Chapter 513: Opening the Dao

"Are true immortals supposed to be cannon fodder?"

"Speechless…"

The Great Xia Universe.

Fang Xing's true body sat inside a starship, traversing a wormhole.

He was now within the territory of the Blood Prison Civilization, preparing to seek out the Lord of Blood Mountain to forge a karmic bond.

"Yet in the True Immortal Realm, True Immortals are by no means commonplace—otherwise, the Dao Sovereign would never have needed to conjure countless worlds to select talent… Even cannon fodder must be high-grade cannon fodder."

"Now, with no wars ongoing, it's effectively joining the Dao Court—with many advantages."

Fang Xing watched his cultivation avatar enter the military camp, beginning to acclimate, and pondered: "Hmm… At least the ascended True Immortals have clean backgrounds and are naturally aligned with the Dao Sovereign's faction… Trustworthy, worth cultivating."

Judging by their source energy fluctuations, they were barely at the Ninth Realm, yet they fought with insane ferocity.

【Content correction: The correct version is on 6|9*book. ar% read! 6*9*s*h*u_b_a. _x】

In a blood-soaked hell, two figures were locked in furious combat.

"This is the final match of the Blood Yuan Competition… According to the score, our hero 'Mu Qing' faces the enemy's 'Long Nanxing' Kavich… If we win, we can completely escape becoming sacrificial offerings."

But now, there was no chance.

"Sigh… I'll just drift around the Dao Court for now… After all, my cultivation avatar is already stripped bare…"

"Go on!"

"Interstellar pirate?"

Beta sighed, glancing at the old butler beside him: "What if… I ordered you to intervene and save them?"

A female host spoke with passionate emotion: "Mu Qing, fight on!"

At the summit of Blood Mountain sat a crimson-robed, one-horned monster—the Lord of Blood Mountain.

Her eyes streamed tears—clearly a production disaster.

A pair of iron fists shattered the blade-light, then slammed hard against his skull: "I too carry the hopes of an entire planet—and I am stronger than you!"

A single planet.

The old butler reminded him: "If you fail to complete this mission properly, it will affect your future share of the family fund… Even a few decimal places represent astronomical sums."

…

…

"Truly powerful civilizations still require a healthy competitive mechanism—virtual selection works well. The Blood Prison Civilization is at least a high-level civilization; surely it possesses virtual technology?"

"Barbaric!"

…

But after reviewing his possessions, Fang Xing realized he had little of value—yet he couldn't stop thinking about the Lord of Blood Mountain's "Blood Mountain."

…

Outer space.

But at this moment, no one cared.

Upon a crimson mountain peak.

Because the "Immortal Dao" had already been opened. Even if he one day attained Dao Lordhood through the Dao of Illusion and Reality, or even transformed into the "Immortal Dao," he would still be a Dao Lord—not a Dao Sovereign! Without being the originator, how could one call it "Opening the Dao"? The latter would merely be a clumsy imitation.

A handsome youth, with a blue crystal embedded on the back of his hand, stared at countless screens.

Well, in truth, forging a karmic bond required a personal meeting.

At this moment, the prayers of his homeland, his own struggles…

Even across other universes and worlds, it was the same! Whether in the Great Xia Universe or the Qingyuan Great Realm, Fang Xing's spatial mastery allowed him to sense the Dao Layer and perceive the "Immortal Dao"—no such thing as an unopened Dao existed.

"Wah…"

Then he could only do the opposite—forge enmity.

"Every realm advancement is excruciatingly difficult."

"Of course, among the peak civilizations, there must be Fourteenth Realm Dao Lords, even Fifteenth Realm Eternal Beings…"

"Above True Immortal comes Dao Lord… Mastering one Dao grants Fourteenth Realm power!"

"Bad! Half the population… According to the final contingency plan, we must draw lots under the watch of the AI 'Goddess of Justice'… The odds of being selected are too high."

At this moment, countless people in his homeland had dropped everything, praying wholeheartedly for Mu Qing.

"Well, this population size is negligible for an entire star system… The universe is vast; every second, the number of births and deaths is terrifying. The Lord of Blood Mountain's infamy mainly targets outsiders."

"No—it's an interstellar wanderer! He chose to save the lives on that planet, opposing the Lord of Blood Mountain?"

On the planet, an atmosphere of "despair" hung thick…

Crash! In response, a monstrous knuckle-duster struck him. Fang Xing sat cross-legged; outside the ship, the scenery shifted to a crimson star system.

In the blood-soaked hell: "I cannot lose!"

At that moment, he noticed the satellite weapons encircling the planet suddenly exploded.

Watching the scenes outside, Fang Xing's lips curled into a faint smile: "I've heard the Blood Prison Civilization's system is brutal—imperial rule. Powerful figures rule their domains with near-total freedom. This crimson star system enforces an especially cruel regime: every ten years, a 'Blood Yuan Competition' is held, with planets as teams, and the worst-performing planet loses half its population as sacrificial offerings…"

"Before the Dao Sovereign ascended, he was the Dao Lord of Illusion and Reality… So, can the Dao of Illusion and Reality be elevated into the 'Immortal Dao'? Feels like I missed an opportunity… But perhaps it doesn't matter."

Some even cursed Mu Qing outright.

"True Immortal: fully comprehending one law grants Thirteenth Realm power."

How powerful must this "Immortal Dao" be?

These were the Three Dao Sovereigns!

On the screen: chaos erupted across the entire planet.

Three Eternal Realm beings would undoubtedly stir great upheaval in the True Immortal Realm.

…

He silently reflected on the information his cultivation avatar had gathered:

The mountain soared over ten thousand kilometers high, entirely crimson, radiating an indescribable hue—as if fresh blood still flowed endlessly. This was the "Blood Mountain."

After Spirit Root cultivators reached the Void-Refining stage, they could perceive the Immortal Dao in the void, gain Dao power, and attain infinite lifespan.

"I understand."

In countless cities, giant screens projected the same scenes.

"Yet the Dao Sovereign must open a Dao… The path opened by that Dao Court Sovereign turned out to be the 'Immortal Dao'… All the stages—Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and even the Spirit Root—were all created by him?"

Though, such cases were rare.

Mu Qing gritted his teeth, his sword slicing through the air, leaving afterimages: "Secret Technique: Shatter-Space Blade!"

"Master Beta." Beside the youth stood an elderly man in a pitch-black tailcoat, hair immaculately styled—clearly an old butler. He bowed slightly: "Virtual technology, of course, exists in the Blood Prison Civilization. But the Lord of Blood Mountain despises using it—he prefers bloody competition. As a Black Hole-level powerhouse, his status rivals that of the Fa-Zhu masters. Even the Blood Prison Emperor must respect his wishes. Half a planet's population? As long as he doesn't annihilate half a star system, the Blood Prison Civilization won't interfere."

"But I, Fang Xing, will never tolerate such evil deeds!"

The screen switched; the female host's eyes were also red: "Our hero Mu Qing has fallen. We just received word—I've been selected too, one of the half who will pay the price… Thank you for watching. Goodbye…"

Fang Xing pondered: "Still, there are other paths to open—True Demon Dao, Heavenly Demon Dao…"

Beta sat back, looking drained: "Let's go… Huh?"

Overwhelming emotions piled up, causing his source energy to surge, then surge again…

On the planet, as viewers watched Mu Qing's head explode, many collapsed into despair, weeping uncontrollably.

"And… the True Immortal Realm is certainly not truly peaceful."

Fang Xing's expression grew solemn.

"Compared to that, my Blood Prison Civilization is merely a high-level realm. The Blood Prison Emperor is likely only at the peak of Fa-Zhu Realm, possibly even a Dao Lord—his strength tops out at Fourteenth Realm, a being the Dao Sovereign could snuff out with a breath…"

The more they had once revered Mu Qing, the more they now hated him: "Damn Mu Qing—he's killed us all."

Suddenly, a moment of enlightenment arose within him—he rejoiced: "I've broken through."

Outside the planet, a drop-shaped starship silently observed everything.

Human nature is such a complex thing... According to our Starry Civilization's research, such brutal systems may stimulate the emergence of the strong, but the probability that these strong individuals later rebel or seek revenge exceeds fifty percent!

Robbery, murder… Amidst the release of base desires, glimmers of humanity still shone.

"Above Dao Lord comes Dao Sovereign—the one who opens a Dao, eternal and unyielding, a Fifteenth Realm being!"

"Of course not, Master. You're here to celebrate the Blood Prison Emperor's birthday…"

If he had traveled back before the Dao Sovereign ascended to Fifteenth Realm, Fang Xing might have chosen the Dao of Illusion and Reality, then opened the "Immortal Dao," ascending directly to Fifteenth Realm.

Then… countless starships immediately breached the atmosphere, fleeing in all directions.

"Arrived. The Lord of Blood Mountain's domain—the Crimson Star System."

Originally, a simple transaction or a mutual oath of secrecy would have been best.

Boom! Infinite blade-light overlapped, forming a single slash that shattered space: "I carry the hopes of the entire world—I cannot lose!"

He drank blood-wine, fuming: "This trip yielded nothing in that cosmic secret realm, and the Blood Mountain was damaged. Damn that 'Tianmu Star Lord'—if it weren't for the Emperor's birthday approaching, I'd make you pay immediately…"

"After this competition, I should gather enough sacrificial energy to restore the Blood Mountain's damage. Then I'll gather a few friends and seek revenge!"

At that moment, he leapt to his feet, fury blazing on his face: "Who dares sabotage my competition on my territory?"

The Lord of Blood Mountain roared. The ten-thousand-kilometer-tall "Blood Mountain" instantly shrank to dozens of kilometers, becoming a crimson streak that vanished into the horizon…

(End of Chapter)