Wan Lei’s words struck Wan Qingyi like a bolt from the blue.
Indeed, who decreed that one must die to become an Immortal Venerable? Must everyone else follow the same path?
Immediately, Wan Qingyi’s face fell, and he said with displeasure,
“Why worry so much? Do as your leader says. Could an Immortal Venerable harm you? That is the path they have walked; they wouldn’t have done it unless it was confirmed to be without issue.”
Wan Lei chuckled inwardly. What was confirmed to be without issue when they were headed for death? The Ancestor was clearly trying to save face.
“Alright, you can cultivate the Saint Path here. No one will dare to disturb you. I’m going to find Qiuqiu.
Remember, the most important thing for the Saint Path is to elevate your Supreme Dao to the Saint Path. With your talent, it shouldn’t be difficult. I’m leaving.”
As Wan Qingyi spoke and prepared to leave, Wan Lei stopped him.
“Don’t go. Xiao Yu is currently learning to cultivate with Qiuqiu. If you go, she won’t have time to pay attention to you.”
“Sigh, you two…”
Wan Qingyi sighed helplessly and sat back down on the futon, his plan to chat and dote on Qiuqiu thwarted.
“Wait a minute, you impudent child, is Qiuqiu how you address her?”
Facing the Ancestor’s embarrassment and anger, Wan Lei sat up straight, not daring to reply.
Inwardly, he sneered, *Heh, you fawning dog. When will you finally win the goddess’s favor? Besides, what’s wrong with me calling her Qiuqiu? Qiuqiu is so beautiful, why should only you be allowed to call her so sweetly?*
For the next period, Wan Lei, under Wan Qingyi’s guidance, began to comprehend the Saint Path.
Perhaps Wan Lei was the first person in the world to begin comprehending the Saint Path immediately after entering the Golden Immortal realm. Others would solidify their foundation after a breakthrough, then gradually improve, and only after accumulating for a long time would they seek further advancement.
Moreover, many people considered the Golden Immortal realm to be the pinnacle of their cultivation journey, as breaking through to Sainthood was too difficult.
While there were tens of thousands of Golden Immortals, who were absolute powerhouses in any realm, they were still part of the countless immortals.
Saints, however, were different. Each Saint possessed a unique Saint Path, making them singular existences, renowned figures throughout the main plane.
In the Immortal Realm, if you asked anyone about the number of Saints and Arch-Gods, they could immediately list them all, detailing the major deeds and achievements of each Saint.
But if you asked how many Golden Immortals existed, no one knew. They were too numerous to count, not just in the Immortal, Ghost, and Divine Realms, but even in the countless High Spirit planes.
Saints were the highest realm, transcending immortals, the pinnacle a cultivator could reach, standing at the apex of the world.
(Immortal Venerable is not a realm and cannot be achieved through cultivation)
The Lei Sheng Cave Mansion was a quiet place for cultivation, with only him and the Ancestor present, undisturbed by anyone.
Wan Qingyi’s teachings to Wan Lei were thorough and unreserved.
This was his most outstanding and exceptional descendant. In five hundred thousand years, Wan Qingyi had only produced one such descendant as Wan Lei. As an Ancestor, he was naturally proud and highly valued him.
Although Wan Lei was often a bit slow-witted, his comprehension in cultivation and enlightenment was exceptionally brilliant.
Whether it was comprehending the Dao of Order in the Golden Immortal secret realm or the conceptual shaping of destiny during his breakthrough to the Immortal realm, both were unprecedented and will never be repeated.
Under Wan Qingyi’s tutelage, Wan Lei progressed rapidly. In just half a year, his cultivation advanced to the late Golden Immortal stage, and he perfected his ultimate skill, the Divine Lightning of Order. However, his comprehension of the Saint Path was still only rudimentary.
After all, he was still too young and had been cultivating for a short time. Becoming a Saint required years of accumulation and a sudden enlightenment; it could not be rushed.
Half a year later…
“Ancestor, I often hear the term ‘Saint Ascension Ladder.’ Is it very important?”
Wan Lei opened his eyes and asked Wan Qingyi.
“Of course, it’s important. The process of ascending the Saint Ascension Ladder is the gradual integration and solidification of your Saint Path.
When you are about to become a Saint, the will of the Immortal Realm will descend the Saint Ascension Ladder. You will ascend step by step, with each step being a foundation laid by your Saint Path.
When you successfully reach the summit, you will come before the will of the Immortal Realm and connect your Saint Path with it.
From then on, you can borrow the power of the Immortal Realm’s will. Your words will become laws, and within a certain domain, you will be the embodiment of the will of heaven and earth, an omnipotent existence. Of course, this omnipotence is far from that of an Immortal Venerable.”
“I see. When can the will of the Immortal Realm descend the Saint Ascension Ladder for me?”
“You are quite impatient. Impatience is useless; it’s still a long way off. With your current Saint Path condensation, you wouldn’t even be able to ascend one-ten-thousandth of the Saint Ascension Ladder. Meditate slowly.
Don’t aim too high. The Five Great Immortal Venerables are powerful, aren’t they? Even for other Saints, the process of ascending the Saint Ascension Ladder takes thousands of years. They only took eight to nine years to ascend from the bottom to the top in the Ghost Realm.
Yet, even with such effort, powerful beings like Immortal Venerables achieved immortality in ten years, sainthood in a hundred, and venerability in a thousand.
This is common knowledge. How many years have you been cultivating?”
Wan Lei thought carefully and counted on his fingers.
“It’s been nearly twenty years, I think.”
“Exactly. When the Five Great Immortal Venerables were twenty years into their cultivation, they were merely in the minor Tai Heng Realm. You are already at the late Golden Immortal stage, so be content. Enough nonsense, get back to cultivating.”
Wan Qingyi rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Wan Lei gave a sheepish smile and stopped talking. Just as he was about to resume his cultivation, his spiritual communication device suddenly beeped.
“What is it?”
Seeing Wan Lei’s expression suddenly turn as ugly as if he had eaten excrement, Wan Qingyi asked curiously.
Wan Lei looked up, frowned at Wan Qingyi, and said sternly, word by word,
“The Lei Feng Realm has been invaded by demons!”
“What? The Lei Feng Realm?”
Wan Qingyi’s brow immediately furrowed.
“I have to go quickly. The Lei Feng Realm is so weak. Who knows how many people will die when the demons attack.”
Wan Lei immediately stood up, about to leave.
“Wait, come back!”
Wan Qingyi waved his hand, pulling Wan Lei back through the air.
“What is it, Ancestor?”
“Stay calm. Look at yourself now, flustered and panicked. How can you possibly fight the demons? Where is the demeanor of the Thunder Emperor? Do you intend to face the citizens of the Lei Feng Realm like this?”
“But…”
“Don’t you find this matter suspicious?”
Wan Qingyi’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Wan Lei, and he instantly calmed down.