Heavenly Dao Consciousness

Bai Lan heard the voice clearly this time. The voice resonated as if it originated directly from the depths of his own mind.

“You? Who are you? Are you inside my head?” Bai Lan asked, feeling a sudden surge of fear.

“Do not be afraid,” the mysterious entity quickly reassured Bai Lan. “I am the Heavenly Dao consciousness of this world, and I am communicating with you through thought.”

The moment Bai Lan heard the entity claim to be the Heavenly Dao, he froze on the spot. Had this been his previous life, he wouldn’t have understood the concept of the Heavenly Dao. However, after integrating the memories of the body’s original owner, Xue Yue, he now possessed a distinct comprehension of it.

The Heavenly Dao represented the fundamental rules that emerged at the genesis of the world. Simply put, if the world were a person, its rules would be its soul.

Yet, this supreme existence—one that even the most powerful cultivators could never hope to encounter—was now conversing with him. It was utterly unbelievable.

“Heavenly Dao? What do you want with me?” Bai Lan quickly processed the situation. “Wait, no, this sudden lightning strike that brought me to this world—that wasn’t your doing, was it?”

“Your reaction is quite swift,” the Heavenly Dao consciousness stated directly. “While I cannot claim full responsibility, I merely pulled your soul into my world the instant you were struck by lightning. Little one, I require your assistance.”

Bai Lan felt a wave of frustration. Without Xue Yue’s memories, everything happening would have been utterly preposterous to him, let alone the concept of a Heavenly Dao asking for help.

“You need my help? You are the omnipotent Heavenly Dao!” Bai Lan replied, exasperated. “What could you possibly need a mere mortal like me for? Don’t joke around. If you can, please send me back.”

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao refused.

“I apologize, but I cannot send you back,” the Heavenly Dao consciousness explained. “As I said, your original body in that world was destroyed by the lightning. It no longer exists, so you cannot return. However, if you assist me, there might be a chance for you to return in the future.”

Bai Lan paused, startled. If the Heavenly Dao’s words were true, then his body on Earth was dead. A fleeting sadness washed over him, though it was nothing more than that.

His life on Earth hadn’t given him much to cling to. He had been just an ordinary, insignificant person; there was little to miss. As for his family… he could only say that, compared to his family, his friends likely held more significance in his memories.

However, since returning was no longer an option, Bai Lan could only strive to live well in this new world. Yet, Xue Yue’s memories warned him that he was far from safe.

Xue Yue had been the young master of the Xue Clan, a powerful super-force in the Eastern Continent. However, a sudden power struggle had erupted within the family. Xue Yue’s second uncle, colluding with several clan elders, had seized control of the family’s authority and imprisoned Xue Yue.

How had this come to pass? It was because Xue Yue’s parents had gone missing, and his grandfather was in secluded cultivation. With the two most crucial figures absent, chaos naturally ensued.

On that fateful day, his uncle launched an attack, apprehending everyone loyal to Xue Yue’s father. Of course, the matter wasn’t so simple; Xue Yue’s father’s faction also possessed considerable strength, leading to a major battle within the Xue Clan.

Ultimately, however, the clan elders’ bias ensured his uncle’s victory.

After his triumph, the uncle imprisoned Xue Yue. Yet, imprisonment was only the beginning. Not long after, Xue Yue was secretly taken to a special location, where several clan elders used a secret technique to strip him of his Divine Bone and Divine Blood.

Xue Yue had originally possessed the Snow Divine Body, the inherited divine physique of the Xue Clan. That experience was a memory etched in excruciating pain. Ultimately, he seized an opportunity, using a life-saving magical artifact his father had left him, to escape the Xue Clan.

The original Xue Yue had been too young to comprehend why his uncle and elders would treat him in such a manner. Now, however, he understood: it was all for power, and he was merely a sacrifice in their struggle for control.

Besides him, there was another incomplete Snow Divine Body within the family—Xue Yue’s cousin, who was also his second uncle’s son. Since they had already decided to seize power, they could not possibly leave Xue Yue unharmed.

Thus, they extracted his Divine Bone, intending to implant it into his cousin’s body to recreate a complete Snow Divine Body. That was roughly their plan.

Truthfully, the mere thought of these events ignited an involuntary fury within Bai Lan. He knew, however, that this was Xue Yue’s lingering hatred.

“Alright then,” Bai Lan asked, a hint of resignation in his voice. “Tell me, what do you need me to do?”

“It seems you’ve come to a realization. Good,” the Heavenly Dao began. “While I am the Heavenly Dao, I cannot directly interfere with this world’s trajectory and operations. This world has been invaded by beings from a higher realm. If this continues, it will eventually become a breeding ground for these superior entities. Your task is to cultivate diligently and ultimately help me eradicate all these invading ‘bugs’.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Lan thought, So that’s it. Reflecting on it, it made sense. The Heavenly Dao was, after all, merely a set of rules; there were certain things it couldn’t manage directly.

If it couldn’t handle the situation itself, it was like a person falling ill whose immune system could no longer suppress a virus—they would need medicine. Bai Lan, then, was that very medicine.

“But what benefit is there for me?” Bai Lan countered, posing the question.

Indeed, what was in it for him?

The Heavenly Dao undoubtedly knew Bai Lan’s thoughts. He was asking for compensation.

“There are benefits, of course,” the Heavenly Dao affirmed. “I wouldn’t ask for help without offering anything in return. Firstly, I will bestow upon you peerless cultivation talent, increasing your cultivation speed in this world severalfold. After all, this world doesn’t have many years left to wait.”

“That’s excellent.” This was precisely what Bai Lan desired.

Bai Lan wasn’t a greedy person; such a boon was already sufficient.

“Very well then,” Bai Lan asked. “Does this mean I can contact you freely in the future?”

“You could say that,” the Heavenly Dao replied. “I will condense a portion of my consciousness into an avatar to remain by your side. Little one, tell me, what form do you wish my avatar to take?”

Bai Lan paused, then began to ponder. Perhaps it was an instinctive reaction, but his first thought was of the goddess he had secretly admired in his previous life.

The moment he pictured her appearance, the Heavenly Dao consciousness immediately perceived it.

“Understood. I know what form you wish for me to take,” the Heavenly Dao consciousness declared. The very next moment, a dazzling, multicolored radiance coalesced out of thin air before Bai Lan, rapidly forming a face he recognized.

It was a woman of classical elegance, dressed in a white gown. While perhaps not breathtakingly beautiful by all standards, in Bai Lan’s eyes, she was the goddess of his heart.

Naturally, this was merely a consciousness entity, appearing translucent, much like a soul.

This was the Heavenly Dao’s avatar. Once successfully formed, the avatar quickly opened its eyes, gazing at Bai Lan.

“Bai Lan, please guide me in the future,” the Heavenly Dao avatar said with a smile. “You may ask me any questions you have.”