One might think that it was a simple thing to offer approval for an archaean to rise to a higher level. But the truth was that it required the Eternal Mother to call upon the power of Essence, which would become a branding mark that would be placed onto the archaean.
Her response caused Bai Xiaochun’s expression to flicker, and then darken a bit. As for the Saint-Emperor, he sagged in place, his face ashen. Before, all of his hope had been placed on the Eternal Mother, but now that she was awake, that hope was turning into despair.
“Half-sovereign…?” he muttered bitterly. From the Eternal Mother’s words, he could tell that the path to becoming a sovereign had truly been severed!
“I can’t remain awake for long. To remain awake for longer than ten breaths of time requires that I take a day of life away from all living beings in the world, my children….
“Hurry and make your decision….” Her voice was weak, and the glowing light that represented her began to darken as the eye slowly started to close.
In his bitterness, the Saint-Emperor looked over at Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun stood there silently. The truth was that he did not feel bitter like the Saint-Emperor. He didn't want to become a half-sovereign; that was pointless, and would not secure a victory against the Mortal Renegade.
Taking a deep breath, he clasped hands, bowed to the Eternal Mother, and then quietly said, “Eternal Mother, I would like to ask a question. Is it really required to get your approval to become a sovereign. Isn’t there another way?”
The ball of light that was the Eternal Mother flickered, and the slowly closing eye suddenly snapped open, and focused on the child of hers that stood in front of her.
A moment later, her soft voice could once again be heard.
“So, it was you who woke me…. I can sense the fluctuations of your blood. In some respects, you have already surpassed my other three children…. And I can sense that you have acquired a qi flow that doesn’t belong to me….
“Unfortunately, the natural laws in this starry sky dictate that sovereigns can only be born along with the approval of the will of a world. There is no other way.”
The Eternal Mother’s reply caused Bai Xiaochun to sink into silence. He still didn’t understand. Although it was true that the approval of a world could give birth to a sovereign, he knew that many years ago, one person had become a sovereign without the will of a world. In fact, that person had destroyed worlds!
The Mortal Renegade!
Bai Xiaochun had witnessed that personally via the memories of the Worldly Daoist!
He also knew that the Mortal Renegade’s rise to the sovereign level had something to do with his Dao. That much he had learned with the help of the Worldly Daoist himself, in the valley of the clouds.
It was possible to understand the Mortal Renegade’s Dao by looking at the state of the surrounding void. It was populated by nothing but ruins, with all life force having been eradicated. All heaven and earth had been extinguished, casting everything into darkness…. The Mortal Renegade’s Dao was to exterminate everything, and that was how he had become a sovereign!
Having reached this point in his train of thought, Bai Xiaochun’s eyes glittered, and he looked over at the glowing light of the Eternal Mother.
“The Mortal Renegade’s sovereign path did not require the approval of a world. So how did he do it? If he could succeed, then why does becoming a sovereign require the approval of a world?”
Yet again, the Eternal Mother’s eye snapped open, and this time, it shone with unrivaled splendor. It was as if Bai Xiaochun’s words had been filled with a bizarre power that caused the Eternal River to tremble, and the Eternal Immortal Domains to shake physically.
To the Eternal Mother, it was as if his words had somehow stirred the foundation of some natural law!
Even the Saint-Emperor and the little turtle could tell that the Eternal Mother’s eye had opened wider than before, as though she were now completely and utterly focused on Bai Xiaochun alone. It almost seemed as if she were inspecting him on the deepest of all levels.
Shaken, Bai Xiaochun stood there, looking at the Eternal Mother.
After a long moment… she retracted her divine sense. Sounding weaker than ever, she said one last thing to Bai Xiaochun.
“If nirvanic extermination can birth a sovereign, perhaps… the opposite can too!”
The instant Bai Xiaochun heard her words, his previously grim eyes began to shine brightly.
1. Important: the term that I’m translating as “nirvanic” here is actually different from the term I translated as “nirvanic” in ISSTH. The basic meaning of both of those terms is the same, and they are synonyms of each other, but the Chinese characters are different. In the case of the term here, it implies both calmness and extinction, and thus is a nirvana of complete death. Previous Chapter Next Chapter
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Chapter
1278: Another Encounter With Heavenspan
“If nirvanic extermination can birth a sovereign,” Bai Xiaochun murmured, “perhaps… the opposite can too!” The words struck his mind and heart like heavenly thunder, completely rocking his world, and at the same time, opening up a new door for him.
Although he had already begun to suspect that this was the case, he had no hard evidence to rely on to prove it true. But the Eternal Mother had confirmed his speculations. Considering what had been proved by the Mortal Renegade’s Dao, he now had a direction to move in!
It was impossible to say whether he would succeed. However, he knew that becoming a half-sovereign was not what he wanted. He wanted… something that would give more hope than a half-sovereign could!
That was the only way he could really go for broke when the Mortal Renegade woke up!
Bai Xiaochun had truly changed on a deep level; by now, he was nearly the complete antithesis of that carefree youngster who had once stood atop Mount Hood. Over the years, he had turned into the type of person who bore incredible weight on his shoulders, weight that forced the youngster he had once been to grow up
Eventually, he left the Eternal River, parting ways with the Eternal Mother and taking the relieved little turtle with him.
The Saint-Emperor stayed behind. Considering that there were no other options, he chose to become a half-sovereign. It wasn’t a selfish choice. He could see that Bai Xiaochun had already picked a new direction, and in order to offer as much assistance as possible in fighting the coming catastrophe, he chose to sacrifice some of his own potential to at least have a measure of power.
As Bai Xiaochun made his way off, the Saint-Emperor took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged in front of the bell. Slowly, the light of the Eternal Mother wrapped him up….
As of this moment, the two most powerful individuals in the Eternal Immortal Domains were doing what they could to protect their homes, their friends, and their families….
Bai Xiaochun returned to Arch-Emperor City and went into secluded meditation, although not for long. Seven days later, he emerged from this private chamber, where he issued an official Dharmic decree as the Arch-Emperor!
“Everyone in the Eternal Immortal Domains, whether you are in the Celestial Realm, the Demigod Realm, the Deva Realm, or the Nascent Soul Stage… I need your help to quarantine the Enemy from Beyond!”
Before long, a windstorm of activity overtook the Eternal Immortal Domains.
If the Saint-Emperor had issued such a proclamation, it would also have resulted in activity. However, it would not have had the same result as Bai Xiaochun speaking the words!
All living beings in the Eternal Immortal Domains had witnessed him sealing the Enemy from Beyond, defeating his attempt to bind the world, and awakening the Eternal Mother. He was now the true hope of the Eternal Immortal Domains.