Chapter 3985: Ending the Great Cultivation Era
The activation site of the Sundial was set on the Quecan Plain, located in the heart of the Green Wood Continent within the Sword Realm.
This place was where the Sword Realm's divine veins and sacred veins converged most densely. Beneath the ground lay three divine stone mines, and the abundant celestial and terrestrial energy could provide half of the divine qi needed for the Sundial's operation.
Entering the sea area where the Guixu lay, one could gaze into the distance at the coastline of the Sword Realm, shrouded within its formations.
There, one could see time rules and time imprint light points from heaven and earth continuously converging toward the Sword Realm, enveloping the entire great world.
In the surrounding space, time fluctuations were extremely active.
Fully activating the Sundial had a tremendous impact. Centered on the Wuding Divine Sea, star domains within hundreds of light-years could perceive subtle time disturbances.
However, even during the late Middle Ages, when Xumi Saint Monk held over fifty percent of the Time Esoterica and fully activated the Sundial, the only place that could achieve "one day in heaven, one year on earth" was the Central Domain. Other places in the Kunlun Realm were far from reaching such a high time ratio.
Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation base and combat power surpassed even Xumi Saint Monk's back then, but the Time Esoterica he maintained for the Sundial was only fifty percent. Moreover, the Sundial was severely damaged.
Thus, only the core area of the Quecan Plain, spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, could achieve a time ratio of one day to one year. The farther outward one went, the lower the time ratio decreased.
A complete Sundial, driven by fifty percent of the Time Esoterica, could support the cultivation of powerhouses at the level of Wen Tianjun or Yunshen Daozhu.
Now, however, even though Xiu Chen Heavenly God, the artifact spirit, had broken through to the Indestructible Infinite realm, it could at most support the cultivation of a single cultivator at the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite.
Moreover, if a cultivator at the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite chose to enter and cultivate, the core time domain of "one day to one year" would rapidly shrink to a radius of just a few hundred miles. Other cultivators, affected by the aura of an Indestructible Infinite cultivator, would have to withdraw entirely to a distance of over a thousand miles.
For this reason, in the past fifty thousand years, only Dragon Lord, among cultivators at the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite, had entered the Sundial to cultivate.
Nevertheless, despite the Sundial's various shortcomings, it remained a supreme treasure comparable to the Nine Cauldrons, fully sufficient for its purpose. It had continuously nurtured a steady stream of gods, great gods, god kings, and god venerables for the Heavenly Court, Hell Realm, and Sword Realm.
Now, the number of gods in the universe had nearly doubled compared to fifty thousand years ago.
While it was true that various realms and major powers had brought out all the foundational resources accumulated over multiple eons to nurture new gods, the Sundial undoubtedly played a decisive role.
Such an explosive surge in power was extremely rare throughout ancient history.
...
On the sea surface outside the Sword Realm, various types of divine ships sailed in orderly formation. There were dark, nine-masted giant ships made of ghost wood from the Ghost Clan, shrouded in black clouds with clusters of ghost fire. There were also white jade ancient ships from the Pangu Realm, filled with spirited young men and women.
Some ships resounded with singing and dancing, others hosted Dao-discussion assemblies, and of course, there were inevitable arguments and conflicts between cultivators of the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm.
But all followed the Sword Realm Covenant established by Zhang Ruochen. No one dared to actually resort to violence.
No matter how great the hatred, once they entered the Wuding Divine Sea, they had to resolve matters according to the Sword Realm's rules. They could duel on the arena, but private fights and assassinations were forbidden.
These divine ships carried not only young elites selected from various realms, queuing up to enter the Sword Realm for cultivation as divine reserves, but also large quantities of cultivation resources, the most important of which were divine stones.
On a translucent divine ship, over a hundred meters long and carved like an iceberg, the air was bitingly cold, but the dozen or so Saint realm cultivators seated inside wore thin blue silk robes.
The divine ship was queuing to enter the Sword Realm.
Among them, a young Saint King looked worried and said, "Senior Brother, we've emptied the entire treasury of the Purple Mansion Realm this time. If this continues, where will the next generation find the divine stones?"
Another Saint King said, "The Sword Realm charges an exorbitant amount of divine stones. For a great world like ours, which cannot produce divine stones, it's simply unaffordable. In my opinion, we should unite the realm lords of all the great worlds and negotiate with Di Chen, pressure him to lower the price. How can the Sword Realm play the good Samaritan while lying back and raking in divine stones? Where's the fairness in that?"
The senior brother of the Purple Mansion Realm's expression changed drastically, and he angrily rebuked, "How dare you! Do you have the audacity to speak Di Chen's name?"
...
Zhang Ruochen didn't need to release his divine sense or spiritual power to overhear the conversations of the cultivators on the ships below. The moment someone mentioned his name, he would automatically sense it.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh. "The Sundial is fully activated, consuming a mountain of divine stones every day. It can only be sustained if all the realms of the universe share the burden. Besides, half of the divine qi is provided by the Sword Realm itself. The divine stones collected from the various realms are all consumed as well. So why do people always think the Sword Realm is hoarding wealth?"
Qiangu Nüdi said, "Feeling disheartened, thinking your efforts aren't being understood?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly. "I expected as much. But still, my mood isn't great."
Qiangu Nüdi said, "The strong argue over victory and defeat; the weak seek fairness. The victories and defeats of the strong are often achieved by any means necessary. The fairness sought by the weak is often driven by desire, turning into endless demands and entitlement."
"Compared to powerful realms, the Purple Mansion Realm gets the fewest slots. And even maintaining the cultivation of these few cultivators has drained the resources of their entire great world. Their resentment is only human nature. It's even understandable that they resent you."
"Do you know what great worlds like the Purple Mansion Realm had to sacrifice to raise the divine stones? They've sold almost all their precious resources to the powerful realms. Commoners have to eat chaff and swallow vegetables. Ordinary cultivators have to give up their sacred stones and spirit crystals. Even beautiful women and handsome beast clans become sellable resources, reduced to being wives, concubines, or mounts for cultivators from powerful realms."
Zhang Ruochen fell into deep thought. "So, behind this flourishing facade lies a scene of devastation?"
"Everything has its pros and cons."
Qiangu Nüdi said, "Because of the full activation of the Sundial, the strength of all realms has skyrocketed, giving the Heavenly Court, Hell Realm, and Sword Realm the confidence to withstand the calamity of the Primordial Ancestor. Isn't that enough? You want absolute fairness, to consider everyone's feelings—that's impossible."
After a long silence, Zhang Ruochen suddenly said, "Has the Sundial been activated for too long?"
Qiangu Nüdi showed a hint of surprise.
Zhang Ruochen was very serious. "A long time ago, the Moon God told me that fully activating the Sundial was an aggressive move, and aggressive moves always bring various negative effects."
"Activating the Sundial is essentially pushing all realms forward, forcing them to speed up. Forcing them to bring out more resources to compete."
"Behind this competition, many people are living in pain."
"The Purple Mansion Realm has been drained of its resources. Other great worlds are probably no better off. Nüdi, I want to shut down the Sundial and stop its full activation."
Qiangu Nüdi knew his mind had been severely shaken. "Don't be too disheartened. Facing the calamity of the Primordial Ancestor, facing the shadow of death brought by the Calamity of Quantities, if we can't bear even this much pressure and pain, how can there be a tomorrow?"
"The Sundial has indeed been activated for too long. The celestial and terrestrial energy of the Sword Realm and the Wuding Divine Sea has thinned considerably. It's time to stop. But many have come to see the Sundial as the norm. If you shut it down now, it will still provoke a storm of criticism."
"If you want to do things, no matter whether you do them well or poorly, right or wrong, you must be prepared not to be recognized, to be cursed, mocked, and resented. Of course, I believe you have that preparation."
Just as Zhang Ruochen and Qiangu Nüdi entered the formation light barrier of the Sword Realm, they felt a powerful surge of divine power from the Quecan Plain.
Nine-colored chaotic divine light spread outward in layers of waves.
"Impossible, is she really about to condense the twenty-third heavenly dome?"
Divine light flickered.
Jing Daoren appeared beside Zhang Ruochen and Qiangu Nüdi, staring intently at the majestic layers of heavenly dome worlds at the center of the chaotic divine light, feeling quite unsettled.
This cultivation speed was too fast.
Over the years, Jing Daoren had been representing the Heavenly Court Universe, stationed in the Sword Realm to handle various issues among Heavenly Court cultivators.
And the Bronze Divine Tree had taken root in the Cangjin Continent of the Sword Realm, becoming the world's spiritual root.
At the center of the chaotic divine light, above Chi Yao's head, various rule divine patterns converged, passing through twenty-two heavenly domes, intertwining further above to form the twenty-third heavenly dome.
Her body seemed to be burning, her skin radiating dazzling light, her hair flowing like divine rivers, her aura continuously rising.
With each breath, the celestial and terrestrial energy and the rules of heaven and earth turned into tides.
"Shua! Shua! Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen, Jing Daoren, and Qiangu Nüdi appeared on the Quecan Plain.
Soon after, more gods teleported to this place.
"Congratulations to Empress Chi Yao on breaking through her realm."
"Congratulations to Empress Chi Yao on stepping into the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite."
...
Gradually, the heavenly dome worlds, rule divine patterns, and chaotic divine light flowed back into Chi Yao's body, and her aura quickly retracted.
Chi Yao walked out step by step, her long hair floating in the void, each strand covered with nine-colored flames. Her eyes met Zhang Ruochen's, radiating brilliant divine splendor. "Chen Ge, I did it! I haven't fallen too far behind you, have I?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly but before he could speak, Jing Daoren said first, "Next, the Sundial should be lent to me, right, poor Daoist? If I don't break through soon, I'll be surpassed by you juniors one by one!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "No, you're at the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite."
Jing Daoren said, "Wasn't Ji Wang also at the middle stage of Indestructible Infinite back then?"
"Dragon Lord is different. He's a founding elder of the Sword Realm," Zhang Ruochen said.
Jing Daoren gritted his molars. "You just don't want any Indestructible Infinite cultivators from the Heavenly Court Universe to enter the Sundial to cultivate, do you? Poor Daoist is now the world's spiritual root of the Sword Realm. If I leave..."
"If you leave, Daozhang, I'll just replace the spiritual root. The Sudhodana White Silver Tree or the Refining Divine Flower could both serve as the world's spiritual root."
Zhang Ruochen added, "Actually, at your age, Daozhang, why use the Sundial to consume your lifespan?"
"Fine, if you won't lend it, poor Daoist will break through on my own. It won't take long."
Jing Daoren muttered curses under his breath and walked away, flicking his sleeves.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile, then looked at the assembled gods. "Since you're all here, I won't make you come a second time. Today, I officially announce the end of the great cultivation era of the Sundial's activation."
"Boom!"
Instantly, an uproar erupted.
No one had expected it to come so suddenly, without any warning.
A god from the Stone Clan respectfully bowed to Zhang Ruochen. "Lord Di Chen, this is too sudden. I just arrived at the Sword Realm today, planning to use the Sundial to break through to the Great God realm!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Breaking through to the Great God realm doesn't require the Sundial. The Sundial can't help anyone cultivate; it merely takes a different path, shortening cultivation time. And all of this comes at the cost of your lifespan."
A female god in palace attire from the Yuan Realm asked, "May I ask Di Chen, why the sudden closure of the Sundial? Is it because of the Divine Martial Envoy?"
The Divine Martial Envoy's arrival at the Sword Realm had been too conspicuous, shaking the defensive formations of the Wuding Divine Sea. It was impossible to conceal, and many gods already knew of his existence.
Zhang Ruochen said, "There's no need to ask for reasons, everyone. The Sundial has been activated for fifty thousand years. The resources of all realms have been nearly exhausted. Now that your strength has increased, and the calamity of the Primordial Ancestor is imminent, you should return to guard your respective ancestral realms."
Chi Yao seemed thoughtful. "Everyone can sense that the celestial and terrestrial energy of the Sword Realm has thinned considerably. It's time for a period of rest. You must understand Di Chen's decision."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Rest assured, everyone. The Sundial won't be shut down immediately. I'll give you all a three-month grace period. After three months, the Sundial will officially close."
Knowing they couldn't change Zhang Ruochen's will, the gods took their leave one after another.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God walked out from within the Sundial, dressed in white, with a slender waist bound by a sash, exuding an elegant and noble coolness. "It should have ended long ago. After staying inside the Sundial for fifty thousand years, it's time to go out and get some fresh air."
The narrow space inside the Sundial, resembling a primitive cave, had a different time ratio from the outside, controlled by the artifact spirit.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I only said I'm ending the full activation of the Sundial. I didn't say I won't activate it at all. Nüdi will need to use the Sundial to cultivate. For the next period, you'll be with her."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God had long lost any temper and naturally obeyed Zhang Ruochen's arrangements.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Yao Yao, do you need to consolidate your cultivation under the Sundial for a while longer?"
Chi Yao said, "Does Chen Ge have other plans?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "While Nüdi is in seclusion, could you help oversee the Qiangu Camp?"
"Naturally, no problem."
Chi Yao immediately added, "What's going on with the Divine Martial Envoy? And what did you mean by the calamity of the Primordial Ancestor being imminent?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't hide anything and explained everything, including his upcoming trip to the Nether Prison.
After all, she would find out then anyway.
Chi Yao said, "I'll go with you to the Nether Prison. The Qiangu Camp can be overseen by Zangjin Baihu."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "You've just broken through; you should consolidate your cultivation. Besides, now that you've condensed the twenty-third heavenly dome, don't you want to visit the Wangshan Ancestral Land?"
Chi Yao's heart stirred, recalling the time fifty thousand years ago when she and Zhang Ruochen had gone together to the Shengu Nest to visit Ling Yanzi.
Back then, Ling Yanzi had indeed mentioned that.
Still uneasy, Chi Yao said, "You're going to the Nether Prison alone?"
"Of course not. I've invited two helpers. Don't worry. I now have wives and concubines, children and grandchildren. I won't easily risk my life." Zhang Ruochen deliberately put on a relaxed smile.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God asked, "May I ask Di Chen, who is the concubine?"
(Chapter End)