Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 461 The Plot of the Netherworld, The Serpent that Devours Realms

Qin Qingchuan closed the journal. Although he did not know the whole story and his master did not leave any more detailed information, he could guess some of the truth.

Qin Qingchuan couldn't help but shake his head. For the Ferocious Master to lose his composure like this, the commotion Ji Jingqiu had caused on the Road to Return to Truth was definitely not small.

When it comes to causing trouble, this guy seems to have inherited it from Ji Tianxing, not Ahe or Shitian.

Therefore, Qin Qingchuan was not very worried about Ji Jingqiu's safety.

It's unclear where this kid will appear from now that the Guizhen Road of Yuanchu Palace is closed.

……

……

Intercepting the Heavenly Realm.

This realm is the birthplace of the Jietian Sect and its main base.

The current leader is also a Dao-merging being, currently among the strongest in the Realm Sea.

Such beings rarely leave the Dao Integration Realm, because once they leave, their strength and status will drop by half a level. Although they will still be able to crush ordinary True Saints, they will no longer be invincible.

Historically, there have been instances where individuals who achieved the Dao of a single realm left their respective realms, were hunted down by powerful figures from all sides, and ultimately perished in the sea of ​​realms. Consequently, their respective realms also declined due to the demise of the Heavenly Heart.

At this moment.

A man dressed in a black robe, with golden hair and beard, lit a paper boat. Wisps of smoke rose and opened a rift in the void in front of him.

Afterwards, it became shrouded in mist and darkness, gray and desolate, like the underworld.

A dark figure emerged from the rift and knelt on one knee: "Greetings, Venerable Heart."

The man got straight to the point: "Let's get down to business."

The shadowy figure paused, then spoke rapidly: "We have already examined the three reincarnations of Yang Qingshan from the Yanhuang Federation. They have all lost the 'soul' of their ancestor and are no longer reincarnations of their ancestor. From now on, they are just ordinary people."

"There's still no news about Qin Tianfeng?" Xin Zun asked.

"The Desolate Heaven has been completely destroyed, and all the people we sent there died inside. Moreover, the Desolate Heaven is now being monitored by the Azure God System, making it impossible to trace its timeline," the shadowy figure said helplessly.

"What about the causal lines of fate?"

"We dare not disturb that lord because of these matters," the shadowy figure said hastily.

Xin Zun frowned, but did not delve further. Instead, he asked, "Did our disciples who died return to the Hall of Reincarnation?"

They control the Reincarnation Palace left behind by the Lord of the Palace. Even if their disciples die in battle, they can be reincarnated at will, free from the suffering of a broken soul.

Most importantly, they can choose the realm of reincarnation at will, which is why he is now within the Jietian Sect.

Currently, 60% of the important lineages within the Jietian Sect have fallen into the hands of their Youfu.

Since the birth of the True Ones in the Netherworld, the Netherworld has changed its past "flashy" ways and gone into the shadows. Using the Samsara Palace left by the Netherworld Lord, it has laid out plans for eternity, with its pawns spread all over the World Sea.

"Recently, the 'Bitter Vein' has been suppressing the Samsara Palace. The Underworld Lord, one of the five great gods, and the great Buddha that appeared in the Underworld are showing signs of reversing the situation. Therefore, the 'Bitter Vein' chose to forcibly suppress the Samsara Palace to cut off any possibility of the Underworld Lord having any connection with the Samsara Palace."

Upon hearing this, the Heart Venerable's expression clearly showed displeasure, and he coldly snorted:

"Originally, it was just meant to be a cover-up, but we never expected it would become a new problem. How dare a pack of free-roaming dogs bark at their owner?"

The shadowy figure lowered its head and remained silent.

After a moment of contemplation, Xin Zun said, "Notify all branches that the gates to the Path of Return to Truth are closed. The fragments of the Land of Return to Truth that the former Lord of the Prefecture brought back should have already fallen into the hands of that 'World Honored One.' Have all branches quickly identify which of our ancient sects have recently used the Path of Return to Truth and find a way to locate him."

"As ordered!"

"Go back and have them find Qin Tianfeng's reincarnation as soon as possible to confirm the location of the Lord's seven souls," the Heart Venerable said without room for doubt. "In this cycle, the seven souls must be gathered together."

After waving the man away, the man stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly waiting for something.

Soon after, a figure appeared behind him; it was none other than Zhang Tiancheng, who had visited the Yuan Chu Palace not long ago.

"How is the situation?" Xin Zun asked directly.

“A new anchor has indeed been born in the Yuan Chu Palace, but I haven’t seen it,” Zhang Tiancheng said with a gloomy expression.

Xin Zun nodded, not caring about the second half of the sentence: "Yuan Chu Palace has opened the prelude to the return of the hidden sects. With the seals being unlocked in all realms, we can then make our move."

Zhang Tiancheng was not optimistic, saying, "The ancestors are about to return. How much time do you have to plan and make moves?"

Xin Zun calmly said, "You have to take things one step at a time and do things one by one. Trying to do everything at once will only make you overeat."

Zhang Tiancheng sneered, "The Celestial Daoist of the Mayfly Palace was already very wary of me. Coupled with the defeat of the Primordial Palace this time, the previous path is no longer viable."

Xin Zun disagreed, saying, "The Mayfly Palace is nothing to fear. We can easily turn that palace master against his eldest disciple."

"Have you completely taken control of the [Intercepting Heaven Sect]?" Zhang Tiancheng asked.

"Almost, but still a bit lacking." Xin Zun murmured, "In that battle back then, all the core disciples of the Jie Tian Sect were killed. We arranged for the reincarnations of some of the core disciples of the Jie Tian Sect, and at the same time, we discovered that there was another force secretly invading the Jie Tian Sect."

"Hasn't that cult leader already become one of yours? What's there to argue about?" Zhang Tiancheng frowned; he knew these people's methods all too well.

Not only did they quietly seize over 60% of the Dao lineage of the Jietian Sect, but they also elected their chosen person as the leader of the Jietian Sect, thus achieving the Dao Unification Realm.

The person who orchestrated this whole affair was the old man standing before him, a remnant of the Netherworld from back then, and also the guide for a newly reborn True Person in the Netherworld. With these two factors combined, this person wields unimaginable influence within the current Netherworld lineage.

“You don’t need to worry about these things,” Xin Zun shook his head and said. “What you need to do is improve your cultivation as soon as possible and wait for the seven souls to return to one.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tiancheng asked with burning eyes, "Has there been any news from the Yanhuang Federation?"

"It has been confirmed that three of the four reincarnated individuals have completely separated from the Lord of the Palace's soul, but the source of the remaining soul has not yet been discovered," the Heart Venerable said calmly.

Zhang Tiancheng suddenly frowned and said, "Could the soul that was stripped away have fallen into Ji Tianxing's hands?"

“You should use a respectful title. Ji Tianxing possesses one of the seven souls of the Lord of the Palace, which has not yet been separated. That is one of the Lord of the Palace’s reincarnations,” Xin Zun said calmly.

Zhang Tiancheng remained silent, his face cold.

In his view, do the seven from the Federation even deserve to be called the reincarnations of the Master?
They don't even admit it themselves!
"What exactly is the situation with Ji Jingqiu?" Zhang Tiancheng suddenly asked.

Xin Zun frowned: "It should be an anomaly."

An anomaly?

Zhang Tiancheng's expression was mocking. He had heard this term many times in the Federation. In the past, the seven marshals of the Federation were all regarded as "outliers" by all sides of the world.

But where did all these anomalies come from? They were just seven lucky ones who carried the seven souls of their master.

"Are you sure that Mu Shitian's lineage of the World Honored One is not related to the person you've been searching for recently?" Zhang Tiancheng asked rhetorically.

"Are you worried that Ji Jingqiu is that World Honored One?" Xin Zun shook his head. "There is no way for him to go to the Path of Returning to Truth in the Netherworld. And although he is outstanding, it is impossible for him to overpower all the ancestors in the Heavenly King Domain."

“I think he will become a hidden danger like the Five Great Gods in the future,” Zhang Tiancheng said in a deep voice.

"Let's leave him alone for now. I've always suspected he has some connection with Taiyi, so perhaps we don't need to take action," Xin Zun said slowly.

“Taiyi…” Zhang Tiancheng narrowed his eyes and said, “Is this person really related to the fifth Great Dao Ancestor?”

"Perhaps," Xin Zun said calmly. "Once the seven souls return, along with the life soul, we will be able to find the location of the Lord of the Palace's Dao Fruit."

Zhang Tiancheng's eyes burned with determination. The soul of life is the soul of man. Once they find the location of their master's Dao Fruit, they can gain the power to control the Nether Sea and the Sea of ​​Bitterness, thereby allowing the Netherworld to be re-established in the world and opening up the cycle of reincarnation.

"What should we do if the one who carries Master's life soul doesn't cooperate?" Zhang Tiancheng suddenly asked.

In his view, those who each carried one of the master's souls or spirits could not be considered reincarnations of the master, because for them, the main body that truly determined their consciousness and existence was the other three souls and six spirits, or two souls and seven spirits.

Especially the two souls of Heaven and Earth.

“He has no choice,” Xin Zun sneered.

He had just been correcting Zhang Tiancheng to use respectful terms when addressing the reincarnation of the Lord of the Palace, but now he was showing no kindness towards the person who carried the Lord of the Palace's soul.

"Who can handle this?" Zhang Tiancheng asked rhetorically.

The one who carries the soul of the master now resides in the River of Destiny in the Netherworld, standing shoulder to shoulder with He Donghuang.

In terms of strength, this person who controls the River of Destiny, without any burdens, can be considered a Dao-Merging Realm Being.

Such a being, sitting motionless in the River of Destiny, who could possibly kill him?!

Xin Zun coldly said, "We have our own methods. You should not go out on missions recently. Stay in the sect and cultivate."

Zhang Tiancheng said in a deep voice, "The Taixu Realm has been unsealed, I want to go and see it! I heard that someone left something in the realm!"

Xin Zun's brows furrowed and then relaxed: "That [Tai Xu] might not have lost to the Palace Master back then. Although you have a special physique, you may not be able to gain that person's favor. There's no need to take the risk."

“That’s one of the ancestral lands of the Great Dao. Even just absorbing and analyzing the Dao essence within it would be enough to bring me immense gains,” Zhang Tiancheng insisted. Having broken through the eighth realm barrier and reached the Heavenly Venerable realm, the only way to advance further is through relentless, gradual progress.

To comprehend the Great Dao, hone one's Dao power, and transcend tribulations and calamities...

Everything ultimately comes down to the most fundamental principles of Tao and power.

In theory, as long as one lives long enough and survives enough calamities, any Celestial Venerable can step into the realm of True Saint.

For Zhang Tiancheng, being able to analyze the rules of the Great Dao in the Great Dao Ancestral Land of the Taixu Realm would be of great benefit to his understanding of Dao techniques and the construction of his inner universe.

If only I could also gain the favor of those surviving traces left behind...

After a moment of contemplation, Xin Zun said, "Since you insist, then let's go later. The Tai Xu Realm has been in some chaos recently, engulfed in a war."

……

……

Ji Jingqiu lifted his foot and stepped into the void, as if wading through water, each step sinking into his calf before he struggled to lift his foot.

His vision rose to an indescribable height, where he could see countless "lights," each representing a realm, which together constituted the myriad worlds.

"The Sea of ​​Great Void?"

After leaving Guizhen Road, Ji Jingqiu did not find the way back, because the way back had fallen into his hands and was no longer the same as Guizhen Road. Naturally, those passages no longer existed.

He drifted for a long time in a place where nothing could be explored.

Now that we've finally drifted to shallow water, we can stand up and gaze into the distance.

In this vast and boundless sea of ​​void, countless worlds drift about, vaguely appearing in the chaos, difficult to truly capture.

He could also see the true forms of all the Great Daos, like threads, woven into a net, crossing the endless void, and also spreading out from the depths of the endless void, covering the boundless void.

"This is indeed the Sea of ​​Great Void."

Wu Zhou quickly responded and then pressed Ji Jingqiu for details about where he had been during this period of time, as he had been suppressed and cut off from the inner world.

Ji Jingqiu ignored the two and walked forward on the water.

This trip was also an extraordinary journey for him.

Traveling alongside the avatars of the patriarchs, he faced immense pressure. Besides maintaining an air of mystery to prevent the patriarchs from uncovering his origins and causing potential disruptions to the causal chain, he also had to resist the urge to attack them one by one, making his journey quite arduous.

Ji Jingqiu played with the "pearls and jade" in his hand, and glanced at the True Spirit Pool at the core of the inner universe, where Brother Jian Guang was still asleep.

If there are no surprises, this should be the sword master, the trace of the sword's existence left in the world.

During this journey, Cangjian and Ningshi were the two patriarchs who accompanied him the longest.

Ji Jingqiu continued forward and finally "landed," stepping onto solid ground and experiencing the universal laws that permeate the world.

"Such a great principle of heaven and earth..." Ji Jingqiu looked surprised, and was about to continue investigating when he heard a voice from ahead—

boom!
A white, jade-like fist in the distance pressed down on heaven and earth, as if the nine heavens and ten earths had collapsed and filled the entire starry sky.

"Celestial Venerable?" Ji Jingqiu looked into the distance and discovered that there was actually a battlefield not far away, littered with all kinds of debris, including golden bodies of gods and immortal bodies, with various intertwined rules of the Great Dao spanning thousands of years.

In his mind's perception, the powerful being who had just made his move possessed a primordial spirit and will that rose from the far east of the universe like an eternal sun, solid and powerful to the point of being unshakeable.

That person swung his fist to suppress heaven and earth, his primordial spirit surging like a vast ocean, his essence, energy, and spirit condensed into one, easily unleashing a power that shook the Dharma realm and the Dao sea. The force of his fist stirred the destiny of heaven and earth, and in an instant, his Dao power reached a terrifying level, destroying everything under his fist, causing this universe to groan in despair.

“Celestial Venerable…there’s more than one, and it seems there’s also a Dao Ancestor?” Ji Jingqiu muttered to himself, having already gained a detailed understanding of this realm.

In the Heavenly King's Domain, if one has not glimpsed the Mandate of Heaven, then let alone harming the Heavenly Venerable, one is almost ineligible even to touch it.

The Heavenly Venerable can determine one's fate in a single thought. If one cannot see the will of Heaven, one can only drift along with it.

Among all the sects, only the peerless Heavenly Lord is capable of fighting across borders, and even then, it's only a matter of contending.

After all, glimpsing destiny is not as good as intervening in and controlling it.

"Where exactly is this place? It's so chaotic." Ji Jingqiu used his mind as a bridge, connecting heaven and earth, to explore the origin of this world.

Just then, a majestic voice forcefully shone into Ji Jingqiu's heart from the center of the sky.

"Who are you? Your aura belongs to no one side. How dare you trespass into the battlefield of various transcendent sects?"

next moment.

A golden giant appeared before Ji Jingqiu. In front of this majestic Dharma image, Ji Jingqiu felt extremely small, like a mortal in the vast and boundless starry sky.

Before Ji Jingqiu could speak, he struck down with his palm, and the sky collapsed under the weight of his hand, the dark and desolate scene rapidly spreading downwards.

With a single palm strike, he was about to capture Ji Jingqiu.

Ji Jingqiu remained expressionless as he raised his hand and drew his sword.

In the Netherworld, he met many True Saints, Dao Ancestors, and Heavenly Venerables from various sects.

But this was the first time he had ever faced an enemy like this, directly confronting the might of a fully-fledged Celestial Venerable.

Compared to this towering and majestic Dharma image, Ji Jingqiu's figure was as small as a mustard seed, yet his aura was increasingly profound and unfathomable.

During his journey on the path to returning to the true self, he not only stood at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Monarch realm and his Heaven-Opening Divine Power truly took shape, but also stepped out of his own extreme realm, never forgetting to study the divine powers and mysteries of the ancestors along the way.

How strong is he now? He hasn't encountered anyone on his path to enlightenment who could measure this.

Clang!
The blade flashed like snow, illuminating the dark starry sky in the blink of an eye. The blade light had boundless power, but then it converged into one, with all the blinding light being absorbed into a single point, illuminating the depths of the Dao Sea and causing all the Daos to resonate in unison.

Under the glint of the blade, everything seemed dull and lifeless.

what? !

The golden Dharma image's expression clearly changed.

The will of Heaven has been shaken; his Great Dao is actually being suppressed!

The Dao of the Celestial Venerable is integrated into the world, and can be regarded as a kind of Dao-in harmony with the world at all times. However, the opponent's strike was like severing and suppressing his Dao-in harmony with the world, leaving him like a lone boat with no fixed abode.

The blade flashed, shining like a pillar. The golden dharma image, whose Great Dao was suppressed, had no choice but to retreat. However, before it could do so, it was grazed by the blade, and parts of the dharma image were shattered.

The power of this strike caused the Celestial Venerable to tremble.

A Heavenly King, with just a single graze of his blade, had his Dharma form shattered considerably?!

Having just walked the Path of Return to Truth, Ji Jingqiu looked at the golden Dharma Image, seemingly accustomed to silence, and simply drew his sword.

He rode the crimson true realm, his golden Daoist robe fluttering, like an ancient demon god. His figure suddenly rose, leaping to an infinite height, standing even higher than the golden Dharma head. With a single slash, the blade light stretched across the heavens and earth!
The blade flashed darkly, seemingly containing the infinite universe, and then it slashed down, no different from the true meaning of "creating heaven and earth," cleaving straight down along the center of the Dharma image!

With just two strikes, he cleaved a celestial deity's image in two on the spot!
"Who severed my Dharma form?!"

A sharp shout came from afar.

Ji Jingqiu squinted and looked, as if he saw countless figures walking from different lines of fate, layer upon layer, eventually converging into the most "correct" line of fate. The golden Dharma image that had been forcefully cleaved was actually reassembled.

"Can the power of fate alone achieve a near reversal of time? Then, in the realm of True Saints, where fate and time are both in their hands, how difficult will it be to kill?"

Ji Jingqiu pondered. No wonder Master He had specifically sought out Master Mu to discuss the Dao of Cause and Effect. At this level, following cause and effect to "clean up" all traces of the other party's existence was indeed the most direct way.

The golden Dharma image reformed, its eyes wide with rage, and its right palm struck out again, filled with a chilling and annihilating intent.

But in this palm strike, Ji Jingqiu seemed to see countless possibilities... but in all these possibilities, the ending was that he would be pressed into an endless abyss by this palm strike, a palm strike that seemed almost destined!
Is this the Heavenly Venerable's mandate?

Ji Jingqiu's eyes flickered slightly. Just as he was about to draw his sword to slay the Heavenly Mandate, he suddenly looked surprised.

An extraordinary fluctuation emanated from the nascent form of his inner universe.

next moment.

The world was covered by a vast "sea of ​​clouds".

That formless and intangible primordial energy silently spread throughout this world, as if assimilating this place into the sea of ​​primordial energy.

The sudden turn of events caused the golden Dharma image, and even the surrounding forces, to temporarily halt their actions and look in this direction.

In the vast, white sea of ​​clouds, a gigantic body broke through the mist and moved slowly, resembling both a dragon and a snake.

But it was so huge that even the majestic golden Dharma image could not compare to it. Each scale seemed to reflect a complete universe, and no one could see its true face!

The people on the battlefield only heard a roar, and then the golden Dharma image fell completely silent. The sound of chewing and swallowing came from the sea of ​​clouds.

As the vast sea of ​​clouds gradually dissipated.

All that could be seen was an indescribably enormous serpentine body coiled between heaven and earth, reaching the azure sky above and connecting with the primordial chaos below. A pair of majestic golden serpentine eyes and an undeniable aura of a Celestial Venerable permeated the heavens and earth!
(End of this chapter)