Translator: CinderTL
Li Chunjun, who had been about to leave, accepted the crystal.
His expression remained calm. "Our relationship is fundamentally transactional. Since we came here with that purpose, we should resolve the matter as quickly as possible."
"Having experience and insights into cultivating the great dao of the soul is one thing, but achieving this level of understanding yourself is another."
Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling spoke up. "Whether I'm teaching disciples or leaving behind legacies, this isn't the first time I've shared my understanding of the great dao of the soul. While the crystal in your hand is more comprehensive, relying solely on a legacy to achieve mastery in the Dao of Soul is virtually impossible."
"This is the void great dao."
Li Chunjun immediately mirrored the gesture, tossing a crystal back.
Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling caught the crystal but didn't immediately examine it to understand the void great dao's mysteries. Instead, he continued his train of thought. "Let alone a legacy, even with my personal guidance, reaching my level in the Dao of Soul would be like climbing a ladder to the heavens. While I believe every dao unification cultivator has absolute faith in themselves, they should also possess sufficient rationality. Yet you've shown not only no hesitation in this transaction but even impatience..."
The Ultimate Powerhouse suddenly shifted his tone. "You want to revive your loved one, don't you?"
Li Chunjun's expression remained largely unchanged.
He simply stated, "The transaction is concluded."
"There's no need to deny it or admit it," the Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling said. "The False God Realm possesses all information and intelligence about the Human Race. If we want to know something, no secret in the world can evade us."
"In fact, your pursuit of this goal is, in a way, beneficial to us," Gui Ling continued. "It shows you are a man of deep loyalty and affection."
Li Chunjun remained silent, continuing to walk away.
Seeing this, Gui Ling smiled. "Based on my current understanding of the great dao of the soul at the Ultimate Powerhouse level, while there are many methods for reviving the dead, none offer any truly novel approaches. If the soul-related information you obtained from other Dao Venerables cannot revive the person you seek to revive, my knowledge won't fare any better."
He quickly added, "But we can collaborate. We can use your void great dao to work together."
A ripple flashed through the Void.
Li Chunjun's figure vanished from the sight of the Ultimate Powerhouse.
"He still hasn't learned to control his emotions," the Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling sighed. "Though he said nothing, his very silence revealed his decisive intent."
As if sensing Li Chunjun's departure, the Avatars of Dao Venerable Xu Yun and Great Evolution Supreme Sovereign materialized simultaneously.
Gazing at this being—not their own Hall Master, yet possessing the same wisdom and understanding—they asked in unison, "Hall Master, that Li Shengsheng..."
"His stability is far too poor," the Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling assessed. "He remains immature. If he had a proper guide to nurture him over the next few million or tens of millions of years, shaping his worldview and values, he might one day cooperate with us and become one of our own."
Hearing this, Dao Venerable Xu Yun and Great Evolution Supreme Sovereign immediately understood the implications.
"But the problem is, who would invest so much effort into guiding someone they barely know, all to steer him toward the path we want him to take?"
Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling sighed. "Especially when he carries such a fatal flaw."
"A fatal flaw?" Great Evolution Supreme Sovereign asked, his gaze fixed on Gui Ling.
"An irreparable flaw," Gui Ling replied. "At least, my abilities aren't sufficient to fix it."
The supreme powerhouse didn't elaborate, simply stating, "With this flaw, he's like a powder keg that anyone could easily ignite. He could explode at any moment, and the consequences would be unimaginable."
He emphasized again, "Ultimately, his stability is far too precarious."
"So your decision is... to abandon him?"
"Let Ling Hui, Yuan Yin, Yuan Xi, and even Lawful Decree do as they please. We'll remain neutral. As for whether our future stance might change..."
Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling raised the crystal in his hand. "First, let me thoroughly study the mysteries of this void great dao."
"As you command," Great Evolution Supreme Sovereign replied.
By now, he understood the Hall Master's intentions.
Li Chunjun...
As a progenitor divine being, he possessed extraordinary talent, and there was even a slim chance he might break the shackles binding the Ultimate Powerhouses, ushering in a new era.
But that possibility was too remote.
Moreover, Li Chunjun's condition remained unstable.
Given his obvious flaws, which he was powerless to fix, and the high probability of him losing control in the future, Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling couldn't afford to invest significant resources—manpower, materials, or energy—in him.
Especially since this being, due to his origins, was simultaneously being targeted by multiple organizations on par with the False God Hall.
Gui Ling couldn't risk opposing these major powers for such a slim and uncertain hope.
The False God Hall's greatest mercy was simply refraining from joining the Supreme Research Institute, Immortal Alliance, War Commission, Starry Sky Group, and other major powers in their campaign against Li Chunjun.
Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven.
Li Chunjun had returned here once more.
Although his current power meant he could feel safe anywhere, he had instinctively returned to Peak No. 3611 within the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven.
Liu Yu was busy arranging the Array Formation and didn't come out to greet Li Chunjun personally.
Li Chunjun, for his part, needed time to calm himself.
Gazing at the crystal in his hand, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
It was as if the final answer lay before him, yet he hesitated to uncover it.
Or perhaps...
He already knew the answer in his heart.
After all, he couldn't imagine why the Ultimate Powerhouse would lie to him.
For nearly half an hour, Li Chunjun struggled to regain his composure.
It wasn't that he had come to a resolution, but rather that he understood he had to face the consequences, whatever they might be.
There was nowhere to run, no escape.
Finally, he picked up the crystal, his Heart-Mind surging with mental power, and quietly began to absorb the profound mysteries of the great dao of the soul contained within.
Thanks to his accumulation as the God Above Gods, though the crystal's mysteries were profound, Li Chunjun found them comprehensible.
On the contrary, he understood it all too clearly.
Precisely because he understood, he knew these records were genuine.
They were indeed the complete insights and enlightenment on the Dao of Soul from Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling, the pinnacle of achievement in this path.
Yet, this very understanding caused his heart to plummet into despair with astonishing speed after he had fully absorbed the information.
He repeatedly delved into the deeper mysteries of the soul within the Crystals, even after Liu Yu had completed the Array Formation and visited him three times. Nothing could deter him from his relentless pursuit of the higher-level truths of the great dao of the soul contained within the Crystals.
But the outcome was already predetermined.
Even Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling, the foremost authority on the Dao of Soul, could not resurrect a soul that had been completely devoured and refined.
In fact, Gui Ling's records mentioned that even if a person had committed suicide and their soul had been extracted and refined immediately afterward, as long as there had been a fleeting moment of return to the natural order before the refinement, he could still revive the soul.
But the Human Emperor Banner's instantaneous and utterly thorough refinement...
Left no hope for revival.
After Li Chunjun placed the Crystals, three full days passed without any emotional fluctuations.
But three days seemed to be the absolute limit of the time he allowed himself to waste.
On the fourth day, his thoughts and consciousness, which had seemed frozen, suddenly revived with full vitality and mana.
He returned to a state as if he had never encountered the Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling at all.
"Abandon illusions. Prepare to upgrade," Li Chunjun said calmly.
Level 47 wasn't enough!
Level 48 wasn't enough!
Even Level 49 and Level 50 still weren't enough!
He needed to reach Level 51!
To ascend to the realm he considered "Ascension to Immortality"—a state of omnipotence.
At that moment, Liu Yu visited him for the fourth time.
This time, Li Chunjun didn't let the Artifact Spirit find him absent.
He materialized his form directly.
Seeing Li Chunjun appear, Liu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly said, "Dao Venerable Li, Dao Lord Di Jiang has been waiting for you for a long time."
"Mm," Li Chunjun replied.
Without needing Liu Yu's permission, he waved his hand, and space shifted, swiftly transporting him to the deepest recesses of the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven's interlayer.
Here, amidst layers of Array Formations designed to interfere with and seal it off, lay a summoning array.
The array formation was similar in nature to the one used by the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild to summon an avatar of a Dao Venerable's Heart-Mind.
As Liu Yu activated the array, a mental power seemed to traverse countless Great Worlds, descending swiftly and coalescing into a figure that radiated an aura reminiscent of the Zhou Tian Great World's deeply religious atmosphere.
"Dao Lord Di Jiang," Li Chunjun recognized him instantly, without needing an introduction.
"Dao Venerable Li," Di Jiang replied, his expression grave as he materialized in his avatar form.
He waved a hand at Liu Yu, and the Artifact Spirit immediately moved outside the isolated space to personally maintain the array, ensuring no one could detect the information within.
Di Jiang cut straight to the point: "Your current situation is perilous. Given the methods of the Immortal Alliance, War Commission, and Supreme Research Institute, they will never let you go easily. You are the progenitor divine being who could revolutionize the entire Human Race's cultivation system."
"I know," Li Chunjun replied. "But until they truly understand my trump card, they won't dare to act rashly."
"Trump card? The great dao you've pioneered?" Di Jiang asked, his voice deep and solemn. "The Human Race is vast, teeming with extraordinary talents. How long do you think your great dao can withstand their scrutiny?"
"In the past, it would have taken at least a thousand years, or as long as ten thousand," Li Chunjun said, pausing. "But now, at most a few centuries, and at least... a few decades."
"A few decades?!"
Even Di Jiang found this number hard to believe.
Could the newly established great dao be cracked so easily?
This short timeframe filled him with urgency. "You must save yourself."
Before Li Chunjun could respond, he continued, "There's only one way to save yourself: build a major power, one that rivals the Nine Great Institutions. A force so formidable that any attempt to move against you would cripple them."
"Build a major power..."
Li Chunjun's expression shifted. "You're not suggesting..."
"Exactly. We—Profound Yellow and the others—are the ones."
Di Jiang spoke solemnly. "For years, we've faced varying degrees of suppression, restrictions, and even persecution because our Daos differ from the mainstream. We must save ourselves."
He looked at Li Chunjun. "You're in the same position. We are natural allies."
(End of the Chapter)
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