Chapter 395: State of Selflessness

Failing to directly slay Zhu Yan and Chu Junshan, Hua Changxi felt somewhat disappointed, especially regarding Zhu Yan; the black-and-white lotus lantern in his hand truly made her sense a tremendous threat.

However, after that just-concluded battle, both Chu Junshan and Zhu Yan were severely wounded. They had now fled deep into the Chick Cosmos Chaos Space. In the short term, neither could counterattack, which gave Hua Changxi time to cultivate.

Without wasting any time, once she finished regulating her breath, Hua Changxi threw herself into cultivating the 'Dharma Heaven and Earth.'

"Dharma Heaven and Earth is not an illusion technique; rather, it uses the physical body as a vessel to resonate with Heaven and Earth, bearing the might of Heaven and Earth and the laws of Heaven and Earth..."

Hua Changxi repeatedly read through the cultivation method of 'Dharma Heaven and Earth.' There were many obscure and difficult terms inside, and every time she read them, she would feel grateful in her heart.

Grateful that the body-tempering technique she cultivated was the 'Nine Revolutions Mystic Art.' Both techniques operated based on a foundational logic constructed around the physical body, making it not too difficult for her to understand these contents.

Only after confirming that she understood every sentence within the cultivation method of 'Dharma Heaven and Earth' did she begin attempting to cultivate.

Step one: Resonate with Heaven and Earth.

The energy within the Chick Space surged like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, pouring violently into Hua Changxi's body.

Her skin took on a fiery red luster like molten rock, and her bones emitted a low, rumbling roar as if mountains were growing.

At this moment, she felt that she was no longer a body of flesh and blood, but a part of this Chick Chaos Space. Her sense of 'existence' was expanding explosively.

Her physical body swelled, her divine sense spread. She could clearly perceive the dimensional walls pulsating and all kinds of energy in space churning and boiling.

The energy within the Chick Space continuously poured into her body. At the same time, her breathing began to resonate with this Chick Space at a mysterious and profound frequency.

"Hoo~"

"Hiss~"

"Hoo~"

"Hiss~"

When her breathing frequency aligned with the pulsation frequency of the dimensional walls, Hua Changxi perceived a force like a sudden infusion exploding within her body. The energy inside her and the energy of the Chick Space interwove and merged, indistinguishable from each other.

At this moment, Hua Changxi felt that she was this Chick Space.

Step two: Spirit Merge with Heaven and Earth.

When Hua Changxi felt she had transformed into the Chick Space, the chaotic energy within the space was drawn by her, turning into a visible fire-red airflow that coiled around her body.

Her hair wildly danced without wind, each strand seeming to transform into feelers connecting Heaven and Earth.

Her divine sense spread like the wind, covering a thousand meters, ten thousand meters...

She 'saw' Chu Junshan and Zhu Yan, who had fled to the other side of the Chick Space. She 'heard' the clanging sound of violent winds deep within the chaos.

Her will became as unbound and free as the wind, filling the entire Chick Space. (The coverage range is positively correlated with the strength of the divine sense.)

Step three: Manifestation of the Dharma Image.

This was the most critical step: complete integration with the absorbed power of Heaven and Earth and the laws of Heaven and Earth.

When her cultivation reached this point, Hua Changxi got stuck!

The reason she got stuck was that this step required her to completely open herself without reservation.

This, Hua Changxi could not do.

At that moment, she also became acutely aware of the guardedness and distrust buried deep in her heart. She dared not entrust herself unreservedly to the 'outside world.'

Even though this Chick Space posed no threat to her, she still had to hold something back in the depths of her heart. She had to cling to something to ensure her absolute safety.

She could not achieve absolute 'no-self.'

The state of no-self, for Hua Changxi, was a form of disguised suicide.

This discovery shook Hua Changxi’s heart. She seemed to have found the reason why her state of mind had never been able to improve.

Her self seemed too strong!

Although Hua Changxi was stuck at the final step, this did not mean she had failed to cultivate the divine ability of 'Dharma Heaven and Earth.' She could still partially merge with the power of Heaven and Earth and the laws of Heaven and Earth.

It could only be said that her cultivation of this divine ability was not complete enough; it still had deficiencies.

When Hua Changxi attempted to merge with the Chick Space while 'holding something back,' a majestic aura beyond words erupted from her center with a 'BOOM.'

Her body did not falsely expand like an illusion, but at a real level of 'law force,' it was reshaped and filled by the great power of Heaven and Earth.

In the blink of an eye, a phantom giant towering a thousand zhang appeared in the Chicken Egg Space, standing as if it could prop up the heavens and earth.

Because the divine ability was not fully executed, the giant's face was blurry, and one could only vaguely tell that it looked like a woman.

The breath she exhaled transformed into clouds and waves sweeping across a thousand li; the slightest movement of her feet caused the entire Chicken Egg Space to tremble faintly. Every gesture carried a portion of the world's weight and might.

This was Hua Changxi's "Dharma Avatar" form!

Since only the Law of Fire existed in the Chicken Egg Space, Hua Changxi's Dharma Avatar was entirely fiery red.

However, the energy required to maintain the Dharma Avatar was extremely terrifying.

Hua Changxi's body refinement had only reached the seventh chapter of the "Nine Revolution Profound Art," which was still insufficient to support the Dharma Avatar for too long.

She dared not covet the supreme power of controlling heaven and earth; she guarded her mind firmly and decisively withdrew the divine ability.

In an instant, the thousand-zhang Dharma Avatar receded like a tide, and the vast power returned to the world.

The space returned to chaos, and heaven and earth fell silent once more, as if nothing had ever happened.

But on the other side of the space, Chu Junshan and Zhu Yan watched with some trepidation—Hua Changxi's strength had increased too rapidly!

Chu Junshan looked at his broken leg, killing intent bursting from his eyes, then turned his gaze to the pale-faced Zhu Yan not far away: "Hua Changxi won't let us leave here alive. Now, either she dies, or we die."

Although Zhu Yan had barely managed to save his life by relying on Yang Flame and the Fire Transformation divine ability, Hua Changxi's axe strike had directly shattered his dantian, effectively cutting off his path of cultivation.

Of course, he wanted to kill Hua Changxi, but the problem was that they were simply no match for her.

Chu Junshan's face darkened as he gritted his teeth and said, "Let's join forces one more time. Even if we die, we'll drag Hua Changxi down to hell with us."

To seize Nanxiang City, the imperial clan had been planning for many years. If he could help the clan eliminate the Lord of the Lingguang Hall, it would buy the imperial clan more time to strategize and scheme, and it wouldn't waste the years of training the clan had given him.

Although the Dharma Avatar divine ability was not cultivated to perfection, the feeling of manifesting the avatar still filled Hua Changxi with great exhilaration.

After the consumption of her physical body recovered, Hua Changxi began to execute the "Dharma Avatar" once more.

She could sense that if she could fully perform the divine ability, her Dharma Avatar could rise and expand infinitely.

But she understood in her heart that within a short time, she could not reach the state of "No-Self."

Unable to fully execute the divine ability, she could only practice it again and again, striving to perform it more quickly and smoothly.

During this period, every time she executed the "Dharma Avatar," Hua Changxi, after stabilizing the avatar, would wield her fire axe and strike the boundary wall of the Chicken Egg Space.

The Chicken Egg Space tested a cultivator's mastery of power and laws. With the support of the divine ability, Hua Changxi's control over power and her manipulation of the Law of Fire were rapidly advancing.

By then, every swing of Hua Changxi's axe caused the boundary wall to tremble.

Feeling the growth of her power, Hua Changxi's understanding of "Proving the Dao through Strength" deepened as well—it was a path that, through sheer physical strength and ultimate mastery of the world's laws, could forge a Dao that looked down upon all living beings.

"Hum~"

Just as Hua Changxi was vigorously swinging her fire axe, a tremor occurred deep within her sea of consciousness.

After sensing it, Hua Changxi frowned slightly. Then, with a thought, the still-vibrating "Roster of the Vermilion Bird Army" appeared in her hand.

Looking at the trembling Roster of the Vermilion Bird Army, Hua Changxi was somewhat puzzled. But when she opened the book, her expression suddenly changed.

On the Roster of the Vermilion Bird Army, the names of nearly ten thousand Vermilion Bird soldiers were quietly dimming; worse still, nearly a thousand names had already vanished directly.

A name disappearing meant that person was dead.

A name growing fainter meant that person was severely wounded—the more severe the injury, the fainter the name.

"How could the Vermilion Bird Army have suffered such heavy casualties?!"