Chapter 1017: Four-Step Dao Monarch
True Immortal World, somewhere in the North Star Immortal Domain.
A pride of six-winged purple-maned lions was leisurely roaming.
This species, once mature, were Mahayana desolate beasts, with their kings even capable of contending with Immortals. Their strength was extraordinary.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Suddenly, a blizzard appeared in the distance.
Wherever the blizzard passed, the ground froze, and desolate beasts that couldn't escape in time instantly turned into lifelike ice sculptures.
"Roar! Roar!"
One after another, the six-winged purple-maned lions roared, drawing upon the primal energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into a tide, preparing to forcefully withstand the natural disaster.
Just then, deep within the lion pride, a lion king with the most lustrous fur and a purple flame mark on its forehead let out a furious roar, its gaze fixed on the depths of the blizzard, a hint of apprehension in its eyes, before it suddenly roared aloud.
Deep within the blizzard, a palace seemed faintly discernible, flashing in and out of view.
The lion king, having reached the Immortal Beast stage, could sense that the palace was not to be provoked, and decisively followed its heart's guidance.
Inside the palace, which appeared to be sculpted from ice crystals.
Fang Xi, clad in a yellow robe, looked down through a window.
"Fellow Daoist, are you observing that pride of six-winged purple-maned lions?"
A young-looking Earth Immortal walked over, holding an unremarkable wooden staff in his hand, a circle of green light surrounding him.
It was none other than the former Sect Master of the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce—Yu Xiu!
This time, for the Ten Thousand Immortals Gathering, the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce had truly sent out its best. Not only did the elderly Earth Immortal Sect Master lead the team personally, but there were also Fang Xi, Xu Qing, and a total of nine Immortals.
Of course, how many of them were External Avatars was a matter of individual discernment.
With so many Immortals gathered, coupled with the 'Ice Snow Palace', a warfare Immortal Artifact forged by the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce, it was no wonder the six-winged purple-maned lion king dared not directly confront their might.
The spatial laws of the Immortal World were exceedingly powerful, and its territories vast, making most teleportation arrays impractical and flashy.
The primary means for Immortals to travel was still good old-fashioned flying.
"Indeed. . . that lion king likely has a wisp of 'Violet Luo Beast Flame' nurtured within its body. . . if its origin fire seed could be obtained, it would be of great benefit to both alchemy and artifact refinement."
A flicker of light appeared in Fang Xi's eyes, and he chuckled softly.
"It's a pity that our Alchemist Zhang has already refined a wisp of Heavenly Spirit Flame. This 'Violet Luo Beast Flame' is likely not suitable, and furthermore, the Ten Thousand Immortals Gathering is paramount now, so it's not advisable to stir up more trouble. . ."
Yu Xiu said, a hint of regret in his voice.
Alchemist Zhang was the only True Immortal-level alchemist in the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce, his status exceptionally revered.
This time, he had indeed come with everyone.
"I heard Fellow Daoist intends to purchase a 'Primordial Spirit Pill' for your disciple. . . if you are short on Immortal Jade, please speak freely; I still have some personal savings. " Yu Xiu's gaze seemed to pierce through layers of palaces, seeing Fang Xian meditating in a cave abode: "This disciple of yours, Fellow Daoist, his talent seems no less than that of Du Gu Fang. . ."
This grand gathering was a rare opportunity to broaden one's horizons. Seeing Fang Xian's continuous bitter cultivation, which made him seem a bit ascetic, Fang Xi brought the young Fang Xian along.
"The young Fang Xian's aptitude is far inferior to Du Gu Fang's, and moreover, he walks the path of an Earth Immortal, not a Heavenly Immortal. . ."
Fang Xi shook his head, saying nothing more.
After all, Yu Xiu had been a hero his entire life, yet he had suffered at Du Gu Fang's hands. Such a humiliating matter was best not mentioned.
"Indeed, Earth Immortals are good. Those who achieve Heavenly Immortal status become too ambitious; our Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce cannot accommodate such 'great Buddhas'."
Yu Xiu sighed.
Fang Xi silently operated his Primordial Spirit, gazing at the Hunyuan Immortal Seal within it, remaining silent.
At present, he could almost be considered a Heavenly Immortal himself.
A moment later, he spoke: "I have some meager personal assets. If I am short on Immortal Jade at the auction, I will certainly approach Fellow Daoist. . ."
"That would be excellent."
Yu Xiu nodded with a smile and came with Fang Xi to a palace.
Within this palace, several rows of musicians played, and numerous heavenly maidens, clad in sheer gauze, danced gracefully.
Xu Qing and several Immortals were drinking and enjoying themselves, occasionally discussing cultivation insights, living a joyful and carefree life.
"Daoist Brother Yu, Fellow Daoist Fang. . ."
Xu Qing and the other Immortals couldn't help but smile upon seeing Fang Xi and Yu Xiu: "We were just discussing the path of cultivation. Alchemist Zhang's profound discourse on cultivation being like alchemy was truly exquisite. . . It's quite a pity you two didn't hear it."
Fang Xi looked over and saw Alchemist Zhang, clad in a black Daoist robe, with a youthful face and hair like a crane's feathers, emitting a faint aroma of herbs, stroking his beard and smiling.
"Indeed, the myriad arts of immortal cultivation ultimately lead to the same destination. Take the path of talismans and artifacts, or pills and artifacts. . . fundamentally, they are all about comprehending the Great Dao."
Fang Xi spoke, moved by inspiration.
"The Great Dao, ah. . ."
Immortal Xu Qing sighed slightly.
Among the Immortals present, aside from Ghost Immortals and Divine Immortals who were completely hopeless of reaching the Great Dao, those who could become Immortals all possessed an intense desire for it.
Seeing the atmosphere, Yu Xiu smiled faintly: "Fellow Daoist Fang must have some insightful views?"
"I've simply been drawing more talismans recently, and after achieving immortality, I gained insights by analogy, so I started delving into the path of formations. These are just some thoughts I had. . ."
Fang Xi gracefully took his seat and casually shared some of his insights.
Xu Qing and the other Immortals, however, listened in rapt attention: "Entering the Dao through talismans and formations. . . is indeed wonderful, but unfortunately, it's extremely difficult and demands too high a level of talent. . ."
Seeing this scene, Yu Xiu picked up where Fang Xi left off, discussing the critical juncture of Merging with the Dao after cultivating to the peak of the True Immortal realm.
Although none of them had yet cultivated to the peak of the Immortal realm, they were all very interested in this, and their eyes immediately lit up as they listened attentively.
In terms of cultivation, Yu Xiu was considered to be at the forefront among them, even having a glimmer of hope of Merging with the Dao!
Of course, it was merely a faint glimmer.
"For Immortals to cultivate, their magic power needs to reach perfection, and their comprehension of laws must also reach the stage of condensing a Dao Seed, only then can they be considered to have reached the peak of the True Immortal realm!"
Yu Xiu began: "This old man has cultivated painstakingly for many years. Relying on the resources of the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce, I have barely managed to cultivate most of my magic power to completion, but my comprehension of laws has been stuck at a bottleneck, unable to break through. . ."
"Daoist Brother Yu's progress already makes us look up to you with admiration. . ."
Alchemist Zhang sighed: "Although this old man has the aid of pills, I have little confidence in whether I can fully complete my True Immortal magic power within a million years. . . As for comprehending laws? That relies even more on sudden enlightenment. If one cannot comprehend it, then one cannot comprehend it; it's normal to be permanently trapped."
Fang Xi nodded upon hearing this.
In the Immortal realm, pills that could increase the probability of comprehending the Dao were even rarer than those that increased magic power!
If his own 'Dao Monarch Pill' were to be released, it would definitely be a hot commodity among Immortals, far more useful than Immortal Jade.
"Today, I shall explain how one Merges with the Dao at the peak of the Immortal realm."
Yu Xiu scanned the surroundings with a smile and said: "This is compiled from various ancient texts and cultivation methods I've synthesized. . . I hope it can be of some small benefit to all Fellow Daoists."
"Excellent!"
Fang Xi's eyes lit up, and he was the first to speak.
Although both the Eternal Evergreen cultivation method and the Heavenly Immortal arts within the Yuanli Secret Realm contained descriptions regarding Merging with the Dao.
However, some parts were still quite vague.
Fang Xi would eventually reach such a critical juncture sooner or later, and he couldn't help but want to hear others' profound insights.
"We Immortals, as long as we haven't reached the peak of the True Immortal realm, the difference in strength isn't actually that vast. At most, Heavenly Immortals are stronger than Earth Immortals, and Earth Immortals are stronger than Human Immortals. . . Besides that, formations, Immortal Artifacts, talismans, and secret divine abilities also have a significant impact. Just like this old man, I wasn't Du Gu Fang's opponent. . ."
Yu Xiu seemed completely unconcerned about previous matters and continued: "The peak of the True Immortal realm is a threshold. Who knows how many Immortals painstakingly cultivate, yet ultimately find it difficult to cross this threshold and pursue the path of Merging with the Dao to become a Dao Monarch. . ."
To reach the peak of the True Immortal realm, one not only needs to perfect their magic power but also to comprehend a certain law to the Dao Seed stage.
Even Fang Xi was still some distance away from that, let alone the Immortals present.
And even then, one would only have a chance to glimpse the process of Merging with the Dao.
"One who Merges with the Dao can be said to 'unite with the true Dao'. Taking this step is exceedingly perilous. After all, how vast are the laws of the True Immortal World? A single misstep can lead to death and the annihilation of one's Dao, to the point where even a Dao Monarch cannot save them. . . Even worse, some are influenced by the power of laws and turn into Dao-corrupted monsters, bringing calamity to a region."
"Dao-corrupted monsters?"
Fang Xi's heart stirred upon hearing this: "Is it equivalent to the Dao corruption experienced by Divine Immortals during their cultivation?"
"Somewhat similar, but far more terrifying. After all, how could the Dao corruption of the True Immortal World compare to that of the lower minor realms? Moreover, Divine Immortals, after severing a part of themselves, suffer damage to their foundation but ironically turn misfortune into blessing, no longer troubled by the continued erosion of Dao corruption. . . Although, in doing so, their cultivation becomes difficult to advance, and they become hopeless of becoming a Dao Monarch."
Yu Xiu smiled faintly and said: "Actually, this old man believes that if Divine Immortals and Ghost Immortals could cultivate and break through to the Dao Monarch realm, they would likely be incredibly terrifying existences even among Dao Monarchs."
Fang Xi nodded involuntarily.
The greater the difficulty, the greater the benefits after breaking through!
Although it was almost an ironclad rule that Ghost Immortals and Divine Immortals in the True Immortal World could not become Dao Monarchs, there were exceptions to everything.
Just like before he became an Immortal, he hadn't known that there were secret methods for Immortal Grades to advance!
If it were Dao Venerables, or even great figures beyond Dao Venerables, perhaps they would know the cultivation methods for Ghost Immortals and Divine Immortals. It's just that the cost might be too great, or it might not be worth the effort, or perhaps it involves certain taboos, which is why it hasn't spread. . .
Within the 'Mortal Law', anything is possible!
Yu Xiu continued: "If we divide the path to becoming a Dao Monarch into several steps, the first step is naturally to cultivate to the peak of the True Immortal realm. The second step is to condense a Jade Platform, which requires constructing an 'Empty Platform' within one's Primordial Spirit, sufficient to bear the 'Dao Seed'. The third step is 'Sitting Forgetfulness', where once the Dao Seed enters the Jade Platform, numerous delusive thoughts and Dao corruption assail one, known as the 'Seven Taiyi Decays', which are even more formidable and terrifying than the 'Heavenly Five Decays'. . ."
"The Seven Taiyi Decays, actually two more decays than the Heavenly Five Decays. . . I'm afraid they would be difficult to overcome."
Fang Xi's heart stirred.
Before achieving Heavenly Immortal status, one must first experience the 'Heavenly Five Decays'. Perhaps that is a rehearsal for the Dao Monarch's 'Seven Taiyi Decays'?
From this perspective, when achieving Dao Monarch status, Heavenly Immortals indeed have a bit more certainty than Earth Immortals.
"After three steps, one becomes a Dao Monarch then?"
Immortal Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with fervor as he asked.
"No, there's still one step remaining. . . Even if one overcomes the Seven Taiyi Decays and the Dao Seed permanently resides within the Primordial Spirit, one is still not a Dao Monarch. One can only say they have mostly Merged with the Dao, but have not yet taken the most crucial step. . ."
Yu Xiu said: "This fourth step, and the final one, is called 'Severing the Dao'. It is exceedingly profound and incredibly difficult. Prodigies from major powers, such as Zi Yin Dao Zi, often get stuck before this step, unable to advance an inch for eons, and are known as 'Half-step Dao Monarchs'. In reality, a half-step difference is a world apart!"
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