My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

The young man returned from the front lines, bearing injuries.

Even though he had reached the fifth stage of Yang God and possessed unparalleled combat power, he still suffered wounds when facing "Return to Nothingness."

"How is San Sheng?" the young man asked.

Since San Sheng had returned from the Origin Mountain, he had been in seclusion, contemplating the path to the sixth stage of Yang God.

"He is still in seclusion," a third-stage Realm Lord replied respectfully.

"Your Majesty, should we inform San Sheng about the situation with 'Return to Nothingness'?" the Realm Lord then asked.

It was clear that this was not his own question but one prompted by others.

The young man frowned: "There is no need to inform San Sheng about this. I will handle 'Return to Nothingness.' He only needs to focus on breaking through to the sixth stage of Yang God"

This was his way of expressing his stance.

After all, in the eyes of others, if San Sheng had reached the sixth stage of Yang God, their lineage might not have suffered so terribly against "Return to Nothingness," and they wouldn't have had to abandon so many territories.

After speaking, the young man said no more. He merely glanced at San Sheng's place of seclusion and prepared to leave.

"Come here."

At that moment, San Sheng's voice rang out.

The young man's brow twitched, and he entered the seclusion chamber.

San Sheng looked at the young man, his voice calm: "I plan to go to the Rebirth realm."

Hearing this, the young man's expression changed slightly.

However, he did not speak.

"The Rebirth realm, as well as the Yin realm, are crucial to my Dao," San Sheng explained.

The young man took a deep breath.

If it were anyone else, they would likely have tried to dissuade San Sheng.

After all, the Rebirth realm and the Yin realm were not like the Yang realm. They were further from the Dao.

Breaking through to the sixth stage of Yang God there would be a distant dream.

"I will handle things here. You focus on your cultivation and breakthrough," the young man said.

"Alright," San Sheng nodded.

After making some simple arrangements, his figure vanished.

From that moment on, San Sheng was no longer in the Yang realm.

In the Rebirth realm, a new San Sheng appeared.

...

"The Dao of Reincarnation must also be reforged in the Rebirth realm."

The San Sheng who arrived in the Rebirth realm was a completely new San Sheng.

He started from the very bottom, re-cultivating the Dao techniques—Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul... until he finally reached the third stage of Yang God.

"After the third stage of Yang God comes the fourth stage, where the true spirit is extinguished and solidified into rules."

On the Mi Ri Xue, San Sheng's eyes were filled with melancholy.

"Is the fourth stage of Yang God... the result of that failure?"

San Sheng recalled that on the Origin Mountain, a sixth-stage Yang God powerhouse had also invited him.

That sixth-stage Yang powerhouse was named "Dun" ("Escape").

This "Dun" referred to the concept of "Heaven's Dao has fifty, but one escapes."

"Return to Nothingness" was the inevitable trend, the opposite of life.

This "Dun" used escape to counter "Return to Nothingness."

However, his "Dun" was not perfect, much like how "Jing's" stillness was incomplete.

"So, influenced by 'Dun,' all fourth-stage Yang God powerhouses in the world... lose their true spirits, existing only in the past and future. Only by solidifying into treasures can they exist in the present?"

This was "Dun's" method of countering "Return to Nothingness," and it was also his Dao.

"All Daos ultimately aim for eternity.

However, since 'Return to Nothingness' exists in the world, resisting it has become the ultimate goal of the Dao."

"Return to Nothingness" is the return to zero, destruction, calamity, chaos, and oblivion.

All negative, annihilating, and eradicating methods in the world can be called "Return to Nothingness."

"Reincarnation means that even beings consumed by 'Return to Nothingness' can emerge from my cycle of reincarnation."

This was San Sheng's vision.

But realizing it would be extremely difficult.

Destruction is always easier than reconstruction.

The Yin realm, the Rebirth realm, and the Yang realm contain countless universes, spaces, and great realms.

Even the cosmos beyond the three realms.

The number of powerhouses born is incalculable.

The Dao... is also infinite.

The methods of annihilation are beyond measure.

Some methods are unfathomable, involving absolute banishment, techniques that do not harm the true spirit, or imprisonment.

Anything that causes living beings distress or, conversely, seems favorable but carries malice, can be called "Return to Nothingness."

"Return to Nothingness" is the opposite of eternity.

Even malicious eternity can be considered a form of "Return to Nothingness."

The "Return to Nothingness" currently appearing in the three realms mostly manifests as destruction.

"Therefore... to achieve the Dao through reincarnation... I need to understand... every Dao technique, every path... and reach the pinnacle of each."

San Sheng murmured.

This was why "Jing" had once said that San Sheng was delusional.

Because the methods of destruction are too numerous, and "Return to Nothingness" encompasses everything.

The Dao in the world is beyond counting.

Even a single cell has its own unique Dao.

A stone, a barren planet, also has its own Dao.

He needed to understand them all, to be omniscient and omnipotent, to resist "Return to Nothingness" and truly allow beings to emerge from reincarnation.

"The fourth stage of Yang God... must also be entered."

Without entering the fourth stage of Yang God, how could he understand "Dun's" path?

Although a sixth-stage Yang God powerhouse could comprehend the essence of the fourth stage of Yang God, in San Sheng's view, that was merely knowing the "what," not the "why."

"I must enter the fourth stage of Yang God in the Yin realm."

As San Sheng murmured this, his figure split into two.

One entered the Yin realm, while the other remained in the Rebirth realm.

Many years later.

In the Yin World, San Sheng, clad in black robes, exuded an obscure aura.

Behind him followed a group of powerhouses.

Judging by their auras alone, they were all at the fifth stage of Yang God.

Yet, even these fifth-stage Yang God powerhouses showed respect to San Sheng, who was only at the third stage of Yang God.

This was because San Sheng's talent was too high.

A few words from him could lead a powerhouse to sudden enlightenment.

Moreover, although he was only at the third stage of Yang God, his combat power was astonishing.

He had many methods to resist "Return to Nothingness."

Thus, in the Yin realm, he had many followers.

"Your Majesty San Sheng, the path to the fourth stage of Yang God... is not orthodox. With your talent, you could easily reach the fifth stage of Yang God," an elderly fifth-stage Yang God powerhouse said.

He had been stuck at the third stage of Yang God for countless years.

It was only under San Sheng's guidance that he had broken through to the fifth stage of Yang God.

"The fifth stage of Yang God is not my goal," San Sheng said softly.

In the Yin realm, he had established a vast organization spanning endless spaces, collecting all the methods of the world.

But the Yin realm was too vast.

Even a sixth-stage Yang God powerhouse might not be able to traverse it entirely.

"This time, I will enter the fourth stage of Yang God. If one day, my true spirit revives... there will be no more 'Return to Nothingness' in the world."

The fifth-stage Yang God powerhouses behind him all looked at San Sheng with complex expressions.

After all, sacrificing his true spirit to enter the fourth stage of Yang God, just to seek a sliver of hope for the revival of true spirits and to counter "Return to Nothingness," was something they would never do.

Even if the world fell into ruin.

The myriad realms are so vast that they could simply go elsewhere and live eternally.

"If my true spirit cannot revive..." San Sheng smiled, "there will be others who come after me, surpassing me."

As San Sheng's voice fell, his figure vanished into nothingness.

His true spirit was extinguished.

At that moment, San Sheng felt an overwhelming power, as if he could wound a sixth-stage Yang God powerhouse with a single strike.

But this extreme sublimation lasted only for an instant.

His true spirit was completely extinguished.

In the universe, only a group of powerhouses remained, staring at the void with complex expressions.

At the same time, in the Rebirth realm.

San Sheng's thoughts were sluggish.

"Indeed, even with the method I created to split my true spirit and enter the fourth stage of Yang God, I am still affected."

The current San Sheng had a dimmed true spirit.

It was as if dust had settled on a lightbulb.

"Sleep."

To deal with these issues, San Sheng chose to sleep.

After an unknown number of years, San Sheng awoke once more.

Suddenly, he raised his hand, his eyes calm.

"Was I bitten?"

On his arm was a clear set of teeth marks.

Clearly, while he was asleep, someone had tried to take a bite out of him.

He paid it no mind.

This time, upon awakening, his understanding of the myriad Daos had deepened.

However...

He opened the jade slip, which contained many messages.

"San Sheng, the Void Battle Domain has been consumed by 'Return to Nothingness.'"

"The Yang Heaven Realm is gone."

"More and more beings are migrating to the Ancestral Domain. The Ancestral Domain is in constant turmoil."

During the time he had been asleep, "Return to Nothingness" had become more rampant.

In the Yin realm, the Rebirth realm, and the Yang realm, "Return to Nothingness" was spreading.

All things were turning to nothingness.

"A dream of a thousand autumns. I never expected... the effects of extinguishing my true spirit in the fourth stage of Yang God would last so many years."

San Sheng sighed.

In the current Yang realm, apart from the powerhouses of his lineage and some ancient beings, probably... no one remembered him.

The newly ascended fifth-stage Yang God powerhouses did not know him either.

"The more I know, the further I realize I am from reincarnation."

San Sheng lamented.

The reincarnation he sought was even more complex than the omniscience and omnipotence of the sixth stage of Yang God.

It was as if one person... was opposing the entire world.

"Reincarnation... reincarnation."

This became San Sheng's obsession.

In the time that followed, he slowly traversed the Rebirth realm alone.

He also encountered the being who had left teeth marks on his arm.

He did not hold it against them.

He was collecting the methods of the world, observing "Return to Nothingness."

However, from time to time, news from the Yang realm reached him.

"The Wind Realm has been consumed by 'Return to Nothingness.'"

"This time, an entire universe of beings failed to evacuate in time. All were consumed by 'Return to Nothingness.'"

"San Sheng, you were nurtured by all races. On the Path of Origin, I too escorted you and was severely injured. It took me ten trillion years to recover. Now that 'Return to Nothingness' is upon us, why do you not return to protect your people?"

"Are the paths of other sixth-stage Yang God powerhouses not enough?"

More and more gossip reached him.

Yet, San Sheng's determination to seek the Dao remained unchanged.

"Without achieving reincarnation, how can I resist 'Return to Nothingness'?"

However, many years later, a girl came to San Sheng in tears, her expression filled with sorrow.

"Your Majesty San Sheng, the Divine One... he fought against 'Return to Nothingness.' His true spirit... was extinguished. Only a wisp remains."

The "Divine One" was the young man, San Sheng's junior brother.

After so many years, "Return to Nothingness" had grown increasingly terrifying. Even fifth-stage Yang God powerhouses could fall to it.

"True spirit extinguished, only a wisp remains?" San Sheng murmured, his expression complex. "Where is the wisp?"

"The wisp... does not wish to see you," the girl cried.

The extinction of the true spirit meant complete death.

The wisp was merely the last breath of a powerhouse.

His junior brother's last breath... did not want to see him.

San Sheng sat beneath a large tree for seven days, his expression desolate.

"I understand."

"The closer I get to reincarnation, the further I realize I am from it."

"Without entering reincarnation, there is only the cycle."

At this moment, San Sheng no longer clung to the path of reincarnation.

"First the cycle, then reincarnation."

San Sheng's voice was calm.

But he understood.

After entering the cycle, he might infinitely approach reincarnation, but... he would never truly touch it.

At this moment, San Sheng entered the fifth stage of Yang God.

From then on, the fifth stage of Yang God became the Dao Lord, and the mortal world entered the cycle.