Chapter 958

Time slipped by another three months.

During this period, Li Yi remained in the Incense World to recuperate, while waiting for the Artisan Daoist to forge the divine weapon he needed; after more than four months of recovery, his strength had indeed improved considerably.

Of course, this was thanks to the Purple Dragon Demon’s help.

Yet even after consuming an entire six-thousand-zhang true dragon, Li Yi’s divine blood had only recovered to three percent of its peak state—far from fully restored.

But the good news was that his Primordial Spirit manifestation had broken through during this time, growing stronger than before, now bearing six petals; when it bloomed into nine petals, it would be complete.

This was due to the aid of the Crimson Lotus and the incense.

But he had reached the limit here.

The Incense World could offer Li Yi little more, for its boundaries were fixed; if he wished to change, he must cross realms to seek new opportunities.

“Go to my world—it is a true great cultivation realm, where even demon gods are insignificant. If you wish to restore your state, you must leap out of this pond and seek the vast heavens beyond.”

At this moment, Hua Qing’s lingering soul emerged from the knife coin; his condition had improved greatly, thanks to the incense nourishment he received in the Incense World.

“I always feel you’re going to trick me,” Li Yi glanced at him.

“How dare you slander me without cause!” Hua Qing’s soul cried out in alarm: “I’m showing you a clear path! Unless you hunt down several demon gods, you’ll never reactivate your divine blood’s regeneration—but in a greater world, this problem becomes trivial, nothing at all.”

“You must have sensed it: in these worlds, whether Dao Achievers, demon gods, or the Immortals of the Mystic Immortal Continent, their power and realms have all hit their ceilings. Though you bypassed the realm lock through dual cultivation, the outcome remains the same.”

“Without sufficient resources, you cannot be lifted to a new height.”

Li Yi fell silent.

Hua Qing spoke truthfully: to advance, grow, or heal, Li Yi needed new resources—and among the worlds he had encountered, only the Wildlands could currently provide some resources to sustain his progress.

But for Li Yi to achieve the Three Flowers Converging at the Crown, fully mature his divine body, and complete the Divine Martial Dao, the Wildlands alone were insufficient.

“Right now, all is calm. If you do not seize this chance to cross realms and cultivate, when disaster strikes, you will be powerless.” Hua Qing’s lingering soul added.

“Alright, you’re right,” Li Yi thought for a moment and found himself convinced.

Or perhaps he simply had no other path—so he might as well try seeking new opportunities.

“Speak then—where do you want me to go?” he asked again.

Hua Qing’s lingering soul replied: “The name doesn’t matter—you’ll know the vastness of that realm once you arrive. And I told you before: crossing realms alone won’t get you there; you need the knife coin.”

“Fortunately, the knife coin is nearly repaired—it shouldn’t be hard to take you across.”

Then his soul manifested fully, the knife coin floated forth, radiating crystalline divine light as the void tore open, revealing a profound passage before Li Yi.

“So quick? Are you afraid I’ll change my mind and refuse to go?” Li Yi glanced at him.

“This is my way home—I know it intimately,” Hua Qing’s soul sighed.

Li Yi stared at the passage. He felt no danger, only that this spatial corridor passed through one world after another, weaving through the fissures between realms, ultimately leading to a completely unknown destination.

Such a profound spatial gate could not be opened by a mere cross-realm device—it would require repeated crossings to have even a sliver of chance.

But the chance was minuscule.

Every world connected to others; finding the correct path could take countless years.

“Then let’s go,” Li Yi thought, deciding to risk it. After all, with the Artisan Daoist’s aid, he now possessed a divine armor and a divine sword—he could handle danger if it came.

He left behind some messages, gathered his belongings, and stepped forward, plunging directly into the spatial passage.

The passage had no end, but under the knife coin’s radiant protection, Li Yi encountered no danger.

Soon.

He passed through the first world: a modern post-apocalyptic realm where countless mutated monsters surged forth, and survivors fought them in every corner of the land.

Li Yi flew onward, soon passing through a second world—a cultivation realm, yet for some reason, demons and monsters infested everywhere, and cultivators committed unspeakable atrocities, devouring lives and filling the land with corruption.

He could not bear it—he unleashed a strike, his thunderous power forming a mighty tiger that leapt into that world.

The tiger roared, slaying demons and evil spirits, attempting to salvage that world.

Li Yi’s strike carried lasting power; he estimated this divine tiger would endure roughly three years before its energy dissipated and returned to nothingness.

He wondered whether, in that time, it might bring even a glimmer of hope to that world.

“There are too many worlds in the multiverse—you can’t save them all. I’ve been to that world: the imperial court treats lives as worthless, demons devour humans, cultivators are greedy and lustful, and the people are numb and apathetic. I once taught a scholar with a heart to save the world—but when he attained mastery, he forgot his original purpose, becoming even more tyrannical than other cultivators.” Hua Qing’s soul spoke, gazing at that world, stirred by memories.

“Do you know why, over all these years, I’ve only invited you to my homeland? It’s not that there weren’t better cultivators—but most lacked the qualification. They craved wealth, lust, power, fame—and all collapsed halfway.”

“So they deserve to be trapped in these small worlds.”

“You say that, but I too fear death and crave strength,” Li Yi said.

Hua Qing sighed: “It’s different. If you craved lust, why have you turned away so many beautiful women? Just those few radiant immortal nuns alone would have corrupted most cultivators. If you craved power, you could have seized the throne in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces long ago. If you craved wealth, you wouldn’t have so generously gifted others with treasures.”

“Everyone has greed—but what matters is whether it binds you. Cultivation isn’t just about growing stronger—it’s a process of continually shattering inner chains.”

“If you can’t break these chains, your future achievements will be limited. Haven’t you seen how many powerful evolutionists from the Golden Academy cross realms and never return? It’s not just fear of death—they’re trapped by the fame, wealth, and status of those small worlds, unwilling to move forward.”

“Even cultivators from the End of the Dao Age are the same. If the End hadn’t come, why would they have agreed to cross realms with you? It’s because they couldn’t let go of their status as masters—only when facing death did they finally yield.”

Li Yi said: “You’ve got a whole set of grand principles—too bad you’re not in sales.”