Chapter 1102: The Spirit of the Great Camphor Tree

The Path of Life is contrary to the Path of Death. If these two paths are combined, one can ascend to the seventh tier, but that is the highest realm achievable. To advance further, one must achieve the unity of life and death, thereby mastering both.

Chen Mobai's third senior brother, who listened to the Dao in Zixiao Palace, embodied this Innate Path of Life and Death. Once the Path of Life and Death is occupied, the Paths of Life and Death, in theory, should also belong to the third senior brother. This demonstrates the absolute control an Innate Dao has over its derived Acquired Daos. However, some mighty beings disdain these lesser paths, leaving the Acquired Daos vacant, or deliberately leaving them open for cultivators to embody. For example, the Demon Lord uses this method to lure others.

Of course, there's another situation, such as between master and disciple. If Chen Mobai's third senior brother transcends, the Innate Path of Life and Death would naturally become vacant. He could arrange for his disciples to embody the Path of Life or the Path of Death beforehand, so that the moment he departs, his disciple could immediately advance and take over the Innate Path of Life and Death.

This was also something Chen Mobai's master once taught in Zixiao Palace. This was because Daoist Zixiao was truly on the verge of transcendence, and his Innate Yin-Yang and Innate Grand Void paths were coveted by all his students. Precisely for this reason, Daoist Zixiao ultimately did not leave the three Acquired Paths of Yin, Yang, and Void vacant before his departure, giving all his students an equal chance to compete.

Now, seeing the Dachun Divine Tree attracting and refining the Path of Life, Chen Mobai speculated that his third senior brother had likely only occupied the Innate Path of Life and Death, leaving the acquired "Life" and "Death" paths vacant. Of course, it's also possible that the Dachun Divine Tree knew nothing, and the Path of Life was already occupied, but it was still foolishly refining it day after day, year after year.

"Junior Chen Mobai greets Senior Dachun." Though these thoughts ran through his mind, Chen Mobai outwardly maintained his respectful demeanor, bowing with cupped hands to the Immortal Sect's foremost spiritual plant before him.

Wenren Xuewei, meanwhile, performed a hand seal. An invisible divine sense surged from between her eyebrows and merged into the Dachun Divine Tree. Immediately after, Chen Mobai felt a gentle power, far surpassing the Soul Transformation realm, spread from within the divine tree. It transformed into a green and white immortal light that enveloped both him and Wenren Xuewei. Chen Mobai hesitated briefly, then chose not to activate his Primal Yang Sword or Chaos Bell in resistance, allowing the green and white immortal light to carry away his primordial spirit.

In an instant, he felt his primordial spirit pass through a lush, vibrant forest, arriving at a wetland with fresh air and abundant moisture. Yet, Chen Mobai couldn't shake the feeling that these places were somewhat familiar, like a blend of the outside world's Linwu Grotto-Heaven and Jumang Daoist Academy. Some areas also appeared slightly blurry, as if hastily constructed.

"My apologies, it's been a long time since I've received outsiders; I've somewhat forgotten the ways of hospitality."

A voice as clear as a spring, delicate and soft, sounded in Chen Mobai's ear. He looked up to see a Dachun Divine Tree appearing out of thin air in the center of the wetland. From the divine tree, a branch as thick as an arm extended, and a golden, oval fruit on the branch bloomed with immortal light, transforming into a young girl with long green hair, emerald eyes, and skin as white as snow.

"Teacher, this is True Monarch Chunyang of the Pill Cauldron Sect." Wenren Xuewei had also entered, and upon seeing the girl, she immediately began the introduction.

Chen Mobai was slightly surprised by her addressing Dachun as "Teacher," as Wenren Xuewei had not publicized this fact within the Immortal Sect. However, recalling the Kunpeng lineage's suppression of the Jumang lineage, he understood.

"I've often heard Xuewei speak of True Monarch Chunyang, whose talent is unparalleled throughout history. Seeing you today, you indeed live up to your reputation."

The emerald-eyed girl, transformed from Dachun, was clearly well-versed in etiquette. As she spoke, she lightly waved her fair hand, and three branches flew out from behind her, transforming into two branch chairs and a table.

Chen Mobai and Wenren Xuewei sat down. The latter skillfully attempted to brew tea, but realizing she couldn't open her personal domain, she remembered they were within Dachun's divine sense space.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Mobai directly posed his question. "Senior, are you cultivating the Path of Life?"

"According to my master, it should indeed be the Path of Life." Dachun's spirit seemed not to be entirely clear about the Dao it was cultivating, using the word "should."

Chen Mobai couldn't help but be surprised, thinking to himself, "Could the Jumang lineage's inheritance be incomplete?"

"At the very end of his life, my master attempted to take that ultimate step. Unfortunately, his body and primordial spirit couldn't withstand the power of the Great Dao, and he turned to ashes. The last surge of his vital essence, along with a trace of power he had extracted from the Dao, merged into my trunk. I refined the vital essence left by my master and inherited his understanding of the Dao. After an unknown number of years, I discovered that my branches could extend into a mysterious place, from which I could slowly draw beneficial power. This must be what you call the Path of Life!"

As Dachun's spirit spoke, Chen Mobai saw eighty transparent branches emerge from her back. Recalling the amount of true qi that could be condensed before forming a Nascent Soul with the Evergreen Cultivation Method, Chen Mobai couldn't help but nod lightly. He watched as the branch tips extended into an unobservable void, yet Chen Mobai could perceive immense, boundless life force being absorbed and refined by the transparent branches into Dachun's spirit body from that void.

"It seems the Jumang lineage's inheritance is quite incomplete; it doesn't even contain chapters on Void Refinement."

Wenren Xuewei, standing beside them, heard this and her eyes immediately widened. The Immortal Sect's Five Patriarchs were only at the Soul Transformation realm. When they were at the White Crane Daoist Temple, they certainly couldn't have obtained a complete inheritance. Although the Evergreen Cultivation Method left by the Evergreen Patriarch contained chapters on his attempts to enter the Void Refinement stage, most of these were only completed after he entered Zixiao Palace. From Chen Mobai's current words, it seemed the Artifact Dao Lineage possessed a complete Void Refinement inheritance.

"Please enlighten me, fellow Daoist!" Dachun's spirit understood Chen Mobai's implied meaning. Her graceful figure, like a slender willow swaying in the wind, rose from the branch and bowed slightly towards Chen Mobai.

"I wouldn't dare. Let me then speak about our lineage's Void Refinement inheritance..." Chen Mobai now realized that Dachun's spirit simply didn't know how to cultivate Void Refinement. It had unknowingly entered the sixth tier, touching upon the Path of Life most suitable for itself, and had continued in this state for thousands of years. Furthermore, after the Evergreen Patriarch, the Jumang lineage had no Soul Transformation successors, making it impossible for them to obtain Void Refinement cultivation methods from the other three lineages.

"I never expected cultivation after the sixth tier to be like this..." Dachun's spirit muttered to herself after listening to Chen Mobai's explanation.

Wenren Xuewei, meanwhile, wore a shocked expression, but firmly committed Chen Mobai's words to memory. She thought, "The Pill Cauldron Sect truly lives up to its reputation as being founded by a personal disciple of a Dao Venerable; its foundation and heritage are indeed far deeper than our Jumang lineage."

Chen Mobai said, "Senior, you have already stepped onto the Path of Life. We can only hope this Path has not yet been embodied by anyone."

In this universe, choosing the Dao one cultivates is the most crucial. If one cultivates an already-occupied Dao, then no matter how prodigious their talent, they can at most reach the peak of Void Refinement. Although Chen Mobai himself currently cultivated the Pure Yang, Five Elements, Sacred Virtue, and Fading Fortune Daos, he didn't know if any of them were already occupied. However, he hadn't yet reached Void Refinement, so if it truly didn't work out, he could change Daos! But in that case, time would certainly be wasted. After all, while the lifespan of Soul Transformation cultivators seems extensive, the cultivation of a Great Dao cannot be achieved overnight. Even with the highest talent, it takes hundreds or even thousands of years to cultivate a Dao to the threshold of Void Refinement. Even someone as brilliant as Patriarch Yuanyang regretfully passed away for this very reason.

"Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist. With this, I now have a general understanding of my future cultivation." Dachun's spirit then performed a solemn bow. Her fair hands cupped before her chest, a wisp of green and white immortal light began to glow in her palm, and in the blink of an eye, a long, elliptical golden fruit condensed.

"This is a fifth-tier Dachun Fruit. Please don't despise it." Dachun's spirit somewhat bashfully handed the golden fruit to Chen Mobai, who exchanged a few polite words before accepting it with a smile. At any rate, a fifth-tier Dachun Fruit could still increase one's lifespan by 480 years.

"True Monarch, after consuming and refining this immortal fruit, it can increase your Wood spiritual root by 60 points." At this moment, Wenren Xuewei, standing nearby, suddenly interjected with a reminder.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai's expression turned even more surprised and delighted. If he consumed this immortal fruit, his Wood spiritual root would directly reach 100 points, allowing for Dao comprehension. He wouldn't even need to cultivate Transmutation Art anymore; he could directly use the Immortal Art of Mending the Heavens to refine himself into a Five Elements Immortal Spiritual Root. It was a bit wasteful, given that his Wood spiritual root already had 53 points. Why hadn't any cultivators from the Immortal Sect who previously consumed Dachun Fruits left records of this effect? If they had, he could have spent less effort on his Wood spiritual root in the early stages and achieved perfection in his Five Elements spiritual roots sooner. However, once he considered that all cultivators qualified to consume Dachun Fruits in the Immortal Sect were Soul Transformation True Monarchs, he understood. For them, a 60-point increase or decrease in Wood spiritual root affinity was irrelevant.

"Thank you, Senior," Chen Mobai began, stating the main purpose of his visit. "By the way, I previously promised you that if the opportunity arose, I would replace you from the core of the Heavenly Veil Earth Net Grand Formation. Coincidentally, when I achieved Soul Transformation, I mastered the Method of the Primordial Pearl. With your sixth-tier cultivation, Senior, if you can also condense a Primordial Pearl, you will surely gain the ability to refine all things in the void into spiritual qi, a power only Void Refinement cultivators possess, or perhaps even greater power. In my estimation, such a Primordial Pearl should be able to replace you as the core of the new Heavenly Veil Earth Net Great Method, thereby freeing you. However, cultivating this method requires a human Dao body. Senior, are you able to assume a human form?"

Chen Mobai explained his idea. Dachun, despite possessing a sixth-tier realm, lacked the terrifying combat power of entities like the White Light Reaper. The only thing it knew was to absorb and refine the power of the Path of Life, granting itself endless lifespan and providing vast life force to practitioners of the Evergreen Cultivation Method. But it was still a sixth-tier entity. If guided and taught well, it might be able to cultivate a sixth-tier Primordial Pearl. In that case, the Immortal Sect's future Soul Transformation cultivators wouldn't need to toil like beasts; it would truly solve the problem at its root! Of course, it was also possible that Dachun's spirit was too dull to comprehend, but at least it was worth a try—this was Chen Mobai's thought.

Dachun's spirit was very tempted after hearing this, but with a troubled expression, she said, "Assume human form? I don't know how!"

Chen Mobai immediately looked surprised. Peach Blossom Venerable can do it, why can't you? He immediately turned to Wenren Xuewei, who promptly transmitted the secret to him. It turned out that among the vows made by the Evergreen Patriarch after being jointly defeated by Patriarch Longchuo and Spirit Venerable, aside from not being able to condense a sixth-tier Dachun Fruit using the Earth Origin Star's spiritual veins, it also included not allowing the Dachun Divine Tree to assume a human form. For this very reason, no Evergreen Cultivation Method practitioner from the Jumang lineage, throughout generations who could communicate with Dachun's spirit, dared to teach it the method of human transformation.

"What is the scope of the oath?" Chen Mobai asked again.

Wenren Xuewei's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. It meant Chen Mobai was about to lift the thousands-year-old shackles that bound the Jumang lineage. "It's only limited to our Jumang lineage not being able to teach it; True Monarch is not bound by it."

Chen Mobai nodded lightly after hearing this. Besides practitioners of the Evergreen Cultivation Method, only the Immortal Sect's Soul Transformation cultivators throughout history could communicate with Dachun's spirit. However, given Dachun's sixth-tier realm, no Soul Transformation cultivator dared to allow it to assume human form and leave its main body.

"I need to discuss this matter with Senior Brother Qi and the others." Chen Mobai didn't act on his own initiative; he had always been democratic regarding such significant matters.

"Then I shall trouble you, fellow Daoist. If you can free me from this confinement of thousands of years, I will agree to any oath." Dachun's spirit also made a promise at this point, clearly knowing that this junior before her was the one most likely to help her break free from her shackles in thousands of years.

Chen Mobai nodded lightly after hearing this. A sixth-tier Dachun, once transformed and without the suppression of the Heavenly Veil Earth Net, might be too powerful for even their five Soul Transformation cultivators to handle. In that case, an oath that could bind her would be crucial.

After leaving Dachun's divine sense space, Chen Mobai and Wenren Xuewei returned to their physical bodies. Chen Mobai gazed at the elliptical golden fruit that had appeared in his hand, feeling the immense life force it contained as he carefully examined it.

"True Monarch, would you like to visit the Daoist Academy? Peach Blossom Venerable would surely be delighted to see you." Wenren Xuewei asked somewhat reservedly. Besides the Dachun Divine Tree, Peach Blossom Venerable had also waited for thousands of years to advance to the fifth tier. And this was also an obsession passed down through the Jumang lineage. That's why, after learning about the Primordial Pearl, Wenren Xuewei couldn't wait to bring Chen Mobai here. However, this matter would clearly affect the friendship between them.

"Let's discuss it later." Chen Mobai, however, shook his head. After all, he had previously mentioned Peach Blossom Venerable's advancement, but it had been tactfully rejected by Qi Yuheng and Yun Hai. Given that, he decided not to give Peach Blossom Venerable any false hope, to spare her from a fruitless joy.

Wenren Xuewei was slightly disappointed but didn't dare to say anything further. Between flashes of silver light, the two had already vanished from the spot.