Chapter 716: Transcending to Establish the Heavenly Dome

Angry Squid

“Things are changing so fast; us old-timers can hardly keep up with the times,” Nangong Shirong said, looking up at the “Fourteen” countdown displayed on the sky curtain, sighing in silence.

Xu Bai, standing behind him, said with a smile, “My Lord, there’s no need to worry. Who could have imagined that an Immortal Venerable capable of reversing the laws of heaven and earth would suddenly appear without any warning?”

“Extremely mysterious, with no discernible origins. It’s truly incredible.”

“Even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t just appear out of thin air like this,” Xu Bai said softly.

Nangong Shirong nodded slightly. “That’s why everyone outside is speculating that this Rebirth Venerable is likely an ancient cultivator who survived the Great Tribulation.”

“Just like you,” Nangong Shirong said slowly, glancing at Xu Bai.

Xu Bai, however, lowered his head in thought. “An ancient cultivator…”

Cultivators across the entire world were immensely curious about the true identity of this Rebirth Venerable. However, after extensive investigation, not a single piece of information about him had been leaked.

After all, the number of Dao Integration cultivators in the Immortal Alliance was limited. If, after ruling out each one, no suitable candidate was found, then there was a high probability that this newly ascended Venerable originated from ancient times, having remained hidden in the mists, observing and comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, until recently achieving enlightenment.

As for the possibility of the Rebirth Venerable being a cultivator from the Council of Five Elders…

The recent frequent actions of the Council of Five Elders, however, negated this hypothesis.

First, they officially issued a document congratulating the birth of the new Venerable. Then, they quickly recalled all cultivators who were conducting friendly visits within the Myriad Immortal Alliance’s territory. Along the border regions, all their active forces retreated...

Clearly, the Council of Five Elders was still very wary of the emergence of this new Immortal Realm powerhouse.

“Lord City Master, do you believe that cultivators can truly be resurrected after their demise under the protection of the Rebirth Venerable’s power?” Xu Bai suddenly asked after a long silence.

“Personally, I’m skeptical,” Nangong Shirong said, shaking his head. “While the Venerable’s divine power is awe-inspiring, resurrection is still too mystical. Even if it can be achieved, it would likely require certain conditions. If a cultivator’s body has been utterly destroyed and their soul scattered, attempting resurrection in such a case…”

Nangong Shirong snorted coldly. “Let alone an Immortal Venerable, even the legendary Great Luo Golden Immortals would probably be powerless.”

“However, the truth will be revealed in fourteen days. We just need to wait patiently.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai focused his gaze on the universally visible number in the sky.

The characters, appearing both black and white, flowed fluidly, quietly suspended in the sky. According to the Myriad Immortal Alliance’s official explanation, the countdown represented the progress of the Rebirth Venerable’s reversal of natural laws.

When the countdown reached zero, the laws of life and death in the Xuanhuang Realm would be completely reversed.

An era where everyone could be resurrected would then arrive.

“Let’s see what methods this Rebirth Venerable employs,” Xu Bai said, narrowing his eyes and gently fanning himself with a folding fan.

While the countdown in the Xuanhuang Realm’s sky continued to decrease...

Lan Yu, the loser of the Law Reversal Contest, however, did not seem content to accept his fate.

He did not stop the bounty for longevity treasures; instead, he increased the stakes.

He even offered "Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Art," the cultivation method he practiced, as a reward.

It seemed Lan Yu was desperately trying to prolong his remaining time.

However, the Rebirth Venerable had no intention of letting him off.

On the day the countdown turned to “One,” without a sound, the celestial phenomenon indicating the demise of a Dao Integration cultivator abruptly appeared above Yuandao State.

“Dao Integration cultivator Lan Yu, all who cultivate the Dao…”

Unlike the cosmic sorrow Li Fan had witnessed in his previous lives, perhaps because Lan Yu had acted against the laws of heaven and earth in this life, a phenomenon of demise similar to that of new-law cultivators appeared in the sky.

However, no sooner had this phenomenon appeared than, before the cultivators of Yuandao State could even react...

The countdown numbers on the Xuanhuang Realm’s sky curtain transformed into swirling black and white energies, heading straight for Yuandao State.

As they obscured the phenomenon of Lan Yu’s demise, the numbers instantly changed from “One” to zero.

The entire Xuanhuang Realm trembled slightly, as if some miraculous transformation was taking place.

When the sky cleared again, all cultivators could faintly discern an ancient, solemn mansion floating in the Xuanhuang Realm’s sky.

“The Rebirth Manor.”

The three large characters on the manor’s plaque were clearly visible.

All cultivators who saw the Rebirth Manor naturally had information about the Rebirth Venerable’s resurrection appear in their minds.

Under the Rebirth Manor’s influence, whenever a cultivator perished, a fragment of their true spirit would enter the Manor.

After the eighteen-year cycle of reincarnation was complete, these true spirits, carrying the cultivator’s memories, could return to the world from the Rebirth Manor.

If a cultivator had prepared a physical body for themselves beforehand, their spirit could directly inhabit it.

If they died suddenly and had no time to prepare, they would be randomly reborn into the body of a newly-born creature in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Upon seeing the detailed rules of the Rebirth Manor, the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm immediately erupted in an uproar.

They had not expected that the so-called “resurrection” was actually real.

However, this method of resurrection was somewhat beyond their acceptable limits.

Survival and reproduction were fundamental human instincts.

If their path to cultivation seemed hopeless, they might have placed their hopes for the future in the next generation.

But according to the Rebirth Manor’s rules, a newborn child, cherished as a treasure by their family, could potentially have their body taken over by a cultivator who had perished eighteen years prior...

How was this different from soul possession?

Who could guarantee that a cultivator who died years ago and was now resurrected harbored no enmity towards them?

What if, after painstakingly raising a newborn, that child grew up only to betray them?

How absurd was it that everything they had accumulated would one day benefit an “outsider”?

The operation of the Rebirth Manor clearly contradicted the current ethical values of cultivators. The cultivators of Xuanhuang Realm found it impossible to accept this at first.

Fortunately, more detailed explanations from the Myriad Immortal Alliance soon arrived.

Within the Rebirth Manor, true spirits would only retain memories of their past lives. Emotions such as love, hate, resentment, and grudges from previous existences would all be cleansed. Recalling past life experiences would be like remembering a dream, without excessive personal involvement.

Furthermore, when a true spirit returned to the world, it wouldn’t directly possess a body. Instead, the two would merge. The essence of life wouldn’t change; it would simply gain an additional set of “past life” memories.

After these explanations, although the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm still felt some resistance, the overarching trend was unstoppable, and the Venerable’s decree could not be defied.

Whether they liked it or not, they could only choose to silently accept it.

Consequently, intense discussions about “rebirth” and “resurrection” slowly unfolded throughout the Xuanhuang Realm.