Grandpa, times have changed.

Xuanyu.

The ancestral home of the Xuan Yue Fox clan.

Inside a cave, exotic flowers and rare herbs grow at the entrance, yet the interior is furnished with an exceptionally serene and elegant ambiance.

The rich spiritual energy, like mist and flowing clouds, made the cave seem exceptionally ethereal, even somewhat illusory.

Tiny points of light shimmered in the mist, like the shadows cast by a galaxy, dazzling and magnificent.

In the very center of the cave, a huge piece of deep blue jade was polished to an exceptionally smooth finish, gleaming with a warm, lustrous light.

A giant, snow-white fox with fur as smooth as brocade, the size of a small mountain, and a slender body lay quietly with its eyes closed. An inexplicable Daoist aura flowed within it, intertwining with the misty spiritual currents inside the cave.

Dark moon.

Xuan Yue Fox Clan Cave True.

Click~
With an extremely faint cracking sound, several floating glimmers of light suddenly shattered and dissipated within the misty, ethereal flow.

"..."

The snow-white giant fox lying on the jade bed seemed to have noticed as well, and slowly opened its eyes.

Looking at the spot where the few remaining glimmers of light had just existed, a trace of sorrow flashed in her jewel-like silver eyes.

Failed.

The faint light floating in the spiritual stream within the cave connects to the true spirit of the Xuan Yue Fox Clan.

Extinguishing it signifies death.

A dim appearance indicates that the person's life is in danger.

Just now, all seven Dao-Merging cultivators who set off on their mission died.

Yangyue, who survived, is also having a hard time and is clearly suffering inhuman torture.

Could it be...him?

A scene seemed to flash before my eyes.

A somewhat shy man dressed in gray was led by Cheng hope to a cave that was exactly the same as it was now to meet her.

At that time, he genuinely regarded her as an elder.

But now...

If we meet again, it will probably be a fight to the death, right?

Mingyue was somewhat dazed.

Is it...

Did I really make the wrong choice back then?
Do not!
Mingyue closed her eyes again.

She was only doing this for the survival of her race. The Cang race was stronger than the human race, and she simply chose to stand on the side of the stronger.

That's it.

As if trying to convince herself, she kept repeating similar words in her mind.

Soon, the mysterious Daoist essence began to circulate again, and the misty spiritual currents once more engulfed everything.

Yes.

She was exploring and trying to find a way to ascend to the level of an enlightened being.

The rise of the human race made all living beings in the Tai Xuan Realm realize the weight of those who have attained enlightenment.

That is a great being capable of directly changing the landscape!
Anyone who is a true practitioner, anyone who cultivates, has no desire not to become an enlightened being.

She is no exception.

The question is, will the Cang Clan just sit idly by and watch a new enlightened being emerge?

The answer is obvious.

Without the protection of an enlightened being, even with the right supreme Dharma, the possibility of attaining enlightenment is extremely slim.

The most likely time to advance to the level of an enlightened being...

It has passed.

Falling behind at one step leads to falling behind at every step.

Now, the chances of trying again are far too slim.

……

……

For the next thousand years.

Of the remaining four human cultivators, three failed to pass the test.

Two of them perished, and only one barely survived the backlash from failing to reach the challenge.

The severity of his injuries even surpasses that of You back then.

In addition, during this thousand years, as the third batch of Dongzhen, including Hong and Kui, began to knock on the gate, the Cang Clan finally could not sit still and launched a full-scale attack.

The two races fought fiercely, and the entire Tai Xuan Realm was shrouded in blood and fire.

However, since the number of enlightened beings was equal, and no winner could be determined, the battle eventually came to nothing.

Both the human and Cang tribes suffered significant casualties.

However, the most tragic were those tribes that had submitted to the Cang tribe.

For the Cang Clan, these were simply free cannon fodder.

As for humans, there is no need to worry about them either, nor do they need to abide by the unspoken rule that enlightened beings do not attack those who are not enlightened.

Several major clans were wiped out in this battle, and even Mingyue was captured and, at the cost of an arm, had half of her body torn off.

All living beings in the Tai Xuan Realm.

Whether they liked it or not, they were all drawn into this war that affected the entire world.

And so, this battle lasted for ten years.

The intensity of the war was so high that both sides were struggling to hold on.

They had no choice but to temporarily cease hostilities and allow the troops to recuperate.

The beings of the Tai Xuan Realm, ravaged by war, finally ushered in a rare period of peace.

Soon, the time came to 10,800 years after the seven Dongzhen disciples went into seclusion.

It is also the limit of time for one to attain enlightenment through the method of "Tao Ji".

The last one to attempt the breakthrough, namely 'Hua', achieved enlightenment and became the fifth person of the human race to attain enlightenment, with the title of Ancestor Dan.

The Immortal Creator, the True Immortal of the Universe.

The path he upholds is 'Creation', and he possesses immeasurable supernatural powers!
At this point, the number of human cultivators who have attained enlightenment has officially surpassed that of the Cang race, making them the largest race in the Tai Xuan Realm!

……

……

Eastern Wilderness.

The floating continent was adorned with streaks of clouds, a vibrant and auspicious display.

Heaven sends down a life-giving rain, and the earth sprouts a lotus of creation.

The Rainbow Bridge spans the two ends of the sky and earth, displaying seven colors.

A crimson streak, with flowing flames swirling around it, reveals the appearance of a crimson-scaled, sun-drenched fire dragon.

There are nine dragons in total, each holding a dragon pearl in its mouth, with nine layers of crimson patterns on the pearl.

A line of orange, from which a mysterious yellow aura arises, condenses into a mythical unicorn that rides the clouds and chases the sun.

There were also nine unicorns, riding the clouds and chasing the sun, surrounded by the cinnabar aura of the Haoyang.

A streak of yellow, the glow of the sunset...

The seven-colored rainbow bridge displays seven different scenes, each more beautiful than the last. It also contains the secrets of alchemy, which all beings in the mortal world can understand, revealing the infinite possibilities of creation.

Then a figure with white hair and a youthful face, dressed in a green robe, appeared amidst a surrounding array of figures.

Every step brings forth blossoms, and as the blossoms fade, the elixir is complete.

This elixir absorbs into the soil upon contact with it, creating a blessed land; it dissolves in water, forming a spiritual pool.

Finally, the figure in the green robe arrived in front of a grand hall and bowed to the crowd standing before it.

"Fellow Daoists, it's been a long time."

"How are you feeling?" Xu Xing asked.

"Incredibly wonderful," Danzu laughed.

After ten thousand and eight hundred years of seeking enlightenment, he finally attained the Dao.

The wonders of this place are truly beyond description; one can only understand them by experiencing them firsthand.

Beside him, the Overlord was looking at the sky, not to comprehend the alchemy techniques contained within, but to guard against the Azure Ancestor who might cause trouble at any moment.

However, after waiting for quite a while, apart from the extraordinary phenomenon of enlightenment, there was still nothing unusual in the sky.

Clearly, the four ancestors of the Cang Clan had no intention of intervening.

After all, the human race currently has four enlightened beings residing in the world. With them protecting the Dharma, it is almost impossible to prevent the birth of a new enlightened being.

It would be better to focus your energy elsewhere.

"Now that you have successfully attained enlightenment, there are some things you can try," Xu Xing said.

"Ok?"

Danzu was puzzled.

……

……

Not long after.

Inside the Sword Ancestor's Hall.

Five people sat around a large round table.

Bie Xuening, Xu Xing, Ba Zun, Dan Zu, and a certain Daoist who has yet to be named.

"What did you just say that we could try, Brother Dao?" Danzu asked.

“Try to break out of the existing cultivation system,” Xu Xing said.

Break free from the existing system of spiritual practice?
Dan Zu frowned slightly but remained silent. Xu Xing then continued to explain.

"I believe you have also realized that, within the framework of the existing cultivation system, it is more difficult for other races to reach a high realm, especially the Cave True Realm, than for the Cang Clan."

The Cang tribe is the most suitable tribe for the current system of fetal breathing and condensation.

“But this matter…” Danzu pondered for a moment, “isn’t it not easy to accomplish?”

This is not as simple as just changing a name.

Furthermore, it is necessary to disrupt the existing extraordinary order and bring about change.

But the extraordinary is the power of the mysterious.

It should be understood that Xuan himself is superior to ordinary enlightened beings. This move is tantamount to challenging Him in His most familiar territory and usurping His authority.

The chances of success are extremely low.

“It is indeed not easy to do, so this is just an attempt.” Xu Xing’s gaze swept over everyone. “Let’s start with the few of us.”

Break free from the existing system of spiritual practice.

It sounds like a very simple thing, but because there is a being like Xuan sitting at the source of the extraordinary.

They can only try to subtly influence others by using their own enlightened status.

The five enlightened beings have just met the minimum requirements.

When the time is right, we will develop a new system that is different from fetal breathing and unified breathing.

"I understand, I will cooperate."

……

……

One month later.

A somewhat inexplicable message spread throughout the entire Tai Xuan Realm.

After discussion among the human race's Sword Ancestor, Overlord, newly enlightened cultivator Pill Ancestor, and a certain nameless enlightened cultivator and Sword Venerable, it was decided that human enlightened cultivators would not be the same as Cang Ancestor, and from then on, they would be renamed 'Immortal'!
A true immortal of the human race.

The common people did not understand its meaning, and even among the human race, apart from the five true immortals, no one else understood the significance of this action.

Xuan, however, saw through the true meaning and tried to stop it, but failed.

Shortly thereafter.

After Tai fully recovered, the two clans clashed again.

For the first time, the human race, possessing five enlightened beings, gained the upper hand.

In the first battle, the newly enlightened human, Dan Zu, seized half of the Cangyu region and used it as the foundation to establish the Jishi Cave Heaven.

Seeing the Cang Clan's defeats, Tai was filled with resentment and broke in alone, intending to destroy the Jishi Cave.

However, they fell into an ambush set by Xu Xing and Bie Xuening.

In the end, it was Gu and Xuan who came to their aid, allowing them to retreat.

However, He also suffered extremely serious spiritual injuries as a result.

……

……

Xuanyu.

At first glance, it appears unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, it reveals boundless mysteries, encompassing all extraordinary mechanisms, and is profoundly mysterious and difficult to comprehend.

Dao Shi Hall.

Inside the hall, the boundless purple aura surged and churned, stretching as far as the eye could see, seemingly limitless.

In the center of the purple aura, on a purple aura platform, sat a cold and stern being dressed in gray robes, whose perfection was beyond compare.

Its entire body is covered in cracks, like a piece of porcelain about to shatter, yet it possesses a strange, broken beauty.

too.

Having just escaped the encirclement and attack of Xu Xing and Bie Xuening, He did not choose to return to the Tai Domain, but instead came to the Xuan Domain to recuperate in the Xuan's main hall.

I don't know how much time passed.

Amidst the billowing purple mist, a figure with an indistinct face slowly approached.

Finally, they stood before Him.

Tai seemed to sense something as well, and opened his eyes to look in front of him.

"Why did you choose to come here?" Xuan asked calmly.

"Don't you already know the reason?" Tai sneered.

"You still don't trust Gu?"

"Yes." Too direct. "Or do you think I should believe in Him?"

The ancient domain has been occupied by the human race.

With nowhere else to go, Gu had no choice but to travel to the Taiyu region and rebuild a temple of time.

"It was you who sent Gu to the Taiyu back then," Xuan reminded him.

"I'm blind!"

"..."

Xuan was feeling a bit tired.

Even at this hour, the two of them are still like this.

However, Gu's actions during the attack on the Sword Ancestor were indeed somewhat questionable...

"Besides, don't you also doubt the heavens?" Tai stared intently at Xuan.

Over the years, the Cang Clan and the Human Clan have fought many wars, large and small.

Tian always puts in the effort but doesn't actually put in any real work. When fighting against enlightened human beings, he always focuses on hit-and-run tactics, entanglement, and self-preservation.

In addition, His attitude changed too suddenly.

Let alone mystical theories, even after cooperating with Heaven for so many years, He still harbors doubts about Him.

“…” Xuan was silent for a while, “That’s different.”

Even if He has doubts, He will not show it.

The situation is already very bad; if they start fighting amongst themselves, they're all doomed.

"What's the difference?" he sneered.

"It's just that you like to keep things to yourself."

"Do you think the heavens can't see it?"

"..."

Xuan remained silent.

After a long silence, He turned and left, leaving only one sentence that drifted away in the rolling purple mist.

"You should rest well. Regardless of whether you doubt Gu, our biggest enemy right now is the human race."

Ah!
He gave a disdainful sneer.

How dare He say that?

They didn't care before, and everyone thought He was making a mountain out of a molehill. It wasn't until the human race became stronger day by day that they finally realized the seriousness of the matter.

If we had been with Him back then and nipped the Sword Ancestor in the bud before he ascended to the Dao, none of this mess would have happened!
And so he watched Xuan's figure disappear.

His emotions gradually calmed down, and he lowered his eyes, beginning to recall when Gu and Xuan rushed to Cangyu to meet him.

"Sure enough, that malice hasn't disappeared..." Tai murmured softly.

This time, his solo incursion into the Azure Domain was not simply out of anger and frustration, but also with a hidden intention of testing the waters.

Ideally, it would be best to destroy the Jishi Cave Heaven created by Danzu.

Even if we fail, we can still use this opportunity to test Gu's reaction.

Every time He was at a disadvantage and there was a possibility of His demise, Gudu became exceptionally agitated.

The ancient capital has always kept it well hidden, and Xuan may not be able to perceive it.

But having experienced it many times, He could clearly sense it.

This time is no exception.

Even at a time like this, such deep-seated malice still lingered in His heart...

What exactly is He coveting?

Thinking this way, a supreme power that transcends the enlightened ones, connects with the universe, links all paths and laws, and exists between all things and phenomena faintly appears.

This caused the surrounding surging purple aura to calm down somewhat.

The Supreme Mysterious Authority!

As one of the innate enlightened beings, He naturally had the opportunity to borrow the power of the Supreme Mystery.

But He didn't truly control it; He merely 'occupied' it.

Therefore, it can only be used within certain limits or after certain conditions are met, and it must also abide by the Heavenly Dao of the Tai Xuan Realm.

Not to mention using it to suppress and obliterate those who have attained enlightenment.

It can't even kill an ordinary individual.

At this moment, Tai suddenly had the idea of ​​using this opportunity to find out the whole story.

After a while.

The fluctuations of the Supreme Mystery Authority dissipated.

Not bad.

He restrained himself.

Do your own research first.

Although it can't be used directly against humans right now, there might be an opportunity in the future?

The overall situation is getting worse.

Such a crucial trump card shouldn't be wasted on something like this. (End of Chapter)