Starting with warding off evil and disaster, one can ascend to immortality after countless tribulati

I was about to look away, but the illusory figure looked over on its own, and in an instant, a familiar feeling welled up in my heart.

Nothing happened, nothing was unusual.

After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Ming snapped back to reality, breaking out in a cold sweat.

This familiar feeling is exactly what Da Linmu is using!

Just now, the phantom of the Great Forest Wood attacked him!

"With your early Golden Core cultivation, you were able to barely withstand my probing. Among those of the same level, your strength can be considered the best."

A detached voice broke into praise.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming got goosebumps all over.

He coveted the position of the Great Forest Tree, and like a thief, he came to scout the situation and reconnoiter the location in advance. However, before he could even begin his operation, he was caught by the owner of the Great Forest Tree.

At this moment, a fierce battle seems inevitable.

With this thought in mind, Jiang Ming was ready to take action.

However, the phantom of the Great Forest Tree remained calm throughout, showing no intention of approaching. "If you want to go further now, you need to take the Great Forest Tree."

In a sense, we are enemies...

As the name suggests, "enemies on the path of cultivation" refers to those who are enemies on the path of cultivation.

Those who cultivate to the same level are generally considered to be rivals in the Dao.

Because there are only a few positions that can be supported by a fruit position, once someone occupies one, others have to step back.

Under these circumstances, it's understandable that the Great Forest Phantom would take action against him to avoid future troubles.

"Fellow Daoist, I don't want the Great Forest Wood anymore. From now on, let's keep to ourselves and not interfere with each other. How about this?" He tentatively tried to make peace.

Jiang Ming didn't really want to fall out with the illusory figure unless absolutely necessary.

It has been able to maintain its position as the leader of the Great Forest Tree for hundreds of years.

This guy's strength is unfathomable.

When the time comes and a fight breaks out, Jiang Ming may not be able to win.

After all, the phantom's cultivation level was not at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

It could be the late stage of the Golden Core realm, the perfect Golden Core realm, or even higher.

"My name is Ling Xiao, just like yours, and I have no intention of being your enemy."

I'd even be willing to lend you a hand, but you have to listen to a story first.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming was slightly taken aback. He had already prepared himself for a fight to the death, but the illusory figure suddenly introduced himself.

Jiang Ming was genuinely surprised by this friendly demeanor.

"Your cultivation path seems to be without problems, but have you ever thought that from beginning to end, your actions have been too smooth?"

Everything went smoothly, as if it were meant to be.

Have you ever suspected that all of this was pre-programmed?

Pre-set?

No way.

Jiang Ming frowned, somewhat confused about what Ling Xiao was talking about. Hesitantly, Ling Xiao dropped another bombshell.

"Your ability to foresee good and bad fortune, in a sense, is the power of fate, the work of a Nascent Soul cultivator."

If I explain it in too complicated a way, you probably won't understand. So, I'll keep it short and try my best to explain the reasons to you, so that you can understand it clearly.

Listen carefully, the world is very fair.

High-level cultivators can certainly gain great strength and be admired by other cultivators, but as a price, they must also accept the dislike of the heavens.

The so-called Heavenly Father can be said to be the master of this world. It nurtures and cultivates cultivators until it realizes that too many powerful cultivators will affect itself.

It locked up many monks.

The method of cultivating the grotto heaven fruit position is, in a sense, the work of the Heavenly Father. However, the person who proposed this concept is called the Primordial Sage True Lord.

These are things I couldn't have said before. Now that I can speak freely here, it means he no longer cares, and you know the truth.

This illustrates a very frightening fact.

That means his plan is about to succeed.

As long as you cultivate step by step and take all five supreme fruits for your own use, you will walk the path he once walked. After that, you will be a very important imitation of the Primordial Sage in this world.

The reason we need this fake is actually due to the heavens.

Heaven possesses sentience, but not much. It only knows that it must restrict cultivators, as only in this way can it minimize the loss of its own power.

Therefore, he did not allow Nascent Soul cultivators to continue breaking through.

Previously, Nascent Soul cultivators were unaware of the intricacies involved.

He simply believed that the fact that no one in the Nascent Soul realm could break through the shackles of the Nascent Soul realm and become the legendary Divine Transformation Dao Lord was entirely his own fault.

Until one day, the Primordial Sage True Lord proposed the concept of seeking emptiness through subtraction.

He realized that the root cause of the difficulty for all Nascent Soul cultivators to break through was that Heaven had already remembered all the high-level cultivators.

They were restricted one-on-one, and this restriction was like an unbreakable lock, no matter how advanced their cultivation became.

Unable to transcend it, the theory of seeking emptiness through subtraction was proposed by the Primordial Sage True Lord.

His thinking was simple: since Heaven has memories of Nascent Soul cultivators, it must also remember their characteristics.

His thinking was simple: since Heaven has memories of Nascent Soul cultivators, it must also remember their characteristics.

Therefore, he plans to find a cultivator and go through his cultivation journey from beginning to end.

In this way, the person's aura will be no different from his own, and he will be able to take his place and be closely watched by the heavens.

When the heavens shift their focus, that's when the opportunity for a breakthrough arises.

As long as the counterfeit gradually moves to his position, he can begin preparing for a breakthrough. This is a very ingenious idea, so ingenious that even the Primordial Saint True Lord had some doubts.

It wasn't until hundreds of years ago, when he obtained a Nascent Soul manual from a secret realm, that his resolve was completely solidified.

You are the imposter of the Primordial Sage True Lord. To verify his idea, many Nascent Soul cultivators placed bets.

For example, the Dao Venerable controls a great Dao called Destiny, which can bring good fortune and avoid misfortune, and manipulate the fate of others.

The reason you were able to sense danger in the early stages of cultivation was entirely due to Daojun's help.

As for your method of realizing emptiness, it was guided by the Primordial Sage True Lord, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Wanfazong was the Taoist temple of the Primordial Saint True Lord before he became famous.

The cultivation secret realm was a magical artifact he personally crafted.

From the moment you appeared, you were destined to become his pawn, moving step by step until you became a Nascent Soul cultivator, at which point you would have a chance to escape.

Once you reach that position, you'll find that many things in this world are incredibly boring and unavoidable.

Every year they fight and scheme against each other, and in the end, they are all trapped, unable to leave their respective places of enlightenment.

This outcome could be you in the near future. If you'd like to know more, we can discuss it in detail.

I have a way that might help you break free from their control…

Ling Xiao's series of astonishing words left Jiang Ming somewhat at a loss.

This is so dry; every single sentence deserves careful consideration and deliberation.

My own path of cultivation was pre-programmed.

Since that's the case, I suppose Zhou Jun agrees.

We are all pawns, except that Zhou Jun has been abandoned and I have become the new favorite?

"If what my senior said is true, how can I save myself?"

"Self-salvation? What are you talking about? In this world, even Nascent Soul cultivators cannot find a way to save themselves."

How could you possibly escape the common practice? Self-salvation is impossible.

"However, you can choose who uses you?" Shaking his head, Ling Xiao's eyes held a profound meaning, revealing his true intentions.

"Aren't you curious about my origins? From ancient times to the present, I have always controlled the Great Forest Tree Fruit position. Do you really think that an ordinary Golden Core cultivator can achieve such a feat?"

Frowning, Jiang Ming roughly understood what Ling Xiao meant.

He was being used either way, and he hoped that he could be used by him.

"Why did you pass on the Great Forest Tree inheritance to Ye Tao before, senior?"

"Oh, you mean that little girl? She and I have some kind of connection. To be precise, she is actually an incarnation that I created using the Daoist essence of the Great Forest Wood."

Before I met you, she was a counterfeit of my subtraction-to-empty method, but after meeting you, I found that you are more suitable than her.

I need your help to take the Great Forest Tree Fruit and help me break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Others practice reduction to seek emptiness in order to transcend the divine and achieve liberation.

How can you be so low-class? You've been forced to this extent just to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?

"Kid, I understand what you're thinking. Let me explain it to you like this: Yuan Chu and I are actually from the same source."

However, when breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, one must separate the good and evil aspects of one's Dao heart and choose one of them as one's main direction of cultivation.

I am the evil face of the beginning, but you don't need to worry.

Good and evil are not simply either good or bad.

Humans are very complex. Sometimes, their evil side can reveal their goodness, and their good side can commit heinous acts.

I am not a bad person to you.

To be precise, I am able to help you.

I can give you the position of Great Forest Tree, because for Nascent Soul cultivators, the position is of no use.

However, by taking away the position of the Great Forest Tree, you will actually make the Heavenly Emperor lower his guard. At that time, the Heavenly Emperor, who has been suppressing me, will turn his attention to you, and I will be able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage smoothly.

And you, you will be able to achieve your wish and become the new Lord Ōbayashiki.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming nodded, without directly refusing.

The current situation is still very clear.

He had to make a choice.

To become a counterfeit of Lingxiao, or a counterfeit of Yuanchu.

But, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, is Yuan Chu really not considered a Ling Xiao?

After pondering silently for a moment, Jiang Ming finally decided not to make things difficult for himself.

Strategizing for Nascent Soul cultivators is too mentally taxing; it's better to just get some information about breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm directly from Ling Xiao.

"I can help, but I'm quite curious about the Nascent Soul realm. Could you tell me, senior, how a Golden Core cultivator can advance to the Nascent Soul realm?"

"You're quite sensible. Do you think my actions are bound to fail and want to gain some extra benefits?" Ling Xiao smiled calmly, seemingly seeing through Jiang Ming's thoughts.

However, he did not explain, nor was he angry; his eyes were full of peace.

"To reach the Golden Core realm, one needs to comprehend the Great Dao. One must use the Golden Nature to comprehend the Great Dao. The Great Dao is not something as simple as a fruit position, but rather a much deeper understanding."

For example, Heavenly Fire is just a kind of Fire-type attainment, corresponding to the Great Path of Fire. However, your path has already been predetermined.

"You must master the Five Elements and Yin and Yang; otherwise, your attempt to attain the Nascent Soul stage is destined to fail."

After giving some pointers, Ling Xiao stopped wasting time and began the handover of the Great Forest Tree position.

Because Jiang Ming had a good grasp of the Great Forest Tree, the process went very smoothly, making him the only owner of the Great Forest Tree for hundreds of years.

Although Da Linmu was puzzled by Ling Xiao's act of voluntarily giving up his position, he did not resist the position and it was successfully refined and absorbed by Jiang Ming.

With the attainment of the Great Forest Tree Fruit, Jiang Ming's energy became increasingly vigorous, and his cultivation level also improved slightly.

"The advantage of the Five Elements Dao is that it can naturally improve one's cultivation level without the need for additional resources."

"Once your cultivation level is higher, you will understand the superiority of the Five Elements Dao."

Having given this reminder, Ling Xiao said no more. At the same time, freed from the Great Forest Tree's restraints, his dark aura vanished instantly, and he appeared dignified and handsome.

"Fellow Daoist, the Great Forest Wood Fruit Position has a hidden flaw. That is, once you have this position, you must come here once every ten years, otherwise you will risk getting lost."

This is a flaw of the Great Forest Tree, and the risk of getting lost will increase over time. That's why I'm staying here and not going out.

However, the characteristics of fruition are not entirely without merit; while you yourself may become lost, you can also cause others to become lost.

Golden Core True Monarchs are immortal and indestructible, but they are vulnerable to losing their way. In a sense, this is actually the most powerful attack method at the Golden Core realm.

After listening to the explanation, Jiang Ming's face showed a look of understanding.

At the same time, Ling Xiao's cultivation level was also gradually rising. His body was enveloped by the Great Dao, making him look mysterious.

He gave Jiang Ming a deep look, but said nothing, only offering a gentle smile.

"Farewell, we will meet again in the future."

……

After mastering the Great Forest Wood Fruit position, Jiang Ming also gained a deep understanding of this wondrous space. This place can be considered the Great Forest Wood Fruit position's private domain. Here, a Golden Core True Monarch can conceal their aura, giving people the illusion that they have disappeared from the world.

In fact, from this position, cultivators can easily grasp the movements of the Immortal Pivot, and even the changes in their fruition status.

Now, both the Fudeng Huoguo position and the Changliu Fruit position have new True Lords.

Although the two did not reveal any information, Jiang Ming could sense their location. If they refused to contribute when the ancient demons invaded in the future...

Afterwards, Jiang Ming didn't mind settling scores with them.

If you don't help me when I need you, then I'll just wait until I don't need you anymore.

We don't need you anymore, so what are you still doing sitting in the position of True Lord?

Back in the Great Zhou Dynasty, Jiang Ming silently worked to reconcile the two Supreme Fruits in his quiet room. Fire and wood, in fact, were somewhat incompatible.

Fire can enhance the power of wood, but this is a one-sided plunder of the forest. If it weren't for Jiang Ming's coordination, these two positions would have inevitably become incompatible sooner or later.

At that point, it's highly likely that it will backfire on you...