Chapter 430

Chapter 430: The Method of Transcendence

"Sit."

Upon entering Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, Ye Xu summoned Xixi to pour tea and offer a seat to Mad Daoist.

"Body of Disaster?" Mad Daoist’s brows twitched slightly. He instantly recognized Xixi’s constitution. Clicking his tongue in wonder, he remarked, "The source of disaster sealed within this girl points directly to the Great Dao. Undoubtedly, she’s a living disaster!"

"…"

Ye Xu was utterly speechless. If you can’t speak properly, better not speak at all.

Xixi pursed her lips, eyes brimming with grievance.

She didn’t wish to be an ill omen, but her Body of Disaster was innate, unchangeable.

"Don’t take it to heart, child," Ye Xu comforted her. "Once your cultivation strengthens, you’ll gain control over your source of disaster. That way, the essence of calamity won’t leak and harm others."

"Hehe…" Mad Daoist chuckled. A beam of treasure light flew toward Xixi—a jade hairpin, dual-hued in violet and azure, shaped like a phoenix. Its aura was warm and serene, unmistakably a rare exotic treasure.

"This trinket can temporarily suppress your source of disaster, little one. But its effect weakens over time."

Mad Daoist could tell Ye Xu intended to nurture Xixi.

A Body of Disaster was exceedingly rare in the world.

Xixi possessed a sealed source of disaster. As a mortal, she could almost doom even a Great Emperor. Once her cultivation advanced, she might even threaten the lives of an Immortal King or Immortal Venerable.

"Thank you, Elder." The girl clutched the hairpin as if it were a priceless gem.

"Master, let’s discuss serious matters."

Mad Daoist’s expression turned solemn as he declared, "Lately, I’ve visited many sects across the Qing Xuan plane. Thanks to their ’generosity,’ I’ve finally gathered One hundred trillion Star Yuan needed for transcendence."

During the battle at Purple Star Heavenly Court, Mad Daoist had plundered seventy-two Treasured Halls and thirty-six heavenly palaces, seizing half of its treasures into his own pockets. Now he was immensely wealthy.

Ye Xu’s eyes gleamed with avarice.

This was the moment he’d awaited.

"Yet, one question remains." Mad Daoist’s gaze sharpened.

"Ask."

Ye Xu lifted his teacup, unhurried.

"Once I pay One hundred trillion Star Yuan, will transcendence occur instantly? Or will I merely receive the method of transcendence?" Mad Daoist solemnly inquired. "Ultimately, does success depend on myself?"

Ye Xu paused—this question hadn’t crossed his mind.

Logically, the Heavenly Machine System could enable his own direct transcendence. Surely it could do the same for Mad Daoist.

"System, can nine trillion heavenly secrets points achieve Mad Daoist’s immediate transcendence?" Ye Xu asked internally.

[The method of transcendence requires nine trillion heavenly secrets points.]

[To achieve transcendence directly requires sixteen trillion heavenly secrets points.]

A difference of seven trillion.

Ye Xu met Mad Daoist’s gaze and stated, "If you seek instant transcendence—harnessing Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s power to reach the transcendent realm and Ascend to Hongmeng Dao Realm—One hundred trillion Star Yuan falls far short."

"Twenty trillion Star Yuan, at minimum."

Mad Daoist shuddered all over. How could he possibly produce two hundred trillion Star Yuan?

Currently, he was like a rat on the street, with everyone shouting for his killing. If he reentered the Qing Xuan plane, he would certainly be suppressed by the five sects.

"For that one hundred trillion Star Yuan, what is the probability of achieving transcendence?" Mad Daoist asked.

Ye Xu relayed the system.

["Eighty percent."]

"Eighty percent," Ye Xu said.

Mad Daoist’s eyes lit up. With eighty percent probability, it was worth the risk.

Ye Xu remained expressionless.

He also wanted to see what the system’s method of transcendence was all about.

"Master, this is the treasure I have collected during this period," Mad Daoist said. He channeled his magical power, and an enormous cave heaven instantly appeared, nearly filling Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

But Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s time and space were vast; it could fit all realms.

With a single thought from Ye Xu, the cave heaven transformed to a normal size.

His Divine Sense flooded into the cave heaven. Inside, he saw the Primordial Immortal Gate supporting heaven and earth, the Primordial Ancient Mirror illuminating all directions, the Origin Dao Seed floating like a chaotic egg in one corner, forming its own field.

The Heavenly Emperor Sword spanned the void, its imperial might unparalleled.

The Nine Orifices Spiritual Embryo stood above the firmament, aloof and independent.

Besides these, there were clumps of innate spirit medicines, stacks of innate supreme treasures, and piles of Immortal Emperor-level treasures, almost glittering and dazzling, making it impossible to take them all in.

In his heart, Ye Xu smiled broadly.

"Daoist friend, you have truly toiled," Ye Xu said, gazing at Mad Daoist with deep appreciation.

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion needed talents like this.

"Master, calculate it for me," Mad Daoist said. "Return any excess, supplement any shortage."

"Once you transcend, these things left in the Hongmeng Dao Realm will be just junk—what use would they still have?" Ye Xu said with a laugh.

"Heh…"

Mad Daoist chuckled. "That makes sense, but I can’t ascend right here. If I meet dangers during transcendence, I still need my treasures at hand to unleash my full strength."

With a wave of his large sleeve, the Primordial Ancient Mirror and the Heavenly Emperor Sword flew out of the cave heaven.

These two treasures were both the world’s top-notch: one was left by Nuwa, the other was forged by the Heavenly Emperor.

"Master, if I truly transcend, these two treasures will be an extra sweetener," Mad Daoist said sensibly. "Then, I will gift them together to you."

Ye Xu was utterly satisfied.

Worthy of an old monster who had reincarnated tens of thousands of times; his conduct was impeccable.

"System, exchange immediately."

"Ding!"

["Congratulations, Host. You have acquired one hundred nine trillion heavenly secrets points."]

"Daoist friend, there’s ninety billion extra," Ye Xu said with a laugh.

"No problem."

Mad Daoist waved it off carelessly. Those things wouldn’t boost his combat power much, nowhere near the Primordial Ancient Mirror or the Heavenly Emperor Sword.

"Straight to the point." Ye Xu found himself more and more pleased as he watched.

[Query a suitable method of transcendence for Mad Daoist immediately?]

The system inquired.

Ye Xu nodded.

[Congratulations, Host. Query successful. Cost: nine trillion Star Yuan.]

Whoosh!

In the next instant, streams of information flooded Ye Xu’s mind.

"Master, any results?" Mad Daoist asked. Seeing the cavern-dimension vanished, his eyes glistened intensely, brimming with anticipation.

Ye Xu channeled his magic power. A golden jade slip materialized out of thin air. His index finger moved like a brush, tracing out enigmatic and profoundly ancient characters, each one steeped in profound mystery. Even Mad Daoist couldn’t recognize them.

"These don’t look like any script from the Pangu universe."

Mad Daoist had knowledge spanning ancient and modern times, proficient in every script from every era of the Pangu universe. Yet, the characters Ye Xu inscribed now, he recognized none of them.

The only possibility was that these characters originated from the Hongmeng Dao Realm.

A while later, Ye Xu finished writing. With a gentle flick of his sleeve, the golden jade slip flew into Mad Daoist’s hand.

"Daoist friend, recorded within this jade slip is a method of transcendence."

Ye Xu smiled. "To transcend, one must possess techniques of the transcendent realm. Without them, mere strength alone leaves the gateway elusive."

"Path of Oblivion…"

Mad Daoist’s gaze flickered.

"Though you command many Daos, your highest attainment lies in the Path of Oblivion." Ye Xu stated. "This Path of Oblivion is the transcendent method Heaven’s Secret Pavilion tailored specifically for you."

Ye Xu pointed a finger.

Whoosh!

A beam of immortal light shot into Mad Daoist’s forehead.

It was as if a celestial eye had opened within him. Suddenly, every single character of the Path of Oblivion felt utterly familiar, nothing like the initial encounter when they had been totally obscure. Moreover, the profound mysteries within the Path of Oblivion, conveyed through Ye Xu’s touch, were gradually unraveled and comprehended by him.

"Origin Dao?"

"Great Dao World?"

Sudden clarity dawned on Mad Daoist.

"I understand now."

At this moment, Mad Daoist finally understood why the Heavenly Emperor, even with power reaching such heights, had failed to transcend. In contrast, the human ancestor achieved Transcendence through Merit amidst the Great Calamity in the Immortal Realm and the battle against the Heavens.

Myriad universes had all evolved attached to the Hongmeng Dao Realm, lacking true Origin.

Therefore, the Dao within each universe was inherently incomplete.

To ascend to the transcendent realm, to become Sovereign of the World, one needed to master an Origin Dao, forge a Dao fruit, and cultivate a pure Great Dao World.

Inside the jade slip Ye Xu had given him, not only was the technique recorded, but also the whereabouts of the Path of Oblivion itself.

"Hahahaha…"

Mad Daoist barked triumphant laughter, the sound bursting out from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"The old fellow is this ecstatic… could he truly have succeeded?"

Daoist Qing Xuan, Amitabha Emperor, and others, lingering outside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion and listening intently, felt their hearts itch with unbearable desire, as if claws were scratching at them.

The laughter, naturally, was something Ye Xu intentionally allowed them to hear.

"I’ve never bowed to any man in my life, Master. You are the first." Mad Daoist raised a thumb. "Master, if I achieve transcendence, I will remember your kindness for eternity."

"Actually, there is a second method."

Ye Xu smiled faintly but wasn’t in a hurry to reveal it.

"Master, please enlighten me." Mad Daoist stood respectfully, every trace of his innate arrogance gone. His posture was one of utmost deference.

"Consider this," Ye Xu began, elaborating. "The lower realm universes are almost all evolved by transcendents."

"Each universe is essentially equivalent to a transcendent’s Great Dao World."

"Naturally, through the long process of evolution, myriad forces intertwine. The Great Dao World gradually becomes eroded and loses its purity."

As Ye Xu talked on…

Mad Daoist was a remarkable talent. Before Ye Xu’s words had even fully faded, a spark of realization ignited within him.

"Master, are you suggesting," Mad Daoist inferred, his gaze turning fervent, "that an Immortal Emperor who has attained the complete Three Yuan Proof could also cultivate a Great Dao World… by devouring an entire universe and refining away its impurities?"

"So," he pressed further, logic leaping ahead, the madness evident in his eyes, "if I obtained the Origin Dao and then refined that very universe… wouldn’t my strength exceed that of an ordinary transcendent?"