Chapter 123: Innate Dao Embryo: The Secret of the Departing Self and Dao Self

Time flowed slowly, and in the blink of an eye it was the moment the Jade Pool Grand Assembly officially began; the entire Pure Land of Jade Pool bustled with activity, as Saint Lords from all factions visited, and the strong of half the world's forces appeared one after another.

Above a floating jade pavilion and palace, clouds and mist swirled, spiritual energy suffused the air, like a heavenly palace in the firmament.

Saint Lord–level figures appeared one after another, various divine weapons' spiritual light flickered, illuminating the whole heaven and earth with brilliant radiance.

Ye Fan sat in the heavenly palace above the clouds, gazing outward at the sky, only to see clouds surging; many divine weapons were pulled by dragons or phoenix-descendants, each beast immensely powerful.

「The Sovereign of Central State, the Divine Monk of Western Desert, the War King of Southern Ridges, plus the many Saint Lords of Eastern Wasteland. Truly like immortals attending a gathering! 」

A low voice sounded, and in Ye Fan's mind appeared the legend of the Peach Banquet from Earth; for a moment he felt as if he had stepped into a myth.

Especially upon seeing Fuxi, the Human Ancestor, beside him, this feeling grew even stronger.

After observing the Saint Lord–level figures for a moment, Ye Fan's eyes twitched slightly, and he unconsciously looked toward the jade pavilion outside the heavenly palace.

Within those halls many jade tables were set up, seats for the holy sons and daughters of the great sacred lands; figures of the younger generation's powerhouses appeared, many of them his "old friends".

A glance swept over, and a purple-clad girl, ethereal as an immortal, entered Ye Fan's sight; purple mist swirled around her, exuding a mysterious Dao rhythm that gathered the spiritual essence of heaven and earth.

【Innate Dao Embryo!】

This thought arose in his mind; seeing the big black dog tangled beside the purple-clad girl, recalling its earlier nonsense about him, Ye Fan's heart filled with a bad premonition, his face instantly darkening.

Had it not been for his unsuitable position, Ye Fan would truly have wanted to go out and drag that dead dog back.

「Innate Dao Embryo? Indeed it unites with the Dao; no wonder it is a superior physique befitting the appearance of the Queen Mother of the West, this Dao-proving Great Emperor」

At that moment, a calm voice sounded, instantly bringing Ye Fan back to his senses.

He hurriedly turned his body, looking toward the figure in dark robes beside him.

After glancing at Ye Fan, Feng Yi's face showed a hint of a smile as he said: "If you were to become dao partners with her, perhaps you could truly give birth to a genuine Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo; no wonder that dog of Wu Shi dotes on her so."

「Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo. 」

A strange color flickered in Ye Fan's eyes as he asked: "Senior, is the Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo truly that powerful?"

「Naturally. 」

Feng Yi nodded, smiling: "Wu Shi's performance is right there; the Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo fuses the innate advantages of the Sacred Body and Dao Embryo, becoming even stronger, and can be counted among the top physiques of heaven and earth; reckoning it up, perhaps only Wu Que's Chaos Body can compare."

「You should know that the Wu Que Chaos Body can still have a Great Emperor existing in the universe even when myriad Dao are suppressed, able to defy heaven and prove the Dao—a terrifying physique; thus one can imagine how mighty the Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo that can rival it is! 」

「Wu Que Chaos Body, Ruthless Great Emperor」

「Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo. Wu Shi Great Emperor」

A hint of dazed color appeared in his eyes; Ye Fan felt a momentary longing, his heart stirred with ripples, and he unconsciously muttered: "At first sight, Wu Shi attains the Dao and becomes emptiness!"

Sensing Ye Fan's spiritual fluctuation, Feng Yi's eyes showed a hint of a smile, and he smiled: "How about it? Your heart moved?"

「Uh」

Ye Fan's expression stalled slightly, then he gave an embarrassed laugh: "Senior, matters of the heart cannot be forced; better to let things follow fate!"

「Hehe. 」

After a deep look at Ye Fan, Feng Yi did not continue the topic, but reminded: "I think that dog of Wu Shi won't give up so easily; you should be careful in the future."

「Mm. 」

Ye Fan nodded, thinking of the Black Emperor's bottomless dead dog, and his vigilance rose twelvefold.

Just then, Feng Yi seemed to think of something, refocusing his gaze on Ye Fan, his tone turning solemn as he asked: "Little Friend Ye Fan, do you feel that your Lunar Sea Secret Realm has undergone some special change?"

「Lunar Sea Secret Realm. 」

Originally Ye Fan had been thinking how to deal with the Black Emperor's dead dog, but hearing this from the Human Ancestor before him, he instantly came to his senses.

In his mind surfaced the changes of his body over this period; he unconsciously nodded: "Indeed as the senior said, since last time I have felt my body undergo some special change; though my cultivation hasn't risen much, my strength keeps growing, especially the Lunar Sea Secret Realm, which has experienced an earth-shattering transformation."

「Indeed so? 」

Feng Yi's eyes showed a hint of realization, then he said: "I think Little Friend Ye Fan may have unconsciously embarked on the path of re-cultivating the Lunar Sea Secret Realm, or rather, besides walking the five great secret realms' path, you also accommodate the solitary cultivation of the Lunar Sea Secret Realm."

「Re-cultivate the Lunar Sea Secret Realm? 」

A hint of doubt appeared in Ye Fan's eyes; his mind vaguely sensed a blurry image, yet he could not firmly grasp it for the moment.

After glancing at Ye Fan, Feng Yi explained: "That is a secret technique of your Primordial Sacred Body lineage; generally after reaching the Fourth Immortal Saint, one can re-cultivate the five great secret realms, solidifying one's foundation and fully arousing the bloodline power of the Primordial Sacred Body."

Having explained the secret of the Sacred Body's re-cultivation of the five great secret realms, Feng Yi pondered a moment, then added: "Moreover, even without reaching the Fourth Immortal Saint realm, the Primordial Sacred Body can choose to cultivate solely the Lunar Sea Secret Realm, ultimately attaining a realm comparable to that of a Fourth Immortal Saint."

「After the Primordial Era, heaven and earth underwent great change; the Primordial Sacred Body became restricted, and others cannot obtain the Nine Marvelous Immortal Medicines' aid like you to break limits and reach the Four Extremes, allowing the Sacred Body to achieve minor success; thus some Sacred Bodies opt to cultivate solely the Lunar Sea Secret Realm。」

「However, the path of the five great secret realms is a perfect cultivation way for beings of this universe suited to a powerhouse; each bodily secret realm possesses its own supreme mystery unique to itself, and the five great secret realms also have a marvelous connection; cultivating a single bodily secret realm alone may increase one's strength, but it cannot truly prove the Dao; therefore, this path is not the mainstream nowadays。」

「If I am not mistaken, for some unknown reason, you now also cultivate this path in parallel。」

「Re-cultivate. The bodily secret realm of the Sacred Body is indeed thus。」

After hearing Feng Yi's explanation, Ye Fan's vision blurred for a moment; certain images in his mind became completely clear, merging with his spirit, causing his whole person to plunge directly into a profoundly mysterious state.

Gush—

Like the sound of sea waves, a surge rose from within Ye Fan's body, as if an immense, boundless ocean existed inside him.

【This】

A hint of curiosity appeared in Feng Yi's eyes; pale gold light flowed in his pupils as he carefully probed the changes within Ye Fan's body.

Although Ye Fan's cultivation is only at the Transforming Dragon Realm, he directly opened the path of re-cultivating the Sacred Body's secret realms and even accommodated the solitary cultivation of the Lunar Sea Secret Realm—this simply defies the common sense of cultivation.

【Merely glimpsing a fragment of future images on the Luo Script, could it actually produce such a great change in Ye Fan?】

As thoughts turned in his mind, Feng Yi's spiritual sense twitched slightly; the stature of Fuxi added to him, the Easy Dao Heavenly Eye fully opened, bearing the power to dispel falsehood and see through fate, he gazed into Ye Fan's body.

Hum—

In an instant, Feng Yi's heart and mind shuddered slightly; before him appeared an illusory long river, the past fixed and unchanging, the future branching into endless tributaries.

Yet at that moment, upon this river stood three different silhouettes—one positioned in the past, one standing in the present, one dwelling in the boundless future.

Strand after strand of profound scriptures rose from the river above, as if the two figures of past and future were chanting sutras, lending support to this present figure.

【This is Ye Fan's Departing Self, True Self, and Dao Self.】

This thought arose unconsciously in his mind; Feng Yi's heart and mind resonated with a soft hum, and the faces of the three figures on the long river became utterly clear—indeed they were Ye Fan.

The three seemed to gaze at Fengyi from past, present, and future all at once, making his mind and spirit shudder slightly, and an inexplicable insight rose in his heart.

The next moment, Fengyi's mind and spirit returned, all the images vanished, and before him appeared Ye Fan, who was on the verge of an epiphany.

However, at this moment Fengyi paid no attention to Ye Fan before him, but was completely immersed within himself, countless thoughts surging in his mind:

'The past self, enduring in the river of history, is not truly the past but a special manifestation of a mysterious trace that can help the present self grasp the traces of heaven and earth's Dao, and chanting scriptures empowers oneself'

'The future Dao-self is the manifestation of the Dao produced by the mutual resonance between the human body's microcosm and the great cosmos of heaven and earth, and it is a feedback of the Dao.'

Various insights continually arose, constantly colliding and merging within Fengyi's mind and spirit; the light of wisdom burst forth, giving him a faint special understanding, as if he had barely grasped something.

And as his insights grew, it seemed that within his Dao Palace a chanting voice arose, coming from past and future, converging in the present.

The silhouette of the Three Sovereigns, positioned above all, became increasingly numinous, vaguely giving the feeling of a true manifestation in the world.

In a daze, Fengyi seemed to form a vague connection with his past and future selves, giving rise to some special insights; the already fully digested Fuxi stature also trembled slightly, causing his innate spiritual light to become ever more brilliant.

'Past-self, true self, and Dao-self'

'Past, present, and future'

'It is no wonder that Shi Hao, this person who endured the calamity, has contemplated and perfected this system with his body as the seed.'

'The more one contemplates this system, the more one can feel its vast profundity and the mysterious Dao it contains.'

An inexplicable insight rose in his heart, causing Fengyi to fall into a daze.

At the same time, his aura underwent a special change and adjustment, becoming increasingly lofty and inscrutable, as if he existed beyond the river of time, giving people an illusory yet real sense of strangeness.

(End of chapter)