Innate Divine Path

Before he knew it, One Eon had passed. Li Fan connected with his True God Dao Fruit and broke through the final barrier. His cultivation reached the Venerable God Realm.

His mind and will had also risen to the Venerable God Realm. He emerged from seclusion, while the Great Yin Array was still operating.

Li Fan studied the Innate Inheritance and deduced a body-tempering technique, "Nine Refinements of the World."

It was simple: open up a Minor World and use the power of the world to temper his body. The improvement was slow, but useful was enough. It was straightforward and brutal—let the Minor World suffer first so he could improve first, then he would help it raise its world grade later.

It seemed he still had to venture out and gain experience. Li Fan was far too poor. He could open up a Minor World, but he needed to find the corresponding treasures, whether Innate or Houtian.

Surely I can't just make a Minor World with my bare hands? I can't do that either.

With no rice left in the house, Li Fan drooled at the sight of the Moon Laurel Tree. If he cut down a branch and planted it until it grew, it could serve as a Sky-Supporting Divine Tree. A Medium World would no longer be a dream.

"It smells so good."

Wangshu turned toward the sound and asked with a smile, "What smells so good?"

"I mean the Moon Laurel Flowers on the Moon Laurel Tree have bloomed. They smell wonderful. Great God, you've emerged from seclusion. Hehe."

Li Fan thought, I was born on Taiyin Star too. I have a share in this Moon Laurel Tree as well.

Beneath Li Fan's feet lay the Taiyin Star Domain, a perfect Great Thousand World centered on Taiyin Star and 120 major stars, with more than three thousand secondary stars surrounding them.

The major stars were all Great Thousand World-level, some strong and some weak. They were all desolate. The Star Gods had yet to be born, and under Mount Zhou's protection, they were hidden away and slowly nurtured. Otherwise, Gods and Demons would find them sooner or later. After all, Great Thousand World-level defenses were not secure enough.

The secondary stars consisted of Medium Worlds and Minor Worlds. There were not as many as in the later Witch-Demon Era. When Pangu opened the heavens, he had only taken charge of 365 Zhou Tian Stars, and those Zhou Tian Stars were still slowly evolving.

"Great God, you've emerged from seclusion. Can you tell me how to attain the Da Luo Venerable God?"

Wangshu slowly said, "A Da Luo Venerable God has only one chance to attain the Dao: condense your own Dao Fruit and transcend the River of Time within the Primordial World."

"If you fail to break through, then even if you survive by luck, your Dao Fruit will be dragged to the bottom of the River of Time. Some of the Demon Gods suppressed by Pangu are down there. Only Hunyuan Grand Unity would have any hope of retrieving your Dao Fruit."

"If you are afraid, then once your comprehension of the Laws reaches a certain level, you can still possess Da Luo Battle Power."

"To hear the Dao in the morning and die in the evening would be enough!" What Li Fan wanted was Da Luo Battle Power. His ability to preserve his life was far too weak. He had to attain the Grand Unity Dao Fruit. I want to improve so badly!

Wangshu's voice rang with conviction. "Well said! Without the courage to press forward without hesitation, do not even think of attaining the Grand Unity Dao Fruit."

"The current mainstream is the Innate Divine Path, but there are two directions: God and Dao Aligned, and God Merged with Dao. This is also a matter of choosing sides. Which path will you choose?"

"The principle is simple. One is to imitate the Dao of the Primordial World and perfect heaven and earth alongside it. You can also do your own thing and merely hold the authority of the Divine Path. The other is to merge into the Primordial World."

"God and Dao Aligned is somewhat inferior because cultivation is slower. As for God Merged with Dao, that is the idea of madmen. Everyone knows that the Primordial World contains the Dao Fruits of the Chaos Demon Gods."

Wangshu continued, "In the entire Prehistoric Universe, only three gods openly cultivate God Merged with Dao. They are the Three Sovereigns of Heaven and Earth."

"They seek to steal the Dao, or rather, to taint the Chaos Demon Gods with the Dao. The Three Emperors all possess supreme treasures and profound cultivation. You do not have such foundations, so do not imitate them. This is a shortcut straight to Hunyuan Grand Unity Venerable God."

"A single thought makes a god; a single thought makes a demon." Li Fan replied, Good lord, everyone at the beginning of creation is outrageously bold.

Wangshu said coldly, "Yes, that is exactly what you mean. The Demon Gods are not dead yet."

Li Fan felt that he was already close to the truth behind this era's destruction—the confrontation between Gods and Demons, the great war between Heavenly Gods, earthly deities, and the Chaos Demon Gods.

This was also part of the Primordial World's self-evolution, an inevitability.

"Can I choose neither? Is there a less conventional path? All the good authorities of heaven and earth have probably already been divided up, right?"

Wangshu's tone carried a hint of lightness. "Of course. A Great God in the Prehistoric Universe has now introduced another path, one completely opposite to the Divine Path. It is called the Qi Refinement Path."

"Qi Refinement has two concepts: order and chaos. The concept of order was introduced by four Great Gods among the Five Elder Lords: Hongjun of Yujing Mountain, Yinyang, Qiankun, and Diandao. These four Great Gods reside in the eastern Prehistoric Universe."

Li Fan thought, So this is the origin of Immortal Dao? Cultivating immortality!

Wangshu said solemnly, "The concept of chaos was created by White Emperor Luohu and a monk among the Five Elder Lords. It speaks of the Qi Refinement Path of great freedom. These two Great Gods both reside in the Western Primordial World."

This was the embryonic form of the Demonic Dao and Buddhism.

Wangshu continued, "Qi Refinement emphasizes the primordial spirit. What it refines is the True Spirit within the primordial spirit. It is suitable for all beings and has a low threshold. The Divine Path refines bloodlines, using one's own body to bear authority. Its threshold is relatively high, and it is difficult for those who are not Innate Beings to enter."

"In my view, Innate God-Demons without authority are practicing Qi Refinement. You are the same, Li Fan. What we cultivate is the Dao, the Laws."

"Let me explain the Dao to you. This time, I have gained new insights into the Lunar Law. I will return this Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation to you."

"Ice Soul Suspended in Heaven, all sounds perish as dew condenses into blades; Tide Rises and Calamity Begins, reincarnation through myriad lives, Eclipse the Sun to prove the heart..."

During Wangshu's exposition of the Dao, Li Fan sorted through the Law of World and Law of Reincarnation that he cultivated.

With the help of the Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation, he also successfully entered the Lunar Law, reaching the True God Realm.

Li Fan cultivated the Law of World. With the Law of World as his branches and trunk, the more Laws he comprehended, the better. The more, the merrier.

"Thank you, Great God, for explaining the Dao."

"Great God, after some time, I would like to travel through the Primordial Starry Sky. What should I watch out for?"

Wangshu said, "The Primordial Starry Sky is divided among three factions, ruled by three Supreme Stars: Taiyin, Taiyang, and Ziwei."

"Do not go to the Solar Star Domain. Zhuzhao and I have a conflict. If you go to Ziwei Star, help me send Goddess Ziguang my regards."

"Great God, before setting out, I want to forge two protective treasures. It is unsafe to travel outside empty-handed. Could you lend me two pieces of Taiyin Jade Stone so I can forge two weapons? Thank you."

Wangshu smiled. "I will give them to you."

The goddess was truly rich. Since she had them, she was really giving them away!

Li Fan thoroughly searched the place where he had been born, within the great array. There was no problem using these materials to forge two swords.

Using Taiyin Jade Stone as the core and other materials as supplements, he infused them with Laws. He did not know what grade they would reach.

First, he had to find somewhere with abundant earthfire. A craftsman must sharpen his tools if he wished to do his work well.

It was Li Fan's first time exploring Taiyin Star. Its scale could no longer be measured by mere size.

One star was one Great Thousand World. With only a superficial grasp of Space Law, traveling was still far too exhausting. It seemed he needed to study an Evasion Technique.

Although Taiyin Star was vast, it was still far too desolate. Starry Sky Storms appeared from time to time, along with Space Rifts on Taiyin Star itself. Living beings simply could not be nurtured here. The environment was too harsh.

He found it. He would forge his treasures here. Li Fan used Samadhi True Fire together with Taiyin Star's earthfire and began refining.

This Samadhi True Fire was formed from the fusion of three true fires produced by the Essence, Qi, and Spirit within the body. The higher one's cultivation, the greater its power.

Time slowly passed as Li Fan continuously inscribed restrictions onto the swords with the Law of Reincarnation.

Ten thousand years later, the first sword was born. Li Fan refined it and found it to be a Low-Grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure with twelve Houtian Restrictions. His luck was not bad. After all, his forging methods were crude; the main reason was that the materials were good. He named it the Oblivion Sword.

There was still another sword. He continued refining, and with his deeper comprehension of the Law of World, he forged a Mid-Grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure with twenty Houtian Restrictions. He named it the Star-Collecting Sword.

In the Prehistoric Universe, Houtian Spiritual Treasures were forged by people. One to eighteen restrictions made a low-grade treasure, nineteen to thirty-five made a mid-grade treasure, thirty-six to forty-seven made a supreme-grade treasure, forty-eight made a top-tier Houtian Spiritual Treasure, and forty-nine made a Houtian Supreme Treasure, the highest grade in the Prehistoric Universe. Innate Spiritual Treasures were divided by restrictions in the same way.

Li Fan's Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation was a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure with forty-five Innate Restrictions.

Innate Spiritual Treasures were born of heaven and earth, nurtured by the Primordial World. They contained Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light. As long as they were not shattered, they would slowly recover from damage, and they could also help people comprehend the Dao.

This forging session deepened Li Fan's understanding of the Laws. He advanced another step in the Venerable God Realm.

Li Fan also wanted a Top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure!