Chapter 290: Immortal-Fanqiao

"Greetings, fellow Daoists, on your profound Dao and arts." Shan Beishu laughed heartily and stepped forward to greet them.

"Your cultivation far surpasses ours, friend." Ding Huan smiled and cupped his fists toward Shan Beishu.

Shan Beishu said in an apologetic tone:

"Just now I sensed your extraordinary Great Dao and couldn't resist taking a peek or two; please forgive me."

Ding Huan laughed heartily: "Since you spoke of it, then it wasn't peeking."

Shan Beishu had already taken a liking to Ding Huan, and hearing Ding Huan's words now made him like him even more.

If he had not spoken of it, it would have meant he had taken advantage of the other and played dead. Since he had spoken of it, the other's words amounted to granting him permission to observe.

This spared him any psychological burden.

"Shan Beishu of the Great Tong Academy, greetings to the two fellow Daoists." Shan Beishu introduced himself seriously.

What a familiar name.

"Ding Huan, Sect Master of the Blue Star Sect of the Dao Cultivation World, greets Fellow Daoist Shan." Ding Huan felt Shan Beishu's name was very familiar, but for the moment he could not recall where.

Fu Qijian, already knowing who the other was, hurried forward and bowed:

"Fu Qijian, successor of the Seven Swords of the Great Ruins, greets Senior Shan."

Shan Beishu laughed heartily:

"It seems you know who I am. As for your master, I seem to have met him once long ago. If I'm not mistaken, your master went to the Fourth Layer Sea."

Fu Qijian quickly said:

"Back when the Great Tong Academy still existed, the order of the Triple Heaven Star Land was orderly; now everywhere is killing and robbery, a foul atmosphere. The Triple Heaven Star Land grows worse by the day — it's sigh-worthy."

Shan Beishu sighed:

"This grudge I will surely repay."

Ding Huan suddenly understood:

"I remember now — you're the one who went to the Ascension Tower wanting to ascend to the Immortal World, but the Ascension Ring was gone, so you didn't make it?"

Shan Beishu's eyes dimmed:

"Yes, I'm that unlucky fool."

Ding Huan chuckled:

"You're not the only unlucky fool — I heard there was also a Cang Yongqian and a woman named Qin Huan. But as for you, wasn't your Great Tong Academy wiped out by Jiu Yuan? You don't want revenge, just leaving like this?"

Cang Yongqian and Cen Huan — Shan Beishu knew them both; not only knew them, his relationship with them was quite good.

But how did Ding Huan know the Great Tong Academy was destroyed by Jiu Yuan?

Shan Beishu immediately asked:

"How do you know my Great Tong Academy was destroyed by Jiu Yuan?"

The matter of Jiu Yuan had been carried out with extreme secrecy; he was genuinely puzzled as to how Ding Huan knew of it.

Ding Huan said lightly:

"How I know is unimportant. What's important is that your sect was destroyed, yet you think only of fleeing, with not the slightest thought of revenge — that doesn't seem right."

Shan Beishu sighed long once more:

"I'm only an Earth Immortal at Perfection, you know. Do you know how many Earth Immortals at Perfection there are in Jiu Yuan?

Unfortunately I cannot sense the next realm. If I could break through Earth Immortal and set foot in the next realm, I would certainly go to Jiu Yuan for a visit.

Right now, even if I wanted to seek revenge, it would only be throwing my life away. Knowing it's certain death, why go?"

"Jiu Yuan is that formidable?" Ding Huan was moved.

He and Fu Qijian had thoroughly offended Jiu Yuan.

Shan Beishu laughed coldly:

"Far more formidable than you can imagine."

"Senior, isn't Earth Immortal the highest realm beneath the Immortal World? How can there be a next realm? Isn't the next realm only attained after ascending to the Immortal World?"

Fu Qijian, at the side, could not help but ask.

Shan Beishu chuckled:

"If Earth Immortal were the highest realm beneath the Immortal World, we would have no need to rely on the Ascension Tower's Ascension Ring to ascend.

Precisely because in the Triple Heaven Star Land we cannot sense the next realm, we are forced to rely on the Ascension Tower to ascend.

Now that the Ascension Tower's Ascension Ring has vanished, those of us who have cultivated to Earth Immortal Perfection can only leave the Triple Heaven Star Land.

In fact, we come to the Opening Heavens Battlefield to seek immortal机缘 — it too is only for the sake of finding the next realm, not truly to find a place for direct ascension."

Fu Qijian said nothing.

He knew very well how despairing it was when a cultivator reached the extreme and could not sense the next realm.

Back then his master was the same — having cultivated to Human Immortal Perfection, he simply could not sense the Earth Immortal realm no matter what.

He himself had gone through the same not long ago.

When preparing for Tribulation Crossing, the shackles of his Earth Immortal cultivation vanished, yet he still could not sense the Dao Laws of the Earth Immortal realm. The dejection within could not be understood without experiencing it.

"Is it because the Heaven and Earth Laws of the Triple Heaven Star Land are broken or incomplete?" Ding Huan asked.

Shan Beishu nodded approvingly:

"Exactly. Precisely because of this, we have lost all hope of ascending to the Immortal World.

You can grasp this question, and the Great Dao you cultivate seems to point in this direction as well. I think perhaps in the future you truly might find the next realm."

"If there truly is a next realm, I believe Ding Huan will surely sense it and cultivate to it." Fu Qijian said with absolute certainty.

He himself could not sense the Earth Immortal realm — wasn't it Ding Huan who helped him?

Ding Huan asked:

"Senior, you hail from the Great Tong Academy — do you know what realm comes after Earth Immortal?"

Dan Beishu took a deep breath and said slowly, "The Immortal-Fanqiao."

"The Immortal-Fanqiao?" Ding Huan thought to himself—this didn't sound like a realm at all, but rather a method.

Dan Beishu affirmed:

"That's right—it's the Immortal-Fanqiao. Ordinary mortals like us must possess a Mortal Root to cultivate. But no matter how much you refine it, the Mortal Root remains a Mortal Root.

To become an immortal, you must first sever your Mortal Root. Anyone who cultivates through a Mortal Root—whether a Human Immortal or a Earth Immortal—is a false immortal.

Only after truly severing the Mortal Root can an Immortal Root emerge, shatter the mortal constraints, and step onto the Immortal Path. This is called the Nirvana Foundation."

Ding Huan frowned slightly—sever the Mortal Root?

He had no Spirit Root; he could cultivate only because he fused genes to form a Genetic Spirit Root. Was that considered a Mortal Root?

There must be something he hadn't understood yet.

Seeing Ding Huan lost in thought, neither Dan Beishu nor Fu Qijian disturbed him.

Especially Dan Beishu—he had reached Earth Immortal Completion. After sensing Ding Huan's Dao principles, he had even gained slight strength increases, proving Ding Huan's cultivation art was extraordinary.

It also suggested Ding Huan's Dao method might contain realms beyond Earth Immortal—perhaps even the Immortal-Fanqiao that severs the Mortal Root.

Half a stick of incense passed before Ding Huan finally emerged from his contemplation.

"Dan friend, where do you plan to go now?" Ding Huan asked.

Dan Beishu was the strongest being Ding Huan had encountered since arriving in the Third Heaven Star Continent.

In truth, Dan Beishu very much wanted to follow Ding Huan, but he found it hard to say so.

If he voiced his wish to follow Ding Huan, even Bai Chi would know he intended to trail behind Ding Huan, sense his Dao principles, sever his Mortal Root, and step onto the Immortal-Fanqiao.

"I have an idea," Fu Qijian said. "You're alone now, Dan Senior, with nowhere to go. Why not follow Lord Ding as we do?"

Fu Qijian spoke little, but his mind was sharp—he had already grasped Dan Beishu's thoughts.

He knew Ding Huan and himself were about to face a dire situation: once they left the Opening Heaven Battlefield, they would confront Jiu Yuan.

With just the two of them, they were no match for Jiu Yuan.

To succeed, they needed to recruit more powerful allies. Dan Beishu had a deep, bitter grudge against Jiu Yuan—he was the perfect ally.

Hearing Fu Qijian's words, Dan Beishu was overjoyed; his goodwill toward Fu Qijian soared:

"Fu friend, we're both Earth Immortals—don't call me Senior. Just call me by name. It'll feel more familiar."

Ding Huan realized: if Dan Beishu joined him, their chances in the Fourth Heaven Strait Valley would greatly increase.

Thinking this, he bowed and said, "Dan friend, Fu Qijian is right. You're alone and weak. Why not join us?

Fu Qijian and I killed an important figure of Jiu Yuan—we'll inevitably go to war with them. Your sect was destroyed by Jiu Yuan too. Let's join forces."

"You killed someone from Jiu Yuan? Who?" Dan Beishu asked, puzzled.

Ding Huan grinned.

"The governor of Jiu Yuancheng—Wang Pingdao."

Dan Beishu stared at the two, silent for a long while, then muttered, "Ignorance is fearless."

It seemed that even now, Ding Huan and Fu Qijian didn't grasp what it meant to kill the governor of Jiu Yuancheng.

It meant war to the death with Jiu Yuan.

Seeing the two seemed unconcerned, Dan Beishu said:

"Jiu Yuan has wolfish ambitions. The planets they seek to seize won't be limited to just the Third Heaven Star Continent.

The flag they planted on the Third Heaven Star Continent is the governor of Jiu Yuancheng. Don't think you can just replace him with another."

"Isn't that so?" Ding Huan asked, confused.

Dan Beishu shook his head:

"No. Long ago, an elder of my Datong Academy told me: Jiu Yuancheng controls the main destiny of the Third Heaven Star Continent, and its governor is tied to that destiny.

Killing the governor of Jiu Yuancheng is equivalent to Jiu Yuan stripping the Third Heaven Star Continent…"

Dan Beishu suddenly fell silent here—he seemed to realize something.

"You mean Jiu Yuan wants to strip a world's destiny?" Ding Huan found it hard to believe. Even if one could conceive of it, how could one possibly achieve it?

He had glimpsed some information about stripping a world's destiny from the parchment, but it was too obscure.

Dan Beishu spoke gravely:

"I always thought the elder meant Jiu Yuan wanted to dominate the Third Heaven Star Continent, rise above it, and enslave it.

But just now, when I mentioned 'stripping,' I suddenly felt something was off. Lord Ding's words might actually be true—it's just too shocking.

Perhaps they're not stripping destiny at all, but something else entirely. We know too little to guess what."

Ding Huan said seriously:

"Whatever they're stripping, it's a disaster for the Third Heaven Star Continent. Dan friend's theory is likely correct. That Wang Pingdao always felt strange to me.

Whether true or not, we'll treat it as real. Once we leave here, we'll find a way to destroy Jiu Yuan first."

"You can get out of here?" Dan Beishu stared at Ding Huan and Fu Qijian, disbelieving.