Chapter 1373: Peak of the Cloud Sea is also possible

Wang Lin frowned, the words of the First Generation Vermilion Bird echoed in his mind, causing him to fall silent.

"The Five Fingers of Void-Shattering is a process of condensing your Void-Shattering power. Only by Cultivating this power to its Peak, to the limit of the Second Step, and borrowing the power of Origin, can you blast open the Void Gate in one fell swoop!

Your Physical Body Cultivates too many things. Let's talk about your Ancient God Body first. Ancient God, Ancient God, I never expected a descendant of my Vermilion Bird clan to become an Ancient God!" The First Generation Vermilion Bird's eyes flickered with a strange light as he looked at the Blood Sword above Wang Lin's glabella.

"I don't know much about Ancient God cultivation, but in my era, the strength of Ancient Gods was enough to shake the heavens and earth. Back then, dao ancient Ye Mo, although not listed among the Immortal Venerables, his cultivation was enough to make even Immortal Venerables wary…"

"dao ancient?" Wang Lin was startled, looking up at the First Generation Vermilion Bird.

"I cannot tell you about this due to an oath I made back then, so do not ask again. If you have the Opportunity, perhaps you can find the answer that has been lost in the river of time yourself." The First Generation Vermilion Bird's expression was somewhat downcast.

"If you only Cultivated the Ancient God Body and used strength to prove the Dao, blasting open the Void Gate might be simpler… But you also have Origins within your body, and they are five incredibly astonishing Origins from ancient times to the present!

In this case, entering the Third Step Nirvana Void Realm becomes even more difficult. The more Origins you have, the harder it is to enter the Nirvana Void Realm, unless you abandon all Origins and prove the Dao as an Ancient God, or abandon your Ancient God Physical Body, abandon four types of Origins, leaving only one, Cultivating it to Perfection and Peak, and using this to enter Nirvana!"

Wang Lin fell silent.

"The Third Step Nirvana Void Realm requires the Major Achievement of Origins. If assisted by incense power and combined with the devouring of Dao Spirits, under a fortuitous Opportunity, there is a possibility of entering Nirvana Void. However, I have not sensed any trace of incense power on you.

The path you walk is a difficult one, completely different from the Second and Fourth Generations. I cannot help you with this… But you now have a choice, which you can consider carefully."

Wang Lin looked at the First Generation Vermilion Bird and calmly asked, "What choice?"

"Abandon your Ancient God Physical Body, abandon your Origin of Lightning, which seems to be at Major Achievement but actually still has flaws, and even abandon all other Origins except fire… Stay in this Heavenly Square Realm, and within a hundred years, I will help you enter the Third Step!

From then on, you will only have one Origin, which is the Vermilion Bird Fire! When you reach the Third Step, I will pass on the Senluo Flame to you! You will Cultivate peacefully here with the Fourth and Second Generations, and after I break this Seal, I will take the three of you… away from here!" The First Generation Vermilion Bird slowly said.

"Leave here?" Wang Lin's eyes flickered, vaguely feeling that these four words held some clue.

"Leave here!" The First Generation Vermilion Bird's eyes showed a hint of reminiscence as he softly said, "Return to the world I came from…"

Wang Lin's mind trembled, and he was about to speak.

"Don't ask, I cannot speak of it. If I do, I will die! They want to fight, they want to snatch. I am tired and unwilling to participate. I just want to… go home." The First Generation Vermilion Bird's voice revealed weariness.

"I will give you time to consider, I hope you weigh it carefully…" The First Generation Vermilion Bird sighed softly.

Wang Lin's breathing became slightly ragged, and his expression showed struggle. The First Generation Vermilion Bird's words were a huge temptation to him, even greater than what Daoist Blue Dream had said back then!

Daoist Blue Dream was not of the Vermilion Bird clan after all, and in Wang Lin's heart, he was more inclined to what the First Generation Vermilion Bird said.

"If I abandon the Ancient God Physical Body and other Origins, after becoming a Third Step Nirvana Void, can I re-Cultivate Origins?" Wang Lin's eyes showed hesitation as he whispered.

"Naturally, you can. Third Step Nirvana Void Cultivators also Cultivate Origins. The more Origins, the deeper the comprehension, and the greater the increase in cultivation. However, it will not be complete, and this life will stop at the Third Step. But for you, this is not dangerous; it is a broad path, and you do not need to abandon your obsession. I myself was afflicted by karmic fire back then, and I know how important this obsession is to people like us who cannot let go of it…" The First Generation Vermilion Bird looked at Wang Lin, as if vaguely seeing his past self, and sighed softly.

Wang Lin's mind was shaken, and his breathing became even more rapid. The choice before him seemed to have completely tilted. In his heart, a voice, carrying the weariness of two thousand years of cultivation, the possibility of a peaceful life, and a hint of excitement, kept whispering to him.

"Stay here…"

"Stay here… no need to experience bloodshed, no need to consider life-and-death crises…"

"Stay here… become a Third Step mighty figure in a hundred years… even if Origins are abandoned, even if the Ancient God Physical Body is given up, after becoming a Third Step mighty figure, one can still re-Cultivate… even if one cannot ultimately achieve Perfection, but as a Cultivator, to reach the Third Step in this life, even if one stops advancing, it is worth it!"

"Stay here… haven't you grown tired of two thousand years of cultivation? Haven't the countless instances of life and death made you fearful? Stay here, stay here…"

Wang Lin's struggle became even more intense, his breathing ragged. This short period of time felt like a thousand years to him. After a long while, Wang Lin suddenly looked up at the First Generation Vermilion Bird, his voice slightly hoarse, and whispered, "When Old Ancestor finally leaves, can you only take three of us? Can you take a few more people? This Junior still has some friends I cannot abandon…"

The First Generation Vermilion Bird fell silent, and after a moment, his voice echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

"Taking the three of you is already my limit… Forget it, if that day of departure truly comes, I can at most give you one more slot! If there are any more, I fear we won't be able to return."

"One slot…" In Wang Lin's eyes appeared Li Muwan… Situ Nan, Qing Shui, Zhou Ru… Li Qianmei… the figures that made him struggle throughout his two thousand years of cultivation.

"Now tell me, what is your choice?" The First Generation Vermilion Bird's words entered Wang Lin's mind.

Wang Lin's heart was currently in turmoil. This choice made him struggle, made him hesitate… After a long while, Wang Lin raised his right hand and grabbed at the Void, and immediately a Storage Space appeared before him, from which a coffin slowly floated out. Inside the coffin, Li Muwan lay peacefully, as if asleep.

"Senior, can you revive her?" Wang Lin looked up, his eyes bloodshot. This struggle and choice were like a fierce battle to him!

A long sigh resounded in this Heavenly Square Realm, and the voice of the First Generation Vermilion Bird followed.

"When you opened your Storage Space earlier, I already saw this coffin… This woman must be your obsession… This coffin should have been refined by later generations. I have not seen it, but I can feel its function from it… This woman died after her Lifespan was exhausted and her Nascent Soul was severely damaged… You buried her Nascent Soul in this coffin, and a Physical Body was reformed, but this woman's soul has already collapsed…"

Wang Lin's body trembled as he stared blankly at Li Muwan in the coffin.

"This coffin is very peculiar. It can subtly prevent the soul, which has collapsed into the heavens and earth, from dissipating for a short time. If the correct method of control can be found, perhaps those scattered souls can be retrieved one by one… But even so, even if you find all the souls, I cannot bring her back to life…"

Despair filled Wang Lin's heart, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed. He stared blankly at the coffin, his heart feeling as if it were being torn apart, pain surging like a tide.

"However, just because I cannot do it, does not mean others cannot. In my homeland, there are three people who can fuse this soul and revive this woman! It's just that… these three are all extremely esteemed individuals, and I cannot invite them… But rest assured, I will do my best…" The First Generation Vermilion Bird was silent for a moment, then slowly said.

Wang Lin did not look up, silently withdrawing his gaze from the coffin. He patted it with his right hand, and the coffin flashed with light, then was put back into his Storage Space.

"The three people Old Ancestor mentioned are too far away from this Junior. The fact that these three can do this must be related to their cultivation. Their cultivation should be unfathomable…" Wang Lin looked up at the First Generation Vermilion Bird's statue, his eyes still bloodshot, but no longer struggling, instead revealing clarity and determination.

"This Junior also wishes for a life of ease. I am tired of the countless life-and-death situations in the Cultivation World, tired of all the cunning human hearts. I truly want to stay here and quietly grow old, even if my cultivation in this life stops at the Third Step, what does it matter!"

A bright light shone in Wang Lin's eyes as he continued softly, "It's just that this Junior cannot do it… Asking for help is too ethereal; life and death are at the whim of others, and there is no choice for me… Since that is the case, I might as well not ask for help. If they can Cultivate to such a degree, I, Wang Lin, can too!"

"…Can too!" Although these three words were not loud, after they came out of Wang Lin's mouth, his entire being seemed to be infused with an indescribable power, revealing an astonishing fierceness.

These three words seemed to echo, reverberating loudly throughout this world, even causing the First Generation Vermilion Bird's eyes to narrow.

"My Ancient God Body, I cannot abandon! The four Origins other than fire, I cannot give up! Even if this path is difficult, I will walk it! I cannot let my cultivation stop…" Wang Lin bowed to the First Generation Vermilion Bird, then stepped forward into the Void, treading upon the sky.

"This Junior appreciates Old Ancestor's kindness… Whether it is the Five Declines of Heaven and Man or the Five Fingers of Void-Shattering, they are all insights gained by Cultivators themselves, accumulations and preparations before shattering the Void… Since that is the case, why can't this Junior also gain insights on my own and forge a cultivation path unique to me, Wang Lin! Senior just said that the Five Declines are like fingers, and only with all five fingers can one cover the sky with a single hand. This Five Declines, this Junior does not wish to undergo!

My Ancient God Body is the palm of my cultivation, and the five Origins are my five fingers! The Five Declines of Heaven and Man, the Five Fingers of Void-Shattering, the Five Origins of the Dao—the names are different, but the meaning is the same!

When one of my Origins reaches Major Achievement, it is equivalent to my cultivation reaching one decline. After all five Origins reach Major Achievement, I will be a Cultivator of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man at Perfection, blasting open the Void Gate, and achieving my own Dao, Wang!"

Next chapter will be late, going for an IV drip.