Chapter 166: The Celestial True Law Rankings

The moment the Celestial True Law Rankings manifested, countless living beings across the Demon World raised their heads to look up at the starry sky.

In the distant mountain ranges, the earth began to writhe—not due to an earthquake, but because the ancient demonic entities slumbering within were stirring in their sleep.

Eyes appeared on the surfaces of the mountains, but their internal structures defied all biological understanding. A mere glance into them could send chills into one’s very soul. Those eyes gazed greedily and hungrily at the starlit sky.

As the stars shifted into place, incomprehensible whispers echoed from deep underground. These were syllables older than time itself, beyond the bounds of language—each note carried with it a reality-warping force.

Lifeless stone transformed into towering mountain demons, animated by the ancient whispers and drawn toward the source of the stellar phenomenon.

Beneath the starry sky, the radiant constellation lights coalesced into giant humanoid demonic entities. Their true forms were so alien and incomprehensible that human senses could not fully perceive them. Any attempt to describe them in words felt laughably insufficient.

They awakened from the ruins of starlight and began marching toward the epicenter of the stellar change.

But it wasn’t just the unnamed horrors that reacted.

Within the dynasties and cities of humankind, many powerful and enigmatic martial artists also raised their heads to the sky.

“Third on the Celestial True Law Rankings? And only one practitioner? Does that mean a true law was lost to time?”

“Or perhaps a peerless powerhouse has comprehended a brand-new truth and elevated their path to rank third?”

“It’s been thousands of years since the gods and Buddhas delivered the true laws… So, is this a hidden remnant of those teachings? Or a completely self-derived path forged by a supreme talent?”

“Either way, to place third on the True Law Rankings while being the sole practitioner means this person is monopolizing a pure thread of the Great Dao. If they succeed, they’ll undoubtedly ascend to the peak!”

“Ascend? Unless they’re an ancient monster above the Misstep Realm, the others won’t tolerate someone monopolizing a top-three spot on the True Law Rankings!”

“The starlight points north—dispatch scouts immediately!”

“Forget it. I’ll go myself!”

While all these movements played out among ancient demons and human empires, Lu Yan remained unaware.

He had only just come back to his senses after being bombarded by the torrent of information and now stared blankly at the name echoing through his mind.

“Treatise on the Doctrine of the Mysterious Womb?”

This scripture, Treatise on the Doctrine of the Mysterious Womb, was a comprehension-based true law originating from the Demon Version—bestowed by an existence known as Mysterious Womb.

“The valley spirit never dies—this is the Mysterious Womb.”

The law pointed directly to the origin of all paths. Once cultivated, the practitioner would undergo transformation toward becoming a being known as the Valley Spirit, achieving undying, indestructible existence, and eventually reaching the pinnacle of the myriad paths.

There was no question—this was a profoundly powerful technique.

But Lu Yan, ever sharp and discerning, immediately sensed something off.

The Treatise spoke only of how to perceive the Great Dao, how to undergo metamorphosis into the Valley Spirit. It relied entirely on channeling the Heavenly Dao, offering no method for refining or strengthening one’s own self.

Even in the Xianxia Version, the most talented prodigies would only begin brushing against the Dao during Foundation Establishment. True comprehension and use of the Dao typically began from the Core Formation stage, when divine abilities were first cultivated.

Why? For two major reasons.

First: the Dao in the Xianxia world was incredibly obscure—you needed enough cultivation to even begin perceiving it.

Second, and more importantly: only through self-tempering could one avoid being assimilated by the Dao.

But this Treatise tied one’s entire being and destiny directly to the Heavenly Dao, starting Dao comprehension at the mortal stage.

If the Dao were peaceful and stable, then one might rise swiftly.

But if it were ever tainted or distorted, then the cultivator would be contaminated and rapidly assimilated. In the worst case, their entire cultivation—rooted in the Dao—could be swallowed in an instant.

“This can’t be a problem with just the Treatise on the Doctrine of the Mysterious Womb,” Lu Yan concluded. “It must be a flaw present in all the true laws of the Demon Version.”

He lifted his gaze to the eerie, twisted forest around him and felt more certain than ever:

The Heavenly Dao of this world was already twisted and corrupted.

To cultivate these true laws would be no different from injecting filth and madness directly into one’s soul and flesh.

The world itself, vast and infinite, might be able to bear that kind of distortion. But a mere human?

Impossible.

Anyone who cultivated these laws would, without fail, eventually mutate and fall, their lifeforms warped beyond recognition.

Lu Yan had a proper path of cultivation, and he wasn’t about to risk it for a corrupted shortcut.

Still, with the insight granted by the Treatise, Lu Yan could now confirm one thing—the so-called gods and Buddhas who granted these true laws were absolutely not benevolent.

“To cultivate essence without cultivating nature is the fundamental disease of all cultivation.
To cultivate nature without cultivating essence—one becomes a cursed spirit, never able to reach sainthood.”

“Any technique that leans too far to one extreme, no matter how dazzling it may appear, is ultimately a hollow illusion.”

He lightly shook his head, a look of disappointment flickering in his eyes.

“Treatise on the Doctrine of the Mysterious Womb—so much for that.”

Looking back up, he watched as the starlit True Law Rankings slowly faded from the night sky.

“So what exactly is the purpose of this Celestial True Law Rankings?”

All the information he’d received only pertained to the Treatise and the structure of true laws in this world—nothing about the rankings themselves.

“That ‘one practitioner’ it mentioned… that’s referring to me, isn’t it?”

Lu Yan frowned.

Something didn’t sit right with him. Triggering this much attention right after entering the version could not possibly lead to anything good.

He glanced down at the remaining dozen or so books still lying on the ground.

After a moment of thought, he decided to take them with him.

True laws may be filthy, but within this world, they were undoubtedly invaluable treasures. He could use them for trading later.

Besides, he already had the Treatise on the Doctrine of the Mysterious Womb. There was no way these books would try to force themselves onto him too, right?

With a wave of his right hand, spiritual energy surged forth and lifted the remaining volumes into the air.

The next instant—dozens of beams of light shot toward Lu Yan like rainbow streaks.

“…Again?!”

Lu Yan was dumbfounded.

He already possessed a true law—how were these others still binding to him?

A sea of information poured into his mind, each title flashing across his consciousness:

Sensation of Supreme Evil
Return to the Void Sutra
Disruption Method of the Emperor River
Nameless Dream Insertion Technique…

Sixteen true laws in total stormed his Sea of Consciousness, and the tidal wave of data nearly burst it apart.

Above, in the night sky, the True Law Rankings that had been on the verge of fading suddenly froze—glitched—like a bug in the system.

Countless stars flickered erratically.

Then—

The stars fell like rain.

(End of Chapter)