The Xuanhuang world ending transformations were the various extreme changes that naturally arose from the Xuanhuang Realm’s instinct for self preservation when it sensed the fate of impending destruction.

All of them were manifestations that pushed a particular aspect to its absolute limit.

For example, the transformation Li Fan used in his previous life to disguise himself as a Dao Integration cultivator, [Spirit of Heaven and Earth Heat Death, All Things Frozen]. It was no weaker than ordinary ice-type Spirit of Heaven and Earth within the Xuanhuang Realm, and in fact stronger than the overwhelming majority of them.

World ending transformations were often filled with aggression and destructive force. Since they were generally only born when the Xuanhuang Realm faced a crisis of annihilation, their appearance in the world would inevitably trigger a stress response from the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao. The result was that the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao would instinctively develop wariness and distrust toward the holder of a world ending transformation, just as it did toward Li Fan now.

However, after absorbing the evil thoughts it had separated from itself, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao underwent a transformation similar to being infused with immortal qi and experiencing complete revival. The specific manifestation of this change was reflected in the foundational laws of the Xuanhuang Realm.

The changes regarding longevity reversal principle could be set aside for now. The various restrictions the Xuanhuang Realm imposed upon cultivators also became increasingly severe alongside the Realm’s internal revival.

The bottleneck of heavenly tribulation, the inability to cultivate multiple laws simultaneously, the strange phenomena appearing in the heavenly canopy after death.

These laws, all deeply tied to cultivation, were rapidly changing in silence.

Cultivators would find breakthroughs more difficult. The heavenly signs appearing after death would record more information about a cultivator’s life. The standards by which different cultivation methods were judged would become stricter, and the total number of cultivation techniques in the world would mysteriously decrease.

Beyond that, Li Fan also faintly sensed that the efficiency with which the Xuanhuang world absorbed and transformed the returned Dao Foundations after cultivators died, as well as world fragments, was gradually increasing alongside its growing internal strength.

A faint humming like digestion echoed between heaven and earth, too subtle for ordinary cultivators to detect.

Within the Xuanhuang Realm, cultivators devoured heaven and earth to cultivate. Now that the Xuanhuang world’s strength had suddenly expanded, it would inevitably drive a dramatic surge in the power of the cultivators within it as well.

Foundation Establishment defeating Golden Core, Golden Core defeating Nascent Soul. In the near future, this might become commonplace.

As for the earlier generation cultivators seeking to escape this awkward predicament, they had only two choices. Either abolish their cultivation and start over, or find a way to break through to the next major realm as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, those cultivators who had not grown alongside the Xuanhuang world would soon become obsolete remnants of their era.

...

Li Fan observed all the dramatic transformations occurring within the Xuanhuang Realm without extracting any of them. Although the growth intensity of the Xuanhuang Realm was still far below his requirements, it was already sufficient to provide inspiration.

“This is the transformation of the Dao. Those who align with the Dao live, those who lose the Dao perish. This is true for the Xuanhuang Realm, true for the Darkest Star Sea, and perhaps it was true for the Immortal Realm as well.”

Li Fan silently pondered this.

He recalled Sun Erlang’s experience in the illusion realm of the True Fruit from the previous life.

“I wonder what gains they will obtain from heading to the Carefree Paradise in this life?”

Within the Dao Discussion Platform, the silver-white eyes turned slightly, and the images of Sun Erlang’s group of three immediately appeared within it.

Although they were only peak Golden Core cultivators, they had been fortunate enough to receive the Holy Master’s transmission of the Great Dao. In their eyes, the defensive formations of both the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance and the Five Elders Association were as good as nonexistent.

They advanced straight through, passed the [Human Dao Heavenly Land], and finally reached the so-called Carefree Paradies.

At first glance, it did not seem much different from other regions of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Yue Zhenwei, the oldest among the three, surveyed the surroundings, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.

“Are there fewer people here than in other regions of the Five Elders Association?”

Sun Erlang nodded.

“Indeed. And they all seem dispirited. No matter how I look at it, it has nothing to do with the word ‘Paradies.’”

Wang Xuanba was completely unconcerned.

“Who cares? Didn’t we come here to search for Cave Heaven worlds needed for breaking through to Nascent Soul? Naturally, fewer people is better.”

Sun Erlang and Yue Zhenwei both felt that made sense.

One should only do what matches one’s abilities. The secrets of the Carefree Paradies were clearly not something minor Golden Core cultivators like them could investigate.

Thus, they continued concealing their traces and used the secret techniques taught by the Holy Master to search the Carefree Paradies for traces of Cave Heavens.

However...

Ten days passed, and they found nothing.

The expressions of all three became somewhat ugly.

“That is impossible. We have practically searched all of Qiuxi Prefecture, yet we did not find even a single Cave Heaven?”

Wang Xuanba was full of disbelief.

“Either the Holy Master’s secret technique has a problem. Or...” Yue Zhenwei’s expression was equally grim.

Sun Erlang continued:

“The Carefree Paradies may simply not contain any Cave Heavens at all. Or perhaps what we are seeing now is not the true Carefree Paradies, but merely an empty shell. That legendary dream is where the real place exists.”

“What do we do next?” Wang Xuanba scratched his head.

“We cannot exactly enter a dream to steal things, can we? Why not return to the Human Dao Heavenly Land? Security may be tighter there, but the territory is much larger. As long as we are careful, borrowing a few Cave Heavens should not be a problem.”

Sun Erlang and Yue Zhenwei both nodded.

The three quickly reached an agreement and prepared to withdraw from the Carefree Paradies.

But what filled them with inexplicable terror was that although they were clearly retracing the same path they had used to enter, the scenery they encountered upon reaching the boundary of the Carefree Paradies had completely changed.

The white mist barrier that stretched across heaven and earth as the natural dividing line between prefectures had vanished. In front of them now lay an endless desert stretching beyond sight.

“This...”

The three stood at the desert’s edge, drawing yellow sand from the ground and rubbing it between their fingers.

“It is real.”

Sun Erlang clenched his fist and spoke in a low voice.

Wang Xuanba still refused to believe it. He stepped forward and sank into quicksand.

“How could this happen? The path was fine when we came in, and now suddenly we cannot go back? We did not even get lost!”

Yue Zhenwei, the calmest among them, spoke:

“I fear we unknowingly entered the true dream of the Carefree Paradies.”

He gazed into the distant desert but saw no traces of life.

“It is best not to rashly enter this desert. Let us try another direction.”

The three crossed Qiuxi Prefecture once again and at another boundary encountered an entirely different neighboring region.

Roaring torrents poured down from the nine heavens. The instant they struck the Qiuxi streams, they transformed into bubbles of light and vanished.

Not far away was a world of water suspended high in the sky.

Within it swam many living creatures, and they could even faintly make out numerous underwater structures.

“How about we try here? We cannot get out anyway.”

Wang Xuanba suggested.

“Let us observe first.”

Yue Zhenwei carefully studied it and discovered that while life existed within this water world, the civilization that built the underwater structures consisted of writhing octopus-like beings.

They appeared to possess their own language and writing, ruling this underwater world.

Yet despite the thin boundary separating them from Sun Erlang’s group, and despite the group openly observing them, the creatures showed no awareness whatsoever.

It was as though they existed in different worlds.

Temporarily leaving the water world behind, the three continued searching along Qiuxi Prefecture’s border.

Finally, in the southwestern corner, they discovered a third neighboring prefecture.

In the distant prefecture, a giant stone stood by the sea.

It was exactly identical to the giant coastal stone they had previously seen in Shilin Prefecture of the Xuanhuang Realm.

“Excellent. We finally found a way out!”

Wang Xuanba shouted excitedly.

He was just about to rush forward when Sun Erlang stopped him.

“Careful. Something feels wrong.”

As Sun Erlang spoke, two figures appeared in the sky above the giant seaside rock, one chasing the other.

The one in front was in a sorry state, seemingly heavily injured.

The figure pursuing behind was clearly faster by a noticeable margin. Yet it seemed to be enjoying the thrill of the hunt, deliberately controlling the distance between them. It gave the fleeing cultivator the illusion that with just a little more effort, escape was possible, when in reality there was no chance of getting away.

If this had been an ordinary pursuit, the three would not have been particularly shocked. However, the one chasing the fleeing human cultivator was actually a demon beast with a human body and a dog's head.

Just as the human cultivator was about to desperately flee beyond the boundaries of Shilin Prefecture and enter the Congyun Sea, the dog-headed demon beast finally grew impatient and chose to end the hunting game.

Its hand reverted into a dog claw, firmly pinning the human cultivator in place. Watching the human's desperate and agonized expression amid miserable screams, the dog-headed demon beast burst into loud laughter.

Then, fully satisfied, it opened its mouth, preparing to swallow the human cultivator whole.

"You evil beast, stop!"

It was precisely the hot-blooded age of youth. How could Wang Xuanba possibly stand by and watch such a scene of a human being devoured right before his eyes?

Before Sun Erlang and Yue Zhenwei could stop him, a gray-white giant axe carrying an ancient aura had already broken through the boundary between the two different territories and arrived before the dog-headed demon beast.

Yet the dog-headed demon beast seemed to have been prepared all along.

A savage and excited gleam flashed in its eyes. It casually tossed aside the human cultivator it had captured as prey.

It completely ignored the gray-white giant axe about to strike its head and charged directly toward Sun Erlang and the other two.

As the dog-headed demon beast moved, the Xuanhuang Shilin Prefecture where it stood suddenly underwent a strange expansion as well. It instantly swallowed the territory of Qiuxi Prefecture, enveloping Sun Erlang and the other two within it.

As if a dream had descended into reality, the worlds occupied by the dog-headed demon beast and Sun Erlang's group merged into one.

Clang!

Wang Xuanba's gray-white giant axe struck the back of the dog-headed demon beast's neck, yet only produced the sound of metal clashing against metal. That full-powered strike, enough to split mountains, did not even cut through the beast's skin.

Wang Xuanba gave a cold snort, entirely unafraid.

"Did you think your grandfather's axe is only sharp? You actually dared rely on your tough body to take it head on? A beast is still a beast!"

The dog-headed demon beast seemed to understand Wang Xuanba's words, and its expression changed slightly.

Only then did it notice a clearly visible gray scar appearing at the back of its neck. The gray rapidly spread upward, directly engulfing the beast's dog head.

Moments later, the gray-white head crumbled like dust and scattered into the air.

"Be careful!"

Yue Zhenwei and Sun Erlang shouted at the same time.

Just as Wang Xuanba was feeling smug, the dog-headed demon beast, despite having lost its head, moved again.

Its figure flashed, already arriving before Wang Xuanba.

The dog claw became a streak of black light, instantly piercing through Wang Xuanba's heart.

"Xuanba!" Sun Erlang's eyes nearly split with fury.

A sinister blade arrived just a moment too late, sweeping forth endless black wind that directly engulfed the dog-headed demon beast.

Yet only moments later, the beast's flesh had already been completely stripped away by the black wind.

All that remained was a grim white skeleton.

However, this skeleton radiated an unusual golden glow.

"Something is wrong..." Yue Zhenwei's expression shifted slightly.

Yet without realizing it, a figure had silently approached from behind him.

It was precisely the human cultivator whom the dog-headed demon beast had supposedly been chasing earlier.

A mocking smile hung at the corner of his mouth as he looked greedily at Yue Zhenwei. His aura erupted explosively. There was not the slightest sign of injury.

His neck suddenly stretched out, his head flying forward as he swallowed Yue Zhenwei's head in a single bite.

Poor Yue Zhenwei had focused all his attention on the dog-headed demon beast and Sun Erlang. Caught off guard by the ambush, he died instantly.

"AAAAAH! You all deserve to die!"

Watching his two companions die one after another, Sun Erlang's eyes turned blood red.

Veins bulged across his body as black energy enveloped him.

His pupils were completely consumed by darkness. Ignoring everything else, Sun Erlang charged directly toward the long-necked demon beast.

Yet he was suddenly seized from behind by the golden skeleton.

The golden skeleton tightened its grip while letting out eerie laughter.

"This trick works so well. Every time, it hooks a few idiots."

Sun Erlang's rage surged even higher.

"AH!"

His roar echoed between heaven and earth.

A black storm suddenly erupted from his dantian.

It was several times more terrifying than the one contained within the black blade earlier.

The golden skeleton, still shouting arrogantly moments before, was instantly swallowed.

"Damn it! What is this..."

Before it could finish speaking, the golden skeleton vanished together with Sun Erlang within the black storm.

The long-necked demon beast showed no intention of going forward to rescue it.

Instead, it watched with great interest while chewing on Yue Zhenwei's corpse.

Not long after, the black storm completely dissipated.

And the corpses of Yue Zhenwei and Wang Xuanba had both become food for the long-necked demon beast.

...

"AH!"

Sun Erlang and the other two suddenly awoke from the nightmare.

Cold sweat covered their foreheads. It took quite some time before they fully recovered from the horrifying experience.

"I died?"

"I'm not dead?!" Wang Xuanba said, still shaken.

Sun Erlang fell into deep thought.

Yue Zhenwei was still the first to calm down and observe their surroundings.

"It seems we are still in the Five Elders Association's Qiuxi Prefecture where we were trapped before."

"However..."

Yue Zhenwei looked up at the sky.

"The whole world seems to have become darker?" he said uncertainly.

"That is not an illusion. The world we are in really does seem as though night has fallen," Sun Erlang observed for a while before agreeing.

"But our cultivation realms have not changed... Wait, what is this?!"

Sun Erlang's voice suddenly rose several degrees.

"Sun Erlang, Golden Core Great Perfection. Death count: 1."

"Carefree Paradies experience level: 1."

"Carefree Coins: 100."

Sun Erlang read aloud the lines of text that had mysteriously appeared before his eyes, his expression filled with shock.

"I have it too," Wang Xuanba shouted after noticing something himself.

"Wait, that is not right. Why are my Carefree Coins zero?"

"Where did your hundred come from?" Wang Xuanba asked in complete confusion.