Chapter 401: The True-Illusion Dao

"So it's not fate—it's destiny…"

"Then again, fate is too vast; even outer demons and the Creator itself have their own 'fate'…"

"Thus fate is 'the Great Dao'… beyond the reach of the Laplace Demon…"

"His authority… is 'Destiny'! Or rather… the Law of Destiny!"

"Even the Law of Destiny… he had not fully comprehended to achieve the Law Lord Realm; otherwise, he would have long since crushed all enemies and obliterated the Blue Star Federation with a single slap."

"In the main universe, there is only one Law Lord Realm cultivator—the Dream Creator, who now sleeps…"

"But… some of the Laplace Demon's insights are fascinating!"

Fang Xing flickered away, taking his cultivation division into the earth and retrieving all the array flags and array discs.

Within moments, the supreme spirit stones on the array discs were completely consumed, reduced to dust.

He felt no regret and vanished underground.

The spoils could be examined later, but after killing, one must flee immediately.

…

On Blue Star, all satellites suddenly erupted in frantic alarms.

The Administrator has been attacked!

How many years has it been since this happened?

Even Gu Yun, on vacation, was dragged out directly and sent to patrol the outskirts of the August Estate.

She watched as mech suits entered, and even powerful figures tore through the void to appear—her face filled with shock: "This… has shattered the heavens…"

…

The Immortal Realm.

Death Island.

"No matter how skilled I am at escaping, I'll surely be found… don't underestimate the eleventh-rank experts, the Federation's twelfth-rank taboo tech weapons, or interstellar tracking techniques."

Fang Xing's true body and his cultivation division sat cross-legged within the palace, the division silently pondering.

Precisely because of this, after fleeing a distance, he directly hid within the Immortal Realm.

No matter how thoroughly the Blue Star experts scour every inch of Blue Star's land, they will find not the slightest flaw.

"And… my true body should not appear on Blue Star at all right now."

The cultivation division gazed at the true body, eyes filled with concern.

There, Fang Xing's true body sat cross-legged, his Solar Deity Core spinning furiously, radiating intense corruption.

This corruption was peculiar, encompassing past and future, like a succession of illusory scenes.

It even carried a prophetic effect, allowing one to glimpse their own 'future'!

But the future is ever-changing; once seen, infinite possibilities vanish, fixed onto a single path.

This is, in a sense, the 'death' of one's future.

This is 'Destiny'!

The Laplace Demon is an outer demon, though its rank is not high—merely a lower-tier dominator—but the authority it wields is immensely powerful.

Now, though only a fragment of its true essence, the essence it contains is extraordinarily profound.

Even the 'Great Sun Tathagata Spell' feels as if it's been overfed.

Fortunately, Fang Xing's true body, with all his martial will, relentlessly struck at that sliver of demonic essence, ultimately aiding the Great Sun Tathagata Spell in slowly digesting the last remnants of the Laplace Demon…

At the deepest core of the outer demon, the most fundamental, unshakable piece of information was finally refined:

【The Creator forged this universe and all races…】

【The three pillars He nurtured each represent an exploration toward higher realms…】

【The Creator does not wish for tenth-rank martial artists to emerge, for they will enter the 'True Self Law'!】

BOOM!

Fang Xing's body trembled, as if grasping the truth of the universe.

"The Creator sleeps, and though he is merely a Law Lord Realm cultivator… he is immensely strong, seemingly still gazing toward the Dao Lord Realm?"

"From profundity to law, from law to Dao… this final step is exceedingly, exceedingly difficult!"

"Yet he truly holds hope, having made many explorations…"

"The three pillar beings he nurtured, though not Law Lords, all walk the correct path…"

"Fully comprehending a single law is already immensely difficult; Law Lord Realm beings may comprehend multiple laws, yet Weibi master a single Dao…"

"To ascend to the Dao Lord Realm… either endlessly comprehend laws, chasing that faintest hope, or strip away countless tangled laws, master a pair of opposing laws, seize a sliver of Dao's essence from contradiction and conflict, and thereby seize the Dao!"

"Chaos Fire represents the contradiction of 'order' and 'chaos'—the path of opposing laws to grasp Dao's power…"

"And the Creator clearly mastered the laws of 'illusion' and 'dream'… the next step is to comprehend the law of 'reality'… ultimately combining them to glimpse the 'True-Illusion Dao'!"

"The Blue Star Federation, human martial arts… may merely be the Creator's explorations."

"But as test subjects, they must not exceed boundaries; otherwise, once a tenth-rank martial artist emerges, they may enter the 'True Self Law,' and with that single point of 'reality,' infect the universe's 'illusion,' becoming the Creator's 'Dao Trial,' 'Dao Rival'?"

Fang Xing rapidly digested this information, his heart thunderstruck.

"So this is the true reason martial arts cannot reach the tenth rank?"

"Is our universe… merely an illusion? A created inner realm? An inner universe?" "Then… are we real or false?"

He suddenly recalled Ye Liuyun's breakthrough and death.

Perhaps he did not die because cosmic constants were altered—but because his own 'illusion' was revealed.

How can an 'illusion' sustain 'True Self'?

Naturally, only death—and after death, all returns to nothingness!

Even Fang Xing now hesitated, fearing that knowing the truth might cause him to vanish into 'nothingness' at any moment.

But soon, his gaze hardened: "Even if I am illusion, my will is real!"

In the end, all comes down to martial will alone!

Even if the body perishes, martial will endures!

"Moreover… in the Immortal Path, borrowing illusion to cultivate reality is not unheard of."

"Even if I am merely a being within the inner realm, or a being within the Creator's dream, if I cultivate to true reality, I become a true life!"

"Transforming the impossible into possible—that is the meaning of cultivation!"

At this moment, Fang Xing gained clarity.

Even if his body is false, his transmigration consciousness and his golden finger are real!

Even…

Martial arts is a step-by-step journey toward 'reality'!

"A false body, a true will… naturally aligned with the 'True-Illusion Dao'… once ascending to the tenth rank and entering the 'True Self Law'… perhaps I truly can sense a sliver of 'True-Illusion Dao power'…"

"Just as Immortal cultivators, when refining illusion, draw qi from the Grand Void and comprehend some Dao power—this is supreme opportunity, yet supreme peril!"

"Wait… I already have another path… so do I still need to compete with the Creator for the 'True-Illusion Dao'?"

Though a Star Lord Realm life preparing to challenge a Law Lord Realm cultivator for the chance at Dao Lord Realm seems laughable.

But Fang Xing knew he was not without hope.

If he truly ascends to tenth-rank martial arts, his true body is naturally aligned with the 'True-Illusion Dao,' granting him many advantages in mastering the Dao.

This advantage might even offset the vast gap between Law Lord and Star Lord realms.

That is, when the Creator hovers at the threshold of the Dao Lord Realm, a single moment of distraction could span eons.

By then, Fang Xing would have long since solidified his foundation, ascended to Law Lord Realm, even reached its peak.

And on the path of mastering the Dao, he would swiftly outpace the Creator and succeed in reaching the summit!

"The 'True-Illusion Dao'…"

"Beyond this Dao, the Creator has also comprehended other laws—his accumulation in the Law Lord Realm is truly profound…"

Fang Xing sighed deeply.

If all races in the universe are the Creator's casual creations, then outer demons are His own 'children,' born from the separation and embodiment of His fragmented, chaotic law insights.

Of course, these law insights may not yet be fully comprehended, yet they are exceedingly profound.

At least, in Fang Xing's view, the Laplace Demon's understanding of the 'Law of Destiny' rivals the accumulated expertise of a master-level attribute panel!

"Killing this outer demon has brought immense benefits—even granting knowledge of future paths."

Though this knowledge cannot immediately convert to combat power, it clarifies the road ahead—its benefits are immense.

Previously, Fang Xing only knew of Star Lord, Law Lord, and Dao Lord realms, but had no idea how to cultivate beyond Law Lord.

Now, he finally has a clear path.

"Mastering opposing laws is the shortcut to ascending to Dao Lord Realm."

"Yet beyond the shortcut lies another path: endless comprehension, accumulation, and deepening…"

Fang Xing's true body opened his eyes, glancing at his status bar—then froze.

At the very bottom of the status bar, the symbol representing the Gates of All Realms flashed, suddenly changing:

【Gates of All Realms: 1/100 (Locating…)】

…

"Locating… again."

"Of course—after swallowing a sliver of the outer demon's essence, it should be enough."

Fang Xing thought of the Great Xia world, his expression turning hesitant: "The Great Xia world… can only be accessed by consciousness. Is it because my true body is false, and only my consciousness exists?"

"If that's the reason, then why can I manifest my physical body in the Immortal Realm?"

This cannot be explained by the Ocean of Universes or a single dimension containing countless worlds.

"Or perhaps… the Great Xia World and the Master Creator's primary universe… lie within the same vast region, the same Ocean of Universes."

"Cultivation worlds exist in another Ocean of Universes—yet within this Ocean of Universes, 'One Qi Gives Birth to All' is acknowledged, so even an illusory body can become real?"

"As for the power of the Dao… it permeates all Oceans of Universes, so it exists on both sides? But the power of cosmic laws is greatly diminished depending on the circumstances?"

One speculation after another arose in Fang Xing's mind, yet none could be resolved.

In the end, it could only become a sigh.

(End of Chapter)