Beyond the Timescape - Chapter 1316: What Is Ontology??
Chapter 1316: What Is Ontology??
As the words left Xu Qing’s mouth, he took another step toward the ancient immortal, causing ripples to spread through the dome of heaven in concentric rings. Contained within them was a chaotic, primeval sensation.
That sensation was the hallmark of Fishing the Moon in the Well! Xu Qing had been using that divine ability for many years now. However, as his cultivation base climbed higher, it became increasingly ineffective. Using it against enemies under the level of an immortal was fine, but… it just wasn’t something that could be used on Summer Immortals.
However, this time, Xu Qing was unleashing it in a way that was different from before. In fact, in some ways, it was now substructurally different in a fundamental way! And that was because it contained… Xu Qing’s canon and statute!
On the way back to Revered Ancient, Xu Qing had taken some time to familiarize himself more deeply with his canon and statute, in some part due to encountering unexpected resistance. That was why he had arrived a bit late.
However, thanks to the fight with that unexpected enemy, he had suddenly gained a deeper understanding of his canon and statute. He knew that his canon was different from other Summer Immortals. After reaching a certain level, his canon… could produce statute!
Canon came first, statute came after. And statute… was something that only Immortal Lords could truly command.
“My canon and statute is that of ontology!”[1]
This so-called ontology was deeply profound and mysterious. Xu Qing’s enlightenment revealed to him that it was all-encompassing, and something that outsiders couldn’t possibly come to understand. Only the person commanding it could perceive the fundamental nature of the canon and statute.
Ontology is about disassembling complex structures and turning them into unique individualities.
Each step Xu Qing took caused more ripples to spread. All the while, his aura rose to heaven-shaking, earth-shattering heights as new understanding of his canon and statute swirled within him.
The number of those individualities is tied to the fundamental definition of ‘ontology.’ Unleashing it is about both disassembling and integration. It’s like taking one thing and disassembling it into many things.
That perception came from Xu Qing’s deep enlightenment. At the same time, it corroborated the direction of enlightenment he had pursued in the chaotic flow of space-time. After all, what he had called ‘unification’ was actually part of that process, as it took all of the independent parts and integrated them into a whole. It took countless things and unified them.
As a result of all the things he had done in the chaotic flow of space-time, he had taken that concept and used it to develop his canon and statute of ontology.
Take countless things and integrate them into one. Take one, and disassemble them into countless things. The process of disassembling and integration involves adjusting the components. It’s about increasing and decreasing them. And that is how ontology is made manifest!
And yet, as Xu Qing realized these things, he also came to the conclusion that he still didn’t realize the true nature of unification! Put precisely, the unification he was capable of now was likely a unification limited to a very specific scope.
If I consider the ‘one’ to be my dao, then my canon and statute will only be able to disassemble ‘one.’ But beyond that ‘one,’ there are even more ‘ones.’ It’s like how there are different godhoods among different gods, and different canons and statutes among cultivators. They… are all different ‘ones’ beyond my own dao of ‘one!’ To truly implement integration, and to become the actual ‘one and only,’ I need to reach a much higher level!!
A profound look appeared in Xu Qing’s eyes as he realized what direction he needed to pursue in the future.
If he succeeded, then the star ring would have no truly independent entities. It would be truly integrated, including all the canons and all the authorities. At that time, he would be the true ‘one and only,’ and would be the ultimate source of all.
Right now, there was no way for Xu Qing to truly grasp what that would mean, but he knew the direction to follow.
That must be my path to the level of Immortal Paragon! Right now, I have no way to be the ‘one and only.’ But… my canon and statute of ontology can adjust the disassembly and integration of all things, and upgrade them to an unimaginable level!
I can even change my divine abilities with that method! It’s the same for my magical techniques and all of my magical treasures! So at the moment….
Xu Qing’s eyes glittered. He had taken seven steps toward the ancient immortal, who looked like he was facing down the most deadly of enemies. At that point, Xu Qing stopped and waved his right hand.
Wild colors flashed in heaven and earth, all while deep rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions. Behind him, the void seemed to rip apart, and ripples spread from beneath his feet.
The dome of heaven seemed to turn into the surface of a well! Mighty waves kicked up, spreading through the sky, and turning the well into a heavenly sea. The water had reflections on it.
One reflection was of Xu Qing’s personal canon and statute of ontology! Another was the painter version of Xu Qing from that parallel spacetime, and of the final work he produced before he died! The painting in the divine ability caused the ripples on the well to calm down.
Next, Xu Qing exercised a thought, and his canon and statute became like ink which began to disassemble the divine ability. Fundamentally speaking, the divine ability known as Fishing the Moon in the Well was made of: space; an image of a moon; illusory reality; and conviction!
By using the canon and statute of ontology, all of that was being broken apart. The space was the world of a well, created out of nothing. The image of a moon was a reflection of the soul of an enemy, on the surface of the water. Illusory reality contained the transposition of what was real and what was false. It contained the power of rotation to turn the false into real, and to then fish out the true soul from the image of the moon. And then came conviction. The power of conviction turned into a huge hand which reached into the water and fished something out.
Before becoming a Summer Immortal and coming to understand the canon and statute of ontology, Xu Qing knew a bit about Fishing the Moon in the Well, but couldn’t truly explain the divine ability. But now, the true substructure of Fishing the Moon in the Well was clearly visible in Xu Qing’s heart and mind, and he could break it down into its components. And by making adjustments to it, he could upgrade the divine ability!
The very first thing he adjusted was the spatial power within it! He added to it! The previous spatial limitations instantly expanded. Instead of a well that contained heaven and earth, it was now a well that contained all parallels and all space-times. As a result, the personhood of the divine ability could encompass Summer Immortals!
And thus, Xu Qing’s ontology became like a well!
The moment the adjustment was complete, the sky in Revered Ancient blurred. It fused with the starry sky, and the ripples filling it overlapped, revealing a host of worlds. Terrifying mightiness weighed down, causing mountains to shake and rivers to flow backward. Fear filled the hearts of all living beings. Countless species were overwhelmed with amazement, and even gods were secretly moved.
Master Seventh inhaled sharply.
Even the ancient immortal was visibly taken aback. An intense sensation of deadly crisis hit him, which came from Xu Qing himself. And thus, he blurred into motion directly toward Xu Qing. His hope was to interrupt the divine ability before Xu Qing could bring that deadly crisis to fruition. All it took was a step to bring him very close to Xu Qing.
However, though it seemed like Xu Qing was slow in making the adjustments, the reality was that they occurred in the span of a single thought!
Even as the ancient immortal closed in, Fishing the Moon in the Well experienced the spatial bolstering, and the image of the moon was blessed by it!
It was instantly upgraded! It directly climbed to a higher level! Now it didn’t just create a reflection of the soul. The reflection included karma, fate, time, parallels, and all other traces of the target. This was… a reflection of omniscience!
Add in the blessing of conviction from Xu Qing’s immortal will and the power of parallelism to reverse illusion and reality, and the result was that Fishing the Moon in the Well truly was upgraded! In the blink of an eye, the divine ability Fishing the Moon in the Well changed dramatically!
Heaven and earth surged. The space-times of countless worlds, and also all parallels, became the surface of a well!
And it was all locked onto the ancient immortal threatening Xu Qing! Astonishingly, the soul of the ancient immortal was now visible in the water of the well! He was illuminated fully! What was more, all of his karma, fate, life trajectory, and everything else were revealed in the omniscience of the well water.
This was no longer just Fishing the Moon in the Well. This was a new divine ability that could eradicate immortals!
Xu Qing’s voice rang out into Revered Ancient, with a paramount will like the voice of heaven.
“Pluck stars from the vault of the universe!”
As he spoke, he reached out with his right hand. His immortal will thrummed, becoming a huge hand. Instead of entering the well… it reached toward all traces of the ancient immortal, as if it were about to pluck a star from the sky…
Then it fished out the immortal! The ancient immortal trembled as he sensed his karma being influenced, his fate being interfered with, his life force being affected, and his soul being peeled away. The sensation of deadly crisis grew more intense. He knew that an immortal magic which could pluck stars from the vault of the universe could encompass all aspects of himself. That included all versions of space-time and all parallels.
He couldn’t hide. But… instead of fighting back, he simply released his immortal will and allowed Xu Qing to fish it out. As the sensation of annihilation grew stronger, and as his karma, life force, and fate were fished out by Xu Qing, a critical momentum built. But the old man who looked like he had just crawled out of the grave actually looked at Xu Qing with glittering eyes.
“Before getting personally involved, I had no way to know what your canon is like…. But now that I’m immersed in your canon, I can tell that you’re truly a chosen. However….”
The ancient immortal looked at Xu Qing through the surface of water, and all of a sudden, a more intense aura of canon erupted from him.
“Back in the day, I was also a chosen! In the half of a sixty-year-cycle that’s passed, you might have matured, but I also gathered my thoughts from beyond. Furthermore, my canon… isn’t just that of countless concepts! You wanted to see, right? Then pay attention and see what my canon is really like!”
Immortal energy surged, causing the void to collapse, and influencing, not just Revered Ancient, but all of the areas and space-times affected by Xu Qing’s divine ability.
Beyond that, as the ancient immortal’s canon seethed, something completely outrageous happened to the reflection in the well! It was as if the reflection of his soul was an unbounded entity! Though Xu Qing had fished it out, the reality was that he had not!
It was the same with all of his karma. It was as if… his karma was unbounded! Similarly, all traces of his fate were also unbounded!
1. To reiterate the information from a few chapters ago, the Chinese character here can be interpreted many ways. The most common, in modern times, is ‘dimension,’ and later on, the author will even reference that ‘dimension’ meaning obliquely in certain wordplay and narrative elements. But the author’s explanation in this chapter makes it clear that he intends for this word to be more akin to the deep metaphorical/theological/cosmological definition of the word as it pertains to Chinese philosophy and belief systems. In terms of English, you can find information about ontology here. However, the meaning (both in Chinese and English), is devised by and explained by the author, and isn’t exactly what the dictionary definition is. ☜
