https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-124-How-Tall-is-the-Demon-Sovereign-A-Super-Long-Chapter-of-5-000-Characters-/12529942/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-126-Negotiations-Across-the-Sea-Beyond-the-Eleventh-Realm-of-the-Five-Regions/12529944/
Chapter 125: Descent of the World Consciousness (End of Chapter)
Chapter 125: Descent of the World Consciousness (End of Chapter)
"It's just that..."
The old man suddenly remembered something. He sized up the young girl before him, recalling how she had stood on her tiptoes and patted the tall man's shoulder.
Could it be that this young girl had patted the shoulder of the Demon Lord, Xiahou Yuan? It was unthinkable that they could still be alive after such a blasphemous act. That was the fearsome Xiahou Yuan of Mount Tianjian, capable of crushing the entire mountain with a single step.
When the old man had witnessed the girl's action, he had been so terrified that his consciousness had blurred. Yet, surprisingly, nothing had happened afterward.
"Resembles an old friend," the old man muttered, remembering the tall man's words. Could this adopted granddaughter of his be a descendant of someone close to the Demon Lord? The old man couldn't quite figure it out.
After some thought, he decided not to dwell on it anymore. Regardless of the girl's connection to the Demon Lord, she was his granddaughter, and their bond over the past decade had become as strong as family.
Deep within the underground palace, Lin Yuan's gaze turned toward the old man's location.
"A descendant of the Bai family," Lin Yuan remarked calmly. The Bai family held a deep bond with Xiahou Yuan, and Lin Yuan had just appeared before the young girl, reaching out to ruffle her hair and imparting a strand of his vital energy.
This strand of energy would subtly enhance the girl's innate talent, making it a trivial matter for her to reach the Ninth Realm in the future. With this action, Lin Yuan had also severed the karmic ties between his previous identity as Xiahou Yuan and the Bai family.
"The Five Regions," Lin Yuan mused, his eyes deep with thought. Under his command, the demonic path forces had unified the vast lands of the Five Regions with astonishing speed.
This wasn't because Lin Yuan desired to rule over the Five Regions, but rather to promote the martial arts cultivation system as widely as possible. Only by unifying the regions could he propagate martial arts openly and achieve his true purpose.
During his stay in this world for the past few hundred years, he intended to thoroughly integrate the martial arts cultivation system into the Five Regions. In this way, even if he ever left or the demonic path forces were overthrown, the martial arts cultivation system might still persist.
It was akin to a colonial movement, where the colonizers would disseminate their language and culture throughout their colonies. Even if the colonizers were eventually expelled, the colonies would often continue using the language and cultural influences of their former rulers.
The main world was teeming with powerful beings, countless evolutionary paths, and the competition was fierce. Even if the martial arts evolutionary path excelled, it would struggle to stand out among the paths that had existed for hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of years.
Thus, Lin Yuan decided to explore new frontiers by spreading his evolutionary path to other worlds. Although these other worlds were far smaller than the main world—the Five Regions world, for example, could barely compare to a single high-life planet in the main world—there were countless such worlds.
With the Myriad Worlds Gate, Lin Yuan could essentially spread his influence an infinite number of times. Furthermore, in the main world, even on high-life planets with billions of citizens, how many could truly cultivate a specific evolutionary path?
However, in these other worlds, Lin Yuan believed that with his methods, he could ensure that the martial arts cultivation system became the predominant system. It would be the first choice for all sentient beings.
Day after day, this accumulation of practitioners would continue, and the superpowers of the main world would have nothing on Lin Yuan. "Although I'm not sure what use there is in spreading my self-created evolutionary path or what specific relation it has to the Ultimate Leap, it certainly won't hurt me. It's a mere trifle."
Lin Yuan's thoughts turned inward. After all, no matter how many people cultivated the martial arts evolutionary path, it wouldn't affect him. As for worrying about successors surpassing the founder—if it were a typical evolutionary path, its founder might have such concerns.
But Lin Yuan, with his heaven-defying comprehension, could swiftly catch up to, or even surpass, any predecessor. Later practitioners wouldn't even have the qualifications to look up to Lin Yuan, let alone surpass him.
"Your Excellency," a voice called from outside, interrupting Lin Yuan's thoughts.
"Come in," Lin Yuan nodded, as if he had been expecting this visitor.
Soon, a figure entered, and it was none other than Situ Ming. A hundred years had passed, and with Lin Yuan's help, Situ Ming had successfully entered the Tenth Realm. He was the first among Lin Yuan's followers to reach this level.
"A perfect vessel," Lin Yuan thought to himself as he regarded the respectful Situ Ming. Situ Ming's original body was the Five-Colored Lotus, and his physical body and primordial spirit were both gifts from Lin Yuan. Thus, in Lin Yuan's eyes, Situ Ming was the ideal vessel for his descent.
In simple terms, if Lin Yuan's physical body were destroyed, he could immediately take control of Situ Ming's body. The two were perfectly compatible and required no adjustment period.
Of course, to Lin Yuan, Situ Ming's value went far beyond being a mere vessel. With Lin Yuan's current strength, even if all the strong beings in this world ganged up on him, they wouldn't be enough for him to swat away. The only potential threat to Lin Yuan was the world consciousness of this realm.
There was no need to prepare a vessel for descent.
"I have a task for you," Lin Yuan said slowly, his eyes fixed on Situ Ming.
"Please give me your instructions," Situ Ming replied without hesitation, his expression serious. He would obey Lin Yuan's commands without question, whether it was a simple task or a demand for self-sacrifice.
"In a hundred and forty years, I will leave this world," Lin Yuan stated. "At that time, you will take my place and ensure that the martial arts cultivation system continues to spread. If it shows any signs of waning, step in and stop it."
Time was the enemy of all things. Despite the widespread propagation of the martial arts cultivation system over the past hundred years, and the increasing number of practitioners, time could give rise to unforeseen circumstances.
And Situ Ming was Lin Yuan's insurance policy, the best candidate to safeguard the path of martial arts. Situ Ming was not human; his original body was the Five-Colored Lotus, granting him a long lifespan that could span tens of thousands of years.
With Lin Yuan's assistance in elevating his cultivation, it would be no issue for Situ Ming to reach the Eleventh Realm before his time in this world was up. With such a guardian for martial arts, Lin Yuan could rest assured.
After all, Situ Ming's physical body and primordial spirit were both gifts from Lin Yuan, ensuring absolute loyalty. No matter how much time passed, Situ Ming would never develop other intentions.
As for what would happen after ten thousand years when Situ Ming eventually passed away... Lin Yuan believed that if martial arts could exist in the Five Regions for that long, it would have taken root completely. Even if someone tried to eradicate it, they would fail.
And if some unforeseen circumstance did occur, Lin Yuan didn't think he could do anything about it. Ten thousand years wasn't a distance but an incredibly long span of time.
"Yes," Situ Ming agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"What if the demonic path forces come under threat?" Situ Ming asked cautiously. He wanted to know if he should intervene to maintain the dominance of the demonic path forces in the Five Regions.
"You don't need to concern yourself with that," Lin Yuan waved his hand. "Your task is solely to ensure the continuation of the martial arts lineage."
Ensuring the survival of a particular cultivation system was far less challenging than ensuring the survival of a unified power. The latter came with countless hidden dangers, and even if Situ Ming dared to intervene with Eleventh Realm strength, there was no guarantee he could escape unscathed.
Situ Ming wasn't Lin Yuan, who possessed overwhelming strength to crush all. This realm had once given birth to an Eleventh Realm expert, which meant there was a possibility of another emerging in the future.
Lin Yuan didn't mind, as his strength in the Sixteenth Realm allowed him to slaughter Eleventh Realm experts with ease. Moreover, Lin Yuan had already left some trump cards and backup plans for the demonic path forces.
"I can ensure that, even after I leave, the Five Regions will remain under my rule for hundreds, or even thousands of years."
"Go now."
"From today onwards, you no longer need to show your face to anyone."
"Just observe the Five Regions from the shadows." Lin Yuan instructed.
"Yes, Your Excellency." Situ Ming felt a bit dejected as he left. He couldn't shake the feeling that his lord was giving him his last orders.
But how could that be? A cultivator at the Tenth Realm could live up to two millennia, and his lord, Lin Yuan, could crush such cultivators as easily as stepping on ants. Why would he be giving his last orders so soon?
As Situ Ming's figure disappeared from view, Lin Yuan once again sank into thought.
He wanted to thoroughly integrate the martial arts cultivation system into this world.
To that end, Lin Yuan had made three preparations.
The first was to unify the Five Regions, allowing the martial arts cultivation system to spread in the most orthodox manner.
The second was Situ Ming, the guardian of the martial arts path, who would ensure its continued spread even after Lin Yuan's departure and address any unforeseen issues that might arise.
These first two preparations covered almost all possible eventualities.
As for the third preparation, it was aimed at the world consciousness of this realm.
The world had consciousness.
Lin Yuan had vaguely sensed this ever since his first journey through the Gate of Myriad Worlds.
In the Martial World, as he pushed against the boundaries of that world, he felt a pressure from the heavens and the earth, as if he were a beached whale.
This was the world consciousness' rejection.
As for the second and third worlds he had traveled to, he had never felt this way, and that was solely because those worlds were 'special'.
The Dragon and Tiger World possessed items from the 'upper realm', such as the True Martial Saber and the Primordial Demon Spirit, which elevated the world itself, and Lin Yuan had never felt any rejection there.
As for the Divine Armament World, it was akin to being incomplete, as ancient gods had extracted a portion of its rules and turned them into divine armaments, weakening the world's consciousness.
In this current world, Lin Yuan could vaguely sense the world's will.
What was the world's will? It had no emotions, no joy or anger, similar to the artificial intelligence of the main world, constantly maintaining the operation of the world itself.
Lin Yuan's third preparation was to prevent the world consciousness from deliberately suppressing the martial arts evolutionary path.
If the world consciousness despised the martial arts evolutionary path and evolved on its own, even with Situ Ming as the guardian, the martial arts evolutionary path might not endure, and it would perish due to various 'accidents'.
"World consciousness." Lin Yuan muttered to himself.
The world consciousness was not a physical entity.
If Lin Yuan wanted to meet it, it would be neither difficult nor easy.
The simplest method would be through the Children of Luck.
The Children of Luck were products of the world's great fortune and were thus targets of focus for the world consciousness.
If Lin Yuan could find the Children of Luck, he might be able to communicate with the world consciousness.
Of course, even without the Children of Luck, there was another way to force the world consciousness to reveal itself.
That was to— Destroy this world.
This was a method Lin Yuan would naturally never use.
But he could use the threat of it to scare the world consciousness.
"Children of Luck." Lin Yuan thought to himself.
Over a hundred years ago, the Tai Yin Yuan Shen had caught a glimpse of those three Children of Luck.
He had memorized their auras.
However, not long after, these three Children of Luck had disappeared from the face of the Five Regions.
Lin Yuan speculated that, with the blessing of the world's great fortune, these three individuals had probably gained some incredible opportunity.
"Wait a little longer."
After a moment's thought, Lin Yuan once again immersed himself in cultivation.
With his current strength and realm, as long as those three Children of Luck reappeared in the Five Regions, he would be able to sense them instantly.
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, several years went by.
In the Eastern Region, within a bamboo forest.
Rumble! Rumble! A series of rumbling sounds reverberated.
Soon after, three figures soared into the sky.
An expansive and profound aura was unleashed without restraint.
An area with a radius of ten, a hundred, or even hundreds of miles was enveloped by this terrifying aura.
"Hahahahaha!"
"We're out! We've finally made it out!"
Xiao Huo, Yang Bixi, and Shen Lang laughed wildly.
Their clothes were tattered, but their eyes shone brightly.
For over a hundred years, they had endured endless torment in the underground world and finally passed the test, escaping through their own strength.
After such a long period of cultivation, the trio had all advanced from the peak of the Ninth Realm to the Tenth Realm.
Furthermore, they had reached the pinnacle of the Tenth Realm.
Additionally, in the underground world, they had discovered a secret combination technique.
After perfecting this technique, the three of them working together could rival an Eleventh Realm cultivator, or even a Twelfth Realm expert.
A long while later, after venting their pent-up emotions, the trio gathered together to discuss their next steps.
"With our current strength, even ten thousand years ago, we could have dominated a region. With that combination technique, we might even be able to challenge the Demon Lord, Xiahou Yuan..." Shen Lang said, his eyes glinting with ambition.
The underground world had been their nightmare for a hundred years, and the Demon Lord, Xiahou Yuan, was the source of that nightmare.
If the three of them could defeat Xiahou Yuan, no, even if they could just stand against him and survive, the traumatic influence he had on them would completely vanish.
With a calm and fulfilled state of mind, even breaking through to the Eleventh Realm would be highly probable.
"Then..." Xiao Huo's heart stirred as he was about to ask when they should go look for Xiahou Yuan.
Suddenly, a deep and magnetic voice interrupted him.
"You don't need to look for me. I'll come to you."
In an instant, the heavens and the earth seemed to flip upside down, and the sun and the moon lost their light.
An aura enveloped an area spanning thousands of miles.
In the shocked gazes of Xiao Huo, Yang Bixi, and Shen Lang, a towering figure strode forward from the horizon. With each step, space seemed to compress, and in just a few strides, he appeared before them.
"I've come to you myself."
The towering figure stopped and looked down at the trio.
"Demon Lord Xiahou Yuan..." Xiao Huo's scalp tingled, and his heart trembled. He felt as though his Tenth Realm power had completely frozen within him.
In front of Xiahou Yuan, Xiao Huo felt not like an invincible Tenth Realm cultivator, but like an infant, like an ant.
"How... How is he so strong?" Shen Lang's hopes crumbled.
The current Xiahou Yuan gave them a feeling that was ten times, a hundred times more overwhelming than the projection they had faced a hundred years ago.
In these past hundred years, not only had they made rapid progress, but Xiahou Yuan had also been constantly improving.
In fact, his rate of improvement far surpassed theirs.
"I..." Xiao Huo opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But he saw Xiahou Yuan, who loomed over the heavens, raise his right hand and press it down towards them.
Boom!!! A terrifying aura began to compress.
Xiao Huo and the other two spat out mouthfuls of blood, and their consciousness began to blur.
"Are we going to die?" Yang Bixi slowly closed her eyes.
However, just at that moment, a cold and majestic will silently appeared.
Xiao Huo slowly stood up, his originally crimson eyes now a pure golden color.
He raised his head and looked at Lin Yuan.
Although he was looking up, there was a sense of looking down, as if a god were gazing down upon mortals.
"World consciousness." Lin Yuan retracted his right hand and placed it behind his back.
"You've finally revealed yourself."
(End of Chapter)
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