In the world of martial arts, there is a vast fantasy world.

Chapter 356 The Storm Is Brewing

Before reaching the Holy Realm, lifespan increases by at most a few times.

Even the sun and moon, which live for ten thousand years, are only ten thousand years.

For a martial artist, this amount of time is far from enough to make them tired of living.

However, the sacred realm is different.

The leap from the sixth to the seventh realm is a significant leap in life. From a scientific perspective, a warrior in the Saint Realm has transformed into a completely new energy life form. All the flesh and bones that make up the body are merely manifestations and simulations of energy, and there is no longer a simple material structure.

In theory, a saint can live forever as long as their energy has not completely dissipated.

Of course, this is just a theory. In reality, lifespan should exist, seemingly because the soul also ages.

However, the limits of life will be stretched to a terrifying degree.

Hundreds of thousands of years, or even millions of years!

The entire recorded history of human civilization in the Federation has never exceeded ten thousand years!

With such a long lifespan, it's impossible to imagine what the future holds, let alone what the world will be like.

Perhaps, even when the Human Federation moves from its current glory to its destruction, until all familiar things are gone, Shen Xing will still endure.

The only one who could possibly accompany him is the same saint.

"Martial arts have indeed completely changed the meaning of 'life'," Shen Xing suddenly remarked.

"Why the sudden melancholy? Could it be that just two hundred years has made you an old man at heart?" Mi Fei's smile remained unchanged as she leaned closer and poured him a full glass of fine wine. "Come on, have a few drinks with this big, thick-legged guy."

"It's inevitable to feel sentimental when you're approaching the final step of the seventh realm," Shen Xing said with a smile. He suddenly turned his head and took a good look at Mi Fei, until a blush appeared on Mi Fei's face.

"Looking at me like that, have you finally realized how charming I am? For the sake of your thick thighs, I might as well give you a chance." She was half shy and half giggling, making it impossible to tell if she was being genuine.

Shen Xing shook his head and said, "You're the one who's changed the most in terms of mental age. I've heard that you're now the teaching elder of the core disciples? All the young prodigies were taught by you. That group of disciples is even qualified to be brought back to the Human Federation and completely integrated into our society."

"It's nothing, it's just that I don't really want to follow in Master's footsteps." Mi Fei swirled the wine in her glass, staring at the fine wine inside, and smiled. "Master was someone who amazed an entire martial arts era, and there was only one like him. No matter how excellent one is, it's impossible to surpass Master on the same path. But shouldn't what we strive for be for each generation to be stronger than the last?"

"Indeed." Shen Xing nodded, reached out and patted her shoulder, "Go ahead and do it, I will absolutely support you."

Mi Fei glanced at her shoulder and glared at him irritably.

"Thanks so much, buddy." He emphasized the last three words.

Shen Xing, on the other hand, was smiling quite happily.

Another benefit of a long lifespan and almost endless time is that many things can be experienced and enjoyed slowly.

He seemed to have thought of something, and turned to look at Nangong Jinyi, who hadn't said much since entering, but had just been smiling at everyone.

Only then did they realize that her cultivation level had actually reached the mid-stage of the Sun and Moon realm!

She is a level stronger than Mi Fei in the early stages of the Sun and Moon Realm!

"Your strength."

"Naturally, I also had my own opportunities," Nangong Jinyi said with a light laugh. "I can say that I found my own path, and, fortunately, I obtained a damaged eighth-grade divine weapon."

"An eighth-grade divine weapon?" Shen Xing was taken aback.

This is an eighth-grade divine weapon!

Even if it were obtained from a powerful holy land like the Taiyan Holy Land, it would still be a treasure to protect the sect!

As for damage, that's not a problem at all.

Any eighth-grade divine weapon is essentially a martial life form. As long as it holds that position, any damage can be repaired. The difficulty is far lower than reforging or cultivating a new eighth-grade divine weapon.

It should be noted that even Xue Weiguo, who was a quasi-Great Sage, did not possess such an eighth-grade divine weapon.

"It's not as simple as Jin Yi makes it out to be." Gu Jiao seemed unable to hold back, a hint of lingering fear showing in her eyes. "Jin Yi was trapped in an extremely dangerous ancient holy land at that time. We were all thinking about whether to call you, but we didn't make it in time. It was truly a near-death experience."

"What happened?" Shen Xing was indeed hearing this for the first time. When she looked at Nangong Jinyi again, a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

He had indeed considered that others might encounter various dangers in their pursuit of martial arts.

I thought I would be able to face it calmly after being sad for a while.

At this moment back then, I still feel an indescribable sense of relief.

"Isn't everything alright?" Nangong Jinyi's smile remained unchanged, as if she wasn't the one who had narrowly escaped death. She simply looked at Shen Xing and chuckled, "Actually, I was thinking at that time, if I died, and one day you were able to reach the signs of martial arts, reach the end that none of us could reach, was it possible to pull me back from time? Thinking about it that way, it doesn't seem so scary anymore."

"You really dare to think that way." Shen Xing didn't know what to say.

No matter how powerful his martial arts path may be, it is still just a space.

Time, a realm that no one has been able to reach until now.

Whether it's martial arts or science, it's the same.

Even in the current Human Federation, controlling time, or even reversing time, is nothing more than an unrealistic fantasy.

"It's because I have confidence in you." Nangong Jinyi's smile widened a bit. "However, I'm still a little scared, because if that had happened, I wouldn't have been able to watch you reach the top."

"." Shen Xing understood the meaning behind those words.

However, after a long pause, he simply smiled and said, "Then you'd better be careful. And in a little while, you'll be able to watch me ascend to sainthood."

As he finished speaking, anticipation appeared on his face.

Sainthood—this will undoubtedly become a crucial realm in his martial arts journey.

From the very first step into the world of martial arts, I have been looking forward to it.

And now, it's finally almost here.

"Let's watch together." Mi Fei put one arm around Nangong Jinyi's shoulder and the other around Gu Jiao, then leaned towards Shen Xing with a grin. "Come, let's toast the future saint together!"

The atmosphere among them was just as harmonious as when they first met.

However, it was as brief as every gathering in the past.

Everyone has their own things to do, and Shen Xing is especially busy these days.

He had been in seclusion for too long and didn't know much about the things the Human Federation had done in this world. He still needed to have a basic understanding of some key information, such as the relationship with certain holy sites.

In particular, much of the content was actually known only to Xue Weiguo.

He had to take advantage of the time Xue Weiguo was still in this world to learn about all these things.

Otherwise, it will be difficult to contact Xue Weiguo after he ascends to heaven.

"Speaking of which, you all chose to ascend instead of returning to the Human Federation?" Shen Xing was indeed somewhat surprised.

"The Eight Realms are completely different realms. In fact, in our faction, we've had many martial arts discussions with several top councilors, so going back won't really help us much on our future path." Xue Weiguo was clearly quite expectant. "However, this world is different. Many of those in the Eight Realms have existed since ancient times. Their strength and foundation are worth looking forward to."

That's right, the path of martial arts is endless.

Especially since they are all still very young.

Xue Weiguo is the oldest of the three, but he is only a little over 2,100 years old.

Let alone the eighth realm, even if he were placed in the seventh realm, he would still be considered a "young prodigy".

At such a young age, they naturally have high hopes for the future.

"The Eight Realms are too far away for me." Shen Xing shook his head, then became serious. "In short, are these nine holy lands absolutely certain they will attack us?"

"It will definitely disrupt the current peace," Xue Weiguo said. "They may not take action immediately after I leave, but they will definitely take action to test our strength little by little. As for the Tai Luo Sacred Dragon card, you can play it, and you must play it, but it may also have the opposite effect."

Shen Xing nodded.

The Tai Luo Sacred Dragon is, after all, a power of this world.

Moreover, he was seriously injured and had no eighth-grade divine weapon to use after leaving the secret realm, so his strength was actually quite easy to estimate.

For those powerful holy lands, vigilance is necessary, but the sense of threat they feel is far less than that of the quasi-Great Saints of the Federation Holy Lands.

This actually proves that the Federal Holy Land will not be able to obtain a fourth Quasi-Great Saint in the short term.

After all, the quasi-Great Sage can only exert his influence for such a short period of time.

It can't be delayed.

Shen Xing looked at the list in his hand again, and the first place was still Taiyan Holy Land.

He also knew that the Taiyan Holy Land might not necessarily want to be their enemy.

However, they had no choice either.

As the former number one holy land, their reputation is well-established. If the Federation's holy lands ever grow to the point where they can control the entire Central Ruins and establish a unified dynasty, then they will inevitably have to deal with them, the number one holy land. Only when they fall can a new era be ushered in, an era belonging to the Federation.

New forces want to overthrow old forces; some things simply cannot coexist.

Therefore, Shen Xing could clearly feel a sense of impending doom from this list.

However, unlike many holy lands that have only recently realized this, they understood from the moment they arrived in this world that this day would come sooner or later.

As a civilization as a whole, it will never stop at the level of "holy land".

The expansion of civilization leaves no room for retreat.

"Then let's do it." Shen Xing put the document away.

However, this time it was different from the first time Wenren Caifeng ascended to heaven. At that time, the Taiyan Holy Land made no attempt to hide its thoughts. Even some suns and moons, and even some mountains and seas, could feel the oppressive feeling brought about by the conflict at the upper level.

But things are different now.

The Federal Holy Land has now firmly established itself, and within the Central Ruins, it even shows signs of rivaling the Taiyan Holy Land. The Taiyan Holy Land also acknowledges this rival's existence. Many believe that the current situation is merely a contest between the Taiyan Holy Land and the Federal Holy Land for the title of the number one holy land in the Central Ruins.

This competition mostly stems from various aspects.

For example, wealth, inheritance, and competition among the younger generation of outstanding individuals.

It will not escalate into a serious conflict at all.

Because at this level, it would be difficult for anyone to withstand the destruction brought about by a war between saints.

The fall of every saint is a tremendous loss.

Therefore, the atmosphere in the Federal City at this time was very harmonious, even more prosperous than usual.

The sun, moon, mountains, and seas from various sacred sites have injected a brand new source of vitality into the already vibrant market of this federal city.

Many martial artists have already begun to seize this rare opportunity to improve their strength and resources.

This can be seen from the scene at the auction.

What were once rare and precious resources are now appearing frequently.

Everything within the Federal City also broadened the horizons of the newly emerging prodigies from the other holy lands.

They all spend lavishly, paying for all sorts of new and exciting things.

Shen Xing was quite confident. A young prodigy with considerable strength bought tens of thousands of fourth and fifth-grade pills in one go, intending to take them back to his family, because the price of pills here was much, much cheaper than in their hometown.

In reality, this is the price after the recent price increase.

"The truth is right here, everyone knows it's the truth, but they can't let go of their own interests." Shen Xing looked at the excited young martial artists and couldn't help but sigh.

That's right, why has the martial arts civilization of this world been declining?

The reason is not unknown to anyone; on the contrary, many sages, even the sun and moon, know it.

But no one stepped forward to sacrifice their own interests and change all of this.

Newly emerging strong individuals born in such an environment would certainly not act this way.

From a civilizational perspective, the martial arts civilization of this world has entered a vicious cycle.

Not only does it have no potential whatsoever, it is also heading straight for its demise.

"Let us change it!" Shen Xing felt a strange sense of urgency at this moment.

Because the Human Federation has not yet truly unleashed the full potential of this world, but now it is undoubtedly getting closer and closer to that goal.

All that's needed is to remove all those blocking the way.

(End of this chapter)