Chapter 286: 100,000 Years Ago and 100,000 Years Later

[Within your dantian, a wisp of silver energy circulated like a manifestation of heaven and earth's Dao of Supreme Yin.]

[It was utterly Yin and utterly pure.]

[Merely gazing upon it made your mind and spirit grow icy cold and profoundly serene.]

['Is this the first wisp of Primordial Yin Qi, nurtured for two thousand years within a Primordial Yin Treasure Physique at the Deity Transformation Stage?']

[You marveled inwardly. Across seven simulations, this was the first time you had ever seen power so pure.]

['It's too perfect...']

[Many thoughts welled up in your mind. This wisp of Primordial Yin Qi possessed a pure perfection.]

[Previously, you had always believed that only a balance of Yin and Yang in heaven and earth could be called perfect—that Yin or Yang alone was an extreme, and an extreme could never be perfect.]

[Lone Yin cannot grow, and lone Yang cannot give life.]

[Now, however, you realized you had been wrong.]

[Pure Yin could also embody perfection.]

['Refine it, refine it.']

[Without hesitation, your main Primordial Spirit stepped forward, seized that silver wisp of Primordial Yin Qi, and swiftly began refining it.]

[Hum—]

[Boundless Primordial Yin Qi surged continuously into your main Primordial Spirit, carrying an inconceivable breakthrough power.]

[Your cultivation realm had been stuck at a minor bottleneck, yet as this wisp of Primordial Yin Qi was steadily refined, you crossed past that shackle with ease.]

[No matter how heavily the heaven and earth of the Human Realm suppressed you, it could not stop your breakthrough.]

[Your main Primordial Spirit's aura climbed higher and higher as minor bottlenecks and shackles shattered one after another.]

[Ever since stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage, this was the first time you had experienced such unstoppable cultivation speed.]

[As your main Primordial Spirit's aura continued to soar—]

[At last, your cultivation realm reached a certain Peak, and standing before you was an indescribable bottleneck—a shackle like an unbridgeable chasm.]

[The remaining Primordial Yin Qi was swiftly exhausted without carrying you across this bottleneck.]

['Deity Transformation Early Stage Peak!']

[You opened your eyes. After completely refining that wisp of Primordial Yin Qi, your cultivation had reached the Early Peak.]

[At your normal cultivation speed, even exhausting your remaining several hundred years would not have been enough to reach the Early Peak. It might have taken another one or two normal simulations to manage it.]

[Yet now?]

[In less than half a day, you had cultivated all the way to the Early Peak.]

['If Li Xiu could smoothly step into the Deity Transformation Stage and provide another wisp of Primordial Yin Qi of the same quality, I could step straight into the Deity Transformation Middle Stage...']

[You felt a twinge of regret, though it did not last long. With your ability to run infinite simulations, you would have plenty of opportunities in the future to nurture Li Xiu to the Deity Transformation Stage as well.]

["Yan'er..."]

[You turned your head to look at Li Yan nestled in your embrace, your spirits high.]

[To you, Li Yan was not merely a companion at the Deity Transformation Stage, but a vital aid capable of driving continuous breakthroughs in your cultivation realm.]

[Combined with one simulation after another, the effect of this ability would be a qualitative leap.]

[Moreover, Li Yan had already stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage. Barring any mishaps in future simulations, she would basically be able to reach the Deity Transformation Stage again so long as you proceeded step by step.]

['Even if I'm fortunate enough to step into the Void Return Stage in the future, all I need to do is nurture Li Yan to the Void Return Stage as well. It will still yield tremendous results and easily break through the cultivation bottlenecks and shackles of the Void Return Stage...']

[You thought to yourself.]

[Relying on herself alone, Li Yan's chances of stepping into the Void Return Stage were infinitely close to zero.]

[Yet with the help of Li Yan's first wisp of Primordial Yin Qi, you could continually advance your cultivation and step into the Void Return Stage ahead of her. Once you reached Void Return first and pulled her toward Void Return after you, Li Yan's hopes of stepping into the Void Return Stage would naturally increase tremendously.]

[Even if it failed once, how could it still fail after three, five, or ten tries?]

[Compared to someone who possessed only a Primordial Yin Treasure Physique, Li Yan had another huge advantage.]

[Her talent for music was very high.]

[On the path of cultivation, the higher the realm, the more one's state of mind mattered. This was also why the usefulness of many a treasure body and dao body rapidly declined—even without any treasure body or dao body, anyone who could cultivate to the Nascent Soul Stage or Deity Transformation Stage was no weaker than a heaven's proud child blessed with such special constitutions.]

[Li Yan's musical artistry could temper her own state of mind, something most with a treasure body or dao body could not achieve.]

[Several days later, you rose and left, returning to your own cave abode.]

['At the Deity Transformation Early Stage Peak, even if I'm not facing a demonic cultivator, going all out now should put my combat strength across the threshold of the Deity Transformation Late Stage, shouldn't it?']

[Sitting cross-legged, you examined yourself.]

[The golden talent "Surpassing Oneself by Half a Move" defied the heavens, and combined with your many other methods, your true combat strength far exceeded your realm.]

[Gathering your thoughts, you sank your awareness into your dantian and looked at the 120 Dharma Talismans orbiting your two Primordial Spirits.]

[After two thousand years of nurturing, the might of those 120 Dharma Talismans had already stepped halfway into the Sixth Tier, reaching the Quasi-Tier 6 level.]

['Next, if I want them to fully reach the might of a Sixth Tier Dharma Talisman, with my current mana quality I'll need to nurture them for at least another two thousand years...']

[After making a rough estimate, you shook your head slightly.]

[The gap between Rank 5 and the Sixth Tier was simply too vast. Even though your current mana quality had reached the Deity Transformation Middle Stage Peak, nurturing a Sixth Tier Dharma Talisman remained a distant prospect.]

[If you could fully step into the Deity Transformation Middle Stage, or even the Late Stage, that time would be shortened dramatically.]

['The might of a Quasi-Tier 6 Dharma Talisman is enough for now. At the very least, it can wound a Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord. If I throw out more than a hundred of them at once, even a Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord will face near-certain death without me even lifting a finger...']

[You reflected inwardly that at the end of the sixth simulation, you had exhausted every means at your disposal and still could not completely kill a single Fifth Tier Late Stage demon lord. Now, you could accomplish it relying on Dharma Talismans alone.]

[And that was without even counting your own strength. Now that you were at the Deity Transformation Early Stage Peak, fighting at full power made you a good deal stronger than you had been at your peak in the sixth simulation.]

[Several years later, just as you finished cultivating, your expression shifted slightly and you looked toward the far end of the Deep Sea.]

[At the same time, Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword also sent word.]

['The seal is about to break?']

[Your expression calm, you took a single step forward. Ripples spread through space, and you vanished from the spot.]

[At the far end of the Deep Sea.]

[Layer upon layer of defensive lines hung suspended in the air. Compared to the previous simulation, the sixty-nine defensive lines in this simulation were even more complete.]

[The four Heavenly Monarchs—Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword, Heavenly Monarch Miduo, Heavenly Monarch Qianshu, and Heavenly Monarch Lingshe—stood on high alert, their eyes locked onto the spatial rift cutting across the air not far away.]

[Violent demonic qi intertwined as the sealing power covering the spatial rift teetered on the verge of collapse.]

[Whoosh—]

[Your figure appeared, and you looked toward the spatial rift.]

[Seeing you arrive, Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword, Heavenly Monarch Miduo, and the other Heavenly Monarchs breathed a quiet sigh of relief.]

["Fellow Daoist Qingyuan..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword looked at you.]

["Spread out around the area. You only need to hold back the demons below Rank 5. Leave all the Rank 5 demons to me."]

[You spoke.]

[At your words, Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword, Heavenly Monarch Miduo, and the other Heavenly Monarchs were momentarily taken aback.]

[They only needed to deal with the demons below Rank 5? Wasn't that far too easy?]

[Even the strongest Tier 4 demon couldn't withstand a single blow before a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch. Across the gulf of a major realm, any innate divine power or secret art was completely meaningless.]

[Though puzzled, Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword and the other three Heavenly Monarchs raised no objection. When facing the demons, internal dissent was the greatest taboo.]

[The strength of the Human Realm was already far inferior to that of the Demon Abyss Realm. If infighting broke out on top of that, they might as well just surrender on the spot.]

[Besides, your strength had won the genuine respect of the other four Heavenly Monarchs, even if Heavenly Monarch Qianshu and Heavenly Monarch Lingshe had not personally witnessed you suppressing and slaying the Rank 5 Void Whale.]

[So long as that deed had truly happened, you could rightfully be called the strongest in the Human Realm. A Rank 5 Void Whale possessed a True Spirit Bloodline; not even Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword could kill it.]

[A Rank 5 Void Whale with the Kunpeng bloodline—both the might of its physical body and its mastery over space—]

[An ordinary Heavenly Monarch would have to flee on sight.]

['Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan...']

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo glanced at you from afar, pondering inwardly.]

[Having inherited the memories of the previous generation's Heavenly Monarch Miduo, he knew your strength well.]

[By the same token, because he knew so much, Heavenly Monarch Miduo was exceptionally curious about your identity.]

[Given the current environment of the Human Realm, how could a powerhouse like you possibly be born? And Heavenly Sword Peak had actually submitted to you? What did that mean?]

[Several days later.]

[The sealing power covering the spatial rift was finally broken open completely.]

[Whoosh—]

[Wisps of pitch-black demonic qi seeped into the Human Realm.]

[A Demon Abyss Banner flew out from the spatial rift and took root in the heaven and earth of the Human Realm, rapidly influencing the Human Realm's aura and beginning to reshape its fundamental nature to make it more like the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[That way, when the powerful demons of the Demon Abyss Realm descended into the Human Realm, they would not suffer excessive suppression.]

[Every Demon Abyss Banner was a convergence of the Demon Abyss Realm's origin power, making it extremely difficult to destroy.]

[Standing tall upon the clouds, you stirred your thoughts slightly, and the Mountain and Sea World enveloped the space below.]

[Streams of Mountain and Sea mana intertwined, filling every inch of space like an ocean and covering a radius of a thousand li around the spatial rift.]

[At the same time, the Yin-Yang Pagoda hung high in the sky, its suppressing power faintly overlapping with the Mountain and Sea World.]

[This high-grade Profound Heaven Spirit Treasure suited your methods remarkably well, which was why you had chosen this Spirit Treasure in the first place.]

[Crack...]

[Just then, the first demonic creature finally squeezed through the spatial rift into the Human Realm. Before it could make a single move—]

[A towering wave formed by the surging Mountain and Sea World swallowed it whole.]

[Close behind came a second demon, then a third...]

[One demon after another had barely squeezed into the Human Realm before being reduced to ash by the sweep of the Mountain and Sea World.]

[That continued until the first Rank 5 demon lord squeezed into the Human Realm.]

[A Rank 5 demon lord possessed terrifying strength and was ultimately able to resist the suppression of the Mountain and Sea World.]

[Before long, a second and a third Rank 5 demon lord squeezed into the Human Realm.]

[Finally, a fourth demon lord, this one at the Fifth Tier Middle Stage, descended.]

[Rumble—]

[Your expression grew slightly solemn as the power of the Mountain and Sea World surged ever more fiercely. Combined with the suppressing force of the Yin-Yang Pagoda, it actually pinned more than ten Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lords and four Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords in place, leaving them struggling to move.]

["Die!"]

[Your eyes were like abysses as dense divine soul power began to surge. Unable to withstand it, the first Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lord had its divine soul annihilated, followed by a second and a third.]

[Compared to the previous simulation, your strength in this simulation had soared. Coupled with the power of the Yin-Yang Pagoda, you had no need for close-quarters combat to deal with a host of Rank 5 demon lords.]

[Of course, with so many Rank 5 demon lords dividing the power of your Mountain and Sea World and the Yin-Yang Pagoda, a multitude of demonic creatures below Rank 5 still charged into the Human Realm.]

[Yet with Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword and the other three Heavenly Monarchs intercepting them, not a single demonic creature managed to survive for long.]

["The strength of fellow Daoist Qingyuan is utterly terrifying..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Qianshu and Heavenly Monarch Lingshe stared in stunned silence. When one Rank 5 demon lord after another had squeezed into the Human Realm and overwhelming demonic qi had surged across the sky and earth, both Heavenly Monarchs had been filled with despair.]

[Before the two Heavenly Monarchs could even dwell on that despair, they saw that under Heavenly Monarch Qingyuan's suppression, one Rank 5 demon lord after another was trapped like a gnat caught in a spiderweb, barely able to budge—and even the Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords, whose strength far surpassed their own, were in the exact same plight.]

["Too strong..." Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword sighed in awe as well. Having sparred with you before, he knew your strength was formidable, yet he had never imagined it reached such a level. Even four Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords were struggling this badly before you, to say nothing of the more than ten Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lords alongside them.]

["Miduo, what's wrong?"]

[Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword swept his gaze over toward Heavenly Monarch Miduo on the other side.]

[At that moment, Heavenly Monarch Miduo looked somewhat dazed as he watched the Fifth Tier Early Stage and Fifth Tier Middle Stage demon lords bottled up near the spatial rift, where every few moments another Fifth Tier Early Stage demon lord perished under your divine soul attacks.]

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo stood rooted to the spot.]

["It's nothing..."]

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo took a deep breath.]

[An ancient, blurry memory suddenly flashed through his mind.]

[It was a hazy vision from 100,000 years ago, showing the Sword Lord in action.]

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo's memories encompassed generations of predecessors, reaching all the way back to the ancient era 100,000 years ago.]

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo closed his eyes, his heart churning like a tempestuous sea.]

[It had been a slaughter of unimaginable brutality.]

[The great realm passage connecting to the Demon Abyss Realm stretched across the sky, suffused with an oppressive, bone-chilling aura, as one demon after another exuding a terrifying presence charged out of the passage and descended into the Human Realm.]

[Yet the very instant those terrifying demons emerged, resplendent sword light severed them—cutting through flesh, divine soul, and even consciousness alike, scattering corpses and blood across heaven and earth.]

[Every single one of those terrifying demons possessed strength far surpassing that predecessor of Heavenly Monarch Miduo—Fifth Tier Middle Stage? Fifth Tier Late Stage? Even Tier 5 Consummation, powerful enough to make the entire heaven and earth of the Human Realm tremble.]

[Yet no matter how many demons came, the moment they descended into the Human Realm, they fell and died without the slightest power to resist.]

[Sword light filled the sky, falling like rain.]

[Even beings as mighty as Tier 5 Consummation could not survive a single breath or withstand a single flash of sword light.]

[Heavenly Monarch Miduo's predecessor had been fortunate enough to hide at the rear of the Human Realm's camp, watching from afar as terrifying demons fell one after another.]

[Beneath the great realm passage, the corpses of Rank 5 demons piled high. Rank 5 demon lords, equal in realm to the Deity Transformation cultivators of the Human Realm, were as lowly as ants and dust.]

[And all of it stemmed from that single figure at the highest point of the firmament, holding the seven-chi Heavenly Sword and blocking the great realm passage connected to the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[Countless demons came, and every single one that came died.]

[On the other side of the great realm passage, twelve Demon Sovereigns stood tall in their true forms.]

[Their vast demonic might was unprecedented across all ages, yet they could only look on in silence.]

[The Sword Lord of the Human Realm.]

[What was his Sword Dao like?]

[His Sword Dao reached the very heavens.]