Longzang

Chapter 941 Overlooking the Prosperity of Myriad Realms
Upon his return, Wei Yuan immediately went to see Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng was engrossed in reading the Daoist canon in his room when Wei Yuan pushed open the door and entered. He showed no surprise, as if it were just a routine meeting, but the book in his hand suddenly fell to the ground.

Wei Yuan was moved. He had already seen through Zhang Sheng's cold exterior and felt a deep concern beneath it. He stepped forward, wanting to say something, but felt that he couldn't say anything. At this moment, it seemed that saying anything would be inappropriate.

The two remained silent for a moment before Zhang Sheng got up, took a set of robes from the wardrobe, handed them to Wei Yuan, and said, "Put this on to cover your shame first?"

Wei Yuan was stunned. He looked down and realized that he was completely naked, revealing a body that was radiating five-colored light.

He then remembered that after escaping from the Molten Dragon's portal and wandering in the void for over a month, how could he have kept all his robes and magical artifacts? Only [Compassion] could be stored within his body and thus preserved.

However, after being separated for so long, Wei Yuan did not put on his clothes, but stepped forward and hugged Zhang Sheng tightly!
In that embrace, Wei Yuan momentarily lost himself in the moment, and naturally used force and leaned forward. He immediately felt that Zhang Sheng was like a soft straw, unable to withstand any force, and was directly pressed to the ground by him.

With a deafening crash, the floor shattered, and the two fell through it into the basement. The basement floor offered no resistance before being smashed through, and the two landed in the next level's array room. Then, amidst smoke and roars, they descended another level, embedding themselves directly into the rocky floor of the lowest level before finally coming to a stop.

For a moment, earth and stones flew everywhere, and dust filled the air.

Fortunately, Wei Yuan reacted as soon as he smashed through the first floor, spreading his elbows out and using his arms to protect Zhang Sheng's soft and fragile body.

Wei Yuan looked up at the large, human-shaped holes above him and exclaimed in surprise, "How many years have passed here? How come the buildings are all so dilapidated? And...where is your cultivation?!"

Zhang Sheng rolled his eyes at Wei Yuan, then exerted force with his fingertips and pinched Wei Yuan's ribs hard, but it was as if he had pinched a smooth piece of jade, and he couldn't pinch it at all. Wei Yuan didn't even feel it.

Helpless, she released a wisp of sword energy from her fingertip and gently stabbed, but it only left a white mark on Wei Yuan's body. Zhang Sheng then used a higher-level sword energy, and this time it finally pierced through. Then, Wei Yuan cried out, "What stung me?"

"I used my sword energy to sting him..." Zhang Sheng said irritably, then stabbed Wei Yuan again and said, "Let me up!"

Wei Yuan got up and carefully helped Zhang Sheng up, preparing to jump onto the ground. But as soon as he exerted a little force, his feet sank directly into the ground, and instead of moving up, he sank even further down.

Wei Yuan glanced at the dark blue rocks under his feet and asked in surprise, "How come even the rocks of the realm are rotten?" He bent down and reached out to grab them, and sure enough, it was like scooping up mud. With a flick of his wrist, stone powder fell to the ground.

Just then, he felt mosquito bites again. He saw Zhang Sheng's fingertips radiating sword energy as he poked and prodded Wei Yuan's body. Seeing that most of the sword energy only left scratches on his body, Wei Yuan finally realized that the problem seemed to lie with him.

Only now did Wei Yuan realize that his physical body seemed to have changed significantly since he left. Previously, he had been spending his time in the Desolate Realm with the Power Witch, and later even with beings like the Molten Dragon whose physical bodies were nearing immortality. Wei Yuan had long since overlooked the changes in his body. In reality, the changes were very subtle; it was simply a matter of going from initially avoiding sunlight to later basking in it every day.

Zhang Sheng patted Wei Yuan and said, "It seems there's something wrong with your consciousness. Don't move yet, I'll take you up. We'll talk about it when we get up there."

She lifted Wei Yuan and leaped up, finally returning to the first floor. But this leap required at least 70-80% of her strength, as if she were lifting a ten-thousand-pound weight.

Wei Yuan felt that Zhang Sheng was exceptionally soft now, like a slender blade of grass, easily broken with the slightest touch.

Zhang Sheng looked at the large hole in the floor, then led Wei Yuan to the main hall, which had no underground space. Only then did he have time to ask Wei Yuan about his experiences during this period.

Wei Yuan briefly recounted his experiences over the past few months, and then said, "...In the end, we finally retrieved the Dao Sword, which will ensure your path to enlightenment is complete."

Wei Yuan pointed, and the Molten Dragon appeared in the room, holding a Dao Sword and standing quietly.

At this moment, the Molten Dragon looked like a burly man with a strange and ancient appearance, with nothing particularly special about him. Dao Sword was unremarkable, and so was the Witch.

Seeing the Molten Dragon now, Wei Yuan was also a little dazed. He remembered that when they entered the void together, it didn't seem to be like this. Back then, it seemed like... it had a dragon head.

However, Wei Yuan found that his memory was somewhat hazy, and he couldn't quite remember what the Molten Dragon originally looked like. He felt a chill, knowing that this was probably because the original Molten Dragon's karma was dissipating throughout the myriad realms.

Zhang Sheng looked at the Molten Dragon, his expression gradually becoming solemn. Wei Yuan coughed and said, "This Molten Dragon was once a Heavenly Witch in the Desolate Realm. He once drove away three Heavenly Witches, killed eight or nine Heavenly Witch-level opponents, and severely undermined the Ancestral Witches... He is now the Sword-Holding Immortal of the Dao Sword."

Zhang Sheng simply pointed, and another woven doll appeared in the room, holding a small sword. As soon as the doll appeared, Wei Yuan smelled a putrid, fishy odor and felt a slight itch on his skin.

However, after the woven doll appeared, it automatically turned around and faced away from the Molten Dragon. No matter how Zhang Sheng urged it, it refused to face the Molten Dragon.

The molten dragon finally reacted, glancing at the woven doll before ignoring it.

Wei Yuan examined the woven doll more closely, first in astonishment, then with a serious expression, and said, "This... how come there's another Dao sword?"

Originally, Zhang Sheng was missing a Dao Sword, which Wei Yuan risked his life to retrieve. However, unexpectedly, Zhang Sheng forged the woven doll into a Dao Sword, resulting in 513 Immortal Swords—one more than he had. The missing one can be found, but what about the extra one?
But Zhang Sheng only thought for a moment, then his brows relaxed and he said, "It's alright, I'll keep them all."

"Doesn't that mean there's an extra one?"

Zhang Sheng said, "Two represents the two poles, and three gives birth to all things. I was thinking a bit wrong before. In fact, it is better to base our understanding on three stages than on two stages. Only in this way can we enter the mortal world from the Tao."

Wei Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Even using three stages as the foundation is incorrect; it's still several hundred stages short."

Zhang Sheng said, "Even the Heavenly Dao has its fullness and imperfections, how can we achieve perfection? As long as I have the Beginning Sword and two Dao Swords, it will be enough to cultivate the Dharma Form I desire. As for the other immortal swords, it doesn't matter whether I have a few more or a few less now."

These words sounded like they contained profound truths, but Wei Yuan still felt something was off. Was it really possible to advance two or three times at will? Could it be so arbitrary?
At this moment, Zhang Sheng had solved the problem on his path to enlightenment, and his whole body began to radiate light. Within the light, there was a faint sword energy floating, and his foundation in the Dao was vibrant, showing signs of advancing to the Dharma Aspect stage.

A faint rumble of thunder echoed in the clear sky; a calamity was brewing.

Zhang Sheng glanced at the sky and said, "You broke through the boundary and returned, but your divine sense doesn't seem to have recovered yet. Go and adjust it first."

Wei Yuan also realized that he seemed to be unable to control his body, and his judgment of time, distance and force was problematic. He was still subconsciously using the way he had been reshaped in the void to view this world.

At this moment, the Molten Dragon finally made a move, producing a piece of jade paper in his hand, and said, "According to the method recorded in this book, he can immediately readjust his divine sense according to the Great Dao of this world. However, with his comprehension, it will probably take him... well, a year and a half to learn this. I mean a year in the Desolate Realm. Since you are his teacher, it would be better if you taught him."

With a flick of his wrist, the jade paper slowly flew toward Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng felt a chill in his heart. This move seemed ordinary, but the Molten Dragon was only a spiritual entity, yet it could still create things out of thin air. This was definitely the work of an immortal!
She took the jade paper and looked at it closely. She saw that it was covered with numbers and all sorts of strange symbols, and she immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

After carefully reading it for a while, Zhang Sheng slowly put down the jade paper and said, "This article is very profound. I need to ponder it for a while before I can fully understand it. Yuan'er, you should go back and rest first. I have something to say to this Fellow Daoist Ronglong."

Wei Yuan nodded, got up and left. He took a step and crashed through several walls, then vanished in a flash.

After Wei Yuan left, Zhang Sheng's expression turned serious. He stood up, bowed to Ronglong, and said, "First of all, I thank you for your help and guidance to my disciple! Secondly, my Dharma form is right before me, please help me."

"Is he about to lose consciousness?"

Zhang Sheng said frankly, "I want to melt all the sword-wielding immortals into one furnace and forge them into a Dharma form. After it is forged, you will merge into the Dharma form and lose your consciousness and independent spirituality. However, you will have made great contributions to my disciple and to this world, and there will surely be a day when your spirituality will be rekindled."

"Today, fellow Daoist, you have helped me. When you awaken, I will surely be near the summit of all mountains in the world, where we can overlook the magnificent scenery together."

The molten dragon asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you have a great wish in your heart?"

Zhang Sheng said calmly, "Standing above all the heavens, overlooking the prosperity of all worlds."

(End of this chapter)