Chapter 5: Awakening: Immortal Tianlong Spirit! (2)
With a piercing screech that echoed through the silent corridors, Su Xiaobai cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
He exhaled a heavy sigh, bracing himself as he summoned the remnants of his cultivation power to grapple with the daunting weight of the ancient metal door.
His hands, enshrouded in a mesmerizing bluish aura, danced with the energy as he mustered his strength, heaving the door upwards. It was no ordinary door; it was the gateway to the deepest, most fortified chamber within the hallowed halls of the Institute of Science!
As the door creaked open, Su Xiaobai stepped through the threshold, his face etched with solemnity.
Suddenly, a blinding barrage of light from the Immortal Tianlong Spirit assaulted his eyes, rendering him momentarily sightless—an evidence to the sacred power contained within.
Whoosh!
At the heart of the chamber, surrounded by an intricate metallic platform designed to stimulate and contain its power, a diamond-cut stone hovered majestically.
It was no mere stone but a relic of untold power, radiating a tranquil aura that bathed the entire room in a celestial glow, visible to the naked eye and touching the soul of any who beheld it.
"Is this the Tianlong Spirit?" An unconscious whisper escaped Su Xiaobai's lips as he took a cold breath, his sight fixed on the magical stone.
In the next second, an anomaly occurred.
The chamber fell eerily silent, the only sound a faint, rhythmic hum pulsating from the stone's core.
Su Xiaobai, caught in a moment of trepidation and awe, watched as the glow from the stone ebbed and flowed like the breath of some celestial being.
Then, softly, a whisper slithered through the air, "Su Xiaobai..."
It was not just heard; it was felt, vibrating through his very bones.
"Who!?" Su Xiaobai swiveled, eyes darting across the chamber, searching for the source that remained unseen.
The whisper morphed, clearer now, "Step closer... embrace what lies within you."
Compelled by a force he couldn't comprehend, Su Xiaobai moved, each step echoing in the silent chamber with a soft
*tap, tap, tap*
The stone's light intensified, casting eerie shadows that leapt along the walls, whispering secrets in a language forgotten by time.
"Reach out... grasp your destiny."
His heart, a frenzied drumbeat against his chest, pushed him forward.
The energy from the stone, now a growing force, beckoned with an urgency that drowned out all hesitation.
"Tianlong Spirit?..."
"...Is that your voice... Do I need to touch the stone first?" Su Xiaobai murmured to himself, his voice a curious whisper against the overwhelming silence.
"Whatever, let's give it a shot...worst-case scenario, it might just fry me up!" Su Xiaobai mused, a mix of amusement and anxiety coursing through him as he pondered his next move.
Finally, as he extended his hand, a chorus of whispers enveloped him, crescendoing into an almost tangible presence, "Yes, see beyond the veil... see the truth..."
The moment his fingertips brushed against the stone, a bolt of energy lashed out, wrapping him in a cocoon of light and shadows.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The chamber spun, a whirlwind of voices and visions engulfing him.
"Ahhh!" His cry, a mixture of surpise and excitement, filled the chamber, then abruptly cut off as the vortex of energy consumed his conciseness.
Silence descended once again, the only evidence of Su Xiaobai's ordeal the faint glow of the stone and his outstretched hand.
His eyes, now empty vessels, gazed into a realm unseen by mortal eyes.
_______
As Su Xiaobai's consciousness dissolved into the ether, he found himself adrift in the boundless Cosmos.
Below him, the realms of existence spun slowly, a web of stars, planets, and energies intertwining in a dance as old as time itself.
He was no longer confined by the physical limitations of his body; he was a specter floating in the vastness, witnessing the unfathomable mysteries of the universe.
The Cosmos whispered to him, its voice a symphony of celestial harmonies. "In the beginning," it intoned, "there was chaos—formless, boundless, a wellspring of potential. From this chaos emerged the first order, the division of Yin and Yang, the foundational forces that govern all existence."
Whoosh!
As the words echoed in his mind, Su Xiaobai saw it unfold before his eyes: a brilliant burst of light, followed by the formation of dual energies spiraling in harmony.
Yin, the embodiment of shadows, stillness, and receptivity, swirled in a dance with Yang, the force of light, movement, and creation.
Together, they gave birth to the Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—each element nurturing and restraining the others in an eternal cycle of balance and change.
"This," the Cosmos continued, "is the Dao, the Way of the universe. It is the path that all beings must follow, the balance they must seek in their journey through life and cultivation."
Su Xiaobai felt a profound sense of enlightenment wash over him. He understood now that his cultivation was not merely a quest for power but a pursuit of harmony with the Dao.
Each step forward was a step deeper into the mysteries of Yin and Yang, a step closer to the ultimate truth of existence.
As he floated in the void, a vision of the world formed before him—a world where cultivators sought to align themselves with the forces of Yin and Yang, drawing upon the Five Elements to ascend to greater heights of power and wisdom.
It was a world fraught with challenges and adversities, but also filled with endless possibilities for those brave enough to walk the path of cultivation.
"I see," whispered Su Xiaobai, a newfound resolve kindling within him. "The path of cultivation is more about understanding the cosmos, and the key of existence will reveal itself to you..."
With that vow, the cosmos seemed to acknowledge his determination, wrapping him in a gentle embrace of cosmic energy. Slowly, his consciousness began to return to the mortal realm—or so it seemed until his eyes snapped open to find him in a completely different place!
Earth, 5000 B.C.E!
Over three million years ago, the cosmos whispered in a voice laden with the weight of eons, "This realm, now known as the White Cloud Star, was once Earth. A cradle of life and a battlefield for the gods whose tales would be etched in the stars and remembered through the ages."
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