Boom!
A seismic shift was set in motion deep within the layers of the Abyssal space. The illusory Abyss, a formidable fusion of countless Abyssal spaces, suddenly sent a pulse of powerful aura through the realm where Xu Jingming was.
Wait, who's there?
Has someone from the illusory realm discipline ascended to the half-step third realm?
In this stratification of the Abyssal space, the Abyss Overlords felt the disturbance from afar. They peered through the fabric of spacetime, a spectacle seldom witnessed even in the Abyssal space. Clashes between half-step third-realm giants were a spectacle, drawing the attention of other Overlords, ever ready to benefit from another's downfall.
But naturally, the mighty Abyss Sovereigns were indifferent to such ripples. To their senses, Xu Jingming's Abyssal Void remained insignificant, not even crossing the bare minimum threshold for concern.
What's this? The Abyss Overlords, upon observing the illusory abyss, swiftly identified it as a half-step third-realm illusory realm!
An illusory realm? Those adversaries are a real pain.
He's a foreigner. He won't stick around.
They were reluctant to provoke a half-step third-realm powerhouse of the illusory realm discipline. After all, most Abyss Overlords had mental vulnerabilities they could disregard with their formidable physique when confronting weaker illusory realms.
But against a half-step third-realm illusory realm, they were mostly outmatched. At best, they'd be ensnared in the illusory realm for a few moments, powerless to resist. At worst, they could be trapped forever in the illusory realm.
Thus, among the plethora of disciplines within the Heart Realm, the illusory realm discipline—while not seemingly dominant—instilled a sense of dread and unease in many powerhouses.
One key characteristic of the illusory realm discipline was that adversaries unable to withstand the illusory realm would be instantly thrust into a desperate situation.
Those who could, however, rendered the illusory realm useless. If confronted by a half-step third-realm powerhouse from the illusory realm discipline, their only recourse was to flee in terror.
Quite the dichotomy!
Illusory Abyss. Xu Jingming could feel the sheer terror this colossal illusory realm held. Merely gaining some insights has already propelled me halfway into the third realm. The peak capacity of the Heart Realm's illusory realm discipline is indeed staggering.
If I can use the illusory realm to construct an Abyss to reach the third realm, what if I apply the illusory realm to create something even more expansive? Perhaps I could ascend to the Ultimate realm?
Xu Jingming speculated that the maximum potential of the Heart Realm's illusory realm discipline might surpass that of the Heart Realm's weapon discipline.
Xu Jingming had founded his own school of thought among humanity, the Mind World, one of the four most powerful factions. His teachings were based on the illusory realm discipline he had researched.
This was because the psychic weapon lineage had lofty requirements; it demanded a mastery of Heart Realm Force and exceptional prowess in weaponry. The likelihood of achieving basic proficiency without being a high-dimensional lifeform was minimal, rendering it unsuitable for teaching lower-dimensional lifeforms.
In contrast, the illusory realm discipline was different. Even cosmic lifeforms could conjure rudimentary illusions. The potential audience was broad, and the prerequisites were minimal.
Huh? Suddenly, with a mere thought, Xu Jingming vanished from the Abyss, stepping into the Heart Realm.
Swallowing the immense energy of the Heart Realm, Xu Jingming underwent a transformation, his body swelling rapidly in size.
In the past, I harnessed the Golden Halberd's third move to ascend to the half-step third realm. My body did undergo a transformation, but it was predominantly focused on density. It's typical for high-dimensional lifeforms from the psychic weapon lineage to possess smaller bodies, high energy density, and potent attacks.
In contrast, the illusory realm lineage presents a different picture. Their energy density is quite standard, but their physical forms are remarkably enormous!
The reason? I can morph my body into an illusory world! For instance, my entire being could transmute into an illusory Abyss. As Xu Jingming's body ceaselessly absorbed energy, it underwent an evolution, expanding progressively.
This relentless transformation process spanned nearly half a month.
Xu Jingming found himself transformed into a gargantuan entity.
Incredible. Xu Jingming surveyed his massively robust form. If I were to exert my full size in a low-dimensional universe… I'd stand at a height of 12.9 billion light-years. By sheer scale, I'd be on par with Monhado.
A height of 12.9 billion light-years was considerable in a low-dimensional world, but in high-dimensional space, it was less significant.
Consider this—the total length of the capillaries in an average human body could circle the Earth several times over, yet they were insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
True universes and high-dimensional entities weren't necessarily colossal within high-dimensional space. It was only when they projected into low-dimensional space that they assumed terrifying proportions.
In terms of sheer size, I'd be a titan among half-step third-realm powerhouses. Xu Jingming mused, a smile playing on his lips. As per the Abyssal Void legacy's depiction, this is referred to as the Abyssal Void Body.
The size of an entity was exclusively dictated by its school of thought.
Xu Jingming's physique was a condensed representation of the Abyssal Void, naturally making him massive.
Being a colossal entity conferred exceptional vitality, rendering such a lifeform incredibly resilient to destruction.
The Abyssal Void discipline promises an enormous form and robust vitality, yet its attacks are comparably weak, relying solely on the illusory realm for offensive prowess.
On the other hand, the psychic weapon discipline bestows a relatively smaller form, high energy density, and ferociously potent attacks.
Having ascended in both disciplines, they can be harmonized to supplement one another. Xu Jingming experimented, maintaining his Abyssal Void's immense size while utilizing the psychic weapon lineage to enhance his body's energy density, fortifying it!
With the two disciplines working in unison, his strength naturally saw a significant boost.
That high-dimensional child's father from back then, Liu Mangxing, had mastered six half-step third-realm methodologies and had a multitude of ways to synergize them. How formidable was he? Xu Jingming pondered. Alas, he ultimately fell at the hands of a third-realm powerhouse.
Integrating various methodologies is a path to advancement. In the later stages, converging multiple paths towards the same destination can lead to the third realm.
Another path to growth is deep specialization. Xu Jingming was well aware of this. For instance, by refining the Abyssal Void path to its zenith, one could directly ascend to the third realm.
After achieving breakthrough in the Abyssal Void lineage, Xu Jingming continued his exploration of the Abyss. As he absorbed the essence of the Abyss, he honed his physique.
His body, while preserving the immense size characteristic of his Abyssal Void form, also maintained an extraordinarily high energy density. Naturally, he had to make constant adjustments.
At this juncture, Xu Jingming's inner universe had also evolved to mirror an illusory Abyss scene. The illusory Abyss was segmented into a vast number of spatial layers, each of which nurtured cosmic spirits.
This expansive inner universe fueled his body with energy.
******
Time slipped by, and before he knew it, Xu Jingming had spent over a century wandering the Abyss. He kept his aura completely under wraps, strolling through perilous territories while casually amassing a wealth of items.
Is that a whole field of Sin Grass? Xu Jingming mused, a smile playing on his lips as he surveyed the verdant sea of Sin Grass before him. There had to be tens of thousands of them.
Back when I was tainted by high-dimensional powers, the dean and others brewed Ice Wine to keep me sane. The main ingredient was this very Sin Grass. Xu Jingming's smile broadened as he swept his hand across the field, gathering up tens of thousands of Sin Grass plants.
"Who dares to steal my Sin Grass?!" A thunderous roar echoed in the distance, and a monstrous head emerged from the roiling mud. Its six bloodshot eyes glared at Xu Jingming as an invisible attack swept towards him.
As a member of the Heart Realm lineage, Xu Jingming had mastered the art of teleporting through the Heart Realm. Each stride he took created a layer of Abyssal space, leaving these Abyssal demons with no time to react.
With a single step, Xu Jingming materialized on the demon's cherished Sin Grass meadow.
"You attack without first considering who I am?" Xu Jingming shook his head.
The Abyssal demon gazed at him in a daze, its six blood-colored eyes growing dull and vacant. It fell under Xu Jingming's illusory realm.
How pitifully weak.
With a mere thought, Xu Jingming stowed away the Abyssal demon's corpse. After all, it was the corpse of an Eternal Abyssal demon, still of significant value to the human race. A droplet of blood from such a corpse would provide a lifetime of study for a Level 10 Origin lifeform.
I've spent over a hundred years in the Abyss, and I've gathered quite a collection. Although the items are rather commonplace, they're worth more than a droplet of Abyssal Mother Blood. That should suffice for the human race's exchanges for hundreds of millions of years, Xu Jingming reflected.
The faction he founded would periodically release treasures every thousand years for Origin lifeforms to exchange.
Additionally, as the top human powerhouse, he naturally bore the responsibility of supplying ample resources for official exchanges.
You don't know the half of it until you're in the hot seat! Low-dimensional lifeforms couldn't utilize precious treasures, so he had to provide a vast quantity of cheaper ones!
Luckily, the Abyss was a never-ending treasure trove!
Huh? Xu Jingming abruptly picked up on the vibrations of a half-step third-realm battle and immediately turned his attention in that direction. A look of delight spread across his face. After over a hundred years in the Abyss, I've finally found a true treasure.
…
A vast, ebony river roared across the sky, cutting through one Abyssal layer after another—even piercing an untold number of these Abyssal dimensions.
Hovering atop the surface of the pitch-black river, a crystal-clear iceberg glinted, igniting avarice in the hearts of the high-dimensional lifeforms.
Spirit Cleansing Iceberg? What's the worth of that? It must be equivalent to at least 100 drops of Abyssal Mother Blood.
Typically, we only see chunks of Spirit Cleansing Ice drifting down the Nightmare River. But an entire iceberg, now?
It's mine, all mine!
No sooner had this Iceberg materialized than it drew the attention of the three nearby Abyss Overlords. Their territories were within striking distance, and they lunged towards it the moment they spotted the iceberg.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The allure of the Spirit Cleansing Iceberg, worth over 100 drops of Abyssal Mother Blood, proved irresistible to the three Abyss Overlords. Yet, one of the Overlords clearly held the upper hand in terms of power. Its spacetime-piercing tentacles managed to suppress and repel the other two Overlords single-handedly.
"Hundred Tablet!" The two Overlords roared in fury.
"It's mine," the enormous tentacled creature, known as Hundred Tablet, declared. Over a hundred eyes were fixed on the Spirit Cleansing Iceberg. It lunged forward, ready to claim the prize.
"No, it's mine." A voice contradicted.
A massive illusory realm, invisible to the naked eye, had already ensnared the Abyss Overlord, Hundred Tablet.
