Chapter 491: Not Yet Over

Reverse Space vanished.

Lin Chuan returned to the Starry Sky, but the Black Mist origin did not dissipate; it merely retreated far from this world.

His mind was in a swirl of confusion.

It was affected by Shikong fragments.

"We won!"

The Nine Immortals were shocked; it was their first time seeing the Black Mist recede, withdrawing from the Star Ring Realm.

Lin Chuan shook his head, sighed lightly, "The war hasn't ended yet; be careful."

Having said that, he stepped toward the fleeing Black Mist.

He intends to, like the Human Ancestor, guard the edge of the Black Mist and look for a chance.

The Immortal state of the living beings was lifted; soon a new Immortal Dao aura rose on Lin Chuan, and he walked among the Star River, each step a transformation.

Between the Star River, the ladder to Ascension appeared.

The Immortal Gate opened.

This is the recognition of the Chaos Universe Great Dao, independent of the Heavenly Dao of any single world; such a realm is a tier above the Nine Immortals.

Lin Chuan could sense that the Black Mist was still turbulent.

The Human Ancestor was on the opposite side of the Starry Sky, battling another mass of the Black Mist origin.

This severely damaged the Black Mist origin, causing it to enter a self-protective state; the two masses of origin sought to cross the Starry Sky for a final merger.

Lin Chuan must keep up.

Time stretched endlessly; while roaming the Starry Sky, he could no longer feel the passage of time.

He could only learn of changes in the Living World through a special link with Lü Ya, experiencing a hundred years in the Starry Sky as a single day,

while in the Living World, it was a sea of change in the blink of an eye.

Although the time was the same, the sensations differed so vastly, causing an inexplicable emotional ripple within Lin Chuan.

It felt as if he were walking in two Shikongs simultaneously.

The former was a solitary road of endless Darkness, the latter a warm world of laughter and joy.

Time flowed on.

Lin Chuan observed the Living World's changes through Lü Ya.

Because the Black Mist receded, the Star Ring Realm temporarily stabilized; the heavens and living beings could breathe, and the 'Chaos Matter' produced by the Black Mist's transformation fed back, gradually pushing the Living World's development toward its peak.

Five hundred years passed, and Mo Sangyu, Yun Zhi Yi, Tu Shan Jiao Jiao, and Ye Xue successively broke through to the Wangxian Realm.

A thousand years later, Monkey, Yan Beicheng, and the Saint Son Heavenly Pride of the major super powers also set foot in this realm.

A brand-new era began.

Many of the newly born living beings have forgotten the Black Mist disaster, but the strong who endured the Black Mist war still recall it vividly.

The Nine Immortals still sit beyond the Starry Sky; a thousand years is but a flick of a finger to them, yet the fear brought by the Black Mist remains ever fresh.

Three thousand years later.

Lin Yangyang assaulted the Immortal Realm, aiming to, like Lin Chuan, forge an alternative path to Ascension, but ultimately failed.

Not long after, Mo Sangyu reached the Wangxian Peak and also attempted to assault the Immortal Realm, meeting the same failure.

Another thousand years passed.

In this life, Lin Chuan's mother Yu Xia'an reached her end; Lin Yangyang, as her daughter, returned to the family to see her off.

Yu Xia'an departed with a smile, murmuring at death that her children had become towering great heroes.

Three hundred years later, Lin Chuan's father Lin Yan reached his end; once again Lin Yangyang saw him off, and Lin Yan also passed away with a smile.

Five hundred years after that, Lin Yangyang made a second attempt to tread the alternative Ascension path, assaulting the Immortal Realm.

They were but a hair's breadth from opening the Immortal Gate, but returned defeated.

In the following thousand years, Yun Zhi Yi, Tu Shan Jiao Jiao, Ye Xue, Monkey, and the three women of Yan Beicheng all tried this path and all failed.

Even with past-life Immortal experience, the changes in heavenly and earthly conditions, and the differing paths taken, destined the difficulty of Ascension to vary.

Lin Chuan learned all this through his link with Lü Ya, like an outsider observing the world's changes, as fleeting as white clouds and blue dogs.

He still walks the ultimate path of self.

Deep within his soul, the connection with the Human Ancestor grew ever clearer.

"It's coming."

At the same time, the fluctuations of the Black Mist origin were clear, as the Black Mist in its self-protective state emitted waves again.

The Starry Sky shifted, the constellations turned.

Accompanied by the Chaos waves, the Void Space rippled with countless undulations.

In his sight, a person and a massive, writhing Black Mist appeared.

"Human Ancestor!"

The Black Mist activated the Divine Power of 'Constellation Shift', drastically shortening the distance, allowing Lin Chuan and the Human Ancestor to meet in the Starry Sky.

"Chuan."

The Human Ancestor also saw Lin Chuan and came to his side.

"I know, you will surely return."

In the past, within the Ancient God Absolute Realm's dream reincarnation, the Human Ancestor also told him that he still bore the destiny of another life.

At that time, before the Human Ancestor of the third tier Immortal Realm, it was merely the destined karmic cycle.

The Human Ancestor believed 'Chuan' would return.

Lin Chuan indeed returned.

"Chuan, your current realm is no weaker than mine; it seems you have already attained insight," the Human Ancestor said with a smile.

"Hmm."

Lin Chuan nodded, "I have endured Darkness, glimpsed a fragment of the future, and resolved to walk the ultimate path, hoping to achieve success."

The two did not try to stop Black Mist, nor could they.

They waited for Black Mist's final merging.

To utterly eradicate Black Mist, one must reach a higher realm; otherwise its source cannot be destroyed, and only oneself will be dragged to death in the end.

This is why Lin Chuan and Human Ancestor did not forcefully breach the center of Black Mist.

Even if Black Mist is damaged, all they can do is suppress it, not annihilate it, which is a meaningless act.

Both know that being able to meet and converse is the greatest opportunity.

In the original ancient First Era, Lin Chuan never truly saw Human Ancestor; had he, the outcome might have already changed.

Now is an excellent chance to turn the situation around.

"Human Ancestor, I have some questions to ask you."

Lin Chuan articulated the 'Immortal Realm Fivefold Heavens' theory he had derived.

Human Ancestor's thoughts converge with his.

These are five thresholds; as long as one's realm is sufficient, one can perceive them. Currently Lin Chuan and Human Ancestor are stuck before the fourth threshold.

The fourth level of Immortal Realm requires mastering the complete power of a Great Dao.

Lin Chuan follows the Reincarnation Great Dao.

The second True Venerable walks the Path of All Beings, while the third True Venerable's mediation of Creation belongs to the Chaos Great Dao, the hardest road.

By mastering the full power of Reincarnation, he can step onto the fourth level of Immortal Realm.

He would have a chance to eradicate the not-yet-fully-evolved Black Mist.

Human Ancestor follows the Path of Creation, creating the Human Race within the Great World, allowing her to ascend all the way to the peak of Immortal Realm's third level.

How to ascend to the fourth level remains a mystery.

Lin Chuan's situation is also not good.

In the future dream-cycle of Reincarnation, he relied on Lü Ya's sacrifice to master the full Reincarnation power, and received Rumeng's Forbidden as a burden, enabling him to enter the fifth level.

What about relying on himself?

Lin Chuan has long been prepared; the supreme Daoist technique of unifying the Three Purities in one breath has a marvelous use, allowing it to merge into one at the final moment.

If the power of the three Great Daoes is bestowed, I also have hope to step into the fifth level.

Regarding various Immortal Realm cultivations, Lin Chuan and Human Ancestor exchanged much, and both benefited greatly.

The moment of enlightenment passes like fleeting light.

Black Mist's merging has also entered its final stage.