Chapter 145: Breaking the Realm, Entering the Innate

"So, Senior, your meaning is that we are still within the Mirage Sea, only this part of the Mirage Sea is somewhat special and can be called a Mirage Mirror."

Chen Mo wore a look of humble instruction, asking sincerely.

Just moments ago, he and Chu Tianxiu had verified each other's identities through various means, basically confirming that the other party was likely a real person and not a Mirage Beast from the Mirage Sea.

However, given the current situation, both sides still maintained a safe distance, not even putting down their weapons, and spoke only through secret voice transmissions.

"That is correct. The reason the Mirage Sea gets its name is because everything within it is illusory."

"To describe it more simply, the things inside are mirages; they are not without origin, but are things that once existed, now projected out in another way."

"And a Mirage Mirror is where the Mirage Sea has recorded everything that once happened in a certain region, now reflected and evolved once again."

Chu Tianxiu nodded and explained. As one of the few top Innate Experts in the world, the secret information he knew was far more than Chen Mo's.

"What exactly is the difference between the two? I see there are still some strange Mirage Beasts within this Mirage Mirror."

Chen Mo asked further, as his understanding of these things was truly superficial.

"The two are very similar, yet they are completely different. Anyone can enter the Mirage Sea and see the scenes within it."

"The Mirage Mirror is different; it is hidden deeper within the Mirage Sea. Those whose cultivation and strength are insufficient cannot enter it at all."

"And after entering, one needs to stimulate the five senses. Whether through True Qi or Qi and Blood, as long as one can stimulate the five senses, one can truly step into it."

"Furthermore, one can only enter the Mirage Sea alone, while a Mirage Mirror can be explored in the company of many."

"The two Innate Experts who accompanied me this time might also be in this Mirage Mirror, though of course, it is also possible they were pulled into other regions."

"Besides, within the Mirage Mirror, the things that occur are things that have already happened; we just happened to arrive in this particular area."

"These people and these living beings died long ago in the endless river of time."

"But this cave dwelling and this immortal island were not entirely evolved by the Mirage Sea; they were merely absorbed into it just like us."

"So we can take some things from here, but we cannot influence the people here, and the people here completely ignore us; we are like ghosts drifting here."

Chu Tianxiu sighed softly and explained further to Chen Mo.

In truth, he quite appreciated Chen Mo; this young man did things with a caution three parts similar to his own.

Otherwise, given his personality, he would not have spoken so much to Chen Mo.

"Of course, no matter what, this is still within the Mirage Sea, so a small number of Mirage Beasts will still appear."

Chen Mo nodded slightly, then asked again, "Then may I ask, Senior, why are these events recorded in the Mirage Sea?"

"Since these things truly appeared, why are there no longer any ancient Divine Beasts in the world today, let alone so many god-like humans?"

He asked this, though he could actually guess the answer, but he still wanted to ask.

Not counting the Divine Beasts he just saw, there were hundreds of Human Race experts he had just seen.

And the strength of every single one of them far exceeded the Innate Realm by an unknown margin.

Such powerful Martial Artists and such formidable Divine Beasts, even if they had dissipated in time, must have left behind inherited classics.

Those various Divine Beasts that only remain in ancient times might even have had bloodlines left behind.

Yet all of this has vanished like smoke, not even leaving behind the slightest trace.

"They were all submerged by the Mirage Sea, and along with them, every living thing in the entire world was swallowed up. It is precisely because of this that what they experienced before is reflected in the Mirage Mirror."

Chu Tianxiu's tone held a touch of sorrow and helplessness; there were too many experts here, and no matter which one, their strength far exceeded his own.

Yet, even with these experts united, they still could not stop the Mirage Sea from submerging everything.

"However, you need not worry. It will take a very long time for the Mirage Sea to completely submerge our era, at least a thousand years; we will not live to see that time."

Chu Tianxiu's tone was sincere and earnest, as if he were speaking the truth.

Immediately after, he told Chen Mo much more about the Mirage Sea and the situation of this world.

These matters were indeed secret and could not be easily shown to others, but since Chen Mo could step into the Mirage Mirror with him—no matter the method—it proved he was qualified to know these things.

He only needed to warn Chen Mo that he should know these things, but must not tell others.

"Our world is a flat land, and the Mirage Sea is water. Great Gan, Great Ying, and even the surrounding Alien Races are like a continuous mountain range; the terrain is high enough that it has not been completely submerged by the Mirage Sea."

"But for various reasons, it will be stained by the Shenhai Water and is in the process of being submerged."

"The Dongtian Fudi are like small peaks within the mountain range; the terrain is higher, and they will not even be stained by the Shenhai Water."

"Outside our world, there may be other mountain ranges, but they are separated by the Mirage Sea, and we have never been able to make contact."

"When the Shenhai Water submerged everything, those experts did not fail to flee."

"It is just that some understood that even if they escaped, it would only be a lingering existence, and they were unwilling to go."

"Furthermore, the Mirage Sea has its high tides and low tides; this is why it is called a sea."

"When the tide rises, the entire world is submerged. Our predecessors used Secret Techniques to seal their cultivation and themselves, thereby lingering on to survive the high tide."

"But this method is undoubtedly gambling with luck; once the Mirage Sea's high tide lasts too long, the preparatory measures will gradually lose their effect."

"It is just that the Human Race predecessors of our world were lucky, which is why they survived."

"But in order to survive the high tide of the Mirage Sea, those Human Race ancestors who lost their cultivation, though they developed with difficulty, saw too many classics constantly being lost."

"To this day, many cultivation classics have had their paths severed, leaving only fragments for later generations to study."

Chu Tianxiu said a lot in one breath, making the situation of this world clear.

Except for not telling Chen Mo that the mountain peak they were on would be submerged in a hundred years, he kept nothing back regarding other matters.

Chen Mo fell silent after listening, slowly digesting and absorbing this information.

This news was indeed substantial, and the impact it brought him was not small.

However, these matters were not very important to him at the moment.

Because they were too distant; whether it was the severed paths of the arts or the crisis a thousand years later, they were all somewhat distant from him now.

"Then may I ask, Senior, since we are now trapped in the Mirage Mirror, what should we do next? How can we escape? We surely won't be trapped here forever, will we?"

Chen Mo spoke, asking the most urgent question at present.

This was the truly important matter; if they could not leave this place, considering other things had no meaning.

"There is no need to worry about this. Although the Mirage Mirror is a deeper layer of the Mirage Sea, generally speaking, it is not particularly dangerous. Even if the Great Ability of the past only projects a phantom, it is enough to make many Mirage Beasts afraid to face them directly."

"Furthermore, the Mirage Mirror only records a portion of time; generally speaking, we can safely leave in at most three to five months."

"It is just that I do not know what will happen in the outside world during this time."

Chu Tianxiu spoke with a laugh, but his tone became low at the end, clearly aware of some things that were about to happen in the outside world.

"May I ask, Senior, what major events could possibly happen in Great Gan, other than the suppression of the Alien Races and the Demonic Path?" Chen Mo asked, puzzled by what he saw.

He certainly wouldn't ask these things elsewhere, but it was fine for now.

Because even if he knew, he had no way to tell anyone.

"As far as I know, His Majesty is about to lead a personal expedition, commanding numerous Innate Experts to break the Alien Races' royal city in one fell swoop and sever their national destiny dragon vein. If this succeeds, it can ensure the stability of our Great Gan's borders for hundreds of years."

Chu Tianxiu's tone was filled with emotion; being able to ensure hundreds of years of stability was indeed a great achievement.

It was just a pity that in another hundred years, everything being done now would be meaningless.

Besides, he felt a bit dejected; he would be trapped here for months this time and feared he would not be able to participate in this battle to suppress the Alien Races.

Chen Mo understood in his heart; this could indeed be considered a major event, though it had little to do with him.

"Then, Senior, shall we stay here, or go to those Three Divine Mountains to take a look?" Chen Mo asked in a deep voice.

"Of course we must go to those three Divine Mountains to take a look. Later, there may be a Great Ability giving a lecture; even if we only understand a fraction of it, it will be of great benefit."

Chu Tianxiu smiled slightly, considering his own strength sufficient, and walked in the lead, traversing the air.

Chen Mo followed closely behind, always maintaining a certain distance from him.

As the ancients said, looking at a mountain can run a horse to death.

Standing within the cave dwelling, Chen Mo looked at this immortal island from afar and felt it was not that far away, seeming very easy to reach.

However, once he actually started walking, he discovered that the two were separated by at least several hundred miles, if not over a thousand.

The Three Divine Mountains were like three pillars reaching toward the sky, soaring high, with various Divine Beasts and divine beings coiled around the three mountains.

"I previously saw a Divine Beast related to my cultivation technique, so I must go and observe it again. You and I shall part ways here for now."

Upon reaching the front of the Three Divine Mountains, Chu Tianxiu took the initiative to suggest.

"This junior understands." Chen Mo bowed from afar, his gaze searching among the Three Divine Mountains, and he soon found the Saint Beast, the Azure Dragon.

It had now shrunk to only two or three zhang in size, coiled on a mountain rock, clearly also preparing to listen to the lecture.

Chen Mo carefully observed this Azure Dragon from the side; the Azure Dragon is the Saint Beast of the East.

But this did not mean there was only one Azure Dragon in the world; the Azure Dragon bloodline had clearly already proliferated, otherwise, relying solely on this one Azure Dragon, it probably wouldn't be able to be a Saint Beast of Heaven and Earth.

Because its strength was not considered strong—at least in this world presented by the projection, it was definitely not top-tier strength, otherwise, it wouldn't be here to listen to someone lecture, but should be discussing the Dao with others.

The Azure Dragon represents the vitality of the East; as it stayed here, the surrounding vegetation appeared much more lush, and many vitality-rich medicinal herbs grew around it.

If it were to stay here for a few months, those medicinal herbs, even if not divine or saintly medicines, would be extremely rare healing herbs.

Chen Mo stood to the side, observing the vast vitality swirling around the other, and his own Inner Qi also changed accordingly.

In the Innate Realm, a Martial Artist's Inner Qi sublimates into True Qi.

This is an extremely profound process; to reach this step, a Martial Artist must regulate their own Yin and Yang Five Elements balance and comprehend the Heaven and Earth Mechanism as much as possible.

And during this process, one must be as careful as possible, preferably doing so within a Dongtian Fudi.

Because this way, even if one is fully immersed in comprehending the Heaven and Earth Mechanism, there is no need to worry about stepping into the Mirage Sea.

Chen Mo did not need to worry about this problem now; he was already in the Mirage Mirror, the surrounding environment was still safe, and he was able to comprehend the Heaven and Earth Mechanism with peace of mind.

Everything that appeared here, although only a projection of past experts, was enough to deter many Mirage Beasts, making them afraid to come here easily.

The Jia Wood Azure Dragon Art—although the creator of this technique did not create it upon seeing the Azure Dragon, the technique incorporated too much of the vitality of the Eastern Azure Dragon Saint Beast.

Chen Mo estimated that even if the expert who created this technique had never seen an Azure Dragon, the tall Eastern tree he had contemplated must have had an Azure Dragon dwelling within it.

Contemplating the brilliant vitality swirling around the Azure Dragon, Chen Mo only felt his own Inner Qi constantly resonating with it.

With Yin and Yang balanced and the Five Elements settled, Chen Mo's essence, energy, and spirit completed this step almost in an instant.

With Inner Qi sublimated and resonating with Heaven and Earth, taking a wisp of the Heaven and Earth Mechanism into the body, the Martial Artist enters the Innate Realm.

Unlike other Martial Artists who need to harmonize Yin and Yang and the Five Elements first before they can comprehend the Heaven and Earth Mechanism.

Chen Mo saw the ancient Saint Beast, the Azure Dragon, first comprehended the Heaven and Earth Mechanism on its body, and then harmonized the Yin and Yang Five Elements.

With this opportunity in his possession, the Heaven and Earth Mechanism he took into his body also carried three parts of the ancient Saint Beast Azure Dragon's majesty and sanctity.

For a Martial Artist, the sublimation of Inner Qi is a transformation no less than a rebirth.

In the dantian and meridians, the Inner Qi, which previously only revealed faint patterns when flowing continuously.

Now, divine light shone brightly upon it, the Heaven and Earth patterns became increasingly clear, and faintly, a dragon shadow appeared.

The power of True Qi is many times greater than Inner Qi, simply because it contains a wisp of the Heaven and Earth Mechanism, allowing one to borrow the Heaven and Earth Trend when attacking.

The three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit merged into one, sublimating into True Qi.

During the sublimation, it was not just the True Qi that improved; the essence, energy, and Shenhai (divine sense) also underwent a transformation.

Chen Mo's physical essence and energy were already powerful, so his strength did not increase by much at this time, only by a thousand jin or so, plus the vitality of his physical body became more active.

However, the improvement in Shenhai was relatively much greater, as the Shenhai was further condensed and sublimated.

The slightly empty Shenhai was suddenly filled with Shenhai power, an Azure Dragon phantom appeared, and bursts of dragon roars echoed within the Shenhai.

The Saint Beast Azure Dragon is vast and majestic; with this dragon shadow in the Shenhai, it can break through many illusions and evil arts.

The Shenhai power, which was originally relatively weak and floating compared to his physical body and Inner Qi.

At this moment, it was cleansed of all impurities and condensed to the limit; although it was not as formidable as Chen Mo's physical body, it could stand on equal footing with his True Qi.

There are many benefits to a powerful Shenhai; Chen Mo could more accurately perceive and grasp himself, and estimate his detailed strength.

Originally, his delicate grasp of himself was limited to a rough quantity, but now he could be meticulous down to an exact number.

Furthermore, he could better control his own Inner Qi; in an instant, he could make it divide into countless wisps, condensing and changing according to his own will.

However, it was limited to this; Chen Mo could very clearly perceive that for the sake of safety, a Martial Artist's Shenhai was firmly restricted.

Projecting divine sense outward can indeed observe Heaven and Earth; this point is certainly good, but the danger is too high.

Therefore, regardless of whether a Martial Artist's divine sense is strong or weak, it is always restricted within the Shenhai.

To project it outward, one must unify essence, Qi, and spirit; one cannot directly project divine sense to observe Heaven and Earth.

Doing so certainly means giving up some things, but it gains safety and the opportunity to move freely between Heaven and Earth.

This is a privilege unique to Martial Artists, because even if their divine sense power is restricted, Martial Artists still possess True Qi and the strength of their physical bodies.

Whereas if a Qi Refiner were to truly restrict the power of their divine sense, ninety-nine percent of their cultivation strength would be lost.

The process of Inner Qi sublimation is not filled with ups and downs, but rather everything happens as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

As Chen Mo slowly made contact and gained enlightenment, the True Qi flowing within his body was already permeated with the divine light of Heaven and Earth, with the Heaven and Earth Mechanism circulating within it.

At this point, he finally entered the Innate Realm.

(End of chapter)