Chapter 161: Graveyards Abound Before the Gates of the Great Dao (4/4)

The phenomenon of the Dao-integration emerged.

First, a pond of lotuses bloomed simultaneously with twelve grades. In the void, countless golden, purple, and azure lotuses fell like rain, carrying an overwhelming spiritual aura that pierced directly through the Three Realms.

This void phenomenon extended far beyond a single mountain peak, stretching far past the Xuanyuan Mountain Range to encompass an entire province among the nine provinces of the human race. The grandeur of the manifestation was so vast that even the hundreds of millions of ordinary mortals and cultivators in the surrounding provinces could clearly witness it.

An immortal knowledgeable in the ways within the Lotus Dao Field sighed with emotion: "Only the Dao-integration method possesses such magnificent splendor."

For heaven and earth to resonate with an entire province, and for the aura to pierce directly through the Three Realms, only methods approaching the Divine Dao could be granted such exceptional honor.

No matter which realm or universe one speaks of, it naturally draws close to the Divine Dao—this was a form of absolute trust.

To bloom and wither without regret; affinities come and go like flowing water!

Only when the prosperity fades does true essence reveal itself. A rain of spiritual energy nourished myriads of living beings and hundreds of millions of humans, as streams of faith and prayer converged to add a touch of glory to the grand banquet.

However, attaining the realm of a Golden Immortal ultimately depends upon oneself. No matter how magnificent the grand display might be, it could not lower the difficulty by even the slightest fraction; it could only serve to console the hearts of observers.

As the sea subsided, a budding seed slowly rose above Patriarch Huaqing's head.

Though small, the seed was profoundly abstruse, containing endless flames, burning, division, and myriad other phenomena.

It left the observing immortals completely enthralled, lost in fascination.

This was precisely why many immortals came uninvited: observing a Golden Immortal integrate with the Dao offered boundless benefits, the most obvious being the accumulation of invaluable experience for one's own future integration.

Patriarch Huaqing turned no one away; besides his fondness for grand displays, he also intended to bestow favor upon the multitude of immortals.

In short, it was a willing buyer and a willing seller.

The Dao seed slowly ascended, exposing various profound mysteries to the immortals. Many among them muttered inwardly, "So he is integrating with the Dao of Fire!"

The Five Elements Dao permeate the universe; they are visible to the naked eye, visible in the void, and invisible yet present. The shadows of the Five Elements Dao exist everywhere, both seen and unseen.

Although the Dao of Fire was ordinary, it was nonetheless an excellent path to pursue.

Patriarch Huaqing had not aimed too high or reached too far by chasing the esoteric and unfathomable Dao of Time, Fate, or Karma. Maintaining such restraint could be considered a manifestation of great perseverance.

There are no superior or inferior Great Daos, only the strong and the weak. What matters most is the person!

"So this is what it looks like when a Golden Immortal attains the Dao."

Witnessing Patriarch Huaqing's Dao-attainment ceremony brought a knowing smile to Luo Feng's lips and provided him with some valuable insights.

Perhaps in the future, he could disguise himself as a Golden Immortal who had cultivated a single Dao, such as the Water Virtue Star Lord who embodied the Dao of Water.

He could use the Dao of Water to conceal his true Innate Five Elements Dao and prevent others from prying.

As Luo Feng pondered, Patriarch Huaqing reached the most crucial step.

Clear and lingering with a faint, secluded fragrance, the Dao was mysterious and forged by heaven and earth. Lotus flowers bloomed in profusion. Below, the gathered crowd watched and listened, utterly entranced, displaying every facet of sentient nature.

The Dao lotuses bloomed with hundreds of millions of rays of light, sending ripples vibrating throughout the inside and outside of the Three Realms. The Dao of Fire, which had remained eternal and unchanging since antiquity, began to fluctuate as it descended from the void.

This fluctuation of the Great Dao affected the entirety of the Three Realms. Every trace of fire essence throughout the vast Primeval Universe experienced a slight anomaly, causing many supreme and exalted gazes to cast downwards, only to withdraw them a split second later.

To ordinary immortals, a Golden Immortal was an imposing figure; to them, however, such beings were utterly insignificant.

A few Golden Immortals would always be born within every cosmic epoch, whereas Great Luo beings could only be conceived during great kalpas.

Though Golden Immortals were undying, they were still subject to external tribulations. Sometimes, while a Great Luo being remained in seclusion for hundreds of thousands or millions of years, a once high-spirited and vigorous Golden Immortal would have already perished.

The gap between short-lived species and long-lived species was like a natural chasm, while the gap between long-lived species and eternal species was even more terrifyingly absurd.

Had the disturbance in the fire clouds not affected the parameters of the entire universe slightly, those supreme beings wouldn't even have cast their gazes downward.

The Dao rose in a spiral, and Patriarch Huaqing's aura grew increasingly ethereal, drawing closer and closer to the Great Dao.

The Dao of Fire descended into the mortal world, and its intricate laws were unmistakably and clearly exposed before the immortals—profound beyond measure, the very gate of all mysteries!

This time, not only were the Great Luo beings stirred, but living beings throughout the Three Realms also felt subtle mysteries concerning the Dao of Fire arise within their hearts. The closer one was to Patriarch Huaqing, the deeper and more profound this mystery became.

Within the Lotus Dao Field, several Earth Immortals actually broke through the natural barrier, comprehending time through the Dao of Fire and achieving the realm of Fire Dao Heavenly Immortals!

Patriarch Huaqing's expression remained pristine and ancient, free from arrogance or impatience. His aura was serene and flowed in orderly cycles.

Just a little more—just a tiny bit more—and he would be able to touch the void Dao, imprint his own mark within it, revert from acquired back to innate, and shape the Innate Fire Ancestral Pneuma.

Another Golden Immortal Dao Lord would then exist in the world!

*Crack*, a crisp and pleasing sound rang out.

The Dao blossomed, merging into the void. The void shuddered and backlashed against the Dao!

The lotus fragrance faded and the emerald leaves withered; the autumn wind stirred sorrow amidst the green waves. The Dao lotuses dropped one by one, turning into dust and contrariety, transforming into a breeze, dissolving into nothingness...

Patriarch Huaqing's attempt to attain the Dao had failed!

Hua Sangeng had transformed into the void through the Dao, ceasing to exist entirely!

Dead silence—absolute dead silence!

Within the Lotus Dao Field, not a sound was heard. Pin-drop silence reigned as every immortal stared dumbly at the scene before them.

Whether they were second-generation immortals of noble birth, ordinary rogue cultivators who had risen as Earth Immortals, or those of other origins, at this moment, all sighed with varying degrees of sorrow.

An atmosphere of mutual grief, akin to the sorrow of the fox mourning the death of the hare, swept over the gathered immortals.

Patriarch Huaqing had dissolved into the Dao!

This fully accomplished Heavenly Immortal, who had been brimming with confidence, smiling and amiable, had simply and cleanly dissolved into the void without leaving a single trace behind!

Just moments earlier, he had executed a mortal enemy, remained in absolute control of the situation, manipulated human sentiment, and sat securely as the master of the game—a true winner in life, a genuine child of fortune!

Shouldn't the script for the next chapter have been a succession of happy events, successful Dao attainment, and triumphant prosperity for an entire epoch?!

Why, then, had he so effortlessly fallen and transformed into the Dao?!

If Patriarch Huaqing, with his firm Dao heart, master-level strategy, and decisive actions, could end up like this, what hope did the rest of them have of attaining the Golden Immortal realm in the future?!

A sense of bitter sorrow involuntarily arose in the hearts of the immortals.

Someone, in a low and haunting voice, murmured: "Before the doors of the Great Dao lie countless graveyards!"

The sorrow among the immortals deepened even further, though naturally, there were those who sought to break through and rebuild themselves.

Some immortals of rogue cultivator origin instead displayed a greater tenacity on their faces, possessing the heroic and daring spirit of charging forward even against millions of foes.

At this moment, only those immortals who had seen through the surface anomalies sat upon their secluded lotus seats, filled with deep emotion.

Immortal Tai'er put down his teacup and sighed: "What a pity for Fellow Daoist Huaqing!"

This time, he did not teasingly refer to him as the old Daoist or old ghost, but solemnly addressed him as a fellow Daoist.

Those who shared the same aspirations were fellow Daoists; today's Fellow Daoist Huaqing was yesterday's Immortal Tai'er.

Luo Feng gazed fixedly at the direction where Patriarch Huaqing had fallen, and asked with a trace of puzzlement: "Is attaining the Golden Immortal Dao really that difficult?!"

Immortal Tai'er, who had just been overwhelmed by emotion and sorrow, wanted to recite a poem, but instantly choked (*⊙~⊙).

He glanced sideways at Luo Feng, whose aura lacked even the slightest sedimentation of time, and chuckled dryly.

He would bet anything that this disciple-grandson of his would attain the Golden Immortal Dao in less than ten thousand years!

Damn it! (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴

He despised dealing with cheaters like them the most!

[Yesterday, I was writing halfway through the chapter and dozed off for a while. I just woke up now. I'll finish eating and continue writing.]

[All four chapters are complete, making up for yesterday's update.]

(End of this chapter)