Outside the Star-Sea world, an infinite darkness shrouded every corner of the void.
Desolation. Silence.
Looking out, there were neither stars nor sun nor moon—only darkness and nothingness. The silence was unnerving. Even the aura of death would have seemed like a sign of life in such a place. This sense of dread, brought about by everything returning to nothingness, was even more chilling than the thought of death itself.
However, into this void that had been silent for untold ages, a towering Void Great Ship suddenly appeared, tearing through space at a terrifying speed! Once this ship—over ten thousand feet in length—came into view, one could see that its entire hull was crafted from precious void-stone!
Standing at the prow of this vessel was a figure in cloud-patterned white robes.
The void turbulence, which could easily tear a Soul Transformation cultivator to shreds, fell upon this figure without causing the slightest harm. It only caused the corners of his robes to flutter gently. He stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the empty void before him.
However, Qi Ping's mood was not as calm as his appearance suggested. Feeling the extreme sense of suffocation pressing in from the void, his heart was full of gravity.
'So this is the void world outside the realm of living beings?'
Although Qi Ping had learned much about the void before this, it was only now, seeing it for himself, that he truly understood why a world of living beings was so important. He also understood why even a Mahayana cultivator could not survive for long after being separated from such a world.
In Qi Ping's current perception, the nothingness in this void was tens of thousands of times more terrifying than the "Spirit-Shorn Lands" that cultivators dreaded. They weren't even on the same level.
'Aside from the faint, chaotic void laws that can be utilized, there seems to be no energy whatsoever in the void.'
Qi Ping spread his divine sense, doing his best to analyze the void before him, but he could not find a single trace of energy.
'In other words, for any living being that steps into the void, once the energy within their body that maintains their life is exhausted, they have no choice but to face death.'
If one could not even maintain survival, a breakthrough was even more impossible. There was simply nothing in the void to provide for cultivation.
'So, if any being wishes to break through, they must depend on a sufficiently powerful world of living beings. This is why such worlds are so vital.'
'And because of this, any world whose coordinates are exposed will draw the greed of countless entities.'
Now, seeing this silence that made one's skin crawl, Qi Ping fully understood the importance of possessing a world of living beings.
'Furthermore, because such a world possesses a pan-consciousness, that consciousness usually only accepts beings born within that world. Thus, in most cases, a cultivator can only cultivate in their world of origin.'
This was the reason a cultivator generally could not leave their own world to cultivate in another. A cultivator who lost their world was no different from a mortal who lost their food—except their situation was even more desperate. The terror of the void far exceeded Qi Ping's expectations.
'It seems I must be extremely cautious upon stepping out of the Star-Sea. If I get lost in this void, even with my current realm, I can only wait for death.'
At the thought, Qi Ping turned to look at the Star-Sea world, which was growing more distant. There were super-mountains coiled by the Five-Colored Divine Vine. There were endless fields of spirit rice and medicinal herbs. There were super artifact-factories comparable to small worlds. A vigorous life-force was beginning to replace the previous aura of decline. This represented the Star-Sea world returning to its peak step by step. Its rank and prosperity were continuing to climb.
Seeing this, a trace of attachment flashed through Qi Ping's eyes. This was a world he had personally turned from decline to prosperity; it would be a lie to say he felt no lingering affection. However, that attachment lasted only for a fleeting second before it was replaced by a sense of resolve.
Qi Ping turned his gaze back to the empty, horrific void ahead. Though the road was fraught with uncertainty, he could not afford to retreat.
Truthfully, if he had a choice, Qi Ping would have preferred to cultivate peacefully within the Star-Sea world until the Mahayana stage, or even hope to knock upon the gates of the Long-Life Immortals. Unfortunately, he had no such option.
Qi Ping had cultivated while absorbing the spirit veins at the center of the Star-Sea world for three thousand years, yet his cultivation remained stuck at the Late Unity stage, unable to break through. In other words, over those three thousand years, his cultivation had made almost zero progress! It had only become slightly more stable and robust.
The current Star-Sea world could no longer provide him with any further progress. Qi Ping estimated that at the current rate of the world's growth, it would take at least another five thousand years before he could potentially reach the Peak Unity stage. The Mahayana stage was even further out of reach.
So, while the current growth of the Star-Sea world was staggering and many times stronger than before, it was still too weak for the current Qi Ping. Not to mention that the world currently possessed no Mahayana-level techniques or knowledge. And floating above the firmament was that strange law that could kill any Mahayana-rank existence.
If Qi Ping stayed, he would only wither away until his lifespan was exhausted. Or, he would wait for the Star-Sea's old enemies to return, slaughter all living beings, and destroy the home he had worked so hard to build.
Facing this situation, Qi Ping did not hesitate. He resolutely chose to step out of the Star-Sea! He piloted the hastily completed ship into this suffocating, infinite void.
Though the void ahead was dangerous and uncertain, it also contained the resources he needed to continue his breakthrough. Until he reached the gate of the Long-Life Immortals, Qi Ping would not stop his pace for anything. Having cultivated to this point through so much hardship and peril, how could he watch himself sit and turn into a pile of dry bones?
After truly experiencing the soul-chilling void for a time, Qi Ping spent a considerable effort suppressing the discomfort in his heart. Then, he turned his attention to the new status panel he had received after his awakening. To dare venture into the void in search of a breakthrough, he naturally possessed his own confidence.
While his realm remained at the Late Unity stage from three thousand years ago, his power and Dao-fruits had matured. His strength had undergone a world-shaking change compared to three millennia prior:
Name: Qi Ping
Profession: Myriad Manifestation Druid
Realm/Fruit-Position: Late Unity Stage
Cultivation Technique: Yin-Yang Creation Scripture
Dao-Fruit Talent: Myriad Manifestation Nature Celestial Physique
Myriad Manifestation Nature Celestial Physique: A special physique that can actively harmonize with the pan-consciousness of a world and obtain transcendent power from it. It can gain affinity with the pan-consciousness of almost any orderly world.
Dao-Fruits: Wood Lord, Beast King, Earth Immortal, Spirit Sovereign, Yin-Yang God.
Wood Lord (Rank 7): Ruler of Ultimate Wood power. Can accelerate plant growth, turning rot into magic. Can also strip and devour life-force. Can command the vast majority of trees. Within its domain, as long as trees exist, life does not end.
Beast King (Rank 6): Within the capacity of the soul, can contract an infinite number of spirit beasts and obtain a portion of the contracted beast's power.
Earth Immortal (Rank 7): An immortal of a specific land, capable of slaying gods and immortals! A special fruit-position born from a unique karmic bond with a specific heaven and earth. Within its domain, one is unified with the world, capable of suppressing gods and immortals with the weight of a vast world!