Chapter 646: The Source of the Great Dao, Reflecting Over All Heavens

After standing quietly before the Xiang Jianzong Hall for a long while, Xu Xing withdrew his gaze and set off down the mountain.

After Yuan spearheaded the founding of the Orthodox Alliance, he had already considered the possibility that the Alliance might go astray, so before leaving he had laid down many contingencies to prevent that.

Among them was even someone he least wanted to deal with—Huo…

To be fair, as a Dongzhen cultivator daring to scheme against a True Immortal—on this point alone he could already be called brazen beyond measure.

Still, this move of his was indeed very clever.

After all, Huo's personality is eccentric; even if he later learned that Yuan had 'pulled one over on him,' he'd probably just find it interesting…

Wait—

Huo had even gone to the place where Yuan left the hidden message back then—he very likely already knows.

His thoughts stirring, Xu Xing had already reached the mountainside.

The air had grown damp and cold, with layers of mist all around; visibility was very low.

Ding~

A crisp message notification sound.

Xu Xing paused, took out his phone, and saw it was a message from Bie Xuening.

Shijie: "Shidi, I'm done on my end, I'll be back around the afternoon / little yellow duck pressing palms to heart"

Doesn't this mean her cultivation has advanced and she can move about freely now?

Ning Ruo had previously descended once more into the Earth Immortal Realm through the Immortal Net's power, and together with Xu Xing had studied the Earth Immortal Realm's 'New Hun Tian Yi.'

Because the gains were considerable, she had called Bie Xuening over to Ling Yin Fang, intending to upgrade the Immortal Washing Pool…

As for that remark, it was actually Bie Xuening who changed it on Xu Xing's phone.

Originally she had wanted to change it to 'My dearest Shijie,' but after thinking about it she felt it was too embarrassing, so she switched it to the simple two characters 'Shijie.'

Shijie: "After this upgrade of the Immortal Washing Pool, the time needed to wash and temper the phenomena will be shorter, and the discomfort ascenders feel when receiving information will also be reduced."

Shijie: "Unfortunately the Dao Merging tribulation still can't be broken through—the connection between the world itself and Dao Merging is too tight."

Shijie: "Afterwards I plan to reference the point that those who attained the Dao themselves transcend the world, and conduct research on the direction for optimizing the Immortal Washing Pool."

Hm?

Is this something Shijie could say?

The next second.

Shijie: "She took my phone away, the messages just now were from her."

Exactly, that's more like it.

A faint smile surfaced on Xu Xing's face as he replied to the messages while walking down the mountain.

……

……

Several minutes later.

Xu Xing, who had reached the foot of the mountain, had already put away his phone.

He saw the plaza before the mountain steps.

Under a tree, a figure had already been waiting there early on.

Seeing Xu Xing, her icy-blue crystalline eyes lit up, and she quickly came to greet him.

"Senior!"

This person was precisely the master of the Cold Moon Jiangong of the Earth Immortal Realm, and also the third ascender after the 'Ascension Plan' was launched—

Xili.

Coming up close, she bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Senior."

Compared to before, Xili had now changed her plain moon-white long dress for a very ordinary black tracksuit, and her snow-colored long hair that once draped her shoulders was now tied up in a high ponytail.

The whole person looked simple and capable.

"Tell me about it—your experiences during this period," Xu Xing said as he walked.

"Mm."

Xili followed Xu Xing and began recounting the various things she had experienced traveling through the Tai Xuan Realm during this period.

The Central Continent, the Starry Sky, and the people she met along this journey…

She added no extra embellishment, simply stating plainly each place she had been and the one thing from each that left a deep impression.

Even so, it took over ten minutes to finish it all.

"Senior, I still wish to join the Xiang Jianzong," she said at last.

The information given by the Immortal Washing Pool had let her understand the general picture of this world.

And her experiences during this period had let her see some of the deeper phenomena of this world.

Just as Senior said, this world also has many problems yet to be solved.

But that hadn't changed her original intention.

From the perspective of 'inheritance,' everything she had learned—both of her foundational Dao veins, 'Yin' and 'Sword,' came from Senior.

From the perspective of seeking answers, the height she now stood at was too low; the 'scenery' she could see was limited.

Therefore, joining the Xiang Jianzong was undoubtedly the best choice.

"Thought it through?"

"Mm." Xili nodded. "I've already submitted my entry application."

Sect Master Du had said before that if she had any intention of joining, she could contact him directly.

But she wanted to go through the Xiang Jianzong's proper procedures, even if it delayed some time—it didn't matter, after all what she was least short of now was time.

"The Ru Sect entrance examination is in three days."

"If you've already made your decision, then that's for the best."

The two of them had now arrived at the southwest side of the Xiang Jianzong's Inner Sect continent, which was also the Xiang Jianzong's "Rare Spiritual Medicine Cultivation Area."

Looking out, one could see rows upon rows of neatly arranged spiritual fields, where spiritual medicines emanating a faint glow swayed in the wind; spiritual mist swirled, and the visible medicinal fragrance wove together in the sky into colorful auspicious clouds.

"Back then, because we and the Beast God altered the flow of time, you now have to delay yourself by several hundred years."

"How could this matter be blamed on Senior?" Xili shook her head slightly.

Setting that aside, Senior had already fought for a sliver of hope for the human race of the Earth Immortal Realm from beneath the Beast God's hand, and moreover…

She said earnestly, "If we hadn't done it that way, we wouldn't even have had the capital to contend against the Beast God clan."

After a pause, she went on to explain the reasons behind her thinking.

As one of the top Return-to-Void cultivators of the Earth Immortal Realm, she naturally knew the past affairs of the human race of the Earth Immortal Realm better than anyone.

In her view, in the very beginning of the Earth Immortal Realm, the human race was just a tiny handful of cultivators, and there were only five Return-to-Void cultivators.

It would not be an exaggeration to say they could only eke out a meager existence under the protection of Xi's Dao essence.

In that situation, even if the True Immortal ancestors of the Grand Mystic Realm defeated the Beast God, the remaining Return-to-Void cultivators of the Beast God clan could drown the human race with a single beast's spit each.

Unless the True Immortal ancestors slaughtered the Beast God clan clean.

But if that were the case, what would the Earth Immortal Realm of today look like?

The disappearance of all external enemies would mean there was no need to vigorously promote cultivation methods and increase the number of cultivators.

Then the old-era cultivators, who wielded earth-shattering great power, would stand high above all.

To maintain their own position, they would inevitably monopolize cultivation.

Cultivators would dwell on high, treating mortals like blades of grass.

The enormous gap between immortal and mortal would ensure that vicious incidents like those that once appeared in the Cold Moon Jiangong would only grow more frequent.

Although in her view, the future Earth Immortal Realm would also inevitably head toward that ending, the many years of warring against the Beast God clan had ultimately delayed the arrival of that ending.

"…" Xu Xing was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "You might actually be well-suited to become Sect Master."

Xili's expression did not change:

"After this junior joins the Xiang Jianzong, I will strive toward that goal."

"Then work hard."

Xu Xing chuckled lightly, turned, and left.

Jiuyu had finally met her match.

Because the flow of time had been shifted for Xili, she would need at least over four hundred years of accumulation to possess sufficient "thickness of life" to bear the weight of Harmonization with Dao.

And if things went smoothly for Jiuyu, she should also begin to touch the threshold of Harmonization with Dao six hundred years from now.