Concealed in hiding, Sun Erlang observed the battle between the Five Elders Association cultivators and the giant ape. Gradually, a hint of solemnity welled up in his heart.
"So strong..."
This was his assessment of the cultivator squad before him.
With no fluctuations of spiritual power and the destructive radius of their techniques confined within a certain space, Sun Erlang could not perceive their exact cultivation.
Yet judged solely by their coordination in combat, their fearlessness in battle, their poise in handling crises, and other combat proficiencies, the standard of this squad was truly unlike anything he had ever seen in his life.
Even taking into account what he had encountered within the Dao Transformation Stone's simulated worlds, these cultivators were still exceptionally top-tier.
What surprised Sun Erlang even more were their methods of offense and healing.
Apart from various magical artifacts, these cultivators occasionally used rather peculiar items—such as books, wine cups, and even necklaces—buffing their own side while inflicting an assortment of negative effects upon the giant ape.
Moreover, their recovery speed was frighteningly fast.
A new method cultivator anchored their body in a grotto-heaven; when their physical form was destroyed, regenerating from the grotto-heaven took at least several breaths of time.
Yet for these people, with merely a flash of white light, even the gravest injuries instantly healed. One moment a cultivator was struck by the giant ape's attack, hovering on the brink of death; the next second, bathed in the white light, they were brimming with vitality once more.
Thick-skinned and hardy though the giant ape was, it could not withstand such attritional warfare.
And oddly enough, the beast seemed pigheadedly stubborn, making no attempt to flee.
It fought until the final moment of its life, crashing heavily to the ground.
The instant the giant ape died, it dissolved into dazzling golden light that surged into the bodies of the squad who had slain it.
The group immediately erupted into cheers.
"The boss that spawned this time was damned tanky! Good thing we brought enough supplies, or we'd definitely have wiped."
"Gave plenty of exp, too. I'm almost ready to break through to the next realm."
"Too bad the Snow Ape Sacred Armor from the codex didn't drop. Otherwise, we'd really have struck it rich this time."
At these words, everyone in the squad nodded in agreement and sighed with regret.
Listening to these entirely incomprehensible remarks, Sun Erlang wore a rather subtle expression.
"Let's go. There's nothing good left around here. Back to the Carefree Paradise first."
"This Xuanhuang Realm really is no place for people. If not for the quest requirements, I'd never want to come here."
Chattering amongst themselves, the cultivators filed into the flying vessel in the sky.
Cloaked in a burst of iridescent light, the ship vanished from the sky as if teleporting.
Sun Erlang stared at the spot where they had departed, the Dao Transformation Stone in his mind continuously replaying the scene it had just recorded.
"Carefree Paradise..."
"That should be the sphere of influence of Heavenly Venerable Wuyou. It seems somewhat different from the rest of the Xuanhuang Realm."
"To call the Xuanhuang Realm 'no place for people'... interesting."
"Perhaps this matter should be reported to Master."
Though Sun Erlang thought this, he did not pursue the peculiar vessel.
Keeping Master's instructions firmly in mind, he continued pressing on toward the Country of Truth.
Three days later, upon passing through a White Mist Barrier, Sun Erlang distinctly sensed a shift in the world around him.
"The province I just left belongs to the Heavenly Realm of Humanity. As for here, it should be the Country of Truth."
Sun Erlang knew that within the borders of the Country of Truth, blanketed by the Principle Law of the Heavenly Venerable, no cultivator could fabricate a lie.
He was therefore all the more cautious.
Being a newcomer, everything here was completely unfamiliar. Sun Erlang decided to scout the situation first before looking for a way to meet the Heavenly Venerable.
Compared to the Heavenly Realm of Humanity, the Country of Truth appeared far more peaceful. Patrols of Five Elders Association cultivators were rarely seen.
The boundary between mortals and cultivators within its borders was not particularly pronounced either.
From afar, one could see them living together within the same city.
"Those really are mortals with no cultivation. It seems the power of the immortal-mortal miasma is suppressed here."
After careful observation, Sun Erlang reached this conclusion.
What struck him as even more novel was that social status here was not dictated by the height of one's cultivation.
He even witnessed a young Golden Core cultivator bowing respectfully to an elderly mortal.
He could not help marveling in wonder.
Having observed in secret for three days, although he gained a general understanding of the customs and local ways of the Country of Truth, he still had not found a suitable opening.
"It's not like I can just shout in the street that I've come seeking an audience with Truth Heavenly Venerable, can I?"
Just as Sun Erlang was at his wit's end, on this day he suddenly noticed several outsiders like himself.
"People from the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals?" Sun Erlang narrowed his eyes.
Tailing them and eavesdropping for a while, Sun Erlang immediately understood.
These four cultivators were naturalized defectors who had been captured in the conflicts between the Five Elders Association and the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, and were now undergoing a probationary period.
Their freedom had not been restricted, and they were permitted to travel through the Association's three great domains other than the Carefree Paradise.
"Brother Xu, how do you think this Five Elders Association compares to the Alliance?"
All of them wore uniform, conspicuous azure robes that resembled prisoner garb. One middle-aged man with a long beard asked the companion beside him.
The cultivator surnamed Xu seemed not yet recovered from grave injuries, his face pale. He coughed softly before answering, "Compared to the Alliance, it is indeed far more free and relaxed."
"Although we have to sign that Divine Soul Contract, when we were in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, even without a contract's binding, was there any order from the Alliance we could refuse? If you ask me, there's really no difference."
Another young cultivator chimed in, "What's more, once you sign the contract here, there is no lack of cultivation methods or resources. As long as you show enough talent, there is endless room for growth, and no one will hinder or suppress you. Not like the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, humph..."
Though the long-bearded man's face darkened somewhat, he had no choice but to agree with their view.
"It seems Brother Wang Yang still harbors illusions about the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals!" Seeing the long-bearded Wang Yang's expression, the man surnamed Xu sneered.
"You remember the Alliance, but does the Alliance remember you? I've never heard of any cultivator captured by the Five Elders Association who managed to escape back to the Alliance. Besides, even if you were fortunate enough to get away, the Alliance would probably just treat you as a spy and arrest you immediately."
Wang Yang's expression flickered between dark and pale, but in the end he could only let out a long sigh, unable to refute it.
The four fell into an awkward silence for a moment.
"By the way, when that lord introduced the Five Elders Association's situation earlier, he mentioned that cultivators in every province have an opportunity to pay an audience to a Heavenly Venerable in person. I wonder if that's true or false." It was the young cultivator who stepped in to smooth things over.
"You can rest assured on that, Brother Zhang. I inquired about it before, and it is absolute truth. However, the methods of obtaining an audience with a Heavenly Venerable vary from place to place, and without exception, the difficulty is exceedingly high. None but peerless prodigies can achieve it."
"Take the One Heart Immortal Sect, for instance. Anyone who wins twenty consecutive challenge matches within its borders and remains unmatched stands a high chance of being guided before Heavenly Venerable Yixin."
"Or here in the Country of Truth: it's said that if you sit and meditate beneath the Tree of Truth, the longer you hold out, the greater the chance of receiving guidance from the Heavenly Venerable." The man surnamed Xu explained at length. "I once attempted that trial of the Tree of Truth myself..." Xu paused intentionally.
Only when the eyes of the others were fully gathered on him did he continue: "Difficult! Difficult! Exceedingly difficult!"
"You all know that lies do not exist within the Country of Truth. Yet the trial of the Tree of Truth is to weave lies as best as you can!"
The cultivator surnamed Xu took on a peculiar look. "Sitting beneath the fruits, it feels as though you become an omnipotent creator god. You must conjure something out of nothing, fabricating an illusory, separate world. The richer and more authentic the world's details, the longer you can hold out under the scouring of the Tree of Truth."
"Wait..." Hearing this, Wang Yang could not help interrupting.
"Are there any restrictions on weaving this world? Otherwise, wouldn't it be easy if one substituted it with the distinct customs of a pocket world in the Xuanhuang Realm?"
The cultivator surnamed Xu shook his head. "At the very least, pocket worlds that truly exist within the Xuanhuang Realm cannot be manifested in the fruit's illusion. It's like..."
He weighed his words for a moment and said slowly, "It's somewhat like how 'Techniques Cannot Be Co-Cultivated.' A world replicated by following a template will collapse into dust the moment it forms. Only a completely fabricated world can exist stably and withstand the fruit's test. It sounds rather mysterious in words, but once you experience it for yourselves, you'll understand."
"Even if one ultimately fails to meet Truth Heavenly Venerable, meditating beneath that Tree of Truth is still an immense opportunity for cultivators like us. Weaving a world involves myriad Great Daos. Relying solely on a cultivator's own power, it is truly difficult to achieve. When undergoing the trial, one mostly borrows the power of the tree—as if the Heavenly Venerable lends a brush, aiding us in splashing ink and painting..." The man surnamed Xu had a distant look, seemingly reminiscing over that wondrous experience.
"What is the Heavenly Venerable's purpose in doing this?" Wang Yang frowned slightly.
Xu sneered, "Purpose? Why bother worrying about that? All I know is that taking the trial causes no loss whatsoever, and is highly likely to bring enlightenment and a breakthrough. A boon like this in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals is strictly reserved for the few, whereas here in the Five Elders Association, everyone has a chance to try."
"The Tree of Truth takes root and sprouts in illusion, blooming in every city. Anyone who is interested may sit cross-legged beneath the tree and meditate."
"The manifestation of the fruits this time seems not far off. You can experience it firsthand. Were it not that each person has only one chance in a lifetime, I would certainly partake in that opportunity of world creation again," the cultivator surnamed Xu said with no small amount of regret.
The other three showed varied expressions.
Listening from afar, Sun Erlang narrowed his eyes.
"Such a coincidence? Just as I get sleepy, someone delivers a pillow? Could I have been discovered, and this is some conspiracy?"
This thought immediately flashed through Sun Erlang's mind.
"No, it must be that Master knew beforehand that every region in the Five Elders Association has a way to meet the Heavenly Venerables directly, which is why he sent me on this journey. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, what chance would an outside cultivator have of meeting the supreme rulers of the Longevity realm?" After pondering it, Sun Erlang suddenly understood.
"The Truth Fruits?"
Sun Erlang's heart stirred.
In his mind, he had the Dao Transformation Stone, as well as the experiences of living another lifetime within the simulated world. Taking part in this so-called creation beneath the fruit tree should give him some advantage.
"I'll give it a try first. If that doesn't work, I'll think of something else."
Having made up his mind, Sun Erlang waited patiently.
Another twenty-odd days passed. On this day, the peaceful city suddenly grew somewhat restless.
On the ground, a shadow spread rapidly from the center of the city.
It enveloped the entire span of the city.
Then, a lush, verdant tree rose straight out of the shadow from the ground.
Seemingly real, seemingly illusory.
From the tree branches hung many succulent, lustrous fruits, drawing the gaze so intensely that one could not look away.
"The Tree of Truth manifests, remaining for seven days and seven nights. All living beings within the realm may attest to the Dao beneath the tree."
Ding!
The crisp chime of a bell rang out, spreading into the distance.
A resonant voice echoed from high in the sky, rising in everyone's ears.
"We thank the Heavenly Venerable for his grace!"
Within the Country of Truth, countless beings kowtowed and offered thanks in unison.
Three times in succession, the reverberations lingering.
Once the ceremonial formalities concluded, cultivators began walking under the shadow of the Tree of Truth one after another, sitting cross-legged with closed eyes.
The city also instantly grew utterly quiet, for fear of disturbing the cultivators undergoing the trial.
The party of Alliance naturalized defectors whom Sun Erlang had encountered earlier also strode slowly toward the Tree of Truth.
Sun Erlang hurried to follow.
Along the way, he met no one questioning or inspecting him.
The Heavenly Venerable's decree that all living beings could attempt it was indeed no empty boast.
Arriving beneath the boughs of the fruit tree, Sun Erlang saw not only humans, but even flying insects and beasts taking up spots in the tree's shade.
This bizarre spectacle stirred some emotion in Sun Erlang.
"It is said that the ancient sages taught without discrimination—not just humanity, but all creatures of the world could receive their instruction. This Truth Heavenly Venerable does have a touch of that flavor."
Imitating the others, Sun Erlang sat cross-legged on the ground.
He closed his eyes.
In an instant, Sun Erlang felt the surrounding world vanish.
The faint rustling sounds that had still lingered in the city were now completely cleared away.
Though his eyes were shut, Sun Erlang felt as though he had opened them.
Before him was a vast, white nothingness.
"Create a world..."
Numerous rules and messages surfaced in succession in Sun Erlang's mind.
"First, the general outline of the world."
Sun Erlang thus established the setting based on the simulated world he had previously experienced in the Dao Transformation Stone.
The blank world took on color.
Yet somewhat beyond his expectations, just as the world was about to take shape, like a sand sculpture it collapsed with a crash.
It reverted to emptiness once more.
"Even a world adapted with the Xuanhuang Realm as its prototype won't do?"
"A completely fictitious world?"
Sun Erlang could not help frowning slightly.
Then a flash of inspiration struck him. He remembered a world Master had used as an example when instructing him.
At once, an idea came to mind.
"Where the immortal dao does not manifest, materialism endures forever."
Chapter 1246