Five years have passed since Han Xuanji left the Life and Death Ravine.
At this moment, in a secret place within the Life and Death Ravine.
On a low hill, several monks sat together.
They were all Rogue Cultivator who had paid a considerable price to obtain a spot to enter the secret realm, and were originally grateful to Han Xuanji.
"Why do you think Young Master Han went out?"
A dark-faced monk, munching on dry rations, mumbled:
"I heard he didn't even enter the core area's protective barrier; he just stood on the sidelines, sensed it for a moment, and then ran away."
"You do not say."
The other cultivator shook his head, equally puzzled.
"But..."
The third cultivator sighed and said slowly, "It's a fact that he helped us open the secret realm ahead of schedule; we can't forget that. As for whether he enters the core area or not, that's his own business."
That's true, but I still feel... a little disappointed.
The dark-faced cultivator scratched his head and hesitated before saying:
"He was so glorious at the top of the Five Elements Heavenly Stairway Ladder, but he chickened out at the Life and Death Ravine. The contrast is too big. Do you think he really only knows the Dao of the Five Elements and is good for nothing else?"
Who knows?
The second cultivator shrugged, after all, who could say for sure about such a thing?
"Heh heh, maybe he's just all talk and no action."
A chilling voice came from the side.
The group turned to look and saw a middle-aged cultivator in a gray Daoist robe sitting cross-legged not far away, a gloating smile on his face.
This man's surname is Wu, given name Daoyuan. He is an elder of a minor sect and is known for his sharp tongue and meanness.
" Wu Daoyuan, what do you mean by that?"
The dark-faced monk frowned.
"What's the meaning?"
Wu Daoyuan sneered, "Just think about it, how many resources did the Soul Household waste to open the secret realm ahead of schedule for him?"
How much did we pay to get these spots?
But he did something quite different; he came in, took a quick look around, and then ran away. How capricious of him!"
That's not how it works.
The dark-faced monk argued:
"Young Master Han truly helped us. Without him, the secret realm wouldn't have opened ahead of schedule, and the cost would have been much lower. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have had the chance to get in."
"You helped us?"
Wu Daoyuan scoffed, dismissing the criticism:
"He was helping himself, and we were just incidentally given a ride along."
They were just doing it for their own spiritual practice, and it's like I didn't spend any money."
"You--"
"Alright, alright."
The third monk quickly intervened to smooth things over and stop the argument:
"Stop arguing. Everyone has their own opinion; there's no need to ruin the harmony."
The dark-faced cultivator glared at Wu Daoyuan and then fell silent.
Wu Daoyuan snorted, closed his eyes, and continued meditating, his face still bearing that gloating expression.
Not far away, a young man in a blue robe was squatting on the ground, carefully studying a spiritual herb that exuded a faint aura of death.
Hearing their conversation, he paused in his actions and looked up.
It was Li Mubai.
He put down the medicinal herb, stood up, brushed the dirt off his robes, and walked towards the group of people.
"Gentlemen, may I say a few words?"
Li Mubai spoke calmly, but his expression was extremely serious.
Wu Daoyuan opened his eyes, looked him up and down, and said disdainfully, "Who are you?"
" Li Mubai, a Rogue Cultivator."
Li Mubai remained composed and neither humble nor arrogant, saying calmly:
"I heard what you just said, and I don't think some of what you said was appropriate."
"Improper?"
Wu Daoyuan raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with it? Which part of what I said isn't true?"
Li Mubai looked at him and said, word by word:
"What makes you think he definitely felt it was too late? Why can't it be that he's truly confident he's already grasped the essence?"
"Are you kidding me?"
Wu Daoyuan sneered:
"What kind of young Saint King do you think he is, comprehending the Dao in an instant? I doubt even the great Saint King kings had that ability when they were young."
"Whether the Saint King were capable in their youth is unknown..."
Li Mubai spoke calmly, without even looking at Wu Daoyuan:
"But I know that we can't understand the world of geniuses. Just because they can do things that we can't doesn't mean that it's impossible."
He turned and walked away, leaving behind his last words:
Instead of gossiping here, we should hurry up and find more spiritual herbs.
Wu Daoyuan was speechless, his face turning ashen.
The dark-faced cultivator watched Li Mubai's retreating figure, nodded thoughtfully, and said nothing more.
Soon after, Wu Daoyuan was forced to leave the secret realm because his body was corrupted by the death energy within it.
When he left, his face was filled with resentment.
Purple Soul Grotto-Heaven.
Spring goes and autumn comes, the ancient trees' leaves fall and grow again, grow and fall again.
Inside the cave abode, Han Xuanji's aura grew deeper and more solid each day.
This day.
Han Xuanji opened his eyes, his eyes blazing with black and white light.
In him, life and death were no longer opposing forces, but rather merged into one, like two sides of the same coin.
To be born is to die, and to die is to be born.
On his Eternal Dao Fruit, another strange pattern appeared, radiating an unusual color.
"The Eighth Eternal Dao Principle is complete."
Han Xuanji took a deep breath.
In the Eternal Continent, there are quite a few cultivators who practice the Dao of Life and Death.
However, most people can only separate life and death into one Dao Principles of life and one Dao of Death, cultivating them separately and acting independently.
One in ten thousand can truly merge life and death into one.
This requires not only a profound understanding of the two Dao Principles, but also the discovery of the "miracle" that connects them.
Han Xuanji has been found.
The accumulation of thirty insights, the mystery of the Source of Life and Extinction, and his many years of contemplation on the Dao of Life and Death during the Chaos.
These factors combined allowed him to glimpse the delicate Xuanji between life and death.
Without hesitation, Han Xuanji quickly absorbed the power of the many Eternal Crystal Stone surrounding him.
His aura surged dramatically in that instant, breaking through an invisible barrier and reaching a whole new level.
The Eternal Dao Master Eighth Layer has been achieved!
It's done.
Han Xuanji murmured to himself, his tone calm, but a hint of joy was hard to hide in his eyes.
He raised his right hand, and a grayish-white light appeared in his palm.
The light flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes appearing, sometimes disappearing, life and death alternating within it, yet they were one, inseparable.
With a thought, the light transformed into a black line and shot towards the stone wall in front of him.
laugh--
A hole the size of a pinhole appeared on the stone wall, its edges as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been completely eroded from the inside by something.
That was pure death power, capable of annihilating all life.
With another thought, the grayish-white light transformed into a gentle white light, enveloping his palm.
Where the white light passed, tiny wounds on the skin healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving no scars.
Life and death depend on one's own mind.