The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 44: The Talent for Cultivating the Law of Destruction

“Then, sir, what about the Yuan Jing? Who ended up with them in the end?” Li Feng looked at Zhou Tianci with hopeful eyes, his voice still trembling slightly. Zhou Tianci shook his head. “There were indeed Yuan Jing inside, but in the end, no one obtained them.” “What?” Li Feng’s eyes dimmed as he sat down beside him. Zhou Tianci offered words of comfort: “Li Feng, you don’t absolutely need Yuan Jing to break through to the Innate Realm. First and foremost, you must have confidence in yourself. If you lack that confidence, forget about the Innate Realm—you might not even be able to maintain your current cultivation level. To put it another way, even if Yuan Jing helped you achieve the Innate Realm, you probably wouldn’t get very far.” Li Feng lowered his head, dejected. “You’re right, Sir. I’ve been trying to break through for over a decade, but I’ve always fallen just short. The Xiantian realm has become my inner demon.” “I understand that. Back then, I also faced life-and-death situations in my quest to break through, and in the end, it was only through sheer luck that I succeeded,” Gu Dali sighed. “Rest assured, the mere ‘Pre-Heaven’ realm is by no means your limit,” Zhou Tianci said, patting Li Feng on the shoulder. “Once we return to the City of Tears and Blood, I’ll help you break through—provided you believe in yourself and trust me.” “Yes, Sir!” Li Feng replied joyfully. He believed that, given Zhou Tianci’s strength, he would never deceive him—after all, Zhou Tianci was a true Innate-level powerhouse; what use would it be for him to deceive a mere Post-Innate martial artist? “All right, you two should go rest now,” Zhou Tianci said with a wave of his hand. “We’ll set out first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll discuss the rest once we return to the City of Tears and Blood.” After Gu Dali and the others had left, Zhou Tianci retrieved the Blood Soul from his chest. It was a red bead, no larger than an egg. A red glow swirled around it; at first glance, it didn’t seem particularly remarkable, but Zhou Tianci, having handled it personally, knew just how formidable this Blood Soul truly was. “The Blood Essence is also a rare Law Treasure. While the vast majority of Law Treasures are formed naturally by Heaven and Earth, the Blood Essence is one of the very few Law Treasures created artificially.” Zhou Tianci held the Blood Essence up to his eyes to examine it; the interior of the blood-red bead was hazy, making it impossible to see anything inside. “I wonder how many years it took to create this Blood Essence—at least ten thousand years,” Zhou Tianci speculated. The conditions for the birth of a Blood Essence are extremely stringent, involving both innate and, to a greater extent, acquired factors. First, it can only condense in a place of extreme malevolent energy—a type of innate malevolent energy that is extremely rare. Only when it has absorbed all the malevolent energy does the Blood Essence slowly condense. Second, the formation of a Blood Essence requires a continuous supply of the essence and blood of all things. Third, it also requires an abundance of spiritual energy. Under these conditions, it takes tens of millions of years for a Blood Soul to form. The Blood Soul is both a priceless treasure and a malevolent entity. Refining it allows one to comprehend the Law of Destruction within it, but this law exists solely for destruction; anything that comes into contact with it will have its spiritual essence attacked. Only great Immortal cultivators or beings like Ming Kui—who were born from the Law of Destruction itself—can withstand it. If Zhou Tianci did not possess the Tree of Indestructible Destiny, he would not dare to touch the Blood Soul. After handling it for a while, Zhou Tianci placed the Blood Essence in the palm of his hand and then entered a state of meditation. On his spiritual platform, a phantom image of the Blood Essence appeared beneath the Tree of Eternal Creation. “What a pity, what a pity. This Blood Essence should have been much larger, but Ming Kui has already refined half of it,” Zhou Tianci lamented. The power of the Law contained within this Blood Essence was clearly inferior to that of the Thousand-Jun Stone. “Come to think of it, I could find an opportunity to devour the Ming Kui. Born of the Law of Destruction, it is itself a manifestation of that law…” Zhou Tianci’s eyes lit up—the Ming Kui was, after all, the Law of Destruction in motion. “Come to think of it, the more powerful the Ming Kui becomes, the more Law of Destruction it contains. I can wait for it to grow a bit more.” Zhou Tianci suddenly realized that the Ming Kui’s escape was actually a good thing; perhaps he could obtain even more of the Law of Destruction from it in the future. The Tree of Eternal Creation sent down a wisp of chaotic energy. Just as before, the chaotic energy enveloped the projection of the Blood Soul, which rapidly shrank until it vanished. The Tree of Eternal Creation then sprouted an additional root and a slender branch—manifestations of the Law of Destruction. After devouring the Blood Soul, the Tree of Eternal Creation grew by barely half an inch—clearly because the power of the Law was limited. As the tree grew, energy was fed back to Zhou Tianci’s spiritual essence, causing it to surge in power and grow directly to seven feet in height. “A seven-chi-tall spiritual essence is equivalent to the late stage of the Innate Realm,” Zhou Tianci exclaimed with delight. Compared to others, his cultivation progress was incredibly rapid. Whether in the Innate or Acquired realms, the power of the Primordial Spirit is the most difficult to increase. In the Acquired realm, one cannot yet control the Primordial Spirit, while in the Innate realm, the Primordial Spirit can be visualized inwardly and take shape within the Spirit Platform. In the True Qi Realm, the height of the Primordial Spirit ranges from one chi to three chi; in the True Essence Realm, from four chi to six chi; and in the Gangs Qi Realm, from seven chi to nine chi. Every inch of growth in the Primordial Spirit requires a tremendous amount of time. Many Innate-level powerhouses might spend decades or even centuries without managing to strengthen their Primordial Spirit by even the slightest degree, yet Zhou Tianci had advanced his Primordial Spirit from the early Innate stage to the late Innate stage in less than two months—a feat that would surely terrify many if told. With his Primordial Spirit breaking through to the late stage of the Innate Realm, Zhou Tianci’s ability to comprehend the Laws of the Universe increased significantly. Furthermore, he had captured the legacy of an array formation from the Tree of Eternal Creation; this legacy originated from the Jie Sect founded by the Supreme Lord of the Shangqing Divine Treasures, though it was merely the tip of the iceberg. “This Tree of Eternal Creation is an endless treasure trove. I really hope I can get my hands on the treasures inside soon,” Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but think. That night, Zhou Tianci set aside all other matters and devoted himself entirely to comprehending the Law of Destruction. Although the Tree of Eternal Creation manifested only half as many manifestations of the Law of Destruction as it did of the Law of Force, Zhou Tianci preferred the Law of Destruction. In fact, he was more naturally attuned to it. “When I was contemplating the Law of Force, I always felt like I was struggling, and my progress was very slow; but when contemplating the Law of Destruction, I felt right at home, and my progress was lightning-fast. It seems my natural aptitude for cultivating the Law of Destruction is far greater than that for the Law of Force.” In just a single hour, Zhou Tianci’s grasp of the Law of Destruction surpassed that of the Law of Power, with his efficiency increasing dozens of times over. While this was certainly related to his breakthrough in Primordial Spirit Power, it was largely due to his superior aptitude for the Law of Destruction. After mastering the basics of the Law of Destruction, Zhou Tianci paused. He drew the Thousand Jun Sword, examined it, and then set it aside. “It’s time for me to change my weapon; the Qianjun Sword just isn’t right for me.” Zhou Tianci picked up an ordinary high-grade steel sword, cradled the blade in his arms, and—using the same method he’d employed to forge the Qianjun Sword—transferred his grasp of the Law of Destruction onto the steel sword. Before long, the blade turned purple. “Clang…” Zhou Tianci lightly tapped the blade, and the sword emitted a melodious, crisp sound. As his finger drew slightly closer, a flash of light shone from the tip, and the surging sword energy already cut through his skin. “What a sword! Zhou Tianci roared with laughter. “It truly lives up to being forged by the Law of Destruction—its sword energy carries the essence of destruction. Though it is merely the most ordinary of divine weapons, its lethality is certainly no less than that of any other divine weapon!” Zhou Tianci compared this sword to the Iron Ruler of All Things and Huang Shuyi’s folding fan, concluding that its lethality surpassed both. “Let this sword be called the Zuxian Sword!” With a flicker of his spiritual essence, the characters “Zuxian” appeared on the blade. He whispered to the sword, “The Zuxian Sword is the most representative spiritual treasure of the Law of Destruction. You are not yet its equal, but sooner or later, you will become the true Zuxian Sword and surpass it!” Having successfully forged the Sword of Annihilation—the treasure of destruction he had long dreamed of—Zhou Tianci turned his attention to the Thousand Jun Sword. “I’d better destroy the Thousand Jun Sword. Now that I have the Zuxian Sword, it’s no longer of any use to me.” Zhou Tianci picked up the Thousand Jun Sword, and with a flicker of his spiritual essence, withdrew the Law of Force imbued within it, causing the sword to shatter into more than a dozen pieces. “Once Lei Dong advances to the Posthuman Realm, I can give him a divine weapon imbued with the Law of Force,” Zhou Tianci thought to himself. The treasures forged by the Tree of Eternal Creation were not unlimited. As the principle of “one law per entity” dictated, even though Zhou Tianci had comprehended the Law of Force, he could only forge one treasure imbued with that law; the same law could not be replicated onto two different treasures. “Brother Zhou, it’s time for us to set out!” Early the next morning, Sun Chong personally arrived at Zhou Tianci’s tent. Yesterday’s battle had laid bare Zhou Tianci’s true strength; in the eyes of many, he was already on par with a late-stage Innate-level powerhouse. Even a seasoned commander like Sun Chong dared not act arrogantly in Zhou Tianci’s presence, instead treating him with great courtesy. Zhou Tianci agreed with a smile. He had Qi Shan assemble the troops, while Gu Dali remained hidden within the adventuring party. Although Sun Chong and the others had discovered Gu Dali’s identity as a Xiantian-level powerhouse, they said nothing about it. Around noon, Zhou Tianci and his group successfully crossed the Shepan Mountain valley and met up with Liu Yuntao outside the First Mountain Pass. “Brother Zhou, come with us,” Sun Chong invited. He, along with Yu Talan, Tang Shaokong, and others, led several subordinates to join Liu Yuntao; the other commanders did the same. Upon arrival, they would ride the Blood Tigers back to the City of Tears and Blood ahead of the others. Zhou Tianci didn’t hesitate and accepted immediately. Only commanders were permitted to return to the City of Tears and Blood ahead of time with Liu Yuntao, so Sun Chong’s invitation was also a recognition of his status as a commander. “Old Gu, are you coming with us?” Zhou Tianci asked quietly. Gu Dali shook his head: “You’ll be traveling with members of the Four Great Clans. If I go with you, I’ll be easily exposed. It’s safer for me to stay with the others—who knows, I might even kill a few members of the Huang Clan along the way to vent my anger. Once I reach the City of Tears and Blood, I’ll get in touch with you.” “That sounds good.” Zhou Tianci then called over Lei Dong and the three Li brothers. “Brother Zhou, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for you,” Cao Ming said, approaching Zhou Tianci warmly to greet him. The others were also very friendly; even if they didn’t speak to Zhou Tianci, they at least nodded in acknowledgment as a sign of greeting. Liu Yuntao also held Zhou Tianci in high regard; he stationed Zhou Tianci by his side and had five Blood Tigers brought over. “Thank you, General,” Zhou Tianci said, clasping his hands in a bow. Liu Yuntao replied calmly, “There’s no need for that. On this expedition to Shepan Mountain, you not only attained the Xiantian realm but also performed a great service. This is what you deserve.” Liu Yuntao suddenly paused, his gaze fixed on Lei Dong. “Who is he?” Liu Yuntao asked.