There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

With Wang Ping's current cultivation level, and by taking advantage of the rules of this starry sky, he wouldn't need to worry too much even if he faced a demonic cultivator from the fifth realm of the outer realm head-on. Therefore, he didn't retreat immediately. Instead, he used this consciousness to create a phantom figure, curiously staring into those scarlet eyes.

The next moment, his perception was filled with darkness, an endless darkness without a single glimmer of light. Then he felt a powerful energy trying to devour the consciousness that had extended from him.

However, although this energy was powerful, its destructive power was not strong. With a thought, Wang Ping broke free from the shackles of darkness, and his vision regained specks of light. Within these specks of light, demonic energy surged and quickly coalesced into a figure. This figure rapidly transformed into a human form, manifesting blue Taoist robes and a human appearance. However, there was endless darkness beneath his feet and behind him, making it look extremely eerie.

Wang Ping immediately thought of the information about the Demon Source from beyond the realm, knowing that this was a Demon Lord who cultivated the 'Erosion of Light' Demon Source. The characteristic of this Demon Source is to devour the sun and light, create an eternal night world, and instantly strip away all light. It corresponds to the fire spirit among the five elements.

"Are you a cultivator from here?"

The harsh, unnatural language of Zhongzhou rang in Wang Ping's ears, simultaneously causing the demonic energy in the starry sky to tremble.

Wang Ping's manifested illusory figure remained calm, responding in kind with a surge of demonic energy: "That's right, you are the Demon Lord from beyond the realm?"

"Yes!"

"I heard you've surrounded this entire starry sky?"

Wang Ping was just making conversation out of nothing.

The Demon Lord opposite him completely ignored his question and said to himself, "According to our understanding of this place, the only cultivators who can break through the barrier and manifest their consciousness, besides the Dragon Lord, are Changqing of the Taiyan Sect. You are obviously not the Dragon Lord, so you must be Changqing of the Taiyan Sect."

Wang Ping neither admitted nor denied it, but instead asked, "And who are you?"

“My name, according to your language, can be called Jiuwan. According to your custom, you can call me Jiudaoren.”

"According to the intelligence I have obtained, the only alliance outside the realm is codenamed 'Nine', and this alliance has previously contacted the Dragon Lord, wanting to kill me before I grow up."

Wang Ping stated it directly, his tone calm and revealing no emotion.

The Demon Lord, who called himself Nine Thousand, did not show any other expression. He continued to speak in the broken common language of the Central Continent: "Under the broken Heavenly Dao of this universe, we are all just trying our best to prolong our lives. If you have any other methods of cultivation, feel free to tell me. If it is feasible, I will do my best to assist you."

The Taoist priest, Jiuwan, remained calm, as if stating a given fact: "If there is no way out, why don't you follow the example of the Dragon Lord?"

Wang Ping's illusory figure remained as steady as a rock amidst the demonic energy, his voice calm and unwavering: "Our paths are different."

The crimson eyes of the Daoist Jiuwan flickered slightly, and darkness surged gently beneath his feet like a tide: "The Dao? Here, only survival matters. The Dragon Lord also struggled in the past, but eventually realized that pure order is like a tree without roots, and extreme destruction is also a dead end. Only at the boundary between order and destruction can one find a glimmer of true eternity."

He paused briefly, letting the tremors of demonic energy convey his meaning: "Our cooperation is not that of master and servant, but that of fellow practitioners. You will restrain the cultivators within the starry sky, preventing them from attempting to attack the outer realms like Yao Xi did, thus disrupting our balance. In return, we can help you suppress those madmen outside the realms who only know how to devour and destroy, maintaining this precious stability for your starry sky and for our own refuge."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping gently shook his head, his tone still calm yet carrying an undeniable firmness: "Billions of beings exist within the starry sky, their paths are naturally shaped by their own feet. I have neither the intention nor the right to restrict them. Moreover, the balance maintained by external forces is like building a tower on sand—it cannot last. What you seek is merely to delay your annihilation, not to transcend." The demonic energy surrounding the Nine Thousand Daoists paused slightly before resuming its flow. He was not angered, but his scarlet gaze seemed to deepen slightly: "Delaying annihilation is to strive for the opportunity of transcendence. Your refusal is because you still have the extravagant hope of having a choice. When times change, perhaps you will understand how precious today's stability is."

"Perhaps," Wang Ping said noncommittally, "but my path is not about prolonging life, but about moving forward."

The demonic energy between the two fell into a strange stagnation. There was no tension, only an invisible barrier caused by their diametrically opposed beliefs. Daoist Jiuwan knew that words could no longer persuade the other. He finally conveyed a thought: "It is a great pity. I hope you will not regret your decision today in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, the blue Taoist figure formed from demonic energy began to slowly dissipate, disappearing into the depths of the churning demonic energy along with the endless darkness beneath its feet, leaving only two scarlet dots that gave Wang Ping a deep look before finally vanishing completely.

Wang Ping also quietly watched the direction where the other party disappeared, and the illusory figure slowly dissipated as well. Although no action was taken in this contact, their positions were already clear. The situation outside the domain was more complicated than he had expected, and the road ahead was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Afterwards, Wang Ping withdrew his consciousness and looked at the vast sea of ​​clouds outside Jiuxuan Mountain and the mountains below the sea of ​​clouds. He couldn't help but sigh, "The scenery here is still more beautiful."

Yulian, who was playing with the calico cat, heard Wang Ping's sigh and tilted her head to look at him, while the calico cat meowed.

For a long time afterward, Wang Ping remained silent and did not use magic to observe the universe. He simply enjoyed the beautiful scenery around Mount Jiuxuan in silence.

An hour later, Wang Ping turned to look at Yu Lian and the calico cat, who were still playing and frolicking, and suddenly said softly, "When the Dragon Lord came out of seclusion, he disturbed my cultivation. It's only fair that I return the favor this time, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Lian paused, her small, jade-colored body stiffening. A hint of understanding and anticipation flashed in her golden vertical pupils. She stopped playing with the calico cat and took to the clouds, landing on Wang Ping's shoulder. She gently nuzzled Wang Ping's cheek, conveying a support that needed no words.

Wang Ping smiled slightly. Although he still stood quietly on the summit of Jiuxuan Mountain with his eyes slightly closed, his aura suddenly changed.

He did not deliberately use any supernatural powers or spells; he simply released the restraint on his own aura and completely resonated his will with the ubiquitous network of wood spirit rules in this starry sky.

"Om~"

A deep, resonant hum, seemingly originating from the very beginning of the universe, disregarded the barriers of space and time, and quietly echoed in the depths of the hearts of all cultivators who had already glimpsed the threshold of the rules.

Then they sensed that the wood elemental energy under the starry sky had become incredibly active, carrying a boundless yet undeniably majestic aura that rippled across the vast starry sky, sweeping over star after star and star field after star field.

Mercury.

Deep within the Dragon Palace, a pair of dragon eyes, seemingly containing the birth and death of galaxies, slowly opened. The chilling aura that could freeze time and space around them rippled slightly as it passed through the rules.

"Hey!"

After a sigh, the Dragon Lord transformed into human form, extending his right hand and rapidly calculating something. (End of Chapter)