Chapter 341: "Everyone Has Their Own Path."

Chapter 341: "Everyone Has Their Own Path."

After a long while, Chen Qiu didn't linger in the Tide Immortal Plane but returned to the Cao Tian Palace.

It was evident that the Celestial Immortal Tribulation had been postponed, delayed until the True Immortal Tribulation, which was undoubtedly an irregular occurrence. But since it had already happened, there was nothing more to say.

Let it be postponed, as long as he could break through now.

Upon returning to the Cao Tian Palace, Chen Qiu didn't immediately seclude himself. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and looked at his hand, where a blue vortex, formed by countless tiny blue dots, was slowly spinning.

This was the new cultivation method he had obtained after breaking through to the Celestial Immortal realm.

"Heaven Realm"! The blue vortex in his hand was actually a miniature world, and those countless tiny blue dots were condensed versions of the Fusion Kill Moves. This was the Heaven Realm.

By gathering numerous Fusion Kill Moves together, a large-scale, high-damage attack could be formed.

The higher the grade of the Fusion Kill Move, the more powerful the Heaven Realm would be.

The higher the grade of the Heaven Realm, the larger the coverage area.

Ordinary cultivators' Heaven Realms could only cover a large city, but if he wished, he could cover half a continent with a mere thought. The coverage area was entirely controlled by his will.

This was the Heaven Realm! With a thought, Chen Qiu vanished into the Void.

After obtaining the Black Entry "Void Walking," he could freely move through the Void, though he had never done so before.

This was his first time appearing in the Void.

He looked at the Cao Tian Palace beside him and felt the dense and ferocious spiritual energy in the Void. Taking a deep breath, he didn't feel any stinging sensation on his body, thanks to the effect of the "Void Walking" entry.

A moment later, he tentatively threw out the Heaven Realm in his hand.

However—

As soon as he released it, his Heaven Realm fizzled out. The 219-grade Heaven Realm didn't produce any dazzling fireworks; it was immediately annihilated, clearly unable to survive in the Void with such insufficient attack power.

He pursed his lips without saying a word, deciding to wait for another opportunity to test it. He had wanted to see the power of the Heaven Realm.

Only when he stood in the Void himself could he feel its vastness. Looking around, there were no reference points, only blindingly bright lights. It was easy to lose one's sense of direction, as up, down, left, and right were indistinguishable.

No one knew what lay ahead.

The next moment, one might encounter the Heavenly Dao's shackles of some continent, a fortuitous encounter, or a catastrophe.

This was the nature of the Void.

It was like exploring an immense and boundless ocean, seeking opportunities amidst loneliness and danger. Many powerful cultivators enjoyed exploring the Void, and the Cao Tian Sect's Long Voyage team had bravely ventured into the Void, embarking on a journey that was almost certainly fatal.

If the Cao Tian Sect had been residing in the Cao Tian Palace back then, many more people might have survived. For an Immortal Emperor, living for 30,000 years shouldn't be too difficult.

After all, even Celestial Immortals had a lifespan of 20,000 years.

Yes.

After breaking through to the Celestial Immortal realm, he could clearly sense that his lifespan limit had increased to 20,000 years. As a Celestial Immortal, unless he encountered a catastrophe, he could live for a very long time—20,000 years was almost as long as the heavens themselves.

This cultivation level was already the endpoint for many Celestial Prodigies.

They could protect their entire family for tens of thousands of years, witnessing their family's rise and, if fortunate, even its decline.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu didn't dare venture too far from the Cao Tian Palace and didn't stay in the Void for long. He returned to the Cao Tian Palace, worried that he might suddenly be affected by some factor and become completely lost in the Void, far from the Cao Tian Palace.

Although he could sense the Cao Tian Palace, if he were too far, there would be nothing he could do.

In the Void, surprises and crises were constant. One never knew what the next moment would bring.

Upon returning to the Cao Tian Palace, Chen Qiu sat cross-legged in the square, cultivating with his heart method. His cultivation progress had been too rapid in recent days, and his foundation had become unstable. He needed some time to consolidate his cultivation.

A month later, Chen Qiu slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the two large, fruit-laden trees in the Void. It was time to reap the harvest.

The first batch of fruits on his two trees had ripened, bringing him nearly a thousand Supreme Spirit Stones and hundreds of Spirit Fruits that could increase his cultivation progress by 10%.

"Not bad," he nodded in satisfaction. If only there was a Spirit Fruit that grew Rainbow Entries, but that was like a fantasy.

His cultivation hadn't completely settled after this month of cultivation. He estimated that he would need eleven more months.

After all, he had advanced too quickly this time, going from the Tribulation stage to the Celestial Immortal stage in less than a year.

Without settling his foundation, it would become unstable.

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Three years had gone by.

Chen Qiu sat cross-legged in the square of the Cao Tian Palace, surrounded by broken Spirit Stones. A large Spirit Gathering Array was working for him, and with the already dense spiritual energy of the Cao Tian Palace, combined with the top-grade Spirit Stones in the array, the spiritual energy had become so thick it was almost liquid.

With his extremely rapid cultivation speed, his power was increasing swiftly.

He didn't consume the fruits that could increase his cultivation progress but instead distributed them among the Cao Tian Sect disciples.

During this period, his cultivation had already settled, and he had reached—

Cultivation: Celestial Immortal Layer 2 (17.0%).

It took him two years to advance from Celestial Immortal Layer 1 to Layer 2, a speed far surpassing 99.9% of cultivators at the same level. For ordinary cultivators at this stage, advancing a minor realm would take centuries.

This was all because the vast majority of Celestial Immortals had means to increase their cultivation speed, such as top-tier spirit gathering arrays. Without these, it would take them thousands of years.

The reason he didn't consume those fruits was simple. He was planning to seclude himself for ten years, and if he rapidly advanced his cultivation to the peak of Celestial Immortals, he would have to prepare for the True Immortal Tribulation. How could he seclude himself then?

The reason for the ten-year seclusion was that he had a 'White Entry Family Bundle', and he had self-destructed nearly three thousand of them.

Coincidentally, he obtained a treasure, the 'White Imperial Banner'.

This was a banner that, once all white entries were collected, would grant its complete form. Furthermore, when one possessed over ninety percent of the white entries, they would obtain one missing white entry every day. With three thousand white entries, it would take about ten years to collect them all.

The three thousand white entries he had self-destructed were mostly those with significant negative effects. In other words, it wasn't convenient for him to take action during these ten years.

Secluding himself for cultivation was the most suitable choice.

As the ten years came to an end, he self-destructed these white entries again, allowing him to embark on his journey with a refreshed state.

Whether it was the Treasure Devouring Spirit Tree or the World Tree, both bore fruit every three months.

Three years passed.

Having borne fruit twelve times, he had accumulated a large number of Supreme Spirit Stones and could activate a substantial number of Celestial Immortal-level puppets. But he no longer needed these puppets.

With his current strength, he could even take on all these puppets alone.

Such is life. When you desperately need something, it seems out of reach, but when it becomes attainable, you realize you don't need it as much anymore.

His strength had taken a qualitative leap after the Seventh Prince gave him that pink entry.

The more entries he possessed, the more powerful his spells and cultivation methods became. The Seventh Prince only knew that he had many entries but was unaware of the exact number. This entry could indeed unleash nearly all its power in his hands.

Time slowly passed, almost seven years.

Three months short of a decade, Chen Qiu had been in seclusion for over ten years. The last time Chen Qiu disappeared from everyone's sight, it was for seven years. This time, it had been ten years.

Ten years is a long time for ordinary people, but for high-level cultivators, it's just a single meditation session.

Forget about Celestial Immortals.

Even for those at the Fusion and Refining Void stages, a decade of seclusion is normal. However, this was the longest seclusion he had ever undertaken in his life.

At this moment, Chen Qiu was sitting cross-legged on the Cao Tian Palace square, covered in frost, unmoving. After restoring almost all the white entries he had self-destructed, his body once again became so stiff that he couldn't move.

He could no longer cultivate, as the spiritual energy was difficult to circulate smoothly. He had been sitting like this for a full month.

There were still three months left before he could obtain the remaining white entries. Not being able to cultivate and sitting like a plant for a month was already torturous, and sitting for three more months would be even more so.

But he had already waited for over nine years, so three months was nothing.

During these nine years, although he had little contact with the outside world, no significant events concerning him occurred. After all, he had brought all the Cao Tian Sect disciples with him and secluded himself in the Cao Tian Palace. Before entering seclusion, he had already taken care of many matters, so what major events could happen?

"Where did that guy go again?"

In Zhongzhou City, Jiang Buying sat on the city wall, feeling bored and gazing absentmindedly at the distant horizon. He hadn't heard any news of Chen Qiu for almost ten years and couldn't find any trace of him, not even with divination.

Ten years. The tenth edition of the 'Ascension Assembly' hosted by Zhongzhou City was about to begin, yet there was still no news from Chen Qiu.

For an ordinary person, this would be normal. Ten years of seclusion was no big deal, but Chen Qiu didn't need to seclude himself, did he?

With Chen Qiu's cultivation speed and the seven-colored entry he obtained at the auction, which could plant the World Tree in the void, why would he need to seclude himself? As long as the tree was planted, the spirit fruits would drop, and consuming them would rapidly boost his cultivation.

All direct cultivation progress treasures have a higher cost-effectiveness as one's cultivation level increases.

The same spirit fruit that increases cultivation by 10% will have different effects for a Celestial Immortal and a Golden Core cultivator. Therefore, many people who obtain such treasures don't use them immediately. Instead, they save them until they feel they have reached their cultivation limit and can no longer make breakthroughs.

Only then do they use these treasures to raise their limit and reach new heights. If they have more of these treasures and are lucky, they can even raise their cultivation by a whole realm.

Generally, these treasures are not used to speed up cultivation but to raise potential limits.

Of course, this is just in theory. In practice, if you have enough of these treasures, you can significantly accelerate your cultivation progress and consume them as you wish.

During the ten years without news from Chen Qiu, Jiang Buying felt extremely bored and didn't know how to plan his next steps.

Just then, a noisy sound of gongs and drums came from Zhongzhou City.

He turned his head and saw that it was the Zhongzhou City Lord, promoting the upcoming tenth edition of the 'Ascension Assembly'.

Speaking of the Zhongzhou City Lord, Jiang Buying admired him. In these years, he had admired only a few people: the former Cao Tian Sect leader, Chen Qiu, and the City Lord.

After the Ascension Assembly hosted by Chen Qiu, the City Lord took the initiative to organize his own Ascension Assembly, held once a year.

Naturally, no one attended the first assembly.

Everyone was busy with their cultivation, so who would have the time to participate in an Ascension Assembly organized by a private force? However, the City Lord was not in a hurry. He simply sent out invitations to every force.

When the first Ascension Assembly concluded, the rewards and opportunities offered quickly spread, astonishing all the forces.

The richness of the rewards was beyond imagination.

Of course, it couldn't compare to the Ascension Assembly hosted by Chen Qiu, but it had already far surpassed the rewards given by other forces for their events. Almost half of Zhongzhou City's foundation was offered as rewards.

Not many forces attended the first Ascension Assembly, and in the end, a small force called the "Wei Royal Family" seized the greatest opportunity.

For the second Ascension Assembly, more people started to show up, and more forces participated. Gradually, by the tenth assembly, the scale, popularity, and richness of the rewards had grown significantly. Although it still couldn't match Chen Qiu's Ascension Assembly, it was becoming increasingly popular.

It had become the largest event hosted by a private force in the entire Tide Immortal Plane.

Ordinary events organized by a force couldn't attract so many top-tier forces to participate.

Every winter, countless top-tier forces would send their talented disciples, escorted by elders, to attend. They could participate in the Ascension Assembly and also gain exposure to the world, serving as a form of training. Why wouldn't they be happy to do so?

In fact, all top-tier forces had the same request—to let their talented disciples see the world and interact with the talents from other forces.

However, there were rarely any opportunities to gather so many talents together.

The Ascension Assembly achieved this.

As the momentum of the Ascension Assembly grew, Zhongzhou City gradually gained traction. In recent years, the discussion and popularity of the assembly had even surpassed that of the official Ascension Assembly, as the next official one wouldn't be for another ten thousand years, which was not something they needed to concern themselves with.

He thought this person was talented.

He had enough audacity.

After all, based on his investigation of Zhongzhou City, the city had almost gone bankrupt in the past ten years due to this endeavor. Even though the Ascension Assembly was becoming more and more lively, Zhongzhou City hadn't made a single spirit stone in profit. All the income from each year was converted into rewards for the next year's assembly, purely acting like a philanthropist spending money for a spectacle.

He was also very interested in the Immortal Graveyard of Zhongzhou City.

As long as a corpse was buried in this graveyard, it could be resurrected after ten thousand years. It was a great idea, but he always felt that this graveyard went against human nature.

The ones who needed this were not the consumers.

The consumers were those who didn't need it. They were willing to spend a large amount of spirit stones to ensure the resurrection of their loved ones or disciples after ten thousand years. After all, they wouldn't live to see that moment, and from a selfish perspective, what significance would the resurrection have for them? Instead, spending a large amount of spirit stones now would have a greater impact on themselves.

This was the crux of the problem, and it led to the difficulty of selling the Immortal Graveyard at a high enough price, despite its scarcity.

It's commendable for someone to do good deeds regularly, and people often praise such actions. But if a person's good deeds can only take effect after ten thousand years, and during that time, no one knows what they have done, and it also requires a great cost, then it's unlikely that this person can continue doing good deeds.

Doing good is not always about seeking fame.

If someone does good deeds without seeking fame or fortune, then they can only seek a little something, like peace of mind.

Purely doing good deeds out of compassion is something that can be done momentarily, but not for a lifetime.

A lifetime of good deeds is either done by those seeking fame and fortune or by those who repent after committing great evils in the latter half of their lives.

However, the City Lord of Zhongzhou City used an extremely clever promotional strategy to change the predicament faced by the graveyard, making the consumers and beneficiaries the same person. Although the resurrected person wouldn't be able to see the results themselves, they could let others witness it.

So, from time to time, a leader of a force would be surrounded by their subordinates, with tears streaming down their face as they buried their fallen comrade in the graveyard. They would cry bitterly and then go back and spread the word.

To be honest, this person might not be willing to bury their parents in the Immortal Graveyard, but for a fallen comrade, they would spend a fortune to have them buried there.

This was clearly a case of paying a high price for a loyal companion.

In other words, as long as you are loyal to me, even if you're already dead, I'm willing to spend a large amount of spirit stones for you. How much more so for those of you who are still alive!

From then on, the Immortal Graveyard became extremely popular, and many buyers would go back and spread the word. Although the Immortal Graveyard was a niche product of Zhongzhou City, its reputation throughout the Tide Immortal Plane was not low.

Everyone would spread the word.

After all, they had spent so many spirit stones; wouldn't it be a waste if they didn't promote it a little?

This person was talented.

For the past ten years, he had been observing this person, finding great enjoyment in doing so during the absence of Chen Qiu.

Then, he clicked his tongue and jumped down from the city wall, only to encounter a middle-aged man in armor. The man's expression turned gloomy as soon as he saw him: "Jiang Yiping, where the hell have you been again?"

"Why don't you take a look at the messages in the waist token I gave you? Don't tell me you had stomachaches again. We're all cultivators; how come you're the only one with stomachaches every day? If this continues, I'll kick you out of the Zhongzhou City Guard!"

Jiang Buying subconsciously glanced at the waist token, and indeed, there were quite a few messages inside. He then put on a sly expression, took out hundreds of high-grade spirit stones from his pocket, and stuffed them over, saying with a smirk, "Big brother, please be more understanding."

"You..."

The middle-aged man's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and although his eyes were filled with temptation, this time he did not accept it. Instead, he pushed it back, saying, "You keep it. The monthly salary for members of the Zhongzhou City Guard is only 1,000 high-grade spirit stones. If you give me several hundred at once, it's like working for half a month for free."

"I don't know what you're planning to do either."

"When you first came, you said you were an unfortunate person from a mountain village who had luckily cultivated to the Immortal Human stage. You wanted to join the Zhongzhou City Guard to save up some money and make a living in the city."

"You've been here for ten years, and I joined at the same time as you. Now I'm a squad leader, but you're still an ordinary member. You should reflect on yourself."

"Since you're here, don't slack off. It's hard for me when you keep slacking off like this, especially with the Ascension Assembly approaching, when we need all the hands we can get."

"1,000 high-grade spirit stones per month is equivalent to 800,000 medium-grade spirit stones. If you work hard for a year, saving up 8 million medium-grade spirit stones is not a problem. In ten years or so, you can go back and establish your own small family, right? Why waste your days slacking off?"

"Hey."

Jiang Buying looked at the middle-aged man, who was smiling awkwardly, and said, "Big brother, you have the strength, so it's only natural for you to get promoted. As for me, I'm just a weakling, and I'm content with making a living."

"Sigh."

The middle-aged man heaved a long sigh, his eyes filled with fatigue. "I've been thinking of setting you on the right path because we joined at the same time. But if you insist on being stubborn and blind, I won't say more."

"Everyone has their own path."

"But I have to tell you today that I'm planning to resign soon and go home. I've saved up quite a few spirit stones, and I intend to find a Dao partner and establish my own small family. I want to nurture my children and pass on my legacy."

"Oh?"

A hint of laughter flashed in Jiang Buying's eyes. "Does your new family need a Offering? 10 high-grade spirit stones per month is enough!"

"Get lost!"

The middle-aged man rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Even one high-grade spirit stone is too much. When enemies come, you'll be the first to run. You're useless."

"You never know. At a critical moment, I might be able to save the family from disaster. Spending these spirit stones is definitely worth it. I'm not boasting, but with my full strength, no one in the Tide Immortal Plane can match me."

Jiang Buying patted his chest, his face filled with pride. "Even Chen Qiu isn't my match!"

"Hehe."

The middle-aged man gave a dry laugh and patted Jiang Buying's shoulder, his expression blank. "If you can defeat Chen Qiu, I'll become the Human Race Patriarch of the Tide Immortal Plane. Alright, after work tonight, let's go to our usual spot. I've prepared a farewell feast there. Before I leave, I want to gather with the brothers one last time."

"You must come."

"After all, I was able to save up spirit stones so quickly thanks to you. Without your monthly gifts, I wouldn't have saved this much."

"No problem."

Jiang Buying waved at the middle-aged man's departing figure, smiling with his mouth wide open. After a long while, he sighed deeply, feeling dazed. He had been in the Zhongzhou City Guard for ten years.

In truth, he enjoyed interacting with these simple and honest people.

Everyone's thoughts were straightforward.

They wanted to save up spirit stones, return home, and establish their own small families, becoming clan heads. Although their cultivation levels varied, the lowest being Immortal Human, they were still Immortals. Yet, it didn't seem much different from Foundation Establishment cultivators saving up spirit stones to marry a wife.

Their cultivation levels might differ greatly, but their dreams were essentially the same.

For many at the Immortal Human and Earth Immortal stages, their dream was to establish their own small families. They had a clear understanding of themselves and knew their potential in this lifetime had reached its limit. Even if they worked harder, their cultivation wouldn't improve much.

That was good.

Jiang Buying chuckled softly, thinking about what gift he could prepare for this old friend to surprise him.

He couldn't wait to see the look of disbelief on his friend's face when he learned of his true strength.

Since he was planning to establish a family, he would definitely need a family treasure to pass down as a legacy. Jiang Buying smiled as he searched through his storage bracelet, looking for a treasure that his friend could fully activate. This was not an easy task.

Over the past ten years, he had felt the man's genuine concern for him. He rarely met people who cared so much, and although he didn't want to admit it, he was touched.

He could endure being tormented for thousands of years because he was strong enough.

But he couldn't handle others showing him kindness because he didn't know how to respond.

Soon, night fell.

In an old tavern, Jiang Buying saw the middle-aged man and the members he had worked with over the years. After a few rounds of drinks, the tipsy middle-aged man pulled Jiang Buying into a corner and punched him on the chest, his voice hoarse and slurred.

"Buying, to be honest, have you ever resented me for always finding you slacking off?"

"Don't blame me. Big brother, I sincerely want you to straighten up. Besides, you've been spending too lavishly. I've been saving up your gifts all these years."

"Over ten million high-grade spirit stones."

"It's a bit much, mainly because you're too generous."

"Take these spirit stones. After returning home, you can also establish your own small family. From now on, you'll be the head of the Jiang Family!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end