Chapter 529: The Secret of the False Heavenly Dao! Hall Master Pang Ming (7K)

Chapter 529: The Secret of the False Heavenly Dao! Hall Master Pang Ming (7K)



"Age of Dao Annihilation?" Li Yuan had an epiphany.

Immediately, Li Yuan recalled the time he spent in the Changyun Realm, struggling to comprehend the Great Dao Law.

"Is it because comprehending the laws is more difficult?" Li Yuan asked in confusion.

"It’s not that simple."

"It’s because the Great Dao is flawed," Yan Chongxu explained, "According to the words of our predecessors, the False Heavenly Dao uses very special means to create defects in the universe, making it impossible for us to sense the complete Seven Great Law Essences. If we can’t even sense the Law Essences, how can we comprehend or cultivate them?"

Li Yuan was stunned.

The Great Dao is flawed?

"Comprehending the basic laws up to the seventh and eighth ranks is still manageable, although the difficulty greatly increases, there’s still some hope. However, reaching the ninth rank is extremely difficult... According to the summaries of our predecessors, the difficulty of comprehending the basic laws to the ninth rank now is almost comparable to becoming a Heavenly Deity in the ancient times," Yan Chongxu said with a bitter smile.

"Therefore, in this era, most of the True Gods in our Pantheon of Gods can only achieve the eighth rank, at best. Only a very few can cross into the ninth rank, and generally, only those who can comprehend the laws to the ninth rank have the qualifications to become hall masters," Yan Chongxu continued, "In the Dao Courts, those who can comprehend the laws to the 'ninth rank' are also referred to as 'Celestial Lords,' but their numbers are very few, after all, the Immortal Dao is flawed, making cultivation even harder."

Li Yuan nodded slightly.

From the perspective of cultivation difficulty, being a hall master in the Pantheon of Gods in this realm, if placed in his homeland’s divine domain, he would likely have the potential to become a 'Heavenly Deity.'

The external environment is crucial for the cultivation path.

"Comprehending the laws is difficult to improve, and the chaos has led to the loss of many secret doctrines and scriptures, further deteriorating the environment. The population is far less than in ancient times, and the many precious treasures we possess have also diminished," Yan Chongxu sighed lightly.

"This has made the birth of talented individuals among us, the divine path cultivators, increasingly rare. In the Ten Thousand Springs Void, those who can awaken six-star pulses are already few, and awakening seven-star pulses is often the limit," Yan Chongxu added.

Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

Low comprehension of the laws will significantly slow down the awakening of star pulses.

The birth of super geniuses, first, requires a large population base. Only with a sufficiently large population can there be hope of birthing individuals with high enough talent over long periods.

Secondly, it depends on the environment.

Like himself, even with the assistance of the Divine Palace of the Soul, if it weren’t for the various fortuitous encounters along the way, he would have no hope of reaching the ten-star pulse.

In a certain sense, the external environment for cultivators in this realm is even worse than the mundane realm of his homeland.

At least, in his homeland’s divine domain, comprehending the major basic laws is not hindered.

...

Time passed, and through his exchanges with Yan Chongxu, Li Yuan gained a deeper understanding of the situation in this realm.

In the ancient times, this realm was also vast, perhaps not as vast as his homeland’s divine domain, but it gave birth to many Heavenly Deities and Divine Kings. However, now more than ninety percent of it has become desolate land.

Only the 'Nine Thousand Realms' and the 'Ten Thousand Springs Void' can still support life.

The Nine Thousand Realms are shrouded by the false Heavenly Dao and occupied by the Dao Courts.

The Ten Thousand Springs Void is occupied by the Pantheon of Gods, and these two superpowers have been clashing for a long time.

Among the Pantheon of Gods, the current strongest is the 'Fifth Chamber Lord,' who can defeat even a hundred Celestial Immortals in one battle.

Following him are many hall masters, who either have comprehended the laws to the ninth rank or have condensed 'Seven-star True God Bodies.'

"The Fifth Chamber Lord’s strength is unknown."

"But the hall masters of the Pantheon of Gods should be at the initial and intermediate stages of True Gods," Li Yuan deduced.

Seven-star True God Bodies and comprehending the laws to the ninth rank are the common standards for initial-stage True Gods, such as the True God Chiyen.

As for the more numerous ordinary True Gods in the Pantheon of Gods?

They have only six-star pulses and have comprehended the laws to the eighth rank, and their star techniques are mostly not strong. In Li Yuan’s view, they are only at the 'threshold of True Gods.'

...

"The 'Immortal Dao cultivation' of the Dao Courts has flaws," Yan Chongxu continued, "Their Celestial Immortals’ powers are equivalent to the divine powers of six-star True Gods."

Li Yuan nodded, having already slain several Celestial Immortals and having a rough understanding of this point.

Thus, he deduced that ordinary Celestial Immortals have the strength of True God thresholds, and their defensive capabilities for survival are weak, but their strengths lie in teamwork and soul defense.

As for those so-called 'Celestial Lords,' they are on par with the hall masters of the Pantheon of Gods.

As for the Dao Ancestors?

Yan Chongxu didn’t know much about the Dao Ancestors; to him, that level was too distant.

These Divine Beings only told Li Yuan two points.

First, the Dao Ancestors are beings who have comprehended the Great Dao. Within the territory of the Dao Courts, even the hall masters of the Pantheon of Gods can be easily defeated or slain by the Dao Ancestors.

Second, the Dao Ancestors seem to have never invaded the Ten Thousand Springs Void.

"Never invaded the Ten Thousand Springs Void?" Li Yuan was taken aback.

"Yes," Qinghong Divine Being nodded, "If the seven Dao Ancestors could invade the Ten Thousand Springs Void, we would probably have been unable to resist and would have been completely destroyed... So we once speculated that the Dao Ancestors might not be true lives, their lifespans are too long, abnormally long."

"From the ancient times to the present, since the establishment of the Dao Courts, they have been the seven Dao Ancestors," Qinghong Divine Being explained.

Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

Thus, it can be said that the lifespans of these seven Dao Ancesors are indeed inconceivable.

Or rather, the lifespans of Immortal Dao cultivators are generally astonishing.

"Even if the Dao Ancestors don’t take action," Fukang Divine being also said with a low voice, "Over the long years, most of the time, we are at a disadvantage against the Dao courts. Even if we slay many Celestial Immortals in one battle, they will still select a large number of True Immortals from the Immortal Register to quickly break through. This keeps the number of Celestial Immortals in the seven Dao Courts at a relatively stable level."

"And in our Pantheon of Gods, even the powerful ones like hall masters can only easily slay ordinary Celestial Immortals and live for thirty thousand years," Yan Chongxu laughed bitterly.

Short lifespans.

Limited territory also means a limited number of top-tier powerhouses in the Pantheon of gods.

"Why do Immortal Dao cultivators have such long lifespans?"

"Li Yuan asked a question, something that piqued his curiosity the most.

In an instant, Yan Chongxu and Qinghong Xu Shen turned their gaze towards the silent figure in black at the hall.

He was the only True Immortal in their group.

"Brother Fengchen, you talk to the Seven-Star Brother," Yan Chongxu suggested.

"Seven-Star Brother, all Immortal Path cultivators are puppets of the False Heavenly Dao," Fengchen True Immortal spoke in a deep voice, "In a sense, as cultivators grow stronger, they gradually become a part of the False Heavenly Dao."

A hint of sadness flashed in Fengchen True Immortal's eyes.

"A part of the False Heavenly Dao?" Li Yuan's heart trembled with contemplation.

"The flow of Heaven and Earth is like a river, Immortal cultivators unite their flesh and spirit, awakening their Star Pulse, creating their own world, pursuing immortality against the decay of Heaven and Earth," Fengchen True Immortal explained, "This goes against the natural laws of Heaven and Earth."

"So, even a powerful Celestial Deity has a lifespan of only three million years."

Li Yuan listened, and it was indeed so.

The cycle of Heaven and Earth, from birth, proliferation, peak, decline, and annihilation, was essentially a series of reincarnations.

Immortal cultivators, on the other hand, sought to transcend Heaven and Earth, pursuing eternal immortality.

Going against the natural order invited oppression from Heaven and Earth, shortening their lifespan, and making eternal immortality unattainable.

In the Divine Realm, every Divine Emperor was a genius, yet they were all trapped in the final step.

"But Immortal cultivators, abandoning their physical bodies, focusing on soul cultivation, and attaching their Soul Essence to the origin of the Heavenly Dao," Fengchen True Immortal's eyes flashed with unwillingness, "Seemingly protected by the Heavenly Dao, they can achieve longevity."

"However, as Immortal cultivators, by attaching their Soul Essence to the Heavenly Dao, they gradually become influenced and assimilated by it..."

"Assimilated?" Li Yuan was taken aback.

Suddenly, he thought of how Immortal cultivators understood the Spatial Law, the Great Dao Law, and other insights, categorizing them as Dao Enlightenment, Combined Dao Enlightenment, and Transformed Dao Enlightenment.

Could this be the reason? "This is also why Immortal cultivators consume each other, Earth Immortals consume Nascent Soul cultivators, True Gods consume Earth Immortals, and Heaven Immortals consume True Immortals... Their Soul Essence, influenced by the Heavenly Dao, is inherently similar." Fengchen True Immortal spoke with gravity, "Naturally, they become stronger through consumption."

Apparently, as a True Immortal cultivator, he understood these matters well.

"The stronger the Immortal cultivator, the closer they are to the Heavenly Dao, and the closer they are to losing their self," Fengchen True Immortal emphasized, "It's a delicate balance."

Youyan, listening intently, nodded in agreement.

"Hmm? Not enough energy?" Li Yuan suddenly received feedback from the spirit of their battle ship.

Many artifacts had their own spirits, and this high-grade Void Ship was no exception, though its intelligence was relatively lower.

With such high-intensity Void travel, Li Yuan's group had long left the core territories of the Dao Court.

The core territories of the Dao Court were the Nine Thousand Realms, a vast starry sky where numerous worlds converged.

But from the Nine Thousand Realms to the Ten Thousand Springs Void, the journey was still far, with countless dead and silent planets along the way.

"Fly slowly?"

"Wait until the energy absorption is complete, then restart the Void travel?" Li Yuan shook his head silently, "Too slow."

"Now, I'm not sure if we've escaped the so-called 'Heavenly Realm's Radiance' seal." Li Yuan pondered.

After communicating with Yan Chongxu Shen, Li Yuan also realized that although he carried the weight of the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, if they ventured far from the core territories of the Dao Court, their influence over the Heavenly Dao would significantly diminish.

But Li Yuan understood one thing: caution in all matters.

With a move, Li Yuan arrived at the ship's energy storage room and immediately brought out a large quantity of Magical Treasures, effortlessly sending them into the storage room.

Using Magical Treasures as energy was indeed an efficient method.

It ensured their Void Ship could maintain its highest speed.

The only drawback was the cost: "I don't have much, just a lot of Magical Treasures," Li Yuan thought to himself.

Before entering the Immortal Spirit System, Li Yuan had exchanged a whopping ten million units of Magical Treasures.

It was a precaution for the Immortal Spirit System task.

These weren't treasures worth ten million units, but genuine Magical Treasures... Li Yuan believed that even a True God at their limit might not be able to produce such a quantity at will.

At the time, Li Yuan anticipated that even if he were trapped in a Sourceless Power World, these Magical Treasures should be enough to sustain him for hundreds of years.

"Do you think you can catch up to me?"

"According to Yan Chongxu, the only one in the Dao Court who can control Void Walk aside from the Dao Ancestor." Li Yuan contemplated.

Void Walk, similar to a teleportation array, was a hundred times more efficient than a Void Flying Ship.

"They are all traveling by Void Flying Ships. I smashed my Immortal Crystal, and I don't believe the Dao Court's army will catch up." Li Yuan thought, "If they still catch up, I'll use my Void Walker ability without delay."

The Void Walker was still a major trump card for Li Yuan, not to be revealed lightly.

Boom!

After Li Yuan infused a large amount of Immortal Crystals, the Void Flying Ship continued at maximum speed, activating the Void Teleportation Array repeatedly.

...

The battle ship Li Yuan was piloting was far away.

Qu Chen, leading a team of Heaven Immortals, tore through the void repeatedly, rushing forward.

"The distance between us has never shortened." Qu Chen realized, "Are they also tearing through the void? Do they know we are chasing them?"

"Hmph!"

"I want to see how much energy your Void Flying Ship holds." Qu Chen said confidently, "We each carry ten Void Flying Ships, and when one ship's energy is depleted, we can quickly switch to the next one."

"Yes!"

"Based on past experience, these Pantheon of Gods' spies mostly have basic Void Flying Ships, probably not as powerful as ours."

"Even if they killed Feng Rui, a Heaven Immortal, and obtained a high-level Void Flying Ship, they won't last long." The other Heaven Immortals laughed, all feeling relaxed.

Time passed.

One quarter, one hour, two hours... After almost a day.

All the Heaven Immortals on this battle ship had quieted down.

They had already switched through ten Void Flying Ships, depleting the 'reserve energy' of all ten ships, but through the 'Heavenly Realm's Light', they sensed that the distance between them had not narrowed at all, instead showing a hidden trend of widening.

Even as they took out a large amount of 'Immortal Crystals' and infused them into the energy chambers of the Void Flying Ships, they still couldn't narrow the distance, depleting a large amount of their cultivation power...

Immortal Crystals, in fact, are just Immortal Crystals, just a different name.

Qu Chen's face burned with frustration.

When they switched ships for the third time, Qu Chen was still confidently saying, "These fools from the Pantheon of Gods are definitely depleting their own energy treasures, but they won't last long."

When they switched ships for the sixth time, he was still saying, "It's almost over, they must be at their limit."

Unexpectedly.

They had pursued to the point of exhaustion, yet the distance to their target remained out of reach.

"Give up."

"Our cultivation power is almost depleted, I don't want to take out more Immortal Crystals."

"Yes, give up. Even if we catch up, with our power depleted, we might still lose."

"A crime of unnecessary warfare." Some Heaven Immortals spoke up.

They seemed to be Qu Chen's nominal subordinates, but in reality, their status was almost equal.

For this kind of warfare mission, they were unwilling to deplete too many of their treasures.

Seeing this, Qu Chen could only stop the battle ship. If he insisted on pursuing, he could only take out his own treasures to make up for the energy shortage, which he naturally didn't want to do.

The main issue was, they couldn't see any hope of catching up.

After half a day of pursuit, they were about to reach the outer region of Ten Thousand Springs Void.

"Damn it!"

"It must be because of that mysterious Demon God." Qu Chen said gravely, "Otherwise, a single spy team couldn't persist for so long. Who is that mysterious Demon God? We must find out."

The Heaven Immortals all nodded, feeling the threat.

"Let's return and report to the Heavenly Emperor."

...

Radiant Dao Court, Heavenly Realm, in the supreme Heavenly Palace, there was a majestic throne.

A black-robed emperor sat on the throne, overlooking all the palaces in the Heavenly Palace.

Below him, a silent army waited, ready to depart for battle at any time.

He was the Heavenly Emperor of Radiant Dao Court, 'Huodou Heavenly Emperor', second only to the Radiant Dao Ancestor.

"The pursuit failed? How is it possible? With the Heavenly Realm's Light pinpointing the location, and a hundred Heaven Immortals chasing all the way, how did they not catch up?" Huodou Heavenly Emperor found it hard to believe.

After receiving Feng Rui's report, he immediately ordered the activation of the 'Heavenly Realm's Light'.

At that time, Li Yuan had not yet revealed his strength, so he immediately dispatched a hundred Heaven Immortals to pursue, showing the great importance he attached to this matter.

Yet they still failed.

Suddenly.

Swoosh! A stream of light fell from the void, arriving before the Heavenly Emperor's throne. He bowed slightly, "I have an important matter to report."

"Immortal Register Celestial Lord, please speak." Huodou Heavenly Emperor's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding rising.

Immortal Register Celestial Lord, responsible for overseeing the 'Ascension Register', held the most esteemed position under the Heavenly Emperor.

"I report to the Heavenly Emperor."

"Feng Rui, Changyun, Guangxing, and the seven hundred True Immortals who just died... After their deaths, the 'Immortal Register Light' from their Primordial Spirits did not return to the 'Ascension Register'." Immortal Register Celestial Lord spoke gravely, "The 'Ascension Register' has issued a warning."

"This situation has not occurred in a very long time."

Huodou Heavenly Emperor's expression changed.

Three Heaven Immortals who died, their 'Immortal Register Light' did not return to the register.

One Heaven Immortal's 'Immortal Register Light', worth a thousand True Immortals.

"Why? Have you found out?" Huodou Heavenly Emperor asked gravely.

"No!"

"The 'Ascension Register' is passed down by the supreme 'Immortal Ancestor', it is a supreme divine item infused with the Heavenly Dao, never having shown any flaws in the past. Even the Fifth Chamber Lord couldn't take it away." Immortal Register Celestial Lord shared his speculation, "I suspect that mysterious Void Deity has a special treasure that can devour the 'Immortal Register Light'."

"For such a major matter, I hope the Heavenly Emperor will report to the Dao Ancestor and request her decision." Immortal Register Celestial Lord said.

Huodou Heavenly Emperor's eyelids twitched, requesting the Dao Ancestor to make a decision?

"Very well, I shall report to the Dao Ancestor. You may leave now." Huodou Heavenly Emperor spoke in a deep voice.

"Yes."

After seeing off the Immortal Register Celestial Lord, he departed.

"We failed to capture them."

"Even if we can't uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the Immortal Register Radiance, we have now lost the Radiance of three Celestial Immortals." Huodou Heavenly Emperor's heart was filled with worry. "Even if I don't report this, as soon as the Dao Ancestor emerges from seclusion, a simple sensing will reveal the truth. What should I do then?"

In the eyes of the mortal world, the Heavenly Emperor was high above, holding supreme authority.

But Huodou Heavenly Emperor knew the truth.

The so-called Heavenly Emperor was merely a 'manager' selected by the Dao Ancestor to oversee the Dao Court, and over the long years, the position had changed hands seven or eight times.

Each time the imperial throne changed hands, it was because the management was unsatisfactory, displeasing the Dao Ancestor.

And when the Heavenly Emperor stepped down, there was only one outcome—death!

They were all devoured by the Dao Ancestor.

"I can't die."

"I've finally cultivated to the Celestial Lord, and it wasn't easy becoming the Heavenly Emperor." Huodou Heavenly Emperor's thoughts raced. "Not reporting? No! The Dao Ancestor hates deception the most."

"Reporting directly? That won't work either!"

Quickly, Huodou Heavenly Emperor figured it out.

"Announce!"

"The Northern Sky Two Generals, Three Palace Bodyguards, Four Forbidden Palace Soldiers, Five Directional Generals, Six Elements Great Camp, and the Imperial Palace Seven Armies with a million Celestial Soldiers, descend upon the Changyun Realm. It is imperative to investigate the entire Changyun Realm, inside and out, and uncover the past traces of that evil demon." Huodou Heavenly Emperor's voice reverberated through the heavens.

"Yes!"

One by one, Celestial Immortals flew out from the palace, a vast number of Earth Immortals, True Immortals, and Celestial Soldiers, leaving their own palaces.

After all this was done.

"I hope there will be some results." Huodou Heavenly Emperor thought to himself, then rose and boarded the royal carriage, flying towards the Celestial Lord Dao Palace.

The Celestial Immortals of the Heavenly Realm all obeyed his commands.

But the Celestial Lords, who had reached the ninth stage of Law Enlightenment, held extremely high positions and followed the Dao Ancestor's orders directly.

"We must ask the Celestial Lords to take action."

"Infiltrate the Ten Thousand Springs Void, find a way to capture that mysterious demon god, or kill him." Huodou Heavenly Emperor thought to himself.

After these tasks were completed, it wouldn't be too late to report to the Dao Ancestor.

...

The Dao Court army gave up the pursuit, but Li Yuan was unaware that he was still consuming Immortal Crystals, causing the Void Flying Ship to speed ahead.

In the blink of an eye, another half-day had passed.

"Buzz~"

Quietly, the invisible 'Sinister Force' that had enveloped Li Yuan dissipated.

"Seven-star brother, we have basically escaped the range of the False Heavenly Dao." Yan Chongxu, a male Void Deity, was quite pleased. "Although the False Heavenly Dao still affects the entire universe, at least in the Ten Thousand Springs Void region, there's no talk of Merit or Sin. We won't be locked onto by the Heavenly Dao for our aura's location."

Li Yuan nodded, feeling relieved.

Not being attacked by the Dao Ancestor was a fortunate turn of events.

"Seven-star, this is a Brief Star Map of the Ten Thousand Springs Void. You should head towards the Youyan Life Spring Realm." Qinghong, a male Void Deity, smiled and passed a star map to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan quickly accepted and examined it.

Upon investigation, Li Yuan discovered that the Ten Thousand Springs Void was also quite vast, no less than the Nine Thousand Realms.

"Over 430 Life Spring Realms?" Li Yuan thought to himself.

Why was it called the 'Life Spring Realm'? Li Yuan was curious.

As they continued to travel through the starry sky, either flying or using Void Teleportation, after about half a day.

A vast life world appeared before Li Yuan's eyes.

With Li Yuan's perception abilities, he could sense that the world was teeming with countless lives and quite a few powerful beings.

"Boom!"

A powerful aura spread from the void, rapidly approaching and quickly catching Li Yuan's attention.

"A True Deity!"

"The fluctuations of divine power, is it a True Deity from the Pantheon of Gods?" Li Yuan's heart stirred, and he urged the Void Flying Ship towards the direction of the aura.

Soon after.

The battle ship drew close to the True Deity exuding a powerful aura. He wore heavy battle armor, towering at about a hundred meters tall, with four arms, and carried two crossed giant battle blades on his back, exuding a formidable aura.

"Such a strong life aura, it should be a Seven-star True Deity." Li Yuan made a vague judgment.

The Palace's probing technique was temporarily ineffective against the True Deity.

But Li Yuan had seen too many True Deities, and with his extensive experience, he could naturally judge... True Deities didn't need to slowly cultivate their divine power like Demigods or Void Deities.

Once they condensed their divine hearts, their divine bodies would rapidly grow to the limit of their current realm.

The divine bodies of True Deities were only related to the number of Star Pulses.

A Six-star Pulse True Deity was the baseline for becoming a True Deity, with a divine body about a hundred times that of a 57th-level Void Deity.

A Seven-star Pulse True Deity had a divine body ten times that of a Six-star True Deity.

An Eight-star Pulse True Deity had a divine body ten times that of a Seven-star True Deity.

A Nine-star Pulse True Deity...

A Ten-star Pulse True Deity... and so on.

In other words, even if they were both True Deities, the divine body of a Ten-star True Deity would be about ten thousand times stronger than that of a Six-star True Deity.

"If it's a Ten-star True Deity, even if his combat skills are at the baseline of True Deities, with his super-strong divine body, he could easily unleash the limit of a True Deity's strength." Li Yuan thought to himself.

When a True Deity breaks through to become a Heaven Deity, their divine power and might would increase by about a hundred times.

Therefore, the divine body of a Ten-star True Deity was comparable to that of an Eight-star Heaven Deity!

"If I become a Ten-star Pulse, as soon as I break through to become a True Deity, I'll possess the strength of a Heaven Deity level." Various thoughts flashed through Li Yuan's mind.

... "But Seven-star brother? I am Pang Ming." The four-armed True Deity transmitted his voice.

Boom~ The cabin door opened.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Li Yuan and Yan Chongxu immediately flew out of the battle ship.

"Paying respects to Lord Pang Ming." Yan Chongxu and Qinghong bowed respectfully.

Li Yuan also slightly bowed.

"Haha, Seven-star brother, no need for formalities. Your deeds have spread throughout the entire Pantheon of Gods, bringing joy to many Lord Masters. Our Pantheon of Gods has gained another powerful force." Pang Ming's voice boomed, sounding very happy. "Even the Fifth Chamber Lord has returned from the depths of the star river and wants to meet you specifically."

"If nothing unexpected happens, you'll soon be bestowed the title of 'Lord Master' and will be on par with us."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end