Chapter 234: Re-evolving Chaos to Open a World, A Moment Lasting a Thousand Years

Inside Fang Longye's Grotto-Heaven.

It was originally a scene where sea and sky merged into one, with sun, moon, and clouds moving, the wind gentle and the sun bright, a vast land filled with a thriving and prosperous landscape.

But now, under his own machinations, it has fallen into a state of black clouds gathering, volcanoes erupting, seawater backflowing, and everything being submerged.

It is a complete scene of the end of the world.

"You are simply a madman!"

Yang Chan stood in the mysterious void within the Grotto-Heaven, looking at the world below on the verge of destruction, her heart skipping a beat, her expression one of extreme astonishment.

Gone was the light, airy, and transcendent demeanor she had when she first entered this Grotto-Heaven.

It was not that she had never seen cultivators who walked the path of the Inner World; even when she first attained the Immortal Dao, she had considered cultivating this path as well.

But she had never seen anyone so bold, so crazy, as to personally destroy their own Inner World just to comprehend the laws and principles that only emerge at the end of a world.

And this was even at the stage where it was not yet considered a Small World, but merely a Grotto-Heaven.

"If one does not experience the wind and rain, how can one see the rainbow?"

Fang Longye's avatar, also located in the mysterious void within this Grotto-Heaven, was watching with lowered eyes; hearing Yang Chan's complaint, he turned his head and returned a smile.

A madman! A total madman!

Yang Chan could not help but complain repeatedly in her heart.

One must know that an Inner World is different from an Outer World opened up by a cultivator.

An Outer World opened up by a cultivator is merely created at will using their own great power.

Although they hold the authority of the world in their hands, once an Outer World is opened, it merges mysteriously with the entire Honghuang, and its relationship with the cultivator themselves is actually not that deep.

Under normal circumstances, once a cultivator is far away from the Outer World they opened, they can only communicate with it through a point of entry into the world.

Furthermore, unlike the Inner World where all laws can be obtained by the creator, and the new laws and principles brought about by evolution and growth can be directly fed back to the creator of the Inner World.

In an Outer World, only during the process of opening it can a cultivator gain insights into laws and principles.

Once the opening is complete, even the creator themselves cannot directly obtain the many new laws brought about by evolution and growth from the Outer World; they can only gain insights by observing the changes in the world themselves.

It can be said that once an Outer World is opened, whether it lives or dies has little to do with the creator.

Of course, this also has a benefit. That is, even if the opened Outer World falls into its end, it has no impact on the cultivator at all.

But the Inner World is different!

The Inner World is opened within the cultivator's body; although it usually resides in the mysterious void within the body, existing in a state between non-real, non-actual, and non-void, it is closely connected to the cultivator, like two sides of the same coin.

If the Inner World is damaged, it is almost equivalent to the creator themselves being damaged. If the Inner World is destroyed, even if the creator does not die, they will surely lose a layer of skin from the backlash.

This is probably the so-called "to wear the crown, one must bear its weight."

The Inner World is infinitely profound and can greatly assist a cultivator in comprehending the Great Dao, aiding their cultivation, and strengthening themselves.

But for every thousand benefits, there is one drawback.

This world has never been completely perfect. At least before transcendence, it cannot be seen.

How to choose depends entirely on weighing the pros and cons and what you want.

In short, creators of Inner Worlds are very focused on protecting their own Inner Worlds, fearing that they might suffer any damage.

Although as long as the foundation of the Inner World itself remains, even if there is damage, it can be restored.

But even if it can be restored, no one is willing to let their Inner World be damaged.

Even if this damage is used for cultivation insights, no one does this.

It is truly not worth the loss to do so.

And Fang Longye's current approach is not ordinary damage, but shaking the very foundation of his own Inner World.

Of course, Yang Chan does not understand, but Fang Longye himself knows that he is not truly crazy; he has something to rely on.

The reliance lies in the fact that this Grotto-Heaven was achieved by refining the remnant of the Dinghai Divine Pearl—the Canghai Map.

At its current Grotto-Heaven stage, it still has a lot of the Canghai Map's origin deposited within it, so the backlash from destroying this internal Grotto-Heaven does not need to be borne by him personally.

As for what to do if he wants to imitate this after the Inner World level increases to a certain degree? Fang Longye believes that at that time, he will certainly have the means to deal with it.

Outside.

Fang Longye's auspicious clouds hung high, displaying brilliant colors; he stared intently at the scene of decay and end in his internal Grotto-Heaven, his gaze indifferent.

"I thought that a great flood destroying the world would be enough to achieve world destruction, and I could also comprehend many principles on the side of destruction and the end."

"But, if the world does not perish, what kind of world destruction is that? It is merely destroying the human world!"

Because of this, he decided to completely destroy the entire internal Grotto-Heaven and re-evolve the world.

Just like that, Plague Poison filled the internal Grotto-Heaven, and the aura of Calamity surged through the universe; wherever it went, the sun and moon retreated, the stars hid, and everything was corroded.

The world was turned upside down, and the world came to an end.

In the end, only a mysterious explosion was heard, and the Grotto-Heaven completely collapsed, turning into a piece of Chaos.

The immense energy brought by the collapse, besides nine-tenths merging into this piece of Chaos, had one-tenth spill out, which was swallowed by his true body and merged into it.

Crack, crack, crack—

In Fang Longye's true body, every inch of bone, every inch of flesh, and every acupuncture point had spaces of varying sizes that communicated with the internal Grotto-Heaven in the mysterious void.

These energies, suddenly turning, merged into these spaces.

Wisps of light entwined, water principles turned a hundred times, Qi spread, and there was a faint sound of dragon chanting, as if sitting and singing a long song; the sound was clear and vast, with an ancient, primordial intent coming across time and space.

Incredible vitality burst forth, following closely behind.

However, at this moment, Fang Longye could no longer care about these things. His entire mind and spirit were invested in that Chaos in the mysterious void.

Inside Fang Longye, in the mysterious void.

The sky light was not yet clear, the turbidity not yet settled, stretching without end. There was no light, no image, no form, no name, no sound, no noise, no going, no coming, no birth, no death, no front, no back, no circle, no square.

It seemed to contain everything, encompass everything, accommodate everything, eternally calm and still, without a ripple.

The location where the Grotto-Heaven within his body had previously been was now a place of Chaos.

Amidst the desolate emptiness, two figures stood within the "Chaos"—they were the avatar of Fang Longye and Yang Chan.

"You certainly have whimsical ideas!"

Yang Chan stepped upon a lotus flower, examining the "Chaos" before her with great interest.

This was, of course, not true Chaos. True Chaos could only be trodden by those at the Daluo level; below Daluo, once one entered Chaos, they would be instantly obliterated, with death and no hope of survival.

This "Chaos" was something Fang Longye had simulated by utilizing the chaotic Primordial Qi left behind after the collapse of his Grotto-Heaven.

"Next, are you going to transform into 'Pangu'?" Yang Chan smiled toward the avatar of Fang Longye beside her.

She truly had not expected that, despite it being merely the evolution of a Grotto-Heaven into a Small World, Fang Longye would come up with so many tricks.

Looking at this posture, those who didn't know better would think he was about to open up a Great Thousand World! Fang Longye smiled, shook his head, and said, "It should be that I am 'Xihuang', and you are 'Wa Huang'."

"I shall open the heavens, and you shall create humans."

"Pah!" Yang Chan scolded with a smile: "Nothing good ever comes out of a dog's mouth! Even at a time like this, you're still thinking of taking advantage with your words~"

Whether it was Xihuang and Wa Huang, or Fuxi and Nuwa, they were not merely siblings, but a true husband and wife, Dao companions.

This fellow before her still had the mood to flirt with her at such a critical juncture.

He really never changes his ways~ After Fang Longye finished his flowery words, he said no more and immediately drove this avatar, curling his entire body up as if he were a fetus still in the placenta.

One curl and one contraction, one Yin and one Yang, actually possessed the appearance of the Primordial Taiji.

Faintly, one could even hear the murmuring of the Dao.

It was there, yet not there.

As time passed, gradually, his entire body was wrapped in a "silkworm cocoon."

Afterward, with a boom, the "egg cocoon" burst open, and as if Pangu had been born into the world, he revealed his form once again.

With a dragon's head and a human body, a million zhang tall, he raised his head and roared.

A metallic clang rang out.

From the mysterious void, a great spear was cast over and grasped firmly in the hand of Fang Longye's avatar. It was precisely the Panlong Spear, cast over from the outside by Fang Longye's true body.

Then, he brandished the Panlong Spear and slashed toward the "Chaos," unleashing a spear radiance so brilliant it could not be described.

Boom—

With a single explosion and a great roar, it was as if the Great God Pangu had opened the Primordial World from the Primordial Mist; even though this sound was countless times smaller, falling into the ears, it still carried the feeling of opening the heavens and the earth.

Spear after spear, they streaked across the "Chaos." Every streak of spear radiance was expanding at an incredibly exaggerated speed amidst the explosions.

Expanding, expanding again, expanding to an unimaginable degree.

As one hundred and seven streaks of spear radiance were unleashed, the embryonic form and outline of a world could already be vaguely seen, lying across this "Chaos," swallowing the surrounding "Chaos" Qi like a bottomless pit.

These "Chaos" Qi, besides containing all the essence of the previous Grotto-Heaven, also included the origin of the Canghai Map that had been deposited in the mysterious void and had not been digested by his Inner World.

These things, after a collapse and destruction, had all undergone some different changes, and the Dharma contained within them became increasingly profound.

The embryonic form and outline of this world, through this, expanded like a balloon, displaying a magnificent atmosphere.

"The final stroke!"

Fang Longye sensed the state of the world's formation, murmured in his heart, and holding the Panlong Spear, he outlined the final strike, plunging it into the remaining "Chaos" to provide the finishing touch.

This stroke was truly the finishing touch; hearing a divine sound, as if a silver vase had suddenly shattered and water had burst forth, or more like the first spring thunder after the Awakening of Insects, with a boom, the entire "Chaos" dispersed and vanished.

Yin and Yang separated, and the Two Instruments appeared.

The world was formed! The light and clear rose to become the heavens, and the heavy and turbid sank to become the earth. If one looked from top to bottom, the sky was round like a canopy, and the earth was square like a chessboard; it was not spherical.

After the heavens and earth appeared, the sun, moon, and stars, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, the vast earth, Chong Mountain and its ridges, rivers, lakes, and seas, all kinds of plants,..., and so on, were all nurtured by the Primordial Qi of the heavens and earth.

Some resided in the heavens, moving without cease.

Others covered the ground, bright and colorful.

The whole process looked like a movie, but in reality, thousands and tens of thousands of years had already passed.

During this process, Yang Chan and Fang Longye simply hid in the mysterious void, feeling the changes in the laws brought about by the world taking shape and perfecting itself as time flowed by.

Heh~ With a light laugh, Yang Chan revealed her form, trailing her skirt as she walked alongside Fang Longye's avatar on the earth, turned her head to look at him, and said with a smile: "Next, is it time for me to mold clay and create humans?"

Fang Longye smiled and gestured with his hand: "I invite the Wondrous Lady to manifest the Creation~"

Wondrous Lady was originally the Daoist name belonging to Yang Chan at Wa Palace, but because her divine title of Third Holy Mother was too resounding, as time passed, "Third Holy Mother" became the name by which the outside world addressed her.

The Daoist name Wondrous Lady became little known, eventually becoming the name by which those close to her addressed her.

Similar to a nickname.

As for when Fang Longye became so close to her? Naturally, it was because of this world-opening and perfecting process that spanned thousands and tens of thousands of years.

Perhaps only a few days had passed in the outside world, but the two of them had already spent thousands and tens of thousands of years together within Fang Longye's Inner World.

Even if, during this process, most of the time the two were comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, the remaining time was enough for the relationship between the two to become completely familiar.

It could not be called being lovey-dovey, but it could be considered to have a somewhat ambiguous feeling.

Of course, if it were only this, the relationship between the two would not have become so close. After all, Yang Chan was, at any rate, a female immortal who had existed for tens of millions of years; thousands or tens of thousands of years were, to her, nothing more than an instant.

The factors involved here were actually very complex. Besides the fact that Fang Longye, having refined the Lotus Lantern from another world, would cause the owner of the Lotus Lantern to have an inexplicable resonance, there were also the unclear and indefinable changes in Yang Chan herself.

Yang Chan tucked the dark hair beside her ear, lifted her exquisite face, and looked at Fang Longye: "In the Dao of Merit and Creation, I do not have such profound cultivation as the Niangniang."

Fang Longye waved his hand and said: "Do not worry, the talk of molding clay to create humans is just a joke. There is no need for the Wondrous Lady to create humans; you only need to respond to this Small World so that there are living creatures."

"Leave the rest to time~"

There are many differences between a Grotto-Heaven and a Small World.

One of the differences is that within a Grotto-Heaven, only ordinary animals and plants can be derived; wanting to derive extraordinary creatures possessing divine abilities and powers is beyond its capacity.

As for creatures capable of possessing intelligence, that is even more out of the question.

Limited by the world level, even for a Small World, it is very difficult to achieve this at the beginning; it requires a long period of brewing before a miracle might occur.

And what Yang Chan can do right now is to accelerate the progress of this newly born Small World in evolving all things and living creatures.

Yang Chan nodded, indicating that she understood.

She immediately manifested a five-colored cloud of celebration and unleashed her divine abilities, her entire being merging with the world rules that Fang Longye had specifically mobilized, as boundless Qi of merit and creation permeated the heavens and earth.

Rumble—

Above the firmament, thunder began to roar and clash.

Lightning bolts intertwined, and with every collision, rich vitality was born, then scattered across the heavens and earth.

Whether with Clear Qi, or with Turbid Qi, or with the sun, moon, and stars, or with the mountains, rivers, and earth, or with the vegetation and plants,..., and so on, they became entangled, gestating living beings.

Time continued, and it was unknown how much time had passed, but living beings multiplied one after another, appearing in a thousand different forms; some were birds, some were beasts, some were scaled creatures,..., and so on, each different from the other.

Every type of living being possessed something miraculous and was quite endowed with divine abilities, their aura far exceeding that of ordinary mortal creatures. There was only one point: none of them possessed wisdom, and it was difficult for them to step onto the path of cultivation.

This was a limitation of the world, and there was no way to change it for the time being. It could only rely on the brewing of time to see if any living beings could break through the restrictions.

"It is finally accomplished!" Yang Chan withdrew her divine abilities and Dharma power, took a breath, took the silk handkerchief Fang Longye handed over, and wiped the dripping fragrant sweat from her face.

Although it was somewhat unsatisfactory, this was the best that could be done for now.

After she finished wiping away her fragrant sweat, Fang Longye grabbed her in an embrace and said with feigned excitement: "Many thanks, Wondrous Lady! Let's go—let us take a good look at this world into which the two of us have poured our heart's blood."

Yang Chan's delicate body trembled, and then she used some force to break free from Fang Longye's embrace; she did not get angry, but merely rolled her beautiful eyes and cast a glare at him.

She spoke: "Enough! All this hard work and toil, isn't it all just to your benefit~"

However, despite saying this, she still stepped forward and began to observe this newly born world with great interest.

(End of this chapter)