The Ninth Realm, the Pinnacle of the Dao

Xu Ying covertly raised his gaze. The Holy Venerable stood motionless before Daming Palace, yet the weather of this Great Luo Heaven shifted incessantly between overcast and clear, dark clouds and sharp auras gathering and dispersing at will. Clearly, the Holy Venerable's heart was far from calm. Suddenly, the atmospheric fluctuations in the Great Luo Heaven abruptly ceased, turning neither overcast nor bright. Xu Ying felt a chill in his heart. He did not fear Qingxuan; his deliberate posture moments ago had merely been meant to mislead the Holy Venerable into believing Qingxuan was still alive, so that even if the Holy Venerable harbored ill intentions toward him, he would hesitate to strike out of caution. The Holy Venerable had indeed entertained such a misconception, yet he did not fear Qingxuan in the least—hesitating to strike was utterly out of the question. "Hearing of a fellow Daoist, I could not help becoming somewhat agitated, which must have startled you," the Holy Venerable's voice drifted over, faint and deep. "Xu Ying, come up and speak." Seizing the chance to rein in his thoughts, Xu Ying carefully climbed the steps. Since the Holy Venerable had no fear of Qingxuan, Xu Ying could only conduct himself obediently and abandon any clever schemes. Catching sight of Lou Mingyu standing behind the Holy Venerable, Xu Ying walked over and stood near him. After pondering for a moment, Xu Ying said, "Holy Venerable, I truly am not Qingxuan's successor, nor have I ever met Qingxuan." The Holy Venerable remained silent for a while before speaking unhurriedly: "There is no longer anyone in this world whom I fear. Even the towering Ancestral God does not intimidate me. Over these past six to seven hundred thousand years, I have defeated countless powerful foes and brought four Supreme cave abysses under my control. Even if the Ancestral God recovers his full strength and duels with me, he will surely lose. I could also shatter and destroy the Immortal Realm to weaken his power, thereby securing victory." Xu Ying felt a slight jolt. The Ancestral God's strength derived from the three realms: the Mortal Realm, the Immortal Realm, and the Heavenly Immortal Realm. The Heavenly Dao of the Mortal Realm had restored the Ancestral God, who had further comprehended the Heavenly Dao of the Dark Mortal Realm, allowing his old wounds to heal and granting him an astounding leap in cultivation—almost rivaling his prime. At present, the Ancestral God was likely on par with an existence in the Nine Heavens of the Dao Realm. Yet the Holy Venerable's claim was no boast; using his stated method, he truly could defeat the Ancestral God, though the price would be immense. But to the Holy Venerable, he would surely do so if necessary, sacrificing the Immortal Realm if that was what it took to defeat him. As for the four cave abysses he mentioned, it meant the Supreme cave abyss was also in his grasp. That cave abyss belonged neither to the Immortal Emperor nor to the Nine Heavens and Nine Earths; it was entirely in his pocket. "Qingxuan was different. Qingxuan was one of the few people who could make me feel fear," the Holy Venerable said. Xu Ying looked at the surrounding sky. It was neither overcast nor sunny, the wind gentle and clouds light. He held to his previous conclusion: the Holy Venerable did not fear Qingxuan. "Back then, I rose in rebellion just as he did. He defected from the Shangqing Dao Sect, while I revolted against the Immortal Court. I rebelled even earlier than he did. At that time, the Latter Master of Ziwei was Haocang. His Immortal Court was corrupt to the bone, blind to the people at the bottom, caring only about preserving its own supremacy. As a Heavenly Venerable of Haocang's Immortal Court, I saw no hope left in it, so I turned against it." The Holy Venerable reminisced about the past, remarking softly, "Without a chest full of fiery blood, who would dare rebel? "I rose earlier than Qingxuan, but suffered setback after setback. The old powers were simply too formidable, suffocating me under their weight. It was only later, when Qingxuan, Zaohua, Qiongtai, and the others rebelled one after another, that the pressure on me eased. When Qingxuan pioneered the Supreme realm and broke free of the Dao weeping and the old era's Heavenly Dao, things finally took a turn for the better. From that moment on, I began to harbor fear toward Qingxuan. I was older than him and had higher cultivation than him, yet I was inferior to him. I envied him. I knew that so long as he lived, I would never measure up to him." Xu Ying's lips twitched, but he remained silent. The Qingxuan of today was already dead, having perished at the hands of the Holy Venerable and the others. The Holy Venerable continued, "With my strength today, I have already surpassed the Qingxuan of back then. Yet strangely, that fear remains, as if branded into my consciousness. I feared Qingxuan—the me of that time feared the Qingxuan of that time, not the me of today fearing the present-day Qingxuan who sells steamed buns. He was the first to break through to the Supreme realm, and I was the second. After his death, my cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. Even if he were still alive, he would be far from my match. I am already the most powerful existence in this world. Why, then, do I still fear the him of that era?" Over these years, he had consolidated authority and monopolized resources. Those who had once shared power and resources with him had now placed everything into his hands. Commanding such vast resources, he had elevated his cultivation and strength to a height that shook antiquity and illuminated the present. Across all of history, neither the Human Race's Six Emperors of the primeval era nor the Dao and demon races of the grand Ancestral Court could match his present might. Yet his fear of Qingxuan inexplicably persisted. "My monopolization of these powers and resources is no different from the vision proposed by Qingxuan back then," the Holy Venerable said, as if dissecting his own mind. "Back then, Qingxuan said we must concentrate cave abysses to accomplish great things, concentrating them to seek the new Dao's eighth realm and the Dao's ninth realm. That is precisely what I am doing now. Different paths leading to the same ninth realm." The Ninth Realm that Qingxuan pursued was currently the Holy Venerable's goal as well. Xu Ying felt somewhat dazed. Arriving here, he had seen many vacant Great Luo Heavens. The original masters of these Great Luo Heavens had been heroes who resisted the ancient era alongside Qingxuan, leaders of the rebel armies. It must have been bustling with life back then, but now, only Jiugong, Taiyuan, Saint Luo, and the Holy Venerable remained. Taiyuan and Saint Luo did not even possess cave abysses. The Holy Venerable alone held three cave abysses—a reality fundamentally opposed to Qingxuan's vision back then. "Back then, I misunderstood him and made a move against him. But only when I controlled three cave abysses to search for the Ninth Realm did I realize he was right. All these years, I have tried to break through to the Ninth Realm, yet I have never been able to take that final step." The Holy Venerable sighed with emotion. "Qingxuan called the Ninth Realm the Imperishable Realm. This realm is the ultimate pinnacle of the Dao Realm—the Pinnacle of the Dao." Xu Ying blinked. The Ninth Realm, the Imperishable Realm, the Pinnacle of the Dao... it must be the ninth layer of the Dao Realm where the Ancestral Origin and the Big Dragon resided. That realm truly existed. The Holy Venerable abruptly changed the subject. "Xu Ying, do you know why I stepped in to protect you when Mingzun was about to strike you down?" Xu Ying shook his head. "Disciple does not know." At the time, he had nearly fallen out with the Immortal Emperor, but Lou Mingyu's sudden appearance had saved his life. Yet since the Holy Venerable sent Lou Mingyu to rescue him, there had to be a reason, and that reason was the very capital Xu Ying needed to walk out of here alive. The Holy Venerable said, "Because you understand the Dao weeping. The Ninth Realm, the Pinnacle of the Dao, is very likely to be fulfilled through you." Xu Ying was stunned. The Dao weeping was clearly just a phenomenon caused by an exotic Great Dao framework; how could it be connected to the Ninth Realm? The Holy Venerable walked past him into Daming Palace. Lou Mingyu quietly gestured for Xu Ying to keep up, and Xu Ying followed the Holy Venerable inside. Within this incomparably magnificent palace floated an assortment of bizarre Dao manifestations on an immense scale: sun, moon, stars, birds, beasts, insects, fish, dragons, phoenixes, qilin, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, gods, and demon kings. Everything under heaven was represented; all creations and categories were encompassed. Xu Ying saw countless Dao manifestations combine to form Immortal Dao runes. With tens of thousands of varied Dao manifestations, their permutations produced an endless diversity of Immortal Dao runes. Different Immortal Dao runes contained different Great Dao laws, forming different Dao rules, which in turn linked into Dao chains that coalesced into wondrous Dao seeds. Walking through this ocean of seeds, Xu Ying saw innumerable Dao seeds suspended in the air. Shaped like grains of rice, roughly three inches high and an inch wide, they radiated multicolored fine rays that captivated the soul. *The Holy Venerable's dharmic power is too immense,* Xu Ying thought silently. The Holy Venerable's attainment in the Dao was like a towering peak, leaving him feeling utterly outmatched. Before he realized it, the Holy Venerable had vanished from his view, and Lou Mingyu was nowhere to be seen. Only the boundless ocean of Dao seeds remained. Xu Ying called out softly, "Senior Brother Lou? Senior Brother Lou?" No response came. Bracing himself, Xu Ying waded through the ocean of Dao seeds and pushed forward. Suddenly, countless Dao chains ahead intertwined to form Dao trees of varied shapes, clustering into a forest that stretched beyond the horizon. He saw plum trees resembling Emperor Changsheng's, as well as peach trees, pear trees, Bodhi trees, Jianmu, and all manner of other forms. The varieties of Immortal Dao runes were already countless, but the kinds of Dao trees were even more staggering, utterly beyond tallying. As Xu Ying walked through this forest of Dao trees, the varieties he laid eyes on reached into the tens of thousands. Hanging from these Dao trees were distinct Dao flowers, blooming in wild profusion and shedding holy radiance. After an unknown time, he finally emerged from the forest of Dao trees. Yet greeting his sight once more was an endless expanse of Dao fruits, floating before him in countless numbers, each harboring different achievements of the Great Dao. Xu Ying's scalp went numb. He could not fathom what height the Holy Venerable's Dao attainment had reached. Attainment was one matter, while dharmic power was another. The Holy Venerable's attainment was undeniably supreme, capable of mastering countless Great Daos to manifest so many Dao rules, Dao seeds, Dao trees, and Dao fruits. Yet manifesting such wonders likewise required immensely profound dharmic power; without sufficient depth, anyone would have collapsed from exhaustion long ago. Xu Ying estimated that with his current cultivation, he could at most manifest Dao seeds; beyond that, his cultivation would buckle under the strain. Yet the Holy Venerable had manifested all the way to Dao trees and Dao fruits. Having defeated Emperor Changsheng, Xu Ying was already among the pinnacle figures of the world, but he had never imagined the gulf between himself and the Holy Venerable remained this vast. Steeling his resolve, Xu Ying wove through the different Dao fruits. When he exited the sea of fruits, he entered another realm of Dao sceneries—each displaying distinct Great Dao rules. Among them were grand Dao sceneries such as Xuanhuang, Chaos, Glazed, and Pure Void, as well as relatively smaller ones of fire, thunder, sun, and moon. The dizzying display was overwhelming. Arriving here, Xu Ying let out a breath of relief. Regarding other Dao sceneries, he dared not claim expertise, but as for the ten great Dao sceneries like Xuanhuang, Chaos, Glazed, and Pure Void, his research was exceptionally thorough. To his eyes, the Holy Venerable's manifestations of these ten great Dao sceneries suffered from significant deficiencies—one could say he had captured their form, but not their spirit. *And here I thought he truly mastered all dharmas through mastering one,* Xu Ying mused. *When he wasn't displaying what I specialize in, he gave me the illusion of being omniscient and omnipotent. But when it touches upon what I excel at, he is far from proficient.* Xu Ying even caught numerous errors in the Holy Venerable's ten great Dao sceneries. Had they merely been omissions, it could be written off as being broad rather than refined; but containing errors meant he had bitten off more than he could chew, pretending to understand what he did not. Even so, demonstrating this many Dao sceneries was still deeply breathtaking, earning Xu Ying's profound respect. Passing beyond this domain, he finally spotted the Holy Venerable and Lou Mingyu. The Holy Venerable still stood amidst radiance with his back turned to him. Before him lay yet another form of Dao trees and Dao sceneries, stretching vast and boundless. Examining them closely, Xu Ying was moved. This expanse of Dao trees and Dao sceneries was actually manifested using Dao script as its foundation! Dao script and Immortal Dao runes represented two eras of frameworks: one belonging to the ancient era, the other to the present. Ancient immortals used Dao script as the foundation to evolve Dao seeds, Dao trees, Dao flowers, and Dao fruits; present-day immortals relied on runes. The Holy Venerable had actually mastered both Immortal Dao frameworks, meaning that even if he cultivated the old Dao, he could likely take it to the absolute peak. Cultivating the Wondrous Realm of Great Luo would be child's play for him. *This person's talent is simply too terrifying,* Xu Ying thought. It was no injustice that the Supremes and Wondrous Realm masters of the Immortal Court had fallen to him back then. Yet in his words, the Holy Venerable held Qingxuan in even higher esteem, considering himself far behind Qingxuan in natural talent, comprehension, and combat strength. Just how peerless had Qingxuan's talent been back then? Xu Ying felt somewhat dazed, a surge of regret welling up as he recalled the good-for-nothing Qingxuan of today. "Over the years, I gathered three Supreme cave abysses, comprehending the deepest principles within them while exploring both the rune and Dao script paths, only to find that neither path leads forward. The Immortal Dao built upon runes and Dao script reaches a dead end at the Supreme realm and the Wondrous Realm, offering no Ninth Realm." The Holy Venerable sighed. "I have attempted many possibilities." He walked forward, and Xu Ying saw more testing grounds. Scattered across these grounds were shattered remnants of collapsed Great Daos—some Dao trees, some Dao sceneries, and various Great Daos of heterodox frameworks, all ending in ruin. During all these years in seclusion, the Holy Venerable had likely poured nearly all his energy into these varied experiments. To him, the Ninth Realm was an unattainable obsession that tormented him unceasingly. Xu Ying could not resist asking, "Holy Venerable, if you desire so fervently to pioneer the Ninth Realm, why not heed Qingxuan's words and make the cave abysses public, allowing more talents to cultivate to the realm of Heavenly Monarch and Supreme so that everyone can pool their wisdom and efforts?" The moment the words left his lips, a bone-chilling coldness washed over him, enveloping him completely. Xu Ying could not stop himself from shivering violently, not daring to utter another syllable. He suddenly realized that while the Holy Venerable possessed an ardent heart for seeking the Dao, an autocrat remained an autocrat, never to change. He would never surrender the power he held. The Holy Venerable reined in his aura and said, "The Dao weeping is also a Great Dao framework, yet far more profound. This framework should point straight to the Ninth Realm, the Imperishable Realm. All these years, I have been trying to decipher the Dao weeping as well." He continued forward, and countless bones and corpses met Xu Ying's eyes. They were the people who had perished in the Dao weeping when it erupted across the Immortal Realm. Xu Ying followed behind him, his heart trembling at the horrifying sight. Immortal Kings, Immortal Monarchs, Heavenly Monarchs, Daluo Golden Immortals; humans, demons, qilin, dragons, phoenixes, roc... The corpses collected by the Holy Venerable spanned countless species and varying realms. Some were mere skeletons, while others had bodies half-dissolved by the Dao weeping. The stronger Heavenly Monarchs managed to preserve their physical forms, resembling walking corpses; upon sensing their arrival, they opened their mouths to emit piercing shrieks of Dao weeping, blasting toward them. There were also powerful Daluo Golden Immortals whose bodhimandas were torn to shreds, yet the cultivators themselves remained alive, chained and imprisoned by the Holy Venerable. Heavenly Monarchs and Daluo Golden Immortals alike had been dissected. It was not merely their flesh that was cut open, but also their Primordial Spirits and their cultivation realms, all sliced into thin layers and meticulously suspended in the air, laid flat for observation. The Holy Venerable had even sliced open their brains to watch the process of these powerhouses' minds decaying under the Dao weeping. Xu Ying witnessed the most gruesome, precise handiwork: many Dao trees, Dao flowers, and Dao fruits had also been sliced open without being destroyed, unfolded to observe their reactions under the Dao weeping. Chained beside them were several Heavenly Monarchs corrupted by the Dao weeping, their mouths agape as they directed piercing wails toward the backs of the Dao trees, flowers, and fruits. Xu Ying instantly understood the Holy Venerable's true motive for snatching him from the Immortal Emperor's clutches: *The Holy Venerable intends to dissect me, slice me into thin layers, and hang me up to study the Dao weeping!*