Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 1094 - 688: Boundary Breakthrough

Chapter 1094: Chapter 688: Boundary Breakthrough

Jiatiange categorizes cultivation into nine realms.

Bone Tempering, Body Tempering, and Vein Tempering constitute the Lower Three Realms, known as the Body Crafting Realm.

Iron Body, Soul Condensation, and Integration Body form the Middle Three Realms, referred to as the Soul Summoning Realm.

Grandmaster, Primordial, and Mortal Transcendence comprise the Upper Three Realms, called the Dao Entry Realm.

Even for the most gifted individuals, crossing the Middle and Lower Six Realms to arrive at the threshold of the Dao in a mere two years—the path where countless others spend their entire lives in vain—seems almost surreal.

Bear in mind, even the Prime Minister Xu Yinhè took five years to reach Integration Body.

His Majesty required six years.

And Xu Changge needed seven years to complete Integration Body.

Despite surpassing the cultivation speed of these peerless geniuses, Xu Yuan felt no excess emotion.

Throughout his life, he never played in low-stakes games.

Every step he took was fraught with danger, his path traveled with caution over the years, leaving him deserving of the cultivation he had earned.

Every advancement in his cultivation came through his sheer effort.

Every breakthrough achieved ahead of time was bought with the price of his very life.

And now, in his attempt to surpass the Dao Entry Realm, he exchanged his proximity to death for this fateful opportunity.

As the black-and-white ink-like phenomenon swept over his body, Xu Yuan’s perception of the world began to crystallize.

The Dao Cleansing had begun.

This is a term recorded in ancient texts.

Breaking through the Integration Body to become a Boundary Breakthrough Grandmaster is not merely a matter of comprehending Dao Charm; cultivators must maintain unwavering resolve during Dao Charm’s baptism, allowing strands of the elusive Dao Charm hidden within Heaven and Earth to merge into oneself.

Compared to the almost risk-free transitions of the Middle and Lower Six Realms, the Dao Cleansing carries the perilous margin where life and death hinge upon infinitesimal differences.

Countless cultivators lose their lives during this process, and depending on the nature of the Dao Charm, the ways of death vary in unthinkable forms.

For example, the gentler Enchantress Divine Taoist Charm traps cultivators in endless illusions until their demise.

On the other hand, the more violent Flame Dao Charm, unable to be endured, causes cultivators to watch as their bodies are incinerated from the inside out.

Generally speaking, unless a cultivator has mastered Dao Charm to an extreme degree, most would choose a secluded mountain retreat or tranquil room to undergo their Integration Body breakthrough.

Xu Yuan, daring to attempt his breakthrough in the presence of the revered others, did so because the Dao of his breakthrough pertained to Life and Death.

In his current state, already at death’s door, breaking through toward life erased all notions of body destruction or Dao dispersion.

Standing in the ink-drenched divide of black and white—a metaphor for the boundary between life and death—Xu Yuan began to perceive the boundless dead energy permeating Zhenxi Prefecture City.

This was the sorrowful wails of countless lives lost.

It was also the cradle of Yin Ghosts.

Death became visible to him.

Regrettably, before he could further attune to the deaths of the millions in the city, someone interrupted his Dao Cleansing.

Mu Nuo had made a move.

This was not a tournament match, nor a duel demanding adherence to martial ethics; this was a fight for existence and survival between the two.

Realizing he couldn’t control Xu Yuan, Mu Nuo opted for the direct and brutal approach, raising his hand in a grasp.

A torrent of Qi surged from all directions toward Xu Yuan, and the overwhelming disparity in strength crushed the silk-robed man standing at the center of the ink-like black and white into dust within an instant.

Unexpectedly, as Xu Yuan’s physical body disintegrated, his calm voice resounded once again in Mu Nuo’s ears:

"As one who has successfully transitioned from death to life, I had thought you would understand that the concept of death does not apply to the already deceased."

With these words,

amid the ink-black phenomenon, the figure of the silk-robed youth reappeared. His eyes were eerily bizarre.

His left pupil swirled with blood-red light, while his right pupil was steeped in ominous blackness.

Looking at the entity, he smiled and said:

"If you wish to kill me, you must first allow me to come alive, just as I did to you earlier."

"To make you die, I must first let you live."

Upon hearing this, Mu Nuo frowned and remained silent for a moment, then grinned and said, "So, you’re saying that you deliberately let me consume you?"

Xu Yuan thought carefully before responding with a faint smile:

"Within the Blood Cocoon, I could indeed devour you, though it was not exactly deliberate."

"Your choice indeed placed me in an insolvable predicament; devouring you would lead to my existence vanishing as well, transforming into a monstrosity cohabiting with you—a creature wading forever at the boundary of life and death."

"Thus, in the Blood Cocoon, I had no choice but to let you win."

Upon hearing these words, Mu Nuo instantly grasped his adversary’s intent, narrowing his crystalline gaze:

"Xu Changtian, you truly are a madman."

"But you’ve forgotten something."

"You are now merely a parasite, unworthy of being compared to my existence!"

Xu Yuan shrugged nonchalantly.

The world was unfair; he truly did not match up to Mu Nuo.

Mu Nuo could naturally persist in the state of death and remain in the world, whereas Xu Yuan required Mu Nuo’s Life Spirit Dead Zone to manifest himself.

With this in mind,

Xu Yuan spoke with deliberate ease:

"You’re right; my presence now does indeed depend on you. If you were to end your own life before I reverse death to life, I would vanish with you, ceasing to exist forever."

Saying this,

Xu Yuan’s lips curved into a mocking smile:

"So, will you commit suicide? Do you dare to end your own life?"

"..." Mu Nuo remained silent.

"Since you don’t dare, then watch from the sidelines."

As his words fell,

the ink-drenched black-and-white phenomenon representing life and death began spreading outward.

In the city, death became even clearer in Xu Yuan’s perception. He gradually began to see the things concealed beneath the black energy formed by countless deaths.

Soul Marks.

Proof left behind in the world by lives that had passed.

What was previously invisible now unfolded vividly before his eyes.