Chapter 3778: The Nether Realm of the Charming Realm
Krysa’s gaze shifted toward Zhang Ruochen and the others, lingering with a hint of depth when it fell upon Cihang Fairy.
Qingcheng Yun swept his sleeve, and a barrier of runic divine patterns appeared between them and Zhang Ruochen’s group, blocking all heavenly secrets.
Krysa withdrew his gaze, smiling with ease. “Are you worried about being devoured by A Fuya?”
“Hasn’t the Paradise Realm already been devoured by her? Although I look down on Yu Dongxuan, he was still the third most prominent figure in the Paradise Realm. His death dealt a significant blow to it.”
Qingcheng Yun said.
“For the one-tenth of Light Esoterica on Yu Dongxuan’s body, I would have done the same as her.”
Seeing Qingcheng Yun staring at him with a peculiar look, Krysa smiled meaningfully. “When one’s cultivation reaches our level, if they still limit their vision to the gains and losses of a single realm, they are undoubtedly shackling themselves. How can they go further on the path of cultivation? Don’t you, Young Master Qing, wish to rank among the Twenty Heavens, to step into the Indestructible Infinite? Or pursue something higher?”
Qingcheng Yun said, “Every step on the path of cultivation must be taken solidly. What realm one can achieve depends not only on one’s own efforts but also on fate.”
“Did Shang Tian teach you that? Could it be that this very statement is wrong?”
Krysa clasped his hands behind his back, gazing into the void, exuding an aura that defied heaven and earth. “Shang Tian was born of lowly origins, wandering through life in hardship, always surviving in the cracks between life and death. Naturally, he had to be cautious, down-to-earth, and dare not take a single wrong step. Do you think your talent compares to Shang Tian’s?”
“I stand on my master’s shoulders to achieve what I have today. My master, relying on no one, still ranks among the Twenty Heavens. I am far inferior to him, the elder!”
Qingcheng Yun said.
“You’re being too modest!”
Krysa said, “In this generation of the Paradise Realm, your talent is undoubtedly the best, unmatched by anyone. In his youth, Shang Tian was constrained by a lack of resources, leaving many flaws. Your foundation is more complete than Shang Tian’s, and you should go further than him. But if you don’t make a change, you will never reach the height Shang Tian has achieved in this lifetime!”
“Is the change that Heavenly Lord Xi speaks of learning from A Fuya?”
Qingcheng Yun was no ordinary person; he understood the subtle meaning behind the words, but his tone held no respect for A Fuya, a remnant soul of an Ancestor, revealing his proud heart. It was also a way of telling Krysa that he would not be swayed by his words and could make his own judgments.
Krysa said, “Your mastery of the Way of Flowing Light is unmatched by few cultivators in the Heavenly Court and Hell. If you could seize Esoterica by any means, you should be able to reach the Indestructible Infinite through this path, or even pursue higher goals. I hear that your senior brother, the Hall Master of the Merit Divine Hall, is the main god of the Way of Flowing Light. If you have the intent, this portion of Esoterica should not be hard to obtain!”
Qingcheng Yun narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Krysa.
After a long moment, Krysa laughed heartily, “Don’t look at me like that; I’m just speaking casually. Such an unjust act is shameful; don’t actually do it. The Hall Master of the Merit Divine Hall is not Yu Dongxuan; your bond as master and brother is deep. A Fuya and Yu Dongxuan merely used each other; it’s completely different. However…”
He paused, then said, “If your methods aren’t ruthless enough, if you can’t fight as fiercely as A Fuya, you will never break through to the Indestructible in this life. But A Fuya will surely return to the Indestructible, or even the Heavenly Venerable rank. As for Half-Ancestor or Ancestor, those cannot be obtained through mere struggle!”
No one knew what Qingcheng Yun was thinking at that moment. He said, “Does Heavenly Lord Xi truly believe that A Fuya’s allegiance to Zhang Ruochen is only for the Light Esoterica, the Sundial, and the Earth Cauldron? I think there must be deeper reasons beyond our understanding.”
Krysa said, “Do you think a former Ancestor would willingly submit to another? In truth, as long as the benefits are sufficient, who wouldn’t cooperate? Testing her is simple: once we seize the Sundial and force Zhang Ruochen to hand over the Earth Cauldron, we’ll see what decision she makes then. That woman, I want her!”
Qingcheng Yun’s gaze fell on Cihang Fairy, who was disguised as a Bhikkhuni, and said, “If Heavenly Lord Xi can answer a doubt of this junior, you can take her away now. Legend has it that 300,000 years ago, the Twenty-Four Heavens marched into the unknown, and only two and a half returned. Aside from the Heavenly Venerable and the Sixth Patriarch, who was the other one?”
The two stared at each other for a moment.
Krysa smiled, “I only descended as a remnant soul; I did not go on that campaign, so it’s hard for me to answer your question.”
“Is it hard to answer, or unwilling?”
Qingcheng Yun pressed further, then added, “Heavenly Lord Xi, before going on that campaign, must have realized the risk of not returning, so you left many remnant souls in Lihentian and cultivated Krysa as an excellent vessel for possession. It seems you knew more than the other Heavens, didn’t you? If so, the chances of surviving danger should have been greater.”
“Did Shang Tian send you to test me?”
Krysa had completely withdrawn his smile, his expression cold and fierce. Then, he transformed into a beam of light, shooting out of Qingcheng Yun’s divine realm world.
Qingcheng Yun kept his eyes on Krysa’s, sensing his emotional fluctuations, but found nothing.
After a moment of thought, Qingcheng Yun looked at Cihang Fairy. If she could attract Krysa’s attention, how could she be just an ordinary god of the Joyful Zen Sect?
“Whoosh!”
The barrier of runic divine patterns dispersed.
Qingcheng Yun walked up to Cihang Fairy, striking out a series of finger seals to break the seals on her body, striking straight at her divine soul.
“Ah!”
Cihang Fairy staggered back several steps, spitting blood. Her transformation technique was broken, revealing her true appearance.
“It’s you! You’ve actually reached the Infinite Realm!”
Qingcheng Yun was astonished, his eyes filled with intense interest. He gracefully handed her a silk handkerchief. “Let’s talk.”
Cihang Fairy took the handkerchief, wiped the bloodstains from her lips, and nodded lightly.
…
Dragons bearing canopies under the morning sun, phoenixes spitting tassels in the evening glow.
The Nether Demon Cult was situated on the shores of the Flowing Tassel Fire Sea, atop the Treasure Canopy Divine Mountain. Peaks floated on the sea surface, with flame-like clouds flowing slowly among the mountains like red bridges.
It was dusk, and the endless sea was dyed crimson by the sunset glow.
The name “Fire Sea” came from this.
Nether Demon Cult Leader Qi Jingting stood like a statue on the edge of the Red Tide Cliff, watching the divine throne stars of the cult’s gods extinguish one by one in the starry sky beyond the realm. This meant that the gods escorting Chi Xingtian and Yu Cangsheng to see Qingcheng Yun had all fallen.
The Nether Demon Cult Leader showed no grief or joy, as if he had expected this, and laughed bitterly to himself.
His laughter grew more ferocious and helpless.
Xian Chaoji, the Nether Demon Cult Leader’s most prized disciple, looked at the sky beyond, then walked over slowly. “Master, the gods of the Murong Family say the Nether Demon Cult has no right to question their purpose here. Should we…”
“No need!”
The Nether Demon Cult Leader knew what she intended. This was the Charming Realm. Even if Murong Tailai was a Heavenly Lord, once the Nether Demon Cult unleashed all its hidden means, they could still suppress him. Of course, the Nether Demon Cult and the Charming Realm would pay a terrible price.
Xian Chaoji, with only her bright, moon-like eyes visible outside her green robe, said, “If the Evil Emperor hadn’t fallen 300,000 years ago, who would dare look down on the Charming Realm? Why would the Charming Realm have to bow to the Paradise Realm, the Kunlun Realm, and the Murong Family?”
The Nether Demon Cult Leader said, “Your master has a premonition that a great calamity is coming, a catastrophe that will sweep through the entire Charming Realm.”
“Should we immediately notify the Joyful Zen Sect to jointly activate the Realm-Protecting Zhou Tian Grand Formation and launch a final battle for survival?”
Xian Chaoji’s tone was cold and fierce.
The Nether Demon Cult Leader said, “If the Dinglun Buddha Lord were still in the Charming Realm, we might have a fighting chance. But he clearly sensed the danger early on and left under the pretext of pursuing the Eight-Winged Nightmare Dragon.”
“This is the Heavenly Court Universe! The Heavenly Venerable won’t stand idly by, nor will the Heavenly Palace.”
Xian Chaoji said.
The Nether Demon Cult Leader smiled, “When the Immortal-Worshipping Cult Leader fell, your master should have decisively gone to the Kunlun Realm to see the Heavenly Venerable. By cutting out the cult’s cancerous elements and promising full obedience to the Heavenly Palace’s orders, the Heavenly Venerable would have responded. But at that time, I still harbored illusions about the Paradise Realm, so I chose to seal the mountain.”
“Later, under Qingcheng Yun’s heavy pressure, I mistakenly chose to trust the Paradise Realm and acted against Chi Xingtian and Yu Cangsheng.”
“Now that the Heavenly Venerable has gone to Lihentian, and the Heavenly Palace is under the command of Jie Tian, where is the Nether Demon Cult’s chance of survival? Too late, it’s all too late! One wrong step leads to eternal damnation.”
Xian Chaoji said, “Let’s leave now, go to the Demon God Realm, to the Ten Thousand Ruins Realm. The Heavenly Court Universe must have a place for us. Although Jia Hong Evil God and the others have fallen, the Nether Demon Cult still has us. Our strength is not weak.”
The Nether Demon Cult Leader closed his eyes. “I have sensed, from a distant starry sky, a divine soul thought locking onto me. It is coming for me. Today’s calamity cannot be escaped by fleeing.”
Tears streamed from Xian Chaoji’s eyes. “Does that mean the Nether Demon Cult will follow the Immortal-Worshipping Cult’s fate today? With no chance of survival? We can surrender to the Murong Family! With the arrival of the Buhuo Ancestor, the Murong Family is at its peak.”
“Surrendering to the Murong Family will only make the Nether Demon Cult die faster and be destroyed more thoroughly.”
The Nether Demon Cult Leader’s eyes regained their sharpness. “In this life, your master once dreamed of becoming the Evil Emperor, painstakingly managing the Nether Demon Cult, hoping to make it the number one cult in the universe. But after a million years of cultivation, all that sharpness has been worn down by reality. Gradually, I came to see all beings as ants, cultivators as weeds. Even the cult’s gods, if they angered me, I would strike them dead with a single palm.”
“Only now do I realize I have long strayed from the path. Those who cultivate the demonic path must also have three parts of righteousness to maintain absolute rationality. Only then can they, like the Evil Emperor, be more demonic in the face of evil, more righteous in the face of righteousness, and earn the world’s respect.”
“Ji, you are still young. You still retain the unextinguished kindness in your heart. If you truly want the Nether Demon Cult to survive, go to the Heavenly Court and find Zhang Ruochen.”
Xian Chaoji’s eyes were full of confusion. “Given Zhang Ruochen’s methods against the Immortal-Worshipping Cult, how could he spare the Nether Demon Cult?”
“That boy Zhang Ruochen is said to be as vast as the sea, embracing all rivers. He has never completely wiped out his enemies, always leaving a thread of life.”
The Nether Demon Cult Leader took out a dark wooden box and handed it to Xian Chaoji. “Take this to him and say it was given to the Evil Emperor by Ling Yanzi back then. Let’s see if the legend is true. If Zhang Ruochen’s magnanimity can truly leave a path for the Nether Demon Cult, then he is worthy of the title of future Ancestor.”
“Bang!”
The Nether Demon Cult Leader struck out with a palm, sending Xian Chaoji crashing into a spatial rift, disappearing into the Void World.
On the other side, above the Flowing Tassel Fire Sea, blood-red light spread.
Blood-red demonic qi, carrying a magnificent palace, slowly rose from the sea surface.
The seawater became as thick as blood, boiling as if in a cauldron, with massive waves rolling and churning endlessly.
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