Perfect Double Agent

Even Bai Ye looked up. That area was extraordinary, filled with auspicious clouds formed by Daoist runes, like a land of laws. The road was right on their path.

But at that end, there was a floating island located in a spatial rift.

He had never been to this area before, but he knew of its existence, and even that there was a dying immortal on it.

A giant bell descended upon the island, where laws intertwined, thunder roared, and the energies of Yin and Yang permeated the air. Various strange phenomena of heaven and earth appeared, making it seem like a place where all paths coexist.

At the very center of the island, a tree is surrounded by dense chains of divine order, laden with the fruits of the Great Dao. It lies there like an old dragon, its bark cracked like scales, its branches and leaves lush and verdant, all formed by the laws of nature. When it is shaken unintentionally, the branches and leaves tinkle and chime, like celestial music or a Zen chant, as if an ancient person is praying invisibly. It is so wondrous and astonishing that it is impossible to look away once one sees it.

"The Bell of No End..."

Ancient syllables were heard, not in the language of this era, but in the ancient language of immortals, which Bai Ye could understand.

It was a withered figure locked in dark immortal gold. He sat cross-legged under the Myriad Dao Tree, his hair disheveled, seemingly devoid of any life. Only a pair of cold eyes shone from his loose hair.

It was too intimidating, too cold, as if looking at ants, but Bai Ye was already used to it.

"Even if you possess the Bell of No End, this is not a place for you. The Tree of Myriad Paths is not something you can possess. Step back!"

That creature was truly arrogant, its contempt and coldness undisguised, showing absolute disdain for people, much like a sword immortal. Of course, this wasn't directed at him alone, but rather at everyone in this world.

The clock did not stop, but continued to descend, and even Bai Ye showed no emotion whatsoever.

"The Tree of Myriad Paths was not left for you; you are not worthy of it... If you dare to descend another step, even with the protection of a Celestial King artifact, I can still kill you!"

The bell did not respond and suddenly descended, revealing the words "Endless" on it. That was the ultimate mystery, activated by the old demon. Wherever the bell's waves passed, everything was killed.

"You..." The creature struggled, its eyes changing from cold to fear, and then it exploded, unable to resist.

Whether it's this bell or the old demon, in their prime, a single move could subdue ten thousand immortals. Even now, though crippled, they still possess unparalleled destructive power.

"People from the Immortal Realm all have bad tempers..." Bai Ye murmured to himself. He had only met two people from the Immortal Realm, and both of them looked down on people and didn't even glance at them.

Although the alien realm treats the people of the Nine Heavens in the same way, it's because they are the victors. If the Immortal Realm doesn't recall the powerful beings from the Boundary Sea and fight against the Immortal Kings of the Immortal Ancient Realm, it's hard to say who will beat whom.

"Not yet ripe..." The old demon put Bai Ye down, seemingly having taken a liking to this place, and then rode away on the great bell.

The dark immortal gold chain on the ground was still there, broken into pieces. Bai Ye didn't pick it up, but instead took out Pu Du from his sleeve.

He never eats alone.

"Hmm? Bai Pu, you're quite good. This tree is... the Myriad Paths Tree? Was it prepared for me?"

"That's great! If I absorb its essence, I'll definitely achieve a heaven-defying leap!"

With a "smack," Pu Du was slapped, staggered, and almost dented the back of his head, leaving his head buzzing.

"I'll give you the immortal gold, but the tree is mine."

"This is not fair... Why don't you say the tree belongs to me and the immortal gold belongs to you?" Pu Du said with a dark face, looking at the immortal gold chain on the ground.

"Want to test whether my fist or your skull is harder?" Bai Ye glanced sideways, his eyes narrowing and radiating a dangerous light.

"The Immortal Gold is quite good..." Pu Du chuckled, his face instantly brightening as he put his arm around Bai Ye's shoulder. "I knew you were the most loyal and righteous person. You're willing to give me such a fine material as the Immortal Gold. When we get back, I'll personally drive you home!"

Pu Du spoke very sincerely, provided that we ignore the fist Bai Ye raised.

However, this is a good idea. Driving a car is out of the question; it would be too offensive for members of the imperial family to drive a car. It would be better to let Pudu lead the ox pulling the cart around openly for a couple of laps.

Chapter 314 Different Paths

Using one's own body as a seed is essentially a process of breaking free from dependence on the universe, developing one's own power, achieving enlightenment through one's physical body, unifying the primordial spirit, and ultimately reaching a state of parity with, or even surpassing, the universe.

A single grain of dust can fill the sea, and a single blade of grass can cleave the sun and moon. This is the manifestation of unleashed potential. The human body is known as one of the most suitable constitutions in the world to bear the Dao, and its potential is unimaginable.

At this moment, under the Myriad Trees, two figures sat facing each other, one old and one young, like withered stones, seemingly having sat there for a long time.

“There are many paths to cultivation in the world. Behind every king’s journey, there can be a path. The essence of cultivation is to leap forward in the level of life. The same applies to cultivating one’s body as a seed.”

This method isn't just being developed in this realm; my realm has also studied it, and even the Immortal Realm has long since changed its cultivation path, no longer using the ancient immortal methods.

This is a fact. The cultivation methods in the Immortal Realm have indeed changed. The ancient Immortal methods are too easy to counter and have been thoroughly studied by other realms. The Immortal Realm cannot help but make changes. Just like the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths today, they are divided into two paths: the ancient Immortal methods and the methods of this world.

In fact, the alien realm has never relied on seeds.

"Then what is the cultivation method in my realm?" Bai Ye asked, voicing the question that had been nagging at him.

"Evolution, step by step transformation, changing one's own life level..." The old demon didn't say much, but raised his hand, and in his palm, a dandelion seed appeared.

It was very ordinary, only the size of a soybean, radiating a faint vitality. There were no runes on its body, only life patterns inside the seed. No matter how Bai Ye observed it, it was just an ordinary seed.

The old demon flipped his hand, and the seed landed on the ground between the two. The laws of heaven and earth were abundant here, and there were many Dao runes, but the old demon did not let them get close, only preserving the essence of heaven and earth.

As if by instinct, the dandelion seeds absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, growing rapidly and beginning their first evolution. Roots emerged from the shell and took root in the ground, and then tender shoots began to grow from the shell.

This is a process, from the initial seed to a sapling, it has completed its first metamorphosis.

At this moment, it was full of vitality and swayed slightly, but the patterns inside had completely changed, intertwining as if constructing a rune.

These are primordial runes, created spontaneously by life lines rather than by human intervention, like an unusual seed within the body.

Some say that in this world, all things and beings can be the path, because they are the greatest miracles in this world.

The sapling is growing rapidly, and as it grows, the runes inside become more and more complete. It is located on the upper part of the trunk, below the crown, like the chest of a human body. The life lines below are like blood vessels, connecting all the roots and stems, while the life lines above extend, connecting all the branches and leaves.

Upon closer inspection, the rune is actually a miniature sapling. It is a primitive form of rune, and unique in that it exudes a very special Daoist charm the moment it is formed.

Bai Ye was very serious, not missing a single detail, and even became obsessed with watching. Gradually, he felt that he had become that sapling, and everything about him was growing stronger, whether it was the tree body or the original rune inside his body.

At the same time, it began to change itself, from absorbing essence to being able to devour it. The amount was increasing, and the runes were also changing. However, this change was very long and slow. It began to feel bored and tedious, and instinctively wanted to explore deeper underground to devour more nutrients to strengthen itself.

A tree dies when transplanted; its instinct tells it it cannot leave, but it yearns for change, or rather, it is unwilling to be ordinary.

Then, Bai Ye moved. It was the tree tendrils that moved. They successfully lifted up and emitted a faint light. It was the power of the runes within its body. It was weak, but very real.

Its roots have been absorbing nutrients from the ground for a long time, and its trunk has been absorbing the essence of the sun and moon for a long time. At the moment when the runes were completely condensed, it had completed an evolution that it did not know about. In the terms of the world, it could be said that it had taken the first step into the ranks of cultivators.

Bai Ye felt very excited. He wanted to go far away, to see this world, and to find a place more suitable for him to grow up in.

He then climbed to the highest point in the area and looked out into the distance. It was a primeval forest, and not far away was a grassland. There were his own kind of trees, as well as saplings of the same age. The scenery was not beautiful, but it was harmonious.

No one knows how much time passed, perhaps a year, or perhaps a century. The White Night was peaceful until one day, the whole world suddenly went dark.

The sky was obscured, black mist filled the air, cold and eerie, emanating an ominous aura, as if it were the end of the world, blocking out all light.

Bai Ye wanted to scream. He knew what this was and was aware of the consequences of being covered up.

However, the black mist was too fast, spreading out and engulfing everything in an instant. No matter how he tried to escape, he couldn't. The oppressive, cold, chilling, and ominous atmosphere was like a gaping maw that swallowed him whole. It seemed that only darkness was eternal.

It was a long time; Bai Ye felt as if he were dead inside, completely unaware of the passage of time, until one day, he awoke again.

However, at this moment, the original runes within his body had turned pitch black, as had the entire tree trunk, dark and ominous, radiating coldness and ferocity.

Even the world has changed. There are no more gentle breezes or bright sunshine; only darkness remains, along with massive, moving black creatures—plants, animals, and ferocious beasts.

It hid and ran into a mountain crevice, where it began to devour the black mist, strengthening the dark runes within its body while observing everything around it.

The roars of beasts filled the air, and blood splattered everywhere. This dark forest was changing in a brutal and merciless direction every moment.

There was no kindred spirit, no order; everything was like the beginning of time, and chaos was the eternal theme.

However, he was soon discovered by a creature. A ferocious beast with three eyes and six legs spotted him. The beast was too powerful, contemptuous and cold. Just one glance from it made him tremble and powerless to resist. Then, the beast opened its mouth as deep as an abyss, trying to suck him in.

He was unwilling and did not want to die, but he was powerless to resist and was about to be sucked in and become food.

But at that moment, the sky suddenly trembled, and countless black feathers descended, carrying streams of light, densely packed, instantly disappearing into the entire area, easily piercing through the ferocious beast, and also piercing through the mountain.

This was an indiscriminate attack. Giant birds that blotted out the sky were feeding, swallowing everything in their mouths. Hundreds of corpses, each enormous, were flying up from the forest and grassland.

A moment later, the giant bird left, but some corpses remained, such as the one in front of us.

Bai Ye felt himself swallow hard. Instinct was driving him, and the scenes from just now were stimulating him, making him yearn to become stronger.

So he moved, his roots extending out and taking root in the wound of the three-eyed beast, as if absorbing nutrients from the earth.

It was a wonderful feeling. The speed at which he was growing stronger was unprecedented, which fascinated him. Even the runes were transforming, as if they were about to blossom and bear fruit, giving birth to a special power.

Bai Ye went out. One corpse was not enough for him. He took advantage of the massacre to collect as many corpses as possible, and even actively hunted them. He was unwilling to fall behind, did not want to become food, wanted to become stronger, wanted to evolve quickly, and did not want to have that powerless feeling of trembling again.

This was a journey of scavenging corpses. He wasn't the only one who survived, but he was too weak. He had been bullied, robbed, and escaped. Every time he returned, he was covered in wounds. The tree trunk was riddled with holes, and the branches had broken countless times. The only consolation was that his runes had borne fruit, and new runes were being born, transformed from the original runes, like a cycle of reincarnation and rebirth. Under the impetus, a white dandelion even appeared under the tree canopy.

It emitted wisps of white fluff, surrounded by a rain of light, beautiful and sacred, like a masterpiece of the Creator, so dazzling in this dark world, but its appearance also marked the beginning of the hunt.

The more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is. This is the beginning of the fall of all souls, like a dream, bloody and cruel, mysterious and eerie. In this boundless forest, there is even a saying: when the white fluff appears, you are already dead.

Bai Ye didn't know whether he was the Pumo Tree or just an outsider observing. Perhaps he was just too immersed in the scene and it was all the Pumo Tree's doing.

In the end, he didn't know how many living beings he had devoured. The original runes in his body had long since disappeared, transforming into order and law. Under the swaying of the tree crown, tens of thousands of dandelion seeds danced in the air, each containing a symbol of the Great Dao, like the foundation of all spirits, resonating with the entire world. He could feel the Great Dao rules of the world without relying on anything else.

"My spiritual foundation has been forged; my path can now be completed!"

A magical tree took root atop a mountain, overlooking the entire desolate forest. Its words were powerful and spirited, exuding confidence and dominance. It was an instinctive outburst born from its own feelings.

Around him, white fluff drifted, eventually turning into a single seed along with the tree trunk.

At this moment, the world changed. Everything was still the same as before. The sapling had turned into a seed. The old demon was still there, only raising his eyes to glance at Bai Ye.

There will definitely be more to come. That was just the beginning of the establishment of the Myriad Spirit Foundation and the start of the growth of the Pumo Tree. Perhaps it will be very stubborn and reckless later on. Bai Ye could easily imagine that situation and guess the general idea.

But was that really the old demon's experience? After being corrupted, a new primordial spirit will be reborn in the body, while the original primordial spirit will be imprisoned in the dark cage. The old demon could not possibly remember his experience before the transformation.

Of course, it's also possible that the old demon was too weak at that time, possessing only instincts and not having developed a complete consciousness and primordial spirit. After being corrupted by darkness, it transformed into the Pumo Tree.

This clan is not strong at the beginning. Only after passing through the dormant period and building the foundation of all spirits will they undergo a qualitative change and soar to great heights.

Originally, the old demon intended to build a foundation for all spirits for him, but he didn't do so later, because not every living being is suitable for that path.

Bai Ye reached out and placed the seed in his palm. Within it, there was order and law, interwoven like blood vessels into a net. At its very center, a rune seemed to contain all the stars in the heavens, complex and mysterious, difficult to understand. At first glance, it seemed as if the infinite principles of the Great Dao were rushing towards you, but upon closer inspection, it looked like a tadpole, ancient and primitive.

These are the original runes, also known as ancestral scripts. After evolution, they become ancestral arts, which are used by cultivators from other realms to embark on their cultivation journey and evolve step by step.

Just as birds have true feathers and beasts have true bones, these are the source of their strength and the starting point.

This is why human cultivators were not as powerful as other races at the beginning, and even had to imitate other races in order to embark on the path of cultivation.

"There were kings before the ancient immortal techniques existed, and there might even have been legendary emperors. How do you think they cultivated back then?"

Before Bai Ye could answer, the old demon spoke up, "In the myriad realms of the heavens, the rules are endless, and the paths are limitless. Every race has its own unique cultivation method. Who was the one who first spread the teachings? Was it this heaven and earth? Or the so-called Heaven?"

No, it's ourselves. We live between heaven and earth, and we are inherently one of the manifestations of the Tao. Whether it's living beings, mountains and rivers, or all things in nature, within every complete individual lies an infinite treasure. From the smallest speck of dust to the largest universe, everything can be called the Tao, or it can be a seed.

"Just like the supernatural powers and techniques within your body..." The old demon reached out, his hands tracing the paths of the Great Dao, forming hand seals, and driving the dense runes, which, along with the flow of time, gradually formed a dreamlike flower of time and space.

It resembles a flower of the Great Road, or a primordial rune; when it stretches out, it resembles a Great Road.

The flower was thrown far away by the old demon and landed on a figure sitting cross-legged with eyes closed. The figure trembled and turned into a small sapling, which then turned into a seed.