Integrating a Dao Fruit into the Heaven Realm required no specific location; being within the Heaven Realm was enough.
At that moment, Lu Changsheng was inside his cave dwelling. His expression was solemn as he adjusted his condition.
As time passed, Lu Changsheng brought himself to his absolute peak.
"Begin."
In the next moment, three Dao Fruits materialized behind Lu Changsheng.
All three Dao Fruits had attained consummation.
The moment they appeared, an invisible pressure permeated the entire cave dwelling.
"Merge."
Lu Changsheng followed the method of merging Dao Fruits. In fact, an established method for this already existed.
Lu Changsheng's Dao Fruits trembled slightly.
Through the Dao Fruits, Lu Changsheng could faintly sense an unseen will lingering in the void.
Yes, a will.
This will was vast and sacred, yet seemingly filled with warmth.
It carried an innate feeling of closeness.
Lu Changsheng could even sense that mass of will spanning the entire Heaven Realm.
This sent a jolt running through his whole body.
*This is... the Heaven Realm's will!*
The thought flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind.
The will of the Heaven Realm! It was equivalent to a world giving birth to its own will.
In truth, this was normal. A rock, a tree, a flower, a blade of grass—given enough time, any of them could awaken a will.
If even stones, flora, and vegetation could give birth to a will, why couldn't the Heaven Realm, which nurtured countless trillions of living beings, produce a world will?
However, vast, sublime, and powerful as this will was, it still seemed rudimentary and nascent.
It lacked defined intent or autonomous agency, merely following fundamental rules.
For example, the Heaven Realm's will instinctively favored creatures born within the realm while repelling life from beyond it.
Such a nascent will had both merits and drawbacks.
The benefit was that a rudimentary will functioned like basic natural laws; no one needed to worry about being controlled or manipulated by the will of the realm.
The drawback was naturally that this nascent will could not actively expel the You clan—such as in regions of the Heaven Realm that the You clan had corrupted and converted.
If the Heaven Realm possessed a strong, conscious will, the realm's full power would mobilize to reject them. Under such circumstances, even with origin stones, the You clan could never have succeeded in converting those areas.
Yet precisely because there was no strong world will, the You clan had succeeded. It truly was a double-edged sword.
Still, for Golden Immortals, this nascent will made merging their Dao Fruits considerably easier. As long as a Dao Fruit was consummated, there was virtually no danger.
The vast will of the Heaven Realm merely swept over Lu Changsheng's three Dao Fruits before returning to calm.
Lu Changsheng's Dao Fruits flickered slightly, then vanished from sight.
They had integrated into the Heaven Realm, and their information was now being recorded by the realm's will.
However, this process was accompanied by a tremendous commotion. Inside his cave dwelling, Lu Changsheng remained unaware of what was happening outside.
At that moment, many throughout the Heavenly Court noticed something amiss.
The void suddenly became overcast with dense, roiling dark clouds. Layers of black clouds gathered as a terrifying aura blanketed a radius of ten thousand li.
Numerous immortals raised their heads and stared into the void. The pressure sent a distinct tremor of dread through their hearts.
"What is going on?"
"What terrifying pressure! Even as a Golden Immortal Venerable, I feel my heart pounding in dread. Has something happened?"
"What could possibly happen in the Heaven Realm?"
"Someone is merging their Dao Fruit to ascend to Taiyi! But I have merged a Dao Fruit before, and the commotion was nowhere near this terrifying. They say that during the integration of a Dao Fruit, the greater one's potential and strength, the larger the phenomenon and the more horrifying the pressure."
"This pressure can actually suppress Taiyi Immortal Venerables? If someone is truly ascending to Taiyi, it is simply unimaginable! They haven't even broken through to Taiyi yet, yet the mere pressure of integrating their Dao Fruit into the Heaven Realm can suppress a Taiyi—who on earth is ascending?"
"That direction... it can't be, could it be Immortal Venerable Changsheng again?"
"Immortal Venerable Changsheng? His cave dwelling really is over there. If it's him, anything is possible."
"Still, Immortal Venerable Changsheng only just ascended to Golden Immortal Venerable! How could he already be ascending to Taiyi? That's impossible..."
Chatter erupted among the immortals. After all, the phenomenon spanned an astonishingly wide area—a full ten thousand li.
With such an immense range, had any Taiyi Immortal Venerable ever caused such an uproar upon ascending?
None! Not a single one.
Typically, ascending to Taiyi affected an area of several dozen li. Slightly stronger individuals spanned a hundred li, and only the absolute peak figures reached several hundred li.
Yet this disturbance spanned not hundreds, nor thousands, but ten thousand li. The disparity was staggering.
Such a colossal commotion even alerted the Dao Ancestors.
*Whoosh.*
The first to appear was Pan Ancestor.
Following Pan Ancestor, a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth... in the end, five Dao Ancestors appeared.
Several Daluo Immortal Venerables who had not departed for the chaos also looked upon the ten thousand li of void with uncertainty and astonishment.
"Pan Ancestor, is this Immortal Venerable Changsheng's doing? A range of ten thousand li... The speed at which he is ascending to Taiyi is truly inconceivable. Furthermore, the commotion of his ascension completely eclipses every Golden Immortal in history. It is simply incredible."
"Pan Ancestor, I made a few divinations earlier and discovered that Lu Changsheng is not the Heaven Realm's Child of Destiny. He is not a Child of Destiny, yet he repeatedly works miracles, and each of his breakthroughs is so extraordinary. Just what makes him so special?"
"Bizarre, truly bizarre. Lu Changsheng possesses three Dao Fruits; we are all aware of that. But only the Mortal Dao Fruit is truly exceptional. As for the other two, while formidable, they shouldn't be enough to cause such an immense impact. Pan Ancestor, do you have any insight into this?"
Those speaking were all Dao Ancestors. Each of them had been the most outstanding paragon of a past epoch; otherwise, they could never have achieved the realm of Dao Ancestor. Even so, they held immense respect for Pan Ancestor.
After all, the immortal race's cultivation methods had been created and passed down by Pan Ancestor. In theory, these six Dao Ancestors could all be considered Pan Ancestor's disciples.
Pan Ancestor looked toward Lu Changsheng's cave dwelling as well. He naturally knew Lu Changsheng was integrating his Dao Fruits to break through to Taiyi. Still, a disturbance of this scale spanning over ten thousand li surpassed even Pan Ancestor's expectations.
"Lu Changsheng is indeed not a Child of Destiny. If there is anything truly unique about him, it is likely his comprehension."
"His comprehension crowns all of history. To this day, I have never seen anyone whose comprehension could surpass his."
"Perhaps his three Dao Fruits are not as simple as we imagined."
"In fact, if our Heaven Realm is to birth a chaos lifeform to save our realm, the burden will likely fall upon Lu Changsheng..."
Hearing Pan Ancestor's words, the remaining six Dao Ancestors were all stunned.
Comprehension? That was something they truly hadn't considered. When it came to comprehension, which among them was not a peerless genius? Without sufficient comprehension, how could they have ever become Dao Ancestors? For that matter, even Daluo Immortal Venerables and Taiyi Immortal Venerables—which one of them lacked supreme comprehension?
Yet now Pan Ancestor claimed that Lu Changsheng's comprehension eclipsed past and present—surpassing everyone alive today. It was thoroughly shocking. At the same time, they knew Pan Ancestor never spoke without reason.
"A chaos lifeform..." the Dao Ancestors murmured softly.
In theory, these Dao Ancestors were the closest beings to becoming chaos lifeforms. After all, they only needed to take one more step forward.
In reality, the Dao Ancestors who understood chaos lifeforms were crystal clear on the matter: it was impossible for them to become chaos lifeforms.
Long before the You clan's invasion, they had journeyed deep into the chaos in search of opportunities to become chaos lifeforms. Yet the deeper their understanding grew, the more despair they felt.
They appeared to be only a single step away, but that step was like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how hard they tried, they could not take that final step.
They hadn't anticipated that Pan Ancestor would hold Lu Changsheng in such high regard—believing he possessed the potential to become a chaos lifeform.
Of course, potential was merely potential. How much time it would take to realize that potential remained unknown.
Lu Changsheng's process of merging his Dao Fruits drew the attention of countless onlookers. Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng's consciousness was completely immersed in the three Dao Fruits.
The information of the three Dao Fruits was being "recorded" by the Heaven Realm's will, effectively replicated. However, the process took an exceedingly long time.
One day, two days, three days... In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
Yet the Heaven Realm's will seemed perpetually unable to "record" Lu Changsheng's three Dao Fruits. More precisely, it could not record the Mortal Dao Fruit.
The other two Dao Fruits—the Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit and the Flesh Dao Fruit—had taken some time, but the Heaven Realm's will had successfully recorded their information, completing their integration.
Only the Mortal Dao Fruit remained.
Lu Changsheng continued to wait. Ten days, twenty days, thirty days... In a flash, an entire month went by.
Yet the information of the Mortal Dao Fruit still had not been recorded by the Heaven Realm's will.
Witnessing this, all seven Dao Ancestors immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Lu Changsheng... is in trouble!"
"His three Dao Fruits don't seem to have fully integrated into the Heaven Realm? But how could that be?"
"Immortal Venerable Changsheng's three Dao Fruits have all reached consummation, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Why can't they integrate into the Heaven Realm?"
"It's not all three Dao Fruits, but one that cannot integrate. The other two successfully merged into the Heaven Realm; only that single Dao Fruit seems to have run into trouble. Just what kind of Dao Fruit is it that even the Heaven Realm's will cannot record it?"
"Is it possible that the information within Immortal Venerable Changsheng's Dao Fruit is so vast and complex that even the Heaven Realm's will cannot record it?"
The Dao Ancestors exchanged hushed discussions. As Dao Ancestors, they could perceive many things clearly.
Even Pan Ancestor frowned deeply. He leaned toward the same conclusion: the information contained in Lu Changsheng's Dao Fruit was too colossal and intricate for the Heaven Realm's will to record.
Yet how was that possible? If true, it was utterly fantastical.
If even the Heaven Realm's will couldn't record its information, wouldn't that mean Lu Changsheng's Dao Fruit possessed the potential to transcend the Heaven Realm?
Though it felt completely absurd, the Dao Ancestors had no recourse under the circumstances; they could only continue waiting.
Lu Changsheng realized the problem as well.
He was already intimately familiar with the process of merging Dao Fruits into the Heaven Realm to ascend to Taiyi. Under normal circumstances, integrating a Dao Fruit took only a few shichen.
Even with three Dao Fruits and factoring in unexpected variables, it should have taken at most one or two days to integrate into the Heaven Realm. But how long had it been now? A full month!
Lu Changsheng had been merging his Dao Fruits for an entire month, only to get stuck on the Mortal Dao Fruit, unable to merge it into the Heaven Realm.
*Whoosh.*
Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. He halted the process.
Strangely enough, once Lu Changsheng stopped, he clearly sensed that the Flesh Dao Fruit and Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit had successfully integrated into the Heaven Realm. Only the Mortal Dao Fruit had failed to do so.
Normally, this would count as a failed breakthrough, and the other two Dao Fruits should have retreated from the Heaven Realm as well. But Lu Changsheng was different: two Dao Fruits had successfully integrated, while one had failed.
What was this supposed to be? A half-step Taiyi?
Such a thing had never occurred in the history of the immortal race. Integrating a Dao Fruit either succeeded or failed; there was no precedent of partially succeeding with some fruits and failing with others.
This completely defied all established knowledge. From Golden Immortal to Taiyi Golden Immortal to Daluo Golden Immortal, there had never been any such thing as a "half-step Taiyi."
Clearly, something had gone wrong with Lu Changsheng's cultivation—something major!
Lu Changsheng closed his eyes once more. He could indeed sense an elusive, mystical connection with the Heaven Realm.
In other words, if he perished outside, the Heaven Realm could still resurrect him. However, it would likely only be able to resurrect a Lu Changsheng with the Flesh Dao Fruit and Myriad Spirits Dao Fruit.
Should he fall, the resurrected Lu Changsheng would lack the Mortal Dao Fruit within him, as it had never integrated into the Heaven Realm.
Consequently, if he died and revived, his cultivation would regress from three Dao Fruits to two.
"So I've really become the one and only half-step Taiyi Immortal Venerable in the entire Heaven Realm?"
Even Lu Changsheng was struck speechless upon realizing this, falling into absolute silence.
What else could he say? A half-step Taiyi, unheard of in the history of the Heaven Realm, had manifested in him. This was not a flaw in the immortal cultivation system, but an issue unique to Lu Changsheng. And it was a massive issue!
Still, Lu Changsheng analyzed it carefully to uncover the cause. It wasn't difficult to find, and he soon pinpointed it. The root lay in his Mortal Dao Fruit—or rather, the divine ability Illusory Realm.
Why couldn't the Mortal Dao Fruit integrate into the Heaven Realm? Lu Changsheng racked his brains. Perhaps there was only one explanation: the divine ability Illusory Realm was exceedingly extraordinary. It likely aligned with the path of a World Master—the World Master cultivation system. The two were remarkably similar.
Apart from being illusory, the Illusory Realm now possessed its own River of Time. It was undeniably a world in its own right. How could the Heaven Realm possibly record the detailed information of another entire world?
"So it's because my Illusory Realm divine ability is too powerful..." Lu Changsheng let out a wry chuckle. He had finally found the cause.
Having an overly powerful divine ability wasn't necessarily a good thing. For instance, Lu Changsheng was currently unable to integrate his Mortal Dao Fruit into the Heaven Realm, leaving him as nothing more than a "half-step Taiyi."
Because of this, Lu Changsheng couldn't venture into the chaos with peace of mind. If he died and revived only to find himself missing the Mortal Dao Fruit and the Illusory Realm, wouldn't he suffer a devastating loss?
He had to find a way to resolve this issue.
Lu Changsheng pondered intensely. Yet racking his brains over it wouldn't bring about a solution.
After mulling it over, Lu Changsheng decided to leave his cave dwelling and seek out Pan Ancestor. He believed that with Pan Ancestor's vision and depth of knowledge, the ancestor might offer some guidance. And so, Lu Changsheng stepped out of his cave dwelling.
As Lu Changsheng emerged, the immortals in the Heavenly Court who had been watching him exchanged bewildered glances.
Those at or above the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm could especially sense that Lu Changsheng's integration of his Dao Fruits had been bizarre. Yes, utterly bizarre.
For an entire month, Lu Changsheng appeared to have made no progress in integrating his Dao Fruit. Yet it couldn't be called a total failure either; he seemed to have merged some Dao Fruits, but not completely.
Such a phenomenon was unprecedented; neither ordinary immortals, nor Daluo Immortal Venerables, nor even the Dao Ancestors understood what was happening.
"Immortal Venerable Changsheng's Dao Fruits seem to have merged into the Heaven Realm. Does that mean he successfully ascended to Taiyi Immortal Venerable?"
"Yet one Dao Fruit didn't integrate, so does that count as a failure?"
"Such a situation is completely unheard of. Does Immortal Venerable Changsheng count as a Taiyi Immortal Venerable now or not?"
Faced with this puzzle, even Daluo Immortal Venerables were at a loss.
Fortunately, Lu Changsheng left his cave dwelling and flew toward the Dao Ancestor Hall.
When Lu Changsheng stepped inside the Dao Ancestor Hall, he discovered that all seven Dao Ancestors were present, gathered together in one place.
Seven pairs of eyes fell upon Lu Changsheng, instantly bearing down on him with immense pressure.
Those gazes seemed capable of seeing right through his current condition. Even the Dao Ancestors knitted their brows, lost in thought.
Lu Changsheng bowed to each of them in turn, then said, "Greetings, esteemed Dao Ancestors. This disciple has a perplexity and requests Pan Ancestor's guidance."
He then explained the exact situation regarding his three Dao Fruits.
Although the seven Dao Ancestors already knew roughly what had transpired during his breakthrough, hearing it from Lu Changsheng's own lips dispelled any lingering doubts. Lu Changsheng had indeed run into trouble—and encountered an issue no immortal had ever faced before.
"May I ask, Pan Ancestor, does this disciple currently count as a half-step Taiyi?" Lu Changsheng asked cautiously.
The seven Dao Ancestors exchanged glances. "Half-step Taiyi" sounded absurd, yet it truly fit Lu Changsheng's present state.
"Half-step Taiyi..." Pan Ancestor looked at Lu Changsheng. "What is it you came here to ask?"
Lu Changsheng bowed once more. "This disciple wishes to consult the Dao Ancestors: what should I do about my current situation? More importantly, how should I proceed with my cultivation in the future?"
This was Lu Changsheng's primary purpose; it concerned his future cultivation path. In truth, whether he was called a half-step Taiyi or not didn't matter much to him. Even if he remained in this state permanently, he wouldn't mind. But what about cultivating further? Advancing from Taiyi Golden Immortal to Daluo Golden Immortal was intimately linked. Would being a half-step Taiyi hinder his future progress? He had to make sure, or it would prove an enormous problem.
Pan Ancestor's brow furrowed slightly. This was indeed a thorny issue. He questioned Lu Changsheng in greater detail.
Upon hearing Lu Changsheng describe the Illusory Realm, Pan Ancestor said directly, "Manifest your Illusory Realm so all seven of us can experience it firsthand. Perhaps we can devise a solution."
"Yes, Dao Ancestor."
With that, Lu Changsheng manifested the Illusory Realm.
*Boom.*
The Illusory Realm descended. In reality, the realm was formless and traceless, invisible even to the Dao Ancestors. However, they could perceive it; after all, Dao Ancestors were no ordinary immortals.
"Hmm?"
The moment the Illusory Realm descended and enveloped the seven Dao Ancestors, Lu Changsheng instantly felt enormous strain. Yes, strain.
He even sensed that if he attempted to forcibly suppress the Dao Ancestors, the Illusory Realm would immediately collapse. It far exceeded the realm's capacity for suppression. Formidable as Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm was, it clearly could not suppress Dao Ancestors.
Lu Changsheng felt the sheer impossibility of suppressing seven Dao Ancestors, but to the Dao Ancestors, they were equally astonished by how extraordinary the Illusory Realm was.
The sheer realism, blurring the boundary between reality and illusion until they were indistinguishable, filled them with immense marvel.
Moreover, with their vast knowledge, the Dao Ancestors immediately considered a possibility, sending turbulent waves crashing through their hearts.
"This is... the path of mastering a world?"
"A World Master... But this is an illusory world, similar to an illusion yet fundamentally different."
"A World Master... That is the legendary path of a World Master! Immortal Venerable Changsheng's heaven-bestowed divine ability actually shares subtle parallels with the path of a World Master? That is simply incredible."
"Although this Illusory Realm is unreal, it actually contains a River of Time, functioning almost identically to an actual world! No wonder it couldn't merge into the Heaven Realm. With such a Dao Fruit, how could the Heaven Realm's will possibly record its information?"
"To think Immortal Venerable Changsheng might have a shot at treading the path of a World Master! Yet even in the chaos, World Masters are pinnacle beings. It is said that World Masters stand on equal footing with Primordial Chaos Lifeforms, differing only in their cultivation direction and system."
"Only if Immortal Venerable Changsheng's Illusory Realm transforms from illusion into reality would walking the path of a World Master be possible. For now, the Illusory Realm remains purely illusory, so it is far too early to talk about treading that path..."
Perceiving Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm, even the seven Dao Ancestors were profoundly shaken.
"Dao Ancestor, this disciple can no longer hold on."
Having said that, Lu Changsheng hurriedly retracted the Illusory Realm.
Enveloping seven Dao Ancestors—even without attempting suppression—drained immense mental energy. In just that brief moment, Lu Changsheng could no longer sustain it. Any longer, and the Illusory Realm would have crumbled. It went to show that his realm still had its limits.
With the Illusory Realm retracted and gone, the seven Dao Ancestors nodded inwardly. However, they said nothing, pondering how to resolve Lu Changsheng's problem.
After a long silence, one of the Dao Ancestors said, "Lu Changsheng's current predicament is that the Illusory Realm exceeds the upper limit of the Heaven Realm's will. Unable to record the realm's information, it cannot integrate. But his other two Dao Fruits merged smoothly, which in truth already places him on par with a Taiyi Golden Immortal."
"Indeed, Immortal Venerable Changsheng is effectively a Taiyi Immortal Venerable now. Moreover, advancing to Daluo Golden Immortal requires cultivating the mind. Only an immortal mind can achieve Daluo, which has little to do with one's Dao Fruits. Therefore, this will fundamentally not impede Lu Changsheng's cultivation."
"The only trouble is that Immortal Venerable Changsheng cannot afford to perish. If he dies and resurrects, the Heaven Realm—having failed to record the Illusory Realm's data—would resurrect him without it, causing him to lose the Illusory Realm entirely."
The Dao Ancestors immediately understood the crux of Lu Changsheng's dilemma. Thinking it through, it was indeed troublesome. The Illusory Realm was of vital importance and could not be lost. Yet if Lu Changsheng ventured into the chaos, danger was inevitable, and he might perish. Should he fall, he would lose the Illusory Realm. Even if he retained two Dao Fruits, what would be the point?
"Actually, there is a way to lend Immortal Venerable Changsheng a helping hand," Pan Ancestor suddenly spoke up.
Yet seeing Pan Ancestor's solemn demeanor, the method was undoubtedly extraordinary—and likely exceedingly difficult! Even so, Lu Changsheng was overjoyed.
"Pan Ancestor, what method?" Lu Changsheng asked urgently.
The other six Dao Ancestors were equally curious. They had no idea what solution Pan Ancestor could have concocted. Everyone present was a Dao Ancestor of equal cultivation; if none of them could conceive of a good method, what could Pan Ancestor possibly do?
Noticing the confusion on their faces, Pan Ancestor looked across the crowd and said slowly, "In truth, helping Immortal Venerable Changsheng is quite simple: we need only sever a strand of the Heaven Realm's origin power and merge it into his Illusory Realm."
"With the Heaven Realm's origin power, the Heaven Realm will view the Illusory Realm as a part of itself. When the time comes, merging the Mortal Dao Fruit housing the Illusory Realm into the Heaven Realm will face no further resistance."
Pan Ancestor's words jolted the six Dao Ancestors. Their eyes went wide. The idea was fantastical, yet on closer reflection, it held real merit.
If the Illusory Realm incorporated the Heaven Realm's origin, it would become part of the Heaven Realm—at least in the eyes of the realm's will. Under those circumstances, would merging the Illusory Realm into the Heaven Realm be difficult? Not in the slightest. Lu Changsheng's predicament would be resolved effortlessly.
However, there was a problem with this method. A massive problem!
That was the Heaven Realm's origin! Severing even a strand of it was no trivial matter.
Although Dao Ancestors could mobilize the origin power within the Heaven Realm, that was merely channeling it without depleting the realm's foundation. Severing a strand of origin power, on the other hand, meant an irreversible loss to the Heaven Realm's origin.
While a single strand wouldn't significantly harm the Heaven Realm, the Dao Ancestor who did it would suffer a severe backlash from the Heaven Realm's will. For a Dao Ancestor, the repercussions would be devastating. A lone Dao Ancestor might not even withstand the backlash and could perish as a result. This was no exaggeration, but hard fact.
"Pan Ancestor, you know what severing a strand of the Heaven Realm's origin entails."
"A single misstep, and even we Dao Ancestors could fall! This is too dangerous—I object!"
One Dao Ancestor voiced clear opposition on the spot.
Regardless of the circumstances, Lu Changsheng was currently just an Immortal Venerable, or at best a Taiyi Immortal Venerable. No matter how immense his potential was, it was still merely potential. Could Lu Changsheng guarantee he would become a chaos lifeform? Could he guarantee he would successfully tread the path of a World Master? If he couldn't, asking a Dao Ancestor to risk their life severing a strand of the Heaven Realm's origin for his sake was something most Dao Ancestors would never agree to.
Lu Changsheng's heart sank. He knew how fraught this matter was. For a moment, a heavy silence fell over the Dao Ancestor Hall.
Chapter 431