"No... Just tell me what happens in the final truth," Tianmo said. He doesn't plan to view it.
[Ding!]
[In the Final Truth chapter, before Tang Sanzang and his disciples reach the Thunder Monastery, they encounter an Aghori ascetic in the desolate lands. The ascetic, covered in ash, speaks to Monk about the nature of the soul and the cycle of Samsara.]
"Oh, they talk about soul and the cycle of samsara!?"
[Yes! The Aghori reveals that the soul is a permanent entity but with a fluid consciousness. Upon death, the soul falls into the River of reincarnation/ samsara, where it is burned in the Pure Flame of Truth named Samadhi. This flame erases all memories, emotions, and individual concepts, reducing the soul to a pristine state of nothingness before it is reincarnated into a vessel again.]
"Oh! But system what happens to individual concepts and memories, I mean it may be dumb to ask, but I believe those memories exist in some kind of form... I also want to ask, what exactly is soul?!"
[Host you are wise to think of that. The soul is merely a concept of Tao-Yi and Se born from nascent immortal matter. Tao-Yi means the true soul, that one can obtain after reaching the peak of the nascent soul realm and reaching the ensoulment phase. All the while, Se refers to a fake soul or temporary soul. Memories are stored in the brain and the Sea of Consciousness while concepts are tied to the soul. ]
[Let's say, you are born, live, and die... Upon death, your soul falls into the river of reincarnation and is burned in the pure flame of truth named samadhi, washing away all your memories and concepts i.e the concept of self, then you are reincarnated in a new body.]
[But where do your memories and concepts go?]
[Those memories are flowing in the air, in the form of Nascent Immortal matter ( nim ) that are read by the conscious will born from the void. That's why people sometimes when they absorb the memories of the dead believe they are reincarnated. "vision" and "profound Epiphany" also work in the same way. ]
"Oh! So, you are telling me there is no hell and heaven, and one is burned of his self-concept to reincarnate again," Tianmo raised his brows. If memories flow in the form of nascent immortal matter then is he even reincarnated?
[Ding! Hell and heaven exist but they aren't absolute concepts. Let me clarify it in simple terms: There is but one absolute truth, and that is the concept of Brahman.]
[The absolute truth is a concept of self-mastery, and Brahman is merely a word used to describe the absolute. In essence, the Brahman is the absolute truth, the unchanging essence that pervades all existence. The paths to the absolute truth are divided into many forms known as Dao—Heavenly Dao, Cultural Dao, scholarly Dao, Sword Dao, etc. ]
[Each Dao is a path to the absolute truth. But the absolute truth doesn't state anything is wrong or right. You can be a pedophile doing vile things to hundreds of children, or, you can be a doctor who saves countless lives, the absolute truth views you as the same.]
[But as mentioned the memories and concepts of the dead souls create an EGO, that changed the viewing perspective of a conscious Will]
[They believe they are the Truth, they are the god... They think they are the ultimate Dao and they give birth to the concept of right and wrong because they are biased.]
"Wait, what... Let me think it clearly... Hmm..." Could it be that the system is telling me, Dao is merely the path towards the absolute truth, and the conscious will isn't the absolute truth?
Tianmo was in deep thought.
"System are you telling me, each Dao has developed a conscious will!?"
[Exactly, and they are the ones who created the concept of Right and wrong, and decided to create hell and heaven as a punishment and reward. You don't necessarily need to die to go to hell and heaven. You can ascend to heaven through nirvana. That's what I am saying by the hidden Truth of the journey to the west. ]
[There were originally 82 trials of truth, but Tang Sanzang failed the trials of Aghori where he revealed that morality isn't eternal, compassion isn't eternal but the Tang priest refused to believe it. People are like this, they put layers of defensive mechanics to protect their beliefs. ]
[Once they have a set worldview, they will cling to it even if it's exposed to the core. That's why culture, morals, and cultural views exist. They will stick to their beliefs believing they are correct, shattering the grey world into black and white.]
[Tang Sanzang failed the trial of the Aghori. He could not accept that the morality he preached was merely a construct of the Dao's ego, a temporary shelter against the void of the Absolute Truth. He chose the comfort of lies over the terror of freedom. That's why he ascended to heaven, believing it was the final truth unaware he was merely a pet in a golden cage.]
Tianmo sat in silence for a moment. He did read the story of Buddha (Siddharth) who left his kingdom to find the answer to suffering.
He didn't even found Buddhism, his disciples did. He found the absolute truth, the state of Nirvana where the self is dissolved into the void, merging with the Brahman. But his disciples, unable to grasp the terrifying emptiness of that truth, created Buddhism—a religion with rules, reincarnation, karma, and heavens. They built a cage around the truth and called it salvation.
Siddharth had clearly said don't believe in god but believe in yourself, but his disciples created a god out of him.
"So, In short..."
Brahman = One absolute truth, but paths (Dao) are divided.
And each Dao has a manifestation of its own conscious will, and each has formed an Ego from the memories of death.
i.e:
People are born — Live — and die
After that, they fall into samsara. There their soul is burned in the pure flame of truth. Washing away every emotion, concept, and memory, and making it a brand new soul, and reincarnating. A powerful soul ( Tao-Yo) can even split and become multiple. ( Se)
And all those memories, concepts, emotions are learned by the Will forming a distinct EGO— believing itself to be moderator/administrator for the path of Dao.
The true world doesn't say something is wrong or right.
That's why the ego comes to play where the conscious WILL that has absorbed the memories starts to rule, and creates karma, laws, and the concept of right and wrong based on the memories/emotions/ego of the dead one.
And the major power in the current time is Heavenly Dao where if you worship heaven you are good, if not you are a sinner—kind of Abrahamic concept where one must worship god and bow to him.
It is a system of control. A vast, celestial bureaucracy designed to farm the spiritual energy of sentient beings. The Heavenly Dao feeds on worship and order, crushing deviation under the heel of 'Righteousness'. Well, this part is clearly Tianmo's own views.
"System... Didn't you say, Seven primordial dragons fought with 3000 paths of dao, but heavenly dao came victorious?!
[Ding!]
[Correct. The Heavenly Dao rules on a multiverse scale, while other Dao are distinct aside from the Truth Dao, which despite being a universal ruler can stand against the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao is the biggest ego, born from the collective memory of order and the fear of chaos. It judges, punishes, and rewards based on its own subjective morality, which it claims to be absolute.]
[The divine plane of primordial was the first ever place that gave birth to concepts and true powerful primordials opening the path to the absolute. Life began to grow and Dao began to form. The most powerful authority at that time was the Absolute creation, being able to freely create energy, Nascent matter, and existence, possessed by the Primordial Dragon White]
[Primordial White possessed Absolute Creation, Primordial black possessed undefined—capable of erasing concepts, and Primordial Red possessed Destruction. They were two of the strongest dragons born from the manifestation of
[Their soul is sealed, and their authority is now with the heavens. And their bodies destroyed creating a big bag, giving birth to multiple universes and dimensions.]
"..."
"Wait. Wait. Wait... You are telling me the conscious will of the heavenly Dao could defeat has absolute creation and an undefined that could erase concepts and now have their authority, so, how am I even supposed to fight it?!" Tianmo isn't a person to fight an entity that it can't defeat at all.
There is no such thing as a loophole in heaven.
[That's the truth host. You can't defeat heaven nor Heavenly Dao at the moment, but that doesn't mean they are undefeated. Defeat the Heavenly Dao the same way, it defeated Primordial dragons]
"How?!"
[Heavenly Dao defeated primordial dragons using Samadhi flame separating their soul from their body, and sealing their soul... Because if dragons are reborn, they can regain their ego and authority.]
"Wait... How can they regain their ego!?"
[That's the catch host. Memories exist as Nascent Immortal matter meaning they can never be erased, and you can gain them once you grow enough. As I have said, the soul has four vibrations, among them Kîî attracts the Nascent immortal matters they resonate with.]
( nim can be suppressed, sealed, hidden )
"System. But you said Samadhi separates the concept of self from being... Doesn't that mean samadhi can't erase them?!"
[Yes. Use existence erasing flames, concept freezing eternal ice. ]
"Oh. System... Do you think primordial dragons will emerge and fight Heavenly Dao again?!"
[Interesting question. ]
"But system... How did they even lose like Primordial black could erase concepts, power like that would be absolutely useful in my hands," Tianmo said with his mental voice, his time devoid of any doki-doki excitement. He was calm and composed standing from his seat.
The communication with the system is absolutely mind-shaking, but it also gave him a clear goal. To survive, to truly transcend, he cannot simply follow the path laid out by the Heavens. He must walk his own Dao, one that perhaps defies the very concept of 'Right' and 'Wrong' established by the ego of the Heavenly Dao.
Tianmo placed the Heaven Slaying Stone into his storage ring. The blue light vanished, but the heavy, oppressive aura of the fragment remained. He can't fathom why he feels so close to a fragment of Primordial Dragon scale.
Could Li Chen be the primordial dragon?! No, that makes no sense. The monk sees once and shakes his head twice.
[Ding!]
[Aside from dragons other primordial beings used to exist and still exist and one of them was A strange-looking orb named zero, whose abilities are unknown.]
"Hmm..." Tianmo didn't know what to say, regardless he was perfectly composed.
When he returned back to the Wang family hall, the Patriarch Wang and the elders were discussing something, seeing Tianmo Elder Wang Yun and the others quickly stood up.
"Mo'er, you are back," Patriarch Wang said, his voice filled with a father's warmth, though his eyes betrayed a lingering anxiety.
He gestured to the seat of honor at the head of the table. "We were just discussing the recent movements of the other sects and it seems the Great Emperor's tomb is going to open soon."
The tomb of the great emperor?!
He narrowed his eyes.
"The Great Emperor's Tomb?" Tianmo repeated, his voice smooth as he took his seat at the head of the table. He accepted a cup of tea from a servant, his movements fluid and regal. "I recall the legends state it opens once every hundred thousand years. The timing seems... fortuitous."
Or perhaps, manipulated.
He took a slow sip, his mind thinking on why. In the original novel, this event was the turning point where Li Chen, the protagonist, would obtain a heaven-defying inheritance and leap from a nobody to a genius. If the timeline was accelerating, it meant the variables were shifting. The plot armor was trying to adjust to his presence.
"Fortuitous indeed," Patriarch Wang nodded, his brow furrowed with worry. "Only the raw ones—below the bone age of 50, are accepted. The Emperor's will rejects the old and withered, seeking fresh vessels to inherit his legacy."
He looked at Tianmo, his eyes filled with a mix of hope and fear. "Mo'er, with your talent and the resources from the Dragon Court, you are our best hope. But the competition... It will be a slaughterhouse."
Tianmo swirled his tea, the golden liquid reflecting his cold eyes. Whenever the great treasure appears, a bloodbath is inevitable does he even need the emperor's legacy!?
With infinite wealth, he can have many powerful emperor techniques.
"For three hundred thousand years, no one has managed to obtain the Emperor's legacy, only a few lucky ones managed to escape with their lives, with a mortality rate as high as 85%. This Yun believes it's unwise to send Mo'er to explore the tomb. The risk is too great," Elder Wang Yun said, his voice grave, his hand stroking his beard in a rhythmic, anxious motion.
The Wang family members fell silent. The numbers were grim. The Great Emperor's Tomb was not a treasure vault; it was a meat grinder. To send their brightest hope, the vessel of the Dragon Court's favor, into such a place seemed like madness.
"Indeed. Exploring a tomb is simply seeking demise..." Tianmo added. The emperor is simply looking for Li Chen to give away the treasures and techniques he has. Aside from Li Chen, no one will be chosen. It is a trap and a setup.
He placed his cup down with a soft click. "It's alright Wang family doesn't have to save face by sending anyone."
What's the point of saving face when genius dies?!
Patriarch Wang let out a long, ragged breath, the tension in his shoulders finally slumping. He looked at Tianmo with eyes that shone with relief and profound gratitude. To a patriarch, the safety of the clan's future outweighed the glory of the present.
"Wise... truly wise," Patriarch Wang murmured, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "The other families will bleed themselves dry over scraps of legacy, while we stand tall. The Wang Family will not participate in the opening of the Great Emperor's Tomb."
The elders around the table nodded in agreement, their expressions relaxing. The fear of losing their rising star had been a heavy cloud over the hall. With Tianmo's decision, the sun seemed to break through.
However, as the relief settled, a shadow flickered across Elder Wang Yun's face. He stroked his beard, his gaze drifting toward the entrance of the hall, his brow furrowing in thought.
"There is... one more matter," Elder Wang Yun said slowly, his voice hesitant. "A messenger from the Liu Family arrived shortly before you returned, Young Master."
Tianmo's eyes narrowed. "The Liu Family?"
"They are a mid-tier clan in the nearby city, a soul wandering family," Wang Yun explained. "They have sent a marriage proposal."
A heavy silence descended upon the hall.
Marriage proposals in the cultivation world were rarely simple matters of the heart; they were contracts, mergers, and sometimes, shackles.
"They ask for the hand of the Seventh Miss, Wang Ling'er," Wang Yun continued, glancing nervously at Tianmo. "The suitor is Liu Feng, the young master of the Liu Family. He is said to possess a Fifth-grade Fire Spirit Root and has reached the second stage of Qi Refining at the age of 54."
"The Liu Family offers a generous bride price—fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones and three Earth-grade defensive talismans."
Tianmo's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Elder, he looked calm and composed but something sinister seemed to be brewing in his eyes.
Age of 54, second stage of qi refining?! Wants to marry Ling'er?!
"Fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones and three Earth-grade talismans?" Tianmo repeated, his voice low and smooth, like the silk of a noose sliding into place. He swirled the tea in his cup, watching the liquid settle.
He didn't look at the elders. He looked at the ceiling, as if bored. "Elder Wang Yun, do you know where your fault lies?!"
"T-This old one... This old one does not understand," Elder Wang Yun stammered, his heart skipping a beat. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, the air growing heavy with an invisible pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Tianmo took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea, the sound echoing loudly in the sudden silence. He placed the cup down with a soft, deliberate click.
"You are an elder of the Wang Family," Tianmo began, his voice soft but carrying the weight of a mountain. "You possess wisdom, experience, and authority. Yet, you stand before me and recite the insults of a dying dog as if they were praises... Are you stupid or pretending to be one? You have three breaths, slap yourself twice."
The command hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Elder Wang Yun froze, his face draining of color until it was as pale as the moon. The other elders around the table lowered their heads, not daring to breathe, let alone intervene. They knew that in this hall, Tianmo's word was not just law; it was the will of the heavens itself.
"I... I..." Elder Wang Yun's voice trembled, his hands shaking at his sides.
"Slap yourself," Tianmo repeated, his voice dropping an octave, the green light in his eyes flaring with a hint of draconic fury. "I'd better not repeat it third time..."
Elder Wang Yun didn't dare hesitate for a fraction of a second longer. The pressure in the room was suffocating, a physical weight pressing down on his shoulders, threatening to crush his bones to dust.
Smack!
The sound was crisp and loud, echoing through the silent hall like a gunshot. Elder Wang Yun's head snapped to the side, his cheek instantly swelling, a red handprint glowing vividly against his pale skin.
Smack!
The second blow was harder, driven by panic and the instinct to survive. The old man stumbled, tasting copper in his mouth, his eyes swimming with tears of humiliation and terror.
"This... this old man was foolish!" Elder Wang Yun choked out, his voice trembling as he kowtowed, his forehead pressing against the cold stone floor. "I have eyes but I failed to see Mount Tai! I allowed a toad to dream of swan meat!"
Tianmo leaned back, the pressure in the room lifting slightly, allowing the elders to draw ragged breaths.
"There is no need to accept any marriage proposal, let alone one from a family of such... mediocrity," Tianmo said, his voice dismissive, as if he were swatting away a fly. "Ling'er is my sister. Her value is not measured in spirit stones or talismans, but in her bloodline and her connection to me. To marry her off is to sell a part of myself."
Elder Wang Yun remained kowtowing, his forehead pressed against the cold stone, his body trembling like a leaf in a gale.