Chapter Eighty-Eight: Refining Heaven and Earth-Cellular Universe(The Path Lit by a Pale Lantern)

Heaven and earth suddenly roared, the air erupting into chaos, tumbling and scattering in wild disorder. In moments, countless miniature storms formed, lifting dust and debris from the ground, whirling through the sky, blotting out the sun and the land in a shroud of gray. For a brief instant, the entire world seemed transformed—oppressive, ashen, utterly engulfed.

Everywhere, the eye could see nothing but swirling tempests; only one place remained untouched—pristine, as though it were the last pure sanctuary in all creation.

Zhou Yi stood at the center, both hands gripping his blade. Blade aura enveloped him, surging and sweeping through heaven and earth. Whenever the world-ending storm so much as approached him, it was immediately cleaved apart and dispersed by the force radiating from his sword.

His stance was steady, feet firmly rooted, toes gripping the earth, his body straight as a spear, his spine aligned like a dragon. Power flowed ceaselessly throughout his form; both hands grasped the weapon, and the immense force channeling through the blade surged into his body, coursing along his spine’s arc.

His lips were gently pressed together, eyes calmly open, skin taut, every organ within him perfectly aligned, each one accepting the baptism of this overwhelming power. It was as if all the world’s might surged through his veins, each organ bearing the weight of a universe.

As this force circulated within him, a mountainous aura suddenly billowed from Zhou Yi, pressing outward in all directions. Vast and profound, it was formless yet mighty, like a colossal hand smoothing all the wrinkles of the world.

Where moments before the apocalypse seemed to reign, now, with the emergence of this aura, all was calmed. The storms dissipated, dust settled to the ground, and the air, heavy yet orderly, returned to its proper state. In an instant, the world shifted from doomsday back to tranquil normality.

And yet, though the realm had been restored, the hearts of those who witnessed this were anything but calm.

Xue Kai turned to look at Song Hai, his eyes filled with shock. Was such a feat truly within his grasp?

For the first time, Xue Kai hesitated in his certainty of Song Hai’s strength. Until now, he had firmly believed Song Hai was stronger than Zhou Yi, unwavering in that conviction. But now, that belief began to falter.

It was as if a great stone pressed upon his heart, heavy and stifling. His emotions churned, and he found himself speechless.

Had Zhou Yi’s power not already reached the False Core realm?

Could even one at the False Core stage truly achieve what stood before their eyes?

Doubt crept into Xue Kai’s heart.

Huang Yue, too, was both shaken and uncertain. Was what she had just witnessed truly within human capability?

At this moment, Zhou Yi seemed the very axis of the universe. Simply by standing there in silence, he became impossible to ignore—he was not the world, and yet, the world was him.

“How did you do it?” Mo Hu finally landed, bitterness upon his face. This time, he was truly resigned, for he had just realized a shocking truth.

Zhou Yi said nothing, only looking at him.

That gaze seemed tangible, weighing down on Mo Hu with immense pressure. For a moment, he could scarcely breathe. Fortunately, his strength was not insignificant; after a moment’s struggle, he managed to steady himself.

But after regaining his composure, Mo Hu, too, fell into silence.

Had Zhou Yi’s strength truly reached such a realm? Even a single look from him was almost unbearable!

“It seems what I suspected is true,” thought Mo Hu, Zhou Yi’s gaze confirming his earlier suspicions.

“You... have refined the world itself!” Mo Hu asked in a tentative, almost hopeful whisper, eyes filled with awe.

“What?”

“How could that be possible?”

Before Zhou Yi could answer, Huang Yue and Xue Kai cried out in astonishment, staring at Mo Hu in disbelief.

“What did you just say?”

“Did you mean what you said?”

Refine heaven and earth? Impossible.

Surely, he must have misheard.

Under their questioning, Mo Hu looked at the pair, his eyes suddenly narrowing to pinpoints as he stared at Xue Kai.

“You…” A chill rose within Mo Hu as he looked at Xue Kai, an inexplicable dread creeping up his back. “We… we were three all along.”

“We were three all along!” A strange sense of sorrow flickered through Mo Hu’s heart. He turned to look at Song Hai, standing quietly beside Xue Kai, his emotions a tangled knot. “And they, too, are not one but two.”

Mo Hu’s silence deepened Huang Yue’s confusion. Seeing his pupils contracted to needle points out of fear, her heart quivered—what had he seen to leave him in such a state?

Driven by curiosity, Huang Yue followed his gaze. In that instant, her body shuddered, and she, too, fell silent.

“So we’ve been the fools all along, haven’t we?” After a long, heavy pause, Huang Yue asked Xue Kai in a rough, bitter voice.

Xue Kai nodded silently, meeting her gaze.

“As expected, anyone favored by the Island of Legends could never be so simple,” Mo Hu sighed, looking from Zhou Yi to Song Hai, then exhaling deeply, his voice weary. “You two brothers are both monsters!”

“To us, refining heaven and earth is legend, myth. But for you, perhaps it’s just the norm.”

Xue Kai and Huang Yue remained silent. For some reason, though, Mo Hu’s words rang true in their hearts; they could not muster any denial.

These two were indeed extraordinary; whatever transpired around them simply became the new normal.

Perhaps, after all, legend and myth were words invented just for them.

“What does it mean to refine heaven and earth?” As the others wrestled with their complicated emotions, Zhou Yi sheathed his blade and asked.

“You don’t know?”

All three stared at Zhou Yi in shock.

He shook his head.

“Forget it,” they said after exchanging glances, lapsing into a shared, defeated silence.

“The mark of the Celestial Human realm is mastery over the forces of heaven and earth. One advances by opening the body’s three hundred sixty-five acupoints—what’s called the Gates to Heaven.”

“With each acupoint opened, a gate is unlocked, initiating one as a Celestial Human. When all three hundred sixty-five acupoints are cleared, all gates open, and one stands at the pinnacle of the realm.”

“Each gate, each acupoint, grants control over a meter of heaven and earth’s force.”

“When all are open and connected, they form a complete circuit, interlinked and mutually reinforcing. One then commands a thousand meters of heaven and earth’s strength.”

“This is the usual path of cultivation, the way of ordinary people.”

“Few know that, besides control over heaven and earth’s force, the true mark of the Celestial Human realm is the comprehension of the world’s essence.”

“According to ancient records, if upon breaking through one also attains the relevant essence of heaven and earth, their power increases dramatically, vastly surpassing that of ordinary cultivators.”

“This essence may be found within the Gates to Heaven. With each gate opened, there’s a chance to acquire a corresponding essence—but the probability is so infinitesimal it is almost nonexistent. By now, even mention of such things has vanished from the world.”

“Heaven and earth’s essence enhances the power one wields, transforming it in quality—this is only one of its effects.”

“It is said that if one comprehends ten kinds of essence, these can be interwoven to construct a new heaven and earth, amplifying all abilities—one’s strength will soar.”

“Legend holds that such a person can rival those of the False Core.”