Return to Void

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Return to Void
Alias(es)	Void Return Realm; Return to Void Half Immortal
Occupation/Role	Cultivation realm; the first of the three “steps to immortality” following Spirit Transformation
Status	Higher realm preceding Body Integration
First Appearance	428

Overview

Return to Void is the first of the three major realms beyond the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation “Primordial Spirit tribulations.” Its practitioners are called Return to Void Half Immortals, having begun to break free from ordinary lifespan limits and typically living for tens of thousands of years. 523

The realm corresponds to the first of the Nine Steps of the Great Dao. Its initial hallmark is the mutual generation and transformation of the physical body and Primordial Spirit, enabling the fleshly body to roam the First Heaven of the Void Realm. 523

Cultivation Requirements

Second Unification of Essence, Qi, and Spirit

Advancement requires a second unification of essence, qi, and spirit:

• Spirit refers to the Primordial Spirit.
• Qi refers to Mana.
• Essence refers to Cell Willpower. 530

The union of Primordial Spirit and Mana is comparatively easy; the decisive difficulty is refining and incorporating one’s own Cell Willpower into the cultivation system. 530

Heavenly Tribulation

A Spirit Transformation cultivator must pass the Return to Void Lightning Tribulation to enter the realm. Zhao Sheng reached Spirit Transformation Great Perfection only after his Primordial Spirit, willpower, and Mana completed an initial fusion; further cultivation was impossible until he crossed the tribulation. 691

Realm Characteristics

Mana Crystallization

Return to Void begins the crystallization of Mana within the physical body, initiating the cultivator’s transformation into a law-based lifeform. 697

• Golden Muscle Jade Bone is the external sign of this process.
• Each further evolution of Golden Muscle Jade Bone represents a major advance in Dao attainment.
• Body Integration represents the later, more complete union of physical body, Mana, and Primordial Spirit. 714 635

Void Realm Travel

A defining privilege of Return to Void is physically entering the Void Realm. A Half Immortal can shorten distances across space and time by hundreds or thousands of times, allowing travel through the Universe Heavens. 428

• Break Void Travel is a Return to Void divine ability used to travel through broken realms and the Void Realm. 697
• True Time greatly slows a Half Immortal’s perception of external time. 697
• Void Realm Displacement is widely regarded as the signature ability of a Return to Void Half Immortal and resembles teleportation. 546
• Void travel remains extremely hazardous even for Half Immortals; the First Dark Heaven contains Space-Time Storms and perilous forbidden regions, and many Return to Void cultivators have disappeared or died there. 697

Willpower and Divine Sense

A stabilized Return to Void Primordial Spirit Dharma Body can project throughout an area spanning several thousand li with a thought. 697

Return to Void cultivators can develop powerful Willpower Fields and techniques that integrate treasures into those fields. The Golden Spirit Saber, for example, can strike wherever its wielder’s mind directs and may extinguish the Primordial Spirit of an unprepared cultivator of the same realm. 696

Documented Internal Tiers

Tier	Documented example	Notes
First Level	Zhao Sheng had only begun developing Golden Muscle Jade Bone after entering the realm. 714	The initial stage of mana crystallization.
Fourth Level	Bai Feihong is identified as a fourth-level Return to Void cultivator. 767	He was gravely wounded by a combined demonic assault.
Fifth Level	Zhao Sheng states that sufficient high-grade source qi could raise him to the fifth level. 714	He deliberately delayed rapid advancement to avoid attracting attention.
Seventh Level	Zhao Sheng reached the seventh level while his Golden Muscle Jade Bone Dharma Body had already attained Great Completion. 757	His physical cultivation exceeded what his realm alone would suggest.
Eighth Level	Zhao Sheng advanced to the middle eighth level after surviving a confrontation with a Tribulation Demon. 768	Later, Thunder Great Dao Spiritual Opportunity pushed him to the late eighth level. 783
Ninth Level / Great Perfection	Zhao Sheng entered the ninth level and then absorbed mysterious aura until reaching Return to Void Great Perfection. 786	Great Perfection marked the limit of his Return to Void cultivation at that time.

Advancement Methods and Risks

Return to Void Pill

The Return to Void Pill can forcibly assist a breakthrough, but its highest success rate is stated to be no more than ten percent. 530

Its apparent benefit conceals a severe flaw:

• The pill contains a wisp of Cell Willpower belonging to a Body Integration expert.
• This foreign willpower brands the user’s flesh and suppresses their own Cell Willpower.
• Unless the imprint is removed, the user remains permanently trapped at the early Return to Void stage. 530

Min Jue’s records characterize reliance on the pill as effectively severing one’s future Dao path. 530

Void-Sea Exposure

Long-term travel through the Extraterritorial Void Sea can rapidly drain Primordial Spirit power and lifespan. A record from a three-hundred-year voyage warns that cultivators whose Primordial Spirits have not achieved sufficient success should not attempt to cross the Void Sea. 527

Position in the Cultivation System

Realm sequence	Classification
Golden Core → Nascent Soul → Spirit Transformation	The three Primordial Spirit tribulations
Return to Void → Body Integration → Tribulation Transcendence	The three steps to immortality; the first three of the Nine Steps of the Great Dao 523

Return to Void and Spirit Transformation are separated by an overwhelming gap. Upon entering Return to Void, cultivators may gain status as elders, receive private territory, establish spirit domains, and freely enter or leave the Spirit World within the Nine Questions Immortal Sect. 698