awe-inspiring. As all living beings believed that their resistance against the Great Dao had brought about an apocalypse, and terror swept through the land, a mighty voice resounded:

“By the mercy of the Lord of the Way, your offense against heaven and earth is forgiven! The Six Paths of Reincarnation are established, mending the world and granting all beings a place of return, so that you will not turn to ashes in the end. Henceforth, do good and you shall be rewarded; do evil and you shall fall into hell! Ziyun shall guard the Six Paths. Reincarnation, arise!”

As the final word rang out, strange phenomena gathered in the void and plunged into the earth. The merits of the Great Dao descended upon the land: ninety percent entered reincarnation, the rest settled upon the beings of the Realm of Emotion, instantly relieving all suffering, making them strong and healthy.

All the living of the Realm of Emotion knelt to the ground, crying out, “Mercy of the Great Dao, compassion of Lady Ziyun!”

“Because you have harbored little malice and have supported each other in adversity, the Lord of the Way is much pleased, and grants your entire world entry into the Primordial Tower, so that calamity shall never touch you again. Do not betray his expectations!”

Yes, this was Chen Xing’s solution.

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To tell the truth, Chen Xing felt great affection for this world. He recalled that his Primordial Tower contained a Grand World without any inhabitants; it would be perfect to move the Realm of Emotion into it. In this way, the world’s rank need not be reduced. He also thought of bringing his parents and sister from Earth and settling them here—they would surely love it. It was the best of both worlds.

The living beings rejoiced. After hundreds of thousands of years of struggle with the Heavenly Way and the Great Dao, countless people were utterly exhausted in body and spirit. Many, fearful of implicating their families and loved ones, had chosen solitude. Such an outcome left them wild with joy.

“You may enter the cycle of reincarnation now!” Seeing that the Six Paths had been established, Chen Xing turned to Mie Tian. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he said, “As for that ridiculous name of yours, don’t use it anymore—it’s too vulgar!” His eyes were full of disdain.

Mie Tian smiled awkwardly, bowed to Chen Xing, and offered a slight bow to the Great Dao as well before carrying the Divine Lotus toward the Realm of Emotion.

With all matters concluded, only the final step remained. Chen Xing raised his hand to his head, and in an instant, purple light blazed across the heavens, illuminating all realms. For a moment, all of chaos was rendered bright and clear by the violet glow.

A nine-tiered violet pagoda slowly emerged behind Chen Xing, releasing an aura that seemed capable of crushing all the heavens. Even the Great Dao beside him fell to his knees, not daring to look up.

It was not that Chen Xing’s power was inferior to a treasure; rather, he preferred to interact peacefully with others, disliking any sense of aloofness. Hence, he had never released his oppressive aura before. This was also his first time using the Primordial Tower, and since his heart was not yet fully perfected, he could not yet control these primordial treasures at will, so a trace of its power leaked out.

The Primordial Tower drifted slowly above the great world of the Realm of Emotion, expanding to limitless proportions. The Realm of Emotion was gradually drawn into the tower.

Chen Xing addressed the Dao of the Realm of Emotion beside him: “Go now! From this day forward, this world will be under your personal management. In the future, I shall have great need of it.”

The Dao was delighted. The world now belonged to Chen Xing, and managing it personally meant becoming the chief steward, with no more fear of having its consciousness erased and being returned to its original state. Bowing deeply, it vanished into the chaos.

A myriad of centuries passed in the blink of an eye. At last, the Realm of Emotion was entirely absorbed into the Primordial Tower. Chen Xing retrieved the tower, chaos returned to its deathly silence, and with a flash, Chen Xing entered the Realm of Emotion.

Sitting cross-legged atop the Ninth Heaven of the Realm of Emotion, he concealed his presence and began to contemplate the living beings there.

For him, the prehistoric universe could offer no further insight; he already knew all there was to know, and it could no longer elevate his character. But the Realm of Emotion was different—a world where emotion reigned supreme, unique in all creation. It could serve as a crucial crucible for tempering his nature. Most importantly, in such a place, his character would not revert to that of the desireless, indifferent Lord of Primordial Chaos. Chen Xing had no wish to return to that lofty and detached state.

...

In the great world of the Realm of Emotion, when the countless living beings learned that they no longer needed to scheme and struggle against the Great Dao, nor fear the apocalypse it might unleash, and that the Heavenly Way who had aided them was not destroyed, the land erupted in jubilation and celebration.

While most rejoiced, some who had been prepared to lay down their lives to save their loved ones now frantically hurried home.

How long had it been since they had seen their families and loved ones?

Since the struggle with the Heavenly Way began hundreds of thousands of years ago, countless ordinary people had resolutely joined the fight.

To protect the few who could resist the Heavenly Way, how many ordinary people had laid down their lives to block the thunderbolts sent by heaven?

The most tragic episode occurred tens of thousands of years ago. In an effort to destroy the awakened powers, the Heavenly Way unleashed years of annihilating thunder. Countless ordinary people banded together, marching bravely to their deaths.

In those decades, the world lost nearly half its population—hundreds of billions. First the elderly, then the strong men, then the women; none were afraid. They were not merely protecting those with power, but nurturing the seeds of hope that one day someone might break through and resist the Heavenly Way.

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For decades, the oldest person in the entire Realm of Emotion was no older than fourteen. Had the Heavenly Way not been stirred by such intense emotion to awaken its own consciousness, this world might have long since become a wasteland. On the day the Heavenly Way awakened, blood rain fell from the heavens, and all things wept in mourning.

They had no other recourse—their world’s development had diverged from the path of the Great Dao, and though awakenings were powerful, there was no method of cultivation.

They knew something was wrong with their world; they could not cultivate, only awaken. But they did not want their world destroyed; they loved their land, but there was nothing they could do.

All they had to offer was their lives.

Those with awakened power did not fear death. Though they had revived their loved ones, they could not bear to face the fathers, mothers, siblings, and countless compatriots who had died resisting the Heavenly Way.

They did not want ordinary people to shield them, but to fight the Heavenly Way themselves.

Yet, as they faced the elders and kin kneeling before them, begging them not to go, they could only roar their anger at the sky.

In their quest to break through and gain the power to speak as equals with the Heavenly Way, they tried everything they could imagine.

At first, they thought the Heavenly Way was punishing them, the awakened ones. To appease its wrath, the first generation of awakened all committed suicide, vanishing along with their revived lovers and their deep attachment to the land.

But more and more awakened continued to appear. Then they understood: awakened ones would only increase, and following the Heavenly Way would eventually mean destruction. So they chose to resist.

That resistance lasted hundreds of thousands of years.

At the cost of countless lives, they finally won a benevolent response from the Heavenly Way. Yet from the Heavenly Way, they learned a more despairing truth: all of this was just a task assigned to it by the Great Dao. Now that the Heavenly Way had developed independent consciousness, the Great Dao would surely unleash the apocalypse.

Were they afraid?

They were not!

After countless years of battle, they discovered a secret: the bonds of emotion among their world’s living beings could influence even the coldest, most heartless existence!

With the Heavenly Way’s help, they finally gained a method of cultivation: entering the Dao through emotion.

Just as the beings of this world trained diligently, preparing to resist the Great Dao, the ending was unimaginably beautiful.

Chen Xing arrived!