Chapter 248: The Dao Fruit has been achieved!

The youth opposite picked up the cup before him, lightly raised it toward Fang Xu, then tilted his head back and drank the wine in the cup.

Fang Xu saw this and frowned slightly.

This person before him could walk through the void and chaos with his flesh as if on flat ground; his cultivation must be terrifying.

One with such cultivation would have his heaven‑human induction reach a miraculous level, and his sense of danger would be extremely keen.

Yet the youth before him seemed to feel nothing.

He didn't even hesitate, directly drinking the wine in the cup.

Suspiciously drinking the wine, Fang Xu sent a thread of his consciousness to the friend list deep in his sea of awareness.

Hmm? Seeing only Li Xun in the friend list, Fang Xu froze.

He had never encountered this situation before.

The other drank the wine he himself poured, yet did not appear in the friend list!

What's going on? Could the other's cultivation be too high, exceeding the system's limit?

That shouldn't be possible.

No matter how formidable the youth before him, he shouldn't surpass the supreme existence that granted him the system.

After all, that supreme existence had him reincarnated into the Heavenly Mystery Realm and bestowed such a perverse system upon him.

But aside from that explanation, Fang Xu truly could find no other reasonable one.

"Young friend?"

Seeing Fang Xu freeze after drinking the wine, the opposite youth asked doubtfully, "Young friend, do you find my wine unpleasant?"

Fang Xu came to his senses, waving his hands repeatedly, "Senior, this wine is a rare fine brew."

"Junior, I just recalled some matters and drifted off."

"Please forgive me, senior."

The youth waved it off, "No problem, come."

He handed the cup to Fang Xu, then casually picked up a spirit fruit from the documents and began eating it.

Fang Xu hesitated slightly, then refilled the youth's cup.

The two drank cup after cup, and soon finished the jug of wine.

From beginning to end, the youth's name never appeared in the friend list.

"Exhilarating!"

"This is the true meaning of cultivation."

The youth sat cross‑legged in the void, gazing at the surging chaos in the distance, and spoke with heroic vigor.

Fang Xu was also moved by him, silently gazing at the boundless void in the distance.

When he first set foot on the path of cultivation, his goal was merely to survive.

That goal has persisted to this day.

Back then in Maple Forest Town he fought the Wu Family, the Yun Family, the imperial family, and the Expansion God Sect; now he battles the Great Expansion Dao Sect and the Will of Heaven, and all along his aim has been self‑preservation.

To protect those he cares about, to stay alive.

At this moment he suddenly felt that if cultivators did not fight each other, there would be no life‑or‑death struggle.

just as now, drinking freely in the chaos and beholding unseen scenery would be quite nice.

Alas, a wish remains only a wish.

Often, what can be realized is no longer a wish.

He does not want to contend, nor to have his hands stained with blood.

But his enemies have no intention of letting him go.

Just like now.

He led the Dark God Temple to hide on Three Mountains Island.

The Great Expansion Dao Sect also would not let him off, and the Will of Heaven repeatedly tried to put him to death.

"Young friend, I sense you seem to want to go to that abandoned temple?"

The youth turned his body, looked at Fang Xu, and spoke.

Fang Xu clasped his hands: "Exactly."

"Senior, do you know which temple?"

He kept a trick up his sleeve, wanting to test whether the youth before him knew anything about the God‑Fallen Land.

The God‑Fallen Land is a great secret held by the Dark God Temple; if this person knew it and saw him enter, he would likely guess his connection to the Dark God Temple.

The youth shook his head: "This temple has stood here for countless ages."

"It is said to be a remnant from the ancient God‑War; many in the Heavenly Mystery Realm know of it, yet none have entered."

"Legends say the temple holds great opportunity and great secrets."

"Young friend, are you planning to go try your luck?"

As the youth spoke, Fang Xu attentively watched his expression.

Seeing that the other apparently did not realize this temple was the God‑Fallen Land, nor understand its link to the Dark God Temple, he relaxed a little.

"Now that the Heaven's Subjugation Order has been issued, I truly came here to try my luck."

"Besides, I'd like to see if I can find something to prolong the life of my old companion."

Hearing this, the youth again examined Xiao Hei, a hint of regret appearing in his eyes.

"Possessing a Flawless Dao Body, yet his qi and blood have withered to this extent—truly a pity."

"In this situation, unless you can find the Purification Pool and use Creation Immortal Liquid, perhaps it could defy fate and reverse its destiny."

Seed Dao Talisman and Nurturing Spirit Secret Art are both top-tier methods of the Soul Dao.

Although the youth before him was formidable, without a careful examination he could not see the exact condition inside Little Black's body.

Thank you for the information, senior; I will not disturb your secluded cultivation any further.

Fang Xu slowly rose to his feet, cupped his hands toward the youth, then led Little Black toward the distant temple.

The youth watched his retreating figure from behind, a hint of a playful smile on his face.

Alas!

If it truly is as I have guessed, then it is indeed a pity.

It's a pity that I also lack the strength to oppose him.

The youth shook his head, waved his hand, reducing the documents Fang Xu left behind and some food to dust, then walked into the chaos.

On Fang Xu's side, after leaving the youth, he directly brought Little Black to the entrance of the God-Fallen Land.

Master, go in.

Seeing Fang Xu standing at the entrance for a long time, unwilling to step forward, Little Black slowly spoke.

He understood that Fang Xu hesitated because he knew what entering would signify.

Little Black himself also understood these things.

Little Black, have you thought it through clearly?

Turning to look at Little Black, Fang Xu asked.

Little Black nodded.

This step he would eventually have to take; the only difference was whether it was sooner or later.

Moreover, entering the God-Fallen Land does not mean this step is taken ahead of time.

After all, the God-Fallen Land merely differs from the outside world in the flow of time.

But once they entered, the perceived time remained the same.

Then let's go.

Fang Xu swept his divine sense around, discovering that the youth had not followed nor was spying on him; he directly went to the other side of the temple, then opened a secret door with a secret method and entered with Little Black.

The main gate of the God-Fallen Land is actually an illusion.

To enter, one must open a secret door using a secret method.

This is also why the God-Fallen Land has remained in the Vast Sea for so many years, with only the people of the Dark God Temple able to enter.

The outside world suspects that the God-Fallen Land holds a great secret and great opportunity.

This is actually not wrong.

Indeed, the God-Fallen Land truly possesses a great secret and great opportunity.

But over the years that the Dark God Temple has controlled it, everything inside has long been moved out and exhausted.

Only an empty secret realm remains.

This is also why the various forces that betrayed the temple did not regard the God-Fallen Land as significant. After Fang Xu and Little Black entered, they clearly sensed the aura of the worldly Dao.

Possessing the aura of a Dao signifies that the entire God-Fallen Land was at least crafted by a powerful expert who controls the Grand Dao of the world.

Of course, there is another possibility.

That is, like the Prosperous Plateau, the God-Fallen Land contains the corpse of a powerful expert who commands the Grand Dao of Time.

Regarding this, Fang Xu paid a little attention.

Walking with Little Black through the God-Fallen Land, he began to search for places where the aura of the Grand Dao of Time was relatively strong.

Time passed bit by bit.

In the blink of an eye, one person and one donkey had spent over a month in the God-Fallen Land.

During this period, Fang Xu also discovered some places where the temporal Dao was relatively strong, but no matter how he searched, he could not find a specific cause.

As time flowed on, Little Black's cultivation also grew weaker and weaker.

At this point, it had already degenerated from a Martial Master to a Martial Apprentice.

Mas... master...

Following behind Fang Xu, Little Black's voice began to stutter.

His cultivation was continually absorbed by the Dao Seed Symbol, his spiritual intellect gradually taken by the Spirit Nurturing Secret Art, and he was not far from regressing into a beast.

I... can barely hold on.

Little Black strained to lift his head, looking at Fang Xu and said.

Seeing this, Fang Xu halted his steps, chose a massive broken stele, and said, 'Let's rest here.'

Little Black said with a hint of apology, 'Mas... master, sor... sorry.'

Fang Xu gently stroked his neck and smiled faintly, saying, 'It's fine.'

He sat cross-legged on the broken stele, while Little Black struggled to lie down beside him, quietly awaiting the Dao Seed Symbol to absorb everything of his.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

That day, Fang Xu awoke from his cultivation, preparing to check Little Black's condition.

But he suddenly discovered that Little Black, lying on the ground, had already fallen into a moribund state.

Fang Xu's heart gave a slight start; he quickly rose and placed his hand on Little Black's head.

This situation before him indicated that the Dao Seed Symbol was about to mature.

And this moment was also the most critical, most perilous.

When the Dao Tree transformed from the Dao Seed Symbol reaches its final moment of maturity, it will directly absorb everything from the host's entire body!

Fang Xu did not know whether his Mysterious Water Soul and Spirit Nurturing Secret Art could block this most perilous strike.

The power of the divine soul slowly invaded Little Black's body, and Fang Xu suddenly discovered that at this moment, the root system of the Dao Tree in Little Black's sea of consciousness had already spread throughout his entire body.

Every inch of flesh and blood, every meridian was occupied by the foundation of the Dao Tree's roots.

Not only that, Xiaohei's flesh and blood essence have been completely drained by the Dao Tree, and the remaining flesh and blood are as withered as dry wood.

Seeing this, Fang Xu suddenly regretted it.

Perhaps I shouldn't have told Xiaohei about the Dao-seed talisman and the Nurturing Spirit Secret Technique back then.

After all, just by watching, he could roughly guess how much pain Xiaohei had endured during this period.

The Dao Tree's roots forcibly pierced into every inch of his flesh and blood, every meridian, and then gradually absorbed everything from him.

In other words, Xiaohei is constantly suffering this inhuman pain.

But……

Fang Xu felt somewhat helpless.

If I don't speak up, later that strand of Heavenly Dao Will in his body will gradually revive and directly overwhelm Xiaohei's soul.

That pain is equally unbearable.

In the end, the Heavenly Dao Will completely occupies his soul; the only remaining trace of the soul's origin will clearly witness the Heavenly Dao Will controlling his soul and his body.

What awaits him is eternal imprisonment, until heaven and earth collapse and the Heavenly Dao Will dissipates, only then will his soul origin finally scatter.

This situation should be even more terrifying than now, right?

While pondering these thoughts in his mind, Fang Xu did not stop observing Xiaohei's physical condition.

In the sea of consciousness, the Dao Tree towers to the heavens.

At its top, the sole fruit now displays a five-colored hue.

The dense Dao aura emanating from the Dao Fruit makes one, upon just a glance, unable to resist the impulse to instantly become Dao.

This is the allure of the Great Dao.

It is also what many peak Divine Communication Realm experts fear most.

The Great Dao is myriad; each path is the most perfect thing.

Such perfection holds a deadly allure for seekers of the Dao.

The Dao itself is harmless, but once a seeker of the Dao personally witnesses its existence, they will be drawn to this perfection, constantly seeking and delving deeper.

If one's comprehension and opportunity are sufficient, accumulation is ample, and they know how to choose and discard.

A seeker of the Dao can then successfully grasp a portion of the Dao's principles and enter the True Form Realm.

Otherwise, the seeker of the Dao will become immersed in the Dao's principles and unable to extricate themselves.

This state will rapidly consume everything one has to sustain it, ultimately exhausting all of one's lifetime and becoming a Dao martyr.

Fang Xu stared intently at the Dao Fruit on the Dao Tree, his eyes gradually glazing over, and his consciousness body stiffened in place.

At the same time, he seemed to be immobilized as if by an Immobilization Technique, with his qi and blood and soul power slowly flowing toward Xiaohei's body.

"Master!"

At this moment, in Xiaohei's sea of consciousness, a voice suddenly came from the five-colored Dao Fruit within: Xiaohei's voice.

This voice thundered like a clap of thunder in Fang Xu's ears.

That frozen consciousness body instantly awakened! Fang Xu broke out in a cold sweat from shock! Becoming Dao!

My condition just now was precisely becoming Dao! If not for Xiaohei's lingering trace of consciousness waking me up, once trapped in the becoming Dao state, I would soon exhaust my lifespan and all else, ultimately becoming nourishment for this Dao Fruit!

Too terrifying!

After coming to his senses, Fang Xu no longer dared to stare fixedly at the Dao Fruit.

He focused all his attention on the embryo formed by the Nurturing Spirit Secret Technique.

At this moment, the embryo transformed by the Nurturing Spirit Secret Technique has been tightly wrapped layer by layer by the Dao Tree's root system.

The Profound Water Soul that Fang Xu had set up outside the Nurturing Spirit Secret Technique didn't know when it had been silently broken through.

With the passage of time, the Dao Tree's roots that envelop the Nurturing Spirit Secret Technique's embryo are continually tightening.

Fang Xu anxiously watched the scene before him, feeling he should do something to help Xiaohei.

After thinking it over, he suddenly came up with a plan.

Whoosh! A flash of light in his hand, his consciousness body directly condensed into a sword using soul power.

But he did not intend to cut the Dao Tree's roots.

After the sword condensed, he lightly cut his palm.

A large amount of soul power surged out from the wound like blood.

The Dao Tree's roots that originally wrapped the Nurturing Spirit Secret Technique's embryo sensed this soul power, mistakenly thought it was Xiaohei's residual soul power, abandoned the stubborn embryo, and writhed toward Fang Xu's consciousness power.

But at this moment, Fang Xu waved his hand and summoned two huge bronze cauldrons upon himself.

Boom! The great cauldron fell directly, covering his consciousness body and the Nurturing Spirit Secret Technique's embryo containing Xiaohei's soul beneath it.

After the Dao Tree's roots surged forward, they were blocked by the great cauldron.

Just as he wanted to retreat, he discovered another great cauldron already covering that embryo.

Both sides lost their chance, so they gave up here and turned to seek other targets.

Protected by the two great cauldrons guarding his and Xiaohei's souls, Fang Xu waited quietly.

No one knew how much time had passed.

Under the great cauldron, Fang Xu suddenly felt Xiaohei's sea of consciousness gradually collapsing!

Everything around was breaking apart inch by inch.

The countless roots of the Dao Tree also turned into specks of starlight at the moment Xiaohei's sea of consciousness collapsed.

First the root tips, then the main root, finally the trunk, leaves……

The entire Dao Tree ultimately turned entirely into starlight, absorbed cleanly by that five-colored Dao Fruit! (End of chapter)