Chapter 981

Two sword lights flew into the Great Sun Heavenly Pool.

“Yue, it’s been a long time.”

Yu Qianzi smiled lightly and greeted: “Did you miss me? After all, your name is the same as mine—we’re quite fated.”

She openly poached, trying to build connections.

“Oh.”

“Another Daozi.”

Yue glanced at her: “Pity—you’re not the Taiyin Sword Daozi, and you don’t possess the Taiyin Flying Sword. Otherwise, if a Sword Daozi slew you, they’d gain far greater insight than any other Daozi.”

“Or… if you could slay the Sword Daozi…”

Yue seriously considered it.

“Could I then become the master of the Great Sun Heavenly Pool?”

Yu Qianzi perked up.

It’s possible.

Given the pride, madness, and sword-centric devotion of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion’s cultivators, who recognize only the sword and not the person, such a thing might truly happen.

“If the Taiyin Sword Daozi slew the Sword Daozi, then yes.”

Yue sneered: “The first Great Sun Pavilion Master himself said that if the Great Sun Sword Daozi is slain by the Taiyin Sword Daozi, it means his path has failed—why not yield the throne?”

“But you can’t.”

“Your sword isn’t the Taiyin Flying Sword.”

“If you kill the Sword Daozi, I’ll only be able to collect his corpse and bury it in the Heavenly Pool’s Sword Grave, waiting for the next Great Sun Sword Daozi to be born before seeking revenge.”

“What a pity…”

Yu Qianzi looked deeply regretful.

The two openly discussed how to slay the Great Sun Sword Daozi.

Jiang Ding’s face turned as black as a soot-covered pot.

He wanted to draw his sword and kill both of them.

“I’ve reached Yue Xi River. Don’t bother me unless you have something important.”

Jiang Ding waved his hand.

CLANG!

He drew his sword and, as if swatting a fly, struck Yu Qianzi—who was still chatting warmly with Yue—with a single blow, sending her crashing dozens of kilometers away into Yue Xi River, burying her deep in the riverbank mud. Her once ethereal moon-white immortal robes tore apart, instantly turning her into a ragged beggar, with only a tiny portion of her head visible above the ground.

“This sword technique…”

Yu Qianzi was stunned, momentarily forgetting her anger.

This strike was ordinary, yet it instantly shattered her sword qi, sword intent, and flying sword defenses—without actually harming her body—perfect to the extreme.

In just a few centuries, his sword art had advanced dramatically; he had now reached the late stage of unextinguishable sword qi, nearing its peak, as if his sword realm had no barriers whatsoever.

If she faced him alone, under the crushing weight of his sword art, she’d likely perish within a few strikes!

“Great Sun Sword Pavilion…”

Yu Qianzi erupted with moon-white sword qi, pulling herself from the earth; her tattered moon-white immortal robes rapidly mended under the surge of sword qi, as she silently repeated that name in her heart.

This sect, which betrayed the Sun-Moon Sword Pavilion, may not yet be extinct.

Her heart trembled; suddenly, she felt this premonition.

She was shaken, and suddenly felt such a premonition.

Within the Sun Abyss, beneath the Sun God Tree.

Jiang Ding sat cross-legged, staring at the five-colored armor before him.

The armor’s five hues cycled and rotated, appearing semi-transparent, subtly blending into the surrounding space, concealing unknown power and an aura of darkness.

This aura stood out slightly in the Nine Spirit Realm, but in the Jiao Ming Realm, it would feel perfectly at home.

Even a Void Refinement peak cultivator, unless repeatedly scanning with spiritual sense, would fail to detect anything unusual—merely perceiving him as an ordinary cultivator, a low-ranking Jiao Demon Clan member, or an Yaozu slave, commonplace and unremarkable.

Even a Void Refinement peak cultivator, unless repeatedly scanning with spiritual sense, would struggle to detect anything, merely assuming this was an ordinary cultivator, or a low-ranking member of the Jiao Mo Emperor Clan, or an Yaozu slave—commonplace and unremarkable.

Jiang Ding murmured.

This was the culmination of the Nine Spirit Realm’s nine immortal sects’ efforts—a Void Refinement-level concealment treasure, specially modified so even a Nascent Soul Daozi could wear it.

The armor’s sole function was concealment—nothing else.

Countless immortal sect alchemists and artifact masters poured endless effort and rare treasures into it, pushing this single ability to its absolute limit, holding high hopes that it would grant them advantage in the realm war.

This armor, along with the other eight Daozi’s armors, had been forged centuries ago; Void Refinement-level beings, with their astonishing wisdom, had foreseen today’s outcome long ago and completed the armors just recently, entrusting them to the Daozi for consecration.

This armor, along with the armors of the other eight Dao Sons, had been forged centuries ago; Void Refinement-level beings possessed astonishing wisdom and had foreseen today’s outcome centuries in advance, completing the armors just in recent years and entrusting them to the Dao Sons for refinement.

Jiang Ding whispered.

Clearly, for him, infiltrating an alien star realm alone to carry out a covert mission carried immense psychological pressure—not as calm as he appeared.

Jiang Ding exhaled azure Nascent Soul fire, using his spiritual sense and sword intent to guide it into the armor, beginning the consecration of this top-tier concealment treasure of the Nine Spirit Realm.

His spiritual sense was exquisitely precise, leaving no detail, no rune unexamined, ensuring he could control the artifact at any moment.

The Great Sun Heavenly Pool’s light gathered toward him, accelerating his consecration.

“Estimated completion: ninety years—then full control.”

After years of consecrating the Ming Ying Armor, Jiang Ding gradually grew familiar with it.

He began multitasking, allocating part of his soul’s computational power to cultivation and sword consecration, while assisting Yun Ri in consecrating the Super Carrier, Great Sun.

The Great Sun Heavenly Pool and Sun Abyss blazed with radiant light; the ten-thousand-meter-tall Sun God Tree shimmered brilliantly, the Super Carrier Great Sun resting among its branches, absorbing the Great Sun essence and celestial spiritual energy gathered by the tree.

The Taiqing Flying Sword’s body was being refined with Great Sun Radiant Gold, Fourth-Generation Synthetic Geng Gold, and vast quantities of metal-elemental rare treasures, absorbing the essence of all metals, continuously engraving prohibitions and honing its edge, inscribing the Sun God Prohibitions within its body.

In another few decades, the Taiqing Flying Sword should complete its thirtieth Heavenly Gang Prohibition, ascending to a high-grade Primordial Spirit treasure, further enhancing Jiang Ding’s strength.

The body of the Taiqing Flying Sword was forged by smelting Solar Radiant Gold, No. 4 Synthetic Geng Metal, and vast quantities of golden elemental heavenly treasures, absorbing the essence of all gold under heaven, continuously inscribing sealing arrays and honing its edge, etching the Sun Divine Seal into its body.

Jiang Ding devoted most of his soul’s computational power to cultivation and learning the language, customs, and political systems of the Jiao Ming Realm.

He still reserved a small portion of his soul’s capacity to read the latest immortal sect scientific papers, study various techniques and spells, and oversee projects like the Great Sun Mystical Art and Great Sun Radiant Gold Application Engineering—never pausing.

Though these projects weren’t as urgent or life-or-death as those in the Jiao Ming Realm, they concerned his future Dao path—he could not abandon them, not even for a year; they must be pushed forward constantly.

While Jiang Ding cultivated, the other eight Daozi were also urgently consecrating their Ming Ying Armors, practicing techniques, and enriching themselves—busy, yet causing no disturbances or violations of immortal sect law.

Though they deeply disliked their surroundings and all the restrictions.

Both sides endured and restrained themselves.

In the Northern Plains, Jiang Ding occasionally took time to visit, absorb magnetic yuan energy, and handle administrative affairs.

Overall, the entire minor world remained peaceful and stable.

Though some Nascent Soul cultivators fought over rare treasures, opportunities, or through schemes and false accusations—events that, to Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators, seemed like turbulent storms, possibly heralding a cataclysmic change at any moment.

These were inherent to any immortal society.

Conflict and competition would always exist; no order could instantly turn a group of humans into saints who loved one another and lived in perfect harmony—utterly impossible.

Jiang Ding had set only one bottom line: those who violated Tu Shan Law were punished severely; everything else was ignored.

The entire minor world developed slowly but steadily—more talents emerged, new immortal knowledge arose, rare treasures increased in output, and the world’s spiritual energy concentration rose subtly, all thriving.

Thus, time flew swiftly,

The entire small world was developing slowly but steadily, with its population growing, new immortal knowledge emerging constantly, output of heavenly treasures increasing continuously, the world’s spiritual energy concentration subtly rising—all flourishing.

Thus, time flew by,

A hundred years passed silently.