My son is about to break through.

Even after the sermon ended, the scene of ten thousand cultivators paying homage was still vivid in my mind, and the magnificent phenomenon of the vast merits merging into the Emperor's Seal had not completely dissipated.

Gu Qingfeng did not linger in the chaotic void, nor did he pay attention to the complex gazes that were secretly watching. With one step, he returned to the depths of the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty's imperial palace, which was shrouded in heavy restrictions.

Without the slightest delay, he immediately announced his seclusion, isolating himself from the outside world, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to digesting and understanding the insights gained from this sermon.

This sermon lasted for twelve thousand years. He used himself as a medium to ignite the wisdom of hundreds of millions of cultivators, and used the way of all living beings to deduce his own Netherworld Great Dao in reverse.

This process allowed him to transcend the limitations of his own perspective, observe, verify, and even complete his own path from countless angles, and truly glimpse a clearer vision of the road ahead.

Driven by such profound accumulation and unique insights, Gu Qingfeng had a strong premonition deep in his heart.

The thin membrane that had blocked him for so long, the path to the Nine Tribulations Celestial Venerable Realm, had become incredibly fragile. He was truly only half a step away from that realm that symbolized the ultimate Celestial Venerable Realm!

This half-step may require painstaking effort, or it may only require a sudden moment of enlightenment.

During this seclusion, Gu Qingfeng was completely focused, abandoning all external distractions and even entrusting the affairs of the Immortal Dynasty to Gu Yang and the cabinet.

His entire being was immersed in exploring the infinite mysteries of the Netherworld Dao.

Time loses its meaning in profound enlightenment, slipping away silently like sand through one's fingers.

The period of seclusion lasted for a full ten million years!
Ten million years is enough time for mortal civilizations to be born and destroyed countless times.

For an ordinary Celestial Venerable, this might be a retreat that is not too short.

But in Gu Qingfeng's perception, who was focused on breaking through the bottleneck at this moment, these ten million years seemed to be just a long process of continuous accumulation and sedimentation.

Like a most patient craftsman, he meticulously sculpted the foundation of his own Dao, sorted through the vast insights gained from preaching, and perfectly integrated the wisdom and inspiration from all living beings with his own original Daoist essence.

until a certain day.

In the midst of this monotonous and yearly meditation, without any warning, Gu Qingfeng's mind suddenly entered an unprecedented state of tranquility.

It was as if the heavy fog that had been shrouding his eyes had been instantly cleared away by an invisible hand. The many profound, obscure and difficult-to-understand key points of the Netherworld Path, the doubts and obstacles that had troubled him for a long time, melted away like ice and snow, and he suddenly understood!
A mysterious feeling of sudden enlightenment and perfect understanding instantly permeated his entire body and filled his soul.

Such sudden enlightenment is not a forced breakthrough, but a natural explosion after accumulation to the extreme; it is a qualitative change brought about by quantitative change!
Driven by this sudden enlightenment, his understanding and control of the Netherworld Dao began to advance by leaps and bounds at an incredible speed, frantically climbing towards a deeper and more essential level!
That is a fundamental transformation, a deepening and expansion of the authority of the Great Dao!

This profound and ineffable state of enlightenment made Gu Qingfeng clearly realize—he had succeeded!
At this moment, his control over the Netherworld Dao had broken through the eighth level of the limit barrier, and he had officially stepped into a brand new and more vast realm.

The Ninth Level of the Netherworld Path!
"Om-"

In the void of the Immortal Palace, Gu Qingfeng, who was originally sitting cross-legged, suddenly had his Great Dao Lotus Platform shine brightly. Countless innate Dao patterns representing life and death, reincarnation, judgment, and rebirth emerged from the void and slowly rotated around him as if paying homage to a monarch.

His tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and the whites of his eyes and pupils were no longer distinguishable. His left eye transformed into a dark moon radiating endless yin and death, while his right eye transformed into a blazing sun containing infinite solar life force!

The Daoist principles of Yin and Yang alternation and the cycle of life and death naturally took root and evolved deep within his eyes, as if he were in control of the most fundamental cyclical laws of the universe.

His aura became incredibly ancient, majestic, and profound, as if he had completely merged with the ghostly phantom behind him.

In the area where he was located, the rules of the void were forcibly rewritten, transforming it into the realm of the Netherworld, a manifestation of reincarnation!
If an ordinary being enters this area, their life and death will no longer be determined by the will of Heaven, but by their own will.

This.

It is the supreme mystery that comes with entering the ninth level of the Netherworld Path.

"The ninth level, the next step should be to merge the body with the Dao!"

Gu Qingfeng felt an unprecedentedly close connection between himself and the Netherworld Dao, and murmured to himself, his voice carrying a trace of calm after enlightenment.

Before truly reaching the Nine Tribulations Celestial Venerable Realm, his understanding of the Immortal level came mostly from rumors, observations, and snippets of information occasionally revealed by the Purple Star Heavenly Emperor. It was always shrouded in a thick veil, and he knew what it was but not why it was so.

But now.

The moment he reached the Nine Tribulations Celestial Venerable Realm, the secrets of immortality flowed naturally into his heart as if by instinct, leaving no secrets whatsoever.

It is a cognitive sublimation brought about by a leap in the level of life.

To ascend from a Nine Tribulations Celestial Venerable to a true immortal being, the only path to take is to merge one's body with the Dao!
At that point, the cultivator's own Dao imprint will completely merge with the corresponding primordial Dao in the universe, becoming indistinguishable from it.

Gu Qingfeng is the only manifestation and ruler of the Netherworld Dao in the world.

The Netherworld Path is Gu Qingfeng himself.

He is the Tao, and the Tao is him.

"So that's how it is... If I successfully merge with the Dao, I will attain immortality."

That means that as long as I don't die, the Netherworld Dao will never give birth to a second immortal!

A clear understanding arose in Gu Qingfeng's heart, a profound realization of the uniqueness and domineering nature of the path to immortality.

"In theory, any great path, no matter how wide or vast, can only accommodate one being within the same cosmic era, with that being as the core to prove immortality."

This is the domineering power of immortality: the Great Dao is singular, and authority is supreme!

He clearly realized that if the Heavenly Venerable Realm were to be described, each Great Dao would be like a wide river, capable of accommodating many fish swimming freely within it.

So, to reach the point of immortality, one must completely transform oneself into the river god of this river, exclusively possessing its authority and origin.

Those who come after will never be able to achieve immortality through this path, unless they wait for the river god to fall.

In other words.

If the Lord of Mount Tai of the ancient underworld were still alive, and he achieved immortality through the Netherworld Dao, then it would be almost impossible for Gu Qingfeng to reach immortality through the pure Netherworld Dao, as the path had already been occupied.

certainly--

There is an important premise to this.

That is the Lord of Mount Tai, who must truly prove immortality through the Great Dao of the Netherworld.

But actually.

Gu Qingfeng had no idea what kind of Great Dao the Lord of Mount Tai used to attain immortality, and the related memories of his lineage were also quite vague.

He had some doubts.

The opponent may not have attained immortality through the Dao of the Netherworld, but rather through the Dao of the Yellow Springs.

After all, the place where Gu Qingfeng was able to glimpse the remaining mark of that Lord of Mount Tai was deep within the Yellow Springs Road, not within the more macroscopic origin of the Netherworld Road.

"The Yellow Springs Path is also a top-tier path, governing death and oblivion with boundless power, but in terms of status and potential, it is ultimately inferior to the Netherworld Path, which represents the fundamental order of the entire Netherworld."

Gu Qingfeng analyzed the situation calmly.

"If I can successfully ascend to immortality through the Netherworld Dao, and rely on it as the supreme foundation of the Dao of Order, if I can reach the peak of the twelfth realm of immortality one day, I will surely become one of the most powerful immortals in the same realm."

"Unless someone else is able to reach the immortal level through other equal-level Great Dao of Order, such as the Heavenly Dao."

Otherwise, theoretically, no one in the same realm would be my match! Gu Qingfeng pondered to himself, and had a clearer plan for the future.

He knew that the comparison of strength at the immortal level, apart from the depth of one's own understanding of the Great Dao and the accumulation of magical power, largely came from the strength and status of the Great Dao itself.

The strength or weakness of a major road needs to be judged comprehensively from many aspects.

First, there is the essential position of this great Dao.

As the Great Dao of Order, the Netherworld Dao undoubtedly stands at the very top of the pyramid, on par with the Heavenly Dao.

Secondly, it is to see how many cultivators in the universe are walking and comprehending this great path.

When more cultivators understand, utilize, and believe in a great path, that path itself will become more active and stronger, and its power will increase accordingly, giving back to those who have attained the Dao.

Conversely, a road that no one visits will gradually become quiet and weak.

Are there many people walking the Path of the Underworld?
Gu Qingfeng knew the answer very well.

These supreme paths are extremely difficult to enter, with extremely demanding requirements on temperament, aptitude, and opportunity. They are destined to never have as many disciples as the Five Elements or Sword Dao paths.

However, during his last lecture on the Chaos Dao, he publicly expounded the true meaning of the Netherworld, which had a profound impact and was enough to allow many destined cultivators to understand some of the mysteries of the Great Dao of the Netherworld.

Even if they cannot and will not truly use the Netherworld Dao as their main cultivation path to reach the Heavenly Venerable Realm, as long as they comprehend, understand, or even just acknowledge the concept of Netherworld Reincarnation, it will be a form of nourishment and strengthening for the Netherworld Dao itself.

The Daoist principles of the Netherworld that all beings comprehend and contemplate can become nourishment for the growth of the Great Dao of the Netherworld itself, indirectly enhancing it.

but--

Gu Qingfeng also realized that these things, the hidden connection between the strength of the Great Dao and the enlightenment of all living beings, should be considered the deep-seated rules and mysteries of the universe.

Unless one has truly stepped into the Nine Tribulations Celestial Venerable realm, touched the threshold of immortality, or is an immortal being in themselves, it is probably difficult to truly understand and comprehend it.

He was initially oblivious as well.

Only now, with the opportunity of breaking through to the Ninth Tribulation Celestial Venerable Realm, did he see the clear path to immortality ahead, and thus naturally gained the corresponding enlightenment, understanding some of the underlying rules of the universe.

Simultaneously.

He also gained a deeper understanding of why beings at the immortal level are so difficult to completely eliminate.

"The immortals are those who unite their bodies with the Dao, whose life essence has merged with the Great Dao."

As long as the Great Dao they accord with remains in the universe, then the immortals will not truly and completely perish.

At most, their physical forms and consciousness are suppressed and obliterated in the world, but their fundamental origins remain, giving them the opportunity to re-form and return after a long period of time.

"There are usually only two ways to truly kill an immortal."

Gu Qingfeng deduced various possibilities in his mind.

"Firstly, it uses absolute power to forcibly knock the opponent out of the state of Dao Integration, severing their connection with the origin of the Great Dao."

But if that were done, once an immortal could not merge with the Dao, losing the support of the Great Dao's authority and immortal characteristics, their strength would inevitably plummet, essentially becoming no different from a powerful Heavenly Venerable, and then their consciousness and imprint would be completely annihilated.

"Secondly, there is a more thorough and difficult method—to obliterate and shatter the great path that the other party has joined."

However, the difficulty of erasing a great path already possessed and dominated by immortal beings is beyond imagination.

"No matter how you look at it, completely slaying an immortal is destined to be no easy task, and it will require paying an unimaginable price."

Numerous thoughts about the mysteries of immortality, the key to strength and weakness, and the difficulties in defeating immortals flashed through Gu Qingfeng's mind as he stepped into the Nine Tribulations Heavenly Venerable Realm, like streams flowing into rivers, eventually settling into a profound tranquility.

"The Netherworld Path has broken through to the ninth level, and its foundation is complete."

"Following this, all you need to do is follow the steps steadily, relying on persistent effort and time to gradually accumulate experience. Reaching the pinnacle of the ninth realm should not be a problem."

Gu Qingfeng remained calm and composed, showing little excitement or emotion, as if it were all perfectly natural.

"Once you have cultivated the ninth level to its peak, it will be time to consider merging your body with the Dao and striving for immortality."

However, the level of "harmonizing with the Dao" is not something I can easily reach or prepare for at the moment.

"Once I have truly stabilized my cultivation at the peak of the Ninth Tribulation and reached the pinnacle of my current level of control over the Netherworld Dao, I will then make thorough preparations for breaking through to Immortality."

At this point, Gu Qingfeng had already transcended worldly concerns.

Now that we have a clear view of the road ahead and understand the direction, there is no need to be impatient.

The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation; steady progress is the right way.

The rest is up to time, and to wait for the moment when the opportunity to unite with the Dao will naturally arrive.

Three hundred billion years is still a long time for him, enough for him to make plans and accumulate experience at his own pace.

From the end of the sermon to the breakthrough, only a little over ten million years have passed; it is merely the beginning of a long journey.

"Moreover, thanks to the fact that the Netherworld Dao is a Dao of Order, and is equivalent to the Heavenly Dao..."

Gu Qingfeng felt his own state of perfection, free from any calamity, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

His breakthrough was silent and unnoticed; apart from himself, no one else in the outside world knew that he had already stepped into the ultimate realm of the Celestial Venerable.

This is undoubtedly a powerful trump card.

"I just don't know if I will need to go through the Immortal Tribulation if I use this path to try to become immortal, or even advance to the twelfth realm of immortality."

This bold idea popped into Gu Qingfeng's mind.

If that's the case, then the situation becomes extremely interesting.

Without having to endure the trials of heaven, one can silently and directly step into immortality, and even reach the pinnacle.

If it really comes to that, it will definitely catch the evil god clan off guard!
Moreover, in Gu Qingfeng's view, this possibility is actually not small.

The Immortal Tribulation originates from the trials and tribulations imposed by the rules of the universe.

The Netherworld Dao, as the Dao of Order, is in a sense on par with the Heavenly Dao.

If one were to completely master this path, then even the Heavenly Dao might not be qualified to unleash a divine tribulation upon oneself.

"As for that legendary tribulation of transcendence that no one throughout history has been able to overcome..."

Gu Qingfeng's gaze was deep, looking into the unknowable depths of the river of fate.

"It's difficult to determine its true nature, or whether it's also affected by this rule, at this moment." (End of Chapter)