Free Web NovelChapter 38: Dao of Darkness
The emerald glow of the cavern reflected softly across the polished surface of the Thousand Heavens Rainfall Divine Sword.
Dan Moriarty stood motionless as the six terrifying auras deeper within the Emerald Cavern continued to radiate oppressive pressure, yet he made no attempt to advance. Instead, his attention rested upon the notification floating before his eyes.
[Compatible Item Detected.]
[Skull Knight’s Core (Rare)] frёewebnoѵēl.com
[Compatibility Rate: 98%]
[Suggestion: Absorb to evolve Eternal Abyss Art.]
Dan did not hesitate. A treasure existed to be used — keeping it locked away inside one’s inventory simply because it was valuable was no different from allowing a sword to rust inside its sheath. A sword revealed its worth only after being drawn, and likewise, a treasure revealed its worth only after being used. Without another thought, Dan opened his inventory.
A black crystal slowly materialized above his palm. The Skull Knight’s Core. Unlike ordinary monster cores, this one possessed an eerie beauty — dark mist swirled endlessly inside the crystal, resembling countless tiny stars drifting through an endless night, and even now, faint traces of the Skull Knight’s sword intent lingered within it.
The livestream immediately noticed.
[@StoneGiantKing: The Skull Knight’s Core... are you truly planning to consume it instead of selling it? That core alone could fetch an extraordinary price among Dark Attribute users.]
[@GoldenFeatherPrincess: Considering the compatibility, I believe he has already made his decision. A treasure suited to oneself often surpasses one hundred treasures suited to others.]
[@NineTailEmpress: Interesting... I wish to see whether this Sword Art truly possesses the ability to evolve.]
Dan quietly nodded.
"My thoughts exactly."
He slowly raised the crystal.
"Eternal Abyss Art."
The moment those words left his mouth, the black crystal shattered.
CRACK!
Rather than falling apart into fragments, it dissolved into countless streams of dark energy that rushed directly toward Dan’s body.
BOOM!
A violent surge of power erupted around him. The emerald crystals lining the cavern trembled, the underground river became turbulent, and dark mist spread across the surrounding ground before gradually spiraling upward around Dan’s figure. His hair fluttered despite the complete absence of wind. Then notifications appeared.
[Ding!]
[Eternal Abyss Art has begun absorbing compatible energy.]
... fгeewebnovёl.com
[Compatibility Confirmed.]
...
[Fusion in Progress...]
Dan slowly closed his eyes. The darkness surrounding him no longer felt cold, nor did it feel sinister. Instead it felt peaceful — like returning home.
For a brief moment, the Emerald Cavern disappeared, and his consciousness entered an endless black world. There was no ground, no sky, no stars. Only darkness — infinite darkness. Most people feared it because it concealed what could not be seen. Children feared it, adults respected it, and warriors remained cautious within it. Yet darkness itself possessed no malice. It simply existed.
Day and night chase one another without hatred. Light does not exist to destroy darkness, nor does darkness exist to devour light, each completes the other. Without darkness, one could never appreciate dawn, and without light, night itself would possess no meaning. The Great Dao never favored one element over another. It merely asked one question: could you understand it?
Dan quietly walked through the endless darkness, each step feeling natural, each breath growing lighter. Then, suddenly, countless swords appeared around him, millions of them.
Some broken, some flawless, some enormous enough to split mountains and others no larger than ordinary daggers. Every single sword floated silently within the endless darkness until one slowly descended before Dan. He reached toward it instinctively, and the moment his fingers touched the hilt, a torrent of understanding flooded into his mind.
Darkness was not evil. Darkness was concealment, patience, waiting. A seed buried beneath the earth grew within darkness before ever seeing sunlight, and a child rested within the darkness of the womb before opening its eyes to the world.
Even cultivators of the myriad realms often secluded themselves inside dark caves while pursuing enlightenment. Darkness nurtured, protected, and endured. Only those who misunderstood it believed darkness represented nothing except destruction. The Great Dao possessed no prejudice. Humans created prejudice.
Another realization surfaced. Every Streamer eventually heard the word Dao, and some spent years pursuing it while others never encountered it despite lifetimes of trying.
What exactly was Dao? No one could fully explain it. Simultaneously a path and beyond all paths, a truth yet beyond words. Two people could stand upon the same mountain peak: one reached it by walking, another by climbing cliffs, a third by flying. Although their journeys differed, they all arrived. Likewise there existed countless Daos.
Sword Dao, Fire Dao, Water Dao, Lightning Dao, Time Dao, Life Dao, Death Dao, Darkness Dao. Everyone chose a direction, and some reached extraordinary heights while most never did, not because their Dao was weak, but because they abandoned it halfway.
The Great Dao rewarded perseverance more than talent. Even the brightest genius became ordinary after constantly changing directions, while an ordinary man who walked one road without wavering often surpassed countless geniuses.
Dan slowly understood. His Eternal Abyss Art wasn’t merely teaching him sword techniques, it was opening a gate toward the Dao of Darkness. Yet opening a gate differed greatly from crossing it.
Then the darkness around him began changing, and an ancient voice echoed throughout the endless void.
"Insight..."
Immediately, another notification appeared.
[Ding!]
[Divine-grade evolution conditions fulfilled.]
[Eternal Abyss Art has successfully evolved.]
[Eternal Abyss Art (Mythical)] — [Eternal Dark Heaven Art (Divine)]
[Description: A Divine-grade Sword Art born from the union of Abyssal Sword Intent and Dark Essence. This Sword Art grants its practitioner the qualifications to seek enlightenment beneath the Great Dao of Darkness.]
[Special Abilities:
• Dark Heaven Sword Intent.
• Eternal Devouring.
• Abyss Evolution.
• Allows the practitioner to perceive fragments of the Dao of Darkness beneath Heaven.]
Dan slowly opened his eyes. The cavern returned. the emerald crystals still glowed peacefully, the underground river continued flowing. Yet everything looked different.
He could perceive darkness itself, not merely shadows, not merely the absence of light, but something deeper. The corners of the cavern, the spaces beneath stone, the quiet places untouched by sunlight — they seemed strangely alive, not in the ordinary sense, but alive with possibility.
Dan gently raised the Thousand Heavens Rainfall Divine Sword. Black sword intent quietly wrapped around its blue lightning, and the two forces didn’t reject one another. Instead they coexisted — light and darkness, neither superior, neither inferior, simply balanced.
The livestream had become completely silent. Then a familiar username finally spoke.
[@DrunkenSwordImmortal: ...]
Several moments passed before another message appeared.
[@DrunkenSwordImmortal: Impossible...]
Then another.
[@DrunkenSwordImmortal: Little brat... are you telling this immortal... that you’ve already begun touching the Dao of Darkness?]
