Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Chapter 239 - 145: Secrets of the Cultivation Realm

Seeing his sincere attitude and gentle tone, Li Chang’an finally nodded in satisfaction.

"How did you get to the Lower Realm?" he asked.

The Cultivator dared not hide anything and answered, "I came here through a passage opened by the Immortal Palace!"

Li Chang’an then asked, "And what is the Immortal Palace?"

The Cultivator continued, "The Immortal Palace is a great power in the Cultivation Realm. It has opened many paths to other worlds throughout the myriad realms, clearing and marking them. At set intervals, they release the mining rights for a portion of these small worlds..."

"I spent five thousand Spirit Stones to buy the mining rights for this small world from the Immortal Palace!"

This claim made Li Chang’an raise an eyebrow.

’So this Immortal Palace controls an incredible number of small worlds, and it even sells their mining rights like commodities.’

’How come that sounds so much like the Rebirth Mark?’

Of course, there were differences between the two.

When the Rebirth Mark initiated a reincarnation, only the Reincarnator’s soul would descend, their physical body remaining in the Main World. For the Immortal Palace’s small worlds, however, a Cultivator had to physically go and explore their chosen world.

However, this didn’t stop Li Chang’an from connecting the two pieces of information.

The Immortal Palace opened up many small worlds and handed the mining rights over to Cultivators.

’In that case, could the Rebirth Mark operate on a similar model?’

’It’s just that the Rebirth Mark opens up far more worlds, and its method of ’mining’ is comparatively gentler, not as crude and brutal as the Immortal Palace’s.’

Li Chang’an thought for a long time. The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

But now was not the time to get bogged down in that. Li Chang’an continued his questioning. "Since you came to the Lower Realm to mine it, how are you supposed to get back when you’re finished? And if you die, will the Immortal Palace send people down to investigate?"

These questions were clearly more pressing.

The Cultivator’s expression changed visibly. After a moment of thought, he said, "The mining period is fifty years. After fifty years, the Immortal Sect will open again. If I die, the Immortal Palace will naturally send someone to investigate. So you can’t kill me! You have to preserve my remnant soul and release me when the Immortal Sect opens!"

Li Chang’an smiled. "What Realm will the people from the Immortal Palace be? Don’t tell me they’ll also be at the Foundation Establishment Realm?"

Even though he was nothing but a soul,

upon hearing Li Chang’an’s response, the Cultivator couldn’t help but cry out in alarm, "What are you planning to do? Kill a Loose Cultivator like me, and you might get away with your life using some tricks, continuing to be the king of the hill in this small world. But if you kill someone from the Immortal Palace, this entire small world might be buried along with you!"

Li Chang’an’s expression was indifferent. "I ask, you answer. Who told you to spout so much nonsense?"

His voice was very soft,

but to the Cultivator’s ears, it sounded like the whisper of an Asura.

The Cultivator didn’t dare say another word.

Li Chang’an didn’t continue asking about the Immortal Palace. Instead, he changed the subject. "According to what you said before, it must be quite costly to open the so-called Immortal Sect, right? If the Immortal Palace discovers you haven’t returned, would they really come to the Lower Realm to investigate just for you?"

The Cultivator fell silent.

He had no answer to that question.

’If I don’t return, will the Immortal Palace investigate?’

’They definitely will.’

’But even if they do, the Immortal Palace most likely won’t send someone down immediately. It’s not worth the cost. They’d probably wait another two thousand years before sending someone to check on the situation here.’

After a long silence, the Cultivator finally spoke again. "It’s rare for a Cultivator to die in a Lower Realm during the mining process. Especially since this world I came to has already been through so many rounds of ’harvesting.’ Logically, there shouldn’t be any dangerous elements left..."

"But now, a clear anomaly has appeared in this Lower Realm. This will definitely attract the Immortal Palace’s attention. Even if the Immortal Palace doesn’t send someone now, they will certainly send someone the next time the Immortal Sect opens. And it will most likely be a Direct Disciple! When that time comes, you and everyone in this world will have nowhere to hide!"

"As long as you let me go back, I’ll attribute everything to my own carelessness. As a result, the Immortal Palace won’t send a Direct Disciple to investigate next time. They’ll most likely just sell the mining rights to another Loose Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, or maybe one who hasn’t even reached that stage..."

At this, the Cultivator said no more.

He believed Li Chang’an understood his meaning.

Li Chang’an did indeed understand his meaning.

But the question was, if he really let him go back, wouldn’t this guy immediately report the whole truth to the Immortal Palace?

Li Chang’an would not entrust such a matter to an enemy’s mercy, much less believe a single promise from this man who had committed boundless slaughter.

He didn’t dwell on the issue, but asked his final question: "When the Immortal Sect opens, can I go to the Immortal Realm?"

The Cultivator stared at him for a moment.

After a long gaze, he finally said, "I advise you to give up on that idea. The aura of someone from a Lower Realm is completely different from that of the Cultivation Realm. Plus, you’re stained with the sin of killing me. Going to the Immortal Realm like that would be no different from walking naked down the street. You’ll either be captured the moment you leave the Immortal Sect, or you’ll be killed on the spot by Immortal Palace disciples. You’ll die so completely that not even bone fragments will remain. There is no third outcome!"

Li Chang’an nodded and praised him, "Very good. It seems you are being sincere. I have one more final question. What is the origin of that World-Devouring Whale?!"

Hearing the name ’World-Devouring Whale,’ the Cultivator licked his lips, his expression growing complex. "The World-Devouring Whale is an incredibly fierce and wondrous Magic Beast. It feeds on the boundaries between worlds and can travel through the Void. I’ve heard that the Immortal Palace made use of some of the World-Devouring Whale’s unique characteristics to open up small worlds!"