Chapter 695 : Awakening from Primordial Chaos

In his first life, Eldrin Chen awoke from a state of profound obscurity, finding the world around him a boundless expanse of Chaos [the primordial, formless state before the separation of heaven and earth].

All things within the Chaos were dim and indistinct. At the distant horizon where heaven met earth, a mythic sun of unparalleled grandeur slowly ascended from the Nine Heavens Above [the highest, most sacred celestial realm].

The world was vast and desolate. The sun was a colossal entity that blotted out the sky, its infinite light flooding every corner of existence.

He found himself unable to speak, only able to tremble within the haze. As the sun journeyed westward, his form molted and transformed, giving birth to a pair of wings.

He strained to spread his wings, yearning to soar towards that celestial body. Yet, try as he might, he could never touch even a sliver of its radiance.

He flew until exhaustion claimed him, until not a shred of strength remained. He alighted upon the boundless earth and only then realized the sun was setting, and the vitality within his own body was withering and fading with its light.

With a sudden, jarring clarity, he awoke to his surroundings. In the distance, he saw insects as colossal as mountains, butterflies whose wings could veil the sky, and towering humanoid figures that pierced the clouds.

"So this is it," he murmured.

"The mayfly, born at dawn and dead by dusk, forever ignorant of the distinction between day and night... this is its truth."

In that moment of epiphany, Eldrin Chen understood. What he had just experienced was the entire lifespan of a mayfly. For more chapters, visit http://www . audio-novel.com for the complete novel.

In his second life, he was reborn as a cicada, slumbering in the earth for twenty-one years. Upon awakening, he found himself in the blazing heat of midsummer, unaware of the division of the four seasons.

In his third life, he became a tree, enduring wind and rain in a silent corner, watching the shifting clouds with a silent laugh. With each passing season, he carved another ring into his being, until a woodcutter felled him, reducing him to dry timber for the fire.

The fourth life…

Within the Dreamwalking Reincarnation [a profound ability to experience simulated lives within a dream state], Eldrin Chen continuously contemplated these varied existences. His understanding of life and the myriad phenomena of the world gradually deepened, stirring profound reflections within him.

At times, he was reborn as a human; other times, as a fish, or as a young sapling.

He simply observed and felt, walking alone through the Mortal Dust [the realm of mortal affairs and worldly attachments]. He quietly contemplated the heavens, the earth, and all living things, letting life after life pass by in this manner.

"…"

Meanwhile, within a void near the End of the Demonic Abyss…

Garuda the Heavenly Demon sat cross-legged before a wooden hut, his expression grave as he regarded the figure before him.

Standing before the Garuda Demon Monarch was a woman of exceedingly alluring form. She wore a gown of sheer, crimson gauze that left little of her figure to the imagination—a display of brazen wantonness.

However, Garuda Demon Monarch dared not look for long. He lowered his head, his expression grave, and asked, "Nightmare, the matter I entrusted to you... can it truly be accomplished?"

"Why the haste?"

The Nightmare Heavenly Demon gazed silently at the portrait of Eldrin Chen, her eyes shimmering with a hint of bewitching allure.

She unconsciously licked her lips, then suddenly let out a soft, coquettish laugh. "I had no intention of helping you initially. However, this man's appearance and bearing are the most exceptional I have ever witnessed in my life. Taking him as a cultivation furnace would not be a bad idea."

"But let us be clear from the start. Once the deed is done, you must hand him over to me."

The Garuda the Heavenly Demon frowned, yet he understood the nature of the woman before him. "You may have the physical body," he stated, "but I *must* annihilate his soul essence [the spiritual core of a cultivator]!"

"It is only the vessel I desire. What need have I for his soul?"

The Nightmare Heavenly Demon shook her head as she spoke, carefully retrieving a Treasure Box from within her robes.

As the Treasure Box opened, a single, breathtakingly beautiful and vibrant crimson flower unfurled from within.

"What is this?"

Garuda the Heavenly Demon's expression shifted, and he could not help but exclaim in shock.

The woman nodded, a look of yearning on her face as she said, "The Underworld Blossom [a legendary flower of the underworld]. Its blossoms last for a thousand years, its leaves fall for a thousand years. Bloom and wither are forever out of sync, destined never to meet across countless lifetimes."

"This flower grows only within the depths of the Netherworld Hell [the infernal realms of the afterlife]. It possesses the two opposing, ultimate powers of life and death, making it a treasure virtually impossible to find in the mortal world."

"I obtained this very blossom long ago when I accompanied Lord Demon God on business to the Netherworld Underworld Court [the administrative courts of the underworld]. It cost no small price. To use it against a mere Infant Soul [the Nascent Soul stage] cultivator, failure is simply inconceivable."

Upon hearing this, Garuda the Heavenly Demon revealed a smile and could not resist adding, "Using this flower as a medium allows one to bypass the defenses of most Divine Ability [supernatural arts and techniques] and Spiritual Treasure [enchanted artifacts]. It is certain to curse him, making it impossible for him to escape calamity across three lives and seven reincarnations, forever falling into the clutches of Yama [the King of Hell] with no hope of awakening."

"..." Continue reading this story at audio_novel.com.

A year in the Mortal Dust [the mortal world], yet another lifetime passed within the dream.

Another lifetime of Eldrin Chen came to an end, and he entered the next dream of reincarnation, poised to begin a new existence.

It was at this very moment that within Eldrin Chen's sea of consciousness [the spiritual realm of the mind], a dazzlingly brilliant crimson flower bloomed, forcefully invading his very soul.

This Underworld Blossom was a thing of the Netherworld, a rarity even if one scoured the entire Mortal Dust, and it carried with it an aura of death capable of extinguishing all life.

Once thoroughly contaminated by its deathly aura, even a Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a supreme cultivator whose spirit has transcended mortal limits] could face complete soul annihilation, leaving behind nothing but an empty husk in the mortal world.

Yet, at this critical juncture, a startling transformation erupted within the sea of consciousness of Eldrin Chen.

The method from the Immortal Realm [the celestial realm where true immortals reside], transformed into an ethereal and hazy Mortal Dust Dream Butterfly [a legendary butterfly said to traverse the dreams of mortals and immortals alike]. It fluttered its wings and alighted upon a petal of the Manjusaka [the flower of the underworld, also known as the red spider lily].

The Mortal Dust Dream Butterfly gathering nectar from this strange bloom of the Netherworld Hell [the underworld realm of the dead] instantly triggered a wondrous spectacle.

Behold, the infinite deathly aura within the flower was utterly consumed by the Mortal Dust Dream Butterfly, and upon the Manjusaka, tender, verdant leaves began to unfurl alongside the crimson petals.

The Underworld Blossom [another name for the Manjusaka, famed for its flowers and leaves never meeting], whose blossoms and foliage were fated to be eternally separated across lifetimes, now displayed the miraculous sight of flowers and leaves coexisting.

"Hmm—"

Perhaps having absorbed sufficient power, the Mortal Dust butterfly gave a faint flutter of its wings. This subtle motion introduced a variable into the dream of Eldrin Chen's next life within this slumber.

"…"

Eldrin Chen walked along a dimly lit Road to the Underworld [the mythical path souls traverse to the afterlife]. On either side of the path grew blood-red flowers, stretching towards the horizon's edge. Their haunting, mesmerizing beauty was so profound it could root one's feet to the ground.

He plucked a flower idly, inhaled its scent with detached calm, and then walked serenely toward the next lifetime's Mortal Dust [the mundane world of mortals, filled with desires and attachments] dreamscape.

This path was exceptionally long, as if traversing an immeasurable span of Space-Time [the fabric of reality encompassing both spatial dimensions and the flow of time], before finally arriving before an ethereal, illusory gateway.

This lifetime felt peculiar. Eldrin Chen raised his hand, hesitated for a long while, and only then pushed the gate open with a firm shove.

"Eldrin! Eldrin!"

The call echoed in his ears. Eldrin Chen jolted awake, his eyes snapping open.

Lifting his head, he beheld a figure both distant in memory and yet familiar—a vision of bright eyes and gleaming teeth.

"Summer Reign Xia!"

He was stunned for a long moment before a faint smile finally touched his lips, and he uttered the name, a rare occurrence.

He shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle. What an ancient name that was. He had been submerged in the Reincarnation [the cyclical process of death and rebirth of the soul] tribulation for eight hundred years now. He never imagined he would see her again within this Mortal Dust [the mundane world of mortals, filled with desires and attachments] butterfly dream.

"What's wrong with you?"

Summer Reign Xia reached out and touched his forehead, unable to hold back her words. "You don't have a fever. Why are you acting so strange today?"

"It's nothing," Eldrin Chen shook his head, speaking with a calmness that belied the turmoil within. "It's just... seeing you again fills me with a profound sense of wonder."

It was as if Eldrin Chen had truly returned to the life before his soul's great tribulation, continuing to live out his days alongside Summer Reign Xia.

This life felt exceptionally real, so tangible that it made Eldrin Chen doubt, making him question whether the life he had experienced on the distant shore of existence had ever truly been.

He was even touched by a profound uncertainty, wondering if all he had endured was merely a dream.

Was it the Mortal Dust Dream Butterfly [a legendary entity said to traverse the boundaries of dreams and reality] that had carried him across the infinite shores to this point before his original journey, or was all of this simply an illusory fantasy?

Eldrin Chen lost track of how long he spent within this dream. Unconsciously, a force seemed to be at work, causing his memories of the Purple Seal Realm to grow increasingly hazy and indistinct.

This continued until one day, he found himself aged and frail, to the point where he could scarcely distinguish between the dream and what he perceived as reality.

As his life in this world seemed to draw to its inevitable close, he finally spoke to Summer Reign Xia, saying, "All these years... I once had a dream."

He recounted the tale in a quiet, measured tone, sharing everything with Summer Reign Xia.

Summer Reign Xia listened in silence for a long while before finally speaking. "In truth, in recent years, I too have experienced a dream of startling clarity," she said.

"In that dream, you died suddenly. Overwhelmed by grief, I followed you in death. Then, inexplicably, I was reborn into a world of phantasmagoric wonders, until a Great Tribulation [a cataclysmic event of cosmic scale that reshapes worlds and destinies] swept over everything, and I could no longer remember what had transpired in those bygone days."

Eldrin Chen felt a tremor in his heart and could not help but ask, "In the dream... what was your name?" Find thousands of chapters at *audio-novel.com*.