Qingmu Continent abounds in spiritual qi and sacred qi. Divine veins flow beneath the ground, forming patches of divine soil that nurture immense cultivation resources. Divine mountains, wondrous valleys, and spiritual rivers are densely scattered.
Tai Qing and Yu Qing have never preached widely in the Sword Realm. Thus, although the cultivation environment is exceptional, the beings born here do not possess particularly powerful cultivation.
Like the original Jiannan Realm, where native beings groped their own way to cultivation methods, reaching Great Saint realm was already heaven-defying talent.
The Sword Realm’s cultivation environment is naturally far superior to Jiannan Realm. In some ancient ruins, exceptionally clever beings have indeed, relying on incomplete ancient cultivation methods left behind, reached godhood.
Yet in the eyes of Immeasurable Realm divine spirits like Tai Qing and Yu Qing, ordinary godhood counts for little.
They have not yet caught their notice.
At the extreme eastern end of Qingmu Continent, in the azure great ocean, the rules of heaven and earth raged violently. Air currents formed from the fusion of two worlds caused towering tsunamis and ferocious winds.
The fusion of worlds is a gradual process.
Three months later, a magnificent continent fully emerged, separated from Qingmu Continent only by a sea strait dozens of li wide.
This continent was none other than Qiankun Realm.
Qiankun Realm was already vast enough, yet compared to Qingmu Continent it was merely a somewhat larger island.
Zhang Ruochen dispersed the divine light shielding Qiankun Realm and descended from mid-air, standing beneath the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree. Feeling the sacred qi of the Sword Realm blow towards him with the wind, brushing his face, he revealed a trace of delighted smile.
Beneath the location of Qiankun Realm flowed a main divine vein. Because the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree’s roots pierced into the divine vein, innate divine qi continuously exhaled from its leaves, causing constant transformation in the surrounding heaven and earth.
“From now on, this place shall be Qiankun Continent.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Kong Lanyou stood beside him. Her white hair fluttered in the wind. On her coldly beautiful face appeared a faint smile. “Is Cousin planning to restore the nation on this continent and recreate the glory of Shengming?”
Within Qiankun Realm lived large numbers of descendants of former Shengming ministers. After years of proliferation, the population had increased a hundredfold or more.
Though in Zhang Ruochen’s view rebuilding the Shengming Central Empire held little meaning now, many cultivators still cherished it in their hearts as remembrance of the old Shengming.
Kong Lanyou was one such person.
Kong Lanyou knew Zhang Ruochen’s vision and ambition had long transcended one family or nation, focusing instead on the entire universe. Still she said, “There are already many humans on Qiankun Continent. Cities stand one after another. Sects, families, and gangs have all emerged. With this uniquely favoured cultivation environment, population will surely explode henceforth, producing an endless stream of geniuses and experts.”
“Without a nation to civilise, govern, and guide them, internal strife will be ceaseless. For long-term consideration, establishing an empire is imperative.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled. “You have spent years in Qiankun Realm and understand this world better than I. Very well. The matter of founding a nation I leave to you.”
Kong Lanyou said, “I can help Cousin establish an empire and govern Qiankun Continent for a time. However, the empire’s sovereign must bear the surname Zhang.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. “I have no time to act as a worldly emperor on Qiankun Continent.”
Standing not far behind Kong Lanyou, Kong Xuan smiled slyly. “That is simple. Chi Kunlun can be emperor of the First Central Empire in Kunlun Realm. Cannot Young Master and Master also produce an emperor?”
Hearing this, Kong Lanyou surprisingly did not reprimand Kong Xuan.
Truth be told, after a millennium of cultivation together in Qiankun Realm, the bond between Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou had grown profoundly deep. Yet it resembled kinship, friendship, and of course included sentiments between man and woman, though those occupied only a small portion.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was calm and gentle as he looked at Kong Lanyou. “What do you think?”
Kong Lanyou had remained composed, but at Zhang Ruochen’s direct question her snowy cheeks flushed crimson. She transformed into a stream of light and vanished into the void.
Kong Xuan had refined a divine source and become a false god. Her eyes filled with reproach. “How could Young Master ask Master so directly? Master has waited for you all these years, even willing to abandon everything and leave Kunlun Realm to follow you east and west. Her feelings: do you truly not understand?”
Zhang Ruochen stared at her intently. A mere false god dared to lecture him, a great god.
Kong Xuan felt she stood on the side of righteousness and feared nothing. She met Zhang Ruochen’s gaze, seeking justice for her master.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression gradually softened. “You are my maidservant. How can you speak in favour of an outsider? By the way, when did you take her as master?”
“Taking a master is for cultivating mental power. In future I shall cross the Yuan Hui tribulation with mental power.” Kong Xuan added, “In your eyes, is Master truly an outsider?”
“Kong Xuan…”
Zhang Ruochen rebuked her, left the words “behave yourself”, then pursued in the direction Kong Lanyou had fled.
Three days later…
Here three days means three literal days.
Three days later, Zhang Ruochen stood aboard an eight-zhang bamboo-leaf boat flying through the dark void, having departed the Sword Realm.
This bamboo-leaf boat was a divine vessel refined by Yu Qing. Though small, its speed was astonishingly swift, beyond comparison with ordinary divine ships.
The matter of Wu Yue’s loss of chastity would surely cause enormous upheaval outside. Though Zhang Ruochen trusted the Blood Jue War God and Xinghuan Heaven’s capabilities, how could he hide perpetually in the Sword Realm while they fought the enemy?
This affair was no trivial matter. Many lives would be lost.
Not to mention elsewhere, Zhang Ruochen had to personally visit Xu Tian at the very least.
He had thought it through clearly. Should Xu Tian truly be forced into the Infernal Court main war faction, wielding the immense authority of the Temple of Destiny, let alone placing the Blood Jue War God in peril, Xinghuan Heaven and Xing Tian Ya would likely be uprooted by the Infernal Court taking advantage.
Though meeting Xu Tian carried great risk.
Yet in such turbulent times, what action lacked risk?
Only by pressing boldly forward could one part the clouds and see the sun.
Kong Lanyou remained on Qiankun Continent, but Luo Ji insisted on accompanying Zhang Ruochen outward. She believed only she had a chance to persuade the Old Heavenly Lord to change his mind.
At that moment, Luo Ji was consulting Yu Qing on doubts regarding Daoist teachings.
Zhang Ruochen stood at the stern and finally could not resist asking the Dragon Lord, “Ancestors Yu Qing and Tai Qing have lived in seclusion for two hundred thousand years, long faded from worldly affairs. How exactly did Uncle Dragon persuade them?”
The Dragon Lord stood profound as mountain and abyss, carrying an aura of sole supremacy. Yet the smile on his face softened that draconic majesty keeping others at bay. “Do you think mere secluded cultivation allows endless advancement? Even a figure like Xu Fengjin eventually grows restless in stillness.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Uncle Dragon means the two Ancestors already intended to emerge?”
The Dragon Lord nodded. “Even without my visit, upon learning I and Tai Shang still live, they would likely return to Kunlun. Whether they would fight for Heavenly Court is unknown. However, there is one prerequisite: first clarify the cause of Shang Qing’s death! On this point there will be no ambiguity.”
“Surely not only for this reason?” Zhang Ruochen said.
The Dragon Lord smiled. “Indeed! Would Immeasurable Realm divine spirits truly be spineless cowards content to accept fate and await the Quantity Tribulation without resistance? Ruochen, in truth the greatest reason lies with you.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly. “Uncle Dragon would not truly place the burden of opposing the Quantity Tribulation upon me? In my view, Uncle Dragon possesses peerless talent and can swiftly become invincible across the heavens, far more reliable than this junior.”
How could a world-shocking genius like the Dragon Lord lack pride?
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s words, sharp light indeed flashed in the Dragon Lord’s eyes like twin eternal divine suns. Yet he soon shook his head and smiled. “I am I, you are you. I have ambition to prop up collapsing heavens. And you? Ruochen, you possess what I lack! I favour you more than I favour myself.”
Unwilling to say more and affect Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation mindset, the Dragon Lord said, “Cultivate diligently! Speaking of the Quantity Tribulation is still far off. For you now, several deadly hurdles lie immediately ahead. Each is a tribulation of life and death.”
Zhang Ruochen needed no further reminder. He could already imagine how perilous his situation would be upon leaving.
Merely the exposure of his martial dao cultivation posed a crisis several times more dangerous than Wu Yue’s scheme.
“Consume the divine pill your Ancestor Tai Qing bestowed now and raise your cultivation swiftly. If you now… need not Immeasurable Realm cultivation, but merely Taixu Realm, many matters would become far easier to handle. Your hurdles would also be simpler to cross.” The Dragon Lord said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Though erasing the Sword God of Name’s memories left traces, I believe it can still be remedied. Delaying the Sword Realm’s secret exposure by even one day increases our advantage.”
How could the Dragon Lord not understand this principle?
As long as sword dao profound truths and the Famous Lord Sword remained concealed longer, even if suspicion arose it would not be critical.
Tai Qing was not only a sword dao master and Daoist giant but also a grandmaster of mental power and pill dao. He gifted Zhang Ruochen an entire furnace of Taiyi Divine Pills.
Indeed, an entire furnace.
Whether because pill-refining materials abounded in the Sword Realm or because no disciple under Tai Qing could use Taiyi Divine Pills, in any case he handed over a furnace of long-dusted divine pills to Zhang Ruochen.
Claiming they were practice pills refined tens of thousands of years ago while studying pill dao, never put to use.
One furnace: eight pills in total.
Taiyi Divine Pills were naturally precious, priceless treasures to peak upper gods and Taiyi great gods. Yet why be polite with one’s own Ancestor?
Zhang Ruochen accepted immediately, not daring the slightest refusal.
In terms of actual cultivation realm, Zhang Ruochen positioned himself at mid-Taiyi Realm.
To advance from mid-Taiyi to peak Taiyi required at minimum increasing his internal rule divine patterns tenfold. Zhang Ruochen estimated several millennia of arduous cultivation.
Even with the Sundial, it would consume twenty or thirty years.
Yet with Taiyi Divine Pills, this time would shorten tenfold or more.
Activating the Sundial, Zhang Ruochen swallowed one Taiyi Divine Pill and began cultivating aboard the bamboo-leaf boat.
Not merely refining the divine pill, but also borrowing the unique environment of the Dark Triangle Star Domain to comprehend the Dao of Darkness and the Dao of Time.
Of course, with the strict Ancestor Yu Qing aboard, how could sword dao be neglected?
