The Dao of Reincarnation (460-461) (Patreon)

Chapter 460: The Sun and Moon Illuminate Mountains and Rivers (Part 19)

Ling Jiuxiao gazed upon the endless sea of stars. With every passing moment, his cultivation surged rapidly higher. Though the sight left him stunned, the elder's shock stunned him even more.

"Elder, what exactly is this?"

He could sense that the energy far surpassed ordinary primordial qi in grade.

The elder steadied himself and answered, "If this old man is not mistaken, this substance is immortal qi left behind from the Immortal Realm."

"The Immortal Realm?" Ling Jiuxiao felt puzzled.

The elder nodded. "Indeed. The Immortal Realm is no mere legend. Every Great Emperor who reaches the pinnacle of the martial path earns the right to ascend there. Legend holds it to be a supreme sacred land for cultivation, where the energies of the myriad heavens gather in one place. Even a Great Emperor is only ordinary there. In that realm, the martial path has no end, and lifespan stretches without limit."

Yearning filled the elder's eyes as he spoke of the Immortal Realm.

Long Jueshen remained scornful. The Immortal Realm was fine, yet lifespan still had its limit. True endless life required at least the True Immortal Realm. Across dozens of eras, even among countless peerless geniuses, a True Immortal might not appear. Only country bumpkins from the lower realms thought the Immortal Realm was wonderful. Without power, influence, background, talent, or strength, arrival there would likely mean being seized for mining.

The elder continued, "Throughout history, many Great Emperors have ascended. Some among them became outstanding even in the Immortal Realm and from time to time send items downward. Immortal qi is among those gifts. Pure and flawless, the laws it contains greatly benefit even Quasi-Emperors. Forces sheltered by such ascended ancestors are called Immortal Sect legacies, and they use immortal qi to nurture the greatest talents of their clans."

He gave a bitter smile. "Were you not curious who that number one under heaven truly is? This old man can tell you. He is the successor of an ancient Immortal Sect legacy."

Ling Jiuxiao's heart jolted. "Could the Sect Master have already ascended?"

The elder was equally curious. "Ascension would raise a tremendous disturbance, yet not the slightest sign has appeared. Strange, truly strange. Could the Sect Master of your Mountains and Rivers Sect be a descendant left in this realm by some great figure of the Immortal Realm?"

At present, that seemed the only possible explanation.

Ling Jiuxiao proceeded to the inner sect. The world within stretched even more vast, as though an entire great world had been opened. A single breath drew in the essence of heaven and earth, equal to a precious medicine.

"Something is wrong. This is no ordinary immortal qi."

For the first time, Long Jueshen raised his head from Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder, confusion in his eyes. "How can the lower realm hold immortal qi of such density?"

The concentration already rivaled certain grotto-heaven paradises of the Immortal Realm itself.

While the three remained utterly baffled, tribulation lightning rolled through the inner sect.

"That is a Saint tribulation. Someone in the sect is becoming a saint?"

The disturbance was familiar to Ling Jiuxiao; he had experienced it himself not long ago. Yet his own breakthrough had required countless opportunities and bitter hardships along the way. Without the full resources of the many sacred clans in the Barren Domain pouring aid upon him, he would never have reached saint so swiftly.

"It is Elder Yan! Elder Yan has also broken through to saint!"

Ling Jiuxiao suddenly felt the world spin. Elder Yan? The same Elder Yan he knew?

At that moment, he sensed an uncommon aura racing toward him, strong enough to stir a faint sense of crisis. When he clearly saw the newcomer's face, he froze.

"Elder Han?"

It was Han Xiyue. The aura around her now surpassed his own; she had already reached the sixth layer of saint. Ling Jiuxiao's cultivation remained only at the first layer.

Of course, Han Xiyue recognized Ling Jiuxiao.

Looking at Ling Jiuxiao's shocked expression, Han Xiyue said, "Elder Ling, in the years you were away, the sect has undergone some changes under the Sect Master's improvements."

Ling Jiuxiao fell silent.

Was this what they called some changes? This was definitely the entire sect ascending!

With a casual glance, he saw a fire dragon contentedly chewing the weeds by the roadside, a sight that filled him with bitter envy. The grass underfoot would drive countless cultivators outside to fight to the death, yet all his hard work attracting investment still fell short of the weeds that grew everywhere in the sect.

"What is Elder Ling thinking about?" Han Xiyue asked in puzzlement.

Ling Jiuxiao forced a smile. "Just recalling some unpleasant matters."

Han Xiyue nodded thoughtfully, showing she understood him well. "If Elder Ling had remained in the sect to cultivate, your cultivation would surely far surpass mine by now."

She offered the words as comfort.

Ling Jiuxiao remained silent.

In the rear mountain, Wang Shu felt the moment was nearly ripe. Not only was he about to undergo a transformation, he had silently accumulated countless energies. Once he fully digested them all he would grow stronger still, powerful enough that even the boundless starry rivers could not confine him.

"Hahahaha! When this day arrives, I, Wang Shu, will finally regain my freedom!"

A powerful aura erupted, startling every kind of beast around him into frantic flight. They stared toward his location with astonishment.

"Is this guy an idiot?"

"He actually wants to challenge that lord."

"It's over, it's over..."

Wang Shu remained completely unaware. He only felt that he now commanded unprecedented power, as though a single punch could shatter a star.

On the cliff above the sea of clouds, Su Chen smiled. He had waited so long he could barely hold back any longer.

At that moment, Ling Jiuxiao slipped into the rear mountain.

"Is someone else undergoing a saint tribulation? No, the only one in the rear mountain should be the Sect Master."

He was thoroughly puzzled. Yet when he turned, he saw a strange figure charging toward the tribulation lightning. That seemed to be a tree.

"Even a tree is starting to undergo a saint tribulation?"

Ling Jiuxiao fell into self-doubt.

The elder in his mind added, "Don't misjudge it, kid. That is no saint tribulation. That is a Saint King tribulation. That tree intends to break through to the Saint King Realm in one go!"

Even the elder was somewhat speechless, beginning to doubt the meaning of life as he spoke.

Ling Jiuxiao fell silent once more.

A Saint King tribulation. He himself was still only an ordinary saint. Did that mean he could not even match a tree?

He failed to notice that on his shoulder, Long Jueshen, who had previously shown indifference to everything, actually stood up.

"Something is not right here!"

By instinct, Long Jueshen sensed something strange.

Chapter 461: The Sun and Moon Illuminate Mountains and Rivers (Part 20)

At the peak of the cloud sea, Su Chen watched Wang Shu pass through the Saint King tribulation in a single breath, with no intention of intervening. At that moment, Wang Shu seemed to grow immensely vast. A single leaf could blot out the stars, and one branch could crush mountains and rivers.

He transformed into a green humanoid figure and threw back his head in laughter. "Hahahaha! I, Wang Shu, can finally leave this damned place!"

Without a backward glance, he shot off in another direction, thinking only of escaping this cursed spot. He did not know how far he had flown before looking back. The Mountains and Rivers Sect had already vanished from sight.

"Now the world is vast. Where can I not go?"

He drew a deep breath, savoring the air of freedom. When he turned to leave the cage at last, he froze.

Wang Shu rubbed his eyes, suspecting he was seeing things. Ahead of him stretched a sea of clouds, and upon it rose a cliff. Seated atop the cliff was a young man all too familiar to him.

"Damn it!"

Wang Shu cursed in fury. As if realizing something, he casually tore open a rift in space and dove in without hesitation.

"This time I should finally be able to leave that damned place."

He thought so, and the space before him lay empty. Yet when he instinctively looked back, nothing had changed. The cliff remained, and the young man seemed to be watching him.

Refusing to believe it, Wang Shu tore open another rift and stepped one foot inside.

He felt something brush against him. Looking back, he saw a rift split open behind him. There he beheld himself, and what had just touched him was none other than the foot he had thrust into the rift.

Wang Shu silently withdrew his foot. It turned back into roots. He found the deep pit he had pulled himself from earlier, quietly burrowed back in, and smoothed the soil over as though nothing had ever happened.

Ling Jiuxiao witnessed the entire scene.

"Elder, what kind of method is this?"

He was deeply curious. He had not even blinked. A Saint King could not leave, no matter what he tried. Such means were simply unbelievable. Too impressive!

The elder remained silent for a while before answering, "This old man does not know either."

He seemed somewhat frustrated.

"This is called Within an Inch of Space."

The sudden voice made Ling Jiuxiao and the elder stare at each other. Neither of them had spoken.

"Could it be..."

They discovered that Long Jueshen had somehow stood up, looking almost human, a trace of gravity in his eyes.

"So you can talk?"

Ling Jiuxiao examined him with curiosity.

Seeing Ling Jiuxiao's wide-eyed country bumpkin expression, Long Jueshen snorted. "What is so strange about this dragon being able to speak?"

Ling Jiuxiao replied, "You have been sleeping the whole time. I thought you could not talk."

Long Jueshen raised a dragon claw in open disdain. "That is because this dragon felt speaking with you was a waste of time."

Ling Jiuxiao and the elder exchanged a glance.

"How about we just roast this fellow and share a bit with the Sect Master?"

Long Jueshen fell silent.

"In truth, this dragon comes from the Immortal Realm. With your statuses, were it not for this moment, you would not even rank as ants among the ants in this dragon's eyes."

Arrogance filled his expression as he made no effort to hide his contempt for the two country bumpkins.

Ling Jiuxiao chuckled. "From the Immortal Realm, what a lofty status. If you truly possess such ability, why did you end up stranded in this realm and become my pet?"

Long Jueshen stiffened at once. This brat was truly irritating. If he were not worried about losing to the one above, he would have given this rude kid a divine dragon tail sweep.

"This dragon is not a pet!"

"No, you are."

"This dragon is not!"

"You are!"

As the two argued without end, the elder noticed a young figure that had appeared nearby at some unknown moment.

"Yuan Huang greets fellow Daoist."

Su Chen glanced over, then withdrew his gaze and looked toward Ling Jiuxiao and Long Jueshen, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

The elder fell silent. This was truly awkward! Yet, considering the young man before him might possess an identity from the upper realm, the elder set aside his embarrassment.

At that moment, Ling Jiuxiao and Long Jueshen discovered Su Chen. Man and dragon both ceased their quarrel.

Ling Jiuxiao bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Sect Master."

Su Chen gave a slight nod.

Beside them, Long Jueshen studied Su Chen for a moment before speaking. "If this dragon is not mistaken, you should come from an Emperor-level lineage of the Immortal Realm. An ordinary Immortal-level lineage could never cultivate a figure like you."

Su Chen remained unmoved.

Long Jueshen continued, "Kid, this dragon has an opportunity to offer you. If you are willing to cooperate, this dragon can grant you and the force behind you unimaginable power in the Immortal Realm, everlasting through ten thousand kalpas, undying through ten thousand kalpas!"

Su Chen smiled. He reached out and lifted Long Jueshen up.

"Kid, hurry and release this dragon! This dragon belongs to the Dragon God Palace! You should know of the Dragon God Palace."

Long Jueshen discovered that all his primordial energy had vanished, leaving him freely suspended in Su Chen's grasp.

Watching Long Jueshen struggle, Su Chen wore an amused smile. He extended one hand and flicked the area beneath the dragon's belly.

The air froze instantly.

Long Jueshen fell silent. He could no longer recall how long it had been since he last suffered such humiliation!

"This Sect Master has never heard of the Dragon God Palace. However, this Sect Master does know that you are a True Immortal reincarnated."

Long Jueshen stiffened from head to toe. The resolve to fight to the death drained away in an instant.

He stared at the young man before him in utter terror. "You actually know this dragon lord's identity. Just who are you?"

He racked his brains yet could not recall any trace of the young man's aura.

Su Chen narrowed his eyes. "A True Immortal is merely a fruit upon a tree. As for this Sect Master's identity, knowing it would bring you no benefit whatsoever."

In that moment, fragments of memory flashed through Long Jueshen's mind like a revolving lantern. He thought of a possibility that should have been impossible.

His expression changed abruptly. The lofty arrogance vanished without a trace, replaced by a smile.

Ling Jiuxiao watched in silence. The creature before him was clearly a dragon, yet somehow it now carried several distinctly dog-like traits. The flattery was extreme.

Long Jueshen seized Su Chen's robe at once. "My lord, this little dragon has waited for you so bitterly. If my lord does not abandon me, this little dragon is willing to serve as your mount and remain by your side."

Su Chen smiled. "Very well. This mountain still needs a gatekeeper to stop certain people from constantly straying from the proper path."

Ling Jiuxiao remained silent.v