Entering the seventh layer of the Sea of Truth, the difficulty of crossing the sea increased dramatically. Even with Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation level and mastery of the Dao of Truth, controlling the Truth Boat became a strenuous task.
It took Zhang Ruochen an entire day to slowly reach the checkpoint of the seventh layer.
Even so, the shore erupted in a deafening uproar.
This was because a cultivator who had just entered the seventh layer and one who had reached the checkpoint of the seventh layer were two entirely different concepts. The key point was that Zhang Ruochen was only at the Fourth-Step Saint King realm and was still quite young.
For him to have reached this stage at such a young age, his future achievements were simply unimaginable.
Nearly all the cultivators training near the Truth Temple were startled and rushed to the Sea of Truth, their gazes fixed on Zhang Ruochen.
At this moment, however, Zhang Ruochen was fully focused, staring at the guardian of the seventh layer.
The saintly aura emanating from this guardian was terrifying, putting immense pressure on Zhang Ruochen and forcing him to immediately activate the Hundred Saints Blood Armor to envelop his body and unleash the power of the Fire God Armor.
“Luo Water Fist Technique, Tenth Move: Soul-Severing Dirge.”
Zhang Ruochen’s arms burst into raging flames, resembling two clouds of fire. At the same time, a long river appeared, flowing between the two clouds of fire.
With a full-force punch, Zhang Ruochen collided with the guardian’s fist technique.
A deafening explosion rang out.
The river, several kilometers long, was shattered into droplets of rain.
In this collision, Zhang Ruochen was at an absolute disadvantage. Both his body and the Truth Boat beneath his feet were sent flying backward at high speed. The guardian, however, pursued him, launching another fist strike that sounded like the heavens and earth were collapsing.
“Luo Water Transforms into a Dragon.”
Zhang Ruochen executed the 35th move of the Luo Water Fist Technique. A translucent dragon emerged from his body, its massive dragon claws striking out.
The majestic dragon was mercilessly shattered by the guardian, and Zhang Ruochen was sent flying once again.
The guardian’s attacks grew increasingly fierce, leaving Zhang Ruochen no room to catch his breath. When it launched its twelfth punch, it sealed off all of Zhang Ruochen’s escape routes, aiming directly for his brow.
Zhang Ruochen quickly used the power of spatial distortion to barely redirect the guardian’s attack elsewhere.
This was mainly because, during his time in seclusion, Zhang Ruochen had comprehended over two hundred Space Rules, making it easier for him to control space. Otherwise, that punch from the guardian would have severely injured him.
In the ensuing battle, Zhang Ruochen utilized spatial power to its fullest, sometimes dodging and sometimes launching attacks.
After exchanging over three hundred moves with the guardian, Zhang Ruochen finally seized an opportunity. Wielding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, he executed the Time Sword Technique, murmuring, “Noon Sword.”
With a single strike, time stood still.
When time resumed, the Abyssal Ancient Sword in Zhang Ruochen’s hand had already pierced through the guardian’s body.
“Success…”
Just as a smile began to form on Zhang Ruochen’s face, his abdomen was struck by a heavy blow, sending him flying like a straw doll and plunging into the sea.
It turned out that while the sword strike had pierced the guardian’s body, it had missed the vital point and was not fatal.
The guardian’s punch, however, could have killed Zhang Ruochen.
Returning to the shore, Zhang Ruochen circulated his saintly energy through his body, and the pain in his abdomen subsided significantly.
“In the end, I was still a bit short. I didn’t make it to the eighth layer,” Zhang Ruochen said with a bitter smile.
Without attempting to cross the sea again, Zhang Ruochen turned and left.
Although it seemed like the gap between him and the guardian of the seventh layer wasn’t large, Zhang Ruochen knew very well that, with his current strength, he was no match for the guardian.
His biggest weakness lay in his saint techniques.
While he had mastered the intermediate-level saint technique, the Luo Water Fist Technique, and had perfected the eighth level of the Sword Technique, which was already quite impressive, he hadn’t cultivated intermediate-level saint techniques for movement or defense. Compared to the truly top-tier geniuses, he still had some gaps and hadn’t reached his full potential.
If Zhang Ruochen had perfected the ninth level of the Sword Technique like Ling Feiyu, he could have easily defeated the guardian of the seventh layer.
Time.
In the end, it all came down to having too little time to cultivate and insufficient foundation.
What Zhang Ruochen lacked most was time.
“Crossing the fifth layer of the sea granted me 0.02% of the Truth Dao’s profundity. Crossing the sixth layer granted me 0.03%. Now, the total Truth Dao profundity within me has reached 0.1%. From now on, my speed of comprehending Saint Rules should become even faster.”
Zhang Ruochen had come to cross the Sea of Truth to seize the Truth Dao’s profundity.
Of course, by crossing the fifth and sixth layers, he had gained four years of cultivation time in the Truth Temple.
If he were to enter seclusion in the Truth Temple now, in four years, Zhang Ruochen would undoubtedly comprehend the second level of the Thick Earth Small World, or even higher realms. His saintly cultivation would also advance by leaps and bounds, and it was even possible for him to reach the Sixth-Step Saint King realm.
Other Saint Kings would undoubtedly choose to enter seclusion.
After all, four years was but a fleeting moment for Saint Kings with their long lifespans.
But Zhang Ruochen didn’t have that luxury.
Four years was too precious to him. Too many things could happen in that time. By the time he emerged from seclusion, the entire Kunlun Realm might have already been destroyed, and countless loved ones and friends might have turned to ashes in the flames of war.
Time. Time. Why was time so pressing, suffocating him, leaving him no moment to relax?
“Only by seeking the legacy of Saint Monk Xumi can my cultivation break through faster, surpassing the speed of seclusion,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Since Zhang Ruochen had crossed the fifth and sixth layers of the sea in his second year in the Truth Heavenly Domain, he couldn’t receive additional rewards or secure cultivation quotas for the Guanghan Realm.
After Zhang Ruochen left, the shore of the Sea of Truth buzzed with discussions.
“Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation should be at the Fourth-Step or Fifth-Step Saint King realm. Good heavens, with such a cultivation level, he almost defeated the guardian of the seventh layer.”
“You have to understand, Zhang Ruochen has only been cultivating in the Truth Heavenly Domain for a little over a year. In a few more years, he will definitely be able to cross the seventh layer, or even the eighth layer. In the future, he might even cross the ninth layer.”
“Impossible! Even among the Ten Great Divine Disciples, only one or two have crossed the ninth layer. And that’s only because they had the full support of the Truth Temple, allowing them to cultivate there indefinitely, with gods personally guiding them. They also suppressed their cultivation for over a hundred years to achieve that.”
“Crossing the ninth layer and entering the tenth is a legend. It’s not so easily done.”
“In truth, among his peers, Zhang Ruochen isn’t necessarily invincible. Not long ago, that black blockhead crossed the sixth layer. And Princess Qianxing also fought the guardian of the seventh layer for a long time. She’s not much weaker than Zhang Ruochen.”
…
As the crowd buzzed with discussions, several shadowy figures hidden in the darkness left the Sea of Truth and quietly followed Zhang Ruochen.
When Zhang Ruochen arrived at Kongling Island, he saw Feng Yan and Xiang Chunan waiting for him in a pavilion, with a row of wine jars set out.
“He’s here, he’s here, he’s finally here!”
Feng Yan and Xiang Chunan stood up, as if they had rehearsed, and said in unison, “Congratulations, Big Brother, on crossing the sixth layer of the sea. From now on, you’ll sweep through the Truth Heavenly Domain, unmatched by anyone.”
Zhang Ruochen was both amused and exasperated. He walked into the pavilion and said, “What sweeping through the Truth Heavenly Domain? My cultivation realm is still far from that. So, how did you two fare after your seclusion? Which layer did you cross?”
Xiang Chunan sighed heavily. “I barely crossed the sixth layer. As soon as I entered the seventh, I fell into the sea.”
Feng Yan was speechless. “You two freaks. I’m one of the top talents of the Truth Temple, but after cultivating for so many years, you’ve surpassed me. I lost to the guardian of the sixth layer and couldn’t cross it.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “During my year in seclusion, did anything major happen?”
“Nope,” Xiang Chunan shook his head directly.
Feng Yan snorted. “How can you say nothing happened? Since Big Brother left seclusion, he’s been assassinated several times.”
Xiang Chunan chuckled. “Minor incidents, all minor incidents.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned. “What exactly happened?”
Feng Yan explained, “I used a lot of connections to investigate this, and we’ve made some progress. The assassins are from the Heaven’s Execution organization. The employers are some big shots from the Celestial Court faction. It’s likely that the massacre you two caused at the Divine Sky Platform angered some of the older generation from those major worlds, so they spent a fortune to hire assassins for revenge.”
“At the time, Big Brother had changed his appearance, so they couldn’t confirm your identity. As a result, Third Brother became their primary target.”
At the Divine Sky Platform, Zhang Ruochen and Xiang Chunan had killed many important talents from the Celestial Court faction, including the leader of the Tian Gui Realm, Feng Jian, as well as some divine descendants and imperial sons.
This massacre had undoubtedly enraged some of the older generation from the Celestial Court faction.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression turned extremely grim. “This is the core area of the Truth Temple. How could assassins from the Heaven’s Execution organization infiltrate and carry out assassinations here?”
“That’s precisely why they must have paid an astronomical price.”
Feng Yan added, “I’ve already reported this to the higher-ups. The Heaven’s Execution organization is outright挑衅 (provoking) and has crossed the Truth Temple’s bottom line. The Truth Temple will definitely teach them a harsh lesson.”
Zhang Ruochen picked up a wine cup and drained it in one gulp. “Chunan, it’s all my fault for dragging you into this.”
“Don’t, Big Brother, don’t say that. What does it matter if I’m dragged into it?”
Suddenly, Xiang Chunan seemed to remember something and whispered, “By the way, Big Brother, you need to be careful lately. Princess Qianxing has been looking for you everywhere. She’s come to Kongling Island several times looking for you. Now, many cultivators are spreading rumors that you and she had a ‘car incident’ and that your relationship is anything but ordinary. Is it true?”
Feng Yan also perked up, leaning in with great interest. “I’ve heard about this too. Even among the divine disciples, there’s been some gossip about a spatial cultivator named Lin Yue having an indescribable encounter with Princess Qianxing. That Lin Yue is definitely you. Big Brother, are you really that amazing? Did you actually sleep with Princess Qianxing?”
