Chapter 265: The Federation's Strongest, Suffering Sea

Chapter 265: The Federation's Strongest, Suffering Sea

"The formation of the Sanctum Fetus is just the beginning, but continuing on this path is not easy."

"The most common method is meditation and visualization, which involves mental cultivation and absorption. This approach has low returns and takes the longest time, often measured in centuries. However, it is relatively safe."

"The opposite of this is the Divine Journey Through Worlds. Regardless of the method, as long as you gain the recognition of a world, the Sanctum Fetus will receive a Heavenly Heart baptism and be imprinted with a unique mark. The more baptisms, the stronger the Sanctum Fetus will become."

"But this method carries immense risk. Forget about gaining recognition from a world; the Divine Journey itself carries the risk of falling. Many Heaven People dare not take this step due to the danger involved."

Meng Qianyun's gaze fell on Ji Jingqiu's wrist, and he paused before continuing, "With the help of the World-Devouring Serpent, you can reduce many risks. Moreover, given your current status and position, you won't lack coordinates for relatively safer world dimensions."

Ji Jingqiu nodded.

In fact, Hela had been trying to persuade him to cultivate a prayer technique for the cultivation of the Sanctum Fetus.

In simple terms, this is a divine worship method, and the term 'god' is used broadly. It could refer to the stars in distant star fields, a true deity, or even powerful beings in the Many Worlds.

By using this prayer technique, one can communicate with these powerful beings and 'deceive' them into bestowing blessings.

Since true faith is impossible, it is considered deception.

And because it is deception, the risk is not insignificant. Once discovered, it may result in backlash and the creation of cause and effect.

For Heaven People at this level, the concept of cause and effect is not vague or illusory but a tangible reality.

Hela assured him that the prayer technique she was teaching him was completely risk-free!

She claimed that by praying regularly, he would receive blessings, ensuring a safe and high return. Moreover, he could even develop a downline...

Ji Jingqiu remained silent for a second before asking if the object of prayer was a pitiful deity who had been dethroned, sealed, and imprisoned for tens of thousands of years, with their divine kingdom and throne taken over by others.

The old woman's defenses were broken.

Of course, Ji Jingqiu would never cultivate this prayer technique, and even if he did, the object of his prayers would never be Hela.

Who knows what his prayers might bring upon Hela.

"Jingqiu, I have a suggestion for you. You've just entered the True Seed Realm and have already comprehended the embryonic form of the Bodhimanda that countless warriors dream of. You've taken the lead and kept advancing, and now that you've entered the Mind Realm, you possess the Heaven-Earth Battlefield. For you, the Mind Realm Domain is almost unnecessary."

Ji Jingqiu was also pondering the essence of the Mind Realm Domain, which is to manifest the inner landscape of the heart and transform it into a domain, using the power of the Heart Ocean to interfere with and distort the rules within the domain.

This is the greatest reliance of Mind Realm Warriors.

However, for someone who already possesses the Heaven-Earth Battlefield, it is somewhat outdated.

In a sense, the Mind Realm Domain itself is the prototype of the Bodhimanda, and the key lies not in the domain but in the Primordial Nature.

Meng Qianyun spoke solemnly, "Our Ancestor once said that the unification of the heart and the body is the most crucial step for Heaven People, and it is the convergence of previous martial arts."

"Moreover, observing one's Primordial Nature is the key to understanding and finding oneself."

"Many Mind Realm Warriors, upon breaking through, are eager to condense the embryonic form of the Bodhimanda, but they neglect the understanding of their Primordial Nature."

At this point, Meng Qianyun subconsciously glanced at Ji Jingqiu.

Ji Jingqiu looked back innocently. After achieving the unification of his physical body, he naturally gained control of the Heaven-Earth Battlefield, and 'eagerness' had nothing to do with him.

Meng Qianyun smiled bitterly, "My personal suggestion is for you to slow down in the Mind Realm and carefully comprehend the integration of the heart and the body. Deeply understand your Primordial Nature before pursuing the cultivation of the Sanctum Fetus."

Ji Jingqiu nodded, accepting the advice.

He had been feeling the same way recently.

He had indeed rushed through the Shackles Realm, especially the last step, where he was almost pushed to take the seventh shackle.

Moving too fast, even with his deep Dao foundation, he might still miss the beautiful scenery along the way.

In the Shackles Realm, he had consciously been simplifying and seeking stability.

Not to mention the seven shackles, the dream of Shackles Realm Warriors to cultivate the Physical Body Incarnation Technique had become too 'excessive' for him.

He didn't lack divine abilities; the headache was deciding which one to cultivate.

In the end, instead of pursuing more divine abilities, he focused on his fundamentals, using his Formless Dao Body as the foundation and transforming the five Divine Anomalies into divine abilities.

These were the [Illusory World], [True Self], and the embryonic divine ability [Origin of Unity] that he comprehended in the Ke Family.

The last divine ability, which merged the Divine Anomalies of [Formless] and [Ten Thousand Phenomena], became almost his Dao foundation ability, rivaling the Innate Divine Talent.

"For my next cultivation, I plan to return to East 3 Huang Star and attempt to unify with the planet, transforming it with my life force field."

"During this period, I originally intended to cultivate various divine ability techniques to 'feed' my [Origin of Unity]. But now, I will pay extra attention to the Primordial Nature you just mentioned, Uncle Meng."

Ji Jingqiu frankly shared his plans.

This was the result of his careful consideration.

On the one hand, according to Hela, the cultivation of the Formless Heavenly Devil Technique was not something that could be achieved overnight. It was an immortal legacy that approached the immortal realm, and it was normal to never enter its door in a lifetime.

Secondly, this kind of planetary transformation was highly beneficial to his cultivation.

Ever since his visit to the Mu Family's Ancestral Star, he had deeply felt the advantage of having a 'home field'.

It could be said that his combat power on the Mu Family's Ancestral Star was at least one or two levels higher than when he was away from it.

However, he couldn't carry the Mu Family's Ancestral Star into battle. The external home field could only serve as the foundation of the clan, but for warriors, the true home field was the Heaven-Earth Battlefield and the place where they stood.

By merging with the heavens and earth and transforming the planet with his life force field, he could understand many cosmic mysteries through this interweaving process.

This would greatly benefit the condensation of the Heaven-Earth Battlefield, the derivation of the Inner Heaven, and even the organization of his martial arts path.

"East 3 Huang Star?" Meng Qianyun tilted his head slightly, as if remembering something, and said, "This planet is actually very special.

Ji Jingqiu couldn't help but focus his gaze.

Dong 3 Huang Star was naturally special, being the birthplace of Mu Shuai and Ji Shuai. In the past, it was also the central region of the Federation, but it gradually became a border area.

Meng Qianyun thought for a moment and said, "You've been to the ancestral stars of the six great families. What do you think of them?"

With his world-shaking wisdom, Ji Jingqiu instantly understood what Meng Qianyun was trying to convey. He couldn't help but ask in surprise,

"Are you saying that Dong 3 Huang Star is like the ancestral stars of the six great families, having been transformed by the six marshals?"

Why were the ancestral stars of the six great families so extraordinary? It was because all six marshals had once transformed their ancestral stars, and later generations also had Heaven People breaking through on those stars.

Whether it was during the Embryonic Breath breakthrough, where one merged with the heavens, or using the Heaven-Earth Battlefield to transform the planet, it was a great nourishment for the planet.

According to Old Master Mu, in the past, Mu Shuai had transformed the Mu Family's ancestral star more than once.

After generations of accumulation, these stars now had the foundation to evolve into a realm of their own.

With this foundation, as long as someone from the Mu Family could reach the third stage of the Heaven Person, there would almost never be a gap in Grandmasters.

Suddenly, Ji Jingqiu shook his head and said, "I formed my Sacred Embryo on Dong 3 Huang Star, but I didn't feel anything special. On the contrary, Dong 3 Huang Star's 'Planetary Will' is extremely weak."

Dong 3 Huang Star hadn't produced a Heaven Person warrior in many years. Even those born on Dong 3 Huang Star often went to the central region, let alone any subsequent transformations.

"Weak?" Meng Qianyun was a bit surprised. "According to the ancestors' message, Dong 3 Huang Star should not have a Planetary Will. Has it been born again?"

Ji Jingqiu was also surprised.

He realized that his understanding was the opposite of what Meng Qianyun was trying to convey. Meng Qianyun explained, "The ancestors visited Dong 3 Huang Star in the past, as it was the hometown of He Shuai and Ji Master. Later, they unexpectedly discovered that Dong 3 Huang Star had no Planetary Will. This is a common situation, and we usually call such planets 'dead stars.' But Dong 3 Huang Star is not a dead star."

"Dead star?" Ji Jingqiu muttered.

Indeed, it could be said that Dong 3 Huang Star's decline was also due to its overall environment becoming increasingly desolate.

Today, Dong 3 Huang Star has been removed from the Federation's list of naturally habitable planets.

Now, only a few ecological urban areas remain suitable for human habitation. The areas outside these urban circles have long been unsuitable for ordinary people to live, and even breathing is a problem.

Ji Jingqiu's return this time was to prepare to use his own life force field to transform the planet, restoring the environment to its former prosperity.

This would be an extremely rare cultivation for him. In the Federation's martial arts, it was known as "Heaven Opening."

In the era of ancient planets, if this act were to spread and persist, it would likely evolve into the legend of "Opening Heaven and Earth."

"The ancestors believed that Dong 3 Huang Star's Planetary Will might have been taken away by Ji Shuai or He Shuai. Normally, life-bearing planets should have a Planetary Will."

Meng Qianyun said, "If you want to perform the 'Heaven Opening' on Dong 3 Huang Star, there will be both advantages and disadvantages. It's up to you to decide."

Ji Jingqiu nodded, but his mind had already flown to Dong 3 Huang Star.

If both He Shuai and Ji Shuai had transformed Dong 3 Huang Star, then even after tens of thousands of years, there might still be traces and imprints of their work on the planet.

This could be an unexpected gain.

The martial arts exchange between the two lasted a long time, so long that Xue Zu curled up and yawned.

At Meng Qianyun's invitation, Ji Jingqiu sat cross-legged in the room, his mind wandering through the heavens, communicating with the will of this planet. He saw the longsword marks left behind by the ancient supreme grandmaster Meng Pingchuan.

These were not just longsword marks but also Dao marks.

Majestic and vast.

"By the way, you should be cautious of the Ten Thousand Warriors Association."

Before parting.

Meng Qianyun suddenly reminded him, "Not long ago, the vice president of the Ten Thousand Warriors Association, Zuo Qingyou, came looking for me, wanting to recruit me into the association."

Ji Jingqiu nodded.

Before leaving, Xue Zu waved its tail at him, asking him to take good care of his sister. If anything happened, he could contact Xue Zu through Meng Qianyun, and Xue Zu would make time to help him seek revenge despite his busy schedule.

On his way back, Ji Jingqiu sent a message to the War Command Department, inquiring about the Ten Thousand Warriors Association.

He hadn't paid much attention to this organization before.

But now, it seemed that the Ten Thousand Warriors Association was clearly not content with the status quo and was an unstable factor.

Recruiting Meng Qianyun was not as simple as recruiting the Meng Family; it was about recruiting Xue Zu.

This raised a question: In the Federation, who was the strongest? Was it a hidden expert from within the six great families, one who hadn't even made it onto the Heaven Person Ranking? Or was it the first military lord, ranked fifteenth on the Heaven Person Ranking?

Or was it Ji Jingqiu, who had recently swept through the West and was empowered by a Divine Armament?

Wrong! The Federation's current strongest was Xue Zu, who had been living on Pingchuan Star for thousands of years without moving!

Its rank was equivalent to the middle stage of the Heaven Person, but its overall strength rivaled that of a Grandmaster. Aside from its secluded lifestyle, slow growth cycle, and large appetite, it had no other flaws.

Moreover, even in the Grand Universe, the lifespan of the Void Beast was terrifyingly long, blessed by nature and favored by heaven and earth.

Throughout history, the Void Beast had always been the guardian beast that countless civilizations dreamed of.

After obtaining detailed information about the Ten Thousand Warriors Association from the War Command Department, Ji Jingqiu read it carefully.

Currently, the Federation's official had its eyes on the Ten Thousand Warriors Association.

The Ten Thousand Warriors Association was a major force at the forefront of the Celestial Path, and many high-level warriors gathered there, making the number of Heaven People within the organization terrifying.

The structure of this organization was originally loose, similar to an alliance. However, after Zhang Tiancheng took over the Ten Thousand Warriors Association, it gradually changed.

The most noticeable change was that they became extremely "united."

This unity among small groups on the Celestial Path naturally came at the expense of other Federation warriors.

Please...collect...Chapter...6...9...!

On the Celestial Path, various forces had numerous accusations against the Ten Thousand Warriors Association, including allegations that they used their warriors as bait, literally selling out their teammates.

Ji Jingqiu thoughtfully perused the list of core members of the Ten Thousand Warriors Association.

Some were from aristocratic families, some were venerated by financial conglomerate groups, and others were Heaven People from various battlefields...

Their backgrounds were diverse, but in the end, they all became Zhang Tiancheng's supporters.

Ji Jingqiu marveled at the man's extraordinary means, able to gather so many Heaven People under his command.

The Federation's official attention was currently on the Ten Thousand Warriors Association because the association was attempting to enter the Federation's official system.

With a significant number of Heaven People warriors from the same power faction wanting to "enter the system"...

The officials were now on high alert.

After scanning through the information, Ji Jingqiu sent a message to Yan Ruhuo of the War Command Department, informing him of the Ten Thousand Warriors Association's attempt to win over Meng Qianyun.

He then assessed the current situation in the Federation.

The West had achieved initial stability, but the six major families were not entirely at peace. As of now, only the Mu and Qin families had settled down.

The Ke family showed signs of stabilization.

The Ji family remained in self-imposed isolation, and Ji Jingqiu had only recently learned that their Divine Armament had been taken away by several Grandmasters.

The Yang family's situation was slightly better.

The Li family, however, was in a state of hidden turmoil.

There were potential crises, and the Four Divine Palaces were also a concern.

Furthermore, according to the War Command Department's intelligence, the Holy Temple Civilization had been restless lately.

The daughter of the Holy King had entered the ranks of the Heaven People!

Although Chi Ji's talent and ability were still a bit short of his, she was undoubtedly in the top tier. With her entry into the Heaven People, she was virtually invincible in the current universe.

The most outrageous thing was that this crazy woman had sent a message to the Federation, asking for a descendant of the Venerable Lineage to serve her.

Ji Jingqiu couldn't help but shake his head.

Chi Ji was indeed beautiful, but she shouldn't get her hopes up too high.

It would be more appropriate the other way around.

The situation was fraught with internal and external troubles, and now there was the additional complication of the Ten Thousand Warriors Association.

It was like having too many lice, making one immune to their itch.

Ji Jingqiu, on the other hand, became increasingly calm. He needed to tackle one issue at a time, and the Federation had not yet reached the point where internal conflicts were insurmountable.

Why was the Ke family showing signs of stabilization?

Naturally, it was because the Federation had produced a peerless genius comparable to their Ancestor, who single-handedly suppressed the Western chaos.

At the Hundred Tribes Conference in two months, he would give the Hundred Tribes a pleasant surprise, first subduing them before planning for the Federation.

At the very least, he needed to completely unify the Federation before the grand universe's transformation.

Ji Jingqiu once again embarked on his journey.

This time, he visited the Heavenly Artisan Workshop to request Di Tieshan's help in reforging the Azure Sovereign's weapon.

Di Tieshan did not refuse, telling Ji Jingqiu that he could leave and that someone would deliver the weapon back to him in a month.

After thanking Elder Di, Ji Jingqiu retrieved some rare minerals obtained from the Ancient Road from the small heavenly realm of the Hanging Temple.

Di Tieshan's eyes lit up instantly, and he eagerly took the minerals from Ji Jingqiu, considering them a treasure. Then, without hesitation, he sent Ji Jingqiu away and immediately entered closed-door cultivation.

Outside the door, the master of the Heavenly Artisan Workshop, who had been waiting for a long time, personally invited Ji Jingqiu for a banquet.

Since Ji Jingqiu had come with a request, it was only natural for him to accept the invitation.

After a night of drinking and feasting, Ji Jingqiu finally left in the late hours.

This time, Ji Jingqiu returned directly to East 3 Huang Star.

After a brief mental message to Yang Shi and the others, Ji Jingqiu headed straight for the temple of the Four Divine Sovereigns.

Soon after.

Four dazzling divine lights, like scorching flames, descended upon this branch temple.

At Ji Jingqiu's summons, several Divine Sovereigns took their seats.

Ji Jingqiu got straight to the point, "Divine Sovereigns, if the Twelve Divine Lords withdraw from my inner world and no longer support the weight of the Suffering Sea, can it delay your departure time?"

After a brief silence, one of them asked, "Can you bear the weight of this illusory Suffering Sea on your own?"

"I can try!" Ji Jingqiu replied solemnly.

"Our end is not closely related to the illusory Suffering Sea within you, so you need not worry too much," another Divine Sovereign said calmly.

Ji Jingqiu took a deep breath and asked, "Can you reveal the approximate time of your departure?"

"Our end is related to the Wilderness Four Devils," replied the Divine Sovereign.

Ji Jingqiu's expression changed, "Will the Four Devils take action against the Federation next?!"

"They have never stopped," said the Divine Sovereign.

"Some things should come to an end, even if it's just temporary."

Ji Jingqiu's heart grew heavy, and his brows furrowed deeply. The situation the Four Divine Sovereigns faced was more challenging than he had imagined.

Once the system of the Four Divine Sovereigns and the Twelve Divine Lords collapsed, the Federation would directly face the terror of the Heart Ocean.

Only planets with Heaven People stationed could avoid most of the calamities.

However, the current number of Heaven People warriors in the Federation was far from sufficient to cover all planets.

Moreover...

Suddenly, one of the Divine Sovereigns asked Ji Jingqiu a question that left him puzzled.

"Who do you think we are?"

Ji Jingqiu was stunned.

The Four Divine Sovereigns were created based on the heart cores of the Four Marshals from the past.

In a sense, they were the Four Marshals of old.

But from the perspective of the Divine Sovereigns, after a long period of worship spanning thousands of years, the will of the masses had merged into their origins. Even the most powerful divine fire would be tainted and assimilated by the faith and wishes of the people.

Today.

They were no longer themselves.

They were the masses.

Ji Jingqiu was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

"Ji Jingqiu, you need to prepare yourself. You are not yet capable of bearing the weight of this Suffering Sea, but don't worry. Before you are ready, we will help you."

"In return, when that day comes, we hope you can take our place and bear the weight of this Suffering Sea."

"Strive to grow, for that day is still far off. Your actions in the West have exceeded our expectations, and you still have time."

Ji Jingqiu sensed a hint in their words.

He fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "I heard from Hela that beneath the Four Divine Palaces of the Four Guardians Star lies the Federation's greatest secret..."

No one knew how much time had passed.

Ji Jingqiu, in a rare moment of distraction, exited the temple and stood on the steps, gazing up at the night sky. The distant Milky Way stretched across the horizon, resembling a river leading to the Other Shore.

"Suffering Sea..."

In the darkness, his murmur was swallowed by the wind.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end