The Primordial Chaos Gem explained why it couldn't smash him to death. Yes, it's incredibly powerful—anything born of this heaven and earth, it can shatter, soul and flesh alike. Even an Almighty: if one stood still and let it strike, it could kill him all the same. But Almighties run. Without a true master to wield it, the gem can't kill an Almighty. The same goes for those "failed ascendants"—though they're bound by the world's rules, they can also merge into those rules. So, without a master, the gem can't smash them to death either.
"The Calamity Supreme isn't my master," it added. "At best, he was a user. There's a world of difference."
Lin Moyu asked, "Back then, did you at least injure him?"
"I did," the gem said. "He underestimated me. But the injury shouldn't have been that serious."
"That's odd," Lin said. "From what I know, he was badly hurt."
"No," the gem refuted. "He wasn't. He was likely pretending. I sensed another fellow lurking behind him, watching for a chance to take him out."
Lin had a sudden realization. "So it only looked serious—at least, far less than the Calamity Supreme believed. He saw the Dao gravely wounded, but that was a performance. There was a yellow finch behind the mantis—the Dao wanted to counter-kill, so he put on a show, giving the Calamity Supreme a false impression. They just didn't expect the Calamity Supreme to have a backhand. He seemed to die to the Dao, but actually didn't; he broke out of that trap and completed his breakthrough."
At last, things were clear. None of these people were easy to deal with—every one of them schemed deeply. But who was that figure forever hidden in the shadows? During the World-Origin Calamity, who else took the same step as the Skyscreen Beast and survived? Whoever they are, the three of them can't live into a fourth great calamity. So this calamity is their opportunity.
"When a world-calamity descends," Lin asked, "do all beings in the world die?"
"That depends on whether the world has an Almighty," said the gem. "If there is one, he can dissolve the calamity so beings survive. If not—most die. Very few survive. By past experience, most Almighties appear in the late stages of some calamity—by then, seven or eight tenths of life is already gone."
The gem had seen too much; life and death no longer moved it. Lin wasn't that detached.
"If, during the calamity, I send people into my own inner world," Lin asked, "can they avoid the calamity?"
"Of course. It's an excellent method."
Relief stirred in Lin's heart. A workable fallback—whether he'd need it was another matter, but he needed to have it. He could choose not to use it, but he couldn't afford not to have it. For minor matters, whatever; but for life-and-death—especially his family and friends—he must leave an escape route. Lin didn't fear death for himself, but he refused to let his loved ones die—especially his wives. Before the calamity truly erupts, he must send them into his storage space to ensure their safety. His current strength was still a touch lacking; fortunately, the calamity wouldn't break out so soon—it still needed time to brew.
"Do you know what lies at the deepest point of the Ancient Wilds?" Lin asked.
"That's the world's Genesis Point," the gem said. "It's where this heaven and earth began to evolve. Primordial Dawn Qi comes from there—it's also called the Beginning of Heaven and Earth. Every world has two such nodes. The Beginning marks origin; the World's Wall marks end. In the Beginning you'll find remnants of Primordial Dawn Qi and relics of the world's evolution. For instance, something may fall out from the World's Wall and land into the Beginning; since there's Primordial Dawn Qi there, it will evolve within that cradle. But because it doesn't pass through the world's rules of gestation, it turns into all sorts of strange, uncanny things. Over time, the Beginning becomes chaotic. What exactly you'll find—only by going in will you know."
"From what I know," Lin said, "the last one who failed his breakthrough got his chance only after entering the deepest Ancient Wilds. What do you think?"
"What is there to think?" the gem snorted. "I've seen that a lot. Plenty of beings in many worlds gamble in the Beginning to seek fortune. Not a few succeed; the vast majority fail and die. That he gained a chance there—even though he failed to fully break through, he still advanced half a step. That already puts him among the standouts. In the Beginning, there's no shackle of world-rules: everything is possible. Death and opportunity walk hand in hand."
It glanced at Lin. "Master, you want to go there too."
"I want to seek my own opportunity."
"Is Master alright?" the gem said, baffled. "With your resources, you don't need to go there at all. If you just cultivate steadily, you'll naturally break through. The calamity isn't here yet—you have plenty of time. You can absolutely become a Supreme and contend with them."
Lin shook his head. "That's not what I want. It isn't enough."
The gem hesitated. "But even for you, that place can be dangerous."
"I want to go in there and die," Lin said.
"Huh?"
He then realized the gem didn't know about his rebirth talent—of course; it had been sleeping. Lin explained, and the gem frowned—then sent a warm current surging through Lin's body.
"It's true!" the gem cried. "Master's body and soul have both reached the Chaos-realm limit. Dual limit—body and soul—this might be unprecedented. If you can maintain this, you might reach the very extreme of heaven and earth—or even surpass it."
Lin asked, "Not even Almighties have done that?"
"Some have reached the limit with either body or soul—that already makes them remarkable. A portion of Almighties are like that. Most Almighties have both body and soul extremely strong, but neither reaches the absolute limit. If Master breaks that limit, then after you become an Almighty, you might actually be able to enter the Forbidden Zone of Life."
"Mm. So the Forbidden Zone isn't absolutely inaccessible—so long as you can withstand its shredding force, it is possible," it mused. "Master, I support you going to the Genesis Point. Find a really dangerous spot. Die properly."
"Die properly"—wolfish words. It was one thing for Lin to say them himself; hearing the gem say it so matter-of-factly, even egging him on, was something else. But of course—the thing had wandered the Forbidden Zone for countless years; there wasn't much it hadn't seen. What it hadn't seen was someone whose body and soul both reached the world's limit—and might even surpass it. How could it not be curious? It wanted to see whether dual transcendence could enter—and perhaps break—the Forbidden Zone's constraints. With that in mind, the gem wasn't sleepy anymore; it practically wished Lin would plunge into the deepest Ancient Wilds the next second.
Lin guessed the gem's little thoughts and ignored them. He also wanted to "die properly"—but not recklessly; it had to be conditional, orderly. Like in the Western Pure Land's world-womb—death within a controllable range. Achieving that had always been hard. In the past, Antares could help; now, in Chaos and the Ancient Wilds, the only ones who might help were those three. Even Supremes can't just kill him at will; they couldn't meet his conditions. As for those three—forget it. That'd be real courting death.
"The last spacetime passage in the World's Wall leads to a world remnant with obvious perils," he mused. "That might work—but the Causality-Seeking Ring fails there; control becomes difficult. Not my first choice. The deepest Ancient Wilds are the only option for now. Maybe I can find an environment that fits my needs."
They still had a long way to go. Xiaopeng flew as fast as he could toward that goal. The Ancient Wilds were vast; even a Supreme would need a great deal of time to traverse them. The farther from Chaos, the weaker the power of the Dao; Supremes were increasingly affected and slowed, unlike in Chaos where they could step through space and flit between the Extremities with little time lost. Chaos was receding; the Dao's influence grew thin.
Lin noticed his Undying Dao had barely changed—neither stronger nor weaker. In fact, aside from that trip to the world remnant, the Undying Dao had almost never been affected. He was sure he had fully fused the Undying Dao into himself, letting it stand independent of Chaos and the Ancient Wilds. Otherwise, it was hard to explain.
Along the way, Little Tree kept sensing spatial changes and fine-tuning their heading. The deepest Ancient Wilds are this world's beginning; though located in the Ancient Wilds, they had no fixed compass direction. Little Tree had never entered, but he'd tried to probe and knew the rough location; with his senses, he guided Xiaopeng.
Lin saw legions of Ancient-Wilds lifeforms—marching or clashing—all awakened. Their numbers were beyond counting. The powerful ones usually slumbered; now, all had awakened to face the coming calamity. In Little Tree's era, the mighty were nearly all slain. But a few would have escaped and gone into hiding—and at a new calamity, they too awaken. If these entities possess intellect, they won't give up a chance to become Almighties; even if they would, under the calamity's influence their Dao-hearts will change and drive them to try. The great calamity is the ordeal of all beings—hard to avoid.
"Master, I see bugs," Little Tree suddenly said, projecting an image.
He meant the kind from the South Extremity—tiny as dust, their auras weak, beneath even mortals in strength. But strangely, they could survive in the Ancient Wilds—their uniquely invasive forces didn't affect them at all.
"Xiaopeng, take us closer."
Under Lin's direction, Xiaopeng approached. Wrapped in the Hidden Spirit Pearl, Lin left the Ferrying-Calamity Boat to examine the tiny insects up close. They weren't swarming; they were spread out across a wide area. Ancient-Wilds beasts trampled over them, crushing swathes at a time. In the next second, nearby companions flew over and devoured the corpses; and after feeding, they split, and in a blink their numbers were back to what they had been. So long as one remained, they could quickly return to full numbers.
These insects came from the Insect Stele. Grand Sovereign Jin had given them no combat power—but a special ability to survive in the dangerous Ancient Wilds. He'd sent them here to search—Lin immediately grasped his aim. Jin, too, was seeking fortune—perhaps the deepest Ancient Wilds themselves. Even beings from that ancient era didn't all know the exact location; most knew only that such a place existed. Jin was likely one of them. He refused to accept being trapped, or stuck at the Supreme realm; he kept searching for a way to break free, even to break through. These insects were his eyes; through the Insect Stele, he was scouting the Ancient Wilds.
That also explained how Jin knew so many secrets. He'd once said the Purple Star Lady, Grand Sovereign Boyang's Dao-companion, was doing something dangerous. Lin had wondered how he knew—such a thing must be very secret. Now it made sense: Jin had scattered all kinds of insects across Chaos and the Ancient Wilds; they were his spies, letting him gather a frightening amount of hidden information. And he wasn't afraid of being found out. In the South Extremity—his turf—even other Supremes didn't dare provoke him. He'd even called the Calamity Supreme "that brat," which showed he didn't fear him.
"If I can control these bugs, could I also gather intel—find Grand Sovereign Zixing and bring Yi Yi and the others back?" Lin thought. He didn't care what Zixing was doing; if he could find them—if there was a chance—he'd take Ning Yiyi and the others away. Whatever dangers lay ahead, their safety came first.
He swept his hand; a vast power surged out. In an instant, countless insects died. The next second, undying flame turned into a sea of fire in the void.