Immortal of the Nine Realms

In the Nether Ruins, Xie Zhi.

Fang Chen was currently brewing tea. Meanwhile, Old Wang and Fang Han were talking about the God Race, their words filled with deep emotion.

After a while, Fang Ding also paid a visit.

Thus, two seventh-transformation, one ninth-transformation, and one First Step Limit Breaking expert gathered over tea and pastries, speaking not of romance, but only of the situation within the Divine Realm.

”Everyone, even an existence as powerful as the God Race can end up like a stranded dragon mocked by shrimps in shallow waters. Do you know what the true objective of that Vajra Race was? They wanted to keep a highly gifted woman of the God Race to serve as their breeding vessel. By doing so, they hoped to nurture an even stronger Vajra Race!”

As Wang Chongsong spoke, he shook his head. ”Had it been in the past, if they so much as dared to reveal such intentions, the God Race’s methods would have ensured they couldn’t lift their heads for a million years, and they wouldn’t have even dreamed of birthing a single additional Saint, even with the Qingming Supreme Alliance watching.”

Fang Han said thoughtfully, ”The Vajra Race was also doing it to breed a Qilin-like genius, all to secure a good result in the Battle of the Saint Tower.”

Fang Ding mused. ”The idea is highly ambitious, but given the current situation, I’m afraid it’s not just the Vajra Race doing this. Other, more powerful races might have long since put this into practice. Even our Human Race possesses similar secret techniques that can utilize foreign races as vessels to carry and nurture various powerful bloodlines, though the primary bloodline remains predominantly human.”

He paused momentarily. ”The Vajra Race has always been the backer of the Flame Race and harbors hostility toward our Human Race. Throughout all these years of warfare between the Human and Flame Races, the Vajra Race has also contributed quite a bit from behind the scenes. Fortunately, our Human Race is currently in its prime, with Saints constantly emerging, which has allowed us to hold the front-line war zones.”

At this point, he smiled and looked toward Fang Chen. ”Ancestor Chen swept away all opposition in the Saint Tower Battle this time, fighting his way to the stellar result of number one among sixth transformation. This has also caused the Flame Race to hold some wariness toward us. The advancements across major war zones have become much smoother, and many disputed regions have already been incorporated into the territory of the Nether Ruins.”

”That’s right. The result Old Fang achieved this time has a massive impact on our Human Race,” agreed Wang Chongsong thoroughly with a nod.

Fang Chen poured a cup of tea for everyone and asked casually, ”If one day the Human Race also falls into a plight like that of the God Race, how should we conduct ourselves?”

Fang Han murmured softly, ”The Human Race falling into a plight like that of the God Race? That should be quite improbable...”

The God Race had ended up in such a miserable situation because their Realm Lord had betrayed the Supreme Qingming Alliance, which was why they faced annihilation. The Human Race... didn’t even possess the qualifications to betray the Supreme Qingming Alliance.

Wang Chongsong said, ”If the Human Race truly falls into such a plight, then we must naturally use any means necessary to rise again. Before that, we would first need to find a stable place to accumulate our heritage properly.”

Pausing, he smiled mockingly. ”If such a time truly comes, we’ll definitely have to consult the God Race to see how things went for them.”

Fang Chen could not help but steal a glance at Wang Chongsong.

A guessed truth was practically screaming to be revealed, yet he could not be entirely certain either. If that guess were true, I am afraid it wasn’t the Heavenly Dao of the Demonic Beast Race that first contacted the Demon Race back then, but rather the Human Race that actively took the initiative to strike. It was only because the opponent possessed a Heavenly Dao while their own side lacked the assistance of one that they ultimately managed a forced draw, leaving the Demonic Beast Race’s foundational heritage heavily depleted...

Not only was the Human Race not miserable back then, but it was instead incredibly powerful. It was equivalent to one race against two, forcing one into a draw and crippling the other.

The group chatted for a while longer before Wang Chongsong suddenly leaned closer to Fang Ding, asking with a beam, ”What did it feel like when you transitioned from the ninth transformation to the Limit Breaking Realm? Tell me about it so I can use it as a reference when I advance to Limit Breaking in the future.”

”It’s hard to put into words, but it’s like breaking past a restriction. When you successfully break the limit, the immortal essence within your body will transform into Limit Breaking Power.”

Fang Ding extended his index finger, and a wisp of faint Limit Breaking Power coiled and spun upon it. It was completely distinct from immortal essence, bearing a far more majestic and condensed aura.

”Right, there is also a unique aspect. After entering the Limit Breaking Realm, you won’t have to recover your power from the surroundings anymore. When my Limit Breaking Power is depleted, it will automatically recover, as though this power has completely become a part of me. This is likely also the key to being able to condense an Inner Domain in the future,” explained Fang Ding.

The three instantly fell deep into thought.

Fang Chen did not know what realizations Wang Chongsong and Fang Han derived from that. He, however, felt that Fang Ding’s current state was incredibly similar to his own. It was just that he had accidentally acquired this unique ability way earlier. He had been able to automatically recover his energy back when he cultivated spiritual energy, and it continued when he shifted to immortal essence. He didn’t need to absorb energy from the outside world. Furthermore, after being depleted, his energy would return even stronger than before.

A single glance from the Fairy had granted me this miraculous ability that rivaled those at the Limit Breaking Realm. That Fairy... is she perhaps an existence at the Realm Lord level, or... even stronger?

”I’ve heard my old man say that as long as one condenses an Inner Domain, that power becomes a continuous, never-ending stream. As long as the Inner Domain does not collapse, even if one’s physical body perishes, it is not a true death,” Wang Chongsong remarked with deep emotion. ”It is equivalent to reaching the Half Saint realm; unless one’s lifespan is completely exhausted and it is truly time to die, then even if one perishes while battling others, as long as the Inner Domain remains, there is the possibility of resurrection. Even the Soul Race cannot easily capture the soul.”

Fang Han sighed. ”Then that is truly immortal and indestructible.”

A look of yearning surfaced in Fang Ding’s eyes. ”Only upon reaching the Limit Breaking realm can one appreciate the strength of this realm. Back when I was still at the ninth transformation, I always felt that the eighth-transformation cultivators of the powerful races could cross realms and fight me. But at the Limit Breaking Realm, that thought had completely disappeared. Condensing an Inner Domain to advance to a Half Saint is an entirely different qualitative transformation.”

”Inner Domain... a continuous, never-ending stream of power...”

The clarity in Fang Chen’s eyes gradually returned. Peeling back the layers of information, he began to understand the core difference between the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Realms and the Realm Lords of the Supreme Qingming Alliance—it was the Inner Domain.

Since the Inner Domain provides a continuous stream of Limit Breaking power, it will not cause even the slightest impact on the outside world. Whereas the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Realms cannot form an Inner Domain, so it takes the Nine Realms as its ’Inner Domain.’ By using the Nine Realms’ energy to sustain itself, over time, immortal essence and spiritual energy will cease to exist. Therefore, the methods of the Saint Scripture of the Supreme Qingming Alliance, which aim to condense an Inner Domain to nurture oneself, are indeed the correct path of cultivation...

Once Fang Chen accepted this hypothesis, he could also understand why, after the Half Step Heavenly Dao stage, a cultivator could directly bypass the intermediate realms and become an existence comparable to a Realm Lord.

A Half Step Heavenly Dao is equivalent to a Limit Breaking expert. At this stage, everyone is essentially the same, with no major differences. Following that is the condensing of the Inner Domain. The initial Inner Domain must be small when it’s first formed, and the larger it becomes, the stronger one’s cultivation will be. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Dao takes the Nine Realms as its Inner Domain, which is already enormous by nature and carries vast amounts of spiritual energy and immortal essence. These are things even ordinary Realm Lords cannot hope to catch up to, let alone the likes of Saints...

But there is a drawback... an Inner Domain condensed through the Saint Scripture should revolve primarily around the cultivator themselves. Thus, there aren’t as many restrictions and rules. The Heavenly Dao is different. If a person becomes the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Realms, then everything probably has to revolve around the Nine Realms, meaning every single facet is subjected to restrictions originating from the Nine Realms.

Fang Chen sighed inwardly. The distinction between these two paths was becoming clearer and clearer in his mind.