2
Centuries passed, and the world changed dramatically.
In the eyes of ordinary people, it might be a lifetime.
Even for cultivators, below the Sixth Realm, a hundred years could be considered a significant portion of life.
Especially in this century, the changes in the world far exceeded those of the previous millennia.
Firstly, Heavenly Sword Mountain was flattened, and this impact was not a one-time event but a long-lasting one.
What was Heavenly Sword Mountain?
It was the main gate of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the stronghold of the number one force in the world.
For tens of thousands of years, the Heavenly Sword Sect had produced more than one cultivator of the Tenth Realm, and its influence across the Five Realms was deeply rooted.
Such a vast force, even if it were to decline, it would do so slowly, completely declining only after thousands or tens of thousands of years.
But now, it was flattened with a single step.
What was even more critical was that the casualties were not only the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Before Heavenly Sword Mountain was flattened, it happened to be the 800th birthday of Heavenly Swordmaster. At that time, all the influential figures close to the Heavenly Sword Sect had gathered on Heavenly Sword Mountain.
But the result.
These powerful figures were buried along with Heavenly Sword Mountain.
This led to heavy losses for most forces across the Five Realms.
Facing the attacks from demonic forces, the native forces in the Five Realms were directly routed.
In the first decade of the century, demonic forces completed the feat of unifying the Five Realms. It's worth noting that even in the heyday of the Heavenly Sword Sect, many forces in the Five Realms were submissive, but the Heavenly Sword Sect was far from unifying the Five Realms.
And all of this was done by demonic forces entirely because of Lin Yuan.
If Lin Yuan hadn't stepped on the main artery of the righteous forces in the Five Realms, demonic forces, even if they wanted to unify the Five Realms, would have fallen into a protracted war. Even if they succeeded in unifying, it would have taken much more than ten years.
Of course, the so-called unification of the Five Realms by demonic forces was only a superficial unification.
In the dark, there were still many remnants of the original forces in the Five Realms, attempting to launch counterattacks and reclaim everything.
But with Lin Yuan in the picture, all resistance was in vain.
Lin Yuan didn't even step out of the underground palace. He casually sent out his Yin and Yang spirits, causing heavy losses to the resisting forces.
Even so, such resistance was still occurring.
However, the intervals between each occurrence were gradually lengthening, indicating that the resistors also understood that they were absolutely not opponents of the demonic lord Xiahou Yuan in a direct confrontation.
They could only lurk in the dark, waiting for an opportunity.
In the Eastern Region, in the coastal city.
Inside an inn.
A storyteller was enthusiastically speaking.
"Speaking of which, some time ago, a group of powerful individuals appeared in the coastal area, suspected to be disciples of the Qingshui Sect from a hundred years ago. This Qingshui Sect was exterminated by demonic forces back then, and the remaining disciples fled overseas. Now they've come back, and it's probably not a good thing."
This storyteller obviously had quite accurate information and even offered some personal insights.
"In my opinion, the Eastern Region is about to become restless again."
The storyteller's words were filled with emotions.
For ordinary people like them, chaos in the world was definitely not a good thing.
In a corner of the inn, an old man with white beards sipped his wine, showing a look of enjoyment.
If a cultivator of the Ninth Realm were present, he would find that this old man had an unpredictable aura, indicating that he was also a cultivator of the Ninth Realm.
However, unlike other cultivators of the Ninth Realm, this old man did not vie for power or wealth. He simply enjoyed traveling the Five Realms and appreciating fine wine.
"The osmanthus wine in this coastal city is getting more and more flavorful."
The old man nodded and commented.
"Oh grandpa, don't drink. Did you hear what the storyteller just said?"
"Eastern Region is becoming unsettled."
A teenage girl next to him tugged at the old man's sleeve.
"Oh."
The old man replied indifferently and continued to savor the osmanthus wine.
"Grandpa."
The young girl became a bit anxious and couldn't help but ask, "Will the Five Clans really make a move?"
"Why should a little girl like you worry about so many things?"
The old man gave the girl a stern look, but seeing tears welling up in her eyes, he quickly comforted her, "I don't know if the Eastern Region will be in turmoil, but some time ago, someone from the Earthfire Sect approached me, wanting me to take action to occupy a spot with a high-quality Earth Qi Spring."
"Ah?"
"Grandpa, did you agree?"
The girl's eyes immediately lit up.
"Of course not."
"An old man like me, at this age, should just enjoy his twilight years."
The old man shook his head and spoke.
He didn't have the courage to oppose the Demon Lord.
Who was the Demon Lord? He was the strongest in a hundred thousand years and a million years.
Ordinary cultivators might not understand the concept of cultivating the soul to a height of a hundred thousand feet.
But as a cultivator of the Ninth Realm, the old man was well aware of the difficulty and almost unbelievable shock involved.
"Besides."
"In this world, controlled by demonic forces, there's not much difference from before."
The old man glanced at his granddaughter, his face showing a hint of amusement.
Over ninety years ago.
The demonic forces unified the world.
The old man saw it all.
At first, he thought that the days of suffering for all living beings were coming because, with demonic forces ruling the world, how good could it be for the Five Realms?
All beings would be kept like livestock to serve as nourishment for the demonic cultivators?
However, as time passed, the old man suddenly discovered that such a scene had never happened.
After demonic forces unified the Five Realms, they even actively spread a cultivation system called Martial Dao.
This cultivation system had a low entry threshold, and demonic forces even sent people to explain this cultivation system.
Such a good thing had never happened in the past tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years.
The major forces of the Five Realms, in the past, for the sake of maintaining their own status, would never have shared their techniques, let alone send people specifically to guide others.
This move by the demonic forces was beyond the old man's understanding.
He just felt that the thoughts and plans of the Demon Lord were completely beyond ordinary comprehension.
"Grandpa, I want to go to the Central Region, to visit the Martial Dao sacred place," the girl said softly at this moment.
The Martial Dao sacred place referred to the underground palace where Lin Yuan practiced.
In a hundred years, this underground palace had become a sacred place in the Five Realms, visited by countless cultivators.
Of course.
To avoid disturbing the Demon Lord, all cultivators could only observe from fifty miles away from the underground palace.
"The Martial Dao sacred place?"
The old man hesitated a bit.
But when he thought about how he had never done anything against the Demon Lord all these years, his expression immediately became calm.
"Alright."
The old man nodded and agreed.
In the underground palace, next to the Qi Spring.
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged. At this moment, his aura was completely concealed, and he sat there as if standing in another dimension.
Seemingly illusory.
[Name: Xiahou Yuan (Lin Yuan)]
[Identity: Guardian of the Door to the Myriad Realms]
[Bound Talent: Extraordinary Comprehension]
[Current Status: Consciousness Descended]
[Remaining Residence Time: One hundred and forty years]
"Still one hundred and forty years of residence time."
Lin Yuan glanced at the illusionary text below his line of sight and thought to himself.
Unknowingly, he had descended to this world for a hundred and sixty years.
Out of the three hundred years of residence limit, more than half had quietly passed.
"Sixteen Realms."
Lin Yuan examined himself.
One hundred years had passed, and Lin Yuan broke through two realms, advancing from the Fourteenth Realm to the Sixteenth Realm.
However, upon entering the Sixteenth Realm, Lin Yuan faintly felt that this realm seemed to be the limit of this world.
Going further might trigger the world's instinctive rejection.
For example, it might directly exile Lin Yuan outside the world.
"No."
"The world's limit should be more than the Sixteenth Realm."
"Is it because of that 'black hole' to the north?"
Lin Yuan's thoughts surged, and his gaze once again looked towards the north.
Over a hundred years ago, Lin Yuan had sensed that in the far north, beyond the endless sea, there existed a massive black hole.
This black hole was constantly devouring the world's Qi.
As a result, the upper limit of strength in this world kept decreasing.
Fifty thousand years ago, a hundred thousand years ago, there were traces of Eleventh Realm experts.
However, in recent tens of thousands of years, the Tenth Realm had become scarce.
Perhaps tens of thousands of years later, Ninth Realm experts would become legends.
It was because of that 'black hole' that the upper limit of strength in this world had lowered and was rapidly approaching its inability to contain Lin Yuan.
"For tens of thousands of years, every time a Tenth Realm expert is born, they disappear in the Five Realms within a few decades to a hundred years. It should be going to the 'black hole' in the north."
Lin Yuan pondered with a thoughtful expression.
After the Demon Path unified the Five Realms, the number of scriptures Lin Yuan could browse greatly increased, allowing him to understand the final fate of the Tenth Realm experts over the past tens of thousands of years.
Just as Lin Yuan was contemplating the 'black hole,' he suddenly felt something, emitting a hint of surprise. His gaze shifted towards the east.
In Lin Yuan's perception, about thirty miles away from the underground palace, two figures were surreptitiously approaching. One was an old man at the Ninth Realm, and the other was a girl of about ten. At this moment, she was curiously looking towards the underground palace.
Lin Yuan's gaze fell on the girl.
"The Bai family still has descendants."
Lin Yuan closed his eyes, feeling a sense of emotion.
The Bai family had a significant connection with Xiahou Yuan. Before Xiahou Yuan mastered demonic arts, he fell in love with the legitimate daughter of the Bai family. Later, due to Xiahou Yuan making too many enemies, the Bai family was implicated and annihilated from top to bottom.
For Xiahou Yuan, the Bai family held special significance.
The 'Luan E' from the Tianjian Sect, who later used the alias Bai Qing'er to get close to Xiahou Yuan, was able to gain Xiahou Yuan's trust because of her disguised identity as a 'descendant of the Bai family.'
Otherwise, how could Xiahou Yuan, such a ruthless person, invest so much emotion in a woman? In the end, she was compelled by circumstances and suppressed in the Abyssal Depths.
However, now, Lin Yuan once again sensed the aura of the Bai family in that young girl.
This bloodline was not like Bai Qing'er's disguise; it was a familiar sensation from the depth of the bloodline.
Thirty miles away from the underground palace.
The old man felt a bit nervous. They were already close to thirty miles from the underground palace, much deeper than the commonly drawn fifty miles.
"Xiaobai, are you sure it's okay to get so close?"
The old man asked again.
Originally, he brought the girl here like other cultivators to slowly visit fifty miles away from the underground palace. However, while the girl was touring, she led the old man along a small path, entering within thirty miles, and now they were only thirty miles away from the underground palace.
This made the old man break out in a cold sweat. Just thinking that thirty miles away was the Demon Lord Xiahou Yuan, who had trampled the Tianjian Sect, made the old man's legs a bit weak.
"Grandpa, what are you afraid of? I specifically found out about this path. Many people have walked on it before just to get closer to the sacred place for a better view."
The girl led the way ahead, her tone exceptionally excited.
"Are you sure?"
The old man was starting to regret bringing the girl here. Although she was not his biological granddaughter, he had found her in the wilderness. However, the old man's feelings for the girl were genuine, treating her like his own granddaughter.
"Definitely sure! Before us, many people have walked through this path to visit, and nothing happened."
The girl patted her chest and said.
"Let's hope so."
The old man steadied himself, trying hard not to overthink.
He could tell that the path beneath his feet had undoubtedly been traversed by many. However, even in the presence of such a figure as the Demon Lord, the old man still felt genuine fear.
"Grandpa, you're too timid," the girl couldn't help but say.
"Timid," the old man sighed in his heart, unsure of how to refute her.
At this moment, a tall man appeared silently on the road ahead, where the girl and the old man were walking. The tall man stood quietly, seemingly lost in thought.
Observing this, the girl immediately grinned.
"Grandpa, look."
"This path isn't just for us; others want to get closer to observe the sacred place as well," the girl quickly stated.
"That's good," the old man breathed a sigh of relief.
The tall man standing there showed no signs of a cultivator's aura. To the old man, this was a symbol of safety. If even ordinary people could approach without issues, they probably wouldn't encounter any problems.
The girl, after walking along this path for so long without encountering anyone, now that they met a tall man, immediately went forward to strike up a conversation: "Are you also here to observe the sacred place?"
"Observe the sacred place?" The tall man turned his head, glanced at the girl, but didn't answer.
"Don't be shy; who would come here except to observe the sacred place?" The girl thought the tall man was just shy and approached, saying, "We happen to meet you; you can follow us. My grandpa is amazing, a great master of the Five Realms."
The girl extended an invitation.
The tall man remained indifferent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
This made the girl somewhat frustrated. What's up with this person? Is he like a mute? Did he even understand what she said?
"Let me tell you this; my grandpa is a Ninth Realm expert. Do you know what the Ninth Realm is?" The girl couldn't help but spill some secrets, "On the vast Five Realms, the number of Ninth Realm experts is less than a hundred, and my grandpa is one of them. You can feel secure following us; safety won't be an issue."
"Were you picked up by your grandpa?"
Finally, the tall man spoke, his voice deep and magnetic.
He didn't sense the Bai family bloodline on the old man.
"Huh?"
"How did you know?"
The girl widened her eyes, certain she hadn't mentioned this matter to the tall man.
"Could you be..."
The girl's eyes lit up, "Are you a fortune-teller? Could you tell at a glance that I'm not my grandpa's biological granddaughter?"
"Xiao Bai," the old man vaguely sensed something, his voice trembling, not daring to meet the gaze of the tall man.
However, at this moment, his voice was exceptionally faint, and the girl didn't notice it at all.
"I didn't expect you to have some skills. I always thought those fortune-tellers were all frauds," the girl became interested, and the tall man could see at a glance that she had no blood relation with the old man, indicating that she was not simple.
"Come, come, come."
"Help me figure out when I can become a powerhouse like my grandpa."
The girl tiptoed and patted the tall man's shoulder, saying, "Rest assured, as long as you predict accurately, you won't miss out on benefits. Let me tell you, my grandpa has a lot of treasures, you can casually take one."
"Xiao Bai," the old man beside her saw the girl daring to pat the tall man's shoulder, and for a moment, his blood pressure rose, and his consciousness began to blur.
Just as the girl tiptoed and patted the tall man's shoulder.
The air seemed to solidify.
One after another, figures appeared around them.
Each figure exuded the aura of the Ninth Realm's peak.
Twenty formidable Ninth Realm peak experts silently stood not far away.
The figure leading them emitted an aura surpassing the Ninth Realm.
However, these figures appeared behind the girl, and due to her lower strength, she didn't sense anything unusual, remaining unaware.
Yet the girl was oblivious, while the old man next to her keenly felt it, sweat oozing from his forehead, legs trembling, almost kneeling down on the spot.
"Step back."
The tall man, hands behind his back, calmly said.
Instantly, all the appearing figures, as if receiving an imperial decree, quickly disappeared.
The path returned to its original state.
Only the old man knew what had just happened.
Both he and the girl had almost walked through the gates of hell.
"You resemble an old friend of mine."
The tall man smiled faintly.
He raised his hand and touched the girl's head.
"Oh."
The girl, not knowing how it happened, faced the tall man's touch without any resistance, standing dumbfounded in place.
"Go back."
"Practice well."
The tall man raised his right hand.
With a gentle wave.
The old man and the girl felt a sudden darkness before their eyes.
When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves back fifty miles away.
"Grandpa, what's this?" The girl was a bit confused, taking a while to react. What just happened? Wasn't she just chatting with that tall man?
"Xiao Bai!!!" Only the old man recovered.
He grabbed the girl's collar directly.
And then—
He sprinted in the opposite direction of the palace.
After several hours.
Tens of thousands of miles away from the palace.
The old man finally stopped.
Fear still filled his face.
"Do you know who that was just now?"
The old man took a deep breath, raised his right hand as if to slap the girl, but eventually couldn't bear to.
"Ah?"
"Who was he?"
The girl blinked.
Now she vaguely understood.
"He's the Demon Sovereign."
"He's Demon Sovereign Xiahou Yuan."
The old man's voice trembled.
"He's the Demon Sovereign?"
Xiao Bai widened her eyes again.
After a long time.
Xiao Bai suddenly remembered a question.
She used to be too embarrassed to ask, but after meeting the Demon Sovereign just now and not dying, she naturally wanted to ask.
"Grandpa."
"Everyone says Demon Sovereign Xiahou Yuan is unfathomable."
"How strong is he really?"
The girl looked at the old man with anticipation.
"How strong?" The old man seemed to see the tall figure of the man just now flashing before his eyes again.
"He should be."
"He should be as tall as the heavens, I guess."
"But."
The old man suddenly remembered something.
He scrutinized the girl repeatedly.
If he didn't see it wrong just now.
Did the girl stand on tiptoes and pat the shoulder of that tall man?
If that tall man was the Demon Sovereign, didn't the girl just pat the Demon Sovereign's shoulder?
Such a rebellious act, and yet they, the grandfather and granddaughter, managed to come out alive. It was simply unimaginable.
That was Demon Sovereign Xiahou Yuan.
The ruthless figure who trampled the Tianjian Mountain with a single step.
When he saw the girl patting the other's shoulder, he was so frightened that his consciousness began to blur.
But unexpectedly, there was no aftermath at all.
"Similar to an old friend."
The old man recalled the words of the tall man.
Could it be that his adopted granddaughter was an old friend of Xiahou Yuan?
For a moment, the old man was puzzled.
After thinking for a while.
The old man decided not to think too much about it.
Regardless of the relationship between the girl and the Demon Sovereign.
She was his granddaughter. They had been together for more than ten years, and their relationship was like family.
Palace.
Lin Yuan gazed toward the location of the old man.
"Descendant of the Bai family."
Lin Yuan's expression remained calm.
The descendant of the Bai family was Xiahou Yuan's deepest bond. When Lin Yuan appeared in front of the girl just now, he reached out and touched her head.
At the same time, he sent a strand of vitality over.
This strand of vitality could subtly improve the girl's aptitude, and with this strand of vitality, it wouldn't be difficult for her to reach the ninth realm in the future.
This action by Lin Yuan also severed the karma between the original owner, Xiahou Yuan, and the Bai family.
"The Five Realms."
Lin Yuan's gaze deepened.
Under his command, the forces of the demonic path swiftly unified the vast land of the Five Realms.
It wasn't that Lin Yuan wanted to sit on the throne of the ruler of the Five Realms. It was to promote the martial cultivation system as openly as possible.
Only by unifying the Five Realms could the martial cultivation system be spread openly and uprightly. This was Lin Yuan's true purpose.
During the few centuries of his stay in this realm, he aimed to completely integrate the martial cultivation system into the Five Realms.
In this way, even if he left in the future, or if the forces of the demonic path were overthrown, the martial cultivation system might not disappear with them.
Similar to the interstellar colonization movement, colonizers would try to spread their culture and language as much as possible in the colonies.
In this way, even if he was expelled in the future and the colonies re-established themselves, there was a high probability that they would still use the language and culture of the colonizers.
In the main world, there are numerous powerful beings, and countless paths of evolution coexist. Even if the martial path evolution is excellent, it cannot compete with those paths that have existed for tens of thousands or millions of years.
Since that's the case, it's better to open up another battlefield and spread one's own path of evolution in different worlds.
Although the scale of the different worlds is far from that of the main world, for example, the current Five Realms world is at most equivalent to a high-level life-bearing planet in the main world.
But there's no denying the quantity.
With the Gate of the Myriad Realms, Lin Yuan can almost achieve an unlimited number of transmissions.
Moreover, in the main world, even if there is a planet with billions of citizens, how many people can truly practice a certain path of evolution?
In the different worlds, Lin Yuan believes that, under his methods, he can make the martial cultivation system become the mainstream cultivation system.
That is, the cultivation system that all beings prioritize for practice.
With this day after day, accumulated over time, what can those super powerful beings in the main world use to compare with Lin Yuan?
"Although I'm not sure what the use is in spreading my own established path of evolution, or how it relates to the specific existence of the ultimate leap."
"But it doesn't harm me, it's just a matter of lifting a hand."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
After all, even if more people cultivate the martial path evolution, it doesn't affect Lin Yuan. As for worrying about later generations surpassing the founder, Lin Yuan.
If it were an ordinary founder of an evolution path, there might be such concerns.
But Lin Yuan, relying on his extraordinary comprehension, not to mention later comers, even if they were pioneers, he could quickly catch up with them. Later comers didn't even have the qualification to look up to Lin Yuan, so how could they surpass him?
"My Lord."
At this moment, a voice came from outside.
"Come in."
Lin Yuan nodded as if he had expected it.
Soon, a figure walked in respectfully.
It was Situ Ming.
After a hundred years, with Lin Yuan's help, Situ Ming smoothly reached the tenth realm.
He was the first among Lin Yuan's many subordinates to reach the tenth realm.
"A perfect vessel."
Lin Yuan looked at the respectful Situ Ming and thought to himself.
Situ Ming's original body was a five-colored lotus, and both his physical body and spirit originated from Lin Yuan.
In Lin Yuan's eyes, Situ Ming was the most perfect vessel for descent.
In simple terms, if Lin Yuan's physical body was destroyed, he could directly take over Situ Ming's physical body.
The two perfectly matched, requiring no adaptation at all.
Of course.
In Lin Yuan's eyes.
The utility of Situ Ming was far more important than that of a descent vessel.
With Lin Yuan's current strength, even if all the powerful beings in this realm joined forces.
It wouldn't be enough for him to slap, and the only thing that could threaten Lin Yuan was the world consciousness of this world.
There was simply no need to prepare any descent vessel.
"I want you to do something."
Lin Yuan looked at Situ Ming and slowly spoke.
"My Lord, please speak."
Situ Ming immediately spoke seriously.
Even if My Lord asked him to commit suicide right now, Situ Ming would do it without hesitation.
"In 140 years, I will leave this world. At that time, you will replace me and ensure the continued spread of the martial path cultivation system. If there is a trend of decline, intervene."
Lin Yuan spoke.
Everything in the world cannot escape time.
Although the martial path cultivation system has spread across the Five Realms over the past hundred years, and the number of practitioners is increasing, over time, various accidents may occur.
Situ Ming is the contingency left by Lin Yuan to safeguard the 'martial path' and is the best candidate.
Situ Ming is not of the human race; his original body is a five-colored lotus with a long lifespan that can last for thousands of years. With Lin Yuan's assistance in cultivation, reaching the eleventh realm before the end of the residence limit is not a problem.
With such a guardian, Lin Yuan is naturally at ease. After all, Situ Ming's physical and spiritual bodies are bestowed by him, absolutely loyal, and will not develop other thoughts even after a long time.
As for what to do after Situ Ming dies in thousands of years...
Lin Yuan thinks that if the martial path can exist for thousands of years in the Five Realms, it will be deeply rooted, and even if someone wants to eradicate it, it might not be possible.
Even if some accidents occur, Lin Yuan has no way to deal with it. Thousands of years are not a distance but an incredibly long time.
"Yes."
Situ Ming agreed without hesitation.
"If the power of the demonic path is threatened."
Situ Ming asked cautiously.
His meaning is whether he needs to intervene to maintain the demonic path's rule over the Five Realms if the demonic path forces are unable to maintain control.
"You don't need to worry about that."
"You only need to ensure the inheritance of the martial path."
Lin Yuan waved his hand.
Ensuring the inheritance of a certain cultivation system is a completely different difficulty than ensuring the inheritance of a unified force.
The latter has many hidden dangers. If Situ Ming really dares to intervene, even with the strength of the eleventh realm, he may not be able to escape unscathed.
Situ Ming is not Lin Yuan; he doesn't have the overwhelming strength that Lin Yuan possesses. The fact that there have been eleventh realm experts in this world indicates the possibility of more eleventh realm experts emerging.
Lin Yuan doesn't care; with the strength of the sixteenth realm, he can easily handle as many eleventh realm experts as he wants.
Moreover, Lin Yuan has already left some cards and contingencies for the demonic path forces.
This ensures their continued dominance over the Five Realms for several hundred or even thousands of years after he leaves.
"Go down."
"After today, you don't need to show up in front of people."
"Just observe the Five Realms in secret."
Lin Yuan instructed.
"At your command."
Situ Ming felt a bit lost in his heart.
He vaguely felt that his Lord was leaving a last testament?
But how could that be possible? The lifespan of a tenth realm expert is two thousand years, and for the Lord, killing a tenth realm expert is like stepping on an ant. Why would he speak of a last testament so early?
Watching Situ Ming's departing figure, Lin Yuan once again fell into contemplation.
To completely integrate the martial path cultivation system into this world, Lin Yuan made three preparations in total.
The first preparation was to unify the Five Realms.
To spread the martial path cultivation system in the most orthodox manner.
The second preparation was Situ Ming, the guardian.
To ensure that the martial path cultivation system could still spread after he left, and even if accidents occurred, they could be dealt with.
The first two preparations were made for normal circumstances and potential accidents, covering almost all possibilities.
The third preparation, Lin Yuan targeted the world consciousness of this world.
The world is conscious.
Lin Yuan had sensed this when he first traveled. In the martial world, he faintly touched the upper limit of the world and felt pressure from the heavens and the earth, like a stranded whale. This was the rejection of world consciousness.
As for the second and third world travels, Lin Yuan did not have this feeling, entirely because these two worlds were 'special'.
In the Dragon-Tiger world, there were items like the True Martial Sword and the Primordial Demon Spirit from the 'upper realm', and the world itself seemed to be elevated, so Lin Yuan never felt any rejection.
As for the Divine Weapon world, it was equivalent to being incomplete, with ancient gods extracting part of the rules, turning them into divine weapons, leading to the weakening of the world's consciousness.
In the current world, Lin Yuan could vaguely sense the will of the world.
What is the will of the world? It does not have emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; it is similar to the artificial intelligence of the main world, constantly maintaining the operation of the world.
Lin Yuan's third preparation is to prevent the world consciousness from deliberately suppressing the martial path evolution path.
If the world consciousness dislikes the martial path evolution path, evolving on its own, even with Situ Ming as the guardian, the martial path evolution path may not last long, facing various 'accidents' leading to its demise.
"World consciousness."
Lin Yuan murmured softly.
World consciousness is not a tangible entity.
If Lin Yuan wants to see the world consciousness, it's neither difficult nor easy.
The simplest method is through the Son of Qi Luck.
The Son of Qi Luck is a product of the flourishing world's great fortune, a target closely monitored by the world consciousness.
If Lin Yuan finds the Son of Qi Luck, there is a possibility of communicating with the world consciousness.
Of course, even without the Son of Qi Luck, there are ways to force the appearance of the world consciousness.
That is—
Destroying this world.
Lin Yuan naturally wouldn't use this method.
But he could use it to deliberately scare the world consciousness.
"Son of Qi Luck."
Lin Yuan pondered.
Over a hundred years ago, Taiyin's divine spirit had once glimpsed those three Sons of Qi Luck.
He remembered their aura.
But not long after, those three Sons of Qi Luck disappeared from the Five Realms.
Lin Yuan speculated that under the blessing of the great fortune of the world, these three individuals might have encountered some extraordinary adventures.
"Wait a little longer."
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yuan immersed himself in cultivation again.
With his current strength and realm, as soon as those three Sons of Qi Luck reappeared in the Five Realms, he would be able to sense them instantly.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, several years had passed.
In the Eastern Realm, in a certain area of the purple bamboo forest.
Boom, boom, boom.
A series of rumbling sounds echoed.
Immediately after, three figures shot up into the sky.
A vast and profound aura spread recklessly.
For tens of miles, hundreds of miles, the entire area was shrouded in the terrifying aura.
"Hahaha."
"We're out, we finally made it out."
Xiao Huo, Yang Bixing, Shen Lang, and the three others laughed wildly.
Their clothes were tattered, but their eyes were extremely bright.
Over the past hundred years, they had endured endless torment underground, finally passing the test and breaking out with their own strength.
And after such a long period of cultivation.
The strength of the three had all transcended the peak of the Ninth Realm, entering the Tenth Realm.
Moreover.
In the underground world.
The three of them discovered a combined attack technique.
After perfecting their cultivation, the three joined forces, and their combined attack could contend against eleventh realm, or even twelfth realm experts.
After a long time.
The three vented their emotions.
They gathered together to discuss their plans for the future.
"With our current strength, even a hundred thousand years ago, we could dominate a region. If we use that combined attack technique, we might even be able to challenge the Demon Venerable Xiahou Yuan."
Shen Lang spoke, hesitated for a moment, then didn't continue. However, a hint of ambition flickered in his eyes.
The underground world for a hundred years had left Demon Venerable Xiahou Yuan as an indelible nightmare in their hearts.
If the three of them could defeat Xiahou Yuan, no, as long as they could resist Xiahou Yuan, even if they could preserve their lives from Xiahou Yuan, that nightmarish impact would completely disappear.
With a perfect mental state, even if they attempted to break through the eleventh realm, there was a high chance of success.
"Well..."
Xiao Huo was also slightly excited. He was about to ask when would be the right time to seek Xiahou Yuan.
Suddenly.
Just at that moment.
A low, magnetic voice echoed.
"No need for you to find me."
In an instant, the world turned upside down, and the sun and moon lost their light.
For thousands of miles around, an inexplicable aura filled the space.
Under the shocked gaze of Xiao Huo, Yang Bixing, and Shen Lang.
A tall figure walked from the horizon. With each step, the space seemed to compress. After just a few steps, he arrived in front of them.
"I came by myself."
The towering figure stopped and looked down at Xiao Huo and the other two.
"D-Demon Venerable Xiahou Yuan."
Xiao Huo's scalp tingled, his mind trembling. He felt the power of the tenth realm within him completely falling into silence.
In front of Xiahou Yuan, Xiao Huo felt that he was not an invincible tenth realm expert but an infant, an ant.
"Why, why is he so strong."
Shen Lang was in despair.
At this moment, Xiahou Yuan gave them the feeling that he was ten times, a hundred times stronger than the inverted divine spirit a hundred years ago.
In these hundred years.
Not only had they made rapid progress.
Xiahou Yuan had also constantly improved.
The speed of his improvement even surpassed them by countless times.
"I..."
Xiao Huo opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But seeing Xiahou Yuan, high in the sky, raised his right hand and pressed it down toward them.
Buzz!!!
The terrifying aura instantly began to compress.
Xiao Huo and the other two suddenly spat out blood, and their consciousness began to blur.
"Is it time to die?"
Yang Bixing slowly closed her eyes.
However.
Just at this moment.
A cold and majestic will silently appeared.
Only to see Xiao Huo slowly standing up. His originally crimson eyes had turned into pure golden.
He looked up at Lin Yuan.
Although it was a gaze from below, there was a sense of looking down.
As if the heavens were overlooking all living beings.
"World consciousness."
Lin Yuan withdrew his right hand, resting it behind him.
"You finally show yourself."
Two more chapters, ten thousand words in total.
Chapter 126: Transaction, Crossing the Sea, Beyond the Five Realms
Xiao Huo stood straight, his pair of pure golden eyes showing no emotional fluctuations.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan was not surprised. For him, Situ Ming was the perfect vessel; with a single thought, he could take control of Situ Ming's body. After all, everything about Situ Ming was bestowed upon him by Lin Yuan, and the former couldn't resist or even conceive the idea of resisting.
Similarly, in the eyes of the lofty world consciousness, the most perfect vessel was naturally the Qi Luck Child. As long as the world consciousness was willing, it could descend upon the Qi Luck Child at any time and control everything.
Facing the descent of the world will, the Qi Luck Child could not resist, even if they were strong, it would be meaningless.
Several years ago, Lin Yuan planned to force the appearance of the world consciousness through those three Qi Luck Children. Unfortunately, the three Qi Luck Children had disappeared from the Five Realms a hundred years ago.
Until a moment ago, when the aura of the three Qi Luck Children reappeared, Lin Yuan hurriedly arrived.
In fact, Lin Yuan had no intention of killing the Qi Luck Children. He was just pretending to have murderous intent to test it out. Even if the world consciousness didn't appear in the end, Lin Yuan would have held back. After all, the Qi Luck Children were favored by the destiny of the heavens and the earth, serving as the 'spokespersons' of the world consciousness, and killing them directly would be a great loss.
It was better to slowly refine the strands of great Qi luck from them. Perhaps it could be useful to him.
Lin Yuan was fortunate that even with a slight probing, he forced the world consciousness to appear.
Lin Yuan speculated that the reason why the world consciousness attached so much importance to these three Qi Luck Children was because it had invested a lot in them.
If it were a hundred years ago, these three Qi Luck Children were only at the ninth realm strength. Even if Lin Yuan took action to kill one, the world consciousness might not have interfered.
However, the ninth realm... especially these three Qi Luck Children at the peak of the ninth realm, were just a step away from the tenth realm. Lin Yuan even sensed a kind of similar aura from these three individuals.
If the three of them joined forces and activated the similar aura within them, they could completely erupt with the strength of the peak tenth realm or even the eleventh realm.
To cultivate these three Qi Luck Children, the world consciousness had obviously invested a lot, and it wouldn't allow them to die so easily at Lin Yuan's hands.
"State your request," Xiao Huo's eyes were pure gold, and his tone was calm.
At this moment, his consciousness had fallen into a deep sleep, completely replaced by the world consciousness. He was undoubtedly the most powerful existence in this world.
Powerful to the point that even Lin Yuan couldn't match.
However, the world consciousness was not a living being. Everything it did had to follow the rules, far from being as unrestrained as Lin Yuan.
"I want the martial arts cultivation system to perpetually flourish in this world, prospering for tens of thousands and millions of years," Lin Yuan said.
If he didn't get the tacit approval of the world consciousness, even if Lin Yuan made many preparations, the martial arts cultivation system would be challenging to survive. While Lin Yuan was present, there might not be any accidents, but once he left this world, under the suppression of the world consciousness, there might be another Qi Luck Child born specifically to eradicate the martial arts cultivation system.
"Impossible," Xiao Huo directly refused.
As the absolute master of this world, 'he' was very clear that from the first realm to the tenth realm, it was the most suitable cultivation system for this world.
As for the martial arts cultivation system, although it is not weaker than the local cultivation systems, the world consciousness vaguely realizes that allowing this particular cultivation system to flourish in the Five Realms is not a good thing.
This obvious cultivation system with unique characteristics, if allowed to develop for a long time, might have an impact on it.
Compared to the third world that Lin Yuan traversed—the Divine Weapon World, this world's world consciousness is much more complete, able to make decisions that are most favorable to itself.
"Impossible," Lin Yuan's expression remained unchanged.
Since the world consciousness did not immediately leave, there was still room for negotiation. Lin Yuan had made a bold demand earlier, but in reality, there was considerable room for compromise.
Outside the purple bamboo forest, Yang Bixing and Shen Lang's faces turned pale. When the world consciousness descended on Xiao Huo, it casually threw them out. Apparently, it didn't want these two to hear Lin Yuan's direct conversation with it.
Lin Yuan had no objection to this.
"Xiao Huo, he..." Yang Bixing's lips trembled.
The power of Xiaohou Yuan, the great demonic leader, far exceeded their imagination. Before seeing Xiaohou Yuan, the three of them were full of ambition, making a series of plans.
For example, what if Xiaohou Yuan attacked first? What if they attacked first? What if they couldn't beat Xiaohou Yuan, how to escape, and so on.
However, when they truly faced Xiaohou Yuan, the three of them realized how unrealistic their ideas were.
Ambition?
A series of plans?
No amount of preparation could make up for the absolute disparity in strength.
In front of Xiaohou Yuan, the three of them, apart from waiting for judgment like ants, had no ability to act.
If it weren't for Xiao Huo's last...
Thinking of this, Yang Bixing and Shen Lang glanced at each other.
As peak tenth realm experts, they were far from being comparable to Xiaohou Yuan. At a glance, they could tell that Xiao Huo had been replaced by the world consciousness.
But they also realized that Xiao Huo seemed to have changed.
Moreover, Xiao Huo's changes directly made Xiaohou Yuan stop, and even expelled them, preventing them from overhearing their conversation.
"Could it be..." Shen Lang had a faint speculation in his heart.
He had obtained the inheritance of an eleventh realm expert from fifty thousand years ago, knowing many secrets of the world, including a description of the world consciousness.
However, in the description of that eleventh realm expert, the world consciousness is referred to by another name.
The Dao of Heaven.
Or the Heavenly Sovereign.
"What should we do now?" Yang Bixing asked in a low voice.
She glanced in the direction of the purple bamboo forest, where everything seemed hazy, like another world.
"What should we do?" Shen Lang thought for a moment and helplessly said, "Just wait here."
He understood what Yang Bixing meant, asking if they should take advantage of the opportunity to leave. However, they had just come out of the underground world, and in a blink of an eye, Xiahou Yuan appeared. This indicated that Xiahou Yuan wanted to find them, and with Xiahou Yuan's strength, even if they took the opportunity to leave now, they wouldn't escape if the former still harbored intentions to kill them.
Instead of that, they might as well continue waiting for the conversation between 'Xiao Huo' and Xiahou Yuan to end. If 'Xiao Huo' convinced Xiahou Yuan, they wouldn't need to escape. If persuasion failed, even if they escaped to the ends of the earth, it would still be a dead end.
Upon hearing this, Yang Bixing fell silent.
With her intelligence, she could also think of these things, but the shock was too great, and for a moment, she blurted out such a question.
Half an hour later, under the gaze of Yang Bixing and Shen Lang, the hazy space in the distant purple bamboo forest gradually became clear. Yang Bixing and Shen Lang did not move lightly; they waited for another two hours before summoning the courage to approach.
Soon, they found Xiao Huo still in a coma at their original location.
As for Xiahou Yuan, he had long disappeared.
The two quickly approached, helped Xiao Huo up, and used their respective methods to heal him.
Before long, Xiao Huo slowly woke up.
"What happened?" Xiao Huo felt a splitting headache, as if he had been tossed around by some enormous creature for days and nights.
Yang Bixing and Shen Lang immediately recounted everything they knew.
"I felt like I changed into a different person just now," Xiao Huo said after regaining his senses, frowning in contemplation.
The three of them talked for a while. Unlike when they had just come out of the underground world, Xiao Huo and the others dared not mention Xiahou Yuan again.
Under the sky, Lin Yuan pondered.
Just now, he had a conversation with the world consciousness for nearly half an hour, reluctantly reaching a consensus. The world consciousness promised not to directly or indirectly interfere with the spread of the martial arts cultivation system in this world.
This also met Lin Yuan's expectations.
As long as the world consciousness did not act against him after he left, using the contingency left by Lin Yuan would be enough to ensure the stable inheritance of the martial cultivation system for tens of thousands of years.
As for what would happen after those thousands of years? Lin Yuan estimated that many people had already walked far in the path of martial cultivation, enough to keep the martial cultivation system continuing for a long time.
Of course, the world consciousness made such a concession because Lin Yuan made a promise.
"The Eye of the North Sea."
Lin Yuan lifted his head slightly and looked towards the north, more precisely, the endless northern sea.
Over a hundred years ago, Lin Yuan sensed the appearance of a 'black hole' there, constantly devouring the elemental energy of this world. This black hole was what the world consciousness referred to as the 'Eye of the North Sea.'
The Eye of the North Sea suddenly appeared in this world tens of thousands of years ago. Since then, the elemental energy of the world had slowly decreased, causing the upper limit of the world to gradually fall.
The world consciousness made efforts. For tens of thousands of years, whenever a tenth-realm expert was born in the five realms, they would be subtly urged to go to the Eye of the North Sea and try to seal or suppress it.
However, the effect was minimal. At most, it could only stop the expansion of the Eye of the North Sea, but every moment, it continued to devour the elemental energy of this world.
Lin Yuan learned from the world consciousness that the area where the strongest experts gathered in this world was not the five realms but the region around the Eye of the North Sea.
For hundreds of thousands of years, the world consciousness had continuously hinted at the strong to go to the Eye of the North Sea to solve the issue.
Over generations, those experts gradually rooted themselves in the region around the Eye of the North Sea, leading to no shortage of tenth-realm experts, and even eleventh-realm experts.
"The reason the world consciousness is nurturing those three Qi Destiny Children is probably to use them to suppress the Eye of the North Sea," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
When those three Qi Destiny Children joined forces, they could unleash the peak power of the eleventh realm, or even the twelfth realm. Even in the region around the Eye of the North Sea, they could be considered top-notch experts.
"The Eye of the North Sea."
Lin Yuan's eyes were deep.
His promise to the world consciousness was to try to repair the Eye of the North Sea as much as possible, but there was no guarantee of success. Even without the conversation with the world consciousness, Lin Yuan would eventually go to the Eye of the North Sea. Allowing the Eye of the North Sea to continue devouring the elemental energy of this world would eventually be detrimental to Lin Yuan. At least, his cultivation would be suppressed.
If this continued, one day, this world would be swallowed up. By then, what would be the point of Lin Yuan spreading the martial cultivation system and meticulously laying down the foundation, only to be consumed along with the world?
"Let's go."
"Visit the North Sea."
Lin Yuan didn't even return to the underground palace; he flew directly towards the north.
Now, the five realms had stabilized, and even if the remnants of forces from a hundred years ago occasionally rebelled, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.
Nuanshu, Muyang Demon Lord, and others strictly governed the five realms according to the rules set by Lin Yuan, so there would be no major problems.
Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan left the scope of the Five Realms and arrived above the boundless sea. Terrifying winds and waves swept recklessly, making it nearly impossible for ordinary sixth or seventh-realm experts to move freely.
However, all the waves within a hundred yards around Lin Yuan became completely calm.
In this stormy sea, the area around Lin Yuan seemed like a separate world.
"No wonder only tenth-realm experts receive the summoning from the world consciousness," Lin Yuan thought to himself. For a ninth-realm expert, passing through this sea would be extremely challenging.
To the north of the Endless Sea, a white tower stood tall. On top of the tower, a chubby man sat cross-legged.
"Twenty more years, and I can go back. I'll need a good rest by then," the chubby man sighed.
Even a tenth-realm expert sitting in this place for ten or a hundred years, accompanied only by the vast sea, would find it boring.
"I wonder when the Sea Eye will disappear. I heard that in that direction, there's a vast land much larger and broader than the North Sea Island," the chubby man thought silently.
He was born and raised on the North Sea Island, naturally longing for the so-called vast land.
"Just that the Island Lord and a few Vice Island Lords forbid us from leaving," the chubby man shrugged.
The Island Lord and Vice Island Lords were the supreme experts of the North Sea Island and the Endless Sea, towering tenth-realm experts. They commanded many strong individuals from the North Sea Island to join forces in suppressing the Eye of the North Sea.
"Hmm?"
"It seems like someone is approaching?"
The chubby man seemed to have noticed something, immediately focusing his gaze on a certain direction to the south. On the vast sea, a streak of light rapidly approached.
"Could it be a tenth-realm expert coming from the Five Realms?" The chubby man's eyes lit up. He had long known that every so often, tenth-realm experts from the Five Realms would come to join the efforts to suppress the Eye of the North Sea.
However, as time passed, the number of tenth-realm experts coming from the Five Realms became fewer and fewer. The last one came nearly a thousand years ago.
"I heard that these experts from the Five Realms, when they first arrive, are very unruly and arrogant. They need a little reminder," the chubby man suddenly thought.
Tenth-realm experts coming from the Five Realms were generally invincible figures in their own realms, extremely proud. Suddenly arriving at the North Sea Island, they would likely find it difficult to adapt.
"Swoosh."
The chubby man immediately flew up, preparing to welcome the incoming tenth-realm expert, while subtly reminding them not to make any mistakes on the North Sea Island, especially not to offend the Island Lord and the others. The chubby man was contemplating when suddenly...
Just at this moment.
Boom!
Several streaks of light flew from behind.
Surprisingly, similar to the chubby man, they were heading towards the newly arrived 'tenth-realm'?
"Ah?"
The chubby man widened his eyes.
"Nalan Island Lord, and a few Vice Island Lords."
The chubby man took a deep breath, recognizing who the streaks of light coming from behind belonged to.
It was none other than the supreme experts of the North Sea Island and the Endless Sea, towering tenth-realm experts.
"Could that person have some grudge against the Island Lord and Vice Island Lords?"
Seeing Nalan Island Lord and several Vice Island Lords personally coming over, the chubby man couldn't help but mourn for the newly arrived 'tenth-realm.'
However,
In the next moment,
Under the astonished gaze of the chubby man,
Nalan Island Lord and the Vice Island Lords flying towards the new 'tenth-realm' all stopped.
And they slightly bowed, showing a respectful attitude towards the newly arrived 'tenth-realm.'
"Greetings, Your Excellency."