Only when the speed truly increased to countless times the speed of light could the cloud chariot break through an infinitely large cosmic limit and traverse the distance between two universes.
Fang Ming, riding this cloud chariot that truly reached infinite multiples of the speed of light, gazed at the distant scenery, seeing one universe after another being crossed by the celestial horses.
In this endless void, most universes were basically uninhabited, possessing only basic stellar structures. Fang Ming was merely appreciating the natural scenery, not observing civilizations.
Fang Ming sat in the cloud chariot for half a day, and the celestial horses had traversed the distance of hundreds of billions of universes, arriving at a palace that was even grander and more magnificent, radiating an aura of flowing azure, crimson, blue, and gold.
The palace was immense. Although it did not contain a galaxy, it far surpassed the volume of a single universe, even hundreds of universes.
It was almost comparable to the chaos with a volume of only one hundred thousand universes during a chaotic epoch.
Fang Ming was not surprised that the palace's size could match that of the original chaos.
This was the residence of a peak Great Enlightenment Golden Immortal powerhouse, who had constructed four origin worlds, lacking only one element in the five elements.
A peak Great Enlightenment Golden Immortal, a powerhouse on the verge of touching the Hunyuan Great Enlightenment Golden Immortal realm, naturally resided in such a vast abode.
The chariot stopped before the palace, and Fang Ming once again stepped onto the golden path and entered the palace.
Ascending ninety-nine billion nine hundred ninety million steps made of flawless white jade, Fang Ming saw a middle-aged Daoist seated on a throne.
Beside the middle-aged Daoist were two fairy attendants, and below them, at intervals, were more fairy attendants.
In total, there were eighty-nine fairy attendants, each possessing the cultivation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal or Hunyuan Golden Immortal.
Numerous guards also stood on either side, each at least a Hunyuan Golden Immortal.
Fang Ming ignored the fairies and guards, directly bowing to the middle-aged Daoist, who clearly held the highest status.
"Core disciple of the Jie Sect, Fang Ming, pays respects to Elder Li."
The middle-aged Daoist did not act haughty and directly said, "Fang Ming, you may rise."
Fang Ming then stood up.
This Elder Li, whose full name was Li Daofu, was personally accepted as a disciple by Jin Bifeng.
As Jin Bifeng accepted disciples in a manner similar to Sect Master Tongtian's "ten thousand immortals paying homage," he took in many disciples. Therefore, Li Daofu's status was not particularly high; without being a Hunyuan Great Enlightenment Golden Immortal, he could not compare to Jin Bifeng's status as a Dao companion.
However, he was considered an elder and, before Yuan Feng, Houtu, and the Sanxiao sisters began managing affairs, elders like Li Daofu were already considered high-ranking officials in the Five Elements Heavenly Palace.
This Elder Li was also a figure of authority within the Jie Sect faction and deeply resented the Original Heavenly Palace faction, having initiated disputes with them multiple times for power and profit.
The current war between two mortal kingdoms was, in part, instigated by Li Daofu. If Fang Ming wished to participate, he naturally had to report to Li Daofu first.
After Fang Ming rose, the middle-aged Daoist asked, "Fang Ming, what brings you here?"
Fang Ming explained his intention to participate in the war.
Elder Li frowned and said directly, "You have only just transcended chaos. Your current cultivation system has not yet converted to the Great Enlightenment Immortal Dao, and you have not comprehended the initial profound."
"Shouldn't your best course of action now be to remain within the Heavenly Palace, strive to comprehend the initial profound, and construct an origin world?"
"Why do you wish to participate in the war?"
Elder Li's words were sincere.
The Jie Sect faction and the Original Heavenly Palace faction were engaged in fierce struggle.
Elder Li naturally welcomed many Jie Sect disciples to participate in the power struggle and take sides.
In fact, if anyone dared to remain neutral or waver, Elder Li and other elders of the Original Heavenly Palace faction would have to ask that disciple to "perish" first.
However, this absolutely did not include Fang Ming, who had just transcended chaos.
In Elder Li's view, Fang Ming possessed exceptional talent, having cultivated such terrifying power before transcending chaos within a single chaotic epoch.
If he were to convert to the Great Enlightenment Immortal Dao, his progress would be rapid, and reaching the Great Enlightenment Golden Immortal realm would be a certainty, with a high probability of becoming an elder.
It would not be too late to participate in the war once his potential had fully transformed into strength.
Who would send a child to war?
Wasn't this stifling talent?
Despite Elder Li's denial, Fang Ming reiterated his firm intention.
"This disciple still wishes to go. This disciple feels... that in battling strong enemies, it might be easier for this disciple to comprehend the initial profound."
To step into the initial profound realm, one had to comprehend the initial profound power of any of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, or earth.
To step into the Great Enlightenment True Immortal realm, one had to use the initial profound power as a foundation and construct an origin world within their body.
Even though Fang Ming now possessed the cultivation of an Immortal King giant, making the cultivation of another path much easier, it would still take hundreds of millions of years to complete this process.
However, using an energy converter, one only needed to defeat a Great Enlightenment True Immortal and seize it within ten seconds.
Which method was more efficient for Fang Ming was obvious, which was why Fang Ming chose to participate in the war instead of meditating and comprehending.
After Fang Ming finished explaining his reasons.
Elder Li glanced at Fang Ming and said no more, directly stating, "Then take my token and leave the Five Elements Heavenly Palace for the mortal world."
Fang Ming took the token and departed.
Elder Li returned to his cultivation.
...
The realm where the Five Elements Heavenly Palace was located was vast.
It could be divided into two parts: the heavens and the ground.
The ground was a continent vast enough to be comparable to hundreds of billions of universes.
This continent was called the mortal world.
The heavens were where the disciples and elders of the Five Elements Heavenly Palace resided, also known as the Heavenly Realm or Immortal Realm.
Its volume far surpassed that of the mortal world.
This realm, whether viewed by mortal cultivators on the ground or Great Enlightenment Immortals in the heavens, was a realm transcending chaos and chaotic epochs.
It was also the only transcendent realm.
Cultivators in this realm also referred to it as the "Transcendent Realm," "Supreme Realm," or "Sole True Realm."
Fang Ming descended from the heavens to the ground, during which he felt the chaos within his inner world, which was only one hundred thousand universes in volume, and all the people of the Human Heavenly Court within it.
He then felt that this realm, even its mortal world, was a million times larger than the Human Heavenly Court. The Human Heavenly Court, placed within this realm, was merely equivalent to the size of a county town in one of the two mortal kingdoms, not even a prefectural city.
He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
Fang Ming thought, "Since the two kingdoms have gone to war amidst the struggle between the Original Heavenly Palace faction and the Jie Sect faction, I will immediately rush to the battlefield as the armies engage."
"Elder Li mentioned that the battlefield is at Jade Dragon Pass, so I will head there."
Fang Ming transformed into a streak of rainbow light and flew away at extreme speed.
As he traveled, he looked down at the ground, which was covered with county towns and villages.
In the county towns and villages resided mortals.
Of course, these were mortals as defined by this realm.
All below the Great Enlightenment True Immortal realm were considered mortals.
The auras Fang Ming sensed in these county towns and villages were of Golden Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals everywhere, as if ordinary households had at least one Grand Unity Golden Immortal.