Chapter 988: His Own Guard Unit

Countu now led four Heavenly Generals, escorting Li Yi into a new secret realm belonging to him alone.

This was a secret realm accessible only to the Heavenly Gods, unique within the Realm Boat, second only to the imperial palace of the Hao Guang Divine Emperor, opened only to receive the most esteemed guests.

As Li Yi stepped inside, he found an endless expanse of land and sky, divided into seven colors, formed from Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, with sun, moon, and stars above, mountains, rivers, and lakes below, auspicious clouds hovering overhead and radiant treasures glowing fiercely.

The spiritual energy in the air was purified to an extreme degree, mixed with a familiar scent.

It was the scent of Nine Heavens Divine Water.

Merely breathing it in, Li Yi’s fatigue vanished entirely, his magic power surged, his vitality regenerated, and even his Primordial Spirit was cleansed—cultivating here would bring astonishing progress.

Should a mortal stumble into this place, he would instantly shed his mortal form and gain a thousand years of longevity.

So the myths of ancient Earth were not false—such a place truly existed. Li Yi had already thought the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Realm was extraordinary, but this secret realm surpassed it even more.

His gaze swept casually.

He saw countless heavenly treasures and rare medicinal herbs emerging everywhere—items that outside the Heavenly Realm would spark bloody battles among countless cultivators, yet here they lay like roadside weeds, utterly worthless.

As Li Yi entered the secret realm, beautiful women immediately descended from the mist and clouds, holding immortal fruits and nectar, singing enchanting melodies, coming forward to greet him.

These beautiful women were not human—they were spirits of this realm who had attained enlightenment; some were originally Nine-Leaf Lingzhi Grass, others were essences of jade marrow, still others were condensed auroras that had taken human form, and their strength was no weak—though they fell short of Heavenly Soldier rank, each possessed at least the Third Flower, Great Perfection realm.

If those immortal ladies from Earth knew they were only fit to serve tea and pour water in the Heavenly Realm, what would they think?

Never mind them.

When Li Yi first entered the Heavenly Realm, wasn’t he chased all over by a Water-Repelling Beast? Had he not gained a miraculous opportunity and improved his strength, he would already be dead.

“You may withdraw,” Countu now dismissed the spirits, to avoid disturbing the guest’s peace, then added: “Tai Yi, rest well in this secret realm for the time being. I will guard outside at all times—should you need anything, just say the word.”

“Very well, thank you,” Li Yi said. “When the Realm Boat reaches the Third Heaven, please inform me—I intend to disembark there.”

“No problem, but if you plan to leave the Realm Boat for the Third Heaven, this matter must wait until you meet the Divine Might Heavenly King. You are now a direct heir of the Heavenly God Royal Clan—your safety abroad is paramount. The Heavenly Realm is riddled with dangers; even the Heavenly Gods have enemies.” Countu said.

“Understood. If I have the chance to meet the Divine Might Heavenly King, I will explain this to him,” Li Yi nodded.

He understood: if you enjoy the benefits of the Heavenly God Royal Clan, you must bear the corresponding risks and costs—but having a powerful backer in the Heavenly Realm was ultimately far more beneficial than harmful.

As the gates of the Heavenly Secret Realm closed.

Li Yi turned again to the realm and said to the Dragon Maiden beside him: “We’ll rest here for now. I believe we’re safe for the time being.”

Dragon Maiden Yuchang nodded, her gaze toward Li Yi now different from usual, carrying a touch of reverence.

Li Yi said nothing more. After giving a brief instruction, auspicious clouds sprouted beneath his feet, lifting him into the air. Once he reached the sea of clouds and confirmed no one was nearby, he finally relaxed.

He formed a spell, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, intending to cultivate.

But soon Li Yi realized he had hit a bottleneck—he could advance no further. Whether his Primordial Spirit, magic power, realm, or bloodline power, all had reached his current absolute limit.

Unless he continued cultivating the True Dragon Striking Heaven Art or the Five-Colored Divine Light Art.

But mastering techniques only enhanced combat power slightly—they could not break through his realm.

“No wonder so many cultivators stall after reaching Heavenly Soldier and struggle to enter Heavenly King. So this is why.” Li Yi fell silent—he never expected to face this problem himself.

In past cultivation, there were always clear realms ahead, so he never needed to think deeply—just follow the steps.

But in the Heavenly Realm, there were no realms at all—only combat power determined your standing. How far you could advance depended entirely on your own insight.

Li Yi was fortunate to have cultivated multiple arts with immense potential—if someone like Xiang Xiangzi or Xuan Yuezi had come to the Heavenly Realm, once they became a Dao Achiever, their path would be utterly blocked—what would they cultivate next? A Dao Achiever in the Heavenly Realm was at best a Heavenly Soldier, with no path even to reach Heavenly Soldier rank.

A top genius from a small world reduced to nothing more than a Heavenly Soldier—just thinking of it was despairing.

“I’ve already opened my Three Flowers, yet they remain incomplete. My body has reached its limit; the Flower of Magic Power and the Flower of Life cannot advance further. To enter the Heavenly King realm, there is only one path: fully open all 365 acupoints of my body to complete the Three Flowers.”

Li Yi gazed toward the horizon of the sea of clouds, and within his heart, a path to enter the Heavenly King realm became clear.

But it was only the path to Heavenly King—what then, after fully opening all acupoints and completing the Three Flowers? His path ahead was already ended; he saw not the slightest possibility of entering the Heavenly Emperor realm.

“Old Bideng was right. Only when I reach the Heavenly King realm will I truly understand how impossibly difficult it is to become a Heavenly Emperor—it’s not a path you can walk through effort alone, but one that simply doesn’t exist.”

He sighed inwardly.

It was only after catching a glimpse of the Heavenly King realm that despair took hold; previously, when his strength was weak and his perspective limited, he had believed attaining the Tai Yi Heavenly Sovereign title was effortless.

Now, after calmly reflecting, he realized he was nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well—ribbit, ribbit, ribbit.

“Forget all that for now. Focus on reaching the Heavenly King realm—at least I haven’t stalled at Heavenly Soldier. I still have a path ahead.” Li Yi thought to himself.

Yet his chance to enter the Heavenly King realm came entirely from the Divine inheritance he gained in the Wildlands, where he uncovered the secrets of the 365 acupoints and, combining them with Daoist methods, forged a completely new path.

Without it, he would have exhausted his potential long ago—he wouldn’t even have reached Heavenly Soldier rank.

Then Li Yi turned his gaze toward Dragon Maiden Yuchang. Now he understood why a mixed-blood Heavenly Soldier Dragon Maiden was so valuable—because she still had one chance to transform into a true dragon.

If Dragon Maiden Yuchang transformed into a true dragon, she might yet glimpse the secrets of the Heavenly King realm.

He also understood why Emperor Hua Qing loved traveling across worlds—he was surely seeking even a sliver of breakthrough opportunity, for only through the collision of cultivation methods from different worlds could one possibly gain new insights.

How could one person’s wisdom compare to the accumulated wisdom of an entire world, countless prodigies, and millennia of cultivation?

After pondering for a moment, Li Yi cleared his mind. He chose not to cultivate, but instead continued refining his techniques, fusing the True Dragon Striking Heaven Art with the Five-Colored Divine Light Art to create his own Five-Colored True Dragon Force.

Since his realm couldn’t advance for now, he would first enhance his combat power—any progress, however small, was progress.

Yet ten days later,

the Divine Might Heavenly King appeared again, entering the Heavenly Secret Realm—apparently seeking Li Yi specifically, accompanied by many others.

Among them were Heavenly God Heavenly Soldiers and another unfamiliar Heavenly King.

The arrival of these powerful figures immediately disturbed Li Yi, who was refining his art atop the sea of clouds. He sensed their presence and instantly understood what was happening.

His identity as a direct heir of the Heavenly God Royal Clan had been confirmed, and the corresponding privileges had arrived.

At this moment,

the Divine Might Heavenly King flew forward first, smiling: “Tai Yi, your bloodline has been inscribed into the Heavenly God Royal Clan’s genealogy. The clan has accepted you and granted you the full privileges of a direct heir.”

“You currently command a guard unit of ten Heavenly Soldiers, led by the Cold Mountain Heavenly King. Of course, all expenses for this guard unit are covered by the Heavenly God Royal Clan. If you feel the number is insufficient and wish to expand it, you may apply to the clan—but you must pay the guard fees yourself.”

The Divine Might Heavenly King briefly explained the situation. Li Yi nodded slightly upon hearing it.

Indeed, as Hua Qing had said, the privileges of a Heavenly God Royal Clan heir were extraordinary—he now had his own unit of Heavenly Soldiers and a Heavenly King commander.

“Additionally, this is the Heavenly God Armlet befitting your status as a royal heir,” the Divine Might Heavenly King then produced another item.

It was a radiant circular band, shimmering with seven colors, dazzling beyond measure.

“Only members of the Heavenly God Royal Clan may wear this Heavenly God Armlet. Direct heirs bear the seven-color variant. It is both a Heavenly King artifact and a symbol of status. It contains a self-contained space holding all the resources you are entitled to now, and within it is sealed one Heavenly Emperor power, three Heavenly King powers—useful in emergencies to aid your escape.”

The Divine Might Heavenly King emphasized this item and taught Li Yi how to activate the Heavenly King and Heavenly Emperor powers sealed within the armlet.

“Truly an excellent artifact,” Li Yi said, accepting the armlet with astonishment.

One sealed Heavenly Emperor power.

In the Heavenly Realm, wouldn’t that let him walk with impunity?

Indeed, having a powerful backer made all the difference—anyone seeing him wear this armlet would surely step aside immediately.

Moreover, Li Yi noticed the armlet’s internal space was filled with abundant resources, all listed in a register. He glanced briefly—there was already one hundred jin of Nine Heavens Divine Water prepared.

Of course, this hundred jin of Nine Heavens Divine Water was not regular allotment—it was Li Yi’s first reward upon rejoining the Heavenly God Royal Clan.

From now on, he could claim a resource allotment every twenty years.

If he forgot to collect it, he could claim all accumulated resources at once—there was no expiration. Furthermore, if a royal heir reached the Heavenly King realm, his privileges would increase further, and his guard unit would expand.

“Is this what it means to be a Heavenly Realm heir?” Li Yi couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of wonder—he had never imagined he’d one day enjoy such treatment.

He had walked his path as a lone cultivator, everything he owned earned through blood and sweat. Now, at last, that chapter was ending.

“Tai Yi, these things are not the most important. The most important is the Heavenly God Royal Clan’s inherited cultivation methods,” the Divine Might Heavenly King suddenly grew solemn.

Money and wealth, no matter how much, were not rare.

But as a Heavenly God Royal Clan member, Li Yi now had the right to access the clan’s inherited methods.

“Inherited methods?” Li Yi immediately set aside all other thoughts and became serious: “Please enlighten me, Heavenly King.”

(End of Chapter)