Grandma Taizhen's instructions are naturally logical; Tao Qian's titles like 'Lord Suppressing Evil' and 'Daoist Peach Blossom' are well-known within the Longevity Realm.
Adversaries such as the Evil Sect's Demon Buddha Temple and the Xiu Family have decided, for now, not to trouble this anomaly.
Yet, this is only within the realm, as for the entire Great Abyss, the Longevity Realm is just an inconspicuous territory, nothing too impressive.
To the Human Clan, it may be somewhat special.
But within the Great Abyss, there are countless evil spirit demons, offspring of evil gods, and clans, not to mention the evil gods themselves, who won't care a bit about Master Tao's so-called fearsome reputation.
Upon smelling the fragrance of blood food, they come to eat and snatch, killing those who obstruct.
Tao Qian did not intend to show off and agreed with Grandma Taizhen, saying he would ask for help if he could not hold on.
He even took precautions, directly instructing Zhong Doudou to lead a group of Crystal Demon girls to send notes to various Immortal Islands and magic veins within the Penglai Sea.
Essentially, he sent out a distress signal to nearly all the master uncles and aunties he was familiar with, but also said they need not come immediately, only when he could no longer hold on to avoid causing more trouble and stirring up more calamities.
After sending the notes, Tao Qian also handed over the Star Aperture Secret Realm to Grandma Taizhen and a group of female fairies from Jade Ring Mountain.
As for himself, he headed straight to the entrance.
His wife was giving birth inside, as her husband, he naturally had to guard the gate alone, stopping and slaying all evil spirits and external threats.
As soon as Tao Qian arrived at the entrance and officially peered into the vast and mysterious dangerous scenes of the Great Abyss Origin Sea through the 'Star Aperture Eye,' the Penglai Sea also quickly became restless.
The reason was quite simple!
Master Tao asking for help, it's a first-class rarity in the world.
In the eyes of many elders and disciples, Tao Qian, though having cultivated for a short time, has surpassed most of the elders in the Spirit Treasure Sect in Taoist power and mana, and he brutally eliminated the 'Alchemist' organization during the Human Dao calamity, overpowering various forces in the Cultivation World.
Could such an existence also require assistance?
When everyone saw the content of the notes, they all understood: it's reasonable, the troubles within the realm are none, only external troubles could make Master Tao handle with caution.
For a time, including Xuan Yuan True Monarch, Wulinn Immortal, and Ma Yi Immortal, they all waited in various cave mansions and cast spells to summon divine skills and forbidden techniques like 'Round Light Illusion Mirror' and 'Peeping Sky Eye' to observe the Ascending Immortal Island's Star Aperture Secret Realm and its connection to the entrance of the Great Abyss Origin Sea.
Usually, this can't be done, but this time Tao Qian opened the array's authority in advance.
Not only the elders were ready, but the current true disciple of Spirit Treasure Sect like Xu Xun, Brother Wei, Senior Sister Lu, and Brother Yang were all rubbing their fists with excitement.
Their progress in cultivation, Taoist power, and mana slightly worse than Tao Qian, but still not at the stage of exploring outside realms and seeking the Great Dao, but it doesn't stop them from taking a peek in advance, gaining more experience.
Of course, Xu Xun among them is an exception.
This true master brother of the Spirit Treasure Sect was initially in the Cavernous Mystery Realm, and after three years of arduous cultivation, he had recently stepped into the Ultimate Happiness Realm, although he has not yet broken through the 'Clean Body' barrier, he has refined the divine skill 'Universe in the Sleeve' to a great degree.
Even with Tao Qian's presence, Spirit Treasure Xu Xun's reputation equally resonates throughout the world.
The noise within the mountain gate, Tao Qian had already predicted, Spirit Treasure Ten Thousand Immortals and a group of Penglai talent are also his foundation as Master Tao.
"Even if there are more evil spirits, how could they intrude and rampage in my Spirit Treasure Mountain Gate?"
"If powerful ones do come, I will ask the Sect Master and even the Heavenly Venerate, it's not too late."
"Anyway, sooner or later I will go to the Great Abyss to seek the Great Dao, might as well take this opportunity to have an early look at this legendary 'Source Sea.'
With such thoughts, Tao Qian arrived at the Star Aperture Mouth.
When the Star Aperture Secret Realm opened to greet the source qi in abundance, there was a huge aperture.
But this time it's different, only a rare and precious 'Innate Yin Qi' is needed, no miscellany of qi allowed, not even a trace.
Due to Grandma Taizhen's arrangement, the Star Aperture has transformed.
At the aperture, there's a spectacular light net shaped like a funnel connecting the sky and the sea, blocking almost all the enormous source qi absorbed from the Origin Sea, allowing only strands of thick yin qi, milky white like mist, to pour and gather within the Star Aperture Secret Realm.
"The Forbidden Divine Ability of the Doumu Lineage truly is extraordinary."
While exclaiming, Tao Qian summoned the Miraculous Tree Treasure Boat given by the sect master.
On that exquisite treasure boat hung a peculiar item, a bronze bell with an ominous eye mixed with sulfur and iron rust on its mottled surface.
Tao Qian boarded the boat and immediately shouted: "Small, small, small."
The Miraculous Tree Treasure Boat shrunk upon command, from the size of three large millstones, suddenly transforming into a walnut-sized boat.
Surprisingly, Tao Qian himself shrank along with it.
One person and one boat proceeded through the aperture of the light net, directly venturing beyond the Star Aperture.
"During his three years of cultivation on Ascending Immortal Island, it is unknown how many divine skills and spells Tao Qi has refined, coupled with the perfect Ultimate Happiness of Dao, within the Longevity Realm there's scarcely an enemy."
"Recently encountered Senior Sister Ma Yi, who praised Nephew Tao for cultivating the Three Teachings simultaneously with unparalleled enlightenment, once stepping into the Daoist Transformation realm, our Spirit Treasure Sect will undoubtedly gain a Daoist Lord True Immortal who could traverse all heavens."
"Just watch this time, see how Nephew Tao handles the evil spirit demons pouring out from the Source Sea, somehow feeling uneasy, fearing some disturbances may arise."
...
As the elders and disciples were amazed by Tao Qian's methods, he had already boarded the Miraculous Tree Treasure Boat and assumed guard at the star aperture's entrance.
The scene before him instantly elicited a look of awe from him.
The manner in which the star aperture absorbs the billions of divine Qi from the Source Sea involves constructing a "secret path pipeline" through forbidden techniques, connecting two realms. Though seemingly small, this pipeline is, in reality, as mighty as a vast river, drawing inexhaustible source Qi from the Source Sea in an instant.
Yet, even so, the secret path pipeline is but a thread compared to the complete Source Sea, as insignificant as a cow's hair.
It was through this hair-thin secret path that Tao Qian caught a glimpse of the Source Sea's grandeur.
Even he was unable to describe or depict the scene reflected in his eyes.
It felt like an endless sea of stars, constantly folding and merging; each source Qi embodying all colors and forms of the world, each containing extraordinary power. Any creature that could obtain any one of them would instantly transcend and transform into a higher-level being.
"This is the origin, where everything begins."
Inexplicably, Tao Qian spoke these words.
At the same time, a tide of "source Qi" was suddenly absorbed by the forbidden technique of the star aperture.
In an instant, the wide tide, which none of the great rivers within the Longevity Realm could compete with, thoroughly engulfed Tao Qian.
Inside, it was dense, colorful, and filled with complex source Qi, submerging him, colliding with the light net arranged by Grandma Taizhen.
This forbidden technique has a great origin, known as the "Little All Heavens Stars Capturing God Prohibition," woven using the power of countless stars, rejecting all miscellaneous Qi, and using the Doumu Capturing God Seal to absorb the rare innate Yin Qi within.
The forbidden technique of the Doumu Lineage is, of course, faultless.
But Tao Qian in the tide seemed like a fragile reef, ready to be swept away at any moment.
Of course, this was merely an illusion.
The Miraculous Tree Treasure Boat under his feet was an exotic treasure used by the Spirit Treasure Sect Master during the exploration of the Great Abyss's heavens, and no miscellaneous Qi tide could stain even a fraction.
Out of curiosity, Tao Qian deliberately reached out to touch the various types of source Qi.
In an instant, he experienced sensations of sourness, pain, itching, softness, tingling, burning… and many others.
In his mind, a flood of related records burst forth.
Just this one moment greatly expanded his knowledge, revealing to him some of the source Qi in the Source Sea, and the spiritual effects and costs these source Qi demanded.
Their uses varied greatly, but the costs were exceedingly terrifying.
Like a type of source Qi named "Flower Slaughter Qi," if a mortal ingested it and refined it within the body, they could immediately control flowers and grasses, make their flesh bloom, release toxins, live without food, and survive on dew and sunlight, among other extraordinary powers. The cost, however, was that three days later, their flesh would be consumed by the Flower Slaughter Qi, turning them from a member of the Human Clan into a carnivorous flower. If no flesh is ingested, the flower will wilt in three days and transform back into pure source Qi, returning to the Source Sea.
Or a type called "Devouring God Worm Qi," if mortals refine it, they can gain the extraordinary power to "raise worms" within themselves, obtaining abilities like flying, subterranean evasion, and devouring everything. The cost is gradually losing their human form and humanity, eventually becoming fully worm-like.
Some of these source Qi could have their costs delayed or reduced, gradually becoming usable.
This process is what cultivation and seeking the Dao entail.
Like the Flower Slaughter Qi, people within the Longevity Realm have long utilized it, developing a sect of heresy and heterodoxy known as the "Flower God Sect."
And the Devouring God Worm Qi, which Tao Qian immediately discerned was the source root of the Daoist lineage of the "Naked Sect."
"Could it be that the Spirit Treasure source Qi refined and used by my Spirit Treasure Sect is located somewhere within the Source Sea?"
As Tao Qian stood on the treasure boat and uttered this, he suddenly flicked his fingers, causing the "Shocking God Bell" before him to immediately let out clanging sounds.
Typically, the sound emitted by a bronze bell-like treasure should be melodious celestial tones.
This bell, however, was different; the continuous bell tones were not only incredibly jarring but also scarier than a life-threatening demon sound.
Immediately upon hearing the tide and around the treasure boat, sounds of "bang bang bang" arose.
Tao Qian's gaze pierced through the brilliant starlight, witnessing the mist and fluid forming the tide, where numerous evil spirit demons were assaulted by the Shocking God Bell, most of them exploding and perishing, while a few stronger ones dragged their wounded bodies to escape upstream towards the Source Sea.
These demons bore strange appearances, each carrying ominous and eerie aura.
If they appeared in the mortal world, even the smallest could bring about terrifying disasters.
Here, however, they were the "fish, shrimps, crabs, and turtles" accompanying the tide.
Despite their inability to breach the "Little All Heavens Stars Capturing God Prohibition," if their numbers were substantial and piled like mountains, they might damage the prohibition, providing opportunities for some larger creatures.
Just as this thought arose in Tao Qian's mind, within the stardust tide before him, a cluster of pale brilliance suddenly erupted, instantly transforming into a thin booklet, drifting toward Tao Qian.
The booklet's cover was blazing white with light.
Several tadpole-like characters appeared, squirming like maggots and eventually transforming into ancient seal script recognizable by the Human Clan.
Tao Qian looked closely, finding the five characters that read "Void Refining Ghost Scripture."
More intriguingly, upon recognizing the words, he also immediately received the secrets conveyed by the booklet.
"Void Refining Ghost Scripture!"
"This is an outer realm's secret inheritances, a great opportunity indeed. If diligently cultivating the middle method's spells and divine skills and find an opportunity to capture a 'Void Big Ghost' and refine it into the heart and apertures, immeasurable power to traverse all heavens can be instantly achieved."