Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

After finishing her explanation, Linglong Zhenren lay down on the futon, looking exhausted.

"Speaking of Daoist principles, may I ask, what is your opinion on the [Origin and Transmission Stele]?" Shen Moyan casually asked.

The inscriptions and totems on the monument encompass everything.

The Origin Preaching Monument will provide different practices to all beings based on their individual circumstances.

He also wanted to go to Dilin Prefecture to see if he could obtain cultivation techniques above the Purple Mansion level.

"You want to go on a pilgrimage to Imperial Lands?"

Linglong Zhenren understood Shen Moyan's plan. She straightened up, cleared her throat, and said in a serious tone:

"The Origin Preaching Stele is the cornerstone of the Way of the Buddha, and its merits benefit all living beings immeasurably."

"That's what the Holy Court people said... Hmm, it's definitely a good thing, like a super powerful... um, to use a term I learned when I passed through a certain plane last time..."

"That's right! Super AI, just like artificial intelligence!"

"It can scan your innate qualities, comprehension, and karmic entanglements, and then, based on the current version of the Daoist principles of heaven and earth, customize a set of cultivation techniques that are most suitable for you."

Linglong Zhenren pointed to the sky, then suddenly remembered something.

With these words, it was Shen Moyan's turn to be shocked.

Artificial intelligence? A technological dimension?!

"Judging from your expression, you don't know about other dimensions, do you?"

Linglong Zhenren looked at Shen Moyan and smiled slyly.

"Oh dear, you think those old fogies in the Purple Mansion and Returning to the Hidden realms spend all their time holed up in their caves in seclusion?"

"That's not true! The Holy Court manages so many small ponds, which contain quite a few wild Daoist treasures. Although they are scattered, they add up over time."

"The Holy Court has a special department, I think it's called the Department of the Celestials or something, that's in charge of this."

"Each state has an entrance to those little ponds, in an old place called the Boundary Ferry."

"But now everyone uses new teleportation arrays. Those old ferry crossings are either deserted or abandoned; hardly anyone remembers them anymore. The Celestial Bureau still has to go catch those illegal immigrants from the lower realms..."

Shen Moyan then realized what was happening.

He didn't see many True Immortals at the Purple Mansion Realm in Langya Prefecture; most of them were cultivators at the Transcendent Realm.

That's it! No wonder that since his ascension to the Mountain and Sea Realm, apart from the core conflict areas, he has encountered far fewer Purple Mansion Realm cultivators than he had imagined.

It turns out that most of these core forces had gone to subordinate planes where resources were easier to plunder through some kind of channel.

"Jiehe Crossing..."

These three words sent a jolt through Shen Moyan, and he suddenly recalled the scene when he found Cen Boliang and left Langya Prefecture.

Ancient shipping routes, mysterious ferrymen, and bizarre and fantastical elements connect countless bubble-like planes of existence and extinction.

That abandoned dock was not unique to Langya Prefecture; each prefecture had passages connecting the mountain and sea realms with countless subordinate planes in ancient times.

These ancient sea routes were gradually abandoned only because more efficient and safer interstate teleportation arrays were later developed.

But abandonment does not mean it is invalid!

Perhaps for the direct descendants of the Holy Court and the immortals, they have more formal channels to enter subordinate planes.

However, for independent cultivators like Shen Moyan, or those cultivators who want to evade supervision, these forgotten ancient sea routes in the "Boundary River Crossing" are actually excellent secret passages!

Then I thought of that unscrupulous businessman, Cen Bolang. When I tried to smuggle myself out, it was probably something he took for granted.

"I see..." Shen Moyan's eyes lit up.

"Collecting Daoist essence in subordinate planes—this is the true cultivation ground for the numerous Purple Mansion and Gui Cang cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm."

He recalled the Great Apocalypse plane where he ascended.

That world, where spiritual energy is scarce and Taoist magic is not manifest, is also a subordinate plane.

My experiences in those lifetimes in that world can be considered a unique collection of Daoist principles.

However, all those Daoist principles were accumulated in the Jinghong Sword Technique he created, which explains why his "A Glimpse of the Startling Swan" could transform into sword intent comparable to a minor divine power.

Everything, everything, is the essence of the Tao!

Linglong Zhenren then returned to the Origin Preaching Stele.

"Just as the Holy Court officially stated, the inscriptions and totems on the stele do indeed explain the principles of the Dao's operation, opening a door to the Great Dao for the ignorant masses."

"Following the inscriptions and tracing the clues, resonating with the Daoist principles, is indeed a reliable method, sufficient to allow cultivators to enter the inner sanctum and even reach the highest realm of cultivation."

"The inscription on the stele is the common law, the most universal combination and application of the Daoist principles in the world."

The Origin Preaching Monument is like a dictionary, teaching people the rules of recognizing characters, forming words, and constructing sentences, and even directly providing some classic model texts for all beings.

"but!"

She changed the subject, her tone tinged with mockery.

"They say there's a direct path to the top."

"But the upper limit of most cultivation techniques is, at best, only reaching the threshold of the 'Inscription Realm'!"

"Any further up? No! Why? Because the cultivation method that broken stone gave you is beyond your ability to cultivate. You lack the resources, the comprehension, and simply cannot understand it."

"To put it bluntly, it's a super robot that gives you the 'optimal solution' for your training method, but it's only the optimal solution within the 'current version' and the 'known database'."

"Those are just pure theories! Complete fantasies, wildly imaginative!"

"Once you actually reach the threshold of the Dao Inscription Realm, you'll find the path ahead is blocked; it's simply unrealistic!"

"If you want to change the status quo, then the subsequent techniques it gives you will be full of compromises and patches."

Upon hearing this, Shen Moyan revealed a strange expression.

The Sutra of Detachment from All Forms had helped him overcome many difficulties, and he had indeed become somewhat reliant on this practice.

"And also..."

Linglong Zhenren's voice carried a mischievous quality, as if she were sharing a secret.

"This technique is temporary. Right now, do you think the technique it gave you is powerful?"

That's because it best matches your current state.

"Once your cultivation level rises and your state of mind changes, you will be different from when you first received the inheritance! At that time, the cultivation method given by the Transmission Stele may become a shackle for you!"

"It provides the smoothest and most paved road, but in reality, you still have to figure it out yourself, or... find things that are 'not' in the Preaching Monument database."

The more Shen Moyan listened, the stranger it seemed, as if the Origin Preaching Stele wasn't a good thing in Linglong Zhenren's eyes.

"So, all the discerning cultivators in the Mountain and Sea Realm have left the Three Thousand Provinces to search for wild Daoist essences in subordinate planes?"

"That's right! Those old guys from the Purple Mansion and Returning to the Hidden realms are all eagerly heading to those remote and impoverished subordinate planes, not to sightsee or experience life, but rather..."

"It's because they've all been 'infected'." Linglong Zhenren's tone was casual, as if she were discussing a common disease.

Shen Moyan suddenly realized.

"Infection? Containment?!"

"That's it!"

Linglong Zhenren looked like a promising young man.

She cleared her throat again, and, as if imitating a man, began to speak in a slow and deliberate manner:

"All things possess the essence of the Dao. The Origin Transmission Stele itself is also a condensation of the essence of the Dao, and a source of the Dao."

"Walking the path on the stele is like copying a famous calligraphy work. You can capture its form and even its spirit, but it is ultimately the work of 'others'."

"The Origin Preaching Stele exudes a special Daoist charm at all times. All cultivators who receive its inheritance and practice the techniques it bestows are, in a sense, as if they have been planted with an invisible 'seed of Daoist charm'."

"During the period of isolation, this infection can spread widely."

"Like a demon seed?"

"right!"

Shen Moyan's expression changed as he suddenly remembered Zhou Zhanpeng's words from back then.

The essence permeates all things, and so it applies to every cultivator who obtains the cultivation technique.

So, that means he was infected by the Origin Preaching Monument?!