nycdaug Chapter 1553 The Heart of Nirvana Pool
Chapter 1553 The Heart of Nirvana Pool
“So it’s atonement, not forgiveness,” Fang Xinyi said softly. “Lu Chen was right, atonement while alive is worse than death.”
Nezha fell silent upon hearing this.
At that very moment, the flow of the Sea of Laws quietly changed.
Those originally aimless bands of light, as if drawn by some invisible force, began to converge in the same direction.
At the same time, the surface of the Netherworld Yin-Yang Mirror in Lu Chen's hand automatically rippled.
It wasn't him who actively pushed for it.
It is the complete yin-yang symbol in the mirror, slowly rotating.
The yin fish chases the yang fish, and the yang fish responds to the yin fish, in an endless cycle of life.
As the yin-yang symbol rotates, the point of light reflected in the mirror becomes clearer and clearer.
It is not fireflies, nor stars, but the phantoms of countless people.
Some were as tall as mountains, clad in divine armor; others were as thin as mortals, dressed in simple clothes and wearing plain hairpins. Some held long swords, some carried ancient zithers, some were surrounded by countless runes, and some trod on flames and lightning. Their forms and auras were all different.
But their gazes were all fixed in the same direction, which is said to be the heart of Nirvana Pool.
Those points of light are their remaining true spirits.
For millions of years, these ancient powerhouses who perished here transformed their physical bodies into nourishment for the sea of laws, and their souls returned to heaven and earth, leaving behind only a wisp of the purest true spirit imprint, floating in the depths of the pool.
It's not for resurrection.
Just waiting.
Waiting for someone who can carry on their legacy.
Looking at the illusory figures in the mirror, Lu Chen suddenly understood.
The inscription "Later generations" on Lao Tzu's stone tablet is not addressed to any one person, but to all those who have made it this far.
Those ancient powerful beings never expected anyone to complete their unfinished work.
They wait, generation after generation, year after year.
Countless successors followed, one after another, to continue the broken road inch by inch.
Lu Chen put away the Netherworld Yin-Yang Mirror and took a deep breath.
“Let’s go,” he said. “They’re waiting for us.”
This time, no one asked where we were going or what we were going to do.
Nezha struggled to stand up straight. Golden spiritual liquid was still seeping from the cracks on the lotus body, but he had already gripped the cracked fire-tipped spear again.
Fang Xinyi activated the Green Wood Longevity Technique, and the vines coiled around her to form a staff that she firmly supported herself on the ground.
Gu Tingyuan stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and faced the points of light deep within the sea of laws. For the first time, he put aside all his ambitions and calculations and bowed deeply.
The three men and one old man embarked on the final stretch of the road leading to the heart of Nirvana Pool.
The sea of laws parted beneath their feet, revealing a path paved with countless bands of light.
Those bands of light emitted different colors and different auras, but they had the same purpose: to send them on their final journey.
The deeper you go, the more points of light you see around you.
They no longer just floated, but actively approached and surrounded the four of them, like a silent encouragement or a belated welcome.
As Nezha walked along, he suddenly said, "I think I heard something."
He listened intently, his eyes widening simultaneously.
"It sounds like someone is singing a war song." Nezha's voice was a little shaky. "It's the kind that's very old, in a language I don't understand, but the tune is very familiar."
Fang Xinyi also stopped walking.
“I heard the Moon Clan’s lullaby.” Her voice was soft, and her eyes welled up with tears. “My mother sang it when I was little, and I thought I would never hear it again in this lifetime…”
Lu Chen heard many voices.
The old Taoist priest's last words were, "Go your own way."
Lao Tzu entrusted us with this message across tens of thousands of years: "Those who come after... I entrust it to you."
And countless other people he didn't know, speaking the same sentence in different languages and tones:
"Keep going."
Ahead, at the end of the road, a small stone platform appeared.
It wasn't the grand altar built by ancient gods and demons, but a simple stone platform that looked like it had been temporarily erected.
In the center of the stone platform, a sword is stuck.
The sword was jet black and had no luster. There were countless fine nicks on the blade, as if it had been through hundreds of deadly battles.
A faded red rope was tied to the hilt of the sword.
Three copper coins were strung on a red string.
Lu Chen walked to the sword and reached out to grasp the hilt.
A cool touch came, followed by a weary yet relieved sigh that seemed to transcend countless years:
"You've arrived."
"I waited...for a very, very long time."
Immediately afterwards, countless shattered images flooded into his mind like a tidal wave: a collapsing sky and a burning sea of stars.
Three hundred and sixty-five figures stood in the void, each radiating the overwhelming pressure of the Primordial Chaos Realm. They held hands, pouring all their Dao, power, and life force into the newly formed Nirvana Array below.
In the center of the image, a Taoist priest in blue robes turned around and glanced back.
It's not about looking at the enemy, it's not about looking at our comrades, it's about looking towards the future.
Look at Lu Chen, who is holding the sword at this moment.
"The newcomer..." His lips moved silently, "I beg you."
At that moment, the screen shattered.
Lu Chen suddenly opened his eyes and found himself still standing in front of the stone platform, holding the black broken sword.
The red string on the hilt of the sword in my palm felt slightly warm.
The three copper coins clinked gently together, producing a crisp, almost mournful tinkling sound.
“This sword…” Fang Xinyi’s voice was a little tight, “It was crying just now.”
Lu Chen did not answer. He looked down at the dense nicks and punctures on the sword.
Every breach is a death sentence.
Every breach is a testament to protection.
He gently stroked the sword with his fingertips, and the power of chaos flowed into it like a trickle.
The sword vibrated.
It's not resistance, it's resonance.
Like an ancient beast that has been asleep for ten thousand years, it finally senses a familiar aura and slowly opens its eyes.
The next moment, the red rope at the hilt of the sword suddenly broke!
The three copper coins landed, but instead of falling, they hovered in mid-air and slowly rotated.
The first copper coin shone with an earthy yellow light.
The second one lit up with a bright green light.
The third one lit up with a bright white light.
The three lights converged, weaving together into an extremely complex runic array above the stone platform.
At the center of the array, a nearly transparent flame, seemingly about to be extinguished, slowly emerged.
It was flame, but it had no color.
It floated in mid-air, neither scorching nor freezing, but burning quietly, like a lonely star forgotten in the deep sea.
“The Primal Flame…” Fang Xinyi said in a trembling voice, “This is the true Primal Flame!”
Lu Chen looked at the tiny flame; it was too weak.
It is so weak that a gust of wind or a fleeting thought could extinguish it completely.
But it is still burning.
For millions of years, in the heart of this dark and sunless Nirvana Pool, on this unknown and broken stone platform, it has been burning quietly.
Waiting, waiting for someone who can take it out.
Then, Lu Chen reached out his hand.
The primordial fire trembled slightly, like a timid young beast, hesitantly drifting slowly into his palm.
The moment of touch, there was no burning or resistance.
There was only a pure, almost instinctive closeness...