Chapter 215: Immortal and Mortal Differences

The Ancient Wilderness World.

The land lay desolate and dark. A century had passed, yet the pain of the people remained unhealed. Meanwhile, the world had undergone an unprecedented and drastic transformation.

No longer was there a Jianmu tree supporting heaven and earth, and the two separate realms of immortals and mortals had vanished. The sky was now empty, twice its former height, immensely vast and distant, studded with endless glittering stars.

Dao Changsheng had transformed his body into the Immortal Realm. Within him, a high-dimensional grotto-heaven world was contained, which the world called the Nine Heavens.

It was also known as Jiuxiao.

The Nine Heavens, signifying the ultimate number, could accommodate nine Heavenly Emperors to govern the world.

The three former Quasi-Emperors—Xu Wei, Fen Teng, and Zhang Wuwei—had already become Heavenly Emperors, successively taking office to govern a heaven and rule their respective realms.

At the center of the Nine Heavens was the Heavenly Dao Primordial Grand Hall. A breathtaking celestial phenomenon of a blue sky and red sun floated within it, vast and boundless, illuminating the Nine Heavens. Moreover, the trajectories of the sun and moon were governed by the Heavenly Dao, operating autonomously and no longer under the purview of successive Heavenly Emperors.

From then on, day and night were reversed in the Immortal and Mortal Realms.

When the sun circulated in the mortal realm, it was night in the Celestial Realm.

When the sun shone upon the Nine Heavens in the Celestial Realm, it was night in the mortal realm.

Time passed gradually, and the after-effects of the bygone Age of Gods began to slowly manifest. That ancient mythical era, where gods and humans coexisted, completely transformed into ancient legend. On the mortal lands, the footprints of celestial gods began to disappear.

The cultivation speed of the various races on the ground began to become extremely slow.

They could no longer emulate the ancients, worshipping the gods flying across the sky and absorbing the aura they emitted. Their cultivation began to rapidly decline!

The four races on earth could only meditate on mortal beings, mountains, and trees. Most of their cultivation stopped at the initial two realms: Foundation Establishment and Spirit Condensation.

Meanwhile, the ancient myth of gods and humans coexisting during the 'Western Epoch' gradually became a legend. Countless scholars and writers chronicled, praised, and spread these tales. Various mythical biographies even emerged, detailing tales of love between gods and humans, Changsheng saving his mother, the head suppressed under Mount Changyang, and the legend of the cassia tree.

"There's a clear distinction between immortals and mortals now. Was the Western Epoch truly an era where gods and humans coexisted?"

"That's impossible. In that era, a sect genius in their teens could cultivate to the second realm of Spirit Condensation, or even the third realm of Divine Treasury? We might not even reach that realm in our entire lives."

"Grandpa, are you tricking us? We've never seen a celestial god since we were little. Did they descend to the mortal realm in a way we ordinary people can't perceive?"

"I long for that era. Yesterday, I dreamt of ancient times, and in my dream, I was a powerful figure from a hidden mortal holy land. I was actually drinking under a tree in a courtyard with a celestial god. Halfway through his drink, the god put down his cup, rose into the air, and said he had matters to attend to—he had to ascend to the heavens to strike the thunder hammer and preside over today's rainfall."

Time flew by, and another fifty years passed.

Cultivation in the mortal realm remained slow. Practitioners were called cultivators and alchemists by the various mortal nations.

They served the imperial court, perceiving heaven and earth. They were prominent scholars and important court officials, absorbing the incense and prayers of the people within their jurisdiction. A third-tier Divine Treasury master was already a rare grandmaster of arcane arts, often becoming a National Grandmaster.

Meanwhile, a new power was emerging.

The path of 'artistic cultivation' gradually declined. Instead, the path of 'body cultivation' relied on martial prowess, giving rise to many jianghu heroes. They cultivated their Dantian, less reliant on 'meditating on heaven and earth'. They supplemented their energy with food and blood-nourishment, transforming it into vital energy meridian methods, which expanded their Dantian.

They hunted demons, using their flesh and blood to nourish themselves.

Furthermore, various jianghu martial arts emerged, with new schools and sects being founded, subtly ushering in a glorious age of martial arts!

In the lower realms, dozens of spellcasters were no match for a single martial artist. Gradually, spellcasters were mocked as mere jianghu tricks, possessing brilliant flair but only fit for show.

However, martial artists still couldn't rapidly increase their cultivation. Therefore, they focused on meridian and Dantian circulation methods, developing many internal cultivation techniques. They also refined their moves to perfection, creating numerous martial arts techniques that became renowned throughout the jianghu.

Another ten years passed, and peerless heroes and valiant figures began to emerge!

A frail old man named Duan Qianyu, over forty years old, obtained a rare heavenly treasure. Before his death, he miraculously broke through to the fourth realm, Purple Palace, reverting to his youth like a young chivalrous swordsman. Wielding a Cyan Blade longsword, he began to roam the jianghu.

He alone defeated hundreds of elite soldiers. With just his sword, he could cleave mountains. Pointing his sword to the sky, his sword qi could strike down eagles soaring in the heavens. The world was shaken by this.

"I personally witnessed traces of the Sword God. It was terrifying! He passed by a bandit stronghold, and seeing them oppress men and women, he alone could cleave mountains, demonstrating strength beyond measure!"

"That's impossible. Is he even human?"

"A single sword cleaves mountains! The Sword God, Duan Qianyu!"

Another day, the Great Zhou Emperor heard of this matter. Following the National Grandmaster's suggestion, he issued an edict to the world, proclaiming, 'Those who possess martial arts often break the law,' and declared his intention to control all sects and schools across the land. Immediately, a storm began to brew.

Meanwhile.

On the 'Spore Evolution' forum, everyone was filled with emotion after learning the full course of events.

Dao Changsheng was someone they had watched grow. Now, he had merged with the Dao, becoming the Heavenly Dao. To say their feelings weren't complicated would be a lie.

Cute Girl Wants to Evolve into a Dragon: "Ahem! Let me just say, Dao Changsheng still has his own consciousness. He's just limited by the collective will of all beings in the Heavenly Dao, unable to do too many things or act as freely as he wishes. I occasionally go and chat with him; he's still the same person as before."

Screenshots showed Cute Girl talking to a blurry figure of the Heavenly Dao.

Cute Girl: "This generation's Heavenly Dao is Dao Changsheng himself. However, his own soul has a lifespan and will eventually age and die. The part of the soul belonging to him will dissipate, and at that time, the aspirations and wishes of all beings will fill the entire soul, making it a completely emotionless Heavenly Dao. Of course, that will be a matter for the next Heavenly Dao..."

After hearing the explanation, everyone felt a significant sense of relief.

He was originally destined to die. Now, being able to live on was already the best possible outcome. Moreover, despite being limited, he still possessed self-awareness, which was quite good.

Immediately, countless people were thrilled.

This could be considered a perfect ending!

This battle was too tragic; to have endured to this point was already a victory for us players.

The Nine Revolutions Profound Art is truly amazing!

He lost half his soul, yet he survived and even became the Heavenly Dao.

Studying Medicine to Save Other Worlds: "Honestly, I finished watching the whole process, and countless emotions stirred within me, sparking a myriad of feelings. It made me so excited that I felt I absolutely had to do something... So, I rolled over in bed, holding my phone, and set it as my wallpaper. From now on, he's my male idol."

Cute Girl by Request: "Hey you, above, are you asking for a beating? (Image of thunder hammer spanking.jpg)"

An Embroidery Needle: "You simping dog above, your name disgusts me. I've never been swayed by female charms. Also, Cute Girl, you could publish a book titled 'The Heavenly Dao is My Disciple'."

"I've even thought of the book's synopsis for you: 'I once listened to the Dao alongside the Dao Lord who created heaven and earth. I also became sworn siblings with the Azure Emperor. I once transformed into the towering Jianmu tree that supported heaven and earth. I also enlightened the Human Ancestor to comprehend the Primordial Spirit. I witnessed ancient Old Gods shed their blood across heaven and earth, and saw the twelve Ancestral Witches bleed profusely in the Great Luo Heaven. I once took a disciple, who later became known as Dao Heavenly Emperor, and transformed into the eternal Heavenly Dao. And today, I choose to lay down all my past glories, retreat to the mortal realm, sit before my computer, write this book, and brag about it to you netizens!'"

"666! That's brilliant, upstairs! This book is a pure power fantasy and is guaranteed to be a massive hit! If it doesn't get popular, I'll eat my hat! (Mind blown!)"

"Sounds impressive when written, but in reality, it's just the longest-living slacker (wry smile)."

Celestial Realm, Purple Cloud Heaven.

"Are you really going to keep researching?" Cute Girl asked, looking at the group of red-named players. "We were comrades, after all. I'm about to die of old age; aren't you going to spend my last moments with me?"

The few players calmly replied, "No."

It wasn't easy to finally reach this point.

Several red-named players had broken through to become Void-Piercing Great Emperors. With the Heavenly Dao now in place, they dared not cause trouble. The four of them each took charge of a heaven, continuously gathering talent and not vying for power. They began secluded research, re-establishing the Immortal Realm Research Institute.

"Hmph! Then I'll go down to the mortal realm and have a look; it's been over a hundred years."

She glared at them.

She was already too old, still remaining at the sixth realm, Grotto-Heaven. She had previously followed the path of Dao cultivation, then switched to body cultivation. However, the change in path came too late, and her cultivation had consistently failed to break through. Now, she was on the verge of dying of old age.

Meanwhile, those red-named players were still full of life.

"Speaking of which, I really have witnessed one era after another..."

Cute Girl recalled the words of the netizens outside, feeling a wave of emotion.

Although she seemed to have lived the longest, most of that time was spent in slumber. Her actual conscious time here was only a little over fifty years.

"But I'm already an old lady in my fifties," she said, her voice clear and crisp. She still found it somewhat hard to believe. She strode forward, tearing open a passage, and stepped into the mortal realm. "The old era has ended, and I, too, must approach my end."