Promise!

Chapter 310, The Spirit Lord

Having clarified his plan and made a decision, Zhuang Jin immediately began to act, maintaining a creator-like state of mind. In an instant, he seemed to have arrived in a starry galaxy.

'The geographical area for recruiting people is Yong'an, Songling, and the neighboring prefectures and counties; the target group for recruiting people is everyone I have ever contacted?'

The definition of "people you have come into contact with" is extremely broad. It doesn't refer to touching or having in-depth conversations; it simply means seeing someone or having met them once. At this moment, the endless points of light manifested by these people's consciousness are like a dazzling galaxy in the night sky.

Among them, the consciousness of ordinary people manifests as white and gray.

The consciousness of a martial artist in the Great Realm of Qi Condensation is manifested in red; in the Qi Condensation Realm, only a wisp of red appears; in the Meridian Opening Realm, it is light red; and in the Fetal Breathing Realm, it is deep red.
The consciousness of a martial artist in the Innate Great Realm is yellow, while that of an Innate True Qi Realm martial artist is only mixed with a wisp of gold; the Innate罡气 Realm martial artist is light yellow, and the Innate Slaying Corpse Realm martial artist is golden yellow.
The consciousness of a Yin Shen Grand Realm martial artist manifests as cyan. At the first level of Yin Shen, one can meditate on a wisp of azure; at the second level of Yin Shen, one can achieve a state of tranquility and purity, resulting in a pure cyan color; at the third level of Yin Shen, one can reach the state of emptiness and become a deep cyan.

Upon reaching the Yang Shen realm, a touch of purple hue was added!
Zhuang Jin discerned them one by one, and understood in his heart: 'The manifestation of consciousness at different realms is of different colors, and the amount it occupies is also different. For example, the burden borne by one Yin Spirit is equivalent to that of thousands of ordinary people.'

I currently have two user acquisition modes: one is targeted acquisition, and the other is random selection.

"Considering the absorption of the incomplete Void Stone, the space's capacity to contain life is incomplete and weak. Therefore, there is a limit to the amount of consciousness that can be drawn in—a limitation on the number. Furthermore, my purpose, besides supplementing and strengthening the space's capacity to contain life, is to establish a high-level, mysterious organization to collect high-level information and resources for Yang Spirit cultivation. To ensure controllability, only high-value targets must be drawn in, and the extraction must be precise."

Upon contact and analysis, he immediately ruled out four points of light with a purple hue, representing the Yang God. These were Yuwen Shentong, as well as the Yang God ancestors of the Shi, Mu, and Gongshu clans.

Such Yang spirits can be pulled, but only three or four people are needed to reach the current load limit.

Furthermore, at the first level of the Yang God realm, the Yang God possesses the characteristic of "spiritual illumination," allowing the transmission of power across distances wherever the consciousness reaches.

Although Zhuang Jin was not afraid, it was still troublesome. He might be covered in dust and grime from the opponent's remote self-destruction, and he wouldn't be able to retain the opponent's consciousness for the time being, which would be beneath his dignity.

Finally, the fact that Yang Shen is not easily fooled or subdued, and that his existence is exposed prematurely, is also a factor to consider.

hum!
Under Zhuang Jin's perception, he quickly selected several targets. In his Creator state, with a thought, an invisible force burst forth, and several orbs of light of different colors, such as blue, yellow, and red, shone brightly in an instant.

……

Shangguan Yun, who had been clearing land at Changsong Ridge, has returned today.

—Now that Songling is advancing step by step, the representatives of the aristocratic families are only clearing out the key Vajra Realm beasts. The rest is the business of the subordinates. They cannot do everything themselves. They take turns guarding the area on a daily basis, and the rest can come back.

Upon learning that Zhuang Jin had gone into seclusion, she herself entered a quiet room, preparing to cultivate.

Suddenly, I sensed a pull.

"what?!"

Shangguan Yunchang instinctively defended herself, and the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade transformed into a black and white yin-yang fish to resist the pull. However, a message suddenly came from the connection between her soul and Zhuang Jin's, telling her to open her mind and enter.

……

Yong'an, the capital city, the first ring road, the imperial palace.

As the representative of the royal family, Xuanyuan Nihuang, under the current circumstances, has allied with the Yuwen Clan to oppose the Shi, Mu, and Gongshu Clans.

This is just the general background. We must be wary of the Yangshen Ancestors of the Shi, Mu, and Gongshu clans. Yuwen Shentong, who is allied with us, may not be a good person either. We must also be cautious and vigilant in our cooperation. Even the Empress Dowager Yuwen may not have completely aligned interests with the royal family.

Besides this, there was the task of reclaiming land in Songling and winning over the hearts of the aristocratic families. All these matters were intertwined, leaving him exhausted. He had dealt with many things today and was taking a bath in his fatigue.

hum!
Her neck was snow-white and slender, like a swan's, and the crescent-shaped treasure hanging from it suddenly lit up.

As a princess of the Great Qian Dynasty and now a representative of the royal family, she naturally possesses a treasure that protects her soul, even stronger than Shangguan Yunchang's Yin-Yang Soul Cleansing Jade. She immediately prepared to shield herself from this mysterious pull.

However, in the next moment, Xuan Yuan Ni Huang sensed that an indescribable being cast her gaze upon her. Instantly, the pull on her consciousness surged, piercing through her defenses and drawing her consciousness in with irresistible force.

……

Shi family.

That day in the underground city, Shi Yaotang incurred the wrath of Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang because of Shen Tu Biao. In order to prevent him from causing any more trouble for the family, he was imprisoned and awaited his fate as a human elixir.

This confinement is relative. Although one cannot go out, one can still satisfy one's desire for resources for cultivation, and even for food, drink, and sexual pleasures.

However, waiting to be 'swallowed' as a human pill, the predetermined fate, and slowly approaching death is like a noose around one's neck, watching it tighten endlessly. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to enjoy life in peace.

"All my resistance and struggles were probably just willful and ridiculous in my great-grandfather's eyes, weren't they?"

Shi Yaotang murmured, his heart filled with resentment.

He was domineering and homosexual, and he and Shen Tu Biao's son fought over a man, even going so far as to kill each other...

Such perversion is indeed due to the fact that this is Yong'an, the capital city, the center of power, where desires are twisted, but it also reflects the self-destructive indulgence in the face of such a predetermined fate.

Beyond all that, there was a sliver of hope: that by humiliating himself and soiling his body like this, his family might despise him and abandon him, but that was clearly impossible.

When a human pill is 'eaten,' it doesn't mean it's swallowed in the literal sense, in such a bloody way. Rather, it means that the essence, qi, and spirit are extracted, leaving only the physical orifice. Therefore, it has little to do with whether the physical body is dirty or not.

But in essence, there is no difference; it's just a matter of how they are 'eaten,' and they all share the same fate of death.

"Powerful families... Ha, hehe!"

Shi Yaotang felt that everything he had done was in vain. Resisting his fate was to rebel against his family and a powerful clan that had been passed down for eight hundred years. Like those aristocratic families that were blocked and suppressed, he felt utterly hopeless.

At this moment, how he wished he hadn't been born into a time-traveling family.

This is quite ironic. Those who were oppressed and died violently by Shi Yaotang, and those whose backgrounds were envied by the common people despite their verbal condemnation of his arrogance and domineering nature, were people Shi Yaotang himself wished he hadn't been born into such a family.

Just like a wall, those inside want to get out, while those outside want to get in.

At this moment, Shi Yaotang suddenly felt his consciousness being pulled by an unseen force. Despite his cultivation level of the Innate Qi Realm, he couldn't even struggle in the slightest, like a mayfly caught in a whirlpool.

He instinctively wanted to activate the 'Seed of Yang Spirit Power' within his body, but then stopped himself, a look of ecstatic madness on his face: 'Whatever you are, even death, as long as you can help me escape this fate, it's all good, all good!'

……

Zhaixing Tower is a quiet room not far from where Zhuang Jin is in seclusion.

"Excellent!" Meng Duangui sensed that the bottleneck of the third level of Yin Spirit Realm was loosening, and he was confident that he would break through within a few months. A look of joy appeared on his face.

Back then, as Yuwen Shentong's undercover agent, he tested Zhuang Jin and explored the secrets of the "Chun Catastrophe" in Cangzhou. Yuwen Shentong naturally rewarded him.

Yes, it was based on the secret method derived from his transaction with Zhuang Jin regarding the "Nine-Nine Qiankun Technique" that he developed. He used this method to collect and refine the collective thoughts of all living beings as a reward, and tested it on Zhuang Jin first. That's how he got to where he is today.

"The foundation of powerful clans is indeed incomparable to that of aristocratic families. The Great General... no, now he is the Regent, and even a small opportunity slipping through his fingers is enough to allow me to break through to the third level of the Yin God Realm!"

The third level of Yin Spirit Realm is already top-tier among aristocratic families, and can elevate one's family to the first tier of aristocratic families.

As for the higher realm of Yang Shen…

His expression was gloomy, devoid of any confidence: 'No matter how exceptionally talented I am, will my path in martial arts come to an end?'

Just then——

hum!
A force targeting consciousness descended, and after a brief struggle and stalemate, it was drawn in and guided.

……

Yong'an, the capital city, is located on the seventh ring road.

When Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang entered the underground city space, the guide, codenamed 'Xiao Fan,' also known as Zhang Xiaofan, Lin Fan, and Ye Fan, was a cautious, decisive, and somewhat lucky person.

Based on the information he gleaned while guiding people through the underground city, he judged that the beast tide in Yong'an, the capital, would not last. Therefore, he stockpiled a batch of materials in advance and sold them during the recent clearing of Songling, reaping a considerable profit.

Today, Ye Fan used the resources he had earned to rent a cultivation room rich in spiritual energy for a day, and in one fell swoop, he opened the first bridge between heaven and earth, breaking through to the embryonic breathing realm.

"It's done. Taking advantage of the momentum of this Pine Ridge reclamation, if the opportunity arises later, I might be able to glimpse the Innate Realm."

As Ye Fan was lost in thought, he suddenly felt dizzy and his consciousness was pulled in by something.

……

Ye Fan felt a momentary daze and found himself in a place where endless white mist surged, his body enveloped in the dense mist and bursting with deep red light.

'Where am I? How did I suddenly end up here? Wait, I don't seem to be the only one who was drawn in?'

He thought to himself, and then he noticed a figure emitting yellow light, three emitting blue light, and a figure filled with brilliant purple light.

No, besides these five, there is another unknown being with a blurred face, covering the sky and the sun, its figure stretching across the entire white mist world, filled with an indescribable pressure like that of a god. Compared to it, our figures are like ants compared to a giant.

Ye Fan didn't understand the situation yet, but it was clear that the most dangerous thing here was this mysterious unknown entity, which was also very likely the instigator of their mutation and arrival here. With a thought, he moved secretly, wanting to protect the several figures of different colored lights in front of him.

However, the next moment he discovered that, apart from that purple light figure, the others were all doing the same thing.

What's even more embarrassing is that I seem to be at the lowest level here, while everyone else is much faster.

At that moment, a voice as loud as thunder rang out: "What kind of lucky brat dares to play tricks and deceive people? Die!"

The figure, radiating purple light, rose like the sun, bursting forth with dazzling brilliance. Ye Fan did not know the person's cultivation level, but at this moment, even from a distance of only a fraction of their power, his thoughts were frozen, and his consciousness seemed about to melt away like ice and snow under the sun.

However, there is always another mountain higher than the one above.

The mysterious, unknown being cast a glance, and the space and time around it seemed to freeze and stagnate.

"rise!"

The next moment, that mysterious and unknown being spoke. What kind of voice was it? It was indescribable; a single word was enough to shake the soul of anyone who heard it.

The moment that word was uttered, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.

As if words were law, the white mist in this world of white fog churned violently, and then, as if eternal radiance were falling, like the beginning of chaos, the creation of heaven and earth, a magnificent palace, radiant with light, vast and boundless, spanning the four corners of heaven and earth, beyond description, rose from the ground above this mysterious mist.

Ye Fan was still in shock and speechless, but he did not forget to get away. In the blink of an eye, he and several other figures disappeared into the distance as if they were worlds apart, and entered the palace above the white mist, sitting on the bronze table.

The highest platform, with its mysterious location, evokes an indescribable sense of contradiction: it is both grand and insignificant; both distant and near; both transcendent and ordinary.

Lin Fan shook his head slightly. If he didn't know clearly that he was in a very clear state of mind, he would have thought he was dreaming and that everything he had seen before was just a dream. Out of caution, he didn't speak and waited to see what would happen.

"Who...who are you?" The figure filled with purple seemed even more terrified, asking in a trembling voice.

"Me?"

The mysterious being seemed to chuckle softly: "A traveler from beyond the heavens; a destined one without limits; the controller of the spiritual realm, you may call me... the Spirit Lord!"

……

Xuanyuan Nihuang had also witnessed everything that had happened, and compared to Ye Fan, she understood better what it all meant.

Initially, she shared the same thought as the Grandmaster Yang Shen: that some lucky person had obtained a mysterious opportunity from the immortal ruins and was just playing tricks.

He could then sense the auras and discern the approximate realms of himself and the other figures who had entered, especially when he saw that the Grandmaster of Yang God step forward.

Xuanyuan Nihuang was still guessing which Yang God this was. Was it the Yang God ancestor of her own royal family? She was familiar with the energy flow, so it was clearly not him. Was it Yuwen Shentong? Or the ancestor of the Shi, Mu, and Gongshu clans? But in an instant, she saw that this Grandmaster Yang God had been suppressed.

And, with just one glance, that mysterious, unknown being, used only one glance!
This completely overturned her worldview. As everyone knows, the Grandmaster of Yangshen is already the pinnacle of the Great Qian Dynasty and the peak of martial arts, yet he was suppressed by this mysterious and unknown being at a glance. Who is this person?

Such incredible power made Xuanyuan Nihuang subconsciously think of that immortal from eight hundred years ago.

Then, the scene of creating something from nothing, like a creator, shocked her to the point of numbness, making her realize that this was something no Grandmaster of the Yang God could do.

In particular, something seemed to fill the void here, causing her to feel a throbbing in her heart and a primal yearning for the evolution of life.

Then, the Grandmaster of Yang God asked a question, and this mysterious unknown being revealed his name. He silently repeated the three-part prayer, which sounded like that of a god, and sensed a faint connection. This made Xuan Yuan Ni Huang think of something, and her heart trembled.

……

(End of this chapter)