Da Xuan Martial Saint Chapter 1527 - 733: Chen Mu’s Dao (Part 2)

Several Dao Venerables, who had protected living beings from the previous cosmic era, turned around with grave expressions right then, staring intently at the followers behind, and proclaimed with utmost seriousness, "This is the Primordial Star, serving as your fresh starting point. You can roam this Primordial Star without restraint, yet never provoke the Five Powers."

"The Time Temple, the Time-Space Island, the Primordial Domain, the Vast Divine Palace... and Chen Mu’s Heavenly Venerate Divine Hall!"

The scores of beings under their safeguard, each an elite Ninth Layer Heavenly Divine Monarch, traded looks in that very instant, then collectively dipped their heads in deference, casting awe-filled stares toward the location of Chen Mu’s Divine Hall.

That Venerable Chen, despite sharing the same era's origins with them, now stands leagues beyond their reach. Although they endured the cosmic silence through the Venerables' shield and persist into this new cosmic era, merely a handful among them might ever attain Dao Venerable rank.

Moreover,

Even should luck favor them in grasping a Great Dao to become Dao Venerables, they would still hold deep respect for Chen Mu, the rising Supreme Venerable, and avoid any slight against him.

...

Across the expansive terrain.

The grand Heavenly Venerate Hall rose imposingly.

Chen Yue, Chen Yao, along with scores of survivors from the prior cosmic era, slowly stepped into that soaring Heavenly Venerate Hall, selecting spots for themselves one by one.

The Heavenly Venerate Hall forged by Chen Mu might seem like a lone structure from outside, but inside it stretches endlessly wide, resembling a compact realm, with its scale rivaling a space fragment from the last cosmic cycle.

Beyond the hall,

Xu Hongyu chose not to step inside the Heavenly Venerate Hall, instead approaching Chen Mu, fixing her bright gaze on him, and asked, "Husband, do you have some task ahead?"

From Chen Mu's humble beginnings until he stood equal to her, no one grasps him as deeply as she does, even without his explicit words. Still, she sensed from his moves that his abrupt shift to the Primordial Star and erection of the Heavenly Venerate Hall to secure a domain hinted at a major undertaking.

Yet at present, with Chen Mu perched at the universe's peak as a Supreme Venerable, able to weather hundreds of cosmic silences without sinking into the Origin River, what grave issue could possibly trouble him?

"Yes."

Chen Mu met Xu Hongyu's eyes, gave a light nod, and spoke openly without concealment, "I witnessed the universe's birth, and in a flash of enlightenment, an idea sparked; now I wish to test this notion in my thoughts."

Xu Hongyu absorbed Chen Mu's explanation, refraining from probing his idea, and simply voiced with her unclouded gaze:

"Will there be danger?"

"...Yes."

Chen Mu hesitated for a moment, then replied softly.

All elements of heaven and earth align with Dao Nature. From his perspective, or more precisely the transcendence journey he grasped, lies in pursuing Nature, attaining all through natural flow without force; however, this Nature demands more than just inner conviction to confirm.

With the cosmos now in ceaseless advancement, he seeks to affirm his way, a path of deliberately blending into the Origin Dao, reshaping himself as the Dao's core, advancing with the immense universe, and deriving the Great Dao's secrets from its primal shifts.

This endeavor, by its nature, carries peril.

Dao Venerables stand as near-eternal and unbeatable; their sole threat comes from the cosmic silence's Dao assault, which subjects them to the Dao's corrosion, slowly wearing away their core determination.

For Chen Mu, elevated to supreme heights, even after countless cosmic births and ends, he outlasts typical Venerables in the world by far.

However,

Should he opt to deliberately fuse with the Dao, drawing upon the Origin River to join cosmic progression, it would surely hasten the Origin Dao's corrosion on his determination.

Where once he endured hundreds of cosmic cycles, such deliberate reliance on cosmic flux could swiftly exhaust his core will, perhaps limiting him to merely a handful of life-death turns!

The earlier Chen Mu would have shunned such hazardous routes.

But as a Supreme Venerable today, his cultivation soars beyond skies and lands, unmatched and unchallenged across the boundless universe, his sights lifted past cosmic bounds toward absolute transcendence.

Deliberate fusion with the Dao, drawing from it instinctively—this forms his grasp of the transcendence route, a means to affirm his own truth; amid the unknown, he senses this as the truest direction.

Still, the transcendence domain remains uncharted; the path he envisions might not prove entirely accurate, despite the system panel's clear signals. For those yet to transcend, errors in insight could emerge, leading to irreversible fallout, perhaps squandering many eras.

Yet Chen Mu stays resolute.

He opts to rely on the system panel's direction, on his own grasp, on the revelations from his ascent from nothing, on the choices fueled by inspirations across his cultivation journey, to affirm his convictions and establish his route!

"Rest assured."

Chen Mu caught the flicker of worry in Xu Hongyu’s eyes, offered soft reassurance, "It’s risky, but not to the point of total ruin; should it falter, it’s merely the forfeit of certain years."

At this juncture, prior to transcendence, paths demand selection—either like his, fusing with the Dao to affirm one's way, or like the Primordial Palace Master, gradually probing to unravel ultimate enigmas.

Each must pick solely one.

Like the Primordial Palace Master, in this phase, even if aware of Chen Mu’s convictions and deeming his route valid, he cannot pursue either, having weathered endless epochs that eroded his core will profoundly, making it tough to forsake old ways for new ones, with success out of reach.

Deliberate fusion with the Dao demands active reshaping, leaving no room for delay.

Chen Mu perceives that his chance won't linger indefinitely; he must act swiftly within one or two cosmic cycles at most, lest hope for transcendence fades further.

"Since husband has decided, then just do it."

Xu Hongyu regarded Chen Mu with her limpid eyes, free of any doubts.

She never contested Chen Mu’s convictions, for he climbed from lowliness rung by rung, conquering endless trials in succession, triumphing each time over odds. She holds faith in him beyond all others, certain that his selections and the paths he treads point straight to the Great Dao.

"Yes."

Chen Mu nodded gently.

Arriving solitary in this realm, the initial one to touch his heart was Chen Yue, taken as kin, followed by Xu Hongyu, Ning He... gradually, figures drew near, granting him companions for dialogue.

And Xu Hongyu has remained steadfast at his side, heeding his words, backing every choice he makes.

"I’m leaving."

Chen Mu uttered his parting phrase, and his form faded away without a sound.

...

Over the Nine Heavens.

At the Origin River's terminus.

A splendid colossal vessel drifts on the Origin River, none other than the Primordial Palace Master’s Eternal Ship.

Without a whisper, Chen Mu’s presence materialized inside the Origin River, swimming upstream against its flow, drawing close to the Eternal Ship, positioning himself with hands clasped behind, and lifting his gaze to behold this awe-inspiring grand Primordial Treasure vessel.

"Primordial friend."

Following a short scrutiny, Chen Mu began speaking.

Buzz!

As Chen Mu’s voice concluded, countless beams erupted instantly from the full length of the Eternal Ship, with infinite dazzling golden radiance weaving a Great Dao path to the skies, stretching from the vessel's frame down to Chen Mu’s position.

"Chen friend, please."

The Primordial Palace Master’s form emerged atop the Eternal Ship, beaming at Chen Mu while beckoning him aboard.