All the Dao Lord phantoms vanished, leaving Qi Yuan standing alone in the Cosmic Spirit Sea.
"So, the ten Dao Lords are all one person. The truth about creating worlds in a dream cannot be leaked. Once... the Will of the Immortal Dao, or the cosmic wills, become aware of this, everything might collapse in an instant."
Perhaps it was precisely because Qi Yuan had tempered his true spirit to pure unity across the thirty-six lands of opportunity that he received this Dao Lord's legacy.
Otherwise, were he to return to the Immortal Realm or other worlds, informational elements would inadvertently leak out, causing both the Immortal Realm and the universes created by this Dao Lord in dreams to collapse and be destroyed.
"So for now, this news must remain buried deep inside me," Qi Yuan murmured.
The Dao Lord had passed on the legacy to him.
Beyond obtaining the most terrifying Illusory Dream Primordial Physique, he had also gained the coordinates of the universes created by this Dao Lord, as well as many insights into the Great Dao.
"Which is to say, although I have undergone the baptism of thirty-six lands of opportunity, in terms of sheer strength... I am still far behind this Dao Lord. Is this the true might of a Dao Lord?"
The gap between him and Dao Lord Nan Ke was vast.
If they met in Dao Lord Nan Ke's universe and fought, Qi Yuan would undoubtedly lose.
"Still, he belongs to that extremely powerful sort of Dao Lord... I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to spar with other Dao Lords," Qi Yuan mused.
Yet within their respective universes and Great Dao lineages, Dao Lords were an extraordinary sort of omniscient and omnipotent—invincible. In all likelihood... Qi Yuan still wouldn't be able to defeat them.
"Cultivation really is hard."
...
In the Immortal Realm.
Within the Ultimate Principle Society.
The Second Society Master wore a high-spirited expression.
Upon seeing Realm Lord Biluo and Supreme Venerable Dragon Turtle return, he hurried over to greet them.
"Realm Lord Biluo's magic power has grown even deeper. Congratulations are in order! If you wish to continue entering the Universal Void Realm, you will need more immortal veins. I have a plan that can help you acquire even more immortal veins," the Second Society Master said eloquently.
Supreme Venerable Dragon Turtle remained silent.
Realm Lord Biluo asked curiously, "What plan?"
In the Universal Void Realm, his strength had improved considerably.
However, without the One Yuan Assembly, the number of immortal veins he consumed each day in the Universal Void Realm was staggering.
Even with the foundations of Biluo Heaven, sustaining it long-term was impossible.
"The Immortal Realm is vast and boundless, holding countless unknown immortal veins. As the foremost figure of the Immortal Dao, Realm Lord Biluo should unify the Immortal Realm! With all under heaven submitting, the immortal veins across heaven and earth will naturally fall into your hands." Thick ambition gleamed in the Second Society Master's eyes.
If Realm Lord Biluo unified the Immortal Realm and became its master, then he himself would truly be beneath only one person and above hundreds of millions.
"Absolutely not!" Realm Lord Biluo's expression changed drastically.
The Second Society Master was baffled. "Is Realm Lord Biluo moved by benevolence?"
"No, it's just... the foremost figure of the Immortal Dao? You overestimate me," Realm Lord Biluo said solemnly. "In the Universal Void Realm, there are countless Realm Lords... whose strength surpasses mine. I am like an ant."
He explained the situation inside the Universal Void Realm and the rough number of experts to the Second Society Master.
Hearing this, the Second Society Master's expression froze.
He had never imagined that figures as mighty as himself and Realm Lord Biluo would merely be cannon fodder in the Universal Void Realm.
Even so, he was still perplexed. "All the more reason, Realm Lord Biluo, for you to unify the Immortal Realm, pool all resources, and elevate your strength."
Realm Lord Biluo shook his head. "Do you know that the number one figure in the Universal Void Realm can slaughter Heaven-Opening Realm Lords with a flick of his finger?"
The Second Society Master was a bit lost, not understanding the relevance of this.
What did that have to do with unifying the Immortal Realm?
"This person... hails from our Immortal Realm. It is none other than Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns."
"How could that be?!" A storm of shock surged within the Second Society Master's heart.
...
Twelve years passed in the blink of an eye.
"Time waits for no one!" Qi Yuan sighed.
He had aged another twelve years.
Sadly, he hadn't yet returned to Blue Star, missing out on twelve years of pension—what a massive loss!
Then again, remembering that he didn't seem to have paid social security and wouldn't be eligible for a pension anyway, his mood brightened right back up.
"Eldest Senior Brother... what are you fretting about?"
The little wealthy lady Jiang Lingsu walked over gracefully, her waist slender, her bosom generous, radiating endless charm.
"I'm fretting about how all things have life and death. Very soon... the Immortal Realm is going to be destroyed."
Hearing this, Jiang Lingsu didn't feel the slightest anxiety.
She had heard Eldest Senior Brother mention this many times and had grown used to it.
The Immortal Realm was indeed going to be destroyed and rebooted, but that was thirty billion years in the future.
That was simply far too remote for her.
"Before the Immortal Realm is destroyed, what does Eldest Senior Brother want to do?" An expectant look surfaced on Jiang Lingsu's fair face.
Having acquired a taste for passion, over these past twelve years she had frequently sneaked over to Qi Yuan's residence.
Sometimes she got her wish; other times she ran into Ning Tao, or Jin Li and the Canary, and "reluctantly" joined the fray.
"I want..." Qi Yuan pondered seriously.
He hadn't really thought about this question.
"If it were me, tee-hee..." Jiang Lingsu smiled playfully with her beautiful eyes, her warm, delicate body collapsing into Qi Yuan's arms.
With fragrant, tender warmth in his embrace and her rosy lips soft and sweet, Qi Yuan turned from guest to host. He hoisted her skirt up to her waist, exposing her slender, fair, tender legs to the air.
At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
'The abyss of desire is hard to fill. It seems... I'm really not cut out to step into the fifth tier of the Yang God realm and become a Dao Lord.'
The path of the fourth tier of the Yang God realm was the dissolution of the true spirit in pursuit of ultimate power—gaining supreme strength at the cost of one's true spirit.
This was very similar to the fifth tier of the Yang God realm.
To become a Dao Lord, one not only had to become the strongest in a single Dao, but also extinguish all desires, retaining only the craving to pursue strength.
Only when one's physical body, divine soul, and will were tempered to the absolute limit could one step into the fifth tier of the Yang God realm and reach the end of the cultivation path.
Regrettably, Qi Yuan could not do that.
True, he had always strived to grow stronger and pursue great power.
Yet to him, power was merely a tool.
He mastered power so that he could live a better life, having everything go as he wished and doing whatever he pleased.
If he had to abandon everything just to master power, how would that be any different from entering the fourth tier of the Yang God realm?
The world was vast, and the mortal dust held far too many wonders he had yet to experience.
"Who would've thought? Even though I'm already this strong, my mindset is still that of a little punk," Qi Yuan mused.
Still, sometimes being a carefree little punk felt pretty great.
Half a day later, Qi Yuan lay lazily. "Qi Yuan, oh Qi Yuan, you need to exercise some restraint. There are only thirty billion years left before the Immortal Realm is destroyed. You need to think hard about a solution and stop indulging in the arms of beauties."
The sunlight washed over him, making him feel delightfully lazy.
Just then, his consciousness suddenly stirred.
"I've finally found the location of the Chongyuan Universe?"
Over these past twelve years, Qi Yuan had been diligently searching for the worlds Dao Lord Nan Ke had created in dreams.
Especially the Chongyuan Universe.
This universe was the most special.
It was where Dao Lord Nan Ke attained the Dao, and the place where he discovered the Illusory Dream Primordial Physique.
After obtaining the Illusory Dream Primordial Physique, Dao Lord Nan Ke had always hoped to see more "Illusory Dream Primordial Physiques."
Because the "Illusory Dream Primordial Physique" he obtained was incomplete and flawed.
Thus, using the Chongyuan Universe as bait, he hoped to hook more visitors from the outside world.
And... he succeeded.
He learned of even more terrifying physiques, but the Illusory Dream Primordial Physique never appeared again.
Unfortunately, he had already become a Dao Lord, and the Chongyuan Universe had entered an eternal cycle.
The outsiders he hooked were those who had already arrived in the Chongyuan Universe to begin with.
Therefore, Dao Lord Nan Ke later chose nirvana, severing the futures of the various universes.
In that case... the Chongyuan Universe might have gained a few more variables and hopes. Perhaps new outsiders... would arrive.
...
The Chongyuan Universe.
The Feiniao Realm.
A sturdy fortress stretched for ten thousand li.
This was the final sanctuary for humanity.
In the wilderness, brambles ran wild, and the environment was harsh. Even more terrifying were the soul-chilling dream beasts.
These horrifying dream beasts were virtually unstoppable; human strength was hard-pressed to contend with them.
Even powerful cultivators, once invaded by a dream beast in their dreams, could only collapse and die in an instant.
Of course, the beings here did not know that the so-called dream beasts were merely aggregates of "information."
This information contained truths such as "the Chongyuan Universe is half-illusory and half-real," "the Dao Lord has fallen," and so forth.
When this "information" spread into a living being's consciousness, that being would instantly crumble into nothingness.
Naturally, what was presented to the eyes of the world was that dream beasts invaded dreams and devoured the lifeforce of living beings.
At this moment, within the fortress.
The gaunt young man Wu Xue looked utterly despondent. Standing atop the city walls, he watched the endless stream of dream beasts outside, his face grim with sorrow.
"There are more and more dream beasts. Have reinforcements still not arrived?"
Beside him, a tall woman shook her head. "Who would reinforce us? How could they?"
In this world, only three fortresses still survived.
The situation in the other fortresses was not necessarily any better than here.
"Damn it, let's fight these dream beasts to the death!" a bearded man growled, a fierce glint in his eyes.
In the war between humans and dream beasts, humanity had suffered defeat after defeat.
The dream beasts weren't necessarily overwhelmingly strong.
However... let alone dream beasts entering their dreams, humans would die just by touching them.
"Fight to the death? What's the point? In my opinion... we'd be better off putting our faith in the True Creator. Perhaps only then will we have a slim chance of survival," a man in a golden robe said indifferently.
The expressions of everyone present shifted slightly.
The True Creator was the deity worshipped by the True Church.
Rumor had it that the True Creator created the Chongyuan Universe and all living beings within it.
The True Creator was the beginning of all things.
"Bullshit True Creator! To worship him, you have to surrender half your flesh and blood, half your spirit, and half your desires!" Wu Xue spat under his breath.
He felt nothing but contempt for this church.
"It's still better than dying," someone muttered.
"Hmph, and you think joining the church means you won't die?" another countered discontentedly.
Inside the fortress today, humanity was divided into several factions.
A great many belonged to the Church Faction.
The reason Wu Xue despised the Church Faction went beyond that—he believed the church was a bunch of swindlers.
This so-called church constantly claimed that when the True Creator awakened, all dream beasts would be wiped out and humanity would welcome the dawn.
Yet before that... sacrifices had to be made.
Who made the sacrifices?
Naturally, the low-ranking congregants and those congregants'... family and friends.
His former childhood sweetheart had been separated from him due to the Dream Beast Calamity and married a man from the church.
To fend off an invasion of dream beasts, that church member had actually sacrificed his own wife.
In the end, that man became a high-ranking church official.
Wu Xue had harbored bitter hatred ever since.
Just then, the tall woman suddenly looked beyond the city walls, her eyes widening. "Quick, look! Who's that?"
"A wanderer?" Wu Xue's eyes went wide, finding it hard to believe.
Although there were many wanderers when the Dream Beast Calamity first began, as the calamity grew increasingly vast, fewer and fewer wanderers remained, with virtually nowhere left to hide.
"Open the fortress quickly and let him in! If he stays out there and the dream beasts get close, he's dead for sure!" Wu Xue said.
At this point, the gold-robed man countered, "If we open the main gate right now and let dream beasts in, causing the fortress to fall, who will take the blame?"
"But... he's close, and the dream beasts are far. If we move fast, there's no way the dream beasts can get in!" Wu Xue said quickly.
"For this wanderer to survive roaming out there for so long, he must have some skill. If he joins us, maybe we can find a way to deal with the dream beasts," the tall woman said.
"Hmph. Aside from the True Creator, no one in this world can deal with dream beasts.
"Right now, the church is forging a divine artifact, and we have reached a critical juncture—not the slightest disturbance can be permitted.
"Even if you're right that dream beasts couldn't possibly get in, what if... what if he is a dream beast?
"Even if there is only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of disrupting the forging of the divine artifact, he cannot be allowed inside," the gold-robed man stated firmly.
If he did not agree, no one else had the authority to open the gate.
Wu Xue and the tall woman felt anxious and deeply worried.
Just then, a calm voice suddenly rang out:
"From your perspective, that does make sense; the gate shouldn't be opened. But well... I can enter without opening the gate."
As the words fell, Qi Yuan's figure appeared inside the fortress.
Seeing this, everyone present widened their eyes in shock.
One had to know that this fortress was the final stronghold of the Feiniao Realm.
Without the gates opening, even legendary Yang God experts could not have slipped in so quickly.
Yet this man had just sauntered right in, neat as you please.
Several people were struck dumb with shock, their faces filled with bewilderment and deep wariness.
"Who are you?"
"What did you come here for?"
they demanded.
"My name is Qi Yuan."
"I came here to ask you all: do you want to die?"
The moment these words left his mouth, everyone's expressions changed drastically, their wariness turning to terror.
Was this person... here to slaughter them?
"What do you mean by that?!" They glared furiously at Qi Yuan.
"Oh, forgot to mention: the kind of death I mean is the kind where you can revive by watching an ad," Qi Yuan added nonchalantly.
Upon arriving in the Chongyuan Universe, he discovered that this universe was in a state far more tragic than he had imagined.
Most living beings in the Immortal Realm still didn't know that the Immortal Realm Dao Lord had fallen, nor did they know that the Immortal Realm was created by a Dao Lord in a dream.
The Chongyuan Universe, however, was not so fortunate.
A vast amount of information had leaked out, forming natural catastrophes like the dream beasts. If this went on, the universe would gradually collapse into ruin.
"Revive by watching an ad?" Hearing this, Wu Xue looked puzzled, but then a realization hit him, and shock plastered his face. "Are you from the Advertisement Society?"
Beside him, the gold-robed man also looked deeply wary. "This place is under the divine grace of the True Creator. Advertisement Society... leave immediately!"
He had heard a thing or two about the Advertisement Society.
It was a newly risen church.
This church was both mysterious and terrifying.
Rumor had it that to join this church, one had to die once and then revive by watching an ad.
Supposedly, everyone who joined this church had died once and claimed the ads were great to watch.
The gold-robed man, however, didn't believe a word of it. They had to be swindlers.
How could anyone die and come back to life?
Chapter 585