Zhang Chen was utterly shocked in his heart, but fortunately, at the critical moment, his own Innate Jianmu resisted the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
The Innate Jianmu is a Changsheng species, not entering reincarnation, not under the jurisdiction of reincarnation, naturally having the power to resist reincarnation.
The Heaven-Reaching Jianmu is an Innate Spirit Root, having long transcended the bounds of heaven and earth, not within reincarnation, so the power of reincarnation is, of course, ineffective against the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu.
He saw the mysterious qi mechanism flow within Zhang Chen, the power of the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu precisely restraining the power of reincarnation, sparing Zhang Chen from the suffering of reincarnation.
At this moment, a gray light cluster fell out from the light cluster representing the Six Paths of Reincarnation, catching Zhang Chen’s eye.
[New skill discovered, would you like to pick it up?]
"A new skill has appeared as expected, and it’s a skill related to the Six Paths of Reincarnation!" Zhang Chen looked at the gray skill with overwhelming joy, his eyes full of excitement, and quickly issued a command: "Pick it up!"
As Zhang Chen’s mind moved, the light cluster on the ground disappeared, and at this moment, his Golden Finger Interface refreshed:
[Skill No. 24: Authority of Reincarnation (Cannot be upgraded)]
[Note: You can manipulate the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, holding authority over the Six Paths of Reincarnation]
"Authority of the Six Paths of Reincarnation?" Zhang Chen’s heart stirred, countless pieces of information flooded into his mind, and in the next moment, Zhang Chen knew everything inexplicably.
"The Authority of the Six Paths of Reincarnation that I possess is not a Divine Technique or Daoist Technique, but rather the authority to control the Six Paths of Reincarnation. If the Six Paths of Reincarnation before me can be likened to a Magical Treasure, then my Authority of Reincarnation is comparable to the incantation." Zhang Chen pondered to himself.
As he pondered the mysteries of the Magical Treasure, the chaotic qi cluster evolving from the Six Paths of Reincarnation collided and merged with the Yin Yang Grinding Disc, and then all anomalies disappeared, leaving only a Yin Yang Jade Plate swirling with Qi of Chaos in the void.
Zhang Chen summoned with his palm, and the Yin Yang Jade Plate returned, falling into Zhang Chen’s hand. Zhang Chen lowered his head to examine the Yin Yang Grinding Disc and saw that the pattern on the Yin Yang Grinding Disc had changed.
On the Yin Yang Fish, there was an additional vortex, a vortex imprinted on the Yin Yang Grinding Disc, continuously rotating as if coming to life.
The vortex transformed into a bottomless pit, constantly rotating on the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disc, with its position changing along with the movement of the Yin Yang Fish.
Looking at the vortex, a piece of information flashed in Zhang Chen’s mind: "Human Dao of the Six Paths of Reincarnation."
The Six Paths of Reincarnation include the Heavenly Dao, Asura Dao, Human Dao, Beast Dao, Hungry Ghost Dao, and Hell Dao. The vortex before him represents the Human Dao Vortex, where any soul entering could be reincarnated as a human.
"The Six Paths of Reincarnation in front of me is just one-sixth of the Six Paths. Now that I have mastered the power of the Human Dao, I can pull any soul into it to reincarnate as a human. Of course, the premise is that I have the ability to pull them in!" Thoughts flickered in Zhang Chen’s mind.
"Now that I have mastered the power of the Human Dao, Han Suzhen seems to be revivable..." Zhang Chen sensed the mystery of the Human Dao Reincarnation, rapidly deducing various possibilities.
The Six Paths of Reincarnation not only has the power to let souls reincarnate but also can, using the power of reincarnation, sense the souls of all beings, pull them out of reincarnation, or gather them anew.
"Currently, I possess the skill to let souls reincarnate, but I can only make them reincarnate into the Human Dao. If I can gather the full Six Paths of Reincarnation, at that time, I could reincarnate souls into any of the Paths at will." Zhang Chen felt a thrill in his heart.
Looking again at the Yin Yang Grinding Disc, now with the addition of the Human Dao Reincarnation, the Yin Yang Grinding Disc has directly leaped into the Twelfth Tier, becoming a Twelfth Tier treasure.
[Skill No. 16 (Twelfth Tier): Yin Yang Reincarnation Grinding Disc (1/6)]
"Even though it is just an incomplete Twelfth Tier, it still possesses incredible power. When I gather the full Six Paths of Reincarnation and completely master it, I can use it to control the reincarnation laws of the entire Great Thousand Worlds, becoming the master of all beings’ life and death and reincarnation." Zhang Chen thought to himself.
At the same time, a point of doubt emerged in Zhang Chen’s heart: "If the Six Paths of Reincarnation were to shatter, how would beings reincarnate and be reborn? How would the order of heaven and earth operate?"
Zhang Chen voiced his doubt to the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, and the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said, "Who says that the beings of heaven and earth reincarnate after death? Now even the passages between the Underworld and the Mortal World are closed, souls after death cannot even reach the Underworld, where is there any chance for reincarnation?"
"What about the souls of all beings?" Zhang Chen was taken aback after hearing the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s words.
"Naturally, they are scattered to the winds!" The Great Freedom Celestial Demon said, "The souls of all beings are incredibly fragile. Once they leave the body for more than seven days, they either get eroded by the Qi mechanism between heaven and earth, scattering completely, or if their obsessions are too deep, they transform into ghostly entities that bring calamity to the mortal realm." There was a rare touch of regret in the voice of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen realized the truth in this explanation. Cultivators who practice the Divine Soul Dao, even during the early stages of Soul Emergence, must avoid the natural forces between heaven and earth. A slight mistake can lead to their souls being scattered, let alone the souls of ordinary beings?
Once separated from the body, the only path is destruction.
Unless they possess an unyielding obsession from their previous life, only then can they remain in this world.
"Without reincarnation, won’t the birth and death of all beings be severed? How will continuity be maintained then?" Another question arose in Zhang Chen’s mind.
"You are mistaken! When beings perish and their souls disperse among heaven and earth, they transform into an almost imperceptible Qi mechanism, accumulating within heaven and earth, forming another kind of power..." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon explained profusely to Zhang Chen.
At this moment, information about the Six Paths of Reincarnation flooded Zhang Chen’s mind. Without needing the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s explanation, he already knew the various changes within.
According to his understanding, energy between heaven and earth does not perish; it only transforms from one form to another.
After the souls of all beings perish, they form soul fragments, which accumulate in heaven and earth in an imperceptible way.
Even where Zhang Chen stands now, this place has gathered fragments of all beings’ souls from the last hundred thousand years since the demise of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Through Zhang Chen’s Reincarnation Dharma Eye, he saw the entire void of heaven and earth filled with soul fragments of all beings, forming debris that obstructed the operation of the laws of heaven and earth.
If these fragments accumulate to a certain extent, they will cause the operation of the laws of heaven and earth to slow, leading to the arrival of an End of the Dharma world.
Eventually, yin and yang will counteract, the material world becoming a ghostly realm suitable for ghostly entities and the Underworld, until yin and yang are confused, heaven and earth inverted, the mortal world becoming the Underworld, and the Underworld becoming the mortal world, nearing the cosmic balance’s return to chaos.
The most crucial point is that souls in heaven and earth cannot be recycled. Each new birth of a soul requires drawing from the power of origin to reshape it, continuously consuming the power of the origin of heaven and earth, accelerating the world’s depletion, and making the End of Dharma increasingly severe.
"Who dismantled the Six Paths of Reincarnation back then, splitting it into six parts, making it impossible for beings to reincarnate?" Realizing the consequences, cold sweat appeared on Zhang Chen’s back.
He had mastered the power of the Human Reincarnation, and with a glance, he saw countless soul fragments densely packed within heaven and earth, these fragments accumulating like sediment, obstructing the operation of the laws of heaven and earth.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon shook his head when he heard this: "Those old fellows sought to avoid their tribulations, indifferent to so much else. Do you think they cared about the life and death of all beings? Have you heard the saying ’better you die than I’? Those old ones would gladly drag all beings down if it meant a slim chance of survival for themselves. If they couldn’t survive the tribulation, what use would living beings be to them?"
Hearing this, Zhang Chen fell silent, lost in contemplation, staring quietly at the soul fragments scattered in heaven and earth.
The laws of heaven and earth were like flowing water, while the soul fragments were like stones and sediment. The water flowed sluggishly through the sediment, retreating and seeping through stone crevices, its flow delayed and obstructed, blocking the flow entirely.
Imagine how difficult and sluggish it would be for water to permeate through sediment and rocks.
The operation of the laws of heaven and earth had reached a point where it was almost impossible.
Moreover, the sluggish operation of the laws of heaven and earth would also affect the extraordinary laws of the material realm. The operation of the laws will become obscure and inactive, making the manifestation of Divine Techniques more difficult, reducing the power of divine abilities, and making cultivation increasingly challenging.
Eventually, the extraordinary will disappear, completely vanishing from heaven and earth. Cultivators will also disappear from heaven and earth. With the laws of heaven and earth becoming increasingly stagnant and blocked, the laws will ultimately lose all fluidity and vitality, turning into stagnant water. Eventually, the laws will cease to manifest, marking the arrival of the End of the Dharma in this world.
"In the End of the Dharma world, none of all beings will be spared. Is this the reason the gods vanished and withdrew? But something doesn’t add up. Why did the gods sit back and allow someone to steal the Six Paths of Reincarnation? Those powerful beings stole it to avoid tribulation, but what tribulation were they trying to escape from? Surely, it was a tribulation that preceded the fracturing of reincarnation, leading to another new tribulation, this being the End of Dharma Tribulation." Zhang Chen turned to look at the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, eyes showing a probing question: "Ancestor, what really happened back then that made those old ones disregard the life and death of all beings, splitting the Six Paths of Reincarnation, obstructing the operation of heaven and earth’s laws? Such a significant karmic force, are they not afraid of celestial punishment descending?"
Hearing Zhang Chen’s question, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon fell silent: "It must have been a calamity more terrifying than the End of Dharma Tribulation, so much so that even the gods disregarded everything, not even considering the karmic forces of the world."
The words of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon were brief, yet they sent cold sweat streaming down Zhang Chen’s back.