Xuanhuang World-Ending Transformations were extreme changes the Xuanhuang World underwent instinctively when facing destruction, a desperate attempt at self-preservation.
Each transformation maximized a specific aspect of the world's power.
For example, the [World's Heat Death, All Things Frozen] transformation, which Li Fan had used in his previous life to disguise himself as a Dao Integration cultivator, was comparable to, and even surpassed, most ice-type Heavenly Souls.
These world-ending transformations were often destructive, appearing only when the Xuanhuang World faced imminent collapse. Their very presence triggered a defensive reaction from the Heavenly Dao, resulting in suspicion and distrust towards those who wielded such power. Li Fan was experiencing this firsthand.
However, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, having absorbed its fragmented, malevolent will, was undergoing a different kind of transformation, akin to being infused with Celestial energy, a resurgence of its primordial power. This manifested as a strengthening of the world's fundamental laws, increasing the restrictions placed upon cultivators.
The Heavenly Tribulation bottleneck, the prohibition against cultivating multiple Daos, the celestial phenomena that marked a cultivator's death… these fundamental laws were changing, becoming more restrictive.
Breakthroughs would become more difficult. The celestial phenomena accompanying death would reveal more information about the deceased cultivator's life. The criteria for judging different Daos would become stricter, and the overall number of cultivation techniques in the world would decrease.
Li Fan also sensed that the Xuanhuang World's ability to absorb and refine the remnants of deceased cultivators and shattered worlds was increasing, its efficiency improving.
A faint, almost imperceptible humming, like the sound of… digestion, resonated throughout the world, undetectable by most cultivators.
Within the Xuanhuang World, cultivators devoured the world's essence to fuel their own growth. And as the world grew stronger, so too would its inhabitants.
Foundation Establishment cultivators battling Golden Core experts, Golden Core cultivators defeating Nascent Soul cultivators… this would become the new normal.
And those who couldn't keep up, those who failed to adapt to this accelerated pace of cultivation, would be left behind, their power… insignificant. They would have to abandon their current paths, start anew, or find a way to rapidly ascend.
…
Li Fan observed these changes, his mind racing, analyzing, extrapolating. Though the Xuanhuang World's current growth wasn't yet sufficient for his plans, it was… enlightening.
"This is the Dao of Change. Those who adapt, thrive. Those who stagnate, perish. The Xuanhuang World, the Dark Star Sea, and perhaps… even the Celestial Realm itself… they are all subject to this eternal law."
He remembered Sun Erlang's experience within the Realm of True Fruits in his previous life.
"I wonder… how will they fare in the Land of Blissful Ignorance this time?"
Within the Dao Discussion Platform, the silvery-white pearl, like a giant eye, turned, its gaze focusing on Sun Erlang and his companions.
Though only at the peak of Golden Core cultivation, they possessed the knowledge imparted by the Celestial Teacher. The defensive formations of both the Alliance and the Council of Five Elders were… child's play to them.
They bypassed the Human Dao Celestial Realm's defenses with ease, entering the so-called Land of Blissful Ignorance.
It looked… ordinary. Unremarkable. No different from any other region within the Xuanhuang World.
Yue Zhenwei, the eldest of the three, frowned, his gaze sweeping across the landscape. "There are… fewer people here than in other regions controlled by the Council of Five Elders," he observed.
Sun Erlang nodded. "Indeed. And they all seem… listless. Depressed. Hardly… blissful."
"Who cares?" Wang Xuanba shrugged. "We're here for Grotto-Heavens. The fewer people, the better!"
His companions agreed. They were mere Golden Core cultivators. The secrets of the Land of Blissful Ignorance were beyond their grasp. Their concern was… advancement.
They masked their auras, activating the technique taught to them by the Celestial Teacher, their senses reaching out, searching for suitable Grotto-Heavens.
But…
Ten days passed, and they found nothing.
Their expressions darkened.
"Impossible! We've practically covered the entire Qiuxi Region! There's not a single Grotto-Heaven to be found!" Wang Xuanba's voice was laced with disbelief.
"Either the Celestial Teacher's technique is flawed," Yue Zhenwei said grimly, "or…"
"This Land of Blissful Ignorance… it has no Grotto-Heavens," Sun Erlang finished his thought. "Or rather, what we're seeing… it's not the real Land of Blissful Ignorance. It's a… facade. The dream realm… that's where they are."
"What do we do now?" Wang Xuanba scratched his head. "We can't exactly… steal from a dream, can we? Let's return to the Human Dao Celestial Realm. Though its defenses are stronger, it's larger. We should be able to find a few suitable Grotto-Heavens there. As long as we're careful."
His companions agreed.
They turned back, retracing their steps, heading towards the border.
But as they reached the edge of the Qiuxi Region, the familiar White Mist Barrier, the natural boundary between regions… it was gone.
Before them stretched an endless desert, its dunes shifting, its sands swirling, its vastness… unnerving.
"This…"
They paused at the edge of the desert, scooping up handfuls of sand, their senses probing, their expressions darkening.
"It's… real," Sun Erlang murmured, his fist clenching.
Wang Xuanba, still skeptical, took a step forward, his foot sinking into the sand. "How is this possible? We came this way! We didn't get lost!"
"We've entered the dream," Yue Zhenwei said, his voice calm, his gaze fixed on the desolate landscape. He was the most level-headed of the three.
He scanned the endless expanse of sand, but saw no signs of life.
"We should avoid this… desert. Let's try a different direction."
They traversed the Qiuxi Region once more, reaching another border.
This time, they were greeted by the roar of a waterfall, its water cascading from the heavens, only to dissolve into shimmering mist and bubbles as it neared the ground.
And beyond the waterfall… a world of water, suspended in the sky, teeming with life, its depths revealing strange, underwater structures.
"Perhaps we should try… there?" Wang Xuanba suggested.
"Let's observe," Yue Zhenwei cautioned. He studied the water world, his eyes narrowing. The inhabitants… they weren't human. They were… cephalopods. Strange, octopus-like creatures, their movements fluid, their intelligence… undeniable. They seemed to possess their own language, their own culture, their civilization thriving within this aquatic realm.
And they were completely oblivious to the three humans observing them from afar, as if they existed in… different dimensions.
They moved on, their search continuing.
Finally, in the southwestern corner of the Qiuxi Region, they found it.
A familiar landmark.
A massive stone, identical to the one near the coast of Shilin Region.
"We're out!" Wang Xuanba cheered, starting to run towards it.
"Wait!" Sun Erlang grabbed his arm, his voice sharp. "Something's not right."
Two figures appeared above the stone – one fleeing, their movements frantic, their body covered in wounds, the other… pursuing, their pace leisurely, toying with their prey, maintaining a distance that offered the illusion of escape, a cruel game of cat and mouse.
But it wasn't a human hunting another human.
It was a… beast. A humanoid creature with the head of a dog.
As the fleeing cultivator neared the border, about to escape into the Congyun Sea, the beast, its patience finally wearing thin, ended its game.
Its hand transformed into a paw, its claws digging into the cultivator's flesh, pinning them to the ground.
It laughed, a cruel, guttural sound, as the cultivator screamed, their face contorted in terror.
Then, its maw opening wide, it prepared to… consume its prey.
"You monster! Stop!" Wang Xuanba, his youthful idealism overriding his caution, couldn't bear to witness such brutality.
Before his companions could stop him, he summoned his weapon, a massive greataxe, its surface etched with ancient runes, its aura radiating power. It tore through the boundary between the two regions, its trajectory aimed at the beast.
The beast, however, seemed to have anticipated this.
Its eyes gleamed with a predatory excitement as it tossed its captured prey aside, ignoring the descending axe, its attention now focused on the three intruders.
And as it moved, the world around it shifted, the landscape changing, the familiar scenery of Shilin Region expanding, consuming the Qiuxi Region, enveloping the three intruders.
The dream had become reality.
CLANG!
Wang Xuanba's axe struck the beast's neck, but instead of cleaving through flesh and bone, it met with resistance, a sound like metal striking metal echoing through the air.
"Fool," Wang Xuanba sneered. "Did you think my axe's only purpose is to… cut? A beast, relying on brute strength…"
The beast, as if understanding his words, flinched. A gray mark, a spreading stain of… something… appeared on its neck, the discoloration quickly spreading, consuming its head, turning it a sickly, ashen gray.
Moments later, its head crumbled, dissolving into dust.
"Behind you!"
"Look out!"
Sun Erlang and Yue Zhenwei's voices echoed simultaneously.
As Wang Xuanba preened, admiring his handiwork, the headless beast moved, its speed incredible, appearing before him in the blink of an eye.
Its paw, a blur of motion, pierced Wang Xuanba's chest, its claws tearing through his heart.
"Xuanba!" Sun Erlang roared, his eyes widening in horror.
He summoned his weapon, a wickedly curved blade that pulsed with a dark, menacing energy, unleashing a swirling vortex of black wind that engulfed the beast.
The beast's flesh was stripped away, leaving behind only its bones.
Bones that glowed with an unnatural golden light.
"This… isn't right…" Yue Zhenwei frowned, his gaze fixed on the glowing skeleton, unaware of the figure approaching him from behind.
The cultivator the beast had been hunting, his wounds gone, his expression… mocking. Predatory.
His neck elongated, his head detaching, flying towards Yue Zhenwei, its maw opening wide, swallowing his head in a single gulp.
Yue Zhenwei, his attention focused on the beast, on Sun Erlang's grief, hadn't even seen it coming.
"You… monsters! You'll pay for this!" Sun Erlang's eyes burned with a cold fury, his face contorted in rage.
Black energy, dark and menacing, surged around him, his veins bulging, his pupils dilating, the darkness consuming him.
He lunged towards the long-necked creature, his blade raised, his intent… murderous.
But the glowing skeleton grabbed him, its grip tightening, its bony fingers digging into his flesh.
It laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "This… never gets old. Such easy prey."
Sun Erlang's rage intensified.
"Aaaaaargh!"
His roar shook the heavens as a storm of pure, destructive energy erupted from his dantian, its power far exceeding that of his blade, consuming the skeleton, its golden light vanishing.
"What the…"
The skeleton's words were cut short as it, along with Sun Erlang, vanished within the black vortex.
The long-necked creature watched, its expression… amused, as it continued to devour Yue Zhenwei's remains.
The black storm dissipated.
And the bodies of Wang Xuanba and Sun Erlang, their flesh and bone stripped clean, joined Yue Zhenwei, becoming… a feast.
…
"Aaaaaargh!"
Sun Erlang, Wang Xuanba, and Yue Zhenwei woke up screaming, their bodies drenched in sweat, their minds reeling from the… nightmare.
"I'm… dead?"
"I'm… alive?" Wang Xuanba stammered, his voice trembling.
Sun Erlang was silent, lost in thought.
Yue Zhenwei, as always, was the first to regain his composure. He looked around, his gaze sharp, assessing their surroundings.
"We're still in the Qiuxi Region. The Land of Blissful Ignorance."
"But…" He glanced at the sky. "It's… darker, isn't it?"
"It's not an illusion. The world… it's as if… night has fallen," Sun Erlang confirmed, his gaze sweeping across the landscape.
"But our cultivation… it's the same. Wait… what's this?" His voice rose sharply.
Floating before him, lines of text shimmered in the air.
Sun Erlang. Peak Golden Core. Deaths: 1.
Land of Blissful Ignorance Experience Level: 1.
Blissful Ignorance Coins: 100.
He read the words aloud, his voice filled with confusion.
"I have it too!" Wang Xuanba exclaimed, then frowned. "Wait a minute! Why do I have zero Blissful Ignorance Coins? And where did you get a hundred?"
…
(End of Chapter)