The skies of the Xuanhuang Realm underwent a sudden transformation.

Whether it was the power of the Star Sea's revival or the sights revealed after ascending and looking down from above, both were secrets that had originally been beyond the reach of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao.

It instinctively absorbed them without end. Corresponding changes quietly spread throughout heaven and earth. However, just like the Star Sea's revival, this was destined to be an extremely lengthy process. It had only just begun, still in its infancy, and almost no one in the Xuanhuang Realm could perceive these changes.

As the source of this transformation, and while still connected to the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm, Li Fan naturally witnessed every change occurring throughout heaven and earth with perfect clarity.

This was a power of evolution that stood in complete opposition to the Xuanhuang Realm's World Destruction Transformation.

Yet it was equally vast and surging, enough to stir the hearts of all who beheld it.

Li Fan also sensed the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm's rapidly increasing favor toward him.

Carrying the might of the Star Sea's origin, together with the tangible benefits of generously imparting the Dao, kindness and authority worked hand in hand. The rate at which this favor increased far surpassed even that which the Holy Emperor had achieved in his previous life.

Only after the increase in favor gradually slowed did Li Fan temporarily end this round of instruction.

The Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm was reluctant to part with him.

Li Fan, however, departed without hesitation.

He returned directly to the Great Qi Small World, completely severing the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm's perception of him.

As Li Fan's place of origin and the first location where he preached the Dao in this lifetime, the skies above Great Qi were not shrouded by the Wall of Darkness as the other small worlds were.

Nevertheless, the Dao Lecture Platform still stood majestically, its immense scale covering nearly all regions inhabited by humanity.

While living beings listened to the Holy Teacher expound the Dao, their thoughts and insights were simultaneously recorded within the Dao Lecture Platform and transmitted to Li Fan.

It was as if countless billions of living beings were helping Li Fan comprehend the Dao at the same time.

The contents of their enlightenment encompassed everything imaginable.

At present, however, aside from the Great Qi Dao Lecture Platform, all miscellaneous thoughts and insights from the living beings of the other small worlds were directed toward the breach in the High Wall.

This was also why Li Fan had chosen to preserve Great Qi's original state.

It guaranteed the diversity of Dao comprehension.

Within the Dao Lecture Heaven floated the simulated Heavenly Mandate, resembling a silver eye.

Though it appeared motionless, in every instant it completed more than a billion rotations.

It observed the Great Qi cultivators comprehending the Dao, the mountains and forests of the small world, its flowing rivers, clouds, and everything within it.

Compared to when this simulated Heavenly Mandate had first been created, the Silver Eye had now become far more lifelike.

It no longer resembled a creation crafted by cultivators, but instead appeared like a genuine living creature.

'What exactly is a world's Heavenly Dao?'

The behavior of the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm still lingered vividly in Li Fan's memory. It feared power and submitted to strength, much like a pet dog. This prompted him to ponder the question.

Opening his left hand, a golden spherical prison floated above his palm, containing strands of invisible consciousness.

These were the Heavenly Dao wills of the various small worlds that had dared resist when Li Fan previously raised the Wall of Darkness across them.

Li Fan had extracted every one of them and imprisoned them here. He then replaced them with the simulated Heavenly Mandate, maintaining the normal operation of each small world.

"What I extracted was not the complete Heavenly Dao of those worlds. It should merely have been the Heavenly Mandates that gradually formed over countless years, each possessing its own unique temperament. After they were extracted, the small worlds returned to their original state, operating solely according to instinct. If not for my simulated Heavenly Mandate filling the void..."

"The temperament of a world's Heavenly Mandate should be influenced by factors such as the world's size, available resources, and many other conditions."

"For example, this one originated from a small world plagued by endless disasters. Therefore, it gives me the impression of being extremely cautious and highly wary of everything beyond itself. As for this one, it came from a mortal world roughly the same size as Great Qi. That world possesses all the necessities of life, giving it an upright and dignified character. Setting aside differences in scale, it even feels more like the legitimate Heavenly Dao than the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm itself..."

Li Fan carefully distinguished the various World Heavenly Mandates imprisoned before him.

Then, without haste, he fed them one after another to the Silver Eye floating before him.

Although he still did not know exactly how a World Heavenly Mandate was born or what conditions were required for its formation, Li Fan was certain of one thing.

The birth of a World Heavenly Mandate itself represented a form of power.

Almost visibly, as the Silver Eye slowly devoured these World Heavenly Mandates from the small worlds, it too became increasingly lifelike.

The impression it gave Li Fan was that it had become increasingly vivid.

Previously, although it resembled a living creature, it still fell far short of its current state. Now it was almost indistinguishable from a pet possessing a genuine soul.

Before devouring the World Heavenly Mandates, the Silver Eye had merely carried out Li Fan's commands faithfully, monitoring and perceiving the thoughts of the living beings within the Great Qi Small World.

Now, however, it occasionally observed Li Fan in secret.

Its divine eye clearly conveyed a desire to please him.

Whenever Li Fan met its gaze, it seemed encouraged. Its pupil rotated in a circle before acting as though it were showing off and asking for praise.

"Interesting."

From its eyes, Li Fan could clearly perceive its longing for even more World Heavenly Mandates.

Li Fan remained unmoved and simply beckoned with one finger.

The Silver Eye immediately floated over of its own accord.

It gently leaned its body against Li Fan's outstretched hand.

In an instant, countless thoughts from the Great Qi Small World, both present and past, appeared around Li Fan, carefully categorized.

Moreover, the Silver Eye had meticulously organized every category for Li Fan's convenience.

With merely a thought, the Silver Eye immediately understood Li Fan's intentions, rapidly sorting, organizing, and presenting exactly what he wished to examine.

"Compared to before, it has undoubtedly become much more intelligent and useful."

"No wonder the cultivators of the ancient cultivation era were so fond of refining entire worlds into dharma treasures. A World Heavenly Mandate is practically the ultimate version of an artifact spirit."

Li Fan gazed thoughtfully at the Silver Eye before him.

"Unfortunately, even after devouring so many World Heavenly Mandates, this Silver Eye still feels considerably inferior to the Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm."

"Using it as a replacement still seems unrealistic."

"What exactly is the factor that determines its qualitative transformation?"

If he could replace the Heavenly Dao consciousness of the Xuanhuang Realm with one of his own creations, it would undoubtedly be of tremendous significance to Li Fan.

Only after completely transforming the Xuanhuang Realm into an impregnable fortress under his own control could it serve as a bridgehead for exploring beyond the High Wall.

While comprehending the countless thoughts transmitted by the silver eye, Li Fan continued contemplating the matter.

Suddenly, a piece of information specially highlighted by the Silver Eye emerged before him.

Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.

It was the synchronized perception of the experiences of Sun Erlang, Wang Xuanba, and Yue Zhenwei.

Previously, following Li Fan's subtle guidance, they had journeyed into the territory of the Five Elders Association in search of the Nascent Soul Cave Heaven. After overcoming numerous twists and turns, they had accidentally entered the Carefree Paradise.

They became trapped within a dream world filled with man-eating demons. After great difficulty, they finally discovered a method to shatter that world and successfully escaped.

However, they had not yet left the paradise itself.

To uncover the secrets of the Carefree Paradise, they had no choice but to continue toward the remaining two dream realm boundaries.

"So much time has passed. They should have discovered something by now."

"The Carefree Paradise..."

With a single thought, countless streams of light instantly surged toward Li Fan.

Everything that Sun Erlang and the others had experienced during this period appeared before him in an instant.

Having successfully completed the first dream world, Sun Erlang and his companions originally believed that the remaining two worlds would be much easier.

Reality proved that they had greatly underestimated the dangers of the Carefree Paradise.

The second dream world they entered was a terrifying apocalyptic world unlike anything they had ever heard of.

Across the boundless Star Sea, civilization had withered away and all vitality had faded. A terrifying species of alien insects had become the true rulers of the Star Sea. Wherever the insect swarm passed, every living creature upon the land was devoured.

Only indigestible stones remained behind.

When Sun Erlang and the others descended, what greeted them was a desolate land devoid of all life.

Their mission was to survive for six months while being besieged by the insect army that had yet to leave the surface.

The second dream world was completely different from the first.

There were no puzzles to solve. The moment they entered, the mission objective, the method for leaving the world, and even the mission rewards automatically appeared in their minds.

At first, Sun Erlang and the others did not think the mission would be particularly difficult.

But once they truly clashed with the endless sea of insects, they realized they had been gravely mistaken.

Even after receiving the teachings of the Holy Teacher's phantom and mastering numerous divine combat techniques, they experienced true helplessness for the first time before the overwhelming numbers of the swarm.

The insects simply could not be exterminated. No matter how many they killed with their divine abilities, more would emerge from somewhere beneath the earth to fill the empty space.

After suffering repeated setbacks, the three quickly changed their strategy.

They fought while retreating.

However, the insect swarm covered nearly every corner of the world. No matter where they fled, endless swarms relentlessly pursued them.

In less than seven days, the three had nearly been driven into a dead end.

Wang Xuanba even cursed loudly, declaring that the mission was impossible to complete.

Fortunately, during the previous dream world, Sun Erlang had learned the Spirit Devouring cultivation technique from the Pig Demon statue.

During the fierce battle, he finally reached the beginner level of mastery.

From then on, he devoured the corpses of the insects, sustaining himself through battle.

With an endless source of resources replenishing his strength and eliminating concerns over exhaustion, the situation of the three immediately improved considerably.

Sun Erlang managed to stabilize the battlefield.

Soon afterward, Wang Xuanba encountered an unexpected stroke of fortune.

Inside the stomach of one of the alien insects, he discovered an incredibly powerful treasure.

It could summon a gigantic mechanical puppet over thirty zhang tall.

At first, the puppet remained completely motionless after being summoned.

However, after careful study, Wang Xuanba discovered its true method of use.

His body transformed into a stream of illusory light and entered the puppet.

His consciousness then merged completely with the giant puppet's body.

Using the puppet's overwhelming power, he slaughtered the insect swarm.

Although the situation appeared to improve somewhat, the endless sea of alien insects still filled Sun Erlang and the others with despair.

They struggled on for nearly three months.

By then, both their bodies and their wills had nearly reached their limits.

Since they would not truly die within the dream, all three had almost given up.

At the final critical moment, Yue Zhenwei, whose mind was the most meticulous, discovered something unusual.

Although the insect swarm appeared to move purely by instinct, every movement actually followed a mysterious pattern.

It was as though some hidden existence was directing them from the shadows.

This discovery instantly revitalized the spirits of all three.

After confirming that Yue Zhenwei's observation was highly likely to be correct, they decided to make one final desperate gamble.

Using themselves as bait regardless of the cost, they finally lured out the true master behind the swarm.

They had originally assumed it would be some superior member of the insect race.

Yet when the ruler finally appeared, all three were utterly stunned.

Because the commander of the swarm was actually something that resembled a cultivator's creation.

It was a purple-gold gourd covered with countless unknown talismans.

Standing atop the gourd was a small wooden puppet boy.

He pointed toward the three who were surrounded by the swarm.

The purple-gold gourd beneath him emitted all kinds of strange radiance.

Instantly, the countless alien insects went completely berserk and charged fearlessly toward Sun Erlang and the others.

The three immediately realized that if they defeated the wooden puppet boy and seized control of the purple-gold gourd, they would be able to command the insect swarm themselves.

Surviving for six months would then become effortless.

Thus, they risked everything.

Wang Xuanba transformed into the giant mechanical puppet to draw away the attention of the swarm.

Sun Erlang shot forward like an arrow, disregarding his own safety as he charged directly toward the wooden puppet boy.

Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Yue Zhenwei, the weakest among them, launched the decisive final strike.

In the end, he shattered the wooden puppet.

When the great battle came to an end, all three were gravely injured and on the verge of death, trapped within the endless sea of insects.

But when Yue Zhenwei grasped the purple-gold gourd in his hand, all the savage alien insects froze completely, as though encased in ice.

From that moment onward, there was no longer any suspense regarding the survival mission.

Two months later, the second dream world was successfully completed.

After leaving the dream, not only were all of their injuries completely healed,

Yue Zhenwei had even brought the purple-gold gourd back with him.

Contained within the gourd were exactly 9,999,900,000,000 Star Devouring Insects.

Naturally, as only a Golden Core cultivator, Yue Zhenwei could not yet unleash the treasure's full power.

He could currently command only the weakest 900,000,000 Star Devouring Insects.

As his cultivation realm increased, both the number and the strength of the Star Devouring Insects under his command would continue to grow.

Although they had obtained such a supreme treasure, Yue Zhenwei and the others showed little joy.

Instead, endless confusion and fear filled their hearts.

Nearly ten trillion Star Devouring Insects would be a force capable of destroying heaven and earth even in the real Xuanhuang Realm.

Yet now, such terrifying power had fallen into the hands of a mere Golden Core cultivator.

Although this had happened only within a dream, and they did not know whether it could truly be brought back into reality, they still found the entire situation utterly absurd.

They had spent only a short time within the dream realm, yet they had already obtained such tremendous rewards.

It was almost impossible to imagine what kind of accumulation those who had remained in the dreams for countless years had achieved.

Filled with unease, they rested briefly before setting out toward the third dream world.

With a supreme treasure like the purple-gold gourd, and nine hundred million Star Devouring Insects at their command, the third world should at least be much easier to overcome.

Yet reality dealt them another devastating blow.

The instant they entered the third dream world, all three were transformed into straw figures.

Unable to move.

Unable to speak.

All of their spiritual power and treasures vanished without a trace.

They could only communicate through the faint power provided by the dream world itself.

This time, there were no demon beasts.

No insect swarms.

Nor was there any mission prompt.

There were only three straw figures lying quietly upon a black stone that resembled the summit of a towering mountain.

Exposed endlessly to wind and sunlight.

Lashed by rain.

Struck by lightning.

Unable to move, the three initially spent each day wondering what conditions were required to complete the mission.

But as day after day passed, their mental state gradually began to collapse.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.