Chapter 1981: Inner Demon Reappears
Many thoughts flashed through his mind. Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly and said, "Tomorrow morning, all of you, along with the saints of Guanghan Realm, go to that small island to gather. I will give you a surprise."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen pointed to a small island in Phoenix Lake.
"What surprise?" Jiu Fengzi quickly asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I tell you now, where’s the surprise? Just do as I say."
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was deliberately keeping them in suspense, Jiu Fengzi had no choice but to suppress his curiosity and wait for the answer tomorrow morning.
Immediately, Mu Lingxi, as the goddess of Guanghan Realm, stepped forward to relay the message to the saints of Guanghan Realm.
In the evening, Zhang Ruochen arrived at the small courtyard where Lin Fei lived and had dinner with her.
Zhang Ruochen picked up a piece of meat and placed it into Lin Fei’s bowl, smiling gently. "Mother, I plan to go into seclusion starting tomorrow. It will take at least seven or eight days, at most half a month. Once I finish, I will come and spend time with you properly."
"Chen’er, you have grown up. Do whatever you want to do. Your mother will always support you. Don’t worry about me," Lin Fei said very gently.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen felt a slight surprise. He hadn’t expected Lin Fei to be so supportive of him.
Lin Fei continued, "I am just an ordinary person and cannot help you in any way. All I can do is support every decision you make. Chen’er, remember, you are a son of the Zhang Clan. You must stand tall and unyielding. No one can knock you down."
Hearing these words, Zhang Ruochen was even more surprised. He felt that Lin Fei seemed somewhat different from before. Could it be that the years apart had changed her?
However, this change was one he was happy to see. He truly didn’t want to see Lin Fei cry for him.
With a shift in his thoughts, Zhang Ruochen took Lin Fei’s hand and said, "Mother, rest assured. I will never disgrace the Zhang Clan, nor will I disappoint you."
"Mm, that’s my good son." Lin Fei smiled with relief.
Zhang Ruochen stayed with Lin Fei for a long time. It wasn’t until late at night, when Lin Fei had fallen asleep, that he left the small courtyard.
Strangely enough, in the past, when he chatted with Lin Fei, they talked about family matters and old memories. But this time, Lin Fei was concerned about what had happened to him outside and enjoyed hearing about his past experiences.
Perhaps time really does change people.
The next day, early in the morning.
Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi appeared together on the small island he had pointed out the day before. The saints of Guanghan Realm had already gathered there, waiting for a long time.
Of course, one person was absent—Xingyun Saint King.
Having been defeated by Zhang Ruochen the day before and losing face, how could he show himself before Zhang Ruochen again?
Even if Zhang Ruochen directly said there was a huge benefit, he probably wouldn’t come.
"Divine Envoy, why have you gathered us here? Is there something important?" Su Qingling asked.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze swept over everyone present. "I am going to activate a time treasure. All of you can use it to cultivate for a period of time."
"What is the time ratio?" Su Qingling quickly pressed.
Zhang Ruochen said, "One year to one day."
"What? There is actually such a miraculous time treasure in this world?" Su Qingling’s eyes widened, filled with shock.
At that moment, all the saints of Guanghan Realm showed expressions of astonishment, including Tianyue Saint King, who found it incredibly hard to believe.
However, they vaguely understood why Zhang Ruochen’s cultivation and strength had improved so rapidly. It must have a lot to do with this time treasure.
Jiu Fengzi laughed heartily. "This is indeed a great surprise. This way, I can brew the Burning Heart Wine as quickly as possible."
"And I can refine more Tongtian Saint Pills," Gu Songzi also smiled.
Refining Heavenly Grade Saint Pills was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Having a time treasure to assist would undoubtedly save a lot of time.
Zhang Ruochen opened the Qiankun Realm and summoned many strong cultivators from the Divine Sword Manor and the Ming Sect.
The power of the Sundial could cover an area of two hundred zhang in radius, allowing many cultivators to cultivate together.
Every time he activated the Sundial, Zhang Ruochen hoped to make full use of it.
Divine Stones were too precious. If he activated the Sundial just for a few people to cultivate, it would be too extravagant.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen had planned to give some slots to the Mu Clan, but since they were hostile toward him, he decided against it.
After having everyone choose their cultivation spots, Zhang Ruochen activated the Sundial.
Immediately, the power of the Sundial spread out, covering an area of two hundred zhang in radius. Within this range, the flow of time underwent a startling change.
"Lingxi, you can take this opportunity to refine both the beast-shaped sacred medicine and the Divine Throne Planet. Also, this is the Divine Wood Heart, a treasure nurtured within the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. It contains immense life force and has the power to revive the dead. Keep it safe."
Zhang Ruochen solemnly placed a Divine Wood Heart into Mu Lingxi’s hands.
The Divine Wood Heart was extremely precious. Only seven remained in the tree trunk. After giving one to Ji Fanxin, only six were left.
Being willing to give one to Mu Lingxi showed just how important she was in Zhang Ruochen’s heart.
Mu Lingxi tightly gripped the Divine Wood Heart, a brilliant smile blooming on her face, her heart filled with happiness and sweetness.
After settling everything, Zhang Ruochen sat down cross-legged beneath the Sundial. The Abyssal Ancient Sword and Mo Yin were both by his side—one refining sacred artifacts, the other devouring the corpses of cultivators from the Hell Realm.
To Zhang Ruochen, the Abyssal Ancient Sword and Mo Yin were important aids, part of his own strength. He naturally hoped they would become as strong as possible.
Ignoring them for now, Zhang Ruochen manifested six sacred souls and began to cultivate with full focus.
During this seclusion, his main goal was to improve his cultivation and do his best to condense a Dao Domain.
Once the Dao Domain was formed, his strength would undoubtedly see a leap forward.
In addition, he planned to comprehend the integration of time and space rules from the Space-Time Secret Scripture into the void space, as well as the insights from Sword Ten.
After the transformation of his sword soul, comprehending the insights of Sword Ten would undoubtedly be twice as effective with half the effort.
The enemies he faced were growing stronger and stronger, filling Zhang Ruochen with a strong sense of urgency and a desperate desire to improve his own strength.
With a flip of his hand, Zhang Ruochen also took out a Divine Wood Heart, holding it in his palm as he quietly meditated.
He believed that with the extraordinary nature of the Divine Wood Heart, it would certainly help him comprehend sacred dao rules, especially those related to the wood element.
To cultivate the Five Elements Chaos Body, all five elements had to be involved. Only then could the Five Elements Chaos Body become the most powerful.
As Zhang Ruochen had expected, holding the Divine Wood Heart while comprehending sacred dao rules was indeed twice as effective, even better than comprehending a Rule Emperor Artifact.
Moreover, through the Divine Wood Heart, he could comprehend great dao rules, even supreme sacred dao rules, such as the Way of Wood and the Way of Life.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen completely immersed himself in a state of cultivation.
He had already used the black altar to cover the small island, making it impossible for anyone to easily intrude, so there was no need to worry about being disturbed.
In the blink of an eye, ten years passed.
The sacred dao rules within Zhang Ruochen’s body had already reached ten million, meeting the conditions for condensing a Dao Domain.
Unfortunately, he had tried many times but failed, as if he was missing something.
"It seems that condensing a Dao Domain cannot be rushed. Regardless, this seclusion has yielded great results. The number of sword dao rules has reached 750,000. After the transformation of my sword soul, comprehending the sword dao has become much easier. I have also reached the second level of Sword Ten, catching up to Feiyu."
"Furthermore, time rules have reached 40,000, and space rules have reached 70,000. Both have seen significant improvement. Even if I haven’t condensed a Dao Domain, my strength should have increased considerably."
Zhang Ruochen nodded to himself, quite satisfied with the success of his seclusion.
The increase in the number of time and space rules he had cultivated held great significance for him. The power of the Time Sword Art and his spatial techniques would both be greatly enhanced.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at the Abyssal Ancient Sword and Mo Yin, and the smile on his face became even brighter.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword had originally been a Nine Radiance Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact. After absorbing the essence of a large number of sacred artifacts, it had finally successfully advanced to a Ten Radiance Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact.
As for Mo Yin, after devouring a massive number of corpses from the Hell Realm, she had actually managed to raise her cultivation to the Dao Domain realm.
That’s right, Mo Yin had successfully condensed a Dao Domain, one step ahead of Zhang Ruochen.
"The Devouring Demon Flower is truly extraordinary," Zhang Ruochen praised inwardly.
He had provided Mo Yin with a massive number of corpses from the Hell Realm, including the bodies of some cultivators who had reached the Dao Domain, Heaven-Connecting, and even Approach-Dao realms.
Having absorbed so much nourishment, it was not surprising that Mo Yin could condense a Dao Domain.
As long as Mo Yin was provided with sufficient nourishment, it would not be difficult for her to grow all the way to the Great Saint realm. After all, the last Devouring Demon Flower in the Kunlun Realm had almost become a god.
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen absorbed the Abyssal Ancient Sword and Mo Yin back into his body.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen looked at Mu Lingxi, who was not far away.
At this moment, Mu Lingxi was still cultivating. Many sacred dao rules appeared on the surface of her body, and a very powerful aura emanated from her.
"Lingxi’s cultivation has also reached the peak of the Rule Grand Heaven. Having obtained half the inheritance of the Ice Fire Phoenix from the Ancestral Spirit Realm and gained many benefits from Phoenix Lake, her cultivation speed is truly enviable," Zhang Ruochen murmured with a smile.
Half the inheritance of the Ice Fire Phoenix from the Ancestral Spirit Realm was no small matter. After all, it was the legacy left by a top-tier Great Saint, enough to make it easier for Mu Lingxi to reach the Great Saint realm than for ordinary people.
Presumably, Canglan Martial Saint, who had obtained the other half of the Ice Fire Phoenix inheritance, would not be slow in cultivation either.
Zhang Ruochen did not disturb Mu Lingxi. He quietly put away the Sundial and the black altar.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen detected an extremely subtle and eerie aura.
Immediately, he performed a Space Displacement and appeared in the manor where Lin Fei lived by the lakeside.
He saw a graceful figure standing on the stone wall of the manor. A pair of seductive eyes gazed down at Zhang Ruochen, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she revealed a captivating smile.
"Qiu Yichi, how did you get to Phoenix Lake?" Zhang Ruochen’s eyes darkened. He reached out to the void, and the Abyssal Ancient Sword appeared in his hand.
The woman on the stone wall was none other than the former sect leader’s wife of the Blood God Sect, Qiu Yichi. She was also the infamous Inner Demon of the Heavenly Court Realm. Since the opening of the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield, she had subdued dozens of Nine-Step Saint Kings.
Lin Fei was also in the manor, standing under a parasol tree. Her face was quite pale, as if she had been frightened.