106: Chapter 107 The Hidden Dangers of the Preaching Monument

After explaining all this, True Person Linglong flopped onto the prayer mat, looking exhausted.

"Speaking of Dao Rhyme, may I ask the Immortal Master how you view that [origin dao preaching stele]?" Shen Moyan asked casually.

The stele's inscriptions and totems encompass everything.

The origin dao preaching stele bestows different Cultivation Techniques upon all living beings based on the individual.

He still wanted to go to Di Lin Prefecture to see if he could obtain a Cultivation Technique above the Purple Mansion Realm.

"You want to go on a pilgrimage to Di Lin Prefecture?"

True Person Linglong understood Shen Moyan's plan. She propped herself up, cleared her throat, and said solemnly:

"The origin dao preaching stele is the cornerstone of the Twisted Immortal Path, a supreme Karma that benefits all living beings."

"That's what those people in the Holy Court say... Well, it really is a good thing, like a super powerful... hmm, using a word I learned when passing through a certain plane last time..."

"Right! super AI, just like artificial intelligence!"

"It can scan your skeletal structure, Comprehension Ability, and karmic entanglements, then customize the most suitable Cultivation Technique for you based on the current version of the world's Dao Rhyme."

True Person Linglong pointed to the sky, suddenly remembering.

With those words, it was Shen Moyan's turn to be shocked.

artificial intelligence? A technological plane?!

"Looking at your expression, you surely can't be unaware of other planes, can you?"

True Person Linglong looked at Shen Moyan with a sly smile.

"Oh, did you think those old fogies in the Purple Mansion and Guizang Realms just huddle in their Immortal Caves in seclusion all day?"

"Not at all! The Holy Court manages so many 'small ponds,' and there are plenty of wild Dao Rhyme treasures inside. Though fragmented, they add up."

"The Holy Court has a specific department, I think it's called the All Heavens Department or something, that handles this."

"Every prefecture has entrances to those small ponds; they're old places called Jiehe Ferry."

"But now everyone uses the new teleportation arrays. Those old ferries are either deserted or abandoned; few people remember them. The All Heavens Department even has to catch those illegal immigrants from the Lower Realm..."

Shen Moyan finally realized.

In Langya Prefecture, he indeed hadn't seen many Immortal Masters of the Purple Mansion Realm; most were Cultivators of the Mortal Transformation Realm.

That's right! No wonder since his Ascension to the Shanhai Realm, he had encountered far fewer Purple Mansion Realm Cultivators in daily life than he had imagined, except in conflict zones.

As it turns out, most of this backbone force had gone to subordinate planes where resources were easier to plunder through certain channels.

"Jiehe Ferry..."

These three words sent a jolt through Shen Moyan's body, as he suddenly recalled the scene when he sought Cen Boliang to leave Langya Prefecture.

Ancient routes, a mysterious Ferryman, and a bizarre world connecting countless planes that were like rising and bursting bubbles.

That abandoned pier wasn't unique to Langya Prefecture; every prefecture had passages from ancient times connecting the Shanhai Realm to countless subordinate planes.

It was only because more efficient and safer cross-prefecture teleportation arrays were developed later that these ancient boundary sea routes were gradually abandoned.

But abandoned didn't mean they were non-functional!

Perhaps for the direct descendants of the Holy Court and the Immortal Clans, they had more formal channels to enter subordinate planes.

But for Loose Cultivators like Shen Moyan, or those who wanted to evade supervision, these ancient boundary sea routes in the forgotten "Jiehe Ferry" were instead excellent secret passages!

Recalling that profiteer Cen Boliang, Shen Moyan realized that his attempt to smuggle himself through back then was probably a common occurrence in Cen's eyes.

"I see..." Shen Moyan's eyes lit up.

"subordinate planes, collecting Dao Rhyme—this is the true training ground for the many Purple Mansion and Guizang Cultivators of the Shanhai Realm."

He thought of the Great Qǐ plane from which he had ascended.

That world of thin Spiritual Qi and obscure Dao methods was also a subordinate plane.

His experiences across several lifetimes in that world could also be considered an alternative form of Dao Rhyme collection.

However, those Dao Rhymes had accumulated in the Startling Swan Sword Art he created; no wonder his 'Startling Swan Glance' could transform into a Sword Intent comparable to a minor Divine Ability.

Everything, absolutely everything, was Dao Rhyme!

True Person Linglong then returned to the topic of the origin dao preaching stele.

"Just as the Holy Court officially states, the stele's inscriptions and totems indeed explain the principles of how Dao Rhyme operates, opening a door to the Great Dao for the ignorant masses."

"Following the inscriptions, searching by the map, and resonating with the Dao Rhyme is indeed a reliable method, sufficient for a Cultivator to enter the ranks and even Cultivate to a profound Realm."

"What is recorded in the inscriptions is the common law, the most universal principles of Dao Rhyme combination and application in the world."

The origin dao preaching stele is like a dictionary, teaching the world the rules of literacy, vocabulary, and grammar, and even directly providing classic examples for all beings.

"But!"

She changed her tone, a hint of mockery in her voice.

"They say there's a path directly to becoming an Immortal."

"But the upper limit for most Cultivation Techniques, at best, only reaches the doorstep of the 'Inscription Dao Realm'!"

"Further up? Nothing! Why? Because the Cultivation Technique that broken stone gives you can't be cultivated; you lack the resources, the Comprehension Ability, or you simply can't understand it at all."

"To put it bluntly, it's just a super robot. The Cultivation Technique it gives you is the 'optimal solution,' but only within the 'current version' and 'known database'."

"That's all pure theory! Fanciful and far-fetched!"

"By the time you actually reach the threshold of the Inscription Dao Realm, you'll find the path ahead is cut off; it's simply not realistic!"

"If you want to change the status quo, the subsequent Cultivation Techniques it gives you will be full of various compromises and patches."

Hearing this, Shen Moyan wore a strange expression.

The Scripture of Severing All Manifestations had helped him through many difficulties, and he indeed relied on this Cultivation Technique to some extent.

"And also..."

True Person Linglong's voice carried a playful tone, as if sharing a secret.

"This Cultivation Technique is also temporary. Right now, you think the technique it gave you is strong, don't you?"

"That's because it best fits your 'current' state."

"Once your Realm rises and your state of mind changes, you're no longer the same person you were when you received the Legacy! At that point, the Cultivation Technique from the dao transmission stele might instead become your shackles!"

"What it gives is the smoothest royal road, but in reality, you still have to comprehend things yourself, or... look for things that are 'not' in the dao transmission stele's database."

The more Shen Moyan listened, the stranger it felt, as if the origin dao preaching stele wasn't such a good thing in True Person Linglong's words.

"So, those discerning Cultivators in the Shanhai Realm have all left the Three Thousand Prefectures to find wild Dao Rhyme in subordinate planes?"

"Exactly! Those old fogies in the Purple Mansion and Guizang Realms are all eagerly running to those backwater subordinate planes. They aren't going there for sightseeing or to experience life, but..."

"It's because they've all been 'infected'." True Person Linglong's tone had the casualness of someone discussing a common illness.

Shen Moyan suddenly realized.

"Infected? Dao Blight?!"

"Exactly!"

True Person Linglong looked like a teacher proud of an apt pupil.

She cleared her throat again and began to speak eloquently, as if imitating a certain man:

"All things have Dao Rhyme. The origin dao preaching stele itself is a condensation of Dao Rhyme and a source of the Dao."

"Walking the path on the stele is like copying a famous calligraphic work; you can capture its form and even its spirit, but in the end, it is 'someone else's' writing."

"The origin dao preaching stele constantly emits a special Dao Rhyme. In a sense, all Cultivators who receive its Legacy and Cultivate the techniques it bestows are like having an invisible 'Dao Rhyme Seed' planted within them."

"During the Dao Blight, this infection expands on a large scale."

"Like a demonic seed?"

"Yes!"

Shen Moyan's expression changed as he suddenly remembered Zhou Zhanpeng's words from that time.

If Dao Rhyme stains all things, then every Cultivator who obtained a Cultivation Technique...

...could be considered infected by the origin dao preaching stele?!"