Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen had returned to his small courtyard. Through that brief chat with Fang Ding just now, he had gained a rudimentary understanding of the Inner Domain. Many doubts in his heart were gradually getting answered. Perhaps the answers were not definitively correct, but at the very least, they provided a line of reasoning.

If the Xie Zhi Division is an Inner Domain, does the Immortal Realm count as an Inner Domain? What about the Three Thousand Dao Realm... does it count as an Inner Domain?

Once that thought arose, it lingered persistently in Fang Chen's mind.

He had witnessed the mystical wonders of the Xie Zhi Division back in the Nine Realms, with the primary wonder originating from the Xie Zhi Gate. He had also witnessed the mystical wonders of the Three Thousand Dao Realm, where the flow of time inside was much slower than outside. That was highly likely to be a certain divine ability belonging to an Inner Domain as well.

However, compared to the Xie Zhi Division, the Three Thousand Dao Realm seemed a bit too small. Perhaps it wasn't fully intact. Still, even if the Three Thousand Dao Realm and the Xie Zhi Division were combined, their size could nowhere near compare to the vastness of the Immortal Realm. If the Immortal Realm truly is an Inner Domain, its divine ability couldn't possibly just be being huge.

Fang Ding said that the divine abilities of Inner Domains varied. Even if some looked similar, they couldn't be identical. That was similar to the legend of the dragon birthing nine distinct sons, symbolizing that no two individuals in the world are completely alike.

If I can one day ascend to the Three Limit Breaking Steps, what kind of Inner Domain would I be able to condense?

At that thought, Fang Chen suddenly felt a trace of anticipation for the future. However, he also knew that he was still a long, long way off from the Three Limit Breaking Steps. Even with so many hidden trumps and starting from such a high baseline, all he could truly do was avoid some unnecessary detours. The road that had to be walked still had to be taken one step at a time. It would be slightly easier, but there was no reaching the heavens in a single bound.

Fang Chen's expression shifted. "Right, the Saint Canon."

He immediately stood up and walked out of the courtyard. The moment he stepped out, Fang Ding materialized once again.

Fang Chen said with a smile, "I want to take a look at the Saint Canon. Lead the way."

Fang Ding was slightly taken aback, but then he nodded. "Alright."

Within the Xie Zhi Division stood a Sacred Temple dedicated to housing copies of the Saint Canon originating from the Supreme Qingming Alliance.

On their way to the Sacred Temple, Fang Chen learned from Fang Ding that ordinary divine ability users, upon ascending to the eighth transformation, could travel to the Sacred Temples administered by the Supreme Qingming Alliance to comprehend the Saint Canon. However, that journey was incredibly long and winding. An ordinary eighth-transformation cultivator might not necessarily make it there alive, nor would they necessarily even know the way.

On the other hand, every Saint and Half Saint possessed the qualifications to copy the Saint Canon. As such, the divine ability users under their faction saved a vast amount of time. They could directly study the Saint Canon to comprehend its profound mysteries. Furthermore, there was no strict restriction stating that only those at the eighth transformation could read it. However, most of the time, it was the eighth-transformation immortals who asked to see it. This was because only upon reaching the eighth transformation could one truly cultivate the Saint Canon.

Very quickly, the two arrived before the gates of the Sacred Temple. Standing here were two divine ability users guarding the entrance. Their cultivations were not particularly high, only around the third stage of Foundation Building.

"Ancestor Fang Ding."

The two Dao Fusion divine ability users bowed in a hurry upon seeing the newcomers, while subtly catching a glimpse of Fang Chen with their peripheral vision. On the day the blood and qi surged like a rainbow, they had gone over to join the commotion, so they naturally knew that the identity of the person before them was highly unusual.

Fang Ding nodded and then looked toward Fang Chen. He said with a soft smile, "Old Ancestor, please enter by yourself."

"You're not coming in?"

"I have already read the Saint Canon and achieved success in its cultivation. If I were to read it again, it would bring more harm than benefits," explained Fang Ding.

Fang Chen was slightly startled. While pondering the hidden meaning behind Fang Ding's words, he stepped forward into the Sacred Temple.

The inside of the Sacred Temple was not as magnificent or resplendent as Fang Chen had imagined. Instead, it was rather simple, though it occupied a vast area, resembling a small plaza.

At the center of the Sacred Temple, strands of golden energy drifted like a dense mist. Some strands were thick while others were thin, flowing along at an exceptionally slow pace. A crimson-gold canon was being held aloft in midair by these golden energies.

So this is the Saint Canon?

Curiosity arose in Fang Chen's heart as he slowly approached it.

As he drew closer to the Saint Canon, the golden energy seemed to become lively, flowing faster and faster, causing the canon to spin continuously in midair.

Upon reaching the golden energy, Fang Chen first tested it with his fingertip. A sensation of coolness welled up in his mind. It felt like water yet lacked water's density.

Once he confirmed that there was no danger, Fang Chen walked steadily into the mist and finally arrived right in front of the Saint Canon.

When he attempted to take the Saint Canon down, the surrounding golden energy suddenly became incredibly unyielding, locking the canon tightly in place and preventing it from moving even a fraction of an inch.

It cannot be taken down?

Fang Chen's mind stirred slightly. Giving up on the idea of taking it down, he chose instead to flip it open directly. In a flash, he felt as if he were looking at a stranger world. That world was his body, yet the state it presented was like a primordial starry sky. His immortal essence resembled the Milky Way, spanning across an endless distance within it.

A strand of golden energy manifested in this space, flowing along a unique path. Fang Chen's attention was deeply captivated by it.

Just like that, time flew by rapidly.

Without realizing it, Fang Chen had fallen into a trance, as if he had remained there for a thousand years. The path traced by the golden energy became engraved in his mind, resembling a unique cultivation method.

The next moment, Fang Chen broke free from this bizarre state. When he opened his eyes again, he found that he had already drifted outside the boundary of the golden energy, standing a full hundred paces away from the Saint Canon.

Recalling the flow path of that golden energy, astonishment surfaced in his eyes.

Could this be the cultivation method transmitted to me by the Saint Canon?

Fang Chen instinctively wanted to test it. The moment the thought rose, the immortal essence within his body turned violent and turbulent, forcing him to halt the attempt immediately.

I am afraid it's impossible to cultivate this technique without reaching the eighth transformation. That technique seems specifically forged for the stages after the eighth transformation realm.

However...

Fang Chen suddenly let out a sigh.

The primordial starry sky he had just witnessed contained nine additional regions, which should correspond precisely to those nine traverse bones. But reality had it that he lacked these nine traverse bones entirely. That meant that even with the Saint Canon, he still wouldn't be able to cultivate it when he reached the eighth transformation.

The problem didn't lie with the Saint Canon. If Old Wang didn't lose his memories of the Nether Ruins era, then he must absolutely possess the cultivation techniques of the Saint Canon. Yet, he still chose to walk the path of the Immortal Path. Didn't this already prove that... even he is incapable of re-cultivating the Dao of the Saint Canon?

Fang Chen's heart grew heavier. He could now be certain that even if the human race of the Nine Realms obtained the Saint Canon, it would be utterly useless as they simply could not cultivate it. To break the limit, perhaps they could only try the Heavenly Supreme Pill Technique. Alternatively, they would have to uncover the true reason behind the disappearance of the nine traverse bones and find a way to bring them back.

Carrying a touch of heaviness, Fang Chen walked out of the Sacred Temple. Fang Ding, who was waiting at the entrance, smiled and said, "Old Ancestor, was the technique transmitted by the Saint Canon this time identical to the last?"

Fang Chen asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Fang Ding was slightly taken aback. "Could it be that this is your first time reading the Saint Canon? Don't tell me that even your memories of previously reading the Saint Canon are missing?"

Fang Chen's expression shifted slightly. "Will reading it twice transmit different techniques?"

Fang Ding explained, "That is natural. The techniques of the Saint Canon manifest in a thousand forms for a thousand different people. In this world, no two techniques are exactly the same. I was precisely worried about my own low cultivation and unstable foundation. If a discrepancy in the techniques appeared during a second reading, it might cause my cultivation to go awry. That is why I dared not step inside."