Chapter 964: Passing Down the Starfire, Pressing Forward Indomitably
As Zhang Yu’s body underwent fierce changes, endlessly absorbing the bloodline information, every trace of his flesh and blood, every stream of magic power, and every shift in intention within his Sea of Consciousness seemed to be evolving in the same direction, undergoing a transformation originating from the deepest part of his bloodline.
Watching this scene, a smile appeared at the corner of Yun Taizhen’s mouth. “Ying Xintian, although he is your successor, he will ultimately only be my son.”
Sensing Zhang Yu immersed in the process of bloodline evolution, Yun Taizhen said, “The upper limits of your physical strength and magic power have both been broken. Next, you must shatter the limit of your dao heart.”
Speaking up to this point, a trace of emotion appeared in Yun Taizhen’s eyes, as if she were recalling the past.
At the same time, Zhang Yu sensed countless memories seemingly surfacing within his bloodline. It was a figure walking alone in the darkness, constantly sinking towards a massive dark abyss. In the deepest part of that darkness… salvaging all sorts of knowledge and techniques that had already been forgotten by history.
A flash of realization crossed Zhang Yu’s mind. “Are these… the underground layers of Kunxu? Are these the scenes of Senior Supreme Truth excavating the underground in the past?”
Yun Taizhen said, “Although the Second Monster Saint broke through the two major barriers of the physical body and magic power, as long as the upper limit of the dao heart is not broken, the power that can be exerted across cultivation realms is ultimately limited.”
“Only when the dao heart, physical body, and magic power all break through their barriers together can one truly break the cultivation realm restrictions.”
“And only by breaking the cultivation realm restrictions is there a chance to bypass the management of the Realm Certificate and break the monopoly of the Ten Immortal Emperors…”
In Zhang Yu’s bloodline resonance, he seemed to see that in the vast, bottomless, and gloomy abyss, Yun Taizhen was exploring downward step by step, sweeping through various battlefields, ruins, tombs, and Immortal Abodes…
Yun Taizhen said, “During the archaeological excavations, I discovered that in ancient history, there were quite a few people who had the exact same idea as me. Even though they didn’t have the restrictions of certificates at the time, they still wanted to break the cultivation realm monopoly of the upper-tier cultivators.”
“And among them, the most stunningly brilliant one, who also achieved the highest level of completion, should be the founder of the Dao Seed Dao Lineage.”
“It is just a pity that most of the historical materials concerning him — his name, origins, background, and other intelligence — were almost all swept clean by someone using Supreme Magic Power in conjunction with a Supreme Immortal Artifact…”
Within Zhang Yu’s bloodline resonance, he saw in the archaeological memory that jade slips floated in front of Yun Taizhen, yet the contents recorded within were already completely empty.
In book after book, massive amounts of data appeared incomplete, as though eaten away by insects.
Even in remnant souls, lingering thoughts, and the memory of some ancient gods, his existence could no longer be found after being extracted and screened by Yun Taizhen.
“This is the price of failure,” Yun Taizhen said. “Not only one’s own existence, but even the traces of the past will be erased, as if one had never been born in this world at all.”
“And all the technology, knowledge, and assets he left behind entirely became the nourishment of those who suppressed him.”
“However… although his existence and traces were erased, and his legacy plundered and devoured by others, the Dao Lineage he left behind, along with the spirit branded within the Dao Lineage, cannot be obliterated.”
“The so-called Dao Seed is meant to allow geniuses who break through limitations to be born in all social classes, ensuring that all cultivation realms, knowledge, and technology can no longer be monopolized.”
“And precisely because of the continuous operation of the Dao Seed Dao Lineage, this world will never lack geniuses who skyrocket to success.”
Speaking up to this point, Yun Taizhen sighed again and continued, “It is a pity that no matter how good the intention of a Dao Lineage is, as long as someone wants to… it can be twisted.”
“The last Heavenly Demon Immortal Emperor of the Heavenly Demon Sect controlled the largest share of the Dao Seed Dao Lineage back then. Using this as a foundation, he bred geniuses in massive batches, harvested Dao Seeds, and turned the Dao Seed Dao Lineage into a tool to harvest all living beings and the geniuses of various sects.”
“However, this also caused the number of geniuses in the various sects to decline. As a result, he was later besieged, and the Dao Seed Dao Lineage was once again torn apart.”
“It was also through this battle that the power structure of the Heavenly Demon Sect underwent a drastic change. The power shifted from the original Heavenly Demon direct line to the Reincarnation Faction taking control, and the Heavenly Demon Immortal Emperor also became the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor.”
Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared in Zhang Yu’s eyes. “To think there was actually such a period of history?”
Yun Taizhen said as a matter of course, “Since ancient times, there have been changes in dynasties and successions of sects. Naturally, Immortal Emperors have also experienced changes.”
“Even if you want to break through to the Immortal Emperor Realm in the future…” A sarcastic smile appeared on Supreme Truth’s face. “Judging from the experience of my failure this time, rather than breaking through directly to become the 11th Immortal Emperor, it would be much simpler to slaughter an Immortal Emperor after breaking through and take their place…”
Zhang Yu’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he said thoughtfully, “Are you saying… becoming the 11th Immortal Emperor means snatching the profits of all the Immortal Emperors, facing the ten Immortal Emperors alone, suffering a World Rollback, and having your cultivation realm knocked down.”
Zhang Yu: “But if I suppress a certain Immortal Emperor and take their place, I would only have to face one Immortal Emperor?”
Yun Taizhen said, “That’s right. The Ten Immortal Emperors are full of conflicts with one another. They are also in a life-and-death competitive relationship under the Ultimate Doomsday. Faced with a new disruptor, they can unite against the outsider and suppress them together.”
“Originally… I thought the Dao Lineage I established would make them hesitate out of fear of collateral damage, and by taking advantage of their mutual wariness, I could become the 11th Immortal Emperor and establish a foothold in Kunxu.”
“But I didn’t expect them to already be capable of performing a World Rollback.”
“In that case, the best way for you to break through to Immortal Emperor in the future is probably to slaughter an Immortal Emperor at the exact same time you break through.”
At this point, Yun Taizhen held up two fingers and smiled, “This leads to two possibilities.”
“The first is that with the Ten Immortal Emperors missing one Immortal Emperor, they will be unable to rollback the world.”
“The second is that even missing one Immortal Emperor, they can still rollback time. But if they rollback time, it would resurrect the Immortal Emperor you killed, causing your cultivation realm to drop and for you to be suppressed. And if they don’t rollback the world, that Immortal Emperor will completely perish, and you will become the new Immortal Emperor.”
“Between you and that Immortal Emperor… which one do you think they will choose?”
Zhang Yu pondered, “Probably… they’d choose me, and not rollback.”
Yun Taizhen said, “Exactly. Getting rid of an old rival, swallowing his assets, and gaining more benefits — this would likely be the choice of quite a few Immortal Emperors.”
“And even if some Immortal Emperors disapprove, it still means their decisions are no longer unified. They will no longer unite to deal with you, and it’s also possible that due to this disagreement… they won’t be able to rollback the world.”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu felt his mind suddenly clear up, “That’s it. This method… is highly worth verifying.”
But the next moment, a bitter look appeared on his face again. “But how could it be easy to kill an Immortal Emperor right after breaking through to the Immortal Emperor Realm?”
Yun Taizhen laughed and said, “You are my successor, possessing the bloodlines of both Ying Xintian and me. You are our son. Killing an Immortal Emperor is not out of reach.”
Speaking of this, a trace of arrogance also appeared on Yun Taizhen’s face. “If I had known the rollback intel a few years earlier… If Ying Xintian could cooperate with me, and we prepared well, it wouldn’t have been impossible to slay an Immortal Emperor to prove my Immortal Path.”
After saying that, Yun Taizhen looked at Zhang Yu. “Now… this matter is left to you to verify.”
As she spoke, Zhang Yu felt a rumble in his Sea of Consciousness, as if his originally restricted brain had been unbound, and endless thoughts burst forth from it.
Yun Taizhen: “During my underground archaeological investigations, I mastered a part of the Dao Seed Dao Lineage. I combined some of the technology I comprehended from it with my knowledge system at the time, began the design of the 【Emperor Creation Seed】, and successfully broke through the upper limit of the dao heart…”
At this moment, Zhang Yu felt an incredibly profound sense of control over his physical body, his magic power, and every trace of matter, every ripple, and every surge of power within him.
In this instant, Zhang Yu could feel that the growth of his dao heart was no longer restricted, already sufficient to break through the great Void Refinement level 60 hurdle.
“Good!” Seemingly sensing Zhang Yu’s breakthrough, Yun Taizhen cheered, then continued, “Now that the three major limits of your physical body, magic power, and dao heart have all been broken, the next step is…”
Zhang Yu felt as if he were a parched and barren land, frantically absorbing nutrients from the Bloodline Network to undergo a continuous, profound transformation.
Yun Taizhen said, “Break the cultivation art limit!”
“The physical body, magic power, and dao heart are the foundation for transcending cultivation realms.”
“But you must also have a cultivation art that similarly breaks its limits to completely bring out the full potential of your foundation.”
Yun Taizhen’s words transmitted through the Bloodline Network, as if imprinted word by word into the deepest depths of Zhang Yu’s heart.
Zhang Yu understood this in his heart; it was just like how, being in the Void Refinement Realm right now, he could only utilize a level 60 cultivation art.
Only by breaking this barrier and using the Void Refinement Realm to execute a cultivation art of level 61 or above, executing a cultivation art of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, could it be considered truly breaking the limits of the cultivation realm.
Yun Taizhen could be heard continuing, “Over these years, I have traveled through the Ten Great Sects, dug deep into the underground layers, and integrated the strengths of various sects. I had already accumulated enough to create a cultivation art capable of breaking through the upper limit of cultivation arts.”
“But I knew that once I created this cultivation art, and once it was spied upon by that Myriad Laws brat, it could become a massive flaw of mine for him to grasp.”
“Therefore, I visited ancient ruins, wanting to find a method that could combine the Immortal Dao Technology I have mastered to keep the profound mysteries of the cultivation art a secret.”
From the senses of the Bloodline Network, Zhang Yu seemed to see that after Yun Taizhen descended into an endless abyss, she arrived at a boundless golden desert.
The sky full of sand and dust seemed to be entirely made of golden powder, forming an endless metal storm that destroyed everything that descended into it.
Yun Taizhen was then heard saying, “During my exploration down into the Nine Nethers, I found a lost fragment of an ancient battlefield. It was precisely the battlefield where the Buddha Emperor single-handedly slaughtered Buddhism…”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu’s heart stirred, and he recalled the information about this battle.
He still remembered when he had first headed to Vajra University, Mo Shangjin had introduced to him… the legend of the Buddha Emperor.
Yun Taizhen: “Legend has it that the Buddha Emperor saw that within the Pure Land, the Buddha Kings did not engage in production and operated illegally, causing enormous economic losses and severely disrupting the market order. Thus, he made a painful resolve, picked up the butcher’s knife, vowed not to become a Buddha, turned his blade inward, and cleansed the Buddhist Realm. Ultimately, he left Buddhism and established the Vajra Sect, ranking it among the Ten Great Sects.”
“This is the modern-day record, right? But what is the truth?”
“The truth is… several great powers of Buddhism created the Innate Mystic Power Method, which allowed people to be born with innate knowledge, mastering various cultivation arts and mystic powers right from birth. They were naturally powerful without needing to cultivate, and each generation was even stronger than the last, ensuring that among the descendants, there would always be someone who could surpass their predecessors…”
Zhang Yu was shocked and said, “There’s actually such a technology? But weren’t these great Buddhist powers afraid of being surpassed by their descendants? Were they not influenced by the Aspiration for the Immortal Dao?”
Yun Taizhen said, “I think more or less… they should be.”
Yun Taizhen: “Zhang Yu, I have walked through too many ruins and seen too much history.”
“Sometimes I think… we are all influenced by the Aspiration for the Immortal Dao, or even if we aren’t, we are still affected by a deeper desire to seek progress, growth, and upward mobility.”
“Because whether it’s progress, growth, becoming stronger, wealthier, or smarter… this is an inevitable desire in the hearts of all living beings.”
“It’s just that many cultivators from ancient times to the present, including the current Ten Immortal Emperors, think about reaching the Immortal Dao Apex themselves, controlling the Heavenly Dao with a single person and a single thought. What they ultimately want is to monopolize and possess everything.”
“On the other hand, there are some who believe that their own power is not enough, so they rely on billions of people, pooling the wisdom and efforts of generation after generation, to finally climb to the Immortal Dao Apex. Therefore, they want to be open, and they resist monopoly and exclusive possession…”
Yun Taizhen said, “I sometimes feel… the essence of the history of the ruins, the countless conflicts since ancient times, is the constant collision of these two ideologies. It is a struggle between different explorations of the immortal path, the ultimate Dao Lineage Battle triggered by that ancient existence who established the Immortal Dao Aspiration.”
Speaking up to this point, Yun Taizhen shook her head. “Let’s not talk about that for now. The Ten Immortal Emperors are now getting closer and closer to the true Immortal Dao Apex, which will initiate the apocalypse.”
“And the Buddha Emperor, one of the Ten Immortal Emperors, originally saw Buddhism create this Immortal Dao Technology that made each generation stronger than the last. He believed that if this technology was not solely controlled by him and instead spread, it would be enough to subvert his sect and his immortal path.”
“To monopolize this Innate Mystic Power Method, he slaughtered Buddhism and established the Vajra Sect.”
“And in the ruins of this ancient battlefield, I also found some incomplete fragments of the Innate Mystic Power Method. After spending many years completing them, I integrated them into the Emperor Creation Seed I designed.”
In Zhang Yu’s bloodline sense, he seemed to see the massive golden desert being transformed by countless Supreme Truths, turning into a colossal archaeological park and experimental base that excavated and completed countless technologies originating from Buddhism.
At the same time, along with the continuous growth of the Emperor Creation Seed, Zhang Yu felt these technologies merging into his own body and bloodline.
[Emperor Creation Seed] Level 5!
Yun Taizhen said, “After integrating this technology, you will be able to transform cultivation arts into your own Bloodline Mystic Power. From now on, cultivation arts in your hands will no longer be just cultivation arts, but a type of mystic power. They will be skills originating from the depths of your bloodline, acting as basic abilities just like eating and drinking.”
“Then, just like breaking the limits of your physical body, magic power, and dao heart, you will be able to break the limits of your cultivation arts.”
As Yun Taizhen spoke, Zhang Yu felt the changes brought about by the level 5 Emperor Creation Seed.
Besides a further increase of his authority in the Bloodline Network, he felt that he could transform… Immortal Sect True Inheritance-grade cultivation arts and below into his own Bloodline Mystic Power, and achieve a level+1 breakthrough.
“In other words, at my current Void Refinement Realm, I can push my cultivation art to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm?”
Zhang Yu slightly circulated the magic power in his body and felt his dao heart, magic power, and physical body… simultaneously break through the upper limits of Void Refinement. As his cultivation art circulated, it released a trace of Tribulation Transcendence pressure.
“Too overbearing.”
At this moment, Zhang Yu deeply felt the overbearing nature of Yun Taizhen’s Dao Seed. It simply treated cultivation realms as nothing, effortlessly piercing the barrier of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm like a layer of paper.
“Alright, hurry up.” Yun Taizhen glanced at the Bloodline Network, which only had thirty percent left, and said, “They are about to breach this place. Right now, you can at most transform a True Inheritance Technique into a Bloodline Mystic Power. You must continue to upgrade the Emperor Creation Seed to the point where it can transform a Heaven-Opening cultivation art before you can comprehend my Innate Dao-Vindication Scripture.”
As Yun Taizhen spoke, Zhang Yu continued to absorb the bloodline information and sensed more scenes.
He saw a familiar figure arrive at that golden desert, seemingly engaging in some kind of cooperation with Supreme Truth to jointly explore the ruins of Buddhism.
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Is this… the giant corpse?”
Zhang Yu looked at the appearance of that figure and found that it actually bore a resemblance to the giant corpse he had ultimately discovered in the labyrinth of the Former Days Graveyard.
Yun Taizhen said, “The technology of Buddhism back then was indeed formidable, but it was ultimately limited by its era. It is somewhat outdated and insufficient to complete my final design.”
“Thus, I cooperated with the Reincarnation Immortal Emperor of that time to comprehend the technology of Buddhism together.”
“The Reincarnation Immortal Emperor at that time, who called himself the Reincarnation Daoist, wanted to comprehend the mystic powers of Buddhism in order to explore the foundation of the Vajra Sect’s cultivation arts, find its flaws, and deal with the Buddha Emperor.”
Speaking up to here, Yun Taizhen shook her head. “It is a pity that after this person comprehended the Innate Mystic Power Method, he delusionally attempted to establish some Merit Dao Lineage and integrate it into his own Reincarnation Dao Lineage.”
Zhang Yu asked curiously, “Merit Dao Lineage? What is that?”
Yun Taizhen said indifferently, “It means making all living beings in the world awaken a Merit Ledger upon birth. Those with virtue get points added, and those without virtue get points deducted. Finally, at the time of the rebirth process, their reincarnation is arranged according to their virtue score. Those with high virtue are reincarnated into a higher status, and those with poor virtue into a lower status…”
Hearing this, Zhang Yu was suddenly stunned, wondering to himself what kind of operation this was.
However, he heard Yun Taizhen continue with a face full of disdain, “The so-called virtue, what is considered having virtue? What is considered having no virtue? Isn’t it all up to him to decide? His so-called ruling the world with virtue is just to make all living beings in the world center around his thoughts, and to live and cultivate under the guidance of his ideas.”
“How could other cultivators tolerate him establishing such a Dao Lineage? They quickly besieged him and crushed him to death.”
Speaking up to this point, Yun Taizhen said with a look of regret, “It’s a pity that before this guy died, he still found a way to pass the Dao Lineage to the disciples of the Reincarnation Faction. If he had been willing to give it to me back then, I would have become the sect master of the Heavenly Demon Sect, and today’s Kunxu would absolutely not be like this.”
The next moment, Yun Taizhen changed the subject and said, “However, even though he failed, he gave me a lot of help, allowing the design of my Dao Seed to take a step further.”
“He also once wanted to do the same as me, to integrate all Immortal Dao Technology into bloodlines and turn them into mystic powers, so that knowledge would no longer be imprisoned. Only in this way can the monopoly on Immortal Dao Technology be broken, and the tyranny of Immortal Dao Technology be shattered…”
As she spoke, Zhang Yu felt the bloodline power within his body expand once again.
[Emperor Creation Seed] Level 6!
At this moment, Zhang Yu felt that the Void Refinement Limit of the strategic-grade techniques he had mastered had been shattered, allowing him to launch a sprint towards Tribulation Transcendence.
At the same time, Zhang Yu felt that the entire Bloodline Network had plunged into darkness. Everything he could sense was more than ten times smaller than when he first arrived.
Amidst a long sigh, Supreme Truth said faintly, “I have already hidden the Innate Dao-Vindication Method inside your body. Once you upgrade the Emperor Creation Seed to level 8, it will naturally become your Bloodline Mystic Power.”
Feeling the violent fluctuations of the Bloodline Network, Zhang Yu wanted to say something, but heard Supreme Truth say, “The Ten Immortal Emperors will definitely arrange people to raid my home next. You must strive to join them and raid my house with all your might. This is a list of important items…”
Sensing a piece of information surfacing in his mind, Zhang Yu opened his mouth and said, “Sen…”
Feeling Supreme Truth’s gentle gaze, Zhang Yu called out, “Mom…”
Yun Taizhen rubbed Zhang Yu’s head. In her eyes, Zhang Yu’s figure seemed to overlap with the silhouette of her daughter.
“Work hard to upgrade the Emperor Creation Dao Seed. The Dao Seed I designed has no upper limit, nor will it be restricted like a mere ultra-high-danger Dao Seed.”
“As long as you continue to upgrade it, perhaps one day you will be able to communicate with me, who will have become a Supreme Immortal Artifact by then.”
“If that happens, maybe then I can transmit the information of every rollback to you.”
Having said that, Yun Taizhen had already turned to leave, her figure gradually fading in Zhang Yu’s vision.
“My son Zhang Yu, the inheritance of countless cultivators throughout the ages has been integrated into my bloodline and injected into your body.”
“I hope you can pass on its starfire and press forward with indomitable will.”