[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-97":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312479,4518,"Chapter 97: The Immortal and the Deity: Rules and the Dao","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-97",97,"\u003Cp>Inside the guest room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi was pondering the application of Dao characters, intent on enhancing the gravity Dao character’s power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gravity Dao character is not actually called “gravity Dao character”; its true name is “Carry the Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gravity Dao character” is merely Fang Shi’s own term, because he felt it better reflected its essence than “Carry the Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi had originally considered calling it “gravity,” wondering if the attribute panel would display it that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the attribute panel rejected it, as if this Dao character were unworthy of the title “gravity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s difficult—I can barely alter this Dao character.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Dao character is too refined; it’s already at the limit of Spiritual Sense realm mastery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi shook his head and sighed, relying on his physical constitution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fiddled with the Dao character, freely adding or modifying it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter what he did, the Dao character’s power refused to increase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was barely as strong as the original.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi even created a negative-value Dao character and asked other cultivators for advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet none could offer him a better one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Fang, we seek an audience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a voice emerged from the talisman, startling Fang Shi from his contemplation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the door, Fang Shi saw the Daoist acolyte who had served him these past days leading in a young man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Cui Tianyu, third disciple of Master Long Yu, here to seek an audience with Master Fang.” The young man bowed respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you are a high disciple of Master Long Yu—please come in, please come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi led Cui Tianyu into the room and said, “What brings you, Disciple Cui?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Tianyu said, “I have come with a genuine request.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speak freely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you must understand our current situation is dire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi nodded. “You’re right—but do you have a solution?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Tianyu said, “We do, but the senior cultivators refuse to act.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you came to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Tianyu bowed deeply. “Master, you detest evil without regard for your own cultivation, repeatedly descending the mountain to slay demons and purge malevolence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are a model for all Dao practitioners.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi said bluntly, “Just say what you need. If I can do it, I’ll agree. If I can’t, forget it—no roundabout talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Tianyu said, “This request is not mine—it comes from my Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The demonic god is powerful; he now controls half of Yizhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The remaining half may fall at any moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Master learned that the demonic god plans a grand ritual across the eight directions to weaken the seal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they succeed, the remaining half will be utterly overwhelmed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thus, my Master wishes to send cultivators to disrupt the ritual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi mused, “This won’t be easy—otherwise you wouldn’t have come to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Tianyu said, “Indeed, many senior cultivators refuse to act.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s mind stirred—he understood why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past days, he had been discussing Dao and making friends, feeling greatly enriched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally descending the mountain to slay monsters, he found it effortless and pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know why, but the demonic god’s side had sent no powerful experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Fang Shi thought the monsters hadn’t arrived yet; eventually, he realized they simply weren’t coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the demonic god’s influence still expanded rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leveraging their numerical advantage, they slowly eroded counties from rural areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most cultivators, aside from those harvesting ingredients for the Ninefold Golden Core Pill, refused to clear the monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t stupidity—it was excessive cleverness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So clever they hoarded their cultivation, unwilling to risk it in slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Ming officials and merchants before Li Zicheng entered Beijing, all claiming their granaries were empty, refusing to spend money or effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, when their homes were ransacked, they found them overflowing with silver and grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the cultivation world had no proper organization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one owed allegiance to another; at most, they respected those with deeper cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to that, the deterrent of the Sage’s principles made it nearly impossible for even Master Long Yu and others to reform the cultivation world’s atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even if you stepped back, the demonic god hadn’t breached the borders yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three top Spiritual Sense cultivators hadn’t failed their breakthroughs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t truly refusing to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why rush? Let things unfold as they will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps tomorrow, success will come, and all crises will vanish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only outliers like Fang Shi were the main force clearing the infected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Master agrees to this task, I will present this treasure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Cui Tianyu pulled from his robe a dark, dull black pearl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Tianyu said, “It is the Solidify Pearl—it can condense intangible, ethereal things into physical form.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And most importantly, this pearl is effective against heart demons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi smiled inwardly—Master Long Yu truly observed every cultivator, keenly aware of his needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard the Sage’s rules are unbreakable—can condensing a heart demon into substance come at a cost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Tianyu said, “Master is correct—the cost is that the user’s soul will also solidify, ensuring a fair duel between user and heart demon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s hardly a cost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What made heart demons hardest to fight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were formless, immaterial soul entities, dwelling within Fang Shi’s upper dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not use brute force to destroy them directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only wage guerrilla warfare within the upper dantian, all while guarding against the heart demon’s hidden strikes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If solidified, it would lose its ability to disperse and reform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi could then lock onto the heart demon and engage in direct soul-to-soul combat within the upper dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it would be a pure contest of spirit and will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are Master Long Yu’s exact demands?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Disrupt the ritual. If you cannot stop it entirely, at least interfere. Whatever you do, just delay the seal’s breaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s expression shifted: “Can I receive the reward in advance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This?” Cui Tianyu hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure immediately materialized from the Solidify Pearl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an old man with white hair, his appearance ancient and extraordinary—a true Daoist master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, when Fang Shi saw the old man, his spirit trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s form was not ink-painting-like—it was real, truly human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden impulse surged in Fang Shi—he wanted to ask the old man what this meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Cui Tianyu’s unshocked expression, he decided it was inappropriate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master!” Cui Tianyu hurriedly bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rise,” Master Long Yu bowed to Fang Shi. “I’ve been occupied lately and failed to greet you properly—please forgive me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi rose quickly and returned the bow. “Master’s deeds serve the people of Yizhou—no need for such courtesy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Long Yu shook his head. “I thank you, Master Fang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The demonic god’s plague runs deep—if mishandled, it won’t be just Yizhou’s problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi asked, “Is it truly possible for the demonic god to break the seal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original sealing had been performed by several Earth Immortals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those Earth Immortals were seasoned, renowned masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Fang Shi worried—even if Qinyu Mountain produced three Earth Immortals,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they might still fail to resolve the crisis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Long Yu understood Fang Shi’s concern: “Impossible. The original seal was never simple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Over these years, the demonic god’s power has waned from its peak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As long as its power is suppressed, a single Earth Immortal can end the threat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi asked again, “Why haven’t Earth Immortals across the world acted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When they act, why should we take such risks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Fang Shi’s doubt—he had asked around these days, but most cultivators didn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he had met the top-tier Spiritual Sense cultivator, he couldn’t help but ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person fell silent for a moment: “Tianyu, leave the room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.” Cui Tianyu understood—the matters to follow were not for him to hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Cui Tianyu left, Long Yu True Person suddenly said: “Outsider, how do you perceive this world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s heart surged with shock: “What does True Person mean by that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person stroked his beard and chuckled: “Why pretend ignorance with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You left Tongchang County—I noticed you long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember the old man fishing by the river? Look at me again, carefully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash lit up Fang Shi’s mind: “You cast a cognitive veil on me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since Long Yu True Person said those words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s mind felt as if a barrier had been shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Long Yu True Person’s current form were rendered in ink wash, it would be identical to the old fisherman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It wasn’t me who cast the cognitive veil—it was this world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi asked: “This world? What exactly is going on here? Why are all the figures in this world distorted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet from a material standpoint, it’s no different from the outside world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person smiled: “Because this world doesn’t exist within the material realm at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The material realm? What does that mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “Do you know what the multiverse looks like?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi ventured: “The multiverse? Aren’t worlds like bubbles floating in the Chaos Sea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person shook his head: “You’re partly right. From a material perspective, the multiverse is indeed like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the multiverse isn’t only material—it also has a spiritual dimension.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only by considering both material and spiritual attributes can you determine a world’s coordinates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This world has an extraordinarily high spiritual attribute, floating at the outer edge of the multiverse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beyond that lies the dreams of all beings and the ethereal realm of spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your world, however, lies at the innermost layer—the very center of the multiverse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi was startled: “Impossible. How much energy would it take to travel from the innermost layer to the outer edge? Yet I felt no energy fluctuation at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person laughed: “You’re attached to form. Travel across the multiverse isn’t determined by energy quantity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s determined by connection. Just as a mortal’s spirit and dreams lie at the outermost layer—does a mortal possess such immense power?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi suddenly said: “Not impossible. Spirit is the greatest power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are spiritual sorcerers in the multiverse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard that those with powerful spirits can create something from nothing, forge objects from emptiness, and accomplish anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person fell silent: “The great beings you speak of do exist—like the Awakened Ones of the Western Teachings, all masters of the spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Law of Spirit they wield grows stronger as the spirit grows stronger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi said: “Then what exactly is this world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I clearly remember I was in an underground ancient city before coming here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A city identical to Tongchang County. I emerged from the ascension site of a senior, and then arrived here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person spoke with deep meaning: “After all I’ve said, haven’t you figured it out yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this a dream? The dream of the Tongchang Ancient City’s Golden Corpse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, you’re wrong. A mere Golden Corpse couldn’t possess such power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But isn’t a Golden Corpse equivalent to a Earth Immortal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person laughed heartily: “Who told you a Golden Corpse equals an Earth Immortal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi frowned: “A Golden Corpse equals a Legend, a Legend equals a Golden Core, a Golden Core equals an Earth Immortal—so isn’t a Golden Corpse an Earth Immortal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “In the material world, you may think so. The heavier the material, the more the power of Immortals and gods resembles that of mortals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In your world, equating Immortals and gods with Legends is correct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi interrupted: “You mean Immortals and gods? Are deities the same?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are the deities you speak of manifestations of the multiverse’s rules?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “Yes. They are manifestations of the multiverse’s rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They are indeed great, but the Dao of Immortals is no less profound.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi asked: “Rules? Dao? Aren’t they the same thing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “No. Rules govern matter, govern energy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They are neither energy nor matter, nor time, space, or spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They can even govern time, space, and spirit in reverse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may call them authority, or law.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dao, however, is the synthesis of rules—born from rules, yet transcending them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi asked: “So Dao is superior to rules?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “Not so. Why are deities called manifestations of rules?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because they are the rules themselves. Their depth of mastery over rules far exceeds that of Immortals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Immortals merely harness rules, forging their Dao—a patchwork of fragments, touching on everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi asked: “So deities are stronger than Immortals?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “You’re attached to strength again. Don’t always think in terms of stronger or weaker.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though the Dao forged by Immortals isn’t weaker than the rules wielded by deities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the two cannot be directly compared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just know that the Dao forged by Immortals is a profound application of rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Compared to deities, their depth may fall short, but their height far surpasses them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And since Immortals don’t deeply master rules, they are far freer than deities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet deities, by mastering rules, can rapidly ascend if they receive sufficient worship, even inheriting the legacy of predecessors and leaping to divine heights.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Immortals must personally contemplate rules, summarize and apply them—progress is excruciatingly slow, sometimes not advancing a single step in a thousand years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In short, deities have their merits, Immortals have their wonders—no superiority or inferiority, only different paths.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi understood: the multiverse is filled with countless paths called rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deities are the owners of those paths—the farther they walk, the stronger they become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immortals have no path—they take fragments here and there, forging their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The longer their path, the stronger they become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, reality may differ, for rules and Dao are concepts nearly impossible for mortals to grasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But broadly speaking, this explanation isn’t far off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi asked again: “If rules govern matter, why is the power of Immortals and deities weaker in worlds with heavier material?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “Have you considered the possibility that there is a rule called ‘matter’—and it is extraordinarily powerful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rules are not independent. The evolution of one rule is also a characteristic of another.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The rule of matter dominates all others, occupying a central position in the world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It repels other rules, causing the power of Immortals and deities to diminish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your world is the one where the rule of matter is strongest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But as other worlds invade, matter’s authority weakens, and it gradually rises from the center of the multiverse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s heart leapt: “You know my world is under invasion? What exactly is happening?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it gods, Immortals, or some other unknown force?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person shook his head: “I don’t know. Everything I know came from peering outward when you opened the gateway to this world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi hurriedly asked: “Do you know how to leave this world?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Yu True Person said: “Of course. But leaving this world isn’t simple.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2502,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4fd87ccb24358e3aab9f965145757f27726021e841f025561164937124602fa5","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-98","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-96",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]