Chapter 365: Shaking the Four Directions
Chapter 365: Shaking the Four Directions
Stone Vein, Cavern, and Earth Abyss.
The conflict between them intensified, causing not just a hundred li radius of the earth to shake, but the tremors started to spread further, even reaching the distant two to three hundred li away, causing the air and desolate lands to tremble.
Within this several hundred li radius of desolate land, numerous demons emerged from the ground, all startled by the impact. Their demonic eyes showed human-like terror as they glanced towards the direction of the Stone Vein before hastily retreating in the opposite direction, fleeing away from the vicinity of the Stone Vein.
As demons living in the Earth Abyss for countless years, regardless of their rank, they knew that any significant disturbance in the Earth Abyss would bring them nothing but trouble, and being caught in it could very well mean their demise.
At this moment...
If one could observe the Earth Abyss from high above, they would see hundreds of li of desolate land, filled with demons fleeing in all directions, trying to escape. However, the Earth Abyss was only a few dozen zhang deep, making it impossible to get a bird's-eye view.
The shaking of the land within a hundred li radius created such a massive disturbance that it attracted the attention of more than just demons.
...
In a certain place,
A low-lying area,
Covered in water and marshes,
Grew many bizarre, pitch-black grasses.
In the center of this low-lying marshland, an aberrant green plant stood out. It had no leaves, only a straight trunk with a crystal-clear, emerald-green fruit at its top.
Splash, splash,
A skinny monk in tattered robes walked towards the center of the marshland.
His robes were patched in many places, with some holes still unmended, exposing his copper-colored skin underneath. Despite his emaciated appearance, he carried an invisible aura of pressure with each step.
Wu Sheng Temple, Ascetic Monastery Head.
Kong Ji!
He was the oldest among the four generations of Wu Sheng Temple's 'Kong Wen Jue Xuan' monks, a top-tier Grandmaster within the temple, renowned throughout the Frost North. He had once used his physical body to stop a mountain collapse, saving a hundred villagers, ranking fourth among the Grandmasters of the Frost North.
"The Fruit of Eternal Life."
Kong Ji, with his kind expression, looked at the tender emerald fruit in the center of the marshland. He clasped his hands in front of him as if in prayer and took a few steps forward, ready to pluck the fruit.
But at that moment, a piercing sword light suddenly tore through the air, carrying a torrent of sword intent like a mighty river descending from the heavens. The sword light was so swift that it was barely visible, only a faint cold glint resembling a thin line in the sky.
"May all be well."
Facing this sudden attacking sword, Kong Ji maintained his benevolent gaze, his clasped hands in front of him. He raised his right hand, and with his two copper-colored fingers, he flicked the incoming sword light, deflecting it away.
As the scattered sword light revealed a three-foot-long green blade, it was about to fly away when a hand reached out from the air, gripping the hilt. The person in blue, none other than 'Eternal Sword' Jiang Changsheng, held the sword with both hands and slashed towards Kong Ji.
"The Buddha's compassion."
Kong Ji chanted the Buddha's name, raising his hands high. Suddenly, his body shimmered with radiant golden light, resembling a Bodhisattva with an ethereal form. His two copper-colored palms came together in the middle.
Ding!
Jiang Changsheng's Eternal Sword clashed with the Buddha's palm, emitting a crisp ding sound like colliding metal, followed by ripples spreading out.
Within a zhang of the two, there was no change, not even a ripple in the water. The nearby evergreen vine and its fruit remained still, but behind Jiang Changsheng, the water burst into endless mist, spreading in all directions.
Kong Ji's water marsh also exploded, cracking in a crisscross pattern, and the splashing water droplets seemed to be sliced into neat squares by the invisible sword energy.
Kong Ji's palms met Jiang Changsheng's sword, seemingly an evenly matched encounter. However, he couldn't help but take a step back.
Swish!
Jiang Changsheng, expressionless, took advantage of Kong Ji's retreat and drew his sword again, ready to strike.
Boom!
Kong Ji blocked the attack and retreated once more.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Jiang Changsheng slashed seven times, forcing Kong Ji to retreat seven steps, until he was about two zhang away from the Fruit of Eternal Life. Jiang Changsheng had reached the side of the fruit and deftly plucked it, keeping it for himself.
Watching Jiang Changsheng take the fruit, Kong Ji clasped his hands and no longer approached, instead sighing, "It's been many years, and finally, Jiang's sword technique has reached the realm of insight. May all be well, it seems this fruit is not meant for me."
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the tips of his clasped palms had tiny cracks, and drops of bright red blood oozed out. The blood seemed to carry lingering sword energy, dripping onto the marshland and silently cracking it open.
Jiang Changsheng gazed at the Emptiness with a calm expression and said, "You haven’t been idle these past years. Your Bodhimanda Incarnation is quite impressive. You only retreated two zhang after withstanding my seven sword strikes. I can defeat you, but I can’t kill you."
"Amitabha."
Emptiness recited a buddhist chant.
The wound on his fingertip was indeed a minor injury. It would be almost impossible for Jiang Changsheng to kill him unless he continued to clash head-on with Jiang Changsheng’s Eternal Sword. However, being slightly inferior was still being inferior, and he couldn’t snatch the Evergreen Fruit.
Despite the loss of the Heavenly Earth Fruit, Emptiness was neither angry nor upset. After reciting the buddhist chant, he shook his head slightly and turned to leave.
But at that moment.
"Hmm?"
Both Emptiness and Jiang Changsheng paused, turning their heads in one direction.
Although their line of sight was a dim and quiet area, and they couldn’t see anything, both could clearly sense a slight vibration spreading from that direction.
Since they couldn’t pinpoint the source of the vibration, it must have originated from a very distant place. For the vibration to travel such a great distance, something significant must have occurred in that direction.
"..."
Jiang Changsheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering. But in the next moment, he made a decision. His figure flashed, transforming into a beam of sword light as he soared through the air, heading towards the source of the disturbance.
In the Earth Abyss, great disturbances often mean both danger and opportunity.
Having spent many days in the Earth Abyss, he had already reaped considerable benefits. With this Evergreen Fruit, he was more confident in breaking through the life and death barrier and advancing to the Blood Replacement Realm. Returning to the sect to enter seclusion was not out of the question, but since another situation had arisen, it was worth checking it out.
He had made up his mind. If there were any unexpected gains, he would take them. If not, he might as well leave the Earth Abyss for now, return to the sect, and attempt to enter seclusion to break through to the Blood Replacement Realm.
Meanwhile, Jiang Changsheng darted through the air.
Emptiness, standing on the water, also gazed in the direction of the disturbance. After a brief moment of contemplation, he took a step and followed Jiang Changsheng, disappearing into the water after just a few strides.
Since he had gained nothing from the Evergreen Fruit, he naturally wanted to investigate the situation. Although Jiang Changsheng was ahead, such a significant disturbance might not have been detected by just the two of them. Others who sensed it would likely also try to investigate. In the chaos, there might be an opportunity to seize a stroke of luck.
...
Somewhere else.
In the Silent Stone Forest.
"Roar!"
A roar echoed as a massive figure charged through, smashing several thick stone pillars to pieces, leaving bloodstains all over its body.
This was a Seventh Stage Demon King, glaring furiously at a figure in front of it. The figure was a young woman standing atop a stone pillar, with a black and a white light wheel revolving around her.
"Yin-Yang Rotation."
Xia Yuye looked at the Seventh Stage Demon King with composure, her eyes flashing. She waved her hands.
Instantly, her spirit armament, the Yin-Yang Twin Wheels, burst forth, transforming into black and white light, intertwining and spinning. With a crack, they shattered the demon’s scales and left a deep wound on its body.
As the second-ranked individual on the Wind and Cloud Rankings, she feared no one in the Frost North except for the top grandmasters. Dealing with a Seventh Stage Demon King was no challenge. After several consecutive fierce attacks, the demon king roared and finally collapsed due to severe injuries.
Right as Xia Yuye defeated the demon king.
Another young woman emerged from the depths of the Silent Stone Forest, none other than Luan Qiumei, an elder of the Joyful Union Sect.
"How did it go?"
Xia Yuye retracted her Yin-Yang Twin Wheels, took a deep breath, and asked Luan Qiumei.
Luan Qiumei smiled, raising a jade bottle. "I’ve collected it all. There are twenty-seven drops of Ten Thousand Year Drip Spirit Essence. Thanks to you for luring away the demon king; otherwise, it might have caused more damage, and I might not have collected as much."
"It was nothing."
Xia Yuye smiled upon hearing that they had collected twenty-seven drops. This was one of the Heavenly Earth Treasures that could help refine a martial body. Although it wasn’t of much use to her, she and Luan Qiumei had agreed to share other things they found while exploring the Earth Abyss.
Just as Xia Yuye leapt down to deliver the final blow to the demon king and prepare to take its heartblood, her gaze suddenly froze. She then turned her head to look in a certain direction.
"What is this..."
Luan Qiumei also detected it at almost the same time, looked in that direction, and then exchanged a glance with Xia Yuye.
What a significant disturbance! Despite only sensing a faint vibration, both of their realms were so high that they could clearly determine it had come from a very distant place, spreading all the way here, indicating a major event.
The magnitude of this tremor and shaking was definitely not something that could be caused by martial artists sparring, not even by Blood Replacement Realm cultivators. It was clear that some sort of change had occurred within the Earth Abyss, perhaps an earthquake or a ground fissure.
Regardless of the cause, it meant a great opportunity might be presenting itself.
"Let's go and take a look." Luan Qiumei made a decisive call.
Even though she and Xia Yuye combined forces, they were merely exploring the Earth Abyss with difficulty, and they would be no match for any top-tier grandmasters. However, opportunities like this depended on luck. Perhaps they were the closest, and by taking immediate action, they might just seize this chance.
Xia Yuye's eyes flashed with determination. She had ventured into the Earth Abyss for such opportunities. At her age, it was challenging to break through the Mystic Gate and attain the grandmaster realm. But if she could obtain an extremely valuable longevity treasure or some rare heavenly treasures, she might still have a chance to refine her essence and blood. It all depended on fate and opportunity.
Nothing in this world was absolute.
Swish! Swish! Xia Yuye acted swiftly, brandishing her Yin-Yang Twin Wheels with her right hand. Amidst the splatter of blood, she directly sliced open the chest of the Demon King's corpse, swiftly extracting its heart's blood. Without delay, she and Luan Qiumei set off towards the direction of the disturbance.
...
As time passed, the tremors in the Earth Abyss, spanning hundreds of miles, intensified and spread even further, catching the attention of more people. Figures paused, hesitated briefly, and then rushed towards the source of the commotion from all directions.
Central State.
The Stone Vein.
At this moment, Chen Mu was unaware of the situation in various directions, and even if he knew, he didn't pay much attention. After all, he had anticipated such a scenario; to disrupt the Stone Vein and cause a collision between the Pocket Universe and the Earth Abyss would inevitably create a significant disturbance.
Chen Mu's focus was entirely on the Stone Vein, not on the outside world. The Stone Vein had been completely unearthed, and the surrounding land within a radius of several dozen li was crisscrossed with cracks.
The entire Stone Vein was covered in dense, intricate cracks, resembling a shattered piece of porcelain.
Chen Mu had retreated to a distance of about a hundred zhang from the Stone Vein, and one could vaguely see that almost every part of the broken Stone Vein had white void cracks appearing and then resealing.
Although the entire Stone Vein was already riddled with fractures, these cracks continued to increase and become more intricate. The Pocket Universe within seemed to be exposed through the fissures, and some areas even exhibited visible distortions, indicating the warping of space.
"Void..."
Chen Mu observed this scene, sensing the profound mysteries and changes within, and his thoughts surged like a gushing spring.
Heaven and Earth, Void.
If one were to consider the order of events, it was natural that the Void existed first, followed by the birth of Heaven and Earth, and then the emergence of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth encompassed all things within this realm, but it only included everything within this particular Heaven, Earth, and the world.
He attempted to comprehend the mysteries of the Void, but it felt like gazing into a well, observing flowers in the mist, and even with all these changes unfolding before his eyes, he couldn't grasp them, like a floating weed without roots.
"I can't sense it, can't comprehend it, can't touch it... Is it because my mortal body is incapable of understanding the mysteries of the Void? Or is my realm level too low, merely at the domain stage, and thus I'm too far removed from it?"
Chen Mu pondered within his heart.
He could see it, but couldn't understand it, nor could he touch it.
This situation reminded him of his past, when he had comprehended the Blade Intent but remained stuck at the threshold of the realm. It wasn't until he consecutively comprehended multiple Intents that he finally took that step, understanding the realm.
Heaven and Earth's Eight Cosmic Aspects encompassed everything within this realm. When one reaches the pinnacle of cultivating all of this, they must look beyond, and that naturally involves touching upon the essence of the existence of Heaven and Earth, the Void. This was something Chen Mu had vaguely sensed long ago.
During Chen Mu's previous breakthrough, the system panel had allowed him to briefly experience 'Heaven-Man Unity,' so his perspective differed from ordinary people. Even though his actual realm was limited to the Heaven-Earth Domain, and he hadn't yet stepped into the third stage, he could still vaguely discern that his deduction was correct. However, he wasn't a true Heaven-Man Martial Saint, able to see but not understand.
The path of Heaven and Earth hadn't existed for many years.
Only one person in history had cultivated the path of Heaven and Earth to the extreme, reaching the third stage and attaining Heaven-Man Unity—the Founding Martial Emperor of the Grand Proclamation World.
The Grand Proclamation's martial path ended with Heaven and Earth, and no one knew if there was a path beyond. Perhaps the Founding Martial Emperor knew, and he was the only one in history with the qualifications to glimpse beyond Heaven and Earth.
(End of Chapter)
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