Six Realms of Dao Transformation

After Ge Xian successfully looted the corpse, he didn't immediately return home. He deliberately slowed his pace, silently waiting for something.

In fact, the entire populace of Qiantang County was also waiting.

The only difference was that Ge Xian possessed a little more strength than ordinary civilians, and now knew a bit more, naturally giving him one or two more options.

Of course, compared to the two sides locked in combat, he was no different from an ant.

And the dust settled sooner than expected.

Ge Xian sensed it first and looked towards the temple area. The next moment, the [Spirit Meat Song], which had been echoing for nearly an hour, suddenly stopped. Then, a voice, both ancient and young, filled with a sense of indulgence, resounded:

"Of the Myriad Laws Sect's Four Spirit Gods, the Gu-Eating is the most cunning. Fellow Daoist Lu is very much like a god, sly as a ghost. We chose the wrong person."

"Now it's a battle to the death. We shall bestow a great fortune upon County Magistrate Lu. This is the Flesh Desire Fire, the Spirit Thought Snake. If you cannot break through this tribulation, your Dharma body, which has already solidified its spirit embryo, will be given to us to feast upon..."

"If you break through, we shall all become Spirit Grain, allowing you to thoroughly stabilize the Mortal Transformation Realm, without worrying about the Vicious Habit acting up and your soul splitting apart, leading to death."

These words sounded lengthy, but were spoken in the blink of an eye.

As the last word fell, the area had already changed:

All the Eternal Life Cult evil cultivators simultaneously cast their spells, summoning clusters of bewitching flames. The remaining beggars, Corpse Herders, and all the zombies were caught off guard and used as nourishment. In an instant, they were burned clean, causing the flames to "boom" and surge to over ten zhang, engulfing Lu Hualong's Demonic Body.

Within this so-called Flesh Desire Fire, ten "demons" appeared, each with a Human-Headed Snake-Bodied form, slick and scarlet all over. These were the transformed evil cultivators.

They coiled around Lu Hualong, attempting to burrow into his body through his various apertures.

Ge Xian watched from afar, but quickly averted his gaze after a single glance.

That fire!

Those snakes!

They stirred the flesh and blood within him, and his desires, making him realize that if he looked any longer, he would surely suffer.

It was hard to imagine what level of contamination Lu Hualong, enveloped within, was facing. However, it was clear that he still held the upper hand.

This Demon County Magistrate didn't even bother to respond. He simply laughed maniacally, and a Gu-Eating Storm, far more intense than before, surged out. Wind and fire clashed, making it impossible to see clearly again.

About ten breaths later, thunder roared, and a Tiger Demon was seen laughing as it shot up into the sky, soaring into the clouds.

At the same time, this County Magistrate announced an unimaginable new benevolent policy to all the county's citizens:

"From today onwards, this county shall abolish the [Thigh-Cutting Order]. Taisui Grains will be replaced with ordinary rice. Households with a Young Child may receive an extra portion."

"This county shall not prohibit going out, not prohibit sending letters, and not prohibit sacrifices."

As soon as this new policy was announced, the city only endured for a moment before cheers erupted in every ward and alley.

Previously, when there were children in the house who fainted and "Taisui Gu Worms" crawled out of their bodies, everyone couldn't help but resent Lu Hualong, the Demon County Magistrate.

Now, not only have all grievances disappeared, but they have instead begun to praise Lu Hualong's benevolence.

For a time, Qiantang County was like a celebration, joyous and leaping.

Only Ge Xian, at this moment, could not laugh.

He stood in a dark alley, looking up at the vast shadow patrolling the clouds, chewing on the super-sensory feedback, and then murmured:

"So this is the Mortal Transformation Realm?"

"To completely shed the mortal coil, sever humanity, become Transcendent, and ascend to become a Spirit Monster."

"From today onwards, there will be no more human County Magistrate Lu Hualong, only a true Gu-Eating Spirit Monster."

"Was it worth it?"

As the last thought escaped, Ge Xian found it amusing himself.

Anyone could hear the unrestrained joy in Lu Hualong's laughter at this moment, and in his opinion, it was undoubtedly worth it.

Of course, for Ge Xian, there was also good news: he didn't have to run away anymore.

He had just arrived, and tonight he had luckily gained some benefits. He urgently needed a Peaceful Land to Develop and Grow. From the Old Dog Hong Buyi's own account, there was no more suitable place nearby than Qiantang County.

It was already very suitable before, and with Lu Hualong's announcement of new benevolent policies just now, it was an even more uniquely excellent place.

As for why Lu Hualong, who had completely "transformed," would do such a thing?

Now that he knew much Cultivation Knowledge and secrets, Ge Xian pondered for a moment, and a horrifying yet very reasonable guess immediately surfaced in his mind:

"Previously, Lu Hualong had the Thigh-Cutting Order and supplied Taisui Grains to satisfy his own Vicious Habits and cultivate Taisui Gu Worms."

"Now that he has completely transformed and is no longer human, but possesses transcendent power, I'm afraid he has already begun to raise all the County Residents as actual 'pigs'."

"He provides good food and drink, and is willing to ensure the County Residents have good moods..."

Ge Xian did not dwell on the subsequent thoughts.

At this moment, he didn't even feel much anger, he just glanced at it, then picked up his Carrying Pole and swayed towards home.

Along the way, he also slowly digested the Cultivation Knowledge and World Situation he had obtained from Hong Buyi.

Let's first talk about the current changes in the Dayuan Dynasty, the Political Landscape, and so on.

Ge Xian had already inquired about many things before, and from Hong Buyi, he had gained some higher-level Gossip.

Although the Dayuan Dynasty's territory is vast, it is actually divided into the [Four Great Khanates]. The rulers of these four khanates often have conflicts with the emperor of the main continent, and have long since stopped recognizing his authority, leading to continuous civil wars.

Furthermore, in the world of cultivation, the [Myriad Laws Sect] is indeed the most respected, but there are also many Dao lineages that can contend with it.

For instance, the Eternal Life Cult, the Bliss Gate, and others are suspected of having forces from beyond the realm backing them.

Or there are bloodline Holy Lands like the Dragon Nest, Dragon Palace, Qingqiu, Flower Fruit Mountain, and Yin Mountain.

Of course, the most crucial aspect is cultivation itself.

"So-called cultivation, for humanity, is the process of acquiring extraordinary powers through various means such as consumption, imitation, transplantation, interbreeding, deception... and so on."

"As a result, numerous Dao lineages and Dharma lineages have emerged, each distinct."

"However, over the long passage of time, a realm system recognized by all Dao lineages has gradually coalesced, collectively known as the Six Realms of Dao Transformation."

"Starting from the initial [Dao Entry Realm], there are five subsequent realms: Foundation Establishment, Mortal Transformation, Spirit Manifestation, Divine Manifestation, and Dao Integration."

"The Dao Entry Realm typically refers to the process of incorporating objects or flesh and blood containing extraordinary Dao Qi into the body and overcoming the rejection reaction. Only then can one enter the Dao... If one cannot overcome it, it is a certain death. In this world, countless individuals yearning for cultivation have died at this seemingly insignificant first hurdle."

"The Foundation Establishment Realm refers to the process of 'Dao Transformation' of the extraordinary power within the body. The skin sac, flesh and blood, internal organs, bone marrow, and so on, will all undergo Dao Transformation. This will enable the cultivator to begin wielding many powerful spells. However, the Dao Transformation process is fraught with countless dangers. A single failure in any part could turn a cultivator into a demon, beyond recovery, and with a higher probability, result in immediate death."

"The Mortal Transformation Realm is even more perilous. The Dao Transformed extraordinary power will integrate into every corner of the body, and the cultivator will shed their mortal coil and forge a spiritual fetus. At this stage, the temperament of most cultivators will undergo changes, giving rise to various uncontrollable [vicious habits]. In severe cases, they may simply suffer a split soul and heart, turning into a fiery demon, becoming a mad demon and wreaking havoc upon the world."

"As for the subsequent three realms, they are too high-level for a mere Beggar Sect cultivator like Hong Buyi to know, hence Ge Xian is also unaware of the specifics at this time."

As he processed this information, he also recalled the cultivators he had encountered so far.

"The Demon County Magistrate Lu Hualong, the Eternal Life Cult's evil cultivator, Hong Buyi, the Corpse Herder..."

Ge Xian muttered, then realized something.

His brow furrowed slightly, and his expression turned somewhat grim.

"Cultivators in this world!"

"It seems that regardless of whether they are high-level mainstream cultivators, those from the bottom layer, or even the more sinister ones... the ultimate outcome is to become non-human?"

"Or rather, the so-called Six Realms of Dao Transformation is fundamentally a process of transforming from human to non-human existence."

As he mumbled this, the corpse of Hong Buyi appeared in Ge Xian's mind.

He was human before he died, and even after death, he still had a human-like form. However, his head had elongated and twisted somewhat, resembling that of an old dog. His fingernails were thick and long, and his body hair was abundant. He had clearly already undergone Demonic Transformation.

Hong Buyi himself stated: He entered the Dao by cultivating the evil technique Primordial Chaos Art. However, the cultivation method was merely an aid. What truly allowed him to advance to the "Dao Entry Realm" was a piece of Demon Dog Flesh and Blood the size of a fingernail. The rejection reaction that night was extremely terrifying. If he hadn't managed to survive, he would have directly transformed into a Demon Mad Dog and been taken by other Beggar Sect cultivators to practice evil methods.

This, in turn, involves a major secret of the Beggar Sect: this bottom-layer Dao lineage has actually been supplying Demon Dogs for generations. All the peculiar martial arts, weapons, and treasures within the sect are related to the Demon Dog race.

"So, everything about the Beggar Sect's bottom-layer Dharma lineage was actually bestowed by the Demon Dogs."

"Even beings as powerful as [Lu Hualong], if you trace their origins, they all lead back to that Gu-Eating Spirit God. And further up the chain, there's the Myriad Laws Sect, which claims to have Myriad Gods."

"I imagine the Eternal Life Cult, which seems capable of rivaling the Myriad Laws Sect, is likely the same."

"If I step onto the Path of Cultivation, will I also inevitably end up becoming a non-human, a demon or monster?"

As these thoughts churned, Ge Xian found himself standing before his Own Courtyard.

The joy on his face, born from successfully looting corpses and his first taste of cultivation, had long since vanished completely.

After all, he was a soul from his past life on Earth, and the imprint of humanity was indelible.

He was willing to gain extraordinary power through cultivation.

Ascending to become an Immortal God, achieving Chángshēng and eternal sight, that would be even better.

But, becoming a demon or monster?

That was another matter entirely.

Especially since Ge Xian had carefully observed the example of "Lu Hualong." He had keenly sensed that after Dao Transformation, becoming a non-human existence wasn't just a physical change, but a complete metamorphosis deep within the soul.

It could even be said to be a change involving the very essence of one's bloodline and race.

"That County Magistrate Lu, he was originally human, born to parents, and grew up among humans."

"After cultivating, his body Dao Transformed into a Tiger Demon. Not only did he raise Ghoul servants by feeding on humans, but he also developed a vicious habit of eating human flesh... After his Cultivation advanced greatly and he completely transformed, he even rejoiced in treating tens of thousands of people in Qiantang County like pigs and dogs, beginning to herd them..."

"At this point, even if his parents were brought before him, their fate wouldn't be good. He's already in a state of 'not of my kind'."

"The Six Realms of Dao Transformation, just the Mortal Transformation stage is like this. What kind of terrifying spectacle will Spirit Unification, Manifestation, Dao Harmony be?"

"The Myriad Laws Sect is the mainstream in the Mortal World, the largest cultivation lineage, and it's already like this. Other lineages are likely even worse."

At this moment, Ge Xian had none of the initial joy he felt at the opportunity to cultivate. He felt as if he had been doused with bucket after bucket of ice water, a chilling cold penetrating to his very bones.