Chapter 841: Chapter 565: Great Emperor of Heart Dream (Monthly Ticket at Month-End Requested)
"One must acknowledge their own limits. Not everyone is the Dragon King, or a demon genius such as yourself."
Aishwarya spoke thus.
"Indeed."
"..."
"Madam, shall we begin?"
"Very well. How do you wish to simulate it? Dao Communion?"
"Dao Communion?"
"It refers to letting our Dao Essences intermingle in perfect harmony, so that soul and spirit become as one. In our Ancient Po Suo Cultivation Dao, or the Buddhist tradition, this is called the Joyful Dao."
"That won’t be necessary."
"Then proceed as you find convenient."
"I’ll demonstrate the Dao Essence directly, shall I?"
"Won’t that exhaust you greatly?"
"It’s nothing."
Lu Chenzhou sat cross-legged.
Aishwarya seated herself opposite him.
He opened the Dharma Eye at his brow; behind him a Po Suo Miao Tree materialized.
The dense Great Dream Dao Essence shrouded Aishwarya. Relaxing her mind, she seemed to hear beside her a Great Dream Daoist Ancestor—formless, facetless, impervious to ten thousand tribulations—expounding the Dao.
In a daze, Aishwarya entered the dream.
Brief, yet everlasting.
Within the dream, a thousand years passed; in an instant, her eyes opened.
Within the secret chamber,
Lu Chenzhou assisted Aishwarya’s cultivation for one month, until, at last, within her heart, the Great Dream arose of its own accord, and wisps of Great Dream Dao Essence unique to Aishwarya wafted through the air.
He knew then—she had attained comprehension.
Lu Chenzhou rose, vanishing from the chamber in a single step.
"Madam, I wish you success."
Several days later.
Aishwarya opened her eyes, her lashes trembling.
With a single thought, she opened her Heart Eye; within her pupils were reflected the Three Thousand Worlds, the dreams spun by the myriad beings.
"From ancient times to now, there has been but one who achieved the culmination of the Great Dream Dao—the ancestor of Heart Cultivation in this universe: the Heart Emperor!"
Lu Chenzhou’s innate gifts are terrifying. Grasping the World Dao is already remarkable, yet he can further simulate and comprehend both the Great Dream Dao and the Causality Dao—among the Four Great Heart Cultivation Daos, he alone holds half.
Aishwarya knew this.
She had chosen well, befriending him in the past.
A mere Three Soul Mysterious Water, though precious, paled before the debt owed for Lu Chenzhou’s demonstration of the Dao Essence.
"Good thing I didn’t allow Wang Changming to be burdened with this favor."
Though Old Wang is formidable, even so, Aishwarya held no interest.
...
Half a year later.
South Sea City, heaven and earth changed color.
Chen Beiming, Old Ghost, Li Xiuying, and five incarnations of Seventh Realm cultivators arrived together, serving as protectors for Aishwarya. One after another, she passed through the four tribulations of Cold Ice, Fire Sea, Thunder, and Decayed Wood. Above South Sea City, a Spirit Kingdom phantom of some three hundred kilometers in diameter materialized; illusion and dream interwove.
One hundred and eight thousand golden eyes of divinity hovered in the heavens.
Divine Skill: Po Suo’s Eyes!
Domain: Great Dream Kingdom!
On this day, Aishwarya attained the Seventh Realm.
"Congratulations!"
"Magnificent; as expected of Aishwarya, the most dazzling supreme genius of our Po Suo—she endured four tribulations!"
Emperor Hanu’s eyes shone with delight.
Aishwarya’s achievement would be no less than the Po Suo Emperor’s, and among the six Great Emperors, second only to Emperor Shitian.
On this day, all nations offered their felicitations.
There is a rule among Po Suo Heart Cultivators: after breaking through to the Seventh Realm, one must change their honorific title, adding an imperial appellation. Thus, Aishwarya took the title:
Heart Dream Emperor!
...
Myriad Phenomena Daoist School.
"Fellow Daoist Lu is not present?"
Aishwarya arrived as an avatar.
"Senior, my junior brother is in seclusion on the Ancient Road. He said, should you come seeking him, for me to pass this item to you."
Lin Xia handed over a Jade Scroll.
Aishwarya accepted it. A current of light surged into her mind, golden characters like those in the Heavenly Book rising and falling.
"Lantuo Heart Sutra?"
Aishwarya’s spirit was shaken.
What a formidable cultivation method.
It aligned perfectly with her Great Dream Dao.
"A Divine Person indeed."
Aishwarya said:
"Please tell Fellow Daoist Lu: Aishwarya owes him a great debt, and henceforth is willing to follow by his side."
Lin Xia’s eyebrows twitched.
For a moment, she almost failed to react.
"Senior wishes to become my junior brother’s follower?"
In the Great Wilderness, old orders are in chaos, the world shrouded in darkness. Some powerful ones, for the sake of safety, huddle together and pledge loyalty to a still greater power—this is known as following. At the side of a Great Power, there would often be many Seventh Realm followers.
But in the present era, such customs are obsolete.
After all, there are not many at the Eighth Realm, and as Seventh Realm cultivators, all are proud, each believing themselves the best.
Yet for a peerlessly radiant Seventh Realm to lower herself, even retroactively following a junior fellow, was simply unfathomable. Lin Xia harbored grave doubts. The Heart Dream Emperor surely has motives; perhaps she wants dual cultivation with her junior brother—an old cow eating young grass. Lin Xia smiled faintly.
"I will inform my junior brother."
"Thank you."
The Heart Dream Emperor departed in high spirits.
"I must become his follower. To stand with such a heaven-blessed genius can only lead to ever greater heights."
As for Daoist Companionship, she had never considered it.
It was clear Lu Chenzhou had no such inclination, either.
Such is the way of the Martial Maniac.
...
Gathering of the sect members.
"Ha! The Heart Dream Emperor will follow our junior?"
Wang Xian was taken aback.
"What? The Heart Dream Emperor wants to court Chenzhou? I approve this match! A Seventh Realm’s conditions aren’t lacking at all."
Old Ji caught only half the phrasing, overcome with excitement.
He felt his disciple’s most important matters were finally resolving.
"Father, it’s become a follower!"
Ji Feiyan corrected him.
"What difference? Great figures speak subtly. Heh, the Heart Dream Emperor is also a Po Suo beauty."
Wang Xian said:
"Let us not spread this matter. Wait until our junior brother emerges from seclusion; the Heart Dream Emperor, after all, values her reputation."
...
Elder Council.
Chen Beiming convened seven Heavenly Realm cultivators for assembly.
"Everyone, the Red Lotus Demon Venerable has always been a hidden threat. Lu Heavenly King wishes to use himself as bait to draw Red Lotus from its lair. We will set up an ambush and surround and slay it!"
The Heart Dream Emperor was suddenly enlightened.
"Shall we arrange the Eight Trigrams FormationProfound Heaven Demon Suppression Array?"
"Indeed. Lu Heavenly King is presently in seclusion, striving for the Seventh Realm. When his tribulation comes, he will choose Yun Meng Lake as the site. We must arrange the great array beforehand at his tribulation ground."
The Heart Dream Emperor was somewhat apprehensive.
"In theory this is workable, but it is quite risky. Facing the tribulation is a vital moment—should something go awry, and Red Lotus disrupts Fellow Daoist Lu’s tribulation, the loss may outweigh the gain."
Chen Beiming said:
"Thus, we must make countless preparations. If we can slay Red Lotus, that is best, but even if we fail, we cannot allow Chenzhou’s tribulation to be affected. Chenzhou trusts us absolutely; we must not let him down. This time, give it your utmost!"
So saying, he looked toward Star Hammer King and Thunder King.
"You two—do your best."
Star Hammer King and Thunder King replied gravely, "Fighters shall never drag behind. We shall advance and retreat with all nations!"
...
Three Great Fire Worlds.
Southern Heaven Realm.
The Eternal Immortal was playing a game of go with an old man.
The old man was dressed in azure robes, posture straight as a pine, hair white but face youthful. By bearing alone, he surpassed even the Eternal Immortal, and was no less than the Yan Ming Realm Venerable. He was the Sect Master of Southern Heavenly Sect—Sword Old Man, an Eighth Realm Expert of over three thousand years.
"Alas, Martial Arts is the future. The path of the Qi Refiner no longer suits this era. Hard to fathom, Fellow Daoist, that your cultivation reached the Eighth Realm in just a few centuries. No surprise then that Red Dragon True Man marked Xia Realm as the primary Fire Seed."
The old man spoke from the heart.
"Gains and losses both—life span in Martial Arts is short, so only courage and advancing with all one’s might is the path. As for Qi Refiner’s way, even if setbacks are met, these may be amended by arduous training."
The Eternal Immortal said.
"The Divine Alliance is invading Mystic Sky, seeking to claim the Boundary Tower. As the Three Great Fire Worlds stand united in enmity, I cannot stand idle. Yet the great barriers of Southern Heaven are on the verge of collapse, and the Star Palace Hall Master—the Blood Demon Grandmother—watches like a tiger. For the moment, I am unable to leave. So be it, I shall send Immortal E to accompany you."
Sword Old Man clapped his hands.
From amid Cang Mountain’s emerald pines, a graceful figure approached.
She had a swan neck, oval face, high bridge nose, a restrained look in her eyes and brows, hair bound with a vermillion ribbon, a white dress upon her, waist encircled by a golden belt. As a gentle wind stirred her dress, proudly drawn, her long legs were revealed.
"Greetings, Senior Wan."
The Eternal Immortal withdrew his gaze: "Truly an immortal from the heavens. May I ask, Fairy, have you gained enlightenment as a nonhuman?"
Sword Old Man smiled: "Immortal E is the mightiest to undergo transformation in my Southern Heavenly Sect; in days past, when Han Zhenjun—whose cultivation approached a Great Power—traveled the Three Thousand Worlds, he rescued from ancient ruins an Immortal Crane. Since then, she has cultivated for five thousand years, and her cultivation is now infinitely close to the Eighth Realm, but for this final pass, which has barred her for a thousand years. Take this chance to let her journey with you, and perhaps she may thereby enter the Eighth Realm and claim the title of Great Saint."
Many nonhuman Eighth Realm experts prefer the title Great Saint.
The Primordial Mountain Seven Saints stand as testament.
Of these, those already half a step into the Ninth Realm and nearly a Great Power—nonhuman great cultivators—are fond of styling themselves Great Saints.
As for the Ninth Realm, that is True Unity in Great Power.
Or else True Spirit.
Immortal E was silent, merely appraising the Eternal Immortal.
The Eternal Immortal rose, cupping his hands in salute:
"My thanks to Sword Old Man, and to the Fairy."
Once the Eternal Immortal had left,
The Sword Old Man said:
"Immortal E, get along well with him. Even without the Qi Observation Technique, I can see: this man carries the blessings of fortune. So long as he does not perish in a Great Power calamity, he will become the founder of a sect or the ancestor of a lineage. Achievements will rival your master Han Zhenjun."
Han Zhenjun, though not a Dao Pioneer, nevertheless reformed the Ancient Energy Refining Method, allowing it to progress more swiftly. He even cultivated the Speed Extreme Dao, reaching the Eighth Realm’s peak in merely three millennia. Before the revival of the gods, and discounting the ancient ones in slumber, he stood invincible for an era. By virtue of his unmatched tunneling speed, no one in the current universe can slay him.
The undisputed first Sword Cultivator of Southern Heaven!
But Han Zhenjun perished.
For he did not survive the Great Power calamity.
To become a Great Power is too difficult.
The so-called eighty-one tribulations is no exaggeration.
Immortal E bowed her head and whispered:
"I understand."
"Do you favor him?"
"...This, this..."
"Never mind, affection can be cultivated slowly. This man has reached the Eighth Realm and still retains the Pure Yang Child Body; that surging Pure Yang Qi is as blazing as the Great Sun—it speaks to the firmness of his will. Such men are destined for greatness! And if that does not work, I hear that Xia Realm has younger talents: one reached Seventh Realm in a hundred years, another the Six Realms in fifty years—each a supreme demon genius. If you could become Daoist Couple, it would benefit both you and the sect. The times have changed: the next great wave shall be Martial Arts."
"No, I was only afraid Senior Wan would look down on me. After all, I am but a nonhuman, and he is a human genius."
"Be confident, little one. Your current cultivation stands among the very top in the Three Thousand Worlds; you are no longer the young Immortal Crane of yesterday." Sword Old Man held his forehead, face full of helplessness.
"Go on, and give a good account of yourself. Protect yourself well. So what if you are a nonhuman? The Master of Yuan Mountain is a monkey, the Ancient Emperor Lanshan is a mountain, the Huang Sword Immortal is a blade of grass, and the Black Annihilation Dragon Emperor is but a Black Water Profound Snake that achieved enlightenment. The Immortal Crane’s lifespan rivals heaven itself—this is your advantage. If the Three Thousand Worlds can survive this calamity, you may certainly become a Great Power."