Post-Mythical Era: I don't want to die in the third reincarnation

Chapter 1243 - 1236: Sage of Freedom

Ding Huan remained silent, and the other party fell silent as well.

After a while, a voice came from the opposite: "Did you guess I am in the decay of the Dao?"

"Are you admitting you are Jiqiong?" Ding Huan said indifferently.

After another while, the other side said: "I can only say I am half Jiqiong, don't ask me where my other half is, because I don't know either."

Ding Huan looked at the shadow in front of him in surprise, half Jiqiong?

Is this guy a clone or a severed corpse?

But whether it's a clone or a severed corpse, in Ding Huan's eyes, they are all low-level.

At what level are they?

Still playing with severed bodies and clones?

Look how advanced the Void is.

He lets others help him seek the ultimate vast Dao; he only needs to cast the net, then reel it in.

The Void's failure wasn't because he didn't play high-level, but because he encountered Ding Huan and Shi Keling.

Unlucky for him to choose Ding Huan and Shi Keling in his Dao branch.

No, if he didn't have Yang Mei's help, he might have become part of the Void Dao.

As for Shi Keling, truly formidable!

How did he break free from the Void's will?

While Ding Huan was still pondering Shi Keling's situation, Jiqiong spoke again: "The endless vastness, cultivating the Dao to the ninth step is already the ultimate.

The true way to transcend the vast techniques is to take the ninth step beyond vastness and become a Vast Wanderer.

So everyone strives to take the ninth step beyond vastness, to become a Vast Wanderer..."

"Wait…" Ding Huan interrupted Jiqiong.

"What is a Vast Wanderer? Why does it sound so strange?"

Jiqiong answered: "A Vast Wanderer is the realm beyond the ninth step of vastness."

Ding Huan looked at Jiqiong speechlessly: "From cultivator to immortal, then to divine being and saint, in the end surpassing the ninth step of vast Dao, you utter Vast Wanderer?

Your vocabulary is lacking? Let me teach you a few: Vast Saint, Dao Saint, Vast Master, Vast Dao Lord...

See, isn't each term I propose a thousand times more impressive than Vast Wanderer?"

After Ding Huan finished speaking, Jiqiong calmly replied: "Do you think I am the only existence capable of stepping beyond the ninth step of vastness, so the realm of Vast Wanderer was proposed by me?"

"Isn't it?"

Jiqiong chuckled: "So you should collaborate with me; under the endless void, who knows how many vastness were born, and each vastness branched out countless primary universes.

Below each primary universe sprang countless secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and other universes.

As for the planes, boundaries, star systems, and star lands between universes… they are innumerable, endless.

The realm of Vast Wanderer existed long ago, I am merely a latecomer, reiterating.

Of course, you could call it Vast Wanderer Saint, because this realm indeed is Wanderer Saint, but what's the difference between Wanderer and Saint?

Further, this realm is the one all Daoists yearn for, to achieve eternal life unless the vastness is destroyed.

Do you know what is the hardest to obtain under vastness? It's not eternal life, nor unmatched power, but freedom.

Freedom is the toughest thing to acquire, 'wanderer' signifies freedom, so a Wanderer Saint is every cultivator's target."

Freedom?

A phrase suddenly emerged in Ding Huan's mind:

"Wander forth freely, wander back freely.

Never forget your beginning, never seek your end…"

Is the ultimate pursuit in life not eternal life, but freedom?

Indeed, why has he always failed to perceive it?

Is it because he has already attained freedom?

No, he's just been fighting for survival all along.

Has he never contemplated what he truly seeks in life?

At this moment, it seemed a lock within Ding Huan's heart was slowly being unlocked, he seemed to glimpse a brand-new Dao level...

Layer upon layer of gentle illumination tore through the dust-covered depths of his mind.

Dao rhythms flowed around Ding Huan, the Taoist aura soared wildly…

Even with the Cosmic Origin Principle shattered here, endless primordial energy swept through by Ding Huan.

Jiqiong knew immediately that things were unfavorable.

He hadn't intended for a few casual words to lead Ding Huan to such a startling Dao enlightenment.

Even within the Dao rhythm Ding Huan comprehended, he saw the opportunity and origin of stepping beyond the ninth step of vastness.

Jiqiong was reluctant to interrupt Ding Huan's enlightenment because he too wanted to continue exploring.

In countless years of cultivation, he had never stepped into such a heart-realm level.

But he didn't dare to probe further.

He feared allowing Ding Huan to keep awakening.

He was certain that as soon as Ding Huan reached a certain strength, the first person he would kill is him.

At that point, even if he comprehended everything, what use would it be?

Inside, Jiqiong was thrilled.

Could there be a third path to step onto the vast Ninth Step?

Regardless of whether there is or not, Jiqiong wouldn't let Ding Huan continue. His Divine Will directly broke through Ding Huan's Protective Dao Rhythm and he shouted sternly:

"Mr. Ding, as long as we collaborate, the Saint Xiu is not far from us."

Ding Huan's enlightenment was instantly shattered, that mysterious perception disappeared, and the heart's window that had begun to shine was closed once more.

Ding Huan was furious, coldly glaring at Jiqiong and ridiculing: "So your immortality is built upon the complete destruction of a vast realm."

Seeing that Ding Huan's enlightenment was broken, Jiqiong breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't care about Ding Huan's ridicule at all: "If you are willing, and we work together, you too can step onto the vast Ninth Step."

Ding Huan knew that his enlightenment came at the wrong time.

In his place, he would have interrupted his opponent's enlightenment as well.

Getting angry at Jiqiong now was meaningless.

It was better to ask more about things he didn't know.

He wanted to ask if Shi Keling collaborated with the opponent for this reason, but realizing that there were too many things he didn't understand, he kept silent.

As long as he kept quiet, Jiqiong, in an effort to make him partner up, would surely reveal more information.

The existence of the Saint Xiu had already bestowed considerable insight.

Indeed, Jiqiong continued: "To step onto the Ninth Step of the vast Great Dao, the best method is naturally to perform the Sacrificial Dao after the Decay Dao."

"So you chose the Sacrificial Dao after the Decay Dao?" Ding Huan inquired.

Jiqiong sighed: "If I truly chose the Sacrificial Dao after the Decay Dao, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you.

You should know the origin of the Void, right? If I chose the Decay Dao, I'm afraid I wouldn't complete it before being beheaded by this person.

I chose to proceed with both the Decay Dao and the Sacrificial Dao simultaneously, but sadly, I was a bit overconfident, leaving me in a difficult position now…"

Ding Huan's mind raced, could this fellow have split his physical body into two?

Therefore, one Jiqiong is in the Decay Dao, and another Jiqiong is in the Sacrificial Dao.

Has Jiqiong been hiding here, just waiting for someone to help him acquire the last piece of the vast Star Map?

If so, then Jiqiong must have long calculated that someone could take away the remaining parts of the vast Star Map.

Not only that, he could calculate that Luo Hou would come here to do this final task for him, which is to take the vast Star Map.

As long as Jiqiong acquires the last piece of this vast Star Map, he will surely have the power to continuously destroy the universe beneath the vastness.

That is the Sacrificial Dao.

This Jiqiong is the Jiqiong of the Sacrificial Dao.

At this time, the Jiqiong of the Decay Dao would also complete the Decay Dao.

Finally, the Jiqiong of the Decay Dao would complete himself with the Source Principle of the Eightfold Expanse Canyon, then merge with the Jiqiong of the Sacrificial Dao to step onto the vast Ninth Step.

If that is truly the case, then the Jiqiong of the Decay Dao must still be hiding within the Eightfold Expanse Canyon.

The calculations were very thorough step by step.

Pity, the Eightfold Expanse Canyon was already destroyed by a few of them.

As for the three paths and five ancestors left by Jiqiong.

These fellows were likely left by Jiqiong to protect his Dao.

Unfortunately, none of these fellows were capable of fighting, being suppressed by them three.

Not only that, Sword Heaven even became friends with them.

Ye Sha is also preparing to ally with them.

Having lost the Eightfold Expanse Canyon, he was going to lose the vast Star Map as well.

The Sacrificial Dao Jiqiong saw the plan failed and could no longer control the whole situation, so he decided to stand out and propose an alliance with him.

When facing Zuo Shanyi, this fellow probably used the same rhetoric.

It didn't seem right, Zuo Shanyi might not have been in league with the Jiqiong of the Sacrificial Dao, that guy was most likely allied with the Jiqiong of the Decay Dao.

"Your calculations are quite precise, knowing that someone could help you take the remaining parts of the vast Star Map, and someone would come here to take this last part of the vast Star Map for you."

Ding Huan stared at Jiqiong, though his tone was relaxed, his heart was filled with fear.

If he hadn't arrived in time.

Luo Hou would definitely become a wedding dress for Jiqiong.

As for Zuo Shanyi, who was waiting on the sidelines for Luo Hou to put away the vast Star Map and then plotting against Luo Hou, he too would certainly be calculated by the Sacrificial Dao Jiqiong.

The Jiqiong before him claimed that he and the Jiqiong of the Decay Dao did not know each other, but Ding Huan absolutely did not believe that.

If he hadn't come, once Zuo Shanyi outsmarted Luo Hou to gain the vast Star Map, the Jiqiong of the Decay Dao and the Jiqiong of the Sacrificial Dao would unite to eliminate Zuo Shanyi.

Ding Huan felt secretly displeased, he had inadvertently saved Shi Keling once more.

This guy really has some good fortune.

Jiqiong's tone remained calm: "In a singular vastness, there must be someone who can accomplish the acquisition of the vast Star Map. It's only a matter of time; what I lack the least is time."

Ding Huan secretly spat, this old thing could truly endure.

Even without the intervention of the three of them, just like this old thing said, sooner or later someone could collect the eight parts of the vast Star Map from the first Universe.

"Was the Void that just left a Vast Primordial Spirit? Is his idea to step onto the vast Ninth Step the same as yours? But there is only one vastness, if you perform the Sacrificial Dao, what will he perform as a sacrifice?"

Jiqiong wasn't surprised at Ding Huan's question, he expected Ding Huan would ask.

The method to step onto the vast Ninth Step, who wouldn't want to know?

However, the means of the Sacrificial Dao, only he, Jiqiong, could employ, and only he could use.

(Goodnight, fellow Daoist!)