PROLOGUE: THE COSMIC WAR
Prelude to Heaven and Earth
The cosmos sighs, time itself laments,
As starlight fades and high heaven bends.
Darkness musters its hosts, Light unfurls its banners,
As worlds collide in solemn, primal manners.
The Genesis of Annihilation
High heavens tremble, shadows surge and churn,
As ancient remnants to the dust return.
Clad in divine raiment, yet corrupt of heart,
They tear the fragile mortal realm apart.
The Birth of Light
Amidst the endless night, a flame ignites,
An undying faith illuminates the heights.
Righteous Thoughts as swords, compassion as a bell,
Whose tolling rings to break the cosmic spell.
The Anthem of Resistance
The sky is silent no longer, storms awaken,
Undercurrents surge, the earth is shaken.
Yet Light shall not be quenched, faith shall not break,
The Grand Anthem roars for the cosmos' sake.
Through unnumbered kalpas, the mortal world drifted like a battered vessel upon the sea of affliction. Though blood and tears had seeped into the soil, hope never withered—the yearning for a day when peace would reign, and the Righteous Path would endure forever.
Amidst swirling mists, the light of Truth flickered, piercing the ominous clouds as the heavenly decree silently shifted. Hearts united as brethren stood shoulder to shoulder, tempering their spirits in the crucible of pain, wielding willpower as a sacred blade, smiling in the face of life-and-death storms.
In the hour of mortal awakening, the Fa-Rectification blazes forth, as though ten thousand suns converge to illuminate all realms. Yet, such magnificent glory is forged in blood, ransomed in tears, and conceived from a single spark amidst the dust of the mortal world.
Tracing back the river of time, before the grand advent of the Great Fa... In a darkened corner where humanity writhed under calamity, a youth of common birth—bereft of fame and power, yet bearing unyielding faith within his breast—quietly set foot upon the path of cultivation. It was the bitter trials ahead that would temper his Dao-heart, rend the veil of malevolence, and unveil a destiny transcending samsara, leading directly to the shores of Consummation.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
CHAPTER XXII: A SPARK AMIDST MORTAL DUST
The Village at Van Lac Peak
Upon the thousand-year-old peak of Van Lac, white clouds draped like silken ribbons across the heavens, concealing celestial mysteries. At the foot of the mountain, a small village rested beside a shallow stream—fragile beneath the vast sky, like a single drop of ink dissolving into the tapestry of life and death.
The villagers relied on the forest for survival. Yet Van Lac was rarely benevolent. Calamities arrived as a relentless tide: at times, drought cracked the earth like a tortoise shell; at others, torrents swept away nascent life. On nights when the wind howled through rock faces, elders gathered by firelight to whisper an ancient legend—that Van Lac was once where Enlightened Beings had paused to unveil the Great Dao, leaving the light of Truth to illuminate the mortal realm. But legends could not fill empty stomachs. When hunger loomed, the gods were forgotten. The Dao remained close, yet human hearts had grown weary; the Truth lingered, yet mortal eyes had blurred.
The Youth and His Dream
Giang Long was born and raised in that barren land. At sixteen, his body was gaunt from hardship, yet his eyes shone with an extraordinary glint—as if a flame smoldered within their depths. His parents had perished early in a deluge, leaving him to rely on his grandmother in a thatched hut by the stream.
The greatest treasure of the two was not grain, but stories. His grandmother often recounted tales of the Great Fa—an undying light capable of dispelling the darkest night and saving sentient beings from the sea of suffering.
“As long as the human heart does not extinguish its faith,” she would stroke his hair, her voice resonant like an evening bell, “the Truth will always find its way back.”
Giang Long could not yet comprehend such profound principles. But he believed. He believed with a pure, unwavering instinct, just as he believed the sun would rise after a long night. The faith of a youth untainted by mortal dust was, in truth, the most steadfast Righteous Thought in the heavens.
The Revelation in a Dream
On the last winter night of that year, the north wind screamed through the mountain pass. Giang Long drifted into sleep amidst the biting chill and entered a wondrous dream.
In the vision, heaven and earth were shrouded in ink-black darkness. Suddenly, a resplendent sun appeared in mid-air, casting an aura that tore through the night. This light was neither scorching nor chilling; it carried a profound compassion that cleansed all sorrow from his mind.
A majestic voice, echoing like thunder, proclaimed:
“Undying faith is the sole key to unlock the path of Consummation. Step forth, beyond the malevolent mists!”
Giang Long awoke with a start, cold sweat drenching his back. Outside, the sky was transforming! Dark clouds gathered from all directions, swirling above Van Lac Peak. From the highest crest, a brilliant beam of light struck directly down upon the village, tearing the night asunder. Amidst the shaking earth, dogs barked and children cried, yet Giang Long felt no fear. His chest vibrated, his heart beating with unprecedented intensity—it was the pulse of awakening.
The Genesis of Destiny
The next morning, the sky cleared into a strange serenity. Giang Long carried a wooden bucket to the stream. The tempestuous night had shifted the current, carving away soil to reveal an ancient gray stone slab beneath the rushing water.
Upon its smooth surface, strange glyphs emerged—celestial runes unveiled as the water eroded a thousand-year seal. Trembling, he stepped into the icy current and touched the stone.
A tremor ran down his spine. Simultaneously, powerful words echoed in his mind, resounding as a singular voice:
“He who bears undying faith shall open the way to the Truth. Seek the Bich Van Terrace, where the Great Fa's destiny originates.”
Giang Long stood frozen in the current. The voice in his mind and his grandmother's teachings merged into one. He understood that the wheel of destiny had begun to turn. The spark in his heart had ignited into a flame, marking a journey of no return.
He turned his gaze toward the misty peak of Van Lac. He had to find the Bich Vân Terrace.