Chapter 160: Supreme Foundation Establishment

As the clear lines of text emerged before him, Lu Yan’s consciousness seemed to merge with the world itself, allowing him to perceive every change occurring across the land with astonishing clarity.

The original Urban Version contained only one spiritual vein—Mount Beimang’s, which was artificially planted by Lu Yan himself.

But now, with the activation of the Spiritual Energy Revival Version 1.0, faint mists began to rise from the depths of mountain ranges, slowly clinging to the ancient terrain. This mist was unlike normal vapor; it carried a faint bluish hue and shimmered faintly beneath the moonlight.

Deep within the earth veins of sacred mountains like Kunlun and Taishan, forces dormant for tens of thousands of years were gently awakening. Like slumbering dragons, they slowly stretched and began transforming into true spiritual veins.

The concentration of spiritual energy across the land began to rise—almost imperceptibly—like the gradual thickening of floral fragrance on a spring morning.

In long-forgotten tombs, souls that had died centuries ago began to stir again. Slowly, within this newly birthed spiritual energy, they began to reassemble their forms.

Ancient texts buried under dust and time began to glow faintly. The meditation sutras and visualization mantras they recorded started aligning with the world’s changes—birthing the first generation of modern spell techniques.

All of this unfolded in utter silence. The entire world seemed to be holding its breath, awaiting a moment of destiny.

Ordinary people only noticed that the skies appeared clearer, the sun brighter, and the grass greener. Yet they could not comprehend what these phenomena meant. Only those with sensitive minds faintly felt that the world was undergoing something subtle… yet deeply profound.

Bathed in the transformation of the world, Lu Yan’s expression gradually softened.

He raised his eyes to the chaotic, formless will gathering high in the sky, and softly murmured:

“It’s time to establish the Foundation.”

With that, he took a single step forward—and his very being melted into the heavens and earth.

From the very beginning of his plan to revive spiritual energy, Lu Yan had already prepared the method for forging his Supreme Dao Foundation—to replace the heavens themselves at the moment of world transformation and withstand the baptism of fate.

If the revival of spiritual energy had not been orchestrated by Lu Yan himself, then the moment he merged with the world, he would’ve been assimilated by endless natural forces and destroyed.

But this world’s revival was born of his own will.

There was no danger of assimilation.

Lu Yan’s body began to transform.

Every inch of his flesh resonated with the heavens, his meridians becoming inverted galaxies glowing with brilliant light.

The faint spiritual energy in the air transformed into countless streams of silver, cascading like waterfalls from the heavens. But this time, the spiritual energy did not merely gather—it was being reforged and condensed, transformed by Lu Yan into vast and boundless mana.

In his dantian, an ethereal Dao Foundation slowly began to take shape.

Normally, a cultivator at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining could form a basic First-Layer Dao Foundation.

If one could break through to the Eleventh Layer, they could form a Second-Layer Foundation, stepping into the realm of Human Dao Foundation.

The Twelfth Layer could produce a Third-Layer Foundation, still within the bounds of Human Dao.

Only by comprehending intents after the Twelfth Layer could one build a Fourth-Layer Foundation, stepping into the level of Earth Dao Foundation.

Even among Earth Dao Foundations, there were distinctions.

Intent derived from mundane martial skills or low-level divine arts was limited, but the highest form of Earth Dao Foundation—called Entering the Dao—could produce a Six-Layer Foundation.

Beyond that, one entered the realm of Heaven Dao Foundation.

This level required the favor of the Heavenly Dao itself. Its limit was Nine Layers, representing the ultimate extremity beneath heaven—a limit nothing in the natural world could surpass.

But now, Lu Yan sought to surpass even the Heavenly Dao—to replace it!

He refused all the conventional forms—be it mana-based Foundation, intent-based Foundation, or Heaven Dao-based Foundation.

His Dao Foundation was formed from the world itself.

The first three layers condensed the power of the earth veins, becoming a miniature of the nine provinces—mountains and rivers flowing upon it.

The middle three layers gathered the essence of the heavens, with phantoms of the sun, moon, and stars suspended within.

The final three layers mirrored all living beings—everything that existed between heaven and earth became part of his foundation.

And when the tenth layer began to take form—

The entire world… fell silent.

The newly forming Heavenly Dao of Spiritual Revival resonated with Lu Yan’s will.

And in that moment, Lu Yan’s consciousness briefly replaced the Heavenly Dao of this world.

In the unseen void, Lu Yan felt the presence of “I.”

Heavenly Dao had always been a manifestation of universal law. Though it carried a will, it had no life.

But Lu Yan’s brief replacement introduced something new—a concept of life to the Heavenly Dao itself.

Everything began to change.

A towering, majestic phantom figure began to condense between heaven and earth.

It was a mighty Emperor Sovereign, ancient and dignified. His feet stepped across three thousand worlds. Beads and tassels dangled from his crown, forming constellations and stars, his form composed of interwoven universal laws.

He was the most primal embodiment of the Great Dao.

The mortals of the world all felt an unprecedented pressure.

The cities, once forests of steel and concrete, now trembled under His gaze. Skyscrapers shuddered like children caught in a storm. The earth quaked, rivers wept, even time itself seemed to thicken under the weight of His will.

Every living soul felt their spirit tremble—a primal fear for something absolute.

“Who… is He?”

Across thousands of miles and dozens of states, all beings who saw the Emperor’s shadow had the exact same thought.

Yet their reverence and terror overwhelmed all thought, rendering them nearly mindless.

This unknown Emperor had not made a single move.

Yet His mere presence, His sovereign majesty alone, had silenced the world. His might had already surpassed even the two Ghost Gods of Mount Beimang.

Among the few who had once interacted with the Blood God, a name suddenly flashed in their minds.

The Master of the Underworld.

That supreme existence—spoken of by the Blood God—the one who had once rewritten the world’s collective memory!

—

Outside Mount Beimang, Mu Chunqiu emerged from the tomb, dragging the wounded He Dongsheng behind him.

Together, they bore witness to this impossible scene.

Under the Emperor’s divine presence, He Dongsheng was already trembling violently, prostrated on the ground in terror.

Only Mu Chunqiu remained standing.

He had witnessed the clash between the two Ghost Gods, seen them move mountains and reshape rivers…

And yet strangely, those sights had not inspired fear in him.

Instead, he had felt a kind of detached calm, as though watching something far removed from his soul.

But this time—

This shadow of the Emperor Sovereign…

It instilled in him a fear more real than anything he had ever known.

His body and soul screamed at him to kneel.

But somewhere deep within—within the core of his true spirit—a stubborn light refused to go out.

Do not kneel. Do not kneel!

As Mu Chunqiu struggled within that storm of agony, the phantom of the Emperor in the skies suddenly seemed to sense something.

He slowly turned His head…

And cast His gaze upon a small corner at the base of Mount Beimang.

In that instant—

Mu Chunqiu felt the entire Dao descend upon him.

Under such majesty, even his true spirit began to unravel.

His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

(End of Chapter)