Chapter 281: Three Thousand Illusion Realms

[Space had been like a calm lake, yet as the auras of the Purple Eye Jade Stone, the Mysterious Black Jade, and the Reincarnation Stone drew upon one another, it was as though a massive boulder had plunged into the water, stirring up monstrous waves.]

[Were your cave abode not isolated by a Rank 5 grand array, a spatial tremor of this magnitude alone would have been enough to alert every Nascent Soul Stage true lord within hundreds of millions of li.]

[You gazed at the three strange stones before you. As you watched, the Purple Eye Jade Stone, the Mysterious Black Jade, and the Reincarnation Stone slowly began to melt.]

[You had never tested the Purple Eye Jade Stone or the Reincarnation Stone, but as for the Mysterious Black Jade... the Ghost Realm Trial Field had appraised it as indestructible even to a Heavenly Monarch.]

[Yet the Mysterious Black Jade, which not even a Heavenly Monarch could destroy, had now begun to fuse, merging completely with the other two strange stones.]

[Whoosh—]

[In less than a moment, the three strange stones vanished, replaced by a jet-black chessboard.]

[The black chessboard measured roughly half a meter in both length and width. It held no pieces; its appearance simply resembled a chessboard.]

['What is this?']

[You were inwardly curious. Your true body and Primary Primordial Spirit had long since moved far away from this place; standing before the chessboard right now was a puppet inhabited by your Second Primordial Spirit.]

[You reached out and took hold of the black chessboard. It felt smooth and fine to the touch. After studying it for a while, you cautiously extended your divine sense inside.]

[Hum—]

[The instant your divine sense touched the chessboard, it was pulled inside.]

['Hm?']

[You looked out at the world within the chessboard.]

[At the same time, a stream of information surged into your mind.]

["This chessboard is named the Three Thousand Illusion Realms. A cultivator may enter the Three Thousand Illusion Realms within the chessboard with their divine sense. With each layer of the illusion realms broken through, one's soul willpower will be enhanced."]

[As you absorbed the message in your mind, your expression grew solemn.]

[An enhancement to soul willpower? Without relying on external treasures, simply by breaking through a layer of an illusion realm?]

[You were inwardly startled. Soul willpower was the most fundamental core of any living being; ordinarily, it only grew stronger during a major realm breakthrough.]

['This object was definitely not left behind by someone at the Deity Transformation Stage. Is it something from the Upper Realm? Left behind by a Void Return Venerable? Or an even mightier existence?']

[You speculated as you looked around. This place had to be the first illusion realm within the black chessboard.]

[After testing it briefly and confirming that you could leave whenever you wished, you calmed your mind and observed your surroundings.]

[It was a world spanning several thousand li in radius—incredibly real, to the point that you could even sense the subtle circulation of spiritual Qi between heaven and earth.]

['This is an illusion realm? How do I break it? How is it supposed to be broken?']

[Pondering this, you spread your divine sense out to envelop every last detail across those several thousand li.]

[After an unknown span of time, as you observed with your divine sense, you finally uncovered a subtle flaw in this layer of the illusion realm. You focused your divine sense upon it, and the illusion realm finally began to collapse.]

['Interesting.']

[Deeply moved, you paid no mind for the moment to the changes in your soul willpower, instead replaying the many details you had noticed while observing the first illusion realm.]

[Rather than looking for flaws in the illusion realm, it was closer to observing the fundamental nature of its construction. The real Human Realm was vast and boundless; even a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch could observe only a small fraction of it at most, unable to take in the true workings of the entire Human Realm as a whole.]

[As for secret realms, grotto-heavens and blessed lands, or miniature independent worlds? Either they relied upon the heaven and earth of the Human Realm for support, or their own foundations were too shallow to be called truly complete worlds.]

[Yet that illusion realm just now... though small, it had given you a feeling remarkably similar to the Human Realm. Its scale could not compare in the slightest, yet its fundamental essence was much the same.]

[As you continually observed that illusion realm, you had vaguely begun to comprehend the true essence of a macrocosmic world. You had a premonition that once you thoroughly understood this, you would have the confidence to open up a true macrocosmic world of your own.]

[It would not be like the grotto-heavens and blessed lands opened by those mighty Heavenly Monarchs of ancient times. So-called grotto-heavens and blessed lands were all built upon existing secret realms as their foundation; they were not truly created out of nothing.]

['It is said that if a Deity Transformation Stage cultivator wishes to break through to the Void Return Stage, they must open up a complete world deep within their own Primordial Spirit. Only then can they cast off the restrictions of heaven and earth, transcend the world, and gain the ability to roam across the myriad great realms...']

[You pondered this silently. With the Three Thousand Illusion Realms before you, every layer you broke through deepened your understanding of a true macrocosmic world by another degree. Perhaps after breaking through over a thousand layers, you would be able to independently open up your own Primordial Spirit world?]

[Your eyes lit up. Since ancient times, the Human Realm had never birthed a Void Return Stage Venerable. First, it was because of the limitations of the Human Realm itself—shallow water cannot raise a whale.]

[Second, the step from the Deity Transformation Stage to the Void Return Stage was simply too difficult. Whether it was opening a Primordial Spirit world in dharma cultivation or opening a physical body world in body cultivation, the path was completely shrouded in fog.]

[In the Mountain and Sea Lineage you practiced, the Void Return chapter described the need to open a Mountain and Sea Primordial Spirit Realm. The many steps for how to open it were indeed recorded there, yet you could not make sense of them at all.]

[When opening a Primordial Spirit world, the slightest misstep would cause one's Primordial Spirit to collapse, reducing one to ashes.]

[Yet the Three Thousand Illusion Realms before you hid the very essence of a macrocosmic world within each layer of its illusion realms. So long as you comprehended and broke through them, you would naturally grasp the corresponding profound mysteries.]

['What a tremendous fortune...']

[You let out a soft breath. This black chessboard before you was without question one of the greatest harvests across all your simulations—a grand avenue leading straight to the Void Return Stage.]

[Gathering your thoughts, you began to sense the improvement in your soul willpower.]

['It increased by roughly one to three percent...']

[You reached a conclusion. That modest gain had come from grasping a trace of the fundamental workings of a macrocosmic world, which in turn deepened your understanding of the Great Dao.]

['Breaking through the first illusion realm took me a full half year...']

[Looking at the black chessboard before you, you extended your divine sense into it once more and entered the second illusion realm.]

[Compared to the first illusion realm, the second was even more complete, and its flaws were far harder to discern. You had a feeling that breaking through it would be out of the question without several years of effort.]

[Setting aside your comprehension for now, you took out the Nascent Soul spirit body of the Purple-Eyed True Monarch.]

[Right after suppressing the Purple-Eyed True Monarch, you had performed Soul Searching on him and learned the full details of his collusion with the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[A powerful demon from the Demon Abyss Realm had promised to help the Purple-Eyed True Monarch step into the Deity Transformation Stage, along with preferential treatment once the Human Realm fell completely.]

[None of this surprised you. Only promises like those could have convinced the Purple-Eyed True Monarch to risk betraying the Human Realm and collaborate with the Demon Abyss Realm.]

['The one who contacted the Purple-Eyed True Monarch must be that white-haired demon—the strategist serving under the Purgatory Demon Sovereign?']

[You mulled this over.]

[In the previous simulation, it had also been that same white-haired demon who made direct contact with you.]

['The Purple-Eyed True Monarch chanced upon that Purple Eye Jade Stone in a secret realm while traveling the Northern Plains during the Core Formation Stage. That secret realm was left behind in ancient times by a Deity Transformation-level faction called the Purple Origin Sect...']

['The Purple Origin Sect revered the Purple Eye Jade Stone as its sect-guarding supreme treasure. A Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch drew upon the Dao resonance radiating from the stone to create a secret art called the Purple Qi Scripture. When driven at full power, that secret art condenses a giant purple eye behind the user—the very secret art the Purple-Eyed True Monarch practices now...']

[You thought to yourself.]

[In truth, the Reincarnation Stone had been treated much the same way; many of Wujian Hall's secret arts also required the aid of the Reincarnation Stone to master.]

[And the Mysterious Black Jade? Had it not been locked away inside the Ghost Realm Trial Field all this time, it likely would have spawned a whole series of secret arts as well.]

[Looking at the sealed Purple-Eyed True Monarch before you, you pondered for a moment, then swept a hand over him and wiped away his soul willpower.]

[So far, you had no way of knowing how many hidden measures the Demon Abyss Realm had left on the Purple-Eyed True Monarch. If they could roughly pinpoint his location through him, keeping him around would be a liability—so it was better to kill him outright and proceed along the previous simulation's course.]

['Next, the Great Snow Mountain cannot be spared either.']

[You looked toward the Great Snow Mountain. From your experiences in the previous simulation, you knew well that the two places where the Demon Abyss Realm had infiltrated the Human Realm most thoroughly were the far end of the Deep Sea and the Great Snow Mountain.]

[You did not know what state the spatial rift beneath the Great Snow Mountain was in now, but judging from the events of the sixth simulation, it had not yet been completely infiltrated at this point in time and could still be sealed.]

[You had no intention of delaying any longer. Who knew what methods the Demon Abyss Realm might possess to tear that spatial rift wide open in a short span of time? If things truly reached that point, the spatial rifts at both the Great Snow Mountain and the far end of the Deep Sea would become completely irreversible.]

[The pressure that would place on you would far exceed that of the previous simulation.]

[You summoned Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword directly.]

["The Great Snow Mountain is in league with the Demon Abyss Realm." Looking at Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword, you offered no further explanation, saying only that.]

["The Demon Abyss Realm?" Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded. "I understand."]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword vanished on the spot.]

[Compared to the previous simulation, you could clearly sense the spatial ripples stirred up by Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword's departure.]

[You gazed into the distance toward the Great Snow Mountain.]

[Earth-shattering sword intent erupted just as before, and in this simulation, you watched the destruction of the Great Snow Mountain in far greater detail.]

['The Great Snow Mountain...']

[You shook your head inwardly. The Great Snow Mountain had inherited the mantle of an ancient Deity Transformation-level faction and stood guard over the largest Demon Abyss Realm passage in the Northern Plains; by all rights, it had rendered real service to the Human Realm.]

[Yet over these last few generations, they had ultimately failed to resist the temptations of the Demon Abyss Realm and betrayed the Human Realm.]

[The fall of the Great Snow Mountain sent shockwaves across the Human Realm, much as it had in the previous simulation.]

[The top factions of the Central Continent Territory immediately dispatched numerous Great Grandmasters of the Array Dao to the foot of the Northern Plains Great Snow Mountain to reseal the spatial rift, while Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword kept watch from the shadows to guard against any unforeseen variables.]

[Meanwhile, you watched the far end of the Deep Sea from a distance.]

['No movement at all. Just like in the last simulation, they must be planning to wait for the right opportunity before moving against the Human Realm.']

[So you thought to yourself. Having performed Soul Searching on the Void Whale Master, you were well acquainted with the Demon Abyss Realm's schemes and knew that the Purgatory Demon Sovereign intended to seize the Human Realm at the lowest possible cost.]

[Year 260. You were two hundred and seventy-seven years old.]

[Li Yan cultivated to the Peak Early Nascent Soul Stage and smoothly stepped into the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.]

[In this simulation, Li Yan had cultivated to the Core Formation Peak at just a hundred and twenty years old before breaking through smoothly into the Nascent Soul Stage. Now, a little over a hundred years later, she had broken through again to the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.]

[Such cultivation speed surpassed her pace in the previous simulation by a wide margin.]

['Imprinting complete memories is far more useful than merely leaving behind notes and insights.']

[You gave a slight nod. At this rate of cultivation, Li Yan would step into the Late Nascent Soul Stage at three or four hundred years old, and reach the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak in her five hundreds.]

[That would leave her plenty of time to comprehend the art of music and build up her foundation in every aspect. If possible, you would not mind helping Li Yan temper her physical body to the Tier 4 level as well.]

['Dachun...']

[You looked toward the Ghost Realm Trial Field. Compared to the previous few simulations, Dachun's rate of progress in this run had also improved tremendously. Aside from the Heavenly Monarch essence blood you had bestowed upon him, it was also because he had inherited all the memories from the previous simulation.]

[Year 300. You were three hundred and seventeen years old.]

[Heavenly Sword Peak, inside your cave abode.]

[You sat cross-legged with the black chessboard floating before you.]

[A wisp of your divine sense had already entered the Three Thousand Illusion Realms within the chessboard.]

[The ninety-sixth illusion realm.]

[You carefully examined every detail around you. It was a vast plain where grass and trees grew under a setting sun; everything was utterly real, without a single flaw in sight.]

['How on earth am I supposed to break this?']

[You racked your brains, thinking hard.]

[Over the past several decades, aside from your daily cultivation and comprehending various arts,]

[you had immersed yourself entirely in the Three Thousand Illusion Realms.]

[In the long run, the Three Thousand Illusion Realms could help you understand the fundamental essence of a macrocosmic world ahead of time, which would be of immense benefit when breaking through to the Void Return Stage in the future.]

[Even in the short term, your soul willpower grew stronger with every illusion realm you broke through. Now that you had broken through ninety-five layers, your soul willpower had grown far more than several times stronger than it had been decades ago.]

[And the stronger your soul willpower became, the greater the boost to your overall soul strength, raising your upper limit when casting spells, resisting soul attacks, and more.]

[The benefits were practically limitless.]

[However, the more layers you broke through, the more time and energy each subsequent illusion realm demanded.]

[The ninety-sixth illusion realm had already kept you trapped for several years.]

['With my current strength... if I were to face him again, activating True Dragon Transformation and unleashing Eruption at full power, even if my Dharma Talismans only reach Fifth Tier High Grade in might, I would still be confident in killing that Fifth Tier Late Stage Meatball Demon Monarch...']

[You thought to yourself. The rise in your soul willpower had brought a massive increase to your overall strength; backed by your many talents, the soul attacks you excelled at were now enough to make an ordinary Fifth Tier Late Stage Demon Monarch tremble.]

[Of course, you knew full well that you only possessed such strength against demonic cultivators, thanks to the boost from your Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators talent.]

[Against other foes, such as demon beasts or human cultivators, your peak combat strength right now was roughly comparable to the Deity Transformation Middle Stage Peak.]

[Even so, rivaling the Deity Transformation Middle Stage Peak while only at the Deity Transformation Early Stage was already monstrous enough—a cultivator at the Deity Transformation Middle Stage Peak could easily slay an ordinary Deity Transformation Early Stage cultivator.]

[Just as your thoughts wandered, you suddenly froze.]

[Within the black chessboard, the ninety-sixth illusion realm—]

[began to collapse.]

[The ninety-sixth illusion realm—]

[broken!]

[A smile surfaced on your face.]