Swallowing the starry sky, my clones can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 262 Soul Baptism, Ultimate Realm Peak!

The Cloud Sea Fairy Palace is surrounded by towering, endless sacred mountains, with clouds and mist swirling around the mountains like a light veil, adding a touch of ethereal beauty to this mysterious place.

At the summit of the sacred mountain, the black bone tower stands silently, like a silent guardian, exuding a mysterious and ancient aura that inspires awe.

Suddenly, the bone tower shone brightly, and countless mysterious runes shone out like dazzling stars, their light intertwining and creating a magnificent spectacle.

Various Dao runes spread out from the bone tower, transforming into endless chains of divine order, as if to connect the entire world.

The light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the heavens and the earth. The surrounding space trembled slightly under this powerful light, as if it were submitting to this mysterious force.

Immediately afterwards, the bone tower disappeared, and Shen Mu's figure slowly emerged.

He looked at the small, translucent, black jade-like pagoda in his palm, his eyes deep and serene.

"Finally, I've refined this bone tower. It turns out that this bone tower is called the Ten Absolute Primordial Exquisite Tower."

With this near-primordial divine weapon, Shen Mu's ability to survive and fight will be greatly enhanced after entering the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain.

At this moment, Indra's figure appeared like a ghost, emerging directly from the shadow world without the slightest fluctuation.

Di Shitian looked at Shen Mu with a gratified smile on his face and said, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Shen, on successfully recognizing and refining this Primordial Treasure."

Shen Mu replied with a smile, "Thank you, Palace Master. I have not failed in my mission."

Di Shitian nodded slightly, and then beams of divine light bloomed, revealing a small figure, a jade talisman, a spiritual fruit, and a golden jade scroll.

The four treasures each emitted different fluctuations, stretching across the heavens and earth, their own auras intertwining with the surrounding天地大道 (Heaven and Earth Great Dao), forming various strange phenomena.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, these are the treasures that the masters of the various immortal palaces have given to you."

"This Primordial Treasure Talisman can withstand a desperate attack from a peak Palace Master level being."

"As for this life-saving puppet, as the name suggests, it can save your life in critical moments. You will know the specifics after you refine it."

"There is also this Primordial Sacred Fruit, which can cleanse the soul, causing the soul to transform prematurely and possess a trace of Primordial Life characteristics, greatly enhancing the ability to comprehend the Great Dao and understand the supreme rules."

"Finally, there is this classic, which is a transmission of the Way of the Mind, and should be of some benefit to fellow practitioners."

The five supreme treasures are all extraordinary. Apart from the Heart-Image Dao inheritance, the other four treasures are all considered supreme treasures for an existence like Indra.

Shen Mu had not expected that Di Shitian and the many celestial palace masters would offer so many treasures.

Since the Lord of the Palaces paid such a high price, the difficulty of obtaining that treasure in the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain must be exceptionally high.

With this thought in mind, Shen Mu looked at Di Shitian: "Palace Master, what exactly is the treasure in the Boundless Nine Mystic Mountains that restrains the power of the Nine Mystic Realms?"

A complex expression appeared in Indra's eyes as he slowly spoke.

"The boundless Nine Wonders Mountain is mysterious and unpredictable; no one knows how many opportunities and dangers it contains."

"As for the treasure that counters the power of the Nine Wonders, I can't be sure what it is..."

"However, according to the information we have gathered over the years, this treasure will appear once every 129,600 years within the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain. But its form is different each time."

"It could be an ancient bell, or a canopy of the Great Dao woven from endless Dao, or a treasure furnace containing infinite creation. In short... each one is different."

"The only certainty is that when this treasure appears in the world, countless strange phenomena will occur throughout the boundless Nine Wonders Mountain."

After he finished speaking, an ancient scroll of unknown material appeared before Indra.

"This is a map of the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain. However, the terrain and conditions within the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain will change slightly each time you enter, so it can only be used as a reference and should not be taken as gospel."

With a thought, Shen Mu released an invisible spiritual force, capturing the ancient scroll and discerning the information within it.

Indra continued, "It will be about four thousand years before the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain approaches the True Spirit World. In these years, you can make final preparations, whether it is to go into seclusion to comprehend the truth or to refine the treasures given to you by the lords of the various Immortal Palaces, to enhance your own strength as much as possible."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mu nodded repeatedly: "What the Palace Master says is absolutely right, that's what I was planning to do too."

Di Shitian then asked, "On this trip to the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain, the six Great Immortal Palaces of Governance selected several thousand outstanding individuals at the Venerable Realm, including some prodigies who could survive even against a Celestial Venerable. Would Fellow Daoist Shen like to meet them?"

Shen Mu laughed heartily: "There's no need to see these prodigies. There are still more than four thousand years before the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain descends. I should take advantage of this time to improve my strength."

Upon hearing this, Di Shitian nodded in agreement with Shen Mu's idea and said, "I wish Fellow Daoist Shen can make further progress in the next four thousand years."

……

Shen Mu returned to his own little world and began to take out the various treasures given to him by the Lord of the Palaces.

Among them, the Hunyuan Treasure Talisman, which can block a desperate attack from a half-Hunyuan life form, and the Substitute Puppet are one-time consumable life-saving items. They only need to be bound to a master and will be automatically triggered when encountering a crisis.

Then Shen Mu's gaze fell on the Hunyuan Spirit Fruit beside him.

The sacred fruit dripped with wisps of primordial matter, and at the same time, faint sounds of soul chanting, like those of a goddess, could be heard.

For beings that have not yet become God-Kings, simply refining and absorbing these wisps of primordial matter and listening to the special Daoist sounds of the soul can bring endless benefits to the soul and cause a great transformation.

With a thought, Shen Mu directly consumed the sacred fruit.

The sacred fruit melted upon entering his mouth, unleashing boundless and profound power. Pure and precious primordial matter radiated outwards, permeating Shen Mu's limbs and bones, and ultimately seeping into his soul, beginning to drive his soul's transformation.

Shen Mu closed his eyes, fully experiencing the changes in his soul.

He seemed to have entered a mysterious world, surrounded by all sorts of mysterious forces. He ignored Shen Mu's state of mind and forcibly triggered endless emotions, impacting Shen Mu's rebirth and causing his soul to fluctuate between great emotions of sorrow and joy.

As the soul transformation progressed, various insights into the Great Dao constantly surfaced in Shen Mu's mind.

The bottlenecks and principles that he couldn't understand before have now become clear in his eyes.

In this state, Shen Mu even had the illusion that he had seen the essence of the Great Dao and discerned the most fundamental mystery of the supreme rules.

The transformation of the soul lasted for some time.

After the transformation was complete, when Shen Mu sensed the Great Dao again, the clarity of his perception of the various Great Daos increased by tens of thousands of times.

The bottlenecks and principles that were once incomprehensible now seem easily solved.

"With the soul perception possessing the characteristics of Hunyuan life, combined with the transformed Myriad Spirits Furnace, the difficulty of comprehending the Great Dao is now hundreds of millions of times easier than before."

This is not an exaggeration by Shen Mu; in fact, it is a somewhat conservative estimate.

With a thought, Shen Mu conjured up a divine sun radiating endless colorful clouds.

This divine sun is Shen Mu's Myriad Spirits Furnace. One can vaguely see layers upon layers of illusory worlds reflected within it, with the illusory images of countless beings kneeling before Shen Mu and chanting his true name.

hum!

The ancient treasure furnace spun rapidly, its endless wisdom and profound light descending, completely engulfing Shen Mu within.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Mu began to comprehend the "Great Canon of Heart's Wrath and My Appearance" that he had just acquired.

Endless profound texts and mysterious patterns rose from the gold and jade scroll, imprinting themselves on the void, drawing away the essence of the heart and the Dao of this world, and then forming an ancient scripture.

A look of astonishment flashed in Shen Mu's eyes: "This method of inheritance is far too domineering; it actually forcibly seized the primal power of a source world!"

I wonder what kind of great power created this technique.

Shen Mu let out a long breath, his mind immersed in the endless scriptures, illustrations, and symbols.

A moment later, Shen Mu suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze blazing with boundless spiritual light: "It's actually a top-tier inheritance that touches upon the ultimate realm of the Heart!"

Having lived in this world for a long time, Shen Mu has not received any true ultimate realm inheritance in the three paths of soul, mind, and illusion.

The only exception is this Great Canon of the Wrath of the Mind, which touches upon the ultimate realm and is far more profound than the "Treatise on the Original Self and Mind".

"With the help of this ultimate inheritance, my achievements in the Way of Mind will probably surpass those in the Way of Soul."

Shen Mu focused his consciousness, immersing himself in this inheritance, and combining it with the "Original Self Heart Sutra" he had previously practiced, to rediscover the self-image branch of the Heart Path.

……

In the blink of an eye, thousands of years have passed.

The boundless Nine Wonders Mountain was approaching the True Spirit Holy Realm. At this moment, countless beings looked up at the sky and could see a majestic and vast phantom of a divine mountain appearing behind the great sun, the ninth moon, and the stars.

That sacred mountain seemed to come from ancient times, exuding a mysterious and powerful aura.

Its appearance plunged the countless beings of the True Spirit Holy Realm into chaos.

It was only through the intervention of numerous celestial palaces and the travels of countless divine beings that the chaotic order of the human world was restored!

On this day, in the small world where Shen Mu was, endless runes and profound wisdom burst forth, attracting the attention of all the powerful figures in the Cloud Sea Immortal Palace.

In the void at this moment, two complementary Dao fluctuations were flowing. These were the fluctuations of the two aspects of the mind and the self. The two Dao fluctuations evolved into endless symbols, which were as dazzling as divine suns, and eventually intertwined and changed.

"This is...this fluctuation, could it be that someone is comprehending the Great Dao?" In the endless sea of ​​clouds, on the ancient main peak, Lingyun Peak, an ancient being was awakened.

"This is... the Great Dao of Mind and Image? There are actually people who can comprehend such a useless Dao?!" On Ziyang Peak, the Heavenly Venerable Peak Master, who was giving a sermon to his disciples, looked astonished.

Within the Immortal Palace, few people knew Shen Mu's true identity.

But this includes the peak master of the neighboring Eternal Peak, an ancient being who has been immersed in the peak of the Heavenly Venerable realm for countless eons, the Myriad Heavenly Venerable.

"This Fellow Daoist Shen has only been in seclusion for a little over four thousand years, yet he has already comprehended one of the essences of the Dao of Mind and Form, and perfectly fused the two essences together. Such talent is truly astonishing!"

Wan Tianzun looked at the small world beside him, his expression somewhat sentimental.

"The fusion of artistic conception is the prototype of the Heavenly Dao artistic conception. As long as Fellow Daoist Shen is willing, he can now engrave his soul imprint into the origin of the Heavenly Dao and achieve the realm of Heavenly Venerable."

While the various celestial palaces were exchanging ideas, two figures appeared out of thin air in Shen Mu's small world. They were Palace Master Di Shitian and the Divine Calculator.

Di Shitian laughed heartily and cupped his hands slightly to Shen Mu, saying, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Shen, on your great advancement in cultivation and your comprehension of the Great Dao of Merging with Your True Self."

The fortune teller beside him also spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Shen, you mustn't break through. If you leave a soul imprint in the origin of the Heavenly Dao, you won't be able to enter the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain next."

Shen Mu laughed and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, I won't break through."

The many powerful beings in this world, including these two before me, are so polite to me because they hope that I can enter the boundless Nine Wonders Mountain and retrieve for them that supreme treasure that contains infinite changes.

If he were unable to enter the boundless Nine Wonders Mountain, these supreme figures would likely turn hostile on the spot.

As he spoke, Shen Mu also looked up and gazed at the vast sky through the small world, where he saw the boundless projection of the Nine Wonders Mountain.

That boundless Nine Wonders Mountain was so vast that it almost filled the entire sky of the True Spirit World!

Shen Mu withdrew his gaze and asked, "Palace Master, Venerable One, please forgive me for leaving seclusion late."

Previously, Shen Mu had entered seclusion at a truly critical juncture and was unable to emerge.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly. In just a few thousand years, with the amplification of the Myriad Spirits Furnace, Shen Mu thoroughly comprehended the two paths of self and nature, perfectly controlling his own desires, emotions, instincts, and personality. His mind underwent a great transformation, truly forging a flawless Dao heart.

This spiritual transformation also caused Shen Mu's willpower to soar, reaching the peak of the ultimate realm.

If one uses a secret technique of killing with one's will, the power of that will has already surpassed the peak of the ultimate realm, and can affect the thought processes of a palace master in the early stage.

As for those whose will has not reached the level of a palace master, they will be powerless to resist Shen Mu.

If Shen Mu can comprehend the final branch of the Mind-Image Dao in the future, Mind-Image!

Then the mind and will will undergo another transformation, truly breaking through the limitations of the ultimate realm, and may even have the hope of being comparable to the palace master of the Cloud Sea Immortal Palace before them.

If the secret technique of attacking will is used again, even Indra will be affected.

However, as the most difficult branch of the Mind-Body Path to comprehend, Shen Mu was unsure how many years it would take him to take this step.

Its difficulty is probably far greater than that of fusing the three branches of the soul path.

Upon hearing Shen Mu's apology, Di Shitian laughed heartily and said, "Fellow Daoist Shen, you are overthinking it. The Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain is only just approaching the Holy Realm; it's not too late."

After saying this, Di Shitian continued, "Tomorrow I will invite all the lords of the Immortal Palaces to join forces to break through the barriers and send Fellow Daoist Shen and other Venerable Realm geniuses into the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain to obtain great opportunities."

The fortune teller beside him bowed slightly to Shen Mu.

"I beg Fellow Daoist Shen, this time when we enter the Boundless Nine Wonders Mountain, all beings of our True Spirit Holy Realm will respect Fellow Daoist Shen."

"In the event of any unforeseen circumstances, Fellow Daoist Shen has the authority to make all the decisions independently. No one will dare to question Fellow Daoist Shen's will!"

(End of this chapter)