Chapter Thirty-Seven: Past Life, Present Life, and Future!

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"What an extraordinary martial sect technique! I wonder which ancient sage could have left behind such a magnificent work?" Yang Nan was secretly shaken in his heart. Others might see only six large characters and think them merely a relic of an immortal’s legacy, but to Yang Nan’s eyes, he could discern the profound mastery of the predecessor’s magic.

These six characters flowed seamlessly, clearly carved deep into the mountain’s core, merging with the mountain itself as one entity. As long as the mountain stands, the characters remain! The characters and the mountain’s spiritual veins have long since fused into one, inseparable and mutually permeating.

The aura of these characters was vivid and potent, their divine spirit penetrating directly into one’s very soul—looking at them was like having the characters etched onto one’s spiritual essence.

To destroy these ancient inscriptions, one would have to obliterate all three Qingming Mountains; otherwise, these six ancient characters remain unscathed.

Such a technique is truly awe-inspiring, formidable, and terrifying.

With Yang Nan’s cultivation level today, it would be easy to strike down a mountain peak with an army, but to preserve these six characters imbued with such divine aura would be extremely difficult, not to mention the ability to link the mountain’s spiritual veins through the characters!

It seemed that the master who once struck this with a single palm had a soul and technique perfectly united, the palm like a divine weapon. Not only did it carve the characters onto the mountain wall, but it also connected the divine intent within the characters to the earth’s spiritual energy. Such a divine technique must be at the level of a sage!

“Master Lan said the three teachings are one, the great Dao has the same source. Surely this insight was gained from contemplating these six characters! But I wonder, what thoughts do the past life, present life, and future represent?”

Is it the unity of heaven and man? Or the return of all phenomena to the origin?

“The three teachings as one… the Three Origins Divine Sword… ‘The heavens gave birth to one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, three gave birth to all things’…”

Yang Nan sat cross-legged atop the peak, gazing intently at these six ancient, vigorous characters. A faint clarity stirred within him.

The past, present, and future corresponded to the doctrines of Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, and likewise represented the convergence of soul, spirit, and divine essence.

These six characters indeed had a deep connection to the Three Origins Divine Sword technique he had studied.

The Soul Sword severs the soul, representing the past life; the Spirit Sword severs the divine, representing the present life; the Divine Sword severs the body, representing the future.

If the three swords of soul, spirit, and divinity could unite, severing soul and spirit would break the karmic bonds of past lives; severing divine soul energy would resolve present desires; severing the physical body would obliterate all future possibilities.

Or it could be said that the three swords are like three primordial spirits: the past self, the present self, and the future self.

The past self is not to be clung to, therefore it can be severed.

The present self holds no fear, so it too can be severed.

The future self is uncertain, and so it can also be severed.

These six characters are like swords, cutting off past, present, and future, ultimately forming a transcendent, vast true self.

Through this state, one can advance into the profound Dao and achieve supreme divine power.

This, then, is the true sword intent contained within the six characters.

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In the past, Yang Nan could not grasp the method of refining the Soul Sword within his divine perception, but now he suddenly understood how to cultivate it. To forge the Soul Sword, one must use a divine weapon as a clone, entrusting the past self, absorbing supreme spiritual energy to greatly enhance magical power, capable of cutting through the shackles of the underworld!

If this sword were perfected, one strike could at best cause the enemy’s soul to disperse into nothingness, and at worst sever the cause-and-effect of the netherworld, its power truly terrifying beyond measure!

The Soul Sword not only severs the soul but also cuts off one’s own past-life karmic ties.

Yang Nan’s ruthless nature in this life was no doubt forged by the cause and effect of his past lives.

Thus, the six-character secret technique forges a supreme divine weapon!

Observing the divine technique left by the ancients, such an opportunity was exceedingly rare. If Yang Nan had not already mastered the Three Origins Divine Sword technique and deeply comprehended the Way of the Military Sect, he would hardly have been able to understand the mindset of that unknown master at that moment of enlightenment!

Yang Nan sat before the ancient cliff inscription for months without rest or sleep, wholly focused on contemplating the profound mysteries within these six characters. Now, without divine iron or spiritual energy, he could only imprint the essence, momentum, and brushstrokes of these six characters upon his soul as if absorbing a dark eclipse to gather the martial soul. When he eventually found a martial body, these six characters would become his martial soul.

If the Three Origins Divine Sword technique could be perfected, with the imposing killing aura of these six characters, who in the world could stand against him?

The past life is the soul, with the mundane world vividly before his eyes. Countless human joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, all emotions vividly surged in his mind.

The present life is the spirit—fallen and helpless, uprooted and humiliated, each step fraught with difficulty. The illusions of this life flicker unpredictably like a dream.

The future is the divine—the heart entrusted to the divine, nature and fate intertwined, encompassing downfall, rise, fearlessness, and the endless path of the Dao.

One day, only after fully constructing the spirit, intent, and force of these six characters did Yang Nan rise. In these months, he had comprehended some of the sword intent, greatly enhancing the power of his military sect techniques. His sacred-grade dark eclipse weapon became sharper and more formidable; the weapon infused with a trace of the six-character sword intent radiated far greater momentum than before.

Holding this sword, Yang Nan felt a heroic spirit capable of cleaving heaven and earth!

Suddenly, the sky roared, and a thunderclap exploded. The might of heaven and earth merged with the power of the six characters, forming a solemn and majestic world!

With a thought, Yang Nan and his weapon merged, transforming into a one-horned black serpent soaring above Qingming. Above the nine heavens of Qingming, thunder rumbled continuously, the air filled with bleakness. Purple lightning crackled and danced, stretching down from the horizon.

It was the season of thunder and rain; silver snakes of lightning slithered across the horizon, the entire world suffused with a chilling, deadly aura!

“Just perfect to use the heavenly thunder to temper the newly attained six-character secret technique!” Yang Nan smiled slightly, pointing to release the Extraterrestrial Colored Boat from the Jiangshan ring. Inside, Ni Cai looked at the terrifying scene of countless thunderclaps and purple light and smiled brightly: “Yang Nan, you go absorb the thunder; don’t worry about me. I’m just about to establish a thunder pool to serve as the Colored Boat’s power source. This thunderlight is exactly where I can show my skill.”

After acquiring the Nine Yuan Turtle Shell Formation Diagram, Ni Cai had been diligently studying its profundities. The Way of formations imitates the divine might of heaven and earth through human artifice. Seeing the thunder rumbling, he intended to absorb some thunder energy to serve as the power pool for the Extraterrestrial Colored Boat.

Yang Nan’s serpent head swayed slightly as he left the Colored Boat in Ni Cai’s hands and began absorbing the heavenly thunder to temper his weapon’s serpent body.

The thunder and wind of heaven and earth were far beyond the small lightning of the Seven Kill Seek Immortal Path from before. Each lightning strike was fierce, booming, and overwhelmingly powerful. Yang Nan could only guide the heavenly thunder slowly, seeking areas of lesser lightning intensity to temper his weapon’s serpent body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each bolt’s electrical force coursed through his entire body. Even with Yang Nan’s vast magical power, he could not withstand the universe’s most overwhelming destructive force!

Yet if his sacred-grade weapon could survive the myriad heavenly thunders, its body would remain unharmed and indestructible forever. Moreover, it would perfect the technique of weapon and wielder as one. This trial he must pass!

“The past life is the soul, entrusted to my former self; even heavenly thunder cannot extinguish it!” Yang Nan silently recalled the past-life section of the six-character secret technique. The immortal soul formed from the indestructible yin cycle grew calmer. Though startled by the thunder’s fury, he faced it without peril.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After enduring dozens of thunder strikes, Yang Nan felt all three souls and seven spirits numb and rigid. Heavenly thunder is most adept at extinguishing souls; though the black serpent weapon’s body absorbed most of the blows, a small portion still injured Yang Nan’s soul. At the brink of losing control, he knew he could not continue. His newly practiced six-character secret technique was still too weak. Remaining longer amidst the violent thunder would mean destruction of his Dao and death.

“Things must not be forced; excess is as bad as deficiency.”

Yang Nan shook his head, unwilling to be greedy. Twisting his serpent body, he prepared to fly back to Qingming Mountain, when suddenly he noticed the Colored Boat’s situation in the distance was worsening. Unknowingly, Ni Cai had greedily driven the boat into an extremely dense thunder net. Although the boat had thirty-six heavenly thunder formations, how could it resist such overwhelming heavenly might?

Dark clouds converged in the sky; purple light shone like a prison, tugging the Colored Boat toward the swirling center of the thunderstorm!

Though Ni Cai realized the danger and tried to pilot the boat away, it was firmly trapped in the thunder net, unable to escape!

Endless heavenly thunder struck one after another; silver snakes danced wildly, purple arcs tore the sky, a terrifying spectacle!

“It’s no good. If I don’t rescue Ni Cai, the Colored Boat will soon be pulverized, and Ni Cai’s soul will be annihilated—nothing will remain!” Yang Nan’s heart filled with fear seeing the terrifying, crisscrossed heavenly thunder net on the horizon.

Swimming straight through would mean facing several thunder bolts without surviving. Even with a strong weapon body, within such a thunder net, even a celestial-grade black serpent weapon would disintegrate!

He himself might not survive either!

“What should I do? Should I call on Yong’er for help?” Yang Nan thought and summoned Yong’er, asking, “Yong’er, can your Seven Spirits Radiance protect me so I can retrieve the Colored Boat?”

“Master, that’s the center of the thunder net. If I had my original great power, I could handle it easily. But now, I fear I can’t withstand even a few thunder bolts, let alone emit my divine light. It’s better not to go!”