Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 437 Reducing to Emptiness, Ultimate Freedom (Updates Resumed)
Fu Dao had not expected Qi Tian's attitude to be so firm.

Moreover, the other party is not protecting the Netherworld, but only Ji Jingqiu!
Fu Dao frowned and said, "Do you know what you're saying?"

In Fu Dao's eyes, the idea of ​​binding one person to one realm is utterly ridiculous.

For the vast realm, nothing is indispensable.

Qi Tian didn't say much. He pointed out a finger, which was like a lamp, followed by the lights of thousands of homes, conveying the essence of the mortal world.

Sensing the change in the rules of the Great Dao, Fu Dao's expression turned solemn. Qi Tian was actually altering the Great Dao of this world!
As two of the most powerful Heavenly Lords, Fu Dao had no reason to back down, especially since Qi Tian seemed to have made further progress, which piqued Fu Dao's interest even more.

……

In the distant starry sky.

The sound seemed to vanish, the world became silent, and the stars manifested by the Great Dao shattered, crashing down like meteorites, resembling a suffocating and chilling natural disaster.

Zhang Yuan, single-handedly, forcibly mobilized the stars within the surrounding galaxies, echoing the stars billions of miles away.

Keng!
The five-colored divine light transformed into an unparalleled divine sword, soaring into the sky. This sword strike was like a cloth for wiping away paint, completely smoothing out and eliminating everything in the starry sky before them!

Signs of a struggle for the Great Dao have already emerged between the two. Let's see if Kong Xiao's sword is sharper, or if Zhang Yuan's inexhaustible star power is.

At this moment, a white line suddenly appeared in the starry sky, followed by a blinding white light, its cold gleam piercing the void, as if shooting from the depths of the universe. It was none other than the Supreme Tribulation-Slaying Flying Knife of the Intercepting Heaven Sect!
The flying knife folds space, merging with the essence of omnipresence. Even if they are separated by millions of light-years, it is only a moment. When a knife is shot, it constantly oppresses and annihilates, tearing the entire starry sky apart!
In an instant, Kong Xiao, who had been in the lead, was plunged into a life-or-death crisis!

With Zhang Yuan tied down on the main battlefield, Tian Yan from the [Intercepting Heaven Sect] unleashed a deadly technique. A flying knife transformed space into a mere foot, its momentum vast and magnificent, containing Dao power, and directly shattered everything in the star field centered on Kong Xiao!
Under the pressure of this sword intent and Zhang Yuan, Kong Xiao's mind and spirit became one. The ray of wisdom in his heart was like oil poured on a raging fire, blooming with blazing light and reaching its peak. It even attracted the power of the Nether Sea that permeated the world!

This abrupt change shocked even Kong Xiao.

"Tianyan!"

The rebuke echoed through the starry sky, carrying a warning, but it did not come from Kong Xiao, but from Zhang Yuan.

A duel between two top-tier Heavenly Lords is not open to interference from others.

Zhang Yuan also did not believe that his duel with Kong Xiao required Tian Yan's intervention.

"Okay, okay, I'll just say I meant well but messed things up."

Tianyan, speaking casually from afar with a faint smile, walked slowly towards Kong Xiao, her gaze fixed on him like that of a predator eyeing its prey.

Around him, a flying knife, as swift as a swimming fish, swirled and spun, obliterating everything in its path!

Zhang Yuan stopped and stood still, not pursuing, his eyes sharp and piercing.

Tianyan couldn't help but shake his head and said, "When did you become so upright and unyielding, fellow Daoist? Putting aside everything else, both our sects have lost a Heavenly Lord, while [Huanzhen Temple] has suffered no losses whatsoever."

Upon hearing these words, Zhang Yuan's gaze deepened.

"Why don't we join forces to kill Kong Xiao first? I won't compete for Ji Jingqiu; I'll just let you have him," Tian Yan said with a smile. "After all, I don't really like Shi Dao either. If he dies, he dies. No one will be competing with me for the position of Heavenly Venerable anymore."

Zhang Yuan looked at him intently and said, "As a Heavenly Lord, do you still want to follow the old path of the sect?"

The Eight Realms Barrier blocked countless Heavenly Kings.

The difficulty of this level lies not only in the level itself, but also in the limitations imposed by one's Heavenly and Earthly attainments.

The most essential meaning of the lineage within each family is the status of a Celestial Venerable.

Even within the Transcendent Sect, the position of Celestial Venerable is a rare commodity. The reason why all the Heavenly Kings are willing to participate in the Expansion War is to compete for a position beyond the realm.

But these things are none of their concern.

The true meaning of the Heavenly Lord is that, relying solely on himself, he creates something from nothing, using his divine powers to forcibly establish a new Heavenly Venerable position, without any restrictions.

Although this path is much slower than the orderly lineages of various schools of thought, it has no upper limit or heavenly barrier. In particular, these top Heavenly Monarchs who have developed complete Primordial Divine Powers can theoretically aim directly for the Supreme True Saint rank!
But now, Tianyan, who has mastered the complete Primordial Divine Power, has indicated that he intends to follow the old path of the sect...

Tianyan said with a half-smile, "If a vacancy were to become available in the main branch of your family, I wonder if you would choose to leave or not?"

Zhang Yuan's pupils contracted sharply. Another vacancy had been created under the leadership of the [Intercepting Heaven Sect].
No wonder...

The Heavenly and Earthly Fruits of the Dao lineage have their own upper limits. Some stop at the Heavenly Venerable or Dao Ancestor level, and the best they can do is stop at the True Saint level.

However, the attainment of each main lineage is directly on the broad path to becoming a supreme saint!
Moreover, once you enter this gate, you immediately become one of the true power holders of each family, transcending their own lineage, and are no longer a "young junior".

Zhang Yuan remarked, "What a lucky guy."

There's only one possibility for this vacancy in the Dao position...

A member of the main branch of the Jietian Sect has perished!

I haven't heard of the Jietian Sect suffering any major losses in its large-scale external expansion recently, so the most likely explanation is that someone in the Jietian Sect has failed in their attempt to break through to transcendence?
Zhang Yuan made up his mind, looked at Kong Xiao who seemed lost in thought not far away, and said in a deep voice:
“I know you’ve always looked down on innate beings like Kong Xiao. I’ll help you take down Kong Xiao, and I’ll give Ji Jingqiu to you.”

"Fellow Daoist Zhang is a wise man." Tianyan smiled brightly.

Zhang Yuan didn't continue the conversation; he just wanted to resolve the matter quickly.

Suddenly, dense patterns appeared in the starry sky, as if the heavens were being created and countless stars were born, instantly making the originally desolate and lifeless starry sky magnificent and bringing infinite vitality.

boom!
The boundless light of the Great Dao's rules poured down, instantly illuminating the starry sky, like ten thousand suns rising, dazzlingly brilliant, yet filled with a chilling killing intent!
"Starting with a Heaven-Opening Divine Power?" Tianyan's smile grew even brighter. "I wonder if, with our combined strength, we can severely injure or kill Kong Xiao in one blow?"

The next moment, the flying dagger that had been swirling in the starry sky suddenly shot out, transforming into an arc of unparalleled mystery, elucidating the ultimate principles of heaven and earth—

……

……

Sealed place.

The chaotic battle at Qinglian Temple is like observing the lines on the palm of your hand.

He not only witnessed the battles between Fu Dao and Qi Tian, ​​and between Kong Xiao and Zhang Yuan, but also spent some time finding two other Heavenly Kings in the universe who were similar to Kong Xiao and others, and were ridiculously strong.

In the eyes of a true saint like Qinglian, these people were like a lighthouse in the vast universe, impossible to hide. If one wanted to find them, one could always find them by spending time.

What caught Qinglian's attention the most was not the previous two battles, but another part of the starry sky where a martial artist, also from the Yanhuang Federation, happened to meet a foreign Heavenly Monarch.

Qinglian, gazing thoughtfully at the battlefield from afar, perhaps couldn't be described as a coincidence, but rather as "destiny."

This Heavenly Lord from beyond the realm possesses the Great Dao of Myriad Manifestations, and his opponent is none other than the current Pope of the Myriad Manifestations Divine Kingdom, the successor chosen by the Lord of Myriad Manifestations.

Wan Chengcang.

This was a scheme orchestrated by Ji Tianxing himself, who sent this boy to the Myriad Manifestations Divine Kingdom, where he became the previous generation's Myriad Manifestations Divine Child.

In that great battle decades ago, the Lord of Myriad Manifestations, like the Crimson Firefly, was one of the True Saints who made great contributions to the Netherworld.

The reason for this is not only because of Wu Zhou, as Qinglian knows, but also because Wan Chengcang made a deal with the Lord of Myriad Phenomena long ago.

“Wan Chengcang…” Qinglian sighed regretfully.

As expected, Wanxiang repaid the debts he owed to the Federation, but the price was that this child would bear the burden of Wanxiang's past karma.

If everything goes smoothly, this will be a great thing. Wan Chengcang will become the next God of All Things, pointing directly to the True Saint Path. And All Things can also use this opportunity to get out of the quagmire of the God Kingdom, regain their "freedom", and even break through to transcendence!

But if things don't go smoothly, there's only one outcome: death.

Compared to the former, death is actually insignificant.

Qinglian had to admit that Ji Tianxing never did business that resulted in a loss or even just broke even.

"I wonder if Wanxiang obtained this 'subtraction to seek emptiness' method from Shouzhen," Qinglian muttered to herself, recalling another avatar of Ji Jingqiu. Shouzhen of [Tiansheng Lake] was among the earliest acquired beings to rise to power, having experienced the middle period of the rule of the five great gods and had contact with the second wave of visitors from outside the realm.

In Qinglian's opinion, this guy made a good move by going with the flow back then.

Although Wutian was merely an avatar of Ji Jingqiu, when the avatars eventually merged into one, the Dao Fruit would still be bestowed upon Ji Jingqiu.

Once Ji Jingqiu fully accepts this fruit, it might truly allow him to navigate the path of "reducing and seeking emptiness," and thereby achieve transcendence.

Not to mention Ji Jingqiu, Wan Chengcang, who has already begun to bear the weight of the Myriad Manifestations Fruit, is already able to withstand that Heavenly Lord from outside the realm. In just a hundred exchanges, he has already gained the upper hand.

Qinglian couldn't help but glance at Ji Jingqiu, who was expressionless and carefree. The latter was still in seclusion, his spiritual avatar wandering through the vast universe, while his physical body was being tempered by supreme killing intent.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself—

These outsiders all came looking for this kid, but he never showed up. Among the unpleasant guests, some fought amongst themselves, while others "received" him beforehand.

In Qinglian's perception, one of the two extraterrestrial celestial beings who did not participate in the battle had devoted all their attention to exploring this realm, showing no intention of coming to the Yanhuang Federation to join in the fun, and seemed to be searching for something.

At this moment, remembering some of Ji Anquan's requests, Qinglian stepped in and guided the Heavenly Lord to explore some of the hidden secrets of this world.

Being in the vast universe, it was indeed inconvenient for him to take action, otherwise he would also attract the suppression of the universe's will. However, by simply taking advantage of the situation, he would be subject to far fewer restrictions.

Now there's only one guest left.

Qinglian narrowed her eyes, looking at the outsider who had actually managed to touch this sealed place.

interesting.

How did this guy find this place?
Even the various transcendent sects in this world are currently unaware of the exact coordinates of this place.

How did an outsider find this place?

In the blink of an eye, Qinglian raised her hand and took the young Heavenly Lord, who could not suppress his joy and shock, into her palm.

In the Netherworld, only Qinglian possessed the most "mixed" Daoist techniques. In his early years, many people suspected that his Dao was rooted in the myriad phenomena, just as the Lord of the Myriad Phenomena was wary of him. It seems that he had also been somewhat involved in the Dao of Dreams and Illusions in his early years.

Qinglian conjured an illusory world in her palm, threw the extraterrestrial celestial being into it, and continued to evolve according to the other party's "thoughts".

In this illusion, the celestial ruler "got his wish," revealing his true intentions and even revealing the key to how he found this place in his soliloquy.

"Zhang Tiancheng... how could it be this person?"

A solemn expression gradually settled on Qinglian's brows.

This person had clearly left the Federation and the Netherworld long ago, so how did he know the location of this sealed place?
Just as Qinglian was lost in thought, the Heavenly Lord in her palm showed faint signs of struggling out of the illusion.

This surprised Qinglian. Although he was not good at this, he was still a True Saint. Even though his Dao Fruit had not been fully restored, this kid was actually able to show signs of struggling and even had signs of regaining consciousness...

It seems that the special rank of Heavenly Lord is indeed quite remarkable, which explains why it is valued by various transcendent sects.

Qinglian became interested and carefully examined the "insect" in her palm. Gradually, she noticed some clues and her expression became serious.

"There's even a hint of... complete freedom? Could this be the true meaning of the Heavenly Lord?"

Qinglian looked surprised.

"Heavenly Lord, Heavenly Lord... what exactly is the threshold for this realm?"

As she muttered to herself, Qinglian made another move and obtained the answer she wanted from the man in her palm.

"...The Heaven-Opening Divine Power...can one enter the Heavenly Venerable Realm without needing a Heavenly or Earthly Fruition?"

"No wonder." Qinglian suddenly sighed, "So the true meaning of Great Freedom comes from here. Before the Heavenly Venerable, one evolves an unparalleled foundation, breaks through the constraints of heaven and earth with a body that can create heaven and earth, and can step into the eighth realm without external force. Most importantly... one can actually comprehend a trace of the ultimate meaning of Great Freedom from this?!"

Qinglian couldn't help but smile bitterly.

The ultimate freedom he spoke of was the final level of the Dao realm, equivalent to the other shore in the Yanhuang Federation's classification of mental states.

Back then, no one told him that before the Eight Realms, at the Heavenly King's end, there was this barrier that could help them grasp a sliver of Great Freedom in advance.

Even if it's just the basics, you can still find the clues and explore in this direction later, instead of struggling to find the five gates.

As far as he knew, the number of True Saints who had mastered the ultimate freedom in the Netherworld was zero!

As for the rumors that Mu Shitian and He Donghuang had discovered the other side of the mind, which is equivalent to the ultimate freedom, this has not yet been confirmed.

Or rather, the saints had always wanted to get confirmation from these two, but had never had the opportunity.

It's unclear whether the five great gods are aware of this.

Qinglian couldn't help but recall the time when Mu Shitian went against the flow of time and reached a consensus with the various gods.

While deep in thought, the Heavenly Lord in his palm finally seized the opportunity to regain his senses and broke free.

This person, who was originally furious and embarrassed, felt that he had fallen into the enemy's trap and was being played by others, revealing his ugly side.

But when he finally broke free from Qinglian's palm and faced the latter directly, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and finally revealed a bitter smile.

Another true saint!
The only exception?
That woman's words were all utter nonsense!
The Heavenly Lord, whose Daoist name was Xuan Yi, suddenly realized that the Taiyou lineage's agreement to act as their inside agent was probably all part of a scheme from beginning to end!

Looking at the Heavenly Lord who was walking on the right path, Qinglian sighed. If he had been able to walk this path back then, he wouldn't be so clueless about the Great Freedom Realm now.

This is the stark difference in the underlying strength of the two sides.

He suddenly felt a bit bored, and even temporarily lost his murderous intent.

After thinking for a moment, Qinglian drew a prison on the ground and then pointed to the drawn cage.

No matter how unwilling Xuan Yi was, he had no choice but to step into it.

Qinglian sent a message to Ji Anquan about this matter, including Zhang Tiancheng's; let the little guy rack his brains over all the headaches.

Then, he glanced at Ji Jingqiu again.

In less than thirty years of seclusion, he not only deciphered his own destiny, but his cultivation was also about to reach the fifth level of the Heavenly King realm. He had completed a journey that ordinary Heavenly Kings could not finish in a thousand or ten thousand years. Such speed...

This is absolutely outrageous!

……

……

"Stop teasing me! Where exactly did my Ke family ancestor reincarnate?!" Ke Qingliu grabbed Ji Anquan's shoulder and said fiercely, "Ji family brat, are you going to tell me or not?"

Upon receiving the message from Qinglian, Ji Anquan's eyes lit up noticeably, and he even disregarded the threat from the old man.

Have they already captured a Heavenly Lord?
Why only one?
"Just how many Heavenly Lords have come from beyond the boundary this time?"

Upon hearing Ji Anquan's question, Ji Boyu recalled for a moment: "There should be six or seven of them."

Six or seven, and only one was caught. Senior Qinglian is really good at slacking off... Ji Anquan muttered to himself, and sent a message to Qinglian, asking this senior to catch a couple more if possible.

If he has a lot of hostages, he can set a trap to deliberately let one go and notify the "elders" outside the border, so that they will regard everything here as a conspiracy.

At that time, he will not need to find the mastermind behind the reception of these people into the Great Universe; the visitors from the Boundary Sea will naturally regard him as an enemy.

(End of this chapter)