GRAND Chapter 606-610: My Hundred Thousandth Time (9.5k+ words)

The Tranquil Heavenly Sovereign had died.

Once Qiao Sidao clarified that he had been reborn into the ancient cultivation world, where the dominance of the Ten Dao Sects overshadowed everything and a new era of cultivation had not yet begun, a bold idea sprouted in his mind.

He wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Tranquil Heavenly Sovereign and become one of the initial cultivators to propagate the Dao!

Despite the current glory of the Ten Dao Sects, Qiao Sidao, who knew the future trajectory, was well aware that this seemingly everlasting rule would be utterly powerless against the surging tide of the new cultivation wave. Before long, a massive army of fast-cultivating new cultivators, led by the Tranquil Heavenly Sovereign, would overthrow the Ten Dao Sects, establishing the magnificent Wan Xian Alliance that would rule for countless eons.

And nothing was greater than being in the lead.

If he could willingly submit before the rise of the Tranquil Heavenly Sovereign, once the Tranquil Heavenly Sovereign wandered outside the heavens, the highest governing body of the Wan Xian Alliance, the Tranquil Dao Council, would undoubtedly have a place for him!

...

This was Qiao Sidao's original intention.

And that's what he did.

Abandoning the hard-won identity as an inner disciple of the Seven Star Sect, he traveled through mountains and rivers from the central land of Xianlu to the remote borderland of Congyun Marsh.

After patiently waiting for over a decade, he finally welcomed the arrival of the great Tranquil Heavenly...

No, he should call him the Tranquil Dao Sovereign now.

The news of the Dao Sovereign granting teachings had spread to the surrounding regions not long ago.

However, at this time, the Dao Sovereign's fame was not evident.

Suddenly saying he wanted to propagate the Dao, how many people would believe it?

At this moment, in front of him, there were only about a dozen cultivators who had come upon hearing the news and intended to join the commotion.

Qiao Sidao rushed to sit in the central front row, wanting to make himself familiar.

As he looked around, thinking that these people would be the future propagators of the Wan Xian Alliance, his heart raced a bit.

When the Dao Sovereign cast his gaze towards him, Qiao Sidao's heart skipped a beat and he immediately restrained himself.

He dared not look around casually.

Three days later, on a small island in Congyun Marsh, there were only about thirty cultivators gathered.

The Dao Sovereign didn't mind.

Sitting on the ground, he began to eloquently expound on the Dao.

From the cosmos of the Xuanhuang realm, the principles of Dao, to the mysteries of the human body, the hidden essence and qi, and the various connections between the world and all living beings.

He spoke fluently, leaving all the cultivators present enraptured.

As the Dao Sovereign continued to speak, various phenomena appeared in the sky.

Rolling purple energy came from the distant horizon, appearing divine and extraordinary under the reflection of golden light in the sky.

Even at night, the island of Wan Xian emitted a continuous stream of purple and golden energy visible from hundreds of miles away.

As a result, more and more cultivators were attracted by the scene, rushing towards the island.

Upon arriving in front of the Dao Sovereign, they dared not act recklessly. The front rows were already occupied by layers of cultivators, so they had to find a place to sit in the back.

As they immersed themselves in the Dao teachings, they all regretted not coming earlier, missing out on the wonderful and unparalleled explanations.

The number of cultivators gathered on the island continued to grow.

Eventually, there were over ten thousand.

At this point, the Dao Sovereign spoke.

"As cultivators, why seek approval from the heavens? If the heavens don't grant, we can take it ourselves!"

"Follow the path of mortals, defy the heavens, become immortals!"

"Hence, the path of cultivation is as follows:

Absorb the spirit of heaven and earth to control their aura;

Embrace the wonders of heaven and earth to build the foundation of Dao;

Explore the methods of heaven and earth to refine the golden elixir;

Seize the essence of heaven and earth to form the elemental infant;

Extract the marrow of heaven and earth to attain its divinity;

Sacrifice the soul of heaven and earth to merge with Dao;

Oppose the principles of heaven and earth to achieve eternal life!"

...

After setting the tone, the Dao Sovereign began explaining the details of various realms, leaving the entire island of cultivators speechless.

It turns out, cultivation could be approached like this!

Qiao Sidao, even more so, found himself boiling with excitement. You see, these cultivators present were the ones who, relying on this extraordinary new cultivation method, eventually overthrew the Ten Dao Sects in the future, establishing the grand Wan Xian Alliance.

Feeling as if he were personally immersed in the tide of history, Qiao Sidao sensed he had become a part of history.

However, what he never expected was that, during the critical moment when the Dao Sovereign was expounding on the concept of "opposing the principles of heaven and earth," a cold snort suddenly echoed, interrupting the lecture.

"Deceptive words misleading the public!"

"Heaven and earth nurture all things. If cultivators don't seek gratitude, it's fine, but resorting to such a malicious act of plunder?"

"No different from beasts!"

The thunderous voice continued to reverberate. The sudden interruption naturally left the cultivators on the island shocked and angered.

"Where does this ignorant cultivator come from?"

Qiao Sidao, on the other hand, enjoyed the spectacle. He knew that the Dao Sovereign, who had dominated the world for thousands of years, was unrivaled. Wasn't this challenger seeking death?

However, a scene he casually glanced at made him feel a subtle unease.

At this moment, the Dao Sovereign stood up suddenly, his face full of solemnity.

"Do you not know your friend's name?"

"The so-called Great Dao of three thousand..." The Dao Sovereign gestured to speak but was rudely interrupted again.

"More talk is useless! Spreading heretical teachings under the rule of the Ten Dao Sects leads to death!"

"Die!"

With a roar, the speaker revealed himself. A young boy who looked no more than ten years old, adorned in bright golden armor, a red ribbon tied around his head, holding a silver spear.

More like a mortal warrior than a cultivator.

"Remember, today it is the Creation Sect, [Wu], that takes your lives!"

As he spoke, a silver long spear fell from the sky.

"Young brat..."

The Dao Sovereign snorted coldly, intending to suppress him with a casual movement of his right hand.

Little did he know...

The silver brilliance, like lightning, pierced through the Dao Sovereign's body in an instant.

Following that, with unabated force, it ruthlessly smashed onto the ground.

Boom!

In the Dao Sovereign's unbelieving eyes, the entire Wan Xian Island turned into dust in an instant.

The colossal silver shockwave not only shattered the island but also swept towards Congyun Marsh.

In just a few breaths, the vast Congyun Marsh no longer had any signs of life.

Only the rampaging silver serpent danced in the void.

"Ignorant fool!"

Before Qiao Sidao's consciousness disappeared, he heard the cold snort from [Wu].

And the slow disappearance of the Dao Sovereign's figure.

...

When he woke up again from complete darkness, Qiao Sidao was pleasantly surprised to find himself back at the initial time of his rebirth.

Outer disciples of the Seven Star Sect were preoccupied with concerns about the inner sect assessment at this moment. However, Qiao Sidao no longer cared about entering the inner sect; his mind was filled with countless questions.

Why did the Dao Sovereign fall so easily?

Who was this [Wu]?

Why had he never heard of them before?

Countless doubts surged in his mind.

Several days passed, and Qiao Sidao still struggled to find a reasonable explanation. Since the world of his rebirth deviated from the historical trajectory he remembered, he had to carefully consider the future.

With someone as formidable as [Wu], it seemed unlikely that the Wan Xian Alliance would prosper. Although there was some regret, he recognized the situation.

In this life, Qiao Sidao decisively chose to join the Ten Dao Sects. Unexpectedly, things took a turn.

The figure of [Wu], who ended the Dao Sovereign's life with a spear in the previous life, did not exist in this one.

Without his heroic feat on Wan Xian Island, the new cultivation method spread rapidly throughout the Xuanhuang Realm within a few years, unstoppable.

In the war against the Wan Xian Alliance, Qiao Sidao, as cannon fodder for the Ten Dao Sects, lost his life once again.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 607 Extra - My Ten Thousand Lives 2

"Why?"

"Why did the historical trajectory of this life return again?"

Awakening from the darkness again, Qiao Sidao had a splitting headache. However, he couldn't care much, as there were too many doubts in his mind. He continuously recalled and compared his experiences from the past two lives.

As a small figure swept along by the tide of the times, he was helpless. He couldn't fully understand the world's affairs. However, there were certain crucial points that could change the course of history, and he was aware of them.

After a careful comparison, Qiao Sidao discovered that the world where the [Wu] of the Created Fate Sect didn't appear aligned with his memories of history: The Dao Sovereign transmitted the new method, igniting the fire of the new law. They overthrew the decaying Ten Dao Sects, establishing the mighty Wan Xian Alliance ruling over the Xuanhuang Realm for eons.

So, was [Wu] the anomaly? Did the absence of [Wu] bring things back on track?

After lengthy contemplation, Qiao Sidao finally arrived at what seemed like a reasonable explanation.

"In that case, in this life, I should go to the Created Fate Sect first, find out if there is a figure like [Wu], and then make a decision."

"However, the Created Fate Sect is one of the prestigious Ten Dao Sects, and I am just an outer disciple of a lesser-known sect. It's like two different worlds. How can I gather information?"

"This kind of confidential information is obviously not something my current body can know. If it's seen by someone with malicious intent, I might be subjected to soul-searching, exposing the fact that I can continuously reincarnate."

Qiao Sidao, being meticulous and familiar with various means of cultivators, had many concerns.

Fortunately, he didn't have to worry for long.

After absorbing the memories of the body he occupied, Qiao Sidao was horrified to discover that the era he was in this time wasn't the dawn of the new law.

Instead, it was a period that he had never heard of, mysterious and peculiar.

Surprisingly, there were restrictions in this world where laws couldn't be cultivated together. Sects were extinct, and not a single cultivator remained. The surviving cultivators wandered alone in the world, trusting no one and struggling to survive in the wilderness.

Qiao Sidao had no idea what had happened back then, and his continuous reincarnations with varying reasons only added to the confusion.

Carefully ensuring his survival first, Qiao Sidao then ventured into various dangerous sect ruins, attempting to piece together and reconstruct the truth of history.

It took more than ten years for Qiao Sidao to finally understand the events of that time.

The deviation in the historical trajectory occurred during the intense conflict between the new and old laws.

On this timeline, the vitality of those sects turned out to be unexpectedly tenacious. They not only resisted the endless armies of the new law but also reformed themselves, beginning to practice the new law internally.

When they lost the advantage of cultivation speed, the new law cultivators lagged significantly in terms of techniques, treasures, and magical abilities.

They could only persist reluctantly by relying on the absolute quantity of cultivators.

The tug-of-war between the two sides lasted for decades.

During this period, to secure the final victory in the war, both the Wan Xian Alliance and the Ten Dao Sects spared no effort.

Countless commoners were forcibly conscripted, granted cultivation methods after brief training, and then compelled to join the battlefield. With various restrictions on them, they had to fight desperately for their lives.

It was said that blood flowed across every inch of the Xuanhuang Realm's land. Even now, on the current wasteland, Qiao Sidao could still vaguely see the traces left by the fierce war.

Both sides continuously poured cultivator soldiers into the battlefield, fiercely competing in plundering territory.

One day, a sudden change occurred.

It was the terrifying curse of the inability to cultivate the same law. In an instant, every cultivator practicing the same method lost their sanity, treating each other as eternal enemies.

Keep in mind that, to rapidly improve their combat power, both the Wan Xian Alliance and the Ten Dao Sects had their vast number of cultivator soldiers practice the same refined method.

Thus, when the great calamity struck, the entire Xuanhuang Realm fell into chaos, with cultivators killing each other.

This chaos extended from the lowest ranks to the highest.

The Ten Dao Sects emphasize the inheritance of sects. There are countless practitioners following the same law. In the face of the great calamity, the elders who secluded themselves and did not come out began to wield their butcher knives against the disciples inside the sect.

The Wan Xian Alliance emphasizes mutual assistance. Everyone takes the transmission of the law as their teacher, and they are mostly scattered cultivators. To defeat the ancient sects with a history of thousands of years, they must gather the wisdom of the vast majority of cultivators, continuously deducing and perfecting a universal technique for most alliance members. This technique, named "Heavenly Net Divine Art," was originally the foundation of the Wan Xian Alliance's unity and mutual assistance but has now become a dreadful death sentence.

It was a dark time that even later generations found terrifying to imagine.

The outcome of the great war was, of course, the complete annihilation of both sides, leaving the Xuanhuang Realm a vast and empty land.

Thousands of years later, the fortunate surviving mortals found remnants of cultivation scriptures in the ruins and restarted the cultivation civilization.

As for the leaders of the Created Fate Sect and the Ten Dao Sects, the ultimate fate of these top experts in the Xuanhuang Realm remains unknown.

In Qiao Sidao's remaining years, he delved into various ruins, attempting to find traces of their remnants.

Unfortunately, he was injured by a mechanism during one exploration and died with regret.

Upon waking up again, the first thing he did was to examine the memories of this body.

As he expected, this world had changed again.

A dreadful plague emerged, spreading through spiritual energy. When cultivators were infected, they became like ordinary people with an epidemic.

No matter what divine pills or incredible techniques you had, there was no way to cure it. Although the disease wasn't lethal, its impact on cultivators was evident.

Any slight activation of spiritual energy would involuntarily lead to bouts of coughing. If one ignored the discomfort and forcefully activated it, there was even a risk of fainting directly.

This disease circulated in the world for more than ten years, and almost no more conflicts occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm.

It wasn't that the initially competitive and ambitious cultivators changed their nature; rather, their physical functions gradually declined.

There were even absurd incidents, like a Foundation Establishment cultivator breaking their leg while walking or a Nascent Soul cultivator flying in the air, unable to withstand the rapid circulation of spiritual power, directly fainting and falling from a great height.

In this world, Qiao Sidao lived for sixty years, and by the end of his life, due to the existence of this disease, cultivators had been weakened to the extreme.

Powerful mortal warriors with vigorous blood could easily suppress Core Formation cultivators.

With the end of the immortal path, the martial path began to thrive.

Therefore, the struggling practitioners called this disease "Extinguishing Immortal."

In the next life, Qiao Sidao returned to the time of the conflict between the new and old laws.

However, war was no longer the focus of this world.

Just as the Wan Xian Alliance and the Ten Dao Sects were intensively battling, a phantom of ruins suddenly appeared in the sky.

A figure stood within, seemingly silently gazing at the beings of the Xuanhuang Realm below.

The entire world suddenly trembled and shook.

Such a bizarre scene naturally caught the attention of the cultivators. Both sides decided to temporarily cease the war and first understand the situation of the phantom in the sky.

After some research, the Wan Xian Alliance and the Ten Dao Sects came to the same conclusion.

The ruins displayed in the sky were located above the Xuanhuang Realm. It seemed to have an extremely strong attraction that even the weight of the entire world couldn't resist.

The shaking felt by the cultivators not long ago was a sign that the Xuanhuang Realm had begun to be attracted upwards.

After calculations, within a maximum of one hundred years, the Xuanhuang Realm would perish in the ruins.

At that time, all cultivators within the realm would be unable to escape death!

This news immediately caused a huge uproar.

In the face of survival, the war was naturally put on hold.

The Five Elders and the Ten Dao Sects, unprecedentedly joined forces, began to seek a solution.

In the end, they approved a plan called "Reversal of Xuanhuang."

They would spare no resources to build tens of thousands of towering spires on the earth of the Xuanhuang Realm.

With the thrust of these spires, they would push the entire Xuanhuang Realm in the opposite direction, away from the ruins in the sky.

Overall, this plan seemed feasible.

Especially when the first spire was completed, it indeed slightly delayed the "ascension" of the Xuanhuang Realm. The feasibility of the "Reversal of Xuanhuang" was further confirmed.

However, it was overly optimistic about human nature.

Between cultivators, they were used to petty squabbles and selfishness. Suddenly asking them to unite sincerely, how could it be achieved?

In just ten years, the fragile alliance had already collapsed. Instead, the Xuanhuang Realm fell into unprecedented chaos.

Because the construction of tens of thousands of spires was too massive, requiring every cultivator to contribute.

Over time, those naturally free-spirited cultivators became somewhat unwilling. Rumors began to spread slowly, suggesting that the phantom in the sky was nothing but a complete conspiracy.

It was claimed that the Wan Xian Alliance and the Five Elders concocted lies to enslave all cultivators, even asserting that the spires were part of a terrifying formation.

On the day the formation was completed, it would implant restrictions in the sea of consciousness of all cultivators, dominating their souls.

The myriad cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm would become slaves to certain individuals.

Although the rumors were quickly suppressed, the doubts in the hearts of cultivators could not be eliminated.

They became increasingly convinced of these conspiracies.

As the "Reversal of Xuanhuang" plan faced difficulties in execution, rumors circulated about using soul control to force cultivators to build spires.

This seemed to be evidence supporting the conspiracy.

Resistance movements began to emerge across the Xuanhuang Realm, and it intensified.

The situation spiraled out of control when, one night, a dazzling white light suddenly emanated from the direction of the Heaven Sword Sect.

It almost illuminated the entire Xuanhuang Realm.

Cultivators could vaguely see a huge sword rising from the ground, piercing through the sky.

Simultaneously, the phantom in the sky distorted, creating a black hole in the air.

In the next second, to the gaze of all cultivators below, the giant sword disappeared without a trace.

Darkness descended again, and initially, cultivators were a bit puzzled.

But how could such a thing be hidden? Soon, everyone realized.

The Heaven Sword Sect, one of the Ten Dao Sects, secretly crafted a "Realm-Cleaving Divine Weapon," pierced through space, and escaped!

"Traitor!"

"Shameful!"

For a while, accusations echoed. But it also made cultivators begin to doubt: could it be that the ruins in the sky were real?

In this state of uncertainty, the unrest in various places subsided, and cultivators began actively and voluntarily constructing the spires.

However...

They soon noticed that something was amiss.

Orders from the upper echelons of the Ten Dao Sects and the Wan Xian Alliance became increasingly infrequent.

For a long time, they hadn't seen some significant cultivators with weight.

In fear, they went to the headquarters of the Ten Dao Sects. Only to find that it had long been deserted!

They were manipulated by formations, receiving commands periodically!

Feeling played and abandoned, the cultivators were full of boundless anger but had no target for their grievances.

They could only blame the cultivators who spread the rumors in the first place. However, in reality, they had also contributed to the rumors.

Now, whom could they blame?

The upper echelons collectively escaped the Xuanhuang Realm, leaving no information on how to operate the spires.

Helpless cultivators, staring at the image of the ruins in the sky, saw it growing larger.

Slowly, they descended into madness amid despair.

The slaughter began.

Faced with this farcical scene, Qiao Sidao always watched coldly.

As the Xuanhuang Realm gradually crumbled amid continuous tremors, he also ended his life in this world.

Next, Qiao Sidao, who was constantly reincarnated, experienced various fantastical worlds.

For example: no Wan Xian Alliance, no Ten Dao Sects. A great Heavenly Venerate unified the Xuanhuang Realm. Each person, from birth, had to start practicing a specific technique. Cultivation achievements produced by techniques were exchanged for essential resources for survival.

For example: the "Immortal Net" enveloped the world, monitoring every move of cultivators. However, each cultivator could earn contributions through the Immortal Net, exchanging them for various techniques and treasures. They could even use the Immortal Net to embark on expeditions to conquer other cultivation worlds and gain immense merits.

...

Qiao Sidao's talent was mediocre. In every life, even if he tried his best to live, he was just an ordinary member among common beings. He left no trace in history, experiencing only ordinary births and deaths.

This continued through countless reincarnations.

He finally experienced the same world again.

It was the timeline where he first awakened.

An inner disciple of the Seven Stars Sect.

The Heavenly Venerate imparted the law from the Cloud Marsh.

However, having witnessed countless cycles of destruction and rise, Qiao Sidao had vaguely guessed his current situation.

So, he did not behave unusually, just remaining like an outsider.

Silently observing the changes in the world.

This time, the Cultivation Sect of Fate did not appear. The transmission of the new law was completed smoothly by the Law-Transmitting Immortal Venerate.

But as the new law began to spread, the Ten Dao Sects paid special attention and issued a kill order.

Considering the new law as heretical, they declared death to any cultivator who practiced it.

It was said that this decree came from the Daoism Sect of Wisdom.

As a result, before the new law could make a significant impact, it was prematurely terminated.

Even the Law-Transmitting Immortal Venerate himself died tragically amid intense pursuit.

Watching all this, Qiao Sidao seemed to understand something.

Countless cycles followed.

In all the worlds he experienced, Qiao Sidao never saw the Daoism Sect of Wisdom again.

"So, it's for these people."

In this world, most people were ordinary.

But there were always some naturally gifted individuals.

They relied on their talents to even change the course of history.

For example, using their own strength to research the "Medical Dao," a solution to the disease of "Death of Immortals."

Or, after the Ten Dao Sects and the Wan Xian Alliance abandoned the cultivators, someone stood up to unite everyone again.

Ultimately, they restarted the plan to reverse the Xuanhuang, saving the entire world—the "Emperor of Immortals."

...

Through countless cycles, Qiao Sidao watched these geniuses appear and disappear.

His heart gradually grew cold.

He had sensed the truth of the world he was in.

Different derivative worlds were just meant to select those extraordinary talents.

And the rest of the beings in the world were mere spectators, like background characters.

But...

What about himself?

Why could he always retain his memories in each cycle?

Qiao Sidao didn't understand the reason.

But he knew this was his only reliance to escape from this "false world."

(The end of this chapter)

Chapter 608 Extra: In My Thousandth Time, It Ends

What is real, and what is false?

So many worlds experienced.

Those vivid faces, those moving stories.

Rivers and lakes, winds in the mountains.

Love and hate, intertwined fates.

Heroes and cowards, saints and sinners.

...

Are all these things false?

Initially, Qiao Sidao was somewhat confused.

He thought, if everything in the world is an illusion, what meaning does the life of those countless beings who are deceived have?

The godly techniques and treasures they earnestly pursued, their cultivation realms. Once the cycle restarted, they all had to start anew.

The death they feared became not the end of life but another beginning.

In this life, someone might be a close friend in life and death, but in the next life, they became strangers.

How tragic is that?

During that bewildering time, Qiao Sidao seemed to lose interest in everything.

Even in complete despair, he began actively spreading the truth that this world is false.

He initially thought it would attract the attention of external "observers" and eventually lead to liberation.

To his surprise, no one believed him.

Instead, they mocked him as a madman.

Qiao Sidao, desperately trying to convey the truth, received impatient rebukes.

"Check if my sword is real!"

Annoyed by him, a sword light flew by, directly severing his legs.

At that moment, Qiao Sidao saw in the eyes of the people around him, not a hint of pity but rather gloating looks.

Countless eccentric people existed in the world, and the observer beyond the sky wouldn't care.

Since then, Qiao Sidao woke up and abandoned the idea of exposing this earth-shattering conspiracy.

He regained his composure and tried to integrate into each world as much as possible.

Abandoning the plan to be a savior, he sought a path for himself.

Being a part of the false world, escaping from it was destined to be extremely difficult.

Initially, Qiao Sidao was at a loss.

But soon, he found a way. Instead of loudly proclaiming to others that this world is false, he compiled a novel script describing a life in the illusory cultivation world of the Immortal Treasure "Carousel."

Drawing from his experiences in countless civilizations, the scenes he depicted were naturally vast and magnificent, attracting the attention of many cultivators.

As the script slowly spread, Qiao Sidao discovered that some cultivators started actively discussing the question of whether their own world was real.

Naturally, the topic of "what to do if the world is discovered to be false" became the subject of discussion in a small circle.

"If we can deceive convincingly, it means the operating laws of this false world must be copied from the real world outside."

"Reconstructing a flawless world structure..."

"Being able to do this is almost like creating a world. Then, there's no talk of true or false."

"Yes, so-called truth within falsehood. Even if beings in the world are false, the cornerstone of the world's operation may not be false!"

"Speaking of this, I'm reminded of the Taiyan Sect's Dao Stone. It's said that within every moment, countless worlds self-evolve. I wonder what kind of scenes those fleeting worlds would have."

...

Pooling wisdom.

The discussions of many cultivators pointed Qiao Sidao in a clear direction.

Since then, his goal became clear.

In every life, he no longer pursued cultivation realms but immersed himself in formations, restrictions, and auxiliary arts.

Cultivation achievements couldn't be retained through each reincarnation, but memories could.

In Qiao Sidao's anticipation, with the slow accumulation of knowledge, his enlightened self would one day discover the flaws in this "false world."

The idea is beautiful, but putting it into practice is extremely difficult.

Initially, Qiao Sidao made rapid progress in his peripheral knowledge.

He quickly went from being completely ignorant to gaining a basic understanding.

However, when he truly wanted to delve deeper, he discovered the extent of the cultivation world's monopoly on this knowledge.

What could be learned in ordinary sects was only the most basic techniques. The information in the Ten Immortal Sects about this was even scarcer.

To truly grasp the essence, one had to go to the Ten Immortal Sects.

But how could someone with average aptitude enter the immortal sects?

This was true even in ancient times, not to mention in the wasteland of cultivation after the sects' destruction.

Only a few worlds, like the descent of the Immortal Net and the unification of the Immortal Alliance, could provide a suitable environment for learning.

If it were only this, Qiao Sidao believed he was still making progress.

Given enough time, he might find a way to break through the world.

But...

After experiencing 9999 worlds, Qiao Sidao didn't reincarnate into a new world. Instead, he found himself in a vast blue ocean.

There, Qiao Sidao witnessed an unforgettable scene.

Countless divine souls crowded together, seemingly asleep, with faces visible from above.

The ocean stirred up a vortex, and a million divine souls churned with it.

Divine souls collided and crushed each other; some shattered and dissolved into the ocean.

Others absorbed the remnants of souls in the seawater, becoming more refined through reorganization.

Like a long needle stirring in Qiao Sidao's mind, causing unbearable pain amid the dizzying rotation.

What shocked him even more was the gradual disappearance of certain memories within his divine soul amid the resentful waves of the ocean.

Feeling despair, Qiao Sidao gradually lost consciousness.

When his "true self" memories awakened again, he didn't know how many cycles had passed.

Just like before, he suddenly woke up without warning.

Although most memories were lost, key information about the "False World," "Sea of Resentful Souls," and some fragmented knowledge of formations remained deeply imprinted in his divine soul.

"It seems to prevent other divine souls from awakening cycle memories like me, they conduct a cleansing every so often."

"During this cleansing, I lose most of my memories."

"If I accumulate knowledge too slowly, I will never be able to grasp a method sufficient to escape from here."

After some calculation, Qiao Sidao reached this conclusion.

Even so, he did not easily give up.

Having seen too much, Qiao Sidao understood a truth: with enough iterations, anything unusual could happen.

Just like himself, it was clearly impossible to inherit and retain memories of each reincarnation.

Yet, it happened.

Qiao Sidao lurked and waited.

After experiencing several cleansings in the Sea of Resentful Souls, he finally seized an opportunity.

It was a highly developed world called the "Eternal Immortal Realm."

Not only did it have an extremely long average lifespan, but even without cultivation, one had thousands of years of life. It also had a great existence called the "Immortal Spirit Tower."

The Immortal Spirit Towers were spread throughout the world, ceaselessly releasing pure spiritual energy.

More importantly, all knowledge—cultivation techniques, formations, alchemy, and more—could be queried and learned without restrictions in the Immortal Spirit Tower.

Looking at the vast information in the Immortal Spirit Tower, Qiao Sidao trembled uncontrollably.

He understood that the method to escape was hidden within it.

So, Qiao Sidao devoted himself to learning.

He survived for 3,658 years in the Eternal Immortal Realm, never leaving the Immortal Spirit Tower.

Although seeing through the "False World" was still a distant goal, Qiao Sidao finally saw hope.

After experiencing several thousand cycles, when he woke up from another major cleansing, Qiao Sidao was pleasantly surprised to find that, perhaps due to his divine soul being more resilient, the loss of memories this time was much less.

This gave him even more confidence.

He continued to accumulate knowledge, waiting for the next arrival of the "Eternal Immortal Realm."

...

After Qiao Sidao's ninth visit to the "Eternal Immortal Realm," he finally uncovered the secret of the world at the end of his life.

It was a false world formed around a mysterious derived object.

The majority of beings in this world were virtual entities, with only a small fraction having true divine souls.

Qiao Sidao was one among the million divine souls.

"The limits of the derived object's capabilities."

"This also means that time in this world has intervals."

"Every smallest interval is my chance to escape."

"Of course, to avoid detection by outsiders, it's best to do so when the world restarts."

Standing at the top of the Immortal Spirit Tower, Qiao Sidao gazed at the sky, silently contemplating.

He began preparations for his remaining years.

When his life came to an end, sinking into darkness, Qiao Sidao awoke from his slumber.

He sensed the fleeting opportunity, a thin thread breaking through the barrier.

In his mind, he imagined the scenes of the "outside world" countless times.

He had also envisioned confronting the possible "observers."

But Qiao Sidao never imagined that the so-called outside world would be so cold and vast.

Thinking his divine soul was already immensely powerful, it now seemed precarious under the invasion of the cold.

It felt like he might dissipate in the next moment.

What was even more dire was that the halo of light he escaped from emitted an unusual sound.

It seemed to be some kind of alert.

Floating aimlessly in the air, Qiao Sidao surveyed the surroundings.

"A museum..."

He fell into silence.

His world turned out to be nothing more than an exhibit.

He could faintly sense several powerful auras rushing toward him.

The vast expanse offered no hiding place for him.

Qiao Sidao finally felt what true despair was.

Just then...

He saw a human skull in the center of the museum.

It lay there quietly, as if looking at him.

From the skull, Qiao Sidao felt an incredible warmth.

While the whole world rejected him, it extended the utmost goodwill toward him.

Like a mother's embrace, it brought tears to Qiao Sidao's eyes.

As his divine soul was about to dissipate, Qiao Sidao, with his last ounce of strength, entered the skull.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 609: Life and Death in the Immortal Realm

Under normal circumstances, the meditating cultivators within the Medicine King True Cauldron were protected by the "Great Dream of the Ages Formation." If Li Fan wanted to achieve his goal, he would likely need to exert some effort.

However, forcibly leaving the Immortal Realm had some impact on the formation.

More importantly, Li Fan knew that a cultivator named Linghu Chang from the Medicine King Sect had not fully entered the "Great Dream of the Ages Formation" in time.

In his room, there was no seal, and there remained a slight gap.

If he could grasp the memories in Linghu Chang's mind, the defenses of the Medicine King True Cauldron would be practically nonexistent for Li Fan.

For cultivators of Nascent Soul realm and above, Li Fan decided not to disturb them and let them continue sleeping. For those below Nascent Soul realm, if necessary, he could use the "Binding Insects" supernatural power to kill them one by one.

Even though these Medicine King Sect disciples possessed various magical treasures and pills, for Li Fan at his current level, these external items were of little use.

What he truly cared about was the Medicine King Cauldron itself, capable of traversing the void.

And within the Medicine King Sect, there was a set of symbols that could lead to another cultivation world.

"Even though I can't escape the Xuanhuang Realm temporarily with the existence of the Immortal Realm, there will come a day when I have to leave here."

"Holding the symbols in my hand is a precautionary measure."

Moreover, Li Fan had another reason for coming all this way.

He wanted to witness the existence of the "Immortal Realm" with his own eyes.

Li Fan looked up at the sky, calmed his thoughts, and waited for the arrival of the Medicine King True Cauldron.

During the wait, he felt the unique "Immortal-Quelling Power" of the Cangwu Abyss, sighing at the mysterious nature of creation.

Unlike prohibitions and formations that weakened a cultivator's strength, this "Immortal-Quelling Power" seemed to scale down the cultivation realms.

With his current early Nascent Soul cultivation, although it seemed that there were no restrictions on his strength, he could only unleash power equivalent to the Golden Core realm.

"It's truly miraculous, like an ordinary person entering the land of giants. Although their height hasn't changed, compared to the surroundings, they are truly 'small.'"

While Li Fan marveled silently, the floating ruins next to him, as if swayed by the wind, began to move with creaking sounds.

They were about to collide with the location where Li Fan was.

Without warning, seemingly with a life of their own, it was extremely eerie.

Li Fan frowned, choosing not to destroy these ruins and instead opting to dodge them actively.

However, as the shattered walls and debris passed by him, Li Fan seemed to discover something, his gaze freezing.

With a swift movement, he landed on one of the stone pillars.

Having experienced countless years, the engravings on the stone pillar had long become blurred, and the pillar itself had worn away significantly.

However, with the "Divine Transmutation Art" technique, Li Fan could firmly etch all past experiences into his mind.

Therefore, even though only some incomplete lines remained, the patterns on the pillar still felt familiar to Li Fan.

"This is..."

Li Fan's eyes showed surprise.

Comparing the patterns before him with the memories of seeing them somewhere else, he found a perfect match.

Li Fan looked around at the vast ruins within the "Lost Enigma City," like a boundless ocean. He felt a bit surprised.

"Could all these buildings originate from the mist?"

In the maze where he obtained the "Chaos" mantra, Li Fan had seen twelve large ruins.

The patterns carved on those ruins were exactly the same as those here.

Li Fan also recalled the origin of the Cangwu Abyss.

On a certain year, month, and day, the entire landscape of the Cangwu Province disappeared, leaving only this footprint-shaped abyss.

Li Fan couldn't help but look down at the bottom of the abyss.

Dark and profound, the end was invisible.

"Cangwu Abyss, connected to the depths of the white mist?"

In ancient times, the Xuanhuang Realm did not have the existence of the devouring primal white mist. But now, the white mist has cut and separated the entire world...

"Where does it come from? What identities do those tragically deceased cultivators I encountered in the white mist domain have?"

In an instant, countless questions surged into Li Fan's mind. However, before he could ponder them thoroughly, a shooting star streaked across the night sky, momentarily illuminating the heavens.

"It's here!"

Li Fan looked up, only to see this slender line falling straight towards his location.

At the same time, an inexplicable tremor surged in his heart.

It was like encountering a natural enemy, facing an impending disaster.

A sense of unease enveloped him, and his body couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Li Fan knew that it was the lingering influence of the Immortal Realm left by the Medicine King True Cauldron, which had just narrowly escaped a catastrophe.

Keeping a bit of distance from the landing point, Li Fan's gaze never left the meteor in the sky.

The Medicine King Cauldron fell rapidly, taking only a few breaths to descend from the sky to the ground, heading straight for the Cangwu Abyss.

Upon entering the abyss, its speed gradually slowed, and the external flames gradually extinguished.

Feeling the presence of the Immortal Realm, the creatures within the abyss instinctively panicked and made way for it.

Stopping precisely at the spot where it landed in the previous life, the Medicine King True Cauldron came to a stable stop.

After sending out an inexplicable distress signal to the outside world, the Medicine King Cauldron gradually became transparent and disappeared into the air.

Li Fan didn't hurry to take action. He only entered the small Medicine King Cauldron after the Immortal Realm aura left by the Medicine King True Cauldron completely dissipated.

With the exploration experience of Xiao Heng and others from the previous life, Li Fan smoothly reached the slightly open door of Linghu Chang's room.

At this moment, Linghu Chang was lying on the ground, immersed in deep sleep.

"Also at the early Nascent Soul stage, but..."

Li Fan squinted his eyes, and the illusion of the Five Elements Heavenly Realm appeared behind him.

The power of the Heavenly Realm, like chains, firmly restrained Linghu Chang.

Taking away all the items on him, Li Fan exerted his force.

After a moment, without a chance to scream, Linghu Chang's body was crushed into powder under the immense force of the Heavenly Realm. However, his Nascent Soul in the dantian, under Li Fan's precise control, suffered no harm.

As his body was destroyed, Linghu Chang, who was in a deep sleep, suddenly woke up.

Looking at his own purple infant-like tiny body, he instantly understood what had happened.

"Who are you?"

Staring at Li Fan, Linghu Chang's expression was half hatred and half fear.

The answer to him was just a flash of purple thunder in front of his eyes.

"Purple Heaven Sect..."

In Linghu Chang's words, there was disbelief.

The next moment, he lost consciousness and passed out.

After a while, having fully absorbed Linghu Chang's memories, Li Fan waved his sleeves, temporarily suppressing the Nascent Soul in his own Heavenly Realm.

Continuing deeper, he arrived at the innermost part of the Medicine King True Cauldron, standing outside the "Life and Death Door," contemplating carefully.

"With the fall of the Life and Death Door, it's difficult to break through even for a Dao Fusion expert."

"Only by cultivating the 'Longevity Azure Power' manifested by practicing the Medicine King Sect's true inheritance, the 'Jishi Longsheng Scripture,' can one reverse the door of life and death and enter it in an instant."

"The 'Jishi Longsheng Scripture,' a Dao Fusion cultivation method."

For an ordinary cultivator, suddenly gaining access to a Dao Fusion cultivation method would likely make them ecstatic and sleepless for nights.

However, Li Fan's heart was calm at this moment.

Although the "Jishi Longsheng Scripture" was considered a Dao Fusion technique, its cultivation method was centered around saving the world, treating illnesses, and saving people.

Saving others meant saving oneself. The more people saved, the faster the cultivation progress.

Even breaking through cultivation bottlenecks required meeting a certain number of conditions for saving people.

With Li Fan's low compatibility, there was no need to switch to this cultivation method.

However, being a Dao Fusion technique, its value was undoubtedly high. By slaughtering all the Medicine King Sect disciples, this technique would become a unique copy known only to Li Fan. But there was no need for that. The people from the Medicine King Sect had more important uses.

The main trouble now is that there are too many people cultivating the "Jishi Longsheng Scripture," a total of four hundred and sixty-two individuals.

Li Fan attempted to operate this technique, but the spiritual energy within his body seemed completely blocked, showing no signs of movement whatsoever.

Even entering the door of cultivation seemed almost impossible.

After pondering for a moment, he came up with an idea.

According to Linghu Chang's memories, Li Fan found the rooms of some Medicine King Sect disciples with Golden Core cultivation.

Breaking in, he forcibly extracted a portion of the "Longevity Azure Power" from their bodies.

Then, he merged these Longevity Azure Powers together, condensing them into an energy body.

Sending a strand of divine consciousness into the green energy body, Li Fan stretched his limbs, adapting for a moment.

"The Longevity Azure Power is overflowing continuously and can't be maintained for long. However, it should be enough."

With a thought, the energy body condensed into the appearance of a green Nascent Soul.

Li Fan plunged into the "Life and Death Door."

As if passing through a thin gray film, the next moment, Li Fan thought he had flown out of the Medicine King True Cauldron and returned to the Cangwu Abyss.

Because the surroundings looked exactly the same as the scene outside the Medicine King True Cauldron.

It turned out that it was because the inner wall of the Medicine King Cauldron had become completely transparent.

There were only two skeletons in the field.

One stood, and one lay on the ground.

"The one standing should be Liu Ruchen. The one lying on the ground should be Huang Lao."

"To break free from the Immortal Realm, Liu Ruchen was forced to sacrifice the life origins of some sect disciples."

Recalling the sights from the previous life, Li Fan thought to himself.

"There should be nothing left but bones; he shouldn't still be alive."

Li Fan approached Liu Ruchen slowly.

When he reached the side of Liu Ruchen's skeletal remains, a shadow suddenly appeared beside Li Fan.

Startled, but immediately Li Fan realized that the other party had no life aura; it was just a projection.

The Longevity Azure Power constantly overflowing from Li Fan's body was absorbed by the projection.

As if passing some kind of verification, after a while, the projection spoke, "Medicine King Sect disciples, listen up."

"When you see this image, I should have already fallen."

"It's my mistake."

"I predicted the arrival of the catastrophe of heaven and earth but didn't expect that there is something even more terrifying above our heads in the Xuanhuang Realm."

"The Ten Immortal Sects, clearly aware of everything, watched us die."

"This hatred is irreconcilable!"

"But remember, the Ten Sects are powerful, and we cannot confront them directly. After returning to the Xuanhuang Realm, seek refuge in the Longevity Valley for now, try to preserve your strength. When the catastrophe is completely over, take action when the time is right."

"After my death, my son Liu Yihang will temporarily take the position of sect master, with the assistance of the elders. When he breaks through to the Nascent Divinity stage, he can officially succeed as the sect leader."

"At a critical moment of life and death, there must be no infighting!"

...

The mechanical voice of the projection conveyed Liu Ruchen's last words, and Li Fan stood still, quietly listening.

After a long time, when all the instructions were completed, the projection turned into twinkling starlight and dissipated.

Only a glowing diamond-shaped crystal remained in place.

Li Fan knew that it was the control core of the Medicine King Cauldron.

Originally prepared to be handed over to Liu Yihang by Liu Ruchen, it was now preemptively taken by the foresighted Li Fan.

Using the control core, the energy body opened the Life and Death Door, and Li Fan entered the control room.

It took seven days to refine it. Li Fan gained control of the Medicine King True Cauldron.

Although many functions couldn't be utilized temporarily due to the lack of Longevity Azure Power, most of the basic functions were still usable.

Li Fan accessed the recorded images of the Medicine King True Cauldron.

The same as what Xiao Heng and others saw in the previous life.

In the endless void, the sphere representing the Xuanhuang Realm looked so tiny.

And the Immortal Realm above, seemingly devouring everything, was equally terrifying.

The scene continued to play.

The Medicine King Cauldron, uncontrollable as it flew out of the Xuanhuang Realm, kept falling towards the Immortal Realm.

Even though the cauldron emitted countless radiance, attempting to break free from the attraction of the Immortal Realm, it couldn't escape.

Getting closer and closer to the Immortal Realm.

It seemed about to be completely engulfed.

At this critical moment, countless different points of light suddenly surged from the cauldron, as if gaining boundless power in an instant.

Amidst continuous rumbling, the Medicine King Cauldron changed its direction of movement.

But Li Fan's entire attention was now focused on the image of the Immortal Realm recorded by the Medicine King Cauldron.

Perhaps because of the close proximity, Li Fan was able to see the vague appearance of the Immortal Realm.

On the desolate land, all that remained were ruins and debris.

Among them, there seemed to be a tall figure standing.

Silently observing below.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 610: The Origin of the Profound Heaven Sect

It felt as if the presence of a high-level life form had been seen, influenced by the natural pressure from the other party.

The moment the figure appeared, Li Fan's heart suddenly started pounding violently.

His body's hair stood on end, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

The recorded image in the Medicine King Cauldron seemed to be affected, becoming distorted and blurry.

Subconsciously taking a step back, Li Fan realized, and his complexion turned somewhat pale.

"Even the recorded image carries such power."

"That is..."

"True Immortal?"

Before his fall, Liu Ruchen explained many things, including the terrifying existence above the Xuanhuang Realm.

In ancient times, after cultivators broke through the Dao Fusion realm and crossed the Heavenly Tribulation, they could be guided to the Upper Realm.

However, a change occurred one day.

A cultivator who successfully crossed the Thunder Tribulation and ascended to the Immortal Realm actually returned not long after, looking grim.

Thus, people learned that the path to the Immortal Realm had been severed.

The original passage to the Immortal Realm had turned into ruins.

But at that time, most cultivators in the world only knew about the existence of the Immortal Realm.

What it looked like and its situation were unknown.

With the Immortal Path severed, more and more Dao Fusion cultivators lingered in the mortal realm.

However, Dao Fusion cultivation had a limit of a few thousand years of lifespan.

Those who reached this realm were outstanding talents. How could they sit idly by and wait for death?

So, the Eternal Life realm emerged.

There were miraculous items in the world that granted eternal life.

There were already items in the world that granted long life, bestowed by heaven and earth.

When a cultivator's lifespan ended, if they wanted to defy fate, they had to steal that bestowed item.

Namely, the position of Eternal Life Fruit.

This was how the initial Eternal Life realm came to be.

However, the positions of Eternal Life Fruits were limited, and there were too many Dao Fusion cultivators in the world.

So, conflict was inevitable.

In the midst of the great war, a force called the Profound Heaven Sect quickly rose.

The leader of the Profound Heaven Sect was the cultivator who had ascended to the Immortal Realm and returned.

He was also the only one in the Xuanhuang Realm at that time who had the aura of an immortal and was only a step away from becoming a true immortal.

Compared to cultivators and Eternal Life cultivators, a true immortal represented a qualitative change in strength.

Therefore, his strength surpassed that of other Dao Fusion and Eternal Life cultivators by far.

Under his leadership, the Profound Heaven Sect almost dominated the Xuanhuang Realm, sweeping through it.

Apart from being powerful, this person was also cunning.

He used the position of Eternal Life Fruits as bait and recruited more than a dozen top Dao Fusion cultivators in the cultivation world at that time.

With these people joining, the Profound Heaven Sect became unstoppable.

After that, the Profound Heaven Sect exerted its dominance, and there were few who opposed them.

The semi-immortal called himself the Xuan Heaven King.

The twelve strongest forces in the sect were known as the Profound Law Kings.

After almost unifying the cultivation world, the Profound Heaven Sect, inspired by the idea of "stealing the position of Eternal Life," began to covet other bestowed items of heaven and earth.

In ancient times, cultivators had awe and reverence for heaven and earth.

Even though they could move mountains and fill seas, they believed that their great power ultimately originated from heaven and earth.

But since the rise of the Profound Heaven Sect...

The rules were broken.

The Profound Heaven Sect replaced heaven and earth. With the sect's internal decree, even an ordinary person could wield power comparable to a cultivator.

There were cultivators who wanted to resist, but the Xuan Heaven King somehow acquired a treasure called the Xuan Heaven Treasure Mirror, which could observe everything in the world.

Several secret gatherings were not even able to mature, as the Profound Heaven Sect caught everyone in one fell swoop.

Countless cultivators were implicated, and the killings were unimaginable.

The sects in the world were originally weak, and after this incident, they completely lost the idea of resistance.

However, there is no eternal rule.

In the later period of the Profound Heaven Sect's rule, they became more and more arrogant, with members inside the sect blatantly abusing cultivators.

Eventually, when everyone couldn't bear it any longer, at the call of the Ten Great Sects, cultivators united and overthrew the rule of the Profound Heaven Sect.

"Hehe, now it seems that the Ten Immortal Sects and the Profound Heaven Sect are essentially the same."

"The Immortal Realm forcibly extracts all material energy from the outside world."

"The Ten Immortal Sects talk about leading the sects of the world. This matter, which concerns the life and death of the world, they have never mentioned to us."

In his will, Liu Ruchen said this with a tone full of resentment.

Liu Ruchen speculated that something unbelievable must have happened in the Immortal Realm at that time.

This led to the complete severance of the Immortal Path.

And the corpse on the Immortal Realm, I'm afraid it is an immortal who escaped from the Immortal Realm.

Even true immortals could not escape the terrifying attraction of the Immortal Realm. It can be imagined what the consequences would be if the Xuanhuang Realm fell into the Immortal Realm.

It is likely that no living being in the world could survive such a calamity.

When the Ten Immortal Sects overturned the rule of the Profound Heaven Sect and inherited its legacy, it was impossible for them not to be aware of this.

But they kept it a secret.

Even when the Medicine King Sect wanted to break through the boundaries and escape, they did not issue a warning and watched the entire sect perish.

It's truly hateful.

...

The scene continued to play, and the Medicine King Cauldron, in violent shaking, ultimately escaped disaster.

It circled around the terrifying entrance of the Immortal Realm and returned to the Xuanhuang Realm.

The scene disappeared, returning to the view of the depths of the Cangwu Abyss.

Li Fan, however, did not come back to his senses for a long time.

In fact, Liu Ruchen's decision to control the Medicine King Cauldron and escape the Xuanhuang Realm was not an unrealistic idea.

After all, it involved the lives of all the sect's disciples, and Liu Ruchen was not a reckless person.

The elders of the Medicine King Sect eventually agreed to his plan.

All of this had fundamental reasons.

A certain former sect master of the Medicine King Sect, when the Immortal Path was first severed, went in search of a way to ascend to the Immortal Realm.

He had followed the information left by the founding ancestor of the Medicine King Sect and traveled to nearby other cultivation realms.

But he was shocked to find that these worlds, like the Xuanhuang Realm, had lost their connection to the Immortal Realm.

And trying to go deeper into the void was beyond his ability.

So he could only helplessly return.

The sect marker within the Medicine King Sect pointed to a cultivation realm called "Xiaoyao" near the Xuanhuang Realm.

In Liu Ruchen's view, since the ancestors were able to cross the void without encountering any danger, he should be able to do the same by imitating them, but more carefully.

Who would have thought that before leaving the Xuanhuang Realm, such a change would occur.

"At the beginning, the ancestors of the Medicine King Sect could ignore the attraction of the Immortal Realm and freely travel between the Xuanhuang Realm."

"But now, it's extremely difficult to escape."

"The Profound Heaven Sect, as well as the Ten Immortal Sects, continuously capture nearby heavenly realms and small worlds in an attempt to resist the attraction of the Immortal Realm."

"Nowadays, even the 'weight' of cultivators is crucial for survival in the Xuanhuang Realm."

...

"So, does it mean that the attraction of the Immortal Realm is constantly increasing over time?"

Li Fan was slightly surprised in his heart. Combining various pieces of information, he couldn't help but draw this conclusion.

 (End of this chapter)