Chapter 1735: The Evolution of Mountain and Sea
Not only the Saints immersed in the memory, but the Mountain and Sea itself shuddered in stark terror, trembling uncontrollably at this discovery.
The Infinite Sea instantly rippled without end, and in that single moment, a surge of possibilities rose and fell, outnumbering all that had come and gone in the countless eons prior.
The towering Upper Mountain, too, seemed to be struck by an invisible force, and it trembled incessantly.
After the Mountain and Sea had consumed God, it believed all in existence was contained within it.
Harmony and interdependence would shape an eternal world.
Yet, the discovery of this moment shattered the long-held aspirations of the Mountain and Sea.
And so, change arose of its own accord.
...
“Where did that gaze from beyond the Mountain and Sea originate? Could it be the so-called [Star]?”
“The Mountain and Sea was transformed from an eternal creator and sustainer into an object of observation. No longer transcendent, no longer eternally unchanging.”
“This mysterious gaze is likely the root cause of the Mountain and Sea’s current predicament. But what exactly...”
After the initial shock, a multitude of questions rose in the minds of the observing Saints.
But if the Mountain and Sea itself could not know the answer, how could they?
They could only continue to watch, their hearts filled with uncertainty.
...
In the past, unaware of the external gaze, the Mountain and Sea might have maintained its balance in solitude.
But ever since sensing that stare from beyond its bounds, it could no longer sustain its former tranquility.
As the ripples in the Infinite Sea grew ever more numerous and simultaneous, the once-still pool could no longer contain itself.
It was as if a ceaseless wind blew across its surface, carrying its waters beyond the brim.
This caused the Mountain and the Sea to merge, shattering the stillness.
Time, silent and unseen, began to flow across the Mountain and Sea itself.
The state it had striven to create after consuming God—a self condensed into a single point of existence—did not last long before it was broken.
Perhaps this signified a certain inevitability.
For the Mountain and Sea, the merging was destined to be a calamity.
But for the living beings within its possibilities, it was nothing less than a profound blessing.
Amidst the upheaval, some beings caught a glimpse of the towering Upper Mountain from within the Infinite Sea.
And so they began their attempts to ascend.
Though most ended in failure, they were relentless, one falling only for another to take their place, as if the concept of surrender was unknown to them.
It was as if some mysterious power was compelling them onward.
Beings were born of the Mountain and Sea, but the ambition to connect the mountain and cross the sea was their innate instinct!
Time, like a carving knife, altered the original form of the Mountain and Sea.
The water in the pool slowly flowed outward, transforming from a gentle stream into a great river of a thousand parallel currents.
Wind and water eroded the Upper Mountain, which once stood beside the pool, causing it to slowly dissolve into the great river.
As time passed, the process of their merging only intensified.
Perhaps it was a fate the Mountain and Sea could not resist, or perhaps it was an experiment of its own design.
The transition from the ancient Mountain and Sea—a state of separate existences maintaining eternity—to its current form took fifteen billion long years.
Possibilities no longer simply appeared and vanished; instead, they flowed onward with the Mountain and Sea, carried by the endless river of time.
Like panning for gold in a great river.
As the cycles of life were continuously extended, the upper limits of power for newly born beings were also constantly raised.
One day, a being leaped from the Infinite Sea and touched the boundary of the Upper Mountain.
Though it did not survive for long before perishing on its own, the impact it had on the Mountain and Sea was undoubtedly immense.
It was like a great stone dropped into the Infinite Sea, kicking up a thousand waves.
More and more beings began to imitate this feat, embarking on the ascent once more.
It seemed to defy logic, yet at the same time, it made perfect sense.
Because the Upper Mountain was there.
Another ten billion years slipped by.
The limits that the beings of the Mountain and Sea could touch grew ever higher.
Even with a name like "Infinite," the Upper Mountain was destined to be conquered one day.
Over these years, the Connecting Mountains Saint had witnessed countless attempts at the ascent and was deeply moved.
He, too, joined the unending procession and embarked on the journey.
One day, he left everyone else behind.
He had reached the summit of the Upper Mountain.
The perspective of the Saints shifted, following the memory of Lian Shan.
At the pinnacle of all creation, the Connecting Mountains Saint did not gaze out over the Mountain and Sea.
Instead, he instinctively recalled the gaze he had sensed so many years ago, the one from beyond.
He could not help but lift his head, trying to peer outside.
In the very next instant, the Connecting Mountains Saint felt the presence of that gaze!
Even though he was the strongest being apart from the Mountain and Sea itself, in that single moment, he could not bear it. His body and soul shattered.
But the Connecting Mountains Saint was not without his reward.
In that fleeting moment, he clearly sensed that after ten billion years, the gaze from beyond the Mountain and Sea had drawn closer!
He felt a profound fulfillment, as if having glimpsed the ultimate truth, he could now face his end without regret. The Connecting Mountains Saint felt no remorse for perishing due to his impulsive act.
Even as he was about to fade away, he remained immersed in the shock that the gaze had brought him.
However, as the first living being to ascend to the pinnacle of the Mountain and Sea, he was destined not to simply vanish.
In the haze, just before his consciousness dissipated, the scenes he had witnessed in the past reappeared in his mind: countless beings, like sparks of starlight, passing the torch from one to another, fearlessly exploring the path to the Upper Mountain.
“The Mountain and Sea is magnificent, but the beings born of it are no less so.”
“The Mountain and Sea is infinite, yet the finite steps of its beings can still measure it.”
A torrent of enlightenment flashed through Lian Shan's mind in that instant.
In the final moment before his demise, Lian Shan attained the Dao once more.
He transformed his very being into a bridge, paving a smooth, broad path for all life to ascend to the summit.
“My past self should not have possessed such insight, to have such an epiphany in the instant before death.”
“It was because of...”
“That gaze.”
The Connecting Mountains Saint came into the world.
The Mountain and Sea immediately changed again.
The Mountain and the Sea were originally independent existences.
The so-called beings, civilizations, and Daos within them had nothing to do with the Mountain and Sea itself.
However, ever since the appearance of the Connecting Mountains Saint, the Mountain and Sea itself formed an ever-more intricate and inseparable connection with everything inside it.
Following him, the Returning to Sea and Tai Yi Saints were born.
The three Saints acted as catalysts, giving rise to more and more beings who could stand on par with the Mountain and Sea.
It was an age of splendor, like a hundred flowers blooming in unison, a thousand trees vying for the vitality of spring.
The Mountain and Sea had never been so vibrant and prosperous. It seemed as if the merging of mountain and sea was a purely beneficial event, without any drawbacks.
The prosperity of the Mountain and Sea lasted for more than thirty billion years.
During this time, countless possibilities evolved to their fullest potential.
But with the subtle guidance of the three Saints, all paths eventually led to connecting the mountain and crossing the sea, to harnessing the power of the Mountain and Sea.
The three Saints were forged by the civilization of the Mountain and Sea, and they, in turn, influenced all the beings within it.
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