"Fellow Daoist should understand that to become a Heavenly Venerate, one must allow one's own Origin Great Dao to break through, becoming an Eternal Heavenly Dao, controlling a Heavenly Dao, to be invincible as a Heavenly Venerate," the Desolate Heavenly Venerate said. "However, I, Primordial Beginning, and in the past, even Pan Gu, had some acquaintance, and I once sought advice from the two Kings of Heavenly Venerates. Both Kings of Heavenly Venerates believed that achieving the Heavenly Dao through the Origin Great Dao ultimately only means controlling a single Heavenly Dao; it is not a complete and flawless Heavenly Dao."
Ye Chen nodded; he naturally knew this.
For example, the Life-Death Heavenly Venerate controlled the Life-Death Heavenly Dao, but the Life-Death Heavenly Dao was only a part of the complete Heavenly Dao. It was more about seizing the Heavenly Dao Power related to life and death from the complete Heavenly Dao.
For example, the Ten Directions Heavenly Venerate, who controlled the Suppression-Sealing Heavenly Dao, was similar.
This kind of Eternal Heavenly Dao, in the end, was only a part of the power of the complete Heavenly Dao.
As for himself, the Chaos Heavenly Dao he mastered was also like this, though the Chaos Heavenly Dao was more special.
Moreover, this Heavenly Dao was not the Heavenly Dao of the Origin Land, but the true Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao of the Origin Land was mostly just the Heavenly Dao of a single Chaos Ancient Universe.
No matter how strong the Heavenly Dao of a Chaos Ancient Universe was, it had its limits. Like the Azure Heaven Great Emperor, who fused the Heavenly Dao flesh of an Alien Ancient Universe into one, only reached the Tai Zhen level, or perhaps it was more accurate to call him a Tai Zhen King.
Yet, even a powerful Alien Ancient Universe, such a formidable Chaos Ancient Universe, its Heavenly Dao Power had not yet reached the Taishang realm. How could it be called the true Heavenly Dao? At best, it could only be called the Heavenly Dao of a single universe or world.
The true Heavenly Dao enveloped all worlds and heavens, including the Origin Land and the Origin Land, operating in the unseen, transcending everything.
The Heavenly Dao Power was infinite and boundless.
Even the Supreme Heavenly Venerates were merely powerful cultivators who had stolen Heavenly Dao Power.
The Desolate Heavenly Venerate said, "Fellow Daoist, have you ever wondered why the Quantitative Calamity appears?"
Ye Chen said, "Because Heavenly Dao Power was stolen?"
The Desolate Heavenly Venerate nodded. "Indeed, precisely because Heavenly Dao Power was stolen. When cultivators are weak, even if they defy the heavens and seize Heavenly Dao Power, in reality, the amount of Heavenly Dao Power they can seize is incredibly tiny, not even a drop in the ocean."
"Even in the Origin Land, with countless billions upon billions of living beings cultivating together, what they cultivate is merely the myriad Dao powers derived from the Heavenly Dao, occupying only a negligible fraction of the complete Heavenly Dao. It has no effect whatsoever on the operation of the Heavenly Dao."
"But the emergence of Great Venerates, and even Heavenly Venerates, has a huge impact on the Heavenly Dao. For example, Heavenly Venerates, who control Eternal Heavenly Daos—each Eternal Heavenly Dao is equivalent to seizing a part of the complete Heavenly Dao."
"Throughout the ages, how many Supreme Heavenly Venerates have stolen how many types of Heavenly Dao Power from the complete Heavenly Dao, seriously affecting the operation of the complete Heavenly Dao."
"The Heavenly Dao is unconscious, yet it also has consciousness. In the unseen, once too much Heavenly Dao Power is stolen, the Heavenly Dao enters a self-protection mechanism, autonomously descending the Quantitative Calamity to annihilate all living beings and reclaim all Heavenly Dao Power."
"How many Samsaras in the past were annihilated because of this Quantitative Calamity!"
"During the Era of All Heavens, because too many Heavenly Venerates were born, leading to the theft of too much Heavenly Dao Power, the Heavenly Dao prematurely descended the Quantitative Calamity."
"At that time, the two Kings of Heavenly Venerates sensed this, so they mobilized all Heavenly Venerates to jointly act to stop the Quantitative Calamity, using Heavenly Venerate forbidden methods to seal the Quantitative Calamity, sealing it beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens."
Ye Chen understood: too much Heavenly Dao Power was stolen, so the Heavenly Dao subconsciously descended the Quantitative Calamity to annihilate. But the Heavenly Venerates were too strong, possessing sufficiently powerful Heavenly Dao Power, so they sealed the Quantitative Calamity created by the Heavenly Dao.
In reality, this was also extremely rare in history. In past Samsaras, although the Quantitative Calamity annihilated, many related ancient ruins still remained, and some understanding was gained. No Samsara had ever successfully stopped the Quantitative Calamity.
However, after sealing the Quantitative Calamity, the Heavenly Venerates also felt in their hearts that the next outbreak of the Quantitative Calamity would be far more terrifying. Therefore, with many Heavenly Venerates holding differing opinions, the Twilight of All Heavens erupted.
The Twilight of All Heavens saw the fall of more than half of the Heavenly Venerates, which also caused most of the stolen Heavenly Dao Power to return to the Heavenly Dao, hoping to dissipate the Heavenly Dao's anger and thereby delay the Quantitative Calamity.
But these Heavenly Venerates did not expect that the Quantitative Calamity was only delayed because of the seal placed by the Thirty-Three Heavenly Venerates in the past. After three epochs, it would still descend upon the world, destroying all living beings.
The Desolate Heavenly Venerate said, "Achieving the Eternal Heavenly Dao through the Origin Great Dao and stealing Heavenly Dao Power—this is defying the heavens and will naturally incur heavenly punishment. Moreover, the Eternal Heavenly Dao of a Heavenly Venerate itself is stolen from the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, even if a Heavenly Venerate claims to be eternal and immortal, they cannot escape the Quantitative Calamity. In the end, they still have a trace of karmic connection with this heaven and earth."
"But if one proves the Dao to Eternity through the physical body, that's another matter. Proving the Dao to Eternity through the physical body is not stealing Heavenly Dao Power, but transforming oneself into a Heavenly Dao, becoming a true Heavenly Dao in one's own right, equivalent to transcending this heaven and earth. Even if the Quantitative Calamity descends in the future, those who prove the Dao to Eternity through the physical body possess a thread of hope in the unseen!"
Ye Chen fell silent. Only now did he learn all this, and he believed what the Desolate Heavenly Venerate proposed about those who prove the Dao to Eternity through the physical body becoming a true Heavenly Dao in their own right was correct.
In the end, those who achieve the Eternal Fruit through the Origin Great Dao cultivate a Dao that is always the Dao of this heaven and earth, unable to truly transcend.
But proving the Dao to Eternity through the physical body means attaining the Dao through the physical body, not cultivating an external Dao, but an internal Dao.
Only if one's own body is indestructible, one's own Dao is indestructible, can one completely transcend.
However, Ye Chen still had doubts and asked a crucial question, one he hadn't even asked at the Heavenly Venerate Assembly.
Because, if the Quantitative Calamity could destroy everything, then who were those Celestial Sovereign-Level terrors that caused the Endless Heavenly Venerate to fall, and the four Celestial Sovereign-Level terrors killed by the Primordial Beginning Heavenly Venerate?
The Heavenly Dao was unconscious, but those Celestial Sovereign-Level terrors were all conscious. Moreover, Ye Chen had even fought against these Celestial Sovereign-Level terrors, who wielded unknown Dao principles.
Beyond the heavens, within the sealed Quantitative Calamity beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, there also existed extremely terrifying beings who, throughout endless ages, spared no effort to cross the seal, leaving behind endless corpses.
Faintly, he already had a rough answer in his heart.
The Desolate Heavenly Venerate did not evade, answering seriously, "Actually, Fellow Daoist, you should have guessed it. These terrifying beings are actually survivors from the Samsaras that were annihilated in the past."
"And for this kind of existence, we call them—"
"Calamity Executors!"