Xiuxian: When you do things to the extreme

Chapter 725: Gathering Strength
"..."

"..."

"..."

Outside the restricted area, all was deathly silent.

Within the restricted area, there was also silence.

After an unknown period of time, suddenly the world changed, the laws and principles were restored, and everything returned to normal. A brilliant golden light descended from the sky and fell into the Myriad Dao Heavenly Palace. Most of it disappeared into nothingness and was absorbed by Xuanyuan, who was in harmony with the heavens and man and was omnipresent. The remaining small portion fell into the bodies of the Myriad Dao Immortals and the cultivators of the Human Sect.

Suddenly...

"boom!!!"

The light of immortals soared into the sky, achieving a brilliance comparable to the sun and moon. Within the Myriad Heavenly Palaces, numerous cultivators broke through, advancing from the Void Realm to the Body Realm, from the Body Realm to the Mahayana Realm, and from the Mahayana Realm to the Tribulation Realm. Some even achieved the Dao on the spot at the Eighth Tribulation Void Immortal level, stepping into the Ninth Tribulation Perfection Realm, condensing the Three Flowers and Five Qi, and attaining the True Immortal Merit.

All the immortals and all the paths to immortality broke through simultaneously!
Such a scene would have been extremely shocking and terrifying in the past.

After all, cultivators defy the heavens, and each realm has its own tribulations as tests. To avoid accidents, they usually undergo tribulations alone, rarely with others, let alone millions of immortals breaking through to the next realm at the same time.

Although Heaven's way is impartial and the tribulations are predetermined, who can guarantee that this will not intensify the power of the tribulations? Even if it doesn't intensify the power of the tribulations, the sight of tens of millions of immortals breaking through their realms and undergoing tribulations is extremely terrifying. It is likely that the area within hundreds of thousands of miles will be shrouded in the thunder of heaven and earth.

But now...

The sky was clear and the clouds were light.

There was no darkness or gloom, no rising winds or surging clouds.

Only the light of the immortals soared into the sky, vying with the sun and moon for brilliance.

Amidst the celestial light and spiritual energy, countless extraordinary phenomena appeared, which were the manifestations of all the myriad laws and methods. Some of these phenomena were the condensation of the Three Flowers and Five Qi. A large number of academy cultivators broke through to new heights, and some even became immortals on the spot.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Seeing this, the cultivators outside the forbidden area fell silent.

Following the natural order leads to being human, while defying it leads to becoming an immortal. Although cultivation is an act against the will of Heaven, it is not always about defying Heaven. On the contrary, most cultivators, most of the time, act in accordance with the predetermined course of Heaven.

The Great Dao is fifty, and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine. Cultivators' practice is basically in accordance with the Heavenly Numbers. Even if they absorb the primordial spirit of heaven and earth for their own use, it is actually in line with the Heavenly Dao and the rules governing the operation of all things.

Only at crucial moments will one defy the will of Heaven, seize the one that has escaped, and forge a path to Heaven within the framework of the will of Heaven by combining compliance with adversity. This is the orthodox method of cultivation, not simply defying Heaven.

If one defies the heavens completely and goes all the way to darkness, then what one faces is not a test, but a complete and utter punishment from heaven.

Therefore, for cultivators, going with the flow is often more important than going against it. If one goes with the flow well, one can even avert calamities and become an immortal on the spot.

Now, the Myriad Paths Academy has seized an opportunity to align with the will of Heaven, pacifying the forbidden zones and restoring order. Heaven has taken notice and has thus achieved its goal.

With the accumulation of merit, one achieves the Dao fruit, millions of cultivators break through, and many illusory immortals dispel countless tribulations and attain the status of true immortals.

This is the benefit of following one's destiny.

Therefore, all parties remained silent. They were filled with regret and sorrow, especially the Daoist guest elders and academy worshippers who had previously entered the palace to listen to the Daoist teachings but ultimately did not join the Daoist community. Their hearts were filled with mixed feelings.

Besides, the various Daoist sects also felt some regret, and even fear and unease. After all, they had previously stood by and watched coldly, enduring humiliation and living in seclusion, unwilling to disrupt the peace after the turmoil. Now that the Myriad Dao Academy had pacified the forbidden area, they suddenly seemed to be suspected of reaping the benefits without sowing.

Even if the Myriad Paths Academy does not settle scores with them, the Heavenly Dao's fortune will still reduce their luck and even worsen their tribulations. After all, there is gain and loss, reward and punishment. Even the Heavenly Dao must maintain a balance of income and expenditure. For every point gained by the Human Teachings and the Myriad Paths Academy, other Daoist traditions will lose one point.

This is also the root of the struggle for destiny. When one sect prospers and gains the power of heaven and earth, other sects will inevitably decline. Not only will their cultivation be difficult, but they will also face numerous tribulations. All the benefits gained by the prosperous ones will be made up for by the declining ones, until the rise and fall change and the tribulations are redefined.

The People's Education Press's pacification of the forbidden zone and restoration of order is a great achievement, and its prosperity is already destined.

Unless they also risk their lives, decline is inevitable.

But what will be the outcome?
They either suppress the Humanist religion and assert their authority through force.

Either pacify the restricted area and win by merit.

Neither the former nor the latter is possible. The strength of the Human Sect is evident to all. Not to mention the high and mighty Sect Master, even the Earth Immortals under him can suppress the Divine Continent. Even the three major sects are powerless to confront them.

Not to mention that this time, in pacifying the forbidden zone, a large number of cultivators have made merits and broken through to the next level. Nowadays, the quality and quantity of cultivators in the Human Sect, whether they are True Immortals, Void Immortals, or cultivators below them, far surpass those of other sects, and an irreparable gap has already been created.

With such strength, how can others compete?
As for pacifying the restricted area...

Before the thought of what had just happened could even arise, it was nipped in the bud by everyone.

With both the front and back roads blocked, are we just supposed to sit and watch our family decline?

Not entirely, perhaps it's still possible...

"Boom!"

Before their thoughts could settle, a deafening roar erupted from the forbidden zone. All eyes turned in shock, and there stood the majestic Myriad Heavenly Palace, descending upon the center of the Hellish Forbidden Zone, where the giant hand had once lain dormant, a place as dark as an abyss. "Everyone rest and recuperate. We'll launch another attack in five hundred years!"

"Yes!!!"

In the Heavenly Palace, the decree was proclaimed, and all the cultivators solemnly obeyed, beginning the final procedures.

With the battle now over, the dust has finally settled.

However, its influence is constantly fermenting and is about to set off a great wave that will sweep across China and even the five regions.

……

Inside the Myriad Paths Palace, in the Qilin Hall, Xu Yang sat alone, taking stock of the battle results and sorting out the overall situation.

This battle was easier than I expected.

But it's perfectly reasonable, and there's nothing wrong with it.

The key lies in the final battle.

This forbidden zone of hell ranks only fourth in terms of danger among the six forbidden zones, higher than the animal realm and the ghost realm, but lower than the celestial realm, the human realm, and the Asura realm.

If someone ranked fourth possesses the power to strike with the Great Dao, then how terrifying must the first-ranked Celestial Immortal be?
If nothing unexpected happens, the three forbidden zones of Heavenly Immortal, Mortal, and Asura all contain a portion of the Dao body of the Supreme Being of the Underworld Sect, capable of temporarily returning to his peak and unleashing the full power of the Great Dao. Especially the main body of the Heavenly Immortal Dao, if he were to spare no expense and perish together, even Heavenly Immortals would be afraid.

Therefore, Xu Yang temporarily halted his offensive.

Not only did the cultivators of the academy suffer greatly and need time to rest and digest what they had gained from the battle, but he also needed time to improve himself, transform the fortune and merit he had acquired into strength, and use the influence of this battle to catalyze the surrounding areas and further boost the fortune of the Human Sect.

The stronger the fortune of the Human Sect, the stronger his and Xuanyuan's power will be, and the more confident they will be in pacifying the Six Forbidden Zones.

In addition, this is also a strategy to prevent the other party from resorting to desperate measures.

Judging from the performance of that Hell Path, if the Supreme Being of the Underworld Sect is willing to pay the price, he can still temporarily return to his peak and unleash the power of the Heavenly Immortal Great Dao.

Although he hadn't done this before, and instead took the risk of intervening in the heavenly tribulation, resulting in severe damage to his vital energy and the loss of an arm, this action is not difficult to understand.

The reason he didn't move his Dao body before wasn't because he didn't want to use his Celestial Immortal power to kill Xu Yang, but because he couldn't move.

His physical body is most likely unable to leave the Six Paths Forbidden Zone!

In that ancient great war, the five leaders of the religions inflicted unimaginable damage on him, so much so that after he fell into the Divine Continent, he had to separate his Dao body and use his "Golden Immortal Power" to mutate the world and form the Six Forbidden Zones, so that the world of the Divine Continent could share the damage and restore his vitality.

However, this kind of thing, this kind of state, is limited to the six forbidden zones that have been mutated by his Golden Immortal power.

Unless he can use that Golden Immortal power to distort the Heavenly Dao again, his Dao body will most likely not be able to leave the forbidden zone. If he leaves, he will be punished by Heaven. This is the Heavenly Dao of the Divine Continent's backlash against him, a defensive mechanism to eliminate its own poison.

Therefore, for him, intervening in the heavenly tribulation was far better than risking using his Dao body to kill it. After all, according to common sense, even an Earth Immortal who had been in the Heavenly Tribulation for many years would face certain death if faced with a heavenly tribulation of that magnitude.

But unexpectedly, Xu Yang, like him, was a character with extraordinary abilities, exceeding the norm.

When cheaters clash with cheaters, he is outmaneuvered and ends up in this predicament.

This was not a miscalculation, but simply the way of fate, and there was nothing he could do about it.

However, he was only one step behind and did not end up losing the whole game.

He might still have a trump card up his sleeve, and he might even sacrifice everything, merging the six bodies for a life-or-death battle.

Xu Yang doesn't want things to get to that point yet, which is why he's pausing his offensive, giving himself time to develop and his opponent some breathing room.

If things really escalate to the point of mutual destruction, even if he can withstand the desperate offensive of the Netherworld Supreme, his final fate will not be good, because after the Netherworld Supreme, there is a group of Heavenly Immortals from the Upper Realm who are eyeing him covetously.

Xu Yang had not forgotten whose handiwork this "Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth" was. Once the Supreme Being of the Underworld Sect perished, the two realms of the Upper Realm, which had been sealed off and isolated, were very likely to be reconnected. At that time, he would have to face the Five Sect Masters and the Ten Celestial Immortals of the Upper Realm.

Don't say there are no grudges. The various Dao lineages in the Upper Realm are so wary of that Netherworld Lord that they even went so far as to persecute ascended cultivators for him and try every means to open the passage. Is it really just because they are afraid that he will make a comeback?

Obviously not!

Their true aim was the Golden Immortal power in the hands of the Underworld Lord, especially the leaders of the Five Religions, who were determined to obtain this opportunity.

Therefore, whether there is enmity or not is not important. What is the relationship or state between Xu Yang and the Supreme Being of the Underworld Sect is also not important. What is important is whether he can obtain that Golden Immortal power.

Once Xu Yang kills the Underworld Lord and the two realms of the Upper Realm are reconnected, the thorn in the side of the various celestial immortals of the Upper Realm will become him instead of the Underworld Lord. Unless he has enough strength to contend with the various great lineages of the Upper Realm, the day the Six Forbidden Zones are pacified will be the day he and the Human Sect perish.

In this light, Xu Yang is in a dilemma. He cannot completely quell the Six Forbidden Zones, nor can he allow the Underworld Lord to recover his strength. He also has to be wary of the Five Religions of the Upper Realm and the return of various Daoist lineages to the mortal world.

Unable to advance or retreat, they are surrounded by wolves and tigers.

But he didn't care, because he still had a chance.

Time is his opportunity!
With the myriad realms as his backing and the powerful tool of time flow, he can gradually pacify the Six Forbidden Zones and suppress the Underworld Lord's recovery. As long as things don't escalate to the last step, he still has time to develop.

Next comes the accumulation and development!
Once enough resources have been accumulated and the momentum has been established, we can break through the impasse with force and dominate everything!
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(End of this chapter)