Chapter 397 The Four Realms of Mortal Life, The Four Realms of Immortal Path, The Great Dao is Simple!

Hearing the Big Yellow Dog's suspicious inquiry, Gu Zhiyun opened her mouth, her voice catching as she momentarily didn't know how to answer.

It wasn't just a matter of not being able to find a trace of an immortal.

If the "outside world" the Big Yellow Dog spoke of referred to Blue Star,

then based on Sister Yue's previous descriptions, forget immortals—you couldn't even find a single true Cultivator on Blue Star!

It was a pure Dharma-ending wasteland!

And if it were the Cangxuan Great Realm...

Although their Cangxuan Great Realm had vast territories and Cultivators as numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

and did not lack heaven-reaching powerhouses with profound cultivation like the Burning Heaven Holy Venerable,

an existence like an "Immortal" was still a legend among legends in the Cangxuan Great Realm, an ethereal myth!

Over countless ages, almost no one believed that "Immortals" truly existed in the world anymore!

"Let me answer this question for Fellow Daoist Dog..."

Just as Gu Zhiyun didn't know where to start, Elder Jian, who was nearby, finally snapped out of his extreme shock.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, and answered the question on Gu Zhiyun's behalf:

"In our understanding, the Realm of Void Refinement and Dao Integration you mentioned is already the highest existence in this world."

"As for the Immortals you speak of..."

Elder Jian gave a bitter smile. "Those are only fragments found in ancient texts; almost no one has seen one, let alone proven their existence."

"I see..."

Hearing Elder Jian's answer, a flash of realization crossed the Big Yellow Dog's deep eyes.

It sighed slightly and wagged its tail somewhat listlessly.

"No wonder you were all scared as if you'd seen a ghost when you saw a few corpses of Void Refinement and Dao Integration earlier, making such a fuss."

"So the world outside has already declined to such an extent?"

The Big Yellow Dog's tone carried a deep sense of lamentation.

Once upon a time, although Void Refinement and Dao Integration was considered a local powerhouse, in the eyes of true experts, they were nothing but cannon fodder.

Now, it had actually become the Peak in the eyes of the world?

Truly, times have changed!

Seeing the Big Yellow Dog sink into its memories, Elder Jian's eyes darted around.

Since the topic had led here, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gather information!

Thus, Elder Jian unhesitatingly seized the chance, cupped his hands slightly, and followed up humbly:

"I take the liberty to ask, could Fellow Daoist Dog tell us how the true Immortal Dao Realms are actually divided?"

"Oh? You want to hear about that?"

The Big Yellow Dog glanced at Elder Jian and didn't refuse, nodding its dog head quite readily.

"Sure, it wasn't a secret at all in my era; every Cultivator knew it."

"Since you juniors aren't clear on it, I'll explain it to you properly."

While agreeing, the Big Yellow Dog's peripheral vision very subtly swept over Lin Xiyue, who was listening quietly.

Actually, it had also had its doubts.

Since this little girl was the spokesperson for the grand Dao Ancestor, why didn't she even know the basic common sense of the Immortal Dao Realm divisions?

But that thought only appeared for a moment before it snuffed it out itself.

"Heh, I, the Dog Master, am truly muddled."

"The myriad worlds are all the Dao Ancestor's chessboard! The Dao Ancestor's moves have always been profound and unpredictable; why would he bother explaining every little detail to a chess piece?"

"Although this little girl is the Dao Ancestor's spokesperson, to put it bluntly, she is just an important chess piece in the Dao Ancestor's hand."

"However..."

"Compared to those Heavenly Lords and even Heavenly Sovereigns back then who weren't even worthy of being the Dao Ancestor's chess pieces, this 'Spokesperson' identity is incredibly noble!"

Having finished its internal monologue, the Big Yellow Dog no longer had any doubts.

It sat down on its haunches, cleared its throat, and began to talk eloquently:

"To understand the Immortal Dao, one must first understand the four stages of shedding one's Mortal coil."

"A ten-thousand-foot building rises from the ground. These four stages are: Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit and Returning to Void, and the final... Void Refinement and Dao Integration!"

"Once the stage of Void Refinement and Dao Integration reaches Perfection, one can completely shed their Mortal Physical Body, survive the Lightning Tribulation, and achieve Immortal Ascension!"

These few simple sentences from the Big Yellow Dog fell upon Elder Jian's ears like a sudden clap of thunder!

His old eyes instantly went wide, sparkling with an extraordinary light.

"Below the Immortal Dao, there are actually only four great Realms?!"

A monstrous wave of shock rose in Elder Jian's heart!

Comparing it to the existing cultivation system of their Cangxuan Great Realm...

From Body Tempering, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Spirit Sea, all the way to Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Tempering, Dao Integration, Mahayana!

Then to the Three Steps of Nirvana, the Four Realms of the Saint Dao, and finally Quasi-Emperor and Great Emperor!

Adding all these big and small stages together, there were nearly twenty flashy Realms!

Yet the ancient system in the Big Yellow Dog's mouth used only four Realms to summarize the entire journey from Mortal to Great Emperor in the Cangxuan Great Realm!

"Could it be... that this is the most correct cultivation system, the one that points directly to the Origin?!"

"The Dao is simple! This is truly the Dao being simple!"

Elder Jian did not feel the slightest bit of contempt because these four Realms sounded simple; instead, he felt an unprecedented awe!

It was because he knew all too well that being able to summarize all the cultivation processes of the Cangxuan Great Realm in just four Realms was actually a terrifying thing!

The Big Yellow Dog ignored Elder Jian's shock, wagged its tail, and continued:

"Of course, shedding the Mortal coil to become an immortal is not the end of cultivation; quite the opposite, it is merely the beginning."

"As they say, the Dao is boundless. The first Realm of the Immortal Dao is the Heavenly Immortal Realm."

"Reaching this Realm means you have completely shed your Mortal coil, and your life level has sublimated into an incredible existence, living as long as heaven and earth."

"If one were to make a comparison in terms of status, a Heavenly Immortal is roughly equal to the Heavenly Dao's will of a Middle Thousand Worlds!"

Lin Xiyue, Li Fan, and the others were all listening with rapt attention, their breathing becoming light for fear of disturbing these ancient secrets they had never heard before.

A single Heavenly Immortal is comparable to an entire Middle Thousand Worlds?!

What a magnificent power!

"Senior Dog!"

Gu Zhiyun's eyes shone with excitement, like a student full of thirst for knowledge, as she impatiently asked:

"Then what is the Profound Immortal Realm you mentioned earlier?"

The Big Yellow Dog gave this studious little girl an appreciative look and explained:

"Profound Immortal is, naturally, the Realm above Heavenly Immortal."

"I've already said that a powerhouse who has reached the Profound Immortal Realm can already preliminarily open up a low-level Major Thousand Worlds within their body!"

"At this step, one possesses the qualification to travel through the myriad worlds with their Physical Body and cross the Chaos Void!"

The Big Yellow Dog tilted its head back, its dog eyes filled with deep awe, as it continued to drop even heavier bombshells:

"As for after Profound Immortal..."

"There is the 'Golden Immortal Heavenly Monarch' who lives as long as the heavens and can create or destroy worlds with a single thought!"

"And the 'Great Overarching Heavenly Venerable' who truly masters the great power of the Dao!"

"But these Realms are far too distant for ants like us."

"Those are already giants who truly look down upon the myriad worlds. I don't know much about them either, so I won't go into detail with you."

The Big Yellow Dog's voice came to an abrupt halt.

Inside the entire Starry Sky Dojo, it was so quiet that only the sound of everyone's heartbeats remained.

Heavenly Immortal, Profound Immortal, Golden Immortal Heavenly Monarch, Great Overarching Heavenly Venerable!

These mysterious and unpredictable Realm names struck the hearts of everyone like heavy hammers, leaving them unable to recover for a long time.

"Senior..."

Li Fan, who was listening with boiling blood and surging emotions, grew anxious when he saw the Big Yellow Dog suddenly stop.

He abruptly stepped forward and asked with burning eyes:

"After the Great Overarching Heavenly Venerable, are there no more Realms?"

"Then the Dao..."

He opened his mouth, and the word "Ancestor" was about to slip out!

"Shhh!!!"

"Shut up!!!"

The very instant Li Fan spoke!

The Big Yellow Dog, which had been sitting calmly on the ground and talking eloquently just a moment ago, had every single yellow hair on its body stand up like steel needles!

It even lunged forward regardless of its image, using its paw to firmly cover Li Fan's mouth, forcefully stifling the word "Ancestor" back into Li Fan's stomach!

"Mmph mmph!"

Li Fan was smothered until his eyes rolled back.

"You reckless little brat, do you want to die?!"

"Remember this for the Dog Master!"

"An existence at that Realm... is absolutely not something ants like us can discuss!"

"Even just mentioning their title could cause you to be tainted by supreme Karma, making you vanish into thin air in an instant!"

After removing its dog paw, the Big Yellow Dog took another deep breath and said word by word:

"You only need to know..."

"That Realm is far above the Great Overarching Heavenly Venerable!"

"It is the taboo that stands at the very Peak of the Dao of the myriad worlds!"

"That is enough!"