Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 450 Ascension to Heavenly Monarch, The Change in the [Real World]

"The boy chosen by the founder of the Primordial Palace is the most likely candidate."

The man communicated with the woman and her companions through their spiritual connection, calmly giving them instructions.
"Our goal this time is to find a suitable opportunity to bring that young man surnamed Qin back to the temple."

The woman in the red dress was speechless. What did she mean by inviting him? If he was going to be forcibly abducted, then so be it. Her master was still too lenient.

That makes sense; even though they're both from other sects, they still have to put on a show.

"The timing of that young man surnamed Qin's appearance doesn't seem to match the message sent back by the patriarch," the woman in the red dress muttered to herself.

The man shook his head: "These messages are unpredictable; it's normal for them to arrive late."

The woman in the red dress remained skeptical, saying, "But how could the Ancestor have been preempted by that person from the Primordial Palace?"

The man was speechless for a moment.

This really doesn't make sense. Given the domineering nature of their Pantheon's founder, if anyone from the Primordial Palace dared to reach out, the founder would have chopped them off.

"Perhaps it's because of the imprint left by the Great Dao," the man said slowly. "We never expected that the Netherworld in the northern part of the Boundary Sea would be the ruins of the Netherworld Palace of yesteryear. Our sect has already sent people to investigate the situation of the imprint left by our ancestor."

"The Netherworld..." the woman murmured to herself, somewhat lost in thought.

At this time.

"But what about the fellow Daoists of the Pantheon? I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

Wu Tian, ​​representing the Yuan Chu Palace, came forward with a forced smile, looking at these uninvited guests who had barged in without even knocking.

The woman with red hair and a red dress smiled radiantly and said, "The Pantheon and the Primordial Palace are of the same lineage, so why should we distinguish between them? Senior, your words are rather distant. Coming to the Primordial Palace feels like coming home to me."

Wu Tian's eye twitched slightly; he was still as shameless as ever.

The Pantheon is one of the few transcendent sects that did not choose to remain secluded after its founder's departure.

Her style of doing things is a perfect inheritance of that of the Red Rouge Ancestor, consistently domineering and shameless, taking shamelessness to the extreme.

Today, Yuan Chu Palace dares to admit that the two are of the same blood. Who knows, one day, the Pantheon might come and "pull" Yuan Chu Palace home, ostensibly to join, but in reality to annex it.

Wu Tian was so certain because similar things had happened in history.

Shameless and a good fighter, he's a real pain to deal with...

Wu Tian thought to himself, "I wonder what the Pantheon is thinking this time."

Just as Wu Tian was about to speak, he abruptly stopped and turned to look back.

Half of the people present were paying attention to what was happening here, and some of them recognized the representatives of the Pantheon. The other half were "observing the ceremony" and witnessing the birth of a Heavenly Emperor.

At this moment, almost everyone looked towards the depths of the Yuan Chu Palace.

Rumble!
The sound of the Great Dao resounded throughout heaven and earth. The originally clear and sacred realm suddenly became extremely dark, and blood rain fell from the sky.

This astonishing transformation drew everyone's attention; a rain of blood fell from the sky, as if it were a...

"The heavens are weeping?"

A strange light flashed in the red-skirted woman's eyes, and she smiled, "Senior Wu Tian, ​​this junior brother from Yuan Chu Palace seems to be..."

Wu Tian looked at Ji Jingqiu's location with a solemn expression, his heart filled with fear.

The breakthrough was going well, so why did this sudden change happen?
The appearance of heavenly weeping during the breakthrough to the Heavenly Monarch realm is not a good omen...

"Hmm, it's not just a simple cry of heaven." The woman suddenly let out a soft exclamation, and said with great interest, "Just what is the background of this junior brother? The [True Realm] has actually gone from sacred to bloodstained. Is it because of his heavy karma of killing, or is his demonic root deeply rooted? Has the Primordial Palace nurtured a demonic fetus?"

Wu Tian was also stunned.

Forces like the Primordial Palace don't really distinguish between good and evil. Their founder was called the "World Devourer" because he recklessly devoured the realms in the World Sea!
But... I can't tell. Did he misjudge him?

Wu Tian quickly regained consciousness. As for Ji Jingqiu's true character, that could be discussed later.

"Fellow Daoists of the Pantheon, please follow me."

With Wu Tian leading the way, they have now arrived at the true transcendental realm. Since there are already three Pantheon temples, they will naturally not be placed here.

Those placed here are all former followers of Yuan Chu Palace, and now they need to be given a good talking-to.

The woman in the red dress said with great interest, "I didn't expect that Yuan Chu Palace, which has been secluded from the world for so long, would still be so progressive. In this era, a Heavenly Lord has been born in the sect. What is this junior brother's name? Why don't we call him over to meet him? I'll give him a few pointers."

Wu Tian smiled and said, "No rush, we should see him on the way."

……

……

Ji Jingqiu put down a bamboo scroll, his expression calm.

I originally thought it would take some more time to hone my skills before I could break through to the peak of the Heavenly King.

However, Uncle Qin threw him a manuscript from the patriarch. With the help of this manuscript, Ji Jingqiu took a solid step forward in developing the Heaven-Opening Divine Power, which he had already conceived, and at the same time, his cultivation reached the peak of the Heavenly King realm.

Ji Jingqiu looked on with emotion.

Although Master Ning was not very good at the Heavenly King realm, he went very far in his later realms, especially in his exposition of the Great Dao, which was nothing short of a wake-up call for him.

At this moment, he was as if bathed in a chaotic halo of light, with the Daoist rhyme flowing and the light dappling and dying, reflecting the infinite universe and all worlds.

Ji Jingqiu used the [One True Dharma Realm] as a foundation to create his own heaven-opening supernatural power.

But what is being displayed at this moment, centered on him, is neither the divine power of creation nor the "One True Dharma Realm," but rather the "Human World."

Or, to put it another way, the "real world".

Ji Jingqiu pondered to himself that he should not have broken through to the extreme realm yet; he had only completed the first step of the Heavenly Creation Divine Power and had reached the peak of the Heavenly King realm.

However, the Realm of Truth is real; it is the realm that marks one's entry into the Heavenly Lord realm.

Ji Jingqiu examined his own Real World. He had seen Qi Tian's Real World before, and there were obvious differences between the two.

His "Real World" reflects the myriad laws and paths, the birth and death of all worlds, and in its deepest part, one can see a sea of ​​light in the haze, flowing with sacred Taoist charm.

Standing within it, he seemed to have ascended to an unprecedented special state, enough to completely look down upon the Heavenly King's Domain.

"This [Real World]... is indeed too 'fragile'."

Ji Jingqiu pondered for a moment and agreed with Brother Qi's statement.

Within the area covered by this [Real Realm], all laws are silent, enough to crush any Heavenly King who is not a Heavenly Monarch, and it contains a mysterious power, but it is too fragile and its recovery ability is far inferior to that of the [One True Dharma Realm].

Once injured, it is a wound to the Dao.

It really is almost useless.

Speaking of which, the Great Luo Heaven, which was jointly created by the five pillars, also has another name: the Realm of Truth. I wonder if it's just a coincidence or if there's a shared deeper meaning.

Ji Jingqiu's thoughts surged, and as if guided by some unseen force, the Realm of Truth suddenly changed according to his wishes.

The once sacred, hazy, and clear Realm was stained with blood, like a drop of ink falling into water.

The crimson color came without warning, as if it seeped out of nothingness. At first, it was just a single point falling from the top, but it quickly turned into thousands of threads, and finally, like a flood breaking through a dam, it swept across the entire world!

Ji Jingqiu frowned, patiently waiting for the sudden change in the [Real World].

His expression quickly changed.

The blood rain gave him an unusually familiar feeling.

He glanced sharply into the inner world, especially at the sky.

Blood rained down, falling on the crown of the Bodhi tree, collected by the branches and leaves, flowing down layer by layer, and finally dripping into the Merit Pool, where it was already perfectly clear.

"This is... a projection of the Sea of ​​Bitterness?"

Ji Jingqiu was able to visualize the sea of ​​suffering in his early years, drawing upon its waters to temper his body and mind. He has maintained this practice during his years of secluded cultivation.

"My [real world] has been replaced by the sea of ​​suffering?"

Ji Jingqiu murmured, somewhat uncertain.

But as time went on, this real world was completely covered in blood, leaving only a desolate crimson color in the world. It stirred up a bloody storm, mixed with ghostly wails and howls, making those who saw it feel a chill down their spines. Even Ji Jingqiu felt uncomfortable watching it, finding it too eerie.

In the deepest part of the crimson, the outline of a mountain could be vaguely seen, though it was very blurry.

Even the master of this [Real World], Ji Jingqiu, couldn't see it clearly for a while. After various attempts, he could only see a blurry outline.

"The Realm of Truth will gradually expand and improve as one's cultivation level increases..."

Ji Jingqiu recalled his brother Qi's words and felt he might have found the answer: the mountain was probably inherently vague and never truly formed. "The mountain in the Sea of ​​Bitterness... could it be Mount Wuwang?"

Ji Jingqiu pondered to himself, if it really was Wuwang Mountain, then everything could be explained, and the Wuwang Mountain he had imagined was incomplete.

He looked into the depths of the inner world, where the majestic mountain that had been rained on for decades was indeed much clearer than before, as if it had been completed. However, overall, it was still far from perfect.

To complete it would take tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even longer.

"If I have the chance in the future, I want to go to Wuwang Mountain again to find out what it is all about..."

After temporarily sorting out the fundamental changes in the [Real World], Ji Jingqiu changed his mind and wanted to try to restore it to its original state.

Unexpectedly, his [Real World] was like two sides of the same coin. Under his will, it directly restored its original sacred appearance. In the golden sea of ​​light, divine waves surged and rippled, vast and mighty, like the final resting place of countless suns and moons.

The change of two sides is like a god and a demon.

I wonder if other rulers in history, besides myself, have experienced similar situations.

As the Real World returned to its original state, Ji Jingqiu raised his head and saw the boiling, fiery fortune of the world.

As he ascended to the peak of the Heavenly King realm and approached the Heavenly Venerable realm, the originally ethereal fortune began to manifest in his eyes.

Above the Yuan Chu Palace, the sky was like a tapestry of flowers and a blazing fire.

The overall fortune is rising steadily and climbing higher.

Being able to see one's destiny directly means beginning to engage with the river of fate.

Destiny and time have always been regarded as two great paths of extremely high status.

What is destiny? For someone of his stature, it's too early to say. Even Ji Shuai himself might not dare to claim that he fully understands the essence of destiny.

But Ji Jingqiu had a new understanding of what destiny was.

He looked into the depths of the Yuan Chu Palace, where the fortune was raging, but at its source, human hearts were churning. All the disciples of the Yuan Chu Palace were part of this fortune.

He had heard of the development of the Great Dao in the Netherworld. The earliest seekers of the Dao learned from Heaven and Earth, and from the gods. The gods also discovered unprecedented power in all living beings.

For example, life and death, or fate.

Thinking of this, Ji Jingqiu asked La Jiang about the relationship between the divine way and luck.

Of the four demons, only she and Taiyi followed the path of the gods from the very beginning, unlike Wu and Zhou who became monks halfway through their lives.

"What you want to ask is, what is fortune?"

Hela immediately saw through Ji Jingqiu's desires and his current predicament.

She said calmly:

"When all sentient beings in the world gather together, all sorts of wonders, including human hearts and fortunes, will be born."

"Similarly, the other side of fortune is karmic tribulation, which is why one must face great tribulations after reaching the Heavenly Venerable level, and even a True Saint cannot escape it."

Upon reaching the Heavenly Venerable level, one can borrow the power of the River of Destiny. With a single thought, Heaven and Earth will follow one's will, all things will be fulfilled, all desires will be granted, and what one hates will be difficult to preserve.

Behind this "carefree" attitude lies a constant accumulation of calamities.

"You ask me about the relationship between fortune and the divine way—the will of the people is the faith and aspiration of all beings, and the sum of all this is fortune, or... destiny."

Ji Jingqiu pondered Hela's words repeatedly, and new insights kept emerging in his mind.

After his breakthrough ended, he slowly descended from the sky and returned to Uncle Qin's "Daoist Academy".

I don't know what the other three handsome men are doing now, but Uncle Qin is definitely someone I envy.

Now, as a direct disciple of the founder of Yuanchu Palace, Uncle Qin moved directly into the personal dojo of the Ferocious Ancestor, where he could peruse all the treasures.

This isn't just personal instruction; it's practically the treatment of a parent or child.

Ji Jingqiu also managed to sneak in, which allowed him to search through various Daoist foundation texts, many of which were personally annotated by the Ancestor Ning.

……

As the members of the Pantheon, led by Wu Tian, ​​headed towards the core of the Primordial Palace, the extraordinary phenomenon in the sky ended.

"It ended so quickly? That's rare." The woman in the red dress commented. "Could something have gone wrong? My breakthrough lasted for several months. Uncle Wu Tian, ​​perhaps you should let this junior brother come see me so I can give him some guidance."

Wu Tian ignored him and said only, "Nephew Qingxia, this way please."

All the strange phenomena and wonders in the world dissipated at this moment, and the originally blood-red world returned to its sacred and transcendent state, which aroused even more curiosity in the woman in the red dress, Qingxia.

As a fellow Heavenly Lord, she had never heard of the [Real World] having two forms.

She was determined to investigate anything related to the Real World.

This is because what most Heavenly Lords consider a useless entity, the Realm of Truth, is, in the evaluation given by the Patriarch, the most important thing in this realm, the foundation for future enlightenment...

Qingxia's eyes gleamed with a strange light as she used a divine eye technique to try and see through Ji Jingqiu's [Real World], which was surrounded by strange phenomena in the distance.

But even after all the wonders had completely vanished, leaving only a road leading to the heavens and the earth, she still couldn't discern anything extraordinary.

next moment.

A man walked slowly down the road that led from heaven to earth, his hands tucked into his sleeves, wearing a golden Taoist robe that symbolized his status as a direct descendant of the Yuan Chu Palace.

The wondrous sights of the Great Dao had dissipated, but the [Real World], resembling a pure land, still unfolded around him. Countless galaxies spun and died, and the dust-like stars within them were as tiny as beads, swirling around him.

He stood in the Realm of Truth, descending from the sky, and the entire world seemed to lose its color.

With such demeanor and bearing, how could he be such a villain... Wu Tian thought to himself, nodding slightly, there must be some misunderstanding.

Qingxia was stunned for a moment, then regained her composure and smiled again:
"This junior brother is quite good-looking, but I wonder what it feels like to fight him."

The man she addressed as her senior master glanced at Qingxia and thought, "He should wipe his mouth before he says that."

As Qingxia raised her hand, a colorful butterfly formed from divine light landed on her fingertip, blooming with dazzling brilliance like a fleeting moment of beauty.

Suddenly, the butterfly flapped its wings, soared into the air, and flew towards Ji Jingqiu's direction.

Wu Tian frowned, wanting to stop her, but then Qingxia spoke up:

“Senior Wu Tian, ​​let me have a chat with this junior brother. Yuan Chu Palace has been in seclusion for so long, we allies should see if Yuan Chu Palace’s sword has rotted away.”

Wu Tian's eyes were deep and unfathomable. They left Ji Jingqiu behind and allowed him to stay with Junior Uncle Qin in the ancestral master's dojo, intending to hand over the Heavenly King Battlefield to him.

But Ji Jingqiu has only recently entered the Heavenly Lord realm, and Wu Tian wants to buy him some time.

Wu Tian remained silent for a moment.

Everyone then witnessed the colorful butterfly formed from divine light flying towards Ji Jingqiu.

This is a divine power of the primordial spirit inherited from the founder of the Pantheon, which can be considered Qingxia's "greeting".

As the Heavenly Emperor, taking this move shouldn't be a big problem. Even if caught off guard, he would only suffer a minor loss at most.

The colorful butterfly flew away and soon arrived beside Ji Jingqiu.

Ji Jingqiu remained oblivious, clearly lost in thought, almost as if in a trance, which made Wu Tian's heart tighten.

We can't afford to suffer losses right from the start.

To everyone's surprise, the butterfly that had been near Ji Jingqiu suddenly landed on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" The man beside Qingxia looked at her with a change of expression.

The butterfly's aura changed in an instant, as if it had escaped from Qingxia's grasp and changed owners.

But this butterfly was formed from Qingxia's primordial spirit, how could it possibly change hands!
Qingxia's pupils suddenly dilated.

She felt she had lost control of the butterfly!

Ji Jingqiu tilted his head slightly, and colorful butterflies fluttered around him, dancing gently.

As if sensing something, he looked over, nodded to Senior Brother Wu Tian, ​​and greeted him.

As for the red-haired, red-dressed woman behind Wu Tian, ​​who was staring intently at him as if she wanted to devour him, she was just a Heavenly King and not worth his attention.

Wu Tian's heart stirred, and he inexplicably gained a sense of confidence. He then smiled and said loudly:
"Junior Brother Ji, a fellow Daoist from the Pantheon has come from afar and wishes to exchange a few blows with you. Do you have the time?"

Ji Jingqiu shook his head. His belief was so strong that it resonated with heaven and earth. His aura, his words, and his will all seemed to materialize at this moment.

"In the Heavenly King's Domain, my only opponent is myself."

(End of this chapter)