Chapter 1331
The Origin of the Interface, Sneaking Around
The group had just bid farewell to "Master Jiuyue".
The "Moon Worshiping Zen Master" who was standing to the side quickly came to Chen Qingxuan and Song Qingming with a smile on his face.
Seeing that the other party was so polite, Chen Qingxuan immediately waved his hand.
"Master and I are old friends. You have helped me repair the sealing array. I am very grateful and have not yet expressed my gratitude."
"If there's anything we can help with, please let us know. Fellow Daoist Song and I will do our best!"
"Since Fellow Daoist Chen says so, this humble monk will not stand on ceremony with you two."
A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to receive guidance from the Buddha, and my Buddhist affinity appeared in the East. I wish to send a few of my disciples to Donghuang to spread the teachings and enlighten the world.
I humbly request that you two fellow practitioners do me a favor for Buddhism; this humble monk would be eternally grateful.
In the "Huayang Realm," the Buddhist sect is most prosperous only in Xihua Immortal Continent; the other continents are mainly dominated by the Taoist sect.
Since Xiyuan Temple took control of all the major Buddhist forces in Xihua Continent, for the past thousand years, various sects of Buddhism have been sending disciples to "Donghuang Immortal Continent" to spread their teachings.
The "Xuankong Temple" where Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan lived back then is one of them.
However, the various sects of Taoism in "Donghuang Immortal Continent" have always been very resistant to the Buddhist forces, which has made it difficult for these temples to spread their teachings.
The Buddhist sect's influence in "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent" has been limited, and it has been looking for an opportunity to change the status quo.
If we could gain the support of these two Nascent Soul Ancestors, the situation would definitely improve significantly.
As soon as "Master Baiyue" finished speaking, Chen Qingxuan and Song Qingming immediately understood what the other meant, and their expressions changed slightly.
After a brief silence, Chen Qingxuan finally spoke, saying, "Since it is the Buddha's will, we are naturally very pleased."
"I will discuss this matter with Fellow Daoist Song later, and then we will see which prefecture is more convenient for your Buddhist missionary work, and then inform you."
Although they knew that the "Monkey Worshipper's" so-called missionary work was mainly aimed at infiltrating Buddhist influence into Donghuangxianzhou and expanding the influence of Buddhism.
However, the other side provided strong support for this "sealing formation," and Donghuang Immortal Continent also owes a debt of karma to Buddhism.
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Qingxuan decided not to offend Zen Master Baiyue and nodded in agreement.
"May Buddha have mercy! With your support, I believe this matter will proceed very smoothly."
This humble monk would like to express his gratitude in advance to both of you fellow practitioners.
Seeing that Chen Qingxuan agreed to preach, the "Moon Worshiping Zen Master," who had already reached an agreement on exchanging benefits, did not linger and quickly rode a golden auspicious cloud westward.
Only after the other person's figure disappeared did Chen Qingxuan turn around and sigh.
"The Buddhist sect has already occupied 30% of Xihua Continent in recent years, and now it even wants to extend its reach to Donghuang Immortal Continent. It seems that Xiyuan Temple's ambitions are indeed quite large."
"With Senior Chen overseeing the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom, it won't be easy for the Buddhist sect to reach this place."
Hearing Song Qingming offer words of comfort, Chen Qingxuan waved his hand.
"Although the passage between the two worlds is temporarily closed, someone still needs to be stationed here to prevent those demons from taking advantage of any loopholes. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave this place easily in the future."
"You'll have to put in a lot of effort to figure out how to deal with them in the future."
"Senior, please don't say that. The sealing formation concerns the entire Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent. We also share a responsibility. How can we let Senior Chen bear this alone?"
"Hehe! I am naturally pleased that you are willing to help, fellow Daoist."
However, you have only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, and I am somewhat uneasy about having you take charge of this place now.
Don't worry, I have already sent word to Chili and the others to come to the island to discuss this matter.
"The sealing formation is crucial to the entire Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent. This place cannot be left unattended, and it's time for us to ease tensions with the demon race."
Although everyone worked together to successfully reseal the passage between the two realms, there is no need to worry about the demon realm invading this realm for the time being.
However, the sealing array of "Jade Profound Island" has only recovered 70% of its power so far.
To fully repair it, we would need at least a mid-level level 5 array master to help, which is no easy task.
If a powerful demonic cultivator at the Nascent Soul level were to find this place, the "sealing array" would still be in danger of being destroyed, and someone would have to be stationed here to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
In the entire cultivation world of "Donghuang Immortal Continent", there are currently only two Nascent Soul cultivators, Song Qingming and Chen Qingxuan.
Song Qingming's cultivation had only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, so the most suitable person to oversee this place was naturally Chen Qingxuan, the number one expert in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom.
Faced with Chen Qingxuan's decision to stay and oversee "Yuxuan Island," Song Qingming didn't say much.
"Don't worry, senior. I still have a diagram of the array. As long as my array skills improve in the future, I may be able to completely repair the sealing array and resolve the hidden dangers here."
"I hope so, then I can leave this world with peace of mind in the future and go explore the spatial nodes."
"Senior Chen still has plenty of lifespan, why must he risk going to sneak across the spatial node? Is it really impossible to ascend to the upper realm normally in this world?"
Upon hearing Chen Qingxuan's words, Song Qingming's expression immediately showed a hint of surprise, and he couldn't help but ask the other party a question.
"Fellow Daoist has just advanced to the Nascent Soul realm and does not yet know much about ascending to the upper realm."
This is a long story, but since we have some free time today, let's chat about it. I can also take this opportunity to explain to you the matter of breaking through boundaries and ascending to immortality.
This should be helpful to your future spiritual practice.
"That is exactly what I was thinking. I would be grateful if you could enlighten me, senior."
Faced with Song Qingming's doubts, Chen Qingxuan did not rush to answer him, but instead led him to sit down at a stone table.
As the two cups of spiritual tea were placed on the stone table, Chen Qingxuan slowly spoke:
"We cultivators cultivate by drawing qi into our bodies, tempering our bodies and building our foundation, condensing the golden core, transforming into a nascent soul, and finally becoming a god!"
The pursuit at every step on the path of cultivation is nothing more than the path to immortality.
However, after cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage, the requirements for spiritual energy in heaven and earth are even higher, and this world is no longer suitable for our cultivation.
The only way to continue cultivating to a higher level is to attempt ascension to the upper realm.
"To ascend normally, one must reach the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm in order to activate the origin of the interface and connect to the Ascension Platform, thus breaking through the boundary and ascending to the upper realm."
Many ancient predecessors of the Huayang Realm were like this.
"Only those in the late Nascent Soul stage can activate the essence of the interface. Senior, what exactly is this essence of the interface?"
"The so-called origin of the interface is the power of the origin of heaven and earth in Huayang Realm, and it is also the core of the spiritual energy of this realm. In fact, it is located in the earth beneath our feet."
However, neither of us has reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and we are currently unable to sense the existence of the power of origin.
The many spiritual veins and stones in this world are all formed from the power of the origin, and once a cultivator passes away, the spiritual energy within his body will also return to its origin.
This cycle repeats continuously, ensuring the inexhaustible flow of spiritual energy in this realm and allowing it to function properly.
"In ancient times, when this world was first created, the power of the original source of the realm was abundant, and the concentration of spiritual energy in Huayang Realm was far beyond what it is now."
Back then, spiritual treasures were everywhere, and cultivation was much easier than it is now.
Even cultivators with five spiritual roots can easily cultivate to the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or even the Deity Transformation realm.
Therefore, in ancient times, there were quite a few cultivators in our Huayang Realm who reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and could easily draw upon the power of the realm's origin to break through and ascend.
During the heyday of human cultivators, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators was more than ten times what it is now, and they practically ruled over the entire Five Continents and Four Seas.
However, when cultivators ascend to the upper realm, they also take away a trace of the original power of the realm, and the spiritual energy of the realm will naturally be weakened.
Around 100,000 years ago, the spiritual energy of the world in the realm could no longer sustain the cultivation of many cultivators, and the number of high-level cultivators gradually decreased.
The demon race of the four seas has just seized the opportunity to rise up and has begun to compete with our human race.
Although the concentration of spiritual energy in heaven and earth has decreased, making cultivation more difficult for cultivators.
However, there are still many predecessors who, with their outstanding talent, can cultivate to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and ascend to the upper realm normally by invoking the origin of heaven and earth.
However, the quantity is far less than in ancient times.
"After thousands of years of arduous cultivation, some people are unable to advance to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and can only die in their caves after their lifespan is exhausted. Naturally, some people are unwilling to accept this fate."
Therefore, many seniors in the Huayang Realm began to explore other methods for ascending to the upper realms.
"In ancient times, there were predecessors who ascended to the upper realm and returned to the human realm by splitting their souls through spatial channels, leaving behind many spatial nodes in this realm."
Some people then began to try to enter these spatial nodes and sneak into the upper realm.
Crossing spatial nodes is extremely dangerous; most people who enter them die in the spatial storms.
However, some Nascent Soul cultivators did successfully reach the Upper Realm, causing this method to spread widely among cultivators in the mortal realm.
"Until 30,000 years ago, when a senior from this world was smuggling across a spatial node, something unexpected happened, which caused him to inadvertently open a spatial passage to the Demon Realm."
Subsequently, the Huayang Realm was targeted by the Demon Realm, which dispatched many true demons to descend upon this realm through spatial channels, intending to plunder its source power.
In the Huayang Realm, the human and demon races have no choice but to unite against the invasion of the true demons.
They then requested reinforcements from the divided soul of the ancestor of the upper realm, and only then were they finally able to win this great war between immortals and demons, sealing the six true demons and the spatial passage here.
You've heard about these wars between immortals and demons before, so I won't go into too much detail.
"Although the invasion of the Demon Realm was successfully stopped and the passage between the two realms was sealed, the original power of the Huayang Realm was also severely damaged in the great battle."
This has caused the spiritual energy of this world to decline again, making it increasingly difficult for anyone to cultivate to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and activate the power of origin.
In the last ten thousand years, the ancestors of both the human and demon races who could normally ascend to the heavens have basically disappeared; they can only sneak into the upper realms through spatial nodes.
"Your master, Ling Xuzi, was even more talented than me, but back then his cultivation could only reach the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm."
After wasting a thousand years without making any further progress, he ultimately had no choice but to risk entering the spatial node.
Even Ling Xuzi couldn't do it back then, so how dare I say that I have the confidence to advance to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm?
"Don't be fooled by my current lifespan of a thousand years. It's hard to say how long I can stay in this realm; sooner or later, I'll have to reach that point."
As the number one expert of the human race in "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent", Chen Qingxuan's personal talent is already above that of hundreds of millions of cultivators.
If this were in the ancient times when spiritual energy was abundant, with his extraordinary talent for cultivation, reaching the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and ascending to the upper realm would almost be a certainty.
However, tens of thousands of years ago, the original power of the interface was damaged, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth decreased significantly.
Even a cultivation genius like Chen Qingxuan, when faced with the challenge of breaking through to ascension, still had no choice but to risk his life by forcibly attempting to break through the spatial node.
Having said that, Chen Qingxuan couldn't help but sigh. "Senior, after the power of the realm's origin was damaged, is there any way for us to repair it? Is it possible that the spiritual energy of this realm can never be restored?"
"There are so many ancient ascended predecessors in the Huayang Realm, isn't there anyone willing to take care of this matter?"
"Well, I don't know."
Upon hearing Song Qingming ask how to repair the power of the interface's origin, Chen Qingxuan's gaze faltered slightly before he shook his head.
"The power of the interface's origin exists since the creation of this world. Our cultivation level is not high enough to reach the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, so we cannot even sense its existence, let alone know how to repair it."
As for the many predecessors who ascended from the upper realm.
To be honest, the situation in the Upper Realm is far more complicated than you think. Even if we manage to ascend to the Upper Realm, we still don't know how far we are from true immortality and enlightenment.
Of all the ascended seniors in Huayang Realm, there are probably only a few left who are still alive.
Even if they knew about this, they would probably be powerless to do anything about it.
"In that case, it is indeed difficult to repair the original power of the interface. No wonder Master risked entering the spatial node back then."
"Hehe! As the saying goes, anything is possible with human effort."
"Although we have no way to do it now, if one day we can truly ascend to the upper realm, perhaps we can accomplish this and secure an opportunity for the younger generation of Huayang Realm."
Seeing a hint of disappointment on Song Qingming's face, Chen Qingxuan immediately spoke up to comfort him.
Then, the two changed the subject and started talking about other things.
".
Several days later, the demon saints from the Northern Frontier who had received the message from Chen Qingxuan quickly arrived at "Jade Profound Island".
Besides the "Crimson Demon Saint," the Fire Phoenix, and the "Jade Unicorn Demon Saint," there was also a man with a relatively young appearance.
This person is the ancestor of the "Giant Deer Clan" in the Northern Frontier, and is known as the "Gui Xuan Demon Saint," one of the five great demon saints.
Before the Fire Phoenix transformed into a deity, the five great demon saints of the Northern Frontier were Chi Li, Bai Yang, Gui Xuan, Lei Hu, and Yu Lin. Among them, the first-ranked "Demon Saint Chi Li" had reached the mid-stage of the Deity Transformation realm.
The second-ranked "White Sun Demon Saint" did not come this time because he had returned to his clan to recuperate after losing his physical body in the previous battle.
The "Gui Xuan Demon Saint" ranked third in cultivation. He happened to be away from the True Demon Chaos in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom and missed the battle.
The fourth-ranked "Thunder Tiger Demon Saint" had already perished in the great battle.
The two at the bottom, "Jade Unicorn Demon Saint" and Fire Phoenix, were both at the first level of the Nascent Soul stage.
Although the Northern Frontier lost a "Thunder Tiger Demon Saint," it still has five Nascent Soul cultivators, including the Fire Phoenix who just advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.
Chen Qingxuan specially invited the "Crimson Demon Saint" and the others to come, in addition to discussing the matter of a truce between the two races.
Furthermore, it is required that both sides take turns sending people to oversee the sealing formation on "Jade Mystic Island".
Faced with Chen Qingxuan's proposal, the "Red Desolate Demon Saint" and the others were already prepared and nodded in agreement to the truce between the two races.
The previous chaos caused by the True Demons not only resulted in heavy losses for human cultivators, but also severely damaged the various demon races of the Northern Frontier.
In the battle of Jade Profound Island alone, dozens of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators from both races died.
In addition to the huge losses suffered in the Northern Frontier Demon Infestation, both sides will need a long time to recover their strength and are simply unable to compete for any territory.
After some discussion, the six men signed a ceasefire agreement on the spot.
They agreed that for the next thousand years, both sides would hold fast to their existing territories in the Northern Frontier, the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom, the Floating Cloud Mountains, and other areas, and would not initiate war.
As for the once-in-a-century monster turmoil, it was strictly suppressed to the level of those below the Nascent Soul stage.
Neither side's Nascent Soul level or higher combatants are allowed to participate in the battle at will.
".
In addition, on Jade Profound Island, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the two races take turns guarding the "Sealing Array," with the two sides rotating every hundred years.
At first, the demon saints of the Northern Frontier were somewhat unwilling to accept Chen Qingxuan's proposal to take turns presiding over the "Sealing Array".
They felt that "Jade Profound Island" was the territory of human cultivators, and that human cultivators should protect this place themselves, so the demon race did not want to get too involved.
However, Chen Qingxuan and Song Qingming argued vehemently, determined to drag the other into the mess.
Finally, after some haggling, the two sides agreed on a price.
The demon race's leader, "Crimson Demon Saint," finally relented and agreed to help them take turns guarding "Jade Mystic Island" for six hundred years.
After all, the "sealing array" here is related to the invasion of the demon realm, and the demon race of the Northern Frontier is also within the territory of the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent, so they are somewhat related to each other.
Currently, the human race only has two Nascent Soul cultivators, Chen Qingxuan and Song Qingming. If the "sealing array" on the island malfunctions, it might implicate them again.
After "Crimson Demon Saint" spoke, the other demon saints who followed him reluctantly agreed, and the two sides finally reached a second agreement.
One hundred years from now, the demon race will send a demon saint to replace Chen Qingxuan.
Subsequently, every hundred years, both sides would send a Nascent Soul cultivator to oversee the island.
Six hundred years later, regardless of whether the sealing formation of "Jade Profound Island" was repaired, the demon race of the Northern Frontier no longer interfered in this matter.
After the two sides reached an agreement, the "Crimson Demon Saint" and his companions left on their own initiative.
Not long after, Song Qingming, having nothing left to do on the island, took the initiative to bid farewell to Chen Qingxuan and fled northwards against the sea breeze.
About half a day later, Song Qingming successfully arrived near an island by the sea and immediately stopped.
Just as Song Qingming was scanning his surroundings, a streak of light flew out from the sea and quickly landed on his "Azure Jade Shuttle," transforming into a crimson figure.
"Didn't we agree that I'd wait for you for fifteen minutes? Why are you only arriving now?"
"I apologize, Senior Chen gave me some instructions, which caused the delay. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Standing in front of Song Qingming was Huo Feng, who had left before him not long ago. The two had secretly arranged to meet here on the island.
Looking at Song Qingming, who was apologizing repeatedly, Huo Feng glanced at him but ultimately said nothing more.
He then reached into his waistband, took out a "storage bag," and tossed it to the person in front of him.
"This is the essence blood you requested; this is all I collected."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for troubling you again!"
He took the "storage bag" and glanced at it; inside were dozens of perfectly filled cyan jade bottles.
Since practicing the "True Spirit Disintegration" technique, Song Qingming has been collecting the essence blood of various high-level demonic beasts.
However, as a human cultivator, it is not so convenient to search for the essence blood of many high-level demon beasts, as it may attract the attention of the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the demon race.
After the previous battle, Song Qingming took the initiative to find Huo Feng and asked her for help.
Fire Phoenix is now a Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Demon Clan, so it's much easier for her to do these things than for Song Qingming.
Upon seeing the "storage bag" overflowing with the essence blood of various demonic beasts, Song Qingming's face lit up with joy, and he immediately cupped his hands in thanks.
Facing Song Qingming, who remained as respectful as ever, Huo Feng's expression remained perfectly calm.
“Old Ancestor Song is now a Nascent Soul cultivator, so I can no longer accept the title ‘Your Highness.’ Let’s address each other as fellow Daoists.”
"Uh! Although I, Song, have been fortunate enough to enter the Nascent Soul realm, I will never forget Your Highness's kindness in helping me back then."
When I first met Huo Feng, I was coerced into doing some dangerous things.
However, Song Qingming never forgot the kindness shown to him by the Fire Phoenix, such as helping him to form his core and protecting him.
Even after reaching the Nascent Soul realm and gaining the right to be on equal footing with the other party, he still maintained sufficient respect for them.
"Hmph! It's one thing that you were lucky enough to reach the Nascent Soul stage back then, but I've never heard of anyone being lucky enough to step into the Divine Transformation stage."
Looking back, I was blind to your greatness; I never imagined you, Old Master Song, would achieve such success.
Since you still acknowledge this favor, if I ever need your help in the future, can you please come whenever I call?
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will not easily refuse anything I can do."
"Alright! You'd better remember what you said today."
As soon as she finished speaking, Huo Feng transformed into a streak of crimson light and vanished from Song Qingming's sight.
Only after the disappearing light had gone far away did Song Qingming put away the "storage bag" in his hand.
Then he changed direction and turned away from the spot.
".
On the distant sea, just hundreds of miles away, the Fire Phoenix suddenly saw a figure descend from the sky and block its way.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Fire Phoenix's originally calm face showed a hint of surprise.
"Ancestor, why are you still here!"
"So that's why you suddenly stopped halfway through. You were waiting for him."
“Ancestor, I actually knew him back in the Floating Cloud Mountains, but I didn’t tell you before for fear that you would misunderstand.”
"I'm afraid you'll misunderstand!"
Even if you know him, what reason do I have to misunderstand?
"You know my time is running out. The Heavenly Phoenix Clan will eventually be handed over to you. Making more friends won't be a bad thing for the clan."
This person is not even a thousand years old yet, and is a highly accomplished disciple of Lingxuzi. I think his future achievements may not be inferior to Chen Qingxuan's.
If you have the chance, you can also spend more time with him.
Now that you are all Nascent Soul cultivators, you don't need to worry about what others might say, even if something happens.
There's no need to be so secretive.
"Ah, I understand!"
Hearing her ancestor patiently instructing her, Fire Phoenix sighed helplessly.
".
(I was supposed to catch up on what I missed today, but it seems I didn't have time again. My bad!) (End of Chapter)