Chapter 1714: Nine Extreme Nirvanas of Dao Merging: Ascending the Immortal Path

Jiang Ding's arms were breaking, his tendons and bones collapsing, fragments of bone and dark red flesh continuously falling from his body, blood scattering across the starry sky, looking savage and terrifying.

His life aura grew weaker and weaker, weaker and weaker, until it was as thin as a gossamer thread, on the verge of death.

The essence of life was dimmer than ever before!

This was the weakness of life's very essence, drawing ever closer to death, about to truly enter death in the next instant.

Such danger.

Yet within this battered, broken body, a pair of eyes remained cold and indifferent, calm as a lake, never once stirring with any emotion, merely watching everything with detachment.

Why no fear?

Because there was no danger.

The Great Sun Sword Master had absolute confidence in his understanding of the rules, confident that no error would arise, that everything was within precise calculation and expectation.

The so-called danger was merely a matter of following the established steps, with nothing out of the ordinary.

He did not know how long had passed; it seemed like a hundred years.

Within this utterly broken body, with its dim life force, a wisp of pure vitality and a wisp of brand-new Great Sun Law-Destroying Rule were born.

This rule and vitality were so clear, showing even more differences compared to the original rule.

More pure, the aura heavier.

Beginning with this wisp of pure vitality and rule, the entire Dharma Body began to revive; countless rotting flesh fell away, broken bones peeled off, and new flesh, new bones, new meridians continuously emerged.

A complete youth in blue gradually appeared between heaven and earth, radiating a terrifying aura.

This aura had already begun to surpass the peak of Heaven and Man, taking another step toward Supreme.

The second Rule Subtle Adjustment Nirvana of Dao Merging, success!

"Stronger again…"

Jiang Ding lightly pressed the sword hilt.

From the data model deduction of the second Nirvana, he knew one thing: if one could undergo nine extreme Nirvanas at the Dao Merging Realm, then a True Immortal would be born.

True Immortal — after nine extreme Nirvanas of Dao Merging, one possesses the combat power of a regular Supreme during the Heaven and Man stage.

"Six regular extreme Rule Subtle Adjustment Nirvanas of Dao Merging are not difficult for me; I can do it casually. The limit of the Dao Children of Meteor Immortal Realm is exactly this."

Jiang Ding calculated.

"The seventh Nirvana of Dao Merging, the Dao Children of Meteor Immortal Realm cannot achieve it, or would need an Immortal-grade opportunity… perhaps a Quasi-Immortal-grade opportunity would also work; with such an opportunity it might be possible."

"The seventh Nirvana of Dao Merging, I can achieve it, with a little danger."

Jiang Ding said lightly.

This was the foundation he had forged at the four-step extreme Nirvana of Void Refinement, now concentratedly manifesting at the Dao Merging stage, naturally present; even without further effort afterward he could lie flat.

However, the eighth Nirvana of Dao Merging…

Jiang Ding carefully calculated for a long time, then slowly shook his head.

He could not do it now.

He could find no possibility of doing it now; the success rate was zero.

A True Immortal, starting from the Immortal-grade order of Soul Transformation, or perhaps from the even more distant Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, builds the foundation step by step — Immortal-grade order of Soul Transformation, six-step extreme of Void Refinement — every step taken to the limit, laying down a deep foundation, and only by reaching the Dao Merging stage in this way can one naturally achieve the nine extreme Nirvanas of Dao Merging.

A latecomer, whose talent, Gong Fa, Dharma Treasures, and inheritances were all inferior — what reason did he have to stand shoulder to shoulder with a True Immortal?

There was no reason at all!

"The eighth extreme Nirvana of Dao Merging, looking at it now, there is no possibility whatsoever…"

Jiang Ding Zi murmured.

His gaze gradually turned toward the unknown severed arm in the distance, as well as the possible God-Buddha Great Thousand Worlds far away, the many Dao Children of Meteor Immortal Realm, and the many Heaven and Man prodigies of the four-step and five-step Void Refinement in the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Star Region.

This, perhaps, was the reason.

The Dao Children of Meteor Immortal Realm could thoroughly resolve the flaw of the Dharma Body being unable to fully contain the Great Sun Immortal-Mortal Sword Soul.

The many powerhouses of the God-Buddha Great Thousand Worlds and the Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou Star Region were the stepping stones to go further.

The desire and madness within the instinct of the Great Sun Sword Dao had accumulated for several thousand years, constantly approaching the limit of reason.

If the instinct of the Great Sun Sword Dao accumulated to the limit of reason and the contemporary Great Sun Sword Master had not found a sufficiently powerful opponent, then there would be only two choices.

The first choice: self-destruct and die, or undergo a long Zi Wo Feng Yin and then self-destruct and die.

The second choice: follow the desire within, take any powerhouse under heaven as an enemy, slay all powerhouses, and let the Sword Dao advance further.

This process would not be too long; at most thirty thousand years would reach the limit of the Great Sun Sword Dao's instinct.

This desire was not imposed by external force, but was formed day after day during the Sword Cultivator's cultivation of the Great Sun Sword Dao through the immortal-seeking desire within his heart — a ladder to immortality painstakingly forged by the Sword Cultivator himself, a dangerous yet highly efficient ladder to immortality.

This dangerous yet highly efficient ladder to immortality was the core of the Great Sun Sword Dao, the great achievement of the First Great Sun Sword Master.

The Sword Cultivator himself had chosen this path.

"Thirty thousand years…"

"That's not bad."

Jiang Ding thought longingly.

A single Dao Child of Meteor Immortal Realm could no longer activate the instinct of the Great Sun Sword Dao, but if the number were greater — say, eight — plus a large number of auxiliary Dao Soldiers, that would be a powerful and blissful opponent, worth looking forward to.

Around him, the many lights converged; much shredded flesh, broken bones, and filthy blood were burned to ash by the Great Sun True Fire.

The second Rule Subtle Adjustment Nirvana was complete; what needed to be considered next was the third Rule Subtle Adjustment Nirvana, which should fall upon the unknown severed arm.

These remains of a True Immortal from many eras ago should bring him more inspiration and reference; he was far from reaching the limit, and there were still countless unknowns.

Clang!

The Taiqing Flying Sword hummed softly, reminding him of something.

"Understood."

"You're about to advance to an eighth-grade Heaven-and-Man-level Flying Sword; you need more Quasi-Ninth-Grade Great Sun Immortal Spirit Gold…"

Jiang Ding said, somewhat helplessly.

The Great Sun Immortal Spirit Gold is a Great Sun Sword Dao–exclusive inherited divine metal developed by the contemporary Great Sun Sword Lord, possessing might far surpassing that of any inherited divine metal from any of the Jiudaxian Sect.

Correspondingly, its synthesis path relies heavily on eight types of inherited divine metals produced by the Badaxian Sect — Shadow Demon Abyss Heaven Void Myriad Concealment Mystic Gold, Taiyi Taiyi Qingmu branches from the Qingmuxian Sect, Upper Clarity Spirit Treasure Sect's Upper Clarity Jasper Fall Meteorite, and so on.

Quasi-Ninth-Tier Taiqing Divine Iron is nothing to worry about — Jiang Ding can now synthesize it himself; even without the Great Sun Heavenly Palace he can still synthesize it, so the problem is not significant.

The problem lies with the Badaxian Sect.

People like the Tianji Dao Child and the Taiyi Qingmu Dao Child are far too weak — at most they have the ability to synthesize Eighth-Tier supreme-grade inherited divine metals; quasi-Ninth-Tier divine metals exceed the limits of their ability.

This has caused the advancement of the Taiqing Flying Sword to be constrained, losing one shortcut.

Without these quasi-Ninth-Tier inherited divine metals from the Badaxian Sect, the sword can still be advanced — it just requires fifty to sixty thousand years, slowly drawing upon vast quantities of various spirit golds from First to Eighth Tier, converging them upon a single sword, with quantitative change accumulating continuously until finally forming a qualitative change, allowing the Taiqing Flying Sword to become a Heavenly Being treasure.

This speed can be considered fast — only fifty to sixty thousand years, after all many newly advanced Heavenly Beings don't even possess a Heavenly Being treasure.

It's just a pity that the shortcut is gone.