In the Celestial Court, Wen Zhong, having returned, laid out everything he had seen and learned before the Jade Emperor. The Heavenly Venerable Wen then stood quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on the inch of ground directly before his toes, as if something immensely captivating demanded his utmost attention there.
Shen Gongbao, beside him, was no different. However, while Wen Zhong had only assumed this posture recently, Shen Gongbao had maintained this very stance from the moment he stepped into the hall. He had not moved an inch even after Wen Zhong finished speaking. Anyone entering at that moment might have mistaken Shen Gongbao for an incredibly lifelike sculpture.
After hearing Wen Zhong's report, the Jade Emperor did not issue any immediate directives. He rested his left hand on his chin, his right gently tapping the armrest of his grand throne. His eyes seemed unfocused, a clear sign that he was deep in thought.
This situation persisted for the time it took an incense stick to burn, until finally, the Jade Emperor broke the silence.
“So, the current strength of that Shu Mountain Sect is not yet overwhelming?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty! As a sect that has only recently arrived in the Immortal Realm, the power of the Shu Mountain Sect is not considered particularly outstanding. In fact, there isn't a single Heavenly Immortal in the entire sect!”
The Jade Emperor already knew that Ye Wen was not a Heavenly Immortal, but he was unsure if there were other masters within the Shu Mountain Sect, perhaps elders of Ye Wen?
After all, in their eyes, the Shu Mountain Sect was a cultivator lineage, and it was not unusual for such sects to have several venerable seniors presiding over them.
If there were such masters, even without a Heavenly Immortal, the sect's actual combat strength would be several tiers higher. Yet, Wen Zhong had stayed at Shu Mountain for several days, exploring nearly every corner of the mountain and gaining a rather clear understanding of who was there. He finally replied to the Jade Emperor with certainty: “At Shu Mountain, Ye Wen is the strongest. Next are Ye Wen’s junior brother Xu Xian and his two wives.”
“Following them are Ye Wen’s several disciples, particularly the sixth disciple, Li Xiaoyao, and a Western man named Chris, who are the most formidable!”
Apart from these few, while there were other disciples in the Shu Mountain Sect with decent strength, they were not worth immediate concern. The Jade Emperor understood Wen Zhong’s implication: these individuals were the most likely candidates in the Shu Mountain Sect to break through to the Heavenly Immortal rank; the other disciples held little immediate hope.
He mentally counted them and realized that if the Shu Mountain Sect were allowed to develop smoothly, their strength would not be insignificant. Once these few crossed that threshold, the Shu Mountain Sect would suddenly boast several Heavenly Immortals—a level of power that would place them in the upper-middle tier among all sects in the Immortal Realm.
And Ye Wen himself already possessed immense combat power. If he successfully advanced to Heavenly Immortal, his might might rival well-known experts like Yang Jian. With several Heavenly Immortals supporting him, the Shu Mountain Sect could single-handedly guard the western passage.
However, the news Wen Zhong brought was not entirely positive. After detailing the stronger members of the Shu Mountain Sect, the Thunder Department’s Fierce Elder reported to the Jade Emperor with considerable distress that, aside from the aforementioned individuals, there were virtually no other disciples in the Shu Mountain Sect worth mentioning.
“Most disciples in the Shu Mountain Sect have not even attained Earth Immortal status, including the personal disciples of the sect master, Ye Wen. This situation puzzles this humble servant as well, but due to certain reasons, it is difficult to elaborate further, so…”
“Then what is the actual strength of the other disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect?”
Wen Zhong pondered for a moment before finally stating helplessly, “They are actually not too bad. Given some time, I believe most disciples in the sect will be able to cross the threshold of Earth Immortal. However, whether they can advance further is no longer just a matter of time!”
The Jade Emperor, whose own cultivation was profound, immediately understood the nuanced difficulty of the Shu Mountain Sect’s current situation. It left him feeling somewhat constrained, but since a decision had been made, he could not easily reverse course. He merely instructed Wen Zhong to dispatch the items that had long been prepared to the Shu Mountain Sect, helping them grow as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, Wen Zhong remained relatively optimistic about the Shu Mountain Sect’s potential, believing that in less than ten years, their strength would see a significant leap. This, of course, was predicated on the Celestial Court continuously providing support, allowing them to cultivate without reservation to enhance the sect's power!
Meanwhile, while Wen Zhong went down to arrange the first batch of elixirs and material supplies for Shu Mountain, Ye Wen was hiding in his rear mountains, conducting training sessions for his Mountain Protection Divine Beasts.
The Garfield, barely larger than a palm, seemed to be wearing a vest, though this vest was far from comfortable. It was made of thick ropes, its purpose being to suspend a massive boulder behind the little creature.
This stone was an irregularly shaped polygon, nearly two meters in diameter, standing taller than Ye Wen himself when placed upright! Given its uneven shape, it was nearly impossible to roll. Garfield’s task was to drag this colossal stone around a set number of laps within the timeframe Ye Wen specified.
This required number was not fixed; as the days passed, the allotted time grew shorter, and the required laps increased. No matter how much Garfield protested, Ye Wen’s resolve remained unshaken.
At this point, Ye Wen almost needed a whip to complete the picture of a perfectly qualified beast tamer. However, the 'beast' he was training was far too small. Compared to the pitiable Garfield, the White Bear, who was snoring soundly and watching the spectacle, looked more like the creature in need of discipline.
After a few days, the White Bear’s excessively comfortable behavior finally provoked Garfield’s dissatisfaction. When the little creature completed a lap and arrived before the lazy bear, it delivered a solid slap right across the snoozing giant’s cheek.
The White Bear, awakened by the sting, covered its tender cheek with an innocent expression. It then watched Garfield drag the boulder away and turn back in annoyance. Feeling a pang of guilt, the White Bear immediately extended its heavy paws, intending to help Garfield.
Alas, this effort did not go as planned. Not only did it fail to help Garfield, but it also got itself entangled. From that day forward, the Mountain Protection Divine Beasts being trained by Ye Wen officially numbered two.
“More bears, perhaps…”
Thinking this, Ye Wen kicked the White Bear sharply on its rump: “Hurry up and run, you lazy bear!”
While the two divine beasts were busy training their physical endurance, Ye Wen was not idle. He supervised their training while simultaneously studying the nature of this 'Cosmo' power.
After a thorough review, he discovered that the so-called Cosmo power was not generated by physical strength; rather, it was something derived more closely from mental energy.
Simply put, it involved utilizing mental power to control the atoms within one's own body to move violently. Then, using one’s own atoms as the foundation, one could incite external forces surrounding the body—using one’s physical form as the catalyst to generate greater external power. This is why a Cosmo burst becomes incredibly difficult to control and possesses tremendous might.
However, this power demanded extremely high physical fitness from the user. Otherwise, before the internal power could even be fully mobilized, the physical body would collapse. Or, after inciting the external power, the body simply could not withstand the immense force and would ultimately disintegrate.
Therefore, a sufficiently strong body is necessary to wield this power successfully! Theoretically, as long as one’s body is robust enough, the amount of power that can be drawn is virtually limitless!
Moreover, because this power burst is rarely based on depleting one's own internal reserves, those who use the Cosmo power need not fear their energy running dry. In theory, as long as the person is alive, they possess the basic material within their body for the power to erupt, allowing them to use a small fraction of this energy to invoke greater power from the surrounding heaven and earth.
Reading this, Ye Wen suddenly realized, “No wonder the Saints in those stories could fight on even when near death—their Cosmos was unaffected. That’s how it works!” Furthermore, much of the operational methodology of the Cosmo referred to the dynamics of planets or entire galaxies in the universe, simulating the movement of one’s own atoms as the motion of a stellar system. This seemed to be because this method of operation could unleash greater power.
Ye Wen could not help but connect this to the Profound Universe technique he had yet to fully comprehend.
In the original texts, a singular prodigious talent once mastered the tenth layer of the Grand Cosmic Wheel Art (Húntian Bǎojiàn). When this person achieved mastery, the essence energy of the Art within his body arranged itself according to the structure of the Solar System, forming a galaxy within his own physique!
Ye Wen had once suspected that mastering the Profound Universe meant using oneself as the universe, with the other nine types of vital energies forming the Solar System. However, he later found this idea somewhat unreliable. The first issue was that the Solar System is inconsequential in the vast universe; it is minuscule. There are countless entities in the cosmos where a single star dwarfs the entire Solar System. To form one’s self into just the Solar System? He felt that was too small-minded!
Perhaps because of this reservation, the progress of Ye Wen’s Grand Cosmic Wheel Art had slowed drastically once it reached its current level, nearly ceasing altogether recently.
Having reviewed the theories of the Cosmo today, he felt he could certainly draw inspiration from them to aid in cultivating the Profound Universe essence energy.
“They are both universes, after all…” As for whether this might cause unforeseen complications, he did not dwell on it. Perhaps in his understanding, the universe was omnipotent, all-encompassing, capable of holding and integrating all things.
Since the world he inhabited was a part of the universe, and since these concepts existed within this universe, didn't that imply the true universe could accommodate these entities?
His Profound Universe might not achieve that level of godhood, but such a pure theoretical concept should not be beyond his grasp, surely?
While contemplating, he activated the Profound Universe essence energy, beginning to simulate the appearance of cosmic space within his body based on his current understanding. Clusters of essence energy transformed into various cosmic materials, drifting within this virtual universe inside him.
As Ye Wen began this process, the assorted masses of power within his body were slowly roused from the depths of his physical form.
He even discovered energies he could barely perceive, still hidden away in various corners of his body.
For example, the essence of the Crimson Fruit. He had assumed it had been completely digested long ago, but now he realized that even after full assimilation, a remnant of the Crimson Fruit’s vital energy remained, impossible to eradicate no matter how hard he tried.
He even found a trace of Profound Yin True Qi siphoned from Shen Yuqing’s body, a small portion of the Maiden Yin Qi gained from Hua Yi and Ning Ruxue, and residual cold energy left over from past cultivation sessions… There were countless such remnants. Ye Wen had never imagined his body was such a bustling place, harboring so many diverse energies.
In contrast to these almost imperceptible, minuscule existences, the nine clusters of Grand Cosmic Wheel Art true qi resembled nine massive stellar systems, each dominating a territory within his body. Although these nine systems appeared disconnected, they exerted subtle mutual influence, which ultimately manifested upon the Primal Violet Qi, the source of Ye Wen’s being.
Initially, when Ye Wen saw the nine clusters of true qi transform into nine stellar systems, he thought he had inadvertently brought the Profound Universe to full fruition. However, while his power had slightly increased, there was no true qualitative transformation! This implied that while he had gained insight and a modest increase in strength, the Profound Universe was still not complete.
“Universe… Universe…”
He murmured softly, utterly failing to grasp what essential component was missing. This uncertainty persisted until he noticed another energy mass manifesting within the simulated boundless void, drawing his attention to this newly emerged power.
This energy mass was actually not unfamiliar. It was the portion of Buddhist power gifted to him by Wu Zhen, which Ye Wen had refined. This Buddhist power had even helped Ye Wen acquire his own Buddhist divine ability: the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Later, although Ye Wen wished to truly master this ability, he was sadly forced to realize his current strength was insufficient to fully activate it. Furthermore, since he did not primarily focus on Buddhist cultivation, he had set it aside.
Seeing it again now, his thoughts became active once more. Coupled with his deeply settled mind and exceptionally clear spiritual aperture—making his thinking sharper than usual—an idea suddenly struck him on how to utilize the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
“If I cannot truly perform the Six Paths of Reincarnation, I can at least execute a stripped-down version!”
The essence of the Six Paths of Reincarnation is essentially sending the living to death and the dead to life! This supreme divine ability of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth was not originally intended as an offensive tool. But Ye Wen recalled a character in an animation who used the Six Paths of Reincarnation as an attack. How did that person utilize the technique?
After some thought, Ye Jian formed a plan!
The characteristic of the Six Paths is the six realms. Four of these realms involve torment, one is pleasure, and the remaining one encompasses all of life’s joys and sorrows.
If one were trapped within the six paths, perpetually reincarnating and unable to escape, how many individuals could withstand such seemingly endless torment?
What makes it even more shattering is that the six paths are not entirely composed of suffering. After enduring several trials, there comes a chance for enjoyment. This alternation is what makes it even more agonizing. If the torment were continuous, a person with a firm will might endure it with sheer grit. But when interspersed with moments of happiness and bliss, how many could bear to return to the endless suffering?
After experiencing pleasure, no one could accept returning to the torments. This fluctuation in experience could cause even the most steadfast individual to completely break down—annihilating the opponent mentally! Even if someone managed to survive the attack, they might have lived through several lifetimes within their spiritual world. Upon reopening their eyes, they likely wouldn't even know who they were, effectively defeating the enemy just the same.
Once Ye Wen reached this conclusion, he decisively categorized the technique as a mental attack—creating an illusion, or perhaps a dream, of the Six Paths of Reincarnation for the enemy, allowing them to cycle endlessly within the illusion to achieve mental annihilation!
“It seems that fake monk did something similar. In the original stories, those struck by this move were left physically unharmed but spiritually fragile, or their spirits simply vanished!”
He had inadvertently replicated someone else’s ultimate move, yet Ye Wen felt no particular elation. This tangent of thought suddenly brought his current situation into sharp focus.
“Life and Death Reincarnation!”
The universe, in a certain sense, is a form of life. If so, the universe must also have a birth and a death. Death requires no elaboration, as the death of the universe means the end of everything—in his own case, the end of his universe meant Ye Wen's demise.
He had no desire to die right now, so there was no need to consider the end.
The current situation was more akin to how to truly bring his universe into existence! Though his Profound Universe essence energy bore the name of the universe, it was still merely essence energy. While formidable, this substance was far from the power he envisioned.
“How is a universe born?” This question seemed to have no definitively correct answer. However, the most widely known and generally accepted theory was an explosion.
“Explosion—the Big Bang!”
The principle of the Cosmo also involved simulating the Big Bang in the instant of the burst to induce immense power. Could he then utilize an explosion to create a universe of his own?
The thought had barely formed when the miscellaneous forces within Ye Wen’s body immediately sprang into action. Initially, it was only the weaker energies moving rapidly, gradually dragging along some of the slightly stronger forces. Finally, even the stellar systems formed by the nine clusters of Grand Cosmic Wheel Art true qi began to move violently. This motion gradually began to affect the Primal Violet Qi, which served as his core source.
Subsequently, the Primal Violet Qi at the core generated a strange suction force, seemingly drawing everything within Ye Wen’s body toward itself.
At first, Ye Wen did not perceive anything wrong with this action, but when the Crimson Fruit essence and the cold energy were simultaneously drawn into the Primal Violet Qi, Ye Wen felt a violent jolt throughout his body, as if someone had delivered a direct strike to his Dantian—his circulation surged chaotically.
“Damn it, is my body about to experience a Big Bang too?”
Realizing the situation was turning perilous, Ye Wen immediately prepared to withdraw his focus, but his true qi now refused to obey his command. The motion of the nine stellar systems grew increasingly violent, and the weaker, free-floating essence energies were drawn in by the equally agitated Primal Violet Qi. As these energies were sucked into the Primal Violet Qi, explosions, each more violent than the last, erupted within the Primal Violet Qi itself!