Chapter 1055: Return to the Tianhe Realm

The Immortal Gate's rules were also Dao Fruits. Chen Mobai knew that Qingping Shangren's ambition wasn't merely to follow rules. Therefore, before allocating God-Transformation resources, he dedicated some effort to adapt a secret technique from the One-Yuan Dao Palace using the "Rhythm of Five Tones," taking this opportunity to teach it to Qingping Shangren.

"True Lord, your great kindness is unforgettable," Qingping Shangren said, his face alight with excitement, expressing his gratitude. Having cultivated to the ninth layer of Nascent Soul, his talent and comprehension were naturally top-notch. He only needed to contemplate the Dao Fruit refinement method taught by Chen Mobai once to know it would be effective. This way, even if he refined the rules to break through to God-Transformation, he would be able to remove those rules once the founding war concluded. Although this would cause his cultivation level to drop again, having experienced God-Transformation, combined with insights from the "Startling God Melody" and resources from the Immortal Gate's "Instant Bloom," he felt his chances of achieving true God-Transformation were very high. For him, this Dao Fruit refinement method was a rebirth.

"Our family also owes you a lot of favors. This teaching of the Dao Fruit method just about squares things," Chen Mobai said, shaking his head to prevent Qingping Shangren from taking it too seriously. Qingping Shangren's Five Elements Cultivation lectures in the past had contributed significantly to Chen Mobai's current achievements. Moreover, the fifth-tier Lingxiao Jade Pendant had saved his daughter's life, and later, Qingping Shangren had guided Chen Xiaohei and even personally protected Chen Mobai during his Core Formation.

"Not at all, your daughter's matter was simply my duty as a member of the Immortal Gate. Compared to my path to God-Transformation, those were insignificant matters," Qingping Shangren countered.

"Cultivate well and strive to successfully refine the rules." There were some things Chen Mobai couldn't easily say, so he could only offer encouragement.

Before Qianxing's reincarnation, he had already anticipated a great catastrophe for the Immortal Gate and left some contingency plans for Qi Yuheng. One of these mentioned Qingping Shangren, stating that he had the second-highest compatibility with the Dao Law Fruit in the Immortal Gate's history, second only to Chen Mobai. It suggested that if a major catastrophe occurred in the future, he could refine the rules, providing the Immortal Gate with another God-Transformation cultivator. Over thousands of years, many Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Gate had indeed attempted to refine the rules. After all, when their lifespans were nearing an end, the existing God-Transformation Ancestors would grant them an opportunity. However, only those with over 50% compatibility succeeded. When Qingping Shangren was tested at Zhixian Peak, Chen Mobai intervened with the immortal art 'Infinity,' discovering that Qingping's compatibility with the Dao Law Fruit was nearly 60%. Thus, he regarded Qingping as a future comrade.

"I've also gained some insights from comprehending the Heavenly Book of Dao Laws before; I'll impart them to you today," Chen Mobai said. Among the entire Immortal Gate, not even Qianxing had as profound an understanding of the Dao Law Fruit as he did. After all, he possessed a Dao Law Fruit himself, and after obtaining the Immortal Gate's rules from Qi Yuheng, he had personally experimented with adapting the Dao Fruit refinement method using the "Rhythm of Five Tones" at the Wuqi Dao Academy. He had successively refined and then removed both his own and the Immortal Gate's Dao Law Fruits. After multiple comparisons and confirming there were no issues, he dared to teach it to Qingping Shangren.

During the process of refining the Immortal Gate's rules, Chen Mobai's understanding of the Heavenly Book of Dao Laws also deepened. The various line patterns recorded in the forty-nine pages of the Heavenly Book, as the Dao Law Fruit gradually became clear, transformed into a shimmering net invisible to ordinary people but brilliant in his eyes. This net encompassed the entire Diyuan Star; no living creature born on this planet could escape it, as the lines of these creatures were the source of the rules. However, these lines were not the entirety of this net; there were many more lines extending from the void, earth, air currents, liquids, lightning, and so on. The Heavenly Book of Dao Laws described the laws governing the operation of all things and phenomena in the universe. Upon comprehending it, one could achieve a state where heaven and earth exist alongside oneself, and all things are one with oneself. This was also one of the fundamental Great Daos of the universe, alongside the Void: Law.

However, neither Chen Mobai's Dao Law Fruit nor the Immortal Gate's Dao Law Fruit had grown to such a level; at most, they could only be considered the acquired Great Dao of "Order." But if one continued along this Great Dao, it was possible to elevate it into true Laws in the future. Chen Mobai imparted his understanding of the Heavenly Book of Dao Laws and Order. Upon hearing it, Qingping Shangren felt enlightened, as if his compatibility with the Dao Law Fruit had risen by another level. After listening to everything, Qingping Shangren closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. Once he had committed the contents of this lesson to memory, he opened his mouth again to ask about concepts he still couldn't grasp. Chen Mobai answered them one by one.

After Chen Mobai had refined and then removed the Immortal Gate's Dao Law Fruit, it held no more secrets for him. Chen Mobai even absorbed its essence with his own Dao Law Fruit, planning to return to the Eastern Barrens and, depending on the local conditions, begin cultivating and refining "rules" exclusively for the Five Elements Sect.

"Thank you, True Lord, for imparting the Dao!" It wasn't until the dawn sun rose and darkness receded from the horizon that Qingping Shangren realized he had delayed Chen Mobai for an entire night. He immediately rose and bowed deeply in thanks.

"As a pioneer of the Immortal Gate, it is only proper," Chen Mobai said with a slight smile, preventing Qingping Shangren from performing the full bow. The Immortal Gate's environment, characterized by open knowledge and a love for exchange, had forged Chen Mobai's current achievements. Thus, once he gained the ability, he reciprocated.

"After you leave, let Yunhai and Yuanxu both come in," Chen Mobai told the departing Qingping Shangren. The latter immediately nodded.

Yunhai and Yuanxu, who had waited outside Wangxian Peak all night, greeted Qingping politely as he flew out. Among the three of them, the youngest, Qingping, was paradoxically the most likely to achieve God-Transformation. After all, compared to the Godheads they had obtained, the Immortal Gate possessed far more content and knowledge regarding the research of Dao Law Fruits. And for Yunhai and Yuanxu, two unparalleled geniuses, the more they knew, the higher their success rate would be. Yet, even with their wisdom, they had only managed to research some superficial aspects of the Godhead, an enigmatic object from outside their realm. The deeper, underlying Great Dao was practically inaccessible. Therefore, upon hearing Qingping's message, both immediately entered Wangxian Peak.

"True Lord, please grant us some guidance," Yunhai and Yuanxu said after exchanging greetings and quickly stating their purpose.

"So-called Godheads are essentially the crystallizations of the Great Daos between heaven and earth. When Dragon God Star appeared, it required three deities to stabilize the sky, earth, and sea, ensuring the planet solidified, didn't disintegrate, and could move through the universe. This led to the creation of the Sky Dragon God, Earth Dragon God, and Sea Dragon God. Among these, the Sky Dragon God's Godhead represents the omnipresent qi and various natural phenomena between heaven and earth; the Earth Dragon God represents the earth, soil, minerals, and metals; and the Sea Dragon God represents water and the nurturing of life. While these Godheads are indeed crystallizations of the Great Dao, they are relatively complex and not pure Great Daos. When refining them, you need to select what is useful to you, extracting the essence and discarding the dross. Shuixian, with the help of the Spirit Venerable, only refined the water-attribute Great Dao power from the Sea Dragon God's Godhead; this is a successful example..."

After Chen Mobai obtained these resources from Qi Yuheng, he first reviewed them himself to ensure such precious items wouldn't be wasted. He had naturally consulted Shuixian, and he imparted all his knowledge about Godheads, including what he had learned and what he had comprehended through the "Rhythm of Five Tones," to the two individuals before him. Among the current generation of Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Gate, these two before him possessed the highest talent. They grasped everything Chen Mobai said instantly, even extrapolating and asking numerous questions that required Chen Mobai to ponder for a while before answering. In the course of continuously answering, Chen Mobai also organized the concept of Dao Fruits in his own words and instilled it into them.

"The greatest foundation of my Wuqi lineage, the Pill Cauldron Jade Tree, is equivalent to a Dao Fruit. The Godheads in your hands can also be loosely called Dao Fruits. Based on the Pill Cauldron Jade Tree refinement method left by Ancestor Yun Ya, I have specifically created a new Dao Fruit refinement method for the two of you. Remember it well..." Chen Mobai never mistreated those who were good to him. In the past, when he studied formation knowledge, Yunhai Shangren had helped him significantly, as well as with Yan Bingxuan's Core Formation list. As for Yuanxu, it went without saying; the two had already been kindred spirits during Qianxing's reincarnation and had secretly collaborated on many experiments.

However, compared to Qingping Shangren, Yunhai and Yuanxu had considerably more questions. Later, their questions even exceeded the scope of refining Godheads. They likely discovered Chen Mobai's vast knowledge and seized the opportunity to raise all the doubts they had accumulated over centuries of cultivation.

"If I were to explain this question, it wouldn't be something I could clarify in a short time. After both of you achieve God-Transformation, we can find another time to discuss it thoroughly." As soon as Chen Mobai spoke these words, Yunhai and Yuanxu knew their session of seeking the Dao was concluded. With considerable regret, the two stopped and simultaneously bowed to Chen Mobai from their meditation cushions, saying, "Thank you, True Lord, for dispelling our doubts."

"Before you two refine the Godheads, you can go to the ocean realm and consult Shuixian; I've already spoken with her about it..." Chen Mobai nodded and finally mentioned one more thing. Yunhai and Yuanxu had indeed planned to do so; moreover, Yunhai's successful Nascent Soul formation back then owed much to the ocean realm.

"True Lord, this is the Pure Yang Qi left by Ancestor Yuanyang. With the great war imminent, refining this can also increase your foundational strength," Yuanxu said, taking out the item he had prepared as he rose to leave, presenting it to Chen Mobai with both hands.

"I originally intended to take it once my second nascent soul advanced further, but since you've brought it, I won't refuse," Chen Mobai nodded. He took out the Pure Yang Cauldron and placed the ancient spirit-sealing tube from Yuanxu's hand into it. Earlier, when he relocated the descendants of the God-Transformation families from the Five Peaks Immortal Mountains, Chen Mobai also conveniently acquired the Pure Yang set from the Yuanyang Temple. With this addition of Pure Yang Qi, it could be said that all of Ancestor Yuanyang's valuable possessions left in the Immortal Gate had fallen into his hands. However, Chen Mobai had no intention of keeping them permanently; he merely planned to use them for his second nascent soul to cultivate and comprehend the Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Purple Extreme Form. After weathering this great catastrophe for the Immortal Gate, if Nangong Xuanyu proved capable, he would be willing to return Ancestor Yuanyang's legacy to the Pure Yang Academy.

After sending Yunhai and Yuanxu away, Chen Mobai let out a long breath. By this point, he had finally settled all matters concerning the Immortal Gate. Next, it was up to Chengxuan and the other three to see if they could achieve God-Transformation. "Hopefully, they will all succeed." Holding this hope, Chen Mobai stood atop Wangxian Peak one last time, glanced at Qunxian Peak where Chengxuan Shangren was in seclusion, waved his sleeve, and transformed into a silver light, vanishing from the spot.

### Wangwu Grotto-Heaven

The courtyard, which Chen Mobai hadn't returned to for a long time, was bustling with activity today. At the Immortal Gate's year-end assembly, the sensational event of the three Hall Masters jointly forcing through a certain resolution overshadowed Chen Xiaohei's transfer back to Wangwu Grotto-Heaven from Yumucheng. According to Gongye Zhixu's arrangement, upon her return, Chen Xiaohei was appointed Deputy Director of the Immortal Gate's General Forestry Bureau. In fact, there were already two deputy directors, but to accommodate her position, the Immortal Affairs Hall created an additional deputy director, specifically to oversee the crucial matter of utilizing fourth-tier spiritual plants for refining God-Transformation resources. The reason Chen Xiaohei was assigned this task was not only because she was already on the Forestry Bureau's staff but also because the director was set to retire in a few years. At that time, it would be natural to arrange for Chen Xiaohei to take over. After that, she would gradually become a member of the Kaiyuan Hall's rotating committee, then Deputy Hall Master, and finally Hall Master. Even before Chen Xiaohei returned to Wangwu Grotto-Heaven, her path to promotion had already been laid out by the three Hall Masters.

Ye Yun'e was deeply unwilling, but there was little she could do against overwhelming power. With Qi Yuheng uninvolved, there was simply no way to stop it, and once Chen Xiaohei was qualified, Ye Yun'e would even have to smilingly vacate her position as Kaiyuan Hall Master for Chen Xiaohei to take. Fortunately, Zhongli Tianyu had already been internally designated as the next Hall Master of Zhengfa Hall, which was somewhat acceptable to the Kunpeng lineage, as it meant a change of power within the Halls. Of course, Pei Qingshuang had some other ideas about this. After all, among the four lineages, the Jumang lineage mostly lagged behind precisely because it lacked influence within the three Halls. She wanted to use Wenren Xuewei's tenure to cultivate more people from her own lineage within the various departments of the three Halls, hoping for a future opportunity. What if Zhongli Tianyu failed to form his Nascent Soul? Furthermore, Chen Xiaohei was only at Core Formation stage now, far from Nascent Soul formation, so the position of Kaiyuan Hall Master might not be beyond reach in the future. Chen Mobai was well aware of these thoughts but was too lazy to interfere. After all, for him, the current Immortal Gate was all "lines," and for cultivation, it was all trouble.

On Chen Xiaohei's first day back in Wangwu Grotto-Heaven, various influential figures from the Immortal Gate's three Halls, even the Hall Masters and Deputy Hall Masters themselves, personally came to visit. That night, after a busy day and seeing off the last visitors, Wenren Xuewei and Hua Zijing, Chen Xiaohei collapsed onto the sofa. "If I'd known it would be this troublesome, I shouldn't have listened to Dad and come back from Yumucheng," she groaned. Hearing her, Yu Huiping, who had returned with her, sat down beside her with a doting expression.

"If you want to form your Nascent Soul in the future, you'll definitely need the Immortal Gate's resources. Becoming a core figure in the three Halls will make it easier for your father to make arrangements for you." After leaving Wangxian Peak, Yu Huiping had no thoughts of returning and had lived with Chen Xiaohei in Yumucheng. This time, when Chen Xiaohei was transferred back, Yu Huiping, whose family had all passed away, returned with her.

"Forming a Nascent Soul... it feels so hard... I wonder how Dad succeeded; he didn't even take any pills. He truly is the Immortal Gate's top talent," Chen Xiaohei said, rolling around on the sofa, expressing her admiration for her father. Yu Huiping also nodded slightly in agreement. Given Chen Mobai's demonstrated cultivation progress, even her master, Ancestor Baiguang, couldn't compare.

"Haven't seen you in a while; you've certainly become more sensible," Chen Mobai's voice echoed in the room. Silver light shimmered, and he stepped out of the void with a smile.

"Dad, why are you here?" Chen Xiaohei immediately sprang up from the sofa and rushed towards him when she saw Chen Mobai appear.

"I was just handling some matters at the Five Peaks Immortal Mountains. My divine sense scanned and noticed you were back, so I came to see you before leaving." Chen Mobai looked at his daughter's face, slightly resembling Baiguang's, and couldn't help but recall the scene during the Immortal Gate's great catastrophe when Baiguang floated out from the white stone, gripping her sword and confronting the Grim Reaper. Though he didn't really want to admit it, he indeed had a daughter with her. He wondered if Qingnu would be able to accept this in the future. While lost in thought, Chen Mobai also politely greeted Yu Huiping.

"Then I'll go rest first," Yu Huiping said, rising from the sofa, knowing that the father and daughter, who hadn't seen each other in a long time, surely had things to talk about.

"True Person Yu should also know about these matters," Chen Mobai said, keeping her there. He then recounted the calamity of the Grim Reaper and the grim news that the Immortal Gate's next founding war would face Pluto. After listening, both were utterly astonished.

"So the Immortal Gate is now arguably in its most perilous moment in history. However, the higher-ups have already arranged for Senior Brother Chengxuan and others to achieve God-Transformation. If this war can be won, the Immortal Gate will enter its most prosperous era." Chen Mobai concealed the fact of Baiguang's Void Refinement, so as not to make Chen Xiaohei too proud and lose her drive for advancement. He had also issued a gag order to those in the Immortal Gate who knew about it. This way, even if Yu Huiping or the Zhiyuan Sword Spirit revealed her mother's true identity to Chen Xiaohei, at most she would only believe she had a departed God-Transformation mother. Chen Mobai also didn't reveal to Chen Xiaohei that he had cultivated a second nascent soul. His purpose was to let her, who had always had smooth sailing since childhood, feel some pressure.

"Dad, I will definitely work hard."

"Yes, as my daughter, you are destined to leave your mark in the Immortal Gate's history. This is Heavenly Realm Purified Water I obtained from Shuixian. Your previous bottle didn't bring your water spiritual root to its full 100 points, so another bottle should be enough." Chen Mobai stated the main purpose of his visit. When Chen Xiaohei was studying abroad in the ocean realm, the Spirit Venerable had given her a bottle of Heavenly Realm Purified Water out of respect for Baiguang. A spiritual item that could take a God-Transformation cultivator ten years of arduous effort to refine was naturally extraordinary; an ordinary person refining one portion could directly become a Heavenly Water Spirit Root. A single bottle could increase one's water spiritual root by 80 points. However, Chen Xiaohei also needed to combine her water spiritual root with an ice spiritual root, and she was distracted by cultivating Primordial Chaos True Qi and the Way of the Sword, so she had little free time to cultivate spiritual root methods. Her water spiritual root had actually dropped below 80 points. Chen Mobai gave her half a bottle, which was enough to bring her water spiritual root to 100 points.

"When you achieve an immortal spiritual root, there will be an opportunity to comprehend the Dao. You must be fully prepared for that time..." As Chen Mobai imparted his experience, he also transferred all the information he had collected regarding immortal spiritual roots to her. Chen Xiaohei nodded repeatedly, looking at the Heavenly Realm Purified Water in her hand, thinking how influential her father was. When she was studying in the ocean realm, she had made some friends among the undersea creatures, and they were still in contact. After the Spirit Venerable left, her friends told her that Ancestor Shuixian was not capable enough to refine Heavenly Realm Purified Water anymore. This meant that each bottle used was one less in existence. It was already a supreme-grade item.

"After the founding war, the three Halls will certainly release a large amount of resources as rewards. You should strive to cultivate to the perfected Core Formation stage within these few decades. This can be considered the most perilous tribulation for the Immortal Gate. Even with my cultivation, I might fall. I hope that before then, you can possess the strength to protect yourself. If there truly comes a day when I'm gone, don't be sad. Just bury this with your mother." As Chen Mobai spoke, he handed Chen Xiaohei the white stone left by Baiguang. Theoretically, this item had already exhausted all its power. But Chen Mobai didn't trust Baiguang much; perhaps there was a mysterious power within this white stone that could monitor and store his every move, so he decided to give it to his daughter instead. In the Immortal Gate, probably only Chen Xiaohei could hold this white stone.

After listening to Chen Mobai's emotional words, Chen Xiaohei felt ashamed for having idled away her time previously. If she had been as diligent as her father, she might be preparing for Nascent Soul formation now. In that case, she might even be able to help during the founding war.

"Dad, I will make everyone in the Immortal Gate know that you have an outstanding daughter!"

"Yes, I believe in you."

After finishing his lecture to his daughter, Chen Mobai stated that he would enter seclusion at the Wuqi Dao Academy to see if he could successfully achieve God-Transformation before the World Gate opened.

"Dad, sometimes you can actually take a break," Chen Xiaohei said with a touch of sadness, looking at how late it was outside and remembering that when their family lived there, Chen Mobai spent most of his time in seclusion in the cultivation room.

"The Immortal Gate's Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, and three hundred million sentient beings all rest upon my shoulders. I dare not rest!" Chen Mobai said, sighing dramatically with his back to Chen Xiaohei. He then waved to his daughter and transformed into a silver light, vanishing from the spot.

Seeing this, Chen Xiaohei's eyes became slightly red. Even Yu Huiping couldn't help but admire him internally. She thought to herself, *My teacher's own personality might not have been great, but the man she chose possessed a truly noble character.*

Upon returning to the Wuqi Dao Academy, Chen Mobai stood before the World Gate and observed it. Ever since this supreme treasure of the Immortal Gate came into his possession, Gui Bao had been constantly popping up notifications. With his current cultivation level, he could discern some clues. Every World Gate was essentially a materialization of the Void Great Dao. It was also a crystallization of the Void Great Dao. If Gui Bao could devour such a massive amount of void power, it might be able to lift its veil and reveal its true origins: whether it was a seventh-tier innate spiritual treasure, an eighth-tier innate supreme treasure, or perhaps the Dao-achieving treasure of some great powerful being.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Mobai had been hesitant and dared not act. A seventh-tier innate spiritual treasure would be acceptable; he could barely possess one. But if it were eighth-tier, it would mean Gui Bao was the Great Dao itself. However, the Void Great Dao of this universe was clearly recorded in the ancient notes of the four lineages as the Gate of Grand Void, the supreme treasure of the Purple Firmament Dao Venerable. There is only one Great Dao. If Gui Bao were eighth-tier, it would imply an issue with the Gate of Grand Void. And according to Ancestor Yun Ya's notes, many Pure Yang grand cultivators had borrowed the Gate of Grand Void. If the Void Great Dao were truly vacant, it would undoubtedly be targeted and even seized by these beings immediately. If Gui Bao were to display an eighth-tier level, Chen Mobai felt that even if he were in the remote fringes of the universe, he wouldn't be able to escape the gaze of these great cultivators. Therefore, after much consideration, Chen Mobai decided to forgo letting Gui Bao devour the World Gate for now.

After all, this was still the Immortal Gate's only hope of leaving the Tianyang Star System and returning to the central Dao field of the Purple Firmament Galaxy. While he was generous in distributing various Immortal Gate resources, he was still somewhat hesitant about devouring the World Gate. He could freely travel between the two realms, but the God-Transformation cultivators of the Immortal Gate could only hope to reach the central Dao field by relying on the World Gate. He couldn't possibly take all the Immortal Gate's God-Transformation cultivators to the Tianhe Realm in the future, could he?

However, Chen Mobai had also considered the only scenario in which he might allow Gui Bao to devour the World Gate. That would be during the founding war, if the Immortal Gate couldn't withstand the army from Pluto and its top experts. In that case, to prevent the complete destruction of Diyuan Star, he felt it would be the right time to devour the World Gate. Without the World Gate, even though Pluto would still be very close to Diyuan Star, the Immortal Gate could then flee within the universe. The plan for a wandering Diyuan Star had also been drafted long ago. The spiritual hubs of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, with a slight modification, could become planetary propulsion furnaces.

After considering all the possibilities, Chen Mobai once again appeased Gui Bao and then activated the teleportation. Amidst a flicker of silver light, he had returned to the Eastern Barrens. Rising from the cultivation room in Huanglong Grotto-Mansion, Chen Mobai's immense divine sense swept out, immediately discovering that Qingnu was not there. His divine sense then continued to expand beyond the Grotto-Mansion, encompassing the entire Yunmeng Marsh, and even parts of the bordering Eastern Wu and Eastern Barrens territories. Within this scan, the vibrant life force of Eastern Wu made him nod repeatedly. There was no longer any sign of it having once been turned into ruins by him.