"Why aren't you afraid of the dark?" The woman asked.
"Why should I fear the darkness?" Long Chen retorted.
The woman was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Long Chen to ask back. She continued, "Then why do you like darkness?" Without
hesitation, Long Chen answered directly: "Because I'm used to the darkness. In a world full of despair and bullying, humiliation, and helplessness, no one pities me, no one helps me, and no one is willing to accompany me."
Only darkness never rejects me; no matter what grievances I suffer, it is willing to quietly listen to my confessions.
Even if the whole world abandons me, it will quietly stay by my side. It never rejects me, and its embrace is always open to me.
Before I set foot on the path of cultivation, darkness was my only friend in my world. In its embrace, I silently shed tears, healed, and only when I became strong enough would I leave it and fight for it.
When I struggle all over with wounds, it is my greatest comfort, because I know it is waiting for me.
If it treats me so much, why should I be afraid of it? Why can't I like it? The
woman continued, "You have experienced darkness and light. Which do you prefer?" "
Both like it, and don't like it either." Long Chen said with a bitter smile.
"Then what do you think is the boundary between darkness and light?" The woman asked.
"There are no boundaries; there is light within darkness, and darkness within light." Long Chen replied.
"I see."
Hearing Long Chen's answer, a look of sudden realization appeared on the woman's face, as if she understood something.
She looked at Long Chen and said, "Your beliefs are correct. There is no absolute black in this world, no absolute white, no absolute kindness, and no absolute evil."
But remember, there is a boundary between black and white, and a standard line between right and wrong.
And these boundaries and standards are like a judge—they can judge right and wrong, right and wrong. Long
Chen shook his head and retorted, "Can judges really be impartial?" Who can guarantee that its judgment is accurate? "
This concerns one thing: the base of the scale, which is the foundation for balancing all paths and laws.
Between black and white, right and wrong, good and evil, movement and stillness, between tangible and intangible, and so on—in the midst of any opposing energy, there must be a balance base.
In your human understanding, the Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things.
Heaven and earth give birth to yang, yin is born again; Heaven and earth give rise to yin, yang attaches to it; thus, all things in the world generate and counteract each other, complementing and supporting each other.
By this reasoning, where there is yin, there is yang; where there is life, there is death; where there is good, there is evil; where there is movement, there is stillness; where there is purity, there is turbidity.
But between yin and yang, life and death, good and evil, movement and stillness, clarity and turbidity, there is a mysterious force that separates them. One and two are opposed, but with three, one and two begin to interact. Under the operation of these two forces, the cycle repeats, and only then does our world come into being. The woman said.
Long Chen's heart shook violently, lightning and thunder roaring in his mind, as if he had witnessed an unprecedented world.
"So the scale is three. By combining two completely opposite powers, you can possess the power of creation?" Long Chen's heart pounded wildly, even his voice trembled.
"In theory, yes, but in reality... You're overthinking it. The Great Dao is silent; any principle that can be clearly explained with words is not the true Great Dao.
What we call the Great Dao is nothing but the ordinary Way. If the true mysteries of heaven and earth are revealed, either the Nine Heavens will be destroyed or the Ten Realms will be reborn. The woman said.
"Thank you, senior!"
Long Chen bowed respectfully to the woman. Her words were like opening a window for him, and he saw a world he had never seen before.
Moreover, Long Chen understood why the dragon clan powerhouse wanted this woman to enlighten him—her cultivation level was far too high.
The woman nodded, her body turning into endless flames and slowly disappearing. Long Chen sat cross-legged in front of the main gate, slowly forming hand seals with both hands.
"Boom!" Long Chen's
body was covered in golden scales, and his blood and energy erupted in an instant. The energy of blood, energy, and bones was ignited, like a volcanic eruption.
The world that had been dark because of that woman's departure was rekindled because of Long Chen.
...
Inside the tenth level, in the pitch-black world, people let out heavy breaths, feeling as if their willpower was about to collapse.
In the darkness, endless negative emotions kept eroding them. All the painful experiences replayed before their eyes, as if an invisible wall blocked their way forward.
The walls are so thick they make one despair; there's no light, no hope, only endless despair.
At first, Zhu Yunwen and the others encouraged them, listening to the princes and princesses boost their morale, and they could persevere.
Later, apart from their own breathing and heartbeat, they could hear nothing else. It seemed as if they couldn't even sense those around them, as if someone had been thrown into the abyss of death, with no response to heaven or earth.
When they reached the tenth stage, the tenth level, the power of darkness grew even stronger. Because Long Chen was so attuned to dark power, he couldn't sense it at all. But everyone felt uncomfortable, and even Zhu Yunwen and the others began to experience auditory hallucinations.
Suddenly, a beam of light appeared. They saw the gate ahead, and through the crack, they saw a golden divine radiance.
"It's Long Chen."
Yu Qingxuan shouted excitedly, instantly boosting everyone's spirits. Long Chen was already waiting for them ahead, and victory was within reach.
For a moment, everyone rallied again and rushed toward the eleventh level. At this eleventh level, various sounds appeared—not auditory hallucinations, but real sounds. Yet everyone ignored them, focused their minds, and pressed forward along the light.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Everyone cried out in alarm, the light vanished, and the entire world plunged into darkness once again.
"Pfft!"
Long Chen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body cracking as well. In the endless darkness, Long Chen looked at his own hands, a smile appearing on his face:
"Hehe, found it. The power of blood, qi, and bones is tangible; within is spirit, soul, and intention , which is invisible externally.
The key to the Dragon God Body Refining Technique is to balance the fusion of tangible and invisible forces. The force that balances the two is the will, the foundation of the scales, and the three of the Great Dao. After
resting for half an hour, Long Chen shouted sharply, his whole body glowing again. A divine light shot straight into the sky, and the resonant dragon's roar echoed throughout the Vermilion Bird space.
"Buzz"—
The dragon scales on Long Chen's body began to pulse as if they were breathing, with invisible soul power and tangible flesh and bloodBlending together, no longer separating.
"It worked, it worked!"
The dragon clan expert let out an excited roar, even more excited than Long Chen.
The moment Long Chen fused the invisible and tangible powers, he suddenly felt a swell, about to explode.
"Cloud Dragon Presents Claw!"
Long Chen roared angrily, slamming his claw fiercely toward the gate. If he didn't unleash this power, he would explode and die.
With a loud explosion, the massive door was shattered by Long Chen's claw. Space twisted, and Long Chen and his companions reappeared in the palace.
"We ... Came out? Zhu
Yunwen and the others could hardly believe their eyes; they had actually completed the trial.
"Very well, you've finally come out. Hurry to the battlefield. The Vermilion Bird is in a grave crisis."
Just as everyone came out, they heard an aged voice.