Chapter 164: Actually, I Am Already a Big Shot: The Tribulation of Dao-Cutting

Zhang Xuan glanced at Ye Fan, who had been chilled to the bone by just a single sentence from him, then chuckled and said to Gai Jiuyou, "He can't be of much help right now; in fact, he still needs help from you and me. However, once he truly grows up in the future, he can help us suppress that Dark Turmoil together."

Gai Jiuyou stared at Ye Fan, who at that moment forced a bright, innocent smile onto his face, though it was slightly stiff.

After a glance, Gai Jiuyou nodded and said, "In the Post-Desolate Ancient Era, the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body cannot cultivate and basically cannot reach the Four Extremes Realm. There must be some trickery in this; it is worth discussing."

"When you cultivate to the completion of the Dao Palace and are about to break through to the Four Extremes Realm, send a message to Shencheng. I will protect your Dao then and see exactly what the problem is."

A look of joy immediately appeared on Ye Fan's face. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then gave up.

Zhang Xuan and Gai Jiuyou saw at a glance what Ye Fan wanted to say; the current Ye Fan could be described as being beset by troubles.

He was being hunted everywhere in the Southern Region by the Holy Lands and noble families. Whether it was the Ji Family or the Yaochi Sacred Land, their opinion of him was not very good, and even figures from other Holy Lands and noble families were hunting him down.

Although it was nominally because Ye Fan had committed many evils, in reality, it was basically because they all wanted Ye Fan's Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron.

That was the exclusive holy object of an Ancient Great Emperor, capable of forging a supreme Great Emperor Weapon.

Previously, even Zhang Xuan would have felt tempted at the thought of such a weapon and wanted to get his hands on it.

Zhang Xuan had read Covering the Sky thoroughly and understood the plot within, so he knew what Ye Fan wanted to say.

Ye Fan probably wanted a powerful backer to resolve these problems and conflicts for him.

Gai Jiuyou had personally brought Ye Fan here from the Southern Region and understood his situation better, but neither Zhang Xuan nor Gai Jiuyou intended to intervene.

Gai Jiuyou took another look at Ye Fan and said, "Every invincible Great Emperor walked out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood; they were not raised like someone being looked after by a nanny. The barrier at the Four Extremes is an obstacle set by others, which I will clear for you, but the rest of the path must be walked by yourself."

Ye Fan nodded blankly, yet even so, he was very happy.

Before Ye Fan could say more, Gai Jiuyou swept his hand, and Ye Fan immediately vanished from this world.

Landing suddenly on the ground of Shencheng, Ye Fan had not yet regained his senses when he heard Gai Jiuyou's voice in his ear.

"This place is already Beiyu. Once you change your appearance, no one will recognize you, and you can cultivate freely here as well."

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Ye Fan bowed respectfully toward the void in front of him, causing many cultivators nearby to show surprised expressions, but many just glanced at him and flew away as rainbow lights, not caring about him at all.

Feeling the powerful auras of one cultivator after another around him, Ye Fan could not help but show a look of shock and awe.

He specifically stopped a few cultivators nearby to ask about the local situation, and only after hearing their introduction did he realize this was already the Shencheng of Beiyu, which could be considered the center of Beiyu.

Ye Fan fell into even deeper shock.

He had been running around the Southern Region, hiding from pursuers, and while hiding, he was picked up by a powerful figure. Without even passing through a domain teleportation array, it seemed as if he had only walked a few steps to arrive from the Southern Region to Beiyu, and now he had been casually dropped into Shencheng.

"No one would believe this experience if I told them!"

Ye Fan could not help but sigh.

Originally, he thought the Cultivation World was full of deceit and treachery, where the strong bullied the weak everywhere, and people were everywhere coveting his treasures.

As a result, he discovered for the first time that the Cultivation World actually had so much human warmth, and top-tier powerful figures did not care at all about his Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron and Green Copper Fragment.

Thinking of the content of the conversation and the demeanor of those two figures in the heavenly palace floating above the firmament, Ye Fan could not help but reveal a look of longing and yearning.

"One day, will I also stand at the peak of Shencheng like those big figures, deciding the fate and future of countless people in between laughs?"

Ye Fan fantasized for a moment, then returned to reality.

"I don't even have the cultivation method for the Dao Palace Realm."

Ye Fan lamented here.

……

In the palace complex above the firmament, Zhang Xuan looked at the huge stone coffin in front of him, unable to help but reveal a look of excitement.

Gai Jiuyou had already gone to the Central Plains; he was going to find that Great Saint.

The awakening of the Ancient Race was no secret; with Gai Jiuyou's current strength, he could suppress many of the Ancient Race, making them dare not have any wild thoughts.

But as Zhang Xuan said, it was impossible for Gai Jiuyou to stare at this land of Beidou at all times and in all places; usually, dealing with some matters still required normal figures.

Moreover, in the current situation, in the Post-Desolate Ancient Era, the powerhouses of the entire Human Race had withered, or rather, without Divine Source to seal themselves, powerhouses above the Saint realm were basically vacant, lacking a backbone.

In this current era, any figure capable of cultivating to the Saint, Saint King, or even Great Saint realm was a very precious existence, and they had to be kept alive as much as possible.

When the whole world recovered and the Heaven and Earth Essence surged, at that time, that Great Saint would very likely rush into the Quasi-Emperor Realm and would go very far in the Quasi-Emperor Realm.

Two hundred years of time was enough for a Great Saint to make another breakthrough; during the Dark Turmoil, perhaps they could also help to a certain extent.

Gai Jiuyou left directly, but Zhang Xuan was not in a hurry to leave; instead, he stayed in Shencheng.

In Shencheng, the power of the Demon Race was not small, and plus, Zhang Xuan could now be considered at the Saint Master level.

His cultivation could be considered top-tier looking across the world; if the Ancient Race did not appear, he could almost be said to be invincible in the world.

When Ye Fan saw Zhang Xuan, he thought Zhang Xuan was an unworldly top-tier tycoon, and this point alone was enough to be proud of.

As for Ye Fan, Zhang Xuan did not have many peculiar feelings toward him.

At the very beginning on Earth, Zhang Xuan had been desperate to sit on the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin with Ye Fan and then fly to Beidou to embark on the path of cultivation.

At that time, Zhang Xuan very much wanted to hug Ye Fan's thigh and rely on Ye Fan's luck to survive all the way to Beidou.

Now that Zhang Xuan had arrived at Beidou on his own and had gone a very long distance on the path of cultivation, looking back at the past, it had a different flavor.

Ye Fan's destiny had been changed in many places, but Zhang Xuan did not intend to intervene too much. He could now protect Ye Fan with just a word, but he did not do so; after all, he was not Ye Fan's nanny.

"Just as Gai Jiuyou said, flowers in a greenhouse cannot grow into towering trees. If Ye Fan wants to step onto an invincible path of a Great Emperor, he must eventually walk it out by himself."

Thinking of Ye Fan disappearing into the horizon with a look of seeing a big shot, Zhang Xuan found it somewhat amusing.

But he quickly returned to calm.

"Be humble and prudent. I am not strong enough yet; I haven't even crossed the biggest threshold, the Immortal Three Dao-Cutting, so I cannot be too proud."

Among the many palaces above the firmament, layers upon layers of pavilions and towers were intertwined, floating in the firmament.

And the heavenly palace where Zhang Xuan was located was the highest one; he not only rented a large area of palaces but even had a fairly large square, showing the arrogance and luxury of the Demon Race.

And at this time, what was placed on this square paved with white jade was not various weapons, nor exotic flowers and grasses, but a huge coffin.

The simple and unadorned stone coffin lay quietly here, emitting a terrifying aura, with one seal after another pasted on top.

The nine Great Accomplishment Saint Bodies of the ancient times were each invincible in heaven and earth, truly comparable to Great Emperors, and in terms of physical body alone, they were already not inferior to Great Emperors.

Even though he encountered Bushixiang in his later years and was ambushed, the blood of the Great Completion Saint Body spilled all over Sheng Ya, turning Sheng Ya bright red and causing it to lose much of its Essence.

Yet, his physical body still reached the level of a Great Emperor, and the aura belonging to a Great Emperor permeated this area; no one could withstand it.

Only a supreme figure of Alternative Enlightenment like Gai Jiuyou could seal this Stone Coffin and then let Ye Fan carry it over.

Zhang Xuan was also staring blankly at this huge coffin at this moment.

The material of the coffin itself was sturdier than any supreme divine weapon under heaven; otherwise, it would have no way to bear the body of a Great Completion Saint Body.

As for the interior, Gai Jiuyou had not processed it further, and when Zhang Xuan attempted to open the coffin lid, the leaking aura of the Great Emperor almost made him unable to bear it.

If not for the fact that Zhang Xuan was in a peculiar state at this moment, connected to the aura of that Holy Spirit in the Shenmu World, he would have had a major problem on the spot.

Therefore, after only slightly attempting to open the coffin lid, Zhang Xuan immediately covered the coffin lid back up for him.

"Originally, I intended to get the body of the Great Completion Saint Body and, regardless of anything else, use the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art and the Indestructible Heavenly Art to forcibly swallow his Origin, directly crossing the threshold of the Immortal Three Severing the Dao, and continue charging forward. Now that I look at it, the strategy needs to be changed a bit."

Zhang Xuan was silent for a brief moment.

His cultivation progress advancing by leaps and bounds in the shortest possible time was certainly a great thing for others, but for him, it was not necessarily so.

After all, in a certain sense, he could be considered a flower in a greenhouse, not having undergone too much tempering.

He had only engaged in a life-and-death struggle on Long Dao, which was also at the level of realm suppression; at other times, he was basically confronting powerful existences within the Heavenly Tribulation.

The Immortal Three Severing the Dao was a very large threshold for Zhang Xuan, and regarding this point, Zhang Xuan had a very clear understanding.

Therefore, Zhang Xuan's previous plan was not to worry about this threshold and forcibly use the Origin of the Great Completion Saint Body to push himself up.

He did not believe that the Origin of a Great Emperor-level physical body could not push him past the Immortal Three Severing the Dao; it would even be enough to become a Saint.

"But the situation is different now!"

Zhang Xuan uttered a sentence in a peculiar, aria-like tone; although he was standing right here at this moment, across an infinitely distant space, his divine sense and mysterious light had landed within the Nine-Orifice Stone Man in the Shenmu World.

The Nine-Orifice Stone Man stood in that piece of heaven and earth in the Plantation; when in the Shenmu World, it seemed to have become the Child of Luck favored by heaven and earth, and the myriad Daos of the heavens were opening up to the Nine-Orifice Stone Man.

With Zhang Xuan's thoughts inside the Nine-Orifice Stone Man, whether it was the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art explained by Qingdi, the Indestructible Heavenly Art, or the Demon Emperor Scripture, his thoughts would turn, and he could understand problems that he previously could not think through or comprehend clearly.

It seemed there were no difficulties in front of him; Zhang Xuan rarely tasted the feeling of being a supreme genius.

"No wonder the Holy Spirit is invincible in heaven and earth upon birth; this feeling of being favored by heaven and earth, with one's brain operating extremely fast, and any doubts seeming to be answered by heaven and earth, is simply too refreshing."

Zhang Xuan originally thought his own talent and comprehension could be considered upper-middle, incomparable to the most supreme figures, but not too bad either.

After all, he could still understand the scriptures explained by Qingdi, and he could also comprehend the Eight-Nine Profound Art taught by the Heavenly Venerable, and he comprehended it quite well.

Now, after comprehending various heart techniques and cultivation arts within the Nine-Orifice Stone Man, Zhang Xuan finally understood what a genius was, and what a peerless talent was.

Any problem was understood as soon as he thought about it, any doubt was cleared up at a single point; Zhang Xuan even further perfected the method of "enlightening other selves" and the grafting method of the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art that he had created while inside the Nine-Orifice Stone Man.

The entire body of the Nine-Orifice Stone Man was glowing, and what flowed within the body was the purest five-colored radiance.

Beneath the surface of the stone, an embryo was vaguely visible, with veins like hands, feet, and hair forming bit by bit.

And where the center of the eyebrows was, Zhang Xuan seemed to be glowing within it.

"This feeling, this feeling..."

Zhang Xuan could not find an adjective; in just a very short time of thinking, the concept of the "other self" within the Nine-Orifice Stone Man was completely changed by Zhang Xuan, making this Nine-Orifice Stone Man completely belong to Zhang Xuan.

Even the partial karma that originally existed with Zhang Xuan was directly severed, making the Nine-Orifice Stone Man completely belong to the Shenmu World, as if it were a supreme existence gestated by the heaven and earth of the Shenmu World.

This part was also partially completed with the help of the Plantation.

Five-colored blood flowed within the body of this Nine-Orifice Stone Man, bright and eye-catching.

Zhang Xuan felt as if he were originally a fool with an IQ of fifty, and suddenly reached the level of wisdom of Einstein or Zhuge Liang.

It seemed there were no thresholds in front of him; all problems were understood as soon as he thought about them, and cleared up at a single point.

"This is simply cheating; the Holy Spirit shouldn't be able to reach this level; it's too extraordinary."

In this state, Zhang Xuan was even a little afraid, and even felt that something was not quite right.

If the Holy Spirit had this level, it wouldn't have become a background character in stories throughout the ages, often being beaten up by Great Emperors and Ancient Emperors.

"This level of wisdom has already exceeded the normal template; it's not quite right..."

Zhang Xuan even tried to think about problems related to Severing the Dao under such circumstances, and then basically did not encounter too many problems, immediately thinking of multiple methods for Severing the Dao.

He even quickly created a method for Severing the Dao that could perfectly fit Zhang Xuan, merging with heaven and earth and aligning with the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

This was the path taken by the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art.

Absorb the myriad Daos of heaven and earth, then forcibly achieve the Chaos Body; regardless of whether the Great Daos of the heavens are willing or not, they must eventually merge with Zhang Xuan, and then be severed out by the Indestructible Heavenly Art to transcend.

At the same time, walking this step was also related to understanding the many laws of the myriad worlds within the Eight-Nine Profound Art.

After all, the Eight-Nine Profound Art, whether cultivating the Dao or the Buddha, could forge the strongest Dao Body.

It emphasizes understanding the myriad Daos of the heavens and then absorbing the myriad Daos of the heavens, finally achieving the supreme Dharma Body.

It does not require Zhang Xuan to go against the Great Dao like Ye Fan, standing above the Great Dao.

That is Ye Fan's path, but it is not Zhang Xuan's.

(End of this chapter)