There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

Jiuxuan Mountain.

When Wang Ping returned to the Daoist temple, he calculated the time it would take to awaken the Earthly True Lord and checked on Yu Lian's condition. This time it took nearly 190 years, and the Daoist calendar had reached 1089 years.

In other words, more than a thousand years have passed since the war against the extraterrestrial rebels was launched, and more than a thousand years have also passed since the development of extraterrestrial civilization.

Nearly three thousand years have passed since Wang Ping arrived in this world. This is enough time for a civilization to evolve from the Stone Age to the Steam Age. However, if Wang Ping had not promoted the ecological zones in outer space, this world's civilization might not be any different from what it was three thousand years ago.

Now, Wang Ping has almost forgotten many of his memories without deliberately trying to recall them, and he even occasionally forgets his master. This is the power of time; it can erode everything without you even noticing.

The useless thinking didn't last long, because Wang Ping suddenly discovered that Yu Lian's primordial spirit, nourished by ample spiritual energy, had already reached perfection.

Her primordial spirit floated in the spiritually rich blue water, her entire body shimmering with a clear, glassy light. Her form had become completely solidified, and under the refraction of the water, it shimmered with colorful halos.

Her primordial spirit appeared to be indistinguishable from her physical body, and was now unconsciously hovering above it.

Her consciousness was incredibly active at this moment. Under Wang Ping's 'Heavenly Talisman's' gaze, the vast network of rules woven by the universe, the network connecting her life, was transmitting a pure spiritual energy to her. This energy was so powerful that even Wang Ping could not observe it specifically.

This should be the memory inheritance of the Spirit Serpent Clan.

Then, wisps of silvery-white mist descended from the great net of rules and gently wrapped around her body. These mist wisps were not physical entities, but were composed of countless tiny water spirit runes, each line of which recorded the memories of the spirit serpent clan for millions of years.

Yu Lian's snake eyes were half-closed, but without any focus. Faint starlight appeared deep in her pupils, a sign that the inherited memories were slowly awakening.

Wang Ping connected with Yu Lian's primordial spirit with a small portion of his consciousness, but withdrew in an instant. In that instant, he seemed to see the ancient deep pool, where the first generation of spirit snakes swallowed starlight under the moon, and on the rock walls of the secluded valley by the deep pool, the snakes rubbed their bodies to create winding engravings.

The reason he withdrew from the primordial spirit connection was that he discovered these memories would alter his humanity. Prolonged observation would make him feel like he was a spirit snake, something that ordinary cultivators wouldn't even be able to detect.

Because these memories don't come in a torrent, but rather blend in slowly and naturally, like a stream seeping into the soil.

When Yu Lian absorbed the inherited memories, her speed of absorbing spiritual energy was ten times that of an ordinary fourth-realm cultivator. If this place were not Jupiter, it would probably not be able to meet her basic requirements for cultivation.

These spiritual energies were absorbed into Yu Lian's primordial spirit, and most of them were used as channels to connect her consciousness with the vast network of rules. Each transmission of a segment of content consumed an astronomical amount of spiritual energy.

The calico cat had always been dutiful, staying at the eye of the river array, carefully monitoring every movement around her. However, she had also benefited greatly from this, and her primordial spirit had already reached the critical point between the third and fourth realms of cultivation. However, it was almost impossible for her to advance further.

Yu Lian only needs to digest the inherited memories she has received to successfully enter the fourth realm of perfection. This step should not be too difficult for Yu Lian. The knowledge she has read with Wang Ping is enough for her to digest the inherited memories. Waking up is only a matter of time, but the time may be long or short.

After observing Yu Lian for a short while, Wang Ping returned to the spirit tree outside the temple courtyard and sat cross-legged. Soon, a puppet came over to make him tea, while he gazed at the azure sky and cleared his mind.

As the aroma of tea permeated his heart, he activated the mirror array to survey the chaos in the starry sky…

The current situation can be summarized as a complete mess. It is still a three-way struggle between the Linshui Prefecture, the Zhenyang Sect, and the Vajra Temple. However, as their struggle escalates, it will inevitably affect other ecological zones.

Everyone knows that the greatest profits come from conflict, and following the established path may lead to a life without any prospects. There are many who profit from war and take advantage of others' misfortunes.

The ecosystem that originally ran like a string of pearls around the meteorite belt surrounding Zhongzhou Star has now shattered in many places. Hundreds of ecological zones have deviated from their intended orbits and are drifting randomly in the gravitational disturbances. The magic array network connecting the various ecological zones has been paralyzed on a large scale, and the broken energy torrents have condensed into pale white ribbon-like mist in the vacuum, wrapping around this star field like a spider web.

The Dao Palace dispatched a large number of cultivators to sort out the spiritual turmoil caused by these chaotic phenomena, and fortunately, it did not produce too many negative effects.

The once prosperous trade routes are now littered with wreckage, and some star ecosystems are shrouded in an eerie dark red hue. This is a celestial anomaly caused by the spiritual energy pollution released during the three factions' conflict. Fortunately, the magic array set up by the Dao Palace is cleaning up and suppressing it.

Under Zi Luan's leadership, the Taiyan Sect has been quietly trading in flying boats and magical artifacts, and it has also been doing business with all three sects. As a result, the Taiyan Sect has absorbed most of the resources of the ecological zone over the past few hundred years. The number of disciples in the three realms of the sect's side sects is increasing every day, but it still has not reached the limit of the starry sky's capacity.

Next, Wang Ping connected with the puppets scattered throughout the country to observe the specific battle situation. He discovered that the three factions had profited no less from the war than the Taiyan Sect, and were now tacitly beginning to annex other small ecological zones, which made many people in the side sect ecological zones feel insecure.

This clearly doesn't align with Wang Ping's future plans, yet it's too early for him to intervene. Moreover, while the three factions appear to be fighting, they are actually maintaining a balance, leaving him no opportunity to get involved.

As for the other True Lords, Tiangong and Lieyang have more than doubled their faith in this battle, and their disciples have plundered countless resources. It would be very difficult to get them to give up.

In Linshui Prefecture, Wang Ping didn't even have a chance to speak.

"They really know how to pick their timing!"

Wang Ping picked up his teacup and took a sip of hot tea. Now that Diwen Zhenjun had awakened, Lieyang and Tiangong probably wouldn't be worried about the rebels, so they wouldn't take the talk of 'rebel threat' seriously at all.

After pondering for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wang Ping directly sent a telepathic message to summon Zi Luan from the Taiyan planet.

Although Zi Luan was cultivating when he received the news, he still immediately put down his cultivation and came to Jiuxuan Mountain to pay his respects.

He was still the same as before, wearing a blue, wide-sleeved Taoist robe. The spirit snake in the robe poked out its little head, looking at everything in Jiuxuan Mountain with curiosity and fear.

“The Earthly True Lord has awakened. We do not know his attitude, so we will cut off all communication between the Taiyan Sect and the Earth Cave Gate and wait for the Earthly True Lord’s statement.”

Wang Ping gave the instructions first.

Zi Luan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but then felt it was only natural. He clasped his hands and said "yes," and then said in a low voice, "When I first started cultivating, it happened to be shortly after the Earthly True Lord fell into a deep sleep. I never thought I would be able to wait for the day he would awaken. All of this is thanks to the True Lord's good fortune."

He bowed deeply.

Wang Ping just chuckled lightly, looking at Zi Luan's appearance, he couldn't quite recall the first time he met Zi Luan.

"How about coming over for a game of chess?"

Wang Ping extended his right hand and pointed, and a chessboard appeared beside the coffee table, along with a black and white chess set. The puppet also took out a new teacup to add tea. "Yes."

Zi Luan couldn't refuse, so he carefully stepped forward and sat down.

Wang Ping handed the black stone to Zi Luan, who did not refuse. Then Wang Ping asked, "Tell me about the struggle between the three factions of Linshui Prefecture, Zhenyang Sect, and Vajra Temple."

Zi Luan was not surprised by Wang Ping's question. He carefully placed a piece first, and then slowly said, "Their struggle initially stemmed from the Seventh Prince's disciples deliberately lowering the price of energy crystals in the side sect's ecological zone in order to collect enough energy crystals. Later, at the Second Seat Conference, Lingzong and Ao Hong had a quarrel, and the Zhenyang Sect also joined in the quarrel."

"That two-seat meeting ended inconclusively because of their argument, which eventually evolved into a confrontation between their respective ecological zones, and it has been almost five hundred years since then."

"However, as time went on, the disciples of the three factions all benefited greatly from this struggle, but the pie they divided was too small, and eventually it affected other unrelated ecological zones."

Looking at the chessboard where five moves had already been made, Wang Ping chuckled and said, "These three disciples are quite bold; fortunately, they haven't disturbed the spirituality of the starry sky."

Zi Luan displayed just the right amount of fear and said, "The Dao Palace has had huge expenses in recent years, half of which are provided by the three factions."

Wang Ping nodded and said softly, "Does the True Lords mean that the younger generation should fight it out among themselves? However, I don't want too many ecological zones to be damaged. Shouldn't a battle of magic avoid damaging the ecological zone? Haven't they understood the principle of 'draining the pond to catch all the fish' after cultivating for thousands of years?"

He stared at Zi Luanyan and said, "You should also express some opinions appropriately. Those ecological zones were personally designated by me."

Upon hearing this, Zi Luan's eyelids twitched slightly, and he immediately clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "It was this disciple who did not consider this carefully."

Wang Ping shook his head and smiled, "No, you've thought it through very well." He waved his hand to comfort Zi Luan and said, "We don't need to fight with them. Focusing on developing ourselves is the right path. However, there are some things we must say."

As he spoke, he pointed, and the 'painted face mask' appeared beside him, hovering within the dense wood spirit energy. Although the wood spirit energy sealed its power, its eeriness and distortion could still be felt.

"You should know something about this magical artifact, right?"

Wang Ping asked.

Zi Luan quickly replied, "Type A, number 04, painted face mask."

Wang Ping nodded, and with a gentle flick of his fingers, the 'Painted Face Mask' floated in front of Dao Ziluan. Wang Ping then said, "This magic artifact is no longer of much use to me, so you can use it. But you must be careful to avoid its negative effects, and do not use it for a long time, otherwise it will not benefit your cultivation."

Zi Luan's face lit up with joy. He stood up, bowed solemnly, and said, "Thank you, True Lord!"

Having said that, he suppressed his joy and took the 'painted face mask'. At that moment, Wang Ping stretched out his hand and pointed forward, and a metal ball appeared in front of him.

It's the 'Golden Ball'!
Now that Wang Ping has his own mirror array, this magic artifact is useless to him. After erasing the transfer network recorded inside, he said to Zi Luan, "This magic artifact can be considered a fourth-realm spot, which will help you control the Taiyan Sect."

As he spoke, a stream of emerald light entered Zi Luan's brow, imparting to him the ability and usage of the 'Golden Ball'.

"Thank you, True Lord!"

Zi Luan thanked him again.

Wang Ping gestured for Zi Luan to sit down again, placed a piece on the chessboard, and said, "Not participating in the struggle between the three factions is the right choice, but the Taiyan Sect should have its own voice at the Second Meeting."

He looked up at Zi Luan and said, "Now is an excellent opportunity for you to cultivate. The universe has billions of living beings collecting energy crystals for you. Seize this opportunity to cultivate to the peak of the fourth realm. Are you confident?"

Zi Luan felt Wang Ping's gaze, lowered his head slightly, maintained his humility, and replied, "This disciple is foolish and fears he will fail to live up to the True Lord's expectations."

Wang Ping's primordial spirit swept over Zi Luan's entire body and quickly saw through his cultivation level. He had learned about the war against the extraterrestrial rebels and the current struggle between the three factions, and was able to obtain first-hand information. In addition, with the record of the awakening of the Earthly True Monarch, the fusion progress of his 'Heaven-Covering Talisman' was almost complete.

If all goes well, Zi Luan may be able to proceed to the next stage of cultivation in a few hundred years. The next stage will be very difficult for the cultivators of the fourth realm who were originally trapped on Zhongzhou Star, but in the current era of the Great Universe, as long as they can obtain enough resources, cultivation will be a natural process.

However, even with the Xuanmen and Tianmen sects, they can only support the cultivation of one fourth-realm cultivator at most during a period of time, and Wang Ping decided to let Zi Luan cultivate first.

“I remember you were not a humble person.”

Wang Ping looked at Zi Luan and said with a smile.

Zi Luan kept his head down. Sometimes he would subconsciously forget that the person in front of him had once worked with him.

"This is not a blessing. The future situation requires the Taiyan Sect to have a sect leader who has reached the fourth realm. At that time, reaching the fourth realm does not mean that one can be free from karma."

Wang Ping pointed to the chessboard and said, "It's your turn to make a move."

Zi Luan digested Wang Ping's words, returned to the chessboard, sat down, and placed a piece.

Wang Ping followed suit and continued, "In addition, we need more unorthodox cultivation realms. There is no limit to the number of unorthodox cultivation realms that this starry sky can accommodate, but it is best if they are all wood-based unorthodox cultivation realms. To maintain your cultivation and unorthodox cultivation array, you must acquire enough resources. The current struggle between the three factions is the best opportunity to maintain good relations with the three factions."

His demands were somewhat contradictory. Earlier, he said he wanted to restrain the expansion of the three factions, but here he also wanted to maintain good relations with them. He didn't explain this in detail, but he believed Zi Luan could understand.

Zi Luan responded to Wang Ping earnestly.

Just then, Wang Ping's puppet at the Underground Gate's base sent back a message: the Underground Gate was cutting off all contact with the Taiyan Sect. The message from the puppet Wang Qian indicated that all of this was on the orders of the Earthly True Lord.

Earthly True Lord even ordered the disciples of the Underground Cave Sect to revise the sect's archives, deleting all records related to the Taiyan Sect and the Star God Alliance during his absence. He also destroyed Wang Ping's temples and shrines within the Underground Cave Sect's territory. (End of Chapter)