Modern and Ancient Methods

A little under an hour later, on the Qilin Ancestral Star.

Heaven and earth stirred, and an imperial aura rippled outward as Yuangeng and the Qilin Emperor reappeared beside the lake. Both wore an air of quiet ease, without the slightest sign that they had just fought a great battle.

After this warm and friendly "exchange of fists," followed by the signing of the Immortal Ancient Pact, the two had clearly grown closer. They sat facing each other on the jade terrace beside the lake, where another two bowls of Enlightenment Tea were brought to a boil and set before them.

"Dao brother, you said your era had no Heavenly Heart Imprint. Where, then, did Extreme Dao Supremes come from?"

The Qilin Emperor was very interested in cultivation during Yuangeng's time. Out of habitual thinking, he had instinctively assumed that cultivators of the Immortal Ancient and Chaotic Ancient eras also needed the Heavenly Heart Imprint. He had never expected that such a thing had only appeared later.

"Through cultivation, naturally. Once you grow powerful enough, you become an Extreme Dao Supreme," Yuangeng replied.

"Seen that way, our era has actually taken a shortcut," the Qilin Emperor said with a soft sigh.

He knew of cultivators who had perfected their Great Dao but had failed to merge with the Heavenly Heart Imprint. They were said to have achieved "alternative Dao attainment." The Qilin Emperor had met several of them. Though they far surpassed the ninth heaven of the Quasi-Emperor realm, they still fell well short of a true Dao Prover.

"What shortcut? Your limited lifespans are a problem you cannot escape, and you live in an age when the world's Dharma is dying. You have already done exceptionally well."

Yuangeng waved a hand. Cultivators of different eras each faced their own difficulties, and he never dismissed the efforts of others.

"Then what do you plan to do in the future, Dao brother? Will you still try to merge with the Heavenly Heart Imprint?"

The Qilin Emperor asked the question. In all fairness, he had been merged with the Heavenly Heart Imprint for nearly twenty thousand years, and its value to him was steadily diminishing. With adequate preparations, severing that connection was not something he could not accept.

"That day will come sooner or later. First, tell me about the cultivation methods of your age. I have very high hopes for the path of using the body as a seed."

Yuangeng voiced his thoughts. He remembered the original story saying that the first person to merge with the Heavenly Heart Imprint had gained the foundation of an Immortal King. Merging with it in this era should at least grant the foundation of a True Immortal.

"That is easy enough. You are of the human race, Dao brother, and the secret realm method was founded upon the human Dao physique. This path should not be difficult for you to understand."

The Qilin Emperor waved his hand, drawing strands of starlight down from the heavens. They gathered and interwove between him and Yuangeng, forming a hazy human figure whose bones, meridians, and internal organs were all clearly visible.

"First comes the body's first secret realm, called the sea of bitterness. It stores essence and harbors life, linking the Dao and spirit. Your human race's Dao Scripture calls it the land of initial birth. It is the root of cultivation."

As the old emperor spoke, he pointed three inches below the figure's navel. That was the location of the human body secret realm-the sea of bitterness. Mortals used it to bring forth children; cultivators used it to bring forth their own bodies.

The Qilin Emperor was, after all, a Dao Prover of the present age. His study of every secret realm within the human body had long since reached an exceptionally high level. He explained them slowly, imparting knowledge of this cultivation system to Yuangeng.

According to the theory of the human body secret realm method, the body contained five great secret realms: the sea of bitterness, corresponding to the Dantian Guanyuan Acupoint; the Dao palace, corresponding to the five elements and five viscera; the four extremes, corresponding to the four limbs; dragon transformation, corresponding to the spine; and the immortal platform secret realm, corresponding to the spiritual platform between the brows.

These five great secret realms were independent, yet mutually dependent. Following the conventional cultivation sequence, cultivators opened them step by step, from the sea of bitterness all the way to the immortal platform secret realm. Upon reaching the summit, they could soar through the heavens, burrow through the earth, and roam the universe freely.

Conversely, cultivators born with disabilities or bodily deficiencies could cultivate a single secret realm without issue. The human body secret realm method was highly inclusive. Even cultivating only one secret realm was enough to pursue the Dao and longevity.

When all five great human body secret realms reached a flawless, immaculate state, the cultivator could gather their powers into the spinal dragon, then carry all the Dao Fruits of their cultivation through the immortal platform, completing the ultimate transformation of their life's essence, primordial spirit, and Great Dao.

Those who completed this transformation stood at the pinnacle of the human Dao!

As the Qilin Emperor explained, corresponding points of light lit up one after another on the figure woven from starlight. Its aura rose, gradually reaching an exceedingly high level.

"Using the body as a seed... the Desolate Heaven Emperor truly was unrivaled across the ages. This path is indeed a work of breathtaking genius."

Once the Qilin Emperor finished demonstrating the cultivation principles of the human body secret realm method, even Yuangeng, a transmigrator who had already known something of it, could not help marveling at the Desolate Heaven Emperor's talent and wisdom.

"I keep hearing you speak of using the body as a seed, Dao brother. I am curious-what were the earlier cultivation methods like?"

The Qilin Emperor rarely had the chance to exchange ideas with a cultivator of his own level, and he expressed his interest in the Immortal Ancient cultivation method.

"In our time... it was essentially a matter of comprehending laws and resonating with the world outside. Once our cultivation reached a sufficient level, we borrowed an external seed to construct a universe."

As Yuangeng spoke, he too drew strands of starlight from the starry sky, weaving them into a flawless human figure to demonstrate the Immortal Ancient cultivation method.

Unlike the human body secret realm method, the physical body was not the core of the Immortal Ancient Method. Yuangeng remembered that when he had first entered the Dao, his clan's assessment required unity of heaven and humanity: bringing the rhythms of his life into harmony with heaven, earth, and nature.

In that system, the Dao seed held a crucial position. It was the key and medium through which cultivators communicated with heaven and earth, as well as the vessel for their own Dao. Cultivated together with their life and essence, it was indispensable.

"What would happen if a prodigy could not find a Dao seed suited to him?" Watching the figure Yuangeng had created resonate with the universe and grow stronger step by step, the Qilin Emperor suddenly asked.

"His path would end."

Yuangeng's answer was simple. A prodigy might remain trapped in the supreme realm for nearly ten million years, unable to become an immortal because the seed he had merged with was unworthy of his talent. Such things were nothing new in Yuangeng's era.

Moreover, seeds were born of heaven and earth, and determining the Dao they carried was extraordinarily difficult. That, too, was an awkward problem.

Yuangeng himself was an example. He followed the Great Dao of lunar essence, so a lunar Dao seed was naturally the best fit. Flawless seeds such as the Guixu origin or the Annihilation Dao Seed were also acceptable. But the Solar Dao Seed, the Five Elements Dao Seed, or the Primordial Dragon Heart, which did not align with him or even conflicted with him, would inevitably affect his foundation.

Thus, the most sought-after seeds in the Immortal Ancient Era had been those such as the Myriad Dao Tree, the Universe Embryo, and the World Tree, which could merge perfectly with any cultivator.

"Then the path of the human body secret realms is easier to walk after all. With one's own body as the foundation, at least there is no need to struggle over Dao seeds," the Qilin Emperor concluded.

"You could not find one now even if you wanted to. This universe stopped producing Dao seeds long ago."

Yuangeng sighed softly and withdrew his power. Deprived of support, the starlight figure before him immediately collapsed, dissolving into specks of light that swirled around him.

"The very nature of heaven and earth has changed. This universe is no longer suited to cultivating that method. Even if I brought out the Kings' cultivation scriptures, no one could use them to enter the Dao."

At this point, Yuangeng could not help showing a trace of regret. After waking from a single sleep, he had found that the cultivation system he had followed all his life had already been cast aside by history, leaving him alone to continue down that path. It was truly sorrowful.

Yuangeng understood that far more than a cultivation method had been swept aside. His era, his master, the sacrificial spirits, his friends-all had been buried in the long river of time.

The end of the Immortal Ancient Era was destined to be the Primordial Ancient Realm's most helpless dirge.

That was why he so desperately wished to become an immortal. The Primordial Ancient Realm he had once known no longer bore even a trace of familiarity. Only the Immortal Domain and the Burial Domain might still hold old acquaintances, giving him something to look forward to.