The Dao of Reincarnation (458-459) (Patreon)

Chapter 458: Sun and Moon Illuminate Mountains and Rivers (Part 17)

Within the Mountains and Rivers Sect.

Long Jueshen's feeling was not wrong. Su Chen was indeed watching him.

Looking at the extremely shocked Ling Jiuxiao in the scene, Su Chen felt quite satisfied. It had not been in vain that he had gone to such great lengths to construct this secret realm.

"A True Immortal realm dragon is perfect to replace that mixed-blood fire dragon guarding the mountain gate."

Su Chen's gaze turned toward the mountain gate.

At that moment, the fire dragon that had been lying to the side in deep sleep suddenly awakened.

For some unknown reason, a bad premonition arose in its heart.

Afterward, Su Chen lowered his head once more and looked at a tree beneath the cliff.

Wang Shu, who seemed to notice something, suddenly felt a wave of guilt.

During this period, his strength had grown even more powerful. A single leaf could crush mountains and rivers.

This made Wang Shu a bit more confident.

Yet for the sake of making the "prison break" plan more secure, Wang Shu decided to wait until his cultivation crossed that threshold.

"That person should not have discovered my plan, right?"

Probably... possibly... maybe.

Wang Shu felt somewhat lacking in confidence.

Fortunately, that gaze was merely a fleeting glance and quickly shifted away.

Beneath the cliff, the Mountains and Rivers Sect, stars stretched boundlessly. Countless small worlds hung suspended. Springs of vital energy transformed into waterfalls that swept down from the nine heavens, appearing like a mortal immortal realm.

...

Desolate Domain.

Ling Jiuxiao cultivated assiduously within the secret realm.

Time flowed swiftly. Several years passed in the blink of an eye.

Ling Jiuxiao's cultivation finally broke through to the Saint realm.

At the same time, he had preliminarily comprehended one percent of the Northern Nether Heavenly Scripture. His strength soared violently, filling Ling Jiuxiao with extreme confidence.

As the astonishing celestial phenomena gradually dispersed, Ling Jiuxiao's slender figure gradually manifested. The sun, moon, and stars seemed to move because of him. Surging blood qi further manifested one divine demon incarnation after another!

Ling Jiuxiao's expression was filled with delight.

"So strong... My current strength absolutely need not fear the many Saints of the Desolate Domain!"

Ling Jiuxiao wished he could roar toward the heavens.

The Elder also sighed with emotion. "You brat have finally reached this step. Even among the ancient and modern heavenly prides this old man knows, few have reached your step at this age."

Becoming a Saint at twenty-five years old!

Long Jueshen, who lay on Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder, looked at the two with disdain in his eyes. The dogs that guarded the entrance of his cave dwellings were born as Saints. Living beings born with innate physiques comparable to Emperor-level flesh were ones he had seen countless times, and those living beings did not even possess the qualification to meet him.

Country bumpkins who had never seen the wider world.

Better to continue sleeping.

Ling Jiuxiao glanced at the still deeply sleeping little dragon and thought in his heart about whether to stew this lazy fellow.

Yet thinking of the sect,

"If this fellow can be cultivated by the sect and serve as a protective divine beast of the sect, that would also be a rather good choice."

Long Jueshen did not know that he had just avoided a life-and-death tribulation.

...

Several years for Saint realm living beings were merely time that passed in the blink of an eye.

Outside the Desolate Domain, dozens of Saints were stationed, seeming to search for something, forming quite a spectacle.

"Damn little thief, he must have entered some spacetime crack. The energy within the crack will eventually be completely cultivated one day. As long as we wait here, sooner or later we will be able to catch him!"

One Saint ground his teeth in fury. Resources accumulated over tens of thousands of years had been completely plundered in a single day. No one could endure that.

Suddenly, the many Saints sensed that the space ahead seemed to show some movement.

The many Saints rejoiced.

"I did not expect that after several years you esteemed ones would still be so persistent. This Saint knows that he is quite charming, yet you need not be so infatuated with this Saint."

The space before them shattered like a mirror. Ling Jiuxiao stepped out with elegant flair and stood tall within the starry sky.

One Saint saw this and transformed into five streaks of radiance that directly charged toward Ling Jiuxiao to kill him.

Ling Jiuxiao raised one arm. Surging blood qi transformed into a sky-covering giant hand. A vast aura swept across the star river and in an instant annihilated those five streaks of radiance.

The attacking Saint directly transformed into a mist of blood, leaving only a divine soul filled with extreme horror. "You... you have broken through to the Saint realm?"

The words had barely fallen when Ling Jiuxiao casually seized the divine soul.

"This Saint is not an unreasonable person either. Your clan's investment in this Saint means this Saint owes your clan a favor. Sparing your life today counts as repaying that favor. Therefore... did this Saint steal anything from your clan's treasury?"

A towering divine demon dharma form circulated behind Ling Jiuxiao. Those soul-captivating eyes stared fixedly at that Saint.

Clearly, once refused, a terrifying consequence would occur.

Facing the threat of life and death, that foreign Saint could only say, "No, no... the cultivation resources of the treasury were all an investment of our clan toward the great one."

Ling Jiuxiao casually tossed the Saint's soul to the side.

Seeing this, that Saint fled the battlefield without even looking back.

Ling Jiuxiao then looked toward the remaining Saints. "This Saint will remember the investments of all of you toward this Saint. Sparing all of you once today counts as neither side owing the other."

The many Saints: "..."

Looking at the extremely arrogant Ling Jiuxiao, one Saint King erupted in fury. "Merely having just entered the Saint realm, yet you dare spout such wild words. Today this Saint will make you know what is meant by the height of the heavens and the depth of the earth."

The words had barely fallen when another figure drifted out from Ling Jiuxiao's body and stood majestically above Ling Jiuxiao's head. The surrounding space seemed to freeze.

That Saint King's expression suddenly stiffened. Upon seeing that figure, it was as if he had seen a ghost. His throat grew dry.

The manifested elderly man had flowing silver hair and eyes that looked down upon the world. The surrounding starry sky seemed so insignificant before him.

Upon seeing that elderly man, the many Saints' expressions all changed drastically.

"Yuan Emperor!"

The elderly man murmured, "Time flows on, ten thousand years of change. I did not expect that all of you would still recognize this old man."

One Saint King at this moment did not even dare to breathe heavily. "What words are these from the great Yuan Emperor? Ten thousand years ago, the great Yuan Emperor's might suppressed the myriad domains. The ancestors dared not forget it and passed it down generation after generation within the clans."

The elderly man lightly clasped his hands behind his back and swept his gaze across the many Saints. "This brat has shown kindness to this emperor. This emperor's ability to escape his predicament is entirely thanks to this brat."

The many Saints were astonished, their hearts filled with extreme envy and jealousy.

The place where this brat had disappeared was actually where the great Yuan Emperor had been trapped. He had truly stepped in dog shit luck. Even though the many Saints were extremely unwilling, at this moment they could only bow their heads.

One powerful Saint King looked at the little dragon sleeping on Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder and bowed respectfully. "Great Yuan Emperor, that is the young master of our clan. As long as we can welcome the young master of our clan back, our clan is willing to pay any price."

The elderly man glanced at the deeply sleeping little dragon on Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder and then said lightly, "This little dragon's Talent is rather good. Keeping it by this emperor's side, this emperor will naturally bestow upon it an opportunity."

Hearing these words, that old Saint King's eyes lit up with great joy as he repeatedly offered thanks.

Chapter 459: The Sun and Moon Illuminate Mountains and Rivers (Part 18)

Ling Jiuxiao watched as the old man effortlessly resolved the crisis, leaving everyone so grateful that even as they dispersed, their gratitude came from the heart.

Surprised, Ling Jiuxiao said, "Old man, you're this powerful?"

The elder tilted his head proudly. "Kid, now you understand why you don't even qualify as my nominal disciple?"

Ling Jiuxiao replied with a light chuckle. "If you're so strong, why didn't you show yourself from the beginning?"

He recalled that the elder seemed to have already awakened before he was chased into the alternate space.

At those words, the elder coughed twice. "Your mind still falls a little short. Had I appeared earlier, they would not have feared me. After all, you were being hunted so badly that it would have exposed my weakened state. Now no one knows I am with you, and they remain completely ignorant of what happened inside the secret realm. Awe of the strong is instinct. They lack the courage to test whether I still possess my former strength."

Ling Jiuxiao sighed in admiration. "Elder, you have lived long and see things clearly. I am ashamed of my own shallowness. Just who were you in life that even the saints fear you so deeply?"

He reflected that the saints dared not show the slightest disrespect, even knowing the elder was only a remnant soul, proof that in life the man had been an existence of extraordinary power.

The elder spoke mildly. "In this universe, those who can face me directly number no more than a hundred. Those who can withstand a single strike of mine are no more than two or three."

Ling Jiuxiao felt a jolt of shock. No wonder the old fellow boasted every day. Strength like that truly gave him the right to do so.

Long Jueshen, still draped over Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder, drowsily lifted one eyelid and cast a glance at the arrogant elder. Disdain filled his eyes. Even the gatekeeper of the gatekeeper of the gatekeeper of the gatekeeper of his family's gatekeeper was superior.

"Nothing but a frog in a well."

Long Jueshen decided it was better to go back to sleep.

Curious, Ling Jiuxiao asked, "Elder, with power like yours, how did you fall in the end? Is there truly someone in this world stronger than you?"

The elder's body stiffened. This brat really knew how to poke at sore spots.

He coughed twice more and answered, "Of course. There are always greater people beyond people, and skies beyond skies. Yet in this world, only one person surpasses me. Within the universe, if I claim third place, no one dares claim second."

Ling Jiuxiao found himself half believing the elder. His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.

"Perhaps it is time to return to the Mountains and Rivers Sect. Once I leave the Barren Star Domain, who knows when I will set foot there again. I wonder whether the Sect Master will be astonished when he sees my current cultivation."

To gain wealth and never return home is no different from wearing fine robes in the dark of night.

Inside the Mountains and Rivers Sect, the scenery was magnificent. Primordial energy formed rivers of stars, and laws condensed into constellations, as though the place itself were a vast heaven and earth.

In the years since Ling Jiuxiao's departure, the sect had undergone earth-shaking transformation. Su Chen surveyed the sect he had personally forged and felt the effort had not been wasted. He had drawn down the aura of the so-called Immortal Realm itself to reshape the grounds. Even measured against the Immortal Realm, the cultivation environment of the Mountains and Rivers Sect ranked among the finest grotto-heaven paradises.

Under such conditions, every cultivator within the sect advanced at a breathtaking pace. Breaking through realms was as simple as eating and drinking; breakthroughs after a casual nap had become commonplace.

At that moment, a powerful aura surged skyward within the sect, drawing every gaze.

"That is the Vice Sect Master! The Vice Sect Master is about to break through to saint!"

The vast aura of a new saint rolled outward for a thousand miles.

Su Chen looked toward the distant source and let out a soft sigh. The one ascending was Han Xiyue. Though slightly older than the others, she was only twenty-seven. A saint at twenty-seven was rare throughout the ages. She had become the third saint among the sect's disciples and elders. The first was Su Chen himself. The second was Ling Jiuxiao, already on the road home. The third to step into the saint Realm was Han Xiyue.

Inside a great hall among the stars, Han Xiyue's face shone with pure delight. She had finally broken through to saint. Such cultivation speed had been beyond anything she could have imagined before. One day, she too would be able to reach the saint Realm.

Suddenly she lifted her gaze toward the heavens. Beyond the layered clouds, she saw a young figure sitting alone atop a cliff, watching her in turn. His eyes held not the slightest ripple, only a faint trace of disappointment.

"Even after becoming a saint, why do I feel the gap between us growing wider and wider?"

The moment the thought arose, she looked again, yet both the cliff and the young figure had vanished. No matter how high she soared into the clouds, she could not find them again, only the hazy mists of the rear mountain remaining. In the end, Han Xiyue chose not to enter the rear mountain.

Outside the Mountains and Rivers Sect, Ling Jiuxiao felt puzzled. He was certain this was the correct place. The towering gates still stood exactly where he remembered.

While curiosity still held him, a colorful portal opened at the mountain gate, and two figures stepped out, both clad in the robes of outer disciples of the Mountains and Rivers Sect.

"Both of them are in the Void Refining Realm. When did the sect become this wealthy?"

Void Refining was the level of emperors. Ling Jiuxiao had seen many great powers, yet none were extravagant enough to station two Void Refining cultivators as mere outer gate guards.

When the two outer disciples saw the token he produced, their expressions instantly turned respectful.

"Greetings, True Disciple!"

Ling Jiuxiao found the deference rather pleasant, yet curiosity still drove him. "What changes has the sect undergone these past years?"

The two disciples exchanged glances. "True Disciple, we joined less than a year ago and do not know the full extent of the changes. You will have to return to the sect yourself to learn them."

Ling Jiuxiao studied them. Outside these two would have been young emperors, peerless geniuses who dominated an entire era.

"The standards for recruiting disciples have risen once more," he murmured. He wondered where the Sect Master had found so many talents.

The disciples answered, "True Disciple misunderstands. When we entered, we were only at the Spirit Soul Realm. Now we are merely first-layer Void Refining, the lowest among the outer disciples. Every disciple who has entered the inner sect reached the Nirvana Realm long ago without exception. Inside the sect, even drinking, eating, or sleeping can bring breakthroughs. You will understand once you return, True Disciple."

Ling Jiuxiao regarded them with growing suspicion. A vague unease stirred in his heart, for their manner did not seem like deception. How much hardship had he endured on his journey merely to cross one realm after another, and that only with countless heaven-defying opportunities.

He followed the two outer disciples into the sect. The moment the scene before him unfolded, he froze.

The elder in his mind stammered, "Impossible... impossible... this is..."

Long Jueshen on his shoulder woke and muttered inwardly, "Immortal Qi!"