Chapter 516: Vast World, Star City

Chapter 516: Vast World, Star City

"Master."

As Lu Qing’s consciousness entered the Fireclay Cauldron, “Flame” immediately greeted him.

Ever since Lu Qing advanced to the Core Formation Realm, “Flame” began to gradually change its attitude toward him.

Later, it even started addressing him directly as Master.

At first, Lu Qing found it a bit awkward, but seeing how insistent “Flame” was, he eventually let it be.

"Where’s the Demon Cultivator?" Lu Qing asked.

"Still in slumber. Over the years, the little demon has been in a state of hibernation most of the time due to the lack of Demon Qi to nourish it", Flame replied.

"Hmm." Lu Qing nodded slightly.

The lack of Demon Qi was a deliberate choice on his part. He always kept a wary eye on the demon, even after branding it with a Servitude Mark.

So over the years, he only occasionally provided it with a small amount of Demon Qi, enough to maintain its essence without dissipating, but never enough to allow it to gain significant power.

With a thought, Lu Qing summoned a light orb in his hand, which contained a black palm.

At the same time, he moved the Demon Cultivator, who was curled up and sleeping in a corner of the spirit artifact space, closer to him.

"Who’s there!"

The sudden movement woke the Demon Cultivator instantly.

But upon seeing Lu Qing, it showed a look of surprise and delight: "Master!"

"I remember you said you came from the Grand Yuan World and were once one of the 108 Demon Generals under the Black Heaven Demon Overlord, correct?"

Lu Qing didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly.

The Demon Cultivator was taken aback for a moment but quickly responded, "Yes, Master. In my memories, I was indeed one of the Demon Overlord’s generals in my past life."

"If that’s the case, you should be quite familiar with the Grand Yuan World, right?" Lu Qing continued.

"Reporting to Master."

The Demon Cultivator felt a bit puzzled about why Lu Qing suddenly became interested in the Grand Yuan World.

But this was a rare opportunity to show its worth, so it immediately said, "Although my memories are somewhat fragmented due to the cycle of rebirth and the mysteries of the womb, I still remember most of the details about the Grand Yuan World."

"Very well. Tell me everything you know about the Grand Yuan World, especially the distribution of major forces and how outsiders can enter the world."

"How to enter the Grand Yuan World? Could it be that Master—"

Hearing Lu Qing’s words, the Demon Cultivator was greatly shocked.

It had a suspicion, but it couldn’t believe it.

After all, the Grand Yuan World was incredibly far from the remote world where Lu Qing was located.

It hadn’t been asleep for long, so how could Lu Qing suddenly appear in the Grand Yuan World?

Despite its shock, the Demon Cultivator didn’t dare to delay.

After a moment’s thought, it began, "The Grand Yuan World is one of the most powerful worlds in the Great Yuan Immortal Realm..."

Through the Demon Cultivator’s explanation, Lu Qing gradually gained a clearer understanding of this vast world.

According to the Demon Cultivator, the Great Yuan Immortal Realm was originally the territory of the Great Yuan Immortal Dynasty.

The Grand Yuan World was one of the most powerful worlds in the Great Yuan Immortal Realm, under the rule of the Great Yuan Immortal Dynasty.

However, over a hundred thousand years ago, a great calamity befell the Great Yuan Immortal Realm, leading to the collapse of the Great Yuan Immortal Dynasty.

The most powerful worlds, including the Grand Yuan World, declared independence and no longer submitted to the Immortal Dynasty’s rule.

Even after gaining independence, the Grand Yuan World was not at peace.

Multiple factions fought for control of the world, with the most intense battles occurring between the Righteous and Demon factions.

The ultimate result of these conflicts was a stalemate, with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage.

"Back when I was pursued and forced to use the Heavenly Demon Rebirth Technique to escape, the power of the Righteous and Demon factions in the Grand Yuan World was roughly equal.

The Demon Overlords and the top Primordial Soul Realm cultivators of the Righteous faction were in a state of mutual restraint, rarely taking direct action.

However, the middle and lower-level cultivators were constantly at odds, often engaging in fierce battles.

I was ambushed and pursued by many Righteous cultivators during an exploration of a Mystic Realm, which ultimately forced me to abandon my physical body and use the Heavenly Demon Rebirth Technique to reincarnate."

"Middle and lower-level cultivators..." Lu Qing pondered for a moment, then said, "Didn’t you mention that you were a Primordial Soul Realm Demon Cultivator, which would make you a middle or lower-level cultivator?"

Among the one hundred and eight Demon Generals under the Great Demon Overlord, the Lesser Slave was originally just a cultivator of the First Primordial Soul Realm, ranking rather low.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qing was instantly shaken.

In the Grand Yuan World, even a cultivator of the First Primordial Soul Realm was only considered a mid-level practitioner.

Yet, the Great Demon Overlord that the Demon Cultivator had once served under had a staggering one hundred and eight Demon Generals alone.

Each of those one hundred and eight Primordial Soul Realm cultivators likely had countless Core Formation and Zhu Ji Realm cultivators under their command.

And this was just the power of one Great Demon Overlord. It was unimaginable just how many Primordial Soul Realm cultivators existed across the entire Grand Yuan World.

"Is this the foundation of a top-tier world? In comparison, my home world is truly as weak as dust."

Lu Qing was deeply shaken, truly realizing what the foundation of a great world meant.

He even thought further, imagining how powerful the Great Yuan Immortal Dynasty must have been, once capable of overseeing numerous top-tier worlds.

"Fortunately, I came out this time. Otherwise, staying in my home world would have made me a frog at the bottom of a well."

After calming his thoughts, Lu Qing continued, "How can I enter the Grand Yuan World?"

When he saw the vast and boundless power of the Grand Yuan World, Lu Qing realized that it would be impossible to infiltrate it using the Void Boat as he had in his home world.

With his current cultivation, the Void Boat he could activate would not even be able to penetrate the World Membrane, so he needed to find another way.

Sure enough, the Demon Cultivator reported honestly,

"Each great world is a complete entity, and the World Membrane is extremely powerful, capable of blocking most spatial techniques and magical attacks.

Therefore, even top-tier Primordial Soul Realm cultivators find it difficult to force their way in.

To enter the Grand Yuan World, outsiders must go through one of the five small worlds outside and use the teleportation array.

When I was still in the Grand Yuan World, the five small worlds outside were divided as follows:

The Righteous Alliance and the Demon Cultivators each occupied two, while the Beast Alliance controlled the remaining one.

I have been in a long slumber and through multiple reincarnations to unravel the mysteries of the World Membrane.

It has been a considerable time since I left the Grand Yuan World, so I'm not sure if the current situation has changed."

Lu Qing recalled the five small worlds he had seen, slowly rotating around the Grand Yuan World.

Each emitted a distinct aura.

Two of the small worlds radiated a dignified and majestic righteous aura.

The other two, in contrast, were cold and domineering, making him quite uncomfortable.

The last small world exuded a sense of wickedness mixed with a carefree and unrestrained spirit.

It was likely the one controlled by the Beast Alliance.

Clearly, the situation in the Grand Yuan World had not changed significantly since the Demon Cultivator's departure.

"So, if I enter one of the small worlds and use the teleportation array, I can enter the Grand Yuan World, right?" Lu Qing nodded.

However, to his surprise, the Demon Cultivator shook his head.

"It's not that simple."

"The Grand Yuan World is vast and powerful, with world power that is incomprehensibly strong.

It is filled with countless opportunities and profound mysteries.

Even the omnipresent spirit energy has numerous uses and is far more potent than that of lower-tier worlds.

Such a magnificent world is a coveted place for cultivation, a sanctuary for countless practitioners.

Since it is a sanctuary, it is not easy to enter.

There are generally two ways for outsiders to enter the Grand Yuan World.

One is to pay a significant amount of spirit stones to gain residency.

The other is to join one of the factions within the Grand Yuan World.

Whether as a disciple or a guest elder of a sect, you can gain the right to enter the world.

However, becoming a guest elder of a sect is not easy.

Even for some smaller sects, you need to have at least a Golden Core cultivation level..."

"I see."

As the Demon Cultivator explained, Lu Qing realized how naive his previous thoughts had been.

Indeed, if the Grand Yuan World were so easy to enter, practitioners from other small and medium worlds would have flooded in to seek opportunities long ago.

The native factions of the Grand Yuan World would not tolerate such a situation.

"It seems I will have to choose one of the small worlds to stay in temporarily and see if I can find a way to enter the Grand Yuan World."

Lu Qing did not have many spirit stones to begin with, and he had used some during his journey here.

The spirit stones he had left could be counted on one hand.

Clearly, they were not enough to pay the entry fee for the Grand Yuan World.

But no matter what, he had to get closer to find a way to solve the problem.

Next, Lu Qing asked the Demon Cultivator many details about entering the small world, making sure he understood everything before tossing out the black palm.

"You did well this time. This Demon Body Palm is your reward."

"Thank you, Master!"

The Demon Cultivator caught the palm, greatly surprised.

Over the years, Lu Qing rarely entered the Fireclay Cauldron, leaving it with few opportunities to ask for Demon Qi.

Moreover, "Flame" despised it and would never pass on any messages for it.

This made the Demon Cultivator's life quite difficult, as it could only reduce the consumption of its intrinsic Demon Qi by sleeping.

Now, with this palm from its own body, it could finally replenish its Demon Qi properly.

After giving the Demon Body Palm to the Demon Cultivator, Lu Qing ignored its joy, withdrawing his consciousness from the Fireclay Cauldron and returning to his body.

Opening his eyes, he saw Xiao Li and Wu Xing staring at him with bright eyes.

"Ah Qing, you’re awake. Are we ready to set off?"

Xiao Li asked as soon as she saw Lu Qing awake.

"Almost. We’ll set off after some final preparations."

Over the next two days, Lu Qing made thorough preparations before finally setting off in the Void Boat toward the vast world ahead.

Although the Grand Yuan World seemed close, the distance from their current position was still considerable.

In the following days, Lu Qing urged the Void Boat to travel at a hundred times the speed limit of their home world, taking over ten days to reach one of the small worlds.

As they got closer to the Grand Yuan World, they increasingly felt the immense power of this vast world.

When they approached one of the small worlds, Lu Qing saw that the outer edge of the small world was surrounded by a landmass as large as a province in their home world.

It was covered by an array of light, through which one could see numerous magnificent buildings.

It was actually a grand city floating in the starry sky.

"The five small worlds on the periphery of the Grand Yuan World are like five gates.

To officially enter the Grand Yuan World, one must pass through the teleportation arrays in these five gates.

However, even these five small worlds are not easy to enter.

One must be inspected and screened by the Star City above the small world, and their identity confirmed, before they can enter."

Thinking about the Demon Cultivator’s words, Lu Qing slowly reduced the speed of the Void Boat and approached the Star City ahead.

He chose one of the two small worlds controlled by the Righteous Alliance in the Grand Yuan World.

After all, he practiced righteous cultivation techniques, and who knew what might happen if he went to a world controlled by Demon Cultivators.

As the Void Boat approached the Star City, a huge white array of light suddenly appeared from the city gate and shot toward the Void Boat.

Lu Qing remained calm, allowing the light to envelop the boat.

He knew this was a necessary procedure for entering the Star City.

The array of light was not hostile; it was just checking whether his boat was a demonic artifact.

Sure enough, after a brief scan, the array of light slowly faded away.

At the same time, a gap appeared in the array of light at the city gate, allowing the Void Boat to pass through.

Lu Qing steered the Void Boat through the gap and slowly landed before the city gate.

He then led Xiao Li and Wu Xing off the Void Boat and put it away.

Lu Qing then led the two small creatures toward the city gate.

"Welcome, fellow cultivators. Where are you from, and may I have your names?"

At the city gate, a table and a chair were set up, and a slightly plump old man sat there, smiling kindly as he asked Lu Qing.

However, Lu Qing could sense that the old man’s aura was like a deep sea.

Without using his abilities, he couldn’t discern the old man’s true strength at all.

He immediately understood that this person must be a powerful being in the Primordial Soul Realm, above the Golden Core stage.

He didn’t dare to be disrespectful and immediately bowed respectfully. "This junior is Lu Qing, from a remote small world. These two are my spirit pets. Greetings, Senior."

"Greetings, Senior!"

Xiao Li and Wu Xing also bowed nervously to the old man.

They could also vaguely sense the old man’s terrifying presence.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end