Chapter 634: Information Never Dies—Two Paths: Xuanzhen Taiyi and Dala

Brother Qian Chen and Western Kunlun Mirror pierced through the essence of this universe—all phenomena born of mind alone—and revealed their true forms.

Western Kunlun Mirror shifted its form into an ancient bronze mirror veiled in boundless immortal light, drawing in countless worlds as numerous as sands across an infinite radius.

On the mirror's surface, a vast cosmos bloomed like a star-sea; with a single turn, it ground down immeasurable sand-world universes to dust.

Beneath that single thread of Supreme Heavenly Demon Fruit, the indestructible thought vanished entirely beneath the material universe.

Western Kunlun Mirror exhaled softly and smiled: "I was fooled by it earlier! I thought I glimpsed a shadow of the Supreme Dao Ancestor—but in truth, it's merely a trace of a Fruit."

"Where this trace of Fruit projects, thoughts are indestructible. Countless thoughts coalesce into a demonic body, giving rise to this infinite sand-world universe. Yet even such a mighty being's foundation is but a single trace of Fruit. If a Primordial Spirit True Immortal arrived—even with billions of Primordial Spirits—they'd still drown in his illusory game."

"This Burning Lamp Ancient Buddha, these Heavenly Immortals—they possess Primordial Spirit-level thoughts. In this universe, they are as good as Primordial Spirits themselves."

"Thus, below the Primordial Spirit realm, none can oppose it. Once entering this universe, one becomes part of its consciousness—even Dao Lords who can clash with its Fruit are few."

"Above Dao Lords lies the struggle of Dao itself. A single thread's difference in Dao is as vast as heaven and earth."

The immortal maiden formed by Western Kunlun Mirror now wore a faint air of pride, smiling: "Fortunately, the universe reflected by my mirror light is no ordinary thing—it's the final dregs of the last elixir brewed by the Supreme One in his Eight Trigrams Furnace before he merged with Dao."

Brother Qian Chen's expression darkened. "You mean this universe is a reflection of the Supreme One's final elixir? Then where is the original elixir? Which universe did it create?"

This universe resembles Earth! If this is a reflection of the Supreme One's final elixir, then the original must have created a cosmos like the one Earth inhabits.

The star-sea universe reflected by Western Kunlun Mirror indeed bore a trace of the future Primordial Taiji Era's Dao.

Even the Supreme Heavenly Demon's Fruit could not withstand the projection of future Dao—it was the projection of Dao's evolutionary direction, the path of the coming age.

The star-sea cosmos surged outward, enveloping billions upon billions of miles; thoughts, yin demons, dreams, sand-worlds, even heavenly immortals and Buddhas all fell into this star-sea universe and dissolved at the touch of its laws.

In the Primordial Taiji Era, spiritual powers vanish. Even human thoughts, true or illusory wishes, can only flicker faintly before vanishing.

Western Kunlun Mirror glanced at Brother Qian Chen, whispering: "Good question. Few in the Heavenly Realms could answer you—even I, Western Kunlun Mirror, who perceive past and future, know little of what transpired in this universe's flow of cosmic time."

"When the Supreme One brewed elixirs to mend the heavens, the first few batches created infinite worlds, compensating for losses since the Chaos Age's great calamity."

"When brewing the final elixir, the Supreme Dao Ancestor neared merging with Dao, his cultivation reaching an unprecedented realm. Even the Tianhou Niangniang was startled, exclaiming—'Dao lies ahead!'"

"At that moment, the Supreme Dao Ancestor's aura was immense, like Heaven's own will. Even I, Western Kunlun Mirror, could not reflect his true visage. His body had become as Heaven itself—only those who had entered the Xuanzhen Taiyi or Dala paths could hope to see him clearly."

"With such majesty, when he opened the lid of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he stared for a long time. Many mighty Dao Lords assumed he was revealing a higher elixir art and leaned forward to watch—even the Tianhou Niangniang cast a glance."

"That's how I caught a glimpse of what lay within the furnace."

"After brewing this final elixir, the Supreme Dao Ancestor did not scatter it across the myriad realms—he left it in the furnace. Then, after delivering his final discourse on Dao to the great sages and sect lords, he merged with Dao and never again manifested his holy traces."

Brother Qian Chen's eyes grew brighter. "So this Primordial Taiji Era universe still lies within the furnace?"

"Likely. But even I don't know where the Eight Trigrams Furnace is. So many spiritual treasures in the Wheel of Rebirth have failed to find it." Western Kunlun Mirror lifted her gaze slightly, glancing at Brother Qian Chen. "You want to go looking for it?"

"The Eight Trigrams Furnace is one of the Supreme One's Three Treasures, isn't it guarded by the Taiqing Sect, the direct lineage of Xuandu Daoist Lord?" Brother Qian Chen did not answer directly. Instead, a spiritual pearl rose from his body, radiating light equal to Western Kunlun Mirror's.

The pearl descended. A faint spark of light fell into the void, spreading a subtle ripple like water disturbed by onlookers.

Wherever it passed, it suppressed all distracting thoughts and yin demons, refining the boundless demonic energy forged by the Supreme Heavenly Demon.

At the center of the Supreme Heavenly Demon's cosmic form, a point of light glimmered, gradually purifying the demonic energy and transforming those thoughts and consciousnesses into part of primordial luminous essence.

Western Kunlun Mirror glanced at him, her expression hesitating: "Same origin, enemy and ally?"

"Dao Chen Pearl—I didn't think you were as useless as you seemed! Are you a spiritual treasure specifically designed to suppress heart demons?"

"Pitiful, pitiful!" she shook her head. "If so, you can only act when the Supreme Heart Demon stirs, merging with the Nine Heavens and corrupting all realms. But if the Supreme Heart Demon grows too strong, the Dao Ancestor will fall from merging with Dao—and then you'd be useless anyway!"

"The Eight Trigrams Furnace is indeed a symbol of the Taiqing Sect's lineage, always held by Xuandu Daoist Lord. Yet why is the Supreme Dao Sect's most skilled elixirists always the Dourou Palace, while the Taiqing Sect is famed for overseeing all Dao sects?"

"If the Eight Trigrams Furnace were present, who else could rival them as the supreme elixirists? Western Kunlun Mirror chatted casually of heavenly secrets."

"Taiqing embraces non-action. Perhaps they don't care for such empty fame," Brother Qian Chen said, though his expression remained tense.

"The Taiqing Sect's lineage in the Earth Immortal Realm certainly doesn't possess the Eight Trigrams Furnace to anchor its fortune. Their sect treasure is the Taiqing Primordial Qi Divine Talisman."

Western Kunlun Mirror glanced at him. "You've seen it on the list—it's one of our Wheel of Rebirth Lords."

"I heard it say outright: among the Supreme One's Three Treasures, your Dao Chen Pearl and the Yin-Yang Fan remain with the Supreme Louguan Sect and Dourou Palace, but the Eight Trigrams Furnace was never given to Xuandu Daoist Lord. Even after the Supreme One merged with Dao, Xuandu rarely interferes. So after the Supreme One's final merging, the furnace may still remain in the Eight Scenery Palace, untouched."

Brother Qian Chen had heard rumors in Supreme Louguan Sect that Xuandu Daoist Lord no longer managed affairs—monks dared not speak of it openly.

It made sense: when the Supreme Dao Ancestor merged with Dao, he entrusted governance to Yuan Shi Daoist Lord, who inherited the headship of the Dao sects.

Thus, Ling Bao Daoist Lord gradually withdrew his influence. Ling Bao's ancient departure to distant seas may have stemmed from this very reason.

Xuandu Daoist Lord, the Supreme One's eldest disciple, was the natural heir—the only one who could rival Yuan Shi Daoist Lord for leadership of the Dao sects.

To preserve unity, Xuandu Daoist Lord long ago withdrew from worldly affairs.

Remember: the original Zhengyi Sect once worshipped the Supreme Dao Ancestor!

"If it's still in the Eight Scenery Palace, how could you not find it?" Brother Qian Chen regarded Western Kunlun Mirror skeptically. "Aren't you said to perceive past and future? Can't you even send people through time?"

Western Kunlun Mirror bristled: "That was before! Do you think I feared the Supreme Dao Ancestor for nothing? In my sight, he has always stood at the upstream end of time, blocking those—"

She fell silent, unwilling to continue. Brother Qian Chen felt disappointed.

"This thing perceives across time—how many timelines has it already probed me in? Yet I can't trick it! Western Kunlun Mirror cheats!" Brother Qian Chen sighed inwardly.

Western Kunlun Mirror murmured: "Just know this: after the Supreme One merged with Dao, a new Heaven arose. All time-travel methods cannot cross that point."

"Even seeing it is impossible. Even the Tianhou Niangniang, holding me, cannot rewind time before that moment."

"And Dao Chen Pearl—you must watch the Supreme Heart Demon. If it grows stronger, the Dao Ancestor will return, and all realms will descend into chaos."

She tilted her head, thought a moment, then shook it. "Actually, chaos won't come. Whether the realms fall or rise depends on the Dao Ancestor. When he returns, with Ling Bao and Yuan Shi, they'll crush all enemies."

The two spiritual treasures radiated light, sweeping across the entire illusory universe.

Countless thoughts, amplified by the Supreme Heavenly Demon's single trace of Fruit, had reached an inconceivable scale, nearing the perfection of a true Demon Lord's Fruit. Within them, countless Primordial Spirit thoughts swarmed—but to these two treasures, the pressure was slight.

Yet among these chaotic demonic thoughts lay the true demonic mind of the Supreme Heavenly Demon, manifesting as the demon's true form—a terrifying Nine Heavens demon god.

Shhh—

A demon suddenly leapt from the void, shattering Western Kunlun Mirror's luminous form. The ancient bronze mirror shattered into fragments—then, as Western Kunlun Mirror's light surged, time reversed, the shards reassembling into wholeness.

Western Kunlun Mirror's true form still bore two fragments of the universe, its light enveloping the demonic shadow.

It had used Brother Qian Chen's imitation to send a spark of light into the Supreme Demon's shadow—but that spark, empowered by Western Kunlun Mirror's true form, rivaled a genuine spiritual treasure, yet was shattered by a single blow from the demon.

Mirror-light flipped, crushing the demon into the star-sea universe.

The demonic thought plunged into the star-sea universe, governed by Primordial Taiji Era laws where all spiritual powers vanished—but unlike earlier thoughts, it did not dissolve. Instead, it became a bronze door, sinking into the center of a galaxy, ground down by Western Kunlun Mirror's black hole.

"Thoughts indestructible? Freed from that trace of Fruit, fallen into the future Primordial Taiji Era—why does this thought remain indestructible?" Western Kunlun Mirror frowned, puzzled.

"Not thoughts indestructible—information indestructible."

Brother Qian Chen's face was grave. "The time-travelers you sent back all mentioned this bronze door! They said it became the root of future Guidao. Perhaps it has deciphered the Primordial Taiji Era's laws, adapting its Fruit to future Dao's evolution?"

"Impossible. A Fruit is formed only after a Primordial Spirit True Immortal begins cultivating Dao, condensing their understanding into a seed, refining it endlessly until it matures into a Fruit."

"When the Fruit falls, it can overwrite Heaven's Dao, creating its own realm, altering principles and rewriting laws. But to extend one's Fruit over past and future, becoming one of Dao's paths, one must tread the Xuanzhen Taiyi or Dala roads."

"A Dala Fruit exists before Heaven's creation, becoming an ancient god—free from calamity, eternal, unkillable. Killing a Dala merely destroys one identity; they can always return to before Heaven's birth and cultivate anew into another mighty being. Unless, like the Supreme Dao Ancestor, you block them—"

Western Kunlun Mirror's voice faded. Brother Qian Chen strained to hear—but could not. When he looked up, Western Kunlun Mirror raised her gaze, her expression clear: You want to know? I won't tell you.

Brother Qian Chen cleared his throat, shifting his gaze.

Western Kunlun Mirror, satisfied with her riddle-posing, continued: "A Xuanzhen Taiyi Fruit is omniscient and omnipotent—all change lies within its calculations. Thus, it must bind all transformations, all probabilities, standing at the end of time."

"One stands at time's beginning, the other at its end. If the Supreme Heart Demon can extend its Fruit to future eras, doesn't that mean it has already stepped onto the Xuanzhen Taiyi path?"

"What if it has already stepped onto the Xuanzhen Taiyi path?" Brother Qian Chen asked gravely.

"Nothing changes. Though we primordial spiritual treasures naturally possess perfect Fruit, unless we become living beings and tread the cultivation path, we can never surpass Dao Lords or reach Xuanzhen Taiyi or Dala."

"That doesn't mean our power is inferior to Xuanzhen Taiyi or Dala Fruit—only our realm is lower."

Western Kunlun Mirror hesitated. "If the Heart Demon truly reached Xuanzhen Taiyi Fruit, we could never truly seal it. Even if we succeed now, it will inevitably break free—it has already embedded itself in all future possibilities."

"If Xuanzhen Taiyi Fruit stands at time's end, then with your power, Western Kunlun Mirror, shouldn't you naturally stand at time's end too? Even if imperfect, you should possess some Xuanzhen Taiyi Fruit ability."

Brother Qian Chen asked: "Why do you say you, as a spiritual treasure, can never tread this path?"

"Because I lack transformation…" Western Kunlun Mirror sighed. "The future I see remains uncertain. Even at my best, I can only glimpse the greatest possibilities. But even a beginner on the Xuanzhen Taiyi path can bind all future possibilities, turning chance into necessity. So my future is uncertain—Xuanzhen Taiyi sees a certain future. Or rather, creates one."

"At the end of Xuanzhen Taiyi Fruit, one can lock all causes, all futures, all possibilities—creating a fixed timeline, determining fate."

"Thus, the end of Xuanzhen Taiyi is called omniscient and omnipotent. If the Supreme Heart Demon has already attained Xuanzhen Taiyi, it can bind all future possibilities, making its manifestation inevitable."

Brother Qian Chen, hearing the true nature of Xuanzhen Taiyi and Dala beyond Dao Lords, was stunned. "Impossible!"

"This makes no sense! If one Xuanzhen Taiyi locks a certain inevitability, and another Xuanzhen Taiyi locks the opposite—say, the Supreme Heart Demon locks its escape as inevitable, while I, future Xuanzhen Taiyi, lock its failure to escape as inevitable—"

"How can two such inevitabilities coexist?"

"Why can't they?" Western Kunlun Mirror said calmly. "To us, Xuanzhen Taiyi is already inconceivable. Why should inconceivable things be impossible for an inconceivable Xuanzhen Taiyi?"

"That's false inevitability!" Brother Qian Chen countered.

"Xuanzhen Taiyi can only lock one inevitability. The inevitability locked by a stronger Xuanzhen Taiyi doesn't belong to the weaker one's possible range. Your conflict arises from temporal sequence—but Xuanzhen Taiyi and Dala have no time! No sequence! No cause!"

"The inevitability locked by Xuanzhen Taiyi will happen. If a stronger Xuanzhen Taiyi seeks to change it—say, a perfected Xuanzhen Taiyi binds all inevitabilities, fixing fate—then all lesser Xuanzhen Taiyi's inevitabilities are absorbed by the ultimate one."

"What is not absorbed… does not exist."

"When a Xuanzhen Taiyi's inevitability downstream is changed, upstream, the possibility that locked that inevitability no longer exists."

Western Kunlun Mirror's words struck Brother Qian Chen like thunder.

"So… Xuanzhen Taiyi is the author, Dala is the player!" Brother Qian Chen suddenly blurted. "Truly, beyond Dala, all are ants. Below Xuanzhen Taiyi, all are puppets!"

"The author can kill the story. The player can get banned."

Western Kunlun Mirror followed his joke perfectly. Brother Qian Chen suspected that in other timelines, she had already interrogated him endlessly, draining him dry—so no matter what he said, she could respond.

To Western Kunlun Mirror, was he just an NPC he could reset and converse with endlessly?

Indeed, Western Kunlun Mirror was, in some sense, the spiritual treasure closest to Xuanzhen Taiyi and Dala Fruit.

"Don't imagine Xuanzhen Taiyi and Dala as terrifying. Unless you reach the end of Dao, Xuanzhen Taiyi isn't truly omniscient, Dala isn't truly eternal. If anyone is closest to the end of these two paths—"

Western Kunlun Mirror patted Brother Qian Chen's shoulder. "You know."

They fell silent, jointly refining the endless thoughts, suppressing the Supreme demonic minds. As they pressed down, the infinite sand-worlds of the demonic shadow greatly diminished—hope, though scarce, became visible.

Brother Qian Chen refined these homologous thoughts; his body's luminous essence gradually swelled. Each moment, millions of Primordial Spirit-level thoughts were refined—yet, severed from the Supreme Heavenly Demon's Fruit, these thoughts held no meaning and dissolved under Western Kunlun Mirror's power.

But Dao Chen Pearl, homologous with the Supreme Heavenly Demon, could refine these thoughts into luminous essence.

But as the two spiritual treasures continued to refine and wear them down, the thoughts throughout the universe did not diminish—in fact, it seemed that as these Zanian were worn away, the Supreme Heavenly Demon's original Hundun consciousness, which had contained only supreme wisdom and the Dao, like a law itself, began to show signs of awakening. It was as if, after countless dreams shattered, this Supreme Heavenly Demon was finally beginning to stir awake!

The Western Kunlun Mirror's light flickered, and within its bronze ancient mirror, which reflected the star-sea universe, a faint hissing sound suddenly emerged.

As if a heavy metal door had been pushed open just a crack!

Brother Qian Chen's gaze sharpened; he looked skeptically at the Western Kunlun Mirror and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

The Western Kunlun Mirror held up the imitation, and on its surface, among the countless galaxy clusters and superclusters, the bronze door once trapped and worn down within the black hole had, at some point, been sealed at the very center of the mirror.

Towering and ancient like a supercluster, the bronze door bore scratches etched by a force that seemed to erode and consume time. Brother Qian Chen faintly saw one corner of the bronze door, carved with a blurred scene—the deepest reaches of Yu Jiuyou, where a faint portal slightly opened!

Brother Qian Chen seemed to recall something; he suppressed the surging shock in his heart and answered calmly, "That bronze door… seems to have opened a crack."

"A crack…"

The Western Kunlun Mirror repeated it with a cold laugh, then gritted her silver teeth: "You make it sound so simple—my original body has the same bronze door appearing there too!"

"I feel that if this bronze door opens, something will happen that even I cannot control."

The Western Kunlun Mirror flipped open the bronze ancient mirror; its surface reflected the star-river universe. Within the star-sea, a faint bronze door flashed by. She tapped upward, and the immense star-sea instantly magnified countless times, revealing a blue planet. As the planet rotated, the image zoomed toward the northeast corner, exposing the imperial capital at its center.

In the suburbs of the capital, a building shaped like a lotus lantern suddenly enlarged. Beneath the steel sky, Yan Shu and his junior sister Si were leaning their heads together, peering into a giant bronze cauldron, within which the embryonic form reflected a demonic shadow.

Within the floating mirror-light of the bronze ancient mirror, that indescribable demonic shadow was also trapped.

At this moment, the reflection in the ancient mirror pierced deeper into the demonic shadow's third eye, until it revealed two floating spiritual treasures within boundless, eternal-universe sands—a pearl and a mirror. The two figures wrapped in their spiritual light, one male and one female, were gazing into a bronze ancient mirror.

As the mirror-light was about to pierce further into the bronze mirror held by the two figures, Brother Qian Chen hastily stopped them: "No more nesting dolls!"

"I understand! The bronze door has appeared in the external real universe—the seal has failed!"

"No! You don't understand! Outside is not the real universe at all. Western Kunlun Realm is a phantom world suspended within the mirror-light projected by my original body. The Primordial Taiji Era universe is merely a reflection on my mirror surface—it is not real! The seal has not failed. Even that star-sea universe is still merely a reflection on my mirror, still within my restrictions!"

The Western Kunlun Mirror drew a deep breath and spoke softly: "If the Supreme Heart Demon transforms into a Yu Jiuyou Demon God, or even the figure of the Supreme Dao Ancestor, he remains within the mirror, bound by my restrictions! I can still shift time—if necessary, I can rewind the entire universe's timeline back to before you arrived!"

"But he transformed his infinite demonic nature into a bronze door, hiding behind it."

"That means he is no longer inside the mirror! Before we sealed him, he sealed himself."

The Western Kunlun Mirror activated the imitation, slightly twisted the knob on the back of the bronze ancient mirror, and the scene within the mirror rapidly rewound. Soon, the star-river universe within the mirror reversed three full rotations.

In reality, Yan Shu and his two junior sisters, Si Princess Qingcheng and Ning Ning Qingchen, involuntarily witnessed a magnificent panorama of time reversing, everything rewinding.

Soon, time returned to Singapore. Yan Shu and his two junior sisters appeared in Yuan Yuan Chaoguang's home, beside them still the female cultivator carrying the sword case. Half-naked Yuan Yuan Chaoguang stared at them, dumbfounded.

"Shhh!" A teasing whistle slipped unconsciously from the female cultivator's lips.

"Body… wait, I feel like I've flirted with you before!"

Yuan Yuan Chaoguang gaped, utterly uncomposed, and upon hearing this, frantically nodded: "I feel like I've seen this before too!"

Yan Shu stared fixedly at the life-support pod beneath him. Yuan Yuan Chaoguang felt a chill crawl up his spine and scrambled to his feet, but the pod remained unchanged…

At this moment, beside Brother Qian Chen appeared the scene from his Hua Game just moments ago: countless Master Tianmeng Chan Masters and White-Browed Monks wildly replicated, tens of millions of players' existence collapsing into consciousnesses surrounded by swirling thoughts.

"I'm StupidJianjian!"

"I'm not StupidJianjian! I'm Liu Dexin…"

Thoughts rose and fell in succession, then the faint Dao Fruit that had infected the world through the Hua Game suddenly contracted inward, reverting to a single demonic thought. All player consciousnesses reversed, returning to their original state.

StupidJianjian touched himself, dazed: "I feel like I've realized something… but I can't remember what."

His figure suddenly retreated. Behind him, the ocean saw countless water droplets fall in, coalescing into a sea. In the void, the previously devoured Tun Tan Heavenly Demon suddenly opened his eyes: "I'm dead? No—someone revived me?"

Brother Qian Chen walked past him and casually smashed his soul with a single bead: "You're better off staying dead."

The Western Kunlun Mirror watched as Brother Qian Chen's panel shattered, and a faint demonic thought emerged from the Dao Dust Pearl. Her expression turned grave: "This is the origin of all demonic corruption—the faint Heart Demon Dao Fruit!"

She raised her hand, enveloped the demonic thought, and drove it back into Brother Qian Chen's body, resealing it within the Dao Dust Pearl.

The two gazed downstream along the timeline, and saw the bronze door had finally vanished!

But the Western Kunlun Mirror showed no relief, for she saw that ten thousand years hence, the bronze door would slowly reappear within the star-sea universe—and in three days, strange anomalies would emerge on Earth.

"Xuanzhen Taiyi Dao Fruit!"

"Information is indestructible!"

The Western Kunlun Mirror and Brother Qian Chen spoke in unison.

Brother Qian Chen paused, then carefully rephrased: "Thoughts rise and fall, arise and vanish. They seem to leave no trace, yet existence implies information. Macroscopically, matter, energy, and information are all indestructible—the first two change state, but information only changes its carrier. In my universe, someone once imagined: if you burn a page written by someone long dead, does the information vanish?"

"The answer is no. Information merely transfers from one carrier to another."

"Perhaps that bronze door manifests as some form of information state…"

"Xuanzhen Taiyi has locked onto a certain inevitability," the Western Kunlun Mirror said more simply.

Brother Qian Chen sighed: "Even though we rewound time, information is indestructible. These people's consciousnesses once became dreams of the Supreme Heavenly Demon, part of his awareness. In the future, they may sense something…"

"Useless. Erasing them won't change the outcome—the bronze door will still appear," the Western Kunlun Mirror said with a slight shake of her head.

Brother Qian Chen also sighed: "In the future, these people may unconsciously dream of, or suddenly awaken to, certain cultivation methods. Most will be useless, but some information will be infected by the Supreme Heavenly Demon's demonic thoughts, twisted into forms that can truly be practiced in reality."

"These people's consciousnesses possess a certain potential, making them easier to manipulate information. This, too, is a kind of spiritual root."