Chapter 74: The Four Great Realms
This golden page was mysterious and unfathomable. The densely packed small characters on it were not read out by him, but instead autonomously transformed into countless stars, charging toward Ye Fan's mind.
At that moment, Ye Fan felt as if celestial auspicious light descended from the heavens, divine springs surged from the earth, lotus flowers bloomed one after another, and immortal herbs sprouted root by root. Divine clouds filled the sky, dragons soared and phoenixes danced, a long-lived turtle spat out auspicious energy, a qilin absorbed primal qi, purple qi came from the east, golden light arrived from the west, five-colored divine radiance shone brilliantly, and seven-colored divine rainbows spanned the void.
Numerous wondrous phenomena and countless methods manifested one after another, profound and mysterious, like heavenly music or the sacred hymns of the Great Dao, rumbling loudly within Ye Fan's heart.
His mind was dazed, as if intoxicated, like a long-parched desert suddenly receiving sweet dew. Amidst the endless yellow sand, vitality gradually sprouted. Ye Fan felt as if countless windows had suddenly been thrown open, with all kinds of divine light shooting toward him. He tried desperately to grasp something, but the radiance slipped through the gaps between his fingers, difficult to hold onto.
This was not cultivation; no one could comprehend such profound truths in such a short time. It was an impact of "grand momentum." The Wheel and Sea volume of the *Dao Scripture* poured down like the Milky Way from the Ninth Heaven, silver radiance bursting forth with overwhelming force. What this volume contained was thrust into Ye Fan's mind in a very general way, allowing him to roughly understand what to cultivate and what realms to achieve.
The four great realms—Sea of Suffering, Life Spring, Divine Bridge, and Other Shore—perfectly elucidated the essence of the Wheel and Sea volume of the *Dao Scripture*.
A cultivator must first open up the Sea of Suffering and gradually make it expand. Only then could they probe the Wheel of Life, as the two overlapped.
Afterward, they released boundless life essence, swirling above the Sea of Suffering, spilling into every part of the body, nourishing flesh, organs, and bones, strengthening the physical shell, and initially transcending mortality. This was the first realm of the Wheel and Sea volume—the Sea of Suffering.
The Sea of Suffering covered the Wheel of Life, one above and one below, overlapping in existence. Each year, it left a mark on the Wheel of Life until the Wheel was covered in scars and completely shattered. At that moment, one's lifespan would be exhausted, and they would return to death.
To change this situation, one had to open a path through the Sea of Suffering, reaching the bottom to connect with the Wheel of Life. Only by allowing vast life essence to surge forth and prevent the Sea of Suffering from eroding could one extend their lifespan.
Quantitative change led to qualitative change. The vigorous life essence surged and eventually converged, transforming into liquid form, becoming a Life Spring of divine energy that rushed into the Sea of Suffering.
Carving a Life Spring eye in the desolate Sea of Suffering, connecting it to the Wheel of Life, and letting the divine spring gush forth—this was the second realm of the Wheel and Sea volume—the Life Spring.
Only then did a cultivator have a source of power, enabling them to display various profound techniques and divine abilities with unfathomable might. This was a crucial step in a cultivator's transformation. As long as the divine power source was inexhaustible, their magical power would be endless.
In fact, the divine rainbows that cultivators rode were the divine light gushing from their own Life Springs. Once one reached the Life Spring realm, they could ride rainbows, fly through the sky, burrow into the earth, and wield countless exquisite and mysterious techniques.
The human body was endlessly profound. Powerful cultivators did not want to be trapped in the Sea of Suffering; they sought to explore other unknown secret realms of the body. Thus began the journey of forcibly crossing the Sea of Suffering.
The profound methods recorded in the *Dao Scripture* possessed an indomitable momentum. Even if the Sea of Suffering was boundless, there was no need to turn back. One had to break through the restraints with their own formidable strength.
To achieve this goal, a cultivator needed to undergo a transformation of the physical shell, generating a divine vein within the Sea of Suffering to help them break through obstacles and reach the other end of the Sea of Suffering.
This was a arduous and lengthy process. The cultivator would grow stronger with each setback, ultimately elevating the Wheel and Sea, forming a heavenly-earthly divine vein, and unleashing their boundless potential. This was the third realm of the Wheel and Sea volume—the Divine Bridge.
At this stage of cultivation, the cultivator's will must be unshakably firm. Only then could they see through illusions and mists and continue seeking their Other Shore.
During this process, not only did the physical shell need to transform, but the spirit also had to sublime. The spirit and shell had to unite, breaking through shackles and transcending the self, to return to the origin and find the foundation. The Divine Bridge would then appear like a rainbow, successfully crossing the Sea of Suffering. This was the fourth realm of the Wheel and Sea volume—the Other Shore.
Upon reaching the Other Shore, the cultivator's flesh, organs, and bones would wither, followed by a unique rebirth. They would undergo nine successive transformations of shedding the mortal body, completing a change akin to a cocoon breaking into a butterfly.
The four great realms—Sea of Suffering, Life Spring, Divine Bridge, and Other Shore—were isolated from each other, each as vast as the heavens. Breaking through was exceedingly difficult. Each great realm had numerous details that required accumulation and sedimentation before transformation was possible.
"So reaching the second great realm—the Life Spring—allows one to ride rainbows. Someone like that could kill a cultivator in the Sea of Suffering realm as easily as crushing an ant." Ye Fan shuddered. He thought of Elder Han, whose cultivation was at least at the Life Spring realm.
The gap in strength between the four realms was enormous, like a chasm or a heavenly moat.
Classifying Ye Fan as a Sea of Suffering realm cultivator was already a stretch, as the golden Sea of Suffering he had opened was far too small—only the size of a soybean.
Ye Fan was not discouraged, however. After all, he had only just begun his cultivation, and his time was too short. Achieving such results was no small feat. Moreover, his Sea of Suffering was unique—radiant and golden, without a trace of deathly aura. Each time he opened it, it shook heaven and earth, surging like a golden ocean. It was far from ordinary.
Then, Ye Fan thought of Elder Han's grandson, Han Feiyu. Although his Life Spring could not yet gush forth and he had not reached the second great realm—the Life Spring—he could already control the Azure Wood Treasure Seal. Such a "Sea of Suffering cultivator" who could wield treasures posed a threat to him.
Having received the impact of "grand momentum," Ye Fan felt as if in a dream. The Wheel and Sea chapter of the *Dao Scripture* unfolded before his mind like a magnificent historical scroll, then passed by like a surging sacred river that had opened heaven and earth, allowing him to glimpse the profound truths.
There was no specific cultivation, but this grand baptism benefited him greatly. It was a grasp of the overall path of cultivation, showing him the direction and how to proceed in the future.
"There are some discrepancies with the *Dao Scripture* I practiced before..." After grasping the general profound meaning, Ye Fan began to study it meticulously from the beginning and immediately noticed anomalies.
He found that the profound methods recorded on this golden page differed from the *Dao Scripture* he had practiced at the Spirit Ruins Cave Heaven. Even the opening lines of ancient characters had slight differences.
"It seems that after the Wheel and Sea volume of the *Dao Scripture* was lost, although some fragments were passed down, none were precise enough..." Ye Fan secretly rejoiced. If he hadn't obtained this golden page by chance, he might never have known that the *Dao Scripture* he practiced before had flaws.
"Now I can correct it and perfect the profound methods..." Ye Fan acted on his words. He immediately began cultivating according to the true methods recorded in the *Dao Scripture*.
A mysterious and profound feeling surged into his heart. He felt a serene emptiness in his mind. After the profound methods were corrected, more golden threads overflowed from his Sea of Suffering, flowing to his limbs and bones, making his entire body comfortable. His flesh, organs, and bones were all nourished. At that moment, he felt as if he had inexhaustible strength.
At the same time, strange changes occurred above Ye Fan's golden Sea of Suffering. Various phenomena appeared—divine sparks dotted the sky, first like stars, then like chaos. They exhaled qi and transformed, emerging from nothingness. Misty vapors swirled, and streaks of divine radiance shimmered, changing endlessly without fixed form.
Above the golden ocean, transformations were myriad. Sometimes the starry sky filled the heavens, sometimes the celestial dome was desolate. Growth and decay, prosperity and destruction, cycled repeatedly, alternating in reincarnation.
"Is this the true transformation of the *Dao Scripture*?" Ye Fan was astonished. At that moment, he felt the vibrant vitality of heaven and earth uniting qi to create all things, and also experienced the deathly stillness of a desolate universe and withered starry sky.
It was a long time before everything calmed down. The golden Sea of Suffering became even more condensed. Previously bright like the moon, it now shone like the blazing sun. The overflowing golden threads were even more intense, imbued with an extremely vigorous life force.
"The true *Dao Scripture* is indeed extraordinary!" Ye Fan sighed. He believed he could go further and break the curse of the Primordial Saint Body.
However, he did not become complacent or self-satisfied, because he knew that in the Eastern Wasteland, there were several other ancient scriptures comparable to the *Dao Scripture*, all profound and complete, none lost. They were now all in the hands of the Holy Lands and Primordial Aristocratic Clans.
"Currently, the profound methods I cultivate are no worse than anyone else's, no lower than others'." Ye Fan's eyes shone with divine light. "I will definitely be able to expand the Sea of Suffering, let the Life Spring gush forth, form the heavenly-earthly bridge, reach the Other Shore, undergo nine successive transformations of shedding the mortal body, and complete the metamorphosis of breaking the cocoon into a butterfly."