Chapter 983: Two Paths

Chapter 983: Chapter 983: Two Paths

The "will of heaven and earth" of a world is the sum of the thoughts of all things within this realm.

And the "will of heaven and earth" of the universe is naturally the sum of the will of all things within this universe. It can also be regarded as the aggregate "will of heaven and earth" of the Universal Realm, countless Lower Realms, and even the Death Ghost Realm across all realms!

Once an extraordinary creature in the world reaches a certain stage in cultivation, they will possess the terrifying power to crush mountains and burn seas, shattering continents. Thus, under the common will of all sentient beings, nature, and the mountains and rivers, heaven and earth will impose various tribulations to prevent too powerful, defiant beings from being born in a world, to avoid destructive harm to this realm and all its creatures.

Hence, those at the level of the Divine Bridge or higher inevitably face the Three Disasters and Six Tribulations regularly, and they must also undergo tribulations when cultivating to become an Immortal.

However, the leftover evil from the old era poses a greater threat to this universe’s heaven and earth. It urgently needs Xian Dao stronghold to resist these lunatics who want to "destroy the heavens and take the Immortal Path," so while the tribulations are extremely perilous, they also contain extraordinary opportunities.

At that time, those in cultivation were more carefree the higher their cultivation level. They could cultivate to be Heavenly Immortals by their own strength, deciding whether or not to oppose the leftover evil from the old era at their own discretion.

Later, as more Immortals merged their bodies with the Dao, the universe’s will was increasingly influenced, and later generations faced more restraints. To attain the Celestial Dao Fruit, besides their own cultivation, they also needed the universe’s will’s recognition, which meant they must have "great achievements for heaven and earth and great actions throughout history!"

There are many ways to cultivate merits, and one is having celestial beings guard the Heavenly Gateway, defending this universe, resisting the leftover evil of old, akin to protecting the frontier and overcoming enemies as officials of a new dynasty; once the merit is complete, one can be granted the heavenly book, proving the Celestial Dao Fruit, and from then on, converse with creation, eternal across eras.

In the past, when Shen Mo attained enlightenment in the Primordial Realm and raised the Divine Bridge, he chose "to prove my Dao by others," using supreme power and truth to make the "will of heaven and earth" of the Primordial Realm submit and concede.

From that time on, he became someone rebellious and defiant in the eyes of the universe’s will, and naturally, he could not be granted high status... No matter how profound his cultivation or strong his power, he could not directly cultivate to be a Divine Immortal or Heavenly Immortal, being limited to an Earth Immortal!

Therefore, Shen Mo has two ways to cultivate into a Heavenly Immortal.

One is to conform to the universe’s will, first cultivating to become an Earth Immortal, and then earning merits through means like "guarding the Heavenly Gateway," gradually proving the Divine Immortal and Heavenly Immortal Dao Fruit.

The other is to emulate the leftover evil of the old era, transcending beyond the universe and heaven, seizing the Immortal Path, directly proving the Celestial Dao Fruit.

But in doing so, he becomes a complete "traitor," opposing the innumerable living beings and all things within this universe, like Lord Blue Venerable and others, unable to truly set foot within the Universal Realm, only to infiltrate some power and sustain his cultivation through constant theft of the Immortal Path’s fruits!

...

Guan Ling saw Shen Mo in deep thought, fearing he might go astray, advised kindly, "With your talent, even if you start as an Earth Immortal upon becoming Immortal, you would soon cultivate into a Divine and Heavenly Immortal. There’s no need to emulate those lunatics just to prove the Celestial Dao Fruit in one stroke!"

"This is a road of no return. Those lunatics are abandoned by the New Era and had no choice but to take this path. If you emulate them, you might face a fate worse than my master, the Empyrean Fairy..."

"Once you leave this universe, the old hag alone would be enough to kill you a hundred times over, not to mention encountering more terrifying existences, making survival nearly impossible, let alone cultivating into an Immortal beyond the Universal Realm!"

"More importantly, if you cultivate into a Heavenly Immortal by this method, to reach higher Dao Realms, you’d have to continuously seize the Immortal Path, eventually destroying the entire universe and annihilating all beings! Your Dao companion, sect disciples, close friends, including me, all beings within the universe would oppose you."

"..."

Shen Mo’s gaze settled on Guan Ling’s exquisitely beautiful face, smiling slightly, "Guan, you overthink. Even if I were more dull-witted, I wouldn’t let the old hag sway my Path Heart with just a few words. Moreover, she’s a deadly foe who wants to turn my Dao companion into an incarnation!"

"Previously, her willingness to waste words with me clearly had ulterior motives. How could I fall for her scheme so easily?"

"I’m just contemplating why, instead of burying Senior Yang’s corpse in the Death Ghost Realm, they chose to bury it in the cultivation world, granting you the opportunity to gather Immortal corpse fragments and resurrect Senior Yang? Furthermore, the cultivation world is still within the Universal Realm, yet the Immortal Path is not prominent there, and the millions of remnants left by Senior Yang have birthed divinities!"

"Could it be that the leftover evil from the old era did this deliberately? For tens of thousands of years, you’ve sent a large number of strong cultivators into the cultivation world, causing such a commotion. No matter how secretive, it would hardly escape their notice. Maybe they’re just pretending to be unaware, wanting to achieve some purpose through the cultivation world and Senior Yang’s resurrection."

The intent of the leftover evil is actually not hard to guess!

Hearing Shen Mo’s words, Guan Ling’s expression turned solemn, furrowing her brows in thought, sighing, "Regardless of their plots, resurrecting my master is something I must do. I trust my master, even after dying once, her Path Heart won’t waver. Any unpredictable changes in the cultivation world fall outside my concerns!"

"I understand your meaning. Next time I enter the cultivation world, I’ll thoroughly investigate this world’s secrets..."

Shen Mo conversed with Guan Ling for a long time before taking his leave, returning to the Dragon Heart Realm.

Currently, there aren’t many Red Flame Sect Members remaining in the Lower Realm, with only the necessary personnel handling matters in the Nanke Spirit Land. The rest have returned to the Immortal Realm, as the nature’s spiritual energy in the Lower Realm is thin, and despite abundant cultivation resources, it inevitably affects cultivation!

Of course, the costs paid both now and in the past are worth it.

Now, the Red Flame Sect, in a transcendent position, continuously controls the Horned Flood Dragon Nine Realms, ceaselessly extracting resources from the Lower Realm for the sect.

Besides, by controlling cultivators through the spiritual land, it is easy to maintain the operation of the Stars Circulation Array. The function of this array needs no further explanation; it can seal and refine the Law Body of Lord Blue Venerable to enhance Zhao Lingyin’s cultivation. It can also conceal within and without to provide a refuge when the Red Flame Sect faces total annihilation!

Shen Mo had intended to stay in the Dragon Heart Realm for a few years, urging Zhao Lingyin’s cultivation, and then return to the Immortal Realm after a trip to the cultivation world.

In the fifth year, however, news came through the sect’s passage between the two realms, saying a True Immortal had come to visit the Red Flame Sect at Five Dragon Mountain, asking him to meet!