Chapter 2637: The Five Realms of Eternity

First Immortal of the Sword

After the battle in the Borderless Mountains, Su Yi had indeed made three announcements.

The first forbade cultivators from fighting in cities.

The second required that the world’s cultivation factions worked together to restore the peace.

The third was a wanted list of enemies from his past and present lives. Su Yi wanted every last one of them wiped out.

The first two decrees were for the benefit of the masses, while the third was about ending the enmities leftover from his past lives.

By now, half a month had passed, and the God Domain had changed dramatically.

At the very least, conflicts seldom broke out in places where people gathered.

“I really wouldn’t have guessed that someone as detached and transcendent as you would take a stand to help the masses,” said Xi Ning, gazing intently at Su Yi.

“I’m no sage full of concern for the world, nor am I a compassionate do-gooder. In truth, I’m doing this for the sake of my cultivation,” said Su Yi. He took a sip of wine.

“That’s right,” said Su Yi. “The Battle for Order is more about the ‘order’ than it is ‘the battle.’ I control the Epoch Spark, and not long ago, I gleaned insight into certain truths of the Grand Dao. My understanding of my masses, of creation, and myself has changed.

“At the time, I swore to realize my grand ambition. When I Bring Order to the world, I’ll do something for the masses to test whether my new understanding of the Grand Dao is accurate.”

Xi Ning was unwittingly stunned. All of this was on too large a scale, and he was looking at it from such a lofty vantage point that others might have taken his words for a mere joke.

But Xi Ning could tell that this was no mere boasting. He was dead serious!

“It used to be that the power of reincarnation connected the past, present, and future, maintaining the alternation of the epochs,” Su Yi continued. “But after reincarnation vanished, everything was thrown into disarray. Experts not of the present day have entered the world, causing considerable death and destruction… but when I Bring Order to the world, nothing of the sort will happen ever again.”

Here, Su Yi’s voice filled with determination. This was his grand ambition, the Grand Dao he sought.

He wanted to see whether he could use his own Grand Dao to replace the Dao of Reincarnation, connect the past, present, and future, and rebuild the natural order!

“Lately, everyone’s been saying that this Battle for Order is special. Whoever manages to become the Bringer of Order won’t just preside over the present epoch. They’ll control the natural order of the epochs of the past and present, too,” Xi Ning said softly. “If it’s really as the rumors say, I’m afraid that competing in the Battle for Order won’t be easy.”

Su Yi laughed. “It’ll be more than just ‘not easy.’ With my current strength, I have no hope of victory whatsoever.”

The Battle for Order would begin when the God Domain’s chaos source ran completely dry. That meant that numerous Eternals would be able to enter the God Domain in the flesh!

With Su Yi’s current strength, he could kill False Eternals, but he had no hope of victory against the real deal.

Especially since the Battle for Order wasn’t going to be a tournament; there was no possibility of fighting his enemies one-on-one.

If a group of Eternals attacked at once, who could possibly fight them all off?

Su Yi was proud down to his very bones, but he knew better than to assume he could duke it out with true Eternals.

Even if he used the Sword of the Nine Hells, he’d have little hope. The disparity was just too great.

Xi Ning pondered briefly, then realized what he was getting at. Her delicate brow furrowed. “It would be perfect if you managed to break into Eternity first…”

Su Yi inclined his head slightly. “That’s what I’m planning, but thus far, it seems a bit uncertain.”

He’d tempered his cultivation base to the peak of the Undying Realm before the battle in the Borderless Mountains even began. He’d originally planned to break through mid-battle.

But in the end, he’d failed to achieve this aim.

It wasn’t because Dao Venerate Lu Shi and the others had worked to keep him from seizing the opportunity he needed. Rather, it was because he’d reached a bottleneck!

If he couldn’t break past this bottleneck, he had no hope of breaking through.

The Battle for Order would begin in less than half a year. Su Yi couldn’t say with confidence that he’d manage to break into Eternity before then.

Xi Ning couldn’t help but ask, “If… If you can’t break through, will you still participate in the Battle for Order?”

Su Yi didn’t miss a beat. “I will! Everything is a matter of effort. The less hope I have, the more important it is that I go. Even if I fail, I’ll have no regrets. But if I don’t dare to even try…”

Su Yi laughed. “Then I won’t be myself anymore.”

Xi Ning looked at him in a daze, then laughed. “When the time comes, I’ll go with you.”

Su Yi initially planned to refuse, but when he met her staunch gaze, he understood that he couldn’t refuse even if he wanted to.

Their hearts were connected. His understanding of Xi Ning and intuition led him to this conclusion.

“Alright.” Su Yi inclined his head.

“That’s what I like to hear.” A faint smile tugged at Xi Ning’s lips, like flowers blooming after the rain. It was extraordinarily charming.

She paused, then said, “Since the Battle for Order is so unfair, and the disparity is so enormous, shouldn’t we gather some helpers while we still can?”

Helpers? Su Yi pondered briefly, and several figures floated into view.

The River Lord? No, the old man said that he was badly injured, and that his cultivation base had plummeted from the Eternal Dao. I’m afraid he’ll struggle to help.

Lin Jinghong? It’s worth trying, but it’s hard to say how capable Demon God Lin’s daughter really is… If it’ll be too dangerous, better not to involve her. I can’t let anything happen to her.

My first incarnation’s heart devil?

Su Yi rejected the idea immediately. The moment he took initiative to ask the heart devil for help, he’d lose a battle of will. Su Yi would rather lose the Battle of Order than lose in his competition with the heart devil.

In that case… who should I ask?

In the end, after racking his brains, Su Yi just laughed dryly. Asking for help isn’t in my nature. I don’t want to do it.

He’d yet to even participate in the Battle for Order. If he went looking for help already, he’d have lost the mental battle before it even began!

He naturally wouldn’t do any such thing.

Suddenly, something occurred to Su Yi, and he sensed a subtle shift in his heart. His thoughts became clearer, as if everything had been illuminated. He instantly cast away his scattered notions and confusion.

As his heart shifted, his cultivation base, essence, qi, and spirit shifted with it.

He suddenly had a strong premonition that he’d break through his bottleneck and seize his opportunity to enter Eternity during the Battle for Order!

“Hm?” Xi Ning was stunned. She could keenly sense that even though Su Yi had been seated across from her this entire time, he seemed somehow different. It was subtle, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

Su Yi, however, just laughed, raised his jug of wine, and took a big swig. “Needless worries will get you nowhere, and aiming too high is impractical. The path lies beneath my feet, and all I have to do is walk it. It’s enough!”

Xi Ning broke into a charming smile. She could tell that Su Yi had untied a mental knot, and that his sudden enlightenment had left him feeling relaxed and open.

…

Su Yi and Xi Ning went on to explore the God Domain together. Sometimes they wandered through the mountains and waters, drinking the dew and feasting on mist. Other times, they accompanied each other on journeys through the red dust of mundanity.

They didn’t cultivate or seek the Dao. All they sought was a carefree journey.

Three months passed in a flash.

Su Yi and Xi Ning returned to Sunset Perch Island.

Few people remained there. His old friends had left to explore the outside world and seek the Dao in these turbulent times.

Unlike Su Yi, his old friends had no intention of vying for supremacy in the Battle for Order. They just wanted to seize an opportunity to enter Eternity.

To others, that might have been incredibly different, but Su Yi’s old friends had real hope of realizing this goal.

So long as they gathered a few high-quality Fragments of Heaven’s Will, they’d have a shot at Eternity when the God Domain’s chaos source ran dry.

Furthermore, since Su Yi was essentially the sole, supreme ruler of the entire God Domain, when the experts of Sunset Perch Island explored the outside world, they were honored as distinguished guests wherever they went. No one would dare to cause any trouble for them, not even for the little monkey, Xin Yuan.

That included the Luo Siblings, who’d also left the island in search of good fortune.

Su Yi went straight into seclusion upon his return to Sunset Perch Island. There, he started combing through his Dao, steadying his Dao Heart, and preparing for his trip to the Central Divine Continent.

He’d decided to set off in a month. He’d explore first, then head for the ruins of Red Pine Mountain and participate in the Battle for Order.

Half a month later.

Su Yi stood in front of his writing desk and wrote a few words: Unfettered, Divine Wandering, Silence, Immeasurable, and Heavenly Fate!

Every word crackled like lightning, free as the wind, the writing with a natural, cohesive charm. It was just text, yet it seemed naturally formed, with no sign of artifice.

These were the Five Realms of the Eternal Dao.

Su Yi, meanwhile, stared at the word “Unfettered” and sank into thought.

This was the first realm of the Eternal Dao. Su Yi had recently discussed it with his first incarnation’s heart devil.

According to the heart devil, the Unfettered Realm was fundamentally about establishing foundations in the Eternal Dao. Only then could someone truly be Eternal.

And those who achieved Eternity were truly Unfettered!

The world’s False Eternals were called that because they hadn’t established foundations in the Eternal Dao.

This was a crucial step, and it could only be taken on the River of Destiny, after overcoming the baptism of the Tribulation of Destiny. It was only during this tribulation that cultivators could glean enlightenment into some of the fundamental truths of the Laws of Destiny.

But to Su Yi, this step was secondary. His first step was breaking through his bottleneck and creating a path through Eternity all his own!As for the usual Five Realms of Eternity? They could serve as a reference, but his path would inevitably be different from other people’s!

“Everything in this world has its own life, and all are different. You can never assume two living beings are the same,” said Su Yi. “But two of my powers of the Grand Dao, Reincarnation and Profound Ruin, point to the mysteries of Destiny. Simply breaking through wouldn’t be difficult, but if I do it hastily, I’ll effectively just be retreading the same old path as other people.”

He thought and thought, but couldn’t reach any conclusions.

He couldn’t help but sigh to himself. Breaking into Eternity was just too difficult!

Just as he was considering leaving seclusion early, he heard a subtle rustling, and he instinctively looked over to see what it was.