Chapter 580 - 423: The Final Stage of the Only True Path

’I’m still missing one element.’

Xu Qing opened his eyes. He sensed that his aura had grown a little stronger and mused, "Even with six elements, and even if all six are raised to Level 10, it’s not enough to fuse Physical Immortality, Immortal Soul, and Immortal Will."

"I’m still missing the final element: ’True Realm Soil.’"

"But..."

Xu Qing said in a low voice, "This is already the final stage of the Only True Path, the ultimate gate. And I’ve already passed the test of the Only True Path’s Ninth Gate."

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!!!

Before his eyes,

Xu Qing looked up. From an unseeable place above, colors and radiances gradually descended, forming what looked like a Rainbow Path that landed at his feet.

"Haaa..."

SWOOSH!

Xu Qing took a deep breath. "I’ve reached the finale of the Only True Path, the very end. The Rainbow Path has descended."

"Now."

"As long as I step onto this Rainbow Path, it will guide me to the true ’Unique True Realm’ and allow me to achieve my ultimate goal."

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!!!

Then,

Xu Qing looked again. Upon the Rainbow Path, he saw countless images, scenes of one living being after another who had stepped onto the Only True Path.

Among these beings,

some had just entered the Eighth Realm, only to perish in the Land of Origin. They died without even setting foot on the path’s first stage.

The first stage, the second, the third...

Trial after trial.

Countless beings had died and fallen—existences of the Eighth and Ninth Realms, all perishing in one stage after another.

In fact,

as Xu Qing had walked this path, he had rarely fought other challengers across its nine major stages. To him, the nine stages of the Only True Path weren’t exceptionally difficult. Despite a few twists and turns, he had passed through them one after another.

The nine stages.

It was unknown how many beings they had eliminated.

From the moment the Only True Path opened until now, Xu Qing was the one and only person to have reached its ninth stage, let alone pass it.

Especially starting from the sixth stage.

The Golden House, the Wooden House, the Endless Water, the Infinite Fire.

One had to find the real True Realm Gold, True Realm Wood, True Realm Water, and True Realm Fire. Xu Qing made passing these four stages look incredibly easy, finding these elements with little effort.

However,

this was because Xu Qing had raised his elements to Level 10, causing a qualitative change. He was able to use the resonance between the elements to find the others so easily.

If it had been anyone else,

they might have possessed elements, but they couldn’t induce a transformation. It would be impossible for them to use resonance to find the other elements.

Thus,

others could only try their luck, one by one.

After all,

with Xu Qing’s power, he could only afford to make a mistake ’one thousand and one’ times. Others were weaker than him, so they had even fewer chances for trial and error.

Therefore,

many experts at the Peak of the Three Immortal Realms had died in these stages.

In these images, Xu Qing even saw the figures of the Ancestral Dragon, the Three Great Ancestors, and other ancient beings from the Forbidden Lands. They, too, had died in these stages.

In other words,

Xu Qing was the only one in the entire Sea of Chaos to have made it this far.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing pondered for a moment. He lifted his foot and moved toward the Rainbow Path. As long as he stepped on it, he could truly enter the ’Unique True Realm’.

"No!!!"

However,

just as Xu Qing’s foot was about to touch down, he stopped. His expression gradually calmed as he looked at the Rainbow Path and gently shook his head.

"This isn’t the result I want."

Xu Qing said in a low voice, "What I want is to reach the end of the Only True Path, but I also want to fuse the Three Great Immortals and step into the true ’Tenth Realm.’"

"And I will enter the Unique True Realm with the Cultivation of the ’Tenth Realm.’"

Without hesitation,

Xu Qing took a step back.

"I want to go to the ultimate test."

Xu Qing looked up at the Void and shouted.

Apparently,

besides stepping onto the Rainbow Path, Xu Qing had a second option: to go to the ’ultimate test’ of the Only True Path. Within this ’ultimate test’ lay the genuine ’True Realm Soil’.

Therefore,

as long as Xu Qing could pass the ultimate test, he would obtain the real ’True Realm Soil’.

Of course,

the difficulty of the ultimate test was naturally terrifying, almost impossible to complete. But Xu Qing had made his decision. He would go to the ultimate test.

"Go!"

BUZZ!

Xu Qing had made his decision.

As expected,

the Rainbow Path vanished.

The next moment,

a Thorny Path appeared. This path led to the ’Land of the Ultimate Test’ on the Only True Path, where the final trial awaited Xu Qing.

Xu Qing lifted his foot and started walking down the Thorny Path. The black, thorny road emanated an ominous aura as he advanced, step by step.

Gradually,

Xu Qing left the ninth stage of the Only True Path behind. He reached the end of the Thorny Path and arrived at the Land of the Ultimate Test.

"Haaa..."

Xu Qing took a deep breath and turned around, only to find that the black Thorny Path he had come from had vanished. He now stood in a spacious, empty room.

The room wasn’t very large, about a hundred square meters in area. There wasn’t much light, only a hazy glow.

"Hm?"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, noticing a figure seated cross-legged up ahead. Although the hazy glow made it difficult to see clearly, he could still tell it was an old Daoist.

"You’ve come."

Suddenly,

the old Daoist spoke.

"Who are you?"

Xu Qing’s expression grew solemn. His gaze fell upon the old Daoist, from whom he felt a palpable pressure.

Clearly,

this old Daoist’s power had to be greater than even the Pseudo-Tenth Realm’s Golden.

"Me?"

The old Daoist was silent for a moment. He seemed to be thinking, or perhaps reminiscing. After a long while, he spoke slowly, "It has been too long. So long that I have almost forgotten."

"A name, you ask?"

"If I had one, then a long, long, long time ago, many beings and existences called me: Taoist Ancestor."

"Taoist Ancestor!"

Xu Qing’s expression was one of shock.

"That is correct."

The old Daoist’s tone was placid.

"You..."

Xu Qing was utterly shocked.

If...

If Xu Qing wasn’t mistaken, then the old Daoist before him was very likely the Taoist Ancestor of the Chaos Sea Human Race. He had never expected that the Taoist Ancestor had not truly perished but was actually here.

"Weren’t you supposed to have perished?"

Xu Qing couldn’t help but ask.

"I did not."

The Taoist Ancestor did not turn around, but he answered Xu Qing’s question. "Using my Supreme Power, I defied the heavens during the Chaos Great Tribulation and fought my way through it. From within the Chaos Great Tribulation, I found the entrance to the ’Only True Path’."

"And so,"

"I walked in. But what greeted me was not the Only True Path. It was this hundred-square-meter room. I have been trapped in this room ever since, until your arrival."

"A will from the great beyond told me that if I can kill you, not only will I be able to leave this room, but I will also be able to travel to the true ’Unique True Realm’."

"So I have waited until now."

"Of course,"

"in the time I have been waiting, I have resisted countless times. But no matter what I did, I could not break out of this room of less than a hundred square meters."

"There was nothing I could do but wait. I waited for the Only True Path to open."

"Now,"

"I have waited for your arrival."