Having obtained the true secrets of the Panwu Strength Divine Art—one of the Three Thousand Great Daos, also known as the Grand Origin Art—Fang Han remained seated and immediately began to circulate it in cultivation.
Boom!
The vast, surging wish-power stored within the Eightfold Pagoda poured out without restraint, flooding into Fang Han's mind. Guided by the Grand Origin Art's circulation method, this power fermented and condensed, repeatedly carving open new spiritual spaces designed solely to store mana.
The Sea of Consciousness was a purely spiritual domain—capable of holding mana, but not tangible matter. Illusory yet profound. Fang Han had originally possessed five such seas, each one like a colossal reservoir. Once unleashed in battle, his mana would roar out like a breached dam, crushing enemies with overwhelming force.
The Panwu Strength Divine Art, however, allowed for a maximum of nine Seas of Consciousness while still in the Divine Ability Realm. Beyond that—upon entering the Longevity Realm—the limits were unknown.
After subduing Wood Daoist, the wish-power generated by this ancient giant's devout prayers became unimaginably vast. Add to that the prayers of several million celestial demons and over two thousand Demon Kings, and Fang Han now possessed more than enough accumulated wish-power to push the Panwu Strength Divine Art to its absolute peak—opening all nine Seas of Consciousness, reaching the same level Hua Tiandu had once attained.
The key lay in Wood Daoist's terrifying strength.
An ancient giant praying for a single day was equivalent to one hundred million mortals praying for years. The gap between such beings and ordinary humans was simply immeasurable.
Subduing an ancient giant and forcing him into labor—this was something neither the Feathered Immortal Sect nor the Starry Skies Sect had ever achieved.
Crack—crack—
Within Fang Han's mind, earth-shattering changes erupted. As the Grand Origin Art circulated, nine talismanic seeds suddenly formed in his consciousness. Each seed represented a primordial origin that had existed since the creation of heaven and earth.
"Nine Seas of Consciousness—heaven and earth unfold! Nine times nine return to one—cultivation perfected!"
Under the crushing force of boundless wish-power, the nine talismanic seeds shattered, like ancient giants splitting the chaos itself. In an instant, nine Seas of Consciousness fully formed within Fang Han's mind.
Each sea surged with ferocious mana.
Above them, Fang Han's golden core—on the verge of transforming into the strange Thousand-Hand, Thousand-Eyed Dharma Form—spun ceaselessly, drawing mana from all nine seas at every moment.
From the golden core came a savage, ancient roar—an echo from before heaven and earth, a cry born of primordial chaos.
Fang Han felt it clearly.
Give him just a bit more vast, concentrated origin energy—and he could immediately condense his Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Aspect, forming his true primordial spirit and stepping into the ninth Divine Ability realm.
For him, that realm held no conceptual barrier.
The only obstacle was the sheer, absurd amount of energy required.
After all, even Wood Daoist's Dharma Aspect contained only sixty-four divine abilities. Fang Han possessed ninety-three.
Even ancient giants didn't compare.
The moment the nine Seas of Consciousness stabilized, every strand of Fang Han's hair lifted and danced with spiritual vitality, moving without wind. Talismans rotated above his scalp, while blazing halos radiated from his brow and the back of his head.
His skull itself grew immensely stronger.
The greatest weakness of his half-immortal body had always been his head. His physical body could be obliterated repeatedly—as long as the head remained intact, it could be reconstructed.
But once the head was destroyed, death was absolute.
Now, with the Grand Origin Art perfected, the defensive strength of his mind and skull surged dramatically. His survival odds rose by an enormous margin.
"So fast… you actually formed all nine Seas of Consciousness already!"
Yan Shuiyi, standing nearby, had noticed the changes immediately. She hadn't expected Fang Han to begin cultivating right beside her—nor to succeed so cleanly.
Of course, Fang Han was deliberately testing the authenticity of the Grand Origin Art. He had spent over a month underground refining every detail in advance. Now, with the complete method in hand and sufficient power available, success came naturally.
He also wasn't afraid of Yan Shuiyi launching a surprise attack.
With Wood Daoist converted, plus the Sun-Moon Essence Wheel, the Samsara Saint King, the Eightfold Pagoda, and Yan's power backing him, Yan Shuiyi posed no real threat.
Thus, he cultivated openly.
Yan Shuiyi, fully aware of his strength, dared not interfere. All she could do was watch as nine vast spiritual domains formed within his mind—and as a phantom projection burst forth above his head.
A colossal, ancient figure.
A demon-god with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes.
Her expression changed completely.
"Thousand-Hand Tathagata… Thousand-Eyed Sacred Demon!"
"Oh?" Fang Han paused, withdrawing his power and drawing all fluctuations back into himself. The nine Seas of Consciousness continued to rotate slowly, absorbing Immortal Realm energy transmitted by Wood Daoist and the World Tree.
With nine seas to sustain, his mind felt slightly emptier than before—but his golden core felt more agile than ever, capable of movements beyond ghostly and divine prediction.
If that golden core were to transform into a full Dharma Aspect…
Even thinking about it made Fang Han exhilarated.
He had never understood why his projected Dharma Form took such a bizarre shape. But seeing Yan Shuiyi's shock, he immediately realized she knew its significance.
"Among celestial demons," Yan Shuiyi explained slowly, awe in her voice, "the highest level of demon gods cultivate three thousand eyes, known as the Thousand-Eyed Sacred Demon—symbolizing the Three Thousand Great Daos. Even the Crimson Abyss Demon Lord who once saved you in the Five Elements Land failed to reach that level.
"And within Buddhism, the highest Buddhas cultivate three thousand hands, known as the Thousand-Hand Tathagata—also representing the Three Thousand Great Daos.
"Your future Dharma Aspect possesses both—a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. It carries the marks of both supreme demonic and supreme Buddhist paths… and even bears the auspicious signs of the conch and the celestial drum."
She swallowed.
"That is the foundation of ascension. It's… unbelievable."
"So that's what it means," Fang Han said calmly, though his heart surged with excitement. "In that case, you've seen everything. Will you report this to your sect master and collect a handsome reward?"
"What reward would I need?" Yan Shuiyi snorted lightly. "I have your Forgetting Emotion Water. Once I return and enter seclusion, I'll likely step into the Longevity Realm soon—then fuse with the spirit of the Vast Ocean Divine Pearl and form an immortal body."
She looked at him coolly.
"At that point, you wouldn't be my match. Your strength may contend with Longevity Realm cultivators of the first level—but against a true immortal body, you'd die instantly. You have no idea how terrifying immortality really is."
"I do," Fang Han replied evenly. "I've already achieved half of it."
Even after converting Wood Daoist, he understood the truth—he had succeeded only due to extraordinary circumstances and outside intervention. Facing a peak ancient giant again, even with Wood Daoist's help, he wouldn't succeed a second time.
That was why completing his Dharma Aspect was urgent.
"You really are something," Yan Shuiyi said thoughtfully. "Tell me—how did you cultivate that half-immortal body?"
"That secret carries a price," Fang Han replied, eyes flickering. Then, suddenly, an idea surfaced—connected to the Forty Great Bandits and the God Clan.
"If you're willing," he said slowly, "I can help you cultivate a half-immortal body as well."
"Is that true?!"
Yan Shuiyi shuddered violently.
That temptation was impossible to ignore.
Despite her confidence, she knew her chances of forming a true immortal body after entering the Longevity Realm were no more than thirty percent.
Immortality was not something one achieved lightly.
If she could first reach the level Fang Han had—half-immortal—everything would change.
Within the Taiyi Sect, even as the top true disciple, she would merely become a vice sect master upon entering the Longevity Realm. And there were many such vice masters—competition was ruthless.
"Of course," Fang Han said calmly. "But first, tell me—what is your relationship with Fan Qingying?"
Yan Shuiyi didn't hesitate.
"She's my closest friend. Five hundred years ago, when I had just formed my golden core, I went exploring at sea and was ambushed by a group of mysterious figures in black. I was nearly refined alive—Fan Qingying arrived and drove them off."
Her gaze grew distant.
"After that, we became inseparable. Back then, she wasn't yet the leader of the Forty Great Bandits. I watched her gather ferocious outlaws and form them, plundering the seas. I even… helped her, a little."
"What?" Fang Han exclaimed. "You're a Taiyi Sect disciple—and you helped the Forty Great Bandits?"
"So what?" Yan Shuiyi replied indifferently, tapping the table. "Everyone has demons in their heart. They need somewhere to vent."
"Mysterious figures in black… Fan Qingying rescued you…" Fang Han's mind snapped into place.
The connection between the Forty Great Bandits and the God Clan was now beyond doubt.
"In that case," he said slowly, "cultivating a half-immortal body will be easy for you. But from now on—you follow my lead."
"That's fine," Yan Shuiyi smiled, clearly intrigued. "I've always known you're full of schemes and traps. If you're planning to use me again, I'm happy to play along."
She leaned forward slightly.
"If you truly help me reach half-immortality like you did—then the origin energy you need to condense your Dharma Aspect is on me. I carry plenty of Heaven-grade pills that can massively replenish vitality."