Chapter 47: The Vastness of the Tai Xuan Realm

"Brother Dao, you're not seriously letting her participate, are you?"

Huò looked up toward the second floor—the direction of Chi Jiuyu's bedroom.

"Of course not."

"Then that's good."

If Chi Jiuyu really joins, the younger generation might as well give up right now and just wait patiently for her to beat them all senseless.

Some Xian Sect disciples happened to arrive in Xian City, others are lucky fools—who could possibly compete with her?

"Brother Dao, your support for the younger generation can't be just about competing with me, can it?"

Based on Xu Xing's understanding of Huò, he wouldn't be this boring.

"You still can't fool me, Brother Dao," he smiled. "An ancient Cang clan member is coveting our human race's Creation Dao foundation, so I devised a scheme and gave him a fake one."

Xu Xing paused: "Truly beyond comprehension."

"He should've died long ago, or he wouldn't have made such an unwise move." Huò also thought the ancient one was incredibly foolish. "Using his power, I helped that young man shatter the fake Dao foundation, giving him a chance to advance further."

"Brother Dao's calculations surely don't end there."

"Correct. Though a sliver of its sentience was extinguished, its bloodline still persists. That young man, though human, bears the Cang clan's destiny—he may become like a child of fate, encountering wonders endlessly."

"But there is a cost. If that young man is consumed by the bloodline, he will no longer be human." Xu Xing shook his head slightly.

"Everything has a price. If it truly comes to that… kill him."

Huò's tone remained gentle, yet his words sent chills down the spine.

"Brother Dao, your methods are still so extreme."

"The cultivation path is long, and we are constantly in competition. How easily do you think my Creation can be obtained?"

The Creation I give—you cannot refuse it, and you cannot lose it. This is the Ancestor of the Demon Dao—Huò!

Xu Xing said no more, instead asking: "During my seclusion, how many high-level cultivators are there?"

"Nearly three million Void Refinement, ninety percent have left the Central Continent for the stars, but the crucial Dao Union are fewer than sixty thousand—ten thousand remain on the Central Continent, the rest have also entered the stars."

Nearly three million Void Refinement, yet fewer than sixty thousand Dao Union… and above Dao Union, the numbers dwindle even further.

"Too few."

The Central Continent's laws are rigid, severely limiting the spiritual power cultivators can wield.

But once they enter the stars and shed that suppression, their abilities surge—just a Soul Transformation can pluck stars and seize moons—yet…

Still not enough!

The Tai Xuan Realm, though a world with a relatively short history, is extraordinarily vast.

Divided into four star regions with the Central Continent as its core.

Merely the Northern Star Region spans hundreds of millions of light-years, encompassing hundreds of thousands of star systems.

Even smaller star systems contain hundreds of billions of stars; larger ones hold trillions—or even tens of trillions.

The number of planets is even greater, yet only a tiny fraction possess spiritual energy and are suitable for life.

But given the colossal base number, the total remains terrifyingly immense.

Three million Void Refinement, fewer than fifty thousand Dao Union—against this boundless starry expanse, it's like tossing a handful of sand into the ocean.

Pluck stars and seize moons?

A single star system has at least hundreds of billions of stars—how many could you possibly take?

"Indeed too few." Huò sighed. "Pity the beast tribes have no Dao Union left."

True—the great beasts of the Tai Xuan Realm above Dao Union had long ago been slaughtered by Huò.

He refined them into spiritual opportunities and gifted them to human cultivators, eventually even cultivating many Void Refinement and several Dao Union.

But even more humans died because of it.

Those who couldn't withstand beast transformation—died. Those who lost their true hearts—died. It was from that time onward that Huò became the Ancestor of the Demon Dao.

"Just keep waiting. Time holds no meaning for us." Xu Xing spoke calmly.

"It seems there's nothing else we can do." Huò also smiled.

Dao Union is unique—even for us, it's extremely difficult to cultivate even one.

Now, we might as well wait and see which of the two young men—the one who received Huò's opportunity, and the one guided by Brother Dao—is stronger.

"Brother Dao, do you know this person called Shenghuang Yuan?" Xu Xing asked again.

"Yuan?" Huò's tone held amusement. "An interesting man. I've had many dealings with him."

Xu Xing fell silent, silently mourning his fellow countryman. Without equal strength, dealing with Huò was no good thing. "Given his uniqueness, perhaps he might have become one of us—but alas…"

Huò deliberately delayed speaking, waiting for Xu Xing to ask first.

Yet after a long while, Xu Xing still said nothing.

Huò: "..."

You're being so boring, you know that?

"From my observations, he is not from the Tai Xuan Realm."

Huò's words stirred Xu Xing's thoughts.

Indeed, that suspected compatriot, Yuan, was also a transmigrator—and he hadn't fooled Huò.

But it was unknown whether his homeland was the same as his own.

"So his disappearance is connected to you?"

Finally asked it—I thought you'd lost your voice!

"No connection. Though not from the Tai Xuan Realm, he is still human. As for why he vanished, I do not know."

"He managed to deceive you?"

"Indeed, quite remarkable." Huò sighed with admiration. "But I do have a theory."

"Mm?"

"Since you're not a person of the Xuan Realm, Yuan... may have already gone back, perhaps?"

Gone back? "If Dao Brother wishes to know more details, you might as well pay a visit to Ling Yin Fang. After all, the last place Yuan went before he vanished was there."

…………

【Enemy Slain · Qi Refining Layer 9 Sword Cultivator, Flowing Cloud Sword Art mastered, Purple Enclosure Qi Observation Art mastered】

【Time Used: 5 minutes 27 seconds】

The sword cultivator's phantom fell backward, half its head sliced off, and atop its blurred features, a wisp of purple qi gradually dimmed.

Victory!

The corners of Zhang Yunlu's mouth lifted slightly, the fierce light in her eyes faded, and she could no longer hold on as she fell backward. Wisps of grey mist drifted in from all directions, mending the horrific wounds on her body.

【This Trial Has Ended】

【Trial opponents will be replaced with Foundation Establishment sword cultivators; please begin cultivating the Refinement Art】

The golden text slowly vanished, and a pill dropped down, falling into her mouth.

The pill melted the instant it entered her mouth, transforming into a stream of sweet, clear elixir; her depleted spiritual power rapidly recovered, and as usual, grew a touch stronger.

Pure spiritual power filled her dantian, giving her the feeling that there was nowhere further to advance.

She'd reached the limit!

In just a few short days, she had advanced from Qi Refining Layer 8 to Qi Refining Layer 9, and even reached perfection.

If this had been in the past, she would surely have been overjoyed...

Well, actually, she's quite happy right now too.

This was a cultivation base she had piled up with her very life.

The next moment, her consciousness withdrew from the hazy grey space and returned to reality.

Outside.

Zhang Yunlu, lying on the bed, opened her eyes, slowly sat up, and looked to one side.

She saw threads of sunlight filtering into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

It was already morning.

"Cultivating the Refinement Art... and opponents at Foundation Establishment."

She had finally reached this step!

Surely this hadn't let down the elder's expectations?

She got out of bed, left the bedroom, and stepped outside, glancing at Zhang Xiu's bedroom along the way.

No one there.

Her older brother seemed quite busy lately; she barely saw him around.

Begging for bookmarks, begging for follow-up reads!! (End of Chapter)