Chapter 98 - Dao Essence!

When people reference a term of the Dao of Heaven and Earth, they are not referring to any random Dao or all Daos collectively; they are specifically referencing the 3,000 Grand Daos — the Primordial Daos, the Eternal Daos, the Foundational Daos that form the fabric of Heaven and Earth.

In the myth of the world's creation, during the first era — the Primordial Era — there was nothing but primordial chaos. From this primordial chaos, three thousand Primordial Fiendgods were born, each representing a Dao.

Some of these Primordial Fiendgods were born strong, while others were weak. The most powerful among them was Pangu, the Primordial Fiendgod of Strength.

As for how long the first era lasted, nobody could tell, for at that time, the concept of time itself did not yet exist.

However, someone could tell how it ended — it was the first arrival of the Great Calamity, the herald of the new era.

As a result of the first Great Calamity, all the Primordial Fiendgods perished, and their Dao Essences merged, becoming the Eternal Dao Source — The source of all Daos.

The existence of the Eternal Dao Source brought about the emergence of the Universe, Heaven and Earth, Nature, and everything — even the Heavenly Dao.

The 3,000 Daos of the Primordial Fiendgods became an essential origin part of the Eternal Dao Source, later known as the 3,000 Grand Daos, holding a special status among the countless other Daos that would emerge later as the foundational Daos — the Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Every Dao that emerged after this was called the Lesser Dao or the Dao of Mortal. Despite its name, which is not as grand as its predecessor, it doesn't mean they were weak, since there is no such thing as a strong Dao or a weak Dao in the first place — only strong or weak cultivators.

The difference between the Grand Dao and the Lesser Dao does not lay in power but in its foundational Dao Essence.

The Grand Dao is perfect — a straight path to Heaven, needing no alteration. In contrast, the Lesser Dao is imperfect, defined not by the destination but by the journey.

There are common points between them as well. Once the Dao attains its highest stage, it will conquer all Laws and command all Daos.

The Dao of Five Phases was one of the Grand Daos — a profound and complex path rooted in the interplay between the five fundamental elements of existence: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.

From this understanding, many might mistakenly believe that the Dao of Five Phases is merely about the combined power of the Five Elements. However, this is a misunderstanding.

The true essence of the Dao of Five Phases lies not in the Five Elements themselves, but in the harmony and balance that binds them together.

While each element existed as its own Grand Dao, the Dao of Five Phases embodied the totality of their interaction, transcending individual elements and commanding their balance.

The Dao of Five Phases represents the cyclical and dynamic interactions between five elements and phases.

Wood symbolizes growth, vitality, and expansion. It is associated with spring, new beginnings, and creativity. Wood is often linked to the qualities of flexibility, endurance, and development.

Fire represents heat, passion, and transformation. It is associated with summer and is seen as an element of vitality, enthusiasm, and energy. Fire also symbolizes destruction and renewal, as it can consume and transform what it touches.

Earth stands for stability, nourishment, and grounding. It is connected to the transitional periods between seasons and represents balance, support, and fertility. Earth is often seen as the mediator, providing the foundation for the other elements to interact.

Metal represents strength, structure, and precision. It is linked with autumn and is seen as an element that provides clarity, discipline, and transformation. Metal also symbolizes the cutting away of what is unnecessary and the refining of what is essential.

Water symbolizes fluidity, adaptability, and wisdom. It is associated with winter and represents the qualities of calm, reflection, and endurance. Water is also seen as the force of concealment, flowing and filling in spaces, but it can also wear down even the hardest substances over time.

The Five Phases interact with each element in two primary ways.

One is the creation cycle. This is a productive cycle where one phase nourishes or creates the next.

The order starts with Wood creating Fire, as wood fuels fire.

Fire creates Earth, as fire turns into ash, which nourishes the earth.

Earth creates Metal, as minerals are formed from the earth.

Metal creates Water, as metal can condense water vapor.

Water creates Wood, as water nourishes plants and trees.

The second is the control cycle. This is a controlling cycle where one phase weakens or controls another.

The order starts with Wood controlling Earth, as the roots of trees can break through the earth.

Earth controls Water, as earth can absorb water or divert it.

Water controls Fire, as water can extinguish fire.

Fire controls Metal, as fire can melt metal.

Metal controls Wood, as metal tools can cut wood.

In Daoist Cultivator thought, the Five Phases represent a natural, harmonious flow of Qi in the universe…

…

…

…

Lan Hengsheng is currently in a state of enlightenment. It began when he had enough of simply sitting there and endlessly trying to comprehend the Dao from the Dao Monument.

He knew at that moment, that no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't get him anywhere else. Without a means to bypass the comprehension process, like Yunsu's Divine Five Agents Bloodline, he wouldn't be able to comprehend anything.

Hengsheng is not willing to give up and go back to comprehend the Laws like normal cultivators should do, since the evidence of the successful possibility has already shown itself, in the form of the cat carefreely showing its belly on the mattress beside him.

His desperate struggle finally ends up with him using the System's power. Hengsheng uses the System function of his Main System — [The Strongest Cultivator System], activating both Absorption and Inspection at once, at the cost of consuming most of his remaining System points, leaving them at 1,000 SP, which was only enough to use for the upcoming battle.

The System rarely disappointed him. He began to absorb the Dao Rhythm into his body.

The Dao Rhythm was not meant to be absorbed; it was similar to sound and light, and nothing could contain it at least from Hengsheng's current knowledge. It only stayed inside Hengsheng's body for a while before the System's absorption effect ended and it returned to the Heavenly Dao World.

While the Dao Rhythm was still within Hengsheng's body, the inspection function could perform at its full potential. Instantly, Huge amounts of information flowed through his head.

He had a hard time focusing on comprehension due to the overwhelming amount of information.

However, he succeeded sometime later, after he sensed aid coming from outside. Yunsu, who seemed to have woken up, was sitting on Hengsheng's lap. She seemed to notice his inner struggle and lent her paws to aid him.

The aura from Yunsu's Divine Bloodline, harmonizing with his own Spiritual Qi and Dao Heart, allowed him to borrow a fragment of its power. It quickly helped him arrange the information inside his head, making it reasonable and enabling him to comprehend it.

Hengsheng's Spiritual Qi began vibrating, and the Dao Heart was fully unleashed, allowing him to achieve the highest possible synchronizing rate of his current cultivation realm with the Dao of Heaven and Earth.

The Rhythm of the Dao became sensible, and Hengsheng began to comprehend the Dao of Five Phases.

While Hengsheng was comprehending the Dao, he sensed that each time he successfully grasped an understanding of the Dao, this understanding harmonized him with heaven and earth. This process produced something within his very being.

Hengsheng inspected it and found that its essence was similar to his Dao Heart, but it did not mix with his Will and Heart. It was purely a Spiritual Essence filled with his understanding of the Dao of the Five Phases.

The appearance of this Spiritual Essence allowed him to pinpoint the source of the power behind his Dao Heart's insanely increase in his Spiritual Power.

The Spiritual Power represents how solid one's cultivation foundation is and how deeply one understands the cultivation path. It would manifest in the form of the Final multiplication in overall strength.

It had been a long time since he had wondered how his Dao Heart could increase his Spiritual Power so much that his strength increased by ten times without any apparent cause.

The answer was the Dao Essence!

The Dao Heart turned out to be merely the Will and Heart of cultivators that were strong enough to hold the Dao Essence, instead of holding it with the Body and Soul like high-rank cultivators do.

The amount of Dao Essence within Hengsheng's Dao Heart was pitifully low making it hard to identify.

While Hengsheng inspected the Dao Essence, he sensed that it was about to leave his very being and return to Heaven and Earth. He quickly commanded his Divine Sense to grasp it, but he could not.

When it left, it also took away his understanding of the Dao of the Five Phases that he had worked so hard to comprehend.

Hengsheng felt as if a knife had been stabbed right into his heart.

'Thief! No one steals from me — not even Heaven!'