Chapter 342: "Is the Tide Immortal Plane a Polluted Immortal World?"

Chapter 342: "Is the Tide Immortal Plane a Polluted Immortal World?"

". . ."

Jiang Buying glanced at the storage bracelet handed to him by the middle-aged man, sensing the high-grade spirit stones within and feeling slightly dazed. After a moment of blankness, he finally laughed.

"Thanks, big bro."

To be honest, he was genuinely surprised.

He had come to pass the time, and he didn't care about these spirit stones. He never expected that someone would collect spirit stones for him. To be honest, he was quite touched.

Indeed.

He silently took the storage bracelet, secretly making up his mind to help his 'big bro' out.

However, killing was easy for him, and he couldn't stay in his 'big bro's family forever. As for how to help a family rise quickly, he was at a loss.

"Oh right, Xiao Ping."

The middle-aged man continued, his voice filled with excitement, "I've decided to return and establish my own small family. In three months, there will be a banquet, and I'll invite all the surrounding families. I'll need you old brothers to help me out and show some support. You'll give me this face, right?"

"Rest assured, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits!"

"I understand."

Jiang Buying nodded thoughtfully. According to custom, every family, when first established, would hold a banquet to invite their close friends and influential allies, also serving as a demonstration of their strength to the surrounding powers. If no one attends, the new family will be deemed weak and will likely be bullied in the future.

He could lend a hand in this matter.

Although he couldn't contact Chen Qiu at the moment, he could still find some influential people to attend. He could force them with his fists; no one in the entire Tide Immortal Plane could defeat him.

At the very least, he had to ensure his 'big bro' maintained face.

With this matter in mind, Jiang Buying returned to the crowd and raised his cup with his brothers to bid farewell to the captain.

This night was undoubtedly a joyous one.

For the common folk, the happiest moments were when prostitutes reformed and workers returned home after enduring hardships for a long time, all for the sake of achieving something and then living a peaceful life.

Many also looked at the middle-aged man with envy, seeing him as their goal.

There's no such thing as an endless feast.

The banquet soon ended, and after sending the tipsy middle-aged man back to his residence, Jiang Buying, with his hands in his pockets, looked up at the heavy snowfall and shrugged. He then headed straight for the Zhongzhou City Lord's Mansion.

"My lord."

Zhongzhou City Lord's Mansion.

The steward, who had been serving as the military advisor, hesitated and reported, "There's something I must tell you. Although the Ascension Assembly is lively every year, we haven't gained much from it because we've invested too much. We've been breaking even all these years."

"It's like we haven't earned a single spirit stone in the past decade."

It had been ten years since Chen Qiu last descended upon Zhongzhou City. In that time, the young master had become the lord, and this year was the last year he would serve by the lord's side. Starting next year, his son would take over as the steward.

"Hmm."

The Zhongzhou City Lord smiled and said, "Isn't this the best outcome? We've made Zhongzhou City famous without spending a single penny, and the Ascension Assembly has become the biggest annual private event in the entire Tide Immortal Plane."

"Moreover, we do get some benefits. The grand banquet every year, along with the significant increase in the permanent population, has brought us much higher rents for our shops and houses, hasn't it?"

"This is almost like making a fortune without any investment!"

"Look at the bigger picture and don't just focus on the small gains right in front of you."

Just as he was about to say something more...

An unexpected visitor appeared before him—a young man.

"Who are you?"

The Zhongzhou City Lord frowned at the intruder. This was his lord's mansion, heavily guarded. How could someone have entered so easily?

"I'm Jiang Buying, Chen Qiu's friend. These days, Zhongzhou City has been holding various events under Chen Qiu's name, including the 'Third Rank Heavenly Tribulation' experience trial, and you've made a fortune from it. Do you remember me?"

"I..."

The Zhongzhou City Lord's lips twitched slightly as he stared at the young man. His memory took him back ten years. He remembered that after the Third Rank Heavenly Tribulation, a young man had approached Chen Qiu, and they had exchanged words in the air for an incense stick's worth of time. The man before him now was that same young man.

The fact that he could enter the lord's mansion without a sound meant his strength far surpassed that of the lord's mansion.

He had thought he was merely riding on Chen Qiu's coattails, and with Chen Qiu's foresight, he wouldn't pay much attention to this matter. He had even prepared various excuses, like claiming ignorance or blaming subordinates. But now, he realized that if Chen Qiu were to show up, no one would listen to his excuses.

"However, I won't interfere with this matter for now. But my friend has recently established a family, and he needs some influential people to attend and offer congratulations. Hmm, I think Zhongzhou City is a decent power. You understand what I mean, right?"

"I understand, I understand."

The Zhongzhou City Lord heaved a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with relief. His eyes then lit up with anticipation: "Esteemed sir, rest assured. I just need to know the specific time, location, and the family's name. Zhongzhou City will definitely send a delegation to offer congratulations."

Jiang Buying's friend?

Then, he might also be Chen Qiu's friend. Even if he wasn't, Chen Qiu would surely go for Jiang Buying's sake. This might be his chance to connect with Chen Qiu in person. If he could formally establish this connection, it would greatly benefit Zhongzhou City.

This is indeed great news.

After all, Chen Qiu has been in seclusion for nearly a decade, and it's been a long time since anyone had any news of him. If Chen Qiu truly appears at this clan's Founding Clan Banquet, it signifies his high regard for the family. Those who go to present gifts at this time will, at the very least, not receive a cold shoulder from Chen Qiu.

After accomplishing all this, Jiang Buying hurried to some of the top powers in the Tide Immortal Plane, showcasing his strength and convincing them to agree to attend a certain family's Founding Clan Banquet in three months' time.

Communication in this world is this simple.

Fists are always the most effective means of communication in this world.

In the distant past, before language existed, one of the primary methods humans used to communicate was through "fists." In fact, if it weren't for this method of communication, which sometimes led to higher mortality rates, there would have been no need to create language in the first place.

Only the Barbarian Tribe didn't go.

Firstly, the Barbarian Tribe currently has a True Immortal stationed there, and with his abilities, it would be challenging to face a True Immortal before breaking through. Secondly, this power has an unusual relationship with Chen Qiu, so he should avoid making any extraordinary moves that might provoke Chen Qiu's dissatisfaction.

Chen Qiu currently has no ill intentions towards him, but they aren't friends yet.

And so, in the Cao Tian Palace, the remaining three months slowly passed.

"It's finally almost over."

At this moment, Chen Qiu, sitting cross-legged in the Cao Tian Palace square, gazed at the countless entries within his dantian's inner wall, his entire being in a daze as he muttered to himself. He had been sitting here cultivating for a full ten years.

A full ten years.

However, in the last stretch, his spiritual energy had reached a state where it couldn't flow, making cultivation impossible. Every day, he could only sit in the square with his eyes closed, resting his mind and waiting to receive a white entry he didn't already possess.

And today,

He had acquired 99,998 white entries, meaning that at the stroke of midnight, he would obtain the last white entry he didn't possess. Then, by reassembling the complete set of white entries, he could detonate them all, which affected his actions.

His current cultivation base was as follows:

-

"Cultivation Base": Heaven Immortal Level 9 (47.0%).

-

Just one step away from the Peak Heaven Immortal.

After cultivating for more than nine years, he had advanced his cultivation base from Heaven Immortal Level 1 to Heaven Immortal Level 9, just one step away from the Peak Heaven Immortal. He had been advancing by one minor realm every year, and this speed of cultivation improvement was achieved without using any cultivation cards or other means to enhance his progress.

It was solely due to his cultivation speed and the abundance of rich spiritual energy.

Even so, this speed far surpassed that of ordinary people.

After this seclusion ends,

He can basically start preparing for the True Immortal Tribulation. He can consider breaking through to the True Immortal realm and will need to go to the Sixth Rank Continent. To break through to the True Immortal realm, he needs a True Immortal corpse, and he hasn't decided where to obtain one yet.

If he had known, he should have killed the True Immortal from the Sixth Rank Immortal World when he came looking for him last time, and he would have had a corpse.

He let his thoughts wander in his mind, patiently waiting for time to pass.

Finally—

As time slowly approached midnight, and he acquired the last white entry he didn't possess, his collection of white entries reached 99,999 again, completing the full set.

The "White Imperial Banner," which he had purchased from a vendor in Zhongzhou City for 1 million medium-grade spirit stones, slowly floated out of his embrace.

Suspended in mid-air, the entire banner was enveloped in white light, fluttering in the wind as the surrounding space gradually distorted. The original description of this treasure quickly blurred, and when it became clear again, it had completely transformed.

-

"Treasure Name": White Imperial Banner.

"Acquisition Source": None.

"Usage Effect":

1. You possess all white entries, and the White Imperial Banner will be in its prime state.

2. You can freely choose whether your white entries take effect or not.

3. The White Imperial Banner in its prime state is a unique item. Once someone obtains it, no one else will have another chance to acquire it.

4. All white entries you obtain in the future will transform into a random green entry that you don't already possess.

5. You will gain access to the acquisition channel for the Green Imperial Banner.

-

".”

Chen Qiu gazed at the panel before him in a daze, and to be honest, it wasn't what he had expected. The White Imperial Banner in its prime state had almost no impact on his combat power and was no different from before.

For a moment, he felt a bit lost, questioning whether it was the right choice to have spent so much time on this treasure.

But soon, he realized the true significance of this treasure.

He could gain access to the acquisition channel for the Green Imperial Banner, and all the white entries he obtained in the future would transform into a random green entry he didn't possess. This meant that as long as he found the Green Imperial Banner and enough white entry jade slips, he could also activate the Green Imperial Banner to its prime state.

Following this logic:

Blue Imperial Banner, Purple Imperial Banner, Pink Imperial Banner, Seven-Colored Imperial Banner.

He might even be able to acquire all the entries. If his combat power primarily came from entry combinations before, he would now possess all entries. When he launched an attack, even he might not fully grasp the power contained within that strike.

Possessing all entries is almost an absolute impossibility.

In the entire continent, only one person possesses all entries.

That person is the Heavenly Dao.

The entries are a means that split from the Heavenly Dao, and only the Heavenly Dao possesses all entries. If he possessed all entries, wouldn't he have the same power as the Heavenly Dao?

For some reason, he vaguely sensed that the 'White Imperial Banner' was an important line, one that would likely play a crucial role in the final battle.

A day later, all members of the Mocking Heaven Sect emerged from seclusion and returned to the Tide Immortal Plane.

Chen Qiu prepared to take a stroll to relax, and then he would return to break through to the Peak Heaven Immortal stage and search for a True Immortal Corpse while preparing for the upcoming True Immortal Tribulation. He hadn't forgotten that he hadn't missed a single minor tribulation during his Celestial Immortal Tribulation, and he had been accumulating them.

In this situation, his True Immortal Tribulation was very likely to be a Fourth Stage Heavenly Tribulation, and he couldn't escape it.

Although he had the unique-grade reward, the Thunder Robe, facing a Fourth Stage Tribulation was no small matter. It was better to be prepared and avoid any mishaps.

When he arrived at the Tide Immortal Plane, the White Imperial Banner flashed with a faint white light, guiding him to several paths to obtain the Green Imperial Banner. There were quite a few of these paths, and even in the Tide Immortal Plane alone, there were currently over thirty places where he could acquire the Green Imperial Banner.

If he wished, he could possess thirty Green Imperial Banners at once.

However, obtaining so many of these items was meaningless; one was enough. After all, the effect of the Green Imperial Banner was even inferior to that of the White Imperial Banner. Once one Green Imperial Banner reached its peak state, the others would be automatically annihilated.

For example, when his White Imperial Banner reached its peak state, all the White Imperial Banners in the hands of everyone in the world would turn to dust at that very moment.

"Finally out of seclusion!"

Fat Dragon stood in the sky above Zhongzhou City, his entire being slightly dazed as he overlooked the entire city. The dazed look in his eyes gradually faded, and they were once again filled with a sharp gleam. This was his longest period of seclusion, and the longest for the entire Mocking Heaven Sect! But one had to admit, the results were excellent.

With the abundant supply of spirit fruits and dense spiritual energy from the World Tree in the Mocking Heaven Palace, the cultivation of the Mocking Heaven Sect members had all broken through to the Refining Void stage. Those like Fat Dragon had even reached Body Fusion.

Indeed, due to their time in the Mocking Heaven Palace, everyone had skipped the Great Vehicle Period cultivation realm. Although they missed out on a few entries, they also skipped nine useless minor realms, significantly speeding up their progress.

This level of strength was practically useless in the Tide Immortal Plane. In Zhongzhou City, where even the lowest cultivation level was Immortal Human, Refining Void and Body Fusion were not worth mentioning. However, compared to a decade ago, their cultivation had indeed improved significantly.

"Is ten years a long time?"

Chen Qiu silently said, "I still need to seclude myself for at least a thousand years. I'll have to slowly adapt."

Yes, a thousand years later, when the Heavenly Dao awakens, the grand finale of the great battle will officially begin. At that time, he was still worried that a thousand years might not be enough, but now it seems that his growth rate is far beyond what a thousand years can offer.

This means he has ample time to wait for the awakening of the Heavenly Dao.

From now on, the spirit fruits of the World Tree will be supplied solely to him, pushing his cultivation to the peak of the Immortal Emperor. Once he reaches this stage, the spirit fruits will have no further use for him. At that time, these spirit fruits will be supplied to the Mocking Heaven Sect members, aiming to cultivate several more Immortal Emperors.

After ten years of seclusion, it was still exciting to finally emerge.

Chen Qiu led a group of Mocking Heaven Sect disciples on a low-key stroll through Zhongzhou City, only to discover that the city had undergone many changes over the years. For instance, after their Ascension Assembly, Zhongzhou City had also organized its own assembly, held once a year.

And each year, it became more and more lively.

The most recent assembly had just concluded a month ago, reportedly drawing a massive crowd and an extremely lively atmosphere. The grand prize of this assembly was astonishing—a 'Seven-colored Entry Jade Slip'!!!

This was a great opportunity to break through to the True Immortal stage! Originally, breaking through to the True Immortal stage required possessing a seven-colored entry and a True Immortal Corpse. The once-in-a-ten-thousand-year assembly was so popular because it offered the greatest opportunity to directly ignore these two conditions and obtain a ticket to become a True Immortal.

And now, the grand prize was a Seven-colored Entry Jade Slip, an item comparable to the genuine assembly. Although it couldn't match the real assembly, its fame was growing.

"Quite interesting," Chen Qiu said with a chuckle as he listened to the changes in Zhongzhou City over the years, especially regarding the area outside the city where he had once faced the Third Rank Heavenly Tribulation. Zhongzhou City had perfectly preserved that area, and on top of that, they had set up a large illusion array, perfectly replicating the scene of his Third Rank Tribulation, allowing everyone to experience its might.

He went to experience it himself.

It cost 100 high-grade spirit stones to enter the illusion array, which could accommodate up to ten thousand people at once. This meant a total of one million high-grade spirit stones, although not all of them would be used to activate the array, even for such a massive one.

A highly profitable business.

For the past ten years, Zhongzhou City had tirelessly boasted about his story, as only he could inspire others to spend spirit stones and experience everything he had gone through.

This was beneficial for him.

He had done his best to hide his whereabouts, but some passersby still recognized him. He had concealed his cultivation, but he wasn't wearing a mask, and his face was well-known throughout Zhongzhou City.

Especially since his appearance had hardly changed in the past ten years.

"You... you're Chen Qiu!"

Accompanied by a cry of disbelief, a crowd of people craned their necks to look, and soon the entire street was filled with excitement. The news of Chen Qiu's emergence from seclusion and appearance in Zhongzhou City spread like a wave across the entire city.

In a private room of a teahouse in Zhongzhou City, Chen Qiu looked at Jiang Bu Ping, who sat opposite him.

"So, you invited me here for this?"

Chen Qiu raised his head and looked at Jiang Bu Ping, "Is it just to invite me to your friend's Family Establishment Feast? It's not a big deal. I'll go."

"Mhm."

Jiang Bu Ping's expression turned solemn, deep in thought. He wanted to bring up a significant matter, as he had invited Chen Qiu with such seriousness for a minor issue, making him seem rather frivolous.

But to him, this was a matter of great importance.

After all, if he was going to do something, he wanted to do it perfectly. Since he was giving face to his senior brother, the person with the most face in the Tide Immortal Plane was undoubtedly Chen Qiu.

After a moment, Jiang Bu Ping's voice turned hoarse. "This is just a casual mention. The real reason I asked you here is for something important. Can you also invite the Barbarian Tribe Chief?"

". . ."

Chen Qiu looked at Jiang Bu Ping with an emotionless face. "Is there anything else? If not, I'll be on my way."

"Erm, that's all."

Sighing softly, Jiang Bu Ping didn't say anything more. He was used to Jiang Bu Ping's personality; this person's thoughts were hard to fathom. If anyone else had endured being burned by the Mock Heaven Sect's Immortal Annihilation Talisman for thousands of years, they would be filled with resentment. If it were him, he would have used every means at his disposal to annihilate every Skyward Sect disciple upon breaking free, no matter the cost.

It was hard for ordinary people to understand how Jiang Bu Ping could so easily disregard such deep-seated grudges.

Initially, Chen Qiu thought that Jiang Bu Ping was pretending to forget his hatred to get close to him. Later, he realized that Jiang Taiping genuinely didn't care much about it, and his vigilance towards Jiang Bu Ping gradually lessened.

Just as Chen Qiu was about to stand up, he suddenly remembered something. "To break through to the True Immortal realm, do you really need a True Immortal corpse? Very few can cultivate to the True Immortal realm, so there shouldn't be many above that level, right?"

"You're right," Jiang Bu Ping nodded seriously. "The True Immortal realm is a threshold. For most Celestial Prodigies, their journey ends at the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm. It's a realm that's almost impossible to reach."

"However, in other Immortal Worlds, breaking through to the True Immortal realm doesn't require a True Immortal corpse."

"The Tide Immortal Plane needs one because it's a polluted Immortal World, right?"

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "The Tide Immortal Plane is a polluted Immortal World? I've never heard anyone mention that before."

"Hmph."

Jiang Bu Ping shrugged. "The polluted area isn't very noticeable, and with limited information flow, it's natural that no one knows about it. In reality, to break through to the True Immortal realm, you only need to satisfy one condition: possessing a Rainbow Entry."

"Isn't that condition difficult?"

"Not really," Jiang Bu Ping said, counting on his fingers. "There are many ways to obtain one, like auctions, secret realms, and other opportunities. You just need to prepare enough Spirit Stones and be patient."

"But the more common method is to follow the rules."

"Follow the rules?"

"Mhm," Jiang Bu Ping explained in a solemn tone. "For example, the Demon Clan, whom you have close ties with, they generally follow the rule of 'equivalent exchange'."

"I don't know if he's shared this information with you, but this mainly applies to Sixth Rank Immortal Worlds, with only minor relevance in Fifth Rank Immortal Worlds."

"Once your cultivation reaches a certain level, you need to set a rule for yourself and adhere to it in your daily actions. This cultivation level can be above the Immortal Human realm, with no specific restrictions. The rule can be anything."

"It's important to know that this rule only allows one person to become the Immortal Emperor. Once someone attains the Immortal Emperor realm through this rule, others can only reach the Half-step Immortal Emperor realm."

"The reason I was a Half-step Immortal Emperor was that someone else had already fulfilled the rule I was following."

"And the strength of the Immortal Emperor you become is determined by the strength of the rule you set."

"Furthermore—"

"After following a rule for ten thousand years, you can obtain a Rainbow Entry related to that rule. This is a stable method to acquire a Rainbow Entry. Many people start following rules early on, during the Immortal Human realm, and by the time they reach the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm, it's usually been about ten thousand years. They then use the obtained Rainbow Entry to break through to the True Immortal realm."

"This is a common method used by members of major families in other Immortal Worlds."

"However, in the Tide Immortal Plane, there's no news about this at all. That's because, in the Tide Immortal Plane, breaking through to the True Immortal realm also requires a True Immortal corpse. Even if you obtain a Rainbow Entry, it's not very meaningful."

"The strongest rule is 'Fidelity to Love'. Those who ascend to the Immortal Emperor realm under this rule have the greatest strength because it's almost impossible to fulfill. As of now, no one has become an Immortal Emperor under this rule."

"Because it's nearly impossible to consistently fulfill this rule."

"There's also an exception. If you're from the Celestial Prison, you can completely ignore these rules and break through to the Immortal Emperor realm without relying on them. However, you also can't choose a specific rule."

"You can think of it as..."

"A tool that binds you but also provides a shortcut, like a ladder woven from thorns."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end