There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Xuanqing was dressed in a simple gray-blue casual robe, her long hair casually tied up with a wooden hairpin. Her aura was harmonious and restrained, which was quite in line with the natural atmosphere of the mountaintop.

His demeanor perfectly matched the people's imagination of immortals. His expression seemed both kind and majestic, and he also had a very obvious divine quality. When he descended on Jiuxuan Mountain under the guidance of the puppet, his gaze immediately fell on Wang Ping.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Changqing, on your further advancement in cultivation." Xuanqing bowed respectfully, his voice clear and melodious.

Wang Ping had already sat up straight from his reclining posture, a gentle smile on his face. He did not get up, but simply raised his hand and gestured towards the jade futon where Bai Yan had just sat: "Fellow Daoist Xuanqing, there is no need to be so polite, please sit down."

As he spoke, a puppet stepped forward and skillfully served Xuan Qing a freshly brewed cup of tea.

Xuan Qing gracefully took his seat, his gaze sweeping over the chessboard on the stone table, which was not yet completely tidied up. He smiled and said, "It seems I've come at an inopportune time, perhaps disturbing your refined enjoyment?"

"It was just a casual move, done when I had nothing better to do." Wang Ping said calmly, and with a wave of his hand, the pieces on the chessboard returned to their respective boxes, leaving the board spotless. "Fellow Daoist, you surely didn't come here just to enjoy tea and discuss chess, did you?"

Xuanqing picked up the teacup, gently blew away the floating leaves, took a sip, and praised, "Good tea, full of vitality, it calms the mind and clears away worries."

He put down his teacup, his gaze becoming slightly more serious, yet still maintaining his detached air. "Fellow Daoist speaks frankly, so I will speak plainly as well. Recently, the aura of the starry sky has been turbulent, and your cultivation has advanced rapidly, already attracting the attention of various parties. I have come here for two reasons: first, to congratulate you on your breakthrough in cultivation; and secondly..."

He paused slightly, his gaze meeting Wang Ping's calm eyes. "It is also at the request of the Dragon Lord that I hope to find a way for us to get along in a way that will put our minds at ease."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping's smile remained unchanged as he gently stroked the rim of the warm jade cup with his fingertips: "Dragon Lord, you are kind, but I wonder what kind of 'peace of mind' you mean? Do you want to get rid of me as soon as possible? Or do you hope that I, like Yuan Wu, will go to a secluded place beyond the realm and live a life detached from worldly affairs?"

His tone remained calm. Yu Lian raised her head from his shoulder, her golden vertical pupils glancing indifferently at Xuan Qing.

Xuan Qing remained expressionless and gently shook his head: "I am not clear about the Dragon Lord's specific thoughts. He just hopes to reopen the meeting and speak with you personally."

After listening, Wang Ping remained silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled and asked, "What do you think of this proposal?"

Xuanqing remained calm: "I only wish for peace in the starry sky and less conflict. Whether you fight or make peace, join forces or go it alone, your will is the most important factor in determining the future situation. My opinion is not important."

Wang Ping gave Xuan Qing a deep look, and then he sensed a slight energy fluctuation in the Five Elements rules around him. He immediately observed with his primordial spirit and saw that the space around Xuan Qing's physical body was already independent, both connected to and detached from the outside world, as if a miniature universe was being created and evolved within it.

"Fellow Daoist's 'Golden Core Universe' is truly becoming more and more exquisite. I observe that the aura around your body can already simulate the operation of the rules of the real universe within a small space."

Wang Ping's eyes were sharp: "I just wonder if, with your level of progress, you also need to observe the conflicts in the real universe to verify it?"

Xuan Qing let out a barely audible sigh. When he looked up again, his eyes remained detached, but now held a hint of composure at being seen through, and a deep-seated helplessness.

"Fellow Daoist, your eyes are indeed discerning; I was right to be able to see through you."

Xuanqing's voice remained clear and bright. "Indeed, my 'Golden Core Universe' cultivation to this level requires reflection of reality to achieve perfection. However, fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. I do not need to provoke additional conflicts. On the contrary, a peaceful starry sky is more beneficial to me."

"Oh?"

"Our Heavenly Gate cultivates its own magical power, which is different from the cultivation secrets of the Profound Gate. Fellow Daoist should be very clear about this."

Wang Ping nodded thoughtfully. He was just being a bit too self-centered. His own cultivation at the fourth and fifth realms had caused turmoil in Zhongzhou Star and the starry universe, respectively.

Yu Lian couldn't help but chuckle when she heard Xuan Qing's rebuttal.

Wang Ping smiled slightly and invited Xuan Qing, "Fellow Daoist, please have some tea."

After saying that, he picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. Then he put the teacup down and said, "Since I advanced to the fifth realm, I have not had any conversation with the Dragon Lord. I will take this opportunity to have a chat with him and see what he is planning."

He has essentially agreed to reopen the meeting.

"The meeting is in a month, how about it?"

Wang Ping proposed a timeframe.

Upon hearing this, Xuanqing immediately put down his teacup, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Then so be it. I shall take my leave now."

After speaking, a clear light flowed around him, the independent spatial fluctuations quietly disappeared, and his figure also faded away, like a light stroke of ink blending into a landscape painting, vanishing from the summit of Mount Jiuxuan in an instant.

Wang Ping stared intently in the direction he had disappeared.

Yu Lian flicked her tongue and said, "It seems Xuan Qing will remain neutral, which is a good thing for us."

Wang Ping simply nodded, got up and walked to the edge of the cliff, gazing at the vast sea of ​​clouds. Various thoughts flashed through his mind. Half an hour later, he seemed to have made a decision. His gaze traveled through time and space to look at the ecological zone of the Star God Alliance in outer space, and in just a moment, he caught the aura of the Gray Daoist.

The next moment, the unsuspecting Gray Daoist felt a sense of weightlessness. Before he could even be terrified, his vision shifted and he found himself on the familiar yet unfamiliar summit of Nine Profound Mountain.

Sensing Wang Ping's presence and seeing Wang Ping's figure standing on the edge of the cliff in his vision, he instinctively lowered his head, and only then did fear arise in his mind.

This fear was a cognitive upheaval at the level of existence. He had switched to the demonic path, thinking that even if there was a gap between him and Wang Ping, it should still be a contest between people of the same realm, with the difference in skill or foundation.

Yet at this moment, he felt as if he were directly facing a part of the very rules of this starry sky, vast, profound, and immeasurable.

Immediately afterward, a chill ran through Gray Daoist's primordial spirit. He recalled that when Wang Ping first began his cultivation, he was already a fifth-realm Star God. Now, however, the other party had reached a height that he could not comprehend. With a single thought, he could decide his life or death and determine his existence.

At this moment, he didn't dare to let even the slightest fluctuation of consciousness escape him. He simply lowered his head even further, his posture extremely humble, waiting for the figure to pronounce judgment. His heart was filled with indescribable awe and fear.

Do you remember what you promised me?

Wang Ping's voice was very soft.

The gray-haired man was filled with fear at the moment, and upon hearing this, he only let out an "Ah".

Yu Lian, perched on Wang Ping's shoulder, looked up at the gray-haired man and reminded him, "You promised us that you would go to the outer realms for us."

The gray Taoist immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly bowed, saying, "How could I dare to forget the presence of the True Lord? Now I see the True Lord using his supreme wisdom to unravel the mysteries, reaching a level that is beyond our reach. If I could serve by your side and listen to your teachings, it would be my greatest fortune."

Wang Ping chuckled, and Yu Lian laughed too. She enjoyed listening to the Gray Daoist's flattery. Then, she asked on Wang Ping's behalf with a smile, "Are you planning to break the contract? Don't you want to go to the outer realms anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Grayman lowered his head even further, his tone becoming even more earnest:

"It is my great honor to serve the True Lord. I will do my utmost to explore the way for the True Lord on our journey beyond the realm, even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire!"

He paused briefly, stealing a glance at Wang Ping's expression. Seeing that he showed no displeasure, he continued:
"Your Excellency's talent is truly unparalleled. When I return from beyond the realm, I only ask that Your Excellency not despise me and allow me to listen to your teachings. Even if I were to serve as a janitor, I would be willing."

Wang Ping said, "Since you agree, let's go now."

As his voice echoed, the time-space portal reappeared.

This time, Gray Daoist felt no fear of weightlessness, only a slight anticipation. As his gaze shifted, he saw a starry sky covered in ice and the familiar Star Barrier. But then his gaze fell on the ecological zone with the most abundant light nearby. When he sensed the Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivators and a cultivator who had entered the zone using the 'Erosion Edge Demonic Source', his expression changed slightly.

"These are all my puppets. You just need to settle them in. You don't need to take special care of them."

Wang Ping's voice rang out again.

Gray Dao Ren reacted quickly. Just as he was about to flatter Wang Ping again, Wang Ping's serious and indifferent voice rang out, "I will send you out now. If you have any information to share with me after you leave, you can set up an altar and pray to me."

As he spoke, he gently reached out with his left hand into the air, and a branch of a locust tree appeared in his hand.

The next moment, the locust tree branch transformed into a communication talisman, and it instructed, "When you pray, communicate with this talisman using your primordial spirit. If I don't respond, try a few more times."

As soon as Wang Ping finished speaking, he didn't give the Gray Daoist any chance to speak. He then made a hand seal with his right hand, instantly analyzing the Five Elements rules. Then, he gently pointed his finger forward.

As he moved, the ice-covered star barrier in front of him rippled outwards like water. The rules that separated the inside and outside of the barrier seemed to have their wrinkles smoothed out by an invisible hand, revealing the chaotic and destructive nature of the outer realm behind it.

This was Wang Ping's understanding and insight into the rules of the Five Elements, which allowed him to temporarily create a relatively stable passage within the structure of the barrier. The inner wall of the passage was filled with five-colored light, which was a manifestation of Wang Ping's own power. It struggled to resist the erosion of the chaotic rules from outside the domain and maintained the temporary existence of the passage.

Beyond the passage lay endless darkness and distortion, with chaotic energy currents vaguely visible, like a giant beast ready to devour its prey, emitting a silent roar.

"Go."

Wang Ping's voice was calm and even, as if he had simply opened an ordinary door.

Then a gentle yet irresistible force lifted Gray Daoist up and sent him into the shimmering passage. Following him were the dungeon puppets from the ecological zone, including the puppet that had already entered the passage.

The moment their figures were swallowed by the darkness deep within the passage, the light at Wang Ping's fingertips subsided, and the temporary passage quickly closed up.

The moment the passage completely closed, Wang Ping closed his eyes, focusing most of his mind into his primordial spirit. Following the connection with the puppet, he crossed the newly closed barrier and projected his consciousness into that unknown, chaotic land.

There were obstacles, but not a complete blockage of his consciousness.

What Wang Ping first sensed was endless darkness and coldness, a physical space filled with chaotic demonic energy. There was no direction here, only eternal silence and occasional energy storms.

His puppets were like a few specks of dust thrown into a sea of ​​ink, instantly enveloped by endless darkness and chaotic demonic energy.

Through the puppet's eyes, Wang Ping saw another distorted scene: the demonic energy was like a viscous, constantly churning black ocean, with occasionally huge, indescribable shadows writhing deep within it, emitting chilling fluctuations.

A few breaths later, the connection between Wang Ping and the puppet disappeared, but through the cosmic network of the 'Heavenly Talisman', it could be seen that the lifeline simulated by the puppet still existed.

What came to mind? What did you see?

Yu Lian's voice rang out.

Wang Ping responded, "Just as we asserted before, the rules of destruction from beyond the realm can exist in this starry sky, and our Heavenly Dao can also exist beyond the realm."

"It is not good?"

Yulian nuzzled Wang Ping's cheek with her little head.

Wang Ping nodded, his gaze falling on the nearby ecological zone. He stretched out his right hand and gently tapped it, instantly replacing the puppets that had just been moved away.

He has stored tens of thousands of crafted puppets in the Wood Spirit World, which can be directly activated if needed.

Once everything in the ecological zone returned to normal, Wang Ping took Yu Lian back to Jiuxuan Mountain through time and space, activated the more complex mirror array of Jiuxuan Mountain, and after more than ten breaths, he successfully sensed the consciousness of the puppets that had been sent to the outer realm.

At that moment, a cold, chaotic, and insane consciousness, filled with endless malice, like a venomous snake lurking in the darkness, invaded from the newly stabilized connection channel!

This consciousness is a kind of concrete manifestation of the chaotic rules of the outer realm itself. It carries the instinct to annihilate all order and pollute all spirituality, and rushes straight into the depths of Wang Ping's primordial spirit.

There was no surprise in Wang Ping's eyes; he had already anticipated it. He saw a bright, clear light emanating from his body, with a faint phantom of the Jianmu tree rooted in the void behind him. His primordial spirit was like a clear, mirror-like lake, allowing the violent, chaotic consciousness to surge into it.

However, when this consciousness entered Wang Ping's primordial spirit, it was as if it had fallen into an invisible net. Wang Ping constructed layers of filters within his primordial spirit, and assimilated it in an instant.

Unfortunately, this consciousness contained no useful memories, only meaningless madness, so Wang Ping directly removed it from his memories and primordial spirit.

"Are you alright?" Yulian asked with concern.

“It’s alright.” Wang Ping said calmly. “The rules of the outer realms are indeed violent, but the energy of most consciousnesses is very fragile. With my cultivation level, I have nothing to fear. However, I still need to be careful. If you notice anything wrong with my consciousness, please remind me.”

He maintained the operation of the mirror array, continuing to cautiously observe the desolate and unknown landscape beyond the realm through the puppet's perspective… (End of Chapter)