Chapter 1255: The Sun Family's Dao Integration Child
The Saint Emperor's words were no empty promise.
Whether it was the Tiandu Grandmaster or the entity secretly monitoring the Xuanhuang Realm, neither would have transcended the realm of an Immortal.
Although Li Ping was currently only at the Longevity stage within the Xuanhuang Realm, on this land where too many strange events had transpired, as the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, he wielded the means for mutual destruction—a perfect deterrent.
Li Ping needed some time to process the gains he had reaped from the stone slab and the Salvation Sect.
He stored away the Calamity Crossing Book, suppressing it in his treasury, and granted the stone slab a rare moment of leisure, allowing it to disguise itself as a mortal and wander the Xuanhuang Realm.
Li Ping himself, meanwhile, first traveled to the Xuanhuang Realm.
Fuguang Province, within the Great Rift Valley.
Deep beneath the earth.
Ignoring the simple protective formations around him, Li Ping arrived in the depths of the ruined site.
One emanated from the two statues within the ruins—or perhaps, two sets of skeletal remains.
The other came from the One Beginning Sect ruins themselves.
"The hidden worries that concern me can all be resolved here."
Li Ping gazed at the ruins, which seemed both long desolate and yet only recently destroyed, and thought to himself.
He did not draw upon the power of the golden Source Power Essence. Instead, he called out silently in his mind, "Cat Treasure."
At that moment, Cat Treasure was in the treasury beneath the Saint Emperor's throne, playfully batting its paws at the trembling Calamity Crossing Book. Upon sensing Li Ping's summons, its form pressing down on the book did not vanish; instead, another small cat body materialized on Li Ping's shoulder.
"Meow~"
Cat Treasure cried out, acknowledging the call.
"Take everything here," Li Ping said, patting its head.
Cat Treasure glanced at the One Beginning Sect ruins, a flash of disdain in its eyes, but it did not disobey Li Ping's command.
Its body instantly turned ethereal, dissolving into a shimmer of blue, data-like light as it opened its mouth slightly.
An expanding point of blue starlight enveloped the entire underground ruins.
When Cat Treasure returned to its original form, the place where the One Beginning Sect ruins had been—including its buildings, formations, space, and everything within—
had vanished completely.
Only pure nothingness remained.
Cat Treasure yawned, looking a little listless.
The ruins of the One Beginning Sect had not been destroyed, but rather swallowed whole into Cat Treasure's "stomach." With a single thought, Li Ping could release it again.
In truth, Li Ping could have accomplished a simple spatial cut and transfer with his own power.
He had asked Cat Treasure to do it for two reasons: first, to avoid letting the power of his Source Power Essence disturb the lingering annihilation winds within the ruins.
And second...
to probe the nature of Cat Treasure's power.
"Not only were the remains of the Tiandu Grandmaster unaffected, but even the annihilation winds, which are extremely sensitive to the power of Immortals, showed no reaction."
"Cat Treasure may not be an immortal artifact, but it seems to follow a completely different path."
Scenes from his disciple Sun Erlang's experiences in the Realm of Reality surfaced in Li Ping's mind.
...
While the Great Qi grew ever stronger under the guidance of the great Faceless Saint Emperor,
far across the Star Sea, Saint Embryo Li Fan was also about to reap a great harvest.
On this day, the Echoing Star Power originating from the invisible High Wall erupted once more.
Hiding within the Realm Fragment Great Wall, Saint Embryo Li Fan could faintly feel the surrounding worlds tremble.
The tremors from the different fragments merged and harmonized, coalescing into a peculiar power that resisted the vast immortal force capable of easily destroying the Star Sea.
Affected by the Echoing Star Power, Saint Embryo Li Fan's body was irresistibly drawn toward the High Wall, yet his eyes showed none of the shock or panic from his first encounter.
Instead, they held only the joy of immersion in Dao enlightenment.
"The Echoing Star Power is the remnant of a True Immortal's power."
"And the Realm Fragment Great Wall is the corpse of mortal cultivation worlds. Though these worlds were fragile before the power of Immortals in life, in death they can unite to resist it."
Saint Embryo Li Fan's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "This is the Dao of the entire Darkest Star Sea, evolving spontaneously."
"It is no longer the existence known as the 'Lower Realm' from when the Immortal World still stood. It is a new lineage, reborn from ruin."
"The destruction of the Immortal World, regardless of the reason, proves that it had diverged from the most fundamental Dao of existence. Yet the Darkest Star Sea, which still survives, is instinctively and slowly evolving toward that fundamental Dao."
"One wanes as the other waxes. This is why the Realm Fragment Great Wall can contend with the power of True Immortal Scripts. The Darkest Star Sea is still far from completing this sublimation, but if it is given enough time..."
"Perhaps this Darkest Star Sea within the High Wall could develop into an existence comparable to the Immortal World of old."
As Saint Embryo Li Fan reached this understanding, the overarching rhythm of the Realm Fragment Great Wall grew clearer and brighter in his perception, like a resonant song.
His drift toward the invisible High Wall gradually slowed.
"A single day of enlightenment here is worth a hundred years in the Xuanhuang Realm."
"In that sense, it wouldn't be wrong to call this place the Immortal World."
Saint Embryo Li Fan's body finally came to a complete stop, floating amidst the fragments of countless worlds.
A beam of sword light shot out behind him, propelling him in the opposite direction.
But strangely, after flying straight for a distance, the sword light he had unleashed changed its original course.
It veered toward the nearest world fragment.
Locking onto its target, it accelerated, embedding itself fiercely into the fragment like a silver-white spider's thread.
Saint Embryo Li Fan continued moving away from the High Wall, stepping out of the Realm Fragment Great Wall one pace at a time.
What he left behind were tens of millions of sword-light threads, slowly vanishing into the darkness.
"With the Realm Fragment Great Wall as an anchor, not only do I no longer have to worry about being drawn in by the High Wall, but I can also traverse the Star Sea at a much greater speed."
Saint Embryo Li Fan transformed into an invisible ray of light, speeding back toward the Mysterious Immortal Boat.
The sliver of divine sense he had left behind was no longer sufficient to handle the increasingly complex situation. It was time for him to make his entrance.
...
Both the avatar and the Saint Embryo were poised to unleash their accumulated power.
Meanwhile, the contingency Li Fan had left with the Sun family was about to hatch.
Sun Luyuan gazed at Wu Ninglu with a grave expression, instructing her on the various precautions to take during her Dao Integration.
But Wu Ninglu merely nodded subconsciously, her attention almost entirely fixed on the tightly bound Spirit of Heaven and Earth not far away.
The Spirit of Heaven and Earth: White Silk.
It resembled light smoke, a flowing glimmer of light. It had no physical form, yet it was magnificent, radiating a mesmerizing glow that irresistibly captivated a cultivator's mind.
"This is one of our Sun family's foundational treasures. I went through great pains to find it as compensation for Sun Ang. I didn't expect him to achieve Dao Integration through his own fortuitous encounter..."
"Since our Lu'er has gone to serve in the Protection Hall, this Spirit of Heaven and Earth, as compensation, shall be yours."
"If you achieve Dao Integration, it will also be of great benefit to the child in your womb." Though Sun Luchang said this, the expression on his face betrayed him.
He was only forced to compose himself after Sun Luyuan let out a cold snort.
In the Sun family, Sun Luyuan still called the shots.
"Lu'er, you may begin. We will stand guard for you," Sun Luyuan said gravely.
Wu Ninglu looked at the three Dao Integration cultivators of the Sun family, her excitement impossible to conceal.
After lying low in the Sun family for so long, the time for harvest had finally come.
Although this harvest deviated somewhat from her original goal, still...
"If I become a Dao Integration cultivator, will I still have to dance to their tune? The world is vast—where could I not go? Besides, formally joining the Sun family isn't a bad choice either."
"Including my husband and me, that would make five Dao Integration cultivators in one family. Even in the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, we would be one of the most prominent clans."
Her mind raced with excitement, and in a moment of carelessness, she was nearly struck by White Silk's mesmerizing, illusory light.
"Lu'er, focus!"
Fortunately, the three Sun family cultivators intervened in time, neutralizing the attack.
Wu Ninglu no longer dared to be careless. She composed herself and focused on dealing with the Spirit of Heaven and Earth before her.
Although White Silk's attacks weren't particularly powerful, its mesmerizing illusory light was truly troublesome.
It not only caused physical damage but also corroded the minds of those it struck.
Even if one managed to evade all of its illusory attacks, a prolonged battle within its encompassing white light would inevitably lead to being trapped in successive illusions.
But the three Sun family cultivators had long been prepared. They lit a stick of incense, and its smoke dispelled all the illusions before Wu Ninglu's eyes.
They even had a special magic treasure specifically designed to counter White Silk's illusory light.
Despite the vast difference in power between Wu Ninglu and the spirit, it was slowly worn down and brought to the brink of death.
Seeing the Spirit of Heaven and Earth on its last breath and her own path to Dao Integration just a step away, Wu Ninglu was overcome with elation.
"So this is how the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance produces so many young Dao Integration cultivators! With this kind of support, even a pig could achieve Dao Integration, couldn't it?"
"And to think I actually believed they were some peerless geniuses..."
As she thought this, the sharp blade in her hand finally pierced through the body of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth, White Silk.
Boom!
A brilliant radiance erupted from its body, and Wu Ninglu felt a supremely powerful force transferring into her, endlessly.
"So this is what Dao Integration feels like."
Wu Ninglu's eyes filled with obsession, unable to pull herself away.
As she immersed herself in this unprecedented power, she failed to notice that the fetus in her womb was also sharing in it.
Li Fan's divine sense, residing within the fetus, was not satisfied with the quality of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth, White Silk.
"It's still a bit weak. Never mind comparing it to Ink Death, it's not even on par with Crimson Flame."
"Perhaps I can lend a hand."
Watching the power of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth continuously surge into the fetus, Li Fan's divine sense split off a portion of itself and sent it surging in as well.
This wisp of divine sense was itself just a minuscule, almost negligible fragment.
But that was only from Li Fan's perspective.
To the unborn fetus, however, it was a supreme tonic, especially since Li Fan's wisp of divine sense contained countless insights into the principles of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Mixed with the origin essence of White Silk, it was devoured by the fetus.
The most direct result of this was that the instantly strengthened fetus began to compete with its mother for resources.
"Hmm?" Wu Ninglu was no fool; she finally noticed the abnormality within her body.
Though she was a mother, how could she simply hand over the fruit of Dao Integration?!
And so, Wu Ninglu instinctively began to fight the fetus for ownership of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth's origin essence.
However...
Wu Ninglu soon made a horrifying discovery: she couldn't win against this monstrous child!
"This is bad. If this continues..." Wu Ninglu's expression changed. After only a moment's hesitation, she made her decision.
Just as she prepared to strike a fatal blow and end the life of the fetus in her womb,
"What do you think you're doing!" Sun Luyuan's roar interrupted her.
Wu Ninglu was then stunned to find that she had instantly lost control of her body.
After all, she had not yet achieved Dao Integration. How could she be a match for the three Sun family cultivators?!
Unable to speak, Wu Ninglu could only plead with Sun Luyuan with her expression.
But Sun Luyuan, along with Sun Luchang and Sun Lujiu, showed no concern for her life or death.
Their gazes were fixed intently on the fetus in her womb.
The three of them ignored Wu Ninglu completely, discussing amongst themselves.
"Eldest Brother, have you ever heard of such a phenomenon?"
"To seize the fortune of heaven and earth with a prenatal body... This child's future accomplishments will be limitless!"
"If it's possible, could he even be born at the Dao Integration stage?"
"We can try. Even if that fails, being born at the Soul Transformation stage is a certainty."
"Excellent, excellent! Our Sun family has gained another qilin child!"
The eyes of the three Sun family members shone with excitement.
But listening to their conversation, Wu Ninglu's heart turned completely cold.
But matters had come to this, and there was no room for regret.
She felt her power continuously draining away, only to concentrate in her abdomen.
In this deeply contradictory situation, Wu Ninglu's consciousness slowly faded.
...
The Spirit of Heaven and Earth, White Silk, perished.
The mother, Wu Ninglu, died, her Dao dissipating.
On the scene, only a single infant, born from its mother's body, remained.
It did not cry or fuss. One hand pointed to the heavens, the other to the earth.
It gazed quietly at the three Dao Integration cultivators of the Sun family.
Sun Luyuan and the others were overjoyed.
"This little baby doesn't seem to have a name yet, does he?"
"Mm, I was planning to ask Lu'er the next time we visited him."
"No need to ask him! True, it's his son, but more importantly, he's a descendant of our Sun family. As elders, don't we have the right to decide?"
"In my opinion, let's call him Sun Wei. Born into Dao Integration, he will surely enhance the might of our Sun family."
"How vulgar! Utterly vulgar! I think he should be called..."
The men felt not the slightest bit of regret for Wu Ninglu's death.
They simply surrounded the Sun family's qilin child, endlessly delighted.
But the newborn infant gazed at its mother's body, a flicker of sorrow in its eyes.
...
An utterly dark space.
"I..."
"Am I dead?"
"Where is this place?"
After an immensely long slumber, a consciousness finally reawakened.
First came a wave of confusion, then the memories of her life quickly surfaced in her mind.
A towering resentment spontaneously arose.
"The Sun family!"
"And that damned mongrel!"
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill..."
Her mind could hold nothing else, only the will for revenge.
"Do you want to take revenge on them?"
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded in Wu Ninglu's ear.
"Who?"
Wu Ninglu snapped awake, her gaze sweeping her surroundings with venomous hatred.
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