Chapter 283: On the Path of Evolution, Only One May Advance

In fact, long ago, Wu Xian had already conceived some ideas about the path beyond the Cave Heaven realm.

In the original work, the Huang Tian Emperor Shi Hao had re-cultivated the Cave Heaven realm many times, starting by opening ten cave heavens, then merging them into one single cave heaven, and finally seemingly transforming into the most fundamental Sea of Wheels secret realm of the Covering Heaven system.

All of these point to one truth: the true essence of the Cave Heaven realm lies not in drawing power from outside, but in using the body as a seed, unlocking the body's hidden treasures, allowing the cultivator to shatter constraints without relying on external forces, and achieving the Dao through self-effort alone.

Wu Xian strongly agreed, because he too relied entirely on his own efforts, step by step, never depending on others—this was how he gained his current strength.

What! You say the mysterious space is a cheat system, and your strength comes entirely from sharing?

Nonsense—tell me, aren't all those who share power called Wu Xian?

Cough! In short, after seeing Shi Hao's successful example, Wu Xian thought: since in the end you must merge all cave heavens into one, why not skip the merging process entirely and focus directly on perfecting the single cave heaven?

Meanwhile, combining this with the concept of an inner universe from the Infinite World, and using runes as the foundation, he shaped the cave heaven space into a complete universe, destined to grow stronger over time, even reaching a state of multiversal depth within—far superior to a mere channel connecting to void energy.

Thinking this, Wu Xian immediately acted.

Good news: he succeeded.

Bad news: he hadn't fully succeeded.

The concept of the inner universe cave heaven was too lofty for his current state; most importantly, his Five Elements and Eight Trigrams foundation remained incomplete—only the "Zhen" rune had taken shape, with severe deficiencies in cosmic laws, causing the inner universe to appear desolate, as if it could collapse at any moment.

This inner universe was too fragile—not even a prototype, not even a placenta.

Against cultivators of the same realm, or even several realms higher, he might easily crush them through sheer scale.

But if he faced a Divine Flame realm cultivator or above—those who had begun mastering cosmic laws—the cave heaven universe would become extremely vulnerable; not a shoddy construction, but like foam, punctured with a single touch.

Fortunately, the problem wasn't critical: first, Wu Xian's foundational strength meant his combat power wouldn't suffer much even if he didn't unleash his cave heaven in battle.

Second, as time passed, the runes he deciphered from the Original True Explanation would become increasingly refined; once he completed the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams foundation, the inner universe would stabilize fully, becoming a true universe's prototype.

At that time, his combat power would surge dramatically—even without continuing to share power from other worlds, he would at least reach First-Stage Near-Sage power, and in terms of the Perfect World's scale, he would be no distant step away from a Human Dao Supreme.

Hummm—

Back to reality, Wu Xian finally pulled his consciousness back into his body. His first reaction was intense stiffness; he instinctively stretched, and his entire body emitted thunderous cracks.

Moments later, he sensed something was off—the surroundings were too silent. He scanned around and found the villagers of Stone Village had long left the altar; only Shi Hao sat nearby, absorbing spiritual energy from the gathering array.

【You're awake.】

The voice of the Willow God came from behind. Wu Xian paused, turned, and asked, "Er… Willow God, did I take too long to break through?"

【It's fine—about a month.】

The emerald branches swayed slightly; for an immortal being like Him, cultivation retreats were measured in years, so a month was nothing.

Wu Xian scratched his head, unsure what to say, and looked upward—there, suspended above his head, was a colossal luminous ring, at least a hundred meters across, flickering in and out, projecting hazy images of primordial chaos, radiating divine mystery.

This was his inner universe cave heaven—vastly different in size and appearance from ordinary cave heavens, showing not a trace of volcanic caverns, more like a pure void passage or mirror projection.

【Can you tell me how you opened such a cave heaven?】

At this moment, the Willow God transmitted another thought, his curiosity unmistakable.

In truth, according to the original plan, the Willow God should have already fallen into slumber and begun his retreat—but Wu Xian's Cave Heaven realm was simply too extraordinary; neither the Immortal Ancient method nor the Chaotic Ancient method had any record of anything similar, compelling Him to investigate.

Intuition told Him this was a path with infinite potential; understanding it could greatly aid His own future Dao path.

"Of course!"

Wu Xian smiled, revealing no concealment—he explained to the Willow God the Sea of Wheels secret realm of the Covering Heaven system and his concept of the inner universe, though he still withheld the part about establishing the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams.

But this didn't hinder the Willow God; at His level, inspiration and insight mattered more. Too much detail would create a barrier of preconceived knowledge, obstructing His own path.

【Single cave heaven, using the body as seed, self-contained universe… this is the path you wish to walk?】

After hearing Wu Xian's description of the inner universe cave heaven, the Willow God fell into deep thought. For a moment, He was tempted—should He re-cultivate following this method?

But soon, the Willow God abandoned the idea.

This was Wu Xian's Dao, not His. Even if He re-cultivated, it would merely be borrowing others' scraps, no different from His current state—unless He could surpass Wu Xian and walk farther along this path.

But intuition told the Willow God this was unlikely—not because He was inferior to Wu Xian, but because Wu Xian was too bizarre, hiding immense secrets.

Moreover, if He truly did this, he would inevitably become Wu Xian's mortal enemy.

Not out of hatred—this was blocking the Dao.

On a path of evolution, only one can advance; the pioneer achieves the Dao, the failure falls forever into reincarnation… this was not the scene the Willow God wished to witness.

Thinking this, the Willow God suddenly gained insight; the emerald branches swayed again, scattering divine radiance. The once charred and blackened thunder-struck wood began shedding dead bark; several protrusions at the top grew more distinct, green shoots emerging, while more protrusions appeared, their aura deepening further.

"Willow God…"

Shi Hao, cultivating nearby, sensed the anomaly, looked up, his expression slightly dazed.

【I will begin my retreat. Shi Hao, I have already given Wu Xian the method to reach the Spirit Realm. Once your cultivation stabilizes, he will take you there.】

【Wu Xian, thank you again. I now have more visions for my future path, and after this retreat, my injuries will recover faster than expected. This is a debt—I will repay it.】

Hearing this, Wu Xian smiled, but did not ask for favors as he had days before; instead, he solemnly bowed and said, "Willow God, you're too kind. I wish you a swift recovery and further advancement on your path."

【I accept your good wishes.】

The Willow God's voice carried a smile.

From that day on, the Willow God's true body's thunder-struck wood dimmed; the emerald branch no longer glowed at night, sinking into an indefinite slumber.

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(End of Chapter)