Chapter 447: A Life Tribulation Brews Once More!

Inside [Heaven Defiance Palace].

As the Light of Myriad Treasures was completely absorbed by the [Heavenly Armory], the temporal fluctuations of past, present, and future gradually subsided into silence.

Wang Ping found it a real pity.

"My Realm is still too low. Even using my Divine Intent to trace part of those profound changes, I have no way to truly grasp the mysteries within."

Manipulating time was not actually difficult in itself. Mingyou possessed a corresponding Major Divine Ability, yet Wang Ping could guarantee that Mingyou only knew how to use it, not why it worked. He could wield it, but he certainly didn't understand its underlying principles—after all, Major Divine Abilities were created by those at the True Cultivation tier.

What Wang Ping had just glimpsed, however, were the principles themselves.

Knowing only how to wield a temporal divine ability left one with rigid methods and dependent on upper-realm cultivators, which was nothing impressive. Only by understanding the principles could one adapt them at will.

Clang!

Wang Ping drew the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade and casually tossed it over a hundred meters away. Then he raised his palm and chopped downward. On the spot, a roaring torrent surged forth.

The Long River of Memory!

Centered on his Divine Intent, this river took in the memories of every cultivator who resonated with the [dharma body path], inscribing the changes of all things.

It was something of a bonus that came with the [dharma body path]. So long as a memory lay within reach of this Long River of Memory, he could resonate with it and walk the river to examine the relevant past.

And even change it!

The next second, Wang Ping channeled his Divine Intent. The long river roared, revealing a scene from the past—the exact moment he had just thrown the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade into the distance.

'Change it!'

Wang Ping let out a deep breath. His Divine Intent sank into the Long River of Memory, picked up the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade from afar, and stood it right in front of him. History within the Long River of Memory had been altered.

Immediately after, Wang Ping's consciousness returned. To his surprise, the Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade that had just been lying in the distance now stood right before him, as if it had never left. Had history been changed?

"In a sense, yes."

With a wry sense of helplessness, Wang Ping withdrew the profound power. The Long River of Memory reversed and flowed back, tugging at the surrounding scenery. In the blink of an eye, everything returned to how it had been before.

The Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade still lay off in the distance.

Everything was back to normal.

"In the end, it's only the Long River of Memory, not true [Time]. Even if I overwrite reality with the Divine Intent of a Martial Saint, the effect is only temporary."

Making that effect permanent would likely require a grand enough achievement—one great enough for the Long River of Memory to resonate with a heavenly and earthly Pinnacle Station, or else with [destiny] itself... For that, the Long River of Memory had to keep growing on one hand, while he planned carefully on the other. 'Something to look forward to!'

Wang Ping quickly collected himself, unbothered by disappointment. After all, both the [dharma body path] and the Long River of Memory were grand paths with boundless futures.

'At this rate, I won't actually turn into an ancient cultivator, will I?'

That wouldn't do at all!

Wang Ping didn't have the slightest inclination to cultivate the Dao. True Cultivation was the way of the current era; he would have to have far too much time on his hands to go cultivate the Dao instead.

Besides, who said True Cultivation and Dao Cultivation couldn't coexist?

Didn't the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] of the Great Rebellion establish the [Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy]? That proved the two could coexist entirely, and even complement each other.

Wang Ping flicked his sleeve and rose to his feet.

Having become a Martial Saint, he could no longer leave the [Heavenly Armory]. His Divine Intent intuition told him that the moment he stepped outside, he would be repelled on the spot.

Still, it wasn't a big problem.

With a slight stir of thought, bright light flickered around him, and a teenage version of himself stepped out of thin air, still at the Martial Dao Pre-Heaven Stage.

[Past Dust Aspect]! This was a method he could wield after grasping the principles of temporal change. So long as Wang Ping wished, he could sever countless such shadows from the past. After all, the past held countless moments.

What he had just severed was himself from the instant right before breaking through to Martial Saint. Even if this clone died, at worst it would cost him the memory of that single instant. 'I need to hurry.'

Wang Ping made a quick calculation. Because of his breakthrough to Martial Saint and the broadcast of the dharma body path, the human-yang fire had reacted fiercely, battering the stability of [Heaven Defiance Palace].

As a result, [Heaven Defiance Palace], which originally wouldn't have plunged into the mortal world for another month, would likely fall in just three days. He didn't have much time left.

'And... after this broadcast, I'm afraid I've been marked.'

Most likely by the Fire Qi lineage!

After all, the demonic Daoists of the Fire Qi lineage had always fed on Daoist orthodoxies—let alone an orthodoxy like the [dharma body path], which drove the human-yang fire nearly mad with the urge to offer itself up willingly.

The only saving grace was that the [Great Grandmaster Rank] broadcast had been opened through [destiny]. Screened by [destiny], not even a True Monarch could discern his aura, so no one knew the [dharma body path] was connected to him... Oh, wait. Someone on the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy side probably knew.

After all, the First Seat was still inside the Dao Tomb.

Although the current [dharma body path] stood on its own, it had ultimately been born out of the [Martial Dao], so it would very likely pull the First Seat into a breakthrough along with it.

'That really is a hidden liability...'

At the thought, Wang Ping frowned. ...

"I will cover for you."

Inside the Dao Tomb, [Yang] reacted swiftly. With a casual wave of his hand, he immediately suppressed Lian Ruzhao's surging qi signature back down to Second Layer Heaven Breaking.

"This matter must not spread."

[Yang]'s expression was grave. He even sealed off the senses of the other Dao Lords inside the Dao Tomb. Much as he trusted the good brothers he had been imprisoned with for countless years, every extra person who knew about something like this meant one more sliver of risk. That included Lian Ruzhao—she had better not go out anytime soon, lest people connect the dots.

"I understand."

Lian Ruzhao gave a slight nod, showing no resistance. In truth, she rather enjoyed this peaceful, unhurried life of devoting herself entirely to secluded bitter cultivation.

She wasn't fond of fighting, after all.

Besides, she too had witnessed the moment the [dharma body path] manifested in the world. In all fairness, it had given her no small amount of inspiration, and she had already been planning to enter seclusion again anyway.

If she could thoroughly digest the insights from this occasion, she felt she should be able to fill the last bit of her progress bar and reach the combat strength of Fourth Layer Heaven Breaking.

Once [Yang] had settled Lian Ruzhao, he silently split off a new thread of spiritual sense and cast it toward [Fu]'s position, transmitting his voice: "The [Martial Dao] is connected to the [dharma body path]... Barring any surprises, the Fire Qi lineage will certainly find a way to move against Wang Ping."

[Fu]: "..."

What the hell?

Truth be told, the news came so suddenly that [Fu] didn't even have time to react. He froze for a moment before coming back to his senses, his mind reeling.

The [dharma body path] was connected to the [Martial Dao]?

It was that kid again?

After a long silence, [Fu] finally sent back a voice transmission: "Don't let this news spread any further... Rest assured, the Fire Qi lineage doesn't know the truth of this matter for now."

"It will be very hard for them to suspect Wang Ping. Along with the various orthodoxies of the Immortal Gate, they will most likely suspect some True Person or the reincarnation of an ancient cultivator Dao Lord. So long as he doesn't leave [Heaven Defiance Palace] and expose himself before the True Monarchs, he'll be fine... Still, you're right. We must guard against this."

[Fu]'s tone was certain.

After all, before this, even he had suspected that some fellow Daoist had returned from the river of time; not a single thought had pointed him toward Wang Ping.

It was simply too absurd.

'He's only at Qi Refining... not even Qi Refining Third Layer. Even Heavenly Banner back in his day only formed the embryo of the Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders upon reaching Qi Refining Consummation.'

Compared to him, Wang Ping was even faster!

Not only faster, but more complete as well. The [Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy] hadn't spread widely until after Heavenly Banner reached True Cultivation, whereas the [dharma body path] had caught fire right away! That indirectly proved one thing: 'World-shaking comprehension...'

To surpass the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch], and by such a crushing margin at that—calling it "world-shaking comprehension" was almost an understatement.

At that, [Fu]'s thoughts took a turn: "The Fire Qi lineage doesn't know Wang Ping's identity, but they will definitely make a probing move, most likely sending a True Person... Since that's the case, this might be a chance to establish our might. You and I can plan ahead and find a way to kill whichever Fire Qi True Person makes a move!"

He had already made his judgment.

Among the eight ancient cultivator Dao Lords, he knew the Fire Qi lineage best. After all, he was the very Dao Lord who had founded the Qi Ingestion Method, only to have his work hijacked by the Fire Qi lineage.

To say he had nursed that hatred for countless years was no exaggeration.

Consequently, he had studied the Fire Qi lineage the most and knew the ways of that pack of demonic Daoists better than anyone. He could say for certain that the Fire Qi lineage would be the first to lose patience.

[Yang] gave a heavy nod at this: "Good... Then we'll do as we discussed before. When the time comes, hand the [Fu] character to me and strike with full force... Let those bitch-born bastards know our resolve."

...

The Immortal Gate, the Protector Courtyard.

Unlike the ring-star megastructure of the Divine Weapon Courtyard, the Protector Courtyard—one of the Three Great Academies of the Immortal Gate—took the form of a towering divine mountain stretching across the Cosmos. Its scale was so vast that even stars looked tiny beside it. Every crag and boulder upon it, every flower and leaf, every blade of grass and tree was a Grotto-Heaven encompassing myriad worlds and reflecting boundless radiance... And on the eastern corner of this divine mountain lay one of the renowned Immortal Realms of the Earth Qi Daoist Lineage.

[Profound Governance Realm].

Governed by the [Profound-Weighing Impartial-Bestowing True Monarch], the landscape within this Immortal Realm was grand and sweeping: a vast, boundless continent home to countless cultivation sects.

Each sect formed its own system.

To put it bluntly, this single [Profound Governance Realm] already qualified as a world of immortal cultivation in its own right, with an order utterly distinct from the Cosmic Immortal Gate outside.

In the northeast of this continent stood an immortal mountain named [Pure Clarity Mountain]. Atop it sat a great sect, the contemporary leader of the righteous path, called the [Xuandu Sect]. Deep within the cluster of mausoleums behind the sect rested a black coffin. The lid slid open, revealing the face of Chu Huaijing.

"...Born to toil."

Chu Huaijing let out a long breath. The movement shifted his cracked face, sending fine sand trickling down, and he stepped out of the coffin to glance toward the sect.

Right inside the ancestral hall of the [Xuandu Sect], he could still see his own Spirit Tablet—none other than the founding patriarch's—yet no one knew he was right here.

In the Daoist canon records of the [Xuandu Sect], their patriarch had long since achieved feathered ascension and risen to the upper realm... That was the dream of every cultivator in the [Profound Governance Realm]. In Chu Huaijing's eyes, however, ascending wasn't actually anything great; far from granting unfettered freedom, it left one in an even worse plight.

With that thought, Chu Huaijing looked up at the sky.

To ordinary cultivators, the sky was clear and washed an immaculate blue. Yet to Chu Huaijing, who stood at Ninth Layer Heaven Breaking, the sky looked entirely different. It was a dark, profound body.

Its head pierced beyond the vault of heaven, with only the sun and moon hanging high as though the sky could not contain its breadth; its legs sank beneath the horizon, as though the earth could not bear its weight.

It sat poised outside the continent, arms curved in an embrace, as if cradling the entire [Profound Governance Realm]—an immortal cultivation world holding tens of millions of cultivators—against its chest. The spiritual qi the cultivators relied on to survive was merely Its breath; the myriad grand Daos they visualized were merely the radiance drifting off Its form.

'True Monarch...'

Chu Huaijing lowered his head and waited quietly for a moment, until a beam of variegated light draped down from between the sun and moon, as though that vast dharma body had cast Its gaze downward.

Immediately, Chu Huaijing raised his head.

This time, however, his eyes no longer held their former liveliness. Instead, they were veiled in a light as deep and dark as an abyss, taking on an eerie chill.

He stepped forward, leaving the [Profound Governance Realm] in the blink of an eye, descending onto the divine mountain of the Protector Courtyard, and arriving before a wooded courtyard residence.

"Fellow Daoist, Profound-Weighing has come to pay a visit!"

Standing before the gate, "Chu Huaijing" gave a light chuckle that boomed like thunder, shaking the residence as myriad profound phenomena clashed and conjured thousands of shifting scenes of light and color.

Yet the courtyard gates remained tightly shut, offering no response at all.

Seeing this, "Chu Huaijing" chuckled again: "What, you won't invite me in to sit? Could it be that Fellow Daoist has already reincarnated, leaving only a wisp of spiritual sense behind?"

Though "Chu Huaijing" appeared to be smiling as he spoke, there was not a trace of warmth in the depths of his eyes—only sharp scrutiny. Even so, he never took a step to force his way in, merely driving his profound power harder and harder. The ever more blazing radiance pressed closer step by step, making the tremors running through the courtyard residence increasingly pronounced.

Until a voice rang out from within the courtyard: "There is no need for that!"

Boom!

The words landed like four great mountains, pinning down the four corners of the courtyard residence and instantly quelling every phenomenon. Though the radiance surged like a tide, the residence stood unmoved.

"Oh..."

His qi signature swiftly receding, "Chu Huaijing" gave a slight nod. "Fellow Daoist speaks too formally. You and I belong to the same house—how could we not look out for one another?"

At those words, an icy laugh echoed from within the courtyard: "I cannot bear the weight of Fellow Daoist's care, and I certainly wouldn't dare attempt reincarnation. Otherwise, with Fellow Daoist coming to deal with me, I would likely never escape calamity... So you needn't test me any further. If you truly harbor doubts, why not step inside for a spell?"

"Listen to you!"

"Fellow Daoist misunderstands me far too deeply."

Standing before the gate, "Chu Huaijing" showed no anger at the mockery. His tone remained warm, and he had not the slightest intention of stepping inside the courtyard.

Because he only dealt with lower-realm cultivators. So long as there was the faintest chance that the person inside the courtyard stood at the same Realm as him, he wouldn't take the gamble—and had no need to. Given enough time, a flaw would always show.

With that in mind, he immediately changed the subject: "Fellow Daoist must have seen the [dharma body path] just now... Anyone capable of becoming a path-opener is no nameless figure. Does Fellow Daoist recognize this person?"

After the [dharma body path] emerged, the human-yang fire had reacted to the extreme and actively battered [Heaven Defiance Palace], showing that the path-opener was most likely inside [Heaven Defiance Palace]. Viewed from that angle, just like the Heavenly Aperture Xuanzhi, it was very likely an existence from the era of the Great Rebellion returning from the river of time.

After all, the Great Rebellion of that era had been a hundred flowers blooming at once.

With [Supreme Dao Lord Xuangong] opening the [Five Phases] and the [Heavenly Banner Pardoning True Monarch] opening the [Five Thunders], having one more figure open the [dharma body path] would be entirely normal.

It was a sound and reasonable judgment.

That was precisely why "Chu Huaijing" had come to ask the person in the courtyard. In the world today, no one understood the Great Rebellion better than this individual.

"I don't recognize them."

The reply from inside the courtyard was crisp: "Among the Daoists and Dao Lords under the rule of the Great Rebellion back then, not a single one had an orthodoxy resembling this [dharma body path]."

At those words, "Chu Huaijing" immediately frowned. He pondered for a moment before speaking again: "Just because there wasn't one then doesn't mean there isn't one now."

"If there wasn't an identical one, wasn't there at least a similar one? This [dharma body path] takes universal benefit for lower-realm cultivators to the absolute extreme. Who back then held that kind of philosophy?" The person inside the courtyard laughed upon hearing this: "Heh..."

"So that's it. Universal benefit for lower-realm cultivators—is that what caught your eye and got you interested? Hoping to turn it into your own achievement? You'd best drop that pipe dream."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"That sort of thing takes comprehension."

The laughter from inside the courtyard grew grand and booming: "If it didn't, with so many True Monarchs in the world, why would the vast majority still be spinning in circles within the Immortal Dao?"

"For True Monarchs like us, ascending to a heavenly and earthly Pinnacle Station is already heaven's grace. Wanting to open another orthodoxy on top of that is far too greedy. Besides, if the orthodoxy doesn't align with the Pinnacle Station beneath one's seat, the difficulty is higher than scaling heaven itself. Only Heavenly Banner managed to blaze a new trail back then, giving rise to the [Heavenly Firmament Five Thunders Daoist Orthodoxy]."

"And Heavenly Banner's comprehension needs no explanation from you or me."

"In matters like this, without sufficient comprehension, it's like scooping the moon out of the water or viewing flowers through a fog—you can look, but you cannot touch... And even if you did touch it and truly seized the orthodoxy into your hands, could you make it flourish?"

"You simply don't have the ability. If you did, after all the years the [Profound Governance Realm] has developed, you would have established a brand-new orthodoxy long ago!"

Even True Persons and True Monarchs did not necessarily possess high comprehension. After all, once borrowing the false to cultivate the true emerged, scheming, deep-minded calculators could attain the Dao through True Cultivation all the same; comprehension had long ceased to be a hard requirement.

Of course, with high comprehension, one's prospects in cultivation were certainly brighter. Especially when a True Monarch wished to ascend further to become an immortal—low comprehension made things terribly troublesome.

Naturally, it was impossible for a cultivator who reached True Monarch to have no comprehension at all.

At worst, their comprehension simply wasn't high.

Though the person inside the courtyard spared no sarcasm, "Chu Huaijing"'s expression didn't flicker in the slightest. He said mildly, "As the saying goes, every generation brings forth new talents."

"If one [dharma body path] isn't enough, then two, three, ten... So long as I have patience, I can always wait for the prodigies of each generation to pioneer enough orthodoxies, and then seize them one by one before they grow into their strength. In the end, it's nothing more than a matter of time."

The laughter abruptly died. The person inside the courtyard was left speechless. When a dignified grand True Monarch stooped to this level, what else was there to say? Just let him have it, the bitch-born thing!

At the same time, he heard the resolve in "Chu Huaijing"'s words. After a brief silence, he gave a deep, measured reply: "An identical one truly didn't exist."

"As for similar ones... there were quite a few back then, given the Great Rebellion's philosophy. But the difficulty was too high; not a single one actually succeeded."

"Even if they returned from the river of time, they wouldn't have the skill to forge the [dharma body path]. This path-opener's comprehension is unquestionably renowned across eternity."

It was immense praise. In the eyes of the person in the courtyard, judging purely by comprehension and regardless of cultivation level, the cultivator who founded the [dharma body path] would rank among the great names even across the entire history of Cosmic Deep Space—counting every True Person, True Monarch, and even the immortals. After all, making cultivation accessible to all was simply too difficult.

"Ever since true spiritual roots appeared, the Immortal Dao has been locked down almost completely. Without a true spiritual root, the best a lower-realm cultivator can hope for is Corpse Dissolution Immortal; rising any higher is impossible."

To make cultivation universal, one first had to solve the problem of the true spiritual root.

And the true spiritual root had emerged alongside [True Cultivation], tracing all the way back to the era when the Qi Ingestion Method defeated the Qi Nurturing Method to become the orthodox Immortal Dao.

Back then, the first to convert his cultivation using the Qi Ingestion Method and become a True Person was that future immortal of the Fire Qi lineage. Eight times out of ten, the true spiritual root was tied to him as well.

"His Majesty suspected back then that when the Fire Qi immortal changed [Dao Cultivation] into [True Cultivation], on one hand it was to help the Qi Ingestion Method defeat the Qi Nurturing Method, and on the other, it was likely to use the true spiritual root for some purpose. His Majesty even specifically researched the true spiritual root because of it, though regrettably he came up empty-handed."

At those words, "Chu Huaijing" fell silent too.

The Fire Qi immortal—according to the Daoist canon, following the departure of the ancient immortals, he was the very first great almighty of the current age to rise against the tide and successfully ascend to immortality.

The second was the Living Buddha.

Only, one had relied on borrowing the false to cultivate the true, exploiting the successive upheavals of the Immortal Dao to scheme against countless cultivators, while the other had relied on transcendent comprehension to pioneer a new law.

The Fire Qi orthodoxy had indeed been unimaginably glorious during those years. Fortunately, heaven permits no eternal prosperity: after the Living Buddha emerged, he fell out with the Fire Qi immortal, and the two fought to mutual ruin before both passing from the world—otherwise, the Fire Qi orthodoxy wouldn't have been driven out of the Immortal Gate, but would still be pressing down on everyone's heads to this day!

After a moment of silence, he steered the conversation elsewhere. When it came to immortals, his habit was never to get involved or even brush against them. Upper-realm cultivators and peers were far too much trouble; lower-realm cultivators were much easier to bully.

"Then let's not think along the lines of universal benefit for lower-realm cultivators."

"Aside from accessibility, another key change in the [dharma body path] is that its creator simplified cultivation to the extreme—anyone with hands can do it."

"Was there anyone like that in the Great Rebellion?"

"Hmm..."

This time, the person in the courtyard didn't flatly say no. After thinking it over for a moment, he gave an answer: "There actually was someone corresponding to that."

"Who?"

"Back then, His Majesty recruited an ancient cultivator named [Dao Lord Hundred Profundities Evolving Law]. The philosophy of the orthodoxy he founded was to smelt all the myriad laws of the Immortal Dao into one."

"He was renowned for the title [Hundred Profundities], signifying that he had already distilled the myriad methods of the Immortal Dao into one hundred superior laws. His Majesty once remarked that if he could one day smelt those hundred superior laws once more into a single supreme law, he might use it to ascend to the seat of a Dao Lord."

"However, the man was quite mysterious. Even I rarely saw him."

"After His Majesty vanished and the Great Rebellion fell, he disappeared without a trace right along with it."

"[Dao Lord Hundred Profundities Evolving Law]..." Hearing this, "Chu Huaijing" immediately frowned. "I have never heard of this Dao Lord, nor did I see him during the war to eradicate the Rebellion."

"That's normal."

The voice inside the courtyard replied mildly, "If even I could be hidden away by you, he naturally could be hidden too. It's only a question of which path is doing the hiding. Do you have a suspect?"

As the words fell, "Chu Huaijing" sank into thought.

"...The Water Qi lineage?"

Although each of the Five Phases orthodoxies had a Pinnacle Station involving concealment, when it came to hiding, the first suspect was naturally the Water Qi lineage—that branch was simply too textbook.

Yet a moment later, he shook his head: "Not necessarily. There are also figures seated upon [Wind Over Earth: Contemplation] and [Heaven Over Mountain: Retreat]. He could have been hidden by Them as well."

"Let's wait and see."

Though he was in a hurry, someone else was in an even greater hurry.

Such as the Fire Qi lineage. A single [dharma body path] was enough to drive that pack of demonic Daoists mad, and might even alter the Fire Qi lineage's original objectives to a degree.

Since that was the case, he could simply sit back and watch how things unfolded.

With a flash of light, "Chu Huaijing" lingered no longer and vanished on the spot, leaving only a quiet courtyard residence sitting in the corner of the Protector Courtyard. ...

The Supreme Palace Enclosure, the [Radiant Clarity Realm].

Situated in the Cosmos bordering the Brahma Nation, this realm manifested outwardly as a scorching sun. It looked like Dual Cultivation of Nature and Life, yet the true foundation of the Immortal Realm did not actually lie within that blazing sun.

Manifested without, hidden within.

That was the true essence of the [Li Trigram].

As for the interior of the [Radiant Clarity Realm], it too was a grand world of overlapping mountain ranges, yet it bore none of the bustling immortal-cultivation liveliness of the [Profound Governance Realm].

On the contrary, as far as the eye could see stretched a hundred thousand great mountains where demonic qi billowed into the heavens. Great demons of every kind tore into raw flesh and drank blood, feasting with abandon in a scene of utter savagery—only at the very center of the Immortal Realm, atop a pillar mountain propping up heaven and earth, stood pavilions and palaces wreathed in auspicious clouds and golden splendor, carrying a touch of immortal cultivator bearing.

That was where Wang Ping had landed last time.

As for the demonic landscape of the hundred thousand mountains, because it was rather gruesome and tarnished the image of the Fire Qi lineage, it had been deliberately veiled during his last visit, leaving Wang Ping none the wiser.

Deep within the palaces.

True Person Chiming sat cross-legged, his dharma body unmoving, while a strand of his spiritual sense pierced through the air and dropped into the hundred thousand great mountains below in the blink of an eye.

True Monarchs established Immortal Realms in order to test and carry their own orthodoxies. Strictly speaking, each was a miniature Cosmic Deep Space—except that most cultivators in Cosmic Deep Space lived under the Immortal Dao founded by the Heavenly Venerates, whereas most cultivators inside an Immortal Realm lived under the orthodoxies founded by the True Monarchs. And a True Monarch's orthodoxy was never just one single school.

Unlike grand Daos proven out of thin air, True Monarch orthodoxies were mostly born out of their corresponding heavenly and earthly Pinnacle Stations, making them much easier to establish and far more numerous.

Take the [Radiant Clarity Realm], for instance.

This place held a full five orthodoxies. Once one's cultivation bore fruit, one could manifest a Qilin aspect. True Person Chiming had walked out of here, which was why his demonic aspect was an Ink Qilin. Rumble!

The next second, True Person Chiming's spiritual sense arrived at a volcanic crater. A blast of heat washed over him as scalding magma churned with the titanic might of the star's depths. Without pausing, the True Person's spiritual sense pierced straight through the magma, located a cavern, slipped inside, and quickly reached its destination. This place was called the [Blazing Steed Cavern].

The five orthodoxies within the [Radiant Clarity Realm] were arrayed according to the Five Phases and collectively known as the [Five Phases Qilin Orthodoxies]. Separated, each had its own title corresponding to five kinds of Qilin demons, namely:

[Towering Solitude Cave Spirit Demon Orthodoxy]

[Blazing Steed Cavern Scorching Calamity Orthodoxy]

[Somber Wastes Profound Metal Orthodoxy]

[Horned Crown Lake Heavenly Flood Orthodoxy]

[Qilin Mountain Auspicious Omen Orthodoxy]

Among the five orthodoxies, the [Blazing Steed Cavern Scorching Calamity Orthodoxy] corresponded to fire among the Five Phases, making it the first of the five. The aspect of the Fire Qilin possessed the mighty power to incinerate all laws. Standing within the cavern, True Person Chiming shook his spiritual sense: "Awaken!"

Rumble!

In an instant, the entire cavern shook violently. A fierce gale suddenly whipped through the previously silent cavern, carrying an indescribable scorching heat.

That fierce wind felt like the breathing of some colossal beast. Deep within the pitch-black cavern, two balls of roaring fire abruptly flared to life, gleaming with golden light. They drifted rapidly forward, accompanied by the rasping of scales dragging across the ground and the muffled thuds of a heavy body striding forth, quickly revealing its form from the shadows.

It was a Qilin.

A Qilin dyed crimson was called a "Blazing Steed," and that was the exact form it took now, snorting out bursts of fire as it slowly paced out of the cavern.

Thud!

With a heavy crash, the great demon dropped heavily to its knees. In the span of a breath, the flames receded and the Qilin form shrank, transforming into a Daoist wearing a crimson robe.

"Gu Han of the [Blazing Steed Cavern Scorching Calamity Orthodoxy] greets the True Person."

Seeing this, True Person Chiming gave a slight nod.

Compared to divine corpses under the Earth Qi lineage like Chu Huaijing, although the great demons of the Fire Qi lineage were preserved by very crude methods and would wear out into scrap after a few tens of thousands of years more, they did have one advantage. They were still living creatures, toughing it out through the longer lifespan of their demonic aspects, so they didn't need to return to the Immortal Realm every so often to mend and nourish their lives.

"I have two matters for you to handle."

True Person Chiming said in a deep voice, "[Heaven Defiance Palace] is about to fall. I need you to make a trip on my behalf and find two cultivators. One of them is the Dao Child of the Water Qi lineage." With that, he sketched out the appearance of Wang Ping's qi signature.

"The other is a path-opener."

Next, he pointed a finger, motioning for Gu Han to look up and observe [destiny]. Gu Han did as told and quickly saw the light and shadow of the [dharma body path].

"That is..."

In an instant, information regarding the [dharma body path] flowed into Gu Han's mind, as though a single thought from him would allow him to resonate with that grand Dao.

"Just look—do not resonate with it," True Person Chiming sneered. "Otherwise your memories will be captured by it, and you won't have a single secret left before it."

"Hiss...!"

Gu Han sucked in a sharp breath upon hearing this. Resonating with it would get one's memories captured? How was that any different from another form of soul-searching? Where had such a demonic fiend's method come from?

At that thought, he cautiously spoke up: "The Water Qi lineage?"

True Person Chiming: "..."

Though pleased with Gu Han's wariness, True Person Chiming still shook his head. "Probably not. This path-opener stirred the human-yang fire."

"Most likely it is a cultivator of our Fire Qi lineage... Of course, that isn't certain yet. It could also be an ancient cultivator Dao Lord who switched to cultivating Fire Qi after opening this path."

"Otherwise, it would have been impossible to trigger an anomaly in [Seizing Preeminence Among the Ao]."

"In short, your primary task is to find a way to eliminate this Water Qi Dao Child. The Water Qi lineage has already won a round; we cannot let them keep winning."

"Second is to locate that path-opener."

Light glinted in True Person Chiming's eyes as he continued, "Once you find them, communicate first. It's best to figure out their identity, and then contact me."

As he finished speaking, the True Person pinched a spell gesture, plucked a wisp from the profound power swirling around him, ignited it into flame, and tapped it lightly against the center of Gu Han's brow. It melted swiftly into his sea of consciousness. Throughout the entire process, Gu Han remained respectful and utterly still, allowing True Person Chiming to work his spell unobstructed.

Only when True Person Chiming was done did he ask softly, "True Person, how should this disciple enter [Heaven Defiance Palace]? If I only use an avatar technique, restricted to Tribulation Transcending cultivation, I'm afraid many of my methods will be hard to use..."

The demonic aspect transformation of the Fire Qi orthodoxy was its core method, yet that transformation could not be unleashed at the Tribulation Transcending stage; it required at least Qi Refining Third Layer.

"No need to worry." True Person Chiming gave a cold laugh. "The Great Rebellion has been dead for tens of thousands of years, and the Human Emperor remains missing to this day. [Heaven Defiance Palace] naturally won't remain an eternal umbrella of protection."

"Thinking that only Tribulation Transcending cultivators can enter would be severely underestimating the wear and tear the True Monarchs have inflicted on it over tens of thousands of years. This time, there won't be any restrictions left."

Only then did Gu Han kowtow: "I obey your decree."

At that, True Person Chiming swept his wide sleeve, carrying the Fire Qilin out of the [Radiant Clarity Realm] and hurtling toward [Heaven Defiance Palace].

[Eight Trigrams Furnace].

"Phew..."

Inside the Imperial Palace of Great Gan, Xianfu sat with his eyes tightly shut, while in front of him and behind him, two faint, blurry figures gradually took shape.

Yes, he was cultivating the [dharma body path] now.

Of course, he had no idea that the [dharma body path] had been created by Wang Ping. After all, the [dharma body path] had shed the shell of the [Martial Dao] and looked nothing like it anymore.

Even the foundational Martial Dao realms such as External Force, Internal Force, and Titled ranks no longer existed in the [dharma body path], replaced by pure tempering of the physical body and building up qi and blood. The only thing retained was "Divine Intent," and even that had been given a secondary disguise through the Long River of Memory.

Consequently, aside from the First Seat—the founder of the [Martial Dao] herself—virtually no one could recognize the roots of the [dharma body path]; they would only assume it had sprung out of nowhere. As for why Xianfu had chosen to cultivate the [dharma body path], it wasn't because he found it easy to practice, but because he valued its core.

'Time...'

Opening his eyes, Xianfu looked at the two figures before and behind him, his gaze turning gloomy: '...How could this be? There's something wrong with both my past and my future?'

Naturally, he had yet to condense a [Past Dust Aspect] or a [Next Life Aspect]; he could only glimpse his own past and future through the Long River of Memory. The problem, however, was that while everyone else's past and future showed a youth and an old man, he alone was different—both his past and his future were a hazy blur.

Only a vague human outline could be made out.

Yet his exact age, his actual face, and even his clothing were impossible to see. Xianfu even suspected that those figures weren't him at all, but someone else entirely.

"Hmph!"

The next second, Xianfu looked away from his past and future, then took out the copy of the [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea] that Wang Ping had given him.

An art for cultivating fate.

It could elevate one's own Destiny Pattern to the True Dragon tier, matching the station of a True Person, and was uniquely suited to the lord of an immortal dynasty like himself—obtained by Wang Ping from inside [Heaven Defiance Palace].

What kind of joke was this!

'Which True Monarch is using me as a pawn and pushing me to elevate my Destiny Pattern... Since when do free lunches fall from the sky? There has to be another layer of scheming behind this.' Rumble!

The next second, a sudden clap of thunder rang out, blurring the scenery inside the Imperial Palace for an instant before twisting it, finally condensing slowly into a figure wielding lightning.

[True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan].

At the sound, Xianfu raised his head and looked at the True Person whom he had previously viewed as his life tribulation adversary, yet who was now his greatest backing. Out of nowhere, he spoke up: "True Person, you wish to become the master of the [Observing Eternity Realm], don't you?"

"..."

[True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] did not answer. Ever since he had exposed his Wood Qi clone, his chosen Dao path had become an open secret anyway.

"[Heaven Defiance Palace] is about to fall."

After a brief silence, [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] said darkly, "Plans have changed. This time, the True Monarchs will most likely join hands to carve up those ruins of the Great Rebellion."

"Previously, I allowed you to remain at Tribulation Transcending Third Layer because only Tribulation Transcending cultivators could enter [Heaven Defiance Palace]. This time, however, Qi Refining practitioners may also have a chance. Under such circumstances, your cultivation is no longer enough... Break through as soon as possible. If you don't break through soon, you will be of no further use to me."

His words were utterly blunt.

[Heaven Defiance Palace] was about to fall, and the era of contention for the Dao was growing ever clearer. He could no longer permit His clone to remain a mere Qi Refining practitioner. He had to break through!

So long as Xianfu reached Qi Refining, guided the human-yang wood to formally return to the sequence of heaven and earth, and reconnected the Wood Qi Dao path, He would immediately push His Wood Qi clone to attain the Dao through True Cultivation.

In doing so, He would reach the state [True Person Hanguang Danyang] had once held.

When that time came, by seizing the opportunity of [Heaven Defiance Palace]'s fall—where one whale falls and all things thrive... He might well have a chance to ascend to heaven in a single bound and mount a Pinnacle Station!

At that thought, [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] couldn't help cursing under his breath: "Damn it, even Hanguang is a True Monarch now!"

How had his good brother from back then suddenly pulled it off?

It stung!

Of course, that slightly rattled curse did not reach Xianfu's ears. A lower-realm cultivator was not permitted to hear it; to him, it merely sounded like thunder booming all around him.

"...Very well."

Raising his head, Xianfu gave a slight nod. "I will enter Qi Refining immediately, without any further delay... However, True Person, there is one matter I wonder if you are aware of."

[True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] cast his gaze down. "Speak freely."

Yet the very next second, Xianfu's words froze the Wood Qi True Person's expression for an instant: "Am I truly the reincarnated true spirit of a True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript?"

"...What?"

In a flash, [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] narrowed his eyes. Blazing white lightning nearly pierced straight through Xianfu, only to be blocked outside his sea of consciousness by a [Life-Stealing Thief] rune.

"Why do you ask this?"

"No special reason."

Focusing his spiritual sense, Xianfu directly displayed the [Profound True Secret Essentials of the Flood Dragon Entering the Sea] and said quietly, "I have harbored doubts about this secret method all along."

[True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] swept his spiritual sense over it, instantly grasping the entirety of the secret method's contents, and frowned. "Using the fortune of one's subordinates to elevate one's own Destiny Pattern—this is a secret method tied to human-yang wood. Under the rule of our Wood Qi lineage, it greatly benefits human-yang wood cultivators seeking immortal truth... Where did you get this?"

"[Heaven Defiance Palace]," Xianfu answered frankly.

"...The Water Qi lineage?"

[True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] caught on immediately. After all, the only person inside [Heaven Defiance Palace] who had any connection to Xianfu was Wang Ping.

Yet that raised a question.

Why would the Water Qi lineage possess a Wood Qi secret method? In a flash, [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] thought of the figure who had secretly intervened in the [Star Grave Sand Sea] when Wang Ping's turbid body fled into [Heaven Defiance Palace]. The Wood Qi True Monarch.

'If it isn't [Wind Over Earth: Contemplation], then it's [Thunder Over Wind: Duration]!'

At that thought, [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan]'s expression darkened abruptly. A Wood Qi True Monarch had sent Wang Ping into [Heaven Defiance Palace], and then had him bring out a secret method like this. And even hand it over to Xianfu?

Without a doubt, a Wood Qi True Monarch was using Xianfu as a pawn. If it was the one on [Wind Over Earth: Contemplation], so be it—but what if it was the one on [Thunder Over Wind: Duration]?

That would seriously disrupt his Dao path!

In that moment, numerous conjectures surfaced in [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan]'s mind: a True Dragon Destiny Pattern, reincarnation, a True Monarch placing a piece on the board, reviving the Wood Qi orthodoxy... "Oh!"

Abruptly, [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] looked up.

He understood.

"No wonder you harbor such doubts..."

[True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] murmured under his breath, then fixed his gaze on Xianfu: "You guessed right. I'm afraid you are not the reincarnated true spirit of a True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript."

It had simply been hidden too well.

The one who had written that manuscript was the [Profound Beginning One Yang True Monarch] under the Earth Qi lineage—yet the Earth Qi lineage also had a Pinnacle Station of concealment, and a True Monarch sat upon it right now!

'[Earth Over Mountain: Humility]... [Profound-Weighing Impartial-Bestowing True Monarch]!'

'Back then, that True Monarch assisted the one on [Thunder Over Wind: Duration] in stripping the lifespan of Qi Refining practitioners across the world. Their relationship is anything but ordinary—perhaps he is placing a piece on someone else's behalf!'

Had it been anyone else, he naturally wouldn't have gotten involved. But first, this involved Xianfu, which determined whether he could successfully cultivate his [Xun Trigram] clone; and second, it involved [Thunder Over Wind: Duration], the target he had plotted after for so long. That made the situation entirely different... In fact, right now, he and Xianfu were in the exact same camp!

Arriving at that realization, [True Person Xuanxiao Yingyuan] finally voiced his conjecture: "You may well be the reincarnation of a True Person!"

Rumble!

Inside [Heaven Defiance Palace], inside the [Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven], and inside the [Heavenly Craft Cave Abode], Wang Ping's pure aspect, turbid body, and second clone suddenly felt a simultaneous tug of premonition.

"Hiss..."

Looking up at the sky, he saw the vast, boundless torrent of [destiny] churning into a vortex once more, centering on him as it manifested ten thousand scenes of calamity and tribulation.

"Here it comes again..."

A second life tribulation had unmistakably begun to brew!