Matter, Energy, Spirit, Space

Thousands of beams of clear light poured in, as if the Gu Jinlai had been immersed in the process of painstakingly refining the core of the Great Sun over thousands of years.

Little by little, drop by drop, it continuously absorbs the elemental dust wandering in the vast universe, enriching itself and increasing its control over the core of the Great Sun, making the internal structure of the Great Sun core more stable.

A stable structure can hold more material elements.

More material elements can fuse to produce more energy.

The process is simple, much like an ordinary person building a ship bigger and bigger, but the numerous problems that need to be overcome are difficult to measure in words.

Even if the material remains the same, they are both wooden boats.

The craftsmanship involved in a wooden boat with a diameter of one meter and a wooden boat with a diameter of ten thousand meters are worlds apart.

This series of changes has been the core of the Great Sun Gu Jinlai.

A long time...

Gu Jinlai have achieved a new level of control over the core of the Great Sun within the body.

The Great Sun Eternal Dharma: Perfection Level 1 → Perfection Level 2.

"Quantity, quality..."

From Gu Jinlai, they have murmured to themselves.

He stepped out of his cultivation room, took a single step, and his figure rose into the sky against the wind.

10,000 meters, 30,000 meters, 100,000 meters, 300,000 meters...

As he reached a sufficient altitude, the air gradually thinned and the temperature dropped.

When he finally broke out of the atmosphere, he could clearly feel the brilliant sun overhead and all kinds of energy rays from the universe penetrating his body, which he quickly transformed using the Great Sun Eternal Law.

The Great Sun Core, which already exuded terrifying energy within its body, surged at a visible speed, doubling in size once again.

During this ascent, the volume of the Gu Jinlai also increased rapidly, reaching the explosive form of the Eternal Furnace and the Chaotic Star Body when they were perfected—490 meters in the blink of an eye.

Once he reached this size, he didn't feel any difficulty and grew rapidly again, reaching 660 meters.

But this is still not his limit.

As his size continued to increase, in the blink of an eye, he had already reached an astonishing 990 meters.

This was clearly the limit he could reach before he switched to the Great Sun Eternal Dharma.

"The immortal bodies of immortal lords can usually only condense to eight hundred to nine hundred meters. Those who possess a nine hundred and ninety-meter immortal body are, without exception, special beings who know that there is no hope for the future and choose to build a cave heaven that spans thousands of miles... But even for such immortal lords, a nine hundred and ninety-meter immortal body is a burst of power when fighting to the death to determine the winner. It is difficult to sustain. Under normal circumstances, they can only maintain a size of about six hundred meters at most."

From Gu Jinlai, they have murmured to themselves.

And he, 990 meters!

Surprisingly, I didn't feel much of a burden.

In other words, he can maintain the same level of performance he had when he was at 490 meters, and continue to maintain the same level of performance he had at 990 meters.

The next moment, Gu Jinlai size expanded again, breaking through the one-kilometer barrier.

1100 meters, 1200 meters, 1300 meters...

His immortal body grew to a height of 1,300 meters before finally stopping its growth.

"This is my burst form."

A large physique can limit a cultivator's speed.

But...

However, it allows cultivators to release their energy without any obstruction.

Like a warship, if it is small, it is agile in movement, but its firepower and defense are destined to be weak.

While a large warship cannot match the agility of a small warship, the weapon platforms and defense systems it can carry will ultimately produce an output effect far exceeding that of a small warship.

Just like in Gu Jinlai, a single breath could condense a beam of divine fire with a diameter of 100 meters.

Now, with the same breath, and with the same condensation of the Divine Light of Departing Fire, the diameter of the Divine Light of Departing Fire has reached three hundred meters.

The lethality and range of damage have increased by far more than a tiny bit.

"Next, the ultimate form..."

Gu Jinlai the Great Sun Core within his body operated at its peak, countless energies and intense light were released from it. The light even pierced through his body, shooting out from the gaps in his skin. From afar, he seemed to have transformed into a true blazing sun.

Endless radiance enveloped his body, making him almost devoid of a normal material form, or even an energy form.

He looked like a giant of light.

However, this giant of light was so large that it was nearly two thousand meters tall.

Especially since he was currently above the atmosphere, the people in the Chen Domain looked up and it seemed as if a second sun had truly appeared in the sky, so intense that it was difficult to look directly at it.

This scene, resembling two suns in the same sky, immediately attracted the attention of Liu Feiyun, Duanmu Chengyun, Su Xin, Zhang Tianye, and others in the Chen Domain.

Gazing at the blazing, infinitely powerful sun in the sky, Duanmu Chengyun's eyes widened. "This... what terrifying power is this!?"

Not to mention him, even Zhang Tianye, a peak True Immortal, was deeply shocked.

In his eyes, at this Gu Jinlai seemed no longer to be a mortal, but to have transformed into a true blazing flame, possessing boundless divine power, even if only a tenth of it...

No!

With just one percent, it would be easy to turn this peak True Immortal into ashes.

"The Ancient Immortal Lord... just how strong is he!?"

Not just them.

The commotion caused by Gu Jinlai's flight into the void and unleashing his full power was far more than just alarming the people of Chenyu.

Several celestial beings in the Immortal Kingdom, including Zhao Xi who had already completed the refinement of the Transformation Spirit Heavenly Dao, also looked up in astonishment, gazing towards the direction of the Chen Domain.

"That's... the aura of the Ancient Immortal Lord!? He's gotten stronger again!?"

Zhao Xi was initially surprised, but then genuinely pleased with his achievement. "Great! Great! That's wonderful!"

"Where did this ancient immortal lord come from, this monster?!"

The Celestial Master of the Purple Light took a deep breath.

Originally, he was the second strongest person in the Immortal Kingdom, and even in the entire Realm of Immortality, second only to Zhao Xi. However, when he learned that Gu Jinlai had killed the Xuanling Dao Master, he had already lost his position as the second strongest person in the Realm of Immortality. And now, he was feeling Gu Jinlai, who had already flown into the sky and was standing shoulder to shoulder with the sun...

He felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

However, the Western Heaven Spirit Jade Immortal Master, who had fought alongside Gu Jinlai, looked on with a hint of admiration. "Is this the might of an innate deity? It is truly unparalleled throughout history and beyond comprehension."

No one, Gu Jinlai, knows the shock that his ultimate form brought to the entire world of immortality.

At this moment, he transformed into a two-thousand-meter giant...

To be precise, this giant, who was over 1,900 meters tall, clearly felt that the whole world had become smaller in front of him.

He didn't even need to use any Divine Ability or launch any attacks; he could simply fly over a city...

Even just wading through a city can turn it into ruins.

Furthermore, his enormous size seems to have given his internal electromagnetic field more room to maneuver, and the gravitational pull between himself and the stars, as well as the nuclear forces between matter, have all undergone new changes.

However, such changes are not yet obvious, and a true transformation has not yet occurred.

"The reason why it hasn't undergone a transformation... is it because the part of the Great Sun Eternal Law belonging to the chaotic astral body can't keep up? Or is it because my understanding of the stars is somewhat lacking?"

Gu Jinlai have pondered this.

However, after a moment, he turned his attention back to his current state.

Maintaining his nearly two-thousand-meter-tall "giant of light" form, he was constantly consuming terrifying amounts of energy.

In that brief moment, even the powerful Sun Core, which had undergone double stabilization reinforcement, felt overwhelmed and began to vibrate slightly.

"How can such a short time be used for combat?"

Gu Jinlai, people have kept their forms restrained. "This form seems to have no meaning other than frightening people."

At best, it's a moving natural disaster.

Soon, he descended to a height of 1,300 meters.

This size...

"Xuanxian?"

Gu Jinlai.

When the Immortal Lord incorporates the entire grotto-heaven and the Heavenly Dao into his body, he reaches the realm of the Profound Immortal.

For a primordial deity who relies on their own strength and does not need to entrust their power to a celestial realm, when they possess combat power that is no less than that of a Celestial Lord, they have actually entered the realm of the Mysterious Immortal.

Right now, with his explosive form reaching 1,300 meters in size, he is not only stronger than the Immortal Lord, but he has probably left those newly promoted Profound Immortals far behind.

"That's not entirely true. Compared to Immortal Lords, Xuanxian have a major difference in their mental and spiritual realm. Only with a strong mental and spiritual realm can they easily refine the cave heaven and the Heavenly Dao into their bodies. Similarly, with a strong mental and spiritual realm, they can better control and utilize their own power. This advantage is something that the Great Sun Eternal Law cannot match by relying on its 'stability' characteristic."

There's a saying that Gu Jinlai.

Given the same size and strength, wild beasts cannot defeat humans.

Just like how, at the same level, innate divine beasts and innate saints are not as good as true immortals and celestial immortals.

The former is the distinction between wisdom and non-wisdom.

The latter is the difference between one's mental state and one's own talent.

"The realm of mind and spirit!"

From Gu Jinlai, they have murmured to themselves.

This kind of thing has no effect on low-level cultivators.

Only Celestial Person would encounter this power for the first time.

Gu Jinlai, the path of the Celestial Master has been followed. This path itself places great emphasis on cultivating the power of the soul. Especially after the True Spirit is condensed, through the observation of the "true spirit world," one can directly perceive the origin of many powers.

In other words, they can almost directly see how the Heavenly Dao operates.

This ability is much more useful than the earlier mental state realm.

But...

The Heavenly Emperor has no way out.

The Great Heavenly Lord stage is the limit of the Celestial Master path. The creators above that are actually tools formed by the power emanating from that terrifying being hidden deep in the true spirit world.

Or perhaps they are the monsters spoken of by Demonic Spirit or cultivators.

He wanted to keep going...

Disaster.

"Refining essence into qi and Qi Refining Spirit Transformation are two processes. Before reaching the True Immortal realm, cultivators cannot completely get rid of their physical bodies. Under certain circumstances, the characteristics of refining essence into qi still remain. Only after reaching the True Immortal realm, when a cultivator's body is completely forged from the five elements of heaven and earth, can the refining of essence into qi be perfected. From now on, we only need to Qi Refining."

Gu Jinlai wondered, "Is it possible that once cultivators reach the Spirit Refining and Returning to Emptiness realm, they no longer need to accumulate energy, or that they have glimpsed the mysteries of energy transformation and can easily obtain unlimited energy, leaving only mental power as a constraint on their strength?"

At this thought, he suddenly realized his current state.

Unlimited energy!?

Doesn't the Great Sun Eternal Law, under certain circumstances, possess the characteristic of infinite energy?

"No, the Great Sun Eternal Law can only allow my energy to grow infinitely, it doesn't mean I've grasped the secrets of energy transformation and possess infinite energy..."

This speculation was quickly denied by Gu Jinlai.

After all, the Great Sun Eternal Law is just a gold-level skill.

But...

That guess just now gave him a vague glimpse into the ultimate direction of the path of cultivation.

After infinite energy comes infinite mind and will.

The spirit is immortal!

The will is eternal!

Eternally brilliant and immortal!

And then...

The "emptiness" in "Spirit Refining and returning to emptiness"...

Void!?

Is it space?

Infinite space?

"Matter, energy, spirit, space..."

Gu Jinlai I have never used the Qingguang technique, flashes of inspiration still appear in my mind.

After these four pillars, there is a final step: refining the void and uniting with the Dao.

Road!

The infinite Dao!?

No!

The concept of the Infinite Path is inaccurate.

In harmony with the Dao!

It is about merging with the Dao, not practicing the Dao, nor transforming into the Dao.

It is in harmony with the Tao!

This concept should be...

Origin!

Tracing back to the origin of all great principles, ultimately returning to the ultimate, retracing the origin, and uniting with the source from which all causes, all paths, and all effects are derived.

As the thought arose, my mind became somewhat dazed, as if from Gu Jinlai.

But this daze lasted only a moment before he quickly shook it off.

"For a cultivator like me, who should only be considered to be on the path of 'Qi Refining Spirit Transformation,' to be thinking about Spirit Refining into emptiness and refining emptiness into the Dao is a bit too ambitious."

They quickly regained their composure, Gu Jinlai.

However, those thoughts just now led him to a guess.

A speculation about the Celestial Master system and the beings hidden in the spirit world.

"The cultivation of ordinary beings progresses step by step through the stages of refining essence into qi, Qi Refining Spirit Transformation into spirit, and Spirit Refining into emptiness. Could the spirit realm... or rather, the special existence of spirit beings, begin by Spirit Transformation into Qi Refining? No, they don't need qi, they don't need energy. Only the Creator needs to use energy methods to manifest in the world to demonstrate their existence! True spirit beings..."

Brilliant ideas have sprung up in my mind Gu Jinlai.

Spirit Refining and return to emptiness!

The true spiritual beings begin their cultivation directly from Spirit Refining to returning to emptiness!

They devour countless 'spirits' to strengthen their own 'gods' and nurture endless 'emptiness', step by step...

Tracing back to the origin of the 'Tao'!

Gu Jinlai, people have bowed their heads, quietly watching the stars and the flowing energy beneath their feet.

His eyes held an uncontainable horror.

His True Spirit immediately entered the real spirit world, searching for something.

"Empty!"

From Gu Jinlai present, we speak to ourselves.

At this moment, he finally understood why the creator of that time, and the Wushi True Person who sacrificed himself for the cause, could never find the location of that terrifying being hidden in the deepest part of the spirit world, no matter how hard they searched.

Because they overlooked the most crucial point: the other party's life form was on a completely different level from theirs.

Just as mortals can never find a fully energized life form.

The other party could be the wind, the rain, the sunshine, the earth, or the sky. How can the flesh and blood of human beings, with their inherent consciousness, "see" their existence?

Take true immortals as an example.

They are entirely quantifiable, with no fixed form, and they can come together or disperse at will.

The reason they still maintain their human form is simply because it was a habit they had when they were cultivators.

If a true immortal doesn't consciously condense their physical form, they are simply a thunderstorm, a hurricane, a blaze of fire...

The same applies to the terrifying being hidden in the spirit world.

Without perceiving the power of the "illusion," he will never find its existence.

If they don't even have the right to see Him, then they can forget about how to expel Him, defeat Him, and save the world of immortals.

Gu Jinlai, people have exhaled a long breath.

He looked up at the vast and boundless universe above him. "The secrets contained in this world are as numerous as the stars and galaxies in the universe. The more you know, the more you can feel the vastness and grandeur of the world, and thus develop awe for the universe... Cultivators defy the heavens and contend with the heavens, but even if they are as powerful as celestial immortals or profound immortals, what are they in the vast and boundless universe? Thousands of years? A lifespan of a few thousand years is as insignificant as a drop in the ocean compared to the lifespan of a star, which is often tens of billions of years."

A mortal's lifespan is less than a billion breaths.

In other words, within the span of a single breath of a star, countless immortal beings have experienced birth, aging, sickness, and death.

How enormous is this difference in scale?

Compared to such a world, a universe...

While feeling awe Gu Jinlai, I can't help but feel a sense of excitement.

The thought that he might have the chance to explore such a universe with a long history and observe its evolution Gu Jinlai given me a slight, uncontrollable tremor.

"Refining essence, Qi Refining, Spirit Refining, returning to emptiness... these correspond to matter, energy, spirit, and space, respectively. We have now completed the refining essence stage and are probably still in the Qi Refining stage... which is the energy evolution stage. The standard for mastering this stage is to understand the mysteries of energy and be able to control infinite energy through the transformation of matter. However, the four stages are not completely parallel; they are interdependent and complementary..."

Gu Jinlai, people have realized that their understanding of "cultivation" has been somewhat presumptuous.

Simply focusing on mastering the Great Sun Eternal Law could indeed grant him formidable combat power in the short term, but...

It's like working a job.

No matter how hard you work, no matter how much effort you put into your work, you will never get rich or achieve upward social mobility.

While working, one must make progress in other areas, quietly accumulate experience, and wait for the fortuitous opportunity. When that fortuitous opportunity comes, one may be able to completely transform and step into a new stage.

"Other aspects..."

Gu Jinlai first glanced at the Great Sun Eternal Law: "Energy."

Immediately afterwards, he thought of the Eighteen Heavens Mind Cultivation Method that Zhao Xi had given him.

"Spirit."

Then he turned his attention to the "Three Realms" Cultivation Method.

This Cultivation Method is golden with a hint of orange, but it has not completely transformed into orange.

Gu Jinlai, it was thought to be due to spiritual magic, but now it's discovered...

He's still far from being able to completely transform this Cultivation Method into orange, or rather, to evolve it into a true spirit world life form.

It is estimated that if he truly completes his cultivation of the "Three Realms" in the future, transforms into a spirit life in his own miniature spirit world, and then integrates the miniature spirit world he created into the real spirit world, it will leave behind huge hidden dangers.

"Space."

This Gu Jinlai.

Since the ultimate existence in the true spirit world represents concepts such as "space" and "world".

And He has clearly set his sights on the real spirit world, and even wants to devour it.

So, if he really merges his miniature spirit world into the real spirit world, wouldn't it be like a lamb being led into the tiger's den, packaging himself up, sprinkling him with cumin, and sending him into the other's mouth as an appetizer before the other devours the spirit world?

Thinking of this, Gu Jinlai completely abandoned the idea of immediately elevating the "Three Realms" to perfection after Qingguang's arrival.

He glanced at the Great Sun Eternal Law: "Working is easy and stress-free, but you can't keep doing it forever. Fortunately, the path of cultivation isn't completely blocked. Since Qi Refining Spirit Transformation Spirit Transformation are placed together, it already indicates something. Plus, the next major realm is Spirit Refining and Returning to Emptiness..."

He already has ideas on how to break free from the misconception of "working for someone else your whole life".

"However, the end of the universe is the system, and for now, the Great Sun Eternal Law is still my best choice."

Gu Jinlai, he descended into the Chen Domain like a meteorite, carrying light and flames.

As he landed, a series of figures rushed towards him.

Zhang Tianye, Liu Feiyun, Duanmu Chengyun, Su Xin, and others were among them.

"Congratulations, Palace Master, your cultivation has greatly improved and your Divine Ability have reached a high level."

Everyone offered their congratulations at the same time.

"Something has been gained occasionally."

Gu Jinlai.

The enhancement of the Great Sun Eternal Law, along with the series of insights he gained above the atmosphere, made him even more eager to obtain the Clear Light.

Life is finite, but knowledge is infinite.

Those ancestors often lamented that their lifespan was too short and their time too limited to use their entire lives to glimpse all the mysteries of the infinite universe.

But he...

As long as there is clear light, a thousand paths are equivalent to ten thousand years of enlightenment!

Ten thousand paths are equivalent to one hundred thousand years!

If he continues to accumulate knowledge, one day his knowledge will surpass that of ancient life forms that have lived for billions of years, like stars.

Thinking of this, he quickly gave the order, "The situation in Chenyu has stabilized. Next, continue to sweep through the other captive areas. Many of our human people are suffering under the persecution of Demonic Beasts. We must rescue them as quickly as possible."

"Yes."

Liu Feiyun, Zhang Tianye, Duanmu Chengyun, and others responded in unison.

Zhang Tianye added, "Immortal Master Zhao Xi has emerged from seclusion and, with the help of the Transformation of the Heavenly Dao, has completely crushed the Demonic Beasts of the Blood Swamp Demon Abyss. The True Immortals and Void Immortals of the Blood Swamp Demon Abyss are now able to free up their hands to restore other areas. At that time, our speed will definitely be much faster."

"Good."

Gu Jinlai nodded. "After the lost territory is recovered, those who once colluded with Demonic Beasts in the captive land, lorded it over the people, and aided and abetted the wicked, will all be eliminated. I will personally go there and clean them up one by one."

"It shall naturally be handed over to the Ancient Immortal Lord for judgment!"

Zhang Tianye immediately said, "Only the judgment of the Ancient Immortal Master can ensure fairness and impartiality, and make everyone convinced!"

Gu Jinlai at him.

The immortal kingdom clearly knew something.

However, given their Gu Jinlai level of cultivation and strength, it wouldn't matter if they knew something.

He nodded and said, "Let's go to the next location."

A sense of déjà vu.