Chapter 3662: Three Hundred Years Later
Miao Li was the human body cultivated by Xiu Chen Heavenly God through the path of blood and flesh life.
Now she had already reached the Divine Realm, only half a step away from the Great God level.
It wasn't that she cultivated too slowly, but that she deliberately suppressed her cultivation speed. With Xiu Chen Heavenly God's cultivation experience before her, Miao Li naturally wanted to lay the firmest foundation possible when retreading the path of cultivation.
Zhang Ruochen felt the soft jade-like buttocks pressing against his leg and the delicate, radiant body leaning into his embrace. She wasn't cold, but rather carried a warmth that could numb one to the marrow. He could also smell the intoxicating fragrance emanating from her hair, making it hard not to be distracted by passion.
But Zhang Ruochen's heart remained undisturbed. "I can't talk to a woman who feigns compliance. Instead of humiliating yourself like this with false flattery, you'd be better off thinking about how to earn my trust."
He pressed one hand against her slender waist, lifted her delicate cheek with the other, moved her aside, and stood up to leave.
Miao Li's captivating eyes held no lack of resentment and annoyance. She immediately said, "Behind you stand the Heavenly Mother, Nutian Shenzun, Yunshen Daozhu, and the Star Sea Angler, among others. If I betrayed you, where in this world would I have a place to take refuge?"
Gradually, she regained her cold composure, a completely different person from the tender, water-like figure who had just leaned against Zhang Ruochen's chest.
Zhang Ruochen stopped in his tracks. "In this world, there are countless powerful beings who desire the Sundial. You could easily choose one to defect to."
"If I wanted to choose another master, why would I betray you in the first place?" Miao Li said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If your cultivation were restored, you could establish yourself independently like the Soul-Devouring Lamp. In the future, ranking among the Twenty Heavens wouldn't be impossible."
Miao Li said, "How can the Sundial and the Soul-Devouring Lamp be compared? How important the Sundial is to a major force, you understand better than I do. I might want to stand independently, but there will surely be many among the Twenty Heavens who would want me to submit."
"In this current era, it is a great chaotic age rarely seen in ten thousand years. No one can stand aloof. All cultivators and forces must exist within the protection of those Heavenly Venerable-level powerhouses, or those close to that level, in order to survive."
"Including those among the Twenty Heavens, they only hold partial authority and must unite with several others to contend with the Heavenly Venerable level."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Continue."
Miao Li walked slowly to stand in front of Zhang Ruochen, her jet-black gem-like eyes fixed on him. "As a vessel, since I cannot stand independently and must have a master, I believe you are the best choice."
"You have always treated the cultivators around you well, sparing no effort in nurturing them. This capacity for tolerance and your emphasis on loyalty and righteousness already surpass most powerhouses."
"You have cultivated a First-Rank Divine Path and, in less than one Eon, have reached a cultivation level not inferior to the Great Unbound Infinite. This is the talent of a young Primordial Ancestor, with boundless future potential. Why would I abandon the light for the darkness?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Do you hold no hatred for me in your heart?"
"Of course I do! But when I think back on those detestable things you did, I realize they actually set me on a new path of life."
Miao Li kept her eyes on Zhang Ruochen, her gaze sincere. "You forced me to become the artifact spirit of the Sundial, but you also gave me a new divine body."
"You forced me to settle Yin and Yang, cultivate a female physical body, and walk the path of life-seeking from the Heavenly Court's Stone Clan. This indeed gave me many insights, a deeper understanding of cultivation, and showed me a path to the Indestructible Infinite."
Zhang Ruochen said, "You are completely different from Xiu Chen."
Miao Li smiled radiantly, both innocent and alluring, adding a vivid sense of life. "Everyone has two completely different sides! Xiu Chen walks the path of death, seeking the Dao through killing intent. Miao Li walks the path of life, pursuing the true essence of life, possessing the seven emotions and six desires."
"In truth, in Miao Li's heart, I have always truly admired you, Divine Venerable. Young as you are, you are already the Lord of the Sword Realm, able to guide ancient gods who have cultivated for millions of years. You possess extraordinary and handsome features. Which woman wouldn't be moved? What I said earlier wasn't entirely false."
"Stop!"
Zhang Ruochen took out the Time Source Pearl and handed it to her, saying sternly, "If you dare betray me, you know the consequences."
"Thank you, Master!"
Miao Li extended both hands to receive the Time Source Pearl.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to look up and smile. "No matter what Xiu Chen thinks, Miao Li truly likes you more and more! Hehe."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head gently and sighed.
He mused to himself that he indeed lacked authority, as even an Upper-Level God dared to joke with him casually without fear.
But Zhang Ruochen could judge through the Way of Truth that there were no falsehoods in Miao Li's words.
With her personality, when she eventually merges with Xiu Chen, perhaps he would have fewer headaches.
From a broader perspective, Zhang Ruochen very much hoped Xiu Chen's cultivation could rapidly improve.
After all, only with the Sundial could he, in a short time, truly step into the realm of the Great Unbound Infinite.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged before Lady Shiji's painting.
"Whoosh!"
Beneath him, the Taiji Four Symbols Diagram unfolded, rapidly stretching the space.
The room, several zhang in size, instantly transformed into a Yin-Yang Divine Sea spanning thousands of miles, divided into black and white, clearly demarcated. It continued to expand outward.
A mass of yellow-brown chaotic cloud lifted Zhang Ruochen's body.
Within the cloud, various Divine Mark rules, primarily Earth Dao rules, twisted together, condensing into earth-attribute matter, making the cloud mist increasingly dense.
According to Zhang Ruochen's calculations, to truly evolve from the Four Symbols into a stable Five Elements, the gaseous chaotic cloud must first condense into solid earth. Completing this step would require a vast amount of time to accumulate.
This was destined to be a long and tedious arduous cultivation.
...
Three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Ruochen's progress was minimal. The yellow-brown chaotic cloud had only grown slightly larger, still a million miles away from condensing into solid earth.
For Divine Venerable-level powerhouses at his level, ten thousand years, or even tens of thousands of years, of stagnant cultivation was normal. Zhang Ruochen hadn't stagnated, but he couldn't help feeling anxious. The difference in speed compared to his previous cultivation using the Time Divine Array, the Sundial, and the Past Divine Palace was enormous.
"Master, there's a letter for you."
Qing Su's divine thought transmission reached Zhang Ruochen's ears.
The Taiji Four Symbols Diagram Seal rapidly contracted, retreating into his Xuan Tai, and Zhang Ruochen reappeared in the room.
"Whoosh!"
He waved his sleeve, and the formations in the room dissipated.
Immediately, the harsh sound of wind blowing snow came from outside, howling mournfully.
Wind gusts seeped through the gaps in the windows and wooden door, causing the paintings on the wall to sway slightly.
"Creak!"
"Boom!"
The moment he pushed open the door, violent wind and snow poured into the room, making Zhang Ruochen's robe flutter and his loose hair sway like willow branches.
Snowflakes covered the wooden floor.
Icicles hung crystal clear from the eaves.
Qing Su stood outside, wearing a blue-green brocade embroidered with phoenix patterns, a moon-white jade belt tied at her waist with double ear knots. She handed a jade talisman to Zhang Ruochen. "It's a letter from Jie Tian!"
Zhang Ruochen took the jade talisman and asked casually, "Has he sealed the heavens?"
"Jie Lao has entered the ranks of the Twenty Heavens of the Heavenly Court." Qing Su's eyes naturally held joy.
But Zhang Ruochen frowned, because the old fellow was urging him to return to Kunlun Realm quickly to handle his marriage.
Zhang Ruochen had originally stayed in White Clothes Valley to cultivate, partly to avoid the arranged marriage.
Of course, he knew that some things couldn't be avoided forever and would eventually have to be faced. After all, he had already agreed and couldn't go back on his word.
"Need a reply?" Qing Su asked.
"No need."
Zhang Ruochen put away the jade talisman and asked, "Have you fully refined the Tongtian Divine Pill?"
"Yes, my physical strength has greatly improved. I will never forget the opportunity Master bestowed upon me, Qing Su."
Qing Su hesitated for a moment, then said, "I want to go to Lihentian."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Preparing to break through to the Infinite Realm?"
"I know going to Lihentian alone is very dangerous! But I have already reached Heart Stop for many years. To break through Heart Stop, I must face danger. Perhaps between life and death, I can break through that layer of weakness in my heart." Qing Su's gaze was extremely firm, without fear.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Don't rush! You still have room for improvement. Go to the Sutra Repository Cave for five hundred years. Study more Buddhist and Underworld Clan scriptures; it will help you. In the future, I will accompany you to Lihentian to protect you during your breakthrough."
A strong surge of emotion rose in Qing Su, her phoenix eyes misting over. After a moment, she said, "The Sutra Repository Cave is an important site of White Clothes Valley. I'm afraid I can't enter as a disciple."
"Come with me."
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the room.
Outside, it was a world of ice and snow, a vast expanse of white. Ancient temples, precious halls, and sacred trees were all clad in silver. White lotuses bloomed on the spiritual lake, with cold mist rising.
Wu Yue and the Absolute Zen Nun's cultivation ground was located in a purple bamboo forest.
Nezang Venerable, wearing a straw raincoat, sat on a green stone, fishing outside the bamboo forest.
He was both fishing and concealing heavenly secrets, preventing the powerful time fluctuations within the bamboo forest from leaking out.
Zhang Ruochen didn't disturb him, and he showed no intention of acknowledging Zhang Ruochen.
Entering the bamboo forest, the flow of time immediately slowed down.
Countless Time Imprint light points floated in the bamboo forest. Every purple bamboo seemed to have become divine, with pure Divine Qi flowing inside, no less than a False God.
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face.
The fact that time hadn't collapsed when he entered the purple bamboo forest meant that Xiu Chen Heavenly God had successfully re-fused with the Time Source Pearl, greatly advancing in cultivation and able to support his training.
The Absolute Zen Nun sat beneath a stone tower, still looking like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Snow piled up around her, but she remained spotless.
She opened her eyes.
Her two pupils were as brilliant and profound as two galaxies, full of infinite changes.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Has your Spiritual Power reached the eighty-fifth level?"
"Nezang Venerable gave me the Great Demon God's Divine Heart. After a hundred thousand years of cultivation, if I still couldn't settle the universe with a single thought, wouldn't I be too far behind her?" The Absolute Zen Nun's voice was clear, ethereal, and vast.
As a Buddhist cultivator, the Absolute Zen Nun naturally cultivated both divine and martial arts, and her Spiritual Power was not weak.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Wu Yue in the distance and could sense that her Spiritual Power had also made tremendous progress. Without using the Heart of Truth, he couldn't see through her. Clearly, she had broken into the eighty-seventh level.
"Nezang Venerable actually... he entrusted the future of White Clothes Valley to you."
Zhang Ruochen sighed with genuine emotion, then said, "I want to request a token for Qing Su to enter the Sutra Repository Cave for five hundred years of contemplation."
"With me, you shouldn't have to say the word 'request.'"
The Absolute Zen Nun rose gracefully, forming a Buddhist hand seal. "It just so happens that I've hit a bottleneck in my cultivation and can't reach the peak of the Qiankun Infinite Realm. The flow of time here has greatly affected my divine soul. I need to go to the Sutra Repository Cave to copy scriptures for a while to clear my soul and calm my mind. Let her come with me!"
Having obtained the complete "Underworld Soldier Volume" and "Underworld Sea Volume," along with an inexhaustible supply of Primordial Ancestor blood, the Absolute Zen Nun's martial realm had also improved rapidly. She had long entered the middle stage of Qiankun Infinite and was touching the peak of Qiankun Infinite.
(Chapter End)