Chapter 375

"The essence of the earth, nine-colored sonirang..."

Zhang Jian gazed at the small pile of nine-colored soil in his hand emitting nine-colored light, his expression becoming unusually solemn.

Sonirang, this is a treasure from mythology.

In mythology, the goddess Nüwa used it to create humanity.

But in reality, it is the supreme treasure of the earth attribute.

Note: it is earth, not merely the wu earth attribute.

In the Tongshan Dao lineage, there have also been transmission records of this object; it is said that the ancestral master King Yu once obtained nine-colored sonirang, used it to successfully control the waters, attained supreme creation, and thus achieved the accomplishments of the ancient sage kings.

Such a treasure, a single grain can fill vast oceans and marshes.

It can turn vast oceans into land, and the earth into towering mountains that pierce the heavens.

Ancient legend holds that the divine mountain of the Tongshan Dao lineage was formed from a single grain of nine-colored sonirang obtained by the ancestral master King Yu.

That divine mountain has always been the root of the regional earth's qi!

How evident is the power of creation!

"Marvelous! With this object, the mandate of heaven and earth will be perfected—things will become much easier!"

Joy flickered in Zhang Jian's eyes.

At this moment, the message from the ancestors in the ancestral shrine became more detailed.

Nine-colored sonirang: essence of the earth, wondrous treasure of creation; mastering nine-colored sonirang allows one to master a portion of earth's mandate; comprehending its mysteries will inevitably form one of the heavenly Dao bodies among the myriad heavens (Innate Sonirang Dao Body, Innate Creation Body, Innate Hou Tu Body, Innate Earth Mother Dao Body, Innate Earth Soul Body, Innate Wu Earth Dao Body...).

Seeing this series of Dao bodies left Zhang Jian dazzled, but there is no doubt these are all earth-attribute or creation-related supreme innate Dao bodies.

Besides, nine-colored sonirang has many other mysteries—for example, it can assist earth-attribute cultivators in condensing earthly spiritual qi; this counts as its most insignificant minor ability; furthermore, it can heal wounds, accelerate the cultivation of spiritual medicines, aid in practicing earth, metal, and creation attributes, and various immortal arts under the great Dao of these attributes—but it is still overkill for minor uses.

Its true function is the work of creating heaven and earth!

This is its most precious function!

"Truly an inconceivable treasure!"

At this moment, Zhang Jian clutched this treasure and felt it scorching hot.

If people knew of this thing, there would be no end to it.

I fear those Dao Kings and ancient immortals would come rushing to seize it.

Joy flickered in Zhang Jian's eyes; this treasure also has great use for him.

The path he has chosen is that of the State and Sovereign Emperor; the word "state" comes before "sovereign."

The State Dao takes the earth as its core.

He must grasp the mountains, rivers, and lands of the earth, perfecting the mandate of earth.

Mastering this piece of nine-colored sonirang will greatly increase his control over the earth.

Zhang Jian's figure instantly sank into the depths of the Yellow Court Blessed Land.

He prepared to first preliminarily refine this object, master its earthly power, and then decide how to dispose of it.

And before entering seclusion, Zhang Jian issued another imperial edict, appointing Zhang Zhao as regent crown prince; during his seclusion, the governance of Great Xia would be handled by the cabinet, with the crown prince reviewing memorials.

This imperial edict immediately caused great uproar throughout the former court and inner palace.

This is Zhang Jian's first time revealing his true stance.

In the fourth year of Shengde, the crown prince selection was finally confirmed!

Zhang Zhao was confirmed as the heir apparent of the Great Xia dynasty.

Although this "heir apparent" may have always been merely a title, it also shows that Zhang Zhao's position in the eyes of the Great Xia Emperor is far from ordinary.

In the inner court, the consorts first received the news, their reactions varied, but generally remained calm.

Because the Great Xia Emperor, in many occasions, openly or subtly expressed his attitude, and has always kept Zhang Zhao by his side for instruction by word and deed.

They had long regarded him as the preselected crown prince.

In the Fengzhi Palace, Empress Qi, surrounded by two young and beautiful palace maids, was admiring flowers in the courtyard; her lower abdomen slightly protruded, her waist had grown fuller, appearing already pregnant.

At this moment, a female official beside her softly congratulated her.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, the Second Prince has gained the Emperor's favor, finally entered the Eastern Palace, and may establish his residence and offices!"

That was a young and beautiful Kun Daoist, who also possessed some cultivation on her person, her spiritual light flowing, though her cultivation was not high.

Empress Qi remained calm, indeed showing no surprise, yet her expression still held a hint of a smile.

"Indeed, this is a joyous occasion, but the Eastern Palace crown prince has always been a sensitive position throughout history, with little authority, countless trivial matters, and must endure countless open and hidden attacks—whether it is blessing or disaster remains unknown!"

Upon hearing this, Qingqing softly said: "Your Majesty is a sage ruler, aspiring to achieve the great undertaking of a sage king; he will surely protect the crown prince!"

She is a Kun Daoist selected from the Dongguan Guan and Zi generation, skilled in medicine and alchemy, thus assigned to attend the Empress.

The other two beautiful young maidens were personally cultivated by Empress Qi from among the many talented girls; at present, they serve as female officials in the Fengzhi Palace, filling the vacancies left by Qu Lian and Yu Yao's departure.

Empress Qi, upon hearing this, let out a slight sigh.

She knew that being the Eastern Palace crown prince Zhang Zhao was no easy position.

After all, his father is the Great Xia Emperor, a Dao-attained immortal emperor; who knows how long he will have to remain in the crown prince's position?

Perhaps he will have to hold it until the day the Great Xia Emperor leads the multitude in ascension.

Empress Qi also read in some ancient texts from previous dynasties that in ancient times, even the crown prince of a sage king's dynasty could serve for thousands of years.

"We must also earnestly instruct Zhao'er, lest he grow complacent because of this; diligent cultivation is the proper path!"

Empress Qi secretly thought.

Empress Qi also did not wish for Zhang Zhao to neglect his cultivation due to sudden promotion.

Having experienced so much, Empress Qi also understood that only profound cultivation is what others cannot take away.

In the Great Xia court, civil and military officials alike—who does not admire strength? Otherwise, how could the court be under the Emperor's unilateral rule?

It was precisely for this purpose that the Qi Empress never even urged Zhang Zhao to marry and establish a household, to take a proper wife.

……

Western Palace Inner Sanctum

Compared to the bustling Fengzhi Palace, the Longkang Palace, as the Western Palace, was much quieter; this place is near the surroundings of the imperial city, and the aura of marshes is intense.

Bai Li Ying had been cultivating here ever since she condensed her Golden Core; upon hearing the news transmitted from the previous dynasty, her expression merely twitched slightly, and she paid it no heed.

She had long known that Zhang Jian intended to cultivate Zhang Zhao as the head of the Zhang family and the heir of the Great Xia Dynasty, and naturally had no thought of competing with him.

Zhang Yi's thoughts were not here either.

Amidst the myriad affairs of the harem, Bai Li Ying was too lazy to pay attention; only attaining the Dao and achieving longevity was her eternal and unchanging pursuit.

After condensing her Golden Core, she prepared to return to the White Waters to cultivate, then await the investiture of the State and Earth Gods, to see whether, through the influence of the Great Xia Dynasty, she could exchange for a position as any River Earl or Dragon Lord in a major water system with abundant water spirits.

……

As the one being invested, within the imperial palace Zhang Zhao merely received the edict from the hands of the Inner Palace Superintendent with a tranquil expression, his countenance from beginning to end bearing only a faint smile.

For him, this was a matter of course.

In fact, compared to handling tedious trifles, Zhang Zhao preferred to immerse himself in cultivation.

Having lived beside Zhang Jian since childhood, being instructed by him in word and deed, he became increasingly calm, wise, and cautious; since he came to understand things, he has habitually used wisdom as a mask to disguise himself, doing so merely to gain his father's encouragement and approval.

In fact, he also obtained everything he wanted.

But deep in his heart, he yearned even more to be like an ordinary cultivator, to possess a more splendid life.

Sometimes he felt he had gained Long and wished for Shu!

But cultivation indeed could let him set aside everything and focus wholeheartedly.

But soon Zhang Zhao returned to reason, his gaze turning to another jade slip on the table.

This was a royal secret method bestowed upon him after the Great Xia Emperor Emperor ennobled him as Eastern Palace Crown Prince; Zhang Zhao thus harbored no small anticipation for it.

Zhang Zhao thought for a moment, then casually picked up this jade slip and affixed it to his forehead; moments later, a profoundly mysterious divine-soul-level technique suddenly entered his sea of consciousness.

"《Dream Wanderings of the Grand Void》, roaming heaven and earth, myriad transformations, the turning of void and substance, uniting the Dao with all beings!"

A mere trace of divine sense swept over it, and Zhang Zhao's eyes instantly brightened.

This secret method Zhang Zhao had heard his father the emperor speak of; it was a wondrous method independently established by his father, already confirmed as the Zhang clan's core, non-transmittable secret.

Once cultivated, one can manifest hundreds of phantom bodies to enter heaven and earth, experience different lives, thereby comprehend the way of void and substance transformation, and achieve supreme Dao arts.

This technique perfectly matches his thoughts; with this technique, even if he cannot leave Haojing City, he can rely on these emanating phantom bodies to comprehend the myriad facets of the mortal world.

He can become a Qi practitioner who greets the blue sea in the morning and gazes upon Cangwu at dusk, or become a diligent seeker of the Dao like ordinary cultivators, or manifest as an ordinary minor official enjoying a lifetime of ease, or an ordinary merchant traveling the four directions, even to the beast spirits in the barbaric wastes, local deities, the myriad things of the heavens……

"Father……"

A faint ripple appeared in Zhang Zhao's eyes; soon he composed himself, prepared to earnestly contemplate this divine-soul-level technique, so as not to disappoint Zhang Jian's kind intentions.

……

On the other side, Chi Jiang Daoist borrowed the Eastern Emperor Treasure Mirror and hurried back to the gates of the Shura Gate.

Upon his return, he saw in the void one after another magnificent spiritual mechanisms filling the surroundings, and a portion of the major immortal sects and lineages had dispatched powerful figures.

These major immortal sects came from various origins, all responding to the summons of the Tongshan Dao Lineage.

For example, the Tiantian Sect, Lingxiao Sword Sect, Qianlong Sect, Xuanti Sect, Shangqing Sword School, etc.; a portion of the stronger orthodox sects in the vicinity had all arrived.

The appearance of the Shura Gate within his own sphere of influence also made many immortal sects and lineages feel apprehensive; if this calamity is not resolved, it may well nurture a great transformation.

Since it was the eminent figures of the Tongshan Dao Lineage who stepped forward to lead, everyone naturally was willing to respond.

Wu Liang True Person also saw Chi Jiang Daoist's return; after receiving the Eastern Emperor Treasure Mirror, he directly led numerous Dao lineage elites into the Shura Gate.

……

Deep within the Shura Gate, at this moment blood-colored light flowed and circulated; a magnificent blood-colored river flowed from the depths, surging through this void dharma realm.

The blood river was vast, resembling an ocean.

In the inner depths, a terrifying blood-colored figure stood firm, his eyes emitting intense blood light.

Demonic qi surged vast around the blood shadow!

Upon his massive blood-colored form, at this moment were spread countless deformed malignant sores, these sores being no different from those of the Jingwu Heavenly Son initially.

Above his head were seen countless fierce ghosts, the wails of all beings; these sounds caused this figure's eyes to have some confusion and frenzy in their depths.

"Damned Dongshen Guan, damned Gan Hai old coot! Even if he dies, he still wants to drag this lord into burial with him!"

His eyes were gloomy.

This figure was none other than the Blood Sea Holy Lord, who had been severely wounded by the Gan Hai True Person.

He had originally hidden in the depths of the Ya Xu Dharma Realm to heal his wounds, but with the fall of the North Chu Dynasty, as one of the two National Guardian True Persons sponsored by North Chu, he immediately suffered a tremendous backlash of fortune, nearly causing his divine soul to collapse directly.

Before him, in order to survive, he had no choice but to risk connecting with the powerful extradimensional demon god in the depths of the blood river, relying on the power of that extradimensional demon god to suppress the backlash.

At this moment, the Blood Sea Holy Lord also sensed that cultivators had actively intruded into the depths of the Shura Gate; his eyes emitted intense blood light.

"Courting death!"

His eyes flickered with a ferocious hue.

The extradimensional demon god he communicated with this time was no ordinary being, but a true ancient demon god of the blood river; this time he would make these people come but not return, and would stir up a true blood disaster, sweeping this region, to avenge the destruction of his body.

As he let out a sharp cry, one saw the surging blood river beneath his feet churning; from within it emerged one after another terrifying figure; these figures mostly had huge beast bodies and astonishing physiques—they were a horde of ferocious beasts born of the blood river.

These ferocious beasts had their entire bodies covered in intense blood light; old light, ferocious and icy cold.

But even more terrifying were the blood-light flowing blood shadows that emerged behind them—these were blood god sons transformed from blood ghost kings; each one's emitted power would not fall short of any divine soul true person; they lurked within the bodies of the blood river ferocious beasts, invisible and formless, most vicious and venomous; as the Blood Sea Holy Lord waved his hand, in an instant these blood river ferocious beasts and blood god sons transformed into a blood-colored frenzy, sweeping outward from the blood river's periphery, devouring all living things in their path.

In place, the Blood Sea Holy Lord's eyes emitted a cruel and greedy hue.

To completely cleanse the fortune backlash on his body, he must find a way to use vast amounts of living beings' essence blood, especially cultivators' essence blood, to suppress the backlash; to him, these cultivators were entirely a great tonic.

……

Huang Ting Blessed Land

Zhang Jian sat cross-legged around the spirit pool of that blessed land.

The space around the blessed land was rich with primal essence, and Zhang Jian did not pour the nine-colored fertile soil into it; instead, he released the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, which slowly swallowed the nine-colored fertile soil. As the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram enveloped the nine-colored fertile soil, Zhang Jian felt a grand, warm, and moist undulation emanating from within, wrapping his innate Dao fetus immortal body, and an invisible creative force naturally seeped into his immortal body.

Zhang Jian's primordial spirit and divine sense merged into it, contemplating the heavenly and earthly Dao traces hidden within the fertile soil, the earthly imprint.

No special refinement method was needed; Zhang Jian naturally felt his divine sense resonating with the earth, and after his innate Dao fetus immortal body merged with that warm and moist force, it naturally drew close to the earth's authority.

The earth was no longer unfamiliar to him.

Like fish and water, the firmament and flying birds.

With a thought, he felt he controlled the mountains and rivers of the vast Xia, spanning ten thousand li, as if they were his innate authority.

This was completely different from before.

He had previously controlled the earth's authority.

His previous control over the earth's authority entirely came from the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, this composite-type natal primordial spirit immortal method.

To control the earth's authority, it was not merely a matter of passing through an additional procedure; moreover, the earth's authority he controlled was not extensive.

But now it had greatly increased, and he felt he had truly become a sovereign of the earth, born of its nurturing.

"The authority of the Divine Path Sovereign has been completed..."

Zhang Jian's pupils flickered as he continually resonated with the qi of the nine-colored fertile soil, merging with its earthly authority; the nine-colored fertile soil seemed to transform into a nine-colored divine light, naturally flowing into the depths of the State Sovereign's primordial spirit.

At this moment, his control over the earth's authority suddenly crossed a threshold.

At this moment, he seemed to have become an embodiment of the earth's laws, wielding a mysterious earthly authority.

At the same time, Zhang Jian's eyes widened in astonishment as his primordial spirit and divine sense merged into this layer of "earthly authority," enabling him to sense, in a distant illusory void realm, countless grand bloody demonic qi seemingly appearing directly before his eyes...