Chapter 897: Chapter 897

Li Pin found the term strangely familiar. "Creator?"

He wasn't alone. Tian Yu, Yang Guang, Zhong Yan, and Mo Xing all looked on in shock at Divine Emperor Zang Xu, or rather, Creator Miao Ya, who had appeared out of nowhere.

They had long suspected that the Astral Lord Council harbored one or perhaps several formidable beings hidden within. These beings had once glimpsed a path more complete and powerful than that of the Supremes or Highlords, through artifacts like the jewel imbued with Dao Realm power. It's just that no one had ever seen their true forms.

But none would have thought these beings had been living among them all along, merely keeping their identities hidden.

"Great Creator Miao Ya..." Divine Emperor Qiu Yu bowed with guilt. "I've failed you."

"This isn't your fault," Miao Ya said, his tone tinged with emotion. "For him to reach the Supreme Realm so quickly and unify all powers... even in our era, such an achievement would have been astonishing."

"Your era?" Li Pin looked at the figure who called himself Creator Miao Ya. The dense, time-worn aura he radiated felt almost tangible. A sudden realization struck him. "The Ancient Astral World Era?"

"Astral World..." Miao Ya repeated, as if reminiscing. "Back then, it was still called the Oblivion World. And it wasn't as peaceful as it is now. Everything was in turmoil. Only later did it settle down and become a transit world devoted to serving all living beings."

The being, still in the form of Divine Emperor Zang Xu, snapped out of his sentimental thoughts and looked at Li Pin. "You're exceptionally gifted. Your talent shouldn't be buried in this era, and it certainly shouldn't continue down a mistaken path."

He spoke with sincerity, "Join us. Become one of the beings of the Primordial Abyss. Wield its power, and become... Creator."

"What is Creator?" Li Pin asked.

"Creator," Miao Ya murmured, glancing around.

He saw the Abyssal Rift, the Astral World beyond, and further out, the boundless cosmos. He smiled. "Creator is the world. Creator is the universe."

He opened his arms. "Only by becoming Creator can one find their true selves. Only then can one survive in the chaotic expanse of the Primordial Abyss. And only then can one gain true immortality, remaining unchanged even as all things decay, undying even as the universe withers away."

Li Pin looked at them... and suddenly seemed to realize something. "You... have you been living in the Void of Chaos, what you call the Chaotic Primordial Abyss?"

Miao Ya nodded slightly. "Yes. I've been observing the Astral World and its universe for a while now, and I've found that everyone has gone down the wrong path. From the Supremes and Highlords to those who inherited the Transcendent path passed down since ancient times, they've chosen to bind themselves to this universe, drawn boundaries, and stayed stagnant.

"It gave them a steady stream of power, yes, but it also trapped them within this world, cutting off all possibility of exploring what lies beyond."

He turned his gaze toward the Abyssal Rift. "Only by truly understanding the workings of the universe, only by refining its power into a part of yourself, can you become the universe itself, endlessly cycling through the vast Primordial Abyss."

"To truly understand how the universe works?" Li Pin's thoughts stirred. "Karma and reincarnation?"

Miao Ya looked surprised for a moment, then smiled. "Did you reach that understanding on your own? If so, I must say, you've truly given me a pleasant surprise."

With a flick of his hand, a projected universe appeared before Li Pin. "The universe has always functioned in cycles. Power that floats without roots cannot last in the Primordial Abyss. That's why the Supremes and Highlords can't survive for long once they leave this universe.

"Their strength comes from this world, and without its constant support, their power fades, and they're forced to retreat."

He waved his hand again. "That's why we need the power of reincarnation."

Inside the projected universe, the laws of matter, energy, time, and space kept shifting. Some parts were rapidly vanishing.

But because of reincarnation, the vanished matter, energy, time, and space didn't truly disappear. They simply changed form and continued to exist in another way, allowing the universe to sustain its cycle and live on.

"However, pure reincarnation just leads to endless repetition, becoming a mechanical cycle that erases all other possibilities. So we need a variable. Something to break that repetition. Something that lets the universe experience the unexpected... but still within control."

"Karma," Li Pin said.

Order hidden within change. That was karma. Everything in existence was constantly changing. The only thing that never changed... was change itself. That unchanging change... was karma.

"Yes. Karma," Miao Ya repeated softly.

He sounded wistful, almost yearning. "Maybe karma represents something even deeper, something at its very core."

Li Pin was taken aback. "The essence of karma?"

"Karma is defined by change," said Miao Ya. "And what lies at the heart of change?"

He went on to answer his own question, "It's the past, the present, and the future. To truly see through all three... is to see through all change, to grasp all karma, and to reach a higher dimension. The true ultimate that we, all sentient beings, have always sought."

"It's Eternity," Miao Ya said, without the slightest pause or reservation.

He knew that when speaking with a peerless genius like Li Pin, the path ahead... was the best bait.

And the path he revealed, the very one they had always pursued, was Eternity.

Li Pin silently repeated the word. Eternity.

For some reason, it held a kind of indescribable mystery, one that even carried a faint trace of sorrow. It stirred a feeling of... inexplicable loss.

He had mentioned this word before. His Eternal Swordlight, for instance, had been named after it.

But the "Eternity" he once spoke of, and the one he now heard from Miao Ya's mouth, were clearly not the same.

Perhaps he had never truly understood the essence of that word, not until now. That was why he had never felt this emptiness until this moment.

Yet through that feeling, he could tell that what Miao Ya said was real.

Above them, beyond what they called "Creator," there truly seemed to be another path. A road that only appeared after one had grasped matter, energy, time, space, reincarnation, and karma.

And even then, one had to go further, understanding past, present, and future, to see the true nature of cause and effect. The path of Eternity.

"Join us," Miao Ya's voice rang out once more beside Li Pin's ear. "With your talent, insight, and comprehension, if you joined us, we believe this road would become much clearer."

He sincerely extended the invitation once more, "Let us be each other's beacon. On this fog-covered, uncertain road, we'll light your way, and you'll light ours."

Li Pin looked at the being who called himself the embodiment of Creator. He could feel the sincerity in his words. He truly meant it. He genuinely wished to welcome Li Pin into their ranks, onto their path.

"I have a question," Li Pin raised a finger. "If your path really is the right one, then why... after all these years, have I never heard a single rumor about you? When the Ancient Astral World shattered, where were you?"

"Where were we?" Miao Ya's eyes flickered with confusion at the question. "We've been wondering the same thing, about where exactly we were during that time."

He paused, as if pressing down on some buried pain. "We kept drifting along the edge of this universe, circling around it. From time to time, we tried to intervene, like supporting the Astral Lord Council. But... for some reason, we never dared step into this universe." Updates are released by NoveI-Fire.ɴet

He glanced at Li Pin. "What's the hardest to accept... is that we only realized the reason not long ago."

Li Pin's pupils dilated slightly. "You mean...?"

"The power of Eternity twisted our perception. It stole the time of our very existence," said Miao Ya.

He looked out toward the depths of the Astral World and the endless starry sky. "That power... is hiding somewhere in this world. It radiates fear, so much that we couldn't take even half a step into this universe.

"Even when we chose to retreat into the deeper layers of the Chaotic Primordial Abyss and vanish into the unknown... we still didn't dare turn around and step into this universe, a place that could've been our safe haven."

"And now? You've entered this universe. You're no longer afraid?"

"It's been long enough," Miao Ya said quietly. "Far too long."

He let out a long sigh.

That sigh, carrying the weight of endless years, echoed in the hearts of everyone present.

"No matter what form that power takes... now that we finally know what we've been fearing all along..."

Miao Ya, this ancient being whose existence had spanned who knows how many eras, slowly raised his head. The confusion in his eyes faded, replaced by a clear, cold determination. "We will face it."

His voice was calm but filled with tragic resolve. "Our perception has been twisted for far too long. Maybe that fear still lingers, still hides somewhere in this world... but compared to drifting endlessly, unable to even recognize who we really are... finding it, facing it, and overcoming it... has become our only purpose from here on."

He spoke in a low, firm voice, carrying with him the resolve to face death without fear. "Even if... it means destroying everything."