Man is in the heavens, parasites are born

Chapter 258 On the Way of Detachment

“To form one’s own path…” the Azure Emperor murmured, “This is another concept. It does not seek to master or contain all the mysteries of the Dao. After cultivating to a certain level, it expands infinitely, reflecting the supreme Dao with an immeasurable sea of ​​Dao… But how can doing so compare to the Dao fruit obtained by subtracting and seeking emptiness?”

He admitted that after attaining enlightenment, he would indeed be more powerful than the other shore, that much was certain.

The fact that they almost raised their cultivation level just now already says it all.

However, it is definitely not as strong as the Dao Fruit, because the Dao Fruit is the realm where one has truly attained all of the 'Dao', a realm that is unknowable and indescribable.

The Dao Fruit realm is the state that cultivators reach after thoroughly comprehending the Dao. It can be considered a conscious Dao.

Of course, the Azure Emperor's understanding of the Dao Fruit is not necessarily absolutely correct.

Although the three were at a high level and each had their own path, seemingly equivalent to that one and only 'Dao', they did not give him the feeling that he was wrong if he thought about it.

"Perhaps the 'Dao' they have attained is incomplete, which is why they need to continue cultivating more Dao fruits," the Azure Emperor thought to himself.

“Indeed.” Ye Fan nodded and said frankly, “I once looked back over time and caught a glimpse of it, but I am still no match for those masters who have achieved the Dao.”

He had only caught a fleeting glimpse of it before, and although it was just a blurry phantom, it was enough for him to know that Dao Fruit's realm was indeed above that of himself and others.

Although the other shore is not as good as us, the Dao fruits on the other shore are beyond our reach.

"The three fellow Daoists have crossed the void and chaos to come here. Could it be that they wish to use the Dao of this place to perfect their own Dao and thus truly transcend it?" the Azure Emperor speculated.

He now considers these three people as those who haven't completely transcended worldly concerns.

“That’s not entirely wrong.” Ye Fan pondered for a moment but did not refute it.

Upon hearing Ye Fan's words, the Azure Emperor knew that his speculation was not entirely wrong, but it was also incorrect. He cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, fellow Daoist!"

Upon hearing Qingdi's words, Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang listened attentively with serious expressions, holding their teacups.

“In fact, we have a different understanding of transcendence.” Ye Fan pondered for a moment and said, “We believe that achieving ‘the Dao’ cannot be considered true transcendence.”

"Becoming a complete Dao with its own self cannot be considered true transcendence. According to your ideas, fellow Daoists, does one have to transcend the 'Dao' to be considered truly transcendent?" the Azure Emperor said with slight surprise.

The true fruit of the Tao is unknowable and infeasible, belonging to the realm of agnosticism, and is an insurmountable domain.

The true 'Tao' should also exist in this realm, and nothing can surpass it.

Now, these outsiders seem to want to transcend the 'Tao'!
“Indeed, in order to achieve this goal, the method of ‘sacrifice to the Dao’ was created.” Ye Fan nodded, and then went on to explain what sacrifice to the Dao was.

"Crazy? This isn't suicide!?"

The same thought arose in the minds of Meng Qi, Gu Xiaosang, and Qingdi.

It makes no sense that someone could survive after sacrificing all their essence and Dao fruits!

"I underestimated them. Although their transcendence is incomplete and they cannot be considered to have achieved a truly complete Dao Fruit, they still possess the essence of transcendence and have incredible abilities." The Azure Emperor marveled inwardly.

If someone from the other side were to do the same, they would certainly be doomed.

"So, fellow villagers, you plan to perform rituals to the Dao again and again, ultimately surpassing all 'Dao' and reaching a supreme realm that no one has ever reached before?" Meng Qi came back to his senses, looking intently at Ye Fan and the other two, speculating, "Doesn't this mean that the final realm will be even more profound than the Dao Fruit realm?"

He felt that this realm seemed to be extremely powerful. Dao Fruit was said to be wrong as soon as you thought about it, and it was unknowable and unthinkable, but it was ultimately equivalent to the Dao. The ultimate goal of these three fellow villagers was to surpass all the Dao.

Just then, the people present turned to look behind them. An old man dressed as a Taoist priest walked over and said to them, "Would you mind if this old Taoist priest also join in the discussion?"

The visitor was none other than the most ancient Celestial Venerable, the Moral Celestial Venerable who symbolizes the foundation of existence.

"Of course you're very welcome." Fang Ming smiled, conjuring a stone bench out of thin air, and said, "Please sit down."

"Thank you, fellow Daoist." The stone table was large, and the old man sat down without feeling crowded at all.

"Fellow Daoist, please have some tea." As expected, Shi Hao once again served Daoist tea to the Celestial Venerable of Morality.

The heretical information imprisoned by masters of different levels and cultivation levels is different. This Moral Celestial Venerable is the foundation of existence, roughly equivalent to one-third of the 'Dao', which is unimaginably much more.

Of course, in reality, they cannot be simply added together; it's just a simple comparison.

In reality, the Dao is infinite and boundless. Even a difference of only one in a billion is equivalent to an infinite difference. Therefore, even if the three most ancient Heavenly Venerables verified the other's Dao, they could not take that step.

"This tea..." The Supreme Lord of Morality showed surprise in his eyes. Even he, the most ancient of the Heavenly Venerables, was somewhat shocked.

He almost thought that these three people had achieved the 'Dao Fruit' realm.

His current view is the same as that of the Azure Emperor; he has not completely transcended, but his state is better than that of the Buddha, much better, and stronger.

At this moment, Meng Qi's voice rang in His mind: "Uncle Morality, this is what happened..." In an instant, the Celestial Venerable of Morality understood what had just happened.

Immediately, the Celestial Venerable of Morality looked at Ye Fan and the others, cupped his hands and said, "Please continue, fellow Daoist. Do not let this stop because of my arrival. I also know of another path to transcendence."

“That’s not necessarily true. After all, the Dao Fruit belongs to the category of agnosticism. As someone from Earth, you know about agnosticism…” Ye Fan’s voice rang out. He didn’t make a definitive statement, saying, “However, our ultimate pursuit is indeed to transcend all ‘Dao’.”

It must be said that the system in this remote area is truly amazing.

As his thoughts raced, Ye Fan said, "I once saw all the cultivation concepts of the Dao in a foreign land, in a man named Jiangnan. He called it 'Yuanshi' and called himself Yuanshi Tianzun."

"What does Yuanshi mean?" asked the Moral Celestial Venerable.

"The Great Dao encompasses everything known and unknown, past and future, possible and impossible." Ye Fan briefly explained the definition of the Great Dao that Jiang Nan had given him.

The Supreme Lord of Morality nodded and said, "This is the 'Dao'."

“If that person were to cultivate to the True Origin Realm and then forge their own path, they would undoubtedly become incredibly powerful, possibly comparable to the ‘Dao Fruit’ realm here,” Ye Fan said.

Why is this possible? It's because the strength of the Tao varies from place to place, so we can't generalize.

It could be stronger, or it could be weaker.

Having already cultivated two Immortal Emperor Dao Fruits, they have a profound understanding of this.

The heretical information that was restrained from Fang Ming's soul and body, and the heretical teachings that evolved from it, proved their point of view.

Hearing Ye Fan's words, the people present were surprised, but they didn't care about the title.

However, they understood the implication in Ye Fan's words: the person named Jiang Nan seemed to be close to achieving the 'Primordial' realm, which was comparable to the 'Dao Fruit' realm.

"Forgive this old Daoist for asking, but whether it's the transcendence methods of the three fellow Daoists or the Primordial Dao Fruit of the fellow Daoist from Jiangnan, is there any way to limit them?" The Moral Celestial Venerable looked at Ye Fan and asked, "Has anyone ever succeeded in doing so?"

"It is foreseeable that Fellow Daoist Jiangnan's Primordial Dao Fruit will succeed without any restrictions. The only limitation is one's own ability, which is too demanding for an individual. It can be said that apart from him, it would be difficult for others to embark on this path." Ye Fan shook his head as he spoke.

Hearing Ye Fan's words, the Azure Emperor was inexplicably disappointed.

This is a cultivation method equivalent to the Dao Fruit realm, and it has no fixed limitations.

At his level, he already knew that the birth of a Dao Fruit was limited; even if there could only be one in an era.

Even if one strives for emptiness and perfection through reduction, the power of an epochal cycle can only bring a person's initial Dao fruit to full maturity.

"As for our method, there are no restrictions. As long as you can develop your own path and successfully perform the ritual, you will be considered to have embarked on this path." Ye Fan paused for a moment, then continued, "As for those who succeed, I think there are some."

At this point, Ye Fan recalled the highland of Calamity and the terrifying will slumbering within it, a being that absolutely transcended the level of the Sacrifice Dao.

“In my hometown, there is a terrifying land of calamity, where a will that is absolutely beyond our current level lies dormant.” At this point, Ye Fan also showed a look of fear. He said, “We suspect that the land of calamity is related to beings that have surpassed the level of the Sacrifice Dao.”

“That cursed land can create beings at the ‘Sacrifice Path’ level. Combined with the will within them, we believe that the cursed land is closely related to the Sacrifice Path and was most likely created by beings at that level,” he continued.

As they spoke, Ye Fan looked at Shi Hao, and the two nodded, then pointed out a finger together.

Immediately, the scene of the highland was projected before everyone, where time and space were in chaos, law and reason were distorted, and it was polluted by something inexplicable.

Upon seeing the scene of that desolate land, even the most ancient deity, the Moral Celestial Venerable, felt a sense of horror.

Undoubtedly, there, the 'Dao' was distorted, no longer in its original form, but became some kind of indescribable horror, similar to the unknowable Dao Fruit.

“No wonder the villagers embarked on the path of sacrifice. If they hadn’t taken the path of sacrifice and hadn’t broken free, they would have been completely helpless against that place.” Meng Qi realized something.

“It is indeed possible that it is something left behind by an existence that has transcended the ‘Dao’.” The Celestial Venerable of Morality nodded, and then continued, “But as this Heavenly Emperor said, the Dao Fruit is wrong as soon as you think about it. It is unknowable and cannot be discussed. The one who has transcended the ‘Dao’ may not have transcended the Dao Fruit realm.”

Without attaining the Dao Fruit, all speculations about the Dao Fruit are incorrect.

“However, this is indeed a path of transcendence different from the Dao Fruit, and it has no limitations,” the most ancient Celestial Venerable sighed.

The Celestial Venerable of Morality drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, then rose and cupped his hands, saying, "Today's journey has been immensely rewarding for this old Daoist. If I am able to attain the Dao in the future, I will return to discuss the Dao with you all once more."

Having reached this point, He naturally wouldn't easily give up the path to enlightenment!

Moreover, attaining enlightenment does not mean one cannot embark on another path.

"Welcome!" Ye Fan and Shi Hao returned the greeting with clasped hands.

(End of this chapter)