Chapter 2599: Divine Spirit Step
"What is the fastest speed in the universe?" Yunshen Daozhu asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Naturally, it is the speed of light."
Yunshen Daozhu pondered for a moment, neither confirming nor denying, and said, "If that is the case, then the speed burst from your ten-thousand-times-speed Light Merit Armor is roughly one percent of the speed of light. That is already a top-tier speed below the Divine Realm. How can it be considered slow?"
Zhang Ruochen was puzzled and asked, "Is the speed of light not the fastest speed?"
"At your current level, the speed of light is considered the fastest, but it is not the fastest speed for escaping. Space is!"
Zhang Ruochen fell into deep thought.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "You are a Space Controller, yet you let your Grandmaster teach you life-saving techniques. That really shouldn't be the case!"
"Although I am a Space Controller, I have only had the 'Space-Time Secret Scripture' to cultivate, and I have been figuring it out on my own. My understanding of the Way of Space is still at a very superficial level."
In front of a Tai Shang, Zhang Ruochen dared not claim that his spatial attainments were anything remarkable.
Yunshen Daozhu acknowledged Zhang Ruochen's humble words and nodded slightly, saying, "Space is profound and unpredictable. It is indeed too difficult to explore on your own. Watch closely!"
"Swoosh!"
Yunshen Daozhu extended a wrinkled finger and tapped the void.
The surrounding space trembled slightly.
Yunshen Daozhu asked, "What did you see?"
In Zhang Ruochen's pupils, the light of Truth flowed, and he said, "In the space, there seem to be some rivers, or perhaps mountain ranges, rising and falling. They appear to be flowing, yet also seem eternally still. What is this?"
"This is the Space Vein!"
Yunshen Daozhu withdrew his finger and said, "You possess the Truth Esoterica, which indeed makes your cultivation path easier. But you are a Space Controller. Why don't you use Space Esoterica to sense it? If you don't use your spatial power, how can your spatial attainments improve?"
Zhang Ruochen felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Grandmaster, please demonstrate once more!"
Yunshen Daozhu put his hand back into his sleeve and shook his head, saying, "If it were another cultivator, I could give them three chances, ten chances, or even more. But for you, I give only one chance. You have a wealth of talent and insight, yet you always fail to use them. I need to push you. Now, sense the Space Vein on your own."
It seemed...
There was no room for argument.
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, stopped using the power of Truth, and instead mobilized the Space Esoterica, carefully sensing the subtle changes in space.
Yunshen Daozhu's voice sounded in his ear: "Space is not a flat sheet of white paper, nor is it unchanging. It has countless veins, countless folds, and can also exhibit various signs of distortion, collapse, fracture, and voiding."
"In some places, space is indestructible. In others, it can be easily torn apart by cultivators at the Great Saint level."
"As a Space Controller, you must not only know how to tear space or leap through it, but also understand why you can easily tear space, and why you can leap through it."
"Moreover, you must also learn how to protect and control space, making it more stable, to the point where even gods cannot tear it apart. Let space be completely under your control, so that no one can fix it."
...
Yunshen Daozhu spoke many profound aspects of the Way of Space, some of which even overturned Zhang Ruochen's understanding of space.
Zhang Ruochen entered a state of focused enlightenment, sometimes releasing his Space Domain and Space True Domain to shake the surrounding space, searching for traces of the veins.
After an unknown amount of time, it seemed as if a pair of eyes appeared inside Zhang Ruochen's body. The moment he released the Space True Domain and shook the space, he faintly saw the existence of the Space Vein.
He lunged forward, feeling a slight loss of weight. When he opened his eyes, he found himself hundreds of miles away.
"This is... Space Displacement?"
From afar came Yunshen Daozhu's laughter: "Space Displacement is precisely achieved by opening the Space Vein and crossing the Space Barrier."
It must be said that Zhang Ruochen's insight and talent had indeed made Yunshen Daozhu's heart, which had been gloomy for a hundred thousand years, much happier.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "Logically speaking, only gods, using their Divine Souls, can sense the Space Vein. For you to achieve this at the Great Saint realm using Space Esoterica can be considered exceptionally intelligent!"
If Xiao Hei were here, he would be very surprised.
Because he considered himself a peerless genius, yet during his cultivation on Yunshen Island, he had never received praise from the island master. He always felt it was because the island master's standards were too high, and no matter how outstanding a cultivator was, they couldn't catch his eye.
Yunshen Daozhu continued, "In the world of the Divine Realm, gods can use Divine Qi to infuse into the Space Vein, opening a Space Star Path. This is a path that only gods can walk. With each step, it is one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred miles. And that's just at the level of an ordinary god. This is called the Divine Spirit Step."
As he said this, Yunshen Daozhu took a slight step.
His figure disappeared from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was already one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred miles away. He looked at Zhang Ruochen from afar and waved his hand, saying, "Grandmaster will wait for you here. When you can reach me in one step, that's when we will go to the place where Xumi Saint Monk passed into nirvana."
Zhang Ruochen was secretly shocked.
You know, even when he used Great Space Teleportation, even in the starry sky where space was thin, he could only cross a few hundred miles at a time. If he were in a major world, affected by natural or artificial factors like earth veins, saint veins, formations, etc., the distance he could cross would be even less.
To take a step of one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred miles, how many times would he have to perform Great Space Teleportation?
Zhang Ruochen calmed his mind, carefully sensed the existence of the Space Vein, and repeatedly attempted to perform the Divine Spirit Step, which was more advanced than Great Space Teleportation.
The reason gods could perform the Divine Spirit Step was that they possessed powerful Divine Souls and abundant Divine Qi to strengthen the Space Vein.
Zhang Ruochen had neither a Divine Soul nor that much Divine Qi.
So he had to use his Sacred Soul and Space Esoterica to replace the "Divine Soul," and Space Rules and Saint Qi to replace "Divine Qi."
In the following period, although Zhang Ruochen repeatedly failed, his understanding of the Way of Space deepened, and the Space Rules within him grew rapidly.
Suddenly, one day, Zhang Ruochen performed the Divine Spirit Step again.
As he took a step, he felt space pressing in from all directions. Even his Demigod body was trembling under the pressure, unable to breathe, his skin sinking inward, and his internal organs contracting.
When the immense pressure on him dissipated, he joyfully found himself not far from Yunshen Daozhu.
At that moment, an indescribable sense of exhilaration filled him, as if he had already stepped into the realm of gods.
One step, one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred miles.
Success!
Finally, he had succeeded!
However, the consumption of Saint Qi within him was enormous.
Moreover, the feeling of being squeezed by space was very uncomfortable, as if his body were about to be torn apart.
Zhang Ruochen told Yunshen Daozhu about his experience, saying, "Grandmaster, although I have successfully performed the Divine Spirit Step, I can only take a few steps. Moreover, the speed of each step is very slow, and it may not be as practical as the ten-thousand-times-speed Light Merit Armor."
"Where is the ten-thousand-times-speed Light Merit Armor? Let Grandmaster have a look." Yunshen Daozhu said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen took out the armor.
Yunshen Daozhu glanced at the Light Merit Armor, and a divine light flashed in his eyes. Immediately, the armor emitted a "crackling" sound, transforming from an indestructible solid state into wisps of Merit Qi, dissipating into the void.
Although Zhang Ruochen had sensed something was wrong, watching the priceless ten-thousand-times-speed Light Merit Armor disappear before his eyes still left him somewhat stunned.
What was he doing?
This was the ten-thousand-times-speed Light Merit Armor! With it, Zhang Ruochen could match the speed of a Saint Ship refined by a Supreme Realm Great Saint in a short time. With it, he had escaped countless dangers.
With it, Zhang Ruochen could gain a speed advantage and defeat opponents stronger than himself.
Even if he sold it, it would fetch a lot of Divine Stones.
But now, such a treasure had dissipated in his hands, a terrible waste.
"Is there more?" Yunshen Daozhu asked.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, his emotions mixed, and said, "There's no ten-thousand-times-speed one. Only one-thousand-times, two-thousand-times, and five-thousand-times."
He was telling the truth.
Of course, even if he wanted to lie, he couldn't.
The ten-thousand-times-speed Light Merit Armor could only be obtained by the top ten cultivators on the Saint King Merit Ranking. Zhang Ruochen's was taken from a cultivator of the Paradise Realm.
"Bring out the five-thousand-times one for me to see." Yunshen Daozhu said.
Zhang Ruochen showed a bitter smile and said, "Grandmaster, the Light Merit Armor is a treasure. It's a pity to destroy it."
"It's not a pity! Although your Grandmaster is known as the Formation Tai Shang, I have some skill in artifact refining. Such small trinkets can be made casually. Bring it out and let Grandmaster see." Yunshen Daozhu said.
After destroying several sets of five-thousand-times-speed Light Merit Armor on Zhang Ruochen, Yunshen Daozhu was satisfied and walked away, saying, "Catch up to Grandmaster. If you can't, I'll throw any other armor or Supreme Sacred Artifacts you have into the Void World."
Zhang Ruochen understood very well that Grandmaster was cutting off his retreats to temper him, so that even without using external objects, he could burst forth with unparalleled speed.
The speed burst from using the Light Merit Armor ultimately did not belong to him.
"Grandmaster has just escaped from the Destiny Temple. There must be a lot of important things to do in the Kunlun Realm and the Heavenly Court. I'm sure gods from all realms want to meet him. Yet now he is spending his energy on me. Clearly, he has high expectations for me. How can I let him down?"
In just a few moments, Yunshen Daozhu had taken seven or eight steps and was millions of miles away. Zhang Ruochen could barely see him even with his Truth Eye.
Zhang Ruochen quickly gave chase.
One step, two steps, three steps.
After just three steps, the Saint Qi in Zhang Ruochen's body was almost completely depleted.
But he did not stop. He grabbed a Divine Stone in each hand, absorbing the energy from the stones to restore his Saint Qi. At the same time, he used his Spiritual Power to mobilize the spiritual energy and Saint Qi of heaven and earth, continuously drawing them into his body.
Still unable to meet the consumption, Zhang Ruochen had to take out Sacred Medicine and stuff it into his mouth.
Although he barely managed to maintain the consumption of Saint Qi, his Demigod body could not withstand the continuous spatial squeezing. After only a few dozen steps, it began to show signs of collapse.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen's body recovered quickly. Even as his skin cracked and his internal organs shattered, he gritted his teeth and persisted.
Finally, he caught up with Yunshen Daozhu.
Zhang Ruochen immediately stopped, fully activated his technique to restore his Saint Qi, and swallowed Life Spring to heal his injuries.
Before his injuries had fully healed, Yunshen Daozhu was already millions of miles away. Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to continue chasing, once again falling into the cycle of his body collapsing and recovering, recovering and collapsing.
His Saint Qi was constantly on the verge of depletion.
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen found some tricks, mastering techniques to minimize Saint Qi consumption and methods to avoid spatial squeezing.
Of course, these techniques and methods only made things slightly easier for him.
After more than two hundred steps, Zhang Ruochen reached his absolute limit. Covered in blood, he collapsed into the void, as if all the strength in his body had been drained.
Yunshen Daozhu stopped and said, "Two hundred and fifteen steps. To achieve this at the Hundred Shackles Realm is not bad. If your Spiritual Power reaches the sixty-ninth level and you break through to the Thousand Questions Realm, you should be able to push the limit to over five hundred steps. Then, even if you encounter a False God, you would have some chance of escape."
"Swoosh—"
Without any visible action from Yunshen Daozhu, the spiritual energy and Saint Qi of heaven and earth rapidly converged toward Zhang Ruochen, like spring water pouring into a desert, nourishing him.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen's injuries fully healed, and his Saint Qi reached its peak state.
"Do you want to continue?" Yunshen Daozhu asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Continue, of course I want to continue."
"Good."
Next, every time he took more than two hundred steps, Zhang Ruochen would reach his limit and collapse to the ground.
This journey to the place where Xumi Saint Monk passed into nirvana was more difficult than ever before, but Zhang Ruochen was full of fighting spirit and never tired of it. Because he could clearly feel his understanding of space constantly strengthening.
His control over his Demigod body became more refined.
His Spiritual Power also gradually strengthened as he continuously challenged his limits, approaching the sixty-ninth level.
After an unknown amount of time, they had completely left the Kunlun Realm and arrived in a dark and silent starry sky. Here, not a single star could be seen, as if they had returned to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
But Zhang Ruochen knew that the stars had not disappeared. It was just that the space here was too special, making the stars invisible.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Yunshen Daozhu, who had stopped, and said, "Is the place where the Saint Monk passed into nirvana in this cosmic space?"
Although he was the heir of Xumi Saint Monk, Zhang Ruochen had never seen him and had never called him "Master," so he was still accustomed to calling him Saint Monk.
Yunshen Daozhu looked around and nodded.
When Xumi Saint Monk passed into nirvana, Yunshen Daozhu had already been imprisoned in the Destiny Temple, so naturally, he could not know the exact location of the Saint Monk's nirvana site.
But Qiangu Nüdi had been there and had obtained a large inheritance of Time Esoterica.
Yunshen Daozhu waved his sleeve, and in the darkness, the chaotic Space Vein became clear, visible even to the naked eye.
Then, as if a black cloth had been pulled down, the space before them suddenly collapsed, revealing a majestic yet dilapidated ancient temple.
Although Zhang Ruochen could clearly see the ancient temple, he sensed that it was located extremely far away.
It was visible but unreachable.
As if it were inside the Void Space.
Yunshen Daozhu was about to take a step when he suddenly showed a hint of surprise and smiled, "Your friend has chased you here!"
"My friend? Here?" Zhang Ruochen was astonished.
Who could have found this place?
...
One chapter today.
(Chapter End)