Volume 1: The True Dragon of Purple Void, Chapter 25: All Things Follow Nature

As the ring was placed inside, the originally seamless and airtight rosewood box suddenly emitted a yellow light that cut through it from within, filling the secret chamber with a delicate fragrance. TheThe mad scholar and others were instantly invigorated upon smelling it. Especially Xianyun—being a Taoist who loved studying celestial treasures—could tell from such a scent that the item inside must be extraordinary. They showed keen interest, staring fixedly at the rosewood box before them, eager to discover what treasures lay within.

The yellow light shone for a few inches before disappearing, only emitting a faint glow as it waited for the box to be opened. Tianyu was equally astonished and extremely nervous. Judging from the serious preparations made by his masters, the “heart method for transcending obsession” mentioned by his third master wasn’t as easy as he had described. He steadied himself, adjusted his breathing, and slowly reached for the box.

Tianyu gently lifted the upper part of the box from which the yellow light was coming. The three outside also grew extremely anxious. The moment the box was lifted, the yellow light surged violently—its intensity soaring from just a few inches to an overwhelming force. A fierce gust of wind rushed toward Bu Chan, Xianyun, and theThe mad scholar. No matter how profound their martial skills, they couldn’t withstand this force. The moment it touched them, they were sent flying and crashed into the corner, in a sorry state.

While still shocked by this sudden change, Tianyu hadn’t even had time to react when the intense light surged back at him like a tidal wave. Without even a chance to resist, he was tightly wrapped in the yellow light, as if wrapped in zongzi.

Bu Chan and the others quickly used their energy to get back on their feet, ignoring the blood still dripping from their mouths. They rushed back to their positions, sat cross-legged, and reached out with their palms to probe. With three consecutive thuds, their palms were pushed back. The tremendous recoil made their hands tremble uncontrollably…

The three of them stared at each other in shock, their astonishment evident.

As for Tianyu inside the box, the moment the fierce light enveloped him, his head exploded with a loud noise, and everything went dark before his eyes. His entire body seemed to sink into an endless, silent, and dark void, and his consciousness vanished instantly.

When Tianyu regained consciousness, everything around him was pitch black. He felt as if he were a pure energy entity—without a body or sense of touch, only “sensation”!

Chu Tianyu struggled to control himself. It seemed as though something ahead was attracting him, forcing him to move forward involuntarily. Gradually, a yellow light appeared—something he could clearly see, growing larger and brighter as he moved toward it.

Finally, he reached the yellow light, which took the shape of a stone, translucent, with an inner glow that seemed to pulse with light. It was full of mystery and temptation…

Chu Tianyu tried hard to stretch out his “hand” to touch it, but to no avail—there were no hands at all! He tried to move closer, only to encounter an invisible wall that prevented him from advancing further. He watched the faintly glowing yellow light from afar, feeling its overwhelming allure and call, yet unable to reach it. Frustration and rage surged within him. The brighter the light, the more anxious and irritable he became. Uncontrollably, he began spinning around it at increasing speeds, his mood growing more violent. Scenes from months ago flashed vividly in his mind:

He seemed to see that bloody, undeformed fetus thrown into a pit filled with writhing maggots, devoured instantly… Heartbroken, he screamed wildly again, “Kill—!”

He seemed to see those grotesque faces cruelly cutting off the tongues and severing the hands of kidnapped children, then using red-hot irons to stop the bleeding; breaking their leg bones and forcing them to wrap around their own heads—all just to make them beg for more money… Heartbroken, he screamed wildly again, “Kill—kill—!”

He seemed to see the ugly face of the town chief, pretending to be a righteous servant of the party and the people, while secretly acting lawlessly, ordering gangs to destroy homes, monopolize markets, and rape women. Behind his sneering smile lay countless suffering and tears of once-happy families… Heartbroken, he screamed wildly again, “Kill—kill—kill—kill—!”

…

As he spun faster and faster, he felt his energy gradually fading away. Each loss of energy brought excruciating pain, while his rage intensified. The cruelty of reality and the madness of killing intertwined, driving him further into insanity. It seemed that only by increasing the speed could he find some relief. Like drinking poison to quench thirst, he spun faster and faster, while his consciousness energy began to blur and fade. Would he simply vanish like this?

Suddenly, a sense of reluctance arose. He suddenly remembered his master, his grandparents, the times he had played and laughed with his second brother. Of course, there was also that little girl with a cold expression who claimed to be his wife, and that lovely Korean sister who had given him a golden bean…
The words of his masters echoed in his mind like fragments:
“Heavenly Realm, it is our duty to expel demons and defend the way, to slay evil beings. But we must use the Way to combat evil, not evil to fight evil…”
“Heavenly Realm, the world isn’t simply defined by right and wrong. If you kill a corrupt official, can you guarantee there won’t be another? On the contrary, they might become even more greedy and worse, resulting in killing one while harming two.”
“Heavenly Realm, no matter what, as long as your heart adheres to the right path, the methods will naturally be correct…”
“Heavenly Realm, whether practicing Zen, Buddhism, or the Way, they are all different methods of cultivation, all aiming to achieve the ultimate truth and attain enlightenment. As the saying goes, different paths lead to the same goal. Even the path of evil is merely a method of cultivation, just one that goes too far. Yet, good and evil, Buddhism, the Way, and evil all depend on the practitioner’s mindset. The best mindset is to follow the natural way—just as heaven is natural, earth is natural, and all things in the universe follow nature…”
“Heavenly Realm, you must persevere and stay strong…”
As he thought and reflected, his impatient mood gradually calmed down. The temptation of that glowing light also diminished significantly. Yet its speed continued to increase. Heavenly Realm tried to muster all his willpower to regain control, but with little effect. His energy rapidly diminished as the speed kept rising.
All his efforts failed, and frustration surged once again. The ugliness of the world and bloody killings flashed before his eyes. Heavenly Realm had completely lost control. But years of hard cultivation and an unyielding fighting spirit kept him going, even if it was of no use at all.
At the last moment, just as he was about to run out of strength, he suddenly felt two vast and pure energies emanating from his core, flowing throughout his body, replenishing the energy that had been lost. At the same time, its speed began to slow down. With each replenishment, it felt like drinking sweet spring water—an indescribably soothing experience that removed his anger and impatience, made him forget about gains and losses, honor and disgrace, and brought him a state of peace and tranquility.

When both streams of energy were fully transformed into the energy of the Heavenly Realm, compensating for all its losses, the Heavenly Realm was astonished to discover that Chu Tianyu had finally seen “himself” — a human-shaped figure with arms and legs, radiating light. The Heavenly Realm tried to lift its right hand and found it could control it. Looking at the still-glowing yellow gem, it instinctively reached out with its right hand. Without any obstruction or barrier, the moment the hand made contact, it seemed to fall back into silence again, its consciousness gradually fading…

It was unclear how much time passed before the Heavenly Realm opened its eyes. It was still sitting in the secret chamber, surrounded by yellow lights. The reflections of the light revealed its appearance: a face devoid of sharp features, somewhat dull yet seemingly simple and honest, with a childlike innocence. Its eyes, aside from being dark and pure, lacked any luster. All its clothes had disappeared; it resembled a newborn infant, with soft milky-white skin. All previous scars had vanished, and it seemed much smaller. The once-muscular build was gone, as if it had become a completely different person, leaving Chu Tianyu in disbelief and amazement.

He quickly focused his energy to check his internal condition. Then, the Heavenly Realm smiled. It knew: its practice of turning to evil had finally succeeded! Those two streams of energy that saved it were the black and white energies that originally circled around the Dragon Core. Now, their presence around the Dragon Core could no longer be felt — they must have merged with it. It felt light and refreshed, with abundant energy; it was incredibly comfortable. Moreover, wherever its thoughts reached, the world seemed to come alive. This feeling was exactly as the great master had described — reaching a state where heaven and earth were natural, and all things followed the way of nature.

Overjoyed, the Heavenly Realm suddenly realized its right hand was still on the gem in the box. The gem was exactly the same as the one it had seen in its consciousness, though its colorful glow had dimmed significantly. It had just raised its right hand to take a closer look when suddenly something unexpected happened. It was as if the process of opening the rosewood box was replayed, and in moments, everything returned to its original state, as if it had never been opened. The ring of the Xuanji Sect’s sect master automatically returned to the Heavenly Realm’s hand.

The three outside were waiting motionless here for ten days and nights. They had come to protect Tianyu, but aside from waiting idly, they couldn’t help at all. Moreover, not knowing what was going on inside, their anxiety was imaginable. The one who suffered the most was the Mad Scholar. Not only did he worry about Tianyu, but he also had high hopes for the unique skills of his own sect. He had to put up with being a scapegoat for Bu Chan and Xian Yun. After ten days, he was the most exhausted. So when he saw the strange light fade away and Tianyu’s figure reappear, he rushed to the front, but dared not touch Tianyu, fearing he might be concentrating on some cultivation technique and that sudden contact could cause him to go astray.

However, when the Mad Scholar saw Tianyu’s changed state, he was stunned. Bu Chan and Xian Yun, who followed closely behind him, also froze upon seeing the situation.

Tianyu, now completely transformed, appeared dazed, as if lost in thought. All three felt a chill in their hearts, and a familiar sense arose again: “Has Tianyu turned into an idiot again?”