Qifeng Island, the fifth largest island on this planet, is home to nearly ten million members of the Yanluo clan.
The people of the Yanluo clan are born with immense strength; even ordinary individuals can lift an elephant with one hand. Naturally, there are many cultivators among them.
Upon arriving at the island, Zhang Ruochen found a simple tea stall at a rudimentary dock, drinking bitter, slightly scalding tea from a coarse clay bowl.
The tea was ordinary, unremarkable.
Yet, as it touched his lips, it calmed Zhang Ruochen’s mind, reminding him of the original resolve that set him on the path of cultivation.
Had there been no grudges, no relentless pressures bearing down on him, no distinguished titles like “Crown Prince of Shengming” or “Ninth Prince,” he might have lived a peaceful, stable life.
Instead, he was here on this planet with a purpose, to seize, to kill, to slaughter a group of low-realm cultivators and mortals with whom he had no personal enmity.
These were tasks he had to undertake, yet they were not what his heart truly desired.
When had he become this person, so far removed from his initial aspirations? Where did the path ahead lie?
Zhang Ruochen gazed at the yellowish tea in the bowl.
The reflection of himself in the water felt so unfamiliar, almost unrecognisable!
*Gulp.*
Finishing the bowl, Zhang Ruochen steadied his emotions, his gaze sharpening intensely.
The path forward must still be walked.
He had no way back; a single step in retreat would mean utter destruction.
*Whoosh!*
A hundred points of spiritual energy burst from Zhang Ruochen’s body, scattering across Qifeng Island, transforming into a hundred spiritual clones.
Soon, in a small city, one of his spiritual clones overheard two Immortal Realm Great Sages stationed on the island discussing something that caught his attention.
“A Buddhist light has appeared in the Arctic, illuminating a thousand miles. It seems the opportunity of our clan’s star has emerged, likely to be claimed by Yan Wushen.”
“The news I received is that a Buddhist rainbow bridge has appeared in the Arctic, spanning the glacial continent. Buddhist chants are emanating from underground, like the homage of ten thousand Buddhas.”
“Initially, Yan Huangtu speculated that the opportunity of our clan’s star might be a Buddha’s relic. After all, the Buddhist aura there is extraordinarily potent, of astonishing quality, and there have been visions of a Buddha and a bodhi tree.”
“Haven’t you heard the latest news?”
“What latest news?”
In a low voice, the other said, “It’s said that the Buddhist treasure, the Mirror Platform, might also be there.”
…
At first, Zhang Ruochen listened intently.
But upon hearing “Buddha’s relic” and “Mirror Platform,” a smile crept onto his face, and he shook his head lightly.
Since the dawn of Buddhism, countless millennia have passed, yet only six beings have earned the title of “Buddha.”
The last, revered as the “Sixth Patriarch” by Buddhist practitioners, passed into nirvana in the previous era, before the establishment of the Heavenly Court.
Since then, no Buddha has emerged in the world.
Upon the Sixth Patriarch’s nirvana, he left behind 84,000 relics, known as Buddha’s relics, supreme treasures of Buddhism. Every Bodhisattva and Buddha seeks one to comprehend the profound methods of attaining Buddhahood.
However, of these 84,000 relics, 83,990 transformed into the Mirror Platform at the moment of their creation. Only ten Buddha’s relics remained, each enshrined in one of Buddhism’s ten sacred sites.
How could a treasure like a Buddha’s relic end up in the Hell Realm?
As for the Mirror Platform, legend holds that it was not merely formed from 83,990 Buddha’s relics. Later, someone, by unknown means, forged it into a Buddhist artifact.
As a weapon, the Mirror Platform’s power rivals that of divine artifacts.
As a Buddhist treasure, it aids practitioners in attaining enlightenment.
As the crystallisation of Buddha’s relics, it can enlighten civilisations, awaken intelligence in beings, and imbue all things with spirituality.
In short, the Mirror Platform is a treasure more precious than divine artifacts.
“Buddha’s relic, Mirror Platform, it seems Yan Huangtu intends to use them as bait to lure me, Lanying, and Que to the Arctic glacial continent.”
Zhang Ruochen recalled his spiritual clones, thinking to himself.
He saw through the trap, yet he could not suppress the stirring in his heart, his gaze involuntarily turning northward.
The northern sky indeed shimmered with faint golden clouds.
If anything could surpass consuming an Imperial Sacred Will Pill to comprehend a supreme sacred will of a single path, it would undoubtedly be a Buddha’s relic.
If anything could surpass consuming a Quasi-Imperial Sacred Will Pill to aid in merging sacred wills, the Mirror Platform would surely be among them.
Yan Huangtu knew that, for Zhang Ruochen, Lanying, and Que, cultivating and merging sacred wills were currently paramount, hence the spread of such news.
If they did not go, their minds would be unsettled, unable to focus on cultivation.
“Fine! For the sake of merging a first-grade sacred will, even if this news has only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of being true, I must go.”
Zhang Ruochen was acutely aware of how perilous his current path was, so he could not afford to miss any opportunity.
He cut a small wound on his right index finger, letting a drop of Great Sage blood drip into the tea bowl.
The water in the bowl boiled, transforming into a cloud of blood mist.
The mist coalesced into another Zhang Ruochen.
The clone soared into the air, heading north.
The two Immortal Realm Great Sages stationed on Qifeng Island sensed something as the clone passed overhead. They exchanged a glance, about to send a message to Yan Huangtu.
Suddenly.
*Boom!*
The entirety of Qifeng Island, stretching over a thousand miles, was crushed by a terrifying spatial pressure, shattering mountains and rivers, sinking the land.
Mountains flattened, all structures pulverised.
In moments, the entire island sank into the sea, countless Yanluo clan members perishing, unaware of their enemy’s whereabouts until their deaths.
“Heavens! What… what just happened?”
“Has the planet been destroyed?”
…
At the dock, Yanluo clan members unloading cargo collapsed in fear.
They had just witnessed the earth-shattering spectacle; except for the dock, everything else had become part of the sea.
The tea stall’s brewer, trembling and weak, stared at Zhang Ruochen, still seated calmly on the bench.
This young man had remained serene from start to finish.
Yet, the brewer had seen with his own eyes that when this young man raised and lowered his palm, a vast expanse of land vanished before him.
“It… it was you… you devil… devil…” the brewer stammered in terror.
Zhang Ruochen stood, intending to settle the bill, but realised he carried no money. So, he plucked a hair from his head, placed it on the table, and said, “This, for the tea.”
He turned to leave.
The brewer, summoning courage, shouted angrily, “Why didn’t you kill us too?”
Zhang Ruochen looked skyward, silent for a moment, then said, “Those I can see are still living people. Those I cannot see are already ants.”
*Whoosh!*
A flash of golden light, and Zhang Ruochen was gone.
The brewer struggled to his feet, looking at the hair on the table.
“One hair as payment for tea? Who… who does he think he is?”
As the brewer’s fingers touched the hair, a surge of holy power, too overwhelming for him, flooded his body.
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
The two Immortal Realm Great Sages of the Yanluo clan emerged from the sea, both gravely injured.
“Quick, send word to Yan Huangtu. Qifeng Island has been sunk by Zhang Ruochen, and he’s headed north.”
…
The Arctic of the Yanluo clan’s home star was once a glacial continent, but now, most of the thousands of metres of ice had melted, revealing black soil and rock.
The air was crisp.
The sky was covered with golden clouds, beams of light piercing through gaps in the clouds.
Landing on the continent, Zhang Ruochen listened closely and faintly heard Buddhist chants from afar.
There was more than one chanter.
“The Buddhist aura here is so rich; after breathing it in, my spiritual power has noticeably increased. Such a treasure land couldn’t have been created by Yan Wushen or Yan Huangtu. It seems the opportunity of the Yanluo clan’s star is indeed here.”
“In a place so rich with Buddhist aura, spiritual treasures of heaven and earth must have formed, which could enhance spiritual power if consumed.”
Zhang Ruochen advanced, releasing his spiritual power to probe.
The deeper he went into the continent, the denser the Buddhist aura became, reaching an astonishing level. If he didn’t know he was in the Hell Realm, he would have thought he’d arrived at a Buddhist sacred site.
The rules of heaven and earth shifted dramatically.
With his current cultivation, Zhang Ruochen could only harness the holy rules within his body, unable to draw on the power of the world’s rules.
Moreover, the space was filled with dao locks.
“Why are there dao locks? Could this be the Buddhist realm of a Buddha?”
Zhang Ruochen’s heart held both anticipation and heightened caution.
He anticipated that such an extraordinary Buddhist realm must contain supreme Buddhist treasures.
Yet, he was wary, for the presence of dao locks meant the Yanluo clan had likely set an inescapable trap, and the path ahead was fraught with danger.
So-called “dao locks” are chains of the heavenly dao.
Like the shackles within a cultivator’s body, heavenly dao locks suppress a cultivator’s power, some binding the physical body, others the holy soul, and others spiritual power…
The more dao locks, the greater the suppression on a cultivator.
Typically, a god’s divine realm contains numerous dao locks, formed from the god’s own dao.
Ahead, a majestic mountain appeared.
The mountain’s shape resembled a massive sleeping Buddha, hundreds of miles long.
Above the mountain, golden clouds shone brilliantly.
Standing five hundred miles away, Zhang Ruochen gazed at the sleeping Buddha, feeling awe and a profound reverence, further convinced that this place was extraordinary and held great opportunities.
“Zhang Ruochen, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!”
Ahead, a graceful figure emerged from behind a snowy hill.
It was a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in white, strikingly beautiful, with long black hair, holding a three-foot-long brush.
She exuded an air of elegance and scholarly refinement.
Her demeanor was somewhat akin to that of the Saintly Book Talent.
Yet, she carried an additional sharpness and coldness.
Though she had not reached the perfection of the Hundred-Shackle Realm, having broken only ninety-nine shackles, Zhang Ruochen sensed a dangerous aura from her.
In the Hunting Heaven Battlefield today, fewer than ten people could evoke such a sense of danger in him.
“Who are you?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Yanluo clan, Yan Zhexian,” she replied.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I’ve seen your profile. They say you’re the most talented spiritual genius of the Yanluo clan’s generation, once guided by a Supreme.”
“Is that all you know about me?” Yan Zhexian asked.
Zhang Ruochen studied her closely and said, “You’re under three hundred years old. Your expertise lies in talismans, correct? Your spiritual power has just reached the sixty-fifth tier. I suspect you achieved this breakthrough here, with the aid of this place’s opportunities.”
“It seems you have some discernment. No wonder Yan Wushen considers you his greatest enemy.”
Yan Zhexian continued, “Unfortunately, you shouldn’t have come alone to the Yanluo clan’s home star, nor should you have unleashed such slaughter. Throughout history, those as reckless as you have all met their end without a grave. You will be no exception.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “You think you can make me meet such a fate?”
Yan Zhexian raised her brush, pointing it at Zhang Ruochen, and said, “With me.”
*Boom!*
Zhang Ruochen stood still, as countless spatial cracks erupted from his body, like dozens of blades slashing toward Yan Zhexian.
Constrained by the dao locks, even a Great Sage could not unleash earth-shattering destructive power here.
Yan Zhexian’s wrist twisted, her brush moving like a dragon, swiftly drawing a circular talisman.
Instantly, dense light patterns enveloped her body.
*Bang! Bang!*
The spatial cracks collided with the light patterns, dissipating into nothingness.
“Heavenly Halberd!”
Yan Zhexian’s slender form floated upward, her brush slashing toward Zhang Ruochen.
The brush stroke transformed into a war halberd, shooting out like a meteor.
With a *bang*, Zhang Ruochen’s body was pierced by the halberd, turning into a wisp of blood mist that dispersed into the air.
Yan Zhexian’s eyes were cold as she called out, “Zhang Ruochen, I know your true body is nearby. Show yourself!”
“I must say, the Yanluo clan is indeed full of hidden talents, far stronger than I imagined.”
Zhang Ruochen’s form appeared out of thin air, hands behind his back, walking toward Yan Zhexian. He said, “But facing me with just you alone, isn’t that underestimating me?”
“Of course, it’s not just me. But if you can’t even defeat me, there’s no need for the others to show themselves.” Confidence gleamed in Yan Zhexian’s starry eyes, her beautiful figure exuding an even more captivating aura.
Facing a powerhouse like Zhang Ruochen, she felt not fear but exhilaration.
Her joy was concealed within.
“Forbidden Realm Talisman.”
Yan Zhexian’s delicate hand wielded the brush, writing the character “Realm” in the air, which flew toward Zhang Ruochen.
To others, it was merely the character “Realm.” To Zhang Ruochen, it was a vast, majestic world pressing down on him. This world felt utterly real, exerting tangible pressure, nothing like an illusion.
