Chapter 1798: Two Years of Seclusion
Returning to the vicinity of Cloudwu Royal City, Zhang Ruochen did not see any cultivators from the Netherworld Divine Hall, and he felt a slight surprise in his heart.
"The Heavenly Dao Dual Extremes Compass was snatched, and even his arm was severed, yet Zangxin Venerable did not come to retaliate?" Zhang Ruochen remained vigilant.
Within the King Mountain, the sacred energy of heaven and earth had become even denser. On the steep cliffs, fragrant sacred medicines grew one after another. Sacred springs flowed out from between the mountains, and the soil had turned multicolored, rising into a brilliant light mist like an aurora.
The deeper one went, the more sacred the mountain ranges became.
In the forest, a large patch of black ghostly aura emerged, accompanied by a rumbling sound. Then, a skeleton dozens of feet tall charged out.
"Whoosh."
The black skeleton transformed into a bone staff and fell into Zhang Ruochen's hand.
After refining the sacred souls of Yuan Che and the others, the evil spirit's strength had increased significantly.
Communicating with the evil spirit, Zhang Ruochen learned that not long ago, a group of cultivators from the Netherworld Divine Hall had indeed come to the King Mountain. However, they were trapped by space formations and time formations, and then attacked by Zhenmiao Little Daoist and the evil spirit. In the end, they suffered a great loss and retreated in defeat.
After fleeing, the cultivators of the Netherworld Divine Hall vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.
Zhang Ruochen did not believe that after suffering successive losses, the Netherworld Divine Hall would swallow their pride and simply withdraw from Cloudwu Commandery. They would definitely retaliate, and once they did, it would surely be even more ferocious.
Meet force with force, and water with earth.
Zhang Ruochen did not dwell on this matter. He released his spiritual power and gathered Zhenmiao Little Daoist, Xie Chengzi, the Devouring Elephant Rabbit, the Demon Ape, and the nearly one hundred female saints beneath a palace-shaped refining pavilion.
Then, Zhang Ruochen summoned the half-saints and saint-realm beings from the Qiankun Realm.
"We pay respects to the Crown Prince."
All the saints bowed simultaneously, paying their respects to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen stood as straight as a long spear. He took out the Sundial and placed it on the ground, saying, "For the next period of time, I will activate the Sundial and go into seclusion to cultivate."
"Within a two-hundred-foot radius of the Sundial, the flow of time will change. Cultivating for one year here will only be one day outside."
All the saints were stirred with excitement. Could there really be such an incredible treasure in the world?
But thinking about the Crown Prince's identity, they felt relieved.
The Devouring Elephant Rabbit shouted, "Master Chen, do we... do we have a chance to cultivate in seclusion together?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Of course. Why else would I have gathered you all here?"
"That's great! I will take this opportunity to break through to the Saint realm."
"Long live the Crown Prince."
"Long live the Crown Prince."
...
From all around the Sundial, earth-shaking cheers erupted.
Zhang Ruochen arranged for several meticulous female saints to guard the path into the King Mountain, to prevent the Netherworld Divine Hall cultivators from attacking during the seclusion. Then, he took out two Divine Stones and placed them into the two depressions on the Sundial.
"Sizzle."
The divine power within the Divine Stones was released, and the Sundial emitted particles of light rain, floating in every corner within a two-hundred-foot radius.
Of course, ordinary cultivators could not see that light rain at all.
Zhang Ruochen sat down beneath the Sundial. His six sacred souls manifested simultaneously, each cultivating different things.
Three sacred souls surrounded the Rule Emperor Artifact from three directions, comprehending the rules of the sacred path.
One sacred soul held up the long whisker of Xumi Saint Monk, comprehending time rules and space rules.
One sacred soul was dedicated to studying sacred arts, such as Sword Nine, the twelfth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, the fourth realm of the Time Sword Art, "Cycle of Reincarnation," and so on.
The last sacred soul guarded the main body, refining the ten thousand crimson rules within his left leg.
Only by completely refining all one hundred thousand crimson rules in his left leg could Zhang Ruochen freely unleash the power of the Divine Left Leg, instead of being a cripple as he was now.
Possessing the Truth Esoterica, Zhang Ruochen's speed in comprehending the rules of the sacred path far surpassed that of other cultivators.
Moreover, a cultivator who grasped the Truth Esoterica could comprehend truth rules from heaven and earth even without the Truth Path engravings. For this reason, even without cultivating in the Truth Heaven Domain, Zhang Ruochen's Truth Path had not fallen behind; it was still slowly progressing.
It was worth mentioning that after Zhang Ruochen killed Wang Xu on Moon God Mountain, he obtained two ten-thousandths of the Truth Esoterica.
That is to say, the total Truth Esoterica within Zhang Ruochen's body had now reached twelve ten-thousandths.
By the third month of seclusion, the total number of rules Zhang Ruochen had comprehended reached four hundred and fifty thousand.
In his Qi Sea, the Celestial River showed a tremor, a sign that he was about to break through to the Six-Step Saint King.
...
The total number of sacred path rules reached four hundred and sixty thousand.
The tremor in the Celestial River grew stronger, like a great river stirring up towering waves.
By the fourth month of seclusion, the total number of sacred path rules reached four hundred and seventy thousand.
A roar echoed in Zhang Ruochen's Qi Sea.
The Celestial River stopped its violent shaking and slowly calmed, but the flow speed of the sacred path rules within the river was slightly faster than before.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen's realm had officially reached the Six-Step Saint King.
"Not enough. Continue," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Time passed second by second in cultivation.
By the time the two Divine Stones on the Sundial's stone platform had exhausted their divine power, two years had already passed.
During these two years of seclusion, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation realm advanced by leaps and bounds. The total number of sacred path rules in his body reached six hundred and thirty thousand.
Of course, he was still a considerable distance from the Seven-Step Saint King.
Generally speaking, the total number of sacred path rules must reach around one million to possibly break through to the Seven-Step Saint King realm.
Although there was a major node between the Six-Step Saint King and the Seven-Step Saint King, Zhang Ruochen was confident that node would not affect him. As long as he could find a few more Divine Stones, he could quickly comprehend the Dao and break through to the Seven-Step Saint King.
"Even using the identity of Luo Xu, I could only buy two Divine Stones at the Martial Market Bank. Trying to buy Divine Stones from the Martial Market Bank through other cultivators' connections is probably next to impossible. It seems I must find another way."
Zhang Ruochen thought of Kong Lanyou of the Bright Hall, Murong Yefeng and Murong Yue of the Black Market, and Ling Feiyu of the Moon Worship Demon Sect...
Ling Feiyu.
Had she returned to the Kunlun Realm?
Was she the one presiding over the Moon Worship Demon Sect now?
These few people might be able to obtain Divine Stones and were trustworthy.
Zhang Ruochen inscribed three Message Light Talismans and sent them out, but they had only just flown out of the King Mountain when they stopped, intercepted by a strange force.
Because they were not far away, Zhang Ruochen could sense it with his spiritual power intensity.
Sensing something was wrong, Zhang Ruochen shouted, "Prepare for battle."
This voice startled the others who were still cultivating.
Zhang Ruochen put away the Sundial, then performed a Great Space Teleportation, appearing at the edge of the King Mountain, looking out beyond the mountain.
Two female saints guarding the King Mountain flew behind Zhang Ruochen and bowed. "We pay respects to Your Highness. Congratulations on your further advancement in cultivation."
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back, his bearing extraordinary. "Has anyone tried to break into the mountain during my two days of seclusion?"
Both female saints shook their heads.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow. Dragon souls and elephant souls appeared on his arms. The light emitted by the bow's body and string was so dazzling that the two female saints could not even open their eyes.
"Twang."
The Daylight Arrow shot out like a white rainbow.
"Boom."
About two hundred miles out, the Daylight Arrow struck the void, erupting with a thunderous roar.
At the spot where the Daylight Arrow struck, a black altar a hundred feet tall appeared, suspended in midair, with rows of formation flags inserted into it.
Seeing this, both female saints were startled and knelt on one knee.
"Your Highness..."
Zhang Ruochen said, "It's not your fault. The outer perimeter of that altar is arranged with a very advanced concealment formation. Not just you, even a Nine-Step Saint King might not be able to detect it."
Dozens of saint-realm cultivators from the Netherworld Divine Hall stood on the altar.
At the very front stood three figures: Zangxin Venerable, Feng Chengdao, and a faceless man holding a sacred staff.
The three Message Light Talismans Zhang Ruochen had just sent out had been intercepted by the faceless man using spiritual power techniques.
The faceless man looked at the content on the talismans and laughed from his belly. "How curious. Why does a Saint King realm cultivator urgently need Divine Stones?"
Feng Chengdao smiled. "A Saint King realm cultivator needing Divine Stones can only mean one thing. He must possess a treasure that requires Divine Stones to activate."
Zangxin Venerable was not as patient as the faceless man and Feng Chengdao. He directly called out to Zhang Ruochen, "Zhang Ruochen, you are the heir of Xumi Saint Monk and the divine envoy of the Moon God. Yet on the Tongming River, you used despicable means to snatch this Venerable's treasure. You have disgraced the faces of those two great and sacred figures! If you have even a shred of honor, come out of your space formation and fight me openly, to the death."
"Fine."
Zhang Ruochen very readily flew out of the King Mountain, took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword, and said, "Come! Fight to the death, like men."
Zangxin Venerable was momentarily stunned.
When he had shouted just now, Zangxin Venerable had fully intended to humiliate Zhang Ruochen and provoke him into coming out to die. But Zhang Ruochen falling for it so easily made Zangxin Venerable a bit cautious instead.
Zangxin Venerable transmitted his voice to the faceless man: "Zhang Ruochen is still too young and impatient. Elder Wu, immediately activate the altar's power to suppress him."
The faceless man shook his head slightly. "Although Zhang Ruochen has flown out of the space formation, he can escape back with a single Spatial Displacement. If we activate the altar's power now and fail to suppress Zhang Ruochen, we will alert the enemy."
"Venerable, with your Nine-Step Saint King realm, dealing with a mere Zhang Ruochen should be as easy as flipping your hand? You're not afraid, are you?"
"How could that be?"
Zangxin Venerable straightened his posture, unwilling to be looked down upon by the faceless man. He released a powerful sacred might, rushed out of the altar, and flew toward Zhang Ruochen's location.
"Junior, you are seeking death."
...
Recently, a story has been brewing in my mind, about Zhang Ruochen, Chi Yao, and Kong Lanyou eight hundred years ago, when they were still young boys and girls.
This story will probably be a few dozen chapters long, tentatively called "Life and Death Tribulation." Of course, if readers have better names, they can suggest them; they might be adopted.
Sacred Bright Crown Prince Zhang Ruochen, one sword suppressing the Central Domain.
Princess Chi Yao, beauty that topples kingdoms.
Kong Lanyou, gathering the spiritual essence of the world.
Murong Yefeng, vowing to follow to the death.
...
Besides them, some new characters will join, such as:
The heir of "Illusion Empress," Zuoqiu Hongting, "Last night, peach blossoms fell on the red pavilion; the person left, the fragrance lingers, leaving no trace." (Illusion Empress was one of the three empresses of the Kunlun Realm eight hundred years ago, equal in fame to Blood Empress.)
The heir of the Evil Emperor, Xia Han (also the current Evil Emperor of the Kunlun Realm), "A single Burial Star Halberd, trampling the mundane world. When the Abyssal Sword remains sheathed, none can match him."
This is the story of that group of youths, and the love of that year, along with that song "Lan You," a pair of swallow pendants...
This side story will be updated on the WeChat public account of "The Eternal God Emperor." Interested readers can follow it by searching "Feitian Yu" on WeChat. When the official update begins,
Remember the mobile website URL: m.