Chapter 3381: Ten Thousand Years of Cultivation in the Blink of an Eye
In the mortal world, ten years marks a generation.
After years of development, the Qiankun Continent had reached an unprecedented peak of prosperity. Humanity flourished, and martial arts thrived.
With the added advantages of the Sword Realm's superior environment, saint-level cultivators among humanity emerged in great numbers, presenting a scene of thriving vitality.
The Holy Bright Central Empire was established under the vigorous promotion of Kong Lanyou. Its imperial capital was built in imitation of the Saint Bright City of the Kunlun Realm. Half of the princes, marquises, generals, and ministers now active in the court were descendants of the original empire's old loyalists.
Before Zhang Ruochen and Luo Ji arrived, Chi Yao was already in the imperial palace, discussing something with Kong Lanyou.
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised. He inquired about Chi Yao's injuries, then asked Kong Lanyou about the current state of the Holy Bright Central Empire, exchanging pleasantries.
Kong Lanyou said, "The empire has been established for over a hundred years, yet its sovereign has never once appeared. Cousin, would you consider presiding over a court session?"
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. "I have said it before. I have no energy to involve myself in the affairs of the Holy Bright Central Empire. I will not be its sovereign."
Kong Lanyou glanced at Chi Yao, secretly guessing that her cousin's refusal to become the empire's ruler might have something to do with her.
Regardless of the reason, the Holy Bright Central Empire had indeed been destroyed by Chi Yao and the Azure Emperor in the past. The hatred between them had faded with the passing of a generation. Yet, it remained a barrier between the two of them.
If Zhang Ruochen were to rebuild the Holy Bright Empire and become its sovereign, it would undoubtedly turn that barrier into a sharp thorn.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If possible, in the future, you may select a person of both virtue and talent from among the descendants of the Zhang Clan to serve as the empire's ruler."
Zhang Ruochen did not say it explicitly, but Chi Yao could understand that this person could never be her descendant. The fact that Zhang Ruochen refused to serve as the sovereign of the Holy Bright Central Empire was already a great consideration for her feelings.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "Currently, the Sword Realm is vast and sparsely populated, and even mortals can stay within it. But in the future, as the population surges, mortals will certainly have to be relocated outside the realm. Only those with cultivation above the Half-Saint level may remain. This matter must be announced in advance."
Chi Yao said, "There is no need to announce it so hastily. Do not cause panic among the people. It must be done gradually. At the very least, within ten thousand years, the Sword Realm can still support the resources needed by the rapidly growing number of cultivators. You can first release some rumors, so they can both prepare mentally and cultivate more desperately."
"In matters of governing the empire, Lanyou, you should seek more advice from Yaoyao." Zhang Ruochen said.
After that, Zhang Ruochen no longer concerned himself with worldly affairs. He placed the Golden Divine Mulberry of the Sea and the divine mountain left behind by an ancient Celestial Round No-Lack powerhouse from the Blazing Sun Civilization within the imperial palace of the Holy Bright Central Empire, entrusting them to Kong Lanyou's charge.
This divine tree and this divine mountain would serve as the empire's national treasures.
The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree grew at the center of the Qiankun Continent, becoming ever taller and more sacred. It spewed divine qi, radiating vigorous life energy, with winding rivers of life spring flowing beneath it.
Not far from the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, the Sword Mountain had become the number one sword dao sacred land of the Qiankun Continent. Sword Saint-level experts had established sects at its periphery.
"Whoosh!"
Five beams of divine light flickered.
Zhang Ruochen, Chi Yao, Kong Lanyou, Luo Ji, and Xiu Chen Heavenly God appeared beneath the divine tree.
"Let us activate the Sundial here. When the Boundless cultivators return from the Northern Expedition, the cosmic landscape will surely have new changes. The gods of the Sword Realm must raise their cultivation as quickly as possible."
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen waved his long sleeve, and from within it flew out pieces of divine stone, suspended in the void like stars, emitting dazzling light.
In truth, with Xiu Chen Heavenly God's current cultivation, she could completely absorb the divine qi of heaven and earth and the underground divine veins automatically to maintain the Sundial's operation.
However, this time, the participants included many gods, including several great gods and titled king and venerable-level experts. Divine stones had to release divine qi to supplement and maintain the Sundial's operation.
Taiqing Patriarch, Yuqing Patriarch, Zangjin Baihu, Xu Wenzhi, Li Mo, Yu Ling Shen, Amuer... and many other gods arrived one after another, entering a cultivation state.
Additionally, there were talented cultivators from various clans and realms.
With the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree at the center, a thousand miles around were transformed into an ocean of time, filled with white light.
Ji Fanxin did not come; she remained far overseas. Because her spiritual power was too powerful, Xiu Chen Heavenly God could not support the cultivation of an expert of her level.
In fact, it was already a stretch to support the cultivation of Taiqing Patriarch and Yuqing Patriarch. It was only possible because Xiu Chen Heavenly God's recent cultivation had greatly increased.
Yu Shen Wang did not enter the ocean of time. One reason was that his upper limit was locked, and entering the Sundial to cultivate would merely consume his lifespan.
The second reason was that the Sword Realm must have a Boundless-level expert guarding it at all times.
At the edge of the ocean of time, Zhang Ruochen met with all the surrendered gods from the Heavenly Court and Hell.
Only true gods were included; false gods were not among them.
The leaders among them were naturally the Second Elder of the Array Destruction Palace, Huang Daozi of the Talisman Spirit Realm, and Chi Xuan Gui Jun and Wu Gan of the Darkness Temple. All were Tai Xu-level great gods.
Additionally, among the great gods were Xue Mu, the former Hall Master of the Corpse Clan's Eternal Life Hall, and Huang Huang of the Bone Clan.
Other gods, such as Yuan Tian Jun Zhu and Chi Hun Jun Zhu of the Death Clan, were also present.
The fact that they had survived until now meant they had already passed through layers of trials.
However, one could never let one's guard down against any god. For this reason, Zhang Ruochen held half of the divine souls of the vast majority of them, controlling their life and death, while also having Cang Jue suppress them.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Chi Xuan, Wu Gan, you surrendered to me because of Wu Yue. Are you willing to return to the Darkness Temple? I can release you now, but I will erase your memories of this period."
Chi Xuan Gui Jun immediately said, "I am happy here. I have no thoughts of returning to the Darkness Temple."
"The Sword Realm is the number one sacred land for cultivation in the world. Why would I return to the Darkness Temple? From now on, this god is willing to entrust his life to the Sword Venerable!" Wu Gan said.
"After arriving in the Sword Realm, none of us wish to leave ever again." All the gods present spoke in unison.
They had all heard the news of Li Hen Gu Shen being suppressed and killed, and each was terrified.
The Second Elder of the Array Destruction Palace and Huang Daozi were the most fearful, because when Li Hen Gu Shen defected, they had almost left together!
It was for this reason that when Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell upon them, these two cunning ancient gods immediately stepped forward.
The Second Elder of the Array Destruction Palace said, "This old man is willing to establish a sect in the Sword Realm, to build an Array Hall, and to teach the art of formations to cultivators from all realms. I will teach everything I know, daring not to hold anything back."
Huang Daozi said, "This old man is willing to establish a Talisman Hall, to spread the talisman dao of the Talisman Spirit Realm, no, to push the talisman dao of the Sword Realm to its peak."
Seeing that they were already so terrified, Zhang Ruochen stopped intimidating them. He told them they could freely enter the ocean of time to cultivate, entirely of their own volition.
Many gods were overjoyed, repeatedly bowing to Zhang Ruochen before entering the ocean of time.
...
The Buddha World and Bodhi Tree left by the Sixth Patriarch floated within the ocean of time, shining with golden light, with Buddhist chants swirling around.
Zhang Ruochen sat beneath the Bodhi Tree, taking out a black cloth garment.
This was the ancestral relic he had brought out from the Yecha Ancestral God Hall!
It appeared to be a cloth garment, but it had remained undecayed for eons, so its material was naturally special.
Zhang Ruochen examined the threads of the woven garment. They contained spatial attributes, and each thread was an independent space within, like a strip-shaped world thousands of miles long.
On the threads, ancient patterns remained undying, traces left by the Ancestor.
"Ancestor Divine Travel Garment!"
These five words automatically surfaced in Zhang Ruochen's mind. He sensed the past of this cloth garment. A titan of the Yecha Clan had once used it and given it this name.
An Ancestor was invincible in an era and had no need for divine travel or concealment.
According to that Yecha Clan titan's deduction, this cloth garment was forged before the Ancestor's cultivation had reached its peak. After reaching the Ancestor realm, the Ancestor had refined it once more before passing it down to later generations.
Throughout the history of the Yecha Clan, they had experienced many great calamities. Several times, it was by relying on the Ancestor Divine Travel Garment that they preserved their spark, only to regain their glory years later.
In its most complete state, it could evade the perception of the Twenty Heavens from a certain distance and unleash transcendent speed. It was absolutely a heavy treasure for stealth and escape.
Unfortunately, the Ancestor Divine Travel Garment had sustained multiple damages. Although it had been repaired, it could no longer be considered an Ancestor-level heavy treasure, having been reduced to a defective product.
Zhang Ruochen pondered, thinking to himself, "Using the petals of the Time-Space Chaos Lotus and the shed skin of the Space Chaos Worm should be able to repair the Ancestor Divine Travel Garment. It would be best to ask Jiu Tian and the Old Woodcutter to help refine it. With this Divine Travel Garment, I can freely enter and leave the Heavenly Court and Hell."
The battle at the Sword God Hall had made Zhang Ruochen deeply aware of the terror of God Venerable-level combat.
Any defense, including the divine halls left by the ancient Twenty Heavens, could be pierced through.
His previous defensive methods and life-saving techniques were no longer applicable. Only divine artifacts and ancestral relics could play a role in God Venerable-level battles.
Of course, no matter how strong external objects were, their enhancement of combat power was very limited. One's own cultivation was the foundation of everything.
Thinking of this, Zhang Ruochen entered a state of enlightenment, focusing on cultivating the Way of Light and the Way of Space, preparing for the condensation of the fourth image, the Sun.
At the same time, his spiritual power, sword dao, fist techniques, and research into various divine abilities were not neglected, progressing steadily.
Within the Sword Mountain, the Abyssal Ancient Sword was continuously smelting various war swords and sacred artifact weapons, its quality rapidly improving.
No matter how strong the Earth Cauldron was, it was left behind by the Witch Ancestor.
Zhang Ruochen possessed the Ancestor's Heart, so he had to forge his own divine artifact war weapon. The Abyssal Ancient Sword was forged from Creation Divine Iron, possessing the potential to seize creation and smelt the universe.
Regarding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, Zhang Ruochen actually had many ideas, including merging the God-Defying Stele and some divine artifacts into it.
However, because he was not particularly proficient in the art of artifact refining, he feared that doing so might destroy the Abyssal Ancient Sword. Therefore, he intended to wait until the Old Woodcutter returned, seek his advice, and then consider the matter of reforging the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Beneath the Sundial, time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, ten thousand years had passed.
Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was completely consolidated. The quality of the divine qi within his body had reached the Heart-Stopping Realm. His physical body and divine soul had further improved, and his spiritual power had reached the eighty-second rank.
His shortcomings in divine abilities had been fully addressed. The seventh level of the Time Sword Art, the "Fleeting Year Sword Art," was perfected. The eighteenth level of the Immovable Wisdom King Fist had reached its pinnacle, and the Eighteenth Sword was perfected.
Additionally, he had researched the great divine abilities of the Way of Darkness, the Way of Light, the Way of Space, the Way of Truth, and the Way of Origin. Although not perfected, he had achieved minor accomplishments.
Zhang Ruochen stood beneath the Bodhi Tree, his entire body bathed in golden light, exuding an aura of transcendence. "The Boundless cultivators should have returned from the North Marsh Great Wall by now. I wonder what drastic changes have occurred in the world's situation. It is time to go out and take a look."
On the North Marsh Great Wall, many Boundless cultivators had fallen, which would inevitably affect the cosmic landscape.
What impact had the calamity left by the Quantity Organization had on the world of Boundless gods? It involved multiple Twenty Heavens.