My son is about to break through.

I secluded myself and lost track of time.

In the blink of an eye, three million years have passed.

The celestial palace was deathly silent.

For three million years, this ancient celestial palace, forged from the divine iron of the underworld, has kept its doors tightly shut.

Inside the hall, Gu Qingfeng sat cross-legged, like an old monk in deep meditation.

For three million years, he has not moved an inch, remaining immersed in the vast enlightenment of the Great Dao.

At this moment, most of the six immortal crystals had already turned to ashes.

Those crystals were once crystal clear, with countless laws of the Great Dao flowing and shimmering within them.

Now, all that remains are a pile of dull ashes, which will completely dissipate at the slightest touch.

Gu Qingfeng has thoroughly comprehended all the Daoist principles within the crystal.

The lifelong insights of those fallen immortal celestial beings have now all become nourishment for Gu Qingfeng, merging into his Netherworld Dao.

Time has passed again, I don't know.

The last piece of immortal crystal also trembled slightly.

It floats in the void, its surface shimmering with a dark light, and countless fragments of laws can be faintly seen flickering inside.

That was the last of the three crystals in the Fallen Immortal Sea, containing the Great Dao rules of that fallen immortal celestial being.

At this moment, the crystal has reached its limit.

"Snap—"

A faint cracking sound rang out.

A tiny crack appeared on the surface of the crystal.

Immediately afterwards, the cracks became more numerous and denser, spreading rapidly throughout the entire crystal like a spider web.

"boom--"

The crystal shattered with a crash!

Countless fragments scattered and flew everywhere, then transformed into specks of light in the void and vanished without a trace.

The last trace of Daoist essence was completely absorbed by Gu Qingfeng.

At that very moment—

Gu Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes!

In that instant, a strange phenomenon appeared in his eyes!
In his left eye, a dark vortex appeared, slowly rotating, within which countless images flickered—life was born, life died.

That is the manifestation of reincarnation, a microcosm of the six realms of reincarnation!

In his right eye, an endless darkness appeared, within which countless stars shone and faded, countless worlds were born and destroyed, and countless great Daos rose and fell.

That is the manifestation of the Void, the final destination of all things!

Left eye reincarnates, right eye returns to nothingness!
Within his eyes, countless phantom images overlapped one after another—the myriad forms of all living beings, the birth and death of all spirits, the formation and existence of heaven and earth, and the decay and emptiness of the universe!
That is the ultimate manifestation of the Netherworld Path!
It is the manifestation of the order of death, reincarnation, return to nothingness, and annihilation!

In that instant, Gu Qingfeng's aura reached an unprecedented peak!
This aura was so powerful that it would make any half-step immortal kneel down on the spot!

This aura was so profound that it would make any Nine Tribulation Celestial Venerable tremble!

however--

All these strange phenomena lasted for less than a breath.

In the time it takes to breathe, Gu Qingfeng suppressed all his aura and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, they had regained their usual calm and depth, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.

"From death to life..."

Gu Qingfeng murmured to himself, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

He finally understood.

The culmination of the six immortal celestial beings' lifetimes of enlightenment, and three million years of day and night contemplation, finally allowed him to comprehend the final step of the Netherworld Dao—

To turn death into life.

The Path of the Netherworld is the path of death, return to nothingness, reincarnation, and annihilation.

This road, from beginning to end, is inextricably linked to death.

But the true ultimate end is never simply death.

After death comes life.

After returning to the void, there is reincarnation.

After annihilation, new life begins.

This is the true meaning of turning death into life.

To glimpse new life in death, to find reincarnation in the void, and to nurture life in annihilation.

One dies and one lives, one is yin and one is yang, the cycle repeats itself endlessly.

This is the ultimate mystery of the Netherworld Path.

Now, Gu Qingfeng has finally figured this out.

It can be said.

If Gu Qingfeng were willing, he could directly step into the Immortal Celestial Venerable Realm right now.

By merging with the Dao and becoming one with the origin of the netherworld, I am the Dao, and the Dao is me. As long as the Great Dao is extinguished, my body will be immortal.

He could take that step at any time.

but--

Gu Qingfeng did not make a direct breakthrough.

the reason is simple.

This is because this is an immortal secret realm, suppressed by the rules of the immortal celestial beings.

This starry sky is a secret realm created by an ancient and immortal being.

That being is at least an unparalleled powerhouse at the eleventh level of the Immortal Realm, or even possibly the twelfth level.

The rules he left behind permeate every inch of this starry sky.

Under these rules, no Celestial Venerable may attain immortality.

Whether they are cultivators born in this starry sky or cultivators from the outside world, they are all the same.

As long as one is in this starry sky, one cannot break through to the Immortal Celestial Venerable Realm.

The only way to break through is to leave the Immortal Realm.

Gu Qingfeng had already noticed this on the very first day he stepped into this starry sky.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry.

We've waited three million years, what's a little longer?

He has now found the path to immortality.

Once he leaves this secret realm and returns to the Endless Immortal Realm, he can take that step and truly attain immortality.

But before that—

There's one more thing to do.

Gu Qingfeng's gaze turned towards the outside of the Immortal Palace.

That was the location of the Ancient Netherworld Holy Land, where the auras of more than a dozen Eight Tribulation Heavenly Venerables were extremely evident.

He had promised to help them find a way to leave this starry sky.

This was a promise Gu Qingfeng had made, and he naturally wouldn't break his word.

not to mention.

If such a force could be taken out in its entirety, it would be of great benefit to the Xuan Tian Immortal Court.

There were more than a dozen Eight Tribulation Celestial Venerables, each of whom was an ancient monster who had lived for countless years, with profound cultivation and solid foundation.

They were simply bound by the rules of this starry sky, which prevented them from taking that final step.

Once you escape this cage and enter the endless immortal realm, you may be able to take another step forward, break through the Nine Tribulations, step into the half-step immortality, and even have the hope of challenging true immortality!
And there is that innate demon god—the Lord of Ten Thousand Stars.

It is a primordial being born at the beginning of chaos, sharing the same origin as heaven and earth, and the same root as creation.

If he could escape this realm, with his background and aptitude, there would be absolutely no problem for him to enter the Immortal Celestial Venerable Realm.

An immortal fighting force!
This is a crucial boost for the entire human race.

How can such a being be ignored?
and so.

What Gu Qingfeng needs to do is find a way to sever the connection between the creatures in the starry sky and the secret realm.

then.

Gu Qingfeng closed his eyes again.

But this seclusion is completely different from the previous one.

During his previous seclusion, he sought to comprehend the six immortal crystals and find a path to immortality.

This time, he went into seclusion to comprehend the immortal rules of this starry sky and find a way to sever the connection.

The difficulty of these two is incomparable.

Breaking through to immortality is about understanding one's own path.

Severing ties is to unravel the laws of the universe.

The former only requires introspection and self-understanding. The latter, however, requires outward exploration and analysis of the universe.

This process, while not as difficult as achieving immortality, is certainly not easy either.

If it were easy, why would so many powerful figures throughout history have failed to succeed?

Those supreme beings, those near-immortals, which one of them wasn't incredibly talented and possessed extraordinary abilities?

They are trapped here, trapped by lifespan, trapped by the rules, and cannot break free no matter how hard they try.

Don't they want to leave?
Haven't they tried?

Of course they thought about it, and of course they tried it.

But none of them succeeded.

Therefore, they can only hide in forbidden zones of life, barely surviving; they can only launch dark upheavals and plunder living beings; they can only wait in endless despair for the day their lifespan ends.

perhaps--

Some people have succeeded before.

In the distant past, in those years before even the ancient texts recorded it, there once was a supreme being of extraordinary talent who found a way to sever the connection, successfully leaving this starry sky and heading to the endless immortal realm.

However, the years have passed too long, and those deeds have long been forgotten, with no news passed down.

maybe.

But whether or not the predecessors succeeded has little to do with Gu Qingfeng.

For him, the most important thing now is to find a way to sever ties.

Thus began yet another long period of seclusion.

This search lasted for five million years.

Five million years!

It will take a full two million years longer than the time required to comprehend the six immortal crystals!

Over the past five million years, Gu Qingfeng's divine sense has probed into the depths of the rules of this starry sky countless times.

He sensed the flow of those rules, observed their operation, and analyzed their structure.

He discovered that the immortal rules of this starry sky were far more profound and obscure than he had imagined.

This is also normal.

The ancient being who created this starry sky was at least a powerful being at the eleventh level of the Immortal Realm.

Even though the rules he left behind were only partial remnants, they still contained the supreme mystery of that realm.

Those beings at that level have reached a level of understanding of the Dao that Gu Qingfeng cannot currently attain.

The rules of that realm are so profound and obscure that they naturally far surpass the Great Dao of those fallen immortal celestial beings.

It took Gu Qingfeng three million years to comprehend the six immortal crystals.

It took a full five million years to comprehend the immortal rules of this starry sky, yet he still couldn't fully understand them.

Those rules, like a net covering the sky, firmly shroud this starry sky.

Every living being born and raised here is bound by this great net from the moment of its birth.

Their connection to this starry sky is like the umbilical cord to a fetus, deep in the bone marrow, and difficult to sever.

Gu Qingfeng tried countless methods, but he could not find a way to completely sever this connection.

until--

One day, five million years from now.

On that day, Gu Qingfeng's divine sense once again probed into the depths of the rules.

He no longer tried to analyze the entire rule system, but instead adopted a different approach—

Since we can't sever all connections, let's just sever the most crucial one.

That connection is "cause and effect".

The beings in this starry sky have countless causal connections with it.

They were born here, grew up here, cultivated themselves here, and achieved their goals here.

Everything about them—life, spiritual practice, cause and effect, destiny—is closely connected to this starry sky.

This causal connection is the deepest chain binding them.

If this causal chain can be severed, other connections will be of little concern.

Once Gu Qingfeng understood this, everything became clear to him.

In the years that followed, he no longer tried to analyze the entire system of rules, but instead focused on studying the essence of the word "cause and effect".

The Great Dao of Cause and Effect is one of the Three Thousand Great Daos.

Although it is not as orderly as the Netherworld Dao, it is still mysterious and unpredictable, beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

But Gu Qingfeng is different.

As the one who governs the Netherworld, he has his own understanding of the concepts of cause and effect.

The Netherworld Path governs death and reincarnation.

Reincarnation itself is the continuation of cause and effect.

Sow a seed and reap a harvest; cause and effect are cyclical, and retribution is inevitable.

This is the true meaning of reincarnation, and the essence of cause and effect.

Based on the Great Dao of the Netherworld and guided by the true meaning of reincarnation, Gu Qingfeng finally comprehended a divine power from those immortal rules.

This supernatural power is specifically designed to sever cause and effect.

now.

Inside the celestial palace.

Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes.

He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread.

Within the palm of his hand, the power of the Great Dao's rules was being nurtured and born.

That power is formless and intangible, yet it is omnipresent.

It condensed, gathered, and merged in Gu Qingfeng's palm, eventually transforming into an extremely eerie and ghostly light.

The faint light was semi-transparent, almost imperceptible, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

But the moment it appeared, the entire void of the Immortal Palace trembled violently!
Around the eerie light, space was silently torn apart!
Those tearing cracks are not ordinary void cracks, but ruptures at the level of cause and effect, and severances at the level of fate!

Wherever the ghostly light passed, all cause and effect were severed!
Gu Qingfeng looked at the faint light in his palm, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

This supernatural power was far more powerful than he had expected.

It can not only sever the connection between the creatures of this starry sky and the secret realm, but also unleash boundless power in battle.

Imagine this—

What would happen if, during battle, the connection between the enemy and their natal treasure were suddenly severed?
What would happen if, in the midst of battle, the connection between the enemy and one's own Dao was suddenly severed?
These are all places where this supernatural power can be used.

of course.

Although this supernatural power is profound, it is not of great significance to Gu Qingfeng himself.

He wields the Great Dao of the Netherworld, his attacks are unparalleled, and a single strike is enough to suppress a half-step immortal.

How can a mere supernatural power of cause and effect be compared with the great order of the Netherworld Dao?
after all.

The Netherworld Path is an order path comparable to the Heavenly Path.

The Heavenly Way governs all living beings, while the netherworld governs reincarnation.

The two, one yang and one yin, one manifest and one hidden, together maintain the operation of the endless immortal realm.

Even though the Dao of Cause and Effect is profound, how can it compare to the Dao of Heaven and the Netherworld?
Even so, Gu Qingfeng was still quite satisfied with this supernatural power.

For no other reason than that.

Simply because it can keep its promises.

"Let's call this supernatural power 'Severing Cause and Effect'."

Gu Qingfeng smiled calmly.

Sever the cause and effect.

Sever the karmic ties of all living beings.

This name couldn't be more fitting.

He withdrew his supernatural powers and looked outside the celestial palace.

now.

everything's ready.

Once they leave this secret realm and return to the endless immortal realm, they can take that final step and attain immortality.

Gu Qingfeng stood up.

For the first time in eight million years, he stood up.

At this moment, the entire celestial palace trembled slightly, as if paying homage to this supreme being.

He took a step.

With a single step, he appeared outside the celestial palace. (End of Chapter)