The Illusory Realm Evolves a World for the Third Time! After a Millennium, the Chaos Alliance Finally Transmits a Message!

The battle between the Nine Origin Holy Sect and the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect drew to a close. Although the Nine Origin Holy Sect had conceded defeat, they had not been driven to complete ruin. The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect could not crush them outright in a single blow, nor could they bleed them completely dry. However, the Nine Origin Holy Sect would undoubtedly suffer severe bleeding. For the next ten thousand or even hundreds of thousands of years, they likely would pose no threat to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. In this respect, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect had achieved its objective. As for the specifics of dividing spheres of influence and related matters, that would be left to direct negotiations between the two holy sects. Most of the Great Saints could return home. "A pity..." Lu Changsheng felt a tinge of regret. In truth, he really wished the two holy sects had fought a bit longer, or that a few more high-rank Great Saints had fallen. The greatest takeaway from this clash was learning that every high-rank Great Saint possessed a massive amount of Dark Domain origin power. Compared to high-rank Great Saints, those quasi-saint prodigies or Great Saint prodigies from before were simply not worth mentioning. If he could slay high-rank Great Saints, why would he ever have to worry about running short on Dark Domain origin power? The problem was that he lacked the ability. In fact, he was still far from it. It was not only Lu Changsheng who felt it was a pity; many factions watching the battle felt the same. "The Nine Origin Holy Sect lost too quickly. Although their losses were deep enough to break bone and sinew, their core foundation remains intact. Their fundamental footing is still there; they are still a dignified holy sect." "Indeed. The Nine Origin Holy Sect still stands, but their rising momentum has been severed. From now on, they can only endure continuous suppression by the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. Who knows when they will ever be capable of rising again." "Perhaps they will have to wait until an Emperor is born among them." "Heh, an Emperor? How could that be easy? It is more likely that the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect produces an Emperor before the Nine Origin Holy Sect ever does." "True enough. Wasn't the most dazzling figure this time Great Saint Changsheng from the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect? With only the cultivation of a two-Dao Great Saint, he managed to strike down three-Dao Great Saints, and more than once at that! One could say he is nearly invincible beneath the rank of four-Dao Great Saint." "In this grand battle, Great Saint Changsheng's contributions were truly monumental. Only because of him was the battle below the four-Dao level influenced, which in turn swayed the situation above the four-Dao level. In the end, these slight advantages accumulated step by step into an overwhelming dominance, allowing the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect to defeat the Nine Origin Holy Sect." "This Great Saint Changsheng might have hopes of becoming an Emperor in the future." Many factions had come to know of Great Saint Changsheng through this battle. A mere guest elder had achieved such extraordinary merit—it was truly astonishing. "The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect's victory isn't really that significant. So long as no Emperor emerges, and with the Heavenly Demon Forbidden Zone hanging over them, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect can only hunker down in their little corner." "Indeed. The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect went to war this time merely because other factions intercepted some of their disciples. Go back and notify everyone immediately: no one is permitted to intercept disciples of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. This battle has already displayed their might. As long as Emperors do not emerge, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect remains a top-tier faction!" "The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect truly possesses a profound foundation. To defeat the Nine Origin Holy Sect while bearing the weight of a heavenly demon on their border... the legacy of an Emperor truly cannot be underestimated..." And so, gaze after gaze vanished from the void. No one paid any further attention to the situation between the two sects. Lu Changsheng also returned to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. Inside his cave dwelling, he took stock of his harvest. "One hundred and thirty-two wisps of Dark Domain origin power?" Lu Changsheng felt a surge of joy. He had not expected to reap so much Dark Domain origin power this time. Most of it had come from the fall of the two high-rank Great Saints. Though the battle had raged with such ferocity, in reality only two high-rank Great Saints had perished. Even so, high-rank Great Saints were the fundamental pillars of both sects—their stabilizing anchors. The loss of even one was an enormous blow, capable of shaking their very foundations. Precisely because each side had lost one high-rank Great Saint, the two holy sects had ceased hostilities. Neither could bear the loss of another. This demonstrated just how vital high-rank Great Saints were to both holy sects. Still, the battle was over, and Lu Changsheng could not change that. Fortunately, with one hundred and thirty-two wisps of Dark Domain origin power in hand, he had more than enough to reopen the world. "Begin." With that, Lu Changsheng entered secluded cultivation to refine the Dark Domain origin power. While Lu Changsheng was in seclusion refining the Dark Domain origin power, the higher-ups of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect were discussing him. In the clash between the two holy sects, Lu Changsheng's performance had dazzled everyone from top to bottom. Even the high-rank Great Saints held him in exceptionally high esteem—at the very least, he was an Emperor seed! In fact, calling him an Emperor seed hardly did him justice. There were many Emperor seeds, but those who actually became Emperors were few and far between. Even among Emperor seeds, not many could become high-rank Great Saints; generally speaking, if an Emperor seed could become a high-rank Great Saint, it was already considered quite remarkable. Yet what about Lu Changsheng? In the eyes of the high-rank Great Saints, he was certain to become a high-rank Great Saint in the future. There was no doubt about it! As long as he did not perish midway, becoming a high-rank Great Saint was virtually guaranteed. A future high-rank Great Saint who also stood a chance of attaining Emperorhood—how could the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect not treat him with the utmost importance? "Elders, what are your thoughts on how to win over Great Saint Changsheng?" the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master asked. Those gathered here were all high-rank Great Saints, the true core who held sway over the entire holy sect. "Sect Master, Great Saint Changsheng is currently only a guest elder of our Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. We must find a way to make him a true elder of our sect!" "Making him an elder in name alone holds little meaning. After all, Great Saint Changsheng did not join our sect from the start, so securing his true devotion won't be easy." "Given Elder Lu's character, we simply need to treat him with utmost sincerity. I believe Elder Lu will surely feel the earnestness of our sect. Over time—after several centuries or millennia—men are not stones; who can remain unmoved? When the time comes, Elder Lu and our Dao Comprehension Holy Sect will naturally become one." "Indeed, this is the better approach..." The various Great Saints voiced their agreement. Their investigation into Lu Changsheng had been thorough. He was indeed an itinerant cultivator. Unfortunately, securing the complete allegiance of an itinerant cultivator was no simple feat. After all, how resolute was the Dao heart of a Great Saint? Thus, they could only rely on another way: treating him with sincerity! This method did not force Lu Changsheng's devotion. But as long as they treated him with genuine earnestness, over time and through subtle influence, he would naturally incline toward the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. If he truly became an Emperor one day, it would bring nothing but benefits to the sect! "Then how should we reward Elder Lu this time? In this grand battle, Elder Lu played a pivotal role!" another high-rank Great Saint asked. Silence fell over the assembly. Indeed, Lu Changsheng had played such a decisive role; if he were not rewarded, it would be utterly unreasonable, and hardly demonstrate that the sect treated him with sincerity. Therefore, a reward was mandatory. Yet what should they reward him with? That was the question! At that moment, a high-rank Great Saint spoke up: "I noticed that Elder Lu was especially interested in the Great Dao Stele. He likely wishes to comprehend new Great Daos from the thousand Daos inscribed upon it. In that case, let us bestow upon him a piece of Jade of the Great Dao. With it, he can draw closer to the Daos of the Dark Domain, sparking all manner of inspiration and greatly aiding his comprehension." Everyone's eyes lit up, though some hesitation lingered. The Jade of the Great Dao was an invaluable treasure of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect, second only to the Dao Comprehension Pool. Normally, it was only granted to Great Saints who had rendered monumental service to the sect. The reason was simple: the Jade of the Great Dao was limited, a non-renewable resource. It had been refined over an immense span of time by the Emperor of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect while he was still alive. There had been only twelve pieces in total. Several had been consumed over the years, leaving only five. If they bestowed one upon Lu Changsheng, only four would remain. Once exhausted, they would be gone forever. In the Sect Master's eyes, this reward was perhaps a bit too precious. "Sect Master, we must treat him with sincerity!" the high-rank Great Saint urged. The Sect Master pondered for a moment before making up his mind. "Very well. We shall bestow a piece of Jade of the Great Dao upon Elder Lu!" The various Great Saints nodded in agreement. Soon after, they took their leave. For high-rank Great Saints, the most important matter was advancing their cultivation in hopes of striving for Emperorhood. Everything else was trivial. Had this affair not concerned the life and death of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect, these high-rank Great Saints would never have shown themselves. ... Inside Lu Changsheng's cave dwelling. He was still refining Dark Domain origin power. Refining each wisp of Dark Domain origin power took a month. Lu Changsheng still needed to refine ninety-nine wisps, which would take ninety-nine months—roughly eight years and a few months. This was not an exceptionally long time. Immersed in refining origin power, over eight years slipped by in the blink of an eye. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "Finally perfected..." he murmured softly. In eight-plus years, his Illusory Realm had reached perfection. To advance any further, he would need to reopen the world. As for whether the Illusory Realm was sturdy enough for a third world reopening, Lu Changsheng had already resolved that issue. Having reconstructed forty-two Great Daos, his Illusory Realm had temporarily reached its structural limit and was incomparably stable, fully capable of supporting a third reopening. He spent a few days adjusting his condition. After roughly three months, he had brought himself to his absolute peak. "Begin." With a thought from Lu Changsheng, the vast Illusory Realm began to collapse. The realm collapsed rapidly. During the first and second reopenings, the collapse had taken merely a year, which was considered exceptionally fast. This time was fast as well, yet his Illusory Realm was vastly different from what it once was. Consequently, the collapse progressed somewhat more slowly. One year, three years, five years, eight years, ten years... This time, collapsing into a "singularity" took a full ten years. The collapse held little danger; the real danger lay in the explosion. If the Illusory Realm could not withstand the shockwave of the blast, it would shatter, and Lu Changsheng's breakthrough would end in failure. But with forty-two reconstructed Great Daos, the Illusory Realm was exceptionally robust, giving him supreme confidence in weathering the blast. *Boom!* In the next moment, the singularity born from the collapsed Illusory Realm detonated completely. Terrifying force surged outward in all directions like a tempestuous tide, and the singularity expanded with startling speed, swelling continuously. The process of explosion was in truth the process of evolving a world. It was just that the process was exceedingly slow. After all, this was an entire world. Ten years, fifty years, a hundred years, a hundred and fifty years... During the first two reopenings, the explosion had taken only a hundred years. But things were different now. As his Illusory Realm expanded again and again, evolving the world repeatedly, it required an immense amount of time. For instance, the fledgling chaos worlds in the chaos often took thousands or tens of thousands of years—or even longer—to fully evolve. And a Realm Lord's world was still a genuine world. Evolving a true world naturally required vast spans of time. Two hundred years, three hundred years, four hundred years, five hundred years... This time, across a span of five hundred long years, the Illusory Realm finally finished evolving completely. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "Finally succeeded..." He exhaled a long breath. To him, those five hundred years had felt like mere moments. "Five hundred years..." "The third reopening took five hundred years just to evolve the Illusory Realm. What about the fourth? Might that take over a millennium?" "Later, there will be a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, or even more. The further I go and the stronger the Illusory Realm becomes, the longer it will take to evolve a world..." An epiphany dawned in Lu Changsheng's heart. No wonder people said cultivation knew no passage of time. Seeing it now, that was truly the case. A few hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. In the future, passing thousands of years in an instant would be completely normal. Then again, it made sense upon reflection. After all, it meant evolving an entire world. How could a world be evolved in mere years? The longer it took, the more complete and refined the resulting world would be. Lu Changsheng promptly called up his attribute panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-tier comprehension World Master: 0% (three times) Chaos lifeform: 76% (initial stage) On the attribute panel, Lu Changsheng had indeed achieved his third world reopening. He felt the power of his Illusory Realm surge dramatically. He wielded an entire world; going all out with world power, how terrifying would the might be? Even a four-Dao Great Saint would likely be slain in a single blow! Lu Changsheng now possessed absolute confidence in that! "Hm?" "A message?" Lu Changsheng took out his message transmission stone. To his surprise, he found a transmission from the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master—and it had been sent over five hundred years ago. "A reward from the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect?" "The Jade of the Great Dao?" Lu Changsheng's eyes gleamed. Originally, he had intended to continue his cultivation. For instance, he still had thirty-three wisps of Dark Domain origin power to refine. Furthermore, he could simulate a third Great Dao to become a 'three-Dao Great Saint' in the Dark Domain. Yet comprehending a third Great Dao so soon—would that appear suspiciously fast? Lu Changsheng had harbored some reservations. But with the Jade of the Great Dao, things were different. Even if he 'broke through' quickly, it could be entirely attributed to the effects of the jade. With that thought, Lu Changsheng left his cave dwelling to seek out the Sect Master. Before long, Lu Changsheng met with the Sect Master. Seeing Lu Changsheng, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect Master smiled and said, "Elder Lu, you remained in seclusion for five hundred years at a stretch—truly unexpected! I trust your gains were bountiful?" To remain in seclusion for five hundred years must have yielded immense results. "I was fortunate enough to make some modest gains." The Sect Master nodded. Perhaps Lu Changsheng was already not far from comprehending a third Great Dao. Thinking of this, he hesitated no longer, retrieving the Jade of the Great Dao directly. "Elder Lu, during the last clash with the Nine Origin Holy Sect, you rendered immense contributions. This piece of Jade of the Great Dao can help you comprehend Daos more rapidly. By unanimous agreement of the elders, we bestow it upon you!" Seeing how solemnly the Sect Master presented it, Lu Changsheng knew this jade was no ordinary object. "My thanks to the Sect Master!" Lu Changsheng accepted the Jade of the Great Dao. "Elder Lu, while you hold the position of guest elder in our Dao Comprehension Holy Sect, in truth there is no difference between you and our core elders." Lu Changsheng understood what the Sect Master meant: they were trying to win him over. In truth, Lu Changsheng was neither surprised nor opposed to anyone attempting to curry his favor, so long as they treated him with sincerity. Clearly, the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect's actions were the definition of sincerity. Even the Jade of the Great Dao had been given to him—a gesture overflowing with earnest goodwill. After all, not even their true elders possessed a piece of the jade; only Lu Changsheng had been granted one. "Lu expresses his heartfelt gratitude to the Sect Master," Lu Changsheng said, before taking his leave. Returning to his cave dwelling, Lu Changsheng brought out the Jade of the Great Dao. He held it in his hand, then immersed his consciousness into it. Sure enough, he faintly sensed miraculous strands of power permeating the world, filling the vast void almost everywhere—omnipresent. "Is this... the Great Dao?" "Or rather... origin?" Lu Changsheng's heart gave a jolt. Origin! That was Dark Domain origin! And the Great Daos were merely a manifest form of the Dark Domain's origin power. However, the Jade of the Great Dao merely deepened his perception. As for directly seizing Dark Domain origin? That was utterly impossible; Lu Changsheng could not accomplish such a feat yet. Not only was it impossible now, but even if his cultivation matched a high-rank Great Saint in the future, he still would not be able to do so. "Phew..." Lu Changsheng exhaled. In his hands, this Jade of the Great Dao did not seem overwhelmingly potent. Yet it was not entirely useless either. The Great Dao Stele bore many Dao traces, and due to the passage of immense time, much of their power had dissipated, making comprehension exceedingly arduous. Even simulating them would have demanded tremendous time and energy from Lu Changsheng. Now, however, things were different. With the Jade of the Great Dao enhancing his comprehension of Daos, even traces that had lost much of their power over eons could likely be perceived and simulated by him. In that regard, the jade's utility was quite prominent. "I still have thirty-three wisps of Dark Domain origin power unrefined." "And I need to 'simulate' a third Great Dao to advance to a three-Dao Great Saint." Lu Changsheng's thoughts were lucid. He considered it further: his 'advancement' to three-Dao Great Saint needed to wait a bit longer. After all, doing so was merely for external appearances—a superficial front. If he immediately comprehended a third Great Dao right after receiving the Jade of the Great Dao, it might seem improper and raise suspicions. It was better to pace himself. Thus, Lu Changsheng set about refining the remaining Dark Domain origin power. In the blink of an eye, thirty-three months slipped by. In nearly three years, Lu Changsheng refined all thirty-three wisps of Dark Domain origin power completely. He brought up his attribute panel to look: Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-tier comprehension World Master: 33% (three times) Chaos lifeform: 76% (initial stage) On the attribute panel, Lu Changsheng was already a powerhouse comparable to a three-Dao Great Saint. In fact, in terms of sheer combat strength, he could likely strike down a four-Dao Great Saint! By this point, Lu Changsheng's strength had surpassed the subsidiary body of the Black Light Pagoda. In terms of combat capability, the pagoda could no longer assist him; its sole remaining utility was spatial shuttling. Even so, that alone was immensely valuable. "Next, I should simulate a third Great Dao to 'advance' to a three-Dao Great Saint and make it known throughout the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect!" Lu Changsheng estimated that nearly three years had passed. With the Jade of the Great Dao in hand, combined with his preceding five-hundred-year seclusion, simulating a third Great Dao at this juncture would not seem too abrupt. However, just as Lu Changsheng was preparing to simulate the third Great Dao, his body suddenly jolted. It was not his message transmission stone, but a token. The Chaos Alliance token was vibrating! Lu Changsheng's heart leapt. The Chaos Alliance token! There was finally activity! Could the Chaos Alliance have opened a passage to the Dark Domain? Otherwise, message transmission across the boundary would have been utterly impossible. Lu Changsheng calculated the time: he had been in the Dark Domain for over a thousand years. More precisely, it had been over twelve hundred years—nearing thirteen hundred. Only now did the Chaos Alliance make a move, which proved just how difficult opening a passage to the Dark Domain truly was. He immediately laid down layer upon layer of defensive formations, cloaking his cave dwelling to ensure that not even a high-rank Great Saint could peer inside. Only then did he take out the Chaos Alliance token. The token displayed a set of spatial coordinates, accompanied by an instruction for all chaos cultivators who received the coordinates to rush there as quickly as possible. Lu Changsheng retrieved a map. The Dao Comprehension Holy Sect's maps were exceptionally comprehensive. Comparing the coordinates, he instantly deduced that the location lay near the Cloud Dream Mountain Range. It was exceptionally far from the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. Even traveling at full speed would likely take several years. Yet no matter how far, Lu Changsheng had to make the journey. This was his only opportunity to leave the Dark Domain! He had originally planned to simulate a third Great Dao to break through into a 'three-Dao Great Saint,' but now, there was no rush to break through. He could use that very pretext to temporarily depart from the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. Traveling abroad to seek an opportunity for breakthrough was an excuse no one could refuse. With that thought, Lu Changsheng examined the Chaos Alliance identity token repeatedly before steeling his resolve. He left his cave dwelling and sought out the Sect Master once more. "Sect Master, as I comprehend the third Great Dao, I currently lack a crucial catalyst. I wish to travel the outside world for a time; perhaps I can grasp the third Great Dao that way," Lu Changsheng stated plainly. "Oh?" "Elder Lu has already reached the threshold so swiftly and is poised to advance to a three-Dao Great Saint?" "This is indeed a major matter. With the Jade of the Great Dao, it is only natural that you reached the threshold so quickly. Since it concerns your cultivation, this seat naturally will not stand in your way." The Sect Master nodded readily. When it came to cultivation matters, he naturally opened every door of convenience. "Thank you, Sect Master." Lu Changsheng took his leave. Before long, Lu Changsheng departed from the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect alone, traveling directly toward the Cloud Dream Mountain Range. In the Dark Domain, he dared not use the Black Light Pagoda to shuttle through space. If some Emperor sensed the disturbance and swatted him dead with a single palm, he would have nowhere to cry. Therefore, he flew through the air while openly displaying the aura of a two-Dao Great Saint. Furthermore, he revealed his status as an elder of the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect. That made things even more convenient; most factions gave face to the Dao Comprehension Holy Sect and did not hinder his journey. Thus, over the course of five years, Lu Changsheng reached the Cloud Dream Mountain Range smoothly without incident. The Cloud Dream Mountain Range was shrouded year-round in a layer of mist. This mist was exceedingly bizarre. It was said that once one strayed into the mist of the Cloud Dream Mountain Range, not even a Great Saint could extend their perception very far. Furthermore, the mountain range yielded almost no great medicine or valuable resources, which meant no major factions were established nearby, though a few small sects existed in the area. Lu Changsheng ventured deep into the mountains, entering the dense mist. Following the coordinates marked in the Chaos Alliance token, he drew steadily nearer. Soon, he arrived at the exact designated spot. "Hm?" Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Through the white mist, a fissure appeared faintly visible, flickering in and out of sight. However, the fissure was extremely unstable. Lu Changsheng knew that escaping through such a rift was out of the question for now. Nevertheless, the identity tokens of the Chaos Alliance were peculiar: as long as a conduit existed, communication across the two realms was possible. Right now, the distance was so short and no Emperors were nearby. Cautiously, Lu Changsheng laid out arrays to isolate and conceal the area completely. Only then did he produce his Chaos Alliance token and begin transmitting a message. On the other side of the fissure. Chaos lifeforms from the Chaos Alliance had waited for five years, yet their efforts had yielded nothing. Even the alliance's higher-ups had departed, leaving behind only a few chaos lifeform cultivators to keep silent watch. If several more years passed without any response, the Chaos Alliance might abandon this fissure altogether. After all, no one knew what lay beyond the rift. Forcing a passage open rashly could trigger catastrophic consequences. Therefore, whenever they encountered a spatial rift leading to the Dark Domain, the Chaos Alliance took exhaustive precautions. They would either expend every effort to send a single chaos lifeform through to scout the vicinity, or use the Chaos Alliance tokens to reach out first and see if they could contact any chaos lifeforms who had previously entered the Dark Domain. If someone answered, that would be ideal, as they could ascertain the situation on the other side. But if there was no response whatsoever, the Chaos Alliance had to tread with immense caution. "Sigh, it's been five years already. There probably won't be any response." "Indeed. Although quite a few chaos lifeforms entered the Dark Domain, how many could truly survive there?" "After all these years, even if any did survive, their lives in the Dark Domain must be fraught with peril. Merely staying alive would be a struggle, to say nothing of contacting us..." The few chaos lifeforms conversed in low voices from time to time. They understood all too well what kind of situation a chaos lifeform faced upon entering the Dark Domain: like rats crossing the street, targeted for slaughter by everyone. In that vast Dark Domain, there was scarcely any shelter for a chaos lifeform. *Buzz.* Right at that moment, the Chaos Alliance token of one of the chaos lifeforms suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out to look. *Whoosh!* The cultivator sprang to his feet, trembling with excitement, his gaze burning intensely toward the spatial rift. "Some... someone answered! Right on the other side of the spatial rift—it's a chaos lifeform from our Chaos Alliance!" "What? Someone actually received our transmission and rushed here?" "Who is it?" This chaos lifeform's token carried certain administrative permissions. Checking it, he promptly exclaimed, "His name appears to be Lu Changsheng!" "Quick, report this message to the Chaos Alliance immediately!" With that, the group sprang into action without delay.