Chapter 998
Rank 9, Upper Grade, Dao Tree Blossoms
The way of destiny is mysterious and difficult for ordinary people to understand. Even Song Changsheng himself only had a superficial understanding of it.
He didn't know whether keeping Song Qingxing by his side was the right or wrong decision.
If a calamity is destined to break out, it's better to be here than in the distant East China Sea.
The two entered the Cloud-Entering Hall one after the other, and after taking their seats, Song Qingxing recounted his experiences over the past sixty years in detail.
His tone was calm and his speech was slow, but anyone could hear the danger hidden within. Of the nearly four hundred trial participants at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm, only two survived.
He narrowly escaped death several times, and the blood he shed could fill a large vat. After going through many hardships, he finally achieved the Golden Elixir realm.
"What kind of golden elixir did you achieve?" Song Changsheng asked hurriedly.
Having gone through so much, it would truly be a waste if I didn't manage to condense a high-grade golden core.
"Ninth Rank, Upper Grade".
Song Qingxing's tone remained unchanged. The ninth-grade golden core, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people, could not satisfy him. After all, he had already cultivated the Purple Mansion realm to its limit. The reason he took the risk to participate in the trial was to break through the limit.
His initial goal was actually to achieve a perfect Golden Elixir, but unfortunately he fell short of it.
"A ninth-grade golden pill?" A hint of surprise flashed in Song Changsheng's eyes. Perfect golden pills are extremely rare, and even a high-grade golden pill is already considered top-tier. A ninth-grade golden pill is no exaggeration to say that one is among the most outstanding individuals.
Apart from the inner demon tribulation and the heavenly lightning tribulation, there were almost no bottlenecks to speak of, far exceeding his expectations.
However, when he thought about his experiences on the path of trials, he immediately felt relieved. He had earned what he had put in, and he deserved it all.
"Uncle, this fake baby of yours is..."
"This is a long story. Wu Jie has successfully refined the Lesser Creation Pill after years of painstaking research. After consuming it..."
Song Changsheng briefly recounted his experiences over the years, and then released the imprisoned Zhang Chuqiu, saying, "This person still has great uses. You will personally take care of him for the time being. After the clan's affairs are settled, I will go to the Great Qian Cultivation World again to hand him over to the Myriad Manifestations Palace."
"Now that we have information on the movements of these strongholds, why not just eliminate them?"
"Because what we are facing now is a tightly woven net, in which the remnants of the old era, the demon race, the sea race, and other alien races such as the ancient witches are all involved, stretching from south to north, across east and west, covering both inside and outside the Tianshan Mountains."
We must disrupt their plans and prevent them from coordinating their efforts; these are the necessary baits.
During this period, let the Dharma Protectorate continue its search and capture of demons and cultivators who have been infiltrated and corrupted by demons, but you yourself should not show your face.
You haven't shown your face since you returned to your clan, have you?
"Apart from some elders within the clan and the city lord, no one else knows about my breakthrough for the time being." Having followed Song Changsheng for so long, Song Qingxing has also learned some of the principles of playing dumb to outsmart others.
Simply put, it means learning to consider issues from the perspective of the family's overall interests.
After returning to his clan, he deliberately concealed his identity. Even when the city lord offered to publicly commend him for his heroic act of single-handedly bringing Bai Zhengchun's body out of the Trial Road, he declined, all in order to one day achieve a surprise effect.
"Good, hide your identity well. I'll be in the open while you stay in the shadows. You are the family's trump card."
"As ordered."
"After Qingxi comes out of seclusion, we will invite several senior elders of the clan to discuss the details of the subsequent actions. It is not an easy task to keep it a secret from several powerful demon lords at the same time. We must plan carefully."
Before that, you should go into seclusion to consolidate your cultivation. I have some insights into the [Heaven-Opening Sword Intent] here; take them and study them carefully. If you can integrate them into the second level of your sword intent, it will definitely be a qualitative leap for you.”
At this point, Song Changsheng paused, then said solemnly, "You have experienced a lot in this trial, and it has helped you grow a lot. Although you have not become famous, I, and even the entire Song family, are proud of you."
Song Qingxing did not respond to these words, but his mindset had already subtly changed.
No one doesn't crave affirmation and recognition, especially in front of the people they respect most. The two instances of recognition Song Changsheng received today are of extraordinary significance to him.
It felt like a raging fire was burning in my heart.
"I plan to continue perfecting the laws within the Cangmang Small World. Please do not disturb me unless necessary."
"As ordered."
Just as Song Qingxing was about to turn and leave, as if he remembered something, he took out a jade scroll from his bosom and handed it to Song Changsheng, saying, "This is a scroll of divine power that I obtained from killing Wu Tiancheng on the Trial Road. It is very suitable for Uncle."
"【Thousand Shadows Mystery】?" Song Changsheng only glanced at it once before showing great interest.
This supernatural power is quite interesting. At first glance, it seems that it can only be used to escape, but in fact it has many wonderful uses. As long as these phantoms exist for a long enough time, they can be used as clones.
Even if he can only unleash one-tenth of his strength, that will be enough.
To make an illusion last long enough, it needs powerful enough magic to maintain it, which is exactly his strength.
"This is a good skill; you've put in the effort."
"Nephew takes his leave."
After Song Qingxing left, Song Changsheng first took out the [Myriad Manifestations Token] and communicated with the Myriad Manifestations Palace before setting off for the Vast Minor World.
Before holding the alliance meeting, he needed to finalize the Song family's escape route, since no one knows what the future holds, and it's better to consider defeat than victory.
He had previously reviewed the vast small world once, but his cultivation level was insufficient at that time, so he did not achieve perfection.
As he perfected the power of the laws of the vast small world, the spatial rift above the abyss of the Lu Kingdom's cultivation world suddenly fluctuated violently for a moment.
From the abyss, which the world considered a dead end, emerged two disheveled figures supporting each other. They were dressed in rags and covered in wounds.
On the exposed skin, one can see crisscrossing blood-red lines.
The two emerged from the abyss, seemingly unaccustomed to the intense sunlight, and instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes.
Looking at the yellow sand swirling in the wind outside, the older man among the two couldn't help but burst into tears, excitedly shouting, "Master, we...we're still alive! We're out! This is the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom! It's the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom!"
"Cough cough cough, be careful, they might have made arrangements." Soul Fiend coughed violently a few times, his spittle tinged with blood.
"How many years have we been in this godforsaken place?"
"It should take several decades. I wonder what the situation is like in the border areas now. Song Changsheng is probably even more rampant now."
"The Haoran Alliance must have been destroyed as well. What should we do now? Stay or leave?"
"Leave? We risked our lives to bring this thing out, and you're just going to leave like this?" Soul Fiend's voice was hoarse, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. The old man couldn't help but say anxiously, "Master, please think it over. The time agreed upon with the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord has definitely passed. Even if we awaken the two Guardian Envoys, without the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord's support, how can we contend with them?"
Hun Sha roared, suppressing his voice, "Then what do you suggest? Leave? The sacred artifact in the Left Venerable Envoy's hands has already been pledged to the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord. If we just leave like this, do you think the Protector Venerable Envoy will let us go?"
Upon hearing this, the old man was stunned and didn't know how to refute it.
Although Soul Sha is the nominal leader, the Blood Demon Sect has always valued strength above all else. With the awakening of the two Guardian Envoys, Soul Sha's position as leader is no different from that of a puppet.
The sacred artifacts are the keys, the hope for the revival of the Holy Church. At least two are needed to unlock the secrets of the Holy Church, and the Protector of the Church would never allow even one of the sacred artifacts to be lost.
However, according to the previously signed agreement, they have already breached the contract. The Golden-Eyed Demon Lord has no obligation to return the sacred artifact. In the enraged state of the Guardian Envoy, both of them must be severely punished.
"Master, let's go. Let's abandon the Protector of the Faith and go somewhere else. We can still make a comeback."
Soul Shatter looked at him coldly and said, "Are you willing to leave like this?"
"I..." The old man was speechless for a moment.
"It's decided then. We won't leave. We'll find a place to heal first. After we've recovered, you'll be responsible for using this to awaken the Guardian Envoy. I'll personally go to the Demon Realm to talk to the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord," Soul Fiend said in a heavy tone.
Upon hearing this, the old man gritted his teeth and said, "I will obey the sect leader's orders."
The two supported each other, taking one step at a time as they left the yellow sand desert.
After they left, the spatial rift behind them trembled slightly again, emitting a faint glow...
"Om..."
With a violent tremor, the sky over the vast small world began to change drastically. The Song clan members living there looked up at almost the same time, somewhat at a loss.
"What's going on? Why is the sky changing color?"
The sky of the vast little world, originally azure, turned blue and red, then crimson, then a brilliant gold, and finally a dazzling array of colors that left people mesmerized.
They have lived in this world for so many years, through generations, and have never encountered such a situation before.
"Look, there are people in the sky."
Suddenly someone pointed to the air.
Following his voice, everyone looked up into the sky and indeed found a towering figure standing there.
"It's the clan leader!"
Soon, someone recognized the figure's identity.
Song Changsheng's image has long been deeply ingrained in people's hearts. The moment they recognized his identity, their originally uneasy hearts immediately calmed down, simply because they knew that with the clan leader around, no matter what happened, they would definitely be safe.
"Fellow clansmen, immediately cease all activities, return to your dwellings, and close the doors and windows tightly. All city garrison cultivators, take your positions and activate the protective array. No matter what happens in the future, do not panic, and do not leave your dwellings. I will inform you when it is over."
"We obey!"
The garrison cultivators of each city immediately obeyed the order, and then circular protective shields bloomed everywhere like mushrooms.
Seeing that the protection was in place, Song Changsheng began the final step. He made a hand seal and pointed to an open plain. A glimmer of light containing abundant life force fell into the soil, and a tender leaf broke through the soil. It then grew upwards at the fastest speed, and in the blink of an eye, it grew into a giant tree that reached straight into the sky.
This giant tree bears a striking resemblance to the Boundless Heavenly Dao Tree, which Song Changsheng condensed using the Boundless Dao.
After the tree grew up, flower buds sprouted from its branches.
"【Pure Yang Law】, Gather!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the first Dao flower bloomed on the branch of the Dao Tree. Endless pure Yang energy gathered and condensed into a sphere in the empty sky, radiating intense light.
From then on, this world had a "sun".
"【Pure Yin Law】, Gather!"
A second Dao flower bloomed on the branch of the Dao tree, the shadow of the sun was stripped away, and after only a moment of flashing, the entire world was plunged into darkness, then disappeared into the sky, and the small world was restored to light.
"[Thunder Law], Gather!"
"[Nightmare Law], Gather!"
……
As flower buds bloomed one by one on the Dao Tree, the missing power of laws in this small world began to be gradually replenished, and the whole world was undergoing a strange change.
Song Changsheng was also undergoing a dramatic change. The reason he chose to replenish the power of the laws of the Cangmang Small World before holding the alliance meeting was to further advance his [Boundless Great Dao].
With each completed law, his understanding of the corresponding law also improves, which is the key to him opening other Dao flowers.
Although cultivating the Boundless Great Dao does not require reaching perfection, he had a vague feeling that the more Dao Flowers he bloomed before breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, the higher the quality of the Nascent Soul he would condense in the future.
Just as there are different qualities of Golden Elixir, there are also differences in the quality of Nascent Soul. In the common understanding of this world, Nascent Soul is divided into [Dharma Aspect Nascent Soul], [Immortal Nascent Soul], and [Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul] from bottom to top.
The essence of Jade Dew True Monarch is the [Undying Nascent Soul], which is why her Nascent Soul has been able to exist for such a long time.
The Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul is extremely rare and can only be formed by exceptionally talented individuals.
In fact, above the [Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul], there are two other qualities of Nascent Souls: the [Chaos Nascent Soul] and the [Primordial Chaos Nascent Soul], but they have never appeared in any ancient books.
Song Changsheng learned this from Feng Changqing when he broke through to the Golden Core stage.
He didn't dare to hope for the latter two, but he felt he could still try to get the [Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul], since he cultivated the [Boundless Great Dao], which gave him a natural advantage over other cultivators.
He didn't know the specific key, but all he could do now was try to make the Dao Tree bloom with more Dao Flowers, and replenishing the laws of the world was second only to "creating the heavens" in terms of improving his understanding of the laws.
Half a year passed quickly, and several Dao flowers bloomed in Song Changsheng's body. The other laws also greatly improved and were about to bloom.
The Dao Tree he planted has already materialized, its enormous canopy almost covering most of the vast and boundless small world...
……
P.S.: My writing project has been interrupted, but I don't have to work tomorrow, so you should be able to read the second chapter in the morning. (End of Chapter)