Transcending two realms to become an earth immortal

A lonely grave a thousand miles away, a gloomy and deadly place, surrounded by ghostly shadows, and one can vaguely see corpses lurking in the dark.

Fang Chen sat upright on the altar, several eerie green soul lamps burning beside him. Their flickering light cast shadows on his face, making him appear sometimes bright, sometimes dark, sometimes green, sometimes white, like a vengeful ghost.

Beyond the altar lay a vast expanse of desolate graves, utterly silent. From time to time, the shadows of demons wandered among the tombstones, and ghosts and monsters wailed in the long night, creating an eerie and sinister atmosphere.

The flickering lamplight on the altar obscured the last trace of life in Fang Chen's body, and his mourning clothes also concealed his flesh and blood, which allowed him to temporarily preserve his life in this "world of the living and the dead".

After confirming that he was temporarily safe, Fang Chen looked down at his hand.

All I could see was his hand, as pale and cold as a corpse, holding a peach in his right hand.

The longevity peach has a skin like night mist, with a touch of rouge at the tip, giving it an overall ethereal feel.

This is the longevity peach offered by the deceased in that village, containing pure incense offerings, the essence of the soul, and superior yin energy.

In ancient times, this thing would have been harmful to the soul and considered unclean. But in today's world, it is a rare opportunity to enter the Dao.

This peach-shaped ornament is also a manifestation of the villagers' relinquishment of their last remaining attachment to the "past world."

"No wonder so many people in Dao City risk going out to explore the shadows of the old world. On the one hand, they are indeed driven to desperation by the blood tax, and on the other hand, only in the shadows of the old world can they find this last remaining opportunity to enter the Dao in this filthy apocalypse. But..." Fang Chen remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.

【Old World Light and Shadow】is a unique phenomenon in this world.

In those days, this world suffered a great calamity. Yin and Yang were out of order, all laws collapsed, and time and space fell into chaos. The vast universe was almost completely swallowed up by the [Return to the Void].

Just as the world was collapsing, an ancient being, out of compassion for all living beings, sacrificed himself and merged with the Dao, forcibly fixing the collapsing world in a state between life and death, between the entanglement of a mustard seed and the mortal realm, trapping it in an extremely delicate gap, allowing billions of living beings to eke out a living.

But the once prosperous and thriving Eastern Continent, the land of abundant resources and treasures, has long since sunk and collapsed.

The foundation of time and space was distorted, and the shattered mountains and rivers transformed into thousands of [Old World Light and Shadow]. These are remnants of the world before the great calamity, like bubbles under the sunlight, which will gradually disappear as time goes by.

For example, the villagers who were previously trapped in the rain-praying scam, if they continue to succumb to this illusion, will eventually transform into vengeful ghosts, their ferocity growing ever stronger. One day, they will break free from the shackles of that light and shadow and wreak havoc on all sides. Or perhaps that light and shadow will directly fall into the [Ruins of Return] and vanish without a trace in an instant.

【The Light and Shadow of the Old World】is formed from the attachments of all sentient beings in the world and the fragments of the Central Plains. However, it is like a fragile bubble under the sunlight, which may burst at any time.

The places where the spiritual veins of the Central Plains once converged, the places where outstanding people and spirits gathered, or the divine realms and execution grounds, are more stable than these old worldly shadows. They will not be annihilated at any time, but they are also in danger of collapsing.

Furthermore, affected by the collapse of heaven and earth, yin and yang are out of order, and life and death are confused. At best, filth and evil energy permeate the land, turning it into a deadly wasteland; at worst, demons and monsters roam freely, turning it into an endless demon cave; even more seriously, it may become the lair of an indescribable great demon born when heaven and earth collapsed, extremely dangerous.

Because these places are a blur of the lines between Yin and Yang, and life and death are out of order, they are called "the Yin-Yang world".

Only the core of the blessed lands, great spiritual centers, and treasure troves of the Central Plains in the past can be transformed into a [Cave Heaven Realm] to protect the living beings of that region.

But even in Daocheng, it is not a good place.

Therefore, the landscape of this world can be roughly divided into three parts:

The first layer, [Shadows of the Old World]: The ghost realm formed from the obsessions of all living beings, containing the obsessions of all gods, demons, ghosts and evil spirits in the world. You can find the spirits of the old era in it, but they will be annihilated in the void at any time, or they will nurture demons and poison living beings.

The second level, the Yin-Yang Realm (also known as the Gap Between Life and Death): The rules are relatively stable, but the spiritual energy is depleted, the evil aura is rampant, and there are demons and monsters running rampant. The whole area is also on the verge of collapse.

The third level, [Cave Heaven Realm]: Due to its special nature, it can still maintain some order in the world, and powerful beings can use themselves as anchors to temporarily stabilize Yin and Yang, straighten out life and death, and stop the trend of falling into the abyss, but there is still a danger of destruction.

The resources of the [Cave Heaven Dao Realm] are already limited, not to mention the mountain of blood tax.

Therefore, in order to seek a glimmer of opportunity, Fang Chen left Dao City and ventured into the old world of light and shadow through a medium to obtain spiritual items, which fortunately succeeded.

As for why the world suffered such a great calamity, turning into the desolate apocalypse it is today, no one knows the truth, but everyone has reached a consensus, which is—

The great cultivators of the ancient times enjoyed the best of their eras, plundering the essence of heaven and earth without giving back. Instead, they greedily exploited and monopolized everything. When the world entered the Dharma-ending Age and the land shattered, they simply turned and ascended to immortality!

Fang Chen's face was dark, but a flicker of anger flashed in his eyes:

"Every time I think about this, I can't help but feel indignant. They devoured the heavens and earth, plundered everything, and then when the sky collapsed, they simply left, leaving us, the later generations, with this devastated end times."

"This kind of behavior is truly...deserving of death!!!"

Those landlords, powerful figures, and corrupt officials, no matter how much they levy exorbitant taxes and oppress the people, will naturally face retribution and turn to ashes when the dynasty ends and humanity is restored.

But cultivators are different. They absorb the essence of heaven and earth, gather great power into themselves, regard time as a passing guest and heaven and earth as an inn, and naturally have no scruples. Like a gluttonous beast descending upon the world, they eat without restraint, causing a great calamity to descend. They themselves break through the boundary and ascend, leaving this turbid and evil world to billions of living beings.

Even if a deity who cultivates the path of purity and non-action knew of such actions, he would probably be enraged and would have to unleash his natal magic weapon to chase them to the heavens and fight them until their souls were completely destroyed.

But this happened in a distant old era, and no matter how much resentment one felt, it was all in vain; one could only move forward step by step.

Moreover, he was not entirely without support when he came into this world.

Upon realizing this, Fang Chen introspected on himself.

The obsessions of sentient beings that he had just absorbed, combined with the merits and offerings he had accumulated over the years, and the immersion of two lifetimes, finally awakened the divine object in his mind!

All that could be seen was the main aperture between the eyebrows, in the deep sea of ​​consciousness, where an ancient and heavy bronze mirror had been suspended high in the void of the sea of ​​consciousness.

The mirror is mottled and full of traces of time. Its surface is dark like an autumn pool, without a ripple, yet it seems to reflect the endless time since time immemorial.

Below the mirror, in ancient cloud seal script, written with the graceful strokes of dragons and snakes, are two extraordinary and profound characters, flowing with Taoist charm:

Kunlun.

Moreover, a Dharma gate was reflected on the mirror, named:

[The Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerable Speaks of the Golden Chapter of the Cave of Mystery and the Palace of Heaven!]

"Having obtained this spiritual object, I can attempt a breakthrough after returning to Dao City, and perhaps even gain access to a trace of the mirror's mysteries..." Fang Chen's eyes deepened as he thought this.

Before obtaining this mirror, he was nothing more than an insignificant little cultivator in this filthy, apocalyptic world, struggling and drifting with the tide.

Now that this predestined connection has been established—

Even if heaven and earth were turned upside down, and yin and yang were reversed, so what?

My fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven!