Chapter 535: Chapter 441: Opportunity for Integration with the Dao

In the Taiyuan Hall, clouds swirled around the four figures sitting around an Eight Trigrams table. The aroma of tea wafted, blending with the Dao Rhyme, permeating the grand hall.

This was a rare gathering for the four brothers over millennia, as they took turns sharing their experiences in different realms, their words painting a vast and magnificent Grand Thousand World.

Chen Sheng sat calmly aside, listening intently. Naturally, he intended to visit another Grand Thousand World, but now was not the time.

During the conversation, the overtaken Cold Monarch jested:

"Little Junior Brother, your speed in seclusion cultivation is truly astounding. A millennium ago, you were only at the Perfection of the second scroll, but now you’ve achieved the Perfection of the fourth scroll."

"The next time you exit seclusion, will you directly form the Integration, leaving us senior brothers in embarrassment?"

Meteor Daoist also joined in with a light laugh:

"Indeed, back then I thought it would take you at least thirty thousand years to catch up to me. I never imagined you’d progress so rapidly. Soon, you might leave us far behind."

Chen Sheng simply smiled faintly in response, saying nothing more.

At this moment, Taiyuan Daoist set down his teacup and looked at Chen Sheng, speaking with a tone of formality:

"Please, take care of Ming Qian, my brother. I will be leaving in a few days."

Cold Monarch was taken aback, his brow furrowed: "Senior Brother, your injuries haven’t healed. Why the rush? Why not recover fully in the Daoist Palace before making plans?"

Taiyuan Daoist chuckled softly, his aura slightly fluctuating, hinting at the cycle of decay and renewal:

"I have cut off the pure End Dao, but have yet to forge the corresponding Creation Dao. One decay followed by one prosperity, one extinction followed by one life; these opposites have yet to reach Perfection."

He paused, chuckling:

"If I were to fully recover from this injury, I wouldn’t be able to leave."

Upon hearing this, Cold Monarch was first stunned, then suddenly understood.

For Taiyuan, the day of his recovery would be the time to once again attempt Integration. Given his current foundation, incomplete with opposing forces, it would be a moth to a flame.

Chen Sheng and Meteor Daoist, possessing higher cultivation, understood Taiyuan Daoist’s condition more deeply.

They could sense that within Taiyuan’s Dao Foundation, the forces of End and Creation were tearing at each other, both mutually preserving and clashing.

Only when his injuries were not yet healed and his Dao Power was unstable could he continue his journey, gradually completing the Creation Dao.

The two exchanged a look, nodding in agreement. Chen Sheng spoke: "I wish Senior Brother a smooth journey and the success of your endeavors in reaching Perfection."

Taiyuan Daoist raised his cup, the clear tea transforming into Spiritual Liquid as he swallowed, speaking loudly:

"I also wish you, my junior brothers, to soon find a way of achievement and ascend to the Integration Realm!"

The four brothers drank another cup.

Several days later, Taiyuan Daoist departed gracefully, his Profound Daoist Robe transformed into a stream of light breaking through the sky, without a trace of reluctance.

For him, this return centered on entrusting Ming Qian to his master, seeking a stable sanctuary.

As for himself, only by drifting in the Grand Thousand could he seize a chance for survival.

Following Taiyuan Daoist, Meteor Daoist and Cold Monarch, too, bid their farewells.

Before leaving, Cold Monarch patted Chen Sheng on the shoulder, his eyes full of unyielding sharpness:

"Little Junior Brother, wait for me! Next time I return, I will certainly catch up with you, or even surpass you!"

Chen Sheng nodded slightly: "I’m waiting for the third Senior Brother to return."

...

Time passed, and again several years flew by.

Under Chen Sheng’s meticulous guidance, his first disciple Qi Yuan and second disciple Gu Ye successfully broke through the Void Refining Fifth Tribulation, passing the corresponding Star Tower.

"Master, your disciple has completed the Fifth Tribulation, and I request permission to go to the Southern Immortal Mansion to continue training and refine the Dao Foundation!"

Chen Sheng nodded in approval, waving a hand, imbuing them with Spirit Light containing the End Dao Principle, merging into their foreheads:

"This is a protective Dao Talisman, to activate in a life-or-death crisis. Go now, but remember, proceed with caution. A steady Dao Foundation is far more important than advancing in Realm."

"Thank you, Master!"

The two of them bowed again and departed as two streams of light.

Now, only the third disciple Chen Qingyun, fourth disciple Zhang Hongdao, and the recently initiated Ming Qian were left by Chen Sheng’s side.

...

In the main hall of the Life-Annihilating Hall, Chen Sheng sat at the main seat, surrounded by the profound End Dao Rhyme.

He spoke slowly, his voice as if it came from ancient times:

"The Path of End is not the destruction of all but the insight into illusion, returning to the source."

"A flower a world, a leaf a Bodhi, all things, when born are to die, when begun shall end, understanding this truth allows one to grasp the End Dao Principle..."

The Dao sound lingered, transforming into countless runes, dancing and swirling in the great hall.

Ming Qian stood below, his exquisitely carved jade-like face full of focus. Though merely at the Golden Core Cultivation, he could clearly capture the true intent within the Dao sound. His small head nodded occasionally, a faint End Dao Rhyme subtly surrounding him.

This child was indeed a marvel, born from Taiyuan Daoist’s Essence Blood and Dao Embryo, refined with the Nine Heavens Creation Divine Water.

Naturally aligned with the Path of End, his comprehension far surpassed other cultivators of his level.

After finishing the lecture, Chen Sheng began guiding each disciple in their cultivation.

First, he looked at Chen Qingyun, his gaze falling on the Cyan Blade in his hand:

"Your Path of Annihilation Sword is too focused on ’annihilation’ and has forgotten ’quietude.’ When the sword is unleashed, a single thought of compassion should remain, eradicating evil causes and preserving good outcomes. Only thus can your Sword Dao achieve perfection."

As he spoke, an End Dao Principle infused into the sword’s blade, and the Cyan Blade instantly emitted a soft yet sharp light. A flash of understanding appeared in Chen Qingyun’s eyes as he bowed in gratitude:

"Thank you, Master, for your guidance!"

Next, Chen Sheng turned to Zhang Hongdao:

"Your Path of Illusion Heart has entered its threshold, but the heart-image is unstable. It needs..."

With a fingertip touch, a Power of the Divine Soul surged into Zhang Hongdao’s sea of consciousness, helping stabilize the nascent heart-image. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Time flew by, and decades passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, on the sword platform behind the Life-Annihilating Hall, the Sword Qi soared into the sky.

Chen Qingyun, wielding the Cyan Blade, sliced through the void, leaving fine fissures that quickly returned to calm.

He had successfully cultivated the Void Refining Third Tribulation and respectfully bowed towards the Life-Annihilating Hall: "Master, the disciple wishes to venture out and hone the Sword Dao!"

Chen Sheng’s voice came from within the hall: "Go, remember to guard your true heart. The path of Sword Dao shall be unwavering."

Another ten years passed, and Zhang Hongdao successfully established heart-image and created an "Illusory True Palace" intertwined with illusory light and End Dao Principle.

With the heart-image established, his aura surged, successfully breaking through to the Void Refining Third Tribulation.

In the same year, Ming Qian, under Chen Sheng’s guidance, cultivated Nascent Soul, with End Dao Principle swirling around, unexpectedly comprehending the End Dao Principle in advance.

Chen Sheng looked at him with satisfaction in his eyes.

...

The years passed, unnoticed, and thousands of years slipped away.

In the Illusion Heart World, atop the heavenly court.

A supreme figure sat upon the Nine-Dragon Throne.

At this moment, the figure slowly opened his eyes, reflecting the trajectories of operation of countless Lower Realm across the vast expanse, with runes flashing within his pupils.

Chen Sheng murmured in his heart: "There are twelve thousand years until the Epoch Great Desolation. Chaos has already begun to emerge."

The current nine heavens and ten earths remain superficially stable, with immortal mountains and jade pavilions abundant and cultivators frequently coming and going, yet through the subtlety of Yin Yang Divine Soul and the deducing power of the Heaven-Cutting Seal, Chen Sheng has already discerned the decline of the origins.

Many Lower Realm planes are gradually depleting Spiritual Qi, with the Great Dao receding, evidently entering an era of Dharmic Decline, just waiting for a critical point to arrive whereupon all will be utterly annihilated, returning to chaos, and re-evolving.

These years, the number of cultivators ascending to the Upper Realm has become increasingly sparse.

Many Lower Realm cultivators exhaust their lifetimes, yet find it difficult to touch the threshold of ascension, only to end their days amidst the Dharmic Decline.

Chen Sheng sighed in his heart: "The path of the Fate Dynasty indeed cannot be tread!"

These years, he promoted the path of the Fate Dynasty, hoping to try a cultivation shortcut, but now discovering this path fundamentally does not work in this world.

He raised his hand with a wave, an ancient seal appearing in his palm—the Heaven-Cutting Seal. Innumerable Dao Patterns flowed over the Seal, deducing the limits of the Fate Dynasty path.

Chen Sheng’s gaze was profound:

"The origin of the Great Dao directly constrains all dharmas, suppressing all paths."

"The path of the Fate Dynasty in this realm is not merely difficult to tread but fundamentally impossible to refine a corresponding Dharma Seed."

"Even if deduced to the utmost, it is no more than harmonious union with the world, akin to other Dao traditions’ harmonious union, and burdens by a few more constraints."

Harmonious union with the world is not exclusive to the path of the Fate Dynasty.

Long ago, upon discovering this Medium Thousand World, Chen Sheng perused countless ancient records in the Immortal Mansion, gaining comprehensive insight.

The most renowned Medium Thousand World belonged to the Creation Treasure Realm—a realm created by a Mahayana Venerable for transcendence, containing a complete Dao Seed.

If a cultivator can harmonize with the world in the Creation Treasure Realm, they can ascend to the rank of Tribulation Crossing Daoist Monarch in one step, possessing immense power.

"Unfortunately, while harmonious union is quick, the flaw is also fatal."

Chen Sheng pondered in his heart:

"After harmonious union, one is constrained by this world, struggling to transcend, and lacking freedom."

"Furthermore, the risk of Daoification exists; if the true heart cannot be maintained, one will irrevocably become part of the world, losing selfhood, indistinguishable from a puppet."

Of course, not all Medium Thousand Worlds contain a complete Dao Seed.

Most Medium Thousand Worlds have incomplete Dao Seeds; after harmonious union, cultivators cannot achieve Tribulation Crossing Daoist Monarch, but can still ascend swiftly, becoming an Integration Dharma Master with considerable strength.

Chen Sheng’s gaze became inscrutable; his years of meticulous plotting and discreet arrangement were all for this.

Leaving aside other matters, the mere existence of the Medium Thousand World itself is an immense opportunity, allowing an individual to ascend rapidly and directly become an Integration Dharma Master.

This allure is one even he cannot overlook.

"However, this choice of harmonious union is ultimately just a fallback."

"If nothing can be done, this path can be taken!"