Five years had passed since Han Xuanji left the Life and Death Ravine.
At this moment, somewhere in the Secret Realm of the Life and Death Ravine.
On a low hill, several Cultivators sat gathered together. They were all Loose Cultivators who had paid a significant price to purchase spots to enter the Secret Realm, and they had originally felt grateful toward Han Xuanji.
"Tell me, why did Young Master Han leave?"
A dark-faced Cultivator gnawed on dry rations and said indistinctly:
"I heard he didn't even enter the Restriction of the Core Land; he just stood on the edge, sensed it for a moment, and ran off."
"Indeed."
Another Cultivator shook his head, equally puzzled.
"However…"
The third Cultivator sighed and slowly said, "It is a fact that he helped us open the Secret Realm early; we cannot forget that. As for whether he enters the Core Land, that is his own business."
"That may be true, but I still feel… a bit disappointed."
The dark-faced Cultivator scratched his head and hesitated:
"He was so glorious when reaching the top of the Five Elements Heavenly Ladder, yet he turned coward at the Life and Death Ravine. The contrast is too great. Do you think he really only knows the Way of the Five Elements and nothing else?"
"Who knows."
The second Cultivator spread his hands; after all, who could say for sure about such things?
"Heh heh, perhaps he is just a person with an empty reputation."
A cold, sinister voice came from nearby.
The group turned to look and saw a middle-aged Cultivator wearing gray Daoist robes sitting cross-legged not far away, a gloating smile on his face.
This man's surname was Wu, his name Daoyuan, and he was an Elder of a small Sect, known for being sharp-tongued and mean-spirited.
"Wu Daoyuan, what do you mean by that?"
The dark-faced Cultivator frowned.
"What do I mean?"
Wu Daoyuan sneered, "Think about it. How many resources did the Hun Family expend to open the Secret Realm early for his sake?
How much did we pay to buy our spots?
Yet he, on the other hand, just came in for a stroll and ran off; quite willful, isn't he?"
"You can't say it like that,"
the dark-faced Cultivator argued:
"Young Master Han genuinely helped us. Without him, the Secret Realm would never have opened early, and the cost would have been much higher. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have had the chance to come in."
"Helped us?"
Wu Daoyuan scoffed, dismissive:
"He was helping himself and just brought us along for the ride.
He did it for his own Cultivation and just did a favor while at it, acting like I didn't spend money."
"You—"
"Alright, alright."
The third Cultivator quickly smoothed things over, stopping the argument:
"Stop arguing. Everyone has their own opinion; there's no need to damage the harmony."
The dark-faced Cultivator glared at Wu Daoyuan and said no more.
Wu Daoyuan snorted, closed his eyes, and continued meditating, still wearing that gloating expression. Not far away, a young man in green robes was squatting on the ground, carefully studying a Spiritual Plant emitting a faint trace of Death Qi.
Hearing their conversation, he paused his movements and looked up.
It was none other than Li Mubai.
He put down the Spiritual Plant, stood up, brushed the dirt off his robes, and walked toward the group.
"Everyone, may I say a few words?"
Li Mubai's tone was calm, but his expression was extremely serious.
Wu Daoyuan opened his eyes, looked him up and down, and said disdainfully, "Who are you?"
"Li Mubai, a Loose Cultivator."
Li Mubai remained calm and composed, stating:
"I heard what you were saying just now, and I feel some of it was not appropriate."
"Not appropriate?"
Wu Daoyuan raised an eyebrow: "What is not appropriate? Which part of what I said isn't a fact?"
Li Mubai looked at him and said word by word:
"By what right do you assume that he left because he felt he couldn't do it? Why couldn't it be—that he was truly confident and had already finished comprehending it?"
"What kind of joke is that?"
Wu Daoyuan sneered:
"Do you think he is some young Saint King who can comprehend the Dao at a glance? I don't think even the Saint Kings had such ability when they were young, right?"
"Whether the Saint Kings had such ability when they were young, I do not know…"
Li Mubai's tone was calm, not even looking at Wu Daoyuan:
"But I do know that we cannot understand the world of a Prodigy. Just because we cannot do what they can do, it does not mean that it is impossible."
He turned and walked away, leaving behind one last sentence:
"Instead of gossiping here, it would be better to seize the time to find a few more Spiritual Plants."
Wu Daoyuan was choked speechless, his face turning livid. The dark-faced Cultivator watched Li Mubai's retreating figure, nodded thoughtfully, and said nothing more.
Not long after, Wu Daoyuan was forced to leave the Secret Realm because his body was eroded by the Death Qi within it.
When he left, his face was full of unwillingness.
…
Purple Soul Grotto-Heaven.
Spring departed and autumn arrived; the leaves of the ancient tree fell and grew, grew and fell.
Inside the Immortal Cave, the aura on Han Xuanji grew deeper and more solid with each passing day.
On this day.
Han Xuanji opened his eyes, and black and white light flared brilliantly within them.
On his body, Life and Death were no longer two opposing sides, but merged into one, like the two sides of a coin— Life is Death, and Death is Life.
On his Eternal Dao Fruit, there was now an additional strange pattern, blooming with peculiar colors.
"The eighth Eternal Dao Principle, complete."
Han Xuanji took a deep breath.
In the Eternal Continent, there are not a few Cultivators who Cultivate the Way of Life and Death. But the vast majority of people can only condense Life and Death separately—one Dao Principle of Life, one Dao Principle of Death—Cultivating them separately, each following its own course.
Those who can merge Life and Death into one are one in ten thousand. This not only requires a deep understanding of the two Dao Principles but also requires finding that "miracle" that connects the two.
Han Xuanji had found it.
The accumulation of thirty portions of insight, the mystery of the source of Life and Death, and his many years of comprehending the Way of Life and Death during his time in Chaos. These factors, when combined, allowed him to glimpse that sliver of mystery between Life and Death.
Immediately after, Han Xuanji did not hesitate, and the power of the many Eternal Crystals around him was rapidly absorbed.
His aura also surged instantly, breaking through an invisible barrier and reaching a brand new height.
Eighth level of the Eternal Dao Lord, complete!
"It is done."
Han Xuanji whispered to himself, his tone calm, but a hint of joy was hard to hide in his eyes. He raised his right hand, and a mass of grayish-white light appeared in his palm.
The light flickered on and off, appearing and disappearing; Life and Death alternated and flowed within it, yet they were whole and integrated, indistinguishable from one another.
With a thought, the light transformed into a black line, shooting toward the stone wall in front.
Pfft—
A needle-sized hole appeared on the stone wall, the edges of the hole smooth as a mirror, as if it had been completely eroded from the inside by something.
That was the pure power of death, capable of annihilating all vitality.
With another thought, the grayish-white light transformed into a gentle white glow, enveloping his palm. Wherever the white light passed, the tiny wounds on his skin healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving not even a scar.
Life and Death, within a single thought.