Matters regarding the You Realm were top secrets of the Alliance, and this envoy of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals knew very little beyond that.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Li Ping refrained from tampering with him any further.
When the Alliance envoy named Jia Su slowly came to his senses, he had no idea whatsoever that the secrets in his mind had already been thoroughly laid bare to the person before him.
He even lavished praise, saying, "Sect Master's divine technique is truly extraordinary. Even upon merely reading it, I unconsciously fell into a state of selfless absorption."
Li Ping gave a soft chuckle. "If it proves useful to the Alliance, nothing could be better. Only, regarding the annual quota of Source Power turned over—might we negotiate that further?"
Before he could finish, the Alliance envoy's expression shifted slightly, and he said with earnest gravity, "Sect Master, everything can be discussed—except duties owed to the Alliance. Those brook no carelessness."
The envoy hesitated a moment, then lowered his voice. "Truth be told, the higher-ups originally intended to requisition even more this time..."
Seeing Li Ping's grim, volatile expression—looking as though he might erupt at any moment—the envoy hastily sought to pacify him. "However, you have rendered a service now, haven't you, Sect Master? I will try to put in a good word; we should be able to grant some reduction..."
Without waiting for Li Ping to flare up, the Alliance envoy hurriedly took his leave.
The anger on the Sacred Emperor's face slowly faded, replaced by absolute calm.
Leaving behind a puppet to continue watching over the congregation of the Spirit Origin Sect, Li Ping returned to the Sacred Dynasty.
The profound technique left for the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was indeed a top-grade method capable of better tapping into the Source Power within cultivators, devoid of any hidden tricks or backdoors.
After all, where the Sea of Endless Gloom was involved, the Alliance could not fail to treat it with extreme caution and repeatedly verify it.
And the only reason Li Ping passed this technique to the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals was that, as its creator, he could roughly sense the locations of cultivators who practiced it. He could even sense the Source Power cultivated under its influence.
The Sea of Endless Gloom was an endless abyss of darkness that devoured all things. Even the You people only operated within regions familiar to them.
To locate the Piercing Spear driven by the Alliance into the Sea of Endless Gloom naturally required a few methods of his own.
Still, it would take some time for the technique to spread.
Li Ping first resumed his unfinished plan: sending the puppet body beyond Xuanhuang to comprehend the Dao.
After these days of final refinements, the puppet body fully met the Sacred Emperor's standards.
In fact, each time his consciousness descended upon it, an instinctive urge to shed his current vessel and switch bodies would surface unbidden, growing increasingly intense.
Because of this, Li Ping reduced the frequency of testing this puppet body.
The vast quantity of Lucid Flowing Crystals gathered in the Hongze Realm was also sufficient to allow him to break free from the Immortal Ruins' suction and successfully soar out of Xuanhuang.
Without telling anyone, concealed by formations and the aura of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, a rainbow light silently flew toward the firmament.
In the blink of an eye, it reached the world's frontier.
Once stripped of Xuanhuang's protection, the tremendous gravitational pull from the Immortal Ruins made Li Ping's expression shift slightly.
Knowing of the existence of a True Immortal's power and experiencing it firsthand were two entirely different things.
Only when truly facing this True Immortal might, as vast as mountains and seas, could one understand one's own insignificance.
Even though he, the Sacred Emperor, was already among the foremost powers in the current Xuanhuang Realm, this remained true.
"The path is long and fraught with obstacles."
The Sacred Emperor sighed softly, releasing bursts of rainbow light in succession to counteract the Immortal Ruins' pull.
Meanwhile, the puppet body sped away in the opposite direction.
The radiance of the Xuanhuang Realm gradually dimmed, leaving only darkness in every direction.
Unlike the darkness of the Sea of Endless Gloom, the sea of stars was enveloped in utter, absolute dead silence.
And...
Even though nothing seemed to exist ahead, the Sacred Emperor instinctively sensed danger awaiting him there.
He decisively turned and skirted around that area.
For the remainder of the journey, whenever rampaging remnant immortal power that could threaten him arose within the pitch-black sea, he could anticipate it as if by clairvoyance and steer clear in advance.
It was as though this were not his first time setting foot in this sea of stars.
The Sacred Emperor puppet body narrowed its eyes, following an intangible perception deeper into the pitch-black sea.
He had already sensed the truth that the upper limit of laws in the star sea was higher than that of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Yet his destination was not the foot of the High Wall mentioned in the sword light message.
Instead, it was the place where new, higher-level laws were gestating within this Pitch-Black Star Sea.
There, the efficiency of Dao comprehension would reach its peak.
The rainbow light streaked across the void, as though the very passage of time had lost all meaning.
The Sacred Emperor gradually moved beyond following the guidance of his inner premonitions; instead, he altered his course along a profoundly wondrous rhythm mysteriously surging through the silent star sea.
As though truly immersed in a boundless ocean, he found the turbulent currents concealed beneath the tranquil surface.
His speed surged abruptly, covering tens of millions of li in an instant.
Tremendous forces tore all around him; even the protective rainbow light shattered into pieces under the wrenching grasp of this unknown might.
Li Ping remained undistracted, paying no heed to the mortal danger as he quietly contemplated the wondrous shifts unfolding around him—wonders never seen within the Xuanhuang Realm.
"Destruction and renewal."
"People of the Xuanhuang Realm view this dead starry sky as the Pitch-Black Star Sea. Yet, unbeknownst to all, life is slowly reviving within it."
"However, it is still at its most primordial stage. The entire process is so glacial that, observed from the perspective of a 'human,' it is destined to be nearly imperceptible."
"This has nothing to do with comprehension or talent. It is purely the difference destined to arise between different life-forms across vastly different scales..."
"However..."
A curious rhythm slowly awakened upon the Sacred Emperor puppet body.
It was the distinct aura belonging to the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao!
Indeed, when the Sacred Emperor quietly sent his puppet body out of the Xuanhuang Realm to comprehend the Dao, he had kept everyone in the Sacred Dynasty in the dark.
Yet how could he hide it from the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao?
At Its insistent demand, and bearing the resolute intent of no return, a sliver of Its consciousness had attached itself to the puppet body.
Following along, It had departed Xuanhuang and journeyed into the depths of the star sea.
Unlike Its purpose countless years ago,
this time, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao had also come to "learn the Dao"!
Before its destruction, the upper limit of the Pitch-Black Star Sea's laws already surpassed Xuanhuang.
Though the Xuanhuang Realm had eked out survival to this day, its own foundational power had never sublimated over the vast span of time.
Taking into account that it had devoured many fragments of cultivation realms—though largely claimed and occupied by cultivators—it had still grown slightly on the whole compared to before.
Yet the newborn Dao principles gestating within the Pitch-Black Star Sea were inherently a tier above those of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Naturally...
For the Xuanhuang Realm, observing these nascent forms within the Pitch-Black Star Sea was likewise a tremendous opportunity for It.
Previously, first, there had been no trustworthy cultivator upon whom It could hitch a ride; second, there had been no way to escape the suction of the Immortal Ruins.
Thus, even if the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm harbored such intentions, It had possessed no means of carrying them out.
Now, with the Destined Sacred Emperor's presence, everything was different.
Li Ping had completely relinquished control of the puppet body to the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao.
He remained merely an onlooker, perceiving and contemplating.
This alone was something virtually no other cultivator in the Xuanhuang Realm could ever accomplish.
Like a young child who had not ventured outside in ages beholding breathtaking scenery,
Li Ping felt joy, excitement, and a thrilling exultation radiating from the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao...
As well as an increasingly bright Pitch-Black Star Sea.
Calling it bright was perhaps an exaggeration.
It was merely scattered specks of starlight appearing here and there.
Yet amid this star sea that had once been pitch-black and dead, they were strikingly conspicuous.
The puppet body seemed to dissolve, and perspective broadened countless times over.
The center of the entire Pitch-Black Star Sea—not in a spatial sense, but in the sense of life itself—emerged before Li Ping.
Like a faintly pulsing heart, faint though it was, it unmistakably represented life, hope, and the future.
The Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao and Li Ping arrived beneath this beating heart.
Greedily, they seized and absorbed the revitalizing power radiating outward with each pulse of the star sea.
In an instant, countless scenes flooded his mind.
There were worlds shattering and stars rising and falling.
There were civilizations flourishing, answering heaven's call.
There were shadowy silhouettes like monstrous beasts, lurking within dark mists and ready to pounce at any moment.
...
Amid these myriad shifts of change and constancy, the Pitch-Black Star Sea in the wake of destruction still steadily and perseveringly sought to burst forth with life once more.
This was naturally the Origin Dao of this star sea, yet it was also a tenacious resolve capable of moving one to tears.
Unable to endure such vast and pure Star Sea Origin Dao intent, the puppet body began to disintegrate inch by inch.
Yet at this moment, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao's consciousness and the Sacred Emperor Li Ping felt neither worry nor fear in their hearts.
"Compared to the entire Pitch-Black Star Sea, what does the tribulation suffered by the Xuanhuang Realm amount to?"
"If the star sea can revive from destruction, the Xuanhuang Realm can surely do the same."
Seizing this final opportunity, the two committed as many insights to memory as possible.
Li Ping also knew that the Pitch-Black Star Sea's Origin Dao intent was not something he was currently qualified to pry into.
What he currently perceived was truly like blind men touching an elephant.
Everything he saw and comprehended was merely the sliver he desired and was able to perceive.
Yet even so, this minuscule fraction relative to the vast star sea held immense significance for them.
Right at the instant the puppet body was about to completely break apart and vanish,
the primordial consciousness of the reviving star sea seemed to detect the presence of Li Ping and the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao.
It cast a glance in their direction.
Yet evidently, the fragile puppet body could no longer withstand such unfathomable power.
It was annihilated amid the boundless might.
However, before consciousness faded,
with the help of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, Li Ping caught a fleeting, blurry vision.
It appeared and vanished so swiftly that Li Ping could not even be certain whether it was an illusion.
The Immortal Dao collapsed, the star sea shattered, and calamity swept across the cosmos.
A figure whose face and features were obscured grew fainter and fainter,
vanishing completely.
Only his soft chuckle echoed for a long time across this star sea where calamity was about to unfurl.
"What does it have to do with me..."
"What does it matter to me..."
"Hahahaha..."
Boom!
The Sacred Emperor abruptly returned to reality.
He grunted, spitting out a mouthful of golden blood.
Cat Treasure, who had been dozing, snapped its head up and flew at the speed of light beside the floating blood.
It swallowed the blood directly into its belly.
"Meow! Meow-meow!"
Then, as if fearing Li Ping's reprimand, Cat Treasure gave a few ingratiating mews.
Circulating Golden Source Power to slowly mend the injuries within his body, Li Ping did not hold it against Cat Treasure.
All his thoughts were focused on that fleeting vision.
"That figure..."
The Sacred Emperor's heart was heavy with solemnity.
Anyone capable of remaining indelibly etched into this star sea even as it revived from ruin could never be an ordinary figure.
Merely dwelling on that existence for a brief moment in his mind caused a faint sense of peril to stir within the Sacred Emperor.
A sudden shiver went through him, and he slowly forced himself to stop thinking about it.
Yet soon, the Sacred Emperor discovered he had worried for nothing.
For even without deliberately letting it fade, the memories concerning that figure were involuntarily fading away on their own.
"This state..."
"It has not quite reached the legendary realm of a 'Nameless True Immortal,' but it seems only half a step away."
The Sacred Emperor carefully pondered the meaning the reborn star sea had sought to convey in that fleeting moment.
"If I am not mistaken, the culprit behind the rampaging calamities across the star sea is very likely this person..."
The Sacred Emperor frowned slightly, striving to seize the memories about to vanish from his mind.
In the end, countless details melted away.
All that remained were four words: "What has it to do with me?"
"Immortal He Gan." The Sacred Emperor's expression turned inscrutable.
Upon the Sacred Emperor Throne, Li Ping sat for a long time in silence.
Cat Treasure also seemed to sense something, crouching low with its head scanning all around in a hunting posture.
It appeared to be looking for whatever presence had made Li Ping so wary.
Yet in the end, it found nothing.
Cat Treasure grew lazy once more and drifted back to sleep on Li Ping's shoulder.
As for the Sacred Emperor, he began to digest the gains from his journey into the depths of the star sea.
Not only him.
Even the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, owing to this distant journey, began to undergo changes that had not occurred for a very long time.
Like the reborn Pitch-Black Star Sea, it nourished all things silently, still unnoticed by the world.
Yet it was truly, undoubtedly happening.
Between heaven and earth, only a precious few could perceive it.
In Great Qi.
At a teahouse in Shengjing, Slate, who had been chatting idly with people, shifted slightly in expression and looked into the distance.
Within the space of Simmering Mortal Longevity, Ruomu, who was pruning his own withered branches, stared dumbfounded at the green shoot sprouting from a yellowed twig, utterly astonished.
Ten thousand li underground, the Earth Vein Ancient Tree felt the surging force from the Xuanhuang Realm swell with unprecedented vigor without any warning, as if something were brewing. It filled him with both anticipation and dread.
...
"'Past the sunken boat, a thousand sails glide by; beyond the withered tree, ten thousand saplings spring.'"
Inside the space of the Dharma Deduction Jade, these two lines of verse suddenly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
"So using the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao to comprehend within the star sea is how one reaps the greatest harvest."
"Because a mortal's perspective and the perspective of heaven and earth are fundamentally different."
"Just as back then, when I comprehended Formless Killing Intent with the help of the Vast Sea Pearl."
"Creating the Sacred Emperor clone this lifetime to aid the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao really was an accidental stroke of genius."
Li Fan felt immense delight.
Although the resonance between him and the Sacred Emperor had grown very faint, the impact of the Star Sea Origin Dao intent had been so colossal that he still grasped a portion of what the Sacred Emperor and the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao had comprehended.
Most crucially, he had mastered the method.
So long as he possessed the method, he could recreate it in his next life.
Chapter 1262