Guarding the Prison for 100 Years, I Emerge to Overwhelm the Demon Venerable

"This is too great a gift."

Su Bai was slightly moved.

Qin Wuliang had been the Master of the Gui Dao Mansion for over thirty thousand years; his standing in the hearts of countless Daoists was self-evident.

This Seal would be an immense help in his efforts to rally the Daoists of the world.

The meaning this Seal conveyed could be summed up in a single word: trust.

But that trust was something Qin Wuliang had spent more than thirty thousand years forging.

Its value was, needless to say, immense.

"I only hope, Senior, that you will not fail the Daoists of this world who hold a Divine Position... Many among them are pitiable souls."

A complex look filled Qin Wuliang’s eyes.

"If any among them are evildoers, Senior, you may kill them, destroy them, slay them, and purge them."

Su Bai clutched the Seal, clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute, and said,

"I will not fail the trust you’ve placed in me."

His original plans to rally the world’s Daoists had been casual at best; if they were willing, so be it.

If not, he would have simply let them fend for themselves.

But holding this Seal, new ideas began to take root in his mind.

"There isn’t much time..."

Hearing the rumbling from the depths of the starry sky grow ever more immense, Venerable Bai You’s expression turned solemn. He reached out and placed both hands on Qin Wuliang’s shoulders.

"I will lend you my strength one last time. Whether you succeed or fail will all depend on your own fortune..."

Before his voice had even faded, streaks of silvery-white Divine Light burst from Bai You. His True Qi, like a torrent from a broken dam, roared and surged into Qin Wuliang’s body, giving him no chance to refuse.

Qin Wuliang’s body shuddered as he, too, burst into radiance. A heavy, golden light, like the earth itself, filled the world in an instant.

At the same time, Bai You’s body slowly began to dissipate within the light.

WHOOSH!

Witnessing this, Su Bai immediately grabbed Cui Yanliang with one hand and pulled Jin Yunfeng with the other. In a flash, he had retreated dozens of miles, landing on a barren mountain.

"Second Brother..."

Qin Wuliang sat cross-legged, his hands resting on his empty sleeves. He watched Bai You gradually dissipate within the light and let out a soft sigh.

"Second Brother, you were wrong about one thing."

"I practiced your Cultivation Method..."

"...but what I’ve achieved is my own Dao!"

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but he knew Venerable Bai You could surely hear him.

And he knew he could surely see what was happening, too!

As his words drifted on the air, Qin Wuliang slowly closed his eyes.

VMMMM!

The moment he closed his eyes, the Divine Light erupting from his body intensified tenfold, even a hundredfold!

It erupted all at once, threatening to fill the entire heavens and earth!

In an instant, the world between heaven and earth became a sea of ochre, with no other color to be seen.

RUMBLE!

The Divine Light crashed in all directions like ocean waves, its vast and mighty aura surging violently.

Qin Wuliang sat with his eyes closed, his body seemingly melting into the Divine Light. But within the light’s contours, a vast, boundless, and majestic Divine Shadow began to take shape.

"Old Mansion Master..."

Atop the barren mountain, Jin Yunfeng felt a pang in his heart, as if he had understood something.

"Senior, is the Old Mansion Master..."

Cui Yanliang couldn’t bear to watch, as if he, too, understood what was happening.

"Achieving the Dao and perishing are separated by a razor’s edge. Let’s hope Fellow Daoist Qin succeeds..."

Su Bai let out a long sigh.

Cultivation in this world was divided into many stages. The initial paths were relatively easy to walk, but the further one progressed, the more difficult it became.

This was especially true of the Feathered stage. Even taking a single step forward from there was as difficult as ascending to the heavens, let alone breaking through the Feather Transformation Realm to achieve Ascension to Immortality.

However, all these Cultivation Methods were merely paths tread by predecessors, not the fundamental truth of the universe.

A universe could sustain far more than just the Immortal Ascension Realm.

Thus, in theory, the cultivation path of this world began with Body Cultivation and ended with Ascension to Immortality. Anything beyond that either existed only in ancient Historical Records or involved ascending to another world entirely.

It wasn’t that this world couldn’t support beings beyond the Immortal Ascension Realm; rather, the lifespan of those in that realm was simply not long enough for them to ascend to an even higher Realm.

That was why many sought alternative, unorthodox paths—even resorting to Demonic methods—to extend their lives.

Some would risk everything, attempting to ascend to another world while still in the Ascension Immortal Realm, or even the Feather Transformation Realm, in pursuit of a different form of eternal life.

The ancient records stated, according to legend, that only by ascending to the Immortal Realm could one find true, everlasting life.

Or even eternal, undying immortality!

But it was clear the path did not end at the Feather Transformation Realm.

The capacity of a world could surely support higher Realms. Take the Seven Heroes and Three Li, for example. They were said to be in the Immortal Ascension Realm, but in reality, they were far beyond what experts of the Feather Transformation Realm or even the Ascension Immortal Realm could contend with.

Then there was the Netherworld Venerable Master.

He had carved an Otherworldly Space from the void, creating the Netherworld and even establishing Reincarnation to allow living souls to achieve Rebirth.

How could his Realm possibly be considered merely the Immortal Ascension Realm?

Su Bai’s eyes glinted. He had just used his incomparably powerful Divine Thoughts to infiltrate Qin Wuliang’s Divine Spirit and peer into his memories.

From them, he had learned several secrets.

The Three Immortal Realms.

Spirit Immortal, Celestial Mandate, and True Immortal!

This was the Netherworld Venerable Master’s detailed breakdown of the Ascension Immortal Realm.

Based on his deductions, Venerable Bai You, along with the Seven Heroes and Three Li, must have already broken through the Spirit Immortal bottleneck to reach the Realm of Heavenly Destiny.

And now, what Qin Wuliang was attempting to do was break through the bottleneck of the Feather Transformation Realm and step into the Spirit Immortal Realm!

Succeed, and he would live. Fail, and he would die. No one could interfere.