Zhou Tianci, who had been single-mindedly searching for a civilization to cultivate in, unexpectedly obtained the Chaotic, Indestructible Spiritual Light—condensed from the Three Thousand Laws of the Primordial World—and was transported to an unfamiliar world of martial arts. Post-Heaven, Pre-Heaven, and Divine Abilities. Zhou Tianci was awestruck by the immense power of the cultivators there; however, his goal was not to reach the pinnacle of cultivation, but to devour the martial arts world itself. “It’s a pity this world’s tier is too low; its world energy is barely sufficient to forge Immortal Artifacts. It seems that to give birth to the Sword of Slaying Immortals, I’ll have to devour an even more powerful cultivation world.”
Chapter 25: Breakthrough
The Primordial Wilderness stretches endlessly, harboring both boundless treasures and infinite dangers. Since the dawn of human civilization, countless geniuses have sought to conquer this place, yet all have ultimately failed. Through the ages, as the world has undergone earth-shattering changes, the Primordial Wilderness has remained unchanged. Fortunately, this world is vast enough that even if every living being were to cultivate, there would still be ample resources to go around. Yet human desire knows no bounds; no matter how perilous the Wild Forest may be, people continue to venture in, one after another. To the north of the Wild Forest, a mountain range stretching hundreds of thousands of li separates it from human society; this range is known as the Sky-Severing Mountains. Strangely enough, the two sides of the Sky-Severing Mountains are like two different worlds: to the south lies the bottomless Wild Forest, while to the north lies a bountiful earthly paradise. At that time, human cultivators wishing to enter the Wild Forest had to first cross the Tianduan Mountains, a feat only a handful of Innate-level powerhouses could accomplish. Later, a cataclysmic change occurred: a gap appeared in the western section of the Tianduan Mountains, effectively opening a gateway for humans into the Wild Forest. That gap lay just south of the City of Tears and Blood. At the time, the Great State of Yu and the Golden Wolf Empire clashed fiercely over this region, with both sides suffering immense losses. Ultimately, the Great State of Yu emerged victorious with the support of other Central Realm nations, and the City of Tears and Blood was thus established. As Zhou Tianci recalled the information about the Wild Forest, he felt more and more that this world was even more mysterious than the cosmos of his previous life. “Just how vast is this world? I doubt anyone could say for certain. Although I don’t know how large the Wild Forest is, it certainly isn’t the entirety of this world—there are oceans beyond the Mainland, after all.” Zhou Tianci thought of Zhou Shi’s hometown, which was right by the sea. Shepan Mountain, more than 200 li away from Zhou Tianci, was already bustling with activity. On the tenth day of their journey into the Wild Forest, Liu Yuntao and his companions finally arrived at Shepan Mountain. Shepan Mountain spanned a hundred li in circumference, which was nothing compared to its main range, the Black Dragon Mountains—let alone the Sky-Severing Mountains. The mountains here wind around like a coiled snake, with undulating peaks layered upon one another—truly a prime location. The interior of Shepan Mountain is relatively flat; though not vast in area, it is rich in spiritual energy. The exterior is covered in dense forests, much like the surrounding areas. There are nine passes among the mountain’s rocky ridges, connecting the interior and exterior of Shepan Mountain. Shepan Mountain’s terrain is steep, and the only way to enter its interior is through these nine mountain passes. “Lü Fei, make the necessary arrangements and secure the nine mountain passes immediately,” ordered Liu Yuntao. At that moment, he had only nine legions at his disposal; the others had been dispatched to clear out the ferocious beasts near the City of Tears and Blood. However, the remaining fourteen legions would soon arrive to join them. “As you command!” Lü Fei replied, clasping his hands in a salute. This was not his first time at Shepan Mountain; he was very familiar with the area and quickly organized the defenses at the nine mountain passes. “General, the beast tide is currently in its second phase. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait here for a few more days,” Sun Chong said, sensing the spiritual energy outside Shepan Mountain. “Commander Sun, how exactly did this beast tide come about?” asked Cao Ming, commander of the Blood Battle Legion. He had only recently been transferred from the capital to the City of Tears and Blood and did not have a comprehensive understanding of the beast tide. Sun Chong replied, “If Commander Cao is asking about the beast tide in the City of Tears and Blood, I do know the cause…” “Commander Sun, are you saying there are other beast tides?” Cao Ming asked in astonishment. Sun Chong stroked his long beard and said, “Naturally. The Wild Forest is teeming with countless ferocious beasts and demonic beasts; any upheaval could trigger a beast tide. If it weren’t for the Tianduan Mountains blocking the way, the areas of the Central Realm near the Wild Forest would be under constant threat of beast tides. Setting aside other matters, take the beast tide in the City of Tears and Blood as an example: over four hundred years ago, a great cataclysm occurred, causing the western section of the Tianduan Mountains to collapse and opening a gateway for humans to enter the Wild Forest. If humans can enter through there, then ferocious beasts and demon beasts can equally emerge through the same path. As far as I know, before the City of Tears and Blood was founded, this area was frequently plagued by ferocious beasts from the Wild Forest…” Everyone, including Liu Yuntao, listened intently. Sun Chong, a general hailing from the City of Tears and Blood who had garrisoned the city for over 30 years, knew this area better than anyone present. “…After the Great Cataclysm, countless martial artists rushed here, hoping to enter the Wild Forest—that treasure trove. Everyone knows the Wild Forest holds endless treasures, but it also harbors endless dangers. After more than a century of fierce battles, human martial artists finally cleared the area of nearby ferocious beasts and demon beasts, gradually establishing the City of Tears and Blood.” The bloodthirsty tone in Sun Chong’s words was palpable, transporting listeners back to the brutal battles between humans and those ferocious beasts and demon beasts. “…After the founding of the City of Tears and Blood, martial artists kept passing through here to enter the Wild Forest. The Great State of Yu issued a decree granting tax exemptions to the area south of the City of Tears and Blood to encourage settlement in the Wild Forest. It took more than 300 years for the number of ferocious beasts near the City of Tears and Blood to decrease to what it is today, and the threat of beast hordes has been largely eliminated. Even so, on our journey here, ferocious beasts were still everywhere—there were so many of them!” Sun Chong said, shaking his head. “Huh? You said the threat of the beast tide has been eliminated, but isn’t there still a beast tide happening right now?” Cao Ming asked, puzzled. Sun Chong looked at Shepan Mountain and said, “The current beast tide has a specific cause, and its source lies right here on Shepan Mountain. Within Shepan Mountain lies a Spirit Lake. Every 10 to 20 years, the Spirit Lake gives birth to about 10 Yuan Jing stones…” “Yuan Jing!” one of the commanders exclaimed. “That’s right. This secret was discovered over a hundred years ago by the ancestral patriarchs of the Four Great Clans,” Sun Chong said. “Before coming to the City of Tears and Blood, I was a bit puzzled—the rise of the Four Great Clans seemed far too sudden. They’d amassed so many Innate-level experts in just a hundred years. It wasn’t until I heard about the Spirit Lake that it all made sense. What’s infuriating is that the Four Great Clans have kept the existence of the Spirit Lake and the Yuan Jing hidden from the imperial court for decades!” Liu Yuntao said. This world is rich in spiritual energy, which is what supports the cultivation of all living beings. However, spiritual energy is not distributed evenly; in certain prime cultivation sites, it is far more concentrated, and the Spirit Lake is one such prime cultivation site. As for Yuan Jing, it is a crystallization formed from spiritual energy. Unlike spiritual energy itself, it possesses special powers. Yuan Jing can be absorbed by martial artists at the Late Post-Heaven stage or higher; not only does it nourish a martial artist’s Primordial Spirit, but it also aids in the condensation of True Qi. In other words, Yuan Jing can help martial artists smoothly advance to the Pre-Heaven stage, making it extremely precious! At that moment, Cao Ming realized, “No wonder, no wonder—these ferocious beasts must have been drawn here by the Yuan Jing!” “That’s right. Yuan Jing not only helps human martial artists advance to the Innate Realm, but it also helps ferocious beasts evolve into demon beasts. Ferocious beasts have a keener spiritual sense than humans; when Yuan Jing forms, beasts within a thousand li radius can sense it.” Sun Chong confirmed Cao Ming’s speculation. “The allure of the Yuan Jing has triggered a mass uprising among the ferocious beasts. Even those that usually hide to evade human hunters are now emerging to attack humans with reckless abandon. But ultimately, all their targets are focused on Shepan Mountain!” Liu Yuntao gazed at the lush, layered peaks of Shepan Mountain and nodded silently. “It looks like another major battle is coming.” The Nine Great Legions methodically deployed their defenses at the mountain pass while simultaneously slaying nearby beasts. With several days still remaining before the beast tide reached its peak, there weren’t that many beasts in the vicinity of Shepan Mountain. Meanwhile, Liu Yuntao led the commanders up a steep rock face to a cliff, from which they looked down upon the valley of Shepan Mountain. The cliff stood over 1,000 meters high, its smooth rock faces on all sides resembling sharp swords piercing the sky. Climbing such a cliff would normally be extremely difficult, but for Liu Yuntao and his group of Innate Realm experts, it was no challenge at all. Within a few minutes, the dozen or so of them had reached the summit. Looking down into the valley from above, they saw white mist swirling about, occasionally revealing verdant plains. There were no large trees in the valley, but the green grass was exceptionally lush—it was indeed a treasure land. “Commander Sun, where is the Spirit Lake?” Liu Yuntao asked. Sun Chong replied, “General, you cannot see the Spirit Lake from here. There is a cave on the eastern side of the valley; the Spirit Lake is inside that cave.” “Roar!” A long, deep beastly roar echoed from the valley, causing everyone’s expressions to change. “It seems our presence has startled the demon beast in the valley,” Sun Chong said solemnly. Cao Ming, the youngest among them, nodded and said, “It’s undoubtedly an Innate Demon Beast—and a very powerful one at that. Even from this distance, I can feel such overwhelming pressure; it must be a top-tier Demon Beast!” Liu Yuntao’s expression remained unchanged. As a late-stage Innate-level powerhouse who had spent his life in battle and personally slain countless demon beasts, he naturally had no fear of them. “Let’s head down first. The Yuan Jing haven’t fully formed yet, so we shouldn’t disturb the demon beasts in the valley.” Liu Yuntao led the way down the cliff. “Chen Xiangrong, how far are we from Shepan Mountain now?” Zhou Tianci summoned Chen Xiangrong, who was in charge of guiding them, and asked. “About 200 li,” Chen Xiangrong replied after estimating the distance. Zhou Tianci said, “That means we still have three days. It seems we’ll make it without a problem. Pass the order: we’ll set up camp here tonight and set out first thing tomorrow morning.” Chen Xiangrong asked in confusion, “Sir, there are still two hours until nightfall. Setting up camp this early…” Zhou Tianci offered no explanation; he simply waved his hand and said, “Go.” After Chen Xiangrong left, Zhou Tianci turned to Lei Dong and the three Li brothers and said, “I’ll be entering seclusion tonight to break through to the next level. You must guard me. I have a premonition that this place is not peaceful—you must be extra cautious!” Lei Dong merely nodded upon hearing this, but the three Li brothers were taken aback. “Sir, when you say ‘breakthrough,’ do you mean the Xiantian realm?” Li Feng’s voice trembled with excitement. Zhou Tianci nodded. He had already reached the threshold of breakthrough; with just one night’s practice, he could effortlessly cross the barrier from the Post-Heaven realm to the Pre-Heaven realm, undergo a complete transformation, and truly set foot on the path of cultivation!
