There are few perfect methods in this world.
Breaking through to the Dao Fruit Realm amidst the Chaos was both a deeply considered decision and a desperate choice for Han Yishen.
In the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain, though countless Great Worlds exist, they are not like the normal Primordial Great Worlds of the Vast Heng Dao Domain. Instead, they are all occupied by Chaos Inorder.
Moreover, after occupying these Great Worlds, their world consciousness—the Will of Heaven—has undergone distortions. Some Dao worlds have taken corporeal form, while others have been subjected to Body Seizure. Regardless of the form, if Han Yi attempted to cross tribulations within any of them, he would be immediately discovered and unable to escape. It's important to note that even the weakest Great World's Will of Heaven manifests power equivalent to a Heavenly Venerable, while the strongest rivals that of Hongjun, a Great Heavenly Venerable.
Without breaking through, given his current strength, Han Yi would struggle to locate the Celestial Venerable Suizhu or return to the Vast Heng Dao Domain.
Thus, Han Yi chose to risk breaking through in the Chaos.
This process would inevitably cause significant disturbances. Moreover, during his breakthrough, he could no longer conceal his aura with Formless Dao Techniques. Instead, he would break through as a Pathseeker, meaning the aura of a Pathseeker would radiate a massive disturbance.
Before this moment, Han Yi had dispatched all of his Myriad Nether Incarnations—over seven hundred Dao Realm Avatars—to patrol the surrounding areas. Their mission was to swiftly intercept any Chaos Evil Gods or other Disordered Ones they encountered. If any single Avatar proved insufficient to handle the threat, it would summon nearby Dao Realm Avatars to surround and annihilate the enemy.
Now, having fully absorbed the insights gained from his recent progress, the Dao Tide surged within the Chaos. Above Han Yi's head, a thirty-three-story tower began to rapidly solidify and manifest, its top three layers coalescing first.
As the tower solidified, Han Yi's aura surged upward in a violent tremor, rising without end. This terrifying wave of energy radiated outward from him in all directions.
Normally, a breakthrough from the First Step of the Dao Realm to the Dao Fruit realm wouldn't cause such a powerful disturbance. But Han Yi was different; his accumulated power was so vast that the aura of his breakthrough rivaled that of a Dao Fruit breaking through to the External Dao Realm.
At a distance from where Han Yi was breaking through, a Black-Robed Cultivator stood, his robes billowing with a bizarre aura. This aura seemed almost tangible, writhing and undulating in the air, radiating a palpable malevolence.
The aura surrounding this Black-Robed Cultivator marked him as a Trickster of the Chaos.
He abruptly raised his head, his pitch-black eyes shimmering with dark ripples as a hoarse voice emerged from his throat:
"A Pathseeker? A fresh Pathseeker?"
"How peculiar. In the Chaotic Antiquity, a Pathseeker dares to break through? He must be tired of living."
"This aura is so vast. Could it be a Dao Fruit Realm cultivator breaking through to the External Dao?"
"Heh, I just happen to need a Black Wraith Clone. Let's see if this brings me any surprises."
The Black-Robed Trickster of the Chaos vanished in a flash, using his Escape Technique to speed toward the source of the erupting aura. As he moved, a faint trace of his own aura flickered into view—undeniably External Dao-level.
Meanwhile, nearby Chaos Evil Gods of the Dao Fruit Realm sensed Han Yi's fluctuating aura and rushed madly toward the source. For these beings, consuming a Pathseeker who had just broken through to the External Dao could potentially elevate them to that realm themselves. Such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity was worth risking everything for.
Whoosh.
Murderous intent surged around the Chaos.
Yet at the heart of this murderous intent, Han Yi remained focused, patiently guiding the high tower's formation, coaxing the Myriad Transformations Profound Truth Dao Fruit toward perfection.
At a critical moment, the highest level of the thirty-three-story tower solidified completely.
Boom!
A sudden, explosive sound reverberated in Han Yi's mind. In that instant, his understanding of the Myriad Transformations Profound Truth Dao Scripture surged at a terrifying rate, skyrocketing in an instant.
His aura shattered through its previous constraints, surging upward with explosive force, becoming more than three times stronger than before.
This surge of aura wasn't baseless; it stemmed directly from the solidification of his Dao Fruit.
At that moment, the towering spire above his head—the Myriad Transformations Profound Truth Dao Fruit—was instantly bathed in radiant light, transforming from its dark gray hue. It was as if countless entities were painting the tower with special, vibrant hues, bringing it to life and transforming it into a resplendent, nine-colored monument.
This transformation occurred in the blink of an eye.
Thus, the Myriad Transformations Profound Truth Dao Fruit was finally complete!
With this, Han Yi formally entered the Dao Fruit Realm.
Amidst the Chaos, he opened his eyes. The thirty-three-layered, nine-colored tower above his head instantly shrank and merged into his mind.
Next, he needed to harmonize the Dao Fruit with the Dao Realm, forming the External Dao. This process would inevitably take far longer.
Suddenly, he glanced to his left. There, the Dao Realm Avatar he had deployed was rapidly disintegrating. Through the Avatar's "eyes," Han Yi saw a Black-Robed Cultivator, radiating a bizarre aura, swiftly approaching.
"An External Dao-level Trickster of the Chaos."
Han Yi's eyes flickered, but he didn't emit a high level of fighting spirit. Although he had advanced to the Dao Fruit realm and his strength had greatly increased, it didn't mean he wasn't wary of External Dao practitioners. Of course, if he encountered one, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice himself in battle.
However, this was the Chaotic Antiquity Dao Domain. If he could avoid a meaningless fight, that would naturally be best.
With this thought, he tidied up his surroundings, and with a flash of golden light, he used the Escape Technique to vanish. Before leaving, he completely suppressed his aura, leaving not a single trace.
He deduced that the True Saint Palace had found him by obtaining his aura from the Eternal Dao Trace. After that, the Myriad Dynasties Dao Ancestor had tracked him to the Primordial Great World, and another Dao Fruit Realm expert had even found him on the Dao God Continent.
After that incident, he became extremely cautious about his aura, no longer carelessly leaving traces of it behind.
After he left, the Dao Realm Avatars he had scattered around the periphery also withdrew one by one.
Moments later, the External Dao-level Trickster of the Chaos arrived at the location where Han Yi had broken through. After a thorough investigation, he found nothing—not even a wisp of aura. He randomly pursued a certain area, but after a short while, he still found nothing. Though reluctant, he eventually stopped.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Having left the Immeasurable True Realm and armed with the Traceless Dao Technique, Han Yi's speed increased exponentially. Having reached the Dao Fruit Realm, his strength had multiplied several times over, with this increase most clearly manifested in his Innate Dao Techniques.
Instead of continuing to flee towards the Vast Heng Dao Domain, he headed towards the territory of the Path Extinguisher, the Chaotic World Immortal Mausoleum.
Before leaving, he needed to investigate the whereabouts of the Celestial Venerable Suizhu. Having lived countless ages, the Heavenly Venerable possessed myriad schemes. Han Yi firmly believed that such a being could not have perished.
Now a Dao Fruit cultivator with the combat prowess to fight beyond his rank, and armed with the Innate Dao Technique: Formless, he could impersonate a Path Extinguisher. As long as he avoided alerting a Heavenly Venerable-level Path Extinguisher, he was confident he wouldn't be exposed.
Over the years, Han Yi had dispatched Myriad Nether Incarnations, created from Chaos Evil Gods transformed by the Myriad Nether Tome, to the Chaotic Ancient Immortal Mausoleum. However, they had been unable to obtain core intelligence.
This was why, after more than eighty years, he personally returned to the site of that epoch-making battle to search for the Celestial Venerable Suizhu.
Amidst the Chaos, dangerous regions intersected and overlapped. At their borders, space continuously fractured, only to be mended by the Chaos Power before shattering again under the influence of the regions' perilous auras.
This cycle repeated endlessly.
A figure materialized at the edge of one such region, his hair standing on end as he sensed the overwhelming danger within. His expression turned grave.
This figure was none other than Han Yi, who had transformed into the aura of the Path Extinguisher and hurried to this place.
The region before him was the battleground that had stretched endlessly across the land a century ago.
"The power of the Heavenly Venerable is truly terrifying," Han Yi marveled. "Even the Chaos Power struggles to erase its traces."
Years ago, he had witnessed this scene through the eyes of a Chaos Evil God Avatar he had dispatched. But now, standing here in person, the experience was far more profound. He now fully comprehended the awe-inspiring might of the Heavenly Venerable.
He also gained a deeper understanding of why Celestial Venerable Suizhu had instructed him to flee separately back then.
Had Suizhu absorbed Han Yi into his body at that time, any Heavenly Venerable power that seeped into Suizhu's body could have reached Han Yi, inevitably leading to his demise.
Indeed, the first step of the Dao Realm, the Dao Fruit Realm, is essentially the same as the External Dao. It's only at the Dao Harmonization Realm that they begin to receive genuine recognition.
!
Han Yi suddenly turned his gaze toward a specific direction. There, a twenty-one-meter-tall figure materialized—a Three-Eyed Alien. However, it was the aura emanating from this being that truly caught Han Yi's attention: a Path Extinguisher.
His eyes flickering with purpose, Han Yi quietly followed.
Moments later, in a secluded area, the Void Sword Realm subtly unfurled, engulfing the Three-Eyed Alien Path Extinguisher. In less than ten breaths, the realm quietly withdrew.
Han Yi had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the weakened Three-Eyed Alien Path Extinguisher, its aura now diminished from the Dao Fruit Realm to the first step of the Dao Realm.
Yet within the Three-Eyed Alien's Dao Realm, a figure quietly materialized—Han Yi himself.
Within the Void Sword Realm, Han Yi had been unable to capture a Dao Fruit Realm Path Extinguisher without causing harm. Instead, he had battered the being until its aura plummeted and its cultivation realm collapsed, finally subduing it and transforming it into a Myriad Nether Incarnation.
He then concealed himself within the Path Extinguisher's Dao Realm, using the realm itself to mask his aura.
With his Formless Dao Technique, Han Yi's aura blended perfectly with that of the Alien Dao Realm, making him even more confident.
Within the Alien Dao Realm of the Path Extinguisher, Han Yi's eyes flickered with realization.
He glimpsed the outcome of the battle from a hundred years prior, fought between the Dao Fruit Realm Foreign Race and the Path Extinguisher.
In that conflict, twenty-four Dao Extinguisher Heavenly Venerables from the Chaotic Ancient Immortal Mausoleum had surrounded and attacked ten Passing By Heavenly Venerables. Yet, in the end, the greatest losses were suffered by the Chaotic Ancient Immortal Mausoleum faction, with four Heavenly Venerables perishing.
On the Passing By side, only one Heavenly Venerable was killed outright. The rest managed to escape, though the extent of their Dao Injuries remained unknown.
Additionally, the mysterious Heavenly Venerable who had clashed with the Lord of the Immortal Mausoleum had endured three direct strikes from the Lord before calmly departing, leaving behind the resounding Dao Sound: "So that's how it is."
The sheer power of this Dao Sound forced the surrounding Heavenly Venerables to pale in shock. Because of this, the pursuing Heavenly Venerables dared not chase their fleeing enemies too far, fearing a counterattack. This allowed the Passing By Immortal Sovereigns to escape, except for one who had been overwhelmed from the start by multiple Dao Extinguisher Heavenly Venerables and perished swiftly.
Han Yi's gaze shifted as he directed the Path Extinguisher of the Foreign Race to flee in a specific direction—the very place where the Heavenly Venerable had perished.
What was a trivial distance through the Chaos became an arduous journey for someone in the Dao Realm, requiring considerable time.
Half a month passed before the Three-Eyed Alien finally halted. Its aura remained faint, and its injuries had worsened. To Han Yi, the Path Extinguisher was an enemy, and he had no intention of showing mercy.
After stopping, Han Yi emerged from the Alien Dao Realm and gazed upon the desolate landscape before him.
This was a realm of destruction.
Endless golden flames of Chaos Fire spread across the territory, their crimson-gold hue pulsing with a nascent power that seemed to surge forth endlessly. Yet this creative force was constantly suppressed and intertwined with destructive power, creating a shocking spectacle.
Han Yi had once visited the Fire Hell Ruins, a major Chaos Relic where he had witnessed solidified flames that his body could barely withstand for long periods.
The sea of flames before him now, though not as perilous as the Fire Hell Ruins, still dared him not to touch it recklessly.
As he observed the fiery expanse, much of his initial anxiety dissipated.
The Celestial Venerable Suizhu had achieved enlightenment in the mountains, and while his elemental attribute remained unannounced, Han Yi surmised it to be Earth. This conjecture was reinforced by the scene of Suizhu shattering the True Saint Palace's Heavenly Venerable Dharma Image with his Ancient Seal.
The sea of fire before him, however, clearly exhibited a different elemental attribute, suggesting it was not the work of the Celestial Venerable Suizhu.
This realization eased most of Han Yi's concerns.
To gain a deeper understanding, Han Yi steeled himself and reached out to grasp a tendril of flame at the fire's edge. He enveloped it with golden divine power, but the flame corroded through the divine power and settled on his hand, piercing him with excruciating pain.
He swiftly flung the flame away, but the fire clung stubbornly, like a festering wound. Unable to shake it off, he had no choice but to sever his arm at the wrist.
The severed limb, along with the handful of flames, plunged into the fire's edge and was instantly reduced to ash.
Han Yi's expression shifted through several hues of shock.
The fire's power was astonishing. As an Immeasurable Realm Ancient God, his physical body rivaled even that of an Outer Dao of Immortality, or even a Harmonization with the Dao cultivator. Yet even this formidable physique couldn't withstand the strange fire.
However, Han Yi wasn't certain which Heavenly Venerable's demise had led to this sea of fire.
In truth, the aura of a Heavenly Venerable was vast and enigmatic. While he was relatively familiar with the aura of the Celestial Venerable Suizhu, he knew little about the others. More accurately, he lacked the ability to fully understand the auras of other Heavenly Venerables.
But with this sea of fire stretching out before him, Han Yi recalled the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, the Emperor of the Demon Race who had achieved enlightenment as a Golden Crow. If such a being were to perish, it was plausible that this sea of fire could have emerged.
Having confirmed that it wasn't the Celestial Venerable Suizhu who had fallen, Han Yi prepared to leave the Chaotic Ancient Immortal Mausoleum.
Just then, from the depths of the sea of fire, an inexplicable summons reached him. Though the call came without apparent cause, Han Yi knew it was no illusion.
"That is..."