Chapter 1295
Shortcuts Beyond Ascension
Chapter 1295 Shortcuts Beyond Ascension
The ancient world of Polun was teeming with spiritual energy, and the cultivation world was at its peak.
At that time, Nascent Soul cultivators were still considered the backbone of the sect, and it was not unusual to encounter them in ordinary markets.
Golden Core cultivators are as numerous as carp crossing a river; unless they possess special skills, they often fail to make a ripple in the crowd.
In such a prosperous era, every few hundred years news would come of powerful beings undergoing tribulation, attempting to break through to higher realms and ascend to godhood.
Those bolts of tribulation lightning that traversed the heavens and earth not only tore apart the sky, but also shattered the gradually numbed Dao hearts of countless cultivators during their long cultivation journey, illuminating their confused path ahead.
Unfortunately, only one in a billion cultivators can ultimately break through the shackles of heaven and earth and successfully ascend to immortality.
Even so, that era of abundant spiritual energy and traceable Dao remains the most vivid memory in Lin Yuan's mind. It is also an unattainable legend in the mouths of later cultivators.
However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.
Such a favorable environment not only nurtured a large number of confident cultivators who looked down on the world, but also allowed them to unleash their ingenuity in various fields such as alchemy, talismans, artifacts, and arrays without restraint, thus unfolding a magnificent scene of thousands of sects competing and myriad methods contending in the world.
It also quietly fostered some shady schemes and plots, like vines in the dark, spreading silently beneath the surface of prosperity.
The path to heaven has indeed never been severed, and the predecessors who ascended to immortality continue to inspire every aspiring person.
If we count all the cultivators in the world, how many can truly cultivate to the Great Perfection of the Tribulation Transcending Realm, see through the illusion of life and death, and still dare to use their flesh and blood to fight against the rules of heaven and earth, and fight for a glimmer of life in the world-destroying edge of the Nine Heavens Tribulation?
The ways of the human heart are countless.
Some people have hearts as firm as a rock, taking each step carefully in the long river of time. Even when their black hair turns to snow and their hearts become clouded, they are still unwilling to give up, spending their entire lives moving towards that elusive end.
Some people exhaust their vigor during their long cultivation journey. Knowing that there is no hope for immortality, they turn their attention to unorthodox and unorthodox methods.
"...stealing others' cultivation, refining forbidden techniques and crooked methods...all sorts of opportunistic tricks have emerged one after another, attempting to take shortcuts through cunning means."
“Isn’t that just evil cultivation?” Antonio scoffed.
Lin Yuan ignored Antonio's interruption and continued speaking.
"The so-called evil cultivators, once discovered and their disguise torn off, completely break free from their constraints and act without any scruples, their methods becoming increasingly ruthless and bizarre. But what is even more difficult to guard against than those blatant evils is the secrets hidden under the guise of 'goodness'."
Perhaps the initial thought was not malicious at all.
But the allure of power caused principles to gradually crumble, and in the daily self-justification, crossing the line became a habit. With the praise and tacit approval of others, things slowly changed.
Looking back, I was shocked to realize that the pure good intentions I had initially had been completely devoured by the desires, prejudices, and greed that had grown along the way.
Things have long since deviated from their original course, completely beyond our control...
The people of the world of Perma have always known that there are heavens beyond heavens.
But what they thought was the otherworld was an endless plane suspended in the clouds of the heavens.
Each upper realm is like a giant, continuous celestial island, with its own mountains, rivers, seas, and even the sun, moon, and stars. They rise one layer upon another, with a total of nine layers.
They never imagined that the heavens and earth were a rotating sphere, let alone that there were countless stars scattered like chess pieces across the vast sky "outside the heavens".
They can't be blamed for this.
After all, looking at the entire world of Perlo, the only ones who can see the whole picture of the planet are those cultivators who have successfully ascended.
Based on Binze's personal observations, it was uncertain whether those people could even survive their journey after ascension, let alone return to leave a single word for their disciples and descendants back home. Even so, the world's yearning for ascension remained as fervent as a wildfire, never extinguished.
It wasn't that there weren't exceptionally talented individuals who, relying on their supernatural abilities to fly and escape, attempted to break free from the constraints of the heavens on their own.
But no matter their cultivation level or the methods they used, once they pierced through the thousands of layers of clouds, they could hardly advance any further.
"Is there a barrier?" Lin Fan asked.
“No,” Lin Yuan shook his head, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.
"It's not a tangible thing like a barrier, but more like an intangible rule of heaven and earth—once you climb to a certain height, the spiritual power in your body will flow out like a flood, and your physical body will also decay greatly because it can't withstand the grinding of the external winds. If you insist on forcing your way in, your physical body will be in danger in no time. As for your soul, it will probably be difficult to survive because it angered the heavenly way."
Which cultivator who has spent thousands of years cultivating to reach a high level does not cherish their life as if it were gold?
No one would be willing to do something as reckless as rushing headlong into a dead end.
After countless people tried without success, few people dared to try again.
Lin Fan pondered for a moment, guessing that they were restricted by atmospheric boundaries.
After all, no matter how powerful a cultivator is, even one who has refined their body to the extreme, they are still made of flesh and blood and must rely on the spiritual energy and air of this world to maintain their life.
Once outside the protective range of the atmosphere, let alone using spiritual power, even the most basic act of breathing becomes a luxury.
"So, ascension is actually a screening and protection process for you." Lin Fan turned to Lin Yuan, his tone firm. "The environment outside the heavens is not as peaceful as you imagine. Only by going through the final tribulation of lightning and tempering your body and soul to a state of transcendence can you withstand the harsh and dangerous environment outside the realm."
Isn't that dangerous?
Even though Binze had ascended to immortality, he was still injured to the point that his golden core was almost shattered. If it weren't for good luck, he would probably be space junk by now.
“Terrible?” Lin Yuan’s brows furrowed, clearly unfamiliar with the word.
In his deeply ingrained belief, the upper realm should be a paradise of radiant light and enchanting celestial music, and should have absolutely nothing to do with the word "bad".
"You mean, the ascension we've pursued with all our might has turned into a dead end?" Lin Yuan's voice trembled with disbelief, as if his very Dao heart had been struck hard by this sudden news.
Lin Fan didn't waste any more words. She knew that some barriers of understanding could not be broken down in just a few words.
He simply said, "Since you know of Binze's reputation, you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet him in the future. As for what the outer realms are like, let him tell you himself. I won't interfere any further."
Lin Yuan remained silent for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing together. Clearly, Lin Fan's words had stirred up long-dormant emotions within him.
But he was, after all, a cultivator who had weathered many storms. In an instant, he suppressed his surging distracting thoughts, stopped dwelling on the topic of his confused Dao heart, and instead returned to the conversation that had been interrupted earlier.
"Since the path to ascension is blocked by the rules of heaven and earth, some resourceful individuals have turned their attention to another place—those strange creatures that can break through the shackles of the heavenly way and fall into this world from beyond the realm."
"In their view, since those things can penetrate the boundary barrier and descend into this world, they either contain the great power to tear apart the laws, or they hide a secret method to connect to the outer realms."
"If one can decipher its mysteries and make use of them, one might be able to find a shortcut to ascension without undergoing tribulations."
Lin Fan blinked.
Isn't that just a meteorite? What kind of great power or secret technique could it possibly reveal? It's just an alien mineral.
But since Lin Yuan mentioned it, it certainly wasn't just idle chatter or baseless speculation.
It remains a mystery how the meteorite that fell from the sky stirred up the fate of the world of Perlo and participated in the catastrophe that annihilated the ancient golden age.