Within the cave dwelling on Qingyun Peak, Gu Dao Tian Zong.
Ye Yun, who was in seclusion, had reached the most crucial juncture, poised to completely comprehend his own perfect Great Dao within the Sea of Great Daos.
Generally speaking, those in the Venerable realm could only touch upon the superficial aspects of the Dao, wielding a sliver of its power. Upon reaching the Life and Death realm, one could then interact with a portion of the Dao, transcending the mortal.
However, these were mere initial glimpses. The moment one attained the Dao Building realm and fully grasped a Great Dao, a qualitative leap in one's being would occur!
And he, having entered the Dao through the sword, was no exception. The Great Dao that Ye Yun had found most compatible was none other than the Sword Dao of Slaughter, or more precisely, the Slaughter Sword Dao!
With each passing day of refinement, aided by the Immortal Flower of Great Dao and Ye Yun's comprehension exceeding the ninth tier, he had managed to fully grasp the Slaughter Sword Dao!
It was at the very moment his Dao was achieved that his cultivation broke through the bottleneck, catapulting him into the Life and Death realm!
Instantly, a boundless and terrifying aura erupted from the Qingyun Peak cave dwelling, engulfing the entire Gu Dao Tian Zong in a flash. Everyone within the sect was shaken, stopping in their tracks to gaze upwards, their eyes filled with awe.
"Hiss, such a terrifying aura! Elder Ye, has he broken through again?"
"Didn't they say before that Elder Ye had one foot in the Life and Death realm? This must mean he's fully reached it now!"
"As expected of Elder Ye, he's set another record! All hail Elder Ye!"
"I wonder, how strong is Elder Ye now? Can he defeat someone at the sixth layer of the Life and Death realm or higher?"
...
Disciples within the sect chattered amongst themselves, many of them newly admitted and truly astounded.
The elders, including Gu Chen, were even more profoundly shocked.
Within Gu Dao Tian Zong, no one understood the terror of this aura better than Gu Chen. Even though he himself was a Venerable, he found it difficult to breathe under this oppressive presence.
"That brat Ye truly intends to shock everyone to death before he's done," Gu Chen murmured, gazing at Qingyun Peak and taking a deep breath.
Ye Yun, at the half-step Life and Death realm, had already suppressed Mo Hong, whose combat power was comparable to a fifth-layer Life and Death realm cultivator. Now that he had broken through again, who knew to what extent his combat power would soar.
The Great Elder, standing beside him, also watched Qingyun Peak intently. Finally, he couldn't help but remark,
"Sect Master, don't you find the aura emanating from Qingyun Peak somewhat familiar? It's very much like the laws of the Great Dao... and a complete one at that."
He had once witnessed a Dao Building expert wielding the power of the Great Dao. The oppressive feeling he now sensed from Qingyun Peak was remarkably similar, perhaps even superior!
Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's pupils contracted. He immediately shook his head and said,
"The complete laws of the Great Dao? How is that possible? Only those in the Dao Building realm can comprehend such things."
"Perhaps not necessarily..."
The Great Elder reminded him, "Sect Master, have you forgotten Ye Yun's extraordinary sword intent that was revealed not long ago? Wasn't that also something only Dao Building experts could comprehend?"
This remark jolted Gu Chen from his stupor. He stared at Qingyun Peak for a long time before finally uttering eight words slowly.
"This kid is truly a monster..."
...
This phenomenon persisted for half an hour before gradually receding.
Inside the cave dwelling on Qingyun Peak, Ye Yun slowly opened his eyes. A wave of energy surged from him, causing the stone walls to tremble.
"This is the power of the Life and Death realm. It's truly terrifying, a qualitative change compared to before!"
Ye Yun lowered his head and clenched his fists, feeling the explosive power in his body, immensely satisfied.
Furthermore, as he looked around, the entire world seemed to have been renewed. He could clearly sense the power of the Great Dao that permeated this space and could even manipulate it!
"Hmm... to effortlessly alter the world's operational rules. This is indeed the technique of a Dao Building expert."
He considered his greatest gain from this breakthrough not to be reaching the Life and Death realm, but mastering the Slaughter Sword Dao, which would bring immense benefits both now and in the future.
In combat, the power of the Slaughter Sword Dao could stack with his extraordinary sword intent, its potency far beyond simple addition. Combined with his cultivation at the first layer of the Life and Death realm, he estimated he could now fight against ordinary half-step Dao Building experts.
The gap created by mastering the power of the Great Dao was far more significant than the difference between extraordinary sword intent and high or peak-grade sword intent, a veritable dimensional drop for those below the Dao Building realm.
"Now, all that's left is this..."
After a moment of reflection, Ye Yun produced a glowing pill, the ninth-grade Heavenly Saint Pill he had previously received.
As a top-tier ninth-grade elixir, the Heavenly Saint Pill's effect was to significantly boost the user's comprehension, along with purifying marrow and enhancing cultivation talent.
Looking at the Heavenly Saint Pill in his hand, Ye Yun murmured to himself.
"I wonder if there's any comprehension beyond the 'super ninth tier' rank."
Normally, the comprehension limit on the Profound Heaven Continent was considered to be the super ninth tier. However, in Ye Yun's memory, it seemed that this vast universe also contained a legendary Heavenly Domain.
If a higher dimension truly existed, perhaps the comprehension limit could be pushed even further!
With this thought, he swallowed the Heavenly Saint Pill in one gulp, ravenously absorbing its medicinal power.
Compared to absorbing the Immortal Flower of Great Dao, Ye Yun awoke from his cultivation state relatively quickly this time. Frankly, there seemed to be no apparent change.
But when he opened his system panel, he was stunned by the information displayed.
【Name: Ye Yun】
【Cultivation: Life and Death Realm First Layer】
【Bloodline: Ice Phoenix Bloodline】
【Physique: Exquisite Saint Body】
【Comprehension: Immortal Tier (Reached the limit of this realm, can be further enhanced upon ascending to the Heavenly Domain)】
"There really is something higher. That sounds pretty impressive."
Ye Yun gasped. Throughout history, there had been rare legends of Heavenly Domain Immortals, but they were nowhere to be found, nor had anyone seen them. Over time, they had become mere myths.
However, this system had undeniably confirmed the existence of the Heavenly Domain. But this raised a question.
Were there not many saints in ancient times? Even if the difficulty of ascension was incredibly high, there should have been exceptionally talented individuals who achieved it. Yet, there had never been any mention of someone ascending to the Heavenly Domain.
All this left Ye Yun deeply puzzled. Could there be some hidden reason that compelled all the ancient saints to remain silent about the matter of ascension?
"So be it. These are not things I should be considering now. I suppose I'll understand when I reach the Saint realm."
The Heavenly Domain, or Immortals, were still quite distant from him. Instead of dwelling on intangible matters, it would be better to focus on his upcoming journey to the Tomb of Saints.
He still had a ninth-grade Heaven Fusion Pill, whose effect was to increase the user's cultivation. Its efficacy would surely be considerable. However, considering that further cultivation would prevent him from entering the Tomb of Saints, he planned to wait for an opportunity within the tomb to use it.
But to be honest, if the Four Great Immortal Palaces truly only allowed entry to those below the second layer of the Life and Death realm, he would absolutely be able to wreak havoc in the Tomb of Saints.
"It should be about half a month from now. It's time to come out of seclusion and take Xueyan and Xiaoxiao for a visit to the Tomb of Saints."