New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 316 [Blessed Land]

Within the Shadow Space, the Tiger Demon sensed the various pieces of information and knowledge conveyed to it by the Door. It quickly realized why it had two doors: it was entirely due to the Shadow Dream Hole.

When he opened the Shadow Dream Hole in Insect City, he completed the first opening of a door in his life.

However, that door wasn't entirely built by strength, nor did it belong entirely to him; the world's will held more power. At that time, the [Shadow Dream Hole] contained a 'shadow space,' serving as a layer between the 'bubble world' and the 'nightmare dimension.'

Now, the Insect Pillar has saved the structural information of the [Shadow Dream Hole] and projected it onto the [Land Deed].

Therefore, during the development of the [Mountain Lord's Domain], the [Land Deed] was directly stimulated to simulate the birth of the 'Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land', causing the core hub of [Yin Mountain] to collapse and shrink, and be packed into the interior of this 'spatial model'.

He casually created a unique "Cave Heaven Space" for the "Mountain Lord's Domain." The back door, which was originally the passage connecting the "Shadow Dream Hole" to the "Nightmare Layer," now connects the "Cave Heaven Space" to the world behind the "Door."

Snake: "For you, there is actually only one door. If you turn the scale to 1, it is the world behind the door. Turn it to -1, and it is the 'Cave Heaven Space'. But for the 'Cave Heaven', it is sandwiched between the 'present world' and the 'other time and space', so it naturally needs two doors."

"understand!"

Tiger Demon nodded, then slowly strolled to the circular hatch symbolizing the 'back door', raised its tiger paw, and touched the markings on the handle [1].

Then, it sensed a faint threat emanating from outside the door. Without batting an eye, it decisively withdrew its claws. It didn't recklessly open the door to investigate what lay behind it.

Logically speaking, if Yuan Zhu chose to open the back door now, he would be 99.9% certain that the [Shadow Gate] would lead to the [Shadow Layer (Shadow Dimension)] of the Spirit Realm. The remaining 0.1% possibility was the [Spirit Realm Layer].

As for that faint sense of threat, it came not only from intuition but also from the intelligent judgment of the [Door]!

As a "door" that can back up its own data and provide one chance to revive, it's perfectly reasonable for it to possess some intelligence and anticipate danger. Just like a smart door lock, it can also observe and analyze strangers outside.

Snake: "Lord, aren't you curious? Don't you want to open the door and go out for a stroll?"

Tiger Demon shook his head: "I'm not ready yet. The appearance of the [Door] this time was too unexpected, a sudden event, beyond my expectations. So before I'm fully prepared, I don't plan to rashly enter the world behind the [Door]. This dangerous premonition... it really is dangerous!"

As it spoke, Yuan Zhu suddenly realized that the [Shadow Space (Cave Heaven)] he was in, or rather, this [Back Door], was under an invisible attack at this moment.

If the Shadow Space had a health bar, it would be losing health at an extremely slow rate. My premonition was correct; the unknown world outside the door was attacking the Shadow Space, and the back door was suffering erosion damage.

This attack may not be intentional; it's more likely that the environment outside the door is too harsh. It inadvertently triggered passive damage, causing his [door] to be attacked constantly.

The fact that a newly created "Grotto-heaven" can slowly bleed out is enough to show that the world outside is somewhat dangerous. His decision not to open the door was correct.

Fortunately, the Shadow Cave exists because it relies on the Yinshan Law Domain, and it can draw 'Shadow Spiritual Energy' from the area covered by the Law Domain to repair these damages.

Therefore, while the health bar is decreasing, it is also recovering and repairing itself, creating a back-and-forth tug-of-war.

After wandering around the Shadow Cave, the Tiger Demon didn't intend to linger. So it went to the front door, raised its paw, and turned the lock from -1 to 0, pointing it towards the real world, and mentally gave the command 'open the door'.

As the [Gate of Shadows] opens from the inside out, it leaves behind a circular, illusory shadow, like an invisible diaphragm separating the inner world from the outside reality, preventing the 'polluted spirit' of the inner space from leaking out.

The tiger demon leaped out of the space inside the door. Immediately afterward, it sensed that something was wrong.

At this moment, the [Mountain Lord's Cave] was completely empty. Not only had the eight [Insect Pillars] that originally supported the [Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation] disappeared, but all the cultivation resources piled up in the corner had also vanished from the 'cave' and been transferred to the [Shadow Cave Heaven].

Moreover, the original 'cave dwelling' was the core hub of the [Yinshan Dharma Domain]. The floor, the surrounding stone walls, and the interior of the ceiling were all covered with 'vessels' connected to the [Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array], transmitting shadow spiritual energy with extremely high energy intensity.

But now, all that once abundant 'spiritual energy' has vanished. It's as if a brilliant genius, brimming with knowledge and wisdom, has suddenly had his brains emptied, becoming a mediocre person who can only read and write, but has no literary talent whatsoever, unable to even write a single excellent high school essay.

The original [Law Domain Hub] did not disappear, but was transferred. It was packed into the [Gate Space] and sank into a 'dimension' deeper than reality, yet it remained deeply bound to [Yin Mountain], maintaining the spiritual energy circulation of the [Law Domain], even more efficiently.

The hollowed-out cave is like an empty shell, drained of essence and soul. The concentration of shadowy spiritual energy (pollution) within the cave depends on the average level of Yin Mountain.

Compared to the outside world, the cave is still considered to have abundant spiritual energy. However, compared to the grotto-heaven within the [gate], it is quite ordinary.

Yuan Zhu: "Interesting! This is the same as the [Cave Heaven] that the old temple keeper introduced. But compared to the [Yellow Heaven Blessed Land], my [Gate Space] is more like the [Kunlun Cave Heaven]. It exists based on the present world and does not devour everything in the [Yinshan Law Domain] to create an independent 'Cave Heaven World' and then ascend and run away."

Yuan Zhu stood inside the now-empty cave, closing his eyes to sense his own [Gate World].

The cave space wasn't actually that big; it was only slightly larger than the cave dwelling, roughly the size of a mansion, and even smaller than his haunted house.

The 'Cave Heaven World' exists based on [Yin Mountain], yet it is half-detached from the real world, but it is firmly bound by [Mountain Lord's Domain] and merged with [the Domain].

In Yuan Zhu's view, this is a manifestation of "ascension".

The Shadow Space (Cave Heaven) is a collection of highly polluted essences, not just a matter of massive amounts of shadow power. It also contains the core hub of the Mountain Lord's Domain, the Land Deed, and other advanced artifacts such as the Landlord's Divine Position.

Even a mere superhuman, when the level of pollution within their body becomes too high, will experience an "Ascension Impulse," resulting in them being rejected by the real world and relegated to the "Spirit Realm."

Yuan Zhu's "Tiger Demon Stance" unfolds once he leaves the "haunted house" and enters reality. He feels a sinking feeling under his feet, as if he could be trapped in the "shadow" and unable to escape.

Now, the massive Yinshan Dharma Domain, with its polluted core (cave space) formed by high-energy collapse and condensation, will naturally be rejected by the mortal world, forced to ascend half a step and sink into the shadow dimension.

It was firmly locked and anchored by the entire [Shadow Domain], unable to completely fall into the [Shadow Layer], and was caught between reality and shadow.

...

Yuan Zhu walked around the 'cave' and found that it was no longer the core hub of [Yinshan], and was no different from other areas of Yinshan.

The newly born core [Cave Heaven Space] is now omnipresent and can achieve quantum overlap with any location in the [Yinshan Law Domain].

Outside of the high-dimensional core of the [Cave Heaven], the coverage area of ​​the [Law Domain] has increased dramatically, encompassing most of the [Cold Pool] and the two adjacent 'half-mountains'.

The maximum radiation range outside the [Law Domain] is converted to the area of ​​the [Law Domain] at a ratio of 10:1.

In other words, assuming the diameter of the "Mountain King's Domain" is 1km, the Mountain King can arbitrarily control the clouds and rain, regulate the ecosystem, and conduct simulated management within its absolute control range.

Therefore, the area within a 10km radius outside the "Law Domain" belongs to the Mountain Lord's sphere of influence, its territory. All natural ecosystems within this area are influenced by it (but cannot be controlled). Further out, the area gradually becomes unrelated to the Mountain Lord.

According to the information from the [Mountain Lord's Domain], Tiger Demon only needs to continuously insert new [Insect Pillar Suppressing Stones] into the outer perimeter of the [Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Array] to gradually expand the area of ​​the [Absolute Control Zone]; thus, he can leverage a larger radiation range with a 1:10 leverage ratio.

The wider the range of the Mountain Lord's influence, the more shadow spiritual energy is extracted by the [Law Domain], which then flows back to nourish the [Shadow Cave Heaven], elevating the [Mountain Lord's] status and achieving a positive cycle.

Snake: "Big Brother, great news! Based on the current area of ​​our [Mountain Lord's Domain], the Mountain Lord's sphere of influence is at least 'hundred miles in radius'! According to the straight-line distance, [Frog Factory] will also be included in the future!"

Yuan Zhu's [Law Domain] is newly formed. Whether it is the [Cave Heaven Space], the [Mountain Lord Law Domain], or the maximum radiation range, it will require a period of adjustment and adaptation, just like the previous [Heavenly Gang Formation].

Once everything stabilizes, the [Law Domain] will need to continuously recharge and accumulate energy in order to gradually expand its 'radiation range' and eventually cover the [Frog Factory], which is far beyond the [Misty Mountains].

If, during this expansion, the territory of other landowners is encountered, or the "polluted lowlands" previously occupied by the White Deer, then blind spots will appear within the Mountain Lord's "sphere of influence." This could even lead to states within states, thus triggering territorial wars.

After reviewing the changes in the [Mountain Lord's Domain], Yuan Zhu was satisfied.

Then, he noticed that the contents of his land deed had expanded considerably. Not only had he gained full ownership of Yinshan, but he had also additionally condensed three supplementary registers under his control.

These correspond to: [Cold Pool, Cold Cicada Peak, and Turtle-Holding Mountain]

This [Mountain Lord] can not only appoint [Yinshan Deputy GOAT], but also recruit a lake god and two minor mountain gods to form a small court. This 'system' is not included in the [Land Deed], but is a template from the [Tiger Demon Legacy].

The Tiger Demon's legacy revolves around a group that controls both the Yin and Yang realms, establishes its own City God, and builds a local power structure.

Otherwise, the local land deeds would only continue to devour and accommodate more land and mountains, endlessly expanding the land area corresponding to the land deeds, and would never differentiate into something like a supplementary register to enfeoff vassals.

Yuan Zhu sighed, "My [Shadow System] truly aligns with the [Yellow Heaven Law], with two words etched into its very core: Examination and Competency!"

[Huang Tianfa] created the Immortal Rank System while creating the world. His [Mountain Lord's Domain] also pursues this, but with a lower goal: the [City God System].

...

Snake then asked, "Big Brother, what should we do now? Should we plan the construction of the [Law Domain]? For example, should we copy the structure of the [Pastoral Village]?"

Yuan Zhu shook his head, rejecting her suggestion: "The external environments are different, there's no comparison!"

However, Snake's reminder made him think of simulating some of the unique environments of the Shadow Law Domain (Pastoral) within the Law Domain.

So he said, "Those 'Reverse-Growth Mulberry Seedlings' can be transplanted to the spiritual energy nodes of the [Mountain Lord's Domain]. They can take root in the shadow spiritual veins, absorb nutrients (pollution), release spiritual energy, and improve the air in the valley."

Leaving aside the [Cave Heaven Space] that has already sunk into another dimension, the [Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Formation] that remains in the real world can be regarded as a closed barrier space. It is perfect for transplanting 'Reverse-Growth Mulberry Trees' to produce polluting miasma and create an underground world environment.

With this miasma environment, they can further hatch spirit insect eggs, raise various demonic insects, and feed them fodder, thereby developing the [Corpse Species] in large quantities, harvesting spirit herbs and medicines, and embarking on a virtuous cycle.

Upon receiving the order, the snake responded enthusiastically: "I will arrange for the eggplant spirits to plant trees right away! Good news! Originally, the eggplant spirits' activity range was limited, and they could not go beyond the maximum length of the 'Shadow Eggplant Vines'. But now that the [Law Domain] is complete, they can wirelessly access the Internet through their own 'eggplant seedlings' and remotely draw 'Shadow Spiritual Energy' within the WiFi range to nourish the eggplant seedlings in their bodies, thus achieving the effect of free movement."

Yuan Zhu: "It's good news!"

Without the limitation of its 'tail length', the eggplant spirit has a wider range of movement and is more flexible. This means it can do more work and significantly improves efficiency.

After entrusting the task of planting trees to the snake, Yuan Zhu, inside the cave, raised his hand again and discovered a major characteristic of the [Door]: it always follows the user's movement. No matter where one is, a [Door] can be summoned.

However, the "cave space" behind the "door" can only be opened within the WiFi signal range of the "Dharma Domain".

The [Gate] exists because of the Tiger Demon, but the [Cave Heaven Space] does not rely on the Tiger Demon. It is a [Blessed Land] nurtured by the [Mountain Lord's Domain] and overlaps with the [Yin Mountain].

Only by sensing the existence of the [Mountain Lord's Domain] can one open the entrance to the [Cave Heaven].

Yuan Zhu was currently inside the [Law Domain], so on a whim, he teleported all the Reverse-Growth Mulberry Seedlings from the [Cave Heaven Space] out. The consumption was negligible.

In the spiritual world, the snake unfolded the [Mountain Lord's Domain. Blueprint], quickly selected several spiritual energy nodes where the 'blood vessels and roots' intersected, and then gave the eggplant spirits a task, instructing them to go to the [Mountain Lord's Cave] to transport saplings and then plant trees at the designated location.

After assigning the tasks, Yuan Zhu did not leave the cave and descend the steps. Instead, he summoned a [Door] in front of him. This time, he did not turn the dial, but simply stepped into the [Door].

The next second, the door opened out of thin air at the foot of the mountain by the cold pool. Yuan Zhu's foot happened to step out and land on the ground, attracting the attention of the white deer who was taking a bath.

“Yo?!”

After completing the spatial teleportation, Yuan Zhu nodded to the white deer and then commented, "Feels good!"

Other ability users, when condensing a "gate," only obtain a spatial door that leads to other dimensions (the spirit realm). Using it consumes a huge amount of energy, and it's not something one can open at will.

When an ability user is weak, opening the "door" requires paying a huge price (fee) to enter a dangerous alternate dimension for training. As the ability user rapidly grows stronger, opening the "door" no longer requires a fee. On the contrary, they might even be rejected or forced into the "door" because they are too strong (due to excessive pollution).

At that time, opening the "door" will no longer be a problem. On the contrary, returning to reality through the "door" will come at a huge cost, and one will not be able to stay in the present world for long before being rejected back into the world behind the "door".

Yuan Zhu's "gate" not only retains its basic functions, but is also closely related to the "land deed" and the "mountain king's domain" represented by the land deed.

He can use the [Gate] to teleport freely within the absolute control of the [Law Domain] at almost zero cost, and he can also move supplies from the [Cave Heaven] with minimal consumption.

However, spatial movement cannot be completed outside the [Law Domain]; and the cost of opening the [Cave Heaven Space] gradually increases.

Once outside the range of the mountain lord's radiation, opening the [Cave Heaven Space] becomes extremely difficult. The weaker the signal and the greater the distance, the more difficult it is to open the door.

At this moment, the white deer, having cleaned itself, approached Yuan Zhu again, trying to please him, and gently rubbed its antlers against his body: "Yo yo!"

Yuan Zhu looked at the freshly printed [Secondary Register], smiled, and ruffled the deer's head: "Good dog! Today I will bestow upon you a great fortune!"

Originally, he intended to cultivate it into a [Secondary Goat], but perhaps it was fate? So he used [Anti-Law] to insert the incomplete [Land Deed] of [Mount Xianzhi] into its soul, completing the binding of the 'Secondary Mountain God'!

(End of this chapter)