bookbashuk Chapter 26 Dragon Lord's Ultimate Aspirations
Chapter 26 Dragon Lord's Ultimate Aspirations
The Yin-Yang Sea is boundless with azure waves. The deep blue waters surge with extreme Yin energy, and a misty haze shrouds the surface. Occasionally, the phantom of a divine dragon floats and sinks in the water, emitting a low roar.
At the summit of True Dragon Island, a solitary cliff stands against the sky, with an ancient pine tree growing on its edge, its gnarled branches like iron and its needles like swords.
Dao Shenling, dressed in a green robe, sat opposite a handsome man with golden hair and a white robe at a stone table under a pine tree. There was no wine on the table, only two white jade teacups filled with extremely yin water drawn from the depths of the Yin-Yang Sea. The water was icy cold, and ordinary Great Sages would freeze into ice sculptures upon touching it, but the two of them held their cups and sipped lightly, their expressions indifferent.
"The Divine Dragon Chaos Tea is indeed a renowned treasure throughout the heavens. Even a great god can cleanse his divine source and enhance his cultivation by drinking it." Ling Che put down his teacup, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, the blond man smiled and spoke in a voice as clear as metal striking stone, carrying an ancient and majestic air: "If you like it, that's good. I have some more in my collection; I'll give you a pound of it."
This man was none other than Ji Wang, the master of the Dragon God Temple, one of the three great temples of the Kunlun Realm, a giant from the ancient period 50,000 years ago.
Ling Che didn't stand on ceremony and immediately laughed, "It's not enough for the Dragon Lord to just send tea. How about you also generously give me this Chaos Yin-Yang Divine Spring? Good tea needs good spring water to match. Without this divine spring, even the best Dragon Chaos Tea loses some of its charm."
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang chuckled and shook his head, saying, "You little rascal, you certainly have a big appetite, opening your mouth to utter a divine spring."
Divine Springs are treasures that can only be nurtured in places where the divine veins of heaven and earth converge. There are very few of them in the entire universe. Only a great world like Kunlun Realm, which has never been destroyed for countless ages, can nurture Divine Springs. Kunlun Realm has only given birth to four Divine Springs in countless ages. They have always been jointly managed by the three great temples and the Zhang family, and are the foundation of the realm.
Ji Wang has been living in seclusion on True Dragon Island for years, relying on the Divine Dragon Sun and Moon Chaos Tower to draw upon the divine power of the Chaos Yin-Yang Spring, which has allowed him to heal the hidden wounds left by the divine war of that year. Thinking back to those days, he fought a bloody battle with several divine lords from the Hell Realm, barely escaping with his life. If it weren't for Xia Huangchao's secret mercy, he would probably have followed in the footsteps of the Sumeru Saint Monk, Biluozi, and Kongchengzi, perishing in that catastrophe.
"The Chaos Yin-Yang Spring is related to the earth veins and fortune of the Kunlun Realm, and must not be passed on lightly," Ji Wang changed the subject, and chaotic energy swirled in his palm. A delicate pagoda the size of a palm slowly emerged, its body engraved with the sun, moon and stars, exuding a pressure that suppressed all heavens. "However, this Divine Dragon Sun and Moon Chaos Pagoda can be given to you."
Ling Che glanced at the pagoda and rolled his eyes: "Forget it, this pagoda doesn't suit my path, and I don't find it convenient to use. You should keep it for yourself. Rather than giving me the pagoda, it would be more practical to bestow some divine stones upon me."
Ji Wang laughed heartily, put away the Divine Dragon Sun and Moon Chaos Tower, and suddenly changed the subject: "Ling boy, you've caused quite a stir lately. Even I, living in seclusion in the Hell Realm, have heard about it. The name of the Bright Virtue God Venerable, breaking through five realms in a single day, is now a legend that has spread throughout the heavens."
Ling Che picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a helpless expression, "It's truly a last resort. Who could have predicted that the Fortune God Venerable who infiltrated the Kunlun Realm would actually possess a spiritual power of the ninety-second level and wield such a supreme treasure as the Heavenly Pivot Needle? My Confucian and Daoist avatars were ultimately discovered by him. Since we've already been exposed, we might as well play our cards openly and make our enemies more wary."
He originally intended for his Confucian and Daoist avatars to remain in the Kunlun Realm to strengthen the Confucian and Daoist forces. Of the three avatars, only the Confucian and Daoist avatars could play their greatest role if they remained in the Kunlun Realm. However, now that his whereabouts have been exposed, he has no choice but to bring this hidden pawn into the open. A spiritual powerhouse with near-perfect spiritual strength is enough to make those petty villains restless.
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang's expression suddenly turned serious, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Fu Lu actually concealed his cultivation level. Could he also be a member of the Liang Organization? If that's the case, the waters of the Temple of Destiny are even more murky than I imagined."
After recovering from his awakening with Ling Che's help, Ji Wang immediately wanted to storm the Temple of Destiny to rescue the trapped Lord of Fallen God Island. In his view, as long as this Grandmaster of Array Dao appeared, the crisis in the Kunlun Realm would be easily resolved. However, he was ultimately stopped by the remnant soul of the Venerable Monk Sumeru and Ling Che. The two explained their plan to him, and the Venerable Monk Sumeru even communicated with him across time and space, hoping that he could wait patiently until the plan was perfected before carrying out the rescue.
Moreover, the Temple of Destiny is heavily guarded; for him to fight alone would be like throwing an egg against a rock.
"Fu Lu is indeed a member of the Liang organization. This is something you and I should know, but we must not spread it around." Ling Che's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
Ji Wang gave Ling Che a deep look, sighing inwardly. This rising star's meticulousness and deep cunning were in no way inferior to those old monsters who had lived for countless years. Fortunately, he was a cultivator from the Kunlun Realm; if he were an enemy, it would be far too terrifying.
The two stopped discussing the secrets of the organization and, with a change of tone, asked with concern, "How is the Righteous and Demonic Conference in the Kunlun Realm going? Are there any promising talents worth nurturing?"
He has always placed high hopes on the new generation of the Kunlun Realm. He doesn't expect another freak like Ling Che to emerge, but as long as a few more Yuanhui-level representatives like Emperor Ming appear, the Kunlun Realm can hope to regain its former glory as the most revered by all gods and the number one among all realms.
"There are a few promising talents who have the potential to become gods and can be nurtured," Ling Che said with a hint of satisfaction as he recalled the energetic figures at the Righteous and Demonic Assembly. "However, the most important thing right now is to help Emperor Ming and the others break through to the God Realm."
Ji Wang nodded and smiled, "It seems that the time array you opened with the Void Hourglass has been remarkably effective. In the past thousand years, the number of geniuses emerging in the Kunlun Realm has far exceeded that of the past. It's all worth the effort that Sumi and I put in."
The Hourglass of Illusion was a time-space treasure that Ling Che found in the void world six hundred years ago after his original body became a god. Its effects were comparable to the legendary Demon Shrine, allowing even cultivators of the Boundless Realm to cultivate within it. After obtaining this treasure, Ling Che found the soul imprint left by him in the Sumeru Temple, receiving his full assistance and a wealth of cultivation resources. With the strong support of Ji Wang, he was able to continuously activate the time array for hundreds of years.
Within the formation, Ling Che, relying on his cheat-like advantage, was completely unburdened by mental constraints. As long as he had sufficient resources, his cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds. Over several hundred years, his actual cultivation time had exceeded tens of thousands of years. Such rapid progress naturally consumed countless rare and precious materials. If it weren't for the legacy of the Venerable Monk Sumeru and the support of the Zhang family, the last ancestral clan, he simply wouldn't have been able to sustain it.
"While the Hourglass of Illusion is indeed wondrous, it cannot compare to the miraculous power of Hongzu's method of severing corpses to prove the Dao," Ling Che sighed. "If I had not received this inheritance, I would never have achieved what I have today."
Hongzu was a legendary ancient god in the history of the Kunlun Realm. The "Eight-Nine Profound Techniques," one of the six great books of the realm, had a great connection with him. When Ling Che was young, he had a chance encounter in an ancient ruin in the Kunlun Realm and was able to inherit his mantle.
He still vividly remembers the time when he received the core method of severing corpses to prove his Dao, and the Jade Disc of Creation; he was in a daze for a long time. He had known for a long time that Nuwa and Houtu existed in this world, but he never expected that even the Ancestor Hongjun would appear.
Ji Wang also showed amazement and sighed in a deep voice: "Legend has it that Hong Zu was a supreme power in the early Xuan Gu era, or even earlier. The years are too vast. In the records of Kunlun Realm, there are only a few records of him being revered by all the heavens. I never thought that you would be able to inherit his legacy."
"Hongzu's method of severing corpses to prove the Dao is indeed infinitely mysterious," Ling Che said slowly. "I once saw in the records of the inheritance that he lived four lives, one of which was spent in the Heavenly Realm. It is likely that Shangzu's method of refining the Dao through the Three Corpses was also based on Hongzu's method of severing corpses to prove the Dao."
Although they share similarities, their essence is entirely different. The Corpse-Slaying Proof-the-Dao Method emphasizes severing one's own distracting thoughts, karma, and entanglements, allowing the original body to return to its primordial state, pure and immaculate, in harmony with the will of Heaven. Only in this way can one ascend to the heavens in one step, achieving rapid progress in one's cultivation. This is undoubtedly a shortcut to heaven, and it was through this method that Hongzu quickly broke through to the Half-Ancestor realm.
However, this method also has its drawbacks. The step of "three corpses uniting into one, the Great Dao being perfected" was something that Hongzu spent his entire life trying to find the right path for, but he could not find it.
Cultivating the path of severing corpses to attain enlightenment may seem like a shortcut, but it is actually a dead end. This is precisely why Ling Che dared to approach the Fallen God Island Master—a person walking on a dead end—without any reservations, and was not worth the fear of the mastermind behind the organization.
When the Heavenly Realm and the Merchant Ancestor were mentioned, a fierce hatred flashed in Ji Wang's eyes. Whether from the perspective of the Kunlun Realm or the Tianlong Realm, his grudges with the Heavenly Realm were already as deep as a sea of blood. If it weren't for the greater good, given his temperament, he probably would have already stormed the Heavenly Realm to settle old scores.
"The grudges of the Heavenly Realm will be settled sooner or later," Ji Wang said in a deep voice. "The day Lord Wentian returns will be the day when my Kunlun Realm and the Heavenly Realm settle their scores. But for now, the most urgent task is to deal with the invasion of the Hell Realm. For the sake of the greater good, we can only put these grudges aside for the time being."
Over the years, the Heavenly Realm, relying on its own power, has seized countless resources that originally belonged to the Kunlun Realm, including numerous Great Worlds, Life Stars, and Universe Secret Realms under its command. At its peak, the Kunlun Realm controlled thousands of Great Worlds; now, eight or nine out of ten have fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Realm. Based on this alone, there is absolutely no possibility of reconciliation between the two sides.
Ling Che changed the subject, his gaze fixed intently on Ji Wang: "Lord Dragon Lord, have you found the whereabouts of Lord Wentian? If we can find him, with the help of the Azure Lotus of Creation, I am absolutely confident I can help him recover from his injuries quickly."
Ji Wang's infiltration of the Underworld was ostensibly to meet with Empress Qian Gu, but in reality, it was to track down the gods who had fallen into the Underworld years ago, and Wen Tianjun was his primary target.
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang shook his head helplessly: "When Wen Tianjun was severely injured, he fled to the edge of the universe. I personally went to the site of the divine war back then, but I couldn't find a single clue. It seems that he personally erased his own traces."
Having been taught by the Third Confucian Ancestor, Wen Tianjun is skilled in both divine and martial arts, and his spiritual power has likely reached level ninety or above. Trying to trace his whereabouts would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Ling Che nodded slightly and said calmly, "Lord Dragon Lord, I have come today to inform you that I am fully prepared and will soon lead this group of Great Saints from the Kunlun Realm to the outside world for training. From now on, I will need to trouble you to take care of the safety of the Kunlun Realm. The Righteous and Demonic Assembly within the realm can proceed as scheduled, and I have arranged for my disciples to oversee it in my stead. With Jiang Baxian and Tie Zangxuan present, they are more than capable of suppressing all chaos within the realm."
Jiang Baxian and Tie Zangxuan are Ling Che's second and third disciples, respectively. Both of them are Great Saints of the Thousand Questions Realm and have cultivated the third-grade Saintly Intent. Looking at the Kunlun Realm now, apart from those in the Supreme Realm, no one can contend with them.
Upon hearing this, Ji Wang patted his chest and declared loudly, "You can leave with peace of mind. With me here, the Kunlun Realm is as solid as a rock, and there will be absolutely no mishaps!"
After tens of thousands of years of recuperation, Ji Wang's injuries have long since healed, and his cultivation has returned to its peak. Looking across the entire universe, there are very few who can rival him.
Fifty thousand years ago, with the help of the sundial, Ji Wang had already advanced his cultivation to the peak of the Great Freedom and Limitless Realm. Even Emperor Ancestor and Xia Huangchao of the same period were surpassed by him. During the God War, he wielded a divine weapon and had unparalleled combat power. He fought against several supreme beings in the Hell Realm and became famous throughout the heavens. Now that his injuries have recovered, he is expected to make further progress and has already shown signs of returning to simplicity.
Upon hearing this, Ling Che felt relieved and continued drinking with Ji Wang.