novelraw Chapter 140 : Forging an Immortal-Grade Dao Foundation
Chapter 140 : Forging an Immortal-Grade Dao Foundation
Chapter 140: Forging an Immortal-Grade Dao Foundation
【Sundial of the Old Heavens】
【Grade: In Gestation】
【Description: The Supreme Sun illuminates the present, its shadow shines upon the past. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is shadow, there is brilliance.
Light and dark are one and the same.
The Supreme Sun casts its projection across billions of worlds, giving rise to many incarnations, including countless great beings.
Later, the Supreme Sun was buried by ■■■■, and through a special ritual, the Mother of the Sun was born from its remains, seizing most of its authority, and illuminating the boundless worlds.
Its shadow severed its origin, intertwining with the Historical Long River, giving birth to a divine incarnation of a great immortal god — the Old Day, whose radiance shines upon the past, recording all beings buried by time, anchoring their origins.
Its authority contains the mighty power of time and causality.
Due to an encounter with ■■■■, the Old Day shattered, its authority split into three parts. The main portion of its authority entered the depths of the Old Day, giving rise to the myth-grade Diseased Domain —【Old Celestial Court】.
The sundial needle, which holds the power to bury all beings of the Old Day, was lost, leaving only the sundial disc possessing【刻 of Erosion】and【Seal of the Great Heavens】, which requires the light of the Old Day for activation.
As the foundation carrying the Old Day, it can use its radiance to reveal corresponding coordinates and seek out the lost fragments. Once gathered, it can condense the “Old Day” authority, fully accommodating and incarnating Supreme Divinity, illuminating all of eternity.
All beings who have entered the present from the past will be suppressed and buried once more into the past by the light of the Old Day.
Becoming the Old Day grants one the qualification to seize the sole path of the Sun, but will incur enmity from all other solar deities and the Mother of the Sun.】
“This is… the foundation of godhood!”
Jiang Yan’s gaze trembled. He had originally thought the treasure left behind by Guanyin was just an ordinary secret artifact, but never imagined it would relate to the shadow of the Supreme Sun — the authority of the Old Day.
No wonder the power of the Causality-Eating Worm was so terrifying.
So it had borrowed the light of the【Old Day】.
In a certain sense, that would make it half an Immortal Subject already.
After all, in any divine pantheon, the Sun is either the sole god or the central main god — a symbol of light, warmth, life, and power.
For example, in Egyptian mythology, the one and only Supreme Deity, the creator god, is also the Sun God【Ra】.
In Indian mythology, the Sun God【Surya】is one of the Trimurti — the eye of the creator god【Brahma】, who once beat up the Heavenly Emperor, and whose son is【Yama, King of the Underworld】, who also clocked in with the Heavenly Emperor.
In myths, only the strong may possess the Heavenly Emperor.
That is to say, beat them up.
The origin of the “卍” symbol comes from the wheel He rides upon — a symbol of infinite vitality and strength.
The Lamp-Igniting Method also symbolizes the undying Sun.
Beyond that, there’s also Helios of Greek mythology, Amaterasu of White Sakura Island, and in Tianxia mythology, Xihe and the Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
Among them, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, the deity once worshipped by the state of Chu, was originally the embodiment of the “Dao” — Taiyi. Even after being demoted to a mere solar deity, He remained one of the strongest gods.
Ranked among the Ancient Celestial Venerables.
And He is said to be the personification of the Supreme Sun.
In the records of the Bureau of Historical Revision, the only deity that might rival Him is God.
The authority of the Sun embodies harvest, time, destruction, causality, and more — practically omnipotent, suitable for most paths.
Even if it’s not suitable?
Then it’s your problem. One must learn to adapt to the Sun!
If this news were to leak, not only would the hidden ancient monsters of the present world act, even those of Great Divine Ability...
No,
even the Great Beings themselves would descend.
The entire present world could be shattered!
“This is serious trouble!”
At this moment, Jiang Yan felt he was not holding a treasure, but a hot potato.
It wasn’t sentimentality — this wasn’t a complete authority.
Just a third, maybe even less — a mere fragment of power. It couldn’t let Jiang Yan become a Great Being and blast everything apart.
What’s more, without enough strength, rashly accommodating the authority of an immortal god would likely make one a vessel for the Old Day’s revival.
“What is Guanyin really trying to do?”
Jiang Yan’s first reaction was that there was a trap.
Who would be so kind as to hand out the authority of godhood?
Though Guanyin Bodhisattva was strong, She wasn’t an Ancient Celestial Venerable.
And even the Ancient Celestial Venerables weren’t without desire, were they?
“Even the Coffin Spirit wouldn’t buy that crap,” Jiang Yan muttered.
“……”
Though the Coffin Spirit was quite pleased to hear its master mention it, it still felt it was being subtly maligned.
But couldn’t explain why.
Off to the side, the three-headed Flood Dragon’s trio of heads laughed themselves limp on the ground, mocking it for having persecution delusions.
In a burst of fury, it got furious.
Because the Coffin Spirit felt it had grown up now and couldn't be childish and bicker anymore — it planned to blind the dog eyes of the three-headed Flood Dragon with the ultimate trump card it had been secretly researching!
Unbeknownst to it, the three-headed Flood Dragon’s heads squinted in thought.
Lately, the Coffin Spirit had been acting mysterious. Measuring it by its own standards, it was probably up to no good.
They had to find a way to dig up the secret.
“The only reason might be that mysterious Mother of the Sun.”
Jiang Yan pondered. The only clue was that mysterious being who had silently replaced the Supreme Sun.
Definitely a being at the level of an Ancient Celestial Venerable.
Anyone who walked the path of the Sun would become Her enemy.
Even Guanyin Bodhisattva would have to tread carefully.
If the path were occupied by a top-level powerhouse, they might be instantly punished by the Mother of the Sun.
But if it were taken by a small ant, it wouldn’t be so noticeable.
Or rather, once that small ant gathered the authority, it could be easily taken from them.
The prerequisite of reasoning — was being able to survive the punch!
Moreover, the core of the Old Day’s authority had become the mysterious【Old Celestial Court】— a name that already sounded extremely dangerous.
“It’s just a shame… that I have a Demon-God Embryo!”
Jiang Yan’s lips curved up slightly. No matter what supernatural material it was, once nurtured into a descendant, it could sever all prior causality, connections, and hidden hands.
If he could snowball fast enough, not even immortals or gods could react in time before he stole the full authority of the Old Day.
He might be able to nurture a myth-grade descendant!
‘Wait, don’t get arrogant!’
Jiang Yan was just about to celebrate, but immediately restrained his smile halfway and alertly scanned his surroundings.
Especially the nooks and crannies — not even a speck of dust was spared. He inspected them all, making sure there were no Watchers hidden peeping at the screen.
Even ordinary Watchers could guide events toward their desired outcome — there was no way Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn’t do the same.
Only more easily.
Extreme caution was essential to avoid falling into traps.
Man acts, but the Watchers observe!
“The Demon-God Embryo has absorbed a large amount of nutrients. There’s no rush to nurture a descendant. I’ll have it absorb the feedback nutrients from the【Sundial of the Old Heavens】as well, to enhance its quality. It’ll take about two weeks.”
“Though it could be hastened, there’s no need. Anything requiring such a meticulous setup is at least a legend-grade descendant...”
Jiang Yan was filled with anticipation. Judging from the name【刻 of Erosion】, it likely had something to do with time and causality.
It had inherited the light of the Old Day — with absolute suppressive power over revived beings of the Old Day.
In ordinary cultivation worlds, its effects might be so-so, but...
He walked the path of Diseased History.
All transcendent beings came from the past. Even the present-day History Walkers had to constantly plunder Diseased Realms and transform themselves into【Ancient Ones】.
The more ancient, the greater the suppression.
An old folks’ killer!
Perhaps he had a trump card specifically for ancient beings.
Guanyin likely never imagined that a mere chess piece meant to collect authority could already grasp some of its power in advance.
“Otherwise, just watching Them lay out their schemes while I couldn’t flip the table — that’s just infuriating.”
Jiang Yan sneered coldly in his heart.
Having a sword in hand and not using it, and having no sword to use — these were two entirely different concepts.
Then, he took out his fourth gain.
The Golden Apple!
It had been produced by the Demon-God Embryo after the Golden Apple Tree removed a starry sky mutation, now reduced to just an empty shell.
It was a one-time-use item.
The flesh inside had long been devoured clean by the Causality-Eating Worm, and the seed had been refined into a Watcher — that is, the Golden Apple Tree Metheus.
The current Golden Apple had lost the power to grant wishes, and retained only one effect:
Wealth and beauty!
Once fought over by all the goddesses, it symbolized beauty.
Ordinary people who ate it could become top-tier beauties, radiating irresistible charm.
Those on the Path of Allure could refine it into an allure-type skill.
If placed outside, quite a few female History Walkers would likely be tempted.
After all, beauty had always been an eternal pursuit for women — even goddesses weren’t exempt.
If Jiang Yan ate it, he could make his appearance approach perfection, but...
“My perfection doesn't need to be forged by a Golden Apple.”
He chuckled softly, already having decided on its use.
“For you.”
He handed the Golden Apple to the quietly watching Little Celestial Ghost. The soul fire in her eye sockets flared fiercely — clearly stirred.
Though she had grown a good amount of flesh lately, she was still far from a complete body, which troubled her greatly.
She longed to touch her master with her flesh soon, to feel a warmer hug.
She never thought that day would arrive so soon.
Crunch!
Holding the Golden Apple in both hands, she opened her skeletal jaw and bit down hard.
The shell of the Golden Apple shattered, turning into a stream of light that flooded into her body. Golden brilliance enveloped her, and pale bones began to grow flesh, covered by pristine white skin.
When the golden light faded, Little Celestial Ghost had transformed from a skeleton into a girl of thirteen or fourteen. Her dark hair draped down to her waist; her features were exquisite, and her skin as flawless as snow — pure and immaculate, as if sculpted by the heavens.
In terms of beauty, she was already on par with Zhao Yinman. But with her soft, fragile expression between the brows, she was even more moving — perhaps surpassing her.
Buzz!
The remaining golden light turned into a black-and-white, long-sleeved women’s hanfu. Her slender hands held a mysterious, ancient treasure mirror adorned with a fierce Celestial Ghost motif, like a holy maiden from antiquity in charge of rituals and divine communication.
But atop her head were cat-like ears — rather adorable in appearance.
Was Little Celestial Ghost originally a cat?
Before Jiang Yan could think further, Little Celestial Ghost pounced into his arms, rubbing her head against him, gently sniffing with her newly formed nose, as if wanting to memorize his scent forever.
“M... Master…”
At that moment, her dark-golden eyes locked onto Jiang Yan, filled with emotion. She no longer needed to rattle her bones or rely on spiritual waves to speak — she now used her flesh and newly born vocal cords to convey her devotion and affection.
She wanted to stay with her master forever.
“No need to hug so tight. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jiang Yan patted her head. She revealed a blissful expression, like a clingy and obedient little cat. He also noticed her swaying tail behind — patterned like divine script.
A leopard tail!
Jiang Yan’s pupils quivered slightly. These traits, along with the fact that her race was Celestial Ghost…
Could Little Celestial Ghost be related to the Queen Mother of the West?
Wasn’t Kurokawa Ryuuichi currently in White Sakura? How did this relate to a Diseased Domain involving the Jade Pool?
At this moment, Jiang Yan fell into deep thought. Ever since entering the transcendent world, divine and celestial-related artifacts — which others dreamt of — had erupted around him in a torrent.
From the beginning, there had been the Lamp-Igniting Buddha, the deity behind the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Guanyin Bodhisattva, and now the Queen Mother of the West...
Were all of these really just coincidences?
Celestial and divine beings symbolized a singular path — one of exclusivity. If so, could the many mythic beings sharing similar authorities be seen as multiple identities of the same being?
Or incarnations?
Then what was their true purpose?
Jiang Yan pondered deeply — when suddenly a low sob emerged from his arms: “M... Master… did I... do something wrong…”
Tears brimmed in Little Celestial Ghost’s eyes. She cried like pear blossoms in the rain, flustered, unable to understand what she’d done to cause her master to fall silent and stop paying attention to her.
Since her birth, Jiang Yan had been her entire world.
That was why she enjoyed fighting with the three-headed Flood Dragon and Coffin Spirit — doing so got her more of her master’s attention and affection.
It was greedy, but it was her reason to exist.
To her, losing Jiang Yan’s recognition was a fate worse than death.
She was afraid. Her hands gripped tightly at her clothes, like a little beast scared of abandonment.
“I was just thinking about some things. Don’t scare yourself.”
Jiang Yan said gently, pinching Little Celestial Ghost’s cheek.
It felt bouncy and tender — hard to put down.
Truly adorable.
“Mmhm!”
Little Celestial Ghost broke into a smile through her tears, nodding repeatedly, lying atop her master, listening to his heartbeat, feeling unparalleled peace. Her little tail behind her swayed back and forth.
Jiang Yan curiously grabbed the tail, gently stroking the fur. A soft “ngh” sound followed, along with a slight shudder from her body.
As expected, all felines were alike.
Just... a lot bigger — hugging her felt a bit weird...
Sensing Jiang Yan’s thoughts, Little Celestial Ghost shrank her size, becoming a small tabby cat with golden stripes, curling up in his arms.
No need to worry about cat-cuddling ever again.
“Has the transformation finished?”
The Coffin Spirit and the three-headed Flood Dragon had been closely watching her transformation, and now hurried over.
It felt like older brothers scrambling to see their newborn sister.
Though they were happy she’d grown flesh, the Coffin Spirit couldn’t help but envy the affection the newly transformed Little Celestial Ghost was freely enjoying.
If only the master were interested — it would’ve wanted him to cuddle it every day too.
Even a coffin could be cuddled!
The Coffin Spirit cursed this looks-obsessed world!
“Roar roar roar!”
As for the three-headed Flood Dragon — it had already taken action. Its three heads squeezed in to fight for Jiang Yan’s affection. Jiang Yan was generous, patting all three heads and even the nearly frantic Coffin Spirit beside them.
The other descendants came to offer their blessings one after another — a treatment far beyond even the eldest child, the Coffin Spirit.
Truly the group’s beloved!
“All is ready. Time to begin the ascension!”
Jiang Yan gently set down the clingy Little Celestial Ghost, preparing for his breakthrough. She was very well-behaved, sitting to the side with her hands under her chin, already happy just watching her master.
Little Celestial Ghost would wait obediently for her master to finish.
(°O°)
Jiang Yan sat cross-legged, swallowing and exhaling the spiritual energy of the Mountain and River Dragon Vein, quickly adjusting his state to perfection.
Buzz!
A Longevity Azure Lotus emerged from the void, wreathed in wondrous transformative aura — its leaves fully opened to seven grades.
The calamity of Guanyin’s diseased domain had granted him a Calamity Lotus.
The afflicted numbered over ten thousand, and if the Golden Fuguo Diseased Domain had descended upon the real world, tens of thousands more would’ve been affected.
It was a true act of salvation.
Thus, a Grade-Seven Longevity Lotus was born, nearly reaching Grade Eight.
It was enough to forge an Immortal-Grade Dao Foundation.
“Today is the day I ascend to the Law Seed Stage!”
With a single thought, Jiang Yan merged the Longevity Azure Lotus into the Cataclysmic Sea of the Return Ruins.
Boom!
In an instant, the river of calamity surged.
If before it had been a rapid stream, now it became a torrential river rushing into the sea — vast and violent, washing through the boundless void, carving out the Dao Foundation!
Whoosh—!
The Cataclysmic Sea of the Return Ruins Dao Foundation expanded wildly, erupting from five thousand zhang to six thousand...
Seven thousand…
Eight thousand...
Each increase in length was a shocking foundation others only dreamed of.
At this moment, he seemed to transform into a bottomless abyss, devouring spiritual energy like a whale. It surged through his limbs and bones, tempering every meridian, as his skeleton emitted a jade-colored radiance.
His old blood was quickly being replaced, turning into steaming crimson mist expelled from his body. The new blood appeared as violet-gold, dense like molten lead and mercury, surging like a great river, washing through every inch of his flesh and strengthening his physique.
Every single drop of blood contained an immense amount of spiritual energy.
In the lowest-ranked Desolate-grade Diseased Domain, a single drop of his blood could massacre hordes of Shades of Refugees.
Even with the Mountain and River Dragon Vein continuously replenishing Dragon Qi, it couldn't keep up with his devouring speed. He had become a spiritual-energy sinkhole, creating a reverse flow.
Fortunately, this was an official stronghold, and everyone was busy celebrating — it didn’t trigger any alerts.
If any other faction tried to devour Hangzhou’s spiritual energy this ravenously, they’d be suspected of summoning a demonic entity.
Jiang Yan was immersed in his advancement, paying no mind to his surroundings. Had someone observed the depths of the earth, they would’ve seen that mysterious Life Lamp returning once more.
It seemed to be checking... who was causing such a stir?
Upon seeing Jiang Yan, the mysterious figure lingered for a moment, then sank deeper into the earth and vanished. Meanwhile, the spiritual energy in the cultivation chamber was rapidly replenished at an astonishing rate.
Who knew how long had passed before Jiang Yan slowly opened his eyes, a streak of white light flashing within them.
White is born from the void!
In that moment, light and divine Qi merged throughout his being, and his essence resonated with the world.
The essence of his life had reached its peak.
Looking within, his Dao Foundation had expanded to nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine zhang, but it seemed to face a sky-high chasm — an uncrossable threshold.
The boundless calamity Qi gathered, launching repeated assaults.
Once...
Ten times...
A hundred times...
His extraordinary foundation gave Jiang Yan terrifying endurance, launching wave after wave of impact.
And instead of diminishing over time,
It only grew stronger, like piling waves — each wave more powerful than the last.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Invisible shackles were struck repeatedly, with cracks constantly forming.
“Break for me!”
Jiang Yan said in a low voice. The river of calamity Qi roared as a phantom of a green lotus emerged and crashed into the barrier.
Crack! A sharp sound — the limit was broken through.
Yet the anticipated ten-thousand-zhang Dao Foundation didn’t emerge.
Instead, the entire Cataclysmic Sea of the Return Ruins suddenly compressed into a single point — like the primordial singularity of the universe.
Boom!
As the Demon-God Embryo trembled slightly...
It exploded!
Transforming into a miniature chaotic sea, and at its center floated a Longevity Azure Lotus, radiating a faint green light, giving rise to a vast river of calamity Qi, stirring chaotic currents, and manifesting illusions of myriad worlds.
It became an Infinite Cataclysm, bringing tribulation and destruction to all the heavens.
No — it was the end of all things, a return to the void.
Followed by creation and beginning anew.
Immortal-Grade Dao Foundation — Primordial Cataclysmic Sea!
Yuan means origin. Shi means beginning — the innate, primordial Qi.
It symbolized the origin of all things, the birth of heaven and earth.
The original Cataclysmic Sea of the Return Ruins only held ultimate destruction.
But now, by using the Grade-Seven Longevity Azure Lotus as the base, it also possessed the concept of creation.
After all, the Eastern Longevity Heavenly Venerable of Salvation is said to be the incarnation of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable — the one who saves all beings across ten directions.
Both the beginning and the end.
The only thing missing was the fundamental basis of all existence!
At this moment, the Dao Foundation had expanded to a staggering fifteen thousand zhang, reaching an unprecedented level.
Even future cultivators would be hard-pressed to reach even one-tenth of this achievement.
After all, this was a miracle born from many factors — celestial and divine treasures, inheritances, and the superimposition of his own Demon-God Embryo’s authority.
An Immortal-Grade Dao Foundation naturally brought more than just size.
It had a nearly bug-level effect:
Return to Origin!
As is well known, all Law-Qi is a manifestation of the Dao — transitioning from the innate to the acquired, descending into reality.
Even life is the same — born in the acquired world. Even if a newborn carried innate Qi at birth, it would dissipate with their first cry.
Thus, whether one was a History Walker in the present or a cultivator from a Diseased Domain, they could only plant acquired Qi.
Through continuous cultivation, they would gradually approach the innate state.
Unless...
They planted their Law-Qi in chaos.
But chaos was unimaginably dangerous. Not only was it at the source of the Historical Dao, but only celestials and gods could enter it.
Go through all that just to plant a Dao Foundation?
It’s like firing a cannon at a mosquito.
Moreover, the real world lacked soil that could bear innate essence. Without a special method to preserve it, it would be quickly polluted by acquired Qi.
But the Primordial Cataclysmic Sea was different — it existed at the boundary between true chaos and the real world. It could slowly convert acquired Qi back to its origin.
Returning to the innate form.
For instance, the Golden Bamboo Law Qi of the Jade Pool was influenced by the Demon-God Embryo and transformed into a Golden Tree — also evolving toward its original innate form.
Not necessarily the most beautiful, but certainly closest to the Great Dao.
Not only did it greatly boost its power, it could also resonate with the Dao itself, amplifying cultivation speed, and suppressing all lower-grade Law-Qi.
In short, it forcibly upgraded all top-grade Law-Qi by one tier, infinitely close to the immortal grade.
Combined with the Demon-God Embryo’s ability to nurture descendants, it was like opening chaos within one’s own body to birth innate Demon Gods.
Even Jiang Yan himself would, under the influence of his Dao Foundation, evolve toward an innate being, refining his bones and reversing his nature — dramatically enhancing his lifespan and talent.
Becoming the legendary Innate Dao Physique.
In both the present world and the Historical Long River, this was a top-tier talent. Even those with Great Divine Ability would be eager to take such a disciple.
Before ascending to the Saint realm, there would be almost no bottlenecks.
A guaranteed Heavenly Official. With some nurturing, a Saint. With luck, even a Lord of the Nation.
Of course, that’s assuming he doesn’t get devoured first.
“Just this one effect alone is worthy of the Immortal grade. Not to mention, after the birth of the Primordial Cataclysmic Sea, its breath is endless — a nearly infinite reservoir of spiritual energy. From now on, I can treat ultimate skills like normal attacks.”
“And the further down the line, the bigger the difference it makes. Maybe while others spend everything to unleash one blow, I just need to take a breath to recover.”
Jiang Yan’s expression was filled with anticipation as the Primordial Cataclysmic Sea spun.
With the Dao Foundation established, there was no need to wait—
It was time to break through to the Law Seed Stage.