Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 836: I love you

Yet beyond the heavens, above the Ninth Heaven, lie layers upon layers of realms, known as the thirty-three heavens beyond!

In the thirty-three external heavens above the Ninth Heaven Cloud, there dwell the Immortals.

Immortals were once mortals, I only fear that the hearts of mortals may not be steadfast.

The Heaven-Connecting Secret Realm lies within these thirty-three heavens. There are legends that Ancient Immortal Gods broke through the thirty-three heavens and ascended to the Heavenly Immortal Realm, a realm even higher and vaster than the Earth Immortal Realm.

Whether this realm truly exists, no one knows, but the Cave Heaven Secret Realm is certainly within the thirty-three heavens.

Xu Yang and his two companions led a group of Immortals, stepped out of their destiny, and then each displayed their Divine Power, heading beyond the heavens.

The thirty-three heavens are fraught with innumerable dangers; there savage winds ravage, thunderbolts wreak havoc, meteors fall from the sky, spaces shatter, and even Calamity Realm Immortals and Gods must be cautious, as a single misstep could result in bodily harm.

But now there is no such worry for the group, after all, they are led by three True Immortal Emperors. The Emperor of the North Pole summoned a Ziwei Star Palace and his Immortals entered within, then he set off alone to the realms beyond the heavens.

“Rumble!”

The gales whistled, and the Heavenly Thunder roared, but how could it harm the bodies of True Immortals? It was all shattered by the Ziwei Emperor Star.

Witnessing this sight, the Southern Pole Emperor also held nothing back, throwing out a cushion which grew upon the wind, instantly enlarging, it lifted the immortals from Nangong and entered the boundaries beyond the heavens.

“Ziwei Star Palace!”

“Wind-Fire Cushion!”

“Heaven-Connecting Secret Treasure, top quality Immortal Artifact!”

Watching the two True Immortals use their methods, Xu Yang also marveled. He then swept his Buddhist dust brush and twisted the Five Colors Divine Light to envelop him and Sanyun as they too headed beyond the heavens.

Thus they traveled, and after an unknowable duration, they finally arrived at a boundary.

“The thirty-three heavens!”

The Five Colors Divine Light dispersed, revealing the figures of the four.

“Big brother, your Five Elements Escape Method is truly impressive. We easily arrived within the thirty-three heavens so effortlessly.”

“Indeed, I remember when big sister led us here; it was extremely arduous, taking us decades to reach this place, and we almost lost second sister along the way.”

“My cultivation is shallow, certainly not comparable to big brother’s.”

Sanyun followed behind, lamenting profoundly.

Xu Yang smiled without a word, his gaze sweeping across the boundless vastness, reminiscent of the Chaotic Void.

Within the void, there was a vortex, exuding an aura of ruin and decay, even the ethos of death.

“Big brother!”

Fairy Yun Ming stepped forward, “This is the gateway to the Heaven-Connecting Secret Realm. In a hundred years, it will close, and then even True Immortals will have difficulty breaking out of the realm.”

“Is that so?”

Xu Yang smiled, “Then let me see what secrets this heaven-reaching realm truly holds!”

Having said that, he moved toward the vortex, with Sanyun closely following.

Entering the vortex, they felt as if the heavens were spinning and the earth was overturning, the sensation of unbalanced space everywhere.

After a moment, everything returned to calm, and the boundaries became clear.

Xu Yang looked ahead and saw nothing but exquisite towers and palaces, ruins and rubble.

Palaces and temples, unbound by gravity, hung amidst the void, some largely intact, some shattered and broken, all bearing remnants of war, testaments to bygone eras.

This was just the beginning, as the gaze extended towards the distance, more layers of limits shone with dazzling light, like the cosmos filled with sand, a galaxy of stars.

The entire realm, the whole world, permeated with the breath of decline, destruction, and silence, yet there was an inexplicable vitality, an inexplicable rhythm amidst the ruins, decayed yet not dead, defeated yet undying.

This was not some secret realm; this was clearly a…Immortal Tomb!

“…”

Although he had come prepared, the sight still left Xu Yang silent, wordless for a long while.

Sanyun behind him remained quiet too.

When they first entered this realm, they had reacted similarly.

Not just them, but all Immortals, Buddhas, and Demon Gods from the Earth Immortal Realm, upon their first entrance, had the same experience.

This place…holds great terror!

Without speaking, Xu Yang quietly gathered information.

“Although there’s a prevailing aura of decline between heaven and earth, the Yuan Spirit has not fallen silent.”

“Not only is it not dormant, but it is also exceptionally active, teeming with Spiritual Mechanism, surpassing even the Immortal Court and the Buddhist Pure Land.”

“In the Earth Immortal Realm, not only Calamity Immortals are limited in movement, True Immortals must lie dormant as well, or else they would attract three kinds of disasters.”

“But within the Heaven-Connecting Secret Realm, Calamity Immortals face no calamities, True Immortals encounter no disasters, and they may act unrestrained.”

“This…”

Xu Yang observed his surroundings and pondered in secrecy, his heart filled with shock and doubt.

“One must sharpen one’s tools in order to do a good job.”

Before coming here, he had already clarified the basic situation of the Heavenly Secret Realm through various channels.

The most important point among them was the restriction on a True Immortal’s actions.

In the Earth Immortal Realm, Nine Tribulations True Immortals cannot act recklessly, or they will be afflicted with “Three Catastrophes,” dangers even greater than the ninefold Celestial Tribulation. It can damage the immortal body and diminish the Taoist result, and only the use of Superior Grade Flat Peaches and Nine-Eyed Bodhi and such Immortal Spirit objects can effectively avoid them, ensuring the Taoist result remains unharmed.

This was somewhat incomprehensible to Xu Yang since he could compare it with the Blue Star World.

In the Blue Star World, after becoming a Nine Tribulations True Immortal, the path of the Dao was smooth and unobstructed, with no more tribulations from heaven and earth. True Immortals who were like salted fish could simply idle away their time until the universe was destroyed and the cycle began anew.

Hence, in the Blue Star World, True Immortals had no restrictions on their actions, even Mundane Tribulations from heavenly sins could be safely overcome if handled properly.

However, in this Earth Immortal Realm, True Immortals were heavily restricted, and once involved too much, they would face the Three Catastrophes.

The sole exception was the Heavenly Secret Realm, where no matter the action taken, it would not bring about the Three Catastrophes, nor would the ninefold Celestial Tribulation descend. It was said that many Seventh Rank Immortals who had survived Eight Calamities chose to hide here, without the confidence to overcome the ninth, barely sustaining their long lives.

This could not help but lead to endless speculation.

The Nine Tribulations as well as the Three Catastrophes, could not arise without reason, surely they must be rooted in the Heavenly Dao.

So the question arose, why did the Heavenly Dao of the Earth Immortal Realm set up the Three Catastrophes as a test specifically targeting True Immortals at the completion of Nine Tribulations?

And why, within the Heavenly Secret Realm, was there neither the ninefold tribulations as a test nor the consequences of the Three Catastrophes?

Is the Heavenly Secret Realm a place outside the law, not subject to the governance of the Earth Immortal Heavenly Dao, or does the Earth Immortal Heavenly Dao wish for these Calamity Immortals and True Immortals to enter the Heavenly Secret Realm?

From where do the difficulties of the Three Catastrophes arise?

For what purpose are the rules of the Heavenly Dao set?

Behind all this…

“It’s baseless to speculate further without evidence!”

Xu Yang shook his head and suppressed the miscellaneous thoughts in his heart, then said to the Three Yun, “Where is the Innate Five Directions Banner located?”

“Within the Five Directions Immortal Formation,” responded Yun Ming with an understanding nod, pointing out, “Elder brother, observe, this Heavenly Secret Realm, following the arrangement of the Five Elements and Five Directions, has one formation in each direction—east, west, south, north, and center. The Innate Five Directions Banner is located within these five formations, a focal point of the Secret Realm.”

Hearing this, Xu Yang smiled immediately, “Let’s join the excitement then.”

Having said that, he directed the Three Yun towards the Five Elements Immortal Formation.

The Heavenly Secret Realm was brimming with Immortal Treasures. Not just the Innate Five Directions Banner, but also the Three Books of Heaven, Earth, and Man had immense attraction for Xu Yang.

But in the end, he decided to first explore the Five Elements Immortal Formation, because this time he was controlling the “Five Elements Celestial Venerable.” If he could glimpse the mysteries of the Innate Five Directions Banner, then his combat power could perhaps be further enhanced.

Since there was ample time in the Secret Realm, spreading over ten thousand years, he would first explore the Five Elements Immortal Formation, then look into the Three Books of Heaven, Earth, and Man, as well as the meandering Yellow River, the Two Instruments and Four Images. In short, he intended to investigate everything possible—it was rare to come here, so he was determined to make the trip worthwhile.

No sooner had the four of them set off towards the Five Elements Immortal Formation than they saw a disturbance in the void; a whirlpool spun rapidly, gradually sealing shut.

The millennium gap was reaching its end.

And so, more than a decade later…

South Observance Continent.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Overwhelming Yang Yun clouds shrouded the land, the Great Dark Heaven had arrived, with hordes of demons surging in like a tide, their weapons clashing deep within South Observance.

“Li Liuxian!”

“Zhen Yuanzi!”

“Wandao School, Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerate!”

“Heavenly Mechanics Methods, Immortal Spirit Mech Armor!”

“Such a great calamity must be eradicated!”

“Today, we shall cleanse South Observance in blood, and obliterate Wuzhuang!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The demons howled wildly, their momentum surge like a tidal wave. They breached the borders of South Observance, heading straight for Wuzhuang.

Various sects, upon witnessing this scene, chose to seal their mountains and close their doors, not daring to obstruct this military force.

Yet there were also many cultivators who quickly flew towards Mount Longevity on their Escape Light.

For a moment, within the Great Dark Heaven, the South Observance borders seemed to be plunging into an end of days.

Just at this moment…

“Amitabha!”

A Buddhist chant rang out, as golden lotuses bloomed as bright as the Great Sun.