World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 474: Ascending to Immortality

Wang Sheng never expected that during Mu Wanxuan's nine years in seclusion, she would be able to remove the balance of her yin and yang.

She did not seek more obscure transformations of yin and yang. Instead, she devoted her entire cultivation to the Great Dao of Yin and Yang itself.

From that moment on, Mu Wanxuan focused on understanding the shifting forces of yin and yang. The bottlenecks she faced would be far fewer, and her future path would be much broader.

Her presence now had a subtle profundity. Her every gesture and breath held a unique Dao Rhythm.

Even Xi Lian was stunned when she first saw her. She immediately clung to Mu Wanxuan's arm and insisted on joining her next seclusion, stating that she had to carefully examine the Dao Rhythm flowing from Mu Wanxuan.

Hence, the plan for the martial siblings to cultivate together was canceled. Wang Sheng could only return to his quiet corner to think about transcending mortality and ascending to immortality.

Looking back on his regression until now, his cultivation journey had rarely hit any real bottlenecks. Wang Sheng believed it was because of his Dao of the Sword.

Whenever his progress slowed down, he simply had to practice the sword to gain new insights. His Pure Yang Immortal Mantra also matched his Dao of the Sword perfectly. It was one of the main reasons he managed to advance this far.

In ancient times, cultivators called the path before reaching immortality the Immortal Ascension Ladder. Whoever climbed and reached its top would become an Ascended Immortal, rising to a new level of existence and stepping into a true grand era.

Yaoyun had once said that before the Three Realms were formed, the Immortal Saint Realm had two long eras: the Primal Era and the Ancient Era.

In the Primal Era, countless beings born straight from the Great Dao itself walked the world. Their power was so limitless that Grand Dao Golden Immortals were considered common. Anyone who hadn't reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm yet wouldn't dare raise their head in the Immortal Saint Realm, and those who could not achieve immortality weren't even qualified to speak their own names.

Endless conflicts and great disasters reduced their numbers. Those who survived became unmatched experts, and those who fell simply vanished.

Born from heaven and earth, the primordial beings were naturally in tune with the Great Dao. Some were even the living form of a Dao's will. Their power was innate.

Most of these primordial beings had the nature of the Dao, not human nature. They had no small desires or worldly emotions, and their only goal was to pursue the Great Dao. Hence, they couldn't be judged based on the standards of later generations.

However, some of them were full of spiritual insight. Finding existence dull, they began to explore ways to make the world more interesting, including creating more forms of life.

Eventually, they started creating little people.

A few followed the primal instinct of propagation, giving birth to offspring who inherited part of their innate might and the instinct to reproduce. But with each generation, the bloodline grew weaker, and their innate strength faded.

Others used Daoist arts to create life.

By the end of the Primal Era, the world was filled with countless different races. Many of them gradually became established.

Those who came from these lineages were called "created beings." Since most lacked innate power, they had to learn to cultivate to survive in the Immortal Saint Realm. This was how systematic cultivation began.

The idea of cultivation made no sense to primordial beings. They grew stronger simply by aligning themselves more deeply with the Dao that had created them. Hence, they had no interest in small pleasures, no desire to compete.

Concepts like virtue or shame were a joke to them. In their eyes, everything in existence was either useful to their Dao or completely useless. Nothing more. Eventually, they either fell into the great calamities or chose different paths, vacating the Immortal Saint Realm.

Now populated by beings who weren't born from the Dao, the Immortal Saint Realm entered the Ancient Era.

The Immortal Saint Realm during the Ancient Era was vibrant and full of life. Countless legends were born. In their search for a more perfect state of being, all races evolved toward the innate Dao Body—the human form.

The primordial beings still appeared every now and then. Sometimes, they protected certain races. Other times, the rising experts among the created beings hunted them.

In this era, even ordinary Grand Dao Golden Immortals who lacked powerful treasures or divine abilities but possessed cultivation were considered experts in their own right.

The Immortal Saint Realm was generally much weaker than in the Primal Era, yet it had become far more stable, experiencing far fewer great calamities. Even though wars were waged, the number of living beings also constantly grew. Earth's population today was still nowhere near that of the Ancient Era's Immortal Saint Realm. They weren't even remotely on the same scale.

Due to the increase in population, the many defeated races were forced to leave the Immortal Saint Realm and venture into the space surrounding it instead. They settled in distant stars and began the development of the endless starry skies.

Created beings required cultivation to gain power. Hence, the concept of "cultivator" was born. In the Ancient Era, though, only those who had already become immortals were known as cultivators. Everyone else was simply called a living being.

Mortals of that age's beast tribes weren't considered fully grown yet. Until they were, they weren't qualified to join their clan's fighting forces.

Decline did not end the Ancient Era. On the contrary, the created beings in the Immortal Saint Realm and the endless space had become incredibly prosperous.

That was when the Heavenly Court rose, waged war all across space, and unified the Immortal Saint Realm. It absorbed countless experts, built a new order, and forcibly ended the Ancient Era.

Thus began the era of the Three Realms.

The Immortal Emperor, honored as the most powerful being of the Ancient Era, emerged victorious. Since then, the term "cultivator" came to refer to all who walked the path of cultivation.

When the Heavenly Court fell, the order of the Three Realms persisted. However, compared to the era when the Heavenly Court ruled, everything had become more chaotic.

The Nether Realm, which upheld the cycle of reincarnation, had likely been divided up among the major forces that destroyed the Heavenly Court.

Many immortals had also likely risen to contend for dominance over the Immortal Realm, the former Immortal Saint Realm. Unifying it again in such a short span of time was impossible.

The Mortal Realm—the endless space— served as the foundation of the forces that destroyed the Heavenly Court. Since each star was a world of its own, various powers naturally influenced it.

Wang Sheng sat quietly, pondering all this. With faint expectations in his eyes, he raised his hand and gently grasped the empty air.

A turbulent age of cultivation likely awaited him outside the Realm of Exiled Immortals. Within such turmoil lay opportunities for him and Earth's cultivation world.

Becoming an immortal was only the first step. It was merely a ticket into the Three Realms, where he could finally begin his true journey.

Instead of wandering outside right after ascending, Wang Sheng intended to wait until he had broken past the Ascended Immortal Realm and the Primordial Immortal Realm. Once he had reached the True Immortal Realm, he would finally venture outside.

Wang Sheng had already planned the actions he would take afterward.

First, he had to establish a new power outside the Realm of Exiled Immortals. The Pure Yang Sword Faction was built precisely for that purpose. Using it as cover, Earth's cultivation world could gradually shift outward.

He mainly required immortals who possessed both understanding and strength to assist him in expanding the faction. As long as they could build a firm foothold, they could slowly take control of the star they were based on, forming the gateway that the cultivators of Earth would require to step into the endless space.

Accomplishing this would likely take a long time. It would be ideal for Wang Sheng or other cultivators from Earth's cultivation world to reach the Heavenly Immortal Realm or even the Golden Immortal Realm during this process. They could become a stabilizing pillar in a remote star domain.

Once their faction was strong enough to stand on its own, Wang Sheng would have to set out on another journey. After all, he had promised Xi Lian that he would help find Qinglin. He had also promised Yaoyun that he would look for the immortals of the Heavenly Court.

Once powerful enough, Wang Sheng would certainly investigate the fate of the Heavenly Court immortals who launched a counterattack. Since Chun Yangzi was still alive, the immortals who once followed Ziwei could have also survived.

All this was still ideal planning, though. He had no idea what the outside world was truly like now. A coalition of immortals could even ambush him as soon as he left the Realm of Exiled Immortals.

"Pui!"

Wang Sheng raised his hand and slapped his own mouth. I'd better not manifest such ominous situations.

For now, he had to enter secluded cultivation and gradually reach the Ascended Immortal Realm. He would then complete the final step of his life transformation, which had started at the Rebirth Realm.

One step to leave the secular world behind, one step to grow "immortal wings." Another to ascend high, a final one to reach immortality.

His spiritual perception swept across half of the Small Immortal Realm. He could see his senior sister cultivating with Xi Lian and Spiritless floating up and down in the Spirit Pool. He also saw the Daoist masters and Daoist elders cultivating on the Platform of Immortal Dreams, in the Pool of Immortal Arts, and in different immortal palaces.

With a thought, Wang Sheng summoned Flying Haze from his chest. He flicked his finger lightly, and the sword let out a soft resonance.

"Once I ascend, I will properly reforge you," Wang Sheng said softly. "You should also put in some effort and awaken your sword spirit soon. Otherwise, I will have fewer chances to use you in the future."

Flying Haze rang twice, as if in response.

Wang Sheng smiled, placed the sword across his lap, and slowly closed his eyes. Around him, specks of white light like fireflies on a summer night gathered. At times, he became half-transparent or emitted a soft white glow.

In this continuous transformation, strands of immortal qi were born.

Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Tribulation.

He had already crossed the three barriers to immortality and experienced the process of immortal transformation in his dreams. There's no longer any great obstacle standing before him.

Xi Lian seemed to have made some progress as well. Mu Wanxuan, who had been comprehending her own Dao, opened her eyes and glanced over.

Flowing Buddhist light had shrouded Xi Lian. A lotus seal gently shone between her eyebrows, and a faint immortal glow radiated from her white jade-like skin.

"Breakthrough?"

Mu Wanxuan blinked. Can my Yin-Yang Dao Rhythm really help cultivators break through?

Thinking she should have her junior brother try it in the future as well, Mu Wanxuan stopped cultivating and redirected the primal qi in the immortal palace, supporting Xi Lian.

She remained nearby, observing carefully while also studying what exactly the immortal transformation entailed.

A month later, a beam of light shot out of the immortal palace. Everyone in the Small Immortal Realm could see it. Immortal light swirled within, and celestial music played through the realm.

Seven days later, a second beam of light rose from near the immortal palace, shining in response to the first.