Chapter 328: Kept in the Dark
"In the eyes of cultivators at or below the Grand Ascension Stage, True Immortals have already reached the end point of cultivation and have ascended to the highest of heights, but as we all know, the True Immortal Stage is only the first step through the door of immortality, and in reality, there are still far loftier heights to be conquered.
“While it's true that we possess limitless lifespans, we are not actually truly immortal, and the reason for that is precisely the tribulation of the three decays," Qi Liang explained to Han Li through voice transmission while also listening to Baili Yan's preaching.
"Oh? Are the three decays similar in nature to the ascension tribulation that Grand Ascension cultivators must transcend? And how do we transcend them?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.
"The three decays are referred to as tribulations, but they have nothing to do with the ascension tribulation. Instead, they describe the three crises that all True Immortal cultivators will face during the course of their cultivation. The first of those is immortal decay, which results in one's immortal spiritual power seeping away for no discernible reason, thereby damaging one's cultivation base until they fall out of the True Immortal Stage altogether.
“The second decay is bodily decay, which results in the gradual weakening of one's body until it's no longer able to hold immortal spiritual power, thereby resulting in the body's detonation. The third decay is acupoint decay, and it's related to one's immortal acupoints. There are many ways to contend against these three tribulations, but their effects vary from person to person.
“However, one universal way to ward off the decays that works for everyone is to make significant progress in a certain law," Qi Liang explained.
"I see. No wonder all True Immortal cultivators are so desperate to master law powers. Aside from enhancing their own powers, I presume the more urgent priority is actually to combat the three decays. When will the three decays happen? Or do certain conditions need to be met for them to arise?" Han Li asked.
His expression remained unchanged, but internally, he was feeling quite shocked. Perhaps it was due to his prior bout of amnesia, but he wasn't aware of this at all, and only after hearing this explanation from Qi Liang did he come to realize that even True Immortal cultivators couldn't just be content and rest on their laurels.
"The timing of the first two decay tribulations is completely down to the will of the heavens. Some are fortunate enough to avoid them for millions of years, while others could encounter them in less than 100,000 years. I'm sure you still recall Elder Fang Zhuan of the Merit Conveyance Palace, right?
“He was once a mid-True Immortal cultivator and was only one step away from opening up 24 immortal acupoints, but he was blighted by immortal decay and forced all the way back down to the Grand Ascension Stage," Qi Liang revealed.
"Does that mean that if one progresses sufficiently quickly in their cultivation and reaches the Golden Immortal Stage in a very short time, then they'll be able to avoid those two decays?" Han Li asked.
"That is indeed true. If someone can reach the Golden Immortal Stage within 10,000 years, then the chances of them being struck by those two types of decay are naturally extremely slim, but how many people in the Immortal Realm are capable of accomplishing such a feat?
“ It's already extremely remarkable for someone to reach the mid-True Immortal Stage in just 10,000 years. On top of that, even if a True Immortal manages to avoid the first two decays, if they want to reach the Golden Immortal Stage, then they'll have no choice but to face the third decay," Qi Liang said with a wry smile.
"Why is that?" Han Li asked.
"All I know is that all those attempting breakthroughs to the Golden Immortal Stage will inevitably have to undergo the third decay, and that it's no less damning than the first two decays. That's why there are so few Golden Immortal cultivators. As for exactly why this is, that's beyond my knowledge," Qi Liang replied.
"I heard Dao Lord Baili mention just now that there are five decays. What are the other two?" Han Li asked.
"It's said that after becoming a Golden Immortal, one will face two more decays to amount to a total of five. As for exactly what those two decays are, I'm not sure. In any case, the path of cultivation is truly one that is fraught with..."
Before Qi Liang had a chance to finish his sentence, eight of the 12 Blaze Dragon Dao dao lords suddenly sprang up from their cushions before sweeping their sleeves through the air.
The sound of clanging chains interrupted the peace and quiet as the eight dao lords, led by Ouyang Kuishan, released eight golden chains out of their sleeves.
Each chain was around the same thickness as a child's arm, and they were riddled with shimmering golden runes as they flashed through the air like a nest of spirit snakes.
The chains were aimed directly at Baili Yan, whose expression remained unchanged, but his preaching had drawn to an abrupt halt.
All of a sudden, a burst of crimson light rose up from the ground all around him, enveloping his body from all directions like a fiery red light barrier.
The chains scraped against the exterior of the light barrier, raising trails of sparks as they did so, but they were unable to get any closer to Baili Yan's body.
At the same time, Baili Yan stomped a foot down onto the ground, and a burst of crimson light erupted beneath his foot. The entire white jade platform also shuddered violently, yet right as he was about to launch himself up into the heavens, the eight dao lords hurriedly each made a hand seal, upon which the golden chains began to glow brightly while constricting tightly to keep Baili Yan and the crimson light barrier firmly in place.
As a result, Baili Yan was forced back down onto the platform.
A burst of crimson light emerged on his hands as he grabbed toward the surrounding golden chains, only for countless arcs of golden lightning to erupt out of the chains before surging along his arms.
Baili Yan felt a numbing sensation shoot through his arms, and he temporarily lost all feeling in them.
At the same time, the arcs of lightning that were springing out of the golden chains had intertwined to form a square golden cage that trapped him within.
Even though Baili Yan was able to immediately regain use of his arms, due to that split second of delay, it had become far more difficult for him to try and break free.
At this moment, every single golden pillar in the golden cage around him was flashing with lightning, and layers of scale patterns and antiquated runes had appeared on their surface, giving off clear law fluctuations.
These eight golden chains were clearly a set of high-grade immortal treasures that had been prepared specifically to deal with Baili Yan.
All of this had happened in the blink of an eye, unfolding so quickly and abruptly that none of the tens of thousands of cultivators around the plaza had even registered what had just happened.
The 36 deputy dao lords were greatly alarmed to see this, and all of them began to exchange bewildered glances. It was clear that they hadn't been tipped off in advance at all.
On the other side, Yu Yangzi and the others were also very much taken aback by this turn of events, and all of them rose to their feet.
Some of them wanted to ask what was happening, but the atmosphere in the air was rather peculiar, so they ultimately decided to hold their tongues.
Just like everyone else, Han Li was watching the unfolding situation with a perplexed look on his face.
"What's going on?" Qi Liang asked with tightly furrowed brows.
On the white jade platform, Daoist Hu Yan stepped forward with a furious expression, only for two other dao lords to immediately get in his way.
"What are you all doing? Are you betraying the sect?" Daoist Hu Yan asked in a furious voice.
A hint of guilt flashed through the faces of all of the dao lords who had taken action, but none of them said anything, and the two dao lords standing in Daoist Hu Yan's way displayed no intention of backing down.
An alarmed and furious look had also appeared on Yun Ni's face, and she had distanced herself slightly from the dao lords beside her, unsure of who she could trust.
Given the current situation, it appeared that she and Daoist Hu Yan were the only ones who had been kept in the dark.
Inside the cage, Baili Yan slowly swept his gaze across everyone around him, and a burst of crimson light began to emerge on his arms.
A burst of scorching flames then erupted out of his arms to envelop the surrounding golden chains, and under the illumination of the flames, his already smooth and pristine skin was made to appear like crimson jade.
"This Golden Scale Dragon Locking Array won't be able to trap me for long, so if you have anything else to throw at me, you better do it now," Baili Yan said in a cold voice.
However, none of the dao lords remained silent, and it was as if they had agreed in advance not to respond to anything that Baili Yan said.
Up to this point, all of the Blaze Dragon Dao disciples outside the plaza still had no idea what was happening, and they could only watch as the situation unfolded.
As for the elders from other sects who had come to attend the ceremony, they were also oblivious to what had happened, but they could sense that this was no laughing matter, and all of them remained seated, not daring to make any sudden moves.
Atop the giant blue flower that was hovering in the sky next to the white jade platform, Luo Qinghai had already risen to his feet from his golden throne, and he was watching the scenes unfolding on the platform with his brows tightly furrowed.
The effeminate young man behind him approached him, then said, "Palace Master, should we..."
"There's no hurry, let's watch the situation unfold first. If this is an internal affair of the Blaze Dragon Dao, then it would be best for us not to get involved," Luo Qinghai said with a shake of his head.
Right at this moment, his expression suddenly changed slightly as he cast his gaze upward.
As it turned out, a golden line that was several thousand feet in length had suddenly appeared high up in the sky, and it swelled rapidly into a vast expanse of blinding golden light, from within which a group of 20 to 30 figures emerged.
They were led by a tall man with a square face and a thin and long silver mustache. The man was wearing a pristine white robe with golden cloud patterns embroidered upon it, and those patterns were giving off dazzling spiritual light, indicating that this was no ordinary robe.
Hovering in the air behind him were 20 to 30 men and women, most of whom were also wearing white robes, with only very few of them dressed in different attire. However, one thing that was common to all of them was their auras were extremely formidable, and their collective spiritual pressure struck one with a crushing sense of asphyxiation.
All of the cultivators of the Blaze Dragon Dao were already bewildered by everything that they were seeing, and this certainly didn't help to settle their nerves.
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