Translator: CinderTL
The moment Lu Jiuyang fell in defeat, Li Chunjun waved his hand.
Two damaged and three intact quasi-Dao Artifacts flew into his grasp.
Only one of the three intact quasi-Dao Artifacts contained Dao Rhythm.
This was to be expected.
Unless one intended to refine them into true Dao Artifacts or pursue peak performance, who would waste precious Dao-infused Seventh-Tier materials on mere quasi-Dao Artifacts?
Even this single piece of Dao-infused material represented a tremendous gain.
These spoils were worth hundreds of millions.
After securing his loot, Li Chunjun's Divine Sense imprint effortlessly ascended to the summit of the mountain representing the Cosmic Light List, claiming the top spot.
First place on the Cosmic Light List.
With this achievement, he successfully achieved the Triple First-Rank Achievement: first place on the Star Glory, Solar Radiance, and Cosmic Light Lists.
"First place on the Cosmic Light List? I took it with ease," Li Chunjun declared.
Liu Yu showed no surprise at this outcome.
In the history of the Profound Yellow List, hundreds of thousands, even millions, had reached the top of the Cosmic Light List.
But how many were personally mentored by a Supreme Sovereign?
A mere three!
It would have been truly laughable if a Supreme Sovereign's direct disciple couldn't even reach the top of the Cosmic Light List.
"Shall I offer you my heartiest congratulations, then?" Liu Yu chuckled.
Li Chunjun wasted no time and immediately summoned his Lifebound Flying Sword.
"Alright, fulfill your promise. Upgrade my Scarlet Sky Sword to a High-Grade Dao Artifact."
"Very well," Liu Yu replied, nodding slightly.
As the Artifact Spirit of the Profound Yellow Ranking, she could be considered a Quasi-Tenth-Tier life form, on par with the ultimate power of the Immortal God Race, the Heavenly Emperor.
Moreover, while Seventh-Rank Void Refining cultivators and Ninth-Tier Supreme Sages of various races struggled to surpass the lifespan limit of 129,600 years, she had existed for tens of millions of years—hundreds of times longer than those in the Void Refining, Dharma Manifestation, or Supreme Sage realms.
Over these vast ages, she had not only accumulated a wealth of knowledge but also mastered techniques such as artifact refinement, pill refinement, array formations, beast taming, talisman crafting, spirit plant cultivation, curses, puppetry, divination, and more.
While her proficiency in these areas might not be extraordinary, she was undoubtedly an outstanding figure among Void Refining cultivators.
Crafting a Superior Dao Artifact was, therefore, a trivial task for her.
"I need a thorough understanding of your cultivation level first," Liu Yu stated.
Li Chunjun pondered for a moment. By now, he had gained a thorough understanding of Artifact Spirits. Though not rigidly programmed entities, they were still bound by numerous fundamental rules.
Li Chunjun had now been officially registered as a personal disciple of the Profound Yellow Supreme. Even if the Artifact Spirit had discovered some secret about him and harbored ulterior motives, it would inevitably be bound by the rules established by the Supreme Sovereign.
Moreover...
Apart from the Human Emperor Banner, Li Chunjun didn't believe there was anything remarkable about him that would warrant the attention of this Quasi-Tenth-Tier Artifact Spirit.
"Thanks to refining the Heart Demon, I've advanced my Heavenly Heart Eternal Method to the fourth layer. You're already aware of my Flaming Phoenix Bloodline, which I've cultivated to the sixth transformation. Furthermore, likely due to observing the Starquakes in the Azure Sea Domain, my Void Dao Body and Destruction Dao Body have been reactivated..."
"Reactivated?" Liu Yu's expression flickered with surprise.
Li Chunjun remained silent, instead demonstrating the profound mysteries of the Void Law and Destruction Dao.
Liu Yu observed intently.
After a moment, a peculiar look crossed her face. "Your Dao Bodies aren't just fully activated—they're approaching Lesser Completion!"
"Lesser Completion?" Li Chunjun's heart skipped a beat.
"Lesser Completion of a Dao Body is often a hallmark of Eighth-Tier Lifeforms!" Liu Yu explained. "It's precisely because they harbor this hidden potential within them that they can ascend to Eighth-Tier status!"
"Ninth-Tier... does that mean the Acquired Dao Body has reached its peak?"
"Correct."
"And what about a perfect Dao Body?"
"There's no such thing as a perfect Acquired Dao Body." Liu Yu shook her head. "All inherited Dao Bodies are classified as Acquired. How could an Acquired Dao Body ever achieve true perfection? If it could, it would be an Innate Dao Body! And those who possess such bodies are known as Innate Divine Beings!"
"Innate Divine Beings?" Li Chunjun was surprised. "Like the Undying Flaming Phoenix, the Primordial True Dragon, and the Great Void Kunpeng?"
"Exactly." Liu Yu nodded slightly. "Innate Divine Beings are born embodying the Grand Dao itself! They are the origin of all cultivation in this world. All Forty-Nine Paths to Dao Unification were pioneered through comprehending these Innate Divine Beings!"
"All forty-nine paths to Dao Unification were developed through studying the Innate Divine Beings?" Li Chunjun murmured, stunned.
This secret was likely one of the most profound in the entire cosmos, known only to a handful of Supreme Sages and those who had achieved Dao Unification. Liu Yu probably only learned of it through her association with the Profound Yellow Supreme.
"Dao Unification represents the Supreme Sovereign, the Apex Realm, and the ultimate attainment!" Liu Yu continued. "Why 'Apex'? Because they have caught up to the pace of the Innate Divine Beings, reaching the same level of existence!"
Liu Yu spoke solemnly, "The so-called Supreme Sovereigns and Cosmic Supremes all evolve from the foundation of Dao Unification. By harmonizing one's being with the Grand Dao, one becomes a Dao Venerable. When three Daos converge into one, one achieves Supreme Sovereign status. And if one can embody nine Grand Daos, one becomes a Cosmic Supreme."
"So, merging three Daos makes one a Supreme Sovereign?" Li Chunjun asked, taken aback.
"Yes," Liu Yu confirmed. "Dao Unification, Supreme Sovereignty, and Cosmic Supremacy—all stem from cultivating the Grand Dao. The Supreme Research Institute once presented a report to the Supreme Council stating that a Dao Venerable is roughly equivalent to a Primordial Spirit among the Prodigy, while a Cosmic Supreme is akin to a Sixth-Tier Cosmic Radiance!"
She glanced at Li Chunjun. "You've asked about Ascension to Immortality and similar matters. The Supreme Research Institute has also been investigating this. They've proposed two hypotheses. The first suggests that achieving Ascension requires refining forty-nine Grand Daos into a unified whole."
Ascension to Immortality?!
Li Chunjun's head snapped up. "Has anyone succeeded?"
"No one ever has!" Liu Yu replied. "It seems the universe itself has limitations. Nine is the ultimate number. To this day, no Supreme Powerhouse who has unified nine Daos has ever been able to assimilate a tenth."
"No one..."
Li Chunjun paused, then quickly asked, "What's the second hypothesis?"
"Innate Divine Being," Liu Yu replied gravely. "Like the most ancient and primordial Innate Divine Beings, born from the very act of forging their own Dao!"
"Forging their own Dao?" Li Chunjun stared at her. "A human body forging a Grand Dao? Pioneering the fiftieth Grand Dao beyond the established Forty-Nine Paths?"
"Exactly," Liu Yu said, her voice tinged with regret. "But this remains just a theory. Innate Divine Beings are born embodying the Grand Dao itself, possessing unfathomable mysteries. In the Primordial Era, when the path to Dao Unification was first being explored, countless Sages sought enlightenment by refining these beings, merging them into their own bodies to achieve Dao Unification."
She paused. "However, under the relentless persecution of Dao Venerables and Supreme Sovereigns, the weaker Innate Divine Beings were nearly eradicated. The Supreme Research Institute no longer possesses sufficient materials to trace their ancestral origins and confirm the validity of this hypothesis."
Li Chunjun frowned. "That doesn't make sense. When I awakened the Flaming Phoenix Bloodline, I clearly sensed the presence of the Undying Flaming Phoenix..."
His words trailed off as he suddenly realized the flaw in his thinking.
Weak Innate Divine Beings.
Even among Innate Divine Beings, there were vast differences in strength.
Moreover, the Undying Flaming Phoenix seemed to have passed down more than just the Grand Dao Power of Destruction. It also transmitted the Grand Daos of Life and concepts akin to Nirvana, rebirth, and reincarnation.
This indicated that the Undying Flaming Phoenix possessed at least Supreme Sovereign-level power. As for the precise extent of its strength, no one knew.
Under such circumstances, unless a Supreme Powerhouse intervened, any Sage foolish enough to attempt Dao Unification would meet certain death, regardless of their numbers.
"A Dao Body is both a blessing and a danger," Liu Yu warned Li Chunjun. "With Innate Divine Beings nearly extinct, many Supreme Sages at the pinnacle of cultivation, facing dwindling lifespans, have become obsessed with Dao Unification. Some have even turned their covetous eyes toward Dao Bodies, viewing them as rare cultivation materials to be devoured in hopes of grasping the very essence of the Grand Dao."
Li Chunjun listened intently, understanding dawning.
The ultimate purpose of Liu Yu's lengthy explanation was to caution him against carelessly revealing the existence of his Dao Body. The higher one's cultivation, the more ruthless they would become in their pursuit of breakthroughs.
Especially once Dao Unification was achieved...
Lifespans would then be measured in billions of years.
This leap in lifespan was even greater than the transition from the Primordial Spirit stage, lasting a thousand or two years, to the Void Refining stage, lasting 129,600 years.
"However, while caution is necessary, there's no need for undue pessimism. You are now a personally mentored disciple of the Profound Yellow Supreme Sovereign. Such direct discipleship is naturally incomparable to your previous nominal status. Even though the Supreme Sovereign hasn't communicated in tens of millions of years, he still left protective measures for his disciples."
Liu Yu handed Li Chunjun a jade talisman and a spherical object.
"What are these...?"
"The jade talisman grants you authority. With it, you can summon my aid in times of danger. As long as you're within the Profound Yellow Great World, I can ensure your safety."
Liu Yu glanced at the spherical object. "Examine this item yourself. You'll understand its purpose immediately."
Li Chunjun swept the sphere with his Divine Sense. His pupils contracted. "This is... a Dharma Manifestation Armament?!"
"Indeed, it is," Liu Yu nodded slightly. "Think of it as an Eighth-Tier puppet. You only need to supply some Divine Sense and Mind Power to activate it. With this, you can engage Eighth-Tier Lifeforms in direct combat. The duration depends on the strength of your Divine Sense and Mind Power reserves."
"Study this first," Liu Yu added. "Don't rush to refine it, or you'll trigger an alarm when you enter the Profound Yellow Vast Land."
"Understood," Li Chunjun replied with a smile.
This treasure was more valuable than even a custom-made Superior Dao Artifact.
Only now did he truly grasp the difference between being a direct disciple and a nominal one.
Nominal disciples...
Here's a cultivation technique—figure it out yourself and sink or swim.
Direct disciples...
Cultivation techniques, guardian puppets, Dao Artifacts, Immortal Abodes, territories—everything meticulously prepared.
"You've made it onto the Cosmic Light List and gained some fame. Once you return from the Profound Yellow Vast Land, stop suppressing your cultivation. Ascend to Void Refining as soon as possible. Without reaching Void Refining, you can't embody the Dao, and you won't truly enter the realm of the Dao. No matter how many treasures you possess, you won't be able to unleash their full potential."
As Liu Yu spoke, she extended a spectral hand and summoned Li Chunjun's Lifebound Flying Sword.
Li Chunjun didn't resist.
He couldn't refute her words.
Did she think he was deliberately suppressing his cultivation?
In reality, he hadn't even grasped the rudiments of the Void Law.
Once he truly mastered its fundamentals, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment to advance to Void Refining.
(End of the Chapter)
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