Chapter 406: Dead End of Desire

The Great Dao had manifested just an instant before, yet in the next, it vanished silently like a bubble, as if it had never appeared.

The lightning tribulation was the same.

That was not the single bolt of thunder seen when ordinary cultivators undergo tribulation, but a chaotic tribulation cloud woven from countless fine electric snakes, containing the terrifying power to open the Great Dao and reshape the rules.

It descended with a crash, its momentum so vast that before the beings of the Four Spirit Realms could even witness it, it dissipated without warning, like a receding tide, restoring the clear blue sky in an instant.

However, the impact caused by the manifestation of the Physical Body Dao continued to ferment.

Deep within the mountains and forests, those demonic beasts with keen senses were the first to be submerged by the despair of the Dao's disappearance.

Previously limited by bloodline talents and cultivation bottlenecks, their physical bodies had always been shackled by invisible chains; day after day they struck against them, yet achieved little result.

When the Great Dao manifested, they clearly felt that layer of restraint within them loosening bit by bit; their qi and blood became active and vigorous as never before, while their tendons, bones, skin, and membranes seemed to cheer and leap, eager to welcome a stronger challenge.

This sensation was so real, so intense, that they nearly could not resist lifting their heads to howl at the sky, proclaiming this breakthrough joy.

The human body cultivators across various regions felt it even more directly.

Taking the tempering of the physical body as their sole goal, they had already forged their bodies to the limit, yet the gate leading to higher realms remained tightly shut against them.

When the Great Dao manifested, they too felt that gate loosening.

The barriers that could never be shaken no matter what, now emitted faint "crackling" sounds, as if a frozen lake surface had begun to develop fissures.

The spark of hope was thus quietly ignited in the hearts of every body cultivator and demonic beast who felt the shackles of their physical bodies loosening.

They seemed to see their future paths widened infinitely, and realms once beyond reach now within grasp.

Yet, just as this fire of hope burned fiercely, the "Physical Body Dao" that had shown them the direction suddenly vanished.

The trajectory, once clearly visible and radiating alluring light, and the Dao rhyme that had made them feel endless possibilities, all vanished in an instant, as if they had never existed.

The guiding lamp had gone out.

Whether those body cultivators and demonic beasts who had just felt the thirst for power, or the various powerful experts observing from everywhere, all realized this point with absolute clarity.

After a brief shock, intense disappointment and regret swept across the entire Four Spirit Realms like a plague.

It was the unwillingness of having touched the threshold only to be forcibly barred from entering; it was the despair of seeing a smooth path ahead, only to find no road left to walk.

Heaven and earth returned to silence, leaving behind only that lingering, huge psychological gap born from perceiving what "could have been" yet "failed to be."

"Did this fail?"

Above the Xuanyuan Prefecture, Lu Zhenting felt an indescribable regret.

In the Central Sacred Land, Wei Zhenjie also felt some regret, but soon adjusted his mindset.

Although he had not witnessed the opening of the first Great Dao in the Four Spirit Realms, as one of the few who knew the identity of the Lingguang Hall Master, he clearly knew that with the Lingguang Hall Master's current state of mind and perspective, she was simply not capable of shouldering the responsibility of a 'Dao Master'.

For a cultivator, taking steps that are too large is never a good thing.

Only by walking steadily can one walk far.

Since she had already touched the threshold of the 'Dao', opening it was merely a matter of time; giving her a bit more time to comprehend it might be beneficial for both her and the Four Spirit Realms.

While local experts felt regret, the outside cultivators lurking in various parts of the Four Spirit Realms unanimously breathed a sigh of relief.

If the Four Spirit Realms truly produced a Dao Master who could open the Great Dao, many of their schemes would likely come to naught.

"Opening the Great Dao is nowhere near that easy; that Lingguang Hall Master is most likely someone greedy for merit and rash in advancement."

"The Great Dao manifested suddenly and vanished just as quickly, without even successfully condensing a lightning tribulation; the Lingguang Hall Master must have deviated during cultivation."

In the Wutong Forest, Hua Changxi was completely unaware of the impact caused by the manifestation of the Physical Body Dao.

At this moment, the chain of light connecting her seven chakras within her body had dimmed; except for the abdominal chakra where light still rotated, the other six chakras had turned gray.

She had been rash.

She should not have been so reckless, attempting to cultivate without sufficient preparation and with only a half-understanding of the immense risks and profound mysteries contained in the eighth chapter of the 'Nine Turns Mysterious Art'.

Having begun cultivation, she should not have been greedy, opening all seven chakras and vainly attempting to reach heaven in a single step.

The Cosmic Body chakras are divided into eight stages: First Stage: Open the Root Chakra; Second Stage: Open the Abdominal Chakra; Third Stage: Open the Navel Chakra; Fourth Stage: Open the Heart Chakra; Fifth Stage: Open the Throat Chakra; Sixth Stage: Open the Brow Chakra; Seventh Stage: Open the Crown Chakra; Eighth Stage: Connect the seven chakras to achieve the Physical Body Dao.

This ought to be a gradual process where everything falls into place naturally, like building a high-rise; only with a solid foundation can one progress layer by layer.

Yet the surging power of potential stimulation in the Wutong Forest, along with the astonishing effects of the Xuanhuang Fruit, greatly encouraged her and also misled her.

That power made her feel as if she were omnipotent, with endless and boundless potential.

Driven by this mindset, blinded by greed and impatience, she actually conceived the arrogant notion of opening all seven chakras at once and cultivating the eighth chapter to perfection.

She had never known that she could be so 'greedy'.

Furthermore, until today, she had always believed that body cultivators faced no obstacles of the mind.

Body cultivators seek not spiritual roots but only themselves, using flesh and blood as a furnace and tendons and bones as pillars, seeking the true essence of power through confrontation with pain and limits.

In her understanding, the world of body cultivators consisted only of the strength of power and the limits of the physical body.

Those heart demons born from love, obsession, or fear were merely various thoughts spawned when spirit-root cultivators, with their divine souls too scattered, comprehended the laws of heaven and earth.

Since beginning her cultivation of the 'Nine Turns Mysterious Art', she had always believed this, and had practiced and realized it accordingly.

But now, looking at the black flames upon her Nascent Soul heart, she knew she was wrong.

Whether Dharma cultivator or body cultivator, it is merely the method of cultivation chosen by a person; at the root, it is the person!

Being human means having desires, having the seven emotions and six desires, having joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and having desires and fears hidden deep in the heart.

Whether comprehending heaven and earth or tempering the physical body, what one must ultimately face is one's own complex, changeable heart, full of weaknesses.

Hua Changxi raised her hand to cover her chest; this surprise attack by the lightning tribulation had once again made her clearly 'see' the fear in the depths of her heart.

She had not expected that although her strength had been constantly improving, the unease in her heart had not disappeared, nor even alleviated.

Hua Changxi looked at the black flames on her Nascent Soul, her brows knitting tightly into a knot.

Her thoughts, her fears, amplified by the black flames, had already begun to affect her judgment and shake her mind, causing her behavior to spiral somewhat out of control.

The situation she now faced was that the black flames amplified desire, desire expanded and fueled the black flames, as if trapped in a cyclical dead end.

If this continued, under the stimulation of the black flames, she would gradually lose herself amidst various desires.

Hua Changxi took out the eight-petaled black-and-white lotus lamp she had obtained from Zhu Yan and Chu Junshan, her expression somewhat troubled.

Once the black flame is ignited, it cannot be extinguished; only by igniting the white flame can its effects be balanced and neutralized.

But how exactly was she to ignite the white flame?

Hua Changxi recalled those cultivators she had seen before who had simultaneously ignited both black and white flames; all of them were attached to the imperial family and the Zhu clan. Perhaps she could devise a way to make contact with them.

"Buzz~"

A single thought triggered a vibration.

Yu Fu: "Master, the Qihuang Pavilion is convening a meeting of its pavilion masters and has specifically demanded your personal attendance."

Hua Changxi glanced at it, too lazy even to reply.

After a moment, Yu Fu sent another message: "The Pavilion Master says that if you do not appear, the rumors circulating outside will be proven true—that you are indeed the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall."

Hua Changxi gazed at the content of the message, her eyes flashing with light.

The Qihuang Pavilion was established by the imperial family, and its Pavilion Master was even a consort who had married a Princess; was the imperial family attempting to verify her identity?

Hua Changxi thought of the tribulation clouds that had just vanished; could it be that people outside believed she had been injured, causing the lightning tribulation to dissipate?