Jiao Xiuyuan smiled. "It's perfectly normal for you to think that way, Fellow Daoist. After all, from Foundation Establishment to Dao Unity, every advancement requires plundering from heaven and earth and competing for resources. In a sense, all cultivators are potential competitors.
"But..." Jiao Xiuyuan's tone suddenly took on a mysterious quality. "The Eternal Life realm is different.
"To achieve eternal life, one must defy the principles of heaven and earth.
"The principles of heaven and earth are the Heavenly Dao.
"Defying the principles of heaven and earth is the cultivator's Dao.
"By replacing the Heavenly Dao with the cultivator's Dao, one can attain eternal life.
“Those who cultivate to the peak of Dao Unity and glimpse the Eternal Life realm all possess unique, one-of-a-kind Daos. That is because, long before reaching that height, they have already eliminated every possible competitor.”
Jiao Xiuyuan described this blood-soaked path of advancement in a calm, almost indifferent tone.
“Dao Unity cultivators each tread different Daos. As such, there are no longer conflicts of interest between them.
“And regardless of success or failure, observing another Dao Unity cultivator defy heaven and earth is immensely beneficial.
“That is why they were willing to help.”
A trace of mockery flickered across Jiao Xiuyuan’s dark face. “Otherwise, mobilizing multiple Dao Unity cultivators would require an exorbitant price.”
Li Fan mulled over these words carefully, and after a moment, a realization dawned on him.
From Qi Refinement to Dao Unity, the mediums required for advancement were, in order: spirit, curio, law, essence, marrow, and soul.
As a cultivator’s realm rose, the counterforce imposed by heaven and earth grew correspondingly stronger.
In the early stages of cultivation, this counterforce was weak, almost negligible. Conflict mainly manifested as competition between cultivators.
But upon reaching Dao Unity, matters changed entirely. One not only had to contend with other cultivators for the chance to sacrifice the soul of heaven and earth, but also to confront the Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth itself.
At that point, the struggle was no longer the same.
Finally, upon stepping into the Eternal Life realm, conflicts between cultivators became insignificant.
What remained was a confrontation between the cultivator and heaven and earth.
Although Li Fan was still unimaginably far from the Dao Unity and Eternal Life realms, these were, after all, the ultimate goals of cultivation in this world.
Any information on them was invaluable guidance for mapping out his future path.
The worth of these words alone was no less than one hundred thousand contribution points.
After pondering a while longer, Li Fan finally voiced the question that had long lingered in his heart. “Fellow Daoist Jiao, may I ask, what realm have you actually reached? You seem to understand the secrets of the Dao Unity and Eternal Life realms with remarkable clarity.”
Jiao Xiuyuan did not answer directly.
He simply smiled. “If fate permits, Fellow Daoist, you will naturally learn the answer in the future.”
Li Fan nodded and did not pursue the matter further.
Once the communication ended, he began to reflect on the intelligence Jiao Xiuyuan had provided.
The Myriad Immortals Alliance might gain a new Eternal Heavenly Venerable. No wonder it had provoked probing from the Five Elders Council.
This did not occur in my previous life.
Could this be another variable caused by the great battle in Tianling Province?
That seems plausible. After all, that war involved too many forces. In its early stages alone, more than a dozen Dao Unity experts had slaughtered one another.
Epiphanies and insights born on the edge between life and death are hardly uncommon.
According to Jiao Xiuyuan, the Five Elders Council will certainly escalate their actions to verify the truth of this matter.
Their objective is likely to force the Dao Unity cultivators to reveal themselves.
The total number of Dao Unity cultivators on both sides also doesn’t appear particularly large.
At the very least, if some were to suddenly vanish, it would be immediately noticeable.
Hmm... best to keep a low profile and avoid venturing out until this storm passes. Li Fan decided.
In the period that followed, events unfolded exactly as Jiao Xiuyuan had predicted.
Without the slightest warning, the Five Elders Council launched a comprehensive probe against the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
Across nearly every province bordering the Council’s territory, Dao Unity cultivators crossed the boundary, each summoning vast and magnificent phenomena that blanketed entire provinces in a blatant and unrestrained show of force.
By closely monitoring the discussions within the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan was able to grasp the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s response before much of the information was deliberately suppressed.
Aside from a handful of provinces where Dao Unity cultivators swiftly manifested to counter the provocation, the overwhelming majority remained eerily silent. Instead, they simply activated their province-wide grand protective arrays.
Despite such naked aggression, the Myriad Immortals Alliance did not declare another combat readiness state.
They only issued strict orders for all provinces to maintain full defensive posture, activate their grand arrays, and refrain from initiating any hostilities.
This tacit display of restraint, bordering on weakness, seemed to confirm the credibility of the earlier rumor.
Whether driven by the desire to prevent the birth of a new Eternal Heavenly Venerable, or tempted by a rare opportunity to expand their territory while the Myriad Immortals Alliance appeared vulnerable, the Five Elders Council did not hesitate to launch war once again.
Or rather... it could scarcely be called a war.
For just a few days later—before the Myriad Immortals Alliance’s cultivators could even fully enter a state of combat readiness, before most had caught so much as a glimpse of the enemy—the newly ignited flames of conflict inexplicably vanished.
The Five Elders Council lowered their banners, silenced their war drums, and spoke no more of battle.
This baffling reversal left not only Li Fan utterly bewildered, but even Jiao Xiuyuan momentarily at a loss.
Only later, after the Myriad Immortals Alliance conducted extensive public disclosures, did the truth behind those brief and turbulent days finally come to light.
The Five Elders Council’s original plan had likely been as follows:
Their Dao Unity powerhouses would infiltrate deep into Myriad Immortals Alliance territory, searching for the Immortal Venerable rumored to be defying the principles of heaven and earth, with the aim of disrupting the breakthrough.
At the same time, other forces led by Spirit Transformation cultivators would launch fierce assaults along the Alliance’s borders, drawing attention away from the Dao Unity strike team.
Their targets would be provinces without stationed Dao Unity cultivators, seizing this rare opportunity to expand their territory and claim additional land.
The plan was meticulous.
Reality, however, was merciless.
A total of nine Dao Unity powerhouses had infiltrated the Myriad Immortals Alliance in secret, an overwhelmingly formidable force by any standard.
They penetrated deep into the heartlands, reaching Tianyu Province without triggering the slightest alarm. One could imagine them privately congratulating themselves on the flawless execution of their scheme.
Yet at the very moment they relaxed their vigilance, a colossal grand array activated.
Mystical light descended from the heavens, instantly sealing off the surrounding space.
Dao Unity cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, outnumbering them significantly, appeared in an instant, encircling them completely.
Among them were all those Immortal Venerables who were supposedly invited to assist in the breakthrough.
Every single one of them stood there, gazes filled with cold mockery.
Only then did the nine Dao Unity cultivators of the Five Elders Council fully comprehend the truth.
From the very beginning, this had been a trap.
The so-called breakthrough to the Eternal Heavenly Venerable realm was nothing more than bait, crafted solely to lure the Five Elders Council’s Dao Unity Immortal Venerables deep into enemy territory, so they could be annihilated in a single decisive strike.
It was a scheme meant to rip a bloody chunk of flesh straight from the body of the Five Elders Council itself.