Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Way of Corpse Transcendence—Immortals Hidden in the Boundless Sea of Humanity (Part One)
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With both palms thrusting forward, he swept away all beneath heaven, annihilating every law in a cataclysm of slaughter!
Yi Beidou, as a Heavenly Demon descended into the world, transformed himself into the calamity of slaughter in order to test every method under heaven.
Only those who survived this cataclysm without being destroyed would qualify as the new laws capable of living on in the new world.
Without demons, how could gods arise?
The murderous intent and baleful force contained in this technique were simply too fierce. It was a killing move in the truest sense.
Even Fang Xiuyuan and Tao Zihong were shaken by the murderous intent and spirit within it. In their eyes, Yi Beidou’s figure seemed to rise higher and higher, until he stood level with the Northern Dipper in the sky.
They dared not be careless in the slightest.
“Ha!”
Fang Xiuyuan gave a low shout. His feet stepped upon the positions of the Nine Palaces, while the great acupoints throughout his body shone like stars, his blood surging like the dragon veins of mountains and rivers.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With every movement, hazy currents of force burst from his body. The mountain forest was suddenly swept by rising winds and roiling clouds. Even the color of the sky seemed to change, while the dragon veins beneath the earth trembled.
He trod the heavenly constellation and walked the earthly dipper, summoning clouds and bringing rain.
The art of feng shui could mobilize the natural magnetic field. When the magnetic field grew intense, it drew together moisture, transforming it into clouds and mist that coiled around Fang Xiuyuan.
At that moment, he seemed less a man than an immortal who swallowed clouds and exhaled mist.
Boom!
He struck with a fist driven by spiraling force. The technique churned the air, stirring the magnetic field and the surrounding clouds and mist, until it seemed that divine dragons coiled around his arm.
Yet these dragons were condensed from baleful energy. They lacked the vitality and wondrous spirit of true dragons, making them all the more sinister and perilous.
This technique was called “Corpse Dragon Coiling”!
On the other side, Tao Zihong suddenly struck out with a palm. The arcs of electricity wreathing his body seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, converging in the center of his palm.
Thunder in the Palm!
Boom!
The four palms collided. The arcs of electricity around Tao Zihong vanished for a brief moment, as though dispersed by the terrifying wind of the palm strike. He himself staggered back three steps, feeling his viscera churn violently and the circulation of his qi and blood grow sluggish.
At the same time, Fang Xiuyuan’s figure swayed, seemingly on the verge of retreating. Instead, he suddenly shook his body, causing his protective energy to explode outward. He guided the force into the earth and remained unharmed, though the qi and blood within him had likewise become stagnant, leaving him deeply uncomfortable.
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He knew that this was the result of being affected by the intent to annihilate all laws contained in his opponent’s technique.
Martial artists of the Spirit Might Realm could seize the soul and wrest away the spirit, turning illusion into reality and influencing the physical body. What more, then, of the true intent of a Saint-level expert?
Had Yi Beidou pursued him at that moment, he would surely have fallen into a disadvantageous position. Such a domineering technique could not be met head-on.
Yet Yi Beidou did not pursue him. After that single strike, he lowered both arms and restrained the circulation of his qi and blood.
“What an annihilating intent. A Heavenly Demon sweeping across the world, with those who survive becoming the true laws of the age. You mean to use yourself as the measure by which all the world’s doctrines are tested?”
Fang Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes as he stared at the young man before him. It was as if he could already see the enormous waves this man would unleash upon the age.
He simply did not know whether they would bring fortune or calamity.
He did not attack again, either. Like Yi Beidou, he gathered in his qi and blood and returned to his normal state.
The true intent of martial arts had already explained everything.
Fang Xiuyuan had held the Silent Heart Sword for many years. Although he had not achieved as profound a communion with it as Yi Beidou, he understood its underlying intent extremely well.
That nameless swordsman had slain enemies, kin, and even himself. Yet this was merely a partial and obsessive doctrine of the Lesser Vehicle. How could it possess the vast majesty that had just swallowed mountains and rivers in Yi Beidou’s strike?
The truth and falsehood had been distinguished by that single move.
“You derived a second personality from the sword’s true intent in order to study its doctrine? Are you certain that you have completely severed that personality, rather than merely forcing it into hiding as it waits for an opportunity to strike?”
Tao Zihong walked over, still unable to believe it as he asked the question.
“Your actions were far too reckless. The consciousness and true intent are our very foundation. They cannot be exposed to the slightest threat, or the consequences will be unimaginable,” Fang Xiuyuan said.
“Neither of you need worry. I have experience with such things. I have destroyed six personalities within myself before. To me, this presents no great risk,” Yi Beidou replied.
What kind of doctrine did this man cultivate?
Fang Xiuyuan and Tao Zihong parted their lips slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.
“By the way, there is something I would like to ask you both.”
As he spoke, a sharp glint flickered in Yi Beidou’s eyes.
To be honest, what he had experienced this time had exceeded his understanding to a certain degree. Originally, when he communed with the true intent, he had merely thought that he was witnessing a fragment of history. He had never imagined that the true intent contained within an object could actually cause the revival of an ancient personality who had already passed away within his own body.
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Such a thing was simply inconceivable. It could no longer be described as merely strange.
It inevitably reminded him of certain matters.
When he and the Killing-Minded Buddha, Wei Cheng, had discussed Hong Datong’s identity, Wei Cheng had once claimed that Hong Datong was a “person from the past.”
At the time, Yi Beidou had been unable to understand it fully. Now, however, he had formed a guess.
“You want to ask how the true intent contained within an object could give birth to a second personality, and whether that second personality is truly equivalent to the ancient person himself?” Tao Zihong said.
“Exactly. Heavenly Master Tao, can you enlighten me?” Yi Beidou asked.
Although Heavenly Master Tao’s practical combat ability was rather ordinary among those who had attained sainthood through the physical body, battle had never been his strength. His true value lay in the realm of research. He must certainly have some understanding of such hidden mysteries.
Back then, Wei Cheng had refused to explain the matter in detail because he wanted Yi Beidou to experience and comprehend it for himself. Yet even Wei Cheng probably had not expected him to come into contact with this field so soon.
“This actually touches upon a philosophical question: how should a person be defined? By his flesh and blood, or by his memories and thoughts? Ordinarily, we believe that the key to defining a person lies in his memories and thoughts. Thus, even though we now possess cloning technology, we still cannot truly create a person.”
“From this, many suppositions have arisen. If all of a person’s memories and thoughts could be uploaded to a network, would that person have achieved immortality within the network? The true intent in this sword is much the same. Once cultivation reaches a certain level and consciousness becomes sufficiently intense, one can leave a powerful enough imprint within an object. If someone is capable of communing with it on a profound level, those memories will strongly influence that person’s consciousness.”
“As for whether the second personality you formed is equivalent to the ancient person, I believe they cannot be regarded as the same. First, a single sword could not possibly carry the entirety of that person’s memories. At most, it could contain certain incomplete fragments. Moreover, you yourself possess a powerful consciousness. Thus, that second personality can only be described as a fusion formed from the union of your consciousness and his memories after your consciousness was influenced by the ancient person.”
Tao Zihong explained.
Yi Beidou understood his meaning. Human memory was extraordinarily complex; even the slightest influence could cause a person’s character to become entirely different.
Even if the ancient person’s memory fragments had been complete, and even if the person they influenced had been an ordinary man, that man’s countless ordinary memories would still have altered the result. He would no longer have been the same person as before.
“In other words, an ancient person cannot truly be reborn into the world through this means, and even a supreme expert cannot use it to break the taboos of life and death?” Yi Beidou asked.
“That person certainly cannot. But that does not mean other beings cannot,” Fang Xiuyuan said solemnly. “The interference between consciousness and memory can be avoided to a considerable extent. Think about it: if a person’s cultivation were sufficiently profound and his will sufficiently powerful, allowing him to imprint the most crucial memories of his entire life into the mind of an ignorant child—one who had not yet experienced the world and had not formed a true personality—what do you think would happen?”
At those words, Yi Beidou’s expression tightened slightly.
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