Chapter 653: The First to Walk the Path is Also the First to Fall

"It's not that easy," Li Yuqing said, shooting Pang Jian a playful glare as her vitality grew stronger. "Seeing the future is far more difficult than severing it.

"Take that woman, Qi Xu, for example. I could only use her past and present to try to cut off her future altogether.

"If I could actually see glimpses of the future, I would inevitably catch traces of the outcome of the war.

"If her future persists decades or even centuries from now, it would indicate that the foreign races have won.

"Using a single person to peer into the fate of the entire Abyss is beyond me right now."

The backlash from the river of fate gradually faded from Li Yuqing's delicate body, its lingering presence weakening with every passing second.

Her fair complexion had regained a touch of healthy color.

Seeing Pang Jian's contemplative expression, Li Yuqing hesitated briefly, then continued, "Peering into the future is quite difficult, even when I'm attempting to do so for those in the same cultivation realm as me.

"And even then, what I see isn't the distant future. At most, it's a vague inkling of something one or two days ahead—but it's more likely to be just a few hours.

"Glimpsing the future of those with cultivation realms above mine is impossible. I would have to significantly deepen my understanding of the mysteries of fate to do it.

"I can only perceive short-term events for those far weaker than me. Non-cultivators are the easiest to read and require the least effort.

"The stronger a cultivator and the higher their cultivation realm, the greater the price I have to pay to see their future," Li Yuqing candidly revealed, opening her heart to Pang Jian about her fate-related techniques.

As she spoke, Pang Jian held her hand, steadily channeling pure life energy into her.

Her detailed explanation allowed him to gain a basic understanding of her techniques.

Cultivators weaker than her, or even those of equal rank, faced near-certain defeat if they were to fight against her.

Even if she could only glimpse a fleeting moment into the future, such foresight in battle was nothing short of divine intervention.

This meant she could anticipate her opponent's moves and know their next step before they even took it. She could formulate countermeasures in advance, discern whether an enemy intended to fight to the death or flee, and even predict precisely where and how they would escape.

This brief insight into the future all but guaranteed her victory in battle, even against an opponent of equal rank.

Against those with higher cultivation realms, like Qi Xu, Li Yuqing could still weave the past and present together to sever their future entirely.

Her defeat this time was partially because she had only just stepped into the Immortal Realm, and largely because of Fire God Yan Lie's drop of blood.

However, she would only become more formidable as her cultivation advanced.

Li Yuqing's future potential extended far beyond the Abyss.

Compared to her, Pang Jian felt his own rise had been a stroke of absurd fortune, with his cultivation realm advancing at unbelievable speeds and allowing him to become a True God ahead of time.

Who will be stronger once she ascends to the True God Realm? Me or her?

he wondered offhandedly.

It was no wonder she carried such unshakable confidence, enough to claim that the human race would still have hope even if Li Wang, Zhu Ji, and Gui Mu perished.

"You..." Li Yuqing's brow twitched as she hesitated.

Pang Jian smiled. "You sense it?"

"Yes."

The slender girl's round chin had grown sharper since Pang Jian last saw her, further enhancing her already exquisite beauty.

She gently nodded, her bright eyes filled with confusion.

"How did you come into contact with Corruption? I thought it was meant to help foreign races ascend to Rank Ten?"

As her vitality gradually restored and her injuries healed, she also swallowed a potent elixir to nourish her divine soul. Only then did she become aware of the strange fluctuations in Pang Jian's aura.

Most notably, something extraordinary was occurring within his sea of consciousness.

An aura similar to Qi Xu's was gradually emerging within him.

She had a vague idea of what was happening in Pang Jian's sea of consciousness, but all she felt was curiosity, not wariness.

Anyone else would immediately suspect Pang Jian of being entangled with foreign races in the Fifth World.

Some would even question whether he had secretly defected to the Sovereign, Luo Hongyan.

Li Yuqing, on the other hand, did not suspect him. She simply felt puzzled.

"My Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea is different from others. When we first met in Eight Trigrams City, you mentioned it would allow me to become a dominant force in the Fifth World.

"You were right. I can indeed use my unique spiritual sea to absorb the murky energy of the Fifth World.

"At this point, I can even separate spiritual qi from the murky energy within my dantian using a barrier of demonic energy, just like the sky that looms over the Fifth World," Pang Jian explained.

He also shared his recent insights into the nature of spiritual qi and murky energy.

As he spoke, Li Yuqing's injured arm slowly regenerated, the exposed bones becoming half-covered with regenerated flesh and muscle.

"Are you aware that there was a time when the human race pursued intense body refinement?" Li Yuqing asked thoughtfully. "Many powerful sects and noble families focused on strengthening the physical body."

Pang Jian nodded. "Of course. The Grand Providence Sacred Body I cultivate originates from the Providence Sect. Isn't the focus on body refinement related to the opening of the Abyss?

"The Outer Gods can peer inside the Abyss through altars and certain special artifacts when it opens.

"We can then destroy their puppet vessels and devour their divine consciousness to aid in refining our divine soul to advance to the Spirit Condensation Realm."

"That's one interpretation," Li Yuqing agreed. "But there's another theory that suggests some cultivators back then believed that our strongest human cultivators could also ascend to the True God Realm using Corruption from the Fifth World.

"Their theoretical approach isn't all that different from what you've come to realize on your own.

"The idea was that one would descend into the Fifth World and expel all spiritual qi from their body after reaching a certain cultivation realm and strengthening one's physical body to its limits. Then, using their already tempered physique, they would absorb murky energy to continue advancing their cultivation realm.

"At the time, many cultivators believed body refinement was the key to adapting to murky energy.

"That was the era when body refinement techniques flourished. Many were convinced of their efficacy, leading to widespread adoption.

"Their bold theories and actions weren't taken out of ambition but necessity.

"At the time, the cap on True Gods was far lower than today. There simply weren't enough divine seats.

"We now have fifteen spots, but back then, there were only half as many, with the older generation of True Gods holding them firmly.

"As long as these old True Gods neither perished nor stepped aside, the new ones would never have a chance to rise.

"After a decisive victory against the foreign races, when many of their Rank Ten powerhouses fell and Corruption returned to the darkness, someone thought of using Corruption to achieve godhood.

"At first, many supported the idea, and even the old generation of True Gods allowed them to attempt it.

"After all, if someone successfully ascended to godhood through fusing Corruption with their divine soul, it would mean stealing a divine seat that would have otherwise gone to the foreign races.

"If it worked, it could even end the foreign races' periodic challenges to the human race's rule one and for all," Li Yuqing revealed.

Pang Jian listened intently, surprised at the foresight of past individuals.

"And the result? Did anyone succeed?" Pang Jian asked.

"One did. He successfully converted to murky energy and even advanced their cultivation realm. According to my Li Family's records, he even reached the Immortal Realm, and then—"

Li Yuqing paused.

"And then, he succumbed to cultivation deviation, ultimately falling onto the demonic path. He even started aiding the foreign races in the Fifth World and attempted to overthrow the human race's foundation."

"That person had been a beacon of hope, someone the True Gods had high expectations for. They believed he was a pioneer of a new path.

"Before he could attempt his plans to overthrow the human race, the True Gods swiftly descended upon the Fifth World, killed him, and nipped his ambitions in the bud.

"After that, others attempted the same method, only to meet the same fate after reaching the Immortal Realm. All the cultivators of murky energy eventually fell into cultivation deviation and turned against the human race.

"No one knows why, but in the final stage, they all experienced a sudden shift in temperament and fell onto the demonic path.

"Eventually, the True Gods of that era lost patience and abandoned all hope for this path.

"One day, they abruptly put an end to it. They forbade human cultivators from switching to this method midway and ruthlessly eradicated several of the most renowned sects specialized in body refinement.

"The Providence Sect was one of them."

Li Yuqing's expression darkened, a flicker of worry crossing her face as she quietly observed Pang Jian.

The cultivators of that era all succumbed to the demonic path after reaching the Immortal Realm. However, Pang Jian had already surpassed them in cultivation realm.

He had also already absorbed a cluster of Corruption into his body.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She could not help but wonder if he, too, would experience a sudden shift in personality that would drive him down the same irreversible path.

"Pang Jian, I don't know what's happening to you, but you need to be careful," Li Yuqing warned solemnly.

"Mm, I will take this seriously. I won't be careless," he assured. Focusing on his sea of consciousness, he carefully observed the changes within himself, then said, "What sets me apart from them is that I've already ascended to godhood once through Fortune. I possess another lucid consciousness that constantly keeps me aware of myself.

"Besides, my foundation is stronger than theirs, and I have a unique Primordial Chaos Spiritual Sea!

"I'll be fine. I won't fall into cultivation deviation, and I won't become a tool for the foreign races of the Fifth World."

As he spoke, the Black Dragon King slowly stepped out from the swirling darkness in his human form, clad in a pitch-black robe with an inscrutable gaze.