That night, the Scholar Sect was lively, with talented scholars and beautiful ladies gathered.
The east wind unleashed a thousand blooming trees.
The phoenix flute sounded, the jade pot glowed, and all night, fish and dragons danced.
Zhang Ruochen and Nalan Danqing, disguised, joined in with lanterns, enjoying the festive atmosphere by the bonfire, engaging in archery games, discussing swordsmanship, composing poetry, and playing chess with Confucian disciples.
At dawn, they returned to North Cliff.
Nalan Danqing gazed at the fading full moon in the sky and suddenly said, “How wonderful.”
“What’s wonderful?”
Zhang Ruochen, hands behind his back, followed her.
“The Lantern Festival is wonderful, this feeling is wonderful, the moon in the sky is wonderful, everything is wonderful. Zhang Ruochen, will you promise me one thing?”
“Not just one, I’d promise ten.”
“Promising to visit me every Lantern Festival is clearly impossible. Let’s make a pact for every thousand years, to reunite once every millennium. How about on the Lantern Festival?” Nalan Danqing said.
Zhang Ruochen sighed, “A thousand years is too long!”
“But you’ll eventually return to the Hell Realm, unable to visit the Scholar Sect often. And I’m heading to the Wing World of the Bloodsky Clan, separated by countless mountains, seas, and endless stars. The Yellow Spring Galaxy in the sky is too vast, dividing the Kunlun Realm and the Hell Realm,” Nalan Danqing said.
Indeed.
The Kunlun Realm and the Wing World of the Bloodsky Clan were too far apart, not just separated by a star sea, but by life and death, by enmity and hatred.
Though Zhang Ruochen never mentioned it, Nalan Danqing already knew he would surely return to the Hell Realm.
“Fine, a thousand years then,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Nalan Danqing said, “If you don’t come to the Kunlun Realm to see me on the Lantern Festival in a thousand years, I’ll go to the Hell Realm to find you. This pact holds until you no longer wish to see me, or I no longer wish to see you. How does that sound?”
“That day will never come! Perhaps I won’t even wait a thousand years before I’m compelled to see you. Next time, I’ll surpass you, the master of the zither,” Zhang Ruochen said.
From the bamboo grove, Wan Canglan approached along the stone path, casting a cold glance at Zhang Ruochen before bidding farewell to Nalan Danqing, preparing to return to the Heavenly Court.
“Sister, wait. Could you recount in detail what happened in the Heavenly Court?” Nalan Danqing said.
Wan Canglan’s face lit up, “Has Danqing changed her mind?”
“My state of mind is complete, and I’ll soon break into the Ten Thousand Deaths, One Life Realm. I can no longer stay secluded and must venture out. Shall we talk in my cottage? Will you join us?” Nalan Danqing asked Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen was quite concerned about the events in the Heavenly Court, as Ling Feiyu, Sword Saint Xuanzhi, Luo Xu, Senior Brother Qingxiao, Senior Brother Jinyu, Senior Brother Luochen, and many other cultivators he cared about were there.
The old woman guarding North Cliff had already brewed a pot of tea in the cottage.
Wan Canglan recounted, “It all began a month ago when Great Saint Xu Xu from the Sword God Realm severely injured Great Saint Ling Xiu from the Kunlun Realm. This enraged Ling Feiyu, the leader of the Moon-Worshipping Demon Sect.”
“In her fury, Ling Feiyu sought revenge for her father, challenged Xu Xu, shattered his holy source, and crippled his cultivation.”
“Great Saints from the Sword God Realm immediately declared that either Ling Feiyu marry Xu Xu as a concubine to atone for her actions, or they would take extreme measures to cripple her cultivation.”
“Envoys from the Heavenly Palace rushed to mediate, but the Sword God Realm dismissed them, asserting that as fellow vassal realms of the Heavenly Court, Ling Feiyu’s actions were too ruthless and she must pay a price and make amends.”
“Subsequently, ten Great Saints from the Sword God Realm challenged Ling Feiyu one after another.”
“Though Ling Feiyu is strong, the Sword God Realm is filled with formidable experts. She was ultimately no match. Great Saint Canghai Yishu defeated her, striking her with twenty-seven slashes, nearly shattering her soul saint.”
At this point, Wan Canglan clearly felt a chill.
She continued, “During that battle, Shang Ziyi and Michael were watching. Everyone could see that Canghai Yishu’s cultivation far surpassed Ling Feiyu’s. The twenty-seven slashes were merely to toy with and humiliate her, while also provoking the Great Saints of the Kunlun Realm.”
“A woman from the Kunlun Realm treated this way naturally prompted other Great Saints to act.”
“Great Saint Luo Xu and Great Saint Luochen stepped in, but Canghai Yishu no longer hid his strength. With a single slash, he split the immortal holy bodies of both Luo Xu and Luochen in half, mocking that the Kunlun Realm had no one worthy of a single strike.”
“Had Supreme’s avatar not arrived in time, Luo Xu and Luochen would likely have fallen.”
“But because of this, Canghai Yishu grew even more arrogant, ridiculing that Kunlun Realm cultivators could only survive under Supreme’s protection, calling them weak and pathetic. He said if Ling Feiyu didn’t marry Xu Xu as a concubine, the Sword God Realm would keep fighting until no one in the Kunlun Realm dared respond, until they were all cowering turtles, until the Kunlun Realm lost all its holy domains and was relegated to a mortal realm.”
“Everyone knows this is a scheme by Shang Ziyi and Michael, using Canghai Yishu as a blade to deliberately provoke the Kunlun Realm’s Great Saints.”
“But with such insults, how could the Kunlun Realm’s Great Saints endure? Thus, Bookworm acted!”
“In that battle, Bookworm, cornered, broke through to the Immortal Realm. Even so, he only managed a draw against Canghai Yishu.”
Nalan Danqing said, “Who is this Canghai Yishu? Why have we never heard of him before?”
“It’s said he’s part of the Demigod Project,” Wan Canglan said.
Zhang Ruochen, toying with his teacup, his expression uncertain, said, “What’s the Demigod Project?”
Wan Canglan explained, “A thousand years ago, the Saint King Realm cultivators of the Paradise Realm faction suffered heavy losses in the Kunlun Realm, creating a gap. Initially, the gods of the Paradise Realm faction didn’t take it seriously, believing new prodigies would rise within a century.”
“But over the next few centuries, they gradually realised that while new prodigies emerged, they could hardly compare to the golden generation from a thousand years ago. If this continued, their influence in the mortal world would decline significantly over the next few millennia.”
“Besides this internal issue, there was an external one.”
“In the past millennium, the Hell Realm produced countless geniuses. Especially during the Hunt for Heaven Battle a thousand years ago, a host of exceptional Great Saints emerged, some gaining opportunities from the Hunt for Heaven Battlefield, others from the Origin God Temple. In the following centuries, they grew rapidly, putting immense pressure on all realms of the Heavenly Court.”
“To address these internal and external challenges, five hundred years ago, the Paradise Realm faction launched the Demigod Project.”
“The Demigod Project involves selecting the most outstanding young Saint Kings and Great Saints for secret training, providing them with the best cultivation resources, teachers, and training methods.”
“It’s said that Demigod Project members can freely enter the Time God Temple, Space God Temple, and Light God Temple for cultivation. At least three gods are always present to preach and resolve their doubts.”
“They also receive countless rewards, including Emperor-Grade Holy Pills and Supreme Holy Artifacts.”
“This group of Demigod Project cultivators has been absent for five hundred years. Before the Red Dust Assembly, Canghai Yishu, a previously unknown figure, caused a massive stir in the Heavenly Court. Who knows what heights Shang Ziyi, Michael, Zhou Yu, and Fairy Guna, already renowned a thousand years ago, have reached?”
“Not to mention, the Paradise Realm has its veteran Great Saint trio, ranked high on the Red Dust Peerless List, their strength unfathomable.”
In terms of foundation, the Kunlun Realm is a hundred times inferior to the Paradise Realm.
With ten thousand years of development, the Paradise Realm’s cultivation resources and number of gods are beyond the imagination of mortal cultivators. The Kunlun Realm, broken for ten thousand years and only revived for a millennium, cannot compare.
In terms of genius numbers, even with surviving Middle Ages cultivators, the Kunlun Realm lags far behind the entire Paradise Realm faction.
The Paradise Realm faction can mobilise vast resources, leveraging the Time God Temple, Space God Temple, Light God Temple, and even the Heaven-Passing God Temple, Blood Sea Hidden Heaven God Temple, Sword God Temple, and other major temples to focus on nurturing young Great Saints.
The Kunlun Realm cannot match this, making their cultivation speed incomparable.
One is the supreme realm dominating the Western Universe for ten thousand years, the other a broken world revived for just a millennium. The gap is like heaven and earth.
Wan Canglan said, “Though Bookworm broke through to the Immortal Realm, the Sword God Realm shows no sign of ceasing conflict, declaring they’ll soon challenge the lords of the Kunlun Realm’s holy domains. Unless Ling Feiyu agrees to marry Xu Xu as a concubine, they won’t relent and will fight to the end. Were the situation not dire, I wouldn’t have come to you.”
Nalan Danqing glanced at Zhang Ruochen, “The Sword God Realm knows this is impossible yet presses so aggressively. Their intentions are vicious.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “First provoke, then enrage, and finally kill with a borrowed blade. That’s Shang Ziyi’s style! His open schemes are traps you must jump into. Compromise, and you lose not just your life, but your dignity.”
“Supreme has finally returned, allowing the Kunlun Realm to develop in a relatively fair environment. If the Kunlun Realm’s Great Saints yield, they lose not only their own dignity but Supreme’s as well, never to hold their heads high in the Heavenly Court again.”
“You know Shang Ziyi?” Wan Canglan asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, “We’re quite acquainted.”
Wan Canglan snorted coldly.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Shang Ziyi’s open scheme is actually easy to break.”
“You make it sound simple. This isn’t just an open scheme but a clash of strength. The Paradise Realm’s ultimate goal is to suppress the Kunlun Realm and prevent its rise,” Wan Canglan said.
Zhang Ruochen finished his tea, “To break an open scheme, use their own methods against them. As for strength, yes, the Kunlun Realm’s current power is far inferior to the Paradise Realm, even to the Sword God Realm. But if the Paradise Realm can borrow the Sword God Realm’s blade, why can’t the Kunlun Realm borrow a blade too?”
“Which blade?” Wan Canglan asked.
Zhang Ruochen gazed at the Yellow Spring Galaxy beyond the sky, “The sharpest blade in the mortal world.”
