Chapter 3569: The Discourse

At the moment, there were more people undergoing a Spirit Rebirth than at any point in time since the last recitation of the Everstone Discourse. There were many people who had not been at the right level to undergo a Spirit Rebirth, but they had done everything possible for two years to reach that level.

Countless cultivators, sects, and families had made endless preparations purely for this one moment.

At this moment, the Everstone sequence base was in the Wisdom Domain, and the first person to resonate with Everstone was a peak powerhouse.

The lower the reciter’s level, the more beneficial it was for weaker cultivators. However, the lowest requirement for a cultivator to resonate with Everstone was for them to be a peak powerhouse. Anyone weaker than that would not be able to even approach the sequence base, let alone resonate with it.

Since ancient times, those who were capable of helping weaker cultivators undergo a Spirit Rebirth had all been either peak powerhouses or sequence powerhouses. If an Ortuser were to recite, they would offer little help to weaker cultivators.

Everstone was a sequence base that visually resembled a millstone. It looked as though it could grind away the universe itself, and it could also expand or shrink at will.

An old man took a step into outer space, arriving before Everstone. His eyes hid complex emotions, including both excitement and nostalgia. "I never expected that I would one day have the honor of perishing during a recitation. I have reached the end of my years, dragging this broken body along. However, this makes it all worth it.

"I am Zhao Lingbo. May our Spirit Nidus’s martial path flourish for countless ages, and may my descendants bring glory to the past and the future alike. Even in death, I have no regrets."

Bang!

A deafening crash echoed across the megaverse, and at the same time, Zhao Lingbo’s body started to shine. Specks of light drifted away from his body, scattering with his voice to reach all who were listening.

At this moment, countless cultivators bowed low, overcome with gratitude as they received the man’s insights.

Of the thirty-six domains, within the Augury Domain, an entire family of cultivators had dropped to their knees. "Farewell, Ancestor."

"Farewell, Ancestor."

"Farewell, Ancestor..."

To die while reciting the Everstone Discourse was the highest honor that one could receive in the Spirit Nidus. It was comparable to dying and contributing to a sequence base.

In the Wisdom Domain, Old Yu looked up at the sky. Zhao Lingbo had once been heralded as an unparalleled genius, and he had competed against countless other prodigies. Unfortunately, he had never managed to comprehend the laws of the universe and become a sequence powerhouse. Despite that, he had been a Realmbreaker capable of challenging sequence powerhouses, which was a rare accomplishment in the Spirit Nidus. This was the minimum caliber for someone to qualify to resonate with Everstone.

If this man had been able to become a sequence powerhouse, he would have had a chance at joining the White Spirit List. It was a terrible pity, and his fate could only be lamented.

Every time the Everstone Discourse were recited, similar powerhouses would inevitably sacrifice themselves. To them, doing so was an honor. For countless cultivators throughout the Spirit Nidus, it represented an opportunity for growth. Those who sacrificed themselves could be regarded as half-masters for innumerable cultivators.

Aboard

Boundless

, Chu Yi, Lu Tianyi, and others spread out and quietly listened.

Lu Yin stood at the bow of the battleship, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared in the direction of the Wisdom Domain.

Zhao Lingbo, huh?

While the Spirit Nidus and the Tianyuan Megaverses were enemies, there were still people in both megaverses who were worthy of respect. Those who devoted themselves to their homeland were to be respected, and there were a great number of such individuals in the Spirit Nidus.

Those people were heroes to the Spirit Nidus, and even if they were enemies of the Tianyuan Megaverse, such people still deserved respect, even on the battlefield. The only fault of such individuals was that they stood on the other side.

In the depths of the Champions' Stage Purgatory, Lu Yin had imprisoned others like Zhao Lingbo. Qi Zun was one such person who had dedicated his entire life to the Spirit Nidus. That man also deserved respect, but that did not mean that Lu Yin would show him any mercy. Those people were still his enemies.

When massive battles broke out across the megaverses, he would have to face many more such people.

He hoped to give them honorable deaths, and in the same manner, he hoped that someone would be willing to grant those aboard

Boundless

honorable deaths as well.

As the Everstone sequence base continued to resonate, Zhao Lingbo’s body faded away, growing nearly transparent. As the man opened his eyes, he reflected on his entire life.

Throughout the thirty-six domains, many excited cultivators were attempting to undergo a Spirit Rebirth.

"This is Senior Zhao’s cultivation path... Sure enough, I was mistaken before, but it’s not too late for me to change now. Thank you, Senior Zhao!"

"A Spirit Transformation innate gift! I’ve awakened a Spirit Transformation innate gift! Hahaha!"

"Son, you obtained a Spirit Transformation innate gift?"

"Yes, Mother! I never imagined that I would actually be able to undergo a Spirit Rebirth or a Spirit Transformation! This is the start of my rise into the heavens!"

"That’s wonderful! Quick! Offer incense to your father and tell him that our son has finally made something of himself. However, you first need to thank Senior Zhao!"

"Thank you, Senior Zhao, for your guidance."

Countless cultivators knelt in gratitude. Zhao Lingbo had allowed many to achieve their dreams.

As the old man’s body faded away completely, at the final moment before he disappeared, he smiled.

Countless cultivators bowed to say farewell.

Old Yu let out a long breath. After a moment, he turned to look in a different direction. An elderly woman stepped into space, and moved towards Everstone. "With this single step of Blood Swallow, may those who come after me soar ever higher, surpassing all limits."

With that, she struck Everstone.

Some cultivators gasped in shock. "Madam Blood Swallow? She's still alive?"

"What? That’s Madam Blood Swallow? Weren’t there reports saying that she died while fighting in the Consciousness Megaverse?"

"Madam Blood Swallow was an amazing genius. She managed to become a sequence powerhouse, but then she lost her sequence particles due to an accident. Even then, her battleBlood Swallow technique allowed her to defeat numerous sequence powerhouses. This is amazing! Senior Zhao’s path doesn’t suit me, so I have to understand Senior Blood Swallow’s path!"

"All of us thank Senior Blood Swallow for her sacrifice."

"Thank you, Senior..."

Countless voices rose in gratitude. The old woman smiled, sat down cross-legged, and her body slowly started disappearing. Light radiated away from her, along with her voice that echoed across the thirty-six domains.

Every cultivator’s path was different and unique. Just because someone had reached a higher realm, it did not mean that their path would suit others.

Zhao Lingbo’s experiences had benefited some people, but most had no sense of connection to it. Thus, for many people, the deciding factor of whether they experienced any improvement depended on how many people participated in the recitation session.

The Everstone Discourse was an opportunity for people to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. Such a sacrifice could help many individuals elevate their level in various ways. It was not that the Spirit Nidus was unwilling to hold the Everstone Discourse frequently, but rather that there simply were not enough cultivators who had reached the end of their lifespan and were willing to make such a sacrifice.

The recitations only took place to celebrate the rise of a new Seraph, or when too many cultivators were nearing the end of their lives.

Each time, countless cultivators hoped for more powerhouses to participate in the recitation. The more that spoke, the greater the chance that they would be able to resonate with the path of one of the speakers, thus improving their cultivation. It was a chance to break past bottlenecks or even awaken an innate gift or a spirit weapon. It was a chance to instantly experience a drastic improvement.

More and more cultivators were able to resonate with the paths of those participating, and they attempted breakthroughs, received enlightenment, and found new direction forward. However, when the entire Spirit Nidus was taken into account, those who managed to benefit were pitifully few.

In the past, at most, three Spirit Ancestors would participate in the Everstone Discourse. This was not because more Spirit Ancestors were unwilling to participate, but rather that too few of them were qualified to produce a resonance with Everstone.

Why did people start cultivating or continue down their paths? Naturally, it was to continue cultivating and gain power. Some Spirit Ancestors, even when they were nearing the end of their lives, were unwilling to die by reciting the Everstone Discourse. They wanted to pursue any chance of further improvement, seeking to listen to sequence powerhouses or Ortusers recite the scriptures in hopes of experiencing another breakthrough, no matter how slim the chances of success might be.

Madam Blood Swallow vanished entirely into the Spirit Nidus.

The third person to step forward was another Spirit Ancestor. They had a young appearance, yet they were also approaching the end of their life. Seeing them caused another wave of surprise.

Anyone who was capable of resonating with Everstone had to have some level of fame. As the third Spirit Ancestor faded into the cosmos, many weaker cultivators sighed. All three Spirit Ancestors who had died while reciting had pursued paths that they did not connect with. For them, this recitation of the Everstone Discourse had ended without them receiving any benefits.

And yet, right after that, a fourth person stepped forward, which sent an uproar through the thirty-six domains.

"Another Spirit Ancestor? Wait, I've never seen this person before. Do any of you recognize this senior?"

"I’ve never seen them before."

"I’ve never seen them. I have absolutely no impression of them."

"How could anyone who can recite the Everstone Discourse be unknown?"

Even some of the Spirit Ancestors and sequence powerhouses grew confused. "Who is that?"

"Let me ask the Wisdom Domain’s Young Master Yu, as I truly have no idea who this might be."

"I don’t recognize their appearance, expression, or even their aura. Very strange."

As the fourth Spirit Ancestor faced Everstone, they let out a sigh. "I never thought that I would one day stand here, stared upon by countless eyes. I’m truly not used to this.

"I am Elder Ever-Changing! It has been a long time, everyone. Hahaha!"

Countless people among those listening were utterly stunned.

"Elder Ever-Changing? That’s Elder Ever-Changing? The shameless scoundrel?"

"The only Spirit Ancestor to have ever been added to the Black Spirit List? That’s him?"

"It's really him! So he’s willing to die during a recitation..."

In one corner of

Boundless

, Old Tao shot to his feet in shock. "It's actually him!"

Almost everyone aboard

Boundless

was listening to the Everstone Discourse. While the paths of these Spirit Ancestors might not align with those of the people aboard the battleship, listening to them would never hurt. Sure enough, some people had even received some insights. This was not limited to the cultivators from the Spirit Nidus who had joined the Grandverse Manor; even some of the black energy converter users had received enlightenment, enjoying unexpected benefits.

Old Tao was also listening to the Everstone Discourse, but this fourth participant shocked him.

Lu Yin had been standing at the bow of the battleship, but as soon as he heard Old Tao’s comment, he vanished and reappeared in front of the old man.

Old Tao quickly explained the matter to Lu Yin. "Elder Ever-Changing is a legend within the Spirit Nidus. While he was never a particularly powerful cultivator, early on in life, he received guidance from a powerful expert who concealed the man’s appearance. Because of that, most people in the Spirit Nidus have never seen his true face. The man loved exploring various paths of cultivation more than anything. He learned battle techniques and various other abilities, pursuing far too many different paths.

"Typically, cultivators will specialize in a single path. Even those who are extraordinarily talented won’t cultivate too many different techniques, but this man is different. He never sought to improve his cultivation, as he was solely interested in learning more battle techniques and martial arts. He also obtained them by any means necessary, ignoring whether others were willing to share.

"Over time, through his various methods, he succeeded in acquiring numerous battle techniques, though this also resulted in him being hunted by many factions. Nearly half of the thirty-six domains have a deep grudge against the man. Fortunately, he mostly offended small organizations, and he never provoked any of the seven major powers. Even so, he ended up on the Black Spirit List, becoming the only Spirit Ancestor to ever be added, even if he was only ever ranked at the very bottom."

Lu Yin stared off into the distance.

So that's how it is?

Elder Ever-Changing

. The name reminded him of the Ever-Changing Yōu Ming. Also, why did this man’s path sound so similar to Lu Yin’s own?

Lu Yin’s greatest skill had always been his ability to infiltrate various organizations with his disguises, stir up internal conflicts, and conveniently reap some benefits along the way. With his die's Possession ability, he could seamlessly look into others’ memories, often while leaving no trace. Many in the Tianyuan Megaverse had been traumatized by his actions. Compared to Lu Yin, Elder Ever-Changing was still a step behind.

"I never expected that the man would also choose to die during a recitation. It seems that he has truly reached the end of his path." Old Tao sighed. "Cultivating a hundred different techniques will always be inferior to mastering one. Not everyone is like you, Third Boss. You are blessed with divine talent, and are able to walk every path to their end. Compared to you, Elder Ever-Changing is nothing. Your might shakes the megaverse! You are unmatched in the entire omniverse!"

Lu Yin left and returned to the ship’s bow, completely ignoring all of Old Tao’s flattery.