Your Spell Version is Too Low!

After a separation of fifty years, their reunion revealed that the aura of Elder Master Deng Yin was almost completely depleted. He was like a stubborn rock, weathered and dried by the years, with barely a trace of a living being’s vitality left in him.

Only an abyss-like duskiness, heavy and suffocating, enveloped him.

"Teacher!"

Seeing the Elder Master appear, Qi Yun was both shocked and delighted.

He had thought that after fifty years in seclusion polishing his Dao Foundation, he had long missed the time of the Elder Master’s passing from the exhaustion of his lifespan.

He never imagined they would meet again in this Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven.

"Mm..."

The Elder Master’s turbid gaze fell upon Qi Yun. He carefully sensed his Daluo Ten Thousand Laws Dao Foundation—though not yet fully formed, it was already as radiant as the sun, reigning supreme over the Ten Thousand Laws. A hint of undisguised admiration and appreciation showed in his eyes.

"Truly worthy of a Venerable Dao Foundation... Even before you’ve fully stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm, the loftiness of your Dao Position can already compare to an old man like me in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage." His voice was hoarse and filled with emotion.

"If you successfully establish your foundation, your Dao Position... will likely be a solid step above the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."

"This disciple’s accomplishments are all thanks to Teacher’s years of meticulous guidance and protection," Qi Yun said with heartfelt sincerity.

Throughout his journey, the Elder Master’s overt and covert support had been instrumental.

Although they had no formal master-disciple relationship, the substance of one had long been firmly established between them.

"In that case..."

The gentle smile on the Elder Master’s face slowly receded like a tide, replaced by a heart-stopping calm.

"Then today is the day for you to repay your debt."

The moment these words were spoken, Qi Yun’s heart jolted. A sense of foreboding washed over him.

Before he could react—

A terrifying, immense power, far beyond his imagination, erupted from the Elder Master’s seemingly withered body like an invisible shackle.

It instantly froze the space all around Qi Yun!

Qi Yun felt his entire body tighten, as if he had been buried under ten thousand fathoms of Profound Ice. He couldn’t even move a single finger.

Even the surging power of his Dao Foundation was forcefully suppressed, its circulation stagnating!

He could only watch, helplessly, as even moving his eyes became incredibly difficult.

"Teacher... you?!"

Qi Yun’s pupils shrank, and his brows furrowed tightly.

The Elder Master took a single step, instantly appearing before Qi Yun, who was pinned to the spot.

He slowly raised his withered right hand, his five fingers slightly spread. With an air of cold resolve, he pressed it slowly toward the Ancestral Acupoint between Qi Yun’s brows!

In the depths of his turbid eyes, there was no longer any trace of appreciation or gentleness, only a near-maniacal greed and desire.

"A hundred years of waiting, of painstaking effort..."

The Elder Master’s voice grew low and eerie.

"This old man... can finally get a new body."

’Possession?!’

Watching the withered palm magnify before his eyes, the gravity in Qi Yun’s eyes gradually calmed. He let out a soft, resigned smile and silently formed a Spell with his right hand.

"Still... one move short..."

His voice was very soft, carrying a sigh of resignation, yet it seemed to hide something more.

And then, the palm—imbued with the Elder Master’s entire life’s Cultivation and resolute will, carrying an icy wind—touched the skin of his brow.

TAP—

The expected possession did not occur.

Only two cold, rough fingers had gently tapped him on the brow.

At this touch, the immense power that had been enough to immobilize him receded silently like the tide.

Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the Elder Master right before him.

Seeing his expression, the eeriness and greed on the Elder Master’s face completely vanished, replaced by that familiar, faint smile tinged with weariness and relief.

"The final lesson."

The Elder Master’s voice was hoarse yet clear, each word entering Qi Yun’s Heart and Spirit.

"In the Holy Sect, trust no one..."

Then, he leaned forward and added in a faint voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Including... the True Monarchs..."

"Teacher, you...!" Qi Yun’s Heart and Spirit trembled violently. He was about to speak, but the Elder Master had already decisively withdrawn his fingers. Without looking back at him, he took a step and strode unflinchingly toward the churning, monstrous Blood Sea!

That stooped, withered back was now ramrod straight.

A clear cry, carrying the calm of one who has seen through life and death, echoed throughout the Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven:

"A thousand karmic debts, ten thousand acts of Compassion."

"I look back on my hurried life; a lotus flower crosses tribulation into ash."

"Disciple... your Master is leaving."

These last five words, filled with boundless freedom, entered Qi Yun’s ears with absolute clarity.

Before his voice had even faded, the Elder Master’s figure had completely merged into the boundless Blood Sea, becoming one with the hundreds of millions of vengeful souls and endless Evil Qi!

The next instant—

BOOM!!!

The entire Blood Sea Boundaryless Realm let out an unprecedented, violent roar! A sanguine light shot into the sky, dyeing the whole Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven a ghastly scarlet!

From the deepest part of the Blood Sea, a terrifying power erupted!

A Blood Lotus—demonic yet sacred, formed entirely from the purest blood-fiend qi and the old man’s lifelong Dao Essence—slowly emerged and began to rotate!

The moment the lotus appeared, the entire vast Blood Sea seemed to come alive. It suddenly coiled, transforming into a sky-blotting, blood-colored giant palm that ruthlessly grabbed hold of the several Dao Foundations in the distance.

"NO—!"

Vaguely, enraged thoughts seemed to emanate from those Dao Foundations, but it was already too late!

The Blood Lotus as the guide, the boundless Blood Sea as the coffin!

A final sublimation, blooming with the splendor of a lifetime,

The Elder Master, at the cost of the last embers of his life and his entire life’s Cultivation and Dao Foundation, dragged those several malicious Dao Foundations with him and plunged headlong into the still-roaring River of Heaven and Earth Years below!

RUMBLE—!!!

An indescribable roar came from the depths of the river. It was the final, resonant note of Dao Foundations collapsing, Divine Souls scattering, and falling together with one’s fated enemies!

The violent explosion mixed with the grinding Power of Time.

It stirred up monstrous waves in that phantom river. The murky gray waters of time were stained a tragic, beautiful crimson.

Then, just as quickly, it was washed away, diluted, and erased by the eternal river of time...

The Blood Sea, the Dao Foundations, the enemy shadows, and the last traces of the Elder Master’s existence... all of it was annihilated by the scouring currents of the River of Heaven and Earth Years, returning to primordial tribulation ash, leaving no trace behind.

Within the Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven, "calm" was restored.

Only Qi Yun remained, standing alone and stunned, gazing in the direction where the Elder Master had vanished, at the now-empty void where only the sound of flowing years remained.

The cool touch on his brow seemed to linger.

By his ear, the final warning and words of farewell still seemed to echo.

Standing silently, the knuckles of Qi Yun’s clenched fists turned white from the force.

Within his deep eyes, countless emotions churned before finally transforming into an abyss of coldness and determination.

The final lesson. He had understood it profoundly.

On the path ahead, there was no turning back, and... no more protection.

...

All external demonic obstacles had been swept away, buried together in the River of Heaven and Earth Years.

Qi Yun stood amidst this bizarre and motley Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven. His aura, far from being disordered by the series of upheavals, had grown even more profound and pure.

He took a deep breath, as if to draw all the Spiritual Mechanism and determination between Heaven and Earth into his chest.

The next moment!

In the depths of his eyes, an Infinite Light suddenly surged!

That light contained the true meaning of Daluo—Commanding All Skills and transcending with Freedom!

"If not now, then when!"

With no distracting thoughts left in his mind, he looked to the heavens and let out a soft cry!

The Daluo Ten Thousand Laws Dao Foundation within him, long since polished to Perfection and eager to act, erupted with its full power!

HUMMM—!!!

The Dao Foundation burst forth with unprecedented, brilliant light. The scenes it contained—the birth and death of the Cosmos, the flow of the Ten Thousand Laws—became incredibly clear and real!

At this moment, the Dao Foundation was no longer just a phantom image; it had transformed into a tangible, radiant Great Dao.

It emanated a majestic Dao Rhyme that surpassed the ages, Venerable and supreme!

The power of the Dao Foundation surged forth like a great, invisible hand, steadily lifting Qi Yun’s physical body, Divine Soul, and his entire life-imprint!

"Rise!"

With a Heart Thought from Qi Yun, the vast and majestic phantom of the River of Heaven and Earth Years beneath his feet, filled with the boundless Power of Heaven and Earth, could no longer restrain him.

Under the gaze of countless watching eyes, some overt and some hidden across the void, the figure bearing the Daluo Ten Thousand Laws Dao Foundation was like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss. With an unstoppable, forward-surging momentum, he brazenly broke through the shroud and scouring currents of the river of time!

One step out, and he had transcended!

His Dao Foundation no longer drifted in the currents of time.

Instead, it hung high above the ceaselessly rushing River of Heaven and Earth Years!

Let the river below surge and its waves churn.

I myself shall remain Immovable, shining across the ages!

The Dao Foundation merged completely with the Heaven and Earth Dao, resonating in perfect, harmonious unison.

A majestic Magical Power—far vaster and purer than that of the Qi Refining Stage, and tinged with a hint of immortality—surged through his body like a rebirth, reflecting and enhancing the Dao Foundation suspended high above.

His perception of his lifespan suddenly extended to eight hundred years.

A profound sense of inner Freedom and boundless liberty, of having broken the shackles of mortality and truly stepped onto the path of Longevity, filled his entire being!

The Three Calamities of wind, fire, and water were all overcome!

All internal and external demonic obstacles were cleared!

The splendor surrounding Qi Yun’s body gradually receded, eventually returning to tranquility.

He stood quietly in the Foundation Establishment Realm Heaven, his aura as deep as the ocean. With every opening and closing of his eyes, an innate majesty was revealed.

And with that—

Qi Yun had officially achieved the Realm of a Foundation Establishment Master!

...