A Thousand Nirvanas

Within the vastness of the Jade Miniature Universe, Mo Wuya released his most treasured possession — the Great Space Chart.

He was preparing to enter a session of closed-door cultivation, intending to comprehend the fabled Thousand Nirvana Picture amidst the desolate silence of this private void. Around him, nothing existed save for pure emptiness. The lone exception was a massive solar star, burning at the heart of the void — the manifestation of Mo Wuya's perfected Origin Law of Flames and Fire.

Whoosh—

The Great Space Chart expanded instantly, far surpassing the speed of light, morphing into a tesseract that stretched across a billion kilometres in height and breadth. At once, the Thousand Nirvana Picture floated silently into the air, before being devoured by the Great Space Chart and sealed into its four-dimensional centre.

There were typically two known methods to comprehend the scroll. One involved the use of a void-based treasure to mirror and superimpose the diagram, revealing its hidden truths. The other, more common approach, began at the four edges — like assembling a puzzle — slowly expanding one's understanding until the entire scroll was assimilated into the sea of consciousness.

The royal clan of the Ancient Kingdom utilised an obscure artefact called the Void Diagram, forged from the skin of a terrifying beast, to overlay with the Thousand Nirvana Picture. Mo Wuya, however, had a different method — his chart came from the Inheritance of God King Yu.

"Overlaying the Thousand Nirvana Picture with the Void Diagram reflects it across a thousand layers of the Void," Mo Wuya recalled. "Each layer of void mirrors one picture, creating a thousand unique perspectives."

Upon comprehending the One Thousand Phases of the Thousand Nirvana Picture, a thousand-layered spatial illusion would manifest in the cultivator's mind, subjecting the soul to intense pressure, thereby dramatically enhancing the scroll's transformative effects.

The Great Space Chart, extraordinary in nature, now had the Picture as its nucleus. As it devoured the image layer by layer, the tesseract began to shrink, spinning faster and faster. Once the Picture had been completely absorbed, the construct surged outward once more, expanding until it enveloped the entire miniature universe.

The world of void changed.

The first image from the Thousand Nirvana Picture manifested as an illusory reality within the chart. The void was now alive — endlessly compressing and expanding in a perpetual cycle.

The First Nirvana began.

The world transformed into a colossal subterranean mine. There was no light, only infinite darkness. And yet, the dimensions of this cavern matched that of the entire miniature universe.

Within it, Mo Wuya was reborn — this time as a boy named Anlan. To transcend this first illusion, he need only remain true to himself and pierce the illusion with clarity.

Alongside a flowing river of sword light, a group of cultivators debated the Dao. But abruptly, something shifted.

The Sword River flowed into the darkness ahead. From the abyssal depths, faint traces of sword-origin energy began to rise, flowing against the current. All eyes narrowed. Spiritual sense extended towards the depths, and many expressions changed.

"There's someone down there!" cried a young woman.

A figure had emerged from the abyss.

It rose slowly, sword-origin energy wrapped around it. As it ascended, the opposing currents of sword light clashed — and then exploded in all directions.

Pfft— A man looked down in shock. Countless pinprick holes had opened across his chest, as if water had passed through him and torn the flesh apart. Blood gushed freely.

This was no ordinary sword light. It was the terrifying Water Sword Origin Energy. Each strand was as sharp as a divine weapon. Even a spit could form a deadly ray, or a finger flick unleash a slicing stream. The body that contained it was termed the Water Sword Origin Body — a divine body of liquid steel and unrelenting power.

This was a special form of utilizing the Great Dao of Water Origin at the Primal Chaos level. Its effectiveness rivalled that of peak-stage Sovereigns.

"Ah!" The injured man howled, then collapsed, dead.

Panic erupted. All who had gathered fell back in terror. The Sword Abyss River, once calm, was now revealed as a death trap.

Though its form was water, its essence was power. Unforgiving, peerless, absolute. That was the consensus — until the figure emerged fully.

This person bathed in the river, unresisting. Sword energies passed through him like waves, terrifying yet yielding.

"Is the sword light… natural?" someone whispered — a lie they didn't believe. That destructive ray had clearly come from the figure, not the ore vein.

At higher stages of cultivation, perhaps the Dao itself became malleable — water could become sword, sword could become water.

"After comprehending the rules… it seems possible," Anlan murmured. "The Dao conforms to one's intent. If you seek a gentle sword, you comprehend Daos that allow it. If you seek a sword of iron will, then that is what you pursue. In the end — if you live, the Dao lives."

The man who had previously spoken grew pale.

"Indeed. True understanding must come from personal insight. Words alone can mislead. You may hear, but not comprehend. I'm sure your Master showed you his power many times, didn't he?" Anlan's tone was reflective, not mocking — his eyes distant.

"Shut up," came the cold reply.

Anlan said no more. A young fairy smiled softly and flattered the speaker, "I still believe you're right." Empty words.

But the man accepted them. Pride soothed, he said nothing more.

Anlan, meanwhile, watched the figure. The man was squatting, swinging an open hand like a sword, using the countercurrent of the river as a whetstone. His tattered white robe clung to a wounded divine body. Hair wild, movements mechanical, spirit undistracted — every movement expelled sword light.

There was no physical sword. The body was the sword. Limbs, spine, breath — all guided sword intent directly. An open palm was enough.

Then the man looked up.

Cold brilliance erupted from his eyes — a gaze like a blade.

"A thousand eras to hone the sword — now, it is complete."

A woman's voice echoed from his lips.

Pfft! Blood flew. A figure was cleaved in two before a cry could escape.

Sword-light followed — meteors of annihilation, sweeping through the crowd. Experts died before they could react. Auras burst, domains unfolded, all in vain.

"Transcendent Primal Chaos Saint…" Anlan's heart trembled.

This was power beyond reason. Divine artefacts shattered, defences pierced. One man even deployed a trillion-kilometre shield, only for the sword-light to disassemble into streams, slip through the gaps, and destroy him.

This was the invincible tier within the Primal Chaos stage — perhaps even at the cusp of becoming a God King.

After a thousand eras of self-tempering, he emerged to test his blade on living beings. To him, they were not lifeforms — but whetstones.

Was this… a catastrophe cultivator? A master of the Great Dao of Destruction Origin?

Even the arrogant began retreating. The fairy hid behind others, divine bodies unfurled to their fullest extent.

The sword-light morphed again into a humanoid figure. He stepped forward.

The previously proud cultivator panicked, unleashing thunderous bolts — but the madman simply walked through them. The lightning curved gently around his body, dissolving.

In that instant, the man turned deathly pale.

"This lunatic has already comprehended the Dao of Water Origin… the Path of Streams," Anlan thought. "A newly ascended God King."

That sword-grinding man had transcended normal comprehension. Now, he was the stream.

Inferior insights meant defeat before the battle even began. The opponent's laws would simply be overwritten.

"So, you cultivate the Dao of Thunder?" the figure sneered. "How ordinary."

Sword-light flowed once more. Water-like energy enveloped the man, forcing him to tremble uncontrollably.

"Senior, I'm the disciple of the Skyjade Marquis! The grandson of the Duke of the Evergreen Cosmos!" the man cried desperately.

The madman paused. Grandson of a Duke?

No matter how mad he seemed, he knew the limits of whom he could provoke.

"Very well. Consider this a lesson, a gift from me on behalf of your Cosmos ruler. Learn your place."

With that, boundless Water Sword Origin Energy wrapped around the man and hurled him into the ground. He survived — barely.

The madman then turned to Anlan. Sword-light surged.

Anlan snorted and expanded into his Infinite Divine Body, activating secret techniques. He cultivated the Great Dao of Mater Origin. His defence, ordinarily unmatched, began to collapse.

His body shattered. Mo Wuya's soul teetered on the edge of destruction.

This was Nirvana — a trial of extinction.

If he could not resist, he would be trapped forever in this limbo state. The sword-light tore at his soul: for a day, a year, a cycle… an eternity.

But Mo Wuya endured. Pain was irrelevant. He would not transcend unless he broke the cage. This was his only thought.

Eventually, the pain subsided.

The illusion shattered.

He had passed the first picture.

Anlan — the legendary creator of the Thousand Nirvana Picture — had inscribed a special meaning within this first image. This was his rebirth. His breakthrough. His battle against the madman.

Only those who faced death without fear could be worthy of the scroll.

The Second Nirvana began.

The void shifted.

This time, Mo Wuya became a three-headed winged beast, undergoing countless calamities. Lightning, fire, annihilation — each tribulation reshaped him.

With every cycle, the beast transformed, evolving amidst the chaos. Eventually, its scales shimmered brilliantly. Light amassed until it birthed an even greater radiance — like a miniature sun.

This was the Light of Spirit — born from the burning of Mo Wuya's soul. The second picture demanded a peak Primal Chaos Will merely to survive.

As the spirit consumed itself, Mo Wuya became the beast. He endured.

The actual calamities originated from outside, a full 999 layers of void apart, weakened immensely by the time they reached him. Though a lesser soul would be crushed, Mo Wuya whose willpower was already at the level of an Ultimate God King — savored each torment.

By the time he had tasted the first 900 pictures, he had reached the pinnacle of what he could easily endure. From now on, every picture would be a serious threat.

"Is this the essence of enduring tribulation? A thousand Nirvanas… each one forging my will between death and transformation…"

The 901st picture emerged. Its theme was endless Extinction, being rejected by the world itself — the end of all.

The Thousand Nirvana Picture forged transcendence through ever transforming annihilation, each picture unraveling a different angle.

The first picture: Foundational Sublimation.

The second picture: The self-consuming trial of endless calamity.

The third picture: The nightmare of unending death.

The 901st picture: The annihilation of all things.

Fortunately, Mo Wuya's Willpower was sufficient and his heart for the dao indestructible. He immersed himself, one picture at a time, embracing destruction, surviving and metamorphosing.