Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 498 Proving the Dao
After gaining a slight advantage and washing away his previous embarrassment, Qi Tian was not happy at all; on the contrary, he was somewhat displeased.

He said in a cold, hard tone, "Brother Guangming, you have been distracted by too many worldly affairs, making it difficult for you to concentrate on your cultivation. If this continues, I'm afraid you will not be able to become my opponent sooner or later."

The God of Light was an old rival who had fought against Qitian for many years and respected him. Therefore, Qitian was somewhat disappointed and angry when he saw that Qitian's heart for enlightenment was affected by trivial matters.

Upon hearing this, the Divine Child of Light fell silent, for Qi Tian had spoken the truth. In recent years, he had indeed become somewhat obsessed with his powerful influence, causing his heart for cultivation to lose its purity, which led to his current setback.

But it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Fortunately, Qitian reminded him, so the Son of Light suddenly realized his mistake and rediscovered his somewhat lost true self.

Therefore, the Divine Child of Light solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Qitian. Without you, I am afraid I would have fallen into depravity and not have been able to awaken for many years."

Having been awakened by Qitian, even the Son of Light couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

In today's universe, few can rival Qitian. Therefore, the alliance of various races centered around him is already a behemoth, and as the leader of this alliance, he holds a high position and wields extraordinary power.

This power, which can decide the life and death of all races and beings and almost grant their every wish, is so terrifying that it has clouded his Dao heart and is truly impossible to guard against.

However, this experience has been a trial for the Son of Light, making him more resolute, which is a great thing.

If it weren't for Qitian, he might have remained obsessed for hundreds or even thousands of years before realizing something was wrong and refocusing on cultivation.

Seeing that the Son of Light could admit his mistakes and correct them, Qitian's attitude softened, and he said, "To admit one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. I only hope that you understand that power is nothing but an external thing for us cultivators. On the path of enlightenment, there is nothing else but the Dao."

The Divine Child of Light laughed and said, "Brother Dao is right. But next time, I won't lose."

Qi Tian smiled slightly, then cupped his hands in farewell and drifted away.

Time flowed on again, and soon another five hundred years passed, and their third five-hundred-year pact arrived.

During the five hundred years of this third agreement, the 2,500-year-old Divine Child of Light and Abandoned Heaven finally reached the ninth level of Quasi-Emperor.

If one can only advance one small realm in five hundred years, then the difficulty of successfully making the final leap is unimaginable.

After all, to make the ultimate leap and trigger the great tribulation of enlightenment, one needs to have accumulated the initial foundation for alternative paths to enlightenment. And this step is enough to prevent many so-called geniuses with the potential to attain enlightenment from ever getting past it in their entire lives.

Many of the final victors in great eras are unable to take this step, resulting in none of their contemporaries being able to attain enlightenment.

During this five hundred years, the Son of Light will no longer oversee the growth and development of the Light God Clan and other races, nor will he rely on this alliance to search for resources for himself.

In fact, once they reach the quasi-Emperor stage, external things have little effect on them, at most playing a supporting role. Only their own enlightenment is the key.

Qitian finally left his homeland and began to travel in the universe, comprehending various Daos and laws, and using this to make connections and further advance his cultivation.

This time, their match ended in a draw, with neither side gaining a clear advantage or disadvantage, and they were once again evenly matched.

Qi Tian looked at the Light God Child, who had returned to his original simplicity and become pure and powerful once again, and felt very gratified. Although the Light God Child's vigorous pursuit had begun to strain him, as a fellow Daoist and half-friend, he was still very happy for the Light God Child.

He smiled slightly and said, "Brother Guangming, it seems that we are unable to determine a winner for the time being. We can only see who will accumulate enough strength first and make the final leap."

The Divine Child of Light said, “Brother Qitian is right. Our five-hundred-year agreement should also come to a temporary end. The next step will probably require an extremely long period of time; five hundred years is no longer enough.”

So the two parted ways, and began to accumulate strength for their final assault on the pass, entering a long period of preparation. During this time, they both vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. Neither Qitian's homeland nor the people of the Light God's clan ever saw them again.

As time went by, countless cultivators in the universe began to suspect that the two of them had chosen to seal themselves off and were planning to emerge in a better era to prove their Dao.

After all, their talents were already powerful enough, and their accumulation of experience to reach the ninth level of Quasi-Emperor in this era was already very solid.

If it were a different era, there would be a good chance that they would quickly take this step and complete the ultimate leap to enlightenment.

But they also knew that if these two really chose to seal themselves off, they couldn't just disappear without any arrangements.

It's one thing for him to abandon the heavens, after all, his homeland is too remote, and few people in the universe know about it. But the Son of Light has truly built a vast power and even formed marriage alliances with many powerful clans.

Even these people don't know the whereabouts and plans of the Son of Light, so it's clear that he must be determined to attain enlightenment in this lifetime.

Theoretically speaking, choosing a better era would obviously be a more suitable choice for them, but overcoming environmental limitations in such an era is also a great achievement.

Therefore, although the two of them disappeared, they never gave up.

Time flew by, and another two thousand years passed. By this time, both the Divine Child of Light and the Abandoned Heaven were over four thousand years old.

To date, excluding those who obtained the opportunity to attain enlightenment through self-imposed seclusion, the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill, the Elixir of Immortality, or even reversing the cycle of life, the latest person to attain enlightenment under normal cultivation conditions in the same era was probably over five thousand years old.

However, even including these people, the time they took to reach the initial stage of enlightenment, which is similar to the state before the ultimate leap, did not exceed five thousand years.

Therefore, the lifespans of the Light God and the Abandoned Heaven are already in great danger, and they don't have much time left.

After all, once you've passed your peak, the difficulty of making that final leap will only increase.

Two thousand years have passed, and although Qitian has continued to progress, he has been stuck just before the final leap, unable to take that step. Even though he has the aura of attaining enlightenment, there is still a fine line separating him from it.

That day, Qitian, who was cultivating in the starry sky, suddenly sensed an unusual aura. He sighed softly and then said, "It seems that you are still one step ahead of me."

The Divine Child of Light appeared from the starry sky and said, "Brother Qitian, it seems that I have won this round in the end."

Both being those destined for enlightenment, the aura of the Son of Light is even stronger than that of Qitian. He has already completed the accumulation for the ultimate leap and can now trigger the great tribulation of enlightenment.

In other words, although the two have not yet engaged in their final battle, the Son of Light has already emerged victorious. After all, at this crucial moment of attaining enlightenment, being one step ahead makes all the difference.

Qi Tian sighed, "Then I congratulate Brother Guangming on your attainment of enlightenment in this impossible era."

The Divine Child of Light said, "Brother Qitian, we will meet again sooner or later."

After their separation, the Son of Light triggered the Great Tribulation of Enlightenment.

This millennia-long struggle for enlightenment has finally come to an end, and a new era is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)