Chapter 1494: Old Friends Withered Away

Jiang Ding sat upon Wang Zuo.

He gazed in silence at the empty palace.

Behind him, the vortex phantoms of six worlds slowly arose and perished; this Black Demon Palace had once been called the Six Paths Reincarnation Palace, built by the founding patriarch of the Liu Dao Sect, a great demonic sect from the previous Northern Plain era.

Back then, after Jiang Ding had conquered this central palace of the Northern Plain, he renamed the Six Paths Reincarnation Palace to Black Demon Palace, believing that a mere Soul Transformation sect calling itself Six Paths Reincarnation was far too arrogant and unrealistic.

But now, perhaps it could be changed back to its original name?

In the endless starry sky, perhaps the Six Paths Reincarnation he now grasped could truly be called possessing a sliver of its essence, worthy of the name?

Jiang Ding fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he slowly shook his head.

Not enough. Far, far from enough.

Still far too short.

In the endless cosmic starry sky, his present achievements were nothing more than those of an ant.

The higher his realm climbed, the more he felt his own insignificance, clearly seeing that nearly despair-inducing chasm that blocked generation after generation of cosmic prodigies—sons of True Immortals, sons of Dragons and Phoenixes—unable to cross that threshold.

What did his present meager accomplishments amount to?

To take the name of Six Paths is the path to death, even far more dangerous than the Northern Plain's former Liu Dao Sect.

"When a child plays house, babbling nonsense like 'I am a general' or 'I am the emperor,' who would pay it any mind?"

"Even the most tyrannical sovereign would do nothing, for it would be too shameful—quarreling with such a child would only drag down his own reputation for no reason."

Jiang Ding silently thought: "But if one close to a True Immortal were to so style himself... the probability of disaster would far exceed that of a Soul Transformation cultivator, by thousands, even tens of thousands of times."

"The endless cosmic starry sky hides far too many secrets."

"I must learn humility."

The blue-robed youth upon Wang Zuo fell into contemplation.

This scene seemed eternal, having already lasted for tens of thousands of years, and would continue forever into the future—until the seas turned to mulberry fields, the mortal world withered away, the oceans dried and stones rotted—without any change occurring.

This was an existence ancient in the past, enduring in the future.

At the horizon, a streak of fleeing light flew in—it was a rabbit-tailed woman whose hair was somewhat grizzled, her face delicate and lovely as a maiden's, yet she carried a heavy air of twilight years.

She was the strongest being of this world, one of the most ancient, the distant ancestor of countless living creatures.

Yet now, she walked into the palace as timidly as a bewildered child just starting school, her large blinking eyes swiftly glancing upward for a moment, then quickly proceeding to the familiar spot in the last row near the back of the palace, standing straight, gaze fixed forward—just as she had in the classroom of Tushan Xiancheng many years ago.

The arrival of this rabbit powerhouse was a beginning.

Then came a ginseng doll, still in the form of a three-or-four-year-old child, yet with endless vicissitudes in his eyes; he bowed respectfully and took his place to one side.

A moment later, a girl of about one and a half meters arrived.

She was not so restrained; she cast a gentle glance upward, then stood properly in the very front row, closest to Wang Zuo, waiting quietly.

Last, a ravishingly beautiful female cultivator draped in wings of Xun Wind, her figure graceful and voluptuous, stepped inside; she bowed respectfully, then stood behind the one-and-a-half-meter girl.

In the palace, silence fell.

One day. Two days. Three days.

One month. Two months…

The blue-robed youth upon Wang Zuo was still pondering; his time-scale differed vastly from that of mortals and low-to-mid-level cultivators. To him, this stretch of time was very brief—only enough to consider one small question, contemplate one minor difficulty, or do a little cultivation.

The four powerhouses in the palace also waited in silence, not making a single sound.

Until three years later.

"Sigh…"

"No one else will be coming."

The blue-robed youth upon Wang Zuo opened his eyes and sighed softly: "After all these years, of all the old acquaintances in this world, only the four of you remain?"

In Tushan Master Tushan Zhongting, there were still a few Soul Transformation cultivators.

But sadly, they were all young lives, not old acquaintances.

"Yes, Master."

The one-and-a-half-meter girl in palace dress spoke in a clear voice: "More than five thousand years ago, Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun and Li Qingyun Canghai Tianjun ascended; more than two thousand years ago, Lieyang Canghai Tianjun ascended; one thousand five hundred years ago, Bingxue Canghai Tianjun ascended."

"Now, of the former Family Alliance Northern Plain, only the four of us mediocre ones remain."

"Mediocre?"

"Not at all—if you were in the Upper Realm, each of you would have some chance of reaching Void Refinement."

Jiang Ding's gaze swept over the four as he offered comfort.

Gong Gong Caiyu, late-stage Soul Transformation; Hei Hei Louxi, late-stage Soul Transformation; that rabbit, late-stage Soul Transformation; only the Nine-Origin Spirit Ginseng Chun Chun Sanwa remained at Hua Shen Zhong Qi.

This was related to Jiang Ding's policy after his clone advanced to the late stage.

Quite some time ago, Jiang Ding no longer needed the resources of the small Northern Plain world—they were too few—so he casually bestowed them upon these old friends, allowing their cultivation to gradually rise.

"Old friends of many years,"

"I shall not waste words."

Jiang Ding sighed: "None of you have committed any capital crimes over the years, which is good. Out of sentiment, I shall grant you an opportunity to ascend to the Upper Realm, a Void Refinement Gong Fa, and the chance to exchange insights and discuss the Dao with a few fellow cultivators, so we may all advance together."

"After so many years of friendship, I cannot let my fellow cultivators go without a shred of hope?"

"Thank you, Master!"

Hei Hei Louxi and the others drew in a deep breath, forcibly suppressing their excitement as they spoke.

An opportunity to ascend to the Upper Realm!

A Void Refinement Gong Fa!

And the chance that was called discussing the Dao but was in fact guidance—such things were granted only to those who had shared their youthful years with the True Honored One of Tushan.

No matter how dazzlingly talented the Soul Transformation cultivators after them might be, they could never again catch the eye of the True Honored One of Tushan, nor receive bestowments beyond their merits.

"The Upper Realm isn't peaceful either. There may be dangers."

"The trouble I've stirred up is no small matter. You must keep this firmly in mind."

Jiang Ding admonished.

Across the long stretch of time, only these old friends could bring back memories of his youthful years. The feeling was pleasant, and he liked it, so he was willing to give them some gifts.

Moreover, if in the future he stood supreme over the Upper Realm, he would reorganize his Fox Mountain maiden retinue and complete his dominion over the entire Upper Realm. These maidens would be the seeds of his future army, sparing him the effort of cultivating them from scratch.

Therefore, Jiang Ding hoped they would continue to grow.

"Yes, Master!"

Hei Hei Louxi and the others committed it firmly to memory.

"Very well."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

He waved his hand, bestowing one by one the prepared pills, Gong Fa, and talismans. Then, tailoring to the cultivation Gong Fa, meridians, and divine souls of the four Soul Transformation cultivators, he explained in meticulous detail his own path to Void Refining—how to revise it, how to remedy it, how to refine magic power and divine sense… leaving nothing out.

This was a tremendous opportunity beyond description.

One could even say this was a foremost authority among the immortal Dao educational circles across a world cluster, spanning tens of thousands of Minor Thousand Worlds, personally lecturing a cultivator on the Dao. Apart from citizens of the immortal sects, virtually no cultivator could obtain such a profound opportunity.

This was an opportunity capable of transforming a Soul Transformation cultivator beyond recognition!

Such a tremendous opportunity, given away freely without any price, could only be obtained by old friends who had known each other in humble times.

This powerful figure hoped his old friends would survive.