Chapter 22: Drinking and Heartfelt Conversation

For cultivators below the rank of Immortal King, even true immortals, crossing the perils of the Boundary Sea requires precise timing and alignment. One must connect the severed path extending from the boundary of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths with the channel extending from the Immortal Domain, leveraging the power of both boundaries to pass safely.

According to the intelligence Taiyin gleaned from the phantom of the Immortal Path’s laws, in the immemorial past, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were indistinguishable from the Immortal Domain; both were supreme realms within the Boundary Sea. Later, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths suffered an unknown crisis that weakened the world, causing its status to diverge from that of the Immortal Domain. Over eons, the once-equal paths of mutual exchange transformed into the so-called "Immortal Path"—a tool used by the Immortal Domain to harvest the treasures and prodigies of the lower realms.

From the remnants of time, Taiyin knew that entering the Immortal Domain meant access to perfect laws and abundant longevity substances, granting eternal life even to those at the mere Saint level. Yet, the quota was limited; access was impossible. Through long study of the formidable barrier of laws, he realized that both the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the Immortal Domain were shadows of their former selves. The World Tree of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had been felled, and the once-vast world had been battered into ruin by successive wars, forcing it into an Age of Dharma Decline to facilitate self-repair. The Immortal Domain had likewise been shattered; though it had not entered an Age of Dharma Decline, many of its fragments had sealed themselves off.

Consequently, the ancient Immortal Path, even when aligned in time and space, required a "key"—the Mark of the Heaven’s Heart. Without this key, even the barriers of shattered Immortal Domain fragments remained sealed, requiring the strength of an Immortal King to breach by force. Even with the Mark, the quota was limited to three or four individuals; exceeding this limit triggered the self-defense mechanisms of the Immortal Domain’s barriers.

Taiyin sighed bitterly, "So many eons have passed. My beloved, my dearest friends, all those I fought so desperately to protect are gone. Now, I no longer possess the Mark of the Heaven’s Heart. Even if I could break through, what use is eternal life for me alone?"

Yet, Taiyin clenched his fist, feeling the constant transformation of his primordial spirit and physical body, sensing his own surging vitality. A strange light flickered in his eyes. "Returning from death—this is a monumental stroke of fortune."

The aura of his Wheel of Life within his Sea of Wheel told him how much longer he could endure. "Though I relied on external forces, I have indeed lived a fourth life. In this lifetime, I can live up to eighty thousand years!"

"Perhaps, one can become an immortal even in the mortal dust. By living life after life, I need not enter the Immortal Domain. I can grow stronger and survive continuously! Until one day, when I reach the realm of an Immortal King, I may attempt to cross the Boundary Sea by my own power!"

With these reflections, Taiyin prepared to continue shattering the void to carve a path back to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. But before that, he wished to thank his block-headed friend and invite him to visit his homeland.

Within the void, the block-headed Fang Zheng only just realized what had happened. His vision had brightened for a single frame, only to plunge into total darkness in the next. He drank a Potion of Night Vision and looked around, but there was nothing but darkness. Panic set in. "Where did that massive immortal city go? Did that old man die? Everything is gone. What do I do?"

He stared into the silent void, feeling a surge of trepidation. Even in Creative Mode, where he was impervious to attacks, there were limitations. He could throw items outward, but without solid matter to rely on, he could not place blocks out of thin air. This meant that even if he wanted to attempt building a Nether Portal or an End Portal to return to the Minecraft world, or try to strike the portal frame with lightning to open a gate to another world, he was stuck at the very first step.

He looked at the command bar above his perspective, conflicted: "Should I try using coordinate teleportation? But if I do, where will I end up?"

Just as Fang Zheng hesitated, a jade-colored platform formed from the power of Taiyin’s lunar radiance spread rapidly through the void, reaching his feet in an instant. The platform solidified, the pure lunar essence condensing into "Bilu Taiyin Condensation Jade." This was an exceedingly rare divine material, highly prized even by quasi-emperor cultivators, with infinite uses in alchemy, array formation, and weapon forging.

Accompanied by hearty laughter and steady footsteps, a tall man with black hair draped over his shoulders strode from the end of the path. On the platform, a magnificent palace had already been constructed from the jade.

Taiyin laughed and extended a hand, inviting the expressionless block-man, "Friend, would you do me the honor of a conversation?"

"Huh? Are you inviting me?" Fang Zheng was dazed, though he did not understand a word of the language. After a moment, he became excited. "Finally, a living person to talk to!"

Without hesitation, he walked toward the palace with a cheerful, stiff-legged gait. Inside, Taiyin sat on a chair. Seeing Fang Zheng standing there, his blocky body seemingly unable to sit, Taiyin stood up. He conjured wine from condensed lunar essence and enthusiastically offered it to Fang Zheng. "Come, friend. Though I have no vintage spirits, this lunar wine has a unique flavor. Would you do me the honor of a taste?"

Fang Zheng hesitated, looking at the cup, and tried to pick it up with his blocky hand, but failed. Outside of items dropped in the Minecraft world, his hands could not perform the action of picking things up. He pondered, "If I can collect liquids from this world with an iron bucket, then theoretically, I should be able to use other tools to mine and gather things here."

However, in Creative Mode, one could not mine blocks using tools. Although his inventory was infinite and he could destroy any block instantly with his bare hands or tools, he could not collect them. To collect blocks, he would have to switch to Survival Mode. But if he switched, and died—only to respawn back in the Minecraft world rather than in this one—it would be a tragedy. He did not know how long it would take to find that white portal again, and the thought of waiting in despair made Fang Zheng shudder.

Therefore, until he was certain of his safety, he would not switch to Survival Mode. In this cultivation world, compared to the Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, or the golden-armored puppets from the city walls, his health in Survival Mode was far too fragile. Those colossal monsters, whose sizes were measured in the diameter of suns, could wipe out his health—and the health of a trillion Enders Dragons and Withers—in a single breath.

However, after a moment of thought, Fang Zheng pulled a glass bottle from his inventory. Just as he could use a crafting table to make tools and a furnace to cook meat in Creative Mode, an iron bucket was a tool that could collect lava or water. Could a bottle, similar to a bucket, be used to collect this liquid?