Chapter 491: Life-Death Perfected, Zhai Shou Realm

The River of Oblivion surged, its glow like stars, illuminating Qin Ergou’s figure.

At this moment, he was filthy all over, resembling a destitute beggar, yet his body was lean and sinewy, not a trace of excess fat remaining; within his eyes burned a sharp brilliance, like fire within fire—clear proof that his cultivation had reached maturity, his Daoist attainments now discernible.

This feeling seemed forged through countless hammer blows, his edge gradually emerging, finally becoming a great instrument.

“Xu Quan…”

Even An Wuyang couldn’t help but cast him a second glance, murmuring softly within, as if sensing deeper meaning.

“You’re here.” Zhang Fan saw Qin Ergou, and half his anxiety dissolved.

“Where’s Old Li?”

“He’s here too,” Qin Ergou said gravely, his luminous eyes holding an unusual gleam—clearly, these past days had been hard on him.

“Who brought you in?” Zhang Fan pressed.

“He…”

Qin Ergou froze, his eyes clouding with confusion, as if he had forgotten—after straining to recall for a long while, he stammered: “Zhang…”

“Yes… Zhang Wang… his name is Zhang Wang.”

Merely that name seemed to flip a switch; memories on the verge of fading surged forth like a tide, bringing fear and reverence to Qin Ergou’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s terrifying—his cultivation is boundless, immeasurable…” Qin Ergou said, still trembling with residual dread.

“Brother Shan said this man’s strength is great enough to rank among the top ten in the world, perhaps even higher.”

At these words, An Wuyang and Meng Qi’s expressions changed instantly; Zhang Fan’s eyes flared with disbelief.

He knew Zhang Wang was deeply hidden, with a mysterious background—but Li Yishan’s assessment still startled him.

Top ten in the world—what did that even mean?

Chu Chaoran, Pure Yang Infinite, the number one in the world—no need to elaborate.

Master Nian was vice-head of the Wuwei Sect; his strength was so great that even Liu Nan Xu called him capable of ranking among the top five.

The Wuwei Sect also had the World’s First Demon, the Yan King.

He was one who had once followed the Three Corpses Daoist, his demonic arts perfected, unmatched across mountains and seas, naturally securing him a place among the top five.

These three held unshakable positions; beyond them, only seven spots remained in the top ten.

Remember, even the heads of the Ten Great Daoist Mountains couldn’t fill them all.

“I’ve seen him myself—crossing the River of Oblivion as if it were empty space, leaving no trace,” Qin Ergou swallowed hard.

Zhang Fan, An Wuyang, and Meng Qi turned sharply to look.

The River of Oblivion roared, winding in nine loops—such a celestial peril could corrupt treasures and erase immortal roots; even a Tian Shi cultivator would dare not cross its boundary by so much as a step.

And yet this Zhang Wang… could cross the River of Oblivion, stepping through void without a trace!?

“He touched the innate spiritual embryo!?” Zhang Fan blurted out.

“Yes!” Qin Ergou nodded firmly.

At this, all their attention fixed on the massive crystal at the center of the nine-looped River of Oblivion.

“The innate spiritual embryo is destined for countless calamities—even hidden in this isolated realm, guarded by natural celestial barriers, someone in this world still found him,” Zhang Fan sighed gravely.

Wherever there are people, there are calamities.

Humanity itself is the greatest root of calamity in this swirling mortal world.

“But he did nothing—only watched for a long time,” Qin Ergou said quietly.

“Come, take me to Old Li,” Zhang Fan shook his head, letting go of further thought.

His most important purpose in entering the Living Dead Tomb was to find Li Yishan.

“Alright.”

Qin Ergou nodded firmly, wasted no time, and turned to walk.

Zhang Fan and the others followed close behind, leaving the River of Oblivion roaring behind them.

Boom…

At that moment, the central crystal shuddered violently; a line of golden characters floated into the air—curved and twisting like dragons and snakes, or tadpoles, profoundly mysterious.

The End Dharma has arrived. All who see the Dharma shall perceive it.

The Nine Dharmas emerge. The Spiritual Embryo shall appear.

Hum…

The golden characters lingered only a fleeting instant before dissolving into golden specks, scattering and vanishing.

…

Moments later, the path ahead narrowed sharply, barely wide enough for two to walk side by side.

Following Qin Ergou, Zhang Fan suddenly looked up and saw a beam of light appear—like a cave.

A Daoist cavern, a mysterious gateway.

The cultivation of heaven and earth was hidden within that cave.

The secret of immortality was hidden within that cave.

Thus, Daoist cultivators must seek sacred mountains, ascend high platforms, and enter caverns.

Only by entering that cave could one behold true heaven.

Hum…

In that instant, countless thoughts arose in Zhang Fan’s heart, spontaneous, unrelated to his conscious mind.

In that moment of daze, he took a step forward and stepped into the light, entering the cave.

Suddenly, the world spun wildly; Zhang Fan’s eyes widened—he felt a delusion: this cave was immense, vast as heaven and earth, clear as the cosmos, capable of holding sun and moon, concealing creation.

Countless lights descended, illuminating the cave.

Yet at the same moment, he also felt the cave was tiny—so small it could hold only him; the vast heavens and earth seemed reduced to nothing but him alone.

In this disorienting paradox, he could not perceive the cave’s full form—he had entered another dimension, another world.

This was truly a Daoist secret realm, a treasure of heaven and earth.

At this moment, Zhang Fan knew he had reached the very core of the Living Dead Tomb; faintly, he saw a figure seated far off, a massive shadow imprinted upon the stone wall behind it.

Around that figure, flowers bloomed and withered in an instant, flourishing and decaying in a single breath.

This scene mirrored exactly what he had witnessed and heard when he found the Life Root in Chang’an’s Yin Ruins.

Yet now, the seated figure held no life at all—his form withered, as if in final stillness; only in his dantian glowed a radiant light, golden and surging, as if holding boundless vitality.

“Life-Death Perfected, Zhai Shou Realm!?”

Zhang Fan gasped in shock, finally recognizing the strange figure—Li Yishan.

He had entered a sublime state: neither alive nor dead, both alive and dead, on the verge of breaking through the Life-Death Mystery Gate, penetrating the Daoist secret, forging the Inner Elixir lineage, achieving boundless Life Merit.

“What a fortune—he’s finally taking this step,” Zhang Fan clenched his fists, unable to help but sigh.

“Yes—he’s finally taking this step.”

At that moment, a calm voice came from beside him; Zhang Fan snapped alert and turned.

In his haze, he saw a figure seated atop a collapsed stone platform nearby, staring directly at him.

He was a young man, expression serene, eyes smiling; his aura was extraordinary—gazing upon him, one could forget past lives, abandon the present, extinguish all troubles and sorrows, indifferent to countless desires and fluctuations.

“Zhang Wang!?”

Zhang Fan’s gaze sharpened to a thread; he cried out in shock.