There is a progress bar in my cultivation of immortality

However, such thoughts are just wishful thinking. The reason Wang Ping felt such an impulse was because there were too many sordid affairs among the True Lords, which affected some of his judgments.

"What kind of person is Tiangong?" Wang Ping asked casually.

"Ha ha!"

Lieyang laughed loudly and said, "He is a very complicated person. He initially established Buddhism to stabilize human nature, but now he seems to be being coerced. Perhaps it won't be long before he becomes the real Buddha he is impersonating."

Wang Ping nodded thoughtfully, and after a silence of more than ten breaths, he looked at Lieyang, "So he has to meddle in everything?"

Lieyang was taken aback at first, then burst into uncontrollable laughter, laughing so hard that the meridians inside his primordial spirit shifted, and he was unable to maintain the physical state of his primordial spirit.

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow, not understanding what was so funny about his words.

After a long while, Lieyang finally stopped laughing, pointed at Wang Ping with a black stone between his fingers and said, "Your summary is very accurate, but even with our level of cultivation, we can't possibly have the wisdom and thinking of a true Buddha, so only heaven knows what his changes will bring."

After placing a piece, he pointed to the sky.

Lieyang's words seemed full of worry, but his emotions were not affected in the slightest. It was clear that he only had an instinctive interest in the future of Tiangong, but did not care much about it.

The two then engaged in a pure game of chess. As the game progressed naturally to the middle stage, Wang Ping suddenly asked, "During the battle on the extraterrestrial planet back then, did Fellow Daoist Bai Yan obtain the answer he sought?"

Lieyang shook his head and said, "I'm not interested in his answer, nor in his plans, and I don't have much interaction with him." He chuckled and said, "If you want to know the answer, you might as well ask him yourself."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I did ask Xuanqing, but unfortunately he's still the same as always, talking about things full of riddles. Yuqing cultivators are always like this; they can explain something in one sentence, but they insist on going around in circles and saying a lot of riddles."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping responded casually, "It is said that Yuqing cultivators can see through the essence of all matter in the universe and observe everything in the past and future. However, they must ensure that everything they observe is not changed, so that's why they are like this, right?"

Lieyang said indifferently, "I don't like to think about these things too much. Thinking too much makes it easy to fall into a trap. Everything in this world is subject to the law of the strong being respected. No matter how much you scheme, it's not as practical as your own cultivation. The array I set up near the sun is almost complete. When I absorb the true fire of the sun, I will need your help. Don't forget, you still owe me a favor."

Wang Ping immediately promised, "I am ready to serve you at any time."

Defining the blazing sun would definitely increase his cultivation level, which was a win-win situation, so he naturally wouldn't refuse.

Just as he was thinking about cultivation, the light screen panel suddenly popped up, showing that his progress of the 'Stealing Heaven Talisman' had increased by one point, reaching (58/100). Then he sensed the Wood Spirit Rules reflecting a series of changes that occurred when he fought with the Blazing Sun, caused by the intertwined net of rules.

This caused a flood of thoughts to arise in Wang Ping's mind in an instant. Previously, he had only gained two points of progress in defining the Earthly True Monarch over such a long period of time, but now, after sparring with Lieyang, he gained one point in the blink of an eye. So he couldn't help but look up at Lieyang.

Feeling Wang Ping's gaze, Lie Yang met his eyes and said, "You've been at the fifth realm for over a thousand years, and your cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds in this millennium. The praise of countless living beings and your own strength have given you a powerful sense of self-respect for the world, haven't you?"

Wang Ping frowned slightly. He had indeed been a little too confident just now. Suddenly, he felt something leave him, and then he saw that the progress of the 'Stealing Heaven Talisman' that had been increasing was lost again. Before he could react, he lost another bit of progress, reducing the progress of his 'Stealing Heaven Talisman' to 56/100.

Fortunately, Wang Ping now possesses strong self-control, instantly stabilizing his consciousness. The wood spirit within his body emitted a rich life force, intertwining with the vast network of cosmic rules he observed, thus preventing the progress of the 'Heaven-Stealing Talisman' from slowing down.

Lieyang watched Wang Ping quietly for a quarter of an hour until Wang Ping calmed down. Then he said softly, "Now you understand the cruelty of this stage of cultivation, don't you?"

Wang Ping nodded. Some things can't be truly understood without experiencing them firsthand.

Lieyang continued, “Our lives are too long. In the beginning, everyone can maintain sufficient humanity. But as time goes by, you will see countless people worshipping you and clearly feel how powerful you are. However, the path of cultivation will not be smooth sailing. At that time, you will become irritable and angry, and try to use your magic power to do something.”

"Your power is not bound by anyone, and as time goes by, you will be completely trapped in it and unable to extricate yourself. Our thoughts cannot be changed by others, and no one can remind you. The other True Lords will only watch you make a fool of yourself in the shadows."

"After a while, you will see your apprentices and the people you care about turn to dust one by one due to their lifespan, eventually becoming a deep memory for you."

Wang Ping frowned slightly. He had always tried to avoid thinking about these issues, but being brought up by Lie Yang caught him off guard. He could only respond with silence and quickly suppress the negative emotions in his mind.

Are you deliberately trying to provoke me so that I'll lose this game?

Wang Ping's words sounded like a joke, but also like he was implying something else entirely.

Lieyang laughed and said, "Do you think someone who can cultivate to the fifth realm with a human body can be provoked by just a few words? If that's the case, you should thank me for eliminating your weakness in advance."

Wang Ping simply smiled faintly upon hearing this, then focused on the chessboard.

Half an hour later, as expected, Wang Ping won the game by a narrow margin. Lie Yang wanted to play another game with Wang Ping, but Wang Ping shook his head and refused, and then took his leave.

Back to Jiuxuan Mountain.

Wang Ping immediately entered a meditative state, embracing self-discipline.

A month later, he awoke from his meditative state. It was late at night. Gazing at the dim starry sky, he murmured, "They really are all old foxes. I almost fell for their trick."

Then, as if remembering something funny, he let out a hearty laugh.

After laughing, he got up and walked to the edge of the cliff, gazing at Yu Lian, who was in seclusion at the bottom of the river. Sensing Yu Lian's aura, he was about to activate the mirror array when he sensed two intertwined energies exploding in the starry sky from the direction of the Taiyan planet. He wasn't worried at all, but instead cast his gaze with interest and scanned the area where the two energies intertwined with his primordial spirit.

It was Wen Hai fighting against a third-realm cultivator from the Underground Cave Sect. Wang Ping knew without thinking that the Underground Cave Sect cultivator must have come to take Wen Hai away, but Wen Hai refused, and it eventually turned into a life-or-death battle.

Two earthen-yellow figures faced off in the void of the starry sky. There was no ground beneath their feet, yet they drew upon the power of the earth's veins for thousands of miles.

Of the two, one was naturally Wen Hai. After a few breaths of confrontation, he flicked his sleeve, and a pagoda floated in his palm. The pagoda hummed, vibrating out turbid earth spirit ripples. Upon seeing this, the cultivator opposite him also summoned a pagoda. Strands of mysterious yellow energy flowed down from the top of the pagoda, and the surrounding space suddenly became heavy, as if the entire starry sky had been dragged into the abyss below the earth.

Wen Hai's eyes glowed with a dark yellow light. The 'Eye of the Earth Vein' obtained by the cultivators of the Underground Cave Sect pierced through the void and locked onto the invisible spiritual vein node beneath his opponent's feet.

Then, with a flick of his finger, hundreds of pitch-black earth spikes suddenly shot out from the starry sky, each one wrapped with earthly evil energy, strangling like a raging python. The nameless cultivator snorted coldly, the pagoda spun, and viscous mud gushed from its base. The earth spikes pierced into it, but it was as if they were trapped in a swamp, and then they crumbled inch by inch.

The next moment, the nameless cultivator suddenly made a hand seal, the third level of the pagoda lit up, and a strange gravitational field suddenly descended.

Wen Hai froze, as if gripped by an invisible hand. His bones and veins cracked and popped. The debris and dust from the previous battle were all drawn by this force and rained down on Wen Hai.

Wen Hai neither dodged nor evaded. With a tremor in his pagoda, nine earth-yellow light screens appeared around him. Each light screen was like the earth's membrane, withstanding the immense impact. At the same time, he pressed down with his backhand, and a turbid torrent of earth spirits gushed out from the base of the pagoda, transforming into a winding earth vein dragon that tore against the gravitational field.

Seeing his attack thwarted, the nameless cultivator's eyes flashed with cold light, and the seventh level of the pagoda suddenly lit up as he uttered a command: "Destroy!"

In an instant, a grayish-yellow light curtain swept out from the top of the tower, distorting the void and dimming the starlight wherever it passed. This was the 'Life and Death Light Curtain' of the third realm of the Underground Gate. It contained the life and death energy of the earth. Once it was swept by the light curtain, the primordial spirit would decay and the physical body would turn to sand.

Wen Hai's pupils contracted, the pagoda spun rapidly, a crack appeared in its body, spewing out dust and light. The two forces collided in the starry sky, the dust and light intertwined, eroded, and eroded the light of life and death, and finally exploded into a circle of turbid shockwaves, shattering the starry sky within a thousand miles.

Seeing that he still couldn't defeat Wen Hai, the nameless cultivator glanced at the Taiyan cultivators watching nearby, his expression somewhat anxious. Then he saw him quickly forming hand seals and frantically activating the spiritual meridians within his body.

"buzz"

The tower in front of the nameless cultivator hummed, and the nine tower doors opened simultaneously, spewing out nine chains. Each chain was engraved with earth spirit runes. This was a life-and-death sealing technique of the third realm. Once locked, the primordial spirit would be permanently suppressed deep in the earth veins.

Wen Hai wasn't in a hurry, after all, this was his territory. He had been holding back because he didn't want to cause trouble, but the other side had been very aggressive.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, simultaneously maximizing the activation of the spiritual veins within his body. In an instant, the earth elemental energy around him surged, his skin cracked, revealing the flowing primordial yellow spiritual energy beneath. This was Wen Hai's 'Vein Transformation Technique,' which allowed him to temporarily transform his spiritual body into earth veins.

A yellowish-brown halo suddenly expanded across the starry sky.

Nine chains then wrapped around him, but they were like mud oxen entering the sea, broken inch by inch by the surging earth vein power within Wen Hai's body. The nameless cultivator's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to retreat, Wen Hai took a step forward, and then his right hand, like a knife, pierced through the nameless cultivator's chest.

Wen Hai clenched his five fingers and pinched the core of the spiritual vein in the nameless cultivator's body. With a little force, the earth elemental energy in the nameless cultivator's body leaked out wildly. In just two breaths, the nameless cultivator's pagoda lost control. The next moment, the pagoda collapsed and turned into a pile of waste soil, which drifted into the starry sky.

At the same time, the nameless cultivator's spirit and physical body rapidly withered, eventually turning into a sand sculpture, which was shattered in Wen Hai's palm.

Dust slowly settled in the starry sky, and the distant stars continued to twinkle, as if the battle had never happened. Wen Hai retrieved the pagoda, and then a cultivator at the Taiyan Third Realm appeared beside him as a stream of light. Hundreds of talismans then appeared out of thin air from his fingertips, erasing all traces of the battle from this starry sky.

Wang Ping also withdrew his primordial consciousness, a smile of approval on his face. He looked down at the river where Yu Lian was in seclusion and said, "Zi Luan really did not disappoint me. He clearly understands the purpose of my asking Xiao Zhu to convey those words."

From the very beginning of his cultivation, whenever he had the ability to solve a problem, he would not wait for trouble to come to him before dealing with it. Before going to meet Lieyang, he had planned to have a fight with Diwen. However, he could not take the initiative to do so. The only way was to let Diwen come to him on his own.

Creating conflict with the Underground Gate is the best solution, and currently the Taiyan Sect is completely dominating the Underground Gate.

This wasn't a clever plan; it was just a little game Wang Ping played when he had nothing better to do.

He has indeed been quite free lately, and doesn't have any major plans for cultivation. As long as he follows the steps, his cultivation level will gradually increase. He doesn't care much about other issues either, and the extraterritorial rebels are not his concern now.

But he cannot abandon the foundation of his future plans, which is the outer space ecological zone he has painstakingly planned.

However, the conflict with the Underground Gate was not what Wang Ping had imagined. After the Underground Gate failed to bring back Wen Hai and lost a third-realm cultivator, they actually sent ten more third-realm cultivators to their door.

Zi Luan was very cautious this time. He did not let Wen Hai come forward, but instead sent a third-realm cultivator of the same size to receive him. Naturally, the two sides had a disagreement, which eventually turned into a battle of magic. This time, neither side suffered any casualties.

Later, the underground sect seemed to have given up and did not send anyone over for several years. They also did not attack the ecological zone under the Taiyan sect like the three sects of Linshui Prefecture, Zhenyang Sect, and Vajra Temple.

Clearly, Diwen Zhenjun was not stupid. He knew that none of them were a match for the Taiyan Sect. So, twenty years later, in the year 1121 of the Dao Palace Calendar, he suddenly sent Zhigong and Yunsong to visit the Taiyan Sect.

The two of them came for the same reason: for Wenhai.

Indeed, these two cultivators at the fourth realm were actually here for Wen Hai, a cultivator at the third realm.

Zhi Gong's feelings were complicated at this moment. She looked at the familiar Guizhen Hall and first followed the proper procedures to offer incense to the two saints and the various True Lords.

After all the necessary formalities were completed, she suppressed her complex thoughts and bowed to Li Miaolin, who had been hosting her, saying, "Fellow Daoist, for the sake of our thousand-year-old friendship, please don't put me in a difficult position. Bringing back Daoist Wenhai is a decree personally issued by the True Lord." (End of Chapter)