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A few people were conspiring.
They had gone through several rounds of discussions.
Yet, they still hadn’t come up with an effective solution.
“We’re doomed, absolutely doomed. I might as well just wait for death!”
With a thud, Chaos flopped onto the ground, lying motionless, embodying the attitude of a resigned salted fish.
Qin Li was speechless; this guy was utterly unserious. “Chaos, stop playing dead. Remember, the prophecy must never be revealed.”
Baili Jian, frowning, rubbed his temples and said, “The top priority is for Brother Qin to advance to Saint-Nine, return to his peak, and master the power of the Great Dao.”
Chu Qingyin sighed helplessly, “We want to help too, but our potential has reached its limit. We haven’t made any progress for countless years.”
Li Ping’an, however, was full of confidence and laughed heartily, “Don’t worry, we’ve all witnessed Brother Qin’s rapid growth. It shouldn’t take more than a few months for him to advance.”
“You overestimate me,” Qin Li said, stroking his forehead and shaking his head.
“My rapid progress isn’t just due to my personal talent; it’s also because I’ve had references to learn from.”
“My success is the result of countless immortal techniques and imperial scriptures, standing on the shoulders of all the cultivation predecessors. Now that I’ve reached the pinnacle, there’s nothing left for me to reference.”
Everyone frowned.
But Baili Jian spoke up, “I still have some final insights.”
“As a child of the Great Dao, I’ve gone the farthest and have vaguely touched the realm of the Great Dao.”
With that, he raised his hand.
A wisp of Great Dao power appeared.
This was a strand of power he had captured after breaking through his limits.
“How did you obtain this?” Qin Li looked at this strand of power, which fluttered like a butterfly and danced like a dragon, almost ethereal yet capable of tearing apart heaven and earth.
“Dao Integration!”
Baili Jian uttered two words:
“The realm of the Great Dao is something we can never reach.”
“So, I came up with a clever method. Look at the myriad worlds; they are actually just remnants of the Great Dao.”
“If one integrates their body with the Dao, wouldn’t they be able to control this first corpse of the universe, effectively possessing the Great Dao?”
“However, I was too optimistic. During the integration process, I faced the backlash of the three thousand Great Daos. Fortunately, being a child of the Great Dao, I managed to escape unscathed.”
Chu Qingyin exclaimed joyfully, “Isn’t my husband the Great Dao’s primordial spirit? Retrieving the power of the Great Dao should come naturally to him, without any backlash.”
Baili Jian took out a scroll of immortal scripture, “This is my method of Dao Integration!”
Qin Li was delighted.
After expressing his gratitude, he took the jade scroll.
The method wasn’t complicated; in fact, it was somewhat straightforward.
After all, even Supreme experts only had a vague and incomplete understanding of the Great Dao.
“There’s no time to waste; let’s cultivate now!”
Qin Li acted swiftly.
With a whoosh.
He soared into the heavens.
Chaos stood up, watching him leave:
“Whether we can change fate and gain the upper hand depends on this.”
Qin Li, under immense pressure, sat atop the clouds, his mind sinking into a state of self-forgetfulness.
The first step of the Dao Integration method was to climb the Cloud Ladder.
Step by step, ascending through the realms, lifting the veil of mist to glimpse the truth of the world.
Saint-One, the Law Dao Fruit, seeing the intertwining laws of reality.
Saint-Two, Mirror of Cause and Effect, discerning the interconnectedness of all things.
Saint-Three, Foreseeing Fate, understanding one’s own past and future.
Saint-Four, Creating Ten Thousand Energies, comprehending the mysteries of energy transformation.
Saint-Five, Crafting Creation, sensing the secrets of material birth.
Saint-Six, Creating Life, participating in the process of life’s inception.
Saint-Seven, Opening Worlds, glimpsing the birth of worlds.
Saint-Eight, Questioning Time, transcending the fog of flowing time.
With each ascent.
Qin Li’s view of the world transformed.
No longer seeing people or objects, everything became trajectories of energy.
From a higher dimension, the void wasn’t empty, reality wasn’t real, no one was eternal, everything moved in cycles, destined for destruction.
“How magnificent!”
“Greater than all greatness!”
Qin Li’s consciousness wandered, seeing the full scope of the three thousand Great Daos for the first time.
They were like three thousand towering pillars or three thousand branches of an immortal tree, piercing through the Star Domain, the Myriad Domains, and the Fallen Domain, forming the skeleton of the universe.
Everything, even merit and energy, were derivatives of the Great Dao’s laws. Though seemingly unrelated, tracing back to their origins, they all relied on the Great Dao.
With a broad enough perspective, one could see that two-thirds of the three thousand Great Dao pillars were tainted black, emitting the power of the Heavenly Dao. Only one-third remained intact, radiating the power of the Great Dao.
The Great Dao and the Heavenly Dao were one.
Just two sides of the same coin.
Upon closer inspection, one could see countless specks of light clinging to the Great Dao.
These were the marks left by the myriad experts who had reached Saint-Nine, imprinting themselves onto the Great Dao, creating a unique spectacle.
However, this wasn’t eternal. To the Great Dao, these were parasites, slowly decaying. If a Saint King’s life force waned and they couldn’t repair their mark, they would face a decline in realm and the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.
“Breathe with the Dao, resonate with the Dao!”
Qin Li silently recited the incantation.
His consciousness merged with the Great Dao.
Baili Jian had warned that this act was extremely dangerous.
Attempting to steal the authority of the Great Dao, the supreme position, would invite terrifying backlash.
Back then, for just a wisp of Great Dao power, Baili Jian had endured countless torments, his soul nearly shattered, and only escaped by relying on the Peach Tree.
“No pain!”
“It feels like soaking in a warm bath, so comfortable.”
Qin Li only felt a warm, soothing sensation, with no backlash whatsoever.
“It seems I’ll soon advance to Saint-Nine and become the Great Dao.” Qin Li harbored such expectations, feeling immensely pleased.
Suddenly!
An accident occurred!
The Great Dao’s power touched Qin Li’s core.
Instantly, it detected a problem and erupted in fury, shaking all three thousand Daos.
“What’s going on? Something’s wrong!” Qin Li’s consciousness felt an overwhelming pressure and the wrath of the Great Dao surging towards him.
“Why is this happening…”
“No…”
Qin Li was severely injured.
His body was engulfed in the flames of the Great Dao.
His soul shattered, and even if it could recover, it couldn’t withstand the repeated burning of the Dao flames.
Fortunately, deep within his soul, a trace of the Great Dao’s primordial spirit suppressed all backlash, extinguishing the Dao flames and saving Qin Li’s life.
“Husband!”
Chu Qingyin was terrified.
Just moments ago, everything seemed fine.
The myriad Daos resonated, success was within reach.
But then the backlash came suddenly, and Qin Li fell unconscious, plummeting down.
They quickly flew over, catching Qin Li’s body and checking his condition.
At this moment!
Qin Li was in a deep coma.
This soul injury was too severe.
“It hurts!”
Qin Li grimaced.
His consciousness arrived in a hazy space.
This was his third time here, a familiar place.
“Qin Li—”
The World Tree called out again.
A gentle breeze blew.
It soothed Qin Li, alleviating his pain.
But he wasn’t happy; instead, he was filled with anger.
“I want to ask you, what exactly is going on?” Qin Li flew forward.
Soon.
He reached the destination.
The World Tree remained majestic and eternal.
“How was it? Did it hurt deeply?”
Qin Li angrily asked, “It almost killed me! Why can’t I integrate with the Dao?”
“Because you are Qin Li, and you cannot yet attain this power,” the World Tree explained calmly.
Qin Li raised an eyebrow, “But I am the Great Dao!”
“No!”
“You are not the Great Dao now.”
The World Tree’s voice was serene, carrying a hint of Zen.
Qin Li pondered, “You mean, the past is the past, the present is the present, and they are ultimately unrelated.”
“That’s part of it, but not entirely,” the World Tree spoke, its words enigmatic. “It’s mainly because of you. Tell me, do you want to be Qin Li, or do you want to be the Great Dao?”
Qin Li blurted out, “I want both.”
“Hahaha!”
The World Tree laughed heartily:
“Ambitious, bold, truly worthy of you!”
“But right now, you are neither the Great Dao nor Qin Li!”
Qin Li was anxious, “Then who am I?”
“Ask yourself.”
The World Tree’s voice grew distant, more ethereal:
“Didn’t you want to go home and take a look? This is a good opportunity to do so.”
Qin Li was speechless. What was this nonsense? How could he not be Qin Li?
Ever since he reached the Dharma Aspect realm and understood the self, the ego, and the superego, his will had been as unyielding as divine metal, never wavering.
“But I do want to go home and see how Earth is doing.” Just yesterday, he had planned to retire to the Immortal Kingdom, but because of the Painful Heavenly Mother, he was delayed and couldn’t return.
“Husband!”
“Husband, wake up!”
Chu Qingyin’s tearful voice reached him.
Qin Li opened his eyes and saw the worried faces of everyone.
Li Ping’an asked, “Brother Qin, you were burned by the Great Dao’s flames. Did it leave any lasting damage?”
Baili Jian said with concern, “There’s no need to rush if you can’t break through right now.”
“I’m fine!”
Qin Li patted off the dust:
“I took a nap, and my thoughts are much clearer now.”
“After some reflection, I realized there’s something I must do before it’s too late.”
Everyone was puzzled, “What is it?”
“Go home and take a look!”
