Translator: CinderTL
In the Heavenly Vault, Li Chunjun's figure darted through the vast expanse of white clouds. He even took the time to appreciate the unique beauty of the True Dragon Great World, so different from the Profound Yellow Great World.
In this Great World, where the primary inhabitants were the massive Dragon Clan, the trees towered hundreds of meters tall, making even colossal ancient trees thousands of meters high seem commonplace. Occasionally, he spotted trees tens of thousands of meters tall, their canopies blotting out the sky, creating entirely new ecosystems beneath their shade.
Beyond the forests, the mountains and lakes also displayed astonishing, perilous, and colossal features.
For Li Chunjun, who had never had the chance to properly admire the magnificent landscapes of the Immortal Cultivation World, this sight was truly eye-opening.
The only difference was...
While he had the leisure to carefully observe and appreciate the world's majestic scenery, every sentient being in these forests and mountains seemed to harbor a faint hostility toward him.
Theoretically, he shouldn't have been able to sense this hostility, even with his Mind Realm having reached the ninth layer.
Yet he sensed it.
The source of his perception was his Void Dao Physique, which was on the verge of transformation.
"The True Dragon Great World is the ancestral realm of the Dragon Clan," Li Chunjun murmured, gazing up at the Heavenly Vault. "For countless years, generations of dragons have lived and died here. Moreover, the Great Void Ancestral Dragon used a special method to condense the collective will of all living beings. Even without a distinct 'heavenly dao' will, the entire world has developed a trace of spirituality."
Li Chunjun continued, "In less than half a month, I've slain over a hundred ancient dragons. The number of heavenly dragons and true dragons indirectly perished by my hand is also considerable. Now, the entire Dragon Clan harbors a deep-seated resentment toward me, one they dare not reveal but bury deep within their hearts."
This resentment was perceived by the world's nascent spirituality, causing the entire world to develop an aversion toward him.
However, because the world's spirituality was still in its formative stages, even with this aversion, the vaguely emerging world spirituality could do little against him.
At most, he might encounter storms during flight, sudden earthquakes upon landing, or an increased probability of being struck by lightning.
These influences were insignificant to Li Chunjun, who had already surpassed all those below dao unification. Even a Primordial Spirit True Monarch could have ignored them.
What truly concerned Li Chunjun was his ability to sense this subtle hostility—a malevolent intent emanating from the collective will of all living beings and the world's spiritual essence.
"The world's spirituality... or rather, the nascent 'heavenly dao will' of this world has been activated," Li Chunjun mused, focusing his Heart-Mind inward. "It seems my act of slaughtering over seventy ancient dragons has thoroughly enraged the Great Void Ancestral Dragon. His true motive in doing this is to lock onto my location, preventing me from escaping the moment the interworld star gate is repaired."
Li Chunjun pondered, concentrating his Heart-Mind on himself.
His keen awareness of this threat stemmed from...
"The Void Dao Physique allows one to exist independently of the world, rendering oneself 'nonexistent.' To evade the world's natural laws and become 'nonexistent' within the framework of all 'existence,' one must first grasp the very concept of 'existence.'"
Just as he was now, if he wanted to evade the collective will of all beings and the hostility of the world's spirituality, he first needed to sense the influence of the collective will on the World Will of this Great World.
Li Chunjun had achieved this.
However, because his Void Dao Physique had not yet fully transformed and he had failed to establish his own Dao, he could only sense these forces but not evade them.
"Know yourself, know your enemy," Li Chunjun murmured.
Indeed, this was truly knowing himself and his enemy.
With a swift movement, he appeared outside the massive interworld star gate.
There, Supreme Sage Wu Chen was urging over a dozen true dragons to urgently repair the Star Gate. When he saw Li Chunjun transcending the void, he immediately set aside his work and hurried forward to greet him.
"Supreme Elder, the Star Gate will soon be fully repaired. Once it's done, we can return to the Profound Yellow Great World," he reported quickly.
"Mm, thank you for your efforts," Li Chunjun replied.
At the same time, he glanced at Supreme Sage Wu Chen.
He could clearly "see" the emotions in the Supreme Sage's heart.
He felt admiration, reverence, respect, and envy toward him.
And...
Fear and greed.
Fear of his immense power.
Greed for his sacred mysteries.
Moreover, the proportions of fear and greed were nearly equal to those of admiration and respect.
These emotions, which should have been deeply concealed and smoothed over by Mind Power, were "seen" by Li Chunjun through a perception beyond the Mind Realm.
It was like how the human eye cannot see the flow of air, yet the body can feel the wind's touch on the skin.
He hadn't sensed Supreme Sage Wu Chen's emotions through his Heart-Mind; rather, the Void Dao Physique had granted him a natural, innate ability to perceive these emotions.
After "sensing" the true emotions of the Profound Yellow Sect's Supreme Elder—who outwardly treated him with utmost respect—Li Chunjun suddenly found his own politeness somewhat hollow.
Fortunately, his inner rationality reminded him that all beings should be judged by their actions, not their intentions.
Thus, he revealed nothing outwardly.
He merely shifted his gaze. "Once the Star Gate opens, return to the Profound Yellow Great World first. A major battle will soon erupt there."
Supreme Sage Wu Chen, understanding the battle Li Chunjun referred to, quickly replied, "Supreme Elder, the Profound Yellow Sect has many experts. We've also heard that the Rising Sun Supreme Sage of the Profound Yellow Lineage has returned. Though his Qi hasn't reached perfection, his combat power is at the Quasi-Tenth-Tier level. If we combine our efforts, we might be able to hold off one or two enemies for you."
Li Chunjun glanced at him.
As Wu Chen spoke, his thoughts surged with a complex mix of emotions: worry, apprehension, hypocrisy, sincerity, and a hint of sinister calculation and wishful thinking.
These emotions remained perfectly concealed beneath the veil of Mind Power, yet Li Chunjun perceived them with absolute clarity.
Some were positive, others negative.
It was astonishing how quickly a person's emotions could shift so drastically, their contradictions so stark, all within a single sentence.
In that moment, the full complexity of human nature played out vividly on Supreme Sage Wu Chen.
"That won't be necessary," Li Chunjun said, glancing at the sky where storm clouds were gathering.
Under the perception of his Void Dao Physique, Li Chunjun sensed a terrifying power brewing behind the surging winds and clouds.
This power might not harm him directly, but once it erupted...
The nearly repaired Star Gate would likely be affected again.
The will of the True Dragon Great World, remotely controlled by the Great Void Ancestral Dragon, was preventing him from leaving!
They were determined to trap him like a turtle in a jar!
Turning to Supreme Sage Wu Chen, Li Chunjun said, "Go to the Profound Yellow Sect immediately and have them fortify their defenses. Some forces might vent their anger on the sect because of me."
With that, he turned and left.
"Supreme Elder!"
Seeing Li Chunjun's resolve, Supreme Sage Wu Chen could only bow respectfully. "I will inform Sect Master Huang Daozhen and the others to prepare at once. We will await your divine display of power in the False God Realm!"
Li Chunjun waved dismissively and vanished through a spatial tear, disappearing beyond the Star Gate's range.
Though I've known him for three or four years, it feels like much longer. But that's from my perspective, having lived less than forty years. To Supreme Sage Wu Chen, who has lived for over a hundred thousand years, we've only known each other for a few weeks.
To expect someone he'd known for barely two weeks to bare their heart and soul to him—was that even possible?
Especially when dealing with a Supreme Sage, a being who had risen to such heights precisely because of their ruthless pursuit of self-interest and mastery of political maneuvering.
Therefore, he couldn't possibly demand anything more.
Whether it was his relationship with Supreme Sage Wu Chen or his connection to the Profound Yellow Sect, everything ultimately boiled down to mutual benefit: each party taking what they needed.
Just like his past with the Taixu Sword Sect.
He had needed the Taixu Sword Sect to accelerate his growth, while the sect had needed him as a political achievement to present to the Main Sect.
The so-called emotional investment had merely been a calculated attempt to extract greater gains at a lower cost—a form of "emotional value" exchange.
Self-deception.
With this realization, Li Chunjun felt a sense of clarity settle in his heart.
All things, though entangled in webs of cause and effect, ultimately stemmed from mutual benefit.
Even the most cherished human bonds—affection, love—were nothing more than reciprocal exchanges of support and advantage.
Once one party could no longer provide the expected value, the relationship would inevitably dissolve.
Thanks to the innate talent granted by his Void Dao Physique, he quickly grasped the true nature of his relationships with the Profound Yellow Sect and his past interactions with the members of the Blue Star Taixu Sword Sect.
Having understood these truths, his heart settled into an unprecedented calm.
Soon, the first "malfunctioning" Star Gate was repaired and activated.
Even after flying a considerable distance, he could clearly sense the energy fluctuations from the interworld Star Gate's activation.
With this gate restored, the remaining Star Gates that had "malfunctioned" shortly after were clearly on the verge of being repaired as well.
As for the rule that Star Gates could only be activated during specific cycles?
Such regulations had never posed a problem for someone of Li Chunjun's Quasi-Tenth-Tier status.
Li Chunjun landed atop a mountain peak towering thirty thousand zhang high and waited quietly.
He didn't sense the activation fluctuations from the other interworld Star Gates.
But...
Less than an hour later, he looked up.
Without a word, the Sovereign Dharma Manifestation materialized.
Its moderate size of one hundred thousand zhang spanned the heavens, silently gazing toward the horizon.
At the horizon, nine figures that had been silently approaching in this direction understood the significance the moment Li Chunjun manifested his Dharma Manifestation.
Immediately, their own Dharma Manifestations materialized.
Nine Dharma Manifestations, each reaching a staggering 300,000 meters in height, materialized in the sky.
It wasn't that their Dharma Manifestations couldn't grow larger.
A being at the pinnacle of lawful life could easily expand their Dharma Manifestation beyond 300,000 meters—even 300,000 kilometers would pose no challenge.
But...
There was no need.
This size was precisely the optimal form for them to unleash their full power.
"Just the nine of you?" Li Chunjun asked, his expression calm as he surveyed them.
The nine powerhouses paid no heed to Li Chunjun's slightly dismissive words.
He had already proven his strength through his actions.
An innate divine being...
Had earned the right to underestimate Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators like them.
"Xu Yu!"
"Shen Xiang!"
"Lu Wu!"
The nine Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators declared their origins one by one.
Finally, they intoned in unison, their voices deep and resonant: "Li Shengsheng, prepare to meet your end!"
(End of the Chapter)
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