Chapter 1289
Chapter 1289: Those who haven’t stepped into Transcendence are ants. The Virtual Dao Realm of three declines
The boundless sea trembled, and the ancient warship echoed with rumbling sounds. The group of “hunters” from the Spiritual Realm was filled with terror and horror at the unfolding scene.
Despite their numerous trials and experiences drifting across this vast sea, they had never encountered a moment as petrifying and bone-chilling as this. It rendered them unable to move.
With profound sorrow in his eyes, the figure honored as the eldest brother observed the unsettling scene. However, he didn’t dare to intervene or utter a word. When faced with an insurmountable gap in strength, any resistance might result in dire consequences, potentially erasing all their efforts from these countless years.
“That’s a familiar taste…” remarked the White Bone Ancestor, dismissing the gaze of everyone around him.
He displayed a slight emotional response before casually discarding the gnawed head as if he were savoring fresh life’s taste. Indifferent to the fear emanating from those present, he regarded the long years as inconsequential, merely a fleeting moment in the grand scheme. To an ent.i.ty of his stature, creatures, immortal emperors or kings, were akin to low-level ants.
“Fellow Daoists, don’t you want to continue on your way?” grinned the White Bone Ancestor.
His eerie skull face sends shivers down everyone’s spine. The ancient and dilapidated warship surged once more across the boundless sea, parting thick waves and advancing toward the depths of darkness. Despite the vast and impenetrable fog, a faint bonfire in that direction served as a guiding star—a glimmering point in the immense darkness—marking the boundless coordinates of the actual world of mountains and seas.
The impending descent of the ancient warship, harboring the “hunters” from the Spiritual Realm, upon the real world of mountains and seas threatened to bring calamity to the entire realm.
Despite its enormity, the vast expanse of the mountains and oceans appeared as ethereal as dust in the expansive heavens. Countless ancient worlds and creatures had been nurtured within, existing since immemorial. Worlds were born and perished daily, a scene considered ordinary by the true powerhouses who observed such occurrences.
The birth of an ancient world was akin to igniting a unique flame, emerging from the collision of myriad lives, bringing sudden illumination to the darkness. Like the gestation and birth of the mortal world, this miraculous process defied clear explanation and was considered the most incredible and mysterious of miracles. Numerous powerhouses throughout history sought to comprehend the true meaning of life and the profound nature of the world, yet the complexities remained elusive.
Some theorized that the real world’s gestation and birth involved high-level substances colliding in the chaos. After countless accidental changes spanning hundreds of millions of years, the resulting creation housed fundamental living matter and could give birth to everything.
This distinguished the natural world from other ancient worlds, which required the overall world level to reach a certain threshold for promotion to a higher level. The contrast mirrored the distinction between mortals and geniuses, a fundamental difference from the outset.
This uniqueness made mortal worlds that had just been conceived and born the focus of attention for many powerhouses. The existence of the world was seen as direct proof of a transformation to a higher level, inspiring an eagerness to unravel its true nature. In the boundless sea, numerous powerful beings and countless miracles and mysteries had emerged over countless years.
In the genuinely ancient realm, surpa.s.sing the Immortal Emperor and setting foot on the road of detachment marked one as a genuine powerhouse. Those who failed to achieve detachment were regarded as mere ants.
However, only mortal worlds that had successfully navigated the nine declines of heaven and ascended to true detachment were considered qualified to be called immortal worlds.
The cla.s.sification of worlds, ranging from Immortal Realm to Ancient Realm and Newborn Realm, represented a strict hierarchy in the vastness of existence. These distinctions were universally recognized by cultivators and creatures within the boundless sea.
Realms before reaching the status of a real-world were considered unranked worlds, with varying strengths even among ancient real worlds.
The newborn world, exemplified by the mountain and sea real world, had background strength and luck capable of supporting only a few transcendent emperors. Those who embarked on the road of detachment within these realms could typically pa.s.s through the first and second levels of decline, reaching the third decline, known as the “three declines.” Only after successfully overcoming this third decline could one enter the ancient True Dao realm, considered the foundation of the ancient actual world.
Within the True Dao Realm, differences in strength arose based on the number of Heavenly Immortal Tribulations endured. After each catastrophe, significant transformations occurred, and some ancient beings in the True Dao realm could open up their natural realms.
These beings possessed immense power, with thoughts that could move the universe and bodies standing in the realm of immortality, untouched by cause and effect, time, and s.p.a.ce. Such beings could be deemed omnipotent.
The Spiritual Realm, in comparison, barely touched the threshold of the ancient world. Its most robust ent.i.ties had pa.s.sed the third decline, reaching the pinnacle of the virtual Dao realm. However, even these powerful beings found the boundless sea an enigma beyond their comprehension. Seeking new life for the real world behind them, they ventured far from their homelands into the unknown realms of the outside world within the boundless sea.
As the ancient warships of the Spiritual Realm traversed the boundless sea, numerous eyes observed from a distance, cold and emotionless.
These silent watchers stood within the dark fog, their gazes fixed on the departing ancient warship. Never having dried up, the boundless sea concealed mysteries beyond comprehension, including the mortal world—a symbol of eternity and immortality- considered the source of the heavens and earth.
Even for the ancient sages who had embraced the road of detachment, delving into the true mystery of the original world was a formidable challenge. Throughout countless years, the actual world’s existence had implications for the entire boundless sea, leading to the liquidation of numerous ancient worlds. This liquidation process evolved into what all living beings perceived as a calamity.
The reasons behind the calamity remained shrouded in mystery. Some believed it to be an unjust and inhumane act of heaven, a slaughter of all spirits, leading to the concept of cutting heaven.
Others proposed that it was a heavenly movement, a predetermined cycle, an unalterable track leading to a return to chaos and balance. In this view, the calamity acted to maintain balance, allowing the circulation of Yin and Yang and the unification of all things.
The calamity did not discriminate; it targeted the vast mortal world, sparing no force or system. Ancient worlds, having endured for a sufficient duration, possessed methods to confront the calamity, preventing their complete demise.
Among these realms, the Yan Realm stood at the forefront and could be labeled the Immortal Realm in the real world. This distinction arose because Yan Realm once created a genuinely detached individual.
In the true Immortal Realm, numerous ancient and potent forces existed, some with a lineage that surpa.s.sed many real worlds. One such force was the Extinction Mansion, a recognized overlord.
The current palace master of the Extinction Mansion was a peerless figure who had successfully navigated through the seventh decline, attaining a truly unparalleled status. He was seated cross-legged in the vast mansion and emanated an eternal and motionless aura.
Below him, numerous figures knelt in reverence, displaying piety and fanaticism. Along the deep void flanking the mansion, vague figures stood, each possessing unimaginable power and standing as if at the end of the long river of time.
As the Palace Master of the Extinction Mansion opened his eyes, the entire mansion trembled. His deep and profound gaze seemed to encapsulate the heavens and universe, with endless mysteries flowing within. Speaking with indifference, he conveyed a hint of anger.
In the context of the Immortal Realm, the Yang Realm stood as the true Immortal Realm, and the Extinction Mansion was rightfully recognized as a grand force established by a detached individual. Although the Extinction Mansion and the Boundary Hall had separated due to disputes, their connection remained, with an eventual reunification on the horizon.
Expressing hatred, the Palace Master criticized the Heavenly Sect and the Immortal Daoist Monarch of the Boundary Hall, accusing them of overestimating their significance and meddling in the affairs of the Yang Realm.
The Boundary Hall’s master had suffered a severe Dao wound while fighting for a chaotic spiritual treasure during his early years. Attempting to overcome the eighth decline with his injured body led to his death.
Even at its peak, the Extinction Mansion harbored doubts about surviving the eighth decline. After the master of the Boundary Hall fell, the deputy masters sought to seize power in the ensuing power vacuum.
In the vast Yang Realm, the Extinction Mansion held sway over numerous ancient realms, some rivaling the stature of ancient worlds and many others akin to newborn mortal worlds. It was among the most potent forces in the expansive heavens and actual worlds.
As the Palace Master addressed the Yang Realm’s current state, the mansion’s listeners remained silent, cautious not to speak carelessly. The Daoist Immortal Monarch, leader of the Heavenly Sect, was another peerless figure who had successfully undergone the seventh decline. Such an ent.i.ty could discern Even the subtlest thoughts, rendering all others insignificant in comparison.
The Palace Master discussed the instability in the Yin real world and their aspirations to become the sole real world. He noted the recent events in the Boundary Hall Palace and predicted changes in their trajectory. With the next calamity looming, the need for someone to survive the seven calamities became evident to maintain balance in the current situation.
The Palace Master’s gaze revealed myriad visions and profound insights. The stars seemed to fade, and the universe collapsed as his thoughts traversed billions of times in an instant. A river of fate materialized, bearing countless intertwined lines flowing like a silent river. Fragments of images appeared and disintegrated repeatedly, conveying the cyclical nature of time.
In this timeless realm, the Palace Master voiced his concerns about the inability to find foreign existences despite the vast borders of the Yang Realm, highlighting a pressing need for solutions and strategies to navigate the complex and enigmatic future.
In the presence of the master of the Extinction Mansion, the unfolding events were laid bare. In their eyes, only individuals possessing extraordinary talents, like the odd number, were deemed worthy to tread the path of detachment. Such individuals were antic.i.p.ated to reach the lofty heights of this ascendant journey.
To maintain stability in the Yang Realm, a successor for the Boundary Hall had to be identified promptly. The chosen candidate needed to attain the seventh decline, equivalent to the master’s. This matching level was imperative for adequate checks and balances against other formidable forces.
Directly a.s.suming control of the Boundary Hall, even for the master, would likely provoke discontent from other forces like Numinous Mountain and the Rebirth Cave.
This discontent could escalate the situation, jeopardizing the delicate equilibrium that the Yang Realm had worked to establish.
The Master of the Extinction Mansion sought a harmonious and controlled succession to avoid such turbulence. The transition had to be seamless to prevent the upheaval of the prevailing tranquility within the Yang Realm.