Shrouded Sky

This golden page was profoundly mysterious. The densely packed words on it weren't read in the usual way, they transformed on their own into radiant stars, surging into Ye Fan's consciousness.

At that moment, he felt god light raining from the heavens, sacred springs bubbling from the earth, lotus flowers blooming, and celestial herbs sprouting everywhere. The sky was filled with divine radiance, dragons and phoenixes soared, longevity turtles breathed auspicious mist, sacred qilins absorbed vital energy, purple aura flowed from the east, golden light came from the west, and five-colored divine light shone as seven-colored rainbows arched across the sky.

Countless visions and infinite dharmas appeared, mystical and profound, as if heavenly music played or sacred chants of the Grand Dao echoed through Ye Fan's heart.

He was entranced, as if in a dream. Like a parched desert finally receiving rain, life bloomed from the desolate sands. Ye Fan felt as though countless windows had opened inside him, beams of god light shooting toward him. He tried to grasp them, but the brilliance slipped through his fingers, hard to hold onto.

This wasn't cultivation in the traditional sense, no one could comprehend such profound truth in so short a time. It was a flood of momentum, a cosmic surge of power. The Oceanic Wheel Chapter of the Dao Scripture poured into him like the Milky Way cascading from the heavens, illuminating everything in a magnificent torrent. What the scroll truly contained hit Ye Fan in a general, yet overwhelming way. He came to understand what he needed to cultivate and the heights he would need to reach.

The Four Grand Realms, Bitter Sea, Life Spring, Celestial Bridge, and the Other Shore, perfectly summarized the core of the Oceanic Wheel Chapter.

Cultivators must first open up their Bitter Sea, gradually expanding it. Only then can they begin to grasp the Life Wheel, because the two are intertwined.

Next, they must release boundless life essence to swirl above the Bitter Sea and spread through the body, nourishing flesh, organs, and bones, strengthening the physical shell, this marks the first level of transcendence from mortal limitations. This is the first realm: Bitter Sea.

The Bitter Sea envelops the Life Wheel, one above and one below, overlapping. Each year of life leaves a mark on the Wheel. When it is fully scarred and finally shattered, that is the moment of death, life exhausted.

To change this fate, one must open a channel in the Bitter Sea, reaching the bottom to connect with the Life Wheel, allowing vast life essence to surge forth, halting the erosion from the Bitter Sea and extending one's lifespan.

When quantity becomes quality, the raging life essence eventually condenses into liquid form, transforming into a Life Spring that gushes into the Bitter Sea.

This carving out of a Life Spring Eye in the barren Bitter Sea to connect with the Life Wheel marks the second realm: Life Spring.

At this point, the cultivator finally has a true source of power and can perform mystical techniques and divine abilities of vast might. It's a critical step in cultivation. As long as the divine energy source continues, magical power is infinite.

In fact, the divine rainbows that cultivators ride are the divine light flowing from their own Life Springs. Once a cultivator reaches the Life Spring realm, they can ride rainbows, fly through the skies, and execute countless profound techniques.

The human body contains endless mysteries. The truly powerful cultivators refuse to be limited to the Bitter Sea. They seek other hidden body realms, thus begins the journey to cross the Bitter Sea.

The Dao Scripture teaches a method with an unstoppable momentum. No matter how vast the Bitter Sea, there is no turning back, it must be broken through by sheer strength.

To achieve this, the body must evolve, and a divine meridian must form in the Bitter Sea to pierce through its limitations, leading to the distant shore.

This is a long and grueling process. The more the cultivator is battered, the stronger they become. Eventually, the Life Wheel and the Bitter Sea transform, forming the Celestial Bridge of Heaven and Earth, unleashing the body's full potential. This is the third realm: Celestial Bridge.

At this stage, unwavering determination is required. Only with firm resolve can a cultivator see through illusion, push through the fog, and search for their true destination, the Other Shore.

Here, not only must the body transform, but the spirit must also elevate. Only by uniting mind and flesh, breaking shackles, transcending the self, and returning to the source, can one reach the Other Shore, this is the fourth realm: The Other Shore.

Upon reaching this stage, the flesh, organs, and bones decay and are reborn in a different way, undergoing nine cycles of rebirth, completing a metamorphosis akin to a butterfly breaking from its cocoon.

Bitter Sea, Life Spring, Celestial Bridge, Other Shore, these four realms are as far apart as the heavens themselves. Crossing from one to the next is extremely difficult. Each major realm contains countless subtleties and requires immense accumulation and refinement to achieve transformation.

"So, by reaching the second realm, Life Spring, I'll be able to ride rainbows through the sky. Killing cultivators in the Bitter Sea realm would be as easy as crushing ants." Ye Fan shuddered. He immediately thought of Elder Han, his cultivation must already be at the Life Spring level.

The gap between the four realms was vast, like an unbridgeable chasm.

To call Ye Fan a Bitter Sea cultivator was already a stretch. His Bitter Sea was only the size of a soybean. But he wasn't discouraged, he had only just begun cultivating. Achieving even this much so quickly was extraordinary. Moreover, his Bitter Sea was unlike any other, shining brilliantly, without a trace of death energy. Every time he cultivated it, it roared like a golden ocean, shaking the heavens. Clearly, it was anything but ordinary.

He also thought of Han Feiyu, Elder Han's grandson. Although Han hadn't yet reached the Life Spring realm, his divine power source hadn't fully emerged, he could already control a Green Wood Treasure Seal. For a Bitter Sea cultivator, that made him a real threat to Ye Fan.

Ye Fan had just received a powerful baptism from the golden page. It felt like a grand historical scroll had unrolled in his mind, followed by a mighty river of sacred teachings flooding into him. He had gained a glimpse of profound truth.

Though he hadn't practiced any specific techniques yet, this vast revelation gave him enormous insight. It helped him understand the bigger picture and gave him direction for the road ahead.

"There are differences from the Dao Scripture I previously studied…" Now that he had grasped the grand essence, Ye Fan began a detailed rereading, and immediately noticed discrepancies.

The techniques written on this golden page differed from what he had studied in Desolate Spirit Grotto-Heaven. Even the first few lines were slightly different.

"It seems that after the Oceanic Wheel Chapter was lost, only fragmented versions remained. They're inaccurate…" Ye Fan was secretly relieved. Without this golden page, he might never have known his previous training was flawed.

"I can still fix it now, bring the cultivation method to perfection." Ye Fan lived by his words. He immediately began practicing based on the authentic teachings of the Dao Scripture.

A mysterious sensation swept over him. His heart became calm and clear. After correcting the method, more golden threads flowed from his Bitter Sea, circulating through his body, making him feel entirely relaxed. His flesh, organs, and bones were nourished. In that moment, it felt as if he had boundless strength.

At the same time, strange changes began in the space above his golden Bitter Sea. Visions appeared, first like stars, then like chaos. Misty energy swirled, divine light flashed, transforming endlessly.

Above the golden ocean, everything shifted: one moment, a starry sky; the next, a desolate void. Growth and decay, glory and destruction cycled again and again.

"So this is the true Dao Scripture?" Ye Fan was astonished. He felt the vibrant pulse of all life born from the harmony of heaven and earth, and also the cold, desolate aura of a dying universe.

Only after a long while did everything settle. His golden Bitter Sea became more condensed. Once radiant like a full moon, now it blazed like a scorching sun. The golden threads flowing from it were more intense, pulsing with overwhelming vitality.

"The real Dao Scripture is extraordinary!" Ye Fan was filled with emotion. He now truly believed he could go further, and break the curse of the Primeval Desolate Sacred Physique.

Yet he didn't become arrogant or complacent. He knew that in the Eastern Wilderness, there were several ancient scriptures that rivaled the Dao Scripture, deep and profound, and fully intact. They were guarded by the sacred lands and ancient aristocratic clans.

"But the method I'm cultivating now is no weaker than any of them. My starting point is just as high." Ye Fan's eyes sparkled. "I will open my Bitter Sea. I will unleash a flowing Life Spring, forge the Celestial Bridge of Heaven and Earth, reach the Other Shore, undergo nine cycles of rebirth, and complete the transformation from cocoon to butterfly!"