The avatars he created by splitting his Imperishable Primordial Spirit were like Three Corpse Dao Bodies. They could comprehend the Dao and cultivate on their own, raising their cultivation and realm independently.
Of course, creating those avatars would lower his own cultivation and realm. The more he split off, the further they would fall, and his efficiency in comprehending the Dao and cultivating would decline as well.
Taken together, all his avatars would still be less efficient at comprehending the Dao and cultivating than he was when whole. The more he divided himself, the lower their combined efficiency would become.
The more he divided himself, the easier it would be for someone to destroy a portion of his Imperishable Primordial Spirit. Even losing one portion would certainly leave him with a Dao Injury.
Thus, no Hunyuan Great Firmament Golden Immortal would casually create a multitude of avatars unless necessary.
As Yuan Yan grasped the mysteries of the Hunyuan Great Firmament Golden Immortal Realm and realized he could create so many avatars, he discovered something else: he could once again sever his Three Corpse Dao Bodies.
At first, Yuan Yan was delighted! With three more Dao Bodies to aid his cultivation, his progress would surely outstrip that of the sages, keeping him far ahead.
But after a moment's deduction, the result disappointed him. He could sever his Three Corpse Dao Bodies again, but doing so would be of little use—hardly worth the effort, yet a shame to pass up.
Why?
Even after attaining the Dao, he could not entrust his thoughts of good, evil, and obsession to Innate Supreme Treasures. An Innate Supreme Treasure was like a Hunyuan Great Firmament Golden Immortal without self-awareness: its Primordial Imperishable Divine Light, Primordial Great Dao, and Primordial Origin formed a seamless whole. It offered