After the Skyfall

Chapter 977 Leaving an Opportunity
In the main hall of Daoting Mountain in Tianchang City, many Taoist masters gathered together.

There were enlightened beings like the Eastern Celestial Venerable, as well as those at the Great Perfection level such as Xuanzhenzi, Yuqing Daoist, Yuanyang Daoist, Shenxu Daoist, and Qingfengzi, among others.

Of course, Yun Feizi, Lingyinzi, Wumengzi, and other former fairy maidens of the Heavenly Dao Sect also came.

In addition, there were old acquaintances, such as Old Master Wu, Sister Liu, and the Bald Taoist Priest.

Outside the main hall, many cultivators had also gathered. Due to their status and strength, they were unable to enter the base of the main hall and could only wait outside, hoping to meet Li Yi.

On Earth, Li Yi is renowned and legendary.

Several years ago, he led his people into the realm of demons and gods, killed the Purple Dragon Demon God, scared away the Golden Crow Demon God, and forcefully seized a realm, winning lasting peace for Earth.

Although Li Yi disappeared after that, for cultivators, a few years is nothing, no different from returning from a vacation.

However, in the past few years, everyone has been able to sense the astonishing changes in Li Yi.

Despite its restrained aura and sealed magical power, the aura that was inadvertently revealed made even enlightened cultivators feel their hearts pound, as if an ordinary person had suddenly paid homage to a king or noble.

The gap between them is beyond words.

"It's been a few years, but you all still look as impressive as ever," Li Yi said with a smile. "Eastern Celestial Venerable, how have you been settling in on Earth these past few years?"

The Eastern Celestial Venerable laughed and said, "How leisurely! Just now, this old Daoist observed changes in the heavens and earth. The moon was destroyed and then rebuilt. After that, the pollution of the heavens and earth disappeared. Was this the work of Taiyi?"

“I have dealt with the source of the pollution, so you can all cultivate with peace of mind from now on. There is no need to activate the great formation to isolate the pollution anymore,” Li Yi said. “This time, I brought a gift for the Dao Court, which I believe you have all seen.”

"That is the Heavenly King Palace. Behind the gate is a secret world, even larger than the current Earth. The spiritual energy inside is extraordinary and almost inexhaustible. It is a kind of benefit for the seniors in the Dao Court. After all, I have received a lot of help from you seniors along the way. Without you, I would hardly have made it to where I am today."

He did not forget his roots, leaving a Heavenly King Palace in the Taoist temple for all the people in the temple to share.

"Everyone is welcome to enter and set aside a piece of land for their own use. If there are any rare or precious treasures inside, you may take them as you wish, but please don't fight over them," Li Yi said with a smile.

Everyone was surprised and puzzled upon hearing this.

"Since Taiyi has put it that way, then this old Taoist will not stand on ceremony."

At that moment, the Eastern Celestial Venerable waved his hand, and a stream of spiritual energy was guided out from the Heavenly King Palace, which then turned into a drizzle that fell on everyone.

In an instant, everyone's bodies glowed, their vitality extended, their lifespan increased, their primordial spirit strengthened, and the three flowers began to bloom.

This is not spiritual energy, it is clearly the essence of heaven and earth, a precious medicine in the world. Just bathing in this kind of spiritual energy can bring about such changes. If one were to cultivate in such a place, one would, without a doubt, start at the Three Flowers Perfection stage.

The Eastern Celestial Venerable had already seen through the situation. This move of his made everyone understand just how high Li Yi's treatment was. It was definitely not just a simple gift of a dojo, lest someone not know its value.

"Unbelievable! Is this still spiritual energy? I was baptized by this spiritual energy, and another flower of my primordial spirit has bloomed."

"My lifespan has increased by at least 60 years, and my aging body seems to have been reversed, full of vitality."

"This spiritual energy contains the great medicine of heaven and earth, which can bring amazing fortune to people."

Many cultivators at the Three Flowers Realm were amazed. Their eyes lit up, and they became incredibly excited, even wanting to rush into the gate immediately to see the secret realm.

"It seems that Taiyi has gone to an extraordinary world these past few years," the Eastern Celestial Venerable exclaimed.

While others were concerned about the secret realm, he was more interested in Li Yi's experiences over the past few years.

This reminder prompted me.

Everyone turned to look at Li Yi.

Yes.

A world with this level of spiritual energy is something to be longed for.

Li Yi laughed and said, "The Eastern Celestial Venerable is still as perceptive as ever. I will not hide anything from you. The place I went to a few years ago was the Celestial Realm, the pinnacle of all worlds, a world that stands above all heavens."

He didn't hide it, firstly because there was no need, and secondly because he was a Heavenly King, an invincible being in the mortal realm, so he could naturally act more boldly.

Heaven?

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and at the same time, their curiosity grew even stronger.

Li Yi said, "Just as you guessed, the Heavenly Realm is an extremely special world. It is vast and boundless, with countless races and countless rare treasures of heaven and earth. However, it is impossible to cross over there because of the Heavenly Membrane. I learned about a small path by chance and sneaked over there."

"Under normal circumstances, even millions or tens of millions of Earthlings who cross over to other realms might not be able to find the Celestial Realm even after searching for hundreds or thousands of years."

"However, the higher the level of the world, the more dangerous it is. You can imagine how many powerful people will be born in a place that has this level of spiritual energy."

He described the beauty of the heavens to everyone, but also pointed out the dangers within.

"I wonder if those who attain enlightenment can have a foothold in the Heavenly Realm?" The Eastern Celestial Venerable pondered Li Yi's words, then asked somewhat hesitantly.

“There’s a roadside path; if you walk along it, you might get captured and enslaved, or forced to work in the mines.” Li Yi shook his head and smiled.

"Is it really that bad?" The Eastern Celestial Venerable was taken aback. He had been on Earth for several years and naturally knew what "a roadside" meant.

All the cultivators in the main hall were in an uproar.

Are you kidding me? An enlightened being is worse off than a dog in the Heavenly Street?
Li Yi continued, "Cultivators in the Celestial Realm do not have fixed realms, only combat strength. Among them, the weakest are the Celestial Soldiers, followed by the Celestial Generals, then the Celestial Kings, Celestial Emperors, and Celestial Venerables."

"If an enlightened being were to enter the Heavenly Realm, their combat strength would likely be inferior to that of a Heavenly Soldier, as they wouldn't even have a cultivation level. Moreover, the difference in combat strength between each cultivation level is like heaven and earth, especially as one progresses through the cultivation stages, the gap in strength becomes even greater."

“If even those who attain enlightenment are inferior to heavenly soldiers, then they are truly just a roadside soldier,” the Eastern Celestial Venerable murmured.

I never imagined that after a lifetime of cultivation, I would think I had reached the pinnacle of the world and could not go any further, but I never expected that there was a celestial realm that transcends all other realms.

His combat strength is even inferior to that of a heavenly soldier.

Heavenly soldier, as the name suggests, is just an insignificant nobody, probably just a gatekeeper in the celestial realm.

Even the Eastern Celestial Venerable is like this.

The others felt even worse. If these experts at the Three Flowers Realm were to enter the Heavenly Realm, they would basically be just ordinary people, no different from those without any cultivation.

At most, it's just a domestic animal that can fly.

Li Yi said, "I am not saying this to discourage you all, but to encourage you to focus on your cultivation on Earth. If one day you become celestial soldiers, I am willing to guide you to the Heavenly Realm and help you find a future."

"Of course, if you don't want to, there's no need to force yourself. Staying on Earth is perfectly fine."

He thought that if he wanted to make a name for himself in the Celestial Realm, he would need to have some followers around him. It wasn't realistic to rely solely on buying slaves or having them distributed by the Celestial Race.

After all, one day when he becomes the God Emperor, he will also need to establish his own imperial city, and at that time he will need a lot of manpower.

Moreover, those who can cultivate to the level of Heavenly General on Earth are, after all, individuals with exceptional potential. They can have even better development in the Heavenly Realm, and breaking through to the Heavenly King level in the future should not be a problem.

“It seems that I can’t be so lazy anymore and I have to work harder.” Dongji Tianzun said with a smile, “However, I can no longer call myself Tianzun. This is a big taboo. I will just call myself Dongji Daoren from now on. When I can really cultivate to the level of Tianzun, I will take back this title.”

He is optimistic and full of expectations.

Others are not enlightened beings and do not understand the feeling of having reached the end of the road and only being able to while away the days waiting to die.

Now that he knows he can still climb higher, he is naturally overjoyed.

While the Eastern Pole Daoist was happy, the other cultivators in the Three Flowers Realm felt somewhat suffocated. They had never achieved enlightenment in their entire lives, and even if they had, they would be inferior to heavenly soldiers in the Heavenly Realm. It was truly a case of looking at a mountain and running to one's death.

Li Yi continued, “However, if you want to cultivate to the Heavenly General level, you can’t rely on Taoist techniques alone. This time when I returned from the Heavenly Realm, I also brought several cultivation methods for the human race. I took a quick look at them, and if your aptitude is sufficient, it won’t be a problem for you to reach the Heavenly King level. However, Earth’s resources are not enough to take you to the Heavenly King level.”

"Even with the blessing of my Heavenly King Palace, it's already quite remarkable that you've reached the Heavenly General level."

Then he waved his hand.

Ten precious manuals appeared before my eyes.

This was taken from the Heavenly Gods' Treasury, and anything that can be collected by the Heavenly Gods is naturally of high quality. There are even some paths to cultivate to the Heavenly Emperor level in this collection.

However, those paths are almost impossible to traverse; they are merely a reference and a guide for practitioners.

The crowd was both excited and amazed when they saw the ten precious books.

Resources plus cultivation methods—this is practically handing food to someone. Taiyi is indeed bold; he truly doesn't hold back at all. Even after becoming wealthy, he doesn't forget to help his fellow villagers.

They were forcibly dragged by Taiyi from the spiritually depleted Dharma-ending World to the Heavenly Realm.

Even if Li Yi is generous, he can only help them reach the rank of Heavenly General. Relying on the human race's own potential to reach the rank of Heavenly King is an extremely difficult thing.

However, he thought that it was always a good thing that the great waves had washed away the sand and left a path for advancement. What if one day a peerless genius would appear and make great strides after entering the Heavenly Realm?
"These ten treasures will remain in the Dao Court under the management of Daoist Dongji. Only cultivators who have reached the Great Perfection or evolved beings whose strength has reached the level of Demon King can read them," Li Yi said, setting a threshold at the same time.

It should be understood that the law should not be easily passed on.

Although this cultivation method from the heavens is useless to Li Yi, it could still cause turmoil on Earth if not properly managed.

The Eastern Pole Daoist immediately said, "Taiyi, rest assured, I will build a palace in the Heavenly King Palace to specifically oversee these ten Heavenly Realm cultivation methods, and I will personally examine anyone who wants to learn them."

Li Yi nodded in agreement.

This is the advantage of using enlightened beings; they are all seasoned veterans, quick to understand, knowing what should and shouldn't be done, and also knowing how to maintain proper boundaries.

Therefore, he preferred to employ these Taoist practitioners, as they were both worry-free and trustworthy. Apart from being somewhat cowardly, they never caused any trouble.

"That's settled then. Everyone, cultivate diligently and strive to reunite in the Heavenly Realm in the future," Li Yi encouraged everyone.

Everyone hurriedly stood up and bowed respectfully.

At the same time, we also have a general idea of ​​Li Yi's strength.

The beginning is like the heavens.

With such combat power, on Earth—no, in the lower realms—he could practically do whatever he wanted. There was nothing he couldn't do if he wanted to.

Therefore, no one dared to show the slightest disrespect, even those who had previously had a good relationship with each other.

(End of this chapter)