"It was all because of the mysterious Chaotic Body Origin."
"It was all because of the mysterious Chaotic Body Origin."
"I had already refined the Chaotic Body Wang Bo's origin. The instant I regained consciousness, I resonated with this world."
"That was how I learned you were the Demon Venerable!"
"Thank you for freeing me from the clutches of the Dark Strangeness."
"Otherwise, I might truly have died."
Boundless Heavenly Venerable had grown remarkably young, taking the appearance of a man in his twenties.
A peaceful expression settled over his face. Gone was the eerie look he had worn moments ago.
Li Ming nodded, accepting his thanks.
He smiled. "Legend says Boundless Heavenly Venerable killed a Chaotic Body at the Eighth Heaven Quasi-Emperor level, but won at terrible cost. His foundation of the Dao was damaged, and he died in his second lifetime."
"Now it seems those rumors were far from the truth..."
Boundless Heavenly Venerable nodded. "People are foolish. They pass falsehoods along until everyone believes them."
"That Chaotic Body was formidable, but to say he killed me? That gives him far too much credit."
"It's a long story. Let's take our time."
With a wave of his hand, Boundless Heavenly Venerable conjured a tea table and cushions.
They sat facing each other, savoring the divine nectar of the True Dragon Elixir.
Chaos qi permeated the place. Above them, the Thunder Sea surged like layer upon layer of Heavenly Tribulation, a sight that inspired awe.
Li Ming looked at Boundless Heavenly Venerable. "So you weren't mortally wounded, as the legends claim. You hid here to live a new lifetime!"
Boundless Heavenly Venerable nodded. "After I killed the Chaotic Body, I refined his body into the Big Dipper Grand Formation. But before that, I had already extracted all his Chaos Origin."
"I claimed to be dead so I could transform in peace within this Chaotic Dragon Nest."
"I stumbled upon this nest by chance. I didn't expect you to find it too."
"I used the nest to conceal myself from heaven's scrutiny, hoping to defy fate and become a Chaotic Body."
"But I never imagined the Chaotic Body truly was Heaven's favored child. After I devoured the Chaos Origin, heavenly punishment struck me. I nearly perished, body and Dao alike, and my transformation almost failed."
"A mere Chaotic Body—someone I had already defeated—and he still had such a mysterious trick in reserve."
Li Ming laughed. "A mere Chaotic Body? He was only at the Eighth Heaven Quasi-Emperor level, yet he fought you to a standstill. And you say he wasn't formidable?"
"I'm a Chaotic Body too. How good do you think your chances are against me?" Li Ming asked with a smile.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable studied him, then shook his head. "I'm no match for you."
"You're different from him."
"We cultivators strive for one thing: immortality."
"This is an Ascension Land rarely seen in ten thousand ages—a place where myriad dragons rise to the heavens, where True Dragons attain Nirvana."
"This place must have come from the Immortal Domain. True Dragons surely could have been born there!"
"Do you know why I held the Chaotic Body in such little regard?" Boundless Heavenly Venerable asked. "I saw the remains of a True Dragon here. I suspect it was an Immortal King."
"Unfortunately, every trace of Divine Substance had long since vanished from those remains."
"I watched those Immortal King remains undergo Nirvana and give birth to the True Dragon Elixir."
"That elixir bore Immortal Dao Laws."
"I failed to become a Chaotic Body, but I found a way to live a new lifetime by becoming a True Dragon."
"I refined what remained of the True Dragon's corpse into my body."
"Though its Divine Substance was gone, the Immortal Dao Runes within benefited me immensely."
"I intended to use those dragon bones as my foundation and attain a True Immortal Dao Fruit."
Boundless Heavenly Venerable's aura suddenly surged. A faint dragon's majesty radiated from him.
But his words seemed to anger some hidden force of heaven. Thunder churned above, and Nine-Colored Divine Thunder threatened to descend.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable shot into the air. With a deafening boom, he shattered the Nine-Colored Divine Thunder.
The Myriad Dao of Heaven and Earth roared. In a blur, a dragon's shadow flew out and grappled with the spectral Immortal Spirits within the lightning.
Mysterious draconic majesty poured from him. The terrifying thunder could not harm him in the slightest.
Instead, it became a brilliant rain of light that streamed into his body or swirled around him.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable looked every inch a divine dragon descended to earth!
He had truly become a True Dragon!
And he intended to become a True Immortal in a True Dragon's body!
Though Li Ming had suspected as much, he was still startled.
The Heavenly Venerables of this age could not be underestimated—least of all Boundless Heavenly Venerable.
No wonder, countless years later, Netherworld Emperor Duan De still muttered "Boundless Heavenly Venerable" whenever trouble arose.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable must have left a profound impression on him.
Li Ming watched Boundless Heavenly Venerable intently.
Just as he had guessed, Boundless Heavenly Venerable was no longer wholly human.
Alongside his own origin, his body held the Chaotic Body Origin and traces of True Dragon blood.
That bloodline must have come from the True Dragon remains he had refined.
According to him, all the Divine Substance in the Immortal King True Dragon's remains had undergone Nirvana and become the True Dragon Elixir.
He had refined the dragon bones into his body—bones stripped of Divine Substance, with only a few Immortal Dao Runes left.
The Chaotic Dragon Nest, the mysterious True Dragon Nirvana Land, a birthplace of divine dragons, and the Chaotic Body Origin as a foundation of the Dao: together, they had truly allowed Boundless Heavenly Venerable to live a new lifetime.
If his deductions were sound, he might indeed forge a True Dragon Path.
He might become a True Dragon on the level of a True Immortal and Immortal Spirit.
"So the Dark Strangeness was what nearly made you fail?" Li Ming said.
No wonder some parts of the Myriad Dragon Nest looked as though they had seen fierce battle. Even some Dragon Wood had been smashed apart.
An earth-shaking battle truly had taken place here.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable descended slowly from the Thunder Sea and drew in his mysterious draconic majesty.
"Yes. I almost failed at the final step!"
"I never expected Dark Strange Substance to remain in the dragon bones," Boundless Heavenly Venerable said angrily.
"If not for it, I might have completed my transformation long ago!"
He suddenly pointed toward the Chaos Thunder Sea above.
"Do you know there's still a mass of Strange Substance sealed inside that Thunder Sea?"
Following his gesture, Li Ming spotted a mass of black light suspended among the thunder.
Weird. Ominous.
Li Ming had read the Shrouding the Heavens Trilogy. He knew how terrifyingly contagious that Strange Substance was.
The Strange Race was the source of the destruction that threatened the Myriad Heavens and Worlds and Heaven itself.
They held grand sacrifices of entire worlds, destroying countless eras and countless lives.
They treated every living being as an offering.
The Shrouding the Heavens universe seemed vast beyond measure, but it was only a tiny Lower Realm among the Myriad Heavens and Worlds.
It did not amount to a single drop in the ocean.
Both the Perfect Era and the Sacred Ruins Era had shown how terrifying the Dark Strangeness was.
The original Shrouding the Heavens text had barely described it.
Yet certain clues suggested Emperor Zun had fallen victim to its schemes.
It had not been stated outright, but the hints were there.
With Boundless Heavenly Venerable's guidance, Li Ming fixed his gaze on that ink-black mass of light in the void.
Layers of Nine-Colored Immortal Dao Divine Thunder surrounded and trapped it.
Li Ming had not expected another mass of Strange Substance to split off, beyond the one that had corrupted Lingbao Tianzun.
One infected ten, and ten infected a hundred. This thing was truly terrifying.
Trapped in the sea of Nine-Colored Divine Thunder and worn down by Immortal Dao Runes, it grew weaker and weaker. Another few hundred thousand or million years might erase it completely.
Yet the Strange Substance still struggled without cease.
Its aura of weirdness, ill omen, decay, and death made Li Ming's hair stand on end.
No wonder something had felt subtly wrong when he entered.
"I was at the most critical moment when the Strange Substance hidden in the True Dragon's remains ambushed me," Boundless Heavenly Venerable said.
"It tried to corrupt my body and Primordial Spirit and seize my foundation of the Dao."
"It wanted to devour my Primordial Spirit and control me."
Even for Li Ming, this first encounter with the Dark Strangeness was deeply unsettling.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable had possessed luck that defied the heavens. He had slain the Chaotic Body and seized its Chaos Origin.
He had found this mysterious place where True Dragons transformed.
He had witnessed the birth of the True Dragon Elixir.
Within the Chaotic Dragon Nest, he had refined the Chaotic Body, hoping to live a new lifetime.
He had refined the bones of a True Dragon Immortal King.
He had neither entered the Road to Immortality nor cut away his own cultivation.
Like a gambler staking everything, he had sought Mortal-World Ascension.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable had glimpsed success. If he could cross that final threshold, he could undergo Nirvana and be reborn as a True Dragon.
He could become an unprecedented True Immortal-level True Dragon and work an unimaginable miracle.
When the Road to Immortality opened in Emperor Zun's era, he might even have entered the Immortal Domain and reached a higher realm.
He might even have become a true Dragon Race Immortal King there.
Unfortunately, Dark Strange Substance had been lurking in the Dragon Clan Corpse Sea, waiting to snare him.
That True Dragon must have died a terrible death.
Its remains had surely been purified countless times after its death, yet Dark Strangeness still lay hidden within.
"That Strange thing wanted to replace me, sacrifice the entire universe, and devour every living being in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands," Boundless Heavenly Venerable said. "How could I let it succeed?"
"I refused its temptations. Even at the cost of my life and Dao, I fought it."
"I was even prepared to die with it!"
According to Boundless Heavenly Venerable, the Dark Strangeness had utterly destroyed his original body.
Only his Primordial Spirit remained, struggling in the Thunder Sea.
Only then did Li Ming learn that Boundless Heavenly Venerable's body had never been in the coffin.
The coffin held the True Dragon's remains.
It had never been revived. Instead, it had undergone Nirvana and become the True Dragon Elixir.
Li Ming had not expected Boundless Heavenly Venerable to be strong enough to fight the Strange Substance to a standstill.
They had nearly destroyed each other, but he had stopped the Strange being from seizing his body and carrying out its plan to destroy heaven and earth.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable had spent tens of thousands of years at the point where the lamp had run out of oil, yet miraculously survived. In a way, disaster had become a blessing.
A Dark Supreme had to cut away his own cultivation, but Boundless Heavenly Venerable had walked the edge of life and death. That was likely one reason he lived a new lifetime the moment the Dark Strangeness was expelled.
For anyone else, escaping after possession by a Strange being would have been nearly impossible.
Only by channeling the Bronze Mirror's mysterious power into the Heavenly Demonic Saber had Li Ming been able to kill the Dark Strangeness with one slash.
"Mortal-World Ascension isn't so simple," Li Ming said. "Now that you've transformed and entered your Third Lifetime, you must have realized that."
"Each transformation makes you stronger and greatly extends your lifespan. But you must also feel how far you remain from immortality."
"You can't reach heaven in a single step. Becoming immortal in the mortal world is all but impossible that way."
"Only by building up your foundation step by step might you truly achieve Mortal-World Ascension."
Li Ming was not yet a Red Dust Immortal, but he had read the trilogy. He knew the orthodox path required Nine-Life Transformation.
Desolate Heavenly Emperor, Ye Fan, Emperor Zun, Netherworld Venerable, Ruthless Great Emperor, Beginningless Emperor, and Undying Heavenly Emperor had all endured the tempering of time.
They had struggled through transformation after transformation, lifetime after lifetime.
Defying heaven, they lived to a ninth lifetime and finally became Red Dust Immortals.
Netherworld Emperor Duan De had taken the longest.
From the beginning of the Age of Mythology through the Primordial Era, Desolate Ancient Era, and Post-Desolate Ancient Era, he had finally united his nine Reincarnation Seals and become a Red Dust Immortal.
The Chaotic Dragon Nest within the Myriad Dragon Nest did still hold Immortal Dao Runes and traces of an immortal aura.
But relying on those alone to achieve Mortal-World Ascension was clearly not enough.
"You're right. I have felt that difference," Boundless Heavenly Venerable said. "The stronger I become, the more keenly I feel how distant True Immortality is."
"I can't cross that gap in one step!"
Having lived a new lifetime, Boundless Heavenly Venerable had clearly undergone an elevation of both soul and body.
He now understood Mortal-World Ascension more deeply.
To thank Li Ming, he turned his insights into a streak of light and sent it to him.
Sensing no danger, Li Ming accepted the information.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable had given him the Boundless Heavenly Art and his own Nine Secret Techniques art, Nine Secrets: Dou.
Li Ming was startled.
He had thought Boundless Heavenly Venerable might have created Nine Secrets: Lin or Nine Secret: Bing. He had never imagined he had created Nine Secrets: Dou.
Many readers of the original Shrouding the Heavens had believed that a mighty figure named Primordial Heavenly Venerable must have existed in the Age of Mythology—an earlier identity of Emperor Zun.
They believed Primordial Heavenly Venerable had created Nine Secrets: Dou.
Emperor Zun, they thought, had created not only Nine Secrets: Dou but also Nine Secrets: Jie.
Yet Li Ming now discovered, to his astonishment, that Boundless Heavenly Venerable had created Nine Secrets: Dou.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable had passed on the complete account of how he created it.
He truly was grateful to Li Ming.
"No words can repay a debt this great!"
"This little gift is hardly worthy of you!"
Li Ming discovered that Boundless Heavenly Venerable had given him more than cultivation methods and secret arts. He had also given Li Ming his insights into transforming into a True Dragon, the Immortal Dao Runes he had comprehended, and how he had lived a Third Lifetime.
It was an astonishing treasure.
Though Li Ming had lived a new lifetime by transforming into a perfect Chaotic Body, Boundless Heavenly Venerable's gift was weighty indeed!
Li Ming sighed. "Thank you for your generous gift, Boundless Heavenly Venerable!"
"To think a supreme secret art like Nine Secrets: Dou was created by you!"
Boundless Heavenly Venerable burst out laughing.
"We cultivators spend our lives fighting heaven, earth, and Supremes. As long as we live, we fight!"
"With Nine Secrets: Dou, I am invincible!"
"From one, it manifests countless forms, turning the rotten into the miraculous!"
"Once you grasp its deeper meaning, you'll understand where the essence of Nine Secrets: Dou lies."
Boundless Heavenly Venerable began demonstrating Nine Secrets: Dou, displaying this supreme Forbidden Secret Art.
The Forbidden Secret Art Li Ming had created was no weaker than Boundless Heavenly Venerable's. Still, a stone from another mountain could polish jade; there was always value in learning from others' strengths.
The Nine Secret Techniques were renowned. Even in Ye Fan's era, Nine Secrets: Dou was still hailed as a Forbidden Secret Art with unmatched offensive power.
That alone showed what made it unique.
This secret art was not limited to the physical body or the divine sense. Every inch of skin, every cell, could become a weapon.
As its creator, Boundless Heavenly Venerable displayed the deepest truths of Nine Secrets: Dou.
Li Ming knew Boundless Heavenly Venerable was doing this to thank him, so he watched with utmost care.
After all, he knew debts of gratitude were hard to repay. If Boundless Heavenly Venerable wanted to settle this one, Li Ming would accept.
He etched everything about Nine Secrets: Dou into his heart and carefully worked through it.
Rumble!
The Thunder Sea boiled.
Endless Nine-Colored Divine Thunder surged.
After a month spent comprehending Nine Secrets: Dou, Li Ming abruptly opened his eyes and looked toward the pitch-black mass of Strange Substance in the Thunder Sea.
Carrying the aura of the Bronze Mirror, the Heavenly Demonic Saber shot forth and hurtled toward the black cloud.
Thunder rolled, black blood rained down, and wails and sobs seemed to echo through the air.
In the blink of an eye, the Strange Substance turned to ash, utterly obliterated within the Thunder Sea.
It would never have another chance to escape, rise from the dead, or corrupt other living beings.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable gave Li Ming a solemn bow.
"What is this for?" Li Ming asked, puzzled.
"Thank you for killing that strange creature," Boundless Heavenly Venerable said solemnly. "The mortal world rises and falls like an illusion, and all living beings suffer. I once made a great vow: if I attain immortality in this life, I will free all living beings from their suffering!"
Boom! The great Dao of heaven and earth answered, and peals of thunder rang out from a clear sky.
The divine lightning flashed for an instant, like a night-blooming flower, then the sky turned clear again.
"Good! Good! Good!" Li Ming exclaimed. "Your spiritual realm truly stands far above mine!"
"I cannot compare!"
No wonder Netherworld Emperor Duan De had been won over by Boundless Heavenly Venerable in the original story.
Boundless Heavenly Venerable truly had a trick or two up his sleeve.
Li Ming, at any rate, had no such lofty spiritual realm.
He only wanted to live well and keep climbing toward higher realms.
As for saving the suffering masses, that truly was not his goal in life. It was a moral shackle he had no wish to bear.
After hearing of Boundless Heavenly Venerable's spiritual aspirations, Li Ming could not help praising him several times.
"With such a great vow, perhaps you should pass down your teachings. Even when you're gone, others could carry on your spirit and help more people."
"You're right. I'll go find disciples and establish a sect!"
"I'll leave everything here to you!"
"If you can, you should try transforming here and living a new lifetime!"
"Perhaps the next time we meet, you'll have become a True Dragon too!"
Before you continue