Chapter 748: Opening Gui Xu Nine Realms, the Master's Grace Runs Deep (Combined Chapter)

In the bamboo tower, light and shadow intertwined; Li Yuan could not help being startled as he looked at the Daoist Master Fufa in the light screen, gently stroking the Refining Demon Sword:

"Xuanhuang Da Fa Jie?"

Xuanhuang Da Fa Jie ranks among the Nine Realms of Opening Gui Xu, and these nine realms are, since time immemorial, the nine greatest worlds among the countless dimensional worlds of Opening Gui Xu!

Even the Origin Divine Dynasty, allied with the Weitian Dao Sect, across seventy-two eons and nine Wars of Opening, failed to conquer these terrifying worlds!

And the Weitian Martial Contest is, in essence, meant to let the disciples of the Dao Sect become familiar in advance with the Wars of Opening — it is a rehearsal!

How could a rehearsal send one straight to Xuanhuang Da Fa Jie?

One must understand that even the Da Luo Catalogue is not unbreakable…

"Only a very few people know of this matter. Junior brother, do not let it leak."

The Daoist Master Fufa's expression was solemn.

After he came out of seclusion, he was summoned by his Master and, upon learning of this matter, was even more shocked than Li Yuan.

He had only entered the Dao a few hundred years ago and had not taken part in the Wars of Opening, but over the years he had dealt with no small number of Opening Gui Xu cultivators and knew full well the terror of the Nine Realms of Opening Gui Xu.

"Many thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother. This junior brother understands."

Li Yuan bowed in thanks, his heart full of gratitude, well aware that this matter was of great consequence.

The Daoist Master Fufa gave a slight nod. His divine sense surged, and ancient scrolls formed from gathered information streamed along the Tongshi Sphere and fell upon Li Yuan's brow.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

Li Yuan focused his perception — these were all intelligence on past Martial Contests, and extremely detailed at that.

"A Martial Contest in a great world is the first of its kind; the experience of past editions may not apply, but it does no harm to look."

The Daoist Master Fufa's gaze was heavy:

"The Nine Supreme Realms are seldom set foot in; intelligence on them is scarce. I have invited a few true disciples of 'Kuidou Peak' for a small gathering. If anything comes of it, I will share it with you, Junior Brother."

"Kuidou Peak?"

Li Yuan was taken aback: "The Daoist Yuan Ming Heaven once opened up the Xuanhuang Realm?"

Kuidou Peak is one of the nine mountains of Daoist Yuan Ming Heaven, the dojo of the Dao Lord of Kuidou. In the past, when he was in the Sword Realm, he had seen disciples of this peak, though he had not spoken with them.

"This is an old matter, involving the Heavenly Lord; it is not something to be spoken of freely."

The Daoist Master Fufa paused slightly, and his voice, separated by who knew how many myriad miles, sounded directly within Li Yuan's thoughts:

"Eons ago, the Heavenly Lord of Daoist Yuan Ming once transmitted the Dao to the Xuanhuang Realm… though it did not succeed, his understanding of the Xuanhuang Realm far surpasses that of other Dao Sects."

"Transmit the Dao to Xuanhuang?"

Li Yuan's heart jolted, and he clicked his tongue inwardly.

No need to think — it must have failed, and quite badly at that; otherwise the Daoist Master Fufa would not be so tight-lipped.

"Do not dwell on it, do not think of it!"

The Daoist Master Fufa's voice scattered Li Yuan's distracting thoughts, and he said sternly:

"Junior Brother, for now, take a look at the intelligence on past Martial Contests…"

"Yes."

Li Yuan gathered his spirit, and the light and shadow dispersed along with it.

"Martial Contest in the Xuanhuang Realm…"

Li Yuan steadied himself and began receiving the intelligence the Daoist Master Fufa had sent.

As he knew, the Weitian Martial Contest was equivalent to a miniature War of Opening; the participating disciples of the Weitian Dao Sect must be those whose yang-lifespan had not yet ended.

Among them, the fiercest and most brutal competition was naturally the 'Sun Ranking', corresponding to the true disciples of Weitian.

Even figures as powerful as the Daoist Master Fufa, the Daoist Bai Yuangang, and the Nine Extremes Heaven had little to show for themselves in the last Weitian Martial Contest — for the Sun Ranking encompassed all true disciples of the Weitian Dao Sect, spanning more than ten generations above and below!

However, the Daoist Master Fufa's intelligence contained little about the Sun Ranking; clearly, this intelligence had been gathered solely for Li Yuan.

He still committed it to memory, especially the few individuals his Senior Brother Master Fufa had mentioned more than once.

"Senior Brother Master Fulong, the Great Vajra Pofa, the Daoist Chilong, the Daoist Xuanzhou…"

Li Yuan murmured these names in his heart; they were not unfamiliar to him — all were figures of great renown.

The intelligence recorded most extensively concerned the 'Moon Ranking', which corresponded to the inner disciples of the various Dao Sects.

"In every Martial Contest, Dao Lords and Heavenly Lords cast their gaze down. Every disciple exerts their utmost; to win their favor is to instantly become a true disciple…"

From the intelligence, Li Yuan sorted out the unwritten rules.

The Martial Contest had no formal rules, just as the Wars of Opening did not bind one's own hands and feet; but the Martial Contest was, after all, different from the Wars of Opening, and there were still quite a few unwritten rules.

"In the Weitian Martial Contest, seizing the resources of foreign realms is the surface objective; winning the favor of the sect's elders is the true purpose…"

Li Yuan summarized and analyzed.

In the last Martial Contest, Yu Yu Wangxian ranked ninth, surpassing many true disciples of the Dao Sect whose Gu Gu Shentong methods were still above his own at the time — all because he had won a Dao Lord's favor.

"Challenge the world, emerge through a hundred battles."

The intelligence contained a very detailed section on Yu Yu Wangxian, and Li Yuan read it with great care.

In the last Martial Contest in Yong Ye Fa Jie — one of the myriad lesser realms under the Wu Shen Fa Jie — Yu Yu Wangxian challenged the cultivators of Yong Ye Fa Jie, won a hundred battles out of a hundred, and even used this to fight his way into the Wu Shen Da Fa Jie!

"That big-bearded fellow really has guts…"

Li Yuan felt he could never do the same.

The Weitian Martial Contest was not without risk; Dao Sect disciples who perished in the Contest were not unheard of.

Therefore, the vast majority of Dao Sect disciples, during the Contest, would conceal themselves, disguise themselves as cultivators of foreign realms, and strive to blend into the Contest realm.

Someone like Yu Yu Wangxian was a rare exception.

"Huu!"

After a long while, Li Yuan had committed all the intelligence to memory and felt his understanding of the Weitian Martial Contest was already quite deep.

"The Da Luo Catalogue is not omnipotent; if one faces a Dao Lord-level overlord directly, there is still a very great chance of perishing and one's Dao being extinguished…"

What Li Yuan paid most attention to, naturally, were those Dao Sect disciples who had died in the martial exhibition.

These unlucky souls all had one thing in common — they died at the hands of a Dao Sovereign!

"The Opening Gui Xu Otherworld is also watching the martial exhibition!"

Li Yuan's heart chilled; he recalled the bounty missions in the Underworld, where many Underworld Walkers were posting bounties for intelligence on the Weitian martial exhibition — most likely coming from the Opening Gui Xu Otherworld!

He was not surprised by this.

If there were a chance to wipe out over a dozen generations of Dao Sect's elite disciples, an Otherworld Dao Sovereign would not hesitate to act.

"The Opening Gui Xu dimensions are as countless as grains of sand; the Xuanhuang Great World is the top-tier Weitian, and not only does it have Dao Sovereigns, it must also have Heavenly Lords — and very likely more than one!"

"Otherwise that Heavenly Lord wouldn't have failed in transmitting the Dao…"

Master Li was always of a disposition to think of danger in times of safety.

If it were a small Opening Gui Xu world, like Shi Li Fa Jie, a small world that at its peak had no Dao Sovereign, the Da Luo Catalogue could surely protect him completely, and he could act freely.

But the Xuanhuang Great World…

"The Da Luo Catalogue has the ability to conceal heavenly mechanisms; as long as I don't actively expose myself, the chance of being discovered by a Dao Sovereign is very low — but it's not zero…"

"I must hide my identity!"

Li Yuan's thoughts churned, and gradually he had a plan.

He browsed through his various Held Objects; over the years he had gathered quite a large batch of Held Objects, and with a thought, he had already assembled a combination for fleeing form and concealing qi.

"The Da Luo Catalogue has the ability to conceal heavenly mechanisms, and combined with my 'Conceal Form and Hide Qi' Held Object combination — can I face a Dao Sovereign directly without being discovered?"

Li Yuan truly had no confidence.

A Dao Sovereign, in unity with the Dao and attaining the true, possesses unfathomable might; he could not even comprehend the Dao Sovereign's methods.

"To be safe, any divine abilities and spells of the present world — if I don't have to use them, I won't, and it's best not to face an Otherworld Dao Sovereign directly…"

"With the Weapon Soldier Register, this is not difficult for me."

Li Yuan flipped through the Held Objects he had gathered, but there were few related to the Xuanhuang world; things like 【Jiao Fu Huang Quan Tu (Eleventh-Tier)】 had no divine ability methods either.

"The martial exhibition hasn't begun yet; perhaps I can gather some related Held Objects…"

Li Yuan had a thought, took out the Universal Knowledge Sphere, opened the Grand Void Market, and tried to find spirit treasures from the Xuanhuang world.

……

"Boom!"

The divine realm shook, massive waves surging skyward.

Li Yuan stood atop the Central Extreme Mountain, looking down upon the divine realm, and saw vines of the Mystic Vine tree springing up from the ground, thriving under the nourishment of the Law Peaches.

When the shaking of the divine realm subsided, the newly sprouted Mystic Vine daughter-tree had already grown to just over three thousand four hundred zhang.

Counting this Mystic Vine daughter-tree, the divine realm now had a full nine Mystic Vine trees; eight daughter-trees had given birth to eight islands, encircling the Mystic Vine mother-tree, faintly taking on the semblance of a continent.

"At this rate, I have eleven lives!"

Looking at the lush greenery above Wang Yang, Li Yuan felt considerably more at ease.

After the Eight Wastes Prison Force became compatible with water and fire, he no longer needed the Tree Demon to wield martial arts, but the importance of the Mystic Vine tree remained inestimable — a natal spirit plant was far more suited to taking a fatal blow than any spell or divine ability.

"These Law Peaches are truly fine things…"

Sensing the changes in the divine realm, Li Yuan sighed in his heart.

Not only had the Mystic Vine tree gained tremendous benefit, his magic power had more than doubled — equivalent to fifty years of Xing Gong refining the Dao — showing just how astonishing its efficacy was!

"The foundation of the Mystic Vine mother-tree is too deep; once I Tu Po Wu Jing, the realm of the Green Emperor Longevity Scripture will surely skyrocket, and reaching the peak of the fifth realm is not impossible!"

"The other four great scriptures are considerably inferior."

Li Yuan patrolled the divine realm.

The North Extreme Mountain stood amid Wang Yang; the island beneath it already stretched over a thousand li, but the Reverse Fate Turtle was only a thousand zhang in size — compared to the Mystic Vine tree, it was truly pitifully small.

This was even with the nourishment of countless demons' blood qi.

"Wooo~"

As if sensing Li Yuan's arrival, the Reverse Fate Turtle poked its head out, spat a pillar of water reaching to the heavens, which then went "splash" and turned into a torrential downpour.

This fierce beast from Yong Ye Fa Jie had already taken on a rather fearsome appearance.

"Bestowed upon the body, it can barely be put to use."

Li Yuan played with the Reverse Fate Turtle; its shell had already grown quite thick, with bone spurs bristling atop, capable of withstanding the spells and divine abilities of fourth-realm cultivators.

"Buzz~"

At this moment, Li Yuan sensed something, opened his eyes, and saw the Universal Knowledge Sphere trembling lightly.

He flicked a finger, and a screen of light wove together; the figure of Master Master Fufa appeared within the light screen, seemingly in a wine house, as if he had just hosted a banquet for someone.

"Senior brother."

Li Yuan bowed.

"I just had a small gathering with a few true inheritors from Kuidou Peak."

Master Master Fufa stood up, his expression rather Solemn: "This realm truly lives up to its name as a top-tier Weitian — strong ones as common as clouds, dangers beyond the ordinary."

"Buzz~"

As he spoke, he flicked a finger and sent over various pieces of intelligence.

Li Yuan hurriedly received them.

"The Xuanhuang Great Realm was born from a single Innate Spirit Root — that very Xuanhuang World Tree!"

Master Master Fufa paced back and forth, explaining to Li Yuan:

"The qi of Xuanhuang, also called the Mother of All Things, can nurture all things and even heaven and earth… when this realm was born is already unknowable; even in the Primeval Era it was already extremely powerful…"

Li Yuan divided his attention, listening and reading at the same time.

The Xuanhuang World Tree, legend has it, is the top-tier cosmic wonder; it gave birth to the Xuanhuang Great World even before the Primeval Era, and in the long ages afterward, it nurtured countless great and small worlds.

Countless dimensional realms hung like fruits among the branches, together composing that supreme Weitian world.

"The Xuanhuang Great World is merely a collective name. In truth, this realm contains an infinite number of worlds great and small, and those that can be named number three thousand, also called the Xuanhuang Three Thousand Realms."

"Three Thousand Realms?!"

Li Yuan's eyelids twitched as he listened.

These three thousand worlds were none of them weaker than Shi Li Fa Jie at its peak, and among them, realms such as the Dragon Realm, the Nether Realm, and the Heavenly Treasure Realm had even produced Dao Lords!

"The three thousand worlds together bear that supreme Weitian Xuanhuang world, enough to support the rank of more than one Heavenly Lord…"

Master Master Fufa paused. Clearly this intelligence again involved that Daoist Yuan Ming Heavenly Lord, and his voice rose directly from Li Yuan's thoughts:

"In those years, that Heavenly Lord's transmission of the Dao failed, also because of this."

"This…"

Li Yuan listened, his teeth aching, both shocked and doubtful: "Then why choose this realm for the martial display?"

Do the Dao Sect's Heavenly Lords intend to use this to open up Opening Gui Xu?

Or…

"It is said, it is related to a supreme treasure jointly forged together with the Heavenly Lords…"