Chapter 1717: Free and Boundless

The moment Xu Yang held the Map of Creation in his hands, he felt as if he had gained a completely new understanding of the myriad paths of the heavens throughout the entire world, and even of all life between heaven and earth.

It was as if he had suddenly ascended from one level to another. This spiritual transformation was indescribable; his entire being exuded an ineffable clarity and naturalness. Every part of his body was quietly undergoing change, becoming increasingly pure and natural.

Xu Yang himself did not notice that at that moment, a colored aura naturally condensed around his body. This aura was not a mere accumulation of energy, but rather a manifestation of a perfectly natural state, in harmony with the Dao.

Unbeknownst to him, Xu Yang's self-created Path of Tai Chi also underwent a complete transformation, following the condensation of this Dao rhythm. It was boundless freedom, transcendent of heaven and earth!

"Perhaps this is what it feels like to transcend the heavens," Xu Yang mused. "Now I can truly say that I have all the myriad paths of the heavens beneath my feet."

A satisfied smile finally appeared on Xu Yang's face.

Little did he know, from this moment on, no rules or laws of the Dao between heaven and earth could suppress Xu Yang.

Unconsciously, the Map of Creation in his palm completely disappeared. Or rather, this naturally formed treasure had perfectly merged with Xu Yang's body.

The Grand Elder had needed to infuse his spiritual power, and even sacrifice his eyes, to borrow the Map of Creation's power. But now, Xu Yang had integrated everything within the Map of Creation with his own life, requiring no external assistance. A mere shift in his thoughts was enough to accomplish anything.

A flash of silver light vanished from its spot. When Xu Yang reappeared, he was already in front of Long Kun and the other two, still imbued with that translucent luminescence covering every part of his body. His speed was so astonishing that it utterly bewildered Long Kun and his companions.

"Holy cow, Boss, when did you get here? What happened to your body? What's going on?"

Long Kun even tried to reach out to Xu Yang, but he was astonished to find that although his palm clearly passed through the center of Xu Yang's outline, he couldn't feel his body's presence at all.

"Oh my heavens, Boss, don't tell me that guy killed you!" Long Kun exclaimed. "Are you just a soul body now?"

Long Kun was completely dumbfounded, even ready to burst into tears. Even Ling Yao and Goddess Yanxia beside him had no idea what was happening.

But at that very moment, Xu Yang slowly extended his hand, and Long Kun immediately felt the physical sensation of Xu Yang's body touching him.

"Haha, look how scared you all are!" Xu Yang said. "Not only am I perfectly fine, but I've also inadvertently touched upon a higher realm. What you're seeing now is the realm of Boundless Freedom. Simply put, the laws of the myriad paths of the heavens in this main continent will no longer have any effect on me. If you don't believe me, you can try attacking me."

Hearing Xu Yang's words, Goddess Yanxia was finally moved again. She quickly guessed that Xu Yang's physical body must have perfectly merged with the origin of the Map of Creation's power.

Thinking of this, Goddess Yanxia unhesitatingly drew her divine sword and unleashed a powerful sword aura towards Xu Yang's true body.

Long Kun and Ling Yao quickly flew aside to dodge. However, the terrifying sword aura struck in front of Xu Yang, yet he made no movement or defense whatsoever. He simply allowed this incredibly powerful force to pass through the center of his body, while his outline remained standing in place, completely unharmed.

"A state where one can evade all paths and laws of the world—I only heard of such a realm from the strongest among our eighteen ancient guardian gods, back in their era," Goddess Yanxia said with awe.

"It is said that cultivators of your realm only appeared in ancient times, shortly after the main continent was formed. That was a truly unprecedented monument for humanity."

"You are now probably only one step away from being the strongest cultivator in all of history. Of course, I speak frankly, Sir Xu Yang, and I hope you don't mind, but this final step might be unattainable even if you spend your entire life trying."

Xu Yang's expression returned to calm, and he nodded.

"I understand what you mean," Xu Yang replied, "because although it seems like only one step, no one can offer me any guidance. Throughout history, there have probably only been a handful of people who could even perceive the position of that final step before me."

"Whether I can complete this final leap will likely depend on the creation of heaven and earth and the arrangements of fate," he continued. "It's a realm that can no longer be reached by my personal will alone."

Xu Yang slowly closed his eyes and retracted the silver aura of Boundless Freedom around him, returning to the appearance of a normal person.

However, Long Kun and the others clearly knew that their Boss Xu Yang was no longer the same as before. He now possessed an even more powerful trump card. Apart from Xu Yang himself, no one knew how terrifying Boss Xu Yang was in the state of Boundless Freedom.

It was far more complex than just Xu Yang and the Map of Creation as his trump card.

"Excellent!" Long Kun exclaimed. "The journey through the fourth immortal palace has successfully concluded, and Boss, you've also achieved such an important, historic breakthrough. We should be able to easily conquer the next two stages."

He was full of confidence for the subsequent journey. In contrast, Goddess Yanxia beside him looked far less optimistic.

"Don't celebrate too soon," Goddess Yanxia warned. "If my judgment is correct, the source of power possessed by the Nether Imperial Clan's Shade is the most terrifying.

"As for the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan, who have always been considered the head of the Six Human-Spirit Lineages, their source of power might not be too difficult to deal with, but the clan's overall strength and heritage they possess are unmatched by any of the other six lineages.

"More importantly, the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan's faith in the Will of the Supreme God has always been extremely fervent. It's almost absolutely impossible for them to do anything that would betray the Supreme God's will.

"If we march upon their territory, it's likely that every member of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan will fight to the death against us. Therefore, in my opinion, these remaining two stages are the truly challenging ones."

Xu Yang nodded immediately.

"Indeed," Xu Yang said. "No matter the situation, as cultivators, we must never let our guard down, because having reached the current level on Kunlun Peak, every one of us belongs to the strongest echelon of cultivators in this world. Underestimating our opponents is the most basic mistake."