Chapter 456 - 405: My Dao is the Masses

The vast expanse of Heaven and Earth stretched out as the black clouds gradually receded.

Qi Yun stood with his hands behind his back, his deep blue Daoist robe perfectly still.

His vast, cyan gold eyes watched the myriad expressions flitting across the faces of the Great Masters as they received the True Monarchs’ will, and the resigned smile on his lips deepened.

He already knew the new rule set by the True Monarchs.

Great Masters were not to enter the fray.

He, Qi Yun, had been forbidden.

"Quite decisive..."

He muttered to himself, his voice low but tinged with a complex, amused tone.

Was he frustrated?

He was. Very.

But he couldn’t defy them.

The True Monarchs’ decision was a balance struck after much maneuvering among the various powers in All Marvelous Heaven.

Although he possessed two True Monarch incarnations,

both of them had only just entered the Realm of True Monarch.

Their Fruit Positions were newly proven, their foundations not yet stable.

Meanwhile, the True Monarchs in All Marvelous Heaven just now—Qingyuan Dao Seeking, No Dao Extreme Technique, Nine Revolutions Undying, Nine Nether Sun Devouring, Saint Wang, the East Sea Dragon Lord...

Which one of them wasn’t a veteran of countless years?

Which one hadn’t walked this path for thousands of years?

If they truly tore away all pretense and clashed head-on, his two incarnations wouldn’t come out on top.

"So be it."

Qi Yun shook his head slightly, but a thoughtful glimmer flashed in the depths of his cyan gold eyes.

’Since I can’t participate directly in the battle...’

’I might as well use this rare period of leisure to discuss with Nether Spring—’

’the mysteries of achieving the monarch rank through the Profound Yellow Dao Certification Method.’

The moment the thought formed, the invisible connection had already transmitted it.

...

Upon the boundless Blood Sea.

Nether Spring sat cross-legged on a Twelve-Grade Blood Lotus, Ah Bi in his left hand and Yuan Tu in his right, the Dao Rhyme of the Blood Sea flowing endlessly around him.

"My original self certainly knows how to pick his moments."

The Twelve-Grade Blood Lotus beneath him spun slightly.

As the lotus petals gently whirled, a ray of blood-red light shot out from the lotus’s heart, pierced through the void, and submerged into the unseen river of karma.

The next second!

Qi Yun’s figure abruptly vanished from the Celestial Vault.

...

When Qi Yun opened his eyes again, the scene before him had completely changed.

It was no longer the battlefield on the Celestial Vault, lashed by fierce astral winds; no longer the world where countless Cultivators confronted and slaughtered each other; no longer the familiar Profound Yellow Origin Realm.

Instead, it was a boundless, endless Blood Sea.

As far as the eye could see, there was no shore, no end, only viscous, blackish-red waves of blood, churning layer upon layer, never ceasing.

Above the Blood Sea, the firmament hung low.

Occasionally, heavenly light would pierce through the dark crimson clouds, falling upon the Blood Sea and transforming into faint, golden-red glimmers before being instantly swallowed by the churning waves.

And in the very center of this Blood Sea,

a Twelve-Grade Blood Lotus floated quietly.

The Blood Lotus was as large as a ceremonial canopy, its twelve grades of petals layered one over another, each petal a luscious, dripping shade of blood-red.

Upon the lotus platform, Nether Spring sat cross-legged.

He wore a crimson Magic Robe, his ink-black hair unbound. In his left hand was Ah Bi, in his right, Yuan Tu. The Dao Rhyme of the Blood Sea flowed endlessly around him.

Just by sitting there quietly on the lotus platform, he seemed like the sole monarch of this boundless Blood Sea.

Not far from his side, another Blood Lotus slowly rose, bearing Qi Yun’s figure.

Qi Yun stood upon the Blood Lotus with his hands behind his back, his gaze flickering slightly as he surveyed the boundless world of the Blood Sea around him.

He slowly spoke, his voice echoing over the Blood Sea:

"This place..."

"...is your Divine Court?"

Hearing this, Nether Spring nodded slightly, a glint of pride flashing in his blood-red eyes.

"Correct."

"Once the True Spirit is entrusted to the Dao Fruit and hangs high in All Marvelous Heaven, one can use the power of the Fruit Position to open a Divine Court."

He raised his left hand, and the ink-black Abi Sword paused slightly as he pointed toward the churning waves in the distance.

"This is the Divine Court world I created, with the Blood Sea as its essence, slaughter as its foundation, and the Dao Fruit as its core."

"Within my Divine Court, I am the master."

As he spoke, the distant waves of blood suddenly surged, forming a colossal Blood Sea Dharma Aspect that touched the sky. It bowed its head slightly in Qi Yun’s direction before dissolving back into waves and returning to calm.

Qi Yun watched this display and nodded slightly.

"A Divine Court..."

he repeated softly, a contemplative light flickering in his cyan gold eyes.

Nether Spring sheathed Ah Bi and Yuan Tu, resting his hands casually on his knees as he began to explain the mysteries of the Realm of True Monarch to Qi Yun.

"For a True Monarch who achieved their rank through the Profound Yellow Dao Certification Method, the foundation lies in the Dao Fruit."

"The Dao Fruit hangs high in All Marvelous Heaven with the True Spirit entrusted within it, allowing one to break free from the direct erosion of the river of time.

One’s lifespan extends to three thousand years!"

"The stability of the Dao Fruit depends on three things—"

"First, the foundation of one’s own Dao path."

"Second, the depth to which the Fruit Position is rooted in All Marvelous Heaven."

"And third..."

He paused, the smile on his lips deepening slightly.

"The strength of one’s Dao lineage."

Qi Yun’s brow twitched. "Dao lineage?"

"Correct," Nether Spring said slowly. "This is the greatest change after a True Monarch ascends to All Marvelous Heaven."

He raised a hand, pointing toward the depths of the Blood Sea’s firmament.

"Does my original self know why, in All Marvelous Heaven, the older a True Monarch is, the more terrifying their power becomes?"

Qi Yun’s gaze flickered. "I would like to hear the details."

"Because the Fruit Position actively absorbs stray Daoist Intent from Heaven and Earth that resonates with its own Dao, nourishing the True Monarch."

Nether Spring continued, a complex light flashing in his blood-red eyes.

"In other words, even if a True Monarch does nothing but sit still, their cultivation is constantly growing."

"One thousand years, two thousand, three thousand..."

"The immense auras of those veteran True Monarchs were cultivated in just this way, through time."

Hearing this, Qi Yun nodded slightly.

This point was more or less what he had guessed.

"But that is only one part of it."

Nether Spring’s tone shifted, becoming more solemn.

"The thing that creates the fundamental difference between a True Monarch and a Foundation Establishment cultivator is something else."

He looked at Qi Yun, a profound light gleaming in his blood-red eyes.

"At the Foundation Establishment realm, one cultivates ’My Body is the Dao.’"

"But after ascending to All Marvelous Heaven, the path of cultivation becomes..."

He paused, enunciating each word slowly.

"My Dao is the Multitude."

Qi Yun’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

"My Dao... is the Multitude?"

"Precisely."

Nether Spring slowly rose to his feet on the Twelve-Grade Blood Lotus, his crimson Magic Robe stirring without any wind.

With a wave of his hand, countless tiny points of blood-red light suddenly appeared above the Blood Sea.

The points of light were densely packed as stars, scattered across the entire expanse of the Blood Sea.

"These points of light represent the Cultivators under my Dao lineage."

Nether Spring said slowly, a complex light flashing in his blood-red eyes as he gazed at the lights.

"Some of them are in the Northwest, some in the Central Plains, and some are even Overseas.

The Cultivation Skills they practice are all derived from the Blood Sea Dao; the Dao they seek is my Blood Sea Dao."

"And with every sliver of Dao Rhyme they comprehend, every realm they break through, every tribulation they endure..."

"those insights, those experiences, those understandings of the Blood Sea Dao, are all invisibly fed back to me."

Upon hearing this, a brilliant light erupted from the depths of Qi Yun’s cyan gold eyes!

"You mean to say..."

"Correct." Nether Spring nodded slightly. "The more Cultivators in one’s Dao lineage, the more insights a True Monarch can obtain."

"Although most of those insights are shallow, they accumulate. Many small streams form a great river."

"Accumulated over a hundred or a thousand years, they become immense Resources."

He raised his hand, pointing at the blood-red points of light.

"At the same time, I can integrate my own insights into the Great Dao into my Fruit Position, increasing its foundation and power."

"Once the Fruit Position is strengthened, it can in turn better nourish the Cultivators of my Dao lineage."

"It’s like the difference between Major Sect Cultivators and Wild Fox Zen Loose Cultivators."

He drew back his hand and looked at Qi Yun, his blood-red eyes shining with an unprecedented light.

"This is—"

"My Dao is the Multitude!"

Qi Yun was silent for a long time.

He gazed at the dense points of blood-red light, at the boundless Blood Sea, at the blood-red figure standing upon the Twelve-Grade Blood Lotus.

Countless thoughts surged wildly in his mind.

’At the Foundation Establishment realm, one cultivates "My Body is the Dao"...’

He muttered to himself, a hint of realization in his voice.

"...and after ascending to All Marvelous Heaven, the path becomes ’My Dao is the Multitude.’"

"So that’s how it is."

Hearing this, Nether Spring sat back down on the lotus platform, rested his hands casually on his knees, and continued.

"Furthermore, the threshold for an Initial Realm True Monarch to step into the Middle Realm is also related to this ’My Dao is the Multitude.’"

Qi Yun raised an eyebrow. "What threshold?"

"Nine Masters."

Nether Spring spoke slowly, each word crystal clear.

"Under your Dao lineage, you must have nine Foundation Establishment Masters."

"The more Masters you have, the more stable and solid your Fruit Position becomes. The fewer you have, the more your Fruit Position will stagnate, and may even be shaken due to an unstable foundation."

Qi Yun’s gaze sharpened.

’Nine Masters...’

The figures of the Masters from the Wuji Holy Sect instantly appeared in his mind.

"Then what about advancing from the Middle Realm to the Late Realm?" he asked.

"Nine Great Masters," Nether Spring replied. "Great Masters who are Gathering Two Profound States and Gathering Immortal Appearance, just one step away from reaching the threshold of a True Monarch."

"Only with nine Great Masters anchoring the Dao lineage can the Fruit Position be truly stabilized and bear the might of a Late Realm True Monarch."

Qi Yun fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"And above the Late Realm?"

Hearing this, a complex light flashed in Nether Spring’s blood-red eyes.

He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke slowly.

"Three True Monarchs."

"Your Dao lineage must produce three True Monarchs."

"At that time, the three Dao paths will resonate, the Fruit Position will sublimate, and you will touch the deepest part of All Marvelous Heaven."

"That is how you become a Great True Monarch, peerless in this world!"

Qi Yun was speechless for a long time.

In his mind, it was as if a great door was slowly creaking open.

’Nine Masters... nine Great Masters... three True Monarchs...’

He repeated softly, an unprecedented light shining in the depths of his cyan gold eyes.

"So... this is the true foundation of the path of a True Monarch."

Nether Spring looked at him and then spoke.

"Does my original self understand now?"

He said slowly, his voice tinged with a profound, knowing smile:

"Why those True Monarchs who have already reached the pinnacle of this world still take on disciples."

"Because it is not just about legacy, not just about power, but also..."

"the Dao path itself."

Qi Yun raised his head, his gaze piercing the depths of the Blood Sea’s firmament, looking toward the higher dimension of All Marvelous Heaven in the unseen void.

An unprecedented light now burned in his cyan gold eyes.

...