# Chapter 3051: Lost in an Unknown Land
"First, I must condense my divine soul and restore my consciousness."
There was no time in the Void World, but as Divine Sword Lao'er had said, time existed within the heart.
After roughly six days, Zhang Ruochen had condensed a considerable amount of his divine soul. Although his body still could not move, he was able to release Divine Sword Lao Liu.
"Hua!"
Divine Sword Lao Liu slashed open the barrier between the Void World and the Real World. Immediately, the Heavenly and Earthly Rules and faint spiritual energy from the Real World poured in.
Divine Sword Lao Liu carried Zhang Ruochen's body back to the Real World, and the spatial rift beside them healed shut.
Divine Sword Lao Liu hovered above Zhang Ruochen's body and sighed, "The situation is very bad. Even with the Buddha Relic protecting you, your physical body has almost become translucent. Only your bones have not been eroded."
Zhang Ruochen slowly opened his eyes, gazing into the endless darkness. He was silent for a long time before saying, "The damage to my physical body, divine soul, and spiritual power is nothing major. I can always recover through healing. But... sigh..."
He said no more. Zhang Ruochen continuously absorbed the thin spiritual energy from Heaven and Earth, continuing to condense his divine soul.
This place was clearly still within the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, and he had penetrated deep into an unknown land. Not only was there no Heavenly Divine Qi or Heavenly Saint Qi, even the Heavenly Spiritual Qi was extremely thin. It was practically a barren void.
But at least it was better than the Void World.
After spending who knows how much more time, Zhang Ruochen's body could finally move. He took out the Seven Star Divine Palace and retrieved various medicinal pills from inside to continue his recovery.
After three months, Zhang Ruochen's divine soul was reconstituted, and his physical body solidified.
However, all of this was only superficial. The trauma to his divine soul and the weakness of his physical body could not be restored in a short time.
He took out the "Sixth Patriarch's Zen Meditation Diagram" from his Xuan Tai and entered the scroll world, arriving beneath the Bodhi Tree.
Kong Lanyou and Kong Xuan were both cultivating under the tree. Seeing Zhang Ruochen's pale complexion and weak body, they were both startled and rushed over.
"What happened? Why are you so badly injured?"
Kong Lanyou's eyes were filled with concern and worry. She wanted to support Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen stopped her and smiled, "The worst is over. Don't worry. Your cousin is now a Great God. This little injury won't kill me. Kong Xuan, go to the base of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree and bring me more Life Spring Water."
Beneath the Bodhi Tree, Zhang Ruochen found some Eon-level healing sacred medicines. Then, he activated the Sundial, sat cross-legged on the Bright Mirror Platform, and quickly entered a meditative state.
To heal his divine soul and spiritual power, the Bodhi Tree and Bright Mirror Platform would clearly be of great help.
In the days that followed, he spent his time recovering. Gradually, Zhang Ruochen's divine soul fully recovered, his spiritual power thoughts reconverged, and even his physical body, nourished by various Eon-level sacred medicines and Life Spring Water, saw its blood energy flourish once more.
Although this had been a great calamity, Zhang Ruochen was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had completely refined the spiritual power divine pill he had swallowed earlier. As a blessing in disguise, his spiritual power had reached the seventy-seventh rank.
This was also the result of twenty years of cultivation under the Sundial.
However, having spent too long in the void, even the power of the Buddha Relic had diminished considerably, and his physical body's strength was no longer what it had been.
Kong Lanyou walked over, but was suppressed by the powerful divine might emanating from Zhang Ruochen and could not approach. She could only stand at a distance, a faint feeling of loss rising in her heart.
Although she had reconstituted her Undying Sacred Body and once again reached the Great Saint realm, and her cultivation talent could be considered outstanding, compared to the top prodigies of the universe, she still fell far short.
Compared to her cousin, even more so.
In the future, one would surely be in the clouds, the other in the mortal world.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his divine might, stepped down from the Bright Mirror Platform, and called out, "Lanyou."
Kong Lanyou snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, "Congratulations, cousin, on your full recovery and reaching a higher level of cultivation."
How could Zhang Ruochen not see what was on her mind? He walked up to her and said, "Not bad. Your martial path has already entered the Demi-God realm."
Kong Lanyou smiled bitterly, "This is all thanks to the power of the Bright Mirror Platform and the Bodhi Tree, plus the countless Eon-level sacred medicines here. It was forcibly accumulated. It is the Sixth Patriarch's merit!"
"Don't sell yourself short. Back when the Kunlun Realm's Heavenly and Earthly Rules were incomplete and Saint Qi was thin, you still managed to reach that level. Your innate talent and mental fortitude are beyond what ordinary people can achieve," Zhang Ruochen said.
Kong Lanyou said, "If I could experience more life-and-death trials, perhaps I could reach an even higher level. Otherwise, even if I become a god, reaching the Upper God rank would be my limit. And then there's the Divine Tribulation... nine deaths, one life..."
Zhang Ruochen had long intended to send Kong Lanyou to the Starry Sky Battlefield for training, but many things had happened since then, especially on Xinghuantian, where they had incurred the wrath of many.
If Kong Lanyou went to the Starry Sky Battlefield, she would definitely be targeted.
That wouldn't be training; it would be suicide.
Zhang Ruochen said, "There are countless great paths in the world. Martial path isn't the only one. Look, your spiritual power has improved very quickly. It's already at the sixty-ninth rank!"
Kong Lanyou's hair was as white as snow, evoking pity. She said, "Actually, it's also thanks to this special environment that I've been able to reach this level."
"The Bright Mirror Platform was condensed from the Sixth Patriarch's eighty-three thousand nine hundred and ninety relics. Not only does it turn the surrounding area into a Buddhist domain, but it also allows one to calm the mind and focus the spirit."
"The Bodhi Tree is an extraordinary wise being. Once I enter a state of clarity, it whispers and imparts teachings, as if the Sixth Patriarch himself were alive and preaching scriptures to me. The Bodhi Light Rain that falls from the tree every day can refine spiritual power and the soul."
"In such an environment, even an ordinary person could quickly transform into a spiritual power expert."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and smiled, "Why do you look down on yourself so much? If you didn't have enough comprehension in the path of spiritual power, how could you hear the Bodhi Tree's teachings? Spiritual power has its bottlenecks. It can't be improved solely by external environment. The most important thing is the cultivator themselves."
How could Kong Lanyou not feel inferior?
Even an old yellow cow raised by Zhang Ruochen had surpassed her in cultivation.
Not to mention Chi Yao and Zhang Ruochen, who were now walking further and further on the divine path.
Kong Lanyou showed a thoughtful expression, clearly moved by Zhang Ruochen's words. She was considering abandoning martial path and focusing on spiritual power, which might open a new situation.
Spiritual power cultivation was quite different from martial path cultivation.
Martial path cultivation required charging forward bravely, tempering the body, refining the mind, comprehending Heaven and Earth, cultivating divine abilities, and refining the divine soul. Every realm required struggle—struggling with Heaven, struggling with others, struggling with oneself.
But spiritual power cultivation actually emphasized accumulation and comprehension more.
Just like Confucian cultivators. If one entered the path through painting, they only needed to advance step by step in the painting path to break through the bottlenecks of spiritual power.
In fact, spiritual power cultivators all needed to master one path, using that path as a blade to advance step by step, charging toward the greatest Tai Shang realm.
Some used painting as their blade, some used formations as their blade, some used alchemy as their blade...
Zhang Ruochen shared some of his insights on spiritual power with Kong Lanyou.
Kong Lanyou asked, "Cousin, with your current spiritual power level, what do you use as your blade?"
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment and said, "All the myriad methods of the world can serve as my blade to break through realms."
Kong Lanyou had been very serious, truly earnest, hoping to one day catch up to Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao through spiritual power. But Zhang Ruochen's words made her laugh.
Zhang Ruochen had deliberately said that because he had seen her becoming increasingly self-deprecating and depressed in recent years. Seeing her laugh, his mood also lightened considerably.
"Think it over. Carefully consider which path you want to take if you cultivate spiritual power. I'll go out and take a look first."
Zhang Ruochen suddenly thought of something and said, "Don't be influenced by the Sixth Patriarch and cultivate the Buddhist path."
"What's wrong with cultivating the Buddhist path and entering the empty gate?" Kong Lanyou asked.
"Buddhist cultivators must sever worldly ties and cut off emotions. Then you won't be my cousin anymore. Kong Lanyou, the Great Master!"
By the time Zhang Ruochen's words drifted back, he had already left the "Sixth Patriarch's Zen Meditation Diagram" and entered the dark, cold, and empty void. The smile on his face vanished completely.
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and released his spiritual power, extending it outward, probing until it reached tens of millions of miles away.
Nothing.
Then, he used his Heart of Truth to sense the Truth Esoterica.
Even if he was lost in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, Shang Hong certainly wasn't. As long as he found Shang Hong, he could find the way out of the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
But he couldn't sense any fluctuation.
"Has it already become this distant?"
Zhang Ruochen's brows were tightly furrowed. An intangible fear involuntarily rose from the depths of his heart, as if the entire universe had been destroyed, leaving only him alone in the world.
That loneliness and emptiness sent chills down his spine.
Unwilling to give up, Zhang Ruochen took out the Sword Seal, held it in his hand, and carefully sensed it.
After a long while, he let out a long sigh and put the Sword Seal away.
"This is a huge problem!" Zhang Ruochen sighed deeply.
Returning to the scroll world, Zhang Ruochen told Kong Lanyou about the current situation.
Strangely, Kong Lanyou wasn't nervous at all. Instead, a hint of brightness appeared in her eyes.
But she quickly cleared away that trace of inexplicable joy, because she knew her cousin would never be willing to spend the rest of his life in the scroll world.
He had come to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain for important matters.
If her cousin wasn't happy, what right did she have to be happy?
Kong Lanyou took the initiative to break the silence, saying, "I've thought of what to use to break through the divine realm of spiritual power!"
Zhang Ruochen knew his mood had already affected Kong Lanyou, so he quickly smiled and asked, "What?"
Kong Lanyou took out a bamboo flute and said, "Back then, the First Confucian Ancestor entered the path through the zither, becoming the ancestor of the Confucian path. His spiritual power was unimaginably powerful. During the eight hundred years we were separated, Lanyou has always been accompanied by the sound of the flute. Although I dare not claim to have surpassed the mundane or entered the sacred, I have gained some insights. Perhaps I can use this to break through the path."
"If it's music, I have some insights. It accompanied me through the decades of my lowest and most difficult times."
Zhang Ruochen took out the wooden clapper and struck it lightly. The lingering sound traveled far, resonating with Heaven and Earth.
In terms of music, Zhang Ruochen's skill wasn't particularly remarkable. Back when he had attracted the Dark Flower Pavilion Master to become his disciple, it was because he had borrowed the power of the Wuji Divine Dao, causing resonance with Heaven and Earth, creating a startling effect.
At that time, although the Taiji had not yet evolved, the Wuji had always existed.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't guide Kong Lanyou in music, but he wanted to impart the essence of the Wuji Divine Dao to her. If she could comprehend even a fraction of it, it would be infinitely beneficial for her spiritual power cultivation.
Why had Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power improved so quickly in the divine realm?
The Wuji Divine Dao was his blade for breaking through realms.
If Kong Lanyou could truly comprehend the Wuji Divine Dao, then Zhang Ruochen could provide her with the Divine Wood Heart, spiritual power divine pills, Buddha Relic, Great God's divine heart... everything.
Even former enemies like Xue Tu and Lian Xi, Zhang Ruochen could give many benefits.
To Kong Lanyou, Zhang Ruochen naturally wouldn't be stingy in the slightest. He wished he could give her the best of everything he had, as long as it would help her.