Vol 6 Chapter 1: The Ancient Immortal Realm
"Mushroom, is this you playing tricks on me again?"
The situation was so bizarre that Lin Jing first thought of the Spell Elemental Mushroom.
Since it originated from him, it naturally knew he was a transmigrator.
Was it bored and creating little surprises for him again?
Then accidentally turning it into a scare...
"Mogu!" But this time, the Spell Elemental Mushroom was quite wronged—it hadn't done anything at all.
It had been cultivating obediently inside Lin Jing's body all along...
It had been cultivating obediently inside Lin Jing's body all along...
Having too many spells developing consciousness wasn't a good thing. While they could cultivate on their own after gaining awareness, they would also consume some of their master's energy. Lin Jing's cultivation speed was already slow; if he had to nurture too many spell elementals, he might as well stop cultivating altogether.Letting them develop consciousness only to neglect them afterward was also rather inhumane.
Having an illusion mushroom that could turn illusions into reality to take care of his daily needs was sufficient.
Shaking his head, after confirming it wasn't the little mushroom causing trouble, Lin Jing felt somewhat melancholy.
Indeed, there were no free lunches in this world. Back on Earth, he had been terminally ill, bedridden, no different from a dead person.
Yet he had been fortunate enough to come to the Tianyuan Realm, and his illness had vanished. It turned out this wasn't accidental.
He... was actually part of the plan to resist the Heavenly Demons.
"Earth, the ancient immortal realm?" Lin Jing wanted to confirm again.
The illusory spirit said, "Long ago, there were four immortal realms, but later due to certain reasons, three of them experienced spiritual energy decline and became abandoned ancient immortal realms. In ancient times, Earth also had celestial beings and buddhas throughout the heavens, but as spiritual energy dwindled, Earth gradually became unsuitable for cultivation. Forget becoming immortals—even ordinary cultivators became few and far between. These celestial beings and buddhas had long since left Earth, until eventually only mortals remained."
"And my master was the last person to achieve immortality on Earth after the spiritual energy decline of the end times, just before the complete dissipation of spiritual energy."
"After leaving Earth, he went to the only remaining immortal realm—the present single immortal realm—and eventually proved his path to become an Immortal Emperor!"
"Currently in the immortal realm, demon clans run rampant, disturbing my master's quiet cultivation. However, due to the existence of the Heavenly Dao's Supreme Treasure, it's difficult to completely eliminate the Demon Lord within the same realm. At the request of various factions, my master used great spiritual power to send several dying or already dead mortals from the ancient immortal realms to various cultivation worlds."
"He intended for this group to serve as the final trump card to thwart the Demon Lord's plans."
After listening, Lin Jing remained noncommittal.
"...Find?"
"And why must people be selected specifically from the ancient immortal realms? Since this emperor can accomplish such feats, directly cultivating a successor across realms shouldn't be difficult either."
Although he was now a renowned figure in the lower realm, Lin Jing was well aware of his own strength and potential.
Facing a Demon Lord that even the Immortal Emperor realm couldn't handle, his greatest trump card—the inherited supernatural abilities of the Glazed Immortal King—was clearly insufficient.
"Don't underestimate yourself. As I said, you're indeed not capable now, which is why the Emperor arranged for your return to Earth."
"Why select people from the ancient immortal realms instead of directly cultivating them in the lower realm? It's simple: even though Earth is an abandoned ancient immortal realm, not everyone can enter it. Only original beings of Earth can accomplish this."
"And the ancient immortal realm is the most crucial part of the Emperor's plan."
"The ancient immortal realm Earth hasn't yet completed its spiritual energy recovery. As spiritual energy recovers, Earth's Heavenly Dao will also reappear. As a former immortal realm, Earth possesses things that the upper realm never had..."
"Obtain it, and in that upper realm, you'll be an invincible existence. Even if upper realm Immortal Kings descend, they won't be your match. This can make you the most headache-inducing existence for the Demon Lord in that lower realm! As long as you live for one day, the Demon Lord's plans cannot be completed!"
"What is it?" Lin Jing asked.
"Heaven's Mandate."
The immortal realm and lower realm have three main differences. The first difference is that the immortal realm's world strength is higher. You can easily tear through space in the Origin Realm, but in the immortal realm, doing so so easily is impossible. The second difference: higher world strength brings the benefit of higher cultivation limits, capable of bearing immortal power, unlike the lower realm where cultivation reaches a certain point and cannot progress further."
"And what I call Heaven's Mandate is the most important difference. The immortal realm occasionally births Heaven's Mandate, which is elusive but will automatically choose a Mandated One to merge with. As long as successful fusion with Heaven's Mandate occurs and one doesn't fall, becoming an Immortal Emperor is almost guaranteed."
"One could also say that only those who merge with Heaven's Mandate can break through to the Immortal Emperor realm using the power of Heaven's Mandate."
"My master deduced that after spiritual energy recovery, Earth would give birth to a portion of Heaven's Mandate. Although there are some cultivators on present-day Earth who have started cultivating again, along with some self-sealed old antiques, their cultivation levels and natural endowments make the probability of gaining Heaven's Mandate recognition not great."
"After all, the minimum requirement to obtain Heaven's Mandate is Nascent Soul Transformation Stage cultivation, reaching the level where one can merge with heaven and earth's power. Such cultivation levels might not even exist on Earth anymore. Even if they exist, they're likely dying old fellows who have been sleeping under seals for who knows how many years, already difficult to achieve great things."
"So the Emperor brought you out of Earth, brought you to this starry sky for training and experience, letting you cultivate in regions with more abundant spiritual energy. With your current foundation, after returning to Earth, your probability of obtaining Heaven's Mandate will undoubtedly be greater."
"As long as one of you successfully gains Heaven's Mandate recognition and merges with it, your natural talent and potential will undergo earth-shaking changes, and your strength will naturally become invincible in this lower realm, comparable to a young Immortal Emperor."
"So, lucky little one, do you understand? You were actually born standing at the finish line that most cultivators strive for. Even as a mortal from an abandoned immortal realm, you are ultimately a being of the immortal realm. Being transmitted to the lower realm, you naturally possess the Longevity Physique, with a lifespan far longer than most beings in the lower realm..."
Heaven's Mandate...
Lin Jing fell into deep thought, then looked up and asked, "You said earlier that one day on Earth equals one year in the lower realm. I've cultivated here for several hundred years, meaning less than three years have passed on Earth?"
"And if I go to the ancient immortal realm Earth as you say and stay there for one year, over three hundred years would rapidly pass here?"
"Correct." The illusory spirit nodded.
This made Lin Jing frown as he asked, "Since my life was restored by your master, I don't reject returning to Earth to search for Heaven's Mandate. But I have important matters to handle five hundred years from now, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to stay on Earth for long!"