Chapter 1640: Generous Rewards
The one who crossed over from the light screen was Feng Yan.
Feng Yan looked at the distant figure of the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden and chuckled, “That icy Celestial Maiden seems to have said something extraordinary to you, Brother Zhang? Could it be that your stunning performance has captured her heart?”
“Don’t joke around. The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden is far too noble—how could she take a liking to a mundane person like me?”
With that, Zhang Ruochen steered the Truth Boat forward cautiously.
The fifth layer of the sea was far more difficult to cross than the fourth. Zhang Ruochen fully unleashed his spiritual power and two hundred and forty-seven Truth Rules, yet he still couldn’t control the Truth Boat.
In the end, he had to channel sacred qi from all one hundred and forty-four acupoints in his body, enveloping the Truth Boat in a thick surge of energy just to barely move forward.
Beside him, Feng Yan also wore a serious expression, releasing his spiritual power, sacred qi, and over two thousand Truth Rules to keep his own Truth Boat steady.
Feng Yan glanced at Zhang Ruochen, admiration in his eyes. “Having only cultivated over two hundred Truth Rules, yet he can still force his way to the fifth layer. If he had as many Truth Rules as I do, crossing to the sixth layer probably wouldn’t be a problem, right?”
They sailed forward for about eight li before Zhang Ruochen finally fell into the sea.
Qing Liaoya had defeated the gatekeeper of the fourth layer, but upon entering the fifth, he lost control of his Truth Boat even faster than Zhang Ruochen and plunged into the sea first.
When Zhang Ruochen returned to the shore, Qing Liaoya approached him, grinning with a curled lip. “I already know who you are. Is it still fun wearing that mask?”
“Not really. But I’ll keep wearing it anyway. What can you do about it?” Zhang Ruochen replied.
Qing Liaoya harbored a deep hatred for Zhang Ruochen. If not for the time and space formations set up at the Moon God Dojo, making it impossible to break in, he would have sought revenge long ago for Zhang Ruochen killing so many cultivators from the Yin-Yang Realm and destroying the Yin-Yang Hall.
“In the Truth Heaven Domain, I can’t kill you, but I can still break your arms and legs.”
Qing Liaoya’s hands formed into claws, with vast amounts of Purifying Divine Flame erupting from his palms. He struck at Zhang Ruochen with a claw infused with over a thousand Truth Rules, amplifying its power threefold.
“Whoosh.”
Zhang Ruochen used Space Displacement, vanishing from his spot and reappearing over ten zhang away, easily evading Qing Liaoya’s attack. He said calmly, “You’re no match for me. Don’t humiliate yourself.”
“Earth Sea Bell.”
Qing Liaoya extended his right hand, and a small, exquisite bronze ancient bell appeared in his palm, with wisps of demonic fiend qi flowing over it. It was clearly no ordinary Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact.
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword and gripped it, ready for battle.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword bore Time Imprints, allowing it to silently drain Qing Liaoya’s lifespan.
Since Qing Liaoya was provoking him, Zhang Ruochen decided to take this chance to eliminate this somewhat threatening enemy.
Just as they were about to clash, Feng Yan returned to the shore and stopped them. “All combat is forbidden in the Truth Sea. If the Divine Envoys catch you, both of you will be thrown into the Sacred Prison and imprisoned for at least a year.”
Qing Liaoya hesitated, then put away the Earth Sea Bell and left the Truth Sea without another word.
Before leaving, he shot Zhang Ruochen a venomous glare, full of resentment. If he ever found an opportunity, he would deal with Zhang Ruochen with the cruelest methods.
Zhang Ruochen remained vigilant, pondering how to bypass the Truth Divine Temple’s rules and eliminate Qing Liaoya.
After all, a powerhouse like Qing Liaoya, if determined to kill Zhang Ruochen, would pose a massive threat.
Feng Yan said solemnly, “The Yin-Yang Realm is powerful. Although over half of its experts died in the Moon God Dojo battle, there are still formidable figures scattered across other dojos. Brother Zhang, you must be cautious from now on.”
“Understood.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded and then asked, “I was held up by Qing Liaoya earlier and missed your majestic crossing, Brother Feng. Did you manage to cross the fifth layer?”
“Lucky you didn’t see it.”
Feng Yan sighed. “I barely met the gatekeeper of the fifth layer, and he knocked me into the sea with a single move. It was a miserable defeat.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Many top prodigies from entire worlds spend their whole lives without even qualifying to fight the gatekeeper of the fifth layer.”
“That’s a fair point…”
Feng Yan’s gaze fixed on the Truth Sea, his pupils widening as a bitter feeling crept in. He murmured, “The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden crossed the fifth layer! Impressive—truly, there’s always a higher sky beyond the sky, and greater people beyond the people.”
Zhang Ruochen also gazed at the sixth layer, watching that graceful figure, deeply moved.
The universe was vast, and no one knew how many hidden geniuses existed. You might be excellent, but someone was always more excellent. You might be strong, but someone was always stronger.
Upon reaching the sixth layer, the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden didn’t continue forward. Instead, she stopped, turned her Truth Boat around, and sailed back from the sixth layer to the shore, maintaining the most elegant and flawless posture throughout. Not a single flaw could be found in her.
She was met on the shore by countless cultivators’ envious, admiring, jealous, and reverent gazes.
There was no helping it—the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden’s performance was too stunning. As a One-Step Saint King, she had reached the sixth layer. Even if not unprecedented, it ranked among the top ten in history.
It was foreseeable that this feat would shake the entire Truth Heaven Domain and even spread across the Heavenly Court Realm.
Feng Yan smiled bitterly. “See that? How clever she is—knowing she couldn’t cross the sixth layer, she chose not to try. Unlike us, who ended up in a mess, making fools of ourselves, and still couldn’t cross the fifth. Both of us are One-Step Saint Kings, yet the contrast is so stark. We’ve become her backdrop—how embarrassing.”
“That woman is indeed powerful, and she knows when to give up, making the right choice. She’s very smart, but…”
Zhang Ruochen paused, not finishing his sentence.
Because the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, standing on the shore, seemed to have overheard Zhang Ruochen and Feng Yan’s telepathic conversation. Her captivating eyes fixed on him, showing a hint of curiosity.
“With my and Feng Yan’s cultivation levels, we were communicating telepathically, and she could still eavesdrop?” Zhang Ruochen was unsettled.
The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden’s voice entered Zhang Ruochen’s ears. “But what?”
Her voice was soft but clear, as if she were whispering right next to his ear.
“She really did eavesdrop.”
Zhang Ruochen was quite alarmed, but he didn’t show it on his face. He replied calmly, “It seems I don’t need to tell you.”
“Two top-tier talents secretly gossiping about me—don’t I have the right to know the result of your discussion?”
If it had been any other cultivator gossiping, the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden wouldn’t have cared. But Zhang Ruochen and Feng Yan were different—one was the Heir of Time and Space, the other from a super ancient clan. Anything they said wouldn’t be without purpose.
From Zhang Ruochen’s tone, it seemed he had spotted some fatal weakness in her.
That was why the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden was curious enough to ask Zhang Ruochen directly.
Zhang Ruochen smiled but didn’t answer.
The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden’s brows furrowed slightly. She thought to herself, “Could it be that he knew I could hear their telepathy and deliberately said that to get my attention? If so, the Heir chosen by Xumi Saint Monk is truly unimpressive.”
A burly, bearded man approached the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden and said, “Your Highness, we should set off. Heavenly Beginning Fairy and Huairou have been waiting for you on Qingming Island for some time.”
“Let’s go.”
The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden gave Zhang Ruochen a deep look, then gracefully boarded an ancient chariot. Pulled by a snow-white exotic bird, it soared into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.
Watching her leave, countless cultivators sighed. They might never see this lofty, peerless Celestial Maiden again in their lifetimes.
Different people had different fates. In the eyes of other cultivators, they were indeed extraordinary prodigies, but compared to the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, they were no different from ordinary mortals.
Dragons in the clouds, humans on the ground.
Ants gazing at the sky, never knowing its height in a lifetime.
Zhang Ruochen let out a soft sigh. With Feng Yan standing guard, he couldn’t slip away and had to find another chance to assassinate the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden.
Feng Yan misinterpreted Zhang Ruochen’s sigh, thinking he was reluctant to see her leave. He laughed and said, “What did the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden whisper to you this time?”
“What if I said we were just chatting?” Zhang Ruochen replied.
“Of course not.”
Feng Yan said, “Back then, Wang Xu tried to court the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden. With his looks, talent, and status, wooing any woman shouldn’t have been hard. But he visited her several times and never even got to see her face. Now, she’s taken the initiative to talk to a man twice—that’s practically unheard of. And you’re telling me you were just chatting? As a friend, that’s not very honest. It’s not like I’d tell Miss Mu about this.”
“Are you threatening me?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Feng Yan said, “No, you’re the one being dishonest. If you’re really interested in the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, I can offer some help.”
“What kind of help?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Feng Yan said, “I know where she’s staying.”
“Where?”
Feng Yan said, “The cultivation site of the Divine Envoy Qie Huairou—Qingming Island.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted. “It seems you’re quite interested in the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, to have gathered such detailed information.”
“Aren’t you asking about her too? Looks like your interest is even greater,” Feng Yan said.
“Perhaps.”
Casually, Zhang Ruochen’s gaze turned to the Truth Sea, where that fool Xiang Chunan was still on the fourth layer, spinning in a whirlpool without falling.
Feng Yan exclaimed in amazement, “What an odd fellow.”
Being able to hold out so long in a whirlpool was indeed remarkable.
“By the way, Brother Zhang, since you crossed the fourth layer in your first year in the Truth Heaven Domain, you must be getting quite a reward,” Feng Yan said.
“I’m heading to the Exchange Sacred Pavilion to claim it now.”
Zhang Ruochen went with Feng Yan to the Exchange Sacred Pavilion to collect the rewards for crossing the sea, and his mood lifted considerably.
For crossing the second layer, he earned two months of cultivation time in the Truth Divine Temple, plus six extra cultivation slots for the Guanghan Realm.
For crossing the third layer, he earned four months of cultivation time, plus twelve extra slots.
For crossing the fourth layer, he earned eight months of cultivation time, plus twenty-four extra slots.
Thus, when the Truth Divine Temple opened again, Zhang Ruochen could cultivate there for over a year, greatly advancing his sacred path and Truth Dao. Then, he could attempt the fifth layer, the sixth layer…
Additionally, he secured forty-two cultivation slots for the Guanghan Realm, which would surely drive Su and the others wild with excitement.
Zhang Ruochen inscribed a Message Light Talisman and sent it back to the Moon God Dojo, notifying Su to come collect the forty-two token seals representing the cultivation slots.