From a martial arts disciple to a god through countless trials and tribulations

Chapter 404 The Last Day of Tension

The cyan-gold characters on the register glowed and twisted incessantly, giving the illusion that they were alive.

Chen Xuan saw his name on the roster.

"Chen Xuan: A master of the Divine Travel Realm, one of the leaders of the Mountain and Sea Banquet, and a self-made immortal from Shangyang Road. Protected by the ancient Heavenly Court's imperial daughter, Qingnang Taixuan, he played an indispensable role in the Immortal Palace War..."

"Those who practice Xinzhai are particularly adept at suppressing evil spirits and demons like those associated with destiny. Within the realm of divine travel, only exceptional, orthodox, and exceptionally talented cultivators can defeat them..."

Chen Xuan stared intently, wondering if this was the Celestial Palace's evaluation of him.

This is a relatively rational and fair assessment: cultivators who lean more towards demonic practices are more afraid of Xinzhai (a Taoist practice). Orthodox cultivators, on the other hand, are relatively less afraid, and some orthodox cultivators, if they are not afraid of reincarnation, can even "ignore" Xinzhai.

To him, the mourning attendant who could kill a True Lord was less of a threat than an ordinary orthodox Divine Traveler.

"The value of a commoner: two perfect immortal beings traveling in the heavens, or a heavenly journey carrying the will of an ancient supreme being... I would not trade it for a journey in the demonic path."

"Complete Value: A Dao Lord-level cultivator with the foundation of an ancient Daoist temple."

Upon seeing this, Chen Xuan's eyelids twitched; the Immortal Palace had ill intentions!

"Have you become so valuable that you need the head of a dojo to exchange for you?" Hua Liuli pointed to a line of text, blinking her large, watery eyes with surprise.

Although she knew that Chen Xuan possessed many external treasures, such as fragments of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, giant weapons, and divine weapons, she was still greatly surprised that he could be compared to the master of a Daoist temple "half" from beyond the heavens.

It should be understood that when the ancient Taoist lineages ascended to heaven, they mostly left behind only one lineage of ancient immortals to guard their ancestral lands, while the true essence of their traditions was lost with the ancients.

Although it is unclear what the current situation is like outside the heavens, under normal circumstances, the foundation of those outside the heavens should not be inferior to that of the ancestral lands.

"Hua Hua, you're already a Grand Cultivator in the Divine Travel Realm, stop bringing up the word 'money' all the time." Chen Xuan was speechless for a moment. Hua Liuli's eyes shone brightly, radiant and dazzling, as if she wanted to strip him naked and see right through him.

At the same time, he wondered to himself whether the Celestial Palace knew that he had an old, rusty stove... They probably didn't know, since they couldn't see the stove.

Chen Xuan had studied the furnace, but he couldn't reach it and received no response.

It makes sense. Emperor Ji only slightly activated the Wuji Banner, yet it required him to burn his golden core and life force. The difficulty of actively contacting something of that level is unimaginable.

Chen Xuan glanced at the roster a few more times and saw many familiar faces before his gaze fell upon the Emperor of Ten Thousand Worlds.

"Di Tian: A Divine Travel Realm expert, the Supreme Mandate of Heaven for All Ages, and one of the leaders of the Mountain and Sea Banquet. Protected by the Longevity Imperial Palace, he once voluntarily entered the mortal world to repay a debt of gratitude and participated in the Immortal Palace War..."

"One of the young prodigies of the ancestral land, whose destiny is still temporarily restrained by this generation's Xinzhai, but otherwise, he fears no cultivator from any path..."

Chen Xuan's eyes narrowed. The Immortal Palace that passed down this list actually believed that Xinzhai could restrain the Supreme Mandate of Heaven, the Venerable of Ten Thousand Generations.
This assessment undoubtedly deviates from common worldly understanding. Because, in ancient times, the several battles between Xinzhai and the Supreme Mandate of Heaven resulted in both victories and defeats. Yet, the Celestial Palace is now making a definitive conclusion: the current Xinzhai of the ancestral land is capable of restraining the current Wan Shi Zun.

It is easy to imagine that once this "list of goods" is circulated, it will cause a huge uproar on all sides.

"The value of a commoner: a celestial being in a tomb."

"Complete value: A celestial being in a tomb."

Chen Xuan frowned, his fingertips tracing the words on the roster. The Immortal Palace's conditions for the departure of the Ten Thousand Worlds Venerable were so harsh, requiring an extraterrestrial immortal in exchange.
This is more expensive than many Dao Lord-level Great True Monarchs!
"The Venerable One of All Things can suppress everyone, but your Heart Fasting technique, which appeared in this life, is specifically designed to suppress the Heavenly Mandate Demons and Evils. The balance of Yin and Yang, their mutual generation and restraint, is truly mysterious." Hua Liuli sighed. She knew that although the Venerable One of All Things could suppress Chen Xuan's realm and other things, the power of the Heart Fasting technique could still be used normally.

The world belongs to orthodox monks.

However, the Emperor of All Ages can suppress everything, including destiny and legitimacy, making him more widely applicable.

The Xinzhai, though applicable to a relatively small range, is most adept at restraining evil forces like destiny... The principles governing the world are truly wondrous.

Chen Xuan gathered the roster together, then muttered under his breath, "Where did all these immortals from beyond the heavens come from to exchange... fake rosters?"

During the Mountain and Sea Banquet, the immortal-level demon who was killed by the ancient bronze tree said before his death—there are no true immortals left in the heavens.

……

Lists of goods, like snowflakes, were passed through the two-world market and spread to all corners of the world.

Countless magnificent cities and gathering places for Qi practitioners instantly stirred up like boiling water, creating towering waves.

"Heavens! What is the Celestial Palace doing? Is this register deliberately imitating the methods of the gods?"

"The Human Emperor Immortal is making outrageous demands and has no sincerity whatsoever. The Heavenly Realm will not agree to this."

In a celestial restaurant, extraterrestrial beings gathered and discussed among themselves that exchanging "immortals" for geniuses from their ancestral lands was treating the extraterrestrials like fools and was simply impossible.

The so-called near-immortal true lords, the so-called young prodigies with the appearance of immortals and supreme beings, sound impressive, but how many people in the world have ever truly reached the limit of their potential?
"It is impossible to exchange this Little Azure Heaven Dao Master Tai Xi for an immortal with a strong Dao lineage."

"If it were just him personally..."

"It's even more impossible. What many forces are eyeing are those strange, divinely ordained weapons wielded by True Monarch Taixi."

Many people spoke eloquently, and then, through special means, transmitted the information from the roster back to heaven.

This register was originally intended for the celestial palace to show to those outside the heavens.

"Goodness, the ancestral temple's Xinzhai is ridiculously expensive." Someone suddenly saw Chen Xuan's name and clicked their tongue in shock.

"Does he possess so many treasures and methods?"

"This fasting of the heart is something I can't even dream of. Even if I were a 'plain person,' I wouldn't have a chance to successfully exchange it."

Some extraterrestrial beings shook their heads and sighed. Most of them knew the value of the Mountain and Sea Banquet's prodigies, and when exchanging information, they never looked down on any of the people from the ancestral land.

After all, many of the great cultivators in their family had personally experienced the Mountain and Sea Banquet.

“Unless we exchange them for those distant relatives on the Heavenly Road.” A being from outer space whispered, “Recently, more and more people have been returning from the Heavenly Road. It seems that my family has also brought some back. They are all arrogant, have a big air about them, and have very bad personalities.”

The road to heaven is long and its end is unknown.

The last time the Celestials appeared was during the Mountain and Sea Banquet 100,000 years ago. Therefore, extraterrestrial beings are used to calling the Celestials "distant relatives".

"Hmph!" In the distance, a cultivator slammed down his wine cup, and with a displeased snort, a thick aura of bloodlust suddenly spread out.

"The Heavenly Traveler..." The restaurant fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was terrified. There was actually a Heavenly Traveler here!
In that area, several Heavenly Path cultivators, their eyes cold, glanced at the other cultivators who were talking loudly and recklessly: "Be careful what you say!"

Upon seeing this, the people all shrank back, like a flock of frightened ostriches.

"Everyone, what do you think of the Immortal Palace's move? Does your superior intend to subdue a prodigy from an ancestral land?" a cultivator from the Heavenly Path asked with a smile, intending to gather information from all sides.

Recently, many people on the Heavenly Road have been eager to recruit popular young talents such as Xinzhai, Yu Tianzi, and Wan Shizun.

Now that the Celestial Palace has finally revealed itself and set a price, many people have a clear understanding of what price they will have to pay to take these people away.

“My family’s Heavenly Path Master, who has been ordered to return, is lacking a useful follower, but they’re too expensive. We might as well just rob someone else’s.” Someone replied. The Heavenly Path Master he was referring to was a relatively 'young' near-immortal.

The key figures returning to their ancestral land via the Heavenly Road would not be low-level young cultivators; that would be meaningless.

"I've heard that several returning sword-doing lineages are quite satisfied with the ancestral homeland's Shinsai," someone remarked, discussing recent events.

"Of course! The first generation of Gu Xinzhai had a great connection with the White Emperor Sword Master. Which sword cultivator wouldn't be envious of this weapon?"

“A few days ago, the Chixiao Dojo sent someone to the Southern Wilderness, but before they could even say a word, they were hung up by Xinzhai and haven’t been taken down yet.”

Some people laughed as they recounted what they had seen, their expressions tinged with schadenfreude.

"It is said that the Crimson Cloud Daoist is enraged and is gathering intelligence on the Black and White True Monarchs. He is waiting for the immortals like Tai Xuan to disappear before he descends to the ancestral land and wreaks havoc," someone whispered.

"As expected of a sword cultivator, if you can't have it, you'll destroy it."

A cultivator from the Heavenly Path said solemnly, "If Daoist Chixiao returns to the ancestral land, he should be addressed as Daoist Master Chixiao."

The Daoist disciples and saintesses on the ancestral land can only reach the level of divine travel at most, because above them are the highest True Lords in the mortal world.

However, some Daoist disciples and saintesses beyond the heavens can reach the highest rank of True Lord, because some masters of Daoist temples are immortals...

“The prodigies of Xinzhai’s ancestral lands are all doomed.”

"The Mountain Spirit, the Supreme Mystery, the Human Emperor, and others may not necessarily disappear; the methods of immortals are endless..."

"Heh, you're from the Heavenly Path, after all. Haven't your family's ancient immortals ever dealt with the Divine Spirit? Don't you know just how powerful the True Immortal Divine Spirit is?" A Heavenly Path cultivator sneered, "The Celestial Immortal said that Ancestral Earth Immortals will either have their Dao scattered or die at the hands of the Divine Spirit."

"It's an immortal, it can't be wrong!" he said with absolute certainty.

"The immortals can't be wrong? The immortals of the ancestral land once said that the immortal palace would never fall, but now they've changed sides."

Another cultivator from the Heavenly Path countered, arguing that immortals are never wrong, but this only applies to lower-level cultivators; against enemies of the same level, it's not so certain.

"Brother, aren't you being too optimistic? Did the Human Emperor and his forces really win? And why will the victors die?"

The man sneered and retorted, then added, "The ancestral land is a stage woven by the [Divine Spirit Ming]. Who doesn't act in accordance with the will of the Divine Spirit Ming? How can we know that those people in Tai Xuan aren't the Divine Spirit Ming?"

"The Immortal Slaying Palace, from its very beginning, was a castle in the air."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Perhaps, the gods believed that in the 'incident' of the attack on the Immortal Palace, the ancestral immortals such as Xiang Liu, Yu Heng, and Huo Li should have died for it to fit the course of events. Therefore, they died one by one, like pre-arranged puppets."

“The immortals of our ancestral land, after the gods and spirits, are clearly—all gods and spirits.”

"This……"

The others looked at each other, a chill running down their spines.

……

The land of the East China Sea.

In the ruins of a dilapidated and decaying Taoist temple, the mountains are charred black, walls are broken and crumbling, and faint lightning still flickers in some dried-up lakes. This is the former site of the Taoist temple of the Human Thunder Ancestor.

"In just a million years, the Thunder Ancestor's Daoist Temple in the ancestral land has been reduced to ruins." A group of Thunder Qi cultivators dressed in purple robes looked around, their faces showing some melancholy.

Lei Zu's dojo has been secluded from the world for many years, but a few years ago, Xiao Long Palace found its trail and a large number of people died.

When the Mountain and Sea Banquet ended, the last remnants of Leizu's Daoist temple were forced to reveal themselves, and even the last True Lord died in battle... In the end, Wan Shizun was saved by Xiangliu Immortal Lord.

"Before I leave the ancestral land, I will deal with all the enemies." Under a charred, lightning-struck tree, Emperor Tian, ​​the Supreme Ruler of All Ages, spoke. He was tall and his body was covered in golden lightning.

He was able to safely pass through the tribulation of lightning during the furnace process because of the help of the True Lord of the Thunder Ancestor's Daoist Temple... The Little Dragon Palace, Xinzhai, and the gods who manipulate fate are all his enemies.

“Those people are just temporary passersby on your path to success; there’s no need to take them to heart.” A handsome young man in purple robes said with a smile, with five huge purple talismans floating behind him, radiating layers of colorful light.

His name is Lei Jianzhen. He received the immortal decree a year ago and finally returned some time ago. However, he did not even go to the immortal realm of the Thunder Ancestor's Daoist Temple outside the heavens, but went straight into the ancestral land.

At this moment, he held the "goods list" he had just received in his hand, pondering some of its contents.

"My method to deal with Xinzhai is about to succeed." Di Tian saw the other party's concerns, worried that even if he could defeat Chen Xuan, the Mandate of Heaven would be ruined by Xinzhai.

In the two or three years since the Shanhai Banquet, he has devoted most of his energy to figuring out how to deal with Xinzhai.

The Reverse Heart Fasting Method left by the gods is too outdated. The Emperor needs to create something new and establish a method that perfectly suits himself.

"It's better to be cautious. Back then, Shenling Ming only defeated his contemporary Xinzai when he was about to become a True Lord," Lei Jianzhen advised.

A few days ago, while the Mountain Ghost was away, he sent one of his men to assess the current strength of Xinzhai. It turned out that Xinzhai was not an easy opponent to deal with... There were not many young prodigies on the Heavenly Road who could rival him.

“I will stay and deal with Xinzhai.” Lei Jianzhen continued, “The gods will be returning soon. You should leave the ancestral land as soon as possible. This may be your last chance. If the Immortal Palace still doesn’t know what’s good for you, that Lei Bu Immortal may forcibly replace you.”

Wan Shizun glanced at the other party and simply said, "My life will not be swayed by anyone's will. Even if I end up like a moth drawn to a flame, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will not be afraid. I will definitely raise my voice to fight against all turmoil."

At this moment, he seemed to reveal his true feelings. Xinzai was an enemy of the Chosen Ones, who had oppressed and harmed many Chosen Ones. As the Supreme Chosen One, he should step forward and eliminate this enemy.

He doesn't seek anyone's understanding; he only does what he believes he should do, even if it means paying the price of his life, like some supreme destinies in ancient history who died "halfway" in the end.

Lei Jianzhen frowned upon hearing this, put his hands behind his back, stared at the other person, remained silent for a long while, and then said:

“In the months I’ve been in this ancestral land, I’ve seen people who shouldn’t have returned actually do. I keep thinking, what if, in a one in ten thousand chance… Shen Lingming’s goal isn’t revenge, but to return to the ancestral land? What then?”

Wan Shizun stared at Lei Jianzhen with a puzzled look in his eyes.

"The Divine Spirit Elixir is a True Immortal-level Heavenly Mandate Elixir. The forces on the Heavenly Road that aspire to the Supreme Realm are basically all trying to destroy it. Among them are True Immortals wielding Supreme Weapons and Ancient Immortals who are disciples of the Ancient Supreme Heaven..." Lei Jianzhen replied.

"From the first day that the god Ming stepped onto the Heavenly Road, the flames of war have never stopped, wave after wave, lasting for nearly 300,000 years. It seems that he is about to be refined into an immortal pill."

"But a year ago, the divine spirit Mingzhi encountered a major accident and probably could not refine the perfect elixir. As a result, the forces that besieged it were not as numerous or as resolute as before."

Lei Jianzhen paused for a moment, then said in a heavy tone, "And the first thing he did after breaking through the blockade was to return to his ancestral land to seek revenge. But immortals should not have such low-level emotions as hatred."

Wan Shizun frowned and said, "You mean... Shenlingming deliberately let Xinzhai break the mandate of heaven in order to return to the ancestral land?"

Lei Jianzhen waved his sleeve and sighed, "I hope I'm just overthinking things, but if the wise men on the Heavenly Path are even a step behind, they will fall behind at every step and never catch up with the divine understanding."

There was originally no Heavenly Road in the world. The path that immortals trod when they followed the traces of ancient sages and supreme beings was called the Heavenly Road.

perhaps.

The ancestral land will become a new heavenly road.

……

Chen Xuan stayed in the capital for several days.

"Why hasn't Yan Yushu set off yet?!" On this day, Chen Xuan stared at the light spot representing the Six Desires Heaven in his field of vision and found that the other party was still lingering in the hiding place of the Tongtian Dojo, without any intention of coming to the capital.

These past few days, he has been practicing the Mountain Spirit Technique, specifically the Divine Travel Scripture of the Mountain Spirit True Scripture. It hasn't deviated too much from the orthodox path of Qi cultivation, and in the early stages of Divine Travel, he is still cultivating his soul.

However, the Mountain Spirit Method differs from other divine travel scriptures in that it allows the soul to take root in the immortal energy, treating the wandering immortal energy as grains of "ascension to the divine land".

Chen Xuan possessed several divine travel scriptures. After studying them, he made some adjustments and modifications for himself, rooting his divine soul in his physical body.

It is still unknown which method is superior.

But for Chen Xuan, the latter is obviously more suitable for the time being, after all, his Five Treasures Martial Immortal Body is already very powerful.

"Although the Human Emperor Banner has greatly increased the spiritual power and accumulated a lot of energy in advance, it will probably take another year or two of hard work to refine it into the shape required by the Mountain Spirit Technique and advance to the third level of the Divine Travel Technique."

Chen Xuan sighed inwardly, but his speed was actually already quite fast.

After all, even those immortal geniuses from the ancient Daoist temples, many of them were nearly a hundred years old when they reached the final stage... and that was still in the process of seeking speed, even at the cost of abandoning some correct guidance on immortal seed golden cores, causing the golden cores to become dull and decay.

"Why not have the Empress promote me, directly indoctrinate me, and turn me into a useless cultivator... no, a cultivator personally crafted by an immortal might not be considered useless." Chen Xuan thought wildly.

But soon he abandoned this impractical method... Giving up on studying the Mountain Spirit Path would obviously result in losing even more.

Just then, people from the Tongtian Daoist Temple came to visit.

"Chen Daozi, the Goddess has sent a message." Lu Yunxiao's expression was solemn as he held up a letter with his hands using immortal energy, as if he were holding a fragile and exquisite treasure, and carefully handed it to Chen Xuan.

This is a letter personally written by the goddess of the Six Desires Heaven. He delivered it all the way here, unwilling to touch it with his hands, for fear of desecrating something so beautiful.

"What is it that you're being so cautious about?" Chen Xuan glanced at Lu Yunxiao, whom he had met once before. Lu Yunxiao was a prodigy from the Tongtian Daoist Academy who was attending the Mountain and Sea Banquet, and was a direct disciple of the True Lord.

"You...you slow down." Lu Yunxiao reminded him in a low voice. He was getting a little anxious when he saw Chen Xuan casually take the goddess's letter and break the talisman seal directly with rough movements.

"Really...it's just a letter." Chen Xuan was somewhat shocked. Seeing how solemn the other party was, he thought it was some kind of extraordinary treasure.

In his letter, Yan Yushu told him that some "relatives" from beyond the heavens had come to the Tongtian Daoist Temple, and that they might redeem her and the surviving True Lord of the Tongtian Sect in the next few days. This matter would have a significant impact on the Tongtian Sect, and as a goddess, she could not leave for the time being.

In her letter, she discussed with Chen Xuan that if things weren't urgent, she would need to come to the capital city some time later.

"Alright, hurry up!" Chen Xuan had no choice but to nod at the cloud of mist above Lu Yunxiao's head. Then, a spark flew from his fingertip and burned the letter.

The True Lords of Taiyin and Yushi are truly able to prolong their lives.

“Burned…” Lu Yunxiao stared at the ashes falling from the envelope, feeling inexplicably bitter. How could Chen Xuan treat the goddess’s letter like this, wasting such a precious gift!

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere across the five directions grew increasingly somber.

Occasionally, extraterrestrial forces would appear in the Candle Dragon's Eyes, attempting to bargain with the Celestial Palace. As time became increasingly tight, they grew more and more tormented.

But the Human Emperor has not even shown his face. Only Tai Xuan often rushes into the Candle Dragon's Eye, starting a desperate battle.

"Why aren't they dead yet?!"

"Qingnang Taixuan wants to make a last-ditch effort to capture us and prolong his life? What a pipe dream! His cultivation is growing ever shallower..."

Against the backdrop of the impending return of the gods, the ancestral land and the outer heavens are vying to see who has more patience. The side that can't sit still first will definitely pay a greater price.

"The Jade Emperor's sacred site secretly guided a deity on a journey through the ancestral land!"

"That was a near-perfect immortal being, nearly two hundred years old, only one step away from becoming a True Monarch. He had always kept a low profile within a secluded sect, and was at least of the rank of an immortal."

"For this reason, the Jade Emperor sent a genuine True Lord to the mortal realm."

A shocking piece of news suddenly spread across the five directions, causing a great uproar. Finally, a force from beyond the heavens could no longer resist and made a deal with the Celestial Palace!
Chen Xuan had just received this news through the Two Realms Market when, in the next moment, even more explosive news spread throughout the Five Directions Land.

"Oh no! That immortal seed had just left in his divine journey when he was turned to ashes by a finger that reached out from the void!"

"Has a rival True Lord made a move? Or is it an Immortal?"

"A battle has broken out in the sky!"

In an instant, the entire land and the heavens were filled with the sounds of wind and the cries of panic.

"This..." Chen Xuan was shocked when he received the news. A near-perfect Immortal Seed at the peak of cultivation, once it grows up, has the potential to become someone like Emperor Ji.

But now, it's come to an early end.

"I wonder if I would have enough time to react and defend against such a sudden attack from the sky," Chen Xuan muttered to himself, unable to resist touching his abdomen.

In the sky and on the ground, winds rise and clouds surge.

The scene within the Candle Dragon's Eyes grew increasingly lively, with various forces coming and going, constantly engaging in veiled discussions and alliances.

Finally, one day, a large number of extraterrestrial cultivators gathered in the Candle Dragon's Eye, an unprecedentedly large number, and arrived outside the Five Directions Land.

"Human Emperor, let's talk one last time. You need to make some concessions!" In the Candle Dragon's Eye, the three-headed, six-armed Thunder God roared with thunderous voice, revealing a blurry outline.

"There's no need to send Tai Xuan out again. If he continues to overstep his bounds, let's end it now!" From another area, an aged figure spoke in a cold voice. They had no time to hesitate any longer.

……

Meanwhile, in the capital city, Chen Xuan finally awaited the arrival of Liu Yutian, who was long overdue.

"My celestial relatives say they're going to take advantage of the chaos today to steal the people from the Tongtian Daoist Temple," Yan Yushu said excitedly. "Come with me!"

(End of this chapter)