Chapter 552: One Billion Merit Crystals! Shen Gu's Essence Blood!

Chapter 552: One Billion Merit Crystals! Shen Gu's Essence Blood!

2025-02-10

The consciousness space was shrouded in eternal darkness and silence, devoid of the concepts of time and space, like a confining cage.

Qin Zheng struggled with all his might, trying to break free from this restraining cage, but he felt extremely weak and was unable to escape the confines of this space.

Just then, a golden light, like the rising sun, appeared from outside the consciousness space. The dazzling light shone through, reaching Qin Zheng, and his weak consciousness received a powerful boost.

Qin Zheng instantly gathered his strength and broke free from his restraints, bursting out of the dark and silent consciousness realm.

The next moment—

Whoosh!

An endless sea of fire appeared before his eyes, and the essence of the universe flowed into his body, repairing his nearly shattered physique.

This was the... Bagua Zijin Furnace!

Qin Zheng suddenly realized where he was and struggled to move his gaze, looking at another part of the sea of fire. There, Xuan Du was continuously refining the doom force within his body, his aura surging as if he was about to take the final step.

Qin Zheng realized he must have been severely injured and lost consciousness.

Expending one billion Merit Crystals to borrow the power of the Tianyuan Bow for a single shot came at a great cost to himself, not to mention the terrifying side effects of activating Linggu Favor and Tianyuan Clan Energy Circulation Technique.

Almost immediately after shooting out Red Moon Sovereign's eye, he lost control of his state and fell into a coma, only waking up now.

Qin Zheng wondered how much time had passed and then focused his mind, carefully sensing his current condition.

Before losing consciousness, he had already activated the Scroll of Merit, using Merit Crystals to purify the Dao-Tian Dew for healing.

Just like the last time.

But this time, his injuries were more severe, preventing his consciousness from recovering earlier, and even now, his wounds were not fully healed.

Qin Zheng's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he focused his mind on the Scroll of Merit, where the Tianyuan Bow was sealed, carefully sensing the aura emanating from it.

One billion Merit Crystals were exchanged for the power of one shot, but he gained more than just that. One billion Merit Crystals was an enormous number, and it also partially purified the Tianyuan Bow.

The aura emanating from the Tianyuan Bow was no longer as cold and dark as before; instead, it carried a hint of ancient power, indicating a partial restoration of its strength.

Even without consuming Merit Crystals, Qin Zheng believed he could briefly wield this Divine Ancient Weapon, though not as powerfully as when he killed Red Moon Sovereign. At most, he could only activate a portion of its power.

However, it should be enough to deal with Beyond Shore!

Qin Zheng then turned his attention to the Scroll of Merit, carefully examining the information on it and observing the changes.

[Qin Zheng]



[Realm: Dao Realm · Zhaohua (Ascending)]



[Characteristics: Linggu Favor, Entwined Time, ZaoHua Power]



[Merit Rite: Walking the Heavens, Seeking Dao, YinYang Zhaohua]



[Treasures: Dao Tree, Mirror of the Azure Sky, Zu Xian Sword Array, Jade-Pearl Ruyi, The Tower of Mystery and Marvel, Purple Lightning Hammer]



[Divine Weapons: Tianyuan Bow (Incomplete Refinement), Shanhai Scroll (Incomplete Refinement), Wrapping Cloth (Unrefined)]



[Merit Crystals: 1,010,389,807,000]



Qin Zheng's gaze lingered on the Merit Crystals, fixated on the astonishing number of one billion.

The reason he decided to expend one billion Merit Crystals to borrow the power of the Tianyuan Bow for a single shot was the reward of one billion Merit Crystals for shooting out Red Moon Sovereign's eye!

One billion Merit Crystals was precisely the amount needed to purify either the Tianyuan Bow or the Wrapping Cloth!

With one billion Merit Crystals, he could only purify the Dao-Tian Dew for healing, but with one billion, he could purify a Divine Ancient Weapon and gain an extremely rich harvest!

Not to mention the Divine Ancient Weapon itself...

Shen Gu's Inheritance

Shen Gu's Essence Blood

Tianyuan Shenjian Dao

Tianyuan Clan's Memory

These were things that could only be possessed in the One Gu Realm, beyond the Beyond Shore.

Especially Shen Gu's Inheritance, Essence Blood, and Tianyuan Shenjian Dao, these three, in the identification of the Scroll of Merit, were essentially Shen Gu, which was even higher than Linggu in the Divine Ancient Realm.

After purification, he might immediately attain the Beyond Shore, then break through the barrier and gain insight into the key points of cultivation in the Ancient Realm!

Moreover, with the power of the Ancient Clans, if he could merge with Shen Gu's Essence Blood, his physique might transform, and even if he couldn't immediately attain the Beyond Shore, he would directly possess the power of Beyond Shore and even greater strength!

Qin Zheng's thoughts surged, and he withdrew his gaze from the Scroll of Merit, refocusing on the Tianyuan Bow and Wrapping Cloth beneath it.

Regardless of whether it was the Shen Gu Jing Xue or the memories of the TianYuan Clan, the Purifier could obtain one of them.

However, the Shen Gu Legacy and the TianYuan ShenJian Dao could not be possessed simultaneously. The former could be obtained by purifying the Wrapping Cloth, while the latter could be gained by purifying the TianYuan Bow.

With only one billion Merit Crystals, Qin Zheng had a difficult choice to make, as he could only purify one of them.

Qin Zheng's thoughts were deep in contemplation, and his brows furrowed slightly. After a moment, he gathered his thoughts and returned to the outside world.

His injuries were not fully healed, and it was still early to make a choice. He decided to wait until his injuries were completely healed and his realm improved before making a decision.

Inside the Purple Gold Furnace, the Dao fire raged, and essence energy swirled like a tornado, continuously flowing into his body. However, compared to the Dao-Tian Dew, the effects were not as immediate and evident.

After some deliberation, Qin Zheng stood up, took a step forward, and left the Bagua Zijin Furnace, appearing in the main hall of the Daoist temple.

The hall was filled with a serene and tranquil atmosphere, instantly soothing Qin Zheng's restlessness. There, a Daoist sat in the center, seemingly immersed in the deepest state of meditation.

On either side of the Daoist sat the Yuan Shi Jia Shen and the Ling Bao Avatar, but they were not cultivating; instead, they had reverted to lifeless corpse-like states, devoid of any divine nature.

As Qin Zheng appeared, the seated Tao Te Tianzun in the middle slowly opened his eyes, awakening from his deep meditation. He looked at Qin Zheng and spoke, "Twelve years have passed, my friend. You've endured much."

Twelve years had elapsed since the great battle.

For Tao Te Tianzun, or any other Daoist Great Being, twelve years were but a blink of an eye. However, for Qin Zheng, twelve years was indeed a significant period.

He had been unconscious for twelve years, and during that time, even with the nourishment of the Bagua Zijin Furnace and the Dao-Tian Dew, his injuries had not fully healed.

Qin Zheng's brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly suppressed his concerns and spoke, "Tianzun, the Heavenly Emperor who appeared that day was not his true body but his remnant."

During the battle, Tao Te Tianzun's mind had been focused on the Red Moon Sovereign, and the Heavenly Emperor's remnant was slain by Qin Zheng. It was unlikely that he knew about the Heavenly Emperor's situation.

However, to his surprise, Tao Te Tianzun nodded slightly, as if he had known all along, and said, "The Heavenly Emperor had hidden himself well. Even before we chose to transcend, he had already attained the Beyond Shore."

Qin Zheng's eyes narrowed at these words.

If the Heavenly Emperor had attained the Beyond Shore thousands of years ago, why did he suppress his realm and appear as late as a few million years ago in the state of ZaoHua Perfection?

As soon as this thought emerged, an answer quickly surfaced in his mind.

Beyond Shore Transcendence, the Polluted Realm!

Tao Te Tianzun continued, "He had even deceived us until the last battle, when we realized that his clone also possessed Beyond Shore power and could summon the Divine Ancient Great Being from the Polluted Realm."

"At that time, everyone in the Chaos Ocean who had attained the Beyond Shore was suppressing their realm, waiting to transcend together and join forces to invade the Polluted Realm. If he had chosen to attain the Beyond Shore then, he would have inevitably followed us."

"Perhaps, at that time, he had already realized that the enemies in the Polluted Realm were too powerful. Even if all the Beyond Shore beings in the Chaos Ocean transcended together, they could not defeat the formidable foes within."

"So, he chose to suppress his realm. After we left the Beyond Shore, with his cultivation level, there would be no rivals in the entire Chaos Ocean. Even Xuandu could not defeat him. He could take his time, slowly planning and executing his ambitions."

Qin Zheng's expression turned contemplative upon hearing this.

Slowly planning, gradually executing... These eight words indeed described the Heavenly Emperor's behavior over the past few thousand years. However, until now, whether it was Qin Zheng himself or Xuandu, they had assumed that he wanted to rely on the power of pollution to attain the Beyond Shore.

But now it seemed that his ambition was not to attain the Beyond Shore or even a simple transcendence. He wanted to transcend but not enter the Polluted Realm, or perhaps transcend and remain unaffected by the Curse Power, not becoming an enemy of the beings within the Polluted Realm!

Qin Zheng did not know how to transcend without entering the Polluted Realm, but he did know how to transcend and remain unaffected by the Curse Power, not becoming an enemy of the beings within.

That was to obtain the bloodline of the Ancient Clans!!

The root of the calamity in the Polluted Realm originated from the curse of the Ancient Clans. Only those with the bloodline of the Ancient Clans could maintain their sanity amidst the curse and not fall into becoming monsters.

The reason Red Moon Sovereign could retain his sanity was due to his thin Ancient Clan bloodline, which allowed him to resist the Curse Power and maintain his rationality. Unlike Dao Xuan, he didn't suffer from corrosion and fall, nor did he experience significant mutations.

Qin Zheng didn't know the current situation of the Beyond Shore beings who had entered the Polluted Realm, but even the Buddha had fallen under the Curse Power's erosion, turning into a Skin-Scroll Scripture.

Qin Zheng feared that the powerful beings who had entered the Polluted Realm might not have fared well.

These thoughts swirled in his mind, and as he looked at the Moral Tianzun in front of him, his expression became extremely solemn.

"The Heavenly Emperor secretly hid for millions of years. Now that he has chosen to make his move, even his Remnant has reached the Beyond Shore Realm, and he can summon the strong from the Polluted Realm through the seal."

"He has already touched upon Transcension!!!"

Qin Zheng spoke slowly, emphasizing each word.

The passage between the Chaos Ocean and the Polluted Realm had been severed again when the Beyond Shore beings broke through and invaded the Polluted Realm together.

The fact that the Heavenly Emperor could summon the beings from the Polluted Realm through the seal meant only one thing: he had touched upon Transcension and reopened the passage between the Chaos Ocean and the Polluted Realm!

At this moment, Moral Tianzun slowly nodded, and a rare look of solemnity appeared on his face.

He was only a clone that had just awakened, lacking the accumulation of time and years. He hadn't even reached the perfection of the Beyond Shore Realm.

Even with the Eight Scenery Palace, which had transformed into a Divine Ancient Weapon, granting him strength far surpassing ordinary Beyond Shore beings, it was still uncertain if he could suppress the Heavenly Emperor, who seemed on the verge of Transcension.

However, Moral Tianzun pondered for a moment and then spoke again, "Although he has touched upon Transcension, he is likely still planning something and won't choose to transcend immediately. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hidden himself so well."

First, there was the clone that had achieved ZaoHua Perfection, then the Beyond Shore Remnant, and now he had summoned the beings from the Polluted Realm to attack. His true body was still in hiding and hadn't taken action.

Qin Zheng nodded in agreement. He had the same thoughts, but he couldn't understand why the Heavenly Emperor hadn't transcended yet, even though he had established a connection with the beings of the Polluted Realm and met the conditions for Transcension.

Did the Heavenly Emperor, despite his connection with the Polluted Realm, fear being targeted by its beings after Transcension? Or was he afraid of being eroded by the Curse Power because he hadn't merged with the Ancient Clan bloodline yet?

Ancient Clan bloodline...

Qin Zheng immediately thought of the Divine Ancient Weapon, the Tianyuan Bow, and the wrapping cloth, which could obtain the Divine Ancient blood. Wasn't this also a part of the Ancient Clan bloodline?

If he merged with it, would he be immune to the Curse Power even after stepping into the Polluted Realm?

As this thought arose, he remembered the Scroll of Merit above his Inner Sea. With this divine artifact, the curse would never be able to erode him.

Qin Zheng's thoughts raced, and he turned to Moral Tianzun, asking with a heavy heart, "Heavenly Lord, do you know how the Beyond Shore beings who entered the Polluted Realm in the past resisted the erosion of the Curse Power?"

As he spoke, he reached out and took the Skin-Scroll Scripture, where Buddhist Light and black qi intertwined, and slowly handed it to Moral Tianzun.

Moral Tianzun shook his head lightly and replied, "As soon as my true body entered the Polluted Realm, I severed a strand of my consciousness and integrated it into the Eight Scenery Palace. Therefore, I'm not very clear about the situation inside the Polluted Realm."

After saying this, he took the Skin-Scroll Scripture, and his pupils trembled as if countless words appeared in his eyes, but this strange phenomenon disappeared in an instant.

Moral Tianzun sighed lightly and returned the Skin-Scroll Scripture to Qin Zheng, saying, "I understand now."

"The root cause of the fall of the Nine Provinces is the curse from the Ancient Clans. To resist the Curse Power, one must possess the bloodline of the Ancient Clans."

Qin Zheng's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

Moral Tianzun looked at the Skin-Scroll Scripture, as if gazing at an old Daoist companion, and explained slowly, "He told me this."

Qin Zheng looked down at the Skin-Scroll Scripture before him, even more surprised that it still retained a trace of the Buddha's consciousness, allowing it to convey messages.

Then, Moral Tianzun's voice continued, "But besides merging with the Ancient Clan bloodline, there is another path to choose!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end