Chapter 362: God Transformation Realm

Wang Ping opened his eyes.

He glanced around. His first reaction was relief; the sunlight overhead was gentle, lacking the sharp, overbearing edge unique to the Heaven's Will Profound Blade.

'It isn't the Eight Trigrams Furnace...'

The Taiping Sutra really had spawned a new identity for him somewhere else. Excellent. It seemed his system knew that if it didn't work hard, it would be replaced by other cheats.

Standing up, Wang Ping began to examine the world around him. High in the sky, a sun and moon hung suspended, partially hidden within a murky, dark river. The so-called rising and setting of the sun and moon was actually just them taking turns surfacing from the water. Clearly, that river was the foundation upon which this world operated.

Beneath the sun and moon lay a vast ocean.

Though it was an ocean, it had no crashing waves or rolling tides. Instead, it lay as calm as a lake, dotted with hundreds or thousands of scattered islands.

He was currently standing on one of those islands.

'It looks like a Grotto-Heaven...'

Wang Ping formed an initial judgment. But after a moment of careful observation, he realized something was wrong. He couldn't sense the world's qi at all.

Normally, even in the blessed lands and Grotto-Heavens of the Immortal Gate, the Twenty-Four Qi had to exist. They were the foundation of heaven and earth; missing even one meant a world could not form.

Yet this Grotto-Heaven before him was different. He couldn't feel even a sliver of the world's qi, as if this place operated on rules entirely distinct from the outside world. But if that were the case, his magic and Divine Powers should have been suppressed. Instead, they remained completely unaffected, functioning in perfect harmony with the laws here.

There was something even more miraculous.

He could no longer see destiny. Even the life tribulation that should have resumed its course upon his resurrection was nowhere to be found.

'That is good news...'

Wang Ping furrowed his brows. He didn't run around blindly, choosing instead to settle back down on the island. There was no rush. After all, he was someone with a proper identity this time.

Dao Child Xuan Yi.

How should he put it? This title gave him a rather familiar feeling, yet no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't quite remember where he had heard it before.

One thing was certain: to be granted a title like "Dao Child," he most likely had a major figure backing him. It just remained to be seen exactly how prominent this patron was.

'Forget it. Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it.'

With his mind at ease, Wang Ping felt even less urgency. He simply found a cliff to sit on and continued examining his current physique.

The True Martial Holy Body.

Aside from possessing the three Immortal Physique marvels of Clasping Mountains and Leaping Seas, Nine Breaths Qi Ingestion, and Extracting Primal Yang, he had gained a fourth marvel belonging to the Martial Dao.

'Only Mind, Only Me.'

Rather than a supernatural marvel, it was more of a Martial Dao concept. It contained the First Seat's understanding of the Martial Dao and Divine Intent. Wang Ping found it deeply fascinating:

'The so-called "Only Mind" refers to a martial artist's perception of the outside world... Perception is reality. As the saying goes, seeing a mountain is not seeing a mountain, and seeing water is not seeing water. All phenomena in reality are false. It is difficult for mortal eyes to glimpse the truth. Everything seen, heard, and felt is merely a perception born from a Mortal's own consciousness.'

Faced with this situation, cultivators chose to "cultivate the truth."

Since all things in the present world were false and mortal eyes could hardly perceive the "truth," they would use the false to cultivate the truth, tempering themselves into a true existence capable of glimpsing "reality."

This was the immortal dao. This was a True Person.

However, the Martial Dao created by the First Seat walked a path entirely different from the immortal dao. It didn't cultivate the truth; it cultivated the self, carrying the path of the mind to its absolute extreme.

Wang Ping's eyes gradually brightened. 'In other words, it's about establishing a personal perception that belongs solely to me. Even if it differs wildly from the so-called "truth," it doesn't matter. The key lies in what "I" think. It is not about making myself resonate with heaven and earth, but forcing heaven and earth to resonate with me!'

Mountains, rivers, the vast earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

This was the world in the eyes of Mortals, and illusory falsehood in the eyes of a True Person. Yet, in the First Seat's view, her answer to these illusions was:

"Above and below the heavens, I alone am supreme!"

Wang Ping articulated each word slowly, both comprehending the Martial Dao and his True Martial Holy Body while simultaneously awakening the dormant martial marvel within.

Only Mind, Only Me!

In an instant, a breeze blew past. Wang Ping's gaze was calm, his hands hanging by his sides. Not a single trace of supernatural power manifested; instead, he looked exactly like an ordinary Mortal.

No, he was a Mortal.

'This is... magic eradication!'

Wang Ping was shocked, clearly sensing that within a three-foot radius around him, the spiritual energy that had previously permeated the world had vanished entirely!

'No, it hasn't vanished.'

'It simply can no longer be perceived. Even magic, Divine Powers, destiny forms... everything related to the immortal dao has been repelled beyond these three feet.'

Incredible!

Wang Ping instantly realized the terrifying nature of "Only Mind, Only Me." It meant that within those three feet, he could completely distort a cultivator's perception, stripping them of all connection to the immortal dao. They would instantly plummet to the state of a Mortal, allowing him to easily defeat them using ordinary martial arts!

'Why do I get the feeling the First Seat actually hates the immortal dao...?'

Of course, this marvel was not absolute.

After all, the higher one's immortal dao cultivation, the closer they were to the "truth," making it much harder to shake their perception. It required the martial artist's own "self" to be overwhelmingly strong.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping wondered:

'How strong is the First Seat right now?'

Even before creating the Martial Dao, the First Seat could trade blows with the Heaven-Stealing Thief. What about after creating it? Could she actually fight a Qi Refining practitioner now?

Right at that moment.

"It seems Fellow Daoist has familiarized himself with the environment and thoroughly mastered this physical body."

A voice echoed out of nowhere.

Wang Ping snapped his eyes open, only to see the wind and clouds surging overhead. A thunderbolt crashed down, instantly transforming into a handsome young man who stepped out of the lightning.

Instantly, Wang Ping understood the origins of his so-called identity as the Dao Child Xuan Yi. After all, he couldn't be more familiar with the person who had just arrived.

'Kunyun...'

Indeed, the young man standing before him was none other than the former disciple of the Divine Weapon Courtyard, the fifth-ranked true transmission of the Immortal Gate, who had successfully achieved Qi Refining using the Heavenly Yang Wood—Kunyun!

At this moment, Kunyun radiated a soaring spirit. White light flickered in his eyes, as if the heavenly lightning was reflected in his pupils, and his every breath carried a faint rumbling sound. Standing before him, even with Wang Ping's currently multiplied cultivation, he still felt an irresistible, crushing pressure.

He felt like a solitary boat caught in a raging storm.

A single wave could easily flip him over and drag him into the abyssal depths of the sea. Such was the massive gulf between a Qi Refining practitioner and the Tribulation Transcending realm.

However, a second later, Kunyun actively withdrew all his aura.

"Fellow Daoist Dousheng."

He wore a relaxed smile, offering a greeting before composing his expression. Brushing his sleeves, he gave a formal Daoist bow and said solemnly, "Under the True Monarch's orders, I have come to escort the Dao Child to an audience with the immortal court."

"Who... is the True Monarch?"

For a moment, Wang Ping almost couldn't process the title. But in the next instant, memories previously obscured by some supreme marvel flooded back into his mind.

True Monarch, True Monarch!

'It's the Mingxing Xuanyi Primordial Sovereign... I was reborn as her Dao Child this time? Or is this an identity deliberately arranged for me by the Taiping Sutra!'

Setting aside whatever thoughts the True Monarch might have, the Taiping Sutra wouldn't harm him.

At this thought, Wang Ping felt a surge of excitement.

Did this mean his luck had finally turned? With a True Monarch backing him, he could rule like a tyrant in the Immortal Gate and shit on the head of anyone he disliked?

But soon enough, he sobered up.

He then looked at Kunyun. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Senior Brother Kunyun, before Senior Brother Kunlun eradicated the Earth Yang Fire, he had a message for you."

"..."

At those words, the smile on Kunyun's face stiffened slightly. It gradually faded into a moment of apathy before he gave a casual shrug.

"What did that idiot say?"

"He congratulated Senior Brother on entering the path of Qi Refining. Furthermore... he has also proven his Dao."

Wang Ping relayed the words truthfully.

Hearing this, Kunyun's expression darkened even further. Finally, he let out a sigh. "What 'proven his Dao'? The man is dead. What Dao is left?"

"He still walked the wrong path. The Heaven-Stealing Thief led him astray!"

"Had I known it would end like this, it would have been better for me to kill him back then. At least I could have given him a quick end. Eradicating the Earth Yang Fire... the Heaven-Stealing Thief didn't do it himself."

"Why was he in such a rush..."

Kunyun's tone was full of disdain, yet he rambled on, speaking one sentence after another until he caught himself a moment later and composed his expression once more.

"I lost my composure for a moment. I apologize for letting Fellow Daoist see me like this," Kunyun said, recovering his calm as he looked at Wang Ping. "Important matters first. I will take you to see the True Monarch... Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist is currently quite the celebrity in the Immortal Gate. Many Qi Refining practitioners are secretly searching for you, hoping to seize the fortuitous encounters you hold."

"I don't have any fortuitous encounters."

Wang Ping shook his head, his face the picture of sincerity. "If I have to name a fortuitous encounter, it's my good fortune to be valued by the True Monarch. That is the only reason I have achieved my current level of cultivation."

Good heavens. Just a moment ago he had been asking who the True Monarch was, and now, before even meeting her, he was already kissing up to her.

"Good, you have a bright future!"

Kunyun gave a thumbs-up and chuckled.

"Regardless, you are now a famous figure in the Immortal Gate. Furthermore, a Brahma Nation arhat died, so the atmosphere between the Immortal Gate and Brahma Nation has been rather tense recently."

"It looks like another Dao contention is brewing."

"Because of that, the Qi Refining practitioners searching for you have come up with a nice-sounding excuse. They claim you're the fuse that ignited this Immortal-Fan Dao Contention—a certified war criminal."

Wang Ping scoffed at this.

"What a joke."

He had achieved a total victory during the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle. Not only did he kill an entity under the seat of a Brahma Nation Bodhisattva, but he had also indirectly caused the sudden death of a Brahma Nation arhat.

Most importantly—

"I didn't even lose. On what grounds am I a war criminal?"

Kunyun deeply agreed. "That's exactly right!"

As they spoke, the two rode their streaks of light into the clouds. They soon approached the murky, dark river flowing across the sky and dove into it.

"Oh, right, Senior Brother Kunyun."

Having reached this point, Wang Ping asked curiously, "Is this place the True Monarch's Grotto-Heaven?"

"You could say that."

Kunyun explained, "Strictly speaking, this place is a level higher than a Grotto-Heaven. It was forged by the True Monarch using the supreme position of heaven and earth. The Immortal Gate calls it an immortal realm."

"As for its name, it is called the God Transformation Realm."