Chapter 340: Picking the Desolate Copper Minor World as a Birthday Gift for You

"Reincarnation?"

Uncle Lin Yong repeated the word in his heart, his eyes complex and indescribable.

He was now also a man in his eighties, wrinkles creasing his face; his elder sister was the same—an age at which one had to give some thought to matters after one's passing.

"Cousin Lin Yuanwang."

Jiang Ding looked toward Lin Lin Yuanwang.

He was currently at the peak of Qi Refining; after all these years, his upkeep had not been especially outstanding, still looking like a man in his thirties or forties, but faint wrinkles had already appeared on his face, along with the aura of magic power at the Fa-rank.

"Foundation Establishment—how are your preparations?"

Jiang Ding asked.

He knew that, apart from himself, his maternal grandparents cared just as much about their other grandson, and gave him the same love, without any distinction based on whether he was outstanding or not.

And at this moment when their lifespans were about to reach their end, they still had him on their minds.

"Preparations are largely complete. I plan to attempt Foundation Establishment right after Grandpa's birthday celebration."

A trace of excitement surfaced in Lin Lin Yuanwang's eyes. He drew a deep breath, not letting slip this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity concerning life and death: "If possible, I hope to obtain a heavenly treasure of the meridian-nurturing type—one that is compatible with a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill."

For an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator, this was unimaginable.

To even have a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill was already a heaven-sent opportunity; a heavenly treasure compatible with a Foundation Establishment Pill was something at the level of a rare treasure, extremely rare, often worth millions of low-grade spirit stones.

The markup was utterly outrageous.

Foundation Establishment cultivators would not dare dream of it; Foundation Establishment cultivators could not afford it even if they sold themselves.

There was no helping it—high-rank cultivators also had their own relatives to look after.

Under a market economy, the price of such a rare treasure corresponded not to the wealth of Qi Refining cultivators, but to the wealth of the powerful among Jin Dan cultivators.

"Good."

Jiang Ding did not hesitate in the slightest.

"In roughly a few months, this item will be delivered. Live well, and don't break the old folks' hearts."

"Yes!"

Lin Lin Yuanwang straightened his body and answered instinctively, purely out of reflex—even though the person before him was a year younger than himself.

Old man Lin Gang smiled faintly.

With his other grandson's future now settled, a great weight lifted from his heart.

"Haha, Cousin, you're being far too solemn."

Jiang Ding laughed heartily, reining in the trace of pressure he had unconsciously let slip, and looked toward the other elder: "Grandma, what is your name?"

Lin Lin Wanqiu and the younger generation around her were taken aback.

Come to think of it, after all this time calling her "Mom" and "Grandma," they had never known what the old lady's name actually was.

"Why is Lord Dingding asking my name?"

Grandma patted Jiang Ding's head, thought back for a moment herself, then said: "Grandma's name is Zhao Zhao Zihan. Isn't it a terribly old-fashioned name? Though it's been many years now since anyone called me by it."

"Zhao Zhao Zihan…"

Old man Lin Gang's expression grew dazed; the name stirred his memories, faintly calling back scenes from high school and university, and the first meeting with that beautiful girl with a ponytail.

It had only been a little over eighty years.

Just the span of a single closed-door cultivation for many high-rank immortal cultivators.

Yet it had been a lifetime for him and his wife.

"Zhao Zihan—symbolizing kindness, beauty, and knowledge. How could that possibly be old-fashioned?"

Jiang Ding shook his head and smiled: "When Grandma was young, you must have been a beautiful and kind girl—the apple of your mother's eye."

"Of course!"

A proud look appeared on Grandma's face, with a touch of childlike innocence showing through.

"Grandpa, for your one-hundred-and-fifth birthday, let me give you and Grandma a gift."

Jiang Ding said slowly.

"What gift?"

Lin Gang was somewhat curious, drawn in by Jiang Ding's solemn manner.

The others also looked over, holding their breath, eager to see what kind of precious and extraordinary gift a sect's top scholar—an immortal-sect prodigy who, past fifty or sixty, still looked like a young boy—would present.

"I will give you a world."

A hint of grandeur unconsciously showed on Jiang Ding's face as he said slowly: "Brother Brother Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace is despicable and shameless, having stolen and occupied the immortal sect's Shi San Xiao Gao Jie, the Desolate Copper Minor World. The height of shamelessness."

"I intend to take it back and name it the Ganghan Realm."

"What do you think?"

"…"

Lin Gang was stunned dumb.

The surroundings fell utterly silent; everyone gaped, suspecting they were hearing things.

"Lord Dingding, what did you just say?"

Lin Gang could not help but ask.

"Please wait a little over a month."

Jiang Ding stood up, his body floated into the air, transformed into a sharp grey-blue sword-light and flew toward the sky, merging midair with a silver-white aerospace fighter jet that had suddenly appeared.

It climbed upward, broke through the troposphere, entered the stratosphere, and vanished from sight.

"Request to join the Desolate Copper Minor World ground landing force."

"This action carries a certain degree of risk. Do you confirm?"

The voice of the Central Array Spirit Computer sounded.

"Confirmed."

"Applying to the commander of the Wild Copper Minor Realm battlefield, Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun—please wait… Cang Hai Canghai Tianjun has approved your application… please wait, the instant cross-planar teleportation array is being opened for you alone, please proceed immediately to area a284…"

The silver-white aerial fighter rose along the Shenmu Shenmu Futianrong, pierced the stratosphere, entered the mesosphere, and flew toward a platform several hundred kilometers wide, densely covered in spatial array patterns.

A vast emptiness.

Everyone had been evacuated in advance; some Nascent Soul cultivators had even gone so far as to employ spatial techniques to speed up the clearing.

More than that—every route he passed was sealed and concealed layer by layer by the Central Array Spirit Computer, temporarily cutting off all signals sent beyond the realm, strictly inspecting every person along the way who might catch sight of his movements, under tight surveillance.

The aerial fighter landed at the center of the cross-planar super teleportation array; the intricate spatial array patterns around it slowly lit up, and the teleportation activated immediately—no procedures to process, no waiting—an efficiency terrifyingly high.

"Beep beep!"

Jiang Ding, who had been resting with closed eyes, opened them. His phone projected the avatar of Jin Jin Lingfeng—delicate, adorable features, shimmering silver hair draped over both shoulders, bangs level with her brows.

"Jiang Ding!"

Jin Jin Lingfeng said excitedly, "I've received the conscription order from the Wild Copper Front Army. I need to enter the Grand Void Illusion Realm to command the Qi Refinement landing troops for you, as coordination."

Beep beep!

Not long after, An Siyan also appeared on the phone's communication. Adjusting his black-framed glasses, he said calmly, "Jin Jin Lingfeng is here too? Then I'm in a similar situation. Besides, quite a few children of Nascent Soul cultivators should also be joining in, to experience real planar warfare and earn merit."

"The Heart Demon Tribulation at Core Formation is always strange and varied—more experience is very important for them."

"Good."

Jiang Ding closed his eyes once more, using divine sense and magic power to nurture and refine the Taiqing Flying Sword between his brows, soothing its restless sword body.

……

From within the layered branches and leaves of the Shenmu Shenmu Futianrong, an aerial mothership covered in patches and sword scars slowly sailed out—primitive, ancient, who knew how many years it had slept.

"You mangy dogs of Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace!"

"Taste the fear we once faced at the hands of the Great Sun Sword Child!"

A youth with a pale face, wearing earrings and ripped jeans, stood at the bow laughing wildly.

"The Wild Copper Minor Realm belongs to the Immortal Gate!"

"I'm the one who said that!"

"Ding!"

The voice of the Central Array Spirit Computer slowly emerged.

"Soul Transformation-grade aerial mothership commander, former commander of the aerial corps who repelled eighty-nine Soul Transformation raids, slew sixteen Soul Transformation cultivators from forces such as the Great Sun Sword Pavilion and Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, participated in six Void Refinement-grade battlefields and survived, recipient of the Sun-Slaying Solar Medal, Mie Ri Master Dinghai Zhenjun, applies to join the Wild Copper Front Army."

Eating continues.

(End of chapter)