Three Different Paths
The three Dao Clones had found their paths. They had many uncertainties, and they knew that upon reaching the Immortal Step, something would change. They could not explain this feeling, but in their hearts, they knew it to be true. Because of this, despite all three of the Dao Clones possessing the ability to confidently overcome their impending Nirvana Death Heavenly Calamities and the following Nirvana Rebirth Immortal Tribulation, they did not relax in the least, but rather, trained in their own ways, following their paths and making rapid progress through the Nirvana Realm - a level of advancement that should not be possible.
Devil's path was the most bloodthirsty, the most dangerous, and the most insane of the three. After all, he had not only inherited the Primordial Devil's pride, but he had also inherited Yaan's innate and inescapable hatred towards the Primordial Devil, driving him towards taking risk after risk, only increasing in danger as time passed by.
"If you keep this up, you will die before even reaching the Immortal Step." The Primordial Sage appeared beside Devil as he lay down in a pool of his own crimson miasma. He was severely injured and gasping for breath, despite every lungful of air being filled with corrosive poison that only served to further aggravate his grievous injuries.
However, Devil was not alone. He was no longer within the Northern 6th, but in the Central 6th. After realising that he really stood no chance against the formidable immortal devil tribes on the 6th Layer, he decided to make his way into the 6th Layer's forbidden land, just like he had chosen to do when he first arrived on the 1st Layer.
Devil panted for breath, but his eyes were bloodshot and his aura was filled with so much hatred and bloodlust that he didn't look dead at all, despite his terrible condition. Without bothering to turn towards the Sage, he asked something quite unexpected.
"Defiance Sovereign…as a 5-Star Realm body temperer, he managed to subdue over a dozen immortals as his subordinates…despite possessing a low cultivation base, that guy could still do it…he could still surpass immortals…"
"Defiance is an anomaly, and most likely the strongest being in this 2nd Origin Era." The Sage replied plainly. "He is the only being in the 2nd Origin Era to have transcended two Origin Eras, it's only natural that his power is, and always has been, formidable."
"No…" Devil growled as he forced himself to sit up. He chucked a handful of pills back and swallowed them with one gulp, stabilising his injuries, and standing up…around the corpses of three immortal demons.
Indeed, he had been injured badly after being ambushed by a horde of mindless demonic spirits in the Central 6th, led by three Rank 7 True Immortal demons! They were only weak for immortals and they lacked the intelligence to handle Devil's battle intelligence, but it was still incredible that he, a Nirvana Realm spirit, had managed to kill three immortals!
Without looking at the Sage, Devil painfully got to his feet, then continued walking in no particular direction. No matter where he went, he knew that he would encounter enemies…and that was exactly what he wanted.
"When the outsiders enter a new Origin Era, their dao is suppressed. Defiance entered this Era as a true mortal in order to retain his complete memories from his past lives…and yet, he has still always possessed the power to defeat opponents far surpassing himself. And Defiance, like the Primordial Devil, refused to comprehend the Heavenly Dao; he took a different path, the path of the heart! Defiance became an immortal by ascending his dao heart to the immortal stage, into a named heart…allowing him to directly reach the Dao Immortal Realm as soon as he overcame his tribulations!"
"That is true, but only Defiance has ever succeeded in this method of Immortal Ascension. This path contradicts the Heavenly Dao's balance, and results in every immortal tribulation descending upon you at once during the Immortal Ascension."
For a while, Devil became silent. When he finally spoke, the Primordial Sage looked at him, but her thoughts were unknown.
"Upon reaching the Immortal Step, there will be a change - I can feel it. It's possible that the battle against the Primordial Devil will come about soon after…and if that is the case, my only hope is to become a Dao Immortal! But regardless…this method…this method which forgoes the Heavenly Dao…is the only path that I wish to pursue! Perhaps…this is the dao path…"
On the Sage Plane, Knowledge calmly sipped his tea. He looked down into the tea leaves with a slight smile, before looking up at the Sage with that very same smile.
"I cannot truly reach the Immortal Step, can I?"
"Why do you ask this? You seemed quite assured of your success before now." She replied as her eyes flashed briefly.
"Because there is no Immortal Step to the psyche path; you sealed the route towards immortality via mental cultivation, for fear that someone…probably Law Empyrean…would make use of this 'path' and use it against you. The reality is, Sage…that there is no such thing as the psyche path. It is a failed path, a path based upon your own existence…but your own existence is unique, and the immortal psyche path can only exist within the Sage Plane; within your own Sea of Consciousness. You are not the same as the other three Primordial Demons. So long as the Sage Plane exists, you are the lord of all thought, and it is impossible to take that final step into immortal mentality."
After a moment of silence, the Sage nodded.
"Your deduction is correct. You are unable to reach the Immortal Step via your own efforts; Immortal Step psyche cultivation is only attainable if I allow it, and support it via my own Sea of Consciousness. After all, the psyche path is not a path permitted by the Heavenly Dao, but a path that I created to further my own strength."
"I see…" Knowledge sighed melancholically.
All he wished for in this life, was to learn more, to see more, and to experience more of this world…but his existence made this impossible.
The Fragment of Mind had once 'reached the Immortal Step', but the truth was, that his cultivation had been leant to him by the Primordial Sage. It was a temporary, pseudo-cultivation, a cultivation that could only exist with the Sage's active assistance…but this was not the path that he sought.
"A borrowed strength is not the dao path…" Knowledge muttered to himself.
"Are you sure?" The Sage asked. "I can do for you as I did for the Fragment of Mind; lending you a portion of my power such that your Sea of Consciousness is able to reach the Immortal Step, so long as I sustain it for you. So long as your heart reaches the immortal stage and you attain a named dao heart, you will then truly be at the Immortal Step, even without my assistance…but your Sea of Consciousness will regress to the most primitive, initial grade, without my continued support."
"I will be an Immortal Step mortal, with a heart of boundless knowledge…and the strength of a mortal." Knowledge chuckled and shook his head gently.
For a long while, there was silence. The Sage did not say anything, because as always, she simply wanted to observe.
"From the moment I was born, I was destined to die. I expect that even the main body did not know about this…but I think I understand now. The main body is much like you, Sage…Yaan simply wants to observe." After saying this, Knowledge looked up seriously and asked:
"He is watching us all right now, isn't he? This is the revelation that the other two Dao Clones will reach upon attaining the Immortal Step, and I expect that they won't take it well. He has been watching - no, experiencing our lives. He has no intention of intervening in anything…because we were created solely for Yaan to comprehend his dao. Once we reach the Immortal Step, he will…"
Knowledge trailed off. He had worked out this much, but beyond this, he was still in the dark.
A resolute expression flashed across Knowledge's face. He knew that he had no hope of survival, but for some reason, this did not bother him. No, what bothered him…was that he still didn't understand the complete truth behind his existence.
"Sage, I want to use the assistance that Yaan promised you would provide to us Dao Clones. I am fated to die, and unlike the others two Dao Clones, I can accept this, because I understand that I am just a portion of Yaan's path. I just want to know…what is his plan? What is the dao path, exactly?"
"Are you sure that you want to use your wish on something so mundane?" The Sage asked back slowly.
Without hesitation, Knowledge nodded.
"I was born from Yaan's heart's desire to seek knowledge and learning in this world. What greater learning could there be, than the learning of the self? This is my only remaining desire in this world. I want to know…just what is he thinking?"
The Sage stared at Knowledge for a long while, before nodding and agreeing to reveal the truth.
Three minutes later, Knowledge returned to the Dao Formation silently. After learning of the truth, he had resolved himself to remain within this formation, doing his utmost to comprehend dao and all of its intellectual mysteries, until the day of his death.
Even though the Primordial Sage could not guarantee that her deduction of Yaan's plan was entirely accurate, it was enough for Knowledge to accept his path…his dao path.
Meanwhile, on the Qi Plane, Yaan, after separating the Heavenly Path Province from the rest of the world and sending all living beings within and around these lands into the greatest shock of their lives…was peacefully practising his sword arts within Elia's training hall. These days, she seemed to be quite busy with this and that, so she wasn't around much, giving him the time to finally train something that he had been craving to train ever since being reborn as a Dao Clone…
His sword arts!
It was finally time for Yaan to finish the creation of his second sword art - the Agile Illusion Art was a 'specific sword art', meaning that each step was its own grand move. However he also wanted to create his own 'general sword art' - the art that would become his general fighting system, born from his overall style of combat that had been honed and developed over his hundreds of years of fighting.