Chapter 543: Exile Returns: Seeking to Re-enter the Realm

After briefly extrapolating the possibility of this idea, Xu Xing's gaze fell to the side.

His vision pierced through the重重obstacles within the world, crossed the slowly mending web of cosmic principles, and looked beyond the world.

Amidst the churning, swirling chaos, a modified small world floated toward them like a tiny sailboat on the verge of capsizing in a raging storm.

Within it slept many cultivators, and its helmsman was one of the Soul Transformations who had fled from this very world.

This was not surprising.

After all, in the boundless Chaos Sea, even worlds themselves were as insignificant as grains of sand—how much more so a single Soul Transformation?

Compared to the infinite, endless Chaos Sea, they were utterly minute.

They could not even determine direction.

So shortly after escaping this world, he became utterly lost within the Chaos Sea.

The small world he rode had merely drifted in a circle near this world before being carried back by the world's natural ebb and flow of chaotic energy.

Now it had become trapped within this world's temporal field.

Yet neither he nor the cultivators within the small world knew this—they believed they had finally reached a new world capable of sheltering them…

"Interesting."

If they had truly stumbled upon a world with a power ceiling below Dao Union, suitable for Soul Transformation, that would be one thing.

After all, such worlds had no possibility of Dao Union.

With his own Soul Transformation cultivation, as long as he kept a low profile, finding a place to settle within a Soul Transformation-tier world would not be difficult.

But now, returning here…

Remember, they had plundered nearly all of the world's resources in its final moments before collapse, and dragged away its remaining elite cultivators, further damaging the web of cosmic principles.

The world's perception of them was self-evident.

But the Soul Transformation and other cultivators within the modified small world had drifted through the Chaos Sea for so long that they were utterly exhausted in body and spirit.

Having finally found a "new world," they would never abandon it.

Now it was up to this junior of the Divine Mechanism Alchemy Pavilion to handle it.

…

…

Beyond Task World 4.

The solitary, eternal Chaos Sea.

A small world, encircled by countless golden runes and with a power ceiling limited to Golden Core, drifted toward them carried by the spontaneous ebb and flow of a Soul Transformation-tier world.

As the golden runes surrounding the small world accelerated their rotation, the entire world gradually slowed and came to a stop.

If viewed from a higher perspective.

It was like a sesame seed halting near a basketball, yet the basketball's surface was marred by jagged, ominous cracks.

Quickly!

A thread of divine intent extended from within the small world, probed the world ahead, then swiftly retracted!

Within the small world at this moment.

On the most fertile continent of the entire small world, a magnificent imperial palace stood towering between heaven and earth.

At its highest point was a vast, circular golden platform.

The platform was covered in dense lines, forming intricate patterns.

A tall figure sat at the very center of the platform, clad in a purple-gold cultivation robe, his aura dense and heavy, far surpassing the entire world.

Even the space around him occasionally groaned under unbearable strain, as if about to shatter.

At this moment, he gazed upward at the sky, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"Finally, finally found a new world…"

Life in exile beyond the world was far harder than he had imagined.

Every moment required him to suppress and contain his own scale.

He dared not even breathe or regulate his Qi.

After all, he was already at the Soul Transformation realm—the world's power ceiling was only Golden Core; even a few casual breaths would drain the entire world dry.

This sensation of every movement needing caution, of being constrained in every action, filled him with unbearable discomfort.

Fortunately, fortunately, this time it was not another illusionary world—fragile as a bubble, collapsing at the slightest touch.

Though he had not seen its full scope, through his recent observation and measurement of the world's temporal flow, he had confirmed this was a powerful world capable of sustaining him.

He lowered his head, gazing straight ahead.

"Send for someone!"

At his command, a portion of the patterns on the platform ignited.

From the rising light emerged a figure clad in a purple-gold cultivation robe, wearing a golden mask.

He knelt half-bowed in reverence.

"Your Excellency."

"Awaken thirty Soul Transformations. Dress them in Chaos Spirit Armor and send them beyond the boundary to explore."

Upon hearing this, the figure with the golden mask's eyes flickered with emotion.

It was not only the Soul Transformation Excellency—because this world's maximum capacity was only Golden Core.

Even they, the Soul Transformations, had to suppress their power through secret arts and reduce their consumption by entering "hibernation."

There was no choice—better small worlds had long been seized by mid- and late-stage Soul Transformation Excellencies!

"Yes! Your servant obeys!"

He rose immediately, activated the teleportation array on the platform, and vanished in a flash of spiritual light.

Until that figure had vanished for a long while.

The Cultivation Foundation Realm cultivator seated at the very center of the platform finally raised his head again to gaze at the sky, extending a thread of divine awareness to continue observing the newly discovered "New World."

Once the divine awareness crossed the world's boundary, it felt, as usual, an endless surge of chaotic energy.

And one stream of it was flowing through the fissure toward the world's interior.

That thread of divine awareness followed the current, attempting to slip quietly into the world to observe the situation.

Because this was his first encounter with a powerful world beyond his own, his spirit was taut, daring not the slightest lapse.

Fortunately, the process went surprisingly smoothly.

Soon, he sensed his divine awareness penetrating deeper, having already passed through the outermost layer.

The expected web of cosmic principles did not appear; around that thread of divine awareness remained only the most primordial chaotic energy.

"Could it be that this world's web of cosmic principles lies beyond this layer?"

At this point, he could only speculate wildly in his mind.

Long before the world's ascension, these Cultivation Foundation Realm cultivators had gathered together to study it.

Even the methods for measuring time flow, transforming the world into a vessel, suppressing their own scale, and detaching from the world's field were all created during this process.

Moreover, they discovered the world itself existed within the Chaos Sea, growing by inhaling and exhaling chaos, breaking it down into the "nourishment" the world required.

The efficiency of inhaling and exhaling chaos was intimately tied to the world's internal condition.

Unprocessed chaotic energy was entirely unusable—this purest form merely continuously assimilated everything.

Therefore, even if this world had no spiritual energy, it must still convert it into some other form of nourishment!

As expected!

Soon, his thread of divine awareness sensed a faint glimmer of spiritual light.

As the divine awareness drew closer, the perception grew clearer.

Before his eyes appeared a vast net woven from countless fine spiritual threads.

"Is this the world's web of cosmic principles?"

He pondered in his mind.

Through the gaps in the great net, he saw countless intersecting "lines," or rather…

Sword qi!

Huh?!

The piercing sharpness slashed at his thread of divine awareness, nearly scattering it.

Gradually, he observed four towering sword shadows.

Fiery as flame, clear as water, ethereal as wind, dark and earthy as rock.

The four-colored lights interwove; the vast sword intent made his divine soul tremble.

"Sword qi? Could this world be one dominated by sword cultivators?"

Before he could make sense of it, a distant, indifferent, terrifying will descended, crashing down with boundless fury.

Boom—!

Without granting even a single chance for explanation, it crushed his thread of divine awareness utterly!

Within the small world.

The Cultivation Foundation Realm cultivator seated atop the imperial palace, at the platform's center, was struck as if by lightning—his divine soul felt a heavy hammer blow; his ruddy complexion turned pale.

Hum~!

A thread of Cultivation Foundation Realm magic power surged uncontrollably outward, stirring visible ripples.

Crack—crack!

The surrounding space, unable to bear the strain, shattered like broken glass, fragmenting piece by piece!

After a long while, as that thread of Cultivation Foundation Realm magic power was retracted, the terrifying spatial cracks slowly began to heal.

On the platform, several figures appeared in the glow of a teleportation array.

All wore purple robes and golden masks.

"Master! Are you alright?!" asked the one with the most solid aura, anxiously.

Only the Master could pilot this "World Vessel"—if he were harmed, everything would be lost.

"I'm fine."

The Cultivation Foundation Realm cultivator, having calmed his turbulent divine soul, spoke calmly.

His pale face did not regain color; he still gazed upward.

"It's just that this world… seems unwelcoming to outsiders."

Such profound malice.

Clearly, this world's defenses against outsiders were extraordinary.

If we wish to enter and find a place to settle, we must plan carefully…

Mission World 4.

Several days later, inside the protective formation.

Wan Ling Sect, once the most powerful sect in this world, was now desolate.

Two Cultivation Foundation Realm Perfect cultivators had pushed for the world's ascension, seeking further advancement—but perished when the world's ascension failed…

The remaining three Cultivation Foundation Realm Elders, upon realizing the world's collapse was irreversible, joined forces to transform the strongest nearby small world, taking all disciples of the sect with them to flee.

All sect scriptures, pills, artifacts, even spiritual springs, medicinal fields, and spiritual peaks were moved away.

The once flourishing base was now only barren, sandy earth.

Now, drizzling rain brought a touch of vitality to this desolate, ruined Wan Ling wasteland.

They saw a Xianshan covered in wondrous flowers and auspicious grasses, dotted with jade pavilions and crystal halls, standing abruptly amid the desolate yellow-sand earth, ringed by golden clouds.

A spiritual spring flowed along the mountain ridge, gurgling as it went, gathering at the foot of the mountain into a seven-colored lake, with rays of rosy light rising from its surface.

Bright, beautiful sunlight poured down upon it — a scene of immortal blessed land.

Many figures could be seen gathered around the Xianshan; some were in tattered clothes, their frames withered and gaunt — these were ordinary people who had not yet entered the Dao.

Others wore daoist robes, with spiritual light swirling about them — these were cultivators who had already entered the Dao.

Yet regardless of cultivation level, all of them only dared to sit obediently and quietly.

Previously, there had been a cultivator who tried to make those eyesore mortals disappear — the result was that, without any warning, he crumbled to ash…

One can only say that idiots exist in every age.

Just think — the World-Saving Venerable himself had told these ordinary people to come over.

And you still dared to make a move — isn't that just seeking death?

Within the crowd, an old man with a child's face and crane-white hair, seated near the Xianshan, gazed at the 'Xianshan' before him, his heart utterly at peace.

It was precisely Fu Ya, who had gone earlier to investigate the sword formation — a man of the Yanyuan Sect.

In the past, when facing these ordinary people and other cultivators, because he could 'read the heavens' decree and know the patterns of fate,'

he had still harbored in his heart a sense of superiority — 'all sentient beings are fools, and only I am the clear stream.'

But going through the destruction of a world had made him realize that, when facing a crisis he could not resolve, he was no different from these ordinary people.

A lifetime of cultivation — but so what?

'It is easy to see through the patterns of fate; it is hard to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.'

Only by cultivating to this point did he truly awaken.

Though it was a bit late, for him personally, it was not too late.

Suddenly!

Above the 'Xianshan' before him, rosy light rolled in waves, and streaks of red rainbows swept past the golden clouds.

The dim, heavy grey-black clouds in the sky transformed at a speed visible to the naked eye into a sacred, resplendent gold.

In the blink of an eye, for ten thousand li the clouds were all brilliantly radiant!

"Today I transmit the Dharma to the world, to mend the dharma-net and remake heaven and earth."

A voice, calm and even, spread out amid the solemn and majestic resonance of heaven and earth.

At the peak of the Xianshan, a blurred, indistinct human figure quietly appeared.

In an instant, boundless qi rolled and surged, and even heaven and earth itself began to lean toward the direction where that figure stood.

The stars formed a backdrop; the sun and moon wheeled in strange portents around that figure's body; clouds piled up into a dais, manifesting the sight of heavenly flowers raining down.

Heaven and earth trembled; threads of spiritual energy gathered, sending up clusters of golden lotuses.

All these sights left Fu Ya utterly shaken within.

Because of his Yanyuan Sect background and his mastery of heavenly-mechanism arts, he perceived that all of this was heaven and earth acting of its own accord.

That crushing favor of the world — enough to make every Yanyuan Sect cultivator jealous…

Even the Child of Destiny of an entire era could not compare to a ten-thousandth of this moment!

So this is the World-Saving Venerable?!

The blurred figure at the peak of the Xianshan was naturally Qi Ling.

She had spent a little time clearing out the demons and monsters that plagued this world, and had gathered the remaining humans to prepare to transmit the Dharma.

In order not to appear too shabby, she had forged this mountain to uphold the scene—and as a result…

One could only say that the will of this world's world was indeed very understanding.

Not thinking further about it now, after sitting down upon the dais condensed from clouds, she directly began to lecture on the 'Basic Qi-Refining Method' she had improved based on this world's conditions.

And she even employed the 'Universal Comprehension' divine ability that Saint Emperor Yuan had created when transmitting the Dharma back in the day.

Even someone who understood nothing of cultivation could comprehend and practice the 'Basic Qi-Refining Method.'

The Qi-Refining stage cultivation method was not long before she finished lecturing on it; next came the 'No. 4 Foundation Establishment Method 1.0' — to suit this world's style, she had changed its name to the 'Basic Foundation Establishment Method.'

Then came the 'Basic Jin Dan Method,' the 'Basic Nascent Soul Method,' the 'Advanced Soul Transformation Method,' and finally the half-finished 'Advanced Return-to-Void Method.'

The whole point was plain, unadorned simplicity.

Down the mountain, some cultivators of other races listened with great agitation, wanting to try cultivating but unable to grasp the key.

Yet when they saw the human cultivators beside them already settled into meditative cultivation, they grew even more anxious.

In the end, a wolf demon plucked up its courage and called out in a loud voice to ask.

"Teacher, why is it that we cannot practice the wondrous Dharma?"

"I am a human cultivator; I do not understand the methods of other races."

The human-race cultivation methods of the Xuan Realm — or rather, the cultivation-method inheritances of all races in the Xuan Realm — were designed for one's own kind, with absolutely no commonality between them.

Otherwise, the ancestors back in the day would not have had to grope their way forward bit by bit.

Immediately, Qi Ling raised her hand and pointed out a single finger.

A streak of spiritual light shot forth violently, landing down the mountain and instantly reducing the wolf demon who had spoken up to ask into ash.

The whole place fell silent…

Until a cold, indifferent voice came down from the mountaintop.

"Letting demons run rampant and wreak havoc — deserves death."

Wah!

The many cultivators of other races instantly boiled over; some trembled in terror, their hearts horrified and on the verge of fleeing.

A very few were indignant and resentful, choosing to loudly interrogate, speaking in sarcastic, insinuating tones.

As for why they dared to interrogate a Return-to-Void…

As I've said, those who stayed behind are all a bunch of "old, weak, sick, disabled, and heretical scoundrels," and among them, the proportion of brain-dead ones is quite high.

"By your logic, Venerable, those who unleash demons to wreak havoc aren't only us."

"Right! There are plenty of such people among human cultivators too. Surely the Venerable won't turn a blind eye?"

Some human cultivators among them also spoke up to plead.

"Venerable, now is precisely the time when we need manpower. The repair of the Dharma Net still requires hands. Why not keep them to atone for their crimes with service, and also…"

Facing the clamor of the demons and monsters, Qi Ling merely watched calmly.

In her five hundred years of cultivation, the missions she had carried out were only slightly fewer than Zhou Kongming's.

Chi Jiuyu's kind were child's play before her; she wouldn't be moved in the slightest.

"Today, everyone who has unleashed demons to wreak havoc, kept humans in pens, killed people, or eaten people—all must die."

Her cold words brought the clamor to a halt. Every cultivator present looked toward the mountain peak in disbelief.

Some ordinary people who had never entered the Dao also looked up blankly.

The golden clouds were sacred and solemn, the various phenomena magnificent, and the solemn echoes of heaven and earth still lingered.

But compared to before, a silent atmosphere of murderous intent had quietly crept in.

Boom!

A black wind rose from the ground and fled into the distance at the speed of a sudden thunderbolt.

Yet before it had flown far, it burst apart without warning into a mist of blood.

Screams, curses, pleas, and the sounds of fleeing mingled together, and the foot of the mountain instantly descended into utter chaos.

There were even quite a few demons and monsters who, knowing escape was hopeless, tried to take advantage of the chaos to strike at the ordinary people present.

But some had also seized the opportunity and begun to strike at those demons and monsters.

However, with a ripple that spread out from the mountain peak, the foot of the mountain instantly fell silent once more.

All those who, during the impending collapse of the world, had unleashed demons to wreak havoc, kept humans in pens, killed people, or eaten people—whether human cultivators or demons and monsters—were utterly reduced to ash within that single spreading ripple.

In an instant, at the foot of the mountain only ordinary people who had never entered the Dao, a portion of human cultivators, and a portion of demons and monsters who had not committed the above acts remained.

Qi Ling nodded slightly.

A message also popped up on her personal interface.

【Mission Two can be settled. Obtain 1 Ascension Point.】

【Mission Three can be settled. Obtain 1 Ascension Point.】

"…"

There's still plenty of busywork ahead.

She closed her personal interface and looked down the mountain, about to say something more.

Suddenly!

She snapped her gaze toward the distance.

The magical instrument used to curb the expansion of the Chaos Rift had been triggered!

The Will of the World also timely sent a message.

Qi Ling frowned slightly.

"This transmission of the Dharma ends here. You all must cultivate diligently. The resources here may be taken as needed."

After leaving these words, her entire person transformed into a streak of light and vanished from the mountain peak. (End of chapter)