Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 464 The Only Real World, True Nature Revealed Amidst Tumultuous Changes

The sun and moon illuminate the four heavens and encompass all sentient beings in the six realms, forming a "small world".

A thousand small worlds make up a "small chiliocosm".

And so on.

The final "Great Thousand Worlds" contains a thousand smaller thousand worlds.

The term "three thousand great worlds" does not refer to the existence of three thousand great worlds, but rather that one great world encompasses three types of "thousand worlds": small, medium, and large, hence the term "three thousand".

In theory, a great chiliocosm contains a billion smaller chiliocosms, so at this level, it is equivalent to "infinity".

Ji Jingqiu hesitated because this inner universe was simply too vast and boundless.

To push forward and create a billion small worlds, from zero to infinity, even Ji Jingqiu couldn't see the end for the time being.

According to his understanding, the Wood Master constructed the inner universe structure of the "Ten Directions World".

"Ten Directions World" refers to the immeasurable universe that pervades the entire void and encompasses all worlds; it is called the immeasurable ten directions.

It is even grander than the "three thousand great worlds," encompassing not only the infinity of space, but also the past, present, and future, and the three lifetimes of time.

This road is also the end of the Path of No Form.

From existence to emptiness, one ultimately reaches the state of formlessness, where one is perfectly integrated, clear and complete, pervading heaven and earth, and filling all directions.

But Ji Jingqiu has no intention of following the path of the wood master.

The carpenter thought so too, because no matter what, he had already failed on this path.

"Three thousand great worlds, ten billion small worlds..."

Ji Jingqiu gazed quietly at the smooth jade bead lying in her hand.

Constructing an infinite world, even just creating the world and establishing the earth, fire, wind, and water, is incredibly difficult, let alone perfecting the Great Dao and allowing life to multiply...

Since we can't see the possibility of going from zero to infinity, is it possible to go from one to ten thousand?

A bold idea sprouted in his mind.

He might be able to create a unique real world, becoming the center of all the heavens and myriad realms, and the origin of everything, and then reflect upon all the heavens, splitting and generating projections of myriad realms.
To achieve this, the "one real world" is paramount.

It must be powerful enough to support the projection of countless worlds.

As Ji Jingqiu gazed at the mountain in the inner world, the cosmic structure of Mount Sumeru swirled in his mind.

"The most important thing is that the sun and moon are in the sky."

"Then Mount Sumeru sits in the center, surrounded by eight mountains and eight seas, entering the water 80,000 yojanas deep, rising 80,000 yojanas above the water, and its length and width are the same. The water is the water of the eight virtues..."

“In this context, ‘Sumeru’ is both the pillar of the universe and the illusion of the mind.”

"...Replace Mount Sumeru with Wuwang, and replace the Eight Mountains and Eight Seas with the Nether Sea, forming a mountain and sea pattern. Thus, Wuwang Mountain and Wuxin Sea are both present here."

Ji Jingqiu's eyes gleamed, and endless thoughts and inspirations arose in his mind. He was excited and couldn't wait to find a place to sit down and go into seclusion to verify his ideas.

Shortly after.

Standing atop the snake's head, Ji Jingqiu saw the "base" jointly established by several transcendent sects.

It was a suspended mountain standing in the void, neither falling nor settling.

The mountain was entirely black, with a faint blue glow. The void in the shadows below rippled like water, as if some creature was swimming below.

As Youlan carrying Ji Jingqiu approached, a noticeable boiling phenomenon appeared in the void below, and an unidentified creature emerged with a massive form, staring warily in their direction.

After glancing at the void below, Youlan never looked at it again.

When Ji Jingqiu asked curiously, the little guy arrogantly declared that it wouldn't "play" with those of inferior bloodlines.

Ji Jingqiu was speechless for a moment. He stroked its head and thought to himself that if the long slumber in the egg was not counted, Youlan's childlike nature would be reasonable. After all, it was still a child.

As the man and the snake approached the stronghold, they quickly attracted the attention of the guards.

Ji Jingqiu stepped off the snake's head, while Youlan used her "Size Ruyi" technique to transform into the size of a finger, coiling around Ji Jingqiu's head and curiously looking around. Having rarely left the world, she had no intention of returning to her inner world for the time being.

Ji Jingqiu let it go and stepped forward to reveal his identity.

After verifying his identity, the Dao Ancestor, who was stationed here, politely said:

"So it's Junior Brother Ji from Yuanchu Palace. I wonder if Yuanchu Palace has any plans to establish a presence in the Taixu Realm?"

Ji Jingqiu thought for a moment and said, "For now, I'm alone. If it's convenient, could you please pass on a message to the palace for me?"

"It's just a small thing, nothing more."

This Taoist master, whose Taoist name was Shouji, looked middle-aged, and his smile was like a gentle breeze, giving people a sense of closeness.

Ji Jingqiu realized that this person must have cultivated some kind of secret technique, but it didn't directly change how others perceived him. Instead, it subtly altered his aura, making it easier for others to develop a favorable impression of him.

"Yuan Chu Palace is the first to end its seclusion in this era. Will your ancestral master personally go to the Tai Xu Realm this time to collect the 'Tai Xu Origin'?"

Shouji asked with a smile.

"I'm afraid Uncle Qin won't be coming here." Ji Jingqiu asked curiously, "Does this 'Origin of the Great Void' refer to the Daoist essence that remains in the world?"

Unexpectedly, Shouji's expression suddenly changed, and he looked around warily, as if something terrifying was about to happen.

After a moment, confirming that all was well, Shouji breathed a sigh of relief, put away the jade token he had been ready to crush, and looked at the astonished Ji Jingqiu, warning him:

"Junior Brother Ji, do not utter that name here, especially when you utter those two characters. You must never imagine that person's existence in your mind, or there may be divine calamity!"

"We were lucky this time."

Ji Jingqiu was taken aback. He could directly call out the Origin of the Great Void, but he couldn't just pronounce this name?

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Shouji."

Shouji's expression softened: "That's right, what is a remnant of the Dao to that person is almost the original energy of the Great Dao to us."

Hearing that Ji Jingqiu had come here to attempt to break through to the Heavenly Venerable realm, Shouji arranged a cave dwelling for him.

"People from [This Shore] have come too?" Shouji was slightly surprised, then sneered, "Junior brother, don't worry, if those scum from [This Shore] dare to come here, the three of us will definitely join forces to surround and wipe them out!"

From Shouji, Ji Jingqiu learned that besides the Pantheon and Qingmingtian, there was another organization in this stronghold, also under the Guizhen Ancestor, called Duobaoge, which was a neutral force.

In addition, Ji Jingqiu discovered that this senior brother Shouji seemed to be very interested in their Yuanchu Palace.

Besides subtly probing him about Uncle Qin, they also inquired whether there were any other people anchored in the Yuan Chu Palace besides Qin, or any newly promoted core disciples...

Ji Jingqiu wondered, could the person this guy was looking for be him?

"Senior Brother Shouji is from the Pantheon, right?"

"good."

Ji Jingqiu nodded, "That's right."

"When did Junior Brother Ji join the Yuanchu Palace?" Shouji asked casually.

“I was born in the palace.”

Ji Jingqiu remained calm, reminding everyone that it's essential to protect oneself when traveling.

To be honest, he didn't see the female patriarch named Hongyan on his journey back to the truth, which was quite a pity.

A moment later, Ji Jingqiu entered the cave dwelling that Shouji had arranged for him.

Although it is called a cave dwelling, it is actually a small world, located at an infinitely high altitude, close to the Dharma Realm and the Dao Sea, which is conducive to cultivation.

Ji Jingqiu nodded inwardly. This person was really thoughtful. Wasn't the Pantheon supposed to act extremely domineeringly? Now it seems there are some merits to it.

He took over the central hub of this small world, walked to the highest point, sat down cross-legged, and attempted to ascend to the top of the Dharma Realm to take in all the scenery.

But Ji Jingqiu soon discovered—

The world here is completely different from the Netherworld. Even a Heavenly King can only glimpse the Dharma Realm, and cannot cross its threshold.

Thinking back to the previous battlefield, the fighters were all Heavenly Kings and Heavenly Venerables, while those above the Heavenly Venerable level seemed to be on another battlefield...

Ji Jingqiu seemed to be deep in thought.

Could it be that the so-called primordial origin of the Great Void also remains in the Dharma Realm?

……

Yuan Chu Palace.

Wu Tian's face lit up with joy. He used his teleportation ability to reach the outer edge of the courtyard in a single step and said quickly, "Senior Brother Luo, Uncle Qin! I just received news from the Pantheon that Junior Brother Ji has appeared in the recently unsealed 'Tai Xu Realm'!"

Luo Shi, who was guarding the courtyard gate, was stunned for a long time before saying, "That kid didn't die on the road to returning to the true self?"

"I've checked the identity token and appearance several times, so it should be correct!" Wu Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Luo Shi couldn't help but turn around and look at the courtyard, thinking that Uncle Qin was so calm before, could it be that he had already guessed the outcome?

From inside the courtyard came Qin Qingchuan's calm voice: "You can handle it as you see fit, no need to ask me."

Wu Tian looked at Luo Shi.

Luo Shi pondered and said, "Since neither of us can move, let's select a few True Saints and have them lead the team to the Taixu Realm. It just so happens that this Great Dao Ancestral Land has just been unsealed, and there must be a lot of that person's Dao essence remaining inside."

“The ancestral land has just been opened; I’m afraid even a true saint cannot enter.”

“There will always be people to escort us along the way,” Luo Shi said calmly. “There’s no need to rush back after we pick them up; things aren’t going to be peaceful in the palace anytime soon.”

The sky was clear.

Those people from the Pantheon haven't left yet.

In addition, a few other families came. These families were not particularly close in the past and had little contact with each other, but this time they took the initiative to visit, and their intentions were unclear.

Now it seems that Senior Brother Luo suspects these people are all after Junior Brother Ji. Wu Tian suddenly said, "The situation in the Netherworld isn't good. Should we send reinforcements?"

Luo Shi frowned. Yuan Chu Palace was no longer what it used to be; it was merely using the name of the founder.

If reinforcements were to be sent to the Netherworld, it would be a huge burden and a potential threat to them.

They might drag themselves into the quagmire of war.

"Let's wait for Uncle Qin's order," Luo Shi said slowly. "This time, we'll select a few True Saints who are capable of fighting. If Junior Brother Ji learns that his hometown is in danger, he might be tempted to go back."

Wu Tian asked, "Aren't we going to bring Junior Brother Ji back as soon as possible? We need to find out what happened on the Road to Return to Truth. Recently, several families have been asking us, both openly and secretly, whether the Road to Return to Truth will be opened soon."

"How did you answer?" Luo Shi asked, frowning.

"I dare not speak recklessly before the matter is clear, so I naturally deny it." Wu Tian sighed, "After living in seclusion for so long, when I came out again, the Boundary Sea had changed completely. In the past, I only thought that the Pantheon was too domineering, but I did not know that if it were not for the Pantheon and other forces, the Boundary Sea would probably have become someone's 'back garden' in this era."

Not long ago, someone came to our door and demanded that the entire Yuan Chu Palace join their alliance. They threatened that if we refused, the palace would soon be destroyed.

Luo Shi coldly said, "When the ancestors return, everything will be settled. Even if we perish during this period, so what? When the ancestors return, they can reverse time and correct history with a single thought."

……

The Realm of the Great Void.

After Qingyu and Fushan reunited, Qingyu's expression turned grim.

"That kid has joined up with the Pantheon. What's the next step?"

Fu Shan frowned and said, "First, contact our informant in the Pantheon to find out the situation. Then, go and contact the Red Lotus Realm to seek their support."

Qingyu cautioned, "If we inform the Red Lotus Realm, our achievements will be greatly diminished."

Fu Shan said in a deep voice, "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. We can't give him a chance to breathe. The more I think about it, the more I feel that this person is a bit strange. His growth rate is too fast."

"Okay." Qingyu readily agreed, without arguing, and turned to leave.

……

Qingping Mountain.

"Uncle Master!"

A burly man with a thick beard strode over, his eyebrows were prominent, and he grinned broadly, looking extremely rugged and unrestrained.

“A friend of mine has arrived, and he even has extra cave dwellings. He’s planning to break through the barrier of the Eighth Realm.”

"The Heavenly Lord?" Shouji thought for a moment and asked, "Which family's disciple is he?"

“He’s a rogue cultivator. I met him during my previous training. We became acquainted after a fight,” said the bearded man.

"A rogue cultivator?" Shouji was somewhat surprised.

"I want to act as a guide and lead him into the temple. Do you think it's a good idea, Uncle-Master?"

Shouji shook his head and said directly, "No chance. Even if it's a Heavenly Lord, if we didn't cultivate him ourselves, we can't rely on him. What we need is someone with a clean background."

The bearded man sighed, "I understand. Can I lend him my cave dwelling?"

Shouji continued to shake his head: "I have already lent out your cave dwelling. There are really not enough cave dwellings right now. People from the three families are still coming. I saw that you hadn't returned for a long time and they were in a hurry to use it, so I lent it out first."

The burly man's eyes widened: "You're my own martial uncle!"

Shouji said dismissively, "That is the Heavenly Lord of the Primordial Palace, who is also preparing to break through to the Heavenly Venerable realm. Moreover, he is a core direct descendant, and his status is higher than yours and mine in the palace."

"So you just lent it out like that?" the bearded man said unwillingly. "Uncle-Master, didn't you feel even a little bit guilty back then?"

Shouji crossed his arms and shook his head calmly, saying, "You have no chance of breaking through to the Heavenly Venerable realm in a short time. What would you do with a cave dwelling? Why not lend it to the fellow cultivators of the Yuan Chu Palace? You should know that uniting the various Guizhen sects is the Palace Master's top priority right now."

The bearded man sighed, "That's why I was 'sacrificed'."

Shouji nodded calmly, showing no remorse. Instead, he patted him on the shoulder, sounding disappointed in him.

"I told you long ago, break through to the Heavenly Venerable realm as soon as possible, don't become a base. If the base has to be sacrificed when necessary, who will be sacrificed?"

"Heavenly Venerable..." The bearded man smiled bitterly.

This rank can only be attained by either waiting for a place to become available in the palace, or by conquering the outside world to create more space, or by relying solely on oneself.

The latter is extremely difficult. Apart from the peerless Heavenly Monarch, even the top Heavenly King realm requires immense opportunities to break through the barrier of the Eight Realms and enjoy initial freedom.

"What's the name of that fellow Daoist from Yuanchu Palace?" the bearded man suddenly asked curiously.

“Call him Uncle-Master,” Shouji corrected. “He is of the same generation as me, and his name is Ji Jingqiu.”

"Ji Jingqiu?" The bearded man was taken aback. "He actually shares the same name as that person from the Netherworld."

Have you been paying attention to the Netherworld lately?

"Yes, those companies have already started their offensive, and the progress is much faster than expected. It feels like someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Shouji said calmly, "There must be the shadow of [This Shore] behind those families, but we don't know exactly which force it is."

“This Netherworld is quite peculiar,” the bearded man couldn’t help but say. “It is said that they have as many as twenty True Saints traveling in the Boundary Sea. After hearing that some pseudo-transcendent sects had begun to attack the Netherworld, these people turned around and besieged the lair of those pseudo-transcendent sects.”

Shouji shook his head and said, "With a Dao-Merging Realm expert guarding the realm, they can't cause any trouble."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. Who would have thought that these guys wouldn't launch a frontal invasion, but instead hid outside the border, killing anyone who showed up, and even intercepting the Allied forces' reinforcements, waging guerrilla warfare in the border sea."

The bearded man continued with a sigh,
"I heard that their leader is a Void Beast, who is most skilled in Void magic and is not afraid of being surrounded. It is close to the invincible realm in the True Saint realm, which is why it dares to play like this. It can retreat to attack or advance to defend, and has directly pulled the battle line from the Netherworld to the Boundary Sea."

Upon hearing this assessment, Shouji's eyes flickered: "The intelligence from the palace indicates that there are indeed several powerful figures in the Netherworld. If they can hold out this time, the palace will recognize them and send reinforcements to fight against [This Shore] together."

The bearded man discerned a deeper meaning in those words and asked seriously, "Is the situation so serious? Has [this side] become so powerful?"

"You should cultivate yourself well. If a real fight breaks out, the higher-ups will be the ones to take the fall."

Shouji didn't say much, but waved his hand to shoo him away, telling him to hurry up and go to the Taixu Realm to seek more opportunities. This is the ancestral land of the Great Dao, and it might just be the place where he could break through the Heavenly Venerable barrier.

"Even if we don't have a cave, we should at least have a place to stay, right?" the bearded man said helplessly.

Just as Shouji was about to nod, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise and turned to look in a certain direction.

Is this... Junior Brother Ji?
They've only been inside for a short time, and there's already progress?

I thought it would be at least several decades before anything happened.

Shouji couldn't help but admire the scene, a magnificent sight of the sun and moon in the sky, while the stars were dimmed.

It seems that this junior brother Ji has been accumulating knowledge and experience for many years, and now he is finally unleashing his full potential.

……

Youlan squinted, resting the tip of her tail on her chin, curiously gazing at the sun and moon in her "boudoir".

Ji Jingqiu's inner world has been lying there since he was a child. There was a sun and moon there before, but it was never as bright as it is now.

However, no matter how brightly the sun and moon shine, they can hardly illuminate the entire world.

Because Ji Jingqiu's inner universe has officially begun to expand, it is no longer a small world, but tends to represent an "infinite" universe.

No matter how bright the sun and moon shine, under the boundless starry sky, they are as dim as candlelight.

Before Ji Jingqiu was promoted to Heavenly King, he used the moon's essence and the sun's core to create the sun and moon in his inner world, thus laying the foundation for his future.

But even today, it's still not enough.

At this moment.

In the nascent inner universe, the sky above resembles a star map, with the sun and moon in the sky and stars surrounding it. The Daoist intent is abundant in the void, and the stars move in an orderly manner, as if an invisible rule of the Great Dao is maintaining it.

The scene of the sun and moon in the sky is just like Ji Jingqiu's eyes, looking down on "human world".

He was trying to elevate the status of this sun and moon, otherwise how could it become one of the foundations of the only real world, and be projected onto the vast universe in the future?
Initial attempts yielded some results, but it was far from enough.

Not only are the sun and moon insufficient, but the Dao intent of these stars is also too thin. They need to be filled with vast Dao intent in order to support the future projection of myriad worlds.

Ji Jingqiu was somewhat worried. If one relied on contemplation and accumulation of these profound Dao principles, it would take thousands of years to achieve them.

“Since my arduous cultivation has failed…” Ji Jingqiu stood up and muttered to himself, “The only thing we can do now is to borrow this world from you.”

No matter how lofty and magnificent the Dao is, how can it compare to the truly eternal and immortal stars?

"I remember Brother Taixu left me a gift. Could it be this Taixu Realm?"

In the True Spirit Pool, the sleeping Sword Light Brother was also awakened by Ji Jingqiu's attempt to elevate the status of the Sun and Moon.

The sword light shifted its form, as if it were yawning and stretching, looking around and discovering that Ji Jingqiu was actually trying to create an inner world structure.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

This time it must be a true dream of a thousand years, and young Ji is about to try to break through to the Heavenly Venerable realm.

Just as it was about to say something, a flash of sword light appeared... or rather, a glint of blade light.

A sharp line of light flashed, falling straight down, merging heaven and earth.

At the same time, it erased everything that had been placed in the world before, allowing this inner world to return to clarity and sweeping away all "foolishness and stubbornness".

It was Ji Jingqiu who thwarted this attempt and stood up nonchalantly.

Sword Light was stunned on the spot.

The aura of this sword strike is similar to, yet completely different from, that of the "Peaceful Universe Slaying the Stubborn".

It recognized the source of this sword strike at a glance; it must be the second sword strike, "The True Nature Revealed Amidst the Flowing Sea."

This left Brother Jianguang somewhat bewildered.

Was I still half asleep?
When did it teach the second sword to Ji Jingqiu?
(End of this chapter)