Chapter 1089: Eternal Life: My Steady Farming-Style Cultivation Chapter 1089 — Dao Venerate

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Protagonist:

Xu Zhangqing

"We've arrived."

The Nine Extremes Heavenly King spoke softly, then took the lead in stepping across the World Gate, heading toward that star covered in golden threads.

Xu Zhangqing took a deep breath, then followed after him.

The two passed through the Yao Guang Xing's World Gate defenses; every checkpoint, upon sensing the Nine Extremes Heavenly King's aura, automatically turned aside, not even requiring inspection.

Proceeding inward along the Tian Shu Xing's exclusive passage, time barriers like layer upon layer of transparent water membranes swallowed them and spat them out, until finally their view suddenly opened wide.

Beneath their feet lay a plain paved with golden threads.

Each thread seemed alive, wriggling slightly, converging toward the same direction.

And at the end of that direction, a palace condensed from pure time laws floated suspended above the plain.

The Nine Extremes Heavenly King halted at the plain's edge, stepping aside to the side; he did not advance another half-step, merely nodding slightly to Xu Zhangqing: "Go on."

Xu Zhangqing glanced at him, then alone stepped onto that road paved with golden threads.

With each step falling, the threads beneath his feet trembled slightly, a thread-thin time ripple transmitting from his soles toward all directions.

The closer he walked, the clearer the outline of that floating palace became.

It was not built of brick and stone, not condensed from spiritual power, but the concretization of time laws themselves.

The palace body flowed with a radiance Xu Zhangqing had never seen before; that light was colder than starlight, purer than sun and moon, as if past, present, and future three dimensions were simultaneously folded onto the same plane, naturally emitting a cold glow.

The entire palace resembled an open eye, gazing at him.

And also like a closed palm, waiting for him.

Xu Zhangqing took a deep breath, then stepped through the palace gate.

The space inside the hall was far vaster than what was seen from outside.

No dome, only endlessly extending void and a star sea distant to the point of near-blur.

No ground beneath his feet, yet every step landed firmly, as if time itself propped up his body.

And at the center of all this, a person sat.

Dao Venerate!

The instant Xu Zhangqing's gaze fell upon that figure, his whole person froze in place.

Pupils contracted sharply, breathing momentarily stagnated.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen powerhouses, but this one before him was incomprehensible.

Incomprehensible where exactly he was?

Clearly seated on a heavenly throne a hundred zhang away, yet also seeming to be on the far shore of the star sea, separated from himself by who knows how many epochs of distance.

Incomprehensible his appearance?

On the ink-colored Daoist robe not a thread of embroidery, black not from dye nor weave, but like time stripped of all light leaving only purity.

Features both ancient and young, both solemn and compassionate; every description accurate, yet every one incomplete.

The Dao Venerate sat upon the supreme heavenly throne; that throne was forged from the cores of nine extinguished eternal stars.

The chair back towered like a cliff, the two armrests each carved with a curled giant beast.

Left side a Candle Dragon, mouth holding an unignited Civilization Fire Seed.

Right side an Ouroboros, body coiled nine turns, each turn biting onto a time node, locking past, present, and future together.

Beneath the throne, the nine eternal star cores flickered in rhythm with his breathing.

Each inhalation, the nine dead eternal stars lit with a trace of faint light.

Each exhalation, that light dimmed anew.

The Beidou Star Domain's Eternal Day and Eternal Night were merely the Dao Venerate's single breath.

Xu Zhangqing stood in place, not speaking for a long time.

He had seen too many powerhouses.

Like Mu Yunni and Long Yuan at Void Refining peak, or the Nine Extremes Heavenly King who commanded the star sea.

Every mountain peak, Xu Zhangqing could ultimately see its height, measure its distance, then climb it step by step.

But this peak before him, he could not see the summit.

Not even the mountainside.

Didn't even know where the mountain foot was.

Right now it wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but the shock welling from the depths of his soul made Xu Zhangqing temporarily lose the ability to organize language.

Until, the Dao Venerate's closed eyes slowly opened.

These eyes had no radiance, no pressure, no law fluctuations, not even a shred of superfluous aura.

They merely opened.

But in this instant, the entire Beidou Star Domain, no, all stars of the Floating World Four Domains, ceased rotation at the same moment.

Not time stop, not space blockade, but all stars, all laws, all currently flowing karma, in the instant the Dao Venerate opened his eyes, involuntarily paused for a moment.

As if the entire universe held its breath at this moment.

The Dao Venerate did not open his mouth, yet a voice rang clearly beside Xu Zhangqing's ear.

The voice was not loud, yet seemed to come from every time node simultaneously, both like an elder's words to him ten thousand years ago, and a youth's echo to him ten thousand years later, ultimately converging in this sole "now".

The first sentence was a scrutiny of Xu Zhangqing.

"Five Elements Foundation Establishment, Heaven-grade Golden Core, Extreme Grade Nascent Soul, Threefold Spirit Transformation!

Qing Emperor Wood Dao, Five Elements Balance Dao, and Time and Space Dao.

Those who simultaneously comprehend them are exceedingly few; those who can gain entry in the lower realm are even rarer."

The second sentence was a welcome to Xu Changqing.

"The Tianyuan Realm is a shattered domain among the Floating World Four Domains; that you could walk from there to this step fully shows your solid foundation, tough heart realm, and deep air luck.

For such a person to remain in Tianyuan would indeed be a waste of talent.

Welcome to the Beidou Star Domain.

From today onward, you are my Direct Disciple!"

As these words fell, even the Nine Extremes Heavenly Kings outside the hall glanced sideways slightly.

Direct Disciple?

Beidou Direct Disciple?

The Dao Venerate's Direct Disciple?

This meant that all cultivators in the Floating World Four Domains would henceforth have to lower their heads upon seeing Xu Changqing, even bow and salute!

Xu Changqing heard this and suppressed the shock in his heart, took a deep breath, then raised his head, gaze fixed straight on this new Master.

At this moment, the Dao Venerate's third sentence resounded: "I know you have many questions; no need to be restrained — about the Tianyuan Realm, about the Creation Dao, about all the unreasonable things you have seen, you may ask them all."

Xu Changqing did not stand on ceremony.

He had waited too long.

Too many mysteries weighed on his heart, too many incomprehensible things blocked his throat.

"May I ask, Senior Brother... Master, what exactly is the situation with the Tianyuan Realm?"

The Dao Venerate's voice produced overlapping layers, as if past, present, and future were simultaneously narrating the same answer: "The Tianyuan Realm collapsed.

Since that Great War ten thousand years ago, laws shattered, spiritual energy dispersed.

The Beidou Xianfu was powerless, or rather had no leisure to repair it.

Therefore, the Tianyuan Realm is in a free-range state.

No interference, no guidance, and not incorporated into the Xianfu system."

Xu Changqing fell silent.

Free-range state.

These four words told the struggle and futility of all Tianyuan Realm cultivators to the fullest.

"May I ask Master, do immortals still exist?"

You must know, even the Nine Extremes Heavenly Kings cannot answer this question.

Yet the Dao Venerate's answer was quite concise; this time the threefold voices were completely synchronized, as if stating an eternal unchanging truth: "Immortals indeed exist, and have never perished from ancient times to now.

It is just that the things of the immortal path have decreased too much compared to before.

The immortal path grows ever more distant; this is also one of the reasons high-realm cultivators turn to cultivating the god path."

Xu Changqing nodded slightly; he did not pursue asking why the things of the immortal path would become fewer, because there was truly no necessity, and then spoke again: "May I ask Master, what is the Creation Dao?"