Chapter 1113: The History of This Minor Thousand World

Jiang Ding silently listened to Zou Zou Xiyuan's various words.

This person was his mortal enemy.

This was beyond doubt—four thousand years ago, a great number of Jiang Ding's ancestors died beneath this person's sword, and countless ancestors charged forward one after another to die in battle for the survival of their citizens and the happy lives of their descendants, never retreating.

If this person were alive, he would certainly spare no cost to cut him down.

If he could not manage it in one go, then he would lie in wait, accumulating strength, until the day he could succeed.

At the same time, alongside these premises, this person was also a fellow Daoist walking the same path as him, sharing certain fundamental common interests that no amount of hatred could affect.

These two things did not seem contradictory within the Great Sun Sword Pavilion.

The Great Sun Sword Child was always only born in the twilight years of the Great Sun Sword Lord—this was not without reason. Whenever two Great Sun Sword Lords appeared, it was bound to end with one side defeated and slain, or both perishing together.

Even if both sides bore no hatred whatsoever, and were even on excellent terms, none of this could affect the conduct of the Sacred Sword Duel.

Good terms are good terms, but that doesn't stop me from beating you to death.

"…The Great Yin-Yang Sword Realm and the Upper Realm are roughly like this. These are things only a Sword Lord would know."

"However, this information is somewhat outdated—matters from over five hundred thousand years ago."

The towering being, whose form was indistinct and whose radiance was infinite, smiled: "That matters not. Within this stretch of starry sky there exists an Upper Realm Void Refinement cultivator who practices thunder arts. In a moment I shall go capture him, search his soul, and we should be able to obtain the latest information on the Upper Realm."

"A Void Refinement cultivator of thunder arts…"

Jiang Ding's heart jolted.

He had fought tooth and nail against just a single flesh-and-blood avatar of that Upper Realm Blood Dao Void Refinement cultivator, only managing to defeat it with a fair amount of luck—and even then could not slay it. Let alone a complete Void Refinement mighty expert.

Even if gravely wounded, a single strike would be enough to pin him dead.

Yet in the other's mouth, such a powerhouse was spoken of as an ant—life and death at his whim, utterly indifferent.

"There is also an avatar of a Blood Dao Void Refinement cultivator."

Zou Zou Xiyuan continued: "This flesh-and-blood avatar of the Blood Dao Void Refinement cultivator—I will not kill him. After severing his connection with the Upper Realm, I will instead strengthen him, heal his wounds, and make him far stronger than he is now."

"You are about to fall into slumber, aren't you?"

"Then in twelve hundred years, you must slay him. If you cannot kill him, then you die."

He said it casually.

Jiang Ding offered no objection.

He did not have the right to.

"How much do you know of this stretch of starry sky?"

Zou Zou Xiyuan asked again.

"Immortal arts fell here. It is a lower realm of two Void Refinement sects of the Upper Realm—roughly that."

Jiang Ding briefly recalled and said.

"Those two points are not wrong."

"Within the Upper Realm, there is an exceedingly resplendent immortal Dao remnant—legend has it that it is a broken miracle left behind by an immortal-grade power that ruled all the myriad heavens in primordial times. By means of this miracle, the number of Minor Thousand Worlds governed by the Upper Realm expanded dozens or even hundreds of times over, so that even extremely remote and extremely out-of-the-way Minor Thousand Worlds could be brought under effective governance."

Zou Zou Xiyuan said slowly: "This miracle is called the Ascension Platform Rules."

"By means of the Ascension Platform Rules, even stretches of starry sky so remote and so vast that a Path-Integration cultivator would despair of them can be brought under governance."

"This Minor Thousand World is just like that—very remote. Even a Path-Integration cultivator making a round trip would take a great deal of time, possibly consuming twenty or thirty percent of their entire lifespan just traveling such an immense distance."

"But by means of the Ascension Platform Rules, the exchange of talent and materials between the Upper Realm and multiple Minor Thousand Worlds can be realized."

"The reason it is called broken is that, back when that vast immortal-grade power of primordial times still existed, talent and materials could be transmitted at will—simple and swift."

"In the present age, when that primordial immortal-grade power has long since collapsed, the Ascension Platform Rules have become severely broken. Minor Thousand Worlds can only ascend once every ten thousand or several tens of thousands of years, completing one exchange of talent and heavenly materials and earthly treasures."

"Those two sects of the Upper Realm used these rules to support forces in the lower realms, harvesting heavenly materials and earthly treasures and living beings of flesh and blood once every ten thousand years. No one knows how many years this situation persisted—this is the ancient history of this Minor Thousand World."

"Fifty thousand years ago, this long-continuing history underwent a change—"

"Because of immortal arts."

Zou Zou Xiyuan pointed at the sky: "These two Path-Integration cultivators arrived here by some unknown means, and fought a life-and-death struggle here over the immortal arts, exterminating all living beings in the entire world once over. They even damaged the world barrier of the Minor Thousand World, drawing upon themselves the world's resentment and curses, and both were gravely wounded."

"Path-Integration…"

Jiang Ding's heart chilled—certain guesses had become reality.

What was even more terrifying was that Zou Zou Xiyuan was not the true body—perhaps only an avatar, or some remnant talisman, or the like.

And yet, just that alone was enough to defeat two Path-Integration cultivators!

Even… slay them?

"You…"

Jiang Ding's tone had unconsciously become much more polite.

"They did not die."

"My luck was poor—I did not encounter them earlier with my true body."

Zou Zou Xiyuan's voice was somewhat low: "Path-Integration cultivators, with their Rule Seeds inscribed upon the world, profoundly influence the operation of a domain's Heavenly Dao Rules—they are not so easily killed. I merely destroyed their mortal bodies and seized all the immortal art fragments and heavenly materials and earthly treasures they had."

"I could not slay them."

"My fate is so bitter—why did I not come to this world earlier…"

His voice was utterly wretched.

Jiang Ding's gaze went blank.

After quite a while, Zou Zou Xiyuan's emotions finally steadied.

"These two wastes are expected to recover their mortal bodies again in six or seven thousand years—possibly sooner, possibly later. Keep an eye out yourself when the time comes."

Zou Zou Xiyuan sighed.

In his hand appeared a broken five-colored crystal, held in his palm like a crystal ball—missing roughly thirty percent, already seventy percent complete.

"This is!"

Jiang Ding's gaze was instantly drawn in deeply; a premonition arose in his divine soul, his heart pounding wildly, incomparably excited.

"It's not for you."

"Don't even think about it. Laozi is not your treasure-delivery boy."

Zou Zou Xiyuan let out a cold laugh: "A treacherous, slippery wretch like you should be thrown into endless, long blood-battles. Live if you can, die if you can't. Don't dream of such pretty things."

"Yes, you are right."

Jiang Ding gave an awkward smile.

Zou Zou Xiyuan beckoned with her hand.

Hum!

The Dayang Dayang Tianchi behind Jiang Ding uncontrollably flew into her hand; terrifyingly extreme divine sense and sword intent surged into it, being observed and probed by her.

"Oh? It's been repaired quite well."

"Back then I clearly saw the Moon being shattered, nearly breaking into countless fragments and perishing completely."

Zou Zou Xiyuan gave a soft exclamation of surprise; her divine sense and sword intent scanned the entire Dayang Dayang Tianchi bit by bit, awakening the sealed Moon. A faint shade of filial longing showed in her eyes as she asked: "Moon, are you still alive?"

"……"

"……Zou Zou Xiyuan kid?"

The Moon slowly stirred awake, saw a towering, blurred spirit-being before her, and was momentarily stunned.

Whoosh!

The next moment, the Dayang Dayang Tianchi activated, blooming with countless brilliant sword-qi runes that instantly enveloped Jiang Ding, carrying him as they transformed into a bright, resplendent sword-light to flee.