The gap between Immortality and Eternity was naturally enormous. If the power gained each second by the lowest-grade Immortal Dao Fruit amounted to one multiverse, then the power gained each second by the lowest-grade Eternal was at least equivalent to one Immortal.
In terms of power, the difference between Immortality and Eternity was simply that between a mote of dust and Primordial Chaos.
But in terms of essence, the most fundamental thing about Immortality and Eternity was the same. Only their scale and structure differed; the most fundamental substance composing their Dao Fruits was exactly identical.
Indeed, just as diamond was countless times tougher than carbon powder despite both being carbon, when traced back to their source, they remained the same thing.
This was the so-called equivalence of quality.
Back then, when Zhao Cheng's Matter Body breached the Heaven Gate, he altered, from the most fundamental level, the particles that made up his own material structure. That was what was called qualitative transformation.
Without that step, no matter how much one's power increased, no matter how enormous or sturdy one's Dharma body became, the difference between him and an ordinary person would still only be quantitative—not a true "qualitative transformation."
However, this was not what gave Taiyi the courage to challenge the Blood Saint.
Before the Matter Body breached the Heaven Gate, Zhao Cheng truly had no essential difference from ordinary people, yet slaughtering boundless living beings with a single sword was as easy to him as eating and drinking.
Both were rivers. A small stream was a river, and so was the Milky Way.
Taiyi dared to challenge the Blood Saint partly because he had seen the Blood Saint get beaten badly and flee in utter disarray. Of his strength, perhaps not even half remained.
Beyond that, he also