Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

In Zhao Sheng's view, the so-called "Nine Steps of Tao" actually represents the Cultivator's mastery of the Taoist Law they practice!

This silk book might have been authored by a certain True Immortal with Great Ability, summarizing the cultivation below True Immortal as "Mortal Three Gates, Primordial Spirit Tribulation, and the most difficult Three Steps of Immortality".

The Mortal Three Gates need no elaboration, while the Primordial Spirit Tribulation refers to the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divinity Transformation stages!

The Three Steps of Immortality correspond to the Returning to Void, Unification, and Crossing Tribulation three major realms!

From Returning to Void, a Cultivator is called a "Demi Immortal", having initially broken free from the Life Span shackles, with lifespan measured in tens of thousands of years, almost all are ancient monsters over millennia old!

According to the book, the Three Steps of Immortality actually correspond to the first three steps of the "Nine Steps of Tao".

Any Cultivator who successfully takes the first step can be called a Half-Immortal of the Void!

Yet this step is fraught with innumerable dangers, and among the Divinity Transformation True Monarchs, less than one in ten thousand succeeds!

Unable to comprehend most of the silk book's content, Zhao Sheng barely understands how the Nine Steps of Tao are divided.

However, based on his own understanding, he compares cultivation to martial arts, with the Nine Steps of Tao barely likened to the Martial Arts Nine Stages: Beginner, Initial Insight, entering the room, Slight Achievement, Integration, Refined, Peak, Returning to the Truth, and Eternal Unique.

While a Half-Immortal of the Void may be said to have initial insight into the Tao, the Divinity Transformation True Monarchs likely haven't even seen the shadow of the Tao, only barely sensing the law fluctuations it emits, then desperately trying to adjust their own Mana and Primordial Spirit "frequency", constantly approaching and harmonizing with the law fluctuations of the Tao they practice.

Only when the "frequency" match between the two exceeds a certain level can the Divinity Transformation True Monarch touch the threshold of Returning to Void. Whether they can successfully overcome the Heavenly Tribulation depends on personal fate and Qi Fortune!

The mark of the first step in the Nine Steps of Tao is the flesh and Primordial Spirit beginning to intergenerate and intertransform, reaching the degree where the flesh travels the first heaven of the Void Realm.

Zhao Sheng vaguely saw in the book that the Nine Steps of Tao mentioned by the great author seem inextricably linked to the Nine Void Realms!

The said "Nine Void Realms", he identified three, namely "First Dark Heaven", "Second Divine Palace Heaven", and "Seventh Forgotten Heaven". The others he couldn't understand at all!

The reason he could recognize the name "Seventh Forgotten Heaven" was thanks to the Golden Sun Saint!

This exceptionally unfortunate big shot still has a few remaining "thoughts" barely surviving in Forgotten Heaven!

...

Six months later, north of Divine Ruins Square, three hundred miles away, above a group of meteorites.

Zhao Sheng stood proudly in midair on a Fire Lotus.

In front of him, a Three-eyed Green Demon Python as large as a giant elephant hissed with its tongue flicking, the vertical pupil in the center of its forehead flickering with fire, glaring angrily at him.

Its entire body covered with burn marks, the lower half of the python's body exuding a strong meaty aroma, seemingly already roasted through!

"Hiss Hiss"

The Three-eyed Green Demon Python let out a low moan, opened its mouth, and a mass of dark green poison gushed out, transforming into a plume of poisonous liquid in midair, enveloping Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng neither dodged nor avoided, merely with a slight thought, a flash of fire appeared in midair, faintly followed by a subtle fluctuation.

The next second, all the poison evaporated into nothingness, and the Demon Python suddenly let out a piercing wail, with invisible flames rising from its body, causing it to thrash about wildly, yet it couldn't escape the limited space.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhao Sheng frowned slightly, then gazed in the direction of the workshop, subsequently increasing the "frequency" of his Primordial Spirit by thirty percent. In an instant, the invisible flames on the Demon Python transformed into roaring flames, instantly incinerating a Golden Core Realm Demon Python to ashes.

Just then, a tall figure suddenly appeared in the nearby void.

Zhao Sheng looked up and, unsurprisingly, it was Mr. Xiao!

"Haha! Brother Zhao, the items you requested, I have brought them all! Please have a look."

As he spoke, the person tossed out a Space Storage Seal!

Zhao Sheng's eyes glinted, releasing a trace of Divine Thought to probe inside, quickly revealing a satisfied smile.

Not a single of the ten heads of Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators was missing, and even half of them belonged to the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Mr. Xiao indeed knows how to conduct himself, clearly understanding who my greatest enemy is.

Boom!

Zhao Sheng flicked out a wave of fire, incinerating the Space Storage Seal along with the heads within, then said with a smile, "Mr. Xiao, your actions are truly swift! In just a short two years, you've managed to accomplish such a great feat. Rare indeed!"

Mr. Xiao's eyes revealed a look of reverence, exceptionally humble, "Compared to the earth-shattering feats Brother Zhao accomplished, what I did is scarcely worth mentioning."

Zhao Sheng smiled but gave no explanation, instead broaching the main topic, "Since Mr. Xiao has completed the task, I shall give you an answer! When does Mr. Xiao intend to set off for the Seven Star Spirit Realm?"

Mr. Xiao was pleasantly surprised by these words, then said with a wry smile, "Preferably right now! To be honest with Brother Zhao, I am like a homeless dog, currently being hunted down quite miserably!"

"Haha, Mr. Xiao, your words are amusing! Very well, let's set off now!" Zhao Sheng laughed.

"Great! I'll trouble Brother Zhao to lead the way then!" Mr. Xiao said with full delight, bowing respectfully.

Hmm,

Zhao Sheng nodded, took out the Seven Star Ruyi from the Sumeru Ring, and skillfully recited incantations with hand gestures, activating the guiding starlight.

Then, the two of them followed the guiding starlight into the depths of the Meteor Sea, vanishing in an instant behind the vast meteorite cluster.