As the scene of the origin point detonating flooded his vision, Zong Shou felt his Sea of Consciousness on the verge of exploding. Yet, instinctively, he strove to brand the sight firmly into the deepest recesses of his soul.

—The Primordial Core, this truly is the Primordial Core! Watching with his own eyes, the pinpoint of light expanded at an exaggerated pace.

Innumerable light and heat were generated. A complete world was rapidly being born, expanding trillions of times in a fraction of a myriadth of a moment.

Countless materials, countless elements were being forged. The location where Zong Shou stood was also impacted, then dissolved into the entirety of the newly birthed space like a bubble.

Vast torrents of energy continuously slammed into him, causing the eighty-one layers of spiritual light barrier to shatter one after another. However, Zong Shou averted his gaze the moment the seventh barrier broke.

Even knowing that this nascent world was currently forming all manner of laws, and that observing it might even allow him to trace the very source of the Dao, he dared not look any further. He knew that to continue watching, his Sea of Consciousness would likely shatter in an instant.

Even now, his head throbbed with excruciating pain. —Positive and negative energies, black holes and white holes, the positive universe and the anti-universe, the rapidly unfolding lines, surfaces, three dimensions, and time—countless thoughts erupted in his mind.

Later age knowledge, along with countless classics from both Daoist and Buddhist schools, surfaced incessantly. Some detailed flashes from when the light-and-electric explosion occurred also intermittently appeared.

Indeed, all worlds arise from the One— It was a pity that what he saw was far, far too little. A profound sense of regret filled his heart; his cultivation was still too low.

If he had been able to wait until he reached the Divine or Sage Realms to witness this, he might have been able to trace back directly to the Dao’s origin from this! A wave of horror also washed over him: who on earth manufactured this apparatus?

The World-Viewing Instrument—it truly could observe the birth of a world! This scene of the Primordial Core exploding, the world arising from the singular origin, was something that fundamentally should not be viewable.

Being on a different temporal-spatial layer, one could not look upon it with mere ‘eyes.’ And even now, having merged into it, the blinding, intense light could utterly scorch his eyes blind, and in this wild spatial expansion, his body would be pulverized. Yet, he had not only truly seen it just now, but his physical form remained entirely intact.

To call this World-Viewing Instrument a ‘Divine Artifact’ might not even be an overstatement! Who created this object?

To view the birth of a world—was this capability limited only to the few supreme beings in their Cloud Realm? After a long while, the pain in Zong Shou’s mind had still not completely subsided; it was still faintly throbbing.

This was a sign of extreme mental exertion, yet the complex thoughts showed no sign of ceasing, one following after another. He couldn’t help but mock himself inwardly; he had only observed this beginning of the Primordial Era for a fraction of a myriadth of a moment.

Innumerable questions surfaced in his mind, and simultaneously, countless mysteries were unlocked. Gradually, his Sea of Soul began to destabilize.

First, the eighteen True Talismans began to change. Some of the True Runes and Spiritual Restrictions within them started transforming spontaneously.

Especially the Qian and Kun Talismans, which mutated with extraordinary intensity, subtly seeming as if they wished to merge into a single talisman, taking the form of the character ‘Yu’ (Universe). And the Zhou (Time) Character was no longer opposing them but began to integrate with the Qian and Kun Talismans, melding into one place.

It violently twisted open, completely enveloping the other fifteen True Talismans, the Black and White Dual-Cave Dharma Aspects, and the stars filling his Sea of Soul. Then, the Black and White Dual Caves underwent subtle adjustments, changing bit by bit.

The black hole grew increasingly invisible, while the white hole became incandescent to the extreme. The entire process was completely beyond Zong Shou’s control.

Almost whatever he thought of, his Nascent Soul manifested a corresponding change. His thoughts scattered, and inspiration flooded him.

Many truths that might have taken a year or even ten years to comprehend were fully resolved in that instant. If not for his current lack of soul power, he could have immediately condensed a portion of the Celestial Talismans.

“No! Even if every bit of potential within me were unleashed, it shouldn't be this fast.

This altar seems to have something strange about it—” Sensing his surroundings, he realized the altar was encircled by countless runes swirling around him. They had perfectly formed a spiritual array, forcefully extracting something within his body, pushing the speed of thought in his mind to its absolute peak.

But when he carefully examined his body, his vital energy and spirit were abundant and vigorous, showing no signs of decline. His life potential still lay dormant deep within his physical form.

“—Then, is it lifespan?” As this suspicion arose, Zong Shou felt a sense of release. There was no other possibility.

Though he felt no direct sensation, Zong Shou knew that his current lifespan had likely been consumed by at least one or two centuries, perhaps even three to five centuries. However, he felt no regret.

At the Seventh Order of Soul Power, he already possessed a thousand years of life. Upon stepping into the Eighth Order, another two hundred years would be added immediately.

He didn't need to worry about dying from lifespan exhaustion. To gain such an opportunity was, instead, a cause for joy.

The dramatic changes within his soul ceased only after a full two hours and fifteen minutes, and then stabilized once more. And Zong Shou’s chaotic thoughts gradually calmed.

This wasn't because he had actively restrained his emotions, but because there was truly nothing more to gain insight from. Everything visible in the vision of the Primal Beginning that he could comprehend and grasp, he had already mastered.

The remaining portion was entirely beyond his comprehension or touch, giving him no foothold. It was fortunate, then, that the light surrounding the spiritual array gradually dimmed.

It had likely stopped, and the remaining lifespan should be preserved. Opening his eyes again, Zong Shou looked beyond the barrier of spiritual light.

Only nine of the eighty-one barriers remained, but they had stabilized, resisting the impact, seemingly unbreakable. And the expansion speed of this newborn universe had also gradually eased.

The effects of some laws began to manifest. A sharp gleam flashed in Zong Shou’s eyes as he focused his gaze again.

Compared to the startling, 'explosive' impact of the 'Primordial' phase, Zong Shou could now accept the world’s changes following this gradual stabilization. Yet, before even a quarter of an hour passed, Zong Shou’s head began to ache fiercely again, forcing him to close his eyes once more, refusing to look.

To memorize these scenes was incredibly taxing. Even with the spiritual array constantly drawing on his lifespan, Zong Shou felt he could not sustain it.

He vaguely sensed that if he kept watching, he would inevitably 'age to death' right here. To have witnessed a portion of the initial laws of the Primal Beginning at the Seventh Order was an unprecedented opportunity, already his absolute limit.

As for the rest, though reluctant, why force it? Buddhism speaks of the 'six roots of affliction' inherent in humanity: greed, anger, ignorance, pride, doubt, and wrong view, with greed being paramount—the primary focus in Buddhist thought.

This very desire to seek the Dao was, in essence, a form of avarice. With his resolve set, Zong Shou did not open his eyes again.

With nothing else to do, he began to use the spiritual array of the altar to operate the Heaven Realm portion of the World-Shaking Spiritual Art within his Sea of Soul, attempting to create its complete form. Only then did he realize that his understanding of heavenly and earthly laws, of the Dao, had already advanced two to three profound levels compared to before.

The later parts of the World-Shaking Spiritual Art were rapidly perfecting themselves, even tracing back to mend flaws in the foundational sections. But just as Zong Shou evolved from the Heavenly Rank Martial Ancestor, Martial Venerable, and Spirit Martial Venerable in the Heaven Realm section, and moved toward the Spirit Realm portion, he suddenly froze.

He could not advance the deduction further; the path ahead was exhausted— Without hesitation, Zong Shou started again from the foundation, scrutinizing every detail, repairing even the smallest flaws and deficiencies one by one. The Body Wheel, Heaven Wheel, Earth Wheel, moving toward the Immortal Dao— Still blocked.

He could not proceed beyond the mid-stage of the Spirit Realm. “How is this possible?” Zong Shou stared blankly, then engaged in repeated, frantic deductions, cycling through the process again and again, only to halt perpetually at the mid-stage of the Spirit Realm.

At first, he suspected it was due to his bloodline, but even after incorporating a line of water-attributed divine beast blood capable of opposing the Burning Sky Blood, the World-Shaking Spiritual Art only advanced half a step further, allowing him to cultivate to the late Spirit Realm. “Is my Dao Foundation insufficient to create this grand technique?

Or was the concept of the Ice-Fire Spiral Method inherently flawed?” Thinking carefully, Zong Shou shook his head again. Even after countless failures, he was fully confident he could create a martial cultivation technique of at least Ninth Grade.

Furthermore, the foundation of the World-Shaking Spiritual Art did not require profoundly deep comprehension of the Great Dao. The Ice-Fire Spiral, being mutually antagonistic yet mutually generating, could not be wrong.

This technique should have proceeded smoothly for him; only some unknown factor was causing the oversight. —Wait!

Mutually antagonistic, mutually generating? Calming his Primordial Spirit, ‘gazing’ upon the Black and White Dual-Cave Dharma Aspects, Zong Shou seemed to grasp something.

If Ice and Fire didn't work, what about ‘Yin and Yang’? His eyes brightened, and Zong Shou immediately began rebuilding the World-Shaking Spiritual Art he had previously evolved.

This time, the initial process was unobstructed. But by the time he reached the threshold of the Immortal Dao, he was blocked again, unable to progress further.

The result was even worse than the previous attempts. He felt something crucial was still missing.

“The Daoists say, solitary Yin cannot give birth, solitary Yang cannot flourish. Could this be the reason?

But that seems absurd—” Zong Shou chuckled self-deprecatingly, but he tried calculating it one more time. Then, his expression completely froze.

It actually succeeded! Moving forward unimpeded, he broke through all obstacles leading up to the Immortal Realm, progressing smoothly to the mid-Immortal stage.

However, Zong Shou frowned, feeling his intensely active mind begin to settle. The subsequent deductions could not continue.

The altar below him vibrated slightly. “Has it ended?” When Zong Shou reopened his eyes, he saw the void before him being torn open again.

The altar was being forcefully dragged in a certain direction by an incomparably vast power. When Zong Shou regained his senses, he saw that the altar had returned to its original spot, resting upon the stone platform.

The World-Viewing Instrument above had also returned to silence, cold and lifeless, as if it had never moved at all.