Chapter 1447: Awakening to the Way

In the long river of time, thirty years is truly insignificant, yet for humans, many things can happen that can change a lifetime.

Over the years, people have occasionally awakened under the Six-zhang Bodhi Tree. The vital essence of the Qilin Immortal Medicine permeated the air, flowing with fragrance, bringing peace to the minds of Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Ji Ziyue, and others. The Dao and Law seemed to be embodied within them, and the sounds of ancient scriptures resonated frequently.

Over the past thirty years, the Dragon Horse finally refined the divine crystal of its ancestors, inheriting their legacy. Dragon energy surged through its body, and its crimson scales clanged. It awakened several times, then ventured alone to undergo its tribulation.

By now, the Dragon Horse possessed absolute confidence, capable of looking down upon the ancient starry road. As the exclusive mount of an ancient Great Emperor, it harbored endless potential. After awakening, it integrated the Law and Dao and refined the ancestral inheritance crystal, reaching an extreme level of power.

After thirty years of secluded cultivation and enlightenment, it reached the eighth heaven of the Saint King realm. This achievement was even a result of its focus on solidifying its foundational Dao; otherwise, it might have been even more powerful. It was undoubtedly one of the most successful individuals in terms of gains!

The path of cultivators grows ever narrower; each small step forward demands a more rigorous and immense price than the last. For many, let alone advancing three heavenly layers in thirty years, even a single layer is incredibly difficult.

Du Mu, the most astonishing individual in history, a powerful Divine Clan Supreme, took a hundred years to cultivate to the peak of the Great Saint realm, shocking the entire universe.

However, throughout history, there has been only one such person!

Moreover, Du Mu made no further progress in his life, stopping there permanently. He was both a legend and a great tragedy, as everyone had originally believed he was destined to become an Emperor.

A legend is a legend precisely because it is irreplaceable, the greatest miracle in the world. Most people take thousands, or even tens of thousands of years, to become a Saint King.

Considering the Dragon Horse's cultivation speed, it was already quite astonishing. While it couldn't compare to the unique Du Mu, it was certainly enough to astound many prodigies on the ancient path.

Reaching this realm after a hundred and several decades on the starry path certainly placed it among the fastest individuals.

During this period, Ji Haoyue awakened once, taking thirty years to advance just one step, reaching the eighth heaven of the Saint King realm. His Divine King Tribulation was incredibly startling, filled with lightning and thunder, and the wails of gods and devils, even startling the Dragon Horse significantly.

By now, the Ji family's Divine Physique truly exuded immense majesty, looking down upon heaven and earth as if it had transcended the human realm, becoming a Divine King of the Celestial Realm.

His thick black hair cascaded down, and threads of divine essence radiated from his eyes, intensely bright, making it impossible to look directly at him. He commanded respect without needing to show anger.

Evidently, he was exercising restraint, as his rapid progress over the years meant he didn't want to advance too quickly.

During this period, two tragedies also occurred. Among the Twelve Saints, a powerful expert from the Light Clan met an accident during his enlightenment, instantly turning into ashes. No one could stop or help him. Meanwhile, a woman from the Winged Race suffered instability in her Dao heart during her tribulation, descending into madness. Her primordial spirit left her body, wildly devouring the Grand Five Elements lightning, and she tragically turned to dust, perishing here.

This was lamentable. If even these most outstanding individuals faced such challenges on their cultivation paths, one could only imagine how much more arduous and perilous the path would be for ordinary people.

Someone once said that survival was the greatest victory. Among peers, in the end, it wasn't about battle power but about who lived longer.

With a touch of melancholy, thirty-five white flowers fluttered. The living, such as the Dragon Horse and Azure Luan, bid farewell to their deceased companions, though they could only fill some earth and erect cenotaphs.

Those among the Twelve Saints who had not perished made significant progress in this enlightenment session. Illuminated by the Bodhi's wisdom light, they comprehended the true meaning of the Dao and tempered their soul bones.

The most powerful, such as the Nine-Tailed Alligator Dragon and the Golden Lion, had reached the sixth heaven of the Saint King realm. It wasn't that they were weak; rather, they seemed so when compared to transcendent talents like the Dragon Horse and Ji Haoyue. However, when compared to their past selves, their true Dao achievements were remarkably astonishing.

Furthermore, it was certainly not an issue for them to gradually catch up, as the ninth heaven of the Saint King realm was bound to be the greatest bottleneck, blocking many exceptionally gifted individuals.

From ancient times until now, countless astonishing individuals reached the ninth heaven of the Saint King realm prematurely, yet spent their entire lives trying to break through, unable to enter the Great Saint domain.

This was a watershed. Those with exceptional talent who arrived too early might not necessarily cross this threshold, while those who came later were not necessarily destined to be blocked here.

For many cultivators, the transformation from Saint King to Great Saint was akin to a fish leaping to become a dragon, representing the greatest nirvana and rebirth in one's life. This was also why Great Saints stood so high above others, able to look down on other Saints with disdain.

Only by crossing this threshold could one be considered an equal. If one couldn't, even at the very peak of the ninth heaven of the Saint King realm, just a hair's breadth away, they remained an inferior, not in the same domain—a fundamental difference.

Amidst lightning and thunder, a golden figure soared upwards. The little Lightning Phoenix, despite suppressing its realm and not wanting to break through, eventually couldn't hold back anymore and advanced another small step.

Its cultivation speed was excessively fast. The Demonic Divine Flower, one of the three most divine flowers in the world, possessed the wonder of seizing the fortunes of heaven and earth, causing its soul bones to resonate, forcing it to advance.

The final result was that it reached the seventh heaven of the Saint King realm. This was, of course, the outcome of severe suppression; otherwise, it might have surpassed both the Dragon Horse and Ji Haoyue.

Everyone had once considered sealing it, allowing it to temper itself for several decades, fearing that if it advanced too rapidly, its state of mind wouldn't keep pace, leading to problems later on.

Now, the Great Dao was actively merging with it, forcing it to break through. Its future progress was uncertain, so everyone unanimously urged it to exercise restraint and not advance further.

Following this, Ji Ziyue underwent her tribulation, manifesting myriad phenomena and various strange sights. There were visions of wise immortals and the spectacular, unbelievable scene of ten suns suspended across the sky.

The Primordial Spirit Body was unique, merging with the most fundamental essences of heaven and earth. Even during its tribulation, this was evident, as primeval immortal light and chaotic mists occasionally descended, enveloping it.

However, Ji Ziyue only advanced one step, reaching the seventh heaven of the Saint King realm, and then her heavenly tribulation concluded.

This was also a result of self-control. Her Divine Demon Liquid had not been effectively utilized, and the Divine King Ji Haoyue, Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and others had helped her deduce that as a Primordial Spirit Body, she shouldn't break through in this manner but should instead maximize the value of the Divine Demon Liquid.

The Primordial Spirit Body could connect with the origins, and the Divine Demon Liquid contained the most essential profound truths of the three thousand ancient divine demons. It required extensive deduction and exploration, perhaps allowing her to push this great Dao to an extreme, fusing it into one for her own use.

Therefore, Ji Ziyue was not in a hurry to cultivate. Instead, she was contemplating the fusion with the Dao, continuously comprehending its methods over the years to ensure she could reach her strongest state in the future.

Having reached this stage, the elevation of minor realms was no longer the main concern. What mattered was the height their own Dao could attain.

Because almost everyone would be blocked at the threshold of the Great Saint realm. Minor realms could generally be ascended with enough time and tempering; they weren't major difficulties.

Now, anyone aspiring to contend on the Emperor's Path would primarily focus on battle strength, prioritizing how to become the strongest in their respective realm.

In the distant sky, winds raged and thunder boomed, and demonic energy surged. Pang Bo roared, resisting his heavenly tribulation, appearing like a primordial demon venerable of ten thousand years. With a raise of his hand, he seemed capable of striking down the nine heavens.

Divine light burst from his eyes as he evolved his techniques and perfected his Dao amidst the heavenly tribulation. His roars shook the heavens, and when his blood vessels were bulging to their limit, he suddenly took out a coffin lid with a crack, gnawing and crunching it into vital essence, his demeanor becoming even more formidable.

"This kid is beyond saving," the Dragon Horse remarked dryly. "He hates coffin lids so much that he uses them to vent his frustration even while battling heavenly tribulations."

Over the years, Ji Ziyue and Pang Bo had shared the Divine Demon Liquid and the coffin lid divine medicine with everyone. Everyone had tasted it, and the latter truly didn't taste good.

When the lightning tribulation ended, Pang Bo had overcome two hurdles, reaching the eighth heaven of the Saint King realm. With every movement, demonic energy surged forth like dark clouds pressing down, emanating a vast and terrifying aura.

"If you just added two horns, you'd look a bit like the Ox-Demon King," Ji Ziyue chuckled.

Pang Bo's physique was indeed enormous; he was now over half a head taller, his muscles bulging like a massive monument. His ten-foot-tall bronze-colored body stood there, striking fear into observers.

"Heh heh, it seems I still gained the most, advancing three heavenly layers. Who can contend with me?" The scoundrel Dragon Horse declared, proudly surveying the others, with a hint of seeking defeat at the pinnacle of solitude.

"Forget everyone else, if that little one seriously tried to break through, she could utterly crush you," Pang Bo scoffed.

Thirty years had passed, and much had happened in the outside world. Over the past few years, the group had continuously awakened and undergone tribulations. Recently, the Azure Luan and Black Bear Saint had gone out to gather information and learned quite a bit.

The other shore was filled with a chilling atmosphere; many had died over the years, their blood staining heaven and earth. Yet, the Divine Realm remained impregnable, never being conquered.

During this time, the Ancient Emperor Weapon, Myriad Dragon Bell, had attacked the gates more than once. However, the Killing Array Diagram of Lingbao Heavenly Venerate, connected to the aura of four killing swords, blocked all attempts, sweeping the Myriad Dragon Bell out of the other shore and causing Great Saints to perish.

In these years, the Divine Realm's prestige greatly increased, and several Divine Elders were at the height of their power, remaining unmoving despite any winds blowing from any direction.

"It's a bit strange. I don't believe the Great Saints outside this realm would be content," Ji Haoyue said gravely. "I think the biggest storm is probably coming, capable of shattering the heavens and tearing the earth at any moment!"

Everyone pondered, realizing that a major change might indeed be imminent.

"Ye Fan hasn't emerged yet. What kind of Dao and Law is he comprehending?"

Under the Bodhi Tree, Ye Fan sat quietly in the lotus position, like a solemn, unmoving divine statue.

Over all these years, while everyone else had successively awakened and undergone tribulations, only he remained consistent, without the slightest change, as if he had entered nirvana there.

If not for a vigorous, ocean-like aura dormant within him, everyone would have long since gone to wake him up. Such prolonged meditation, lasting for decades at a time, was rare in this realm throughout history.

Over twenty days later, under the Bodhi Tree, Ye Fan suddenly opened his eyes. He rose to his feet, and an immense, unfathomable wave of vital blood energy surged from him.

"He's awake! He's about to undergo tribulation!" the Dragon Horse exclaimed. It couldn't help but marvel, noting that sitting in meditation for thirty years truly required immense willpower.

However, Ye Fan did not proceed to undergo tribulation. Instead, standing under the Bodhi Tree, he spread his legs, extended his arms, and began to evolve a terrifying Dao and technique. The mere emergence of its first form caused heaven and earth to wail.

"What kind of technique is this?" everyone wondered.

But they knew well that at Ye Fan's stage, he wasn't merely pursuing an increase in realm. What he cared more about was an invincible path—to comprehend unparalleled techniques in the world and have no rival among his peers.

Evidently, he had made significant gains over these thirty years, beginning to create his own secret arts and Dao techniques.

The completion of the Four Extremities Secret Realm was essential, and his own lineage also required protective secret arts and Dao methods. The path he was now taking was precisely this: the foundation of an invincible Dao, demanding that he possess his own substantive grand techniques.

This chapter concludes.

A novel from Linglong Library.