[Ding! Selection Two completed. You have obtained one Opportunity to Comprehend the Dao!]
Hearing the sudden voice in his mind, Gu Chengxing was momentarily stunned.
Oh.
It’s the system. Then that’s fine.
Over the past few days, he had almost forgotten that he had triggered a villain selection earlier.
It was just a pity.
That Tyrant Title had been somewhat interesting.
He still had not managed to exploit a loophole.
In the end, he only obtained one Opportunity to Comprehend the Dao.
But that was acceptable.
As dusk gradually fell, the Everlasting Grass scattered across the Land That Never Withers began to regrow one by one.
Gu Chengxing watched calmly.
The Land That Never Withers was not as simple as it appeared.
This seemingly ordinary black soil might have been stained with legendary powers such as reincarnation, rebirth, and immortality.
Every seven days, the place reset like a formatted system, returning to its original state.
Ten years ago, under Chen Wuxin’s guidance, Gu Chengxing had spent a full month completing the task of cutting down all the Everlasting Grass.
In other words, thirty days.
At a similar age, Shen Ruochu had taken only three days.
And Gu Chengxing himself had already been regarded as a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius within the Desolate Domain.
Thinking of this, he could not help but sigh.
One of the classic tropes of power fantasy novels.
The villain is a peerless genius admired by all. Therefore, the protagonist must be ten times more talented than the villain to raise the stakes and give readers satisfaction.
Unfortunately, Gu Chengxing could not appreciate that.
“Opportunity to Comprehend the Dao…”
Opportunity to Comprehend the Dao: Enter an immersive state of enlightenment. In this state, comprehension of the Dao increases rapidly.
Note: Use with caution. Total enlightenment time is not fixed.
Gu Chengxing murmured to himself.
Comprehending the Dao.
He himself already possessed one Dao, the Transcendent Dao.
He had not expected to touch upon matters of the Dao so soon.
The Dao was the advanced manifestation of Intent.
When an Intent reached a certain realm, one could comprehend the Dao.
For example, when Transcendent Intent reached perfection, one could attempt to comprehend the Transcendent Dao. When Wind Intent reached perfection, one could attempt to comprehend the Great Dao of Wind.
Gu Chengxing originally did not possess Transcendent Intent.
But at their final meeting, Chen Wuxin had clearly intended to leave behind a Dao for him and had infused him with Dao Intent.
That was how Gu Chengxing had effortlessly comprehended the Transcendent Dao.
Intent was the precursor of the Dao. In Gu Chengxing’s view, its primary function was to enhance combat power.
The Dao, however, influenced realm advancement.
According to established lore, to advance to the universally recognized supreme realm of the Nine Domains, the Three Forbidden Realms, one must comprehend at least one Dao.
In other words, in terms of realm comprehension, Gu Chengxing had already reached the level of the Three Forbidden Realms.
As long as his cultivation base caught up, he could advance like a rocket.
Before entering the Three Forbidden Realms, one could comprehend multiple Daos.
Generally speaking, the more Daos one comprehended, the stronger one would be after advancing.
Thinking of this, Gu Chengxing recalled the scene in the original novel when Shen Ruochu advanced to the Three Forbidden Realms.
Three thousand Great Daos perfected and added to her alone.
Heaven and earth trembled, anomalies filled the sky.
All beings submitted.
Forbidden Life, Forbidden Ruins, Forbidden Domain.
Break fate. Forge the ruins. Scatter the domain.
Upon entering the Three Forbidden Realms, she shattered all three in one breath.
The three thousand Great Daos covered the entire Desolate Domain and refined it into an Emperor Domain.
When the Emperor Domain formed, she became the ruler of the Desolate Domain.
Half-step Emperor Realm.
One leap, and she became one of the strongest beings in the world.
Even now, Gu Chengxing felt it was somewhat exaggerated.
One Dao was enough to enter the Three Forbidden Realms.
Shen Ruochu had comprehended and perfected three thousand.
Upon advancing, she directly forged an Emperor Domain.
Terrifying.
As for Gu Chengxing in the original novel, the only Dao he comprehended upon entering the Three Forbidden Realms was the Chaos Demonic Dao.
Monotonous.
Yet that single Dao was enough to shatter the entire Nine Domains.
Except for the protagonist.
As always, a classic trope.
Before the final chapter, the boss villain is the strongest in the world.
Gu Chengxing shook his head, dispersing the chaotic thoughts.
Night fully descended. A faint wind stirred.
He looked at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, like a blood-stained sickle poised to tear apart the heavens.
“Forest of Empty Steles, Land That Never Withers…”
“Next will be the Stone Mound Cemetery, Cliff Cuckoo Ridge, Inverted Hook River Depths, Nether Forest, and the Eerie Bonfire…”
“This Gravekeeper Forbidden Ground is quite interesting.”
“Slowly. Three years will be just right.”
Shen Ruochu’s cultivation was of utmost importance.
But he could not neglect his own.
If he wished to return to Blue Star, he had to hold all initiative in his own hands.
Transcendent Peak, Inner Sect Area.
Unlike other main peaks, Transcendent Peak’s inner sect was located lower on the mountainside.
Its scale was small.
However, the cultivation caves here had denser spiritual Qi than other peaks’ inner sect caves, even comparable to those for True Disciple and Personal Disciple levels.
Transcendent Peak had been established late and had few disciples.
Thus, in certain aspects, resources were more generous.
Most elders resided here.
Inside cave dwelling number Transcendent 006, a small old man with a steady appearance now looked unusually serious.
“Elder of Transcendent Peak, can we issue a rule: Transcendent Peak shall not recruit a single inner sect disciple for three years?”
Holding a dark elder token and reading the transmitted message, he was furious.
“You brat, what are you trying to do? You insist on staying in the Gravekeeper Forbidden Ground for three years and want Transcendent Peak to accompany you?”
He immediately retorted.
His title was Xiao Yaozi. He was the acting authority of Transcendent Peak and its strongest elder, at Peak Nascent Soul Realm.
Originally named Li Sheng, he had once been a Protector Elder of Azure Cloud Main Peak and one of the primary figures behind the establishment of Transcendent Peak.
After its founding, he volunteered to join as an elder, changed his name to Xiao Yaozi, and strongly recommended the former gravekeeper Chen Wuxin as Peak Master.
In the original novel, Xiao Yaozi had considerable presence. He was unquestionably upright, providing Shen Ruochu with much assistance. He had even considered taking her as a disciple in the early stages.
His only conflict with Shen Ruochu concerned Gu Chengxing.
He trusted and supported Gu Chengxing wholeheartedly. Even when Gu Chengxing’s Heavenly Demon Physique was exposed, Xiao Yaozi stood by his side.
Only after irrefutable proof of Gu Chengxing’s act of killing his master surfaced, and Gu Chengxing did not deny it, did Xiao Yaozi lose faith in him.
In the later stages, Xiao Yaozi broke through to the Void Shattering Realm and eventually became Peak Master of Transcendent Peak, earning the title of a grandmaster.
Therefore, among all at Transcendent Peak, he was the one Gu Chengxing trusted most.
On the first day Gu Chengxing returned to the sect, Xiao Yaozi had visited him.
His primary purpose was to persuade Gu Chengxing to assume the position of Peak Master as soon as possible.
A peak could not remain leaderless.
Moreover, Chen Wuxin’s grave was not in the Gravekeeper Forbidden Ground. Guarding it for three years had little meaning.
The result was predictable.
Gu Chengxing refused and shamelessly asked Xiao Yaozi to manage Transcendent Peak on his behalf.
Back to the present.
After Xiao Yaozi rebuked him, Gu Chengxing immediately sent another message.
“Elder Xiao Yaozi, please do not be anxious. This matter is truly important. As for the specific reason…”
He paused.
“I can only tell you that Azure Cloud Sword Sect is not stable at the moment. Strictly speaking, it is filled with hidden dangers.”
Xiao Yaozi was startled and fell into thought.
He seemed about to say something more, but after hesitating, he put the token back into his storage ring and stepped out of the cave dwelling.
Half a day later, a bewildering decree spread across Transcendent Peak.
For three years, Transcendent Peak would not recruit a single inner sect disciple.
The peak would close itself for three years.