Walking through the dojo, Zhang Ruochen finally sensed something amiss.
He stopped in his tracks.
“This is…”
All the plants in the dojo had withered, the ground covered in dry twigs and yellowed leaves.
Even the massive island housing the Sumeru Dojo was steeped in lifelessness, everything decaying as if something had drained all its vitality.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze settled on the towering Buddha statue, observing the withered vines entwining it. A look of sudden realisation crossed his face, and he chuckled, “So that’s how it is.”
With that, he executed a grand spatial shift, vanishing from the spot.
Moments later, he reappeared hundreds of li away.
Before him stretched a lush forest, thick with the saint qi of heaven and earth, dotted with spiritual herbs hundreds of years old. Of course, to saints and Saint Kings, these herbs were little more than weeds.
Zhang Ruochen took out the lotus and planted it in the ground.
“Whoosh!”
The lotus trembled slightly, then sprouted countless white, gaseous roots that burrowed into the soil, spreading outward.
Something astonishing happened: the life essence within the surrounding vegetation, the mineral energy in the earth, and the saint qi of the heavens all surged towards the lotus.
A soft glow emerged on its petals.
The light grew increasingly brilliant.
Zhang Ruochen released a spiritual power clone, which leapt into the lotus to cultivate.
After about a quarter of an hour, all vegetation within a twenty-li radius withered, the mineral energy in the ground was depleted, and the saint qi was entirely absorbed.
The area had turned into a barren wasteland!
The spiritual power clone emerged from the lotus, landing beside Zhang Ruochen. Its spiritual strength had risen to the late stage of the fiftieth tier.
Before entering, it had only been at the early stage of the fiftieth tier.
Though this increase wasn’t particularly remarkable for Zhang Ruochen, with his peak fifty-seventh-tier spiritual power, it would be terrifying for a fiftieth-tier Spiritual Power Saint or a semi-saint.
Zhang Ruochen recalled the clone into his saint heart, then jumped into the lotus himself, circulating his cultivation technique to absorb its residual energy.
An hour later, he emerged, his cultivation, physical body, and saint soul each having grown slightly.
While an hour had passed outside, Zhang Ruochen had cultivated for a full day and night within the lotus.
“With this lotus, my cultivation speed will increase more than tenfold, I should reach the Six-Step Saint King realm soon,” Zhang Ruochen said, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
From this test, he identified a limitation: the lotus’s absorption of life essence and mineral energy was confined to a twenty-li radius.
He speculated that its ability to draw from hundreds of li around the Sumeru Dojo had been spurred by the cyan lotus seed.
Now that the seed had crumbled to dust, with Zhang Ruochen’s current cultivation, the lotus’s limit was absorbing energy from a twenty-li radius.
The thrill of such rapid growth in cultivation and spiritual power exhilarated him.
He performed another grand spatial shift, appearing dozens of li away, and planted the lotus again.
This time, however, it didn’t react.
He tried over a dozen more locations, all with the same result.
Toying with the lotus in his hand, he gave a wry smile, “It seems even the best treasures can’t be used endlessly, it needs time to recharge. I’ll try again tomorrow.”
…
…
**Saint Universe Dojo**
The Saint Kings of the Paradise Realm in the Truth Heavenly Domain gathered beneath a divine statue—some with white wings, others with mountain-like bodies, and some with silver-tipped ears—numbering in the thousands.
Their saintly auras erupted, as if they could pierce the heavens.
Only when the statue radiated divine light did they retract their auras, bowing in unison, “We pay our respects to Lord Yan.”
The divine light from the statue intensified, its eyes glowing with tricolour brilliance. An overwhelmingly terrifying pressure descended, forcing all the Saint Kings to bow, sweat dripping from their faces as they struggled to stand upright.
A majestic, sacred voice boomed from the statue, “Shang Ziyan, step forward.”
Shang Ziyan remained calm, walking forward under the divine pressure and clasping his hands, “Your disciple is here.”
“Bang.”
Two flames shot from the statue’s eyes, striking Shang Ziyan simultaneously. He was hurled dozens of li away, crashing through a stone mountain and slamming into the ground.
His body was ravaged, flesh torn from bone, held together only by white skeletal fragments, a pitiful sight.
Yet his gaze remained unwavering, not a single grimace crossing his face or groan escaping his lips. He propped up his broken body, rising slowly while coughing blood, “This… this… is what I deserve…”
“The mistakes you’ve made, killing you ten times wouldn’t suffice.”
Lord Yan’s voice thundered like lightning, causing the ears of the gathered Saint Kings to ache. Those who had fought at the Sumeru Dojo trembled with dread.
Before a god, none dared plead for Shang Ziyan.
After all, this time, he had indeed committed a grievous error, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Paradise Realm Saint Kings, each with boundless potential and a chance to become Greater Saints.
The loss was immense, its repercussions profound.
Shang Ziyan said, “I… I accept… any punishment… but Xun Ya, Wang Xu, and the others… are still in Zhang Ruochen’s hands, I beseech Master… to save them.”
“Save them? That simple? This is the Truth Heavenly Domain, even gods cannot interfere here,” Lord Yan’s anger was palpable.
Shang Ziyan dropped to one knee, lifting his head, “Give me one more chance, I’ll conquer the Sumeru Dojo, slay Zhang Ruochen, and rescue the suppressed kings.”
Lord Yan replied, “The Temple of Truth already knows of this, do you think there’s a second chance?”
“Leave this matter alone. My true self has arrived in the Truth Heavenly Domain, I’ll do everything to negotiate with the Temple of Truth. Wang Xu’s mother goddess and the Lord of the Blood War Temple will pressure them too.”
“If it were any other time, they might not be spared. But with the Heavenly Realm and Hell Realm poised for a massive bloodbath in the Kunlun Realm, it’s a time of need, the Temple of Truth might show leniency.”
Shang Ziyan exhaled in relief, “Then I can rest easy!”
Lord Yan let out a heavy grunt, “This time, you’ve greatly disappointed me, it took immense effort to protect you. But mistakes demand punishment. Return to the Paradise Realm now and face the Trial of Purgatory. If you can endure nine days of fire refining and nine days of ice quenching in the Life-and-Death Purgatory Furnace, you’ll have a chance to redeem yourself when the Kunlun Realm war begins.”
At the mention of the “Trial of Purgatory,” the Saint Kings shuddered, believing Shang Ziyan faced near-certain doom.
Tales of the “Trial of Purgatory” and “Life-and-Death Purgatory Furnace” abounded, a brutal punishment said to break even Saint Kings in a single day, with few surviving.
Even Greater Saints risked death after nine days in the furnace.
Shang Ziyan’s penalty—nine days of fire refining followed by nine days of ice quenching—was a death sentence for a Saint King.
His face paled slightly, but his resolve held firm, “Very well, I accept the Trial of Purgatory.”
Lord Yan’s voice echoed across the Saint Universe Dojo, “All saints of the Paradise Realm, heed this: cultivation in the Truth Heavenly Domain ends now, return to the Paradise Realm to prepare for war. The battle in the Kunlun Realm is of utmost importance, we cannot afford another failure.”
…
…
In the stillness of night, beneath a bright moon.
By the shore of a lake near the Sumeru Dojo, a young girl in a pristine white martial robe wielded a saint sword, thrusting it forward.
The strike was lightning-fast, like a fleeting rainbow.
“Clang.”
Zhang Ruochen blocked it horizontally, a crisp metallic clash ringing out, followed by a surge of sword qi.
“Not bad, mastering the first move of the Time Sword Technique, *Moment Without Trace*, in just a few days exceeds my expectations. Try combining the Swallow Pendant’s power for maximum speed with the Time Sword Technique, it should elevate your strike further.”
“I’ll give it a shot.”
“Bang, bang.”
Chi Kongle attacked, Zhang Ruochen defended.
One learned, the other taught.
Time slipped by unnoticed. Chi Kongle’s saint qi was nearly depleted, her spiritual power heavily drained from tracking time marks, yet she pressed on, tirelessly honing her skills as if exhaustion were foreign to her.
At just eleven, her formidable cultivation stemmed from relentless training since childhood, leaving little room for a carefree youth.
Such determination was rare among other children.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sheathed the Shen Yuan Ancient Sword, “That’s enough for tonight, come with me.”
“Whoosh!”
He grabbed Chi Kongle’s small hand, soaring into the air like a great roc spreading its wings, moving with fluid grace, transforming into a streak of light that sped into the distance.
Chi Kongle stole a glance at him, pursing her lips lightly.
Training with her father, she realised cultivation could be such a wondrous, joyful experience.
Back with the Empress, every day pushed her to the brink of agony, her mental will and stamina stretched to their limits without relent.
Zhang Ruochen caught her staring at his refined features and smiled, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing!”
Chi Kongle shook her head, saying nothing, but a blissful smile spread across her face.
After flying an unknown distance, Zhang Ruochen landed with Chi Kongle, planting the lotus in the ground.
“Whoosh!”
Instantly, the life essence and energy of the surroundings converged towards it.
“Go ahead,” Zhang Ruochen said.
This wasn’t Chi Kongle’s first time cultivating in the lotus. She leapt up, shrinking to the size of a gnat, and entered it.
Through days of testing, Zhang Ruochen had learned the lotus could only be used twice daily.
One of those precious uses he reserved for Chi Kongle, boosting her cultivation, spiritual power, and saint soul to new heights in a short time. Her strength now outstripped Chi Kunlun’s by a wide margin.
Emerging from the lotus, Chi Kongle spotted Zhang Ruochen’s back in the distance. A mischievous grin curled her lips as she crept forward, hoping to startle him.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving,” Zhang Ruochen said softly, gazing at the moon overhead.
Chi Kongle froze, as if turned to stone, all traces of her smile vanishing.
