My Dao Lord Friend

After roughly seven times seven, forty-nine days, the Dao Lord Gathering came to an end. The Dao Lords departed one after another, and Qi Yuan was no exception. Yet before he could leave, a Dao Lord called out to halt him. "Young friend, please wait." "Old man, why call for me?" Qi Yuan turned toward the ordinary-looking Dao Lord. This Dao Lord was none other than the Gou Dao Dao Lord. His face, if cast into a crowd, was entirely unremarkable—the sort of presence people barely noticed at all. "Your natural talent is something I have never seen in all my years, young friend. Perhaps you look down on the Dao Lord realm and would rather choose True Spirit Reincarnation. But I must say, the waters of True Spirit Reincarnation run exceedingly deep," the Gou Dao Dao Lord said with a solemn expression. "I do not know how many eras I have lived, and I have seen far too many genuine chosen of heaven. Stuck at the Realm Lord level and unwilling to break through, they ultimately chose True Spirit Reincarnation. Of the Realm Lords who chose True Spirit Reincarnation, those I know of alone number seventeen thousand two hundred." A look of reminiscing showed on the Gou Dao Dao Lord's face. Most of these Realm Lords possessed astonishing talent. Some chose True Spirit Reincarnation of their own accord, while others undertook it under the instructions of Dao Lords. Among them, some had even stood a chance of mastering a Dao to become Dao Lords. However, becoming a Dao Lord meant entering the Cycle, so they preferred True Spirit Reincarnation instead. "So many Realm Lords reincarnated their true spirits, and even the Dao Lords who did so reached double digits. Yet... not a single one has ever returned," the Gou Dao Dao Lord sighed. His own talent was modest; his singular virtue was staying low and lying low. Those Realm Lords and Dao Lords lacked no peerless geniuses who had chosen True Spirit Reincarnation to seek a new way out. Yet up to now, not one had ever returned. That was profoundly telling. It indicated that among those figures, not a single one had likely broken through beyond the Dao Lord realm. Evidently, the success rate of True Spirit Reincarnation was negligible. Or perhaps, it was a dead end altogether. The Gou Dao Dao Lord had come out of his way to tell Qi Yuan precisely because he feared Qi Yuan might follow the path of those peerlessly gifted Realm Lords—looking down on the Dao Lord realm and ultimately choosing True Spirit Reincarnation. "The method of True Spirit Reincarnation... who gave it out?" Qi Yuan could not help but ask, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "All who attain the Dao become omniscient and omnipotent; the method of True Spirit Reincarnation is simply part of that," the Gou Dao Dao Lord answered. Hearing this, Qi Yuan's gaze remained calm. Upon attaining the Dao, one became nearly omniscient and omnipotent, gaining vast knowledge—and the True Spirit Reincarnation technique was among it. "The road ahead for True Spirit Reincarnation is bleak and uncertain. Young friend, your talent is boundless, yet you have already transcended. You could wait a while longer for the results," the Gou Dao Dao Lord said. His words came from the bottom of his heart. In the past, he had thought the same way. He had waited for the results of the other Realm Lords and even Dao Lords who had reincarnated their true spirits. Yet he did not know how long he had waited. No results ever came. The universe had restarted who knew how many times. Day in and day out, he had watched the same people and the same repeating stories. Now... he was finally growing weary. He could no longer sit still. "Alright, don't worry. Before breaking through to the Yang God realm, I won't use the True Spirit Reincarnation method," Qi Yuan replied earnestly. Naturally, he would not choose True Spirit Reincarnation. He had the gaming jade slip to carry him to other worlds. His opportunity to break through to the Yang God realm lay in the next world. Presently, he was still merely at the Yin God realm, yet his combat prowess already approached the fourth and fifth tiers of the Yang God. How terrifying he would become once he broke through to the Yang God realm was difficult to fathom. He wondered if he would then be able to defeat an omniscient and omnipotent Dao Lord. "Embarking on True Spirit Reincarnation this time, I know not what lies ahead..." A smile appeared on the Gou Dao Dao Lord's ordinary face. "Heaven and earth remain unchanged while the years cycle. Someday, I hope to share wine and cheerful banter with you once again, young friend." After laying low for so many years, he was finally ready to cast caution aside and break through his limits. "How about you drink wine, and I drink fruit juice?" Qi Yuan replied. He had never been one to smoke or drink. The Gou Dao Dao Lord blinked, then chuckled. "Very well." With those words, his figure dissipated into the Ethereal Realm. Only Qi Yuan remained in that space. "The Yang God realm?" A complicated look crossed his eyes. ... In the blink of an eye, twelve more years slipped by. Over these twelve years, much had taken place. Qi Yuan had collected numerous cultivation manuals from various universes. It could be said that what Qi Yuan lacked least right now was manuals. All manner of Great Daos, cultivation systems, and secret arts were within his grasp. At present, these methods were more than enough to adapt the *Qi Yuan Scripture* all the way to the Yang God realm. Of course, sufficient though they were, an overarching canon was still missing. As for the Yang God realm, Qi Yuan had not yet settled on exactly how to proceed. During these twelve years, whether due to Qi Yuan's sheer luck or something else, the Palace Master of the White Profound Palace had met an inexplicable, sudden demise. Presumably, only in the next epoch would a brand-new Palace Master of the White Profound Palace emerge. There was another rather amusing incident. A hidden Great Ultimate Principle, driven by boundless ambition, had allied himself with the Biluo Realm Lord and urged him to strike against Ziyuan Heaven and against Qi Yuan in order to unify the Immortal Realm. Upon hearing this proposal at the time, the Biluo Realm Lord had turned pale with fright. He immediately apprehended the Great Ultimate Principle and delivered him straight to Ziyuan Heaven with profuse apologies. At the same time, terrified that something similar might occur again, he deliberately declared at the entrance of Ziyuan Heaven that Qi Yuan was the strongest being in the present age, whose realm and power far surpassed his own. When word spread, the Immortal Realm was shaken. Among everyone, the happiest was Ziyuan Xiaolu. Upon receiving the news, she made a banner bearing the words: "Senior Brother Blood Robe is stronger than Hei Jian, Number One in the Immortal Realm!" and strolled past An Xunlu's immortal cave every single day. Back when Qi Yuan annihilated the Taihuang Palace, she had done this once before. At the time, An Xunlu had stubbornly insisted that although Hei Jian was weaker than Qi Yuan for now, he might become the number one in the Immortal Realm in the future. Now, Senior Brother Blood Robe had subdued even the Biluo Realm Lord, leaving his overwhelming might beyond doubt. And so, she came to flaunt it once more, seizing every chance to bicker with An Xunlu. Naturally, these were all trivial matters. For Qi Yuan, what was truly worth mentioning was something else. "To think... all the stars in this universe have become my golden cores." As his strength increased, the speed at which Qi Yuan's golden core devoured stars had continually accelerated. In the end, he had condensed nearly infinite Stellar Golden Cores. The aura of the golden cores within his body was utterly terrifying. In fact, if Qi Yuan wished, his golden core could step into the fourth tier of the Yang God realm, existing in both past and future. "This universe is still constantly expanding, and stars will likely continue to be born and appear. This means... my Stellar Golden Cores have not yet reached their limit." Over these years, Qi Yuan had also noticed the unique nature of this universe. It was very similar to the universe of Blue Star, expanding endlessly at a speed far exceeding the speed of light. In contrast, the Immortal Realm, the Chongyuan Universe, and the universes where other Dao Lords resided, as well as the universes reached through the Universal Void Realm, were already fixed in form, save for newborn ones still expanding. They had fixed sizes. Vast though they were, they were not infinite. "The path of the Yang God... who created it?" A sudden whim struck Qi Yuan, leaving him slightly puzzled. "Forget it. If I can't figure it out, no point dwelling on it." Qi Yuan dismissed the thought. Right at that moment, a streamlined, silver-white spaceship flew past him. "After accelerating the flow of time... who would have thought civilization would develop so quickly? Even spaceships have appeared." This spaceship was a creation of the Flameshine Federation. Qi Yuan had allowed the Divine Infants in his body to manifest as deities, watching over these living beings he had brought forth when opening the heavens. At the same time, he employed divine abilities to accelerate the flow of time on these planets. Now and then, he also sowed technological seeds and immortal path seeds. The results were remarkably fruitful. Presently, the living beings in this universe numbered far more than billions. Civilizations capable of short-range interstellar travel like the Flameshine Federation were already fairly common. Certain cultivation civilizations had also developed impressively, even giving rise to magnificent entities at the Yin God realm. A few planets were peculiar, embarking upon alternative paths of the extraordinary. Those kinds of extraordinary power were things Qi Yuan had never seen before; though weak, their prospects seemed exceedingly bright. Of course, most living beings remained confined to their planets, living in prehistoric or agrarian eras. *Do I count as the creation god and supreme creator of this universe?* Qi Yuan mused. Looking at his Stellar Golden Cores in deep contemplation, he flickered and vanished once again. When he reappeared, he was back at the Divine Light Sect. "Eldest Senior Brother, you're back?" "These are the technique jade slips and some oddities sent to you by the Myriad Changes Society." Jiang Lingsu came wobbling over, carrying a towering pile of storage bags, looking as though it took quite an effort. Yet that was the perk of having an ample chest—it gave her something to rest them on. Had it been Canary, she probably would have needed a divine ability just to carry them. "Alright." Qi Yuan took the storage bags, and instantly, a torrent of information flooded his mind. The cultivation techniques he commanded grew substantially once more. Regardless, the more manuals, the better. As for the oddities, they were rare, peculiar items that even Realm Lords could not see through. Yet most of them... could be penetrated down to their roots and origins by a Dao Lord with a single glance. "Eldest Senior Brother, the Fish Cloud Gathering is only a few days away, and many people will be arriving in Great Shang. Do you have time? How about calling Sister Jin Li, Sister Ning Tao, and Little Sister Canary so we can all go take a look together?" Jiang Lingsu asked, expectation shining in her eyes. Although she had spent nearly every day with him over the past decade or so, often discussing cultivation methods and seeking guidance from him on her practice, her Eldest Senior Brother was genuinely busy, always burdened with an endless stream of tasks. She had known him for less than two centuries; for cultivators, they were still in their passionate honeymoon phase. She wished she could cling to him all day—or vulgarly speaking, be drilled every day. Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow and was just about to reply when a message suddenly reached him. "I need to make a trip to the Sole Palace. If I make it back in time, I'll join you all for the Fish Cloud Gathering." Having said that, Qi Yuan's figure vanished once more. ... Within the Seventh Heaven of the Immortal Realm. Space here was unstable, traversed by turbulent chaotic spatial currents. In such a place, living beings simply could not survive. Even cultivators of the first and second tiers of the Yang God realm would struggle to stay alive here. At this moment, several figures were gathered in the Sole Palace. Sword-Bearer Wuming wore a cold expression, exuding an aura that warned strangers to keep their distance. The others were mostly muddled or radiated extraordinary auras. "I heard another Mingzun Token was given out. Doesn't that mean... we have yet another competitor?" a woman with disheveled hair spoke up, her voice eerie. "What is the background of this newcomer?" "Tu Ri, this newcomer seems to have some connection with you. Back then, you severed your evil thoughts to form the Great Sun, and that Great Sun seems to have died by his hand." An old man looked at Tu Ri with gloating amusement. Behind Tu Ri, Tai Ri stood quietly, feeling a trace of shock upon hearing this news. Ever since the Taihuang Palace was breached by Qi Yuan, he had been forced to flee to the Sole Palace. Later, he was nearly devoured by a variant spirit of the Sole Palace. To his surprise, Tu Ri took notice of him and saved his life. Tu Ri accepted him as a disciple, which was how he learned that above the Great Ultimate Principle lay the Realm Lord level. Even among Realm Lords, vast disparities existed. His master, Tu Ri, was a Heaven-Opening realm Realm Lord—practically the strongest among everyone present. Tai Ri had never expected that the Supreme Venerable Ten Thousand Suns of back then, Qi Yuan, would also be able to obtain a Mingzun Token. This meant the other party had broken through the second tier of the Yang God realm and reached the Realm Lord realm. In a mere century, to achieve this was terrifying. Tu Ri gave a cold snort. "Hmph. The Great Sun was originally my evil thought. Had I not been asleep, I would have slaughtered him with my own hands. That junior helped me kill the Great Sun; I cannot thank him enough." Through his disciple, Tu Ri had learned some information about Qi Yuan. He was somewhat surprised that after such a long slumber, another chosen of heaven had emerged in the Immortal Realm who could break through to the third tier of the Yang God realm while still in the Sixth Heaven. Evidently, his talent was exceptionally high. Still, no matter how high his talent was, his cultivation time was far too short to compare to his own. The other old monsters shared Tu Ri's sentiments and did not pay much heed to this new Realm Lord. Their true competitors were one another. Having just broken through to become a Realm Lord, Qi Yuan's foundation was still shallow; it would be extremely difficult for him to pass Mingzun's trial, obtain the rare treasure manifested by Mingzun, and thereby seal the Dao Fruit of the Immortal Realm's Dao Lord. Although the Biluo Realm Lord had admitted that Qi Yuan was far stronger than himself, to the Realm Lords gathered here, that only proved the Biluo Realm Lord was too weak. "You're all here?" Qi Yuan's figure appeared, his expression placid. Tai Ri's gaze tightened slightly when he saw Qi Yuan. *It really is him.* He sighed inwardly. Back at the Ultimate Principle Society, he had been brilliant and dazzling. Though slightly inferior to Qi Yuan, he had been confident he would eventually surpass him. Yet now, he had not even attained the Great Ultimate Principle, while Qi Yuan was already a Realm Lord. The chasm between them had grown unimaginably wide. The other gazes also fell upon Qi Yuan. The gloating old man spoke in a sinister tone, "This fellow daoist has arrived rather late." "Ah, some friends of mine gifted me a few cultivation manuals. I took a look on the way here and accidentally got absorbed, so I was delayed a bit. My apologies, my apologies," Qi Yuan apologized earnestly. For that was the truth. One of the techniques was called the *Yin-Yang Joyous Union Rhapsody*. It could bolster cultivation with virtually no side effects. On his way here, Qi Yuan had been wondering whether he should try it out with his junior sister Jiang Lingsu to boost her cultivation. "At your realm, you still have friends capable of gifting techniques that satisfy you?" Tu Ri asked curiously. The difference between the second and third tiers of the Yang God realm was massive. In his eyes, the cultivation methods of the Immortal Realm were crude and simplistic. "Yes, more than one," Qi Yuan answered honestly. The six Realm Lords present fell silent. A flicker of disdain passed through the gloating old man's eyes. Sure enough, this new Realm Lord possessed a shallow foundation, treasuring even the crude arts of the Immortal Realm as precious gems. Naturally, his contempt did not escape Qi Yuan's eyes. "That look in your eyes—are you looking down on me, or looking down on my friends' cultivation manuals?" Qi Yuan asked bluntly. The old man's breath hitched. He had not expected his discreet disdain to be noticed immediately. Since the other party was also a Realm Lord, he did not wish to offend him too deeply, yet he still had his pride to maintain. Thus, he said, "I'm looking down on... your friends." Hearing this, Qi Yuan could not help but sigh. "Alas, to think my Dao Lord friends have so little face." At the words 'Dao Lord', the expressions of the Realm Lords present shifted slightly, yet none of them took it seriously. Dao Lord friends? How could that be possible? He had to be joking. After all, how could beings of that stature possess friends? Even if they did, those friends would be beings of the same realm. "Hey, Shaman Dao Dao Lord, this guy looks down on you. What do you think?" Qi Yuan said softly. Instantly, a profound and unfathomable aura descended within the Sole Palace. The character 'Wu' materialized. Seeing that single character of 'Wu', every Realm Lord present turned pale with dread, their hearts gripped by overwhelming shock. This aura... Just then, the character 'Wu' turned its gaze toward the sinister old man. The old man instantly felt as if he had plunged into a frozen abyss. This sensation... how many years had it been since he last felt it?