Embers of Sword

Chapter 543 Holy Realm
Countless withered trees appeared in the chaos, outlining and converging to form a towering giant tree.

"……This is?"

Xie Xuanyi stared blankly at the magnificent scene before him.

"This is the grotto-heaven left behind by our master before his death."

Xuanming spoke softly: "This world is called 'Yuantun,' which is the same name as the technique created by Master."

Yuan Tun?

A sense of familiarity flashed through Xie Xuanyi's mind.

This scene seems familiar.

Countless flowers and leaves fluttered in the wind, and withered trees gathered together. This grotto-heaven, standing within the Daoist stele, exuded an ancient and imposing aura.

The process of a cultivator going from weak to strong, step by step, is the process of refining their own Great Dao.

From the principles of the Dao, to the realms of the Dao, and then to the Great Dao—

The Yang Shen is not the end.

After cultivating to the Yang God level, the Great Dao is established, and the grotto-heaven is released.

After that came the fusion of the will of the cave heaven and the will of the world. Nowadays, Yang Shen Realm experts generally don't move around easily because their cave heaven worlds are almost settled. Fighting within the holy lands and sects gives them a huge home-field advantage, so it seems that this [Yuan Tun] Realm is the home ground of the Great Sage Bai Ze. The Dao aura contained within this cave heaven is indeed powerful enough, still inspiring awe even after a thousand years.

Xie Xuanyi took a deep breath and asked seriously, "What realm did the Great Sage Bai Ze ultimately reach?"

"Above the heavens and man."

Xuanming said calmly, "This [Yuantun] Grotto-Heaven is only one step away from becoming a Holy Realm."

"Holy world?"

This was the first time Xie Xuanyi had ever heard this term.

"Too……"

The man in black sighed with some regret and said slowly, "A thousand years have passed, and the primordial energy of this world should have been completely exhausted. Someone like Master is probably the last one in the world. Perhaps in the next thousand years, even 'Celestial Beings' will not be born again. Above Celestial Beings... cultivators who surpass the Celestial Being realm, the cave heavens evolved from the Great Dao, are the [Sacred Realm]."

Xuanming paused for a moment.

"then……"

He raised his head and said solemnly, "The realm that Master ultimately achieved was the legendary True Immortal Realm."

A true immortal?!
Xie Xuanyi couldn't understand.

He had witnessed two celestial beings fighting in the Great Yue Kingdom.

The battle between Emperor Qi and the Azure Carp nearly obliterated the entire world, and these two celestial beings had lived for countless ages… Legend has it that true immortals are immortal, enduring countless tribulations to achieve eternal life. If Bai Ze truly became a true immortal, why would he leave behind a withered [Yuan Tun] grotto-heaven?
There is no such thing as 'immortality' in this world.

Even though his eyes were covered in black satin, Xuanming still saw through Xie Xuanyi's inner thoughts.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and asked nonchalantly, "If one could cultivate to become a true immortal and thus be immortal for eternity... wouldn't true immortals be everywhere in the world now?"

"That's the truth."

Xie Xuanyi remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, then murmured, "But... that's a true immortal after all..."

In this day and age, it is difficult for even a celestial being to appear.

How could Bai Ze, who had attained true immortality, die like this?
"Cultivation is like climbing a mountain; everyone wants to reach the summit. But only those who stand on the summit realize how terrifying it is."

Xuanming said sadly, "The higher one's cultivation level, the greater the tribulations one faces. Although my master cultivated to the True Immortal Realm... he still perished in the True Immortal Tribulation..."

"For Master, perhaps the outcome of this calamity was already foreseeable."

Xuanming paused, turned around, and looked at the boundless withered trees: "Before Master left, he deliberately left behind this Yuan Tun Cave Heaven, allowing the four of us to each leave a wisp of divine thought to accompany the secret tomb and wait for the 'destined one' many years later."

Bai Ze has four disciples in total.

Xuanming, Chilian, Qingnu, and Suhuan. These four disciples were once renowned mountain cultivators who dominated their respective regions.

Before Bai Ze passed away, the four of them each sent out a wisp of divine thought to reside in the [Yuan Tun] Sacred Realm, following their master's instructions, waiting for those destined to enter the tomb in future generations.

Unfortunately.

This wait lasted for a thousand years...

No matter how strong these four disciples were, they could not withstand the passage of time.

Their spiritual consciousness gradually withered and they grew old.

In the end, three out of the four were eliminated, leaving only Xuanming.

"In fact, there has been more than one person who has been buried in the tomb over the years."

Xuanming said with a complicated expression, "But they all failed in the end... Stepping into the Bai Ze Secret Mausoleum, touching the Dao Stele, and refining the Dao Stele. Not one of them succeeded."

The sacred space where the Dao Stele is located is a projection emitted from the [Yuan Tun] Cave Heaven.

The scene of Xie Xuanyi fighting with the white ghost.

Xuanming saw it all.

"The person you killed earlier was quite skilled. Perhaps by touching the Dao Stele, he could use the [Yuan Devouring] technique to condense the Great Dao and cultivate a Yang God... but it's far from enough to refine the Dao Stele."

Xuanming said, "Compared to him, you have a little more hope, but it is still slim."

This sanctuary virtually eliminates the possibility for ordinary spirits to touch the Dao stele.

The sword intent released by Yuan Tunjie alone was enough to kill cultivators below the fifteenth level of the Yin God realm.

To get here, you need to touch the monument.

At least one must be at the level of Yin Spirit Perfection!

Xuanming could see that Bai Gui, who cultivated both human and demon supernatural arts, was the kind of cultivator who had crawled out of the mud. His cultivation was sufficient, and so was his will, but such an existence would ultimately not catch the eye of the Great Sage Bai Ze. This Dao Stele was the greatest blessing Bai Ze left to future generations, and the one who would ultimately tame and subdue the [Yuantun Sacred Realm] could not be a "filthy" cultivator like Bai Gui.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi gazed at the towering, withered tree before him: "Refining the Dao Stele?"

"After refining the Dao Stele, you will not only become the master of the Bai Ze Secret Tomb, but you will also obtain the [Yuan Tun Sacred Realm] left by your master."

Xuanming calmly said, "Master left all his life's inheritance, secret techniques, array patterns... here. When you touched the Dao Stele, you should have already gained a lot of knowledge about the Divine Sea. Those are all 'gifts' about the Secret Tomb, and everyone who touches the Dao Stele can receive this gift. If you can refine the Dao Stele, then the inheritance in the [Holy Realm] is ten times, a hundred times richer than that of the Secret Tomb!"

This is the ultimate creation that the Great Sage Bai Ze left to future generations.

What does it mean to rise to the top in one step?
This is a step to success!
If what Xuanming said earlier was true, then what this stele contains is the accumulated legacy of a true immortal throughout his life!

"Then, how do we refine it?"

Xie Xuanyi stared at the giant tree in the distance for a long time, and a sense of unease gradually arose in his heart.

He looked at the man in black in front of him and asked the most crucial question.

"...It's very simple."

Xuanming slowly reached out and removed the black ribbon that was binding his eyes.

Rumble, rumble!

Although his eyes were still closed, the chaos surrounding heaven and earth began to change color after the ribbon was untied.

Thunder, blazing sun, wind and snow, torrential rain—

Xie Xuanyi had never seen so many strange phenomena converge on one person.

Xuanming said softly, "Defeat me, and you will become the master of the Dao Stele."

(End of this chapter)