Within the Cave Heaven, Han Yi's thoughts raced as the information on his Proficiency Panel materialized one by one.
Myriad Transformations Profound Truth Dao Scripture, Mi Luo Profound Truth Sword Canon, Sword Flight, Trace, Formless, Void Sword Realm, Myriad Nether Tome...
These skills, which kept pace with his cultivation progress, were his primary focus.
"The cultivation realm remains paramount. Next, I must divert the proficiency from the Myriad Nether Incarnation towards the Dao Scripture to quickly form a Dao Fruit and advance my strength further."
"Moreover, although the Myriad Nether Incarnation is growing rapidly, it's no longer sufficient for my needs. I must make changes."
Han Yi understood the principle of adapting to change when faced with limitations. In the Primordial Great World and the Netherworld Realm, he had secretly developed the Myriad Nether Incarnation, keeping a low profile. The highest level he had cultivated was the Immortal Sovereign, and even then, he had been extremely cautious, only creating a handful of such avatars.
Such Myriad Nether Incarnations were adequate for an Immortal Sovereign or someone who had just entered the Dao Realm, but now they were gradually falling behind his progress.
Therefore, he needed more, and stronger, avatars.
For example, Myriad Nether Incarnations at the First Step of the Dao Realm, or even the Dao Fruit Realm. Such powerful avatars would provide proficiency that could explosively accelerate his cultivation realm and skills in a short time.
Having made up his mind, Han Yi resolved to capture a Dao Realm cultivator from either the Void Demon Palace or Purgatory Island upon his return to the Primordial Great World, and have them provide him with proficiency.
Alternatively, he considered capturing the weakest Wayless Ones in the Chaos, such as the Chaos Evil Gods. These entities, having lost the protection of the Great Dao, were weaker than ordinary Dao Realm cultivators and would struggle to escape him. Moreover, the Chaos Evil Gods were numerous and lacked a unified organization, making them safe to capture without fear of retaliation.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Han Yi used the Myriad Nether Tome to transmit orders to his numerous Myriad Nether Avatars scattered across the Primordial Great World, instructing them to begin cultivating the Myriad Transformations Profound Truth Dao Scripture he had created.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
With the imminent reopening of Demon Witch Mountain, the atmosphere around it grew increasingly solemn. Cultivators flew back and forth, retrieving the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realms encircling the mountain and bringing them back to its summit.
Han Yi also complied with the request, relocating his cultivation site to a Dao Field halfway up the mountain. This Dao Field was substantial, comparable in size to an Immortal Domain in the Great Luo Immortal Realm, more than ample for his solitary cultivation needs.
Han Yi had no objections to this arrangement.
At a certain moment, Han Yi emerged from his cultivation, gazing upward with a solemn expression.
"It's begun."
In the upper reaches of the sky, the void and chaos began to churn violently, swirling with radiant light and surging Dao Principles. Time and space seemed to accelerate, transforming endlessly in the blink of an eye.
Boom! Rumble!
Below, a deafening roar erupted, like a colossal machine that had lain dormant for ages suddenly being set in motion. The vibration, however, remained subtle. Even at its peak, Han Yi only felt the faintest tremor.
As the tremors reached their maximum intensity, the turbulent surge of Dao Principles in the sky gradually slowed.
Soon, the vibrations and the aerial phenomena synchronized, gradually returning to normal.
Yet Han Yi knew that Demon Witch Mountain was now in motion, its speed accelerating rapidly. Within mere breaths, it surpassed his normal escape speed through the Chaos, and continued to accelerate, quickly surpassing even his maximum speed. It climbed higher and higher.
Han Yi wasn't surprised by this.
He had once traveled on the Myriad Journeys Palace, which had traversed the Chaos to reach the Eastern Fuhang Realm, near the Eternal Dao Trace.
The structures of Demon Witch Mountain and the Myriad Journeys Palace were quite similar, both with branch palaces in each of the Nine Great Dao Domains and the ability to move.
The difference lay in their mobility: while Demon Witch Mountain had always been fixed in place, the Myriad Journeys Palace was perpetually adrift in the Chaos.
Han Yi discovered from the classic texts on Demon Witch Mountain that the Myriad Journeys Palace was far more complex than he had initially understood. Behind it, there was likely a Half-Step Transcendent-level powerhouse.
Unlike the Lord of Demonic Witch Mountain, who openly displayed his strength, the mastermind behind the Myriad Journeys Palace remained hidden.
After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Han Yi sensed that Demon Witch Mountain's acceleration had finally ceased, and it began moving forward at a constant speed.
This speed was roughly half again faster than the Myriad Journeys Palace's original pace.
Previously, he had been told that reaching the Dao God Sect would take approximately forty years. This was understandable, as this wasn't the Heavenly Venerable personally traveling but the entire Demon Witch Mountain moving, its speed equivalent to that of someone in the External Dao Realm traveling at full speed.
Moreover, the Central Dao Domain lay beyond three intervening Dao Domains from their current location in the Vast Heng Dao Domain: the Ancestor God Dao Domain, the Primordial Demon Dao Domain, and the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain.
Forty years to traverse three Dao Domains was hardly a long journey.
When Han Yi first followed Nangong Hao to the Ancestor God Star, crossing just one Dao Domain had taken ten years. This suggested that for practitioners of the External Dao or even those who had achieved Harmonization with the Dao, ten years to cross a single Dao Domain was considered normal speed.
Ten years later, as they passed through the Ancestor God Dao Domain, Han Yi glimpsed numerous members of the Divine Race traversing the Chaos. Some had suppressed their True Bodies to mere hundreds of feet, while others revealed their complete True Bodies.
However, he didn't leave the Demon Witch Mountain. Though the Ancestor God Star was enticing, it wasn't his destination. He refused to abandon his primary goal for a secondary attraction.
Twenty years later, the Demon Witch Mountain crossed into the Primordial Demon Dao Domain.
The dominant power here was the Primordial Demon Palace. However, countless Chaos Epochs ago, when the Primordial Demon Palace rose to power, another great force also emerged: Ashen Mountain.
These two Chaos-Grade powers clashed fiercely. In the end, Ashen Mountain was annihilated, and the Primordial Demon Palace established its dominance over the domain.
Han Yi still possessed a fragment of the Ash Tower from Ashen Mountain. He had learned of the enmity between Ashen Mountain and the Primordial Demon Palace from Dao Ancestor Xuanzang.
Such ancient secrets of Chaos were never meant for public knowledge.
Thirty years later, Demon Witch Mountain passed through the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain.
This Dao Domain held a unique position among the Nine Great Dao Domains. Though it had never given birth to an Overlord-level power, its overall strength ranked among the top within the Nine Great Dao Domains.
Within this domain, eight major powers thrived. Four of these possessed Half-Step Transcendent-level experts, while the remaining four were guarded by Peak Heavenly Venerable figures.
Beyond these eight major powers, over twenty mid-sized factions operated, each led by at least a Heavenly Venerable.
Due to the abundance of these factions and their formidable experts, slaughter and chaos permeated every corner of the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain.
This was the source of the "chaos" in Chaotic Antiquity.
One reason these major powers remained in this domain was their inherent nature: they were not forces of order, but embodiments of chaotic disorder.
Chaos is divided into nine paths: three ordered paths and six chaotic paths.
These six chaotic paths are the Path of Annihilation, Counter-Dao, Path of Chaos, Path of Dao Sacrifice, Path of Deception, and the most widespread Non-Dao. Over 80% of the Disordered Ones' experts are concentrated in the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain. This has been the root of its inherent chaos since ancient times.
Due to the chaos, the factions within the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain fear no external forces. They dare to assassinate even the most powerful entities in the Nine Great Dao Domains, such as the Dao God Sect and Ancestor God Star.
Their calculus of risks and benefits lacks rationality.
Therefore, as they passed through the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain, Demon Witch Mountain activated its massive protective barrier for the first time. The newly ascended Holy Flame Heavenly Venerable emitted his aura, intimidating the surroundings in hopes of deterring troublemakers and avoiding unnecessary complications.
Apart from the Holy Flame Heavenly Venerable, numerous Mountain Lords stationed themselves across Demon Witch Mountain, radiating their Dao Realm auras.
Han Yi rose from his Dao Field and hovered mid-mountain. As Demon Witch Mountain moved, the space on its surface shifted accordingly, ensuring he wouldn't be left behind.
He gazed into the Chaos, his senses heightened to their peak.
He had long heard of the chaos in the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain, but this was his first time passing through it.
Suddenly, in the far reaches of his vision, he saw several Dao Realm cultivators locked in combat. Among them was one whose aura radiated an extreme destructive force capable of grinding even the Chaos itself into dust.
The Path of Annihilation.
The aura of the other figure radiated a chaotic, inverted energy. Han Yi had sensed this aura once before, during the fall of the Void Antiquity Dao Ancestor in the Great Luo Immortal Realm.
Counter-Dao.
The intensity of these two Dao Realm auras was roughly at the Dao Fruit Tier.
Neither emerged victorious. Their figures streaked through the Chaos, disappearing from Han Yi's sight and sensory range.
Later, he witnessed several more such clashes, including two battles between small factions. The scenes were chaotic and pervaded by a sinister aura.
This experience gave Han Yi a visceral understanding of the "chaos" in the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain.
The third year after entering the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain.
One day, Han Yi suddenly sensed the aura of the Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable. A shiver of alarm ran through him, and his heart tightened.
For the Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable to act, something momentous must have occurred.
Shortly after, Demon Witch Mountain, which had been continuously moving without pause even while crossing the boundaries between Dao Domains, finally began to slow down.
Seeing other Mountain Lords fly toward the summit of Demon Witch Mountain, Han Yi followed suit. Moments later, high above the mountain's peak, he joined the gathering of numerous Mountain Lords.
Before the assembled Mountain Lords stood the Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable and the Holy Flame Heavenly Venerable, followed by the Third Mountain Lord and Mountain Lord Wangxi.
At that moment, these Heavenly Venerables and Harmony Dao-level experts all turned their gaze to the left side of Demon Witch Mountain's path, as if something there had caught their attention. The Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable even ordered Demon Witch Mountain to slow down, determined to get a closer look.
Silence fell over the scene as everyone focused their attention in the same direction. Han Yi followed suit, pushing his Divine Art, Heavenly Fortune Divine Eyes, to its limits. Yet even then, he saw only Chaos and Void.
The other First Step of the Dao Realm cultivators, all at the Dao Fruit Tier, wore expressions of confusion, mirroring his own.
However, just minutes later, a peak Dao Fruit-level expert's expression shifted, shock written across his face. Clearly, he had seen something, but he remained silent, staring intently in that direction, his eyes flickering with indecision.
Han Yi realized what must be happening.
The object must have been too far away from Demon Witch Mountain initially. As the mountain moved, it gradually drew closer, becoming visible only to peak Dao Fruit-level experts.
Sure enough.
After several more minutes, even ordinary Dao Fruit-tier cultivators could see it. Although Han Yi was in the Dao Realm, his Heavenly Fortune Divine Eyes could only observe at the same distance as ordinary Dao Fruit-tier cultivators.
Gradually, a colossal behemoth materialized in his field of vision.
At first, only a small portion of it was visible, but even this fragment sent shockwaves through Han Yi's heart.
For the structure and style of this fragment were surprisingly familiar. He had seen it before in the Great Luo Immortal Realm—it was none other than the Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel he had encountered multiple times.
The Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel had been constructed by the Sacrificial Daoists. After the collapse of the Great Luo Immortal Court and the expulsion of the Inverters of the Dao, the Sacrificial Daoists seized an opportunity, carving out a territory for themselves and building this massive Dao Boat.
To see something so familiar across three Dao Domains, in the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain, was utterly unexpected.
"Blazing Flame Dao Court! Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel!" he murmured involuntarily.
Though his voice was low, it was clear enough for the numerous Dao Realm and Heavenly Venerable cultivators present to hear.
Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable turned to look at Han Yi, his gaze flickering as he asked:
"Oh, you've seen that thing?" the Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable asked.
Han Yi replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable, six thousand years ago, Sacrificial Daoists descended upon my Great World and established a power called the Blazing Flame Dao Court. Subsequently, the Blazing Flame Dao Court constructed a massive Dao Boat named the Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel. A thousand years later, the Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel departed from the Great World, and the Blazing Flame Dao Court left with it."
"The colossal structure to the left bears a striking resemblance to the Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel I witnessed. There must be a profound connection between the two."
As Han Yi finished speaking, the Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable nodded and pointed at the distant behemoth to the left, addressing the numerous Mountain Lords:
"This structure was indeed built by the Sacrificial Daoists. Its name is the Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel."
"As for the term 'Blazing Flame Dao Court,' it is likely a world-level abbreviation for the Blazing Flame Holy Land."
"The Blazing Flame Holy Land is one of the most powerful forces in the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain, and its Lord has surpassed the Heavenly Venerable realm."
"Furthermore, Han Yi's world is not the only one visited by the Sacrificial Daoists. As far as I know, even before the Dao Tomb Ripples spread, the Lord of the Blazing Flame Holy Land foresaw the impending Tomb Explosion of the Dao Grave. He dispatched numerous Sacrificial Daoists to the Nine Great Dao Domains, where they forged countless Grave-Crossing Dao Vessels across innumerable Great Worlds."
"Then, countless Grave-Crossing Dao Vessels converged to form this Supreme Treasure," the Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable said, his voice tinged with emotion. "Its surface purpose was naturally to cross the Dao Grave, but its deeper objective must extend beyond that. It was intended to use this Dao Boat and the power of the Dao Grave to ascend to the ranks of the Transcendents."
"This conception is truly terrifying. It's no wonder he's the Lord of the Holy Land."
The Sword Witch Heavenly Venerable continued gazing into the distance. Even with his strength and cultivation realm, he couldn't fully comprehend the Supreme Treasure, only observe and contemplate it.
Han Yi also focused his gaze. The colossal structure, sweeping across the horizon as Demon Witch Mountain moved, now revealed its full form.
It was an immense Dao Boat, so vast that it was impossible to discern the countless smaller vessels that had been fused together to form it. It appeared as if it had been cast in one piece.
Upon the Dao Boat, countless Sacrificial Daoists rose and fell.
Among them, a particularly grand aura flashed by—one far stronger than that of the Holy Flame Heavenly Venerable.
But clearly...