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The eighty-eight constellations had been fully perfected, and their connections were completely interlinked. At this moment, Jiang Chen's Cosmo reached an unimaginable level.
To move forward from here, as mentioned before, there were only two paths left.
One way to continue expanding his current Cosmo until it formed a Great Universe, thereby giving birth to the power of Omega. If successful, this path would allow him to instantly transcend, elevating his strength far beyond the level of the gods, reaching a truly unfathomable realm.
But clearly, this path was also the riskiest and most difficult.
The risks need no further elaboration. Jamil had already warned him: Omega was a divine taboo, and once touched, or worse, discovered, the consequences would be enormous, perhaps even worse than the fate of Asclepius in the original canon.
It might be utterly disastrous.
And beyond the consequences, there was the issue of Cosmo completion.
The reason he could perfect the Athena's 88 Galaxies so quickly was due to the awakening of his Cosmo and the Celestial Star Map. But the known universe was far vaster than that. It lacked both the clarity of the Athena system and a guiding star map. Attempting to perfect it was likely not so easy.
So instead of continuing down the high-risk path of expanding his Cosmo to encompass the entire universe, Jiang Chen chose the second option.
He would rely on the already-completed 88 Galaxies to comprehend the Eighth Sense. If he could grasp the Eighth Sense, his strength would undoubtedly ascend another tier beyond its current level.
He might not yet rival a Sovereign, but he would absolutely be on par with second-tier gods, or possibly even stronger than most first-tier gods.
And if he could reach the limit of the Eighth Sense, then his power would absolutely be comparable to that of a Sovereign deity.
More importantly, no one had ever said that the Eighth Sense or Ninth Sense couldn't coexist with the power of Omega. Under this logic, Jiang Chen could develop both paths in parallel.
Inside his room.
Jiang Chen sat cross-legged with eyes closed, the staff of Ophiuchus floating before him.
Threads of life and death aura are continuously intertwined.
His comprehension was steadily deepening.
"So in the end, what governs a human's life... is still sorrow, isn't it? As long as one lives, even if one tries to heal that sorrow, even if one seeks love, joy, or meaning, in the end, death renders it all meaningless. If that's true, then why are humans even born? Why are they given life, when it will inevitably be taken by absolute death?"
"Flowers bloom... then wither. Stars twinkle... only to one day vanish forever. This Earth, the Sun, the Milky Way, even this vast universe, all of it will eventually die. Compared to these, a human life is just a blink. And in that brief moment, people are born, laugh, cry, fight, get hurt, feel joy, sorrow, hatred, love; these are but fleeting encounters. And in the end, all return to eternal death."
These thoughts flowed through Jiang Chen's mind, intertwining and overlapping.
At that moment, his Cosmo began a quiet transformation.
Everyone possesses a Cosmo from the First Sense up to the Eighth Sense. But simply having Cosmo doesn't mean one has awakened it. Only by awakening Cosmo can its true power be unleashed.
The Eighth Sense lies even deeper than the Seventh Sense. Most ordinary people never even realize it exists until death. Once someone dies, their Seventh Sense will be extinguished. But the Eighth Sense does not disappear.
That is why the undying Cosmo after death can sometimes be perceived by others.
However, after death, all that remains is the residual Eighth Sense. It is not a true awakening of the Eighth Sense. To awaken the Eighth Sense, one must perceive it while still alive. Once accomplished, their soul, life, and even Cosmo would undergo a fundamental transformation.
Crossing into the Eighth Sense also meant crossing one of the most critical boundaries between mortals and gods.
"Buzz, "
Starlight scattered across the room. Jiang Chen's eyes remained closed.
The Five Senses.
Sixth Sense.
Seventh Sense, each one appeared in succession.
Then, within the Seventh Sense, a faint light began to flicker. That light grew steadily brighter.
"Boom!"
"Rumble--!"
The immense Cosmo within him erupted instantly, expanding outward. The countless stars within his Cosmo began to rotate at high speed.
Unimaginable power was being continuously born.
At that moment, Jiang Chen finally stepped beyond the boundary of life and death, and within his Seventh Sense, the Eighth Sense began to take form.
"Buzz, "
Above the heavens, pitch-black darkness spread rapidly. Stars began to twinkle across the void.
Those stars soon connected, gradually forming constellations. First, the Zodiac Temples and the Ophiuchus Palace, and then, all of Athena's 88 Constellations.
"Look quickly!"
"That's Aries!"
"No, Pisces too!"
"Cancer!"
"Ursa Major is lighting up as well!"
"My god, what's happening?! Why are all of Athena's 88 Constellations glowing?!"
One shocked exclamation after another rang out.
Athena's Temple
"He succeeded." Athena murmured softly.
Her gaze turned toward the distant house within the Sanctuary and her thoughts flowed quietly.
"Lady Athena!" Just then, a stunningly beautiful maiden approached and respectfully spoke up.
"Go inform him. Tell Asclepius to come see me." Athena's gentle voice rang out.
"Yes, Lady Athena!" Though momentarily startled, the beautiful girl still responded with respectful obedience and quickly withdrew.
Inside the room, the starlight gradually faded.
"So this is... the Eighth Sense?" Jiang Chen slowly opened his eyes, his expression tinged with excitement. He could clearly feel that the Cosmo within him had undergone a complete qualitative transformation.
At this moment, every motion he made, every gesture, seemed to carry a power he had never touched before.
Even more astonishing was the fact that he now had a subtle sense: That he possessed the ability to step into another dimension.
That dimension was clearly none other than the Underworld Realm. Upon reaching the Eighth Sense, one could ignore the laws of the Underworld and enter it with a living body.
Now that he had broken through, he naturally possessed that ability. Just as he was fully immersing himself in this new state, his perception picked up the presence of a girl.
Jiang Chen was surprised but quickly collected himself and stepped out the door.
"Priestess Sisina?" He asked, a little surprised.
"Asclepius, Lady Athena has summoned you." The girl replied gently.
"Lady Athena?" Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned, then nodded slightly.
"Yes. Please follow me." The girl nodded and led Jiang Chen toward Athena's Temple.
As he followed behind her, Jiang Chen couldn't help but look toward the temple.
(To Be Continued…)