Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

Just as Song Changsheng and his group were heading to Zhongzhou, a long-planned and brewing great battle finally broke out on the vast ocean.

The four sects of Wanxiang Palace, Ghost King Valley, Zhenhai Pavilion, and Baihua Sect gathered their elite forces to launch a surprise attack on the sea monsters gathered near the sea area belonging to Ghost King Valley. The Palace Master of Wanxiang Palace, Tianxiang Zhenjun, personally commanded the central army.

Although the Hundred Refinements Sect, the Embroidered Banner, the Vast Ocean Merchant Guild, and Thousand Blade City did not send any experts to assist, they each dispatched their fleets to attract the attention of the other sea monster groups.

This battle mobilized nearly a quarter of the vast power of the Great Qian cultivation world, with more than ten Golden Core cultivators participating. The battle line advanced from the long coastline of the Great Qian cultivation world all the way to the open sea.

When it moves, it is as swift as thunder.

Yi Tianzheng tore through space, creating a spatial passage. The massive fleet of the Great Qian Cultivation World Alliance directly crossed the barrier of the sea through the spatial passage and charged directly into the rolling demon clouds.

This is the terrifying aspect of a Nascent Soul True Monarch: they can tear through space with a wave of their hand, constructing spatial channels and deploying large armies to various locations in the shortest possible time.

For large-scale battles, its impact will be revolutionary.

The sea monster horde, mainly composed of the Nightshade Clan, the Tide Shadow Clan, and the Xuanlin Clan, suffered a devastating blow. A powerful fleet of hundreds of ocean warships, like a sharp knife, effortlessly cleaved the sea monster horde in two.

Blood stained the entire battlefield almost instantly.

The sea creatures seemed unsurprised by the attack. Even though they had been divided vertically, there was no disturbance, and they continued to put up a stubborn resistance.

The ocean is ultimately the domain of sea monsters. Even with the Celestial True Lord personally covering the fleet's movements, the sea creatures still managed to detect a slight disturbance beforehand.

Since they have already sensed something, it is quite intriguing that they still hold their ground here to withstand the storms of the Great Qian cultivation world.

On the fleet's only Tier 4 celestial warship, Yi Tian stood with his hands behind his back on the ship's side, quietly observing the battle, his fingers hidden under his sleeves constantly calculating something.

Overall, the Great Qian Alliance currently holds an absolute advantage. In the past, under such circumstances, the summoned sea monsters would have already begun to collapse, but today's resistance is unexpectedly tenacious.

"Palace Master, could it be that Kong Sang Li Feng is really here?" an elder of Wanxiang Palace asked with a furrowed brow.

"He's already here," Yi Tianzheng said calmly.

"They've already arrived? But why hasn't he shown himself yet?" The elder naturally couldn't question the Myriad Manifestations Palace's judgment, but he was somewhat puzzled.

“We are the fish, and these sea creatures are the bait. The fish are already taking the bait, but they haven’t really bitten the hook yet. As the angler, he naturally won’t make a move.” Yi Tianzheng spoke calmly, but his eyes were somewhat cold.

The elder was shocked and said in surprise, "This is a trap they set in advance, but how did they determine our target?"

"Because he knows that ordinary victories cannot satisfy my appetite, and the number of sea monsters gathered here is the largest. From the beginning, he has been waiting for me here. The reason he has not made a move is probably because he is waiting for help."

"Help? Among the sea creatures nearby, only the Mirage Demon clan has a Water Lord in charge. Could it be them?"

"That's probably it. I didn't expect him to be able to persuade the Mirage Demon Clan to join the game. I underestimated Kong Sang Li Feng."

"Then what should we do next..." Although the elders of Wanxiang Palace were alarmed, they were not flustered. With a True Monarch in charge, they could advance and retreat freely. They did not need to worry about being surrounded by the sea tribe. The main thing was to see what Yi Tianzheng's next strategy would be: whether to continue fighting or to stop while they were ahead.

Although the battle has only lasted an hour, the overwhelming strength has already yielded good results, and even if there is a complete retreat now, it will not have any impact.

"Everything remains the same. I will go and meet him first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Tianzheng's figure vanished into thin air, and the next moment he appeared at the edge of the battlefield.

With his hands behind his back, he walked through the air as if strolling in a garden. Each step caused faint ripples in the space. He slowly raised his right hand, and a ball of extremely cold frost gathered in his palm. The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly, and the space seemed to be frozen by the extreme cold, making a crisp "crack" sound.

He looked straight ahead and said calmly, "Now that we're here, why continue to observe?"

"Om..."

A cloud of water vapor condensed in front, and a figure dressed in a blue robe emerged.

The newcomer was incredibly handsome. Although he was a man, he outshone most women in the world, and his phoenix eyes possessed a captivating charm.

"I thought I was well hidden. When did you find me?" Kong Sang Li Feng looked somewhat surprised. He used his great supernatural power to turn his body into mist and completely merge into the sea. He thought he was foolproof, but he didn't expect that Yi Tian Zheng would still find him.

Yi Tianzheng had no time to answer his questions, but instead turned his gaze to what was behind him and said, "That old fellow from the Mirage Demon Clan should have arrived by now, why didn't he show himself?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the clouds floating in the sky suddenly converged in one direction, eventually forming a figure shrouded in a hazy mist, its gender indiscernible.

"His concealment skills are far superior to yours."

Even when facing two powerful beings at the level of Water Lords, Yi Tianzheng remained very calm and even had the mood to joke.

"I remember your aura. Three hundred years ago, you were just a minor Golden Core cultivator. I never expected that the Myriad Manifestations Palace would fall into your control."

"If I had known this would happen, I should have killed you back then." Shenyun's voice was quite neutral, and no emotional fluctuation could be detected.

"Compared to three hundred years ago, your cultivation level doesn't seem to have improved much."

As soon as Yi Tianzheng finished speaking, the mist surrounding Shenyun visibly churned.

The Nascent Soul Realm is different from other realms. Improving one's cultivation depends mainly on one's understanding of the Great Dao. There are very few shortcuts available, and most of them can only accelerate one's cultivation speed in the current realm, without playing any role in breaking through minor realms.

Unlike the Golden Core stage, where one can rely on time and resources to artificially increase their cultivation level.

In the Nascent Soul stage, it is common for a person to stagnate in a minor realm for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Many who lacked solid aptitude and foundation found their cultivation stagnant after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Shenyun is the most typical example. With his aptitude, breaking through to the fifth rank was actually a bit of a stretch, after all, the Shenyun race is not a race with a strong bloodline.

To support his breakthrough to the fifth rank, the Mirage Demon clan almost exhausted the resources accumulated by the clan over tens of thousands of years.

Even after breaking through to the fifth rank for hundreds of years, his cultivation level still hovers around the lower rank of the fifth rank, and even the rising star Yi Tianzheng is about to surpass him.

"Is the Palace Master of the Myriad Manifestations Palace all you can do is talk?" Shenyun opened his mouth and spat out thirty-six mirage pearls that accompanied the clouds.

Kong Sang Li Feng also took out a white jade flute. Although she smiled, her smile was filled with coldness. Yi Tian Zheng smiled calmly and said, "It should have been done long ago."

As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of light, soaring straight into the sky, directly crossing the north wind layer and the gale layer, which Golden Core cultivators considered insurmountable barriers, and disappearing from everyone's sight.

Kongsang Lifeng and Shenyun followed closely behind.

It has become a consensus among most Nascent Soul level one experts to fight and clash in the heavens, after all, the strength they can unleash is too terrifying, and when they go all out, the ecosystem within tens of thousands of miles will suffer a devastating blow.

Furthermore, while it's true that a Nascent Soul True Monarch level expert can tear through space, they still need to construct a safe and stable spatial teleportation tunnel free from spatial turbulence beforehand when traveling through it.

It is common for battles to cause large-scale damage to spatial barriers. When the area is large enough, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch cannot escape the fate of being swept into spatial turbulence.

Although not easily fatal, one could easily get lost in the void and not be able to return for years or even decades.

However, fighting above the gale layer is a different story. The spatial barrier here is much stronger and difficult to damage over a large area, so such problems are almost nonexistent.

Yi Tianzheng had no intention of testing him at all. He directly unleashed his Nascent Soul Dharma Form, which was a frost giant over three hundred feet tall. Standing in the void, the temperature around him plummeted the moment he appeared, and ice clusters grew out of thin air in the surrounding space.

Centered on the ice cluster, ice crystals rapidly spread outwards.

On the sea below, the Great Qian Allied Forces and the Sea Clan were locked in fierce combat when they suddenly discovered that heavy snow was falling from the sky, and a layer of floating ice had formed on the churning sea.

"A Nascent Soul Dharma Form three hundred feet tall." Kong Sang Li Feng's tone changed slightly.

The height of the Nascent Soul Dharma Form is directly linked to combat power. From the lowest of one hundred zhang to nine hundred and ninety zhang, every increase of one hundred zhang represents a qualitative leap.

It has only been a little over two hundred years since Yi Tianzheng broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, yet he has already cultivated his Nascent Soul Dharma Image to three hundred feet tall, which can no longer be described as merely exceptional talent.

No wonder he dared to go to the meeting alone even after knowing about the existence of the mirage cloud; that's where his confidence came from!
Shenyun and Kongsang Lifeng exchanged a glance and then reverted to their true forms as demon lords.

……

After half a month, traversing nearly half of the Great Zhenxian Dynasty, the celestial ship carrying Song Changsheng and his companions finally arrived in the prosperous and wealthy Central State.

Along the way, the prosperity of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty had a significant impact on the Song Clan cultivators and even the disciples of the Myriad Manifestations Palace.

In comparison, the southwest region is far too barren. If it weren't for its proximity to the rich East Sea, the resources of the Great Qian cultivation world alone would be insufficient to support and maintain the behemoth that is the Myriad Manifestations Palace.

"Look at that."

Song Jingyuan suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Attracted by his voice, everyone turned their attention to him.

Beyond the towering, majestic mountain range lay a vast, boundless plain.

On that plain lay an enormous city, filled with magnificent palaces and pavilions, one ring after another, stretching to the limit of their vision.

In addition, there are huge man-made floating islands in the sky, each supporting a city.

To be precise, they were military camps, arranged in the air like stars in the sky, and moving slowly in the air according to a certain trajectory.

Here, spiritual energy has condensed into a visible white mist, permeating the city's streets, alleys, and the air.

Flying boats, a rare sight in the cultivation world of the Great Qi, are merely the most basic means of transportation here, coming and going in an endless stream.

"Fellow Daoists, this is Zhongzhou, and the city before you is the capital, Gaoyang!" Marquis Dingyuan subconsciously puffed out his chest, his tone filled with pride and self-satisfaction.

"The capital city of Gaoyang... what must the legendary imperial capital look like?" Gu Xueying murmured softly.

“Perhaps it’s ten times more prosperous than here!” Ling Xiao said with emotion.

He had never seen what the capital city looked like, but he knew that the capital city possessed a prosperity that even history books could not describe. It was the center and origin of the entire human cultivation world, the pursuit of countless cultivators throughout their lives!
"Doesn't the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty love building city walls? Why didn't they build one in such an important place as the capital?" Song Jingwei said in a strange tone.

Song Changsheng pointed to the sky and said, "Do you see those floating islands in the sky? Their trajectories coincide with the stars in the sky. If I'm not mistaken, there should be thirty-six floating islands. Together they form a [Celestial Star Array], which is at least at the sixth level."

Such a grand formation, if fully deployed, would be enough to cover the entire capital city, even halting the advance of a Nascent Soul Supreme. With such a solid barrier in place, why bother building a city?

Upon hearing this, Marquis Dingyuan, who was at the very front, turned around and glanced at Song Changsheng with slight surprise.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of formations can see that these floating islands are related to formations, but few can name the formation without ever seeing its full extent. Even within the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, only a very small number of people know the inside story.

"I never imagined that Fellow Daoist Zixu would be so learned, able to see through the essence at a glance."

However, what this young friend said is not wrong. The capital city was indeed originally built with city walls, and it was divided into an inner city, a barbican, and an outer city.

But that was a very long time ago.

Because the expansion of the capital was too rapid, the original city walls hindered the development. So His Majesty the King issued an edict to demolish all the city walls, and they were never rebuilt.

As long as His Majesty is present at the royal court, the capital is as impregnable as a fortress!

The Marquis of Dingyuan's voice changed from calm to impassioned, and he could no longer conceal the reverence and pride in his heart.

The King of Men, the ruler of the state, is blessed with the fortune of the celestial dynasty.

The capital city is also the place where the fortune of the immortal dynasty is suppressed.

As long as the Human King Sword and the Imperial Seal are the two great treasures of human destiny, the stronger the destiny of the Immortal Dynasty, the stronger the power that the Human King can unleash.

Given the prosperity of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, even though the current Human King is only at the Nascent Soul stage, as long as he is within the Great Zhen territory, ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivators will not be able to gain any advantage from him. If pushed too far, it is not impossible for them to perish together with him.

The Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty has been able to continue from the Immortal Dynasty era to the present day, and it has never relied on any grand formation or city walls. The Human King who sits high in the royal court is the pillar of Great Zhen!
...(End of chapter)