When the plot-skips players into the game world
Chapter 1119 - 447: The Tao of Defying Heaven and Exceeding Bounds

Chapter 1119: Chapter 447: The Tao of Defying Heaven and Exceeding Bounds

"The Eighth Source River... the Path of Overstepping Boundaries?"

Zhu Tang nodded, closed his eyes, and murmured softly in Primordial Language.

In the Primordial Empire, the transcendence path is called the Path of Overstepping Boundaries. Though it’s the same path, the different name provides a different psychological hint. This is a peculiar aspect you can only experience when you leave your own country.

He nodded, quickly coming to a realization: "It’s reasonable. This Tower of Heaven was attempted by people like us who disregard heavenly fate and divine will. The term ’Tower of Heaven’ itself implies the idea of becoming ’equal to the heavens.’

"These ancient philosophers were reputed to have committed acts that defied heaven and overstepped boundaries, causing the heavens to unleash thunderbolts of wrath... is that this kind of story?"

But soon, Zhu Tang had other doubts and switched to the Star Antimony Language: "But if that’s the case, shouldn’t these mages have sought the transcendence path?"

"——They might not have neglected that path."

Aiwass shook his head, answering softly: "We now divide the paths so clearly because we know that taking multiple paths simultaneously easily leads to loss of control, and because a single, powerful enough path enables ’career’ advancement.

"The career system is more stable, safer, and more convenient for people to acquire extraordinary power, but it essentially channels people’s focus in one direction to achieve that—it’s an elevation model unique to the lifespan of the ’short-lived species.’"

Without the guidance of a career system, the longevity species explored the powers of different paths according to their own desires. It was like an open-world or even sandbox game where everyone played their own way, thereby developing different powers, which became the ’legacy.’

However, in this setup, the number of abandoned paths far exceeded those completed. Over time, through survival of the fittest, only these excellent legacies survived and formed into optimal route plans. People realized that following these paths guaranteed a powerful legacy, far more rewarding than self-exploration, though there was no prohibition against free exploration back then.

Later, the Great Sage and the Hourglass collaboratively developed the career system.

It’s akin to extracting these optimal paths and simplifying them into a linear game. The game contains only this linear content, adding guidance and auto-routing, organizing fragmented narratives into a cohesive story. This made it clearer even for players of much lower levels.

Just like how transcendents without any mentoring would get skills after obtaining a career; once they got corresponding skills, they were automatically integrated into the respective career system, preventing new techniques from emerging where someone grabs skills from another career to form stronger combinations, thereby creating new ’legacies.’

——This automatic job placement mode is not for convenience but for ’balance.’

Aiwass softly said: "But in ancient times, people might not have had the notion of ’abilities from different paths are separate.’ Although the sources of power were different, they might have used them in a mixed way. Powers from different paths entwined into a single rope in their hands, exhibiting stronger power. Or, perhaps...

"...they possessed a skill capable of combining the powers of different Source Rivers."

In that moment, Aiwass thought of the matter of the "Holy Number Eleven."

He quickly furrowed his brows, pondering over many things.

"——Ah, I understand now."

After a brief silence, Zhu Tang broke it by nodding repeatedly: "It’s like cooking turtle soup. You need fire for heating the pot, water for the soup; turtles, as animals, need to eat some water plants, fish, and shrimp in the river. Yet, when cooking the soup, wine is needed to enhance aroma and remove fishiness, and wine comes from grains, which the earth produces...

"When the exquisite soup is finally cooked, all its wonderful essence is within the broth. The broth may be clear as water, leading a fool to believe it’s all water, a clear broth with no flavor, thinking that heating and simmering are all for nothing. They don’t realize that the essences from all directions of heaven and earth have simmered into the soup..."

Whenever food was mentioned, Zhu Tang spoke endlessly.

He slightly turned his head, although his eyes were closed, it was as if he saw Aiwass’s somewhat helpless expression.

So he just chuckled, speaking with serious yet light-hearted words: "No need to be too anxious, Your Holiness the Pope. Back in my hometown, there were already such speculations.

"The ancient philosophers said, one begets two, two begets three, three beget all things. The first Source River, as the initial Source River, its root is creation. And ’Miss Puppet’ once mentioned that the essence of the second Source River lies in the differences of all things.

’One’ created everything from the void until all things produced ’differences’ among each other.

"Then, the creation of ’differences’ led to the creation of ’civilization.’ Civilization then led to everything that followed. The overlapping of Source Rivers giving rise to new Source Rivers may not be a secret. Of course, deducing the philosopher’s theory from these fragmented, past impressions of words, you indeed are remarkable."

"...So that’s how it is."

Aiwass suddenly became enlightened.

He had actually touched upon this briefly before—he had subconsciously used "addition and subtraction" to calculate it, which led to the erroneous theory of "civilization minus differences equals legacy."

But if the revelation of Source River had an order... and at least the first three Source Rivers had the sequence of one, two, three, then he understood!

The Holy Numbers of Source Rivers came from that!

"...If that’s the case, I think I understand why this device’s coverage is seven layers."

The holy number is seven, which coincidentally is the Holy Number of the Path of Strength. It symbolizes ’the power of unity.’

But Aiwass forgot the order of things——

They did not choose the holy number seven to fit the Number of Strength, but picked the holy number seven first, which led to the Path of Strength!

When the Tower of Heaven was struck by lightning, the Great Sage and Supreme Heaven had already ascended to godhood!

Aiwass still remembered... in the second illustration of the ascent ceremony, the Great Sage tore apart the Material Realm and the Dream Realm, relying on the Tower of Heaven’s power, and thus ascended to the Dream Realm!

He did not drift into the Source River posthumously as a spirit, but directly entered the Dream Realm with his physical body, afterwards being split into the Great Sage and Supreme Heaven by the Hourglass. Supreme Heaven took over the Heaven-eating Giant Beast’s Seventh Source River, while the Great Sage stepped into the unmanaged Fourth Source River.

The fact that the Winged Celestial Marshal was cut is a secret, something unprecedented, unknown beforehand. Therefore, when the Tower of Heaven sent the Winged Celestial Marshal up, it was unaware whether they would choose the Fourth Source River or the Seventh Source River. It was even less possible to know they chose "I want it all."

Thus, it was filled with the "Holy Number of Seven," precisely because of the ceremonial demand—this was an opening of the celestial path, allowing the Winged Celestial Marshal to gain the power of the Seventh Source River!

And after the Winged Celestial Marshal split into two, each controlling the Fourth and Seventh Source Rivers, the purpose of the Tower’s connection to the Eighth Source River was self-evident.

——After the Tower of Heaven uplifted two Pillar Gods, they wanted to create new Pillar Gods or Celestial Marshals!

However, the case of the Winged Celestial Marshal was different from theirs. By then, the Winged Celestial Marshal had already killed the Heaven-eating Giant Beast and consumed its divine corpse, completing the ceremony, and obtained the position of Pillar God. It simply needed to die to become the purest Pillar God of the Seventh Source River.

It only insisted on entering the Dream Realm physically, which required the Tower of Heaven’s power.

And according to information Aiwass obtained from the ascent ceremony... its reason for entering the Dream Realm physically was the pursuit of the Source River of Truth.

...But this time it was different.

The person they sent up this time clearly couldn’t have killed some Pillar God in the Material Realm or have the key!

Moreover, Aiwass heard it clearly—they succeeded.

Though almost immediately after succeeding, the Tower of Heaven was struck by lightning... at least in a moment, they successfully connected with the Source River.

At that moment, these ancients very likely forcefully sent someone up!

And before the advent of the Fool’s age, both Celestial Marshals and Pillar Gods were considered "gods," only differing from "Main God." The angel envoys of the Main God were subordinate deities of the same pantheon.

——In other words, it was a form of forced Ascension Technique!

Ignoring the choice of the "Main God," disregarding the basic principle of soul reincarnation after death... or rather, they aspired to become the "Main God of the Material Realm," directly determining divine eligibility after death!

This indeed was an untouchable taboo, equating to theft, even usurpation of Pillar God’s authority!

...But from another perspective, it indeed was an act of transcendence. Therefore the Serpent Father might probably let them succeed, or... that’s why they chose the Eighth Source River. For a guarantee.

That means, at that time, there should indeed be a Celestial Marshal ascending.

Slightly counting the numbers.

The current Serpent Celestial Marshal, before the Cicada Slough event was not on the transcendence path at all—Ai Shiping was still the Reincarnation Celestial Marshal then, being a tool in the Path of Balance.

Excluding the Serpent Celestial Marshal, there were only two Celestial Marshals on the transcendence path.

The Heaven Defier was a giant. But giants came into being after elves, so this timing was impossible.

...Then there was only one person left.

"The Fallen Celestial Marshal... Mark of Sin... Pride of Sin... ancient people who could understand each other without ’sin’... I see."

Aiwass murmured in a voice only audible to himself: "No wonder, this truly was a path of defying heaven and overstepping boundaries. That’s why this segment of history could be preserved for so long... Thus, after the Ring of Ouroboros ceremony was initiated, this instance could not be reopened, the overlapping other instance then appeared...

"——It wasn’t because the one who performed the preservation arts was strong enough, but because this segment of history itself is a colossal [taboo]!"

With a mortal body, seizing the power of the Source River——

Fabricating divine will, creating a True God!