Although the Dao Elder had been here before, his face still bore the profound traces of amazement and bewilderment he felt the first time he entered. The vastness, realism, and depth of the different elements and creations within this space were simply too surreal especially for a Dao Realm practitioner.
For an expert at his level, witnessing the wonder of an immortal-grade inner world like Mo Lingtian's was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The inspiration alone could trigger an instant realm breakthrough, bridging hundreds of years of cultivation in a single bound.
Then, he turned around, only to behold a terrifying new wonder that hadn't been there the first time. It was the enormous vertical dimensional tear, ripping through the sky of Mo Lingtian's consciousness and plunging violently into the ocean far below.
"Senior," Mo Lingtian said to the Chief Commander.
With a single, casual wave of her hand, she catapulted herself, Mo Lingtian, and the Dao Elder past thousands of miles, reappearing just a few kilometers from the raging dimensional tear.
The Dao Elder gasped heavily for air. That kind of instant spatial relocation was something he had never experienced in his entire life.
The violent outflow of cosmic energy once again burst forth from the rift, rapidly clashing against them. The Chief Commander swiftly raised her arm, projecting a flawless barrier of energy to block the devastating shockwaves.
With another step, she strode thousands of miles forward, taking Mo Lingtian and the Dao Elder directly through the dimensional tear and into the isolated plane anchored by the Cosmic Tree.
"Senior, this is the ancient legacy that can restart your journey on the immortal pathway," Mo Lingtian said, brushing his sleeves behind his back.
In a slow, trembling gaze, the Dao Elder took in the breathtaking existence towering in front of him. For several minutes, he was dead silent in awe, observing the monstrous scale of the Cosmic Tree and the dense, fluid abundance of pure energy flowing through its roots, massive trunk, and sprawling leaves.
Behind the enormous Cosmic Tree, a faint silhouette of Lord Broclyx formed from his residual energy lingered for a few fleeting seconds before silently dissipating into the ether.
Mo Lingtian slowly levitated closer to the Cosmic Tree. The closer he went, the more insignificant he felt. It was like an ant standing before a sacred mountain; the difference in fundamental existence was that staggering.
"Lord Broclyx, I have brought you your first inheritor," Mo Lingtian said softly, bowing his head in respect. The Dao Elder and the Chief Commander mirrored the gesture, paying their respects to the ancient entity.
Still levitating, Mo Lingtian turned around to face the Dao Elder, stretching out his right arm.
Just as Mo Lingtian was about to pass the Great Transformation Art directly into the Dao Elder's mind as a soul imprint, the Chief Commander's voice suddenly echoed sharply through his telepathy.
Lingtian's eyes flickered, but his expression remained perfectly calm.
"Senior, the legacy lies before you. Take what you can comprehend," Mo Lingtian amended smoothly, slowly bringing his arm down as he descended back to the ground.
"I will never forget this opportunity you have given me," the Dao Elder swore heavily. Without wasting another second, he immediately sat cross-legged in the air, his spiritual sense completely submerging into the Cosmic Tree's profound aura.
"We will leave you to it, then," Mo Lingtian replied, landing softly beside the Chief Commander.
"Why did you stop me from passing the cultivation technique of the Great Transformation Art directly to him?" Mo Lingtian whispered to the Chief Commander once he was certain the Dao Elder was deep in meditation.
"If you had passed it directly to him, you would have killed him," the Chief Commander stated, her masked gaze locked onto the meditating elder.
Mo Lingtian's face immediately dropped. How could leaving a soul imprint result in death?
"This is one of the things I wanted to discuss with you while you were dealing with that elder on your way to the main hall," the Chief Commander continued, her tone grave.
"What did you want to tell me?" Mo Lingtian asked, turning to fully face her.
"There is something horribly wrong with the cultivation rules of this era," the Chief Commander said, furrowing her eyebrows behind her mask.
"What do you mean?" Mo Lingtian pressed, realizing the weight of her words.
"It was just a speculation at first, but his reaction confirmed my suspicion," she said, nodding toward the blind Dao Elder.
"Could it be because of my Sea of Consciousness?" Mo Lingtian asked, trying to piece together her deduction.
"Although I cannot recall most of my memories of this world, the fundamental cultivation system of a practitioner is something I can never forget. The shock on his face when he first saw your Sea of Consciousness... it is not a reaction that should come from a cultivator who has already reached the Dao Realm," the Chief Commander explained.
"I had my doubts too," Mo Lingtian admitted.
"Although my Sea of Consciousness is vastly more evolved than a normal Vessel Cleansing Stage cultivator, according to the ancient texts I read back in the abyss, it should currently be equal to that of an Early-Stage Dao Realm practitioner. There shouldn't have been much for him to be shocked about."
"Exactly," Lingtian added, his mind spinning. "If there was anything to be shocked about, it should only have been the disparity between my cultivation stage and my sea of consciousness. But his amazement showed he had never seen an inner world like this before even though his own Sea of Consciousness should be equal, if not superior, to mine."
"Except..." Mo Lingtian muttered, stretching the word as a new realization dawned on him.
"Except the cultivation system of this world has been compromised," the Chief Commander finished coldly. "Certain foundational attributes tied to these lower realms have been artificially stripped away and shifted to much higher, unreachable cultivation stages."
"No wonder that old monster Patriarch mistook my domain for a mere virtual construct. In his words, only a Sovereign Immortal possesses the right to create a true domain with active laws," Mo Lingtian pointed out, the pieces rapidly falling into place.
"Who has the power to interfere with the fundamental cultivation system of an entire era right under the nose of the Great Dao?" Mo Lingtian asked, his voice laced with a rare trace of dread.
"That is not something we should be digging into right now. Whoever possesses the means to do that has the power to rival whatever governing law rules this era. We cannot afford to draw the gaze of something that horrible," the Chief Commander warned sternly.
"But for what it's worth, whatever ceiling has been placed over this era's cultivation stages does not seem to affect you," the Chief Commander noted.
"It's one more hidden advantage to exploit," Mo Lingtian concluded, heaving a deep, stabilizing sigh.
"So what is your next step?" the Chief Commander asked.
"My next step is to destroy the Eclipsed Sun Sect, I will need to contact Gu Tianying," Mo Lingtian replied, his eyes narrowing with cold ambition.
"I hope you can come out of all this unscathed," the Chief Commander said, shaking her head with a soft sigh.
"You and I both know that is impossible. We are playing a very long game, and every move will require collateral," Mo Lingtian replied evenly. "The only thing we can do is to minimise the losses as much as we can."
"He is done," the Chief Commander suddenly announced. Her spiritual probe had peered deep into Ping An's demon core. Tree roots and branches were now intertwined around it from inside out.
Within the next few seconds, powerful bursts of spear intent exploded outward from his body as he slowly rose from his meditative position.
"Finally," Ping An muttered to himself, taking a deep, shuddering breath as he raised his head.
"His spear intent is no longer colorless. It bears the spiritual mark of the cosmic tree," Mo Lingtian observed, staring proudly at the Dao elder
"I carried this spear for thousands of years and never once asked the tree," Ping An said, lifting his blindfolded face toward the endless sky.
"Senior, for some reason, I suddenly feel a terrifying gap between us," Mo Lingtian noted to the Chief Commander.
"Go and try it out yourself. This is the true power of a cultivator's technique - self enlightenment," the Chief Commander answered, looking up at the Dao Elder levitating in the atmosphere.