Chapter 685: All in the Urn

“NO!!!”

The Main God of Light, Orion, let out a piercing shriek of divine thought as his divine body disintegrated inch by inch in the starlight. Finally, he dissolved into a cluster of pure Origin of Light, which was forcefully absorbed by the Star Spirit Banner.

Meanwhile, the colossal body of the Lord of Nature, Orion, rapidly withered and weathered away after the power of all creation’s vitality was forcibly stripped from it. All that remained was a single, emerald-green crystal brimming with immense natural vitality, which was also drawn into the banner.

On the other side, True Monarch Dongming’s stripping process was also nearing its end.

As the last wisp of the dark and profound Power of Eternal Night Descent was devoured by the Nine Nether Evil Mist, the divine body of the Dark Main God Ymir completely vanished into nothingness. All that was left was a jet-black Dao Fruit exuding a cold, desolate aura of Nirvana, which True Monarch Dongming carefully sealed within a Bone Jade Treasure Box using a Profound Evil Secret Technique.

To make use of these Outer Dao Fruit Positions, one would need a considerable amount of time to refine them and align them with one’s own Dao Fruit; otherwise, they would cause more harm than good.

The sky of the Aitira Realm seemed to let out a heavy, sorrowful wail.

The brilliance of the Three Great Main Gods’ authorities was completely extinguished. The Origin of this realm’s Celestial Dao suffered a grievous blow, falling into an unprecedented state of silence and decline.

Having been backstabbed, this realm’s Celestial Dao naturally sensed Xu Yunfan’s betrayal and immediately sent down an infinite Celestial Punishment, intending to kill him.

Xu Yunfan accepted it all without refusal, taking everything it threw at him.

After bombarding him for a while and realizing it could do nothing to Xu Yunfan, the Celestial Dao could only retreat in helplessness and fall silent.

Seeing this, Xu Yunfan recalled his Star Spirit Banner. As he sensed the two newly acquired Dao Fruit authorities and the previously suppressed Red Sun Dao Fruit within the banner, he felt little joy, his thoughts instead turning to the escaped True Monarch Tongxuan.

Golden Core True Monarchs, especially Sword Cultivators from the Wansheng Sword Sect who were peerless in their killing power, were indeed ridiculously difficult to kill.

True Monarch Tongxuan had paid the price of a precious Sword Dao Spiritual Treasure to perform a Golden Cicada Shell escape right under the noses of two True Monarchs of the same rank. This decisiveness and his survival skills made Xu Yunfan extremely wary.

‘If not for the advantages of using the Aitira Heavenly Dao’s suppression and Zhang Ziyang’s Incense Fire Divine Dao for distraction, and the surprise attack that killed Red Sun, the outcome of today’s battle would have been hard to predict.’

True Monarch Dongming also fell silent as she looked out at the empty Boundary Sea.

‘Although I obtained the Eternal Night Descent Dao Fruit in this battle, I’ve also thoroughly offended the Wansheng Sword Sect. Moreover, Xu Yunfan’s growth and cunning make me even more wary of him.’

The sky of the Aitira Realm was filled with cracks left by annihilated energy, and the aftershocks from the obliteration of the Three Great Main Gods’ authorities still reverberated.

Xu Yunfan recalled his Star Spirit Banner. Inside it, the two newly suppressed Dao Fruit authorities—the vitality of all creation and the Great Brightness Immeasurable—were faintly restless, while the Red Sun Dao Fruit was tightly bound by a Purple Gold Thunder Net.

True Monarch Dongming toyed with the Bone Jade Treasure Box that sealed the Eternal Night Descent Dao Fruit. Her fingertips, wreathed in Nine Nether Evil Mist, brushed across the box’s surface, her eyes filled with unconcealed delight.

‘With this Dao Fruit, my Daoist Cultivation is certain to advance another step.’

The two of them stood atop a shattered ruin, with dried Divine Blood and a fractured landscape beneath their feet.

Xu Yunfan was the first to break the silence, his Purple Gold Thunder Eyes sweeping over Dongming.

“Senior Sister has reaped a bountiful harvest this time. The Eternal Night Descent Dao Fruit is more than enough to harmonize with your Nine Nether Profound Evil. With Yin and Yang complementing each other, breaking through to the Mid-Stage Golden Core is just around the corner.”

He deliberately omitted his own gains, steering the conversation toward her weak spot.

“Junior Brother, you jest. I haven’t even taken the first step toward finding a suitable Dao Fruit to form a Minor Circulation.”

True Monarch Dongming leaned languidly against a fractured pillar from a Divine Hall. Her Profound Daoist Robe was stained with golden blood, but the smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes.

“Junior Brother Xu, why beat around the bush? You seized the Red Sun Dao Fruit and suppressed the authorities of the Gods of Light and Nature. With your Divine Sky Thunderbolt supplemented by Pure Yang Fire, I’m afraid you’ll reach the threshold of the Middle Stage far faster than I will.”

Her tone shifted abruptly.

“Speaking of which, Junior Brother, do you know how much time I spent to attain this Nine Abyss Profound Evil Dao Fruit?”

Xu Yunfan’s heart stirred, but his expression remained impassive.

“I would like to hear the details.”

‘Anyone who can become a Golden Core True Monarch in the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm is bound to be a peerless genius, possessing great wisdom, great destiny, and great perseverance.’

“During my Foundation Establishment, I went through five cycles of reincarnation. In pursuit of the absolute peak, each life was a brush with death.”

True Monarch Dongming twirled a wisp of profound Evil Qi around her fingertip, her voice filled with wistful reminiscence.

“In every life, I cultivated to Foundation Establishment Perfection, only to be ambushed and killed during a Human Tribulation just as I was about to manifest my Dao Fruit.

This continued until six thousand years ago. It was during the chaotic battle between the Three Sects in the North Nether Sea, when the Celestial Secret was as muddled as boiling congee. The Great Compassion Bodhisattva of Puchen Pure Land and True Monarch Pleiades of the Wansheng Sword Sect fought until their Dao Foundations cracked. I seized the opportunity when they were too weak to pay me any mind, using the Nine Netherworld Escape Technique to sneak into the Nether Sea Returning Ruins. There, I used the Profound Yin Poison Marrow I had accumulated my entire life as a catalyst to forcefully attract the favor of a Dao Fruit.”

She looked up at Xu Yunfan, a mocking smile playing on her red lips.

“If I had been half a breath slower that day and been noticed by the patrolling Grotto Void True Monarch from the Primordial Sect, I’m afraid I would be nothing but a pile of dust now.”

The True Monarchs that True Monarch Dongming mentioned had mostly died in a great calamity, and Xu Yunfan sighed inwardly. ‘The old are gone, replaced by the new. It was ever thus.’

Xu Yunfan caught the key point.

“The lifespan of someone in the Golden Core Initial Realm is no more than five thousand years. Senior Sister, you’ve lived for six thousand years. Could it be…?”

He paused deliberately, prompting her to explain.

“The Cause and Effect Secret Technique I cultivate can deceive my own lifespan limit, greatly extending it. I am also protected by my Immortal Golden Nature.”

True Monarch Dongming said, “A Golden Core True Spirit is indestructible. Even if the physical body is destroyed, one can reincarnate in the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm and reawaken their Innate Wisdom.

However, this method is fraught with peril. After reincarnation, one’s Spirit Root aptitude and birth station are all determined by fate. If you are reborn as a mortal or into an enemy sect, you could be crushed to death with a careless wave before you even reawaken.

Even if you are lucky enough to set foot on the path of Dao again, finding your past life’s Grotto Heaven and merging with your Dao Fruit still takes an immense amount of time. The slightest misstep, and you may never be able to reclaim your position, forced to reincarnate for eternity—possessing Innate Wisdom but unable to step onto the true path. It would be utterly hopeless.”

Xu Yunfan became lost in thought.

‘According to True Monarch Dongming, the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm has existed for countless eons. There must be a considerable number of Golden Core True Monarchs hidden among the mortals of the dusty world, or perhaps stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage for their entire lives, with no further opportunity to ascend.’

‘What a tragedy.’

‘To have seen the peak, only to spend lifetime after lifetime gazing up at it from below.’

A trace of melancholy appeared in her eyes.

“But extending one’s life with a Secret Technique is just that—a simple extension. How can it compare to reaching the Mid-Stage Golden Core, where your Grotto Heaven hangs high? By lifting one’s Grotto Heaven into the Taixu, the True Spirit can reside there forever. Even if your body perishes and your Dao dissipates, you can reincarnate in an instant, later remolding your Dao Body and being reborn on the spot. That is true longevity and eternal vision.”

Xu Yunfan performed Introspection, looking at the Divine Sky Golden Core floating in his Dantian, where Purple Gold Thunder Light flowed ceaselessly.

Dongming’s words confirmed what his own deductions on the Attribute Panel had shown: reaching the Mid-Stage Golden Core required Grotto Heaven Lifting.

He took the opportunity to probe further. “Senior Sister, since you know the path forward, why not refine the Eternal Night Dao Fruit now and seek a breakthrough?”

Just as True Monarch Dongming was about to respond, a gentle and serene voice suddenly pierced through their divine thought barrier and resounded in Xu Yunfan’s ears.

“Junior Brother Xu, this Great Realm’s status is quite impressive. The Taiyin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit you absorbed earlier shares the same origin as a Dao Seed I lost in my youth. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it? You could trade one of the Dao Fruits you just obtained and return mine to me.”

Xu Yunfan’s heart trembled violently, and the thunder light around his body instinctively erupted.