“Sovereign? Easier said than done.” The Blood Absolute War God said.
Zhang Ruchen said, “The nine eternal ancient paths, the seventy-two supreme saint paths, the three thousand great paths, the one hundred thousand minor paths. Including the thirty-six heavenly paths of the ten clans of the Infernal Realms.”
“For the eternal ancient, supreme, and heavenly paths, becoming a sovereign may be exceedingly difficult.”
“But for the three thousand great paths and the one hundred thousand minor paths, to grasp more than half of the mysteries, there should be some opportunity, no?”
The Blood Absolute War God shook his head and said, “Have you ever seen any Great Saint primarily cultivating the saint will of the one hundred thousand minor paths? Those primarily cultivating the three thousand great paths are also exceedingly rare, are they not?”
Zhang Ruchen’s heart stirred as understanding dawned.
Earlier, he had fallen into the blind spot of thinking as a saint-realm cultivator.
For cultivators pursuing the saint paths, primarily cultivating one of the three thousand great paths offered a chance to step into the saint realm.
But primarily cultivating the three thousand great paths and one hundred thousand minor paths made becoming a god as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
If one could not even become a god, what of wielding mysteries after becoming one?
What of becoming the principal god or sovereign of a path?
Cultivating to godhood raised the requirements far, far beyond cultivating to sainthood.
Zhang Ruchen said, “Does that not mean that the contention for mysteries primarily occurs among the nine eternal ancient paths, the seventy-two supreme saint paths, and the thirty-six heavenly paths of the Infernal Realms?”
The Blood Absolute War God nodded and said, “The three thousand great paths are difficult to cultivate, the seventy-two supreme saint paths and thirty-six heavenly paths difficult to contend for. These, you will naturally understand once you step into the divine realm. As for the mysteries of the nine eternal ancient paths, they involve struggles at an even higher level.”
“Please explain more, Maternal Grandfather.” Zhang Ruchen still found it quite difficult to comprehend.
The Blood Absolute War God thought for a moment before continuing, “In truth, the most difficult to cultivate in heaven and earth are the nine eternal ancient paths. They demand extreme talent from cultivators, and whether one is a controller of the eternal ancient paths is all the more crucial. In one Yuanhui, how many controllers of the eternal ancient paths can be born?”
“Why does the Truth Divine Temple disseminate the Truth Mysteries? A great reason is to use the mysteries to aid cultivators in practising the Truth Path.”
“Beyond that, grasping the mysteries of the eternal ancient paths is also an exceedingly arduous matter.”
“The myriad paths of the world, the seventy-two supreme saint paths, the thirty-six heavenly paths of the Infernal Realms, the three thousand great paths, the one hundred thousand minor paths, all derive from the nine eternal ancient paths.”
“The nine eternal ancient paths evolve into the three thousand great paths.”
“The three thousand great paths evolve into the one hundred thousand minor paths.”
“As for the seventy-two supreme saint paths and thirty-six heavenly paths, the vast majority are not innately born but paths created by cultivators fusing the three thousand great paths and one hundred thousand minor paths through cultivation.”
“For instance, Sword Dao, Palm Dao, Fist Dao, Demonic Dao do not exist innately in heaven and earth; they are creations of cultivators. As more and more cultivators practise them, the Sword Dao Rules, Palm Dao Rules, Fist Dao Rules, Demonic Dao Rules in heaven and earth also multiply.”
“These rules, because they were cultivated by historical sages and roam freely in heaven and earth, are easier to mobilise than the three thousand great paths and one hundred thousand minor paths. Thus, they can become supreme paths.”
“Of course, among the three thousand great paths, some are also created postnatally by cultivators. But they can only be classed as great paths; since they are deficient in existence, why cultivate them? Better to practise the seventy-two supreme saint paths and thirty-six heavenly paths.”
Zhang Ruchen keenly seized upon a point and said, “Does that not mean that the more prosperous Sword Dao becomes, the more Sword Dao Rules there are in heaven and earth? The power erupting from Sword Dao Mysteries grows stronger?”
“When Sword Dao Rules reach a certain quantity, will it not disrupt the inherent balance of heaven and earth’s rules?”
“The same should hold for other paths.”
The Blood Absolute War God stared at Zhang Ruchen for a long time, his gaze complex and profound.
“This question, no one can answer you. Any path created by living beings, once it flourishes to a certain extent, will inevitably decline after reaching its peak.”
“Like the already declined Witch Dao.”
“The Witch Dao of old, how glorious it was! But heaven and earth would not allow it to continue in glory, so the rules of heaven and earth changed, and the Witch Dao thereby invited catastrophic destruction.”
Zhang Ruchen said, “But with the passage of time, the paths artificially created by man will only increase. The Sword Dao Rules, Palm Dao Rules, Fist Dao Rules in heaven and earth… grow every moment.”
“One Yuanhui, ten Yuanhui, even a thousand Yuanhui, ten thousand Yuanhui, continuing thus, heaven and earth’s capacity to bear will eventually…”
“That is enough for today!”
The Blood Absolute War God evidently did not wish to continue discussing this with Zhang Ruchen and said, “For you, impacting the divine realm is the urgent matter at hand. As for mysteries, ponder them slowly for now; there is no rush. After all, for divine spirits, if one’s cultivation is not sufficiently powerful, one cannot unleash the power of mysteries either.”
“No matter the time, cultivation is the foundation, the most important.”
Leaving the divine realm world, Zhang Ruchen’s thoughts remained unsettled, always feeling that the Blood Absolute War God was deliberately concealing something, not wanting him to know.
Or rather, not wanting him to know now.
Zhang Ruchen’s thoughts stirred, and he secretly mobilised the Sword Dao Rules of heaven and earth.
Numerous Sword Dao Rules converged towards him, flowing around him, evolving the space within dozens of zhang of him into a sword domain. In the sword domain, countless sword qi were born, swishing as they flew.
But these Sword Dao Rules were not mobilised through Sword Dao Mysteries but summoned by the Heavenly Sword Soul.
The quantity was quite limited.
“Why can I not wield Sword Dao Mysteries again? It seems I must ponder more.”
Zhang Ruchen temporarily cast aside the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind, deciding that next he would devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivating saint path rules, putting mysteries aside for now. After all, mysteries were something only divine spirits could grasp.
For now, understand as much as he could!
…
The Tianluo Divine Kingdom is the foremost among the seven divine kingdoms of the Rakshasa Clan.
The Luozu Yunshan Realm is the foremost perilous land of the Rakshasa Clan, located within the stellar domain ruled by the Tianluo Divine Kingdom.
Legend has it that the Luozu Yunshan Realm was formed from the body of the Demon Ancestor Luo Hou after his death, when it fell and transformed into a world.
Zhang Ruchen originally did not believe this legend, but after seeing the outline of the Luozu Yunshan Realm in the starry sky, he believed it a fraction more, feeling an indescribable shock in his heart.
The Luozu Yunshan Realm resembled a person standing in the void, the size of an ordinary human body, but this was viewed from tens of millions of li away.
As the divine ship flew closer, it became a giant.
Then, a planetary giant.
Finally, a cosmic giant.
A true humanoid world unfolded before Zhang Ruchen. The world was riddled with holes, demonic qi permeating everywhere; even the crimson atmosphere carried a bloody scent.
“The universe is vast, full of wonders.”
“Why is the Luozu Yunshan Realm called the foremost perilous land of the Rakshasa Clan?”
Zhang Ruchen harboured vigilance towards the Luozu Yunshan Realm, fastening the War God Belt around his waist. If they schemed for the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription and sought to kill him, the Blood Absolute War God could sense it immediately.
Luo Ji accompanied him, smiling as she said, “Because the Luozu Yunshan Realm is sealed most of the time, even hidden in the starry sky, invisible to cultivators.”
“But once one mistakenly intrudes into the Luozu Yunshan Realm, even Rakshasa Clan cultivators face certain death.”
Gushay Jing, in a plain robe with her long hair coiled up, said in an icy tone, “The Luozu Yunshan Realm has strict rules, countless places rife with killing. Once crossing the realm gate, you must stick close to me. If you get lost and die in the Luozu Yunshan Realm, do not blame me for not warning you then.”
“If I die in the Luozu Yunshan Realm, it will surely be because you covet the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription and murder me. My maternal grandfather and mother will certainly avenge me.” Zhang Ruchen said.
Gushay Jing snorted coldly: “Would the Luozu Yunshan Realm fear the Blood Absolute War God?”
“Is that so? It seems you truly harbour ill intentions. Such a perilous land, I shall not go! If you wish to comprehend the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription, come find me at the Da Luo Divine Palace in the Tianluo Divine Kingdom, and remember to bring Mu Lingxi.” Zhang Ruchen’s gaze was stern, not appearing to jest.
Gushay Jing’s ample bosom heaved violently with anger, her eyes shooting forth cold glares.
At that moment, the realm gate of the Luozu Yunshan Realm opened.
From the realm gate to the starry sky rushed a long ribbon of demonic qi light mist forming a path. A group of Rakshasas in blood robes unfurled their demonic wings and flew towards the starry sky.
Some Rakshasas also spotted Gushay Jing and the others, immediately flying over to greet them.
…
In the last two days, I have been writing the detailed outline for what follows. Because one plot arc has ended, and a new plot must unfold. Writing the new plot is not so easy. Many settings and conceptions must be prepared first, which takes a great deal of mental energy, so updates have been very slow.
This is unavoidable; one cannot simply open Word and charge ahead! Cannot charge ahead!
