Honghuang: My understanding is against the sky, I use the Gu Dao to prove the origin of the universe
Chapter 12 - Refining the Heart and Spirit, The Duality of Yin and Yang

Chapter 12  Refining the Heart and Spirit, The Duality of Yin and Yang

Refining the body! Refining the arts! Refining the spirit! Refining the heart. This was an excruciatingly painful and unimaginably dangerous process—one misstep, and the crushing pressure could grind him into dust, body and soul annihilated!

Yet Chu Yuan, with a willpower far beyond ordinary men and a Dao heart as firm as stone, endured it by sheer force. He persisted through the pain, struggled through the limits, and sought rebirth on the edge of destruction!

With every time his flesh cracked and healed, his Dao body became tougher, purer, faintly glowing like a piece of precious jade. With every time his magical power was squeezed to its limit and restored, it grew more refined, more condensed, flowing more smoothly and without obstruction.

With every time his soul was crushed and reshaped, it became more transparent, more powerful, and his perception of the Dao grew ever clearer.

More importantly, throughout the endless years of resisting and comprehending the pressure of Pangu—Chu Yuan seemed to transcend time and space, faintly touching a trace of will from that supreme being who had split heaven and earth, becoming all things!

It was unyielding!

It was vast!

It was boundless!

It was majestic!

It was selfless!

This deeply moved his Dao heart, prompting a new and deeper reflection on the “Gu Path” he walked.

“Gu is not an evil path, nor a petty one… It too can carry heaven and earth, evolve myriad things…

The Dao of Gu refines all things for one’s use, draws strength from all living beings to make up for one’s own flaws.

Why should it not, like the great god Pangu, support a realm of Primordial Chaos with a mere mortal form?”

Unconsciously, under the tempering and baptism of Pangu’s will, his Dao heart became more resolute and pure than ever before. Along with it, his understanding of the Primordial Heavenly Gu Scripture quietly broke through to a new realm!

Time passed swiftly amidst the monotonous, painful, yet transformative cultivation and ascent.

One year, ten years…

A hundred years, a thousand years…

Three thousand years!

For three thousand full years, Chu Yuan forgot everything. In his heart remained only a single thought.

Climb! Climb!

Tempering himself under endless pressure!

Until one day, as Chu Yuan once again took a difficult step upward—The magical power within him, long at the peak of the mid-Golden Immortal stage after five thousand years of accumulation, surged like a volcano that had stored its fury for countless ages, finally impossible to suppress!

The calm of his realm, under the impact of this vast force, shattered like paper…

BOOM!!!

A terrifying aura, more than ten times stronger than when he was in the mid-stage of the Golden Immortal realm, suddenly burst out from Chu Yuan’s body!

Vast divine power surged and roared inside him like a breaking heavenly river. It even briefly broke through the thick, almost tangible Pangu pressure surrounding him, shooting straight up into the skies, stirring the wind and clouds!

The terrifying pressure that had almost suffocated him seemed to lighten significantly at this moment!

Late-stage Golden Immortal!

Everything had naturally come to fruition!

After five thousand years of arduous cultivation on Mount Buzhou, using the Pangu pressure as a forge to temper himself, Chu Yuan’s cultivation finally took a great leap forward, successfully breaking through to the late-stage Golden Immortal realm!

When he opened his eyes, divine light shone brightly within them, as if earth, wind, water, and fire were born and extinguished there. He could feel the vast, pure divine power surging inside him.

He sensed his body growing tougher and stronger, faintly flowing with precious light. And his spirit had become clearer and more complete, more in harmony with the great Dao of heaven and earth.

A sincere smile of satisfaction appeared on Chu Yuan’s face. Five thousand years of hard work and torment — it was all worth it!

Indeed, within the cataclysm lay opportunities far greater than usual. After the breakthrough, Chu Yuan felt the pressure on his body had truly lessened a lot. His climbing speed increased accordingly. Without pausing, after a brief consolidation, he continued to advance toward the summit, shrouded in clouds and mist, unfathomably deep.

The higher he went, the fewer living beings he encountered. But each one had a terrifying aura, obviously powerful existences able to survive in the depths of Mount Buzhou.

Chu Yuan remained cautious as ever, he avoided them when possible, but if he couldn’t, he swiftly dealt with them with thunderous force, leaving no trouble behind.

During this time, he also collected some corpses of Golden Immortals. Several more centuries passed, and Chu Yuan estimated he had already reached the very high regions of Mount Buzhou.

Here, even for his late-stage Golden Immortal cultivation, the Pangu pressure remained unbearably heavy.

…

One day, while resting on a cliff shrouded in mist, his eyes scanning the surroundings in search of potential opportunities, his expression suddenly changed again. In his perception, an area not far ahead had become abnormal once more!

This time, it was no longer the four elements of earth, wind, water, and fire. Instead, two completely opposite yet mutually dependent profound auras were present — the utmost Yin and softness, and the utmost Yang and hardness!

The area was enveloped in dense black and white energies. The black and white energies swirled and intertwined like two chasing and playing Yin-Yang fish, slowly rotating and entwining endlessly, forming a huge Taiji (Tai Chi) diagram shadow radiating the profound sound of the great Dao.

Completely isolating the inner space, it exuded an ancient, primordial, and profoundly mysterious aura.

“The Prenatal Yin-Yang Great Array!”

Chu Yuan was once again moved, filled with admiration in his heart. Mount Buzhou truly deserved its reputation as the number one divine mountain of the prehistoric era; the countless opportunities rumored in later generations were indeed well-earned!

In such a short time, he had encountered yet another Prenatal Great Array. Judging by the purity of the Yin and Yang energies and the scale of the formation, the mysterious principles and power contained within it were likely even superior to the Prenatal Four Symbols Great Array he had seen before!

This time, Chu Yuan chose to do exactly as he had before. He sat cross-legged in front of the array. He released his divine sense and carefully studied the formation…

One year passed!

Ten years!

A hundred years!

And another five hundred years slipped by!

【You deeply deduced the Prenatal Yin-Yang Great Array, observing the profound mystery of Yin and Yang generating each other. Combining this with the principles of mutual generation and restriction from the “Mixed-Origin Heavenly Gu Scripture,” you made analogies and comprehended the Prenatal Yin-Yang Great Array!】

【You understood from the Prenatal Four Symbols Great Array the operation of the four symbols—Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire—and you nurtured the embryonic form of the Yin-Yang principle!】

【You comprehended a divine skill: Yin-Yang in the Palm!】

A beautiful voice echoed again in his mind. Chu Yuan opened his eyes, the Yin-Yang divine light swirling within them!

Yin and Yang—the Two Forms!

In the world, there is little beyond Yin and Yang.

Even among the three thousand chaotic demon gods in the past, the Yin-Yang Demon Gods ranked among the foremost. This alone shows the power of the Yin-Yang principle!

The Prenatal Yin-Yang Great Array!

The embryonic form of the Yin-Yang principle!

And a terrifying killing divine skill, Yin-Yang in the Palm. Even before entering the Prenatal Great Array before him, Chu Yuan had already benefited greatly.

Moreover…

Tai Chi gives birth to the Two Forms, the Two Forms give birth to the Four Symbols!

The Yin-Yang principle and the Four Symbols principle have countless intricate connections. The combination of the two greatly amplifies their power!