"Yes."
All the disciples present immediately bowed.
They obeyed their master, the Immortal Dao Ancestor, without question. They had planned to summon the Martial Dao Ancestor to apologize because they felt their master's authority had been diminished.
"Remember."
After saying these words, the Immortal Dao Ancestor vanished.
"Master… Master has emerged from seclusion?" Only after a long pause did several disciples raise their heads and look at one another.
Even when the recent war between immortals and demons grew unprecedentedly fierce, with three Immortal Cities in a row falling to demonic creatures, the Immortal Dao Ancestor never left seclusion, nor did he intervene to eliminate those fiends.
But now, the Immortal Dao Ancestor had taken the initiative to appear in person. Why? Was it because they planned to suppress the Martial Dao Ancestor just now?
"Could the rumors out there be true?"
A disciple could not help thinking this. The Immortal Dao Ancestor had shown himself and personally forbade them from taking any action against the Martial Dao Ancestor. Though he had not explained the reason, with their level of divine sense—these disciples were all top-level Jade Immortals—they could derive many clues from that single order.
And among all the guesses, one stood out:
The Immortal Dao Ancestor was extremely wary of the Martial Dao Ancestor.
Otherwise, given the Immortal Dao Ancestor’s status, why would he go out of his way to issue a special warning? After all, the Martial Dao Ancestor had indeed acted somewhat unrestrained.
All the more, the Immortal Dao Ancestor’s concern indicated that this Martial Dao Ancestor existed at the same level as himself.
"The Martial Dao Ancestor…"
The chief disciple let out a slow breath. Only now did he realize what he had done—he had demanded that someone on the same level as his own master come and apologize. Thankfully, the master had stopped him; otherwise, even if he had the master’s protection, he would probably be banished from the Source Land forever.
Cangwu Immortal City.
Lin Yuan spent about half a day explaining the essence of martial cultivation in broad strokes.
In explaining it, he also deepened his own understanding of martial cultivation, especially regarding the Martial Dao’s Eleventh Rank section, which he had already developed ninety percent of.
"Thank you for your guidance, Martial Ancestor."
Below, many Jade Immortals bowed respectfully.
Before they came to Cangwu Immortal City, their awe of the Martial Ancestor had been rooted in his unrivaled power. But now they revered him for who he was.
Even though they did not practice Martial Dao, all paths lead to the same ultimate source. Lin Yuan’s understanding of the Great Dao’s principles could also benefit these Jade Immortals, despite their following a different path.
"Return now."
Lin Yuan waved a hand.
Instantly, all the Jade Immortals felt space and time shift, and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves outside Cangwu Immortal City.
"Indeed, the Martial Ancestor’s martial path is another route to the heavens."
"Yes, I don’t feel it’s weaker than the Immortal Path at all."
"Unfortunately, our cultivation roads are already set. Otherwise, we really could have tried the Martial Dao."
The Jade Immortals were excited. Whether it was an illusion or not, they felt that listening to Lin Yuan’s sermon this time had helped them even more than hearing a Dao Ancestor speak.
Whenever they listened to a Dao Ancestor, they often encountered parts they could not comprehend. But with the Martial Ancestor’s explanations, every word was put in the simplest possible terms.
"The Martial Ancestor… remarkable."
"He has become the Immortal Realm’s second Dao Ancestor."
Previously, there had only been one Dao Ancestor in the Immortal Realm, and the Abyss of Demons had one as well. But from this day forward, the Martial Ancestor would be the second Dao Ancestor of the Immortal Realm, and the Immortal Realm plus the Abyss of Demons would then have three Dao Ancestors.
Cangwu Immortal City.
Seated cross-legged, Lin Yuan closed his eyes.
Spending about half a day delivering a sermon to so many Jade Immortals was done solely by one of Lin Yuan’s avatars.
"A few more such lectures, and Martial Dao should take root in the Immortal Realm for good." Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
He had just addressed an audience of Jade Immortals. Only when these mighty figures fully accepted Martial Dao—without any interference from a Dao Ancestor-level power—could the Martial Dao flourish quickly.
"Rank Twelve?"
Lin Yuan’s gaze became distant, faintly perceiving the Immortal Realm’s river of time.
At this point, if he wanted to, he could at any moment step out of the river of time and try to break into the Ultimate level.
He was at the Seventh Layer of Space-Time, backed by a deep foundation that included the Heart of Time and Space, among other treasures. Lin Yuan had a strong feeling that his chances of success in challenging the Ultimate were quite high.
"There is still a possibility of failure."
Carefully pondering, Lin Yuan knew that no matter how high the likelihood of success, it was still only a likelihood.
"Breaking through to the Ultimate in the Immortal Realm is no different from breaking through in the main universe. In fact, because I was not born here, there would be certain hidden dangers."
He mused silently.
He had considered attempting the breakthrough here in the Immortal Realm, but it would make little difference. Whether it was in the Immortal Realm or the main universe, failing a breakthrough meant certain death.
Lin Yuan was not sure if, in the instant of final failure, his mental will could hide within the Gate of Myriad Realms and survive. It was best to prepare for the worst.
"The Chaos law…"
He exhaled slowly. As long as he gained insight into the law of Chaos, plus his current foundation, it wouldn’t guarantee a steady success, but it would increase the odds substantially.
Moreover, comprehending the law of Chaos at the Eleventh Rank of existence would greatly benefit his transformation. Especially if he broke through in the main universe, he would endure the infusion of the chaotic void’s primordial source, which would get a massive boost if he had mastery of the law of Chaos.
"Greetings, Teacher."
"Greetings, Martial Ancestor."
Li Qing, Shan Yang, Nie Yun, and the others stood respectfully below him.
After spending quite some time adapting to life in the Immortal Realm, they had finally come to terms with the reality of it.
"I have already reshaped your physical bodies, so your future cultivation should be a bit smoother," Lin Yuan said calmly.
With his current level of power, rebuilding their bodies was as simple as a single thought, channeling the Immortal Realm’s energies.
Of course, rebuilding flesh was just that—flesh. To go farther along the martial evolution path, reaching rank nine, rank ten, or even rank eleven, would still require individual effort.
A powerful body merely gave them a higher starting point; in the end, how far they could travel was up to them.
Among the dozens of rank-twelve beings in the main universe, most had been ordinary lifeforms. There was only one who had become a rank-twelve existence by possessing an utterly unique body.
In the Starry Sky Alliance, most of the rank-twelve powerhouses were ordinary special lifeforms.
"Understood, Martial Ancestor."
Li Qing and the others responded immediately.
"You may go."
Lin Yuan waved, watching them depart.
"My parents…" Lin Yuan’s thoughts turned, and an image of Jun Dongjin and the rest of his family appeared in his mind.
Unlike Li Qing and the other rank-eight martial experts, Jun Dongjin had only been at the Void Refinement Stage when he died.
After arriving in the Immortal Realm, he needed much more time to adjust.
"I’ve done as much as I can for them."
Lin Yuan said to himself. He had journeyed through time to resurrect the family members he had known in two separate transmigrations and rebuilt their bodies, giving them an extra million or even ten million years of life.
Now, there was little more he could offer.
"It’s time to enter the Source Land of the Immortal Realm."
Lin Yuan’s figure vanished and reappeared under that irregular fissure in the cavern abode area.
Having reached the Seventh Layer of Space-Time, Lin Yuan had been planning to explore the Immortal Realm’s Source Land. He had even spoken to the Abyss of Demons Progenitor about it.
"Let’s go."
The avatar stepped directly into the irregular fissure.
The fissure itself was the passageway leading to the Immortal Realm’s Source Land. But it was perilous, filled with countless space-time storms. Even the most powerful Jade Immortal would risk death rushing in without caution.
Yet Lin Yuan was no Jade Immortal. Even before reaching the Seventh Layer of Space-Time, he had been able to enter the Source Land via an irregular fissure. But at the time, he was wary of the Immortal Dao Ancestor, so he had not acted.
Now, bolstered by the Seventh Layer of Space-Time, he had nothing to fear.
Rumble— The irregular fissure passageway stretched on endlessly, filled with violent space-time storms.
Lin Yuan strolled leisurely. All the turbulent space-time energy calmed down as soon as it got within a hundred feet of him.
Traveling deeper, Lin Yuan noticed how the path to the Source Land started narrow but gradually widened the farther in he went.
"Law fluctuations."
Even before fully entering the Source Land, he sensed waves of vast laws surging in. Various laws took shape in his vision, and their operational details flowed into his mind.
"How marvelous."
Lin Yuan observed carefully, as all sorts of sparks of insight burst forth within him.
Nearly all these inspirations came from other foundational and fused laws, whereas he hardly felt anything new about the laws of space-time. At this point, Lin Yuan’s comprehension of space-time fusion laws had reached its maximum under the Immortal Realm’s constraints.
He could only advance further by leaving this realm.
"Law of Metal? Five Elements laws? The Five Elements Cycle law?"
"Boundless law, space law, boundless space law?"
"Extreme Chaotic Hole law?"
"Material-Illusory law?"
Various foundational and fused laws poured into Lin Yuan’s mind like rivers flowing into the sea. Many of these he had never encountered before.
[Your Unrivaled Insight allows you to sense the essence of countless laws in action, greatly increasing your understanding of the Five Elements Cycle law]
[Your Unrivaled Insight allows you to sense the essence of countless laws in action, greatly increasing your understanding of the boundless space law]
[Your Unrivaled Insight allows you to sense the essence of countless laws in action, greatly increasing your understanding of the Extreme Chaotic Hole law]
Endless sparks of comprehension exploded in Lin Yuan’s mind. Multiple laws intertwined around him, making the once-violent space-time around him go calm.
The Immortal Realm’s Source Land.
The Immortal Dao Ancestor was there, waiting for Lin Yuan to arrive.
He and the Abyss of Demons Progenitor were two sides of the same existence, so if the Abyss of Demons Progenitor had agreed to Lin Yuan’s request, it meant he had as well.
In truth, even if the Immortal Dao Ancestor had disagreed, it would not have mattered; since the Abyss of Demons Progenitor had no way to touch Lin Yuan, neither would the Immortal Dao Ancestor.
"So the Martial Ancestor has come?"
The Immortal Dao Ancestor had personally opened various irregular fissures leading to the Source Land, and he was intimately familiar with them all. He instantly sensed Lin Yuan’s avatar entering one of them.
"Hm?"
"Why did he stop?"
After waiting patiently for a while, the Immortal Dao Ancestor realized that Lin Yuan had yet to fully enter the Source Land.
"What…"
He paused and looked distantly toward the place where Lin Yuan stood, his body emanating the collision of numerous laws, as if something profound was gestating.
"A sudden moment of enlightenment?"
"He isn’t even in the Source Land yet and already entered enlightenment?"
The Immortal Dao Ancestor fell silent.
...
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