For a long time, the understanding of many Cultivators was that Transcendence was the ultimate Dao; how could there be such a fatal crisis? Some even spoke cryptically, tentatively asking if Han Xuanji was intentionally being alarmist because he wanted to monopolize the secret of transcendence.
Facing these doubts and suspicions, Han Xuanji's expression remained unchanged. He neither explained nor retorted, but simply gazed calmly at the audience. His eyes swept over the Cultivators with doubtful faces, and his voice remained peaceful:
"What I say today comes from the bottom of my heart; it is not alarmism. My intention is not to prevent you all from achieving Transcendence."
Han Xuanji paused for a moment and continued:
"Since the dawn of Chaos, all living beings have pursued Transcendence as their ultimate goal, yet no one has ever considered that for every gain, there is a loss. Today, I am simply laying out the pros and cons of Transcendence to inform you all: do not blindly pursue Transcendence.
To be able to reach the Limitless Primordial Realm is already to be a leader of Chaos. By being content with oneself, one can endure for eternity. If you insist on pursuing Transcendence, you must be prepared for your body to perish and your Dao to vanish. Do not let a momentary obsession destroy a lifetime of cultivation."
Han Xuanji's words were indifferent. He never expected everyone to understand; after all, different horizons lead to different realizations.
His actions today were merely to fulfill a sense of duty, to guide those Cultivators who still harbored obsessions and to broaden their horizons. As for how they chose, it was ultimately their own business.
To Han Xuanji's relief, the vast majority of the Powerful Experts on the field chose to believe every word he said.
Immortal Ancestor's expression was grave, his brow furrowed. Initially, he also felt Han Xuanji was being a bit alarmist, but he quickly realized Han Xuanji was not one to make a fuss over nothing. He had already made a judgment in his heart and understood Han Xuanji's intentions.
He had spent his entire life pursuing Transcendence, and only now did he learn of the dangers involved. Although he felt some unwilling resignation, he also felt a bit more gratitude toward Han Xuanji.
Supreme Divine Venerable nodded slightly. Although he hadn't known Han Xuanji for long, he knew his character; he would certainly not play tricks on everyone with such a matter.
Furthermore, the two Dao Venerables, Taishang and Yuanshi, closed their eyes in deep thought. In fact, the Dao Ancestor had said similar things, though not so clearly.
Back then, the Dao Ancestor had taken Tongtian Dao Venerable with him to transcend. So many years had passed, and now both the Dao Ancestor and Tongtian Dao Venerable were out of contact. They increasingly agreed with Han Xuanji's viewpoint.
The Disciples of the Xuantian Dao Palace believed Han Xuanji unconditionally, without the slightest hesitation.
Li Taiqing, Jiang Hao, and the others looked solemn, their hearts filled with increasing admiration. Their Master not only possessed heaven-reaching strength but also a transparent heart, unwilling to see his Disciples and all living beings destroyed by obsession.
As for whether to transcend or not, their current strength was still far from the Limitless Primordial Realm, and they had an even longer road to travel before Transcendence. Consequently, they did not have much of an obsession with it.
Only a few Cultivators in the Limitless Primordial Realm still showed doubt, whispering incessantly.
Most of these people had low cultivation levels and had not even reached Perfected Limitless Primordial. Their horizons were limited, and they had spent their lives chasing power but found it difficult to break through. They had long regarded Transcendence as a goal for rapidly increasing their cultivation and found it hard to accept the 'danger' Han Xuanji spoke of. They merely assumed Han Xuanji was unwilling to share the true secret of transcendence and was deliberately fabricating excuses to block them.
Han Xuanji ignored this. Given their limited horizons, further talk was useless; only through personal experience could one understand the true essence.
Regarding the path of Eternal Transcendence, Han Xuanji said no more.
He knew in his heart that his own Breakthrough was an isolated case, not something ordinary Cultivators could replicate.
For others, it could be said that without transcending Chaos, it was almost impossible to reach the Eternal Dao Lord Realm. Even if they knew all the mysteries, it would ultimately be a reflection in a mirror or the moon in the water, only adding to their troubles.
Knowing when to stop was the best form of guidance.
"The lecture ends here."
Han Xuanji slowly raised his hand and said indifferently:
"Fellow Daoists, take care of yourselves. The road ahead is long; on the path of cultivation, you should strictly guard your original heart and not let your obsessions become too deep."
With those words, Han Xuanji spoke no more. He sat quietly on the Dao platform, his expression peaceful, eyes closed as he rested his spirit.
The immortals and gods on the field rose one after another, bowing to Han Xuanji and shouting, "Thank you, Heavenly Venerable Han, for your guidance," before conversing with each other as they left the venue.
Before long, the massive square became empty. The vast majority of people had departed, leaving only a few figures remaining in place. They were all the top-tier experts of Chaos—Immortal Ancestor, Yuanshi Dao Venerable, Supreme Divine Venerable, as well as Dragon Ancestor and Star Ancestor.
They were all existences at the level of Perfected Limitless Primordial and already had considerable knowledge of Transcendence, yet what Han Xuanji had said still shocked them.
They stayed behind because they wanted to clarify two things: first, what level Han Xuanji had actually reached and why he could perceive so many mysteries of Transcendence; second, after learning of the dangers of Transcendence, how they should choose in the future. Must they simply settle for the Limitless Primordial Realm and abandon their lifelong pursuit?
Immortal Ancestor was the first to step forward. He bowed with a respectful expression, his tone carrying a hint of urgency:
"Xuanji, listening to your explanation today has opened our eyes. However, we still have two major doubts in our hearts. Please enlighten us."
Han Xuanji slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the group, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth:
"Immortal Ancestor, please ask."
"Xuanji, your explanation of the path of Transcendence today has given me significant insights, but I also want to ask, how did you come to know these things?"
Immortal Ancestor looked up, his gaze burning as he stared at Han Xuanji.
Although he already believed what Han Xuanji said in his heart, he wanted more confirmation.
The others also nodded, their eyes full of expectation and curiosity. This was also the question they most wanted to ask.
Hearing this, Han Xuanji smiled gently. He did not reveal the fact that he had already broken through to become an Eternal Dao Lord, nor did he reveal Hun Qianling's identity.
His current Realm was too shocking. If he revealed it abruptly, it would be inappropriate.
After a moment's thought, Han Xuanji said:
"I also learned of it from the information left behind by the Dao Ancestor, and part of it was learned through other channels. What I said before was not an exaggeration at all."
"Above the Limitless Primordial Realm, there are many more Realms. The Powerful Experts outside of Chaos are far beyond our imagination. A truly Powerful Expert is capable of destroying Chaos with a single thought."
As soon as these words were spoken, the other experts also showed solemn expressions. They had spent their entire lives pursuing Transcendence, thinking they had reached the limit, only to learn now that they were merely ants compared to the experts outside Chaos. They momentarily felt a sense of psychological imbalance.
Han Xuanji did not comfort them. They were all top-tier experts of Chaos who had achieved their status through countless ages; what was a little blow like this?
Just as he expected, everyone quickly regained their composure.
In fact, they had discussed these things among themselves and hypothesized this possibility; it was just that Han Xuanji had now completely confirmed it.
Immortal Ancestor thought for a while before finally voicing the doubt in his heart:
"Previously, we all thought that the will of chaos was the enemy hindering our Transcendence and wanted to break free from its shackles. But hearing Xuanji's words today, the will of chaos hindering us might not be wrong; in a sense, it is also to protect the living beings of Chaos.
If that is truly the case, how should we move forward in the future? Must we simply give up on Transcendence?"
Both Immortal Ancestor and Supreme Divine Venerable had suffered greatly at the hands of the will of chaos. Now, knowing that the will of chaos that hindered them might have protected them in some sense, they inevitably felt a bit complicated, unwilling, and lost.
"Regarding the will of chaos, do not over-idealize it. Ultimately, it is just a self-preservation instinct naturally born from Chaos. In reality, it does not possess much wisdom."
Han Xuanji spoke slowly, his voice profound:
"I already have a way to deal with it now. As for how to move forward in the future, you need not worry too much. There is no need to rush to give up on Transcendence, nor is there a need to pursue it blindly.
I intend to attempt Transcendence first. Once I have successfully transcended and stabilized my Realm, I will return to guide you, leading you to transcend together. This will avoid the dangers within and fulfill your wish for Transcendence."